Azhar Ali to the rescue

Despite the drubbing that was handed out to Pakistan by Sri Lanka in the fifth and final One-Day International (ODI), by 165 runs, the 3-2 series win by the national team is nevertheless a cause for celebration. Pakistan were able to win a series in Sri Lanka after nine long years. Following an inconspicuous start to his captaincy, which saw a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh, the Pakistan Cricket Board would be feeling vindicated at entrusting Azhar Ali with the ODI captaincy. And given the quite surprising and welcome transformation of the batting line-up, which showed the kind of positivity and aggression that fans had been crying out for in the recent past, Azhar, the captain and opener, passed the test he was put through with flying colours. Too often, under Misbahul Haq, Pakistan’s batsmen seemed to be engulfed by fear and there was an impression that they were forced to control their natural flair and aggression.

This is the key improvement that has happened under Azhar, with Ahmed Shehzad, the captain himself, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan, all playing with positivity, shedding the staid approach employed by Pakistani batsmen in the recent past. The bowling attack, barring the last ODI, gave a good account of itself, displaying the variety present in its ranks as both fast bowlers and spinners had enough penetration to keep the hosts on the back foot. Fielding, long the bane of past national teams, was quite exceptional, the inclusion of players like Rizwan and Anwar Ali helping Pakistan match international standards. The challenge now will be to channel this positive momentum into even more creditable performances against England, later this year. There is also the slight matter of qualifying for the Champions Trophy. With Pakistan currently lying eighth in the rankings, and appearing to postpone their trip to Zimbabwe in a bid to preserve their standing, it remains to be seen what the final situation will look like, as the West Indies try to schedule a last-minute series against India in a desperate attempt to qualify for the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2015.

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