They perform the most thankless of jobs yet they are criticised for doing it; that’s Pakistani selectors for you who have the worst job in the world - to select team for two Twenty20 events and also consider Shahid Afridi’s advice. Yes, advice to include Ahmed Shehzad; advice to ensure Sohail Tanvir’s presence in the squad and advice to have a second wicket-keeper batsman in the XI as he doesn’t trust his deputy, Sarfraz Ahmed. Thank God the selectors didn’t listen to Afridi and dropped the usual suspects, but the brave step came with some questionable decisions.

It’s the final countdown

He may be retiring from T20 Internationals but Afridi considers his staying back as a good thing for Pakistan cricket. The good thing in my opinion is two months away when the team will start rebuilding after his retirement - that is if he agrees to retire. Any sensible cricket board would have axed the captain after dismal performances everywhere on the planet but the keyword here is sensible, right? Afridi will do absolutely nothing good in the two series but even then his farewell will be grand. Why would he be interested in the future of Pakistan cricket when he has no future in Pakistan cricket! He should have been included in the squad as a full-time leg-spinner who can bat; a new captain should have been sent to the two tournaments to gain experience that would have helped Pakistan in the long run. Afridi continues to prove his ineptness to lead the side yet he will have two more mega events to prove that he had prolonged his stay in the national team.

Good riddance!

I am glad the selectors realized that listening to Afridi would have been useless; he is retiring after the World T20 so there was no need to get his approval. With Ahmed Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Gul and the all-rounder with no all-round techniques Sohail Tanvir finally out of the squad, that might have been a reality but that’s where the selectors faltered. They selected Umar Akmal for his one-in-a-million performance in the Pakistan Super League despite knowing his record, his reputation and his ability to lose a match from a winning position. There was also a place in the final 15 for Iftikhar Ahmed who should have paved way for the PSL stars, the ones who are still shining in the inaugural edition.

The batting woes continue

This is the first time ever that the Asia Cup has been reduced to T20 format and that was done to give the Asian teams a chance to prepare for the mega event beforehand. Sadly, our selectors seem to have forgotten about the switch as they selected Khurram Manzoor in place of Ahmed Shehzad - replacing one loser with a potential one. The Karachi batsman was trending on social media not because he didn’t believe he was selected but because the lovers of the game couldn’t believe his selection. Khurram had a good National T20 Cup last year and he may have improved as well, but when the player isn’t in any of the teams for PSL that speaks a lot about his capability. Then there is the run-out machine Mohammad Hafeez who should consider the two events as his last because there are many players better than him waiting for a place in the Pakistan squad, and his time may be up soon, if he doesn’t perform.

Bits and pieces for spin paradise!

The Asia Cup will be played in Bangladesh and the World T20 in India where the pitches are conducive to spinners all the time. Every team would be sending its best spinner to the events except the one in green - they don’t have a spinner, a full time one that is. Yasir Shah is out of the events due to the ICC ban; Zulfiqar Babar doesn’t merit a place in the selector’s eye; Saeed Ajmal couldn’t make the selectors take note of him despite doing well with his remodeled action and Abdur Rehman still seems to be out-of-favour for his 3 full-tosses bowled in 2014. Hence, Pakistan will be relying heavily on bits and pieces spinners and that include skipper Afridi, former skipper Shoaib Malik, not-able-to-turn left-arm spinner Imad Wasim and tried-and-tested Iftikhar Ahmed. The only selection worth praise is that of Mohammad Nawaz who has impressed all during PSL; the selectors should have given more space to newcomers than to old-timers who seem to be rusty due to fatigue and inability to adapt to changing traditions.

Variety, what variety?

They say that when you plan against an opponent, you look at their weakest link yet Pakistan manages to present its weakest link to opponents on a silver platter. The team has as many as four quickies who use their left arm to bowl - Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan and now Rumman Raees. Fans of the game and even experts (except Rameez Raja, of course) welcomed the return of Mohammad Amir into the side but did that mean that Mohammad Irfan had to be retained as well. He is not even bowling well since his return from injury; wouldn’t it have been better to give him a rest and pick Rumman Raees and a right-arm pacer for the sake of variety. If a layman can think of such a flaw in the side, how can they selectors overlook it? Wahab Riaz has the tendency to go for runs in crucial matches; who will hold the fort when he does - Amir, Irfan or Rumman. All three prefer to bowl from the same angle (different speed) but when your premier strike bowler can go for runs, how sure can a captain be for using similar styled bowlers.

Verdict: No trophy for Pakistan

It would be a bonus if Pakistan manages to reach the last four stage of the World T20, without a genuine right-arm pacer, a specialist spinner, a batsman who can build the innings and with a captain who has nothing to lose and who cares about nothing. During the last 20 years, the followers of the game have learnt one thing; that Afridi has learnt nothing. He will deliver the ‘Boys will do well; will try to beat India; will hope for a place in the semifinal’ speech as he always does and like forever, the team will return in the dead of the night to avoid detection before the tournament is over. May be next time, with a new captain and a better line-up, Pakistan will have a chance - it seems a tâche impossible at the moment.