New Pakistan skipper faces acid test
NEW captain Sarfraz Ahmed will face his stiffest test yet when he leads unfancied Pakistan in the Champions Trophy – starting with a highly-charged clash against India.
After qualifying by the skin of their teeth, Pakistan will need to overcome serious batting deficiencies to be competitive following their struggles in the one-day format in recent years.
Pakistan's tournament in England starts with the toughest of games against arch-rivals India, the defending champions, in Birmingham on June 4. They are looking to halt a slump that began with a first-round exit from the 2015 World Cup, prompting allrounder Shahid Afridi and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq to exit the one-day scene.
Test specialist Azhar Ali then led Pakistan to an embarrassing 3-0 whitewash in Bangladesh and 4-1 reverses to both England and Australia, before Sarfraz was handed the reins. The wicketkeeper-batsman is credited with injecting new energy after winning three of his first four games, two against the West Indies and one against lowly Zimbabwe.
But former captain Ramiz Raja believes the team lacks the skill set needed to beat top sides regularly in modern limited-overs cricket, which tilts heavily towards batting.
"They say a captain is as good as his team, and this side lacks power-hitting skills," Raja said.
“He has to be in control of his emotions – he must have a flexible plan based on discipline to create a winning environment.”
Pakistan squeezed into the eight-team tournament courtesy of their clean-sweep against minnows Zimbabwe in May 2015, while also profiting from England's whitewashing of the West Indies. – AFP