Daily Times

Three different squads have been selected for the three formats in the upcoming Bangladesh tour: Tests, One-Days and T20. The new selection committee has picked players with the aim of rebuilding the team/s. The return of spin maestro Saeed Ajmal in all three formats after almost seven months’ suspension is welcome. It may fill the spin void created by the ban on all-rounder Muhammad Hafeez for a suspect bowling action and Shahid Afridi announcing after the World Cup he would only play T20. Hafeez is also back in all three squads despite not clearing a bowling test yet. Out of form Nasir Jamshed and Umar Akmal have been dropped while Ahmed Shehzad has been confined to T20 only. It is good that young blood has been infused in the team. New prospects like Sami Aslam and Muhammad Rizwan could strengthen the batting while the inclusion of Yasir Shah and Sohail Khan could boost the bowling attack. Three different captains have been named for the three different formats — a decision that meets the requirements of modern cricket. The Pakistan Cricket Board should stay focused on appointing a deputy captain in each format so that future captains are groomed over time. The most talked about decision is the selection of Azhar Ali as the captain of the One-Day team. Now it is up to Azhar how he performs to silence his critics. Surely, he has tough challenges ahead given his poor form in One-Days in recent years, which saw him excluded from the World Cup squad. The inclusion of Fawad Alam can be termed a sensible decision. He should have been part of the playing eleven in the World Cup while the selection of Asad Shafiq is questionable due to his inconsistency.

The selection committee argues that the team has been selected after evaluating the performance of players in the recently concluded World Cup. There were issues related to discipline and behaviour of some players, which have been taken into account during the selection of the squads. The chief selector has pointed out that players must overcome their weaknesses to be included in the team. The Bangladesh series is the first assignment of the new selection committee. The team has been provided with another chance to make its mark in the world of cricket. Pakistan must be cautious about resurgent Bangladesh and should not take the rival team lightly. Bangladesh proved itself a more confident side in the World Cup with much improvement in their batting, which remains a cause of concern for Pakistan. Besides, reaching the quarterfinals is no mean feat for Bangladesh. However, Pakistan can still excel in the series. There is a lot of talent and Pakistan needs to channelise this talent positively. *