Pakistan looking for consistency in the long run

ODI skipper Azhar Ali confirms recent changes won’t become the norm.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s triumphant ODI captain Azhar Ali has said that while the team is undergoing changes at the moment, the long-term goal is to have a settled ODI team where players can get consistent opportunities.

The national selectors in consultation with Azhar and the team management have been introducing youngsters into the squad, with injuries taking their toll.

But despite missing several key players, the one-day team impressed in Sri Lanka, claiming a first away win on the Island after nine years.

“Yes we’ve been making changes over the last few ODIs but that is down to the number of injuries and the fact that the team is going through a rebuilding process but in the long-term everyone wants a settled team,” said Azhar, speaking to the media upon his return to Lahore.

The skipper recalled that Pakistan were under pressure before the series as the qualification for ICC Champions Trophy was at stake but everyone took the challenge positively.

He also mentioned that the training sessions were intense as the team management wanted the team to focus match by match on achieving the ultimate goal of winning the series.

“The players and the team management worked very hard together for the common goal of winning the series,” he said. “Our training sessions were intense. There was lot of emphasis on improving our fielding and that reflected in our performances.”

In the 30-year-old’s view, the 3-2 series win is down to the positive attitude of the players and felt that the Test series win helped morale in the camp.

The skipper was also happy with the way the team coped with the setback of Muhammad Hafeez’s bowling suspension. “We had to add a bowler after Hafeez’s suspension, which is why Babar Azam was left out and Sarfraz was promoted because he plays spin well and rotates the strike,” he said. “He is a great team man, I asked him [about coming up the order] and he accepted. Imad Wasim also showed great composure despite being a new comer.”

The makeshift ODI opener further said that it is very rare that everyone contributes in a team’s win and the series win against the Islanders was one such instance.

Meanwhile, he also expressed hope that the Pakistan T20 side will whitewash Sri Lanka in the shortest format.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th,  2015.

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