Daily Times

The successful holding of inaugural Super League in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan’s rise to number one ICC Test Team Rankings, national squad’s performance and conduct during the England tour and Misbahul Haq becoming most successful skipper were the high points of Pakistan cricket in the year 2016. Along with other hullabaloos, the controversies involving resignation of coach Waqar Younis after World Twenty20 in India and appointment of former South African cricketer Mickey Arthur as head coach made the country a laughing stock around the globe and provided soap opera lovers all the thrills, comedy and drama in this depressing environment. Pakistan gave disappointing performances in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh and the World T20 in India. Pakistan won only three games out of the eight they played across the two tournaments and failed to make it beyond the first round. The much-anticipated bilateral series between the two South Asian rivals – Pakistan and India – remained a distant dream. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) tried its best throughout the year to convince India for a series but it hit a dead end. While the PCB played the waiting game by extending deadlines after deadlines for the BCCI, the Indian board throughout maintained that the decision to play rested with the government.

The first edition of the PSL was a turning-point, not just for the country’s cash-strapped cricket board but also for young cricketers who had missed out on opportunities to interact with and learn from leading international players. The inaugural edition – the PSL 2016 title – was won by Islamabad United, led by Misbah, after defeating Quetta Gladiators – led by Sarfraz Ahmad – in a thrilling final. With the successful hosting of the event, the PCB not only showed the world what it was capable of but also brought smiles back on the faces of Pakistanis around the globe. Holding of the PSL was the most extraordinary moment for Pakistan cricket since the country was exiled from the international game. It was like a dream come true. The PSL, apart from giving the country’s domestic game a shot in the arm, made the nation feel good about itself again. It did more to capture our attention than the seven decades of domestic cricket that preceded it. That was no small achievement.

Pakistan rose to No. 1 in the ICC’s Test Rankings for the first time. They took the top position from India, following India’s washed out Test against West Indies in Trinidad. Pakistan had moved to No. 2 on the table after drawing the Test series in England 2-2 and after Australia were whitewashed 3-0 in Sri Lanka. Their rise to No. 1 was built on the back of a run of unbeaten Test series since August 2014, when they were down at No. 6.

Pakistan concluded their two months long England tour in September on a high when skipper Sarfraz and his charges routed the hosts by nine wickets in the one-off Twenty20 international in Manchester. It was not just that, throughout this tour Pakistan played good cricket and performed much better than even their most ardent supporters expected them to. This was not the sort of tour previously Pakistan undertook to the UK. The 1992 tour ended in a haze of controversy over ball tampering, the 2006 tour with the fiasco at the Oval where Pakistan became the first country ever to forfeit a Test match, and the 2010 tour ended with three of the Pakistan players, including their captain, in jail. During the tour, enterprising Pakistan’s conduct, as well as their cricket, helped restore their reputation, damaged in the eyes of both their own fans and England supporters, following the spot-fixing controversy that blighted their last visit six years ago.

Babar Azam hammered three successive hundreds against West Indies to anchor Pakistan’s clean-sweep in the ODI series in United Arab Emirates in October. Babar became only the third batsmen from Pakistan and eighth in the world to notch three hundreds in as many matches. Opening batsman Azhar Ali became the only 4th Pakistan batsman to score a triple century in Test cricket with an unbeaten 302 in the first innings of the first Test against West Indies in Dubai. Azhar joined Hanif Mohammad, Inzamamul Haq and Younus Khan in Pakistan’s club of triple-centurion.

Also in October, with ensuring a Test series win against West Indies in the UAE, Misbah became most successful Asian captain, by winning his 10th series. Since his appointment as Pakistan’s Test captain in 2010, Misbah led Pakistan in 20 bilateral Test series, of them the win against West Indies was his 10th series win as captain, the highest by any Test captain from the sub-continent. He surpassed Indian duo of Saurav Ganguly and MS Dhoni, who both had won nine Test series each. For Pakistan, next to Misbah is Javed Miandad who had led Pakistan in eight series victories. Of 20 series under Misbah, Pakistan lost only thrice, while seven series ended as draw. Misbah made history in November to become the first Pakistani to play 50 matches as Test captain as he walked onto Hagley Oval ground in Christchurch for a toss against the Kiwis during the second day of the Test series against New Zealand.

1: Losing limited overs series Down Under: The year started not so well for Team Pakistan. They toured New Zealand in January 2016 to play three ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals. New Zealand won the T20I series 2-1 and the ODI series 2-0.

2: Successful hosting of Pakistan Super League in UAE: In February, the PSL, the PCB’s much-trumpeted T20 project, finally saw light of the day when it was launched amid fanfare, eagerness and a lot of apprehension. Shelved twice in the past three years owing to logistical and security issues, the PSL was being touted as a ground-breaking venture in the country’s cricketing history with the potential to revive the flagging fortunes of the national team and, of course, the PCB. And it was not mere rhetoric. The tournament featured five teams and was held from 4 February 2016 to 23 February 2016. The final was held in Dubai on February 23. While there have been some notable feats from overseas players, the PSL had been a real success is in the performances of young Pakistan players: Mohammad Asghar, Rumman Raees, Mohammad Nawaz and Sharjeel Khan in particular. Some of the big foreign names who played the PSL were Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Chris Gayle, Brad Haddin, Andre Russell, Dwayne Smith, Luke Wright, Shakib al Hassan and Kumar Sangakara. Despite harsh criticism and hurdles, Najam Sethi had vowed to deliver ‘the biggest and most exciting product in Pakistan’s history’ and promised to bring in stars of the T20 format in order to boost the value of the tournament. Sethi’s critics were not convinced. They were not even expecting the PSL to be held in February this year. But Sethi delivered and proved his critics wrong. The first edition of the PSL did not boast the glamour of the Indian Premier League (IPL) or that of the Big Bash of Australia, or the history of England’s T20 competition, but it was no less significant. It emerged as a lifeline for Pakistan cricket.

3: Pakistan crash out of T20 World Cup in India: Pakistan crashed out of the World T20 2016, bowing out in the Super 10 stage in March in India. They managed to win just one match, which came against Bangladesh, their tournament opener. They however could not carry on their momentum from their first match in the rest of the tournament, suffering losses against India, New Zealand and Australia. Barring their first match, they failed to show any fight in the rest of the matches. Shahid Afridi was severely criticised for Pakistan’s performance in the tournament.

4: Waqar presents scathing report after World T20 debacle: After the World T20 disaster, Pakistan coach Waqar, in a strongly worded and revealing report, criticised the PCB’s decision of not giving him a say in the selection process during his tenure and also lambasted the leadership style of Afridi, which he felt left the players confused. He also recommended that players like Ahmad Shahzad and Umar Akmal be made to re-earn their place in the national squad with performances in domestic cricket. A six-page report, covered an overview of his two-year term as coach and comprised 13 recommendations to help take Pakistan cricket forward.

5: Team manager terms Afridi an ‘absolutely clueless’ captain: Afridi was branded an ‘absolutely clueless’ captain in a report submitted by Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam in the wake of the team’s poor World T20 and Asia Cup campaigns. The document by Intikhab, which followed an equally scathing report by coach Waqar, covered the back-to-back T20 tournaments where Pakistan managed just three wins out of eight matches – with one of those victories coming against UAE. The five-page report was hugely critical of Afridi’s on-field tactics and off-field leadership, the lack of skills in all departments of the squad and how they became involved in ‘needless controversies’ during the World T20, though Intikhab said the coaching and support staff performed their duties ‘most diligently.’

6: Afridi not retiring from T20Is, but steps down as captain: In April, Afridi decided not to retire from T20 internationals following Pakistan’s exit from the World T20, but he stepped down from captaincy in the format. “Today I wish to inform my fans in Pakistan and all over the world that I am relinquishing the captaincy of the T20 Pakistan team of my own volition,” Afridi said in a statement. “I would also like to inform that InshaAllah I intend to continue playing the game for my country and league cricket etc, and request my fans to keep praying and supporting me as long as I play for Pakistan or for any other league team all over the world.”

7: Waqar steps down as Pakistan coach: Waqar resigned as Pakistan’s coach three months before his contract was going to end, and only one day after Afridi relinquished his T20 captaincy. “It’s time to go,” Waqar said. “With disappointment and pain I would like to inform that I have decided to resign as the Pakistan coach. In last 19 months of my job I was completely honest and didn’t leave any stone unturned to help the team achieve the best but unfortunately we couldn’t get the results. It was slightly unfair by the board the way the whole case had been handled as my report was leaked and none of the board officials tried to talk about all this. But in all this, I do not want all of you, including ex-cricketers, to forget my services to Pakistan cricket.” It was Waqar’s second tenure as coach after he was appointed in May 2014 for a two-year contract that was due to end on June 30 before the tour of England.

8: Sarfraz named Pakistan’s T20I captain: Sarfraz, the wicketkeeper-batsman, was appointed as Pakistan’s T20I captain in April. Sarfraz was already the vice-captain of the ODI team, and he took over the T20I captaincy from Afridi, who stepped down from that role following Pakistan’s early exit in the World Twenty20 in India.

9: Inzamam becomes new chief selector: Former Test captain Inzamam was appointed chief selector of Pakistan on April 18. Inzamam was the head coach of Afghanistan since October 2015, and was contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board until December 2016. The PCB, however, requested the ACB that he be released from his contract early. Inzamam became first time as a selector; he had worked as Pakistan’s batting consultant briefly in 2012-13. The PCB did not set a term for Inzamam’s tenure. He headed a panel that included former opening batsman Wajahatullah Wasti, Tauseef Ahmed, an offspinner who played 34 Tests and 70 ODIs, and seam-bowling allrounder Wasim Haider, who played three ODIs and over 100 first-class and List A matches. Inzamam’s appointment came in the wake of several changes in Pakistan cricket.

10: Selectors drop Shahzad and Umar for England tour: In May, Pakistan cricket selectors, headed by former Test captain Inzamam dropped opener Shahzad and wicketkeeper-batsman Umar from a probables list named for a national camp for the upcoming tour of England. The duo, involved in a number of controversies, were shown the door owing to their indiscipline and poor recent form. “Shahzad and Umar have not been included in the training camp taking into view their past disciplinary record,” Inzamam told reporters during a news conference “Neither is their discipline good nor their recent performances consistent and impressive,” he maintained.

11: ‘Little Master’ Hanif Mohammad passes away: Hanif Mohammad, the original ‘Little Master’ who played the longest innings in Test cricket, died at the age of 81 in August. He had been undergoing treatment for respiratory complications from his lung cancer in Karachi’s Aga Khan hospital. Hanif was diagnosed with the cancer in 2013, for which he received treatment in London. Hanif played 55 Tests, including Pakistan’s first. Imtiaz Ahmed, 88, and Waqar Hasan, 83, are the only two survivors from that team. Hanif was renowned for his immaculate defensive technique. He scored 3915 runs at an average of 43.98. His best was an epic 337 as Pakistan saved the Barbados Test in 1958 while following on. It was the longest first-class innings then. At 970 minutes, it is still the longest Test innings. Hanif also held the record for the highest first-class score, 499 which he made for Karachi against Bahawalpur in 1959. The record stood for 35 years before Brian Lara surpassed the record by scoring 501 for Warwickshire against Durham.

12: Pakistan conclude England tour on a high: In September, Pakistan concluded their two months long England tour with very fine performance. Pakistan not only played marvelously but also provided dazzling cricket to their fans. During the four-Test campaign, Pakistan came from 2-1 behind to finish all square at 2-2. But it was a different story in ODIs. A win in the last ODI helped the visitors avoid the humiliation of a whitewash as they chased down a target of 303. And Pakistan carried that momentum while playing their first T20I since their humiliating first round exit at the World T20 in March. The one-off T20 contest, no doubt, was a high-octane stuff. The match was Sarfraz’s first in charge since he was appointed Twenty20 captain after Pakistan’s early exit from the mega event in India – where England reached the final only to lose to the West Indies in a last-over thriller. Sarfraz, along with a group of largely untested cricketers, delivered against a rampant England side. Victory in Manchester saw Pakistan finish their tour with a flourish. They produced their most vibrant bowling and fielding display of the limited-overs leg of the trip.

13: Pakistan rise to No. 1 in ICC Test Rankings: Pakistan rose to No. 1 in the ICC’s Test Rankings for the first time. They took the top position from India, following India’s washed out Test against West Indies in Trinidad. Pakistan had moved to No. 2 on the table in the last week of August, after drawing the Test series in England 2-2 and after Australia were whitewashed 3-0 in Sri Lanka. At the same time, India had moved to No. 1 after beating West Indies in the St Lucia Test to go 2-0 up in their four-match series; they needed to win the final Test, in Trinidad, to hold on to No. 1, but the match was drawn after weather and outfield issues forced play to be abandoned over four days. August was the second time in less than a year that Pakistan had moved to No. 2 on the rankings – the highest they had previously been since the current rankings system was put in place in 2003. They had featured at No. 2 for the first time in November 2015, after beating England 2-0 in the UAE. Their rise to No. 1 was built on the back of a run of unbeaten Test series since August 2014, when they were down at No. 6.

14: Successful series against West Indies in UAE: In October and November, Pakistan played a full series against the West Indies in the UAE. Pakistan won the three-match T20 series against the T20 world champions 3-0. Pakistan won the first two matches by nine wickets and 16 runs respectively – both in Dubai, while they won the last one in Abu Dhabi by 8 wickets to sweep the series. Pakistan also whitewashed West Indies in the ODI series: won the first two games by 111 and 59 runs – both in Sharjah. Pakistan downed West Indies by 136 runs in the third and final ODI in Abu Dhabi. Babar was the only highlight in the otherwise lackluster West Indies one-day international series. Babar hit his third successive hundred to anchor Pakistan’s clean-sweep of pathetic West Indies. Babar became only the third batsmen from Pakistan and eighth in the world to notch three hundreds in as many matches. Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara holds the record with four centuries in as many games. Pakistan’s ZaheerAbbass and Saeed Anwar, South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock, and New Zealand’s Ross Taylor are others to achieve the milestone. Babar also set a new record for most runs in the three-match one-day series with 360, beating the previous highest of 342 by South Africa’s de Kock who set it at home in 2013.

Pakistan won the three-match Test series 2-1 after winning the first Test in Dubai by 56 runs and the second by 133 runs in Abu Dhabi. West Indies downed Pakistan in third Test by five wickets. It was also the West Indies first win in 14 Tests since beating England at Barbados on May 3, 2015. The 2-1 series win kept intact Pakistan’s unbeaten record in their adopted home of the United Arab Emirates since the 2009 attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore forced them to play abroad. Pakistan had won five and drawn four in the Test series they had played in the UAE. West Indies’ win did however prevent Pakistan from achieving a rare 9-0 clean sweep after winning both the Twenty20 and one-day International series 3-0.

15: Azhar becomes fourth Pakistan player to hit a triple-century: Opening batsman Azhar became the only 4th Pakistan batsman to score a triple century in Test cricket with an unbeaten 302 in the first innings of the first Test against West Indies in Dubai. Azhar joined Hanif, Inzamam and Younus in Pakistan’s club of triple-centurion. He batted for around 11 hours (658 minutes), faced 469 deliveries to reach the magical figure of 300 by hitting two sixes and 23 fours. This also made Azhar to score the first man to score triple century in a day-night Test, earlier he also became the first man to score a century and a double-century in a day-night Test match. During his way to 302 not out Azhar also completed 4,000 runs of his Test career. He reached this milestone by taking 278th run of his innings, which made him 10th Pakistani batsman to complete 4000 runs in Test cricket.

16: Humiliation in New Zealand: At the fag end of the year, Pakistan played a two-Test series against New Zealand in New Zealand. The Black Caps defeated Pakistan in both Tests to clean sweep series 2-0. New Zealand, who won the first Test in Christchurch by eight wickets, downed Pakistan by 138 runs in the second Test in Hamilton to claim their first series win over Pakistan in 31 years. The visitors’ batting suffered spectacular collapse in both Tests against the low-ranker home side. The defeat in the Test series consigned Pakistan to fourth place in ICC Test Rankings below England and Australia.

17: Pakistan women lose T20 Asia Cup final to India: India women’s cricket team defeated Pakistan by 17 runs in the final of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, successfully defending their title in Bangkok in December. It was the second consecutive time India had beaten Pakistan in an Asia Cup final, having done so in 2012-13 as well. The win also ensured India remained unbeaten in this year’s tournament, which was being played in the T20 format for the second time.

18: Pakistan first Test team member Imtiaz passes away: Imtiaz Ahmad, a member of Pakistan’s first-ever Test team, died in a Lahore on December 31st in a hospital after a brief illness. The 88-year-old Imtiaz featured in Pakistan’s first Test played in Delhi against India in October 1952 and went on to play 41 matches as a wicketkeeper-batsman. He also captained in four of those matches towards the end of his career. He made 2079 runs at an average of 29, and took 77 catches and effected 16 stumpings. His career-best score of 209 came against New Zealand in Lahore in 1955. He was an integral member of Pakistan’s first official Test side, led by Abdul Hafeez Kardar to India. Imtiaz’s first-class career ran from 1944-45 to 1972-73, having made his debut as a 16-year-old for Northern India before partition. He played 180 games, scored 10391 runs with a best score of 300 not out, took 322 catches, and effected 82 stumpings. In 1960, Imtiaz received the Presidential Pride of Performance award, and later in life he was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for his services to the Pakistan Air force; he retired as a wing commander after 27 years spent mainly in administrative roles. After has playing career, Imtiaz had served as a Pakistan selector for 13 years and was the head of the selection committee between 1976 and 1978. He then took up a coaching role and spent nearly a decade developing Under-19 cricketers. His last assignment was with the department that handles women’s cricket in Pakistan, where he served as an advisor for three years from 2005 to 2008.

(The writer is Sports Editor at Daily Times. He can be reached at mali319@hotmail.com)