The emergence of Umar Akmal as an exciting middle order batsman has all but bolted the door on Misbah-ul-Haq. After being dropped once, he showed resolve to make a comeback, but the past has come back to haunt him. He may have responded with a double-century in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, but his response may have come too late in the day, writes Saad Shafqat in Dawn.
With captain Younis Khan at number three, Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan’s best batsman) at number four, and now Umar Akmal in the side, Pakistan’s Test middle-order is packed. In ODI and Twenty20 cricket, the batting line-up has to accommodate all-rounders too, which leaves even less room. The only scenario in which Misbah forces his way back is if someone gets injured or loses form. No one knows the future, but the odds are against it.
The PCB hasn’t learnt from the way squash and hockey has gone awry in Pakistan. The organisation has run into disarray and failure despite having the world’s top-notch cricketing talent at its disposal. Iftikhar U Hyder presents a grim picture in Dawn, the Pakistan daily.
Pakistan cricket’s Achilles’ heel is not its ability to produce good openers, reliable middle-order batsmen or good fielders. The real Achilles’ heel is the inability to build a cricket structure in which only competent managers could survive.
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