This piece is being written before the third ODI, so there’s a good chance that Pakistan might have completed a 3-0 whitewash over the West Indies in the UAE. Either way, Pakistan’s performance and the results achieved throughout the limited-overs ‘home’ campaign against the World T20 Champions have been impressive and produced much-needed results as well. The need has been all the more urgent in the ODIs, with the deadline for World Cup qualification looming.
Even so, considering the fact that the next limited-overs assignment is in Australia and that Pakistan faced a second-string West Indies side, one shouldn’t read too much into the result card. Yes, Pakistan haven’t had as impressive a record in the UAE in ODIs and T20s as they’ve had in the Tests, but beating the 8th ranked side in the desert is but a minor step forward. And the only reason it’s a step forward is because Pakistan are currently ranked No. 9 in the world.
Babar Azam
Taking on the Aussies down under would be a completely different ball game
In the first two ODIs the differential was obvious. The batting is finally taking baby steps towards coming of age, and the resurgence has been spearheaded by Babar Azam. He has resoundingly announced his arrival with back-to-back centuries and now looks to have made that number 3 slot his own. And after establishing his position, he can now look to play even more freely in the time to come - because he does have all the strokes needed to press on the accelerator.
Before Babar Azam, the only other batsmen to have established themselves in the ODI side were Sharjeel Khan and Sarfraz Ahmed. And while both seem to have further cemented their respective reputations, Sharjeel has missed out on big scores when they were there for the taking. Sharjeel must be guided against becoming another Imran Nazir and constantly giving his wickets away with loose strokes. He should focus on pacing his innings and being selective in stroke play.
Shoaib Malik’s performances were, again, impressive in Asian conditions. But considering that he has now a proven record of more than a decade of failures outside Asia, should he be a part of Pakistan’s ODI future, now aged 35? Until other players can stake a claim to a regular slot in the middle order, the answer to that question will remain ‘yes’.
Imad Wasim
Of those players, two - Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal - didn’t get an outing in either of the two ODIs, while the third - Mohammed Rizwan - was run out in one innings, and barely got a chance in the other ODI. Rizwan’s place is the only one up for grabs, as things stand, and considering that the versatile right-hander hasn’t had too many opportunities, he should have the slot in the coming fixtures.
All eyes were on Azhar Ali - both the captain and the batsman - at the start of the ODI series. According to multiple sources he was asked to step down as the captain before the series but he refused. Two failures in the first two ODIs would have added even more pressure. Notwithstanding the runs that he has ground out in the past year and a half, Azhar is not a natural ODI batsman and the team management would have to accept that sooner rather than later.
While Pakistan’s batting was impressive, where it clearly lacks is late-order firepower. Imad Wasim, Mohammed Nawaz and even the likes of Wahab Riaz and Mohammed Amir - all have the capability to use the long handle, but none has done it on a sufficiently regular basis. Imad and Nawaz as the designated all-rounders have the burden to reciprocate their impressive bowling performances with consistent batting displays.
There was little that the bowlers did wrong throughout the series. Wahab Riaz steamed in, Hassan Ali successfully displayed his variations, while Amir continued to take wickets here and there. The two left-arm spinners have further enhanced their reputations - especially in Asian conditions. Bowling has never been a problem for Pakistan and that continues to be the case.
However, again, the next series in Australia - as we saw in New Zealand earlier this year - would be a completely different ball game. To be successful in those conditions, Pakistan need pace bowling all-rounders in the ranks, and there just aren’t too many coming through.
All in all, it was a good show against a depleted West Indies side in the UAE. Taking on the Aussies down under would be a daunting challenge for a side, still struggling to avoid the World Cup qualification round.
