Since Pakistan’s legendary batsman Inzamam-ul Haq was appointed chief selector alongside head coach Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s national side has been injecting new blood into its ranks across all formats.
Pakistan has been very successful over the last few years when it comes to Test cricket under the leadership of Misbah-ul-Haq but they have struggled in shorter format cricket over the past decade or so.
However, the team has regained their hunger in T20 cricket under the captaincy of wicket-keeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmad and recently whitewashed West Indies in both their T20I and ODI series.
The promotion of youngsters and an emphasis on improving fitness and fielding standards combined with greater freedom under Arthur has been the backbone of their improvement.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Nawaz have progressed from one-day stardom into the Test side and it seems to be a clear indication that the Pakistan think-tank wants to build a team for the future.
Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq was asked to carry on for the tour of England by PCB and to play all the way at least to the all-important tour to Australia. So will he retire or play on? Will Younis Khan hang up his boots after achieving the 10,000 runs mark in Tests or after the tour of Australia?
Sport 360 caught up with Pakistan’s chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq to talk about the country’s latest period of transition.
Sport360: Many believe there will be a new era in Pakistan cricket after the tours of New Zealand and Australia. How do you see it, especially in context of looming retirements of Misbah and Younis?
Inzamam: If you take my point of view, I’ll say that I’m not looking at it minus Younis and Misbah because they have been great servants for Pakistan over the years. They have been the stalwarts but they should decide when to go on their own. However, when you have played for a decade or two and even your age is on the wrong side then there comes a time when you have to go. They are our senior players but I’m not thinking what will happen after the tour of Australia and focusing on the performance of the team.
Will more youngsters be given a run across all formats in the coming months?
After the twin tours we’ll blood-in more youngsters and if you look at our recent history, we’re trying to induct youngsters. Some of our decisions have clicked and the players have done well while at the same time some decisions have backfired as well but this is how you build a team and develop a long lasting combination. In the longer run, people would eventually see an improved combination.
Azhar Ali's strike rate of 17.91 is the lowest for any Pakistan opener facing 100 or more balls. Prev lowest: 18.18 by Sadiq Mhd v Eng 1978.
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) November 19, 2016
Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq were being tipped as the successors for Misbah and Younis but both have not been given a run at three and four of late. What’s the idea behind this?
Azhar and Asad are definitely the players who would take over from Misbah and Younis in the middle-order while we feel that Babar Azam is also another option. I won’t say that Azhar is a makeshift opener anymore because he has been playing there for quite a long and has given good performances with runs in England and then a triple-hundred against West Indies. There have been players in past who were middle-order batsmen but went onto become successful openers. As far as Asad is concerned, he’ll get his extended run at three because he has got lot of time in his career. He was doing well at six which is why he has been moved back. Babar did well in ODIs against West Indies and the management felt he could do well in Tests as well at three.
If Azhar is the answer as an opener then can Ahmed Shahzad and Mohammad Hafeez still make a comeback?
We’ve kept the doors open for everyone to stage a comeback but for that we need to see a few things. One is that their performances have got to be worth of being considered while the second will be, whether they fit in the requirement of the team.
Why do Pakistan struggle when they go to places like South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia?
First of all, if you look at the history of Asian teams outside the continent, Pakistan have been the best side among all as we have registered victories in alien conditions much more than anyone else. As far as struggling in alien conditions is concerned, whenever we fail, critics and fans start saying that we can’t play in those conditions which favour fast-bowlers, but they will never say this when touring sides are exposed against spin in Asia. People should also say touring teams don’t know how to survive against spinners. It takes time to adjust and Pakistan team proved on the recent tour of England with a drawn series at 2-2, that they are capable of performing in any condition.
How do you see the loss against New Zealand in the first Test and will Pakistan be able to bounce back and draw this series?
Honestly the conditions were difficult for batting as even the hosts struggled. Our bowlers had brought us back into the match but the batting line-up couldn’t stand up. Had the batsmen played positively, Pakistan would have taken a fighting lead. When you play 170 balls and don’t score much, then the pressure gets to the team. This criticism isn’t as chief selector but as a former cricketer. However, this team has showed it time and again that they can bounce back and hopefully they would put up a better performance in the second Test.
