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Pakistan will need a miracle to make the final

Misbah-ul-Haq needs to be promoted in the batting order, writes Imran Khan

The way things are going, it would take a miracle for Pakistan to make the final of the Asia Cup. And right now, that miracle seems very, very unlikely. Sri Lanka has looked extremely competent so far, and is already in the final, while India continues its good form and looks on course for a clash with Sri Lanka on the weekend.

In the Pakistan-Sri Lanka clash, I was surprised to see Shoaib Malik opting to chase. While all the other captains try to protect their players from toiling in the hot sun, Malik took the rather inexplicable decision of chasing.

Hopefully, Shoaib Malik will bat first if he wins the toss on Wednesday, especially since his batting has looked stronger while setting a total and fragile while chasing.

The other criticism I have is about the reluctance to promote Misbah-ul-Haq in the batting order. He should be batting in the first four because in nearly every game he comes in when it is too late.

Finally, I would still play Kamran Akmal, his keeping lapses not withstanding, in a one-day team. His keeping might be too erratic for a Test match, but in a one-day game, he fits in well as an allrounder.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s young team has put up a couple of impressive performances in the tournament so far. Clearly, they have benefited from the experience gained by their players in the Indian Premier League. I have always felt that Indian and Pakistani cricket would benefit if the domestic structure had fewer teams. The IPL has only six teams when compared to the 20-plus teams in the Ranji Trophy.

Competitive structure

This creates a more competitive structure, and with the top foreign players involved, the exposure for the next level of players in India has been invaluable. The Indians have looked the best side in the competition so far, and their batting looks invincible on these flat tracks.

Pakistan’s bowling has also been looking really thin, particularly after the controversy surrounding Mohammed Asif and the injury to Umar Gul.

Sohail Tanvir has been toiling manfully, but clearly he lacks support at the other end. In these times, it’s unfortunate that we cannot call on a bowler like Shoaib Akhtar thanks to the inordinately harsh punishment meted out to him.

I am not saying that he has not had his share of disciplinary problems, but that was something any strong assertive captain should have been able to handle.

Useful spinner

The other hard decision that Pakistan needs to take concerns Shahid Afridi. He is a very useful spinner and a good fielder. The team management could consider playing him in these roles and view his batting as a bonus. Nowadays, his batting is so much of a lottery, that it is hard to justify his selection as a batsman.

Should Pakistan lose on Wednesday, it will be the latest of a string of disappointments. The win in the Kitply Cup has been the only plus in the last few months, and the string of poor results on the field are merely symptomatic of the mess and controversy that Pakistan cricket has been mired in for quite some time now.

Gameplan

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