CRICKET
of selecting a particular player, at a specific time and for
a specific purpose; it is the overall strategy of the team
management that backfired in the end. While it was all
over for Bilal after Abu Dhabi, Babar was tried as opener in the second and third games, only to be brought
down the order (after low scores) in the fourth, do-ordie match when experienced opener Ahmed Shehzad
finally earned a call by the team management. While
Shehzad cannot be blamed for failing in his lone game
on the tour so far as Pakistan chased a mountainous
356, Babar impressed again with a crisp half-century
in the middle-order. Taking a deeper look, it clear that
after Younis Khan’s abrupt retirement following the first
ODI in the UAE, No.4 became an ‘experiment spot’. Iftikhar Ahmed (his selection in the squad is also debatable), Sarfraz Ahmed (an important cog down the order)
and Babar were tested at the mighty crucial position in
the second, third and fourth ODI, respectively. There's
nothing wrong in experimenting but the trials should depict some consistent approach and direction. In sharp
contrast, Pakistan’s Test camp is a settled bunch and
more or less every member has earned his place with
very few questionable selections. Consistency in opting fo