Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq calls for change after New Zealand drubbing

Pakistan’s recent horror show in New Zealand has raised alarming questions ahead of the 2019 World Cup. The Men in Green were whitewashed in the Test and ODI series, although they managed to make comeback in the T20 leg with a 1-2 win.

The Sarfraz Ahmed-led team, which rose from nowhere to defeat India to clinch the prestigious ICC Champions Trophy in June last year looked a pale shadow of the champion side on their away tour.  Pakistan even registered a 5-0 series win over Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates later in 2017 and looked in blistering form before the tour. However, Pakistan failed to continue the momentum and conceded a humiliating series defeat against the Kiwis last month.

Reflecting on the same, the chief selector and former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq has admitted that a drastic change needs to be made to the team after being decimated by the Black Caps.

Speaking to the local media, Inzamam said, “When a team loses a series 0-5, changes are necessary. At the same time, I would say that we also need to play more one-day cricket at the domestic and international level as we have been playing a significant number of Twenty20 matches [of late].”

Less ODI matches at domestic level reason for loss

Inzamam highlighted that Pakistan’s performance has been blighted due to a scanty number of one-day matches at both the domestic and international levels. Inzamam, who is a veteran of 120 Tests and 378 ODIs, emphasized that besides raising the number of fixtures, the top national cricketers should also engage in more first-class matches if they want to see any improvement in their form.

The 47-year-old added, “You have to face different environments in T20Is, ODIs and Test matches and our players should be prepared to perform in all conditions. The PCB is also worried about the scanty number of one-day matches that are held on our domestic circuit. We organize only one National One-day Cup whereas more should be held.”