Last week we concluded the T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore on the note that the shortest format is truly a work under construction, especially given that this is going to be the World T20 year.
This week we look ahead to the first Test, and second leg, of the tour in Rawalpindi, underlining how parallel construction work is needed – and is ongoing – for the Pakistan cricket team in two contrasting formats.
In cricketing terms, the breakdown of Bangladesh’s tour to Pakistan isn’t ideal for anyone – neither the hosts nor the visitors. But of course, the fact that the matches are held in Pakistan was so significant that everything else has had to make way.
That means that Misbah-ul-Haq now has the task of working with two varying squads for Tests and T20s, with the World Test Championship also underway. The Test series win against Sri Lanka in December, coupled with the T20I win against Bangladesh in January, underline that progress – of some degree – is being made.
The Test side was perhaps as much a challenge for Misbah, as much as the format is his forte. This is owing to the fact that while Pakistan’s T20I rut was limited entirely to 2019, the slump in Tests had begun immediately after his retirement along with Younis Khan in May 2017.
What appears to work for Misbah, when in charge of the Test side – wherein he’s played his part indeed – is the fact that the squad appears to be well-settled already. There is a clear template for the Test 11, and even 15, something that can’t be said of the T20I side, as we discussed last week. What Pakistan now need are results.
Had Bangladesh been playing two successive Tests after Pakistan’s win over Sri Lanka, the hosts would’ve been overwhelming favourites. The batsmen, the bowling – especially the pacers – and the fielding were bang on form, and the team would’ve carried the momentum into this series.
Babar Azam
Now there’s been a T20I series that had broken that down, in addition to the upcoming Pakistan Super League now dividing the series into two isolated Tests. And that is how the team would have to treat the Bangladesh Tests – as two independent ventures.
These two Tests – this week and then in April – are the only five-day cricket Pakistan play till the tour to England in the summer. Again, more than the impact on that tour, or the World Test Championship points, or even consistency in selection, it is actually getting the wins under their belt that matters the most – which indeed will tick all other relevant boxes.
Yasir Shah
While the Test side is well-settled, additional focus would be on Azhar Ali – his batting and even more so his captaincy. That is the one thing that has been visibly missing from Pakistan’s Test side over the past three years – strong and game-impacting captaincy.
Leading up to his ton in Karachi, Azhar had been completely out of form, even before he had been given the captaincy ahead of the Australia tour. He would definitely need runs against Bangladesh to keep the question marks away.
Elsewhere, Yasir Shah is someone who might have something to prove as well. He has been off colour in Tests over the past couple of seasons as well, and needs a strong showing – and prolific wickets return – to ensure that Misbah and his team of selectors don’t start looking elsewhere.
Yasir has been a formidable attacking weapon for Pakistan, the quickest to 200 wickets in Tests in all of cricket history, but reputation alone unfortunately has little place in modern cricket – especially for a team under steep transition.
Pakistan would fancy their chances against Bangladesh. But they would need to go with the same counterpunching mindset as they did in the Karachi Test against Sri Lanka.
