Bilal Asif's diminishing impact and other takeaways from Pakistan's Dubai win

Waseem Ahmed 16:01 28/11/2018
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  • Bilal Asif picked up a solitary wicket in the Dubai Test.

    After throwing away a winning position in the series opener in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan went to the other extreme as they notched up an innings victory over New Zealand in the second Test at Dubai.

    Sarfraz Ahmed and his men bounced back from their four-run loss in Abu Dhabi in some style with a comprehensive win inside four days at the Dubai International Stadium.

    As the two sides now get ready for the all-important Test in Abu Dhabi, we look at the takeaways for Pakistan from their mammoth win in Dubai.

    BABAR AZAM COMING OFF AGE

    One of the biggest positives that Pakistan can take from their huge win is the coming of age of Babar Azam. The 24-year-old has long been hailed as the future batting rock of Pakistan but a Test ton had continued to elude him until his 127-run knock in the first innings.

    It came after Azam had agonisingly missed out on his maiden ton in the Test series against Australia last month. Having been dismissed for 99 in Abu Dhabi against the Aussies, the right-hander was determined to touch triple figures against the Kiwis and he got there in the end after enduring a nervous wait in his 90s which spanned 14 overs.

    It took 32 Test innings for Azam to get there in the end but it was just the knock he desperately needed to breathe life in his red-ball career. Although he would love to be batting at a position higher than number six, the Pakistan batsman is slowly starting to translate his limited-overs form to Test cricket and that bodes well for the Sarfraz-led side with a tough tour of South Africa to come at the end of the year.

    YASIR SHAH IS STILL THE MAN

    Although Yasir Shah picked up nine wickets in the two Tests against Australia, his performance was well below the high standards he has set for himself. The leg-spinner was under some pressure coming into the series against New Zealand with Sarfraz demanding a greater contribution.

    “Yes, our bowling attack is good. (Mohammad) Abbas has been bowling superbly while Yasir didn’t look as great as we had expected, but in this series I expect more from Yasir,” the Pakistan skipper had stated prior to the start of the series.

    When Shah picked up an eight-wicket haul in the series opener at Abu Dhabi, the signs were there that the leg-spinner was getting back into his groove following a lengthy injury layoff. In Dubai, Shah showed he was back to his very best with the second-best figures in history by any Pakistan bowler.

    The 32-year-old was unplayable at times as he finished with a 14-wicket match haul and proved that he remains the king of UAE conditions where he has now picked up 93 Test wickets in just 13 matches at an average of less than 23.

    Back to his very best: Yasir Shah.

    Back to his very best: Yasir Shah.

    BILAL ASIF LOSES STEAM

    While Shah was subdued against Australia, Pakistan off-spinner Bilal Asif made a name for himself in his maiden Test series with figures of 6-36 in the first innings of the Dubai Test. However, the 33-year-old’s contributions have gone down since.

    Since his six-wicket haul in the first innings at Dubai against Australia, Asif has only managed to pick up a further five wickets in six innings.

    In the first Test against the Kiwis, he picked up one wicket in the first innings before going wicketless in the second. At Dubai, he was given only two overs to bowl in New Zealand’s first innings, the same as part-time spinner Mohammad Hafeez.

    In the second innings, he did manage to pick up the wicket of Ross Taylor but that was his only dismissal in 27 overs as Shah ran riot at the other end. Spin will once again be key to Pakistan’s hopes in the decider and Sarfraz and the Pakistan team management will be hoping that Asif can get back to his wicket-taking ways.

    With Shadab Khan rested, Asif is the only specialist spin option available to Pakistan apart from Shah and the off-spinner will need to show better returns if he is to keep his place in the Test squad in the future.

    Asif needs to produce more to keep his place.

    Asif needs to produce more to keep his place.

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