Asad Shafiq; looks to be made of the right stuff

Pakistan may find themselves 2-0 down in the ODI series against England but Stani fans can take some hope from the two performances, particularly today’s one. In the first game which Pakistan lost by 24 runs, the difference ended up being Umar Gul and his bad day at the office with the ball. Today it was the failure of the Pakistani batsmen to accelerate near the end of their innings and get the total up and around a challenging 310.

The most pleasing aspect was the emergence of what seems like another little gem for Pakistan in Asad Shafiq. He looks a ‘busy’ type of cricketer that keeps the scoreboard ticking by just dropping the ball and picking up vital singles. As he showed in the first ODI, and at certain times today, he can also attack and do so quite effectively.

With the  3rd ODI on Friday, Pakistan should look to make a couple of changes at least with Fawad Alam and Mohammad Irfan failing to impress. Though Fawad’s strike rate was good today, he still found it difficult to get the boundaries when they were required nearer the end of the innings.  I would certainly consider bringing in Azhar Ali in place of him, who showed in he Tests that he can certainly power the ball over the boundary.

As for Mohammad Irfan, I think he has a long long way to go. Though he does have the very useful physical characteristic of height, he doesn’t make the best use of it and was a liability in the field today. He certainly shouldn’t be discarded and forgotten about, but should be worked on closely back in Pakistan at the academy. Just from the problems he had with cramps in both games, it is obvious that he is simply not used to the game at the international level yet so should be taken away and refined rather than persisted with in which case he will leave England with nothing but mental scars. Pakistan should look to replace him with Abdul Razzaq for the remaining three ODIs.

No Shahid, it's not your fingers that are the problem, it's your brain

Pakistan have come full circle. From being the best team in international Twenty20 to looking like an amateur, disjointed club side as they surrendered to defeat in their second Twenty20 against a well drilled England. Bowled out for 89, their lowest Twenty20 total yet, Pakistan continued with their batting woes that were so evident in the recent Tests. The wrong team selection and lack of planning and execution in addition to the batting troubles, means the upcoming five match ODI series doesn’t look as if it will be much of a contest.

Whilst they added Mohammad Hafeez to the team, persisting with Fawad Alam meant that the team selection was still wrong. Fawad’s shot on dismissal showed that he had learnt nothing from two days ago. No balance, no technique, simply awful. Since they aren’t bowling Fawad, they could have gone in with Azhar Ali, a proper batsman, with the added benefit of him getting a sighter of the white ball before he is thrust into the in the ODIs, first of which is this Friday.

Today, much hinged on captain Shaihd Afridi’s innings as he came in with Pakistan three down for 20, with plenty of overs left (16) to recover and set a decent target. Yet Afridi failed to recognise the importance of his wicket and played an utterly foolish shot. The look on coach Waqar Younis’ face on Afridi’s dismissal said it all. You cannot be a captain of an international side and play as carelessly as that. It’s becoming more and more evident that he will not be the one to lead Pakistan cricket out of this mess on the field. I wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves the One Day fold as abruptly and selfishly as he did the Test one.

The thing that most irritated me about Afridi today was his response to one of Ian Ward’s questions after the game. Ward asked: “What do you say to those Pakistani supporters who are so disappointed because it means so much to them?”, Afridi replied: “They are supporters so they should support us”. Really Shahid? What reason have you given for us to support you recently? We have some of the most loyal fans in cricket who have suffered a lot of heartbreak that such a unpredictable side on the pitch, and inept board off it, gives, yet that is his view on us? Even today, when an embarrassing defeat was a certainty, the Pakistan fans in the crowd, on this wet windy day, many of them fasting, could still be heard shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. Yes it’s our job to support Shahid, but when will you start doing your job?

The fortunes of Yousuf and Malik seem to be going in opposite directions

Shoaib Malik’s exclusion for the last Test against England came as no surprise but his exclusion from this limited over squad is slightly more surprising. With Fawad Alam and Mohammed Hafeez coming back in, maybe Malik’s role would have been seen as being covered adequately enough. Hafeez’s inclusion also means that there is no place for Imran Farhat, who strangely enough, is probably more suited to the shorter form.

Most interestingly, Mohammed Yousuf has completed his come back by being named also. One would think that he’d only be used in the ODIs but I for one am certain he could do a job in the Twenty20 see-ball hit-ball form of the game. Younis Khan was overlooked because, according to captain Shahid Afridi, he has not sorted out his dispute with the PCB. In what seems a very unsympathetic and ruthless statement, Afridi said: “I asked the chairman PCB about the situation with Younis twice. But the clearance wasn’t given by the PCB. I did what I had to do”. Make of that what you will.

An inclusion that I am certainly in favour of was that of Azhar Ali. With the absence of Younis Khan, Azhar should go straight into the ODI side to bolster the middle-order batting line up. He has all the attributes: technique, temperament, talent, to become a permanent fixture in our ODI side for years to come as I am sure he will be in the Test side.

As expected, Shoaib Akhtar also retains his place from the squad that faced Australia in the Twenty20s earlier in the tour. With Wahab Riaz also included and Akhtar’s level of fitness considered, it will be interesting to see if Akhtar makes the ODI team. If he does, it may well be a straight battle between Umar Gul and Riaz for the final spot with the other two taken up by Asif and Aamer. We must not forget Gul’s deadliness in the shorter form and that Wahab has been quite expensive in this form in the past. Although, with Abdul Razzaq and Saeed Ajmal also in the squad, and considering the fact that Afridi will bowl himself, it will be interesting to see how many pacers are included in the attack from the five of Aamer, Asif, Gul, Akhtar and Riaz. Certainly that’s one area in which we’re spoilt for choice.

All in all, it looks a very exciting squad with plenty to work with for captain Shahid Afridi ahead of the World Cup:

Squad for the five ODIs and two Twenty20s:

Shahid Afridi (capt), Salman Butt, Shahzaib Hasan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Mohammed Aamer, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Wahab Riaz.

Reserves:

Sarfraz Ahmed, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Irfan, Abdur Rehman.

Yes, Pakistan managed to win something eventually but this win must not paper over the cracks like wins such as this have done so in the past. The management, coaching and captaincy issues still remain, not to mention the fact that we still are yet to find a settled opening pair and a reliable middle order.

Abdul Razzaq: Single handedly stopped the run of Pakistan’s 10 straight losses in all forms

What was obvious in both Twenty20s was that they followed a pattern which has become synonymous with Pakistan’s recent performances in that they found themselves in winning positions only to relinquish their hold on the game. But for the brilliance of Abdul Razzaq in the second Twenty20, this pattern would have continued for eleven straight games. Once again, it would be easy to use this as an excuse that only a few tweaks are needed here and there but you don’t lose ten games in a row if your problems are small and easily fixed.

One interesting call which came from the guys at MTJAG, was to make Abdul Razzaq captain. Before you dismiss it, consider the fact that none of our current candidates are obviously suitable and the problems we have had in bringing back the same old faces to take over as captain in the past. Would a new face in the role be a better option? Certainly, he seems respected among the players and is increasingly becoming a vital cog in the Pakistan team since his return from the ICL. It was his call-up to the World Twenty20 team which coincided with Pakistan’s up-turn and eventually lead to us being crowned World Champions. Could Razzaq be the perfect candidate to build a new team around? Many of you may have noticed his reaction after he bludgeoned the ball for six to take Pakistan home in the second Twenty20. It was the reaction of a determined and hungry man as his after-match comments clearly showed: “I was telling Fawad we should win this one. I was saying ‘you can, you will’ and we did”. Certainly, we could do with more of that attitude from all of our players.

Shoaib Malik also showed some intelligent batting although his bowling has a lot to be desired. It’s frustrating that Malik does not show this with his bat regularly enough. Someone else that also impressed and took his chances unlike in the past, was Fawad Alam. If we are to go with the ‘out with the old and in with the new’ route, then guys like him

A West Ham United flag (background) draped over the stands in Dubai

will be an integral part of the rebuilding process. With only six members of the World Cup winning squad out in Dubai, and the suspension of annual player contracts, it is clear that no one is certain of their places. With the Twenty20 World Cup around the corner, Pakistan needs to reorganise quickly if we are to defend our crown as Twenty20 World Champions.

Finally, I’d just like to send a shout out to the West Ham fans that watched the games out in Dubai and were spotted in the stands with their West Ham flags and banners. Come on you Irons!

So what was the Pakistani mindset from the beginning? Well it was one ‘hero’ after the other. Each buffoon of a batsmen that followed the previous one thought that a few quick boundaries here and the game would be over. But boundaries come with high risks attached, risks Pakistan did absolutely not need to take with a target like that. Not just once, but on many occasions throughout that innings they could have held themselves back and have gotten home comfortably.

After smiling about the recent security breach, Pakistan continued with their niceties by gifting three maidens (two wrapped in wickets) to Australia and effectively turning a chase of 6.4 per over into 7.5 an over.

The three shots I was not impressed with were those of Fawad, Rana and Gul. Admittedly, two of them are all-rounders and one is a bowler but the fact is all three were in at a time when they could see the situation the match was in, and all three could have taken us to the finishing line with singles. Fawad was probably trying to do just that but his shot was

The Pakistan players with their IQs displayed on the back of their shirts

something not even a school boy would be proud of. The Rana dismissal has to be looked into. I want to know why he missed the ball by a metre after facing a maiden the previous over. He is much better than that. As for Gul, with each ball he missed, a flashing “single” sign should have been going off in his head. But it seems with our players, not only is nobody at home, the lights aren’t on either.

We’ve shown glimpses of our talent throughout the tour but if there was one thing I’d put our losses down to, it would be the stupidity of our players. How good would we be if our cricketers showed a bit of intelligence and doggedness?

There are just two positives Pakistan can take away from this tour. One is the fact that there was not a series of Twenty20s, or they would have been whitewashed in that too. The other, they have found that one thing they have long been searching for, consistency. Nine matches and no wins, you cannot get more consistent than that.

The contrasting fortunes of Fawad Alam (top) & Umar Akmal

The recent tribulations of our top/middle order, the dropping of Misbah and the resting of Younis, has given Fawad a chance to stake his claim. His opportunity came in the first Test against New Zealand, coming into bat in the important position of number three. Fawad scored 29 in the first innings and just 5 in the second. The fact that Pakistan lost the first Test by only 35 runs, or to look at it another way, a decent knock by a single batsmen, then the three that failed at the top, Manzoor, Farhat and Fawad, had to have been scrutinized much more closely.

Added to Fawad’s problems will be the return to the squad of Misbah Ul-Haq for the second Test against New Zealand. With the important Australian tour coming up it would be very easy for the selectors to go back to the tried and tested, even easier if Fawad’s performances fail to catch the eye. Even Umar Akmal was omitted from the 2nd ODI against New Zealand recently despite his obvious talent and very good record. With this strange logic of selection, Fawad needs to make a stronger, more consistent case for himself.

If you were to compare him to the likes of Umar Akmal and Mohammad Aamer, then you would have to say Fawad has yet to seize his chances. It remains to be seen whether Fawad retains his place for the second Test. I for one would retain him for the New Zealand series so that he is given a fair chance to redeem himself. I fear that our selectors will go another route though.

Below is a list of the value of the contract in each category and it makes for some interesting reading.

Category A Rs 250,000 or £1,840 per month, £22,080 annually.
Category B Rs 175,000 or £1,290 per month, £15,480 annually.
Category C Rs 100,000 or £735 per month, £8,820 annually.

Though they were all pretty surprising, I was most surprised by the earnings of those who would fall into category C. Many of the players who were involved in Pakistan’s recent success and look to be in and around the team for some time to come, fall into this category of just £735 a month. This includes; Rana Naved, Fawad Alam, Saeed Ajmal and Rao Iftikhar. Here in the U.K, someone working at McDonald’s could earn more than that.

Inversely, there are some players in the top category who have either not played at all recently or have demonstrated that category A is one place they should not be. For example; Shoaib Akhtar, Salman Butt and Danish Kaneria.

Baffled? Well so am I. I would love to ask the meritocracy that is the PCB, how they decided on who goes in which category. Salim Altaf was quoted at the time (January 2009) saying: “The central contracts were devised by coach Intikhab Alam, manager Yawar Saeed and chief selector Abdul Qadir and the main criteria was seniority of the players”. Why seniority? Would any other professional organisation in the world, let alone cricket board, do this?

And if it was decided on performances, how do they explain Danish Kaneria? In 2008, Kaneria was in category C but without playing a single game for his nation, he found himself in category A this time around. I have nothing against Danish but I believe for someone who plays Tests only, he should be in category B at the most.

Obviously, this is just the basic wage as added to this would be match fees which players would receive for participating in a game and any awards for individual performances. Yet, this only exacerbates the situation for those in category C as they are less likely to take part in a game and earn individual awards anyway. The gap between categories C and B definitely needs to be smaller.

Taking into account the cost of living in Pakistan, there are still boards around the cricket world who take much better care of their players. I can now see why earning a better living through unofficial leagues such as the ICL did and would continue to appeal to some of Pakistan’s cricketers.

Category A (£22,080 annually)
Shoaib Akhtar, Younis Khan, Danish Kaneria, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Salman Butt, Umar Gul

Category B (£15,480 annually)
Yasir Hameed, Faisal Iqbal, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohail Tanvir

Category C (£8,820 annually)
Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Abdur Rehman, Yasir Arafat, Fawad Alam, Khurram Manzoor, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Samiullah Khan Niazi, Sarfraz Ahmad, Nasir Jamshed, Umar Amin, Azhar Ali, Abdul Rauf, Rana-Naved

Having snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the 1st Test, today’s batting performance must have left Pakistan’s coaching staff seething. I suppose this would have been mainly to save their own skins as what ever they would have told the players in between the last Test and this one, quite clearly has not worked. It is difficult for the coaching staff to have much effect whilst a match is on going yet in between matches is where they must have an influence. But with four ducks and just three double figure scores (the highest being 39), it seems as if the Pakistani players did not come into this match with a single thought of what had transpired in the last.

Another change to the opening pair saw Fawad Alam come in for Salman Butt. Many had asked for Fawad’s inclusion yet he could only manage 16 runs having being sent in to open which was something he had never done before in an international game. This decision seemed even more bizarre than when Alam was asked to bowl the very important 15th over of the T20 semi-final having not bowled at all in the tournament previously. Sure, Fawad would have been asked if he would like to open today but as a youngster desperate to play for your country, you just say yes, whether its opening or coming in last.

In reality, this was a blatant admission that the squad selection was completely wrong with Butt and Manzoor the only two openers in the squad. With Butt’s poor form coming into the series, it was even more surprising they only selected two specialist openers.

One positive was the innings of Shoaib Malik who had been coming in for some criticism recently. Apart from being one of our best fielders, a decent containing bowler, I think he is very important to our middle order. He remained not out today, scoring 39 having stayed at the crease for more than two hours whilst looking as if he was batting on the same pitch as the Sri Lankans did. His team mates however, did their level best to make a decent pitch seem like it was covered in land mines.

What makes it worse is that Cricinfo has decided to let the jingoistic Sidharth Monga cover the game, and he cannot control himself at the best of times let alone when Pakistan are having a shocker.

After getting off to a great start thanks to Kamran Akmal (23 off 12) and then Shahid Afridi (51 off 34), Pakistan were set for a total of 170 upwards. This did not happen as the South African bowlers, Parnell and Steyn in particular, reined Pakistan in, conceding just 29 runs off the last 5 overs. One thing Younis Khan could have done is send in Misbah Ul-Haq instead of himself as coming to the crease in the 13th over, Younis hit just one boundary in his innings of 24. Even sending Misbah in ahead of the rusty Razzaq would have been a good option. It was good that they sent Afridi at three yet this is one other place in which they could have been flexible with the line up. Misbah has a unique ability of finding the boundary from full pitched balls, something Younis and Razzaq struggled with.

We mustn’t underestimate the contribution of Shoiab Malik’s batting also. If you have a look at most decent Twenty20 totals, you will see they include at least one innings of 30+ which is around the run a ball rate. It’s a kind of stabiliser to the fast paced innings this form of the game requires in order for a large total to be set. Today that was the innings of Malik. More important was the fact that he was there during Afridi’s innings. Malik is an intelligent cricketer and in the interview he spoke of how he kept encouraging Afridi to try to preserve his wicket but still play positive. He was good in the field once again and took a brilliant pressure catch for the wicket of Jacques Kallis.

As for the bowling, we gave a few runs early on once again but then came the man of the moment, Shahid Khan Afridi. Getting AB Devilliers was vital as he has been the key to South Africa’s performances with the bat and thus this was a critical moment in the match. Umar Gul once again stepped up and produced his laser guided yorkers (Note to Daniel Vettori: He doesn’t really use lasers, it’s an expression of his skill). Anyone who’s bowled a ball in their life must know how difficult it is to bowl yorker length at all but Gul was doing it ball after ball.

A couple of Younis’ decisions in the field were quite surprising though. Firstly, he gave Fawad Alam an over in which he conceded 15 and gave South Africa hope, when Alam hadn’t bowled before and when Younis still had the likes of Malik, Razzaq and Aamer to call upon. It was obvious he wanted to get that one over (the 15th) out of the way to be able to finish with Gul and Ajmal from each end. The strange thing was that when Fawad had finished, Younis gave the ball to Ajmal in the 16th over meaning that Gul would not be able to bowl his full quota. This meant that it would be either Fawad, Malik, Razzaq or Aamer who would bowl the last over with South Africa needing 23. In typical and unique Pakistani style, they give the last over to a 17 year old and he doesn’t disappoint.

Though we have some improvements to make before the final, the scary thing is that Razzaq didn’t even fire with ball or bat and our best Twenty20 batsmen, Misbah, didn’t get to come in at all.

Billed to be a clash between man and machine, I know I rather have human skill than mechanical efficiency when it comes to the art of cricket…whichever form.

Last but not least, kudos to the Indian fan who was going around Trent Bridge with his Indian shirt on giving high fives to the Pakistan supporters; great stuff!