Abdul Razzaq: Time to Ponder his future in Pakistan Cricket
Pakistan’s ever reliable all-rounder Abdul Razzaq is perhaps at the twilight of his career and it appears as if the time has come for him to seriously start pondering over his future in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 series.
After the ICC World Cup 2011, which concluded on April 2, the selection committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to exclude the all-rounder, who lacked the will to win matches for the home side throughout the mega event.
Razzaq’s lacklustre performance in the ICC world Cup 2011 is being blamed for his exclusion from the squad. However, the defiant all-rounder refuses to admit that he did not perform up to the mark and has shown disappointment after not being considered for the West Indies tour.
According to him, he was sent way down the batting order when he wanted to bat at number three. He argued that the team management had not taken full advantage of his talent. Nonetheless, the fact remains that it was not just his batting that lacked fire, his bowling was equally disappointing.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Razzaq-c84421 has always been regarded as a match winning player for his home side but for the last few series he has been a mediocre player, which leads one to think that perhaps the time has come for the PCB to start looking for another all-rounder as his replacement.
No one can deny the fact that in November, 2010, Razzaq played a gem of an innings when he single handedly won Pakistan a match against the mighty South Africans in a One-Day series played in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/United-Arab-Emirates-c3033.
“The soldier” as he his nicknamed in Pakistan, completely snatched a victory out of the grasps of Graeme Smith’s men. The five-match One-Day series was kept alive because of Razzaq’s match winning performance with the bat. Nonetheless, the series was taken by the Proteas 3-2.
After this, it was off to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Green-c60723 bounced back by taking the six-match one-day series 3-2 and then went on to win the two-match Test series 1-0. Razzaq did not play a big role in the tour but because of his killer instinct, he was included in the World Cup squad.
Now, it seems as if the PCB has had enough and wants him replaced. The intentions of the board became clear when in April the chairman of the PCB, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128, hit hard on Razzaq and discarded wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal by saying that the players should either impress the selectors by their performance or retire from the sport.
The retirement call from the chairman of the board should be alarming for Razzaq and he seriously needs to weigh all his options. The 31-year old Razzaq believes that he can still perform for the national side for another two to three years but for that he needs to prove his will and fitness. Otherwise, with so many young players coming up, it is going to be increasingly difficult for the veteran all-rounder to make his place in the side.
Winds of change are definitely blowing in Pakistan cricket as skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 has also favoured the inclusion of young players in the national squad, especially in the shorter versions of the game. In a situation like this, if Razzaq manages to pull off one or two winning performances, he will surely get his place back in the national team because there is no doubt in his abilities. Until the cricket management finds a younger version of Razzaq, he will always have a chance to climb back into the ranks of the national team.
Razzaq deserves to go out with a bang just like former great Imran Khan and the ICC T20 Championship 2012 will be the best opportunity for the all-rounder to shine. If Razzaq finally decides to bounce back to his best, he is certain to make life for his opponents miserable.
The PCB should not discard him and make sure that he is given a fair chance to make a comeback in the national squad. While on the other hand, Razzaq should not think with emotions and instead look at the situation at hand practically and realise that he needs to make an extra effort to prove his willingness to play for Pakistan.
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