I would like to direct your attention towards the following:
Before the start of the final encounter
Well, I am not disputing the inclusion of Rana. I defended him before (over Razzaq), and quite rightfully, I think he definitely should be included in this one as well, hands down.
Furthermore…
Since the pitch is heavily expected to be advantageous to both sides of the wicket, I’d say we include Rana and Asif, and not Razzaq or bhatija Sami. It is about time we give the opportunities to some of the much deserved ones, and for the extended period of time as well.
After the completion of the series
I must say, the moment Razzaq was chosen as a prime candidate to take part in the team, I was going heaven-bent on this selection, criticizing the selectors’ decision to the fullest (as evident from my posts from a couple of days ago). However, I am proud to experience a vast amount of change in his bowling, especially the dedication and commitment he has shown by peacefully bowling during crunch situations, and always being able of finding a niche or two in his bowling stamina and maintaining it to the extreme. He did produce several wicket-taking deliveries that must be praised (at least from my point of view), as he fully composed his strengths and selectively choose to exploit the weaknesses of the batters, one by one. The deck of cards that he was dealt with were commanding and imperative, and Razzaq satisfied his hunger by dealing with sophisticated measures under extreme circumstances. Even though there were more than a handful of deliveries that should have been bowled with more controlled line and length (no-balls are included in this instance), the will power and the passion that I saw in his eyes were striking familiar. Hopefully, we will continue to see this much-improved personality over the course of next few months, as we head out into the battlefield dangerzone, on course of :insha: winning next year’s World Cup.
A (very recent) written instance to one of my GupShup brothers (:))
Yes, absolutely, no question about it. Razzaq has shown alot of patience, commitment and devotion to be a lively part of our squad, and if he continues his current form throughout the duration of this year, Insha-Allah, there will no hesistancy in retaining him for next year’s World Cup.
You probably have seen my posts from a few days ago, which extremely ridiculed this decision made by the selectors, but I am very proud to experience a new and improved man, a man who can contribute in every situation possible, and a man who, alongwith the efforts of his team-mates, is able to bring home the trophy.
I wouldn’t take away anything from Rana as well. I feel he deserve another comeback in the team, alongwith Razzaq. He also has proven, time and time again, that he has the desire and the will power to stand tough in crunch circumstances.
Since it is proven that Asif has an excellent variation in deliveries that leaves even one of the best batsman on the world in an awe, Sami’s inclusion in the team is less than likely from here onwards. However, let’s move our concentration towards Rana and Razzaq. I touched upon Razzaq in detailed lengths in my posts above. In the case of Rana, I really feel that he should be called into the National Team at all costs, and should be presented with an opportunity to shine in the limelight, once again. He performed in a very decent and adequate fashion during the English series, and all of a sudden, when I saw his name being dropped from the squad, I couldn’t justify selectors’ decision to have Razzaq in the team, but the fact of the matter is, both bowlers perform brilliantly, and give their hearts out during their bowling spells. The ultimate question I would like to raise in the end (besides few of the ones already in queue) is:
- Does Rana deserve another opportunity to be a part of Pakistan Team, once again, to prove his worth?
Some have said with the amount of his white hair, we don’t have that many overs left in him, and granted that is true, his experience and being able to nip his way past through in crunch situations make him a lively candidate to be picked up next time.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject matter. 