"Hafeez Is the Right Choice as T20 Captain" : Zaheer Abbas

[MenInG]

Pakistani cricket has had a mixed start to the year in 2012. They began with an odds defying victory in Test matches against the world’s number one ranked team, England. The dizzying heights of inflicting a white wash 3-0 defeat in Tests were followed by a near enough wipeout in the shorter forms of the game against the same opponents.

In the ensuing melee that usually follows such results, Pakistan gained new team management in the form of Head Coach Dav Whatmore and his assistant in the fielding department, Julien Fountain. In the meanwhile, the post of Chief of selectors was awarded to the experienced Iqbal Qasim who re-entered the arena with a vow to award merit in the shape of good domestic form and to provide all players a chance at selection – regardless of their previous records.

Whilst under the supervision of the new management Pakistan were able to lift the Asia Cup Trophy in Dhaka, it was generally agreed that the real test of their resolve would become apparent in the team selection for sterner tests in the future. Apart from giving some serious thoughts to obvious frailties in batting and bowling aspects, there was also the thorny issue of the appointment of leader(s) for all 3 formats of the game. In a well attended press briefing at the NCA in Lahore, Iqbal Qasim under the watchful eyes of Zaka Ashraf, the Chairman of the PCB delivered his verdict on many days of deliberations on this subject.

Misbah-ul-Haq retained his place as captain of the Pakistan Test and ODI teams but relinquished the post in favour of youth in the shape of Mohammed Hafeez in the T20 squad. Hafeez also took over the position of Vice Captain in Test and ODI teams.

Other noteworthy inclusions were those of previous discarded international players such as Mohammed Sami and Faisal Iqbal as well as some exciting new talent in the shape of Rahat Ali, Haris Sohail, Afaq Raheem and Ayub Dogar. Whereas the likes of Imran Farhat and Shoaib Malik may have considered themselves lucky to feature in any one of the squads, exciting young batsman Umar Akmal once again found himself out of favour for selection in the Test squad.

With the selectors opting for mixture of experience and youth in all 3 squads, the debate on this subject is generally centered round the suitability of players to each of the formats and has drawn favourable reactions from the experts.

In exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net on this subject, former Pakistan captain and member of PCBs coaching committee which was responsible for choosing Dav Whatmore as coach of Pakistan, Zaheer Abbas spoke of his satisfaction with the decisions of the selectors.

Misbah-ul-Haq had faced immense criticism on the back of some startling defeats in the shorter formats of the game against England and was expected to be replaced by any number of younger candidates. In the event, the selectors decided to elevate all-rounder Mohammed Hafeez to the position of captain for the T20 squad. In Zaheer’s view, it was the pressure on Misbah as captain in all formats and Hafeez’s consistent rise in stature as a consistent performer which lead to this decision, with a natural progression as captain in other formats as a distinct possibility.

“It’s a good decision by the board – Misbah was captain for all formats which is a bit of a hassle for any captain as its puts too much pressure on one person – so this is a good decision taken by the board to appoint Hafeez ”

“Hafeez is the right choice as T20 Captain. He, really, is the only choice and the reason is very simple as he is scoring runs and taking wickets for the team and this consistency has been rewarded. His future elevation to captain from vice captain will be based on his performance in those types of formats but If he performs well then obviously that will be the right choice”

The enigma of Umar Akmal, seemingly blessed with raw talent yet unable to find a place in the Test team, is one that has troubled many keen observers of the game. Yet again, Umar has been discarded from Test squad bound for Sri Lanka and Zaheer feels that it is Umar’s inability to adapt to demands of the longer game that has caused him to lose out.


“If Umar Akmal has been playing silly shots in Tests – in other words, playing T20 shots in Test matches then that’s to be expected as these are 2 different forms of the game! He has spoken to me before and I have explained this problem to him as well. He has been playing for Pakistan for a while now and he should know what shots to play and when to play those – he must play on the merit of each ball bowled to him”

In recent times, the calls for inclusion of Shoaib Malik in the shorter forms of the game have been the subject of many discussions and it would seem that they have had some effect as he was named in the squad for the T20 format. This is a decision that Zaheer is not entirely convinced about but is willing to let Malik prove his critics wrong.

“That’s a tough question. I have a lot of trust in our selection committee but in this case, I am not sure if he can deliver what the team needs but let’s see how this pans out. As you know, T20 is a strange format – you score 25 run in 5 balls and then suddenly he will be looking like a good choice!”

Mohammed Sami ' s inclusion in all 3 teams for the tour of Sri Lanka is another area which is causing consternation amongst followers of the game. The 31 year old from Karachi has had numerous opportunities to impress but a Test career of 35 matches with 84 wickets at a high average is unlikely to change the minds of many. The doubts on Sami are backed up by the fact that he last played Test and T20 games for Pakistan in 2010 whilst his last ODI appearance was back in 2007.However, despite the criticism of Sami’s abilities, Zaheer is of the view that a bowler of Sami’s experience and express pace must be given another chance, especially given the dearth of proven fast bowling resources in all three squads

“The selection committee wanted to try him out. They wanted to see if his line and length has improved – if it has then it’s a good thing. We do lack some good fast bowlers in the team so to me, this is a good choice”

[violet_may]

Hafeez has not been scoring a lot of runs, and is very hot and cold. Has quite an affinity towards minnows - a pretty ordinary batsman. He certainly is a good bowler but needs to understand his responsibililty as an opener and providing good starts. Much like the disease afflicting quite a few in our team, when he gets in, he needs to learn to stick it out. And I do not think I am being harsh, before the Hafeez fan crew gets after my case. His contributions are there for all to see. With this new role now, he really needs to set an example and show responsibility with the bat.

But yes, I do support his appointment as captain.

[MenInG]

Originally Posted by violet_may Hafeez has not been scoring a lot of runs, and is very hot and cold. Has quite an affinity towards minnows - a pretty ordinary batsman. He certainly is a good bowler but needs to understand his responsibililty as an opener and providing good starts. Much like the disease afflicting quite a few in our team, when he gets in, he needs to learn to stick it out. And I do not think I am being harsh, before the Hafeez fan crew gets after my case. His contributions are there for all to see. With this new role now, he really needs to set an example and show responsibility with the bat. But yes, I do support his appointment as captain.

Thing is, times running out for Misbah - Pak need a new captain in his place soon and the "professor" can hold his place in the team and can think - and is stable!

[violet_may]

Regarding Umar Akmal: So according to Zaheer Abbas, Umar knows what needs to be done and which shots to go for. Seems to be a mental thing. And it will remain a mental thing whether he bats at #6 or #3.

Argh, shot selection issues (impulsiveness) are the worst to fix.

[violet_may]

Sure, but those are all 'person' qualities , necessary if one wants to be captain - I don't deny that.

However, I hope Hafeez doesn't slip from being ordinary to mediocre with the new responsibility, when it comes to batting. You can't have a captain whose own place in the team, as an opener, becomes questionable. With that stable personality, I would hope he brings a stability to his crucial role as an opener - or perhaps consider moving down the order.

And I disagree - Hafeez is not one who can hold his place in the team, reasons mentioned in the first post. But like I said, I do support his captaincy appointment, simply because he was the best choice.

[MenInG]

But then who apart from Saeed Ajmal can hold his place in Pak team?

[Shayan]

His point about T20s is spot on. Simply not the format to judge a palyer's ability. It can take 5 balls for you to be a hero.

Hopefully the new faces in the T20 squad aren't kicked out if they fail to perform in the 2 games. Pretty difficult situation to be in.

[MenInG]

All depends if yongsters included for a reason or just show that we care!

[violet_may]

Umar Gul. Umar Akmal. Both have flaws, but they both warrant more place in the team than Hafeez.

Heck, even Imran Farhat (God knows how) is equivalent (if not better, going by memory and some recent series) in terms of batting contributions. Prior to Asia Cup exploits, I believe Hafeez was averaging around 22 with a 62 something SR in ODIs - if you took out the minnow bashing. Grant him the bashing and he's still not that great. Some people would call that a sign of being a mediocre player. I term it ordinary, being nice and all. His career average is 27 something with a SR of 68

My only beef is that Hafeez is an opener, which is one of the most important positions, especially because we are already a fragile batting unit. Hafeez, recently, has also been eating up a lot of deliveries and faces too many dot balls - being an opener. There are plenty of other options in terms of batting, that he can be replaced easily.

Now try removing Umar Gul and see what happens. Besides, Gul - although slave to the rhythm - has contributed way more to Pakistan's cause than Hafeez, if one plays the numbers game.

Hafeez's entire career has been ordinary, bar a few select performances in 2010/2011 season. I wouldn't be surprised if one day, while looking at my dictionary I came across the term ordinary, it would say 'Mohammad Hafeez's career' in the definition.

[MenInG]

Good luck to Hafeez!

[KingKhanWC]

Agree with VM, his batting(his main job) has been average so far. A good run v Lanka will help his confidence into the T20 world cup. As for his captaincy, it's best to wait and see what he brings to the team.

[violet_may]

So, I maintain my earlier position, having just seen the game highlights.

Hafeez doesn't warrant a position as an opener in my opinion. Seems to be a good captain though.

I don't know, I was all for Hafeez being dropped from the team because he was miserable with the bat in recent times, guess I will have to wait it out and see how it all plays out....


He will always remain ordinary though, me thinks.

[KingKhanWC]

^ There is always another option rarely talked about which came up in the last game. I can't remember who mentioned it but perhaps dropping Hafeez to lower down the order will give him more of an all rounder job rather than a specialist opening bat who can bowl a bit. The problem with this is he may be dropped at times in ODI and and probably end his test match career. In T20 this seems a good option to me.

[LegCutter]

Originally Posted by KingKhanWC ^ There is always another option rarely talked about which came up in the last game. I can't remember who mentioned it but perhaps dropping Hafeez to lower down the order will give him more of an all rounder job rather than a specialist opening bat who can bowl a bit. The problem with this is he may be dropped at times in ODI and and probably end his test match career. In T20 this seems a good option to me.

I agree, Hafeez just isnt good enough to open in all 3 formats!

[zaid65]

The problem is, most people do not think or fail to understand that you put any Pakistani batsman at the top as an opener, they are going to fail. Pakistani batsmen do not have proper technique to play the moving ball.

SL conditions are ideal for the swing bowlers, here is humidity in the air, wickets have something for the bowlers, white ball in general has more swing. Hafeez as an opener has to sacrifice to play defensive game in this conditions. Batting at lower order ( especially in the middle order) is much easier, ball is old, less moisture on the wickets, on top of that, spinners or part timer bowers are operating.

[z-one-z]

He is a good captain for T20 because the team he set out was good apart from some players.
I don't think he should be at no.1 or 2 because i don't think it suits him as a opener on a T20 match. He did a great decision with Umar Gul that day, he put him on the bench because he played poor on the previous match, (that's what a captain like Imran Khan does.