THE YORKER LENGTH –
Congratulations to Pakistan on winning the ODI series against Sri Lanka by an emphatic margin of 4-1 and in the process moving up the ICC rankings by one spot. In my preview, Pakistan was marked as slight favourites, expecting the Lankan outfit to put up a good fight but they went down without a whimper. And had it not been for some poor shot selection and running between the wickets in the second ODI, Pakistan would have surely whitewashed the Islanders.
The Sri Lankans, under Tillakeratne Dilshan, looked hapless and lacked conviction. The form of their key players was patchy at best. While they had their moments during the course of the series, lack of confidence and belief meant that they failed to take the chances that came their way. On the other hand, Misbah’s boys showed pretty much all the attributes that you look for in a successful team. Ruthlessness in the first and the last ODIs and fighting spirit in the third and fourth amply reflected that.
While Afridi deservedly won man of the series, it was pleasing to note that almost everyone contributed in some form or the other which made this a team effort in the truest sense of the word. Pakistan have got themselves into a winning habit which is always a good thing and while the opposition have not been the toughest recently, the confidence gained from these victories will hold the team in good stead facing sterner tests.
Afridi hogs the limelight more often than not but this time round – brilliant with the ball and sensible with the bat – he richly deserved it. The two As, Afridi and Ajmal, were well nigh unplayable to negotiate through the series, and combining with the miserly Hafeez formed the bedrock of Pakistan’s victories. Afridi may claim to have proved his point but the question still remains: can he perform like this consistently?
It is particularly interesting how over the last year or so the team’s main weapon has become spin where as in the past, fast bowlers formed the nucleus of the attack. An indication of how well the trio have been doing can be found in the form of the latest ICC ODI bowlers’ rankings where Ajmal now sits atop the pile followed by Afridi and Hafeez in the seventh and eighth position respectively.
The spinners did a wonderful job adapting to bowling with two new balls and fast bowlers in and around the squad have their work cut out if they are to make the playing eleven. Another positive was Sarfaraz Ahmed who kept well enough and showed improvement and calmness with the bat. The batting is still a slight concern and though it came out of this series unscathed, they will find the going a lot tougher when up against an actual bowling attack. Under-use and misuse of Asad Shafiq is a tad disappointing since he is talented enough and needs to be playing regularly and in the middle order to showcase his true potential – like he did in the T20 game.
Pakistan’s next assignment is Bangladesh, where they are to play a single T20 followed by three ODIs and two Tests. No disrespect to the Bengalis but Pakistan would have to be overwhelming favourites for this one. Bangladesh are coming off series losses against Australia, Zimbabwe, the West Indies and a resilient and focused Pakistan may prove too hot to handle. However, Misbah and his players must guard against complacency and treat the opposition with respect.
Pakistan has named more or less the same squad that triumphed against Sri Lanka with Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz continuing to have a ‘rest’. This really is a strange one here because if the duo is being sidelined because of its suspected involvement in the spot fixing saga, why doesn’t the PCB bring this out in the open. And if indeed, a behind closed doors inquiry is being carried out based on Mazhar Majeed’s claims, how are Umar Akmal and Imran Farhat – involved in spot fixing according to the same man – still in the squad?
Injuries to Junaid Khan and Razzaq mean they will miss out but it should not be a major concern given how well stocked the bowling department is. Mohammad Khalil, another left armer and currently the joint-leading wicket taker in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy has been recalled from the wilderness to replace Junaid. Khalil last played a Test on Pakistan’s 2005 tour of India.
Despite the recent run of good form, the Pakistani team is still a work in progress and while Misbah’s methods have come under scrutiny, and in some cases rightly so, the bottom line is that he is producing results at the moment and one expects the team to get a positive result against Bangladesh.
