Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering a proposal for retaining Sarfaraz Ahmed as Twenty20 International (T20I) skipper for the upcoming series against Australia. Sources claimed that the PCB management is considering different options to pick up a strong side against Australia. There is possibility that Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal be dropped once again from the team. Veterans Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez are expected to replace Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal. Former skipper Azhar Ali is also being considered to lead Pakistan once again in Test matches for the tour down under.
Pakistan suffered 3-0 defeat at the hands of Sri Lankan during its recent tour to Pakistan.
Pakistan's T20I squad will be announced after the completion of first round of the National T20 Cup - scheduled from October 13 to 24 in Faisalabad.
Analysts believe that Pakistan never played like the No.1 team at any given stage of the series against Sri Lanka. Although both Pakistan and Sri Lanka retained their previous rankings in the latest ICC team standings, the shattering defeats have opened a Pandora's Box regarding the national team's abilities to withstand pressure.
Empowering Misbah to the extent that he's regarded as the most powerful man of Pakistan cricket has already has had its repercussions quite evident within the first five weeks of his appointment. The ex-skipper had replaced both Mickey Arthur and Inzamam-ul-Haq as head coach-cum-chief selector in what PCB termed as a revolutionary step in Pakistan cricket.
The wisdom of recalling Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal was one decision that based on taking risks, given the duo's troubled past. Misbah was left to rue their inclusion as both batsmen proved huge flops.
There are more deserving candidates in the batting department on the playing circuit than the tried and failed Shehzad and Akmal who somehow keep on coming back into the team without making any impact whatsoever. With a new system of domestic setup already in the rolling this season, Misbah will surely have to look elsewhere to avoid a repeat of this episode.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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