Pakistan have dominated the T20 International (T20I) series against West Indies so far and have in fact clinched the series with one game still to spare. They will leave no stone unturned to go on and win the third T20I, scheduled to be played in Abu Dhabi and complete a whitewash. The fact that it may come against the T20 champions, will be the icing on the cake. Pakistan have now won their last three T20Is, which began with a win at Old Trafford against England. Although Pakistan have been dominant, they still have some way to go before they can be called a complete and balanced T20I side. Pakistan do have some glitches in their side and may cost them in the long run when the play more quality sides in the future.
Captain Sarfraz Ahmed
Sarfraz Ahmed‘s appointment as captain in the shortest format has given Pakistan the much needed freshness that was lacking under Shahid Afridi. The players seem to enjoy themselves and have gelled well as a team. More importantly, they have responded well to Sarfraz’s captaincy and are certainly aware of that is expected of them. With new players like Imad Wasim and Hasan Ali getting into the mix, Pakistan will only get better. Afridi’s reign, especially in the latter stages was an utter disaster for Pakistan and the selectors have taken the right call to appoint Sarfraz as the skipper. He can now build a team, which not only can put up a good show in the next T20 World Cup, but also win it.
Sarfraz has also led from the front with the bat. Out of the three matches he has led so far, he has had the chance to bat only once. He scored a man of the match winning 32-ball 46 in the second T20I against West Indies, helping them post a healthy 160. West Indies never looked in any position to win the match. Sarfraz rotated his bowlers extremely well and ensured that the required run rate did not ease up. Sarfraz is an impact player – someone, who can change the course of the match in a couple of overs. He backs himself to bat at No. 4 or 5, which is perhaps the ideal position for him. [read-also]427690[/read-also] Bowling worries?
Pakistan bowlers managed to restrict West Indies to 115 and 144 in the two matches so far. They also restricted an explosive batting line-up like England to just 135. Yet Pakistan have to address a few issues. Senior players like Wahab Riaz have been rather consistent. Being one of the senior bowlers, Riaz has to ensure that he steps up and deliveries every game. He may do extremely well in one match and bowl absolutely wayward in the next. The second game against West Indies, Wahab bowled worse than a rookie bowler at times. Yes, he comes in and hits the deck hard, making life difficult for the batsmen, but when he is not doing that, he is just ordinary. With newbies like Hasan Ali leaking runs, Pakistan need to find a way to prevent that. They still have Mohammad Aamer on the bench and can come in handy when it comes to keeping the runs down and also strike a few useful blows. Mohammad Irfan too can be a threat when he is fit.
Balanced side
Pakistan however have a good batting combination. With the inclusion of Umar Akmal in the thick of things, it only makes them stronger. Their openers Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan have settled well and as they have shown, they can hurt the opposition once they get their eye in. Sharjeel is more of the attacking type, while Latif takes his time to get going. But once he gets his eye in, he can make up for the dot balls. With the experience of Shoaib Malik, Akmal and Sarfraz to follow, Pakistan’s batting seems to be settled. Babar Azam too is making giant strides in T20Is. Not to forget Imad’s batting skills lower down the order. He batted extremely well in England in the One-Day Internationals (ODI) and it is not long before we see him develop into a good all-rounder. Pakistan also do not have Mohammad Hafeez for the ongoing West Indies series. Once he makes it into the playing XI, Pakistan could become a much stronger side.
Bigger role for Sarfraz?
There have been talks of sacking Azhar Ali as the ODI skipper and replacing him with Sarfraz. Azhar led Pakistan to a 4-1 ODI series loss in England recently. There have been many former players too criticising Pakistan as they do not seem to have adapted to the modern way of playing the 50-over game. The selectors have however showed faith in Azhar and decided to retain him as captain for the upcoming ODI series against West Indies. This could be Azhar’s final chance to prove his worth as a leader as he will know that Sarfraz may takeover, if he fails. Pakistan have their task cut out, if they are to get an automatic qualification for the ICC World Cup 2019. Pakistan currently ranked No. 9 in the ICC ODI rankings, will have to win most their upcoming ODI fixtures. After the ODI series against West Indies, they will face Australia in a five-match ODI series Down Under, before their participation in the Champions Trophy 2017 in England. [read-also]519367[/read-also] What lies ahead for T20I team?
There is little doubt that appointing Sarfraz Ahmed as the captain of T20Is was the right move. The team have done well so far, but the road ahead will be a difficult one. More so because this will be the final T20I series they will play this season. They do not play again at least till after the Champions Trophy next year. Pakistan may have may have begun well, but may find it difficult to re-group when they play the shortest format next. For now, they are just a work-in-progress team with a potential to uproot some of the big teams around the world and Sarfraz is perhaps the right man to lead them into that era.
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry.com. He is a sport enthusiast and a keen observer of cricket, the contests, and its personalities. When not tracking cricket, he follows the world’s soccer leagues and is somewhat partial towards Liverpool. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
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