High five

On Sunday, Pakistan lost the solitary T20I against England, making it back-to-back T20I series defeats for the side after a run of consecutive wins under Sarfraz Ahmed that stretched back to 2016. Of course, the 2-1 defeat in South Africa came under Shoaib Malik’s captaincy, but now the loss under Sarfraz means that Pakistan, still ranked the number one ranked T20I side in the world, have had their all-conquering streak formally curtailed.

Even so, the T20I itself was always going to be a subplot in a bilateral series that itself is acting as the prelude to the World Cup. For the next two-and-a-half months it’s all about 50-over cricket, and in playing England just before the World Cup, Pakistan have the ideal opportunity to get a head-start on the other sides participating in the event.

By the time you read this, the first ODI would have already been played (Wednesday), with four more contests still to go. As discussed in this space last week, while the bigger aim clearly is the World Cup, that absolutely should not mean that the ODI series should be conceded in the way of experimentation like the Australia series was in March.

Pakistan should go all-out to win this series, which in itself would be the perfect preparation for the World Cup. This is because not only are the matches being played in the conditions under which the World Cup would be contested,  butthe hosts England are also amongst the favourites for the crown this year.

As with any other ODI series, a fixed 11 is never going to take part in all of the five matches that are to be contested. Hence, any questions regarding Pakistan’s combination that remain unanswered should be organically dealt with, and opportunities given to players who merit a slot in the series. The England series should not be seen as a stage for just any player to squeeze themselves into the World Cup squad, and only the first-choice players should be given the chance.

However, given the circumstances, a lot of changes are expected throughout the series anyway. With Shoaib Malik on leave to address domestic issues and Mohammed Hafeez injured, the first half of the ODI series is set to feature their replacements. Shadab Khan is out of the series after being diagnosed with Hepatitis C.

Any questions regarding Pakistan’s combination should be organically dealt with, and opportunities given on merit

Asif Ali would be the one taking up one of the vacant middle-order slots. His brief stint in the T20I didn’t exactly ooze with confidence, and hence Asif Ali should know that despite finding many backers among the experts, he would have to significantly exceed his recent international performances to make any impression on the final World Cup selection.

Of course, much of the speculation regarding that final World Cup squad surrounds Mohammed Amir, who might be given a run in the series. Given that he is currently below Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammed Hasnain and Junaid Khan in the pecking order, his representation in the series should reflect that and no favours should be granted to any one player.

Faheem Ashraf has also come under criticism owing to his lack of substantial performances in Pakistan’s colours. His yet-to-be-substantiated tags of “all-rounder” and “power hitter” might be keeping him in the side, but he’d have to start living up to some of that billing pretty soon.

Winning against England wouldn’t mean that Pakistan would conquer the World Cup, and similarly losing the series wouldn’t translate into a disaster in the offing. However, the series would give us an idea about Pakistan’s chances at the World Cup, where they remain fancied owing to their Champions Trophy heroics from 2017.