KARACHI: Had it not been for the controversial decision by the on-field umpires in the second One-day International, Pakistan would have inflicted a clean sweep over Zimbabwe in the recently concluded ODI series.

This was stated by former Test cricketer and chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed Sallu on Tuesday while praising Azhar Ali’s charges for their 2-1 victory over hosts Zimbabwe.

“Although the chequered form of the top order remains a worry, especially with Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali struggling a bit, the good thing is that the team is gelling well which is a real boost in the lead up to the tough England series ahead,” said Sallu while speaking to media here on Friday.

He added that the England Tests will see a more professional display by the upper and middle order. “With the experienced Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq and a more mature Shan Masud coming in, it will definitely prop up the top order,” said Sallu.

“Coming back to the Zimbabwe series, I had earlier singled out Imad Wasim and Mohammad Rizwan as special talents after their fine show in the T20 games and both the players carried their form into the ODIs as well which was great to see.

“They kept their nerve to stem the rot, especially in the third ODI, to post a winning total on the board which speaks volumes of their maturity as this young age.”

Praising the overall spirit of the team, Sallu said it was a fantastic sight to see the overall team combination clicking in the ODIs.

“The camaraderie between the seniors and the juniors was greatly illustrated by that superb partnership between in-form Shoaib Malik and debutant Amir Yameen in the second ODI as both lifted the team from a near impossible situation to almost a winning one which was remarkable,” said Sallu.

However, he added that the umpires’ decision to award the game to Zimbabwe stumped him a bit.

“It is customary to ask the batting side about the condition of light before umpires take a decision, but they surprisingly upheld the fielding side’s appeal, handing the win to Zimbabwe.”

“I am told that in the revised set of laws, the authority now rests solely with the umpires to either stop or continue with the game if the weather conditions are deteriorating,” Sallu observed.

“But merely five runs away from victory, I felt Pakistan was hard done by the umpires at Harare on the day.”

Sallu also hailed the team management for showing faith with Sarfraz Ahmed as wicket-keeper in all the matches.

“I have maintained that he (Sarfraz) is a player for all formats and his safe presence behind the stumps makes bowlers like Yasir Shah and Imad more confident about unleashing their repertoire.

“Both Yasir and Zulfiqar Baber will be a handful for England, I tell you, because the conditions will favour them in the UAE.”

In the end, Sallu lauded the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for holding a smooth and incident free women’s cricket series against Bangladesh in Karachi.

“Bangladesh women cricketers’ visit has come as a big boost for everyone,” he said.

“The credit for this visit and a competitive series must go to the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the PCB as well as the law enforcement aut­horities and Commissioner Karachi who ensured an incident free series which has sent a very positive message to the world of cricket.”

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2015

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