For two months now, former Pakistani cricketers have been raging at the different tv studios. Three issues particularly pricked them: Babar Azam’s spot in the batting line-up, the brittleness of the middle order, and rushing Shaheen Afridi in without game time. As Pakistan pulled off another Houdini act to reach the semi-final, the mood was best captured by the former Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
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“This can only happen to Pakistan, no other team,” Akmal would say on Ary News. Sitting next to him was Younis Khan who would laugh. Ten days back, both had wanted Babar Azam to step down from captaincy after the world cup. “You have to be a leader. Babar doesn’t have the spark to be a leader. He should quit captaincy so that he can focus on his batting. I have quit captaincy four times; so I know the pressures involved.” Akmal would say, “he should step down from captaincy after this world cup.”
In the here and now, though, the focus is on the semi-final against New Zealand.
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Shahid Afridi was gung-ho about the prospects as “Sydney conditions would suit Pakistan more”. But Afridi does want one important change to be made at the top of the order.
“Babar Azam should drop to No.3. Let Mohammad Haris open. Babar Azam needs to listen to suggestions and he should drop down. We need to use Mohammad Haris with fielding restrictions. Babar can bat at no. 3. It’s not as if he has come down to earth with a note from above that he has to open only. He has to change. Bat at no.3.
In the middle order, now, whenever Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood come to bat, we see that intent, they are looking for runs. But at top that’s missing. But if you are just looking to play 30-35 balls, and I can understand that if you get 50 or so.
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“You have to be positive, play your shots. Intent should be positive.”
Mohammad Haris should open
The other problematic position, in the eyes of the former players, is Mohammad Rizwan. Afridi reckons he has been sussed out by other teams.
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“All teams have a plan against Rizwan. He is good in the leg side, dragging the balls from middle stumps. He struggles a bit on the off side, so they are bowling there.
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He has to take chances coming down the track and such. For that you have to practice and train those shots.
New Zealand bowlers aren’t going to change lines and lengths until challenge. Haris is a player who can disrupt their lines and length with hits over point and cover. He is the man who can do the job as opener. We have to take risks. Even if he gets out, it’s fine. But he gives us the best chances. Rizwan has to take a few risks.”
It’s a point of view shared by Aquib Javed and Moin Khan as well.
“I agree with Aquib that Babar Azam should drop himself down the order for the next two games. He can open if he wishes in the subcontinent. Open with Mohammad Haris if he wants to use the fielding restrictions but Babar should not open,” Moin Khan would tell Geo Super.
Haris has played his shots without fear and Waqar reckons “he understands T20 cricket far better than some of the other top order batsmen. He might fail a few times but that’s T20. He understands it. You have to take risks. You need players like Haris to make use of fielding restrictions,” Waqar told A Sports.
Shoaib Malik also agreed with Waqar. “He can open it and he will have the license to go for it. In the middle order, after the top order has already fallen, he will be under pressure of ‘what would happen if I fall now’. He can bat more freely as an opener,” Malik said to A Sports.
Shaheen Afridi back to his best
In the eyes of Aquib Javed, the moment that marked the return of Shaheen Afridi was in the 17th over when he knocked down the stumps of Mosaddek Hossain. Shaheen went round the stumps and got the full ball to shape away late to beat the defensive prod.
“He moved the new ball and the toughest challenge for a fast bowler is to get the ball to shape away from round the stumps with the old ball. That’s a sign that he is back.
I don’t remember what I was thinking at night but when I woke up the world had changed,” Aquib said on Geo Super.
“When he was selected, we were all troubled. Playing him directly with just one warm-up game. So much pressure. It’s not easy for a fast bowler to come back like this. He is a tough kid, his toe was fractured too in the past but he kept on playing, we have to praise his courage . He has gradually picked up his rhythm during this tournament. South Africa once learnt it was a decider choked,” Aquib said.
Waqar Younis was encouraged by the lengths of Shaheen Afridi. “When the pitch became very dry and the ball started to reverse, he hit the full lengths. But until then, he was hitting the hard length more. Which is good. As Wasim Akram said the pace isn’t quite there yet but his rhythm is back. He has learned from the mistakes he made in the first two games. It takes some time to get rhythm back when coming back from an injury,” Waqar told A Sports.