Asad Shafiq

Mayank Kumar ∙ 12 Nov 2020

NZ vs PAK: Misbah-ul-Haq gives reason for exclusion of Shafiq, Malik and Amir

Days in the international career of former Pakistan captain Shoaib Mallik and Mohammad Amir are numbered while the ousted Asad Shafiq will have to prove their worth to make a comeback into the Pakistan international team, head coach and soon-to-go chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has suggested. Misbah said that Asad Shafiq has been dropped due to lack of runs in the last few years while the duo of Amir and Malik have been axed with the purpose of investing in younger talents who can serve for Pakistan cricket in the long term. “There are three major omissions from the side that toured England. Asad Shafiq has been left out due to lack of form after he managed 510 runs in his last 15 innings, including a total of 67 runs in England,” Misbah said in a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Misbah expressed faith in Shafiq and said that the experienced batsman will invest time on his batting and regain his place in the Pakistan Test team for the series following the upcoming tour of New Zealand on the back of strong performances in domestic cricket. “Asad is an experienced batsman and I am sure he will utilise this time to work harder on his game in the domestic first-class matches so that he, like Sarfaraz Ahmed, can reclaim his form and be back in contention for the upcoming Tests against South Africa and Zimbabwe,” Misbah added. Detailing the overlooking of Amir and Malik, Misbah said that the upcoming series in New Zealand is invaluable for the Pakistan team as they are preparing hard to rise in the T20I rankings along with earning some points in the ICC World Test Championship. He said that Pakistan cricket has decided to focus on players who can feature in all formats and investing on them to shape the future of Pakistan cricket in a better direction. “The matches in New Zealand are critical for us as we aim to improve our T20I rankings and also gain valuable points in the ICC World Test Championship. In this background and taking into consideration recent player performances, we have selected the best available players,” Misbah deciphered the tough calls made for the tour of New Zealand. Misbah has already resigned from the post of chief of selection committee but he has set a theme for the development of Pakistan cricket team going ahead. Azhar Ali has been stripped off from his position of Test captain while Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been elevated to the captain and vice-captain of the side. Pakistan will start the tour of New Zealand next month with a T20 series that will be followed by two-match Test series.