Pakistan’s debutants: Umar Amin and Azhar Ali
When the two Pakistani youngsters – Umar Amin and Azhar Ali - made their debut in the national side against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 on the neutral grounds of England, a lot was expected of them. Both the debutants had performed well in their respective first class careers and were considered capable of replacing the likes of Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan in the middle order; a difficult task in its own right.
In a two Test-match series which ended 1-1, Pakistan did well to draw the series level after losing by a big margin in the first game.
After the first defeat, the two youngsters could have easily been shown the door, but, the selectors must be commended for sticking with them.
Amin, who has played for Pakistan U-19 and is known for his hard hitting and aggressive batting, failed to make a big impact on the series. He accumulated on 59 runs in the four innings which he batted in. Playing at the fourth position in the batting order, Amin was expected to play long innings and help his side post big totals. But unfortunately, that did not quite happen.
After a Mitchell Johnson delivery hurried into Umar Amin in the first innings when he had scored only one run, Amin showed some resolve in the second innings. When Pakistan desperately needed someone to slow things down, Amin was there. He held his wicket valiantly for over an hour and half before Simon Katich took a brilliant reflex catch. In the second game, Amin had scores of 25 and 0 to his name, not something he would have been proud of.
Amin got a couple of consolation wickets in the series. And this was after bowling just two overs in the two matches; something to write home about!
The other debutant, Azhar Ali, had a comparatively better start to his career. This steady, middle order batsman has played for the Pakistan-A side on several occasions. Filling in the one-down position, Azhar managed to get starts in all his innings. However, he failed to convert them into big scores.
Ali lost his wickets due to the lack of footwork which cost him his wicket in his very first innings after he had scored 16. However, he too came back strongly in the second innings, managing to put up a 100-run partnership with opener Salman Butt. He held his wicket for over 30 overs and had scored 42 runs before he once again nicked a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery to Tim Paine.
His second test was relatively better where he put up scores of 30 and 51, his first half century in international cricket. Ali was once again involved in a 110-run partnership, this time with Imran Farhat. It was this partnership which had put http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s run chase in a comfortable position before some high quality drama in the end.
There was a stark contrast between the way Umar Amin and Azhar Ali handled their debut performances for the national side. On one hand, Amin played like any other youngster would have. Aggressive and Daring. Always looking to get behind the bowlers. He was not too successful, but the approach will pay dividends over time.
On the other hand, Azhar showed a lot more maturity and patience. He was willing to let the bowlers try their tricks and still protect his wicket. He did not have a very impressive strike rate, but just like any other one-down batsmen would do, Ali concentrated more on staying at the wicket. Two very different approaches, both equally effective.
One gets the sense that both these batsmen will be persisted with by the selectors, and that should augur well for the Pakistani cricket.
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