The 4-1 drubbing

Mercifully, it’s over. The trip Down Under turned out be a sheer humiliation – not for the first time though. A 3-0 whitewash in Tests inflicted by Australia was followed by a 4-1 drubbing in T20Is at the hands of New Zealand.

Team Pakistan’s ordeal on the land of kiwis started at Auckland with a 46-run thrashing, followed by three more defeats – by 21 run, 45 runs and 7 wickets at Hamilton, Dunedin and Christchurch respectively. The fifth game, also at Christchurch, however, ended in a proverbial consolation win, by 42 runs, for the hapless tourists. That the victory in the final T20I prevented a whitewash spared the Shaheen Shah Afridi men some blushes.

Even in a defeat, there are takeaways at times; but none in this one. None of the newcomers – batsmen Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan and Haseebullah; bowlers Abbas Afridi, Aamir Jamal and Zaman Khan; and wicketkeeper batsman Azam Khan – could come up with an impressive performance and justify their selection. There were scores of 50-plus by old guards – three by Babar Azam and one each by Muhammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman – but none ended up clinching a victory. Team Pakistan’s performance has once again highlighted the desperate need for genuine power-hitters to bolster the batting line. A quality leg spinner and a genuine all-rounder are also sorely missed.

For skipper Afridi, the series was a chance to build towards the T20 World Cup coming up in June. If we are to rebuild the team for the big contest, there is need to spot talent and hone it to suit the demands of modern-day cricket. The ninth edition of Pakistan Super League this February-March is a good opportunity for the players to demonstrate talent and for the cricket czars to identify it for the national duty.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2024.

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