PCB needs to be realistic in its approach

It is always a good omen to see young and upcoming talent breaking into the national team on the basis of sheer performance they have shown in the domestic cricket. The team named against Afghanistan on Monday more or less gives that very impression.

A few highly talented players including pacer Ihsanullah, Zaman Khan and opening batsman Saim Ayub have been drafted in the 15-member squad announced for the three-match T20 series against Afghanistan that will be played on a track where scoring runs has never been all that easy in the recent past.

Totally raw and inexperienced cricketers always find it difficult to adjust to such tracks as the one in Sharjah where the ball tends to get low and spins more than any other track in UAE. With the likes of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb and a host of other spinners at Afghanistan's disposal, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opted for a big gamble to completely alter the combination of the team for such a tricky track. Against what the PCB think-tank said during the press conference Monday, the results always hold greater importance than any other outside benefits. Ultimately, it is winning and losing that matters most and actually draws praise or criticism, and also helps your team and nation get recognition internationally. So, it is too immature on the part of anyone to think that winning or losing does not matter while playing against Afghanistan.

When Naseem Shah struck two consecutive sixes against Afghanistan in last year's Asia Cup he became the instant hero for many back home in Pakistan and everywhere Pakistanis live. It was more than exciting victory when the opposite sides appeared so charged and their body language manifested that to the disbelief of many. So not playing for victory or taking the outcome lightly is a stance no Pakistani is ready to buy. If the PCB has decided to announce a new look team, it should have the courage to accept responsibility for the outcome.

When on an away tour, it is a requirement to announce the deputy to the appointed captain but no such decision was taken this time around. Fitness has been a big issue for newly-elevated captain Shadab Khan.

I still believe that one of the two experienced campaigners Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan should have been named captain of the team instead of injury-prone Shadab. Resting the world’s best T20 opening pair and that too for a series where experience matters the most is no wisdom. One of the two players must be there in the team.

It was also surprising not to see a single question from any sports scribe on the urgency of the formation of the Pakistan’s One-Day team. Year 2023 will be a battle for ODI supremacy rather T20 however no preparations are there from any quarters to raise a competitive team for the ODI Asia Cup and later for the ODI World Cup.

Pakistan's record in ODIs is not that encouraging as we have not constituted an outfit for this format. It would have been a far better option had the PCB’s think-tank gone for the ODI series instead.

There is a dire need to raise an ODI combination and for that purpose our national outfit requires at least three to four ODI series before start of the Asia Cup and later World Cup. It is obvious that the PCB is more focused on the T20 series which is totally unnecessary and wrong approach. Possibly no one is there to comprehend the urgency of preparing ODI outfit.

Admitted that the fun cricket -- T20 format -- has more following but it is the ODI and Test cricket that remains the essence of the game. Whenever the requirement comes to boost the confidence of a youngster, the two serious formats are there for this very purpose.

T20 performance changes altogether with the track conditions. You possibly cannot even imagine getting tracks in Sharjah like the one we have seen at the Pindi Stadium during the Pakistan Super League matches, so pinning high hopes on the youngsters on tricky tracks is not a sane or realistic option. Hence there is a dire requirement to reassess priorities according to the requirements before is too late for establishing a team capable of delivering in the October 2023 ODI World Cup.