Azhar and Asad were groomed, as replacement of Misbah and Younus, for years. Since their retirement, has the duo of proteges delivered to the promise? Here's a quick look at how Azhar and Asad has fared since then.
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Pakistan's Chasing Ghost
Now that PSL Draft is over and the focus is back on the ongoing Test series between Pakistan and New Zealand, lets resume from where we left off.
Pakistan failed to chase down a get-able target yet another time in Tests. The margin this time came down to 4 runs - and as they say - the closest defeats are the bloodiest.
Winning and losing is part of the game. Unpredictability is what differentiates sports played by humans from a game performed by robots. It all reverses when a particular outcome - be it winning or losing - starts to become predictable with robotic accuracy. This has what it become in case of Pakistan’s handling of run chases.
For Pakistan in the recent times, chasing in 4th innings of a Test has become like being chased by ghosts. Whenever Pakistan is put to chase, it looks more like its Pakistan team that is being chased, by the ghosts, rather than Pakistan team chasing a target.
It can be argued that Pakistan was never a side good at innings 4 of a Test. Such arguments can only be settled by looking at the related facts across the eras of Pakistan Test Cricket history. So let’s have a look at it.
In all, Pakistan has batted 4th in a Test on 140 occasions where it managed to come out winners on 59 occasions, mustered a draw 32 times while failed to save the Test 49 times. In percentages, Pakistan has won 42% of the run chases, drawn 35% and lost only on 23% occasions.
If the targets and results are broken down into ranges, here’s the picture that it paints:
PREVIEW - Polar Opposites to contest for Pole Position
Its method versus flair, its predictability versus flamboyance, its Australia versus Pakistan, and the stage is the most explosive format of the game – T20I. If, over the years, Australians have symbolized success through consistency, Pakistan has showcased the impact of natural raw talent.
TEST-ing Opportunity for Pakistan
Although Pakistanis missed the opportunity to beat Australians at Dubai, they still have a shot at a pretty rare opportunity to improve their Test Rankings.
The Captaincy Debate
How has Pakistan performed in ODIs under Sarfaraz Ahmed? Here's an analysis based on ICC Rankings.
Asia Cup 2018 - an ICC Rankings View
The last time teams competed for the tile of Champions of the Cricketing World, the last three teams to remain in the hunt were all from Asia. 3 out of the 5 teams to win an ICC ODI World Cup have been from Asia. The same 3 teams have also won the next big tournament in Cricket, ICC Champions Trophy. If this is not enough to underscore the impact of Asian Cricket in the World, 6 out of 14 International teams officially ranked by ICC for the ODI format are from Asia.
SAIFY SAVING SETHI's SKIN
If Sethi, somehow, survives the demands of his removal, he should specially thank one man, the man named Sarfraz Ahmed, the one man whose part will be the biggest in saving his job.