Wasim Akram writes Pakistan ’s batting is a worry and the team can’t afford to play an extra bowler.
By Wasim Akram
Pakistan may have entered the quarterfinals of the World Cup, but the team's weaknesses are surfacing every now and then. The big game against Australia in Colombo on March 19 will be Pakistan's acid test before the knockout rounds begin on March 23.
I am feeling a bit jittery because Pakistan 's victory against Zimbabwe may look emphatic on paper but according to me, it was far from convincing. Apart from Umar Gul's clever bowling and Asad Shafiq's application that helped him score his maiden World Cup fifty, Pakistan's cricket was not what champions should be dishing out.
One of the main areas of concern is Pakistan batting. Against Zimbabwe , Shahid Afridi's decision to come up the order to finish off the game in "boom-boom" style badly backfired. Afridi's penchant for big strokes right from the start has often let the team down. Since he is the captain, batting in a more responsible manner is a must. And in any case, he should not be batting ahead of Abdul Razzaq.
Afridi surely is a bowling allrounder but his batting can be as good if wants to. After playing more than 300 ODIs, he can no longer afford to give the excuse that because of his natural aggression he is getting out cheaply. If Afridi hasn't learnt to bat in 10 years, then I wonder when he will. But for Pakistan 's sake in this World Cup, let's hope Afridi learns quickly!
Pakistan 's top batsmen should be looking to play out the new ball bowlers. Let the bowlers earn your wicket rather than throwing it away. Pak batsmen were looking under some kind of pressure against Zimbabwe. The shot selection was poor. Mohammad Hafeez scored 49 runs but looked unconvincing.
I have been saying before the World Cup that Kamran Akmal should be the regular opener while Mohammad Hafeez should be a floater. With Shafiq getting runs against Zimbabwe, I will not be surprised if Pakistan decide to drop Ajmal Shehzad in the match against Australia.
There has been a lot of talk that Pakistan should play an extra bowler. But the way they are batting, I don't think they can afford this ‘luxury.' The bowling composition also looks awry. I still don't understand why off-spinner Saeed Ajmal is not being played regularly. While Abdur Rehman bowls a good line and length and does not concede too many runs, I feel in a big event like the World Cup you need a wicket-taking bowler. Ajmal provides that option.
From now on, the road for Pakistan will only get more treacherous. The team management must think wise as the margin for error is going to be virtually nil!
