A new cricket era

We earnestly hope that he brings back the aggressive brand of cricket that made Pakistan a real force in the game

Pakistan cricket enters the post-Misbahul Haq and Shahid Afridi era in One-Day Internationals (ODI) with Azhar Ali being named captain of the national team in the 50-over format. The 30-year-old has been chosen to lead in a format where Pakistan have endured a series of disappointing results, culminating in the quarter-final World Cup exit. Azhar’s ascent to captaincy has triggered a debate with opinions varying greatly over his choice. Most critics point to his ordinary strike rate — 64.84 — in ODIs but ignored the fact that he has only made 14 appearances in the format so far. The Lahore batsman led the Balochistan Warriors admirably in the Pentangular Cup tournament that preceded the World Cup and after Mohammad Hafeez’s withdrawal from the mega event, was widely tipped as a possible replacement for the all-rounder. However, Nasir Jamshed was chosen ahead of him, the left-hander had a wretched time in the three games he played and in hindsight it seems that Azhar was better off staying away from the media glare during the largely fruitless World Cup campaign.

Azhar will have the comfort of starting off his tenure as captain on slower Asian wickets that suit Pakistan. After the Bangladesh tour that is due to start soon, Pakistan play in Sri Lanka and then host England and India in the UAE. The new selection committee has already identified some young players who are going to be gradually introduced in various formats this year. The batsmen at least would be comforted by the opportunity of playing on pitches that suit their style of play, with Azhar also having the opportunity to ease back into the ODI game after two years in the wilderness. We wish Azhar the best in his endeavours ahead and earnestly hope that he brings back the aggressive brand of cricket that made Pakistan a real force in the game. Pakistan have some menacing bowlers in their armoury and if Azhar can stabilise the misfiring batting line-up, then the days ahead might bring the fans some joy.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd,  2015.

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