LAHORE - Selection committee led-by Iqbal Qasim announced very good squads for Twenty20 and ODIs formats for the short tour of India and included a few new faces over their superb show in the just-concluded National Twenty20 Cup.
But the cricket circles were of the view that the new comers will be the tourists of Pakistan team and they felt that Hafeez will not include them in the playing XI. They also feared that Hafeez also might not include Ahmed Shahzad in the playing XI and will prefer to open the innings with Nasir Jamshed to save his opening slot as he fears danger of losing his slot in the team. Shahzad is a very explosive opening batsmen having all shots and much better than Imran Nazir.
The tour selection committee should provide chance to the new talent to prove their credentials instead of keeping them on the benches. Pakistan needed left-handers in the middle-order and they selected two left-hand batsmen i.e. Umer Amin for T20 and Haris Sohail for the ODIs. Test discarded Umer Amin had learnt the lessons from the past mistakes and made a lot of improvement in his batting and this was the reason that he had scored in the Grade-I President’s Cup and his performances prove beneficial for his inclusion in the team. Harris Sohail also played well in the National T20 so the selector should have also selected him in the T20 format of the game while in the past representing Sialkot Stallions in the Champions League 2012 scored a fine half century and led his side to victory.
Pakistan have named five players in the squad including the old guard Umar Gul, they are Junaid Khan, who proved his credentials from the last few years while Sohail Tanveer, Zulfiqar Babar as fast bowler and all-rounder Asad Ali, but it was not understood that why the selectors preferred four left-arm bowlers instead of right arm bowlers but to whom they induct in the playing XI.
The newly-inducted players in both the formats should provide with a chance to boost their morale and gain experience and exposure at the international level. Dropping Abdul Razzaq was difficult to digest and his axe might prove fatal to Pakistan. Either the selectors dropped him or there was any role of T20 skipper Hafeez in his ouster from both the squads. Razzaq was facing some fitness problems and could have been healed with a week time as Pakistan team will leave for India on December 22 and the selectors cited no reason for his ouster from the tour and they also neglected his match-winning performance in the National T20. Razzaq is a match-winning player and his ouster is really questionable.
The PCB chief must reconsider his case and should give him chance in both the squads.
Afridi was selected in T20 squad but was dropped for the ODIs. If Afridi delivered in the T20 matches then tour selection committee will retain him in the ODI squads as they did in Sri Lanka when Sohail Tanveer delivered for Pakistan and was retained for the ODI squad as well. But the two explosive all-rounder Afridi and Razzaq could prove harmful to the team.
The cricket circles revealed that Razzaq had criticised Hafeez for his ouster from the World T20 Cup semi-finals played in Sri Lanka and that Pakistan lost the match from a position where they were on the verge of victory due to Hafeez’s error and Pakistan ousted from the tournament. They said that if the newly-selected players, included in both T20 and ODI squads, will be given chance in the playing XI, they would likely to prove their mettles and that might affect the Hafeez spot in the team and also prove harmful to his Twenty20 captaincy while he is dreaming to become captain of all formats of the game.
On the other hand, ODI captain Misbahul Haq has expressed his desire to carry on his game until he feels himself fit for representing Pakistan in all formats of the game.
Hafeez must remember that a few years back he was struggling for his place in the national team despite good performances in the previous PCB chief era.
But he should be thankful to the present PCB chief Zaka Ashraf who included him in the squad and handed him the T20 captaincy along with his role in the team’s selection but Hafeez is misusing his powers while selecting the team and prefers his blue-eyed to save his skin in spite of thinking betterment of Pakistan that gives him name and fame.
He should keep in mind that what he is sowing now for others he should have to reap himself in near future.