Another loss

Now only 2 ODIs against New Zealand in their own backyard will be a final chance to shape the squade

While the UAE has turned into a fortress for the Test team, Pakistan’s limited-overs team continue to flounder at the Emirates. Since 2009, the national team has only succeeded in beating Sri Lanka in a One-Day International (ODI) series there and the disappointing trend continued with New Zealand’s resounding comeback to nail the five-match series 3-2 on December 19. Pakistan’s perennially poor batting line-up failed abysmally again as soon as they found themselves chasing 275 in the series decider. With the World Cup a mere two months away, the recent form of the limited-overs squad is hardly inspiring. The team management has remained stubborn in its attitude and refused to improvise with the batting order throughout the five games.

Pakistan fielded an unbalanced playing eleven and paid the ultimate price in the last two games. With the loss of Mohammad Hafeez as a bowler due to an illegal action, no extra bowler was played which proved costly. Haris Sohail did a commendable job with the ball, but fast bowlers Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz and Anwar Ali looked ordinary, putting immense pressure on the non-regular bowlers. Shahid Afridi enjoyed a wonderful stint both with the bat and the ball but remained guilty of some uninspired leadership. The likes of Umar Akmal and Sarfraz Ahmed were not tried in the top-order, and one-dimensional players like Younus Khan and Asad Shafiq were persisted with. Misbahul Haq’s hamstring injury has raised concerns about his participation in the World Cup underlining the fact that the preparations for the mega event have hit a snag at the most inappropriate time. Most of the spots in the 15-member World Cup squad are still up for grabs. Other than Mohammad Irfan, none of the other bowlers have done enough to seal a berth in the squad. The bench strength of Yasir Shah, Ehsan Adil, Imran Khan and Mohammad Talha all seem raw at this stage, especially the fast bowlers. Time is running out fast and now only two ODIs against New Zealand in their own backyard will provide a final chance for shaping the World Cup squad.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2014.

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