BINGO! He hit the nail on the head. Precisely my thoughts! I definitely agree with him that we need Shahid Afridi(For explosive start) and Inzamam-ul-Haq(Middle Order Backbone) back in the squad. Afridi’s avg is around 20-21, I believe but his striking rate is over 100. Plus, he was a better player under coaching of Javed Miandad. In the process of rebuilding, our openers failed to acheieve 15 overs restricted opportunities. It’s 'about time, Team management work on this aspect. Bowling options is available. Spirit of youngsters is overwhelming.
England series identifies core team for the future
LONDON: Pakistan lost the Lord’s one-dayer to England and with it the series, but it was a defeat in which there was no shame. I must say that I was rather pleasantly surprised by the capabilities of this young Pakistani squad and the speed with which they adapted to English conditions even though some of them would have been playing in England for the first time.
At 154 for six, it appeared as if the game would be won but luck and some umpiring decision did not go Pakistan’s way. Pressing a winning advantage home is part of the learning curve for any young side and the experience of Lords will not be lost on this eager bunch of players.
I think the biggest plus point that this new side has made clear is the obvious spirit, enthusiasm and commitment :jhanda: that it brings to its cricket. The fall of each wicket brings a joyous huddle, 
everyone is cheering the other on and there is a sense of all for one and one for all which has seldom been so unmistakably clear with Pakistani sides. Also with youth, has come a standard of ground fielding which is perhaps the best that any Pakistani side has ever put on display, although sadly, 
at Lord’s on Sunday the catching and the throwing at the stumps did not equal the ground fielding even nearly.
Winning cricket matches, whether Tests or ODIs, is about converting the half chances, not allowing three full chances to go abegging. And if any one of four direct throws had hit the stumps, there may have been a very different outcome to the match and the series.
The revamp in the side has not caused any loss in effectiveness in the bowling department, although I still feel that Wasim Akram commands a place in the side. But Shoaib and Sami together constitute the most fearsome pace attack anywhere in the world and although they sometimes go for a few, they are the most lethal weapon in Pakistan’s armour.
The cricket they play is breathtaking and their pace provides for one of the real spectacles that cricket has to offer. One only hopes that they can maintain their fitness and continue to serve Pakistan for a long time to come. The supporting bowling is also of adequate calibre with two excellent seam bowling all-rounders in Azhar and Razzaq and two good all-rounder off-spinners. :smokin:
With Wasim having retired, playing both Razzaq and Azhar in one day games should be the norm rather than the exception, fact that needs to be highlighted keeping in mind that both were brought together in the England series through accident rather than design, Razzaq having been called up from Middlesex to replace the injured Faisal Athar. The presence of two good off-spinners who are reasonable batsmen and excellent fielders to boot, is also a great strength for any one-day team.
Sadly, Pakistan’s batting problems especially at the top of the order do not appear to be any closer to a solution. There was some hope at Old Trafford where the successful run chase was largely due to good contributions coming from the top three in the order but later games showed it to be a false dawn with Pakistan losing four wickets for sixty odd at both Oval and Lord’s.
In both these games the runs came from the experienced members of the side, **Youhana at the Oval and Younis and Razzaq at Lords and the repeated failure of the top order must raise a very serious case for the return of Inzamam. Imran Nazir has still not got over his problem of shot selection and now, after four years at the highest level of the game, there must be some concern over how this flaw in his game is to be corrected.
True, that his presence in the side lifts the fielding by a good few notches but at international level, one cannot select people for their fielding alone. He has failed to inspire any confidence at the top of the order and his future role would perhaps need to be examined closely. Compared to Imran, Shahid Afridi is perhaps a better choice for even though he has the same problem with consistency, he too is an excellent fielder and in addition gives his captain a valuable bowling option.
Yasir Hameed, who played this series at the one down position, appears a technically correct batsman and although he did not score many runs, he deserves to be persevered with.** This position has been a problem in the Pakistan line up for the past almost half a dozen years and although it does not appear to be any closer to a solution now than at any time in the past, it will need a technically sound player to fill the role even if ambitions are scaled down from a search for the brilliant to one where one settles for reliability. Yasir has the technical strength and hopefully, continued exposure should produce reliability.
It would appear that the core of the team has been identified and this should be persevered with in the foreseeable future without chopping and changing unless absolutely necessary through complete lack of form or injury or unavailability. A team develops only by playing together which over a period of time reveals everyone’s roles, what is expected of everyone, and the fellow feeling to give one’s best to make sure that one comes up to the hopes placed in one’s abilities by one’s colleagues.
