The euphoria of reaching the much coveted #1 ranking in Tests has quickly faded for Pakistan as they were brought crashing down to earth in the one-dayers by England.
The one day leg of the tour began in wet & windy Ireland, with Pakistan off to a rollicking start thanks to a blistering 152 from burly left-hand opener Sharjeel Khan, leading to a comfortable 255 run victory. The 2nd and final game of the series was washed out, the weather gods clearly having seen enough brutality meted out to the hapless Irish bowling attack.
On to the real contest then, and it was the same old sad story for Pakistan in the first 2 ODIs at Southampton & Lord’s. Losing early wickets at the top, having to dig themselves out of the muck & falling short of a truly competitive score. The English batsmen barely broke a sweat chasing modest totals of just over 250 in both games, and rather more pressingly the Pakistani bowlers could do little to even keep it interesting.
On to the 3rd ODI at Trent Bridge, and this time the floodgates had well & truly burst open. England got their chance to bat first in the series, and they made the absolute most of it. Alex Hales put his patchy Test form aside & smashed the Pakistani bowling attack to all parts for a whopping 171 off just 161 deliveries, the highest individual score for an English batsman in ODIs. Joe Root, Joss Buttler & rejuvenated England captain Eoin Morgan put the finishing touches as England amassed a world record 444 runs at the end of their allotted 50 overs. It was an innings that was as methodical as it was brutal, an exhibition of classic batsmanship & ferocious hitting. Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz, many a time their go-to man in the Test format was skewered for a mammoth 110 runs in his 10 over quota, the 2nd most expensive spell ever in ODIs. The dazed & confused Pakistani batsmen offered a meek response in their turn with only Sharjeel, Sarfraz & tailender Mohammad Amir providing some brief resistance.
What now for the Pakistan ODI team? Already languishing near the bottom of the pile at #9 in the world rankings, this is surely a Ground Zero moment. With their next ODI assignment to be against the West Indies back ‘home’ in the UAE, this is the right time to make some crucial & necessary changes.
Captaincy – Azhar Ali has given the role his best shot, but that he was a reluctant choice right from the start means that a change needs to be made at the top. A single half-century in his last 15 innings suggests that he does not automatically command a spot in the side, and his obdurate batting style is ill-suited to the demands of the modern one day game. One can contest that his main strength of crease occupation & handling the new white ball are more pressing needs for a shaky batting line, but Azhar’s inability to balance defence & attack is harming the team rather than strengthening it. In the field he also appears to be quite listless & lacking ideas if the pre-conceived bowling strategies do not bear fruit.
Although there are few to choose from, wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed is the ideal candidate to take over at the helm of the ODI side. An U19 WC winning captain in his youth & vastly experienced in domestic cricket, he is at the peak of his powers and has come into his own as a one day player. His feisty, combative attitude is the mantra that the Pakistan team needs to adopt in order to rebuild & recover.
Batting – Pakistan’s Achilles ’ heel since time immemorial, yet another shake-up is required to get the best out of a batting line that is simply not in tune with the times. The biggest disappointments have been the most senior batsmen in Mohammed Hafeez & Shoaib Malik, both having made their positions quite untenable. Still unable to go beyond the 30-40 runs stage of an innings when playing outside Asia, Hafeez simply does not bring enough to the side as a batsman alone; along with persistent injury woes that have seen him miss several important fixtures this year already. Malik continues to be a walking wicket against any decent bowling lineup, a paltry average of 9.7 in England an embarrassment for someone considered to be a top level ODI batsman. With the next editions of the Champions Trophy & World Cup to be held in England, the time is right to make a final call on these 2 underachievers & make some forthright decisions.
Left-hander Haris Sohail is nearing full fitness after his knee operation; Mohammad Rizwan is also a bright prospect. From past discards Fawad Alam & firebrand Umar Akmal also need to be considered for a recall to the side. Salman Butt is also an experienced yet controversial option worth considering.
Bowling – Perhaps the biggest worry for the ODI team right now has been the drop in their bowling potency. Usually Pakistan’s main strength & saving grace, it has been in steady decline ever since the spin trio of Hafeez, Ajmal & Afridi was dismantled shortly before WC2015. Azhar’s team have struggled to create the right combination ever since, not being able to sustain pressure & create wicket-taking opportunities after the pace men, or provide breakthroughs if the new ball does not do early damage. The all-rounder’s spot has also been up for grabs for some time with no-one really coming through to stake a decisive claim. The poor bowling form of mainstays Mohammad Irfan & Wahab Riaz – averaging 39.4 & 45.2 since WC2015 respectively – has further compounded problems. Ace legspinner Yasir Shah has also struggled to replicate his irresistible Test form in the one day format.
Young left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar can prove to be an answer to Pakistan’s ODI spin bowling woes. In the pace bowling category, the likes of Junaid Khan, Zia ul Haq & Sohail Khan may be able to provide solutions, & all-rounder Ammad Butt has also shown a lot of promise.
All in all, sweeping & decisive changes need to be made if Pakistan is to regain their faded glory in coloured clothing. As Pakistan’s recent opponents England themselves have demonstrated over the past year, rapid transformations can be done if the right strategies are implemented.
(This article was first published on August 31, 2016 at: http://cricwizz.com/ground-zero-for-pakistans-odi-team/)
