Can Pakistani spinners hunt South Africans?

Pakistan is hosting its ‘home’ series against South Africa at neutral venue of United Arab Emirates. It includes two Test matches, five One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 International matches. 

Pakistan has been forced to play its ‘home’ matches in other countries because every Test match playing has refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns. Sri Lanka was the last team to tour Pakistan but had to leave the country in emergency after a terrorist attack on its team in Lahore that critically injured several Sri Lankan players.  

First Test match between Pakistan and South Africa will be played at Abu Dhabi from 14 to 18 October and second Test match at Dubai from 23 to 27 October. Pakistan’s last ‘home’ series against South Africa was also played at same venues of Abu Dhabi and Dubai nearly three years ago. That was a boring series and both Tests ended in dull drawn matches. Pakistani management did not have courage to put any kind of life into the pitches prepared for the Test matches for fear of losing. They did not want to take even slightest of risks and opted for ‘dead’ wickets.

This year cricket experts are divided in their opinion of what kind of wickets Pakistani management is preparing to extract the ‘home’ advantage. Some think that like last series it will again be a dull series on ‘dead’ wickets because Pakistani management will again not risk putting a weak and inexperienced Pakistani team against mighty South African team. Pakistan’s batting is fragile and unpredictable and fast bowling department is very inexperienced. The other group of experts is predicting that Pakistan would prepare turning tracks to help its spinners because they think South African batting can prove weak against spin bowling.

In my opinion, the myth about South African weakness against spinners has always misled Pakistani management. Out of 21 Test matches between two countries, 12 have been played in South Africa. Pakistan has hosted 9 Test matches including two in UAE in the last series. In every series Pakistani management tried to hunt South Africans by spinners but Pakistani team could win only one Test match. Pakistan’s solitary ‘home’ win against South Africa was achieved in October 2003 in Lahore.

Pakistan hosted first series South Africa in October 1997. The plan was very straightforward – to hunt South Africans by great duo of Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq. Pakistan’s pace attack consisted of one genuine fast bowler Waqar Younis and one all-rounder Azhar Mahmood while whole thrust was planned on spin bowling of Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq. It was a tame draw due to flat wicket and bad weather as well as good batting by South Africans to post over 400 runs. Second Test at Sheikhupura was again drawn due to flat wicket and bad weather. South Africans repeated a 400 plus score and defied Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq quite well. Wasim Akram was the only fast bowler in Pakistani team as he replaced Waqar Younis. South African won the third Test at Faisalabad by 53 runs to take the series 1-0. Pakistan played both Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as well as Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq besides all-rounder Azhar Mahmood. Wasim-Waqar duo got 9 wickets in the match while Mushtaq-Saqlain took 7. 

South Africa’s next series in Pakistan was in October 2003. Pakistan laid a spin track at Lahore and won by 8 wickets as Pakistani spinners got 12 wickets in the match. Pakistan played with two right-arm leg spinners Mushtaq Ahmed and Danish Kaneria as well as off spinner Shoaib Malik. Pakistan successfully drew the second Test match at Faisalabad to seal the series with 1-0 win. This is the only series win by Pakistan against South Africa and strategy of hunting South Africans by spinners worked well. 

Pakistan’s third ‘home’ series against South Africans was played in October 2007. Pakistan had a clear strategy to hunt South Africans by spinners and played four spinners in the first Test match at Karachi. It included all three varieties of spin bowling i.e. right-arm leg spin of Danish Kaneria, slow left-arm orthodox of Abdur Rehman and off spin of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez. This strategy backfired very badly as South African played with ease and posted 450. Jacques Kallis hit centuries in both innings while all other batsmen scored good runs and defeated Pakistan by 160 runs. Pakistani spinners were again thrashed by Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith and others in the Second Test at Lahore to earn a draw and winning the series 1-0. Pakistan’s strategy of hunting South Africa by spinners failed miserably. 

Pakistan’s fourth ‘home’ series against South Africans was at neutral venue of United Arab Emirates where both Tests played at Abu Dhabi and Dubai ended in dull drawn matches. Pakistan’s spin trio of Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez failed to put any impact on South Africans who had upper hand in both matches.

Pakistan’s strategy of hunting South Africans by spinners had very limited success in the past 9 ‘home’ Test matches with only one win. Two Test matches were lost and other six ended in draw with South Africans having upper hand in most of the matches. The myth of South Africa’s weakness against spin bowling has misled Pakistan in the past and may again emulate same results if Pakistani management commits same strategic miscalculations. 

Pakistan’s spin attack does not have any right-arm leg spin googly bowler. Saeed Ajmal is an off spinner while Abdur Rehman and uncapped Zulfiqar Babar are slow left-arm orthodox bowlers – all finger spinners and no wrist spinners. In the past two series South African batsmen had no difficulty in playing Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman as most of them are good players of finger spin bowlers. Lack of a wrist spinner makes any Pakistani success improbable no matter how much turning track is made. I can visualize Pakistan falling in its own trap again!

Pakistan’s most inexperienced Test team in five decades

Pakistan announced only 12 players for the upcoming Test series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates starting next Monday. The announcement of an incomplete side is unprecedented in the 61 years history of Pakistan Test cricket. It reflects that national selectors are in acute confusional state of mind due to undue interference of Pakistan’s higher judiciary in cricket administration. The chairman and selectors of Pakistan Cricket Board cannot exercise their powers by orders of the High Court. 

Three players will be announced after the three day First class match prior to the First Test between South Africans and Pakistan A team. South Africa announced its teams for all three formats about a month ago but Pakistani selectors were unable to decide any team for any format even when series was only few days away. This confirms inept approach of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Pakistan’s toothless selectors announced following 12 players for the Test series that include five batsmen Khurram Manzoor, Umar Amin, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq. Khurram Manzoor is the only opening batsman in the team while Azhar Ali, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq are the middle order batsmen. Umar Amin can be considered both as an opener as well as middle order batsman.

The team includes six bowlers including three pace bowlers and three spinners. Pace bowlers are Junaid Khan, Muhammad Irfan and Rahat Ali. Spin bowlers are Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Zulfiqar Babar. Adnan Akmal is the wicket keeper in the side.

This announced team is the most inexperienced team in five decades. Barring the inaugural Pakistan Test team of 1950s, the only team more inexperienced than the current team was 1964 team against Australia when six players made Test debut in the Karachi Test.

The aggregate of Test matches played by the announced 12 players is only 249. It has only two experienced players in Younis Khan (84 Tests) and Misbah-ul-Haq (41 Tests). If Test matches played by these two senior players are excluded, the other 10 players have a total tally of only 124 Test matches. Four players Azhar Ali (29 Tests), Saeed Ajmal (28 Tests), Abdur Rehman (19 Tests) and Adnan Akmal (18 Tests) are moderately experienced. Rest of the players in the team have played only few matches each. Zulfiqar Babar is yet to play in his first Test match. 

Two opening batsmen Khurram Manzoor has played in only 9 Test matches while Umar Amin has played only 4 Test matches in a career that spanned only 25 days. Their total tally of runs in 13 Test matches is just 546 runs. Two prospective inclusions later can be Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood and both have not played any Test match for Pakistan.

Pakistan’s upper middle order batting is the only experienced segment of the team and it includes Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq. If Umar Akmal is selected after the three day match, he will be another player with moderate experience of 16 Test matches.

Pakistan’s pace attack is alarmingly inexperienced. Junaid Khan, Rahat Ali and Mohammad Irfan have played only 11, 4 and 2 Test matches respectively. The trio has taken merely 55 wickets in 17 Test matches combined. This is Pakistan’s most inexperienced pace attack since 1964. 

Pakistan is relying entirely on its spin attack which includes Saeed Ajmal (147 wickets in 28 Tests), Abdur Rehman (90 wickets in 19 Tests) and uncapped Zulfiqar Babar. Many experts believe that Pakistan would try to take advantage of its better and relatively experienced spin attack by making wickets to help them. Even this spin attack does not have a wrist spinner and includes one off spinner and two left-arm orthodox slow bowlers. This kind of attack is unlikely to have penetrative effect on South African batting. 

Pakistani team does not have any all-rounder. The only player who can be termed as an all-rounder to some extent is wicket keeper Adnan Akmal. He is too not much experienced and cannot be depended upon as a batsman.

Pakistan’s team for the Test series against South Africans is poorly selected and inexperienced. This is a logical outcome of chaotic circumstances prevailing in the cricket headquarter of Pakistan cricket.

Mohammad Hafeez axed from Pakistan Test team

Pakistan’s dull and pathetic opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez has been finally dropped from the Test cricket team for upcoming series against South Africa starting on 14 October in the United Arab Emirates.

Before being axed, he has been extremely lucky to open the batting in 23 consecutive Test matches for Pakistan despite of his poor batting technique and lack of proper skills. Cricket experts say that Mohammad Hafeez plays away from his body and has a minimal footwork. That’s why he is usually unable to cope with the ball movement when plays outside flat Asian continent pitches.

Popularly known as ‘professor’, Mohammad Hafeez was expected to be left out of the Pakistan Test team due to his poor record this year having an aggregate of only 102 runs in 10 innings as his vulnerability against moving ball was blatantly exposed in particular in the recent past.

Mohammad Hafeez had not missed any Test match since he was recalled as an opening batsman of Pakistan team almost three years ago when Pakistan played against South Africans in the United Arab Emirates in November 2010. He scored 60 and 34 in his comeback maiden Test in Dubai. In these 23 Test matches he scored only three centuries – one apiece against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – and  five half centuries.

Mohammad Hafeez has opened with five different batsmen in these 23 Test matches – Khurram Manzoor, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Nasir Jamshed and Taufeeq Umar. The most stable of these five pairs was Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar who opened in 18 consecutive Test matches.

In 45 innings of these 23 Test matches, there were only four hundred partnerships in addition to six half century stands for the opening wicket. On the other hand, on 18 occasions Mohammad Hafeez and his partner failed to give a start of 10 or more which is a very high and unacceptable percentage of 40%. This makes Mohammad Hafeez as one of the most unsuccessful opening batsman in Pakistan’s 61 years history of Test cricket.

Mohammad Hafeez has played in 34 Test matches as Pakistan’s opening batsman and scored 2061 runs at a mediocre average of 33.78 with the help of five centuries and eight fifties. Out of this aggregate of 2061 runs, 1520 runs were scored in Asian continent at an average of 43.42 in 20 Test matches. In addition to this, 216 runs were scored in three Tests in Zimbabwe – the weakest team outside Asia.

His total tally of runs outside Asia and Zimbabwe is only 325 in 11 Test matches at an average of paltry 16.25. Mohammad Hafeez has batting average of 11.83 in South Africa, 11.50 in the West Indies and 14.00 in New Zealand. He has not played any Test match in Australia and India.

Although Mohammad Hafeez’s record is better in One Day Internationals and even more better in Twenty20 Internationals, but he has been a complete failure in Test cricket. He made his Test debut against Bangladesh in August 2003 and has been looming around for more than 10 years without any significant success.

Mohammad Hafeez is ranked 50^th in the current ICC Test batsmen ranking, 31^st in One day Internationals and 17^th in the Twenty20 International batsmen ranking. However, he has confirmed his utility as an all-rounder in limited overs cricket. Currently he is ranked 1^st in One Day Internationals and 2^nd in Twenty20 Internationals all-rounders ranking.

In a recently conducted poll, nearly 80% voted against his inclusion in the Test team. As hapless selectors have dropped him finally, one should expect Mohammad Hafeez not to be selected in the Test team again. Let him focus on his all-round deliverance in limited overs cricket, especially twenty20 cricket where he is one of the most useful all-rounders in world cricket today. At 32, he may still have few good years in shorter versions of cricket and also the best candidate to captain Pakistani cricket team in Twenty20 Internationals.  

Bye Bye Mr. Dav Whatmore?

When Australia’s Dav Whatmore was signing contract with Pakistan Cricket Board to take the job of Chief Coach of national cricket team, I was thinking he is actually signing a contract of humiliating exit from the position. He is fourth in line of foreign coaches hired by Pakistan Cricket Board to head the coaching assignment for the national cricket team – two South Africans and as many Australians. None of the previous three completed their contracted tenure – two were sacked and one was brutally murdered.

I recalled few years ago Dav Whatmore was shortlisted for the assignment of Chief Coach of Pakistan cricket team along with another Australian Geoff Lawson but he lost the bid as senior players had told Pakistan Cricket Board management that they would not accept Dav Whatmore because he had a reputation of maintaining very strict discipline. Geoff Lawson was chosen because of his softness but had to quit in disgrace as senior players never cooperated with him. He was sacked in the mid of his contract term.

South Africa’s Richard Pybus was the first foreign coach of Pakistan cricket team in 1999. His rise and fall was instant. His first assignment was 1999 World Cup to be played in England. Pakistan had a dream start and successfully reached to the final. This was the instant rise of Richard Pybus. Then Pakistan lost the final against Australia at Lord’s and Richard Pybus was sacked immediately on the spot. Instead of taking flight to Pakistan with team, he had to take his flight back home to South Africa.

Another South African Bob Woolmer was not sacked but he was murdered. He was Pakistan’s chief coach for 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. For the first time in Pakistan team’s history that it did not qualify for the second round and was eliminated after a shocking defeat at the hands of minnows Ireland. Following the humiliating defeat, Bob Woolmer was strangulated in his hotel room. Like Richard Pybus, he too did not take flight to Pakistan along with the team but took a direct flight to South Africa but not as a passenger but as a dead body in a coffin.

Exit time for Dav Whatmore hasn’t arrived as yet, but signals of the impending arrival are already coming at an alarming pace. Following severe criticism in Pakistani media by former players and experts, some team members are also criticizing him. Saeed Ajmal, Pakistani team’s ace spinner and one of the most senior players has said that Dav Whatmore has made ‘no difference’ in his time as chief coach of the team. When asked to elaborate ‘no difference’, Saeed Ajmal said, “there is no difference, just that we are paying more to him, otherwise there is no difference”. He also stressed on language difference and said there is a definite communication gap especially with junior players who are shy or unable to communicate in a foreign language.

Pakistan has not won any Test series during Dav Whatmore’s 18 months assignment as chief coach of Pakistan cricket team. Recently Pakistan could barely draw the series against Zimbabwe 1-1. Dav Whatmore attained unprecedented fame in 1996 World Cup when Sri Lankan team won the title in a grand fashion of remaining unbeaten in the entire tournament. A simple plain fact is that unlike Sri Lanka, it is impossible for a foreign coach to handle Pakistan cricket team where senior players exhibit extreme player’ power and junior players are too shy and unable to communicate in English. 

Pakistan’s next series starts on 14 October against South Africa at neutral venues in the desert of United Arab Emirates. If Pakistan loses, it would be almost impossible for Dav Whatmore to retain his post. The only hope is to draw the series by making flat wickets and comeback unbeaten. Even if this happens, player’ power would play the deciding role and that’s how I can say a bye bye to Dav Whatmore in not a very distant future. If I go by speculation, it would not be too early to say “Bye bye Mr. Dav Whatmore”.

Yuvraj Singh is back

Following a successful training program in France, Yuvraj Singh – explosive left-handed Indian batsman – has made yet another comeback in the national side. He is selected for the home series against Australia starting on 10^th October for the only Twenty20 International match at Rajkot and first three One Day Internationals at Pune, Jaipur and Mohali. His last appearance in international cricket was in January this year and was sidelined since then. 

Yuvraj Singh has played 40 Test matches, 282 One Day Internationals and 33 Twenty20 International matches for India since his arrival at the international scene 13 years ago. His aggregate of 8119 runs in One Day Internationals makes him a member of top five run getters for India besides Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin with a strike rate of 87.39 highest among top five. Similarly Yuvraj Singh’s aggregate of 791 Twenty20 International is third highest after Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina while his strike rate of 148.68 in this format of international cricket is not matched by any of his fellow countrymen. 

His performance is more belligerent in limited overs cricket than five days long Test matches, probably because his aggression is more dominant than his technique and temperament. Yuvraj Singh bravely defeated cancer to exhibit his tenacity as he was treated for nearly three months in USA and resumed his international career afterwards. 

His father Yograj Singh was a hostile fast bowler who became famous in a first class game against touring Pakistan team in 1979 at Amritsar when he broke Pakistani opener Talat Mirza’s stump in two pieces two years before Yuvraj was born. Yograj Singh played only one Test match but successfully inculcated love and spirit of cricket in his talented son. Yuvraj Singh is brave and aggressive but the greatest quality is the tenacity he has – he always comes back and performs high when he is dropped from the national side.