The need for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 to revamp the T20 squad – Opinion
In a matter of years, the T20I cricket, has gained momentum and the format that was once considered juvenile, is now important enough for countries to have their own T20 squad consisting of players capable of hitting the ball out of town without much hassle.
The Australians, the English and the South Africans have toyed with the idea, and now perhaps it is Pakistan’s turn to have its very own T20 squad, since the recent dip in this format of the game.
Initially, teams from Pakistan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 were considered to be naturally designed for the shortest version of the game, and having won a T20 championship a peace, both countries proved their point.
However, the rest of the world has caught up now and it is time for Pakistan to make drastic changes in order to avoid falling further.
The fact is that T20 is not a format for aged players, and it does not matter if the player is experienced because there is no reciprocal of youth.
It is for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to realize that it has to inject young blood in the T20 team to give other nations something to worry about.
The recent naming of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Hafeez-c76898 as the skipper of the T20 team can be considered a good omen; however, he is stuck with old players, which means that his captaincy would be of little use.
While players like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Akmal-c94595 is a great T20 player and is a future prospect for the Greens.
On the other hand, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shoaib-Malik-c90088 does not carry an impressive record in this form of the game, and his recall in the national team shows the lack of understanding towards this version of the game by the members of the PCB selection committee.
Perhaps, the board needs to educate its selection team regarding the realities of the T20 format. Their ignorance towards the T20s would certainly cost Pakistan in the forthcoming http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758.
Naming youngsters in the group of 30 players means little if they are not picked in the playing eleven. And with Malik, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Gul-c94604 and Akmal among the 30 players, they are most defiantly going to buy their ticket in the playing eleven.
To avoid such a predicament, it would be wise to name only young players in future, which would create a healthy selection policy.
Coach, Dev Whatmore, might find himself between a rock and a hard place, nonetheless, it is for the better as Pakistan can no longer afford to name old players in a game that is made for the young blood.
To beat the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in the T20 Championship in September, Pakistan should test the mettle of its young brigade.
Grooming these players is inevitable, and while this process would be long and painstaking, it would bear fruit in times to come. This is the only way forward for the PCB and for cricket in Pakistan.
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