At the time of writing, the first Pakistan Super League (PSL) draft has just ended. Mohammad Amir’s return to the national side is further streamlined with Karachi Kings picking him from the Gold category. Monday’s draft also saw Shahid Afridi (Peshawar Zalmi), Shoaib Malik (Karachi), Shane Watson (Islamabad United), Kevin Pietersen (Quetta Gladiators) and Chris Gayle (Lahore Qalandars) being signed from the Platinum category.
With Younus Khan and Saeed Ajmal not picked by any side, the latter’s comeback into the national picture, following the bowling ban and the ensuing change of action, seems to be a foregone conclusion. However, all eyes will definitely be on Amir’s return as he joins the likes of Malik, Shakib Al Hasan, Sohail Tanvir, Imad Wasim and Ravi Bopara in an impressive-looking Karachi team.
Abdul Razzaq batting against South Africa in 2010
Even so, there’s another comeback that could light up the PSL, with the proverbial ‘old war horse’ waiting in the wings for one last shot at glory. By the time you read this piece, the second draft on Tuesday would already be over, and so there’s a chance he might not have been picked at all. But if any of the 5 PSL sides decides to go with him, he could be a dark horse for the tournament.
Abdul Razzaq wasn’t even supposed to be in the draft until the PSL Governing Council changed its decision - virtually days before the draft. The 36-year-old all-rounder’s last appearance for Pakistan was two years ago, during the T20 series against South Africa in the UAE. But with Razzaq in the $25,000 Silver category, the PSL teams would’ve had a potential bargain on Tuesday - if anyone decided to bag him.
Razzaq in the bottom draft category would have definitely been a bargain a few years ago. As things stand currently, he would be more of a gamble - which can come off in resounding style or could get ugly and further tarnish the reputation of a cricketer who once was one of the world’s best all-rounders in limited-overs cricket.
Will any PSL side give Abdul Razzaq one last shot at glory?
However, truth be told, it’s been a while since Razzaq actually justified his place in an international T20 side. His bowling declined ages ago and while he has conjured a couple of decent bowling spells since the turn of the decade, they’ve come in seamer-friendly conditions in England and New Zealand. Razzaq simply does not have the pace anymore to bowl his full quota of overs in the modern game – not even the 4 in T20s – where batsmen are becoming more ruthless every day and playing conditions are increasingly skewed towards them too. And yet, it might still be too soon to write off Razzaq the batsman.
Post 2005, Razzaq’s gradual evolution from a bowling all-rounder to a batting all-rounder was complete. He might have bowled the occasional decent spell, but he was no longer a match-winner with the ball. It was his bat that did most of the talking for him, as he became Pakistan’s number-one finisher, with Afridi becoming increasingly unreliable. There’s a long list of matches that Razzaq won with his bat, with the 109 off 72 against South Africa in October 2010 being one of the most breathtaking batting performances by a Pakistani batsman in a run-chase.
Razzaq in the 2012 T20 World Cup
While that century against South Africa was Razzaq’s apogee as a finisher, he doesn’t have much to show since then. One could argue that Pakistan haven’t deployed him well since then, with Afridi infamously using Razzaq six down in the ODI World Cup in 2011. But even in the comebacks since the 2011 World Cup, Razzaq failed to justify his selection - given his lackluster showings with the bat.
Why then should one vie to rekindle a career that has long been snuffed out on all fronts?
Pakistan’s batting woes were laid bare against England in the recent series. While the logical way to address that would be to back youngsters and groom them, none of them seems suitable for a regular slot with their performances, especially in the lower-middle order. Pakistan are in desperate need of a finisher who can deliver consistently.
There possibly is no rationale to believe that Razzaq, at 36, has what it takes to fill that void in the long run, if at all. But with the World T20 now just a few months away, there might be a case for one last shot at salvaging his legacy as one of the most gifted strikers that Pakistan has ever produced.
With the PSL giving youngsters the ideal opportunity to make their mark on the international stage through their franchises, ideally upcoming batting talent should come through and help Pakistan bolster the side ahead of the T20 World Cup. If that doesn’t happen, a strong performance in the PSL by Razzaq would make it harder for selectors to ignore him for the World T20 in India.
