Rashid Latif on T20 World Cup squad: Too many spin-bowling all-rounders, wicket-keepers disrupt team balance

The long-awaited announcement of Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the Twenty20 World Cup finally came on Sunday.

Among many talking points, the biggest was the exclusion of speedster Haris Rauf; despite his good showing at the Big Bash Down Under.

Perhaps he’d lost the trust of chief selector Aaqib Javed.

Pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi suffered an injury during the Big Bash League, having missed the previous tri-series against Sri Lanka due to fitness issues.

With Haris absent, Shaheen will have to bear greater responsibility; needing to take wickets in the early overs, and the death overs — which will be particularly challenging for him as his performance in that phase has not been great.

Salman Mirza has emerged as a good pacer, performing well with both the new and old ball, while Naseem Shah’s fitness and performance were satisfactory, leading to his selection.

Many others were overlooked. The selectors did not choose Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr., or Ahmed Daniyal, opting instead for fast-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf.

Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Saim Ayub, and skipper Salman Ali Agha are the spin-bowling all-rounders in the team, but their increased number, as well as the presence of multiple wicket-keepers seems to disrupt the team balance.

The squad includes three wicket-keepers, none of whom were the first choice for their Pakistan Super League franchises. Khawaja Nafay is with Quetta Gladiators, but the keeping is handled by Sri Lankans Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal.

Usman Khan played as a batsman for Multan Sultans and occasionally kept wickets, but Mohammad Rizwan was the number one choice.

Sahibzada Farhan kept wickets in just one match for Islamabad United, as Andries Gous and Azam Khan were the main wicket-keepers.

In comparison, the cricketing world has wicket-keepers who are match-winners.

Pakistan’s philosophy is different. Instead of a specialist, any batter who can keep wickets is given a chance without considering how costly it could prove for the team.

Babar conundrum

Further beyond, there are questions regarding former skipper Babar Azam’s selection, as his performance in the shortest format of the game hasn’t been very impressive of late; the batter coming off a below-par in Big Bash.

There is also a striking likeness between Babar and captain Salman Ali Agha. They are similar batters, occupying number three and four spots in the line-up. They may perform well in low-scoring matches, but could face difficulties in high-scoring games.

The batting lineup has five openers who are capable of batting at different numbers, including Saim, Sahibzada, Babar, Fakhar Zaman and Nafay, who have all been seen playing in the top order for their franchises. However, when it comes to the middle-order, batters like Irfan Khan Niazi and Abdul Samad have not been given opportunities.

The spotlight has been on the performance of Pakistan players in the Big Bash, while overlooking their performance in the Bangladesh Premier League.

Opener Sahibzada scored 185 runs in nine innings with a strike rate of 118.58, which is not particularly commendable. Similarly, Saim Ayub scored 68 runs in four innings with a strike rate of only 117.24.

Fakhar Zaman, who went to play in the International League T20, performed below his standards, scoring 260 runs in 12 innings with an average of 21.66 and a strike rate of 124.40.

Babar, meanwhile, played seven innings in the Big Bash, scoring 131 runs at a strike rate of 99.2.

Spin strength

Overall, Pakistan’s spin department looks the strongest with two specialist spinners in Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq, who are world-class. However, it might be difficult to see both play together since Nawaz, Shadab and Saim are the three spin-bowling all-rounders available. With their presence, it is likely that only one of Usman or Abrar is able to secure a spot in the playing eleven.

Pakistan could benefit from the conditions in Sri Lanka, with the team playing all their matches in Colombo. Their biggest test will come against holders India, with the United States, Namibia and the Netherlands the other teams in the group.

On paper, Pakistan should advance from the group stage. Further ahead, it remains to be seen whether they can forge a combination that can help them go all the way.