T20 cricket is the sprint to the marathon that is Test cricket, and Pakistani cricketers would be sprinting regularly in the coming months - starting next Friday. Pakistan tour New Zealand where they will be playing a T20 and ODI series (three matches each). This will be followed by the much anticipated inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) in February. Immediately after that, the national team will participate in the Asia Cup, which will be played in a T20 format for the first time. That will be followed by the ICC World T20 in India. Barring a three match ODI series in New Zealand, Pakistan only play T20 cricket for the next three months, including a domestic league and a world cup. These should be exciting times for the ‘impurists’ among the cricket aficionados.
First up, however, is the New Zealand tour, which is going to be a tough challenge for Pakistan. New Zealand have always been a tough nut to crack at home, but the new-look Kiwis - who were one match away from clean-sweeping the ODI World Cup - are a daunting prospect for any side. But of course, the build-up to what undoubtedly is a mouth-watering tour is being dominated by the return of Mohammad Amir, who has been included in both the T20 and ODI squads, which are as follows:
ODIs: Azhar Ali (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sohaib Maqsood, Zafar Gohar, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir
T20s: Shahid Afridi (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Aamer Yamin, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Mohammad Rizwan, Saad Nasim, Mohammad Amir
Amir would almost definitely be a part of the first T20 next Friday. That he will officially return to international cricket under Afridi - and not Azhar - is actually a good thing for all concerned parties, considering the latter and Hafeez boycotted the training camp because of Amir’s presence. Afridi has been very vocal in his support of Amir, who according to him, has served his punishment and hence deserves the chance to come back. Azhar’s stance, meanwhile, is rather intriguing.
Pakistan celebrating the T20 series win against Sri Lanka in August last year
Barring a three-match ODI series, Pakistan will only be playing T20 matches for the next three months
While Hafeez has regularly opposed Amir’s comeback and even said that he turned down a BPL offer because he didn’t want to share the dressing room with him in November, Azhar had earlier suggested that he would go with the PCB’s verdict. But this was before the debacle of the limited-overs series against England and definitely before question-marks arose on Azhar’s captaincy - and even his place in the side.
Was Azhar’s public condemnation of Amir a bid to divert some of that criticism? The PSL draft, where the ODI skipper was drafted in at the tail-end, might have taken a bit of a toll as well. While both Azhar and Hafeez need to focus on their on-field promises before any moral reservations they might have, what is undisputable is that it’s Amir who has the most to prove (and the most to gain) from the upcoming New Zealand tour. The good thing, of course, is that apparently everyone has patched up, with vows of forgiving and forgetting.
Afridi with Amir at the national training camp
Beyond Amir’s return there are massive question marks that need to be addressed by both limited-overs sides, but especially the T20 team, considering the packed few months that lie ahead. The clean sweep at ‘home’ against England has tarnished the recent surge by the T20 side, which included a staggering 2-0 win in Sri Lanka in July/August. Defeat against an England side, which wasn’t a formidable T20 challenge, could bring in self-doubt.
Even so, the New Zealand tour itself might not answer any of those doubts. While a successful tour would be a morale-booster, the contrary cannot be deemed a disaster by any stretch of the imagination. Notwithstanding the New Zealand side’s pedigree, the conditions will be completely different to what Pakistan will be experiencing in the next few months. PSL, Asia Cup and the World T20 will all be played in Asian conditions.
Azhar Ali
However, following the debacle against England, Pakistan really can’t afford a heavy beating. The T20s are going to be especially crucial, especially considering the challenges that lie ahead.
It’s going to be an enthralling few months and while Pakistan’s marathon runners are adding to their domineering legacy, the sprinters have it in them to race to glory. The first race begins next Friday at Auckland.
