Re: Pakistan batting woes
**[New selector looks to fill middle-order cap with domestic performers
‘We wil place emphasis on young blood’ - Jaffar**](http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/292430.html)
The absence of Inzamam-ul Haq and Younis Khan shifts the emphasis on to younger batsmen in the middle.
Naturally, with the retirement of Inzamam and the unavailability of Younis, there now exists a huge gap in the middle order. We have so many youngsters performing well on the domestic circuit and I think due to unavoidable circumstances, this is the best time to give youngsters a go and see how they perform.
A few players from the Under-19 World Cup winning teams of 2004 and 2006 have also been called up.
We will be placing emphasis on young blood. We will look at all players from now on including the U-19 and U-15 squads, the A team and academies. With this new committee we have time to do that. It is a gradual step as you can’t have a player going straight from U-19 to the senior team. He needs to adapt to conditions, mental and physical. Players are not ready to take on the senior challenge straight away after age cricket. They need to play domestic cricket for a bit, mature on the field and mentally as well, gain necessary experience and it is only then we know how talented they are. Therefore, the drafting process is gradual and it will take time.
By declaring himself unavailable is Younis not setting a poor precedence for the future when players will opt for county over country?
Salahuddin [Ahmed] has been in regular contact with Younis regarding his future. I was informed of his unavailability for the Abu Dhabi series but I have no other information regarding this matter.
Hasan Raza and Asim Kamal have also been called up to camp though neither is considered by many to be suited to ODIs.
Test and one-day cricket are not that different. The majority of the players are the same. Teams undergo minor changes, allrounders come in for ODIs and specialists for Tests. I have seen Hasan Raza bat this year and he has the shots and the attitude to perform in the shorter version of the game. His recent 188 against Khan Research Laboratories is a prime example where he accumulated those runs in quick time.
Asim, however, we have not been able to see much of this season. He has not played that many games but he has been considered because he is definitely a good player and has performed exceptionally in the past whenever he has been picked. We are planning for the future and that is why we decided to invite him to the camp.
Its a good strategy, but to expose these youngsters with no senior players behind is a bit risky. I am more in favor of a transition period. Let’s see how Hasan Raza and Asim Kamal will be able to perform after such a long lay off from International Cricket.