Pakistan have opted to go to Zimbabwe with an overwhelming spin attack. Not only do they have Yasir Shah back in the side for ODIs, the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz have bolstered the spinning side of things as well.
Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, as has been reiterated in this space regularly, is on a T20 winning streak – 19 wins in the last 22 matches played – and would be confident of clinching the triangular cup against a struggling Australia and underdog hosts. In view of how the Aussies struggled against English spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid to face a historic 5-0 ODI whitewash, they should truly be up against the wall.
Uncapped Sahibzada Farhan, who believes he’s ready for international cricket after PSL exposure, has earned his call-up for the T20I series. The 22-year-old from Charsadda was last seen representing PSL 2018 Champions Islamabad United where he scored 44 in the final against Peshawar Zalmi. The absence of injured Babar Azam and Ahmad Shahzad– the latter having failed a dope test – has paved the way for young Sahibzada, who would be expected to open the innings for Pakistan.
Even so, the number one ranked T20 side may struggle in the batting department if seniors Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez and Sarfraz Ahmed fail to live up to the billing. Although Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Haris Sohail and Faheem Ashraf can be relied upon to score quick runs, they’ll need the experienced campaigners to provide stability to the innings. Malik is in the form of his life,scoring 102 runs with 10 sixes in the two games against Scotland.
Hafeez has also been recalled for the squad, which proves how Head Coach Mickey Arthur only wants him as all-rounder, and not batsman alone – which indeed makes perfect sense. His inclusion will add further depth to Pakistan’s batting and bowling. And Arthur will be hoping Hafeez keeps his arm and attitude straight.
The squad announcement was dominated by Ahmad Shahzad’s exclusion and the reports of him having failed a dope test earlier. This isn’t the first time Shahzad has been dropped from the Pakistan squad – however, doping has never been a cause in the past. His comeback in T20Is against Scotland wasn’t particularly prolific, as he only scored 28 in the two matches.
One thing that Pakistan never lack is quality fast bowling. For the T20I series, Pakistan have pretty much the best among best. Pacers Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali will be hard to score off with their disciplined bowling. They certainly know how to swing the new ball, reverse the old one, and pitch in the variations which makes them best of the lot. Both Usman Khan and Shaheen Afridi are still settling in and will have the opportunity to cement their places in the side.
After the tiring England tour, Amir will arguably feel more at home in the limited-overs format. He will be accompanied by Junaid Khan in the ODIs, who suffered a stress fracture and missed the series back in January against New Zealand.
Sarfraz Ahmed
Mohammed Hafeez
We have not seen Yasir Shah for quite some time. The world-class leggie missed the Ireland and England Tests due to injury. Even so, Shah hasn’t had much success in ODIs and last played a 50 over game in August 2016 against England – when the hosts mounted 444-3.
Wicketkeeper Sarfraz also has a lot to prove in Zimbabwe. His quick-fire 89 against Scotland in the first T20I may have been enough for that one match, but now he has to be consistent and bat up the order. Hafeez and Malik can bat below him since they’re good hitters.
Shoaib Malik
Pakistan’s last ODI encounter was the 5-0 whitewash in New Zealand, which owed largely to the fragile batting lineup and inconsistency in this particular format. The only in-form ODI batsman Babar Azam is subject to fitness which could leave a clear void. This, hence,is ideal time for Imam-ul-Haq and Haris Sohail to score big runs and show how they can be depended upon ahead of the 2019 World Cup. n
