PCB make right selections but hard work begins for England

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq.

    Urgency, forethought and careful planning are not some of the words historically associated with the workings of Pakistan cricket. However, if the recently concluded army-style boot camp in which Pakistan cricketers, young and old, were put through a gruelling regime is any indication, this trend is set to be bucked in a spectacular way.

    To many fans of Pakistan cricket, the painful memories of the 2010 tour of England which resulted in humiliation on many fronts were partially erased by the superiority in Tests that Pakistan have enjoyed in their recent engagements against England, with the most memorable one being the UAE-based Test whitewash in 2012.

    However, England’s recent record on home soil against visiting teams, as witnessed recently against Sri Lanka, will take some beating. This is a fact that Pakistan’s newly appointed Chief Selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, seems to be taking into serious consideration as he has taken some significant steps to ensure that his team has the best preparation possible ahead of what promises to be a keenly contested series.

    Without doubt, what Pakistan face this summer is the most serious test of their credentials as a Test playing nation and the opportunity to prove to the world that successes in the UAE are not simply a product of home advantage.

    Perhaps affected by his own experience as a player acclimatising to English conditions, which can be crucial for the team’s performance, Inzamam has forced the PCB to organize a two-week preparatory camp for the Pakistan squad in Hampshire. This could easily prove to be a game-changer for the Pakistan players who apart from getting used to pitch and ball conditions, have in the past struggled with drastic climactic changes brought on by travelling from hot temperatures back home to the relatively cooler ones experienced during English summers.

    The Pakistan Cricket Board may well have hit the jackpot with the appointment of a new and highly experienced Head Coach in the shape of Mickey Arthur, and both he and the Inzamam will know and understand the frailties of Pakistani batsmen against the moving ball in English conditions.

    The Duke cricket ball used by England for their home series has been known to trouble visitors with much stronger batting line-ups, such as when Australia fell prey to the movement imparted on this make of ball by England’s bowlers. Sri Lanka’s recent batting collapses are only a reminder of what Pakistan could face in a few weeks’ time and the management have wasted no time in ensuring that the team used this cricket ball in its practice sessions as they prepare for the task ahead.

    Of course, the right cricket ball is just one part of the puzzle, the other being the manner in which the ball will behave in English conditions. With this objective in mind, the PCB ordered the creation of ‘green’ pitches in Lahore in order to create conditions as close to those which could be encountered soon in England. Pakistan’s players have had the luxury of training on pitches that had extra grass on them to replicate facing the Duke ball.

    There has been some criticism faced by the new selection committee for their refusal to bow to media and ex-player pressure and rescind their decision to ignore Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal but to their credit, they have resisted and not succumbed.

    The squad chosen for the Test series has drawn praise from the majority and is probably the best that is available in Pakistan at the moment. The granting of a UK Visa for Mohammad Amir seems to confirm that Pakistan’s bowling unit will be a robust one which England will need to work hard to counter. Provided the returning Amir can get adequate support from other bowlers like Rahat Ali, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan and the excellent leg-spinner Yasir Shah, the memories of an easy ride against Sri Lanka’s bowlers will be soon forgotten by the England batsmen.

    The Pakistan batting has a known weak point in its openers but with Mohammad Hafeez’s recovery from injury, there are faint hopes that he, along with Shan Masood or Sami Aslam, can blunt the threat posed by the world-class fast-bowling duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. The Pakistan middle-order on the other hand, has always formed the backbone and true strength of the batting unit with the ever dependable Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan holding sway.

    However, England know well that they will underestimate the Test batting skills of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, or the feisty wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed at their own peril. In summary, taking twenty English wickets will not be a problem for Pakistan, but twenty runs each from the openers could be.

    If the pundits are to be believed, the odds of Pakistan escaping unscathed from the upcoming tour of England are pretty grim but this Pakistan squad and its management seem determined to prove their doubters wrong. Whether their professional preparations and selections can actually result in performances that meet Inzamam’s and Arthur’s expectations is a mooted point but if they play to their true potential, Pakistan could well make this summer a difficult one for England.

    Recommended