Pakistan vs South Africa – A Preview

After countless controversies both on and off the field the mercurial Pakistanis are out to prove themselves yet again. Test team is shambles, ODI unit is unsettled but the T20 outfit is complete as usual. Let’s preview the three units one by one and for a moment set aside all the ghosts of negativity possessing Pakistan Cricket complex.

T20s:
This is the format Pakistan owns. It comes very natural to their style of play. Actually very few would know that T20 cricket was invented in Pakistan. Long before the English started playing it a competition comprising of 20 overs a side was a regular feature of night club cricket in Karachi way back in early 1980s.
Pakistan the number one team in this format from the very outset is in good shape as most of the players performed well in recently concluded domestic Faysal Bank T20 tournament. It was ludicrous to name the team before the tournament but the sense prevailed as Shahzaib Hasan and Wahab Riaz were inducted on the back of brilliant showings in the said competition.
The composition of team is not a problem for the captain Shahid Afridi. He has ample talent and choices to make even in the absence of Muhammad Amir, Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt. Shahzaib and Hafeez would make a good opening partnership with Imran Farhat probably sitting out. Umar Akmal, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam and promising Asad Shafiq are the middle order batsmen to choose from. Bowling is shouldered by two of the best in the format in Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal. Wahab Riaz and Abdur Rehman are in form too with Shoaib Akhtar providing experience and fire. Tanvir Ahmed again may not get a chance here.
So my team would be:
1-Hafeez, 2-Shahzaib, 3-Umar Akmal, 4-Afridi, 5-Fawad, 6-Misbah, 7-Abdul Razzaq, 8-Zulqarnain, 9-Gul, 10 -Shoaib, 11- Ajmal


ODIs:

Pakistan recently lost the series in England after being 2-2. With the loss of Amir, Kamran and Butt the team looks weak but under Afridi they have shown mettle to fight and signs of unity which makes Pakistan dangerous.
With a ranking of 6 Pakistan is not a threat to mighty South Africans who are 18 ranking points above them but they are never short of a surprise specially on low slow wickets of UAE. With the absence of experienced Muhammad Yousuf, Afridi will demand some responsibility from the likes of Younis and Misbah. Umar Akmal should feel at home on these tracks so fasten your seat belts folks!
This series should be like foreplay for the all important world cup in sight. It is not a surprise for Pakistan fans that yet again we have a team ill-prepared, controversy-ridden and short of confidence going into a world cup. Pakistan has fared poorly in the last two world cups and once again we are being termed as pushovers. Afridi would love to go into the world cup with some momentum on his side.
The probable team for me should be:
1- Hafeez, 2- Shahzaib, 3- Younis, 4-Umar Akmal, 5- Fawad/Misbah, 6-Afridi, 7- Abdul Razzaq, 8- Zulqarnain, 9- Gul, 10- Shoaib, 11- Ajmal



Tests:

Pakistan is lurking at number 6 way below number 5 Australia with a difference of 27 points between them. Over-all the third best test team in the history with a WLR of 1.07 Pakistan currently is clueless in this form of the game which is the real deal and is loved by the purists. Once a team which challenged mighty West-Indians under great Imran Khan has now reduced to a shadow of its past.
Under Inzamam-ul-Haq Pakistan was still a competitive unit with Bob Woolmer as a calming influence but since then owing to controversies and shoddy selection policies of the PCB we saw one captain after another and one humiliation after the other. Younis Khan was a worthy and natural choice as a leader but was dealt with severe mental blows to the extent that he vanished from the game all together. From Yousuf to Afridi and then Salman Butt we saw captaincy changing hands till spot-fixing storm blew away all planning and hope. Younis Khan continued to be cold-shouldered mercilessly by the PCB and selection committee being a rubber-stamp entity bowed to the whims of Ijaz Butt to the extent that both coach Waqar Younis and ODI captain Shahid Afridi were ignored during the selection process. With Salman Butt banned due to spot-fixing and Younis out of favor, Misbah-ul-Haq of all people was recalled out of wilderness and made captain. He was contemplating retirement but perhaps his sixth sense knew something extraordinary was forthcoming so he had actually planned his retirement for the next year.
Test squad is as weak as it can be in the absence of Amir, Asif and Salman Butt with doubts over fitness of Muhammad Yousuf. Batting centers around the experienced Younis Khan and flimsy Umar Akmal. The return of dependable Taufiq Umar and Misbah though gives the line-up a look of solidity. Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq are promising but why Fawad Alam is being neglected for the format which suits him most is beyond me. He scored a big hundred on debut on a turner in Sri Lanka and has an average above 55 in first-class cricket. Imran Farhat is still in the squad despite his failures but perhaps this is his last chance to prove himself. Promising and enterprising Ahmad Shehzad should have been drafted in the team as a back-up opener in my opinion. He has every thing which an opener should possess. Dale Steyn will relish the opportunity against such a fragile batting and may well see off Pakistan single-handedly unless Younis, Umar Akmal and Yousuf if fit come in his way.
The bowling is the weakest in decades. Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal and Kaneria are the spinners and they will share the bulk of bowling. Muhammad Sami is back once again but his lack of ability to take wickets makes him impotent. I think Tanvir Ahmad should be given chance ahead of him as he can at least swing the ball. Umar has an opportunity to prove he has the aptitude to lead the attack in tests too.
My test combination:
1- Taufiq Umar, 2- Azhar Ali, 3- Younis Khan, 4- M Yousuf, 5- Umar Akmal, 6- Misbah, 7- Zulqarnain, 8- Umar Gul, 9- Saeed Ajmal, 10- Wahab Riaz, 11- Danish Kaneria

All in all a tough tour for Pakistan ahead of the world cup can be a make or break thing for their morale. It may be a new dawn for them or we might see another chop-and-change episode not only in the team but this time in the PCB too.