Series is leveled. A dazzling knock of 91 powered by Mohammad Waseem ensured that the so called world class bowlers of Afghanistan were torn apart to put UAE’s fortune back on track. In today’s game, the Emiratis were far more superior in terms of strategy, discipline, intent & focus. Their homework, matchups & execution were bang on. On the contrary, lackluster is the term which can explain the horrible approach from the boys in blue.
When we thought that batters had given us enough heartaches in the first innings, we were put into a shocker during the chase. The bowlers also jumped on to the bandwagon to showcase their erratic bowling skills. The performance was such that no one can take an ounce of inspiration from this game. Every bowler went wicketless except the solitary wicket by Karim. Waseem made the most out of the power play and slaughtered every bowler into pieces. No one had imagined that this star studded bowling lineup would get hammered for 68/0 in the first six overs.
Intent was missing from the top order
The luck of the coin went Rashid’s way & he decided to bat first on a wicket that was expected to do a little bit early on. But the out of form Hazratullah Zazai made the wicket look more difficult than it really was. He was adamant against playing any aggressive shots from the word go. He simply played for averages instead of keeping the team’s cause on priority. His painful stay at the wicket ensured that we did not cross sixty in the first ten overs. Gurbaz as usual looked good from the onset but since there is no method to his madness, his presence was limited to only few deliveries. Ibrahim has clearly shown his weakness against the pitched up out swingers from Zahoor. Somehow he needs to curb his early driving instincts against the smartest pacer of UAE.
Afsar is not a hard hitter. At best he can nudge & push around to keep the scoreboard ticking. Whenever he is put under pressure, tries that much harder to slog everything, eventually losing his shape & wicket. It was strategically a wrong decision to put both of them together at a crucial juncture when at least one batter had to put the foot off the brakes. That’s where the plot was lost. Probably Janat could have been a better choice to partner Hazrat at number four. However, by the time they both departed, there was hardly any momentum left and the batters failed to keep up with the run rate of six. In the quest for quick runs, both Karim & Omarzai got dismissed. Najib & Rashid added few quick runs in the last three overs to put 137 on board, but that was too little too late.
Will the team make judicious course correction tomorrow?
Ideally I’m expecting wholesale changes for tomorrow’s game although there is not much left in the tank. Farooqi should be back at the expense of Naveen who has not done justice to his reputation. Mujeeb must make way for Noor Ahmad for his wayward & toothless bowling. Rahmat Shah must be brought inside at Hazrat’s place. Naib can be tried at 4 with Afsar sitting out. We could even swap Fareed with Nijat but that can be quite risky considering the series is lying on a cutting edge sword. However, I am skeptical about ACB’s beloved Sharafuddin getting a chance at someone else’s cost.
Rashid has to unleash the right thinking hat
Somewhere the batting order doesn’t look convincing at all. If they can’t perform in an organized fashion against UAE, surely it won’t work against the big lads of international cricket. I’m also surprised by the lack of vision shown by the team management to pick & choose players in this series. Rahmat Shah is the only available specialist top order batter in the reserves when everybody knows that batting is the weakest link. The likes of Usman & Darwish have been shown the exit door in this series. Shahid Kamal who had participated in the camp as a middle order bat has been wishfully duped. Selectors have also sent back Sediq Atal who was the only other opening option.
Instead, the squad is unnecessarily packed with spinners & pacers which was not really what the doctor had ordered. Rashid Khan is playing two wicket keeper batters in the eleven which is a wierd plan in itself. It gives a wrong notion that ACB doesn’t have batting talents. I fear that such uninspiring vision will jeopardize the future & progress of cricket in Afghanistan. Rashid Khan needs to think hard on his choices else the world will be quite familiar with such shambolic defeats against not so stronger opponents.
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