There is no dearth of cricket talent in Pakistan and all that is required is proper coaching and selection on merit. Individual performance helped Pakistan win crucial matches against India and Bangladesh, ensuring our entry to semifinals against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup. However these victories should not hide our weakness in the team selection, performance of players and their performance on the field. The management that accompanies our players matters a lot. The unfortunate incident of three key players, caught in match fixing in London, could have been avoided if the manager, coach and skipper had played their role.
In the match against Bangladesh, PCB Selection Committee and tour Selection Committee must be held accountable for selecting Abdur Rehman, who strangely could not bowl a single normal delivery. It is time Umar Akmal starts using his mind for shot selection, instead of flashing his bat, without realizing that singles could have achieved the target. Our team desperately needs a full time wicket keeper, with ability to score runs, instead of a part time wicket keeper.
Wicket keeping requires patience, focus, anticipation and coordination with bowlers and a specialist plays a major role in winning matches. Our fielding has improved, but we still have to work hard to achieve international level. A lot of work still has to be done so that running between the wickets is done with effective communication and coordination between batsmen, than what has been seen in the recent matches.
MALIK TARIQ ALI,
Lahore, March 6.