The pulsating 3-0 whitewash of Afghanistan was a huge triumph for Pakistan in the run-up to the World Cup and helped clear up a lot of unknown points. It also provided thrilling excitement for the fans watching, a great teaser for both the Asia Cup and the upcoming World Cup. The now No. 1 ODI team in the world produced excellent cricket, and these are 5 lessons we can take away from the series
Rizwan stands up to confirm the number four spot
For all of the praise that Babar and Rizwan get for their performances, the performance of Rizwan in ODIs has always been a point of contention. He has never been the most convincing ODI batsman, and before this series, there were doubts about whether it might not be wiser to play someone like Iftikhar or Agha at 4 and get someone like Haris in the squad to attack the bowling at the depth. He answered all those questions with his knock in the third ODI, a well-composed knock on a difficult pitch to help Pakistan earn what turned out to be an easy victory. This innings will go a long way towards helping negate any doubts about Pakistan’s often brittle middle order, but with Rizwan sparkling, there is reason to hope that there is life after the top 3 for Pakistan
Also Read: Cricket’s Enigma at No.4: Deciding the mystery behind squad selections
Imam shows his worth once again
Imam will never have many fans. The way he joined the team under Inzamam’s tenure as chief selector will always leave an asterisk next to any of his achievements. However, there is no doubting his worth as an opener, and as a consistent foil to Fakhar Zaman. Pakistan’s highest scorer in this series, Imam stood up on a difficult pitch in the first ODI, and once again while chasing 300 in the second ODI. While the series did show that old flaws remain, he is still far too consistent to be dropped for any reason. Hopefully, his performance here has ended the Shan Masood experiment in ODIs once and for all. Certainly, a key component in the 3-0 whitewash of Afghanistan.
Shadab is back in form
Pakistan’s biggest concern going into the World Cup will have been the bowling form of Shadab Khan who has been somewhat erratic in the last year or so. He was back in form here though, flighting deliveries that teased the batsman before spinning away. A return of 4 wickets at 23 may not seem the most impressive, but he was the best-performing spinner across both sides in the whitewash of Afghanistan. Add in his batting which helped Pakistan seal the 2nd ODI, and it is obvious that he is back and firing once again. It has not come too soon for Pakistan, who will hope that he and Nawaz can form a formidable duo for the World Cup.
Shaheen, Rauf, and Naseem are among the best
This is not something new to be gleaned just from this series. However, the overall performance of Pakistan’s pace trio (13 wickets in 3 ODIs) is not to be sniffed at. While Naseem was not at his blistering best with the ball, he showed his threat many times across the series, swinging the ball at pace. Shaheen and Rauf each produced one blistering spell to decimate Afghanistan’s hopes at the top of the order. In the end, all three indeed contributed to the whitewash of Afghanistan, each winning a game. Pakistan will be glad that the answer as to who the leading pacers going into the World Cup has been answered so convincingly by the pace trio. Wasim Jr. and Faheem might be able backups, but the three stars who are first names on the lineup are well clear.
Pakistan will not experiment with youth in the World Cup
The selection of Tayyab Tahir had many wondering if Pakistan might want to experiment with either him or Haris for the World Cup. This series has made it clear this will not be the case. Pakistan are happy with the lineup they have, and the backup that they have. Faheem will be the choice of fast bowling all-rounder, and Wasim will be the backup pacer. Saud will be the backup batsman of choice and has been included in place of Tayyab Tahir who is now the traveling reserve. Abdullah Shafique will be the backup batsman and Pakistan’s middle order will read Rizwan, Agha, and Iftikhar. Pakistan will back the team and squad that got them to No. 1 in the rankings
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