Pakistan’s middle-order trio under the scanner

While last year’s Lord’s Test between Pakistan and England will always be etched in everyone’s memory due to the infamous no-balls by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, it was also the last time that we saw one of the most elegant of Test batsmen ever – none other than Muhammad Yousuf.
His axing from the Test squad was followed by recalls for Younus Khan and Misbah ul Haq, it became evident that the selectors’ intent was to blood the young batsmen, for they had realized that it was time to look for the next generation of middle-order batsmen.
Over the years, Pakistan cricket has been blessed with some outstanding middle-order batsmen. Imtiaz Ahmed, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, Inzamam ul Haq and more recently Yousuf and Younus have been the Pakistani middle order stalwarts over the years. Given this extraordinary class, one cannot help but wonder whether the fresh crop of middle-order batsmen is good enough to carry in the same vein?
The three batsmen who have been given a chance in the recent past, and have been persisted with, are Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq. While Azhar and Asad did feature in the recently concluded Sri Lanka series, Umar was dropped, following a dip in form. He remains part of the trio under the scanner because he showed such promise in the early days of his career. Maybe that is why he might survive some serious question marks on the integrity on his elder sibling.
The batting averages of the threesome are fairly decent, with Azhar leading the pack with an average of over 42 from 16 matches, Umar having at over 35 after the same number of matches, and Asad having an average of over 32 after eight matches.
These numbers are no match for the current batting averages of Younus, Yousuf and Misbah, a look at the respective batting averages of the trio after they had played 16 matches, shows a different picture. Yousuf, who currently has an average of over 52, averaged a tad below 34 after 16 matches, and that too when his first five 50-plus scores were against Zimbabwe. However, with the passage of time he developed the ability to spend more time in the middle and pile on runs, peaking in 2006, when he amassed a record-breaking 1788 Test runs in a calendar year.
Similarly, the numbers for Younus and Misbah went up over time. After a century in his debut Test against Sri Lanka, Younis pulled up his average from 41 to 51, while Misbah who averaged 37 after 16 matches, has taken his average beyond 46 in the 13 matches that he has played ever since. Considering that in 10 of these matches, he also had the additional responsibility of captaincy, and it looks seriously impressive – making him one of those select few who have raised their game as first among equals. Ever since his recall as a captain against South Africa last year, he has averaged more than 80, and has gone past a fifty runs in an innings 10 times!
As the latest generation of middle-order batsmen take centre stage, it is obvious that there is way to go before they match or get anywhere close to Younus and Misbah.
While Azhar has been as consistent as anyone at number three, having scored one century and 11 fifties in 16 Tests, his knack of getting bogged down and losing the plot later in his innings is something that needs to be addressed. Hopefully, the century that he scored at Dubai would help in enhancing his self-belief levels, but he needs to be told that batting at number three, and having the solid defence that he possesses, he needs to play through the innings. And at a scoring rate that keeps the opposition under pressure.
Asad Shafiq commenced his career with a defiant fifty against South Africa in Dubai in his first innings last year, and made another against New Zealand at Hamilton in the next match. He has shown the potential to stay in the middle while batting in the lower middle-order. However, the pressure of retaining his place in the team seems to be quite pronounced, and he has gone into his shell too often when all he should have done was play his natural game.
Umar Akmal, on the other hand, resembles a Shakespearean tragedy. The aggressiveness and the fearless attitude that earned him a lot of praise early in his career, soon led to his tragic demise. He was criticized for throwing away his wicket too often, and that eventually led to him being axed from the Test squad.
While the talent is definitely there, what these youngsters require is learning at the job and maturing quickly. Historically, all the middle-order stalwarts that Pakistan have had, benefitted from playing alongside the more experienced middle-order batsmen in their early days. Yousuf and Younus played with Inzamam, who in turn had shared the training net and the pitch with tainted but classy Saleem Malik. And that is not to mention the redoubtable Javed Miandad – a child prodigy but nonetheless having the advantage of Majid, Zaheer and Asif’s class at the other end.
It is high time the likes of Younus and Misbah took this trio under their wings so that at the time of quitting, they can enjoy the satisfaction of having ensured a rock solid middle order that could take Pakistan cricket to new heights.