Pakistan cricket team continued its winning streak against South Africa. After winning the Test and T20I series in Pakistan, the Green-shirts finished the South Africa tour with both ODI and T20I trophies in their fold.The positive point of the Pakistan tour was that the top order scored runs. In the ODI series, openers Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq and skipper Babar Azam provided solid starts. In the T20 format, openers Muhammad Rizwan and Babar made it easy to clinch the trophy. Rizwan again showed why he is the first choice wicket-keeper batsman for Pakistan.

But the cause of concern is that the middle order remained unable to provide stability. Asif Ali despite many chances failed to show his “talent”. In the ODI series, he scored just 21 runs in two matches. In his 20-ODI career, he has scored just 382 runs, averaging 25.46, with three fifties and a highest score of 52. In domestic cricket his performance is much better. In 74 List-A matches, Asif has scored 1025 runs with a good average of 30.55, including four centuries and 10 half-centuries.

In the Twenty20 format, he has played 189 matches, at home and abroad, in which he scored 3488 runs with a strike rate of 146.98 with one hundred and 13 fifties. But when he played for Pakistan, he scored 343 runs in 28 matches, averaging just 17.14. He has so far failed to score any fifty - his highest score is 41.

The above statistics show that Asif is a talented player but is unable to take the pressure of international matches. Batting coach Younis Khan or high performance coach Muhammad Yousuf should work on Asif Ali’s technique so that he can perform better on international circuit.

The same seems to be the problem with “highly talented” Haider Ali. In the T20 series against South Africa, he scored just 12 & 3 in two innings.

In 44 domestic and league T20 matches, he has scored 965 runs, including six fifties, at a high strike rate of 152.20. But wearing the green cap, he has scored 251 runs in 14 T20I matches with two half centuries at a strike rate of 135.67.

In the domestic circuit, he has played 13 List-A matches in which he scored 594 runs, averaging 45.69, with one hundred and four fifties.

Despite his below-average performance, Pakistan’s batting coach Younis has backed the 20-year-old, saying, “His natural game is attacking, and I still remember he smacked a six off his very second ball on debut. I understand he has played a lot of games since then, and missed a few opportunities to grow, but we have to give him time.”

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez also failed to live up to the expectations, as he scored 55 runs in three innings, averaging 18.33.

Before the South Africa series, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi had slammed the selectors for ignoring veteran Shoaib Malik for the tour as he considers him “the spine of the team”.

But the question is: how long will Pakistan depend on veteran players?

Look at India. After beating England, head coach Ravi Shastri said that India can form two different teams to play international cricket. India beat Australia in Australia in the absence of skipper Virat Kohli, front-line seamers Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Japrit Bumrah and regular spin bowlers Ravi Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin.

The inexperienced Indian bowling attack, led by Mohammad Siraj, who debuted in Melbourne, supported by Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar, who had two Tests between them, beat Australia at Gabba in the final Test and won the Test series 2-1. It was Australia’s first defeat at Gabba in 32 years.

Young players like Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz have been unearthed by franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). There was no role of the PCB academy.

On the bowling side, Shaheen Shah Afridi is overworked as he plays all three formats without any break.

It is very unfortunate that Waqar Younis has failed to transfer his skills, especially reverse-swing, slow balls, solid yorkers, and a skiddy bouncer to the current pacers.

Opener Fakhar Zaman regained his form in South Africa. He scored 302 runs in the ODI series with two magnificent centuries, averaging 100.66. In the T20 series, Fakhar scored 95 runs with one fifty at an average of 47.50 and a high strike rate of 172.72.

Skipper Babar proved again that he is one of the best batsman in the world. First, in the ODI series against South Africa, Babar was the second highest run-getter (228 runs) after Fakhar Zaman’s 302 runs. Babar scored one hundred and fifty in the ODI series, averaging 76.

In the Twenty20 series, he managed 210 runs in four innings with one century and one fifty at an average of 52.50.

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