The last time Pakistan won a Test match at ‘home’ was against the West Indies at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in October 2016 – exactly two years ago. Since then the home team have lost three Tests – one against West Indies, two against Sri Lanka and drew one Test versus Australia in their adopted home. If we don’t hear the alarm bells ringing then there must be something wrong with our hearing.
It was somewhat expected that Australian team under the new leadership – Tim Paine (captain) and Justin Langer (coach) will be a different proposition if compared to the Australian team which paid a visit to the UAE in 2014; but to secure a draw against the home team Pakistan in the first Test of the series is a moral victory for the visitors.
It’s almost like that Pakistan team have lost the recipe to win a Test at home. Team selection for the matches against the Lankans in 2017 was appalling, to say the least. One must acknowledge that this time around the selection was much better. That said, one mustn’t forget that Hafeez wasn’t included in the team until the eleventh hour. And look what he did in the Test match – he made a magnificent hundred on his comeback. Perhaps our selection cognoscenti were unaware that Hafeez is called ‘the king of UAE’. Imagine if he had played the Asia Cup!
It is good that Hafeez has made a thumping comeback and one can hope that more big scores are in the offing; especially against New Zealand in the forthcoming series. The only problem is that he’s batting at wrong position. He could’ve been ideal at number four or five in the batting order since he can provide stability in the middle order with his experience and Azhar Ali would’ve retained his position as an opener.
The Pakistan team is scheduled to tour South Africa for three Test matches later in the year. It would be unwise to send Hafeez as an opener in South Africa considering his woeful performances in Test matches in the past. As far as limited overs cricket is concerned he could be useful at any number.
The off-spinner Bilal Asif made his debut owing to indisposition of Shadab Khan who is nursing an injury. Bilal took six scalps on his debut. An off-spinner should have been the first choice, considering the number of left-handers in the Australian batting line-up. Thankfully, fate worked in Bilal’s favor.
Wahab Riaz looked rusty and out of sorts. Perhaps he wasn’t ready for a comeback, but the team management wanted a bowler with sheer pace who could reverse swing the ball, which is understandable. Though, Mohammad Abbas has proved this notion wrong by performing on all types of pitches – from the dry 22 yards in the barren UAE to the misty conditions in county cricket in England.
Mir Hamza – the talented left- arm pacer is warming the bench. Perhaps the team management could replace him with Wahab Riaz in the second Test at Abu Dhabi. Junaid Khan would have been the ideal choice, but he was sent back home after an excellent performance in a solitary match in the Asia Cup in which he took 4 wickets for 19 runs against Bangladesh.
Babar Azam is an extremely talented batsmen; his ODI record and an average of 51.92 proves that, but he hasn’t been able to live up to expectations in Test matches. A Test average of 28 for a frontline batsman is nothing to write home about. He has been fortunate to appear in Test matches on a regular basis when a player like Fawad Alam, with a Test average of 41.66 and first-class average of 55.66 languishes in domestic circuit.
If Australia manages another draw or a win at Abu Dhabi, Pakistan team will be in shambles. New Zealand team might prove a tough nut to crack especially playing against a home team with low spirits. The alarm bells are ringing; it’s time to put our house in order.