ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

Players, Captain, Coach: How This Pakistani Cricket Team Operates

Who are the members of this new Pakistani cricket team under skipper Sarfraz Ahmed?

Updated
Cricket
6 min read
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large
Hindi Female

Pakistan is a team India play very rarely these days and so, while once the names of their players rolled off the tongue almost as easily as those of the Indian team, that is no longer the case.

It’s also a bit to do with the fact that a number of their top players have retired in the last couple of years and have been replaced by youngsters. This has led to a bit of a churn, in that, while a few years ago, Pakistan were a top Test team, but struggled in the limited overs format, now, it’s just the opposite – they are ranked number one in T20Is but have dropped to seventh in the ICC Test rankings.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

While in India, skipper Virat Kohli calls the shots with regard to the team, Pakistan is very much coach Mickey Arthur’s team. One of the first things he did after taking over as coach was to emphasise the importance of fitness and of achieving basic minimum fitness standards. Players who could not cope were cast aside. Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shahzad, Mohammad Irfan, Sohail Khan and more recently, even Imad Wasim, who is considered a particular favourite of Arthur’s, have all been axed at some point or another.

In the coach’s words, “I like to be in charge off the field. I like to set the parameters, because if the team fails, you’re in the spotlight. I’d hate to lose my job, knowing that I didn’t do things my way. If I have done it my way and that way is not good enough or fails, I can live with that because you had the opportunity to implement what you think was right and you failed. You will have both success and failure, though I would prefer more success, but my legacy as a coach is going be the environment I create, the improvement of players, the improvement of the culture, more professionalism.”

That improvement can certainly be seen in the team’s fielding, where young legs and fit bodies have ensured that Pakistan are now among the best fielding sides in world cricket.

While it wasn’t quite evident against Afghanistan, where they dropped several catches, Pakistan have the best statistics of any side as far as run outs per game go, and in the PSL, the ratio of dropped catches was the lowest for any league across the world. Even the yoyo test, which in India carries a passing mark of 16.1 is much tougher for the Pakistan team which counts 17.4 as the base mark.
0
Who are the members of this new Pakistani cricket team under skipper Sarfraz Ahmed?
Former Test cricketer and chief of selection committee Inzamamul Haq, center, consults with Pakistani captain Sarfraz Ahmed, right, and coach Mickey Arthur during the team practice session in Lahore.
(Photo: AP)

Between them, Arthur and skipper Sarfraz, run the team like a well-oiled machine. Sarfraz is from the Karachi school of cricket which, much like the Mumbai school, knows the value of every run. And he is an excellent on-field strategist. His non-stop chatter from behind the stumps “Ball dekh ke toh daalo Shadab mian” or “bhai, off-side ka field le kar leg pe daal raha hai…come on” or in those rare happy moments, even “bahut aala, Hasan, bahut aala” fills your ears when you are watching any Pakistan game. In fact, if I am directing and a Pakistan spinner is bowling, I often turn up the level of the stump mics, just to hear Sarfraz’s commentary!

He appears mild-mannered when you meet him off the field, and he is a religious, God-fearing man, but on the field, he tends to lose his temper at the drop of a hat. Double teapots are the norm, disgusted stares are de rigueur and if all else fails, there’s always the hairdryer treatment.

The fact that he commands a young bunch of players also helps him stamp his authority on the team.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

There’s only one senior – Shoaib Malik, who at 37, is fitter than ever. He is slowly winding down his career and, after being dropped from the previous World Cup, is determined to make his swansong, the 2019 World Cup, one to remember. He is the man to whom the captain turns for advice, if it is required, and the man who ensures that the Pakistan middle-order keeps humming along. His experience is the key, allowing him to either consolidate or shift gears and accelerate when requires. He is also a clinical finisher, as yesterday’s knock showed.

Who are the members of this new Pakistani cricket team under skipper Sarfraz Ahmed?
Pakistan’s Hasan Ali speaks to Shikhar Dhawan during an Asia Cup match in Dubai on Sept. 19, 2018. 
(Photo: AP)

The team has several characters, none being as camera and crowd-friendly as paceman Hasan Ali. He is like the wide-eyed kid in a candy shop, quite literally so, it turned out, in Zimbabwe a couple of months back. Out of the match due to injury, Hasan, sitting on the sidelines, spotted a hawker selling cotton candy. He quickly ran up to him and bought a huge stickful. We showed it on camera, where it was spotted by the team management, and fitness trainer Grant Luden gave him a rocket, forcing him to, very reluctantly, part with it.

He forms a great bond with leg-spinner Shadab Khan and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf and the three of them are the closest of friends. In fact, playing his first match after his neck injury, which he sustained while celebrating a wicket in Zimbabwe, he took another wicket and readied himself to celebrate before remembering his injury and gesturing to Shadab to do his trademark “bomb” celebration for him.

Between the three of them, they are great fans of Punjabi music and like nothing better than sing and dance to the likes of Yoyo (not the test) Honey Singh, Badshah and others.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

Not all of them are the gregarious kinds – Babar Azam, the team’s classiest batsman – is one who keeps mostly to himself, rather surprising when you consider that he is Umar Akmal’s first cousin! Asif Ali is another who would rather listen than speak. Perhaps, say his teammates, he is just shy because he is new to the side.

The Pathan fast bowlers, Usman Shinwari, Shaheen Afridi and Junaid Khan, seem shy and retiring, but when you know them for a bit, and I mean just a bit, they can be hilarious. The Pathan sense of humour is spectacular in the innocence of its delivery. In a memorable interview with Ramiz Raja, Shinwari was asked what his favourite food was. “Lobia,” came the answer, “fried lobia. My mother says, kuch accha banaa deti hoon. But I say, people eat mutton karahi, I like lobia karahi.” And in response to whether marriage was on the anvil, “Shaadi kar ke toh double performance deni padti hai, match mein bhi aur ghar par bhi” to peals of laughter from Raja and Waqar Younis.

Mohammad Amir, meanwhile prefers to keep largely to himself. Off the field, he loves spending time with his family, if they are around. Otherwise, he loves his headphones and romantic music. Not what you might expect from a lethal fast-bowler, but there you have it!

Who are the members of this new Pakistani cricket team under skipper Sarfraz Ahmed?
Babar Azam, the team’s classiest batsman – is one who keeps mostly to himself.
(Photo: AP)

The openers are all very different to each other. Fakhar Zaman, a former navy sailor from Younis Khan’s hometown Mardan, may be expressive on the field, but he is calm and collected off it. As a youngster, he was never encouraged to play the game, but he persevered, and in the navy, was spotted by coach Azam Khan, who ensured that Zaman pursued cricket professionally. Even so, it took him a long time to make his mark. Now though, he is one of the team’s undisputed stars.

Imam-ul-Haq may be new to the team, but he has shown that he truly belongs, with a series of impressive performances. The fact that he is Inzamam’s nephew has been both a blessing and a curse for him. From the time he has been selected, cries of nepotism have not been too far away. But the 22-year-old has invariably delivered. Reserve opener Shan Masood is cut from a different cloth. Born in Kuwait and educated largely in England, where he lived a stone’s throw away from Lord’s, he is one of the team’s fittest players, regularly cracking the 20 mark on the yoyo test. He’s a big Manchester United fan and, in my considered opinion, will be one of Pakistan’s best commentators as soon as he decides to call it a day.

All in all, this is one of the friendliest group of players you could hope to bump into off the field. And yes, if there’s a Nando’s close to the team hotel, that’s where you’re likely to catch most of them, gorging on chicken and just perhaps, a little corn on the cob.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

(Hemant Buch is broadcaster and writer who's worked for over two decades in this field. Cricket is his profession, and racket sports, his passion. He tweets @hemantbuch)

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from sports and cricket

Published: 
Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
3 months
12 months
12 months
Check Member Benefits
Read More
×
×