This piece is being written after Day 2 of the second Test against Australia at the MCG. We’ve already lost 80 overs - almost an entire day’s play - owing to rain, and there’s a good chance that might have sufficed in ensuring a drawn Test match by the time you read this, especially since there is forecast of heavy rain in Melbourne. But, of course, stranger things have happened in Test cricket.
Regardless of what would have ensued, the first 100 overs of the game have given us glimpse of what the future holds for Pakistan cricket, especially the batting. A future centered around Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq as the mainstays of Pakistani batting.
Azhar Ali
With Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq around, rainy days might steer clear
At the end of Day 2 Azhar stands at 139* and with the Pakistani tail looking increasingly comfortable in Australia, he has a good chance to score a few more. Azhar now has ODI centuries in Australia, England and UAE this season - the latter being a triple ton. He also almost made a match of the second Test against New Zealand. Over the last three years he averages more than Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers.
Asad Shafiq, whose century at the Gabba garnered widespread acclaim, gave him good company with another well played half century. Asad has scored runs in England, South Africa and Australia in addition to the bundles at ‘home’ in the UAE. Asad and Azhar have gradually stepped into the roles that Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have been vacating.
Barring a fifty for Younis at the Gabba, neither of the two senior batsmen - the erstwhile mainstays of Pakistani batting - have scored any runs since the England tour. While the series against West Indies was relatively comfortable, despite the loss in the final game, their no-shows in New Zealand and Australia have become all the more glaring by their heretofore deputies stepping up their game.
Asad Shafiq
Unless a turnaround of epic proportions takes place, the odds are that Pakistan would be looking for their first win of the series in the third Test at Sydney. It might just be the swansong for Younis and Misbah, as the indispensible heart of Pakistan’s middle-order, if not their actual Test careers. But the thought doesn’t seem as scary as it did a few months ago.
With Azhar making the opening slot his own, Sami Aslam would look be his long-term partner. Babar Azam might not have done much in Australia so far, but he has showed enough to make everyone believe that he will be Pakistan’s number 3 in the years to come.
This leaves us with the million dollar question: do we promote Asad Shafiq to four or five, once Misbah and/or Younis retire, or do we let him be at number 6, where he now has the most Test centuries in the history of cricket, surpassing Gary Sobers at the Gabba?
While Asad looks significantly more comfortable at 6, he might have to move up to at least number 5, when younger players are brought in. But that’s something for the coach, captain and the management to sit down with Asad and discuss.
If rain has ruined any chances of a result at the MCG, Pakistan would not only be looking for their first Test win on this tour, but their first win in Australia for over two decades. Whatever the score going into the Sydney Test, which starts on Tuesday, Pakistan would not be short on incentive at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
As Azhar and Asad spearhead Pakistan’s challenge, the SCG could witness a formal change of guard. And with these two around, rainy days might steer clear for Pakistan cricket.
