Pakistan Zindabad!!!...Future !!! and Afridi

Pakistan Zindabad!!!...Future !!! and Afridi

by Ali Akram on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 3:11pm

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When going gets tough-tough get going.

This is so true for Pakistan team that came into this WC. If you start counting all the bad that happened in last few months I wont be able to finish this note anytime soon. To name a few...

• Incomptetent board !!!
• senior players made to sit out had juniors missing out on gaining from there experience
• unable to play at home we were left to find home outside home and not able to groom youngsters
• corruption saga left team without 3 key players
• immense pressure was put on the rest of players
• replacement wicket keeper left squad for reasons that are unclear and seem un-related to corruption and more for passport to me
• incompetent Board blamed whoever they could see and later humiliated the whole nation
• team captain was left guessing till the very end...

list just goes on and on... but the positives that Shahid and his team brought to Pakistan in last few months are also great

• He bowled his heart out and without doubt was the best bowler in the tournment
• He showed great skills in manuvering his limited resources to the best effect
• He gelled this unit into one
• He even made a wicket keeper with holes as big as foot ball in his gloves work through the championship
• He groomed his youngsters and didnt scumb to emotionalism

As our campaign concludes and our players come back home we have to look into future. I am very hopeful that we have a good unit here. I feel Afridi should continue as ODI captain and in this way he can grrom his yougsters better. His Deputy should be a younger guy with leadership potential. I feel Asad or Hafeez have shown brain that can be groomed.

I am dead sure if Kamran still plays another ODI as a keeper then either our selection panel is blind, speak and hear chinese or Kamran knows some magic spells that blinds everyone. This must be his last game behind the stump. Sarfraz has shown good potential along with few other good keepers in domestic structure and should be groomed.

Younis and Misbah have been good servents of our country in the last many years. I feel there presence in Test team is needed for a year or so more but they should gracefully hang their boots for ODI and T20. Asad and Umer are great find. I feel Asad is a calm character and has shown signs of Yousaf in him. He should be given leadership role in domestic structure so he can be groomed for future role in Pakistan setup. In the meantime Hafeez should be given Deputy role for ODI and Test. He has about 3 years in him for both levels of the game and can help Afridi shape the team for next battle.

Gull had a awful day today but his class is beyond the figure of today. With him Wahab and Junaid can be groomed. Wahab is decent bowler who can be groomed into a even better one under Waqar and Aqib. I feel we have enough pace talent that can be groomed. I see no future for Asif but do have a soft corner for Amir as he is young and misled. He should serve his sentence and then re join the domestic game. 5 yr out of game will take its toll but should serve as a reminder to everyone that such actions are unpardonable in future.

Opening pair should be re established with Shahzad given another chance otherwise Taufiq can make ODI comeback. He should play county to learn the art of staying on the wicket. Asad seem very reasonable No 3. Umer should move to No 4.  We should add a left hander in the middle order. Fawad showed some promise in the past but i feel he needs to develop attacking game to solidify his position.

For all rounders Afridi should stay on as ODI and T20 captain with 1 yr tenure and given liberty to develop the side on his own.  He fills one Bowling All rounder spot. We need another Batting all rounder and I feel Razzaq probably should consider T20 game only and slowly fade out of ODI setup. We have options to groom players in Caribean when Pakistan come here to tour. 

Spin options are plenty with Afridi proving he is the best leg sprinner in the running and in case of spinning turf should be considered as specialist spinner in test side also. Ajmal has couple of years in him. I dont see any retun for Shoaib Malik who should play at domestic level to develop juniors.

In al fairness, this WC went very well for Pakistan. We know what they were up against the best and we know they fought till the end. Tactical error's, batting and feiling fralities did cost us in the end but we need to take heart from this performance from the team... one of the biggest plus... we found Afridi as a leader and i see Pakistan with a great future !!!

Pakistan Zindabad !!!