There was media speculation aplenty in the hours leading up to the PCB naming it's squad. Surprisingly, it not only named a squad for the Australian series but for the World T20 Championship later this year. This can be perceived to be an attacking cricket shot as some nations, namely England, are yet to name their 30 man preliminary squad as of yet.
Any squad that was going to be named would have had the teams core players. The spine of the team as been retained but a few selections bewilder the mind. Firstly let's look at Kamran Akmal; his in the team for his batting and not his keeping. Though Kamran gives the team the perfect balance, his inclusion could be a real downer if this is a start to his pathway to get back into the ODI and Test side. You may get away with a keeper that can't catch in T20's but never in the longer formats.
The exclusion off Junaid Khan boggles the mind. He has been a consistent performer off late for Pakistan. As he proved, for Pakistan and Lancashire, he has the ability to bowl at the death and be effective whilst at it. What makes his exclusion even worse that Mohammad Sami has been picked. Someone that conceded 17 in his last over of his last ODI, Sami is far too inconsistent to be selected.
Hammad Azam, the uprising all-rounder, is quality but yet ignored. He is a decent enough bowler but his batting and fielding are an asset to Pakistan. Time and time again he is picked and not played or dropped all together. Many teams would die for a player off his ability, yet he is being wasted and one must wonder how much this will effect his confidence.
The one that has upset and shocked most is the treatment of Ahmed Shehzad. Shehzad has been accused in the past of being a spoilt egg and a trouble maker. He was ousted off the team on this accusation but then reselected against Sri Lanka. He top scored in the opening T20 game and was one off the few successes in the short two game series. Another dropping has now come again, but the reasons are unknown. Guess the discipline can't be blamed this time around and anyone who says its performance related is deluded.
Its not all doom and gloom, as a Hafeez led Pakistan will have the exciting Asad Shafiq, Imran Nazir and Nasir Jamshed to in the batting ranks. Add that to the to big players and Pakistan still should make an impact, they usually do when it comes to the premier tournaments. Though the selection has sure hampered their chances.
Iqbal Qasim, who in his first tenure as selector picked the team that lost every game against Australia in 09/10, has hit Pakistan hard again. He seems intent on having regional quota's and has favourites that would be selected regardless of teams needs and personal form. It can't be a coincidence that Qasim coupled that atrocious squad with the recent Sri Lanka tour. Not only do people like Qasim put Pakistan cricket at an standstill but move it back. Personal limelight is what they crave, something that should be left to the players on the field.
Zaka Ashraf has done a commendable job for cricket in Pakistan. Pakistan cricket, under his predecessor Ijaz Butt, had become a laughing stock. Though Ashraf's decision to bring back Qasim has been a sham. While naming the squad should have been a straight drive that the World would have taken notice off, it became a simple push in the air that could turn into a simple catch at long off.
GeoSuper