Profit and loss statement

The experiment of playing ODI series with different captains and players against Australia in the UAE failed miserably. The Aussies whitewashed the Green-shirts 5-0. They had also won the ODI series in India 3-2 last month. Whether it was batting, bowling or fielding, Australia outclassed Pakistan in each department. Captains Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim, who led the teamin place of Sarfraz Ahmed, failed to change the fortunes of the team. The home side lost two matches while batting first and was beaten in three ODIs when chasing. Despite all claims of positive outcome of the series, Pakistan team’s morale went down after the whitewash that could hurt the World Cup preparation.

Not only as a team, but individually also, it was a nightmare. On the other hand, it was a morale booster for the Aussies. Before starting the ODI series against Pakistan, Finch’s place in theWorld Cup squad was uncertain, especially when David Warner returns after his one-year ban. Finch had scored only 157 runs in five ODIs in India. He scored only one fifty and was out twice on duck. But against Pakistan Finch was in tremendous form. He scored 451 runs in five matches, striking two centuries and two fifties.

He was just 27 short of George Bailey’s Australian record of 478 for themost runs scored in a five-match bilateral series. Finch received reward for his outstanding performance as he moved to the ninth position in the ICC ODI batsmen ranking. Opener Usman Khawaja and middle order batsman Glenn Maxwell also played well, scoring 272 and 258 runs, respectively, hitting three fifties each. Usman moved to the 19th position while Glenn Maxwell reached the 23rd place. From Pakistan, Haris Sohail and Mohammad Rizwan scored 291 and 231 runs, respectively. Both scored two centuries each. Harismoved to 58th spot and Rizwan to 101st. Umar Akmal got another chance after his PSL performance, but again lost the opportunity to cement his place in the team. In five matches, he scored 150 runs but failed to score even one fifty. Numerous opportunities have been provided to him but his inconsistency has kept him away fromthe national teammost of the time. He gives more attention to off the ground activities than to his game. A video clip circulated on social media showed he attended a concert in Dubai during the series.

PCB fined him 20 percent of his match. It was not the first time. Umar is an in-disciplined player who has breached the code of conduct many times before. In January 2016, Umar received a ban for one match for violating the dress code in a match of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. PCBmatch referee Anwar Khan warned Umar for wearing a promotional logo on his kit, but he did not remove the extra logo. He had been warned in two earlier matches in the Trophy but he had ignored the warnings. In November 2015, Umar was dropped from the side for the Twenty20 series against England in the UAE for allegedly misbehaving with women at a dance party. In July 2015, the national selection committee ignored Umar for the one-day series in Sri Lanka after he failed to report for the training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Inconsistency is one of the main hurdles for Pakistan team. Young opener Abid Ali is a recent example. He got a chance in the fourth ODI in place of Imam-ul-Haq and he availed himself of the opportunity by scoring a hundred. He scored 112 off 119 balls with nine boundaries, joining the elite club of batsmen who have scored a century on their ODI debut. He became the third Pakistani batsman to score a century on his ODI debut. His 112 run is the highest score by a Pakistani batsman on ODI debut. But what happened in the next match! He was out on the first ball.

One or two matches can’t decide the future of a player; he needs time and more chances to show his skills. If a team is chasing a target of 278 and loses the game despite two batsmen scoring centuries, it shows the lack of finishers in the team. Many a time have Pakistan lost the match that after a good start. The series made it clear that Pakistan need batsmen who can hit boundaries, especially in the death overs. No Pakistani batman has a strike rate of more than 100. Maxwell, who played a decisive role in Australia’s win, recorded a strike rate of around 140. Batting has always been a weak point for the Greenshirts, but in this series the bowlers also failed. Only Usman Shinwari’s performance was satisfactory with 4- 139 in the series. Junaid Khan also took four wickets but conceded 178 runs. Mohammad Abbas (1-153), Mohammad Hasnain (2-156), Yasir Shah (4- 283), Imad (3-251), Faheem Ashraf (1-95) didn’t do very well. Mohammad Amir remained wicket-less in the only match he played. Australia’s Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa took seven wickets each, averaging 23.71 and 37.28, respectively. Chief Selector Inzamamul- Haq had said before the series he wanted to check the bench strength. But the inclusion of leg-spinner Yasir surprised many. Yasir is a good bowler in Test cricket, but his record in ODIs is unimpressive. He made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 2011 and in eight years he has played just 24 ODIs. He has taken 23 wickets at a high average of 47.39. The World Cup is to be played in England and on English soil Yasir has played only two ODIs. In both he failed to take any wicket. Poor fielding is a reason behind many of Pakistan’s defeats. In this series, Maxwell was dropped by wicket-keeper Rizwan in the fourth ODI when he was on just 10. He went on to score 98 runs. khurrams87@yahoo.com