PAKISTAN’S superb victory against England at Lord’s means that the team continues its impressive run of form in Test cricket which has seen it remain unbeaten against any opposition at this level since 2014. During this time, the team has gained series victories over England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Australia and has drawn a series against New Zealand. It is an interesting exercise to explore the factors behind Pakistan’s excellent run in Test cricket over the past couple of years.

A review of the team’s recent history reveals that Pakistan enjoyed a similarly successful period in Test cricket between 2003 and 2007 with Inzamam-ul-Haq at the helm. The achievements included home Test series victories against South Africa, India, England and West Indies, away series victories against New Zealand and Sri Lanka and a drawn series against India in India.

The main features of Inzamam’s team included a powerful middle order featuring Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan and the captain himself and a match-winning spinner in the form of Danish Kaneria with sporadic support from Shoaib Akhtar — whenever he was fit and available. Mohammad Asif also emerged as a match winner towards the end of this era which ended with the retirement of Inzamam. For the next 3 years, Pakistan failed to win a single Test series either at home or away.

The team’s resurgence started during the English summer of 2010 when — after a gap of almost 15 years — the team managed to win a Test match against Australia. The team was led by Salman Butt who had replaced Shahid Afridi after the latter had ended his career in an abrupt fashion after a disappointing loss at Lord’s. The architects of Pakistan’s victory were Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, who were fast emerging as one of the most lethal new ball pairs in the world. Butt continued to lead in the following series against England which Pakistan lost badly. But the result was overshadowed by the spot-fixing episode involving the captain himself and his two star fast bowlers, who had otherwise bowled quite beautifully throughout the series.

The incident cut short the careers of these three talented individuals and left the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) looking for someone who could not only repair the tarnished image of the country’s cricket but also bring a semblance of stability to the team. Misbah-ul-Haq — who was not part of the team on tour — got the administrators’ nod. The batsman had already made a successful comeback to international cricket following Inzamam’s retirement in 2007-08 and his heavy scoring at the domestic first-class level meant that his credentials as a solid middle-order batsman were well established.

Misbah started his stint promisingly by holding the strong South Africans to a stalemate in a ‘home’ series in the United Arab Emirates. This was primarily achieved through a solid and reliable batting lineup including Azhar Ali — who had already made an impressive start to his Test career during the summer, newcomer Asad Shafiq, and the recalled Taufiq Umer, Younis Khan and Misbah himself.

With Asif and Amir out of the equation, it was also the first time in nearly three decades that the Pakistan team played a series without any high-profile pace bowler. With Danish Kaneria also falling out of favour with the selectors, the selectors had to resort to some seasoned domestic cricket stalwarts such as spinner Abdul Rehman and fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed. All these changes gave an entirely new look to the team not only in terms of personnel but also in terms of its character. Flashy stroke players — attractive but inconsistent — were replaced by batsmen who had the determination to occupy the crease.

Bowlers capable of winning a match in a matter of minutes were replaced by bowlers who were willing to ‘work’ for their wickets. Most importantly, the absence of any real superstar in the team meant that Pakistan had no option but to rely on teamwork where everyone had to chip in to ensure that the team performed; even the lower order batsmen — having gone through the grind of domestic cricket — were capable of putting a price on their wicket.

The formula worked and the next couple of years saw Pakistan achieve some notable victories in the longer format. The biggest one of course was the clean sweep of then No. 1 England in the UAE. Since then, Pakistan has largely been consistent with the only real setbacks coming in the form of a clean sweep against South Africa in South Africa, a couple of away series losses to Sri Lanka and a Test match defeat to Zimbabwe.

The last six years have seen the evolution of a solid middle-order with each batsman looking settled and comfortable in his role, capable of building long innings. Wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed provides further strength down the order whereas spinner Yasir Shah has taken over from Saeed Ajmal quite seamlessly.

The assessment of Pakistan’s progress at the Test level also gives clues on what needs to be done to revive the team’s fortunes in limited-overs cricket where the players look extremely out of place and the team is on a continuous downward spiral.

A similar analysis over the last half a decade suggests that the selection has been inconsistent, the lineup – especially the batting order — remains unsettled and even the team’s captaincy has been a point of debate. It is incorrect to assume that the players do not have the required skill level to match their contemporaries when it comes to innovation and bold shot-making. What they are lacking is confidence and the resulting fearlessness which will only come once they feel secure in their own positions and become aware of their specific roles in the team. Playing together for a continued period will also improve other aspects of their game such as communication which is so important in the modern game especially when it comes to skills such as running between the wickets.

Coming back to Test cricket, Pakistan’s short-term future looks secure; however, the selectors have a job to make sure that they keep the top performers of domestic cricket motivated by keeping them involved as backups to ensure smooth transition whenever needed. It will be an irony if what happened to Misbah during Inzamam’s tenure happens to a player like Fawad Alam during Misbah’s time as captain.

The current series promises to bring more excitement as it progresses. It has to be kept in mind that Pakistan has not won a Test series outside Asia since 2010-11; however, with Amir and Yasir returning to the fold, Misbah and Younis still going strong and Asad and Azhar improving by the day, this summer can be different.

The only chink in the armour is the absence of an all-rounder who can be used as the fifth bowler. There is no doubt that the England team will look to bounce back with a strong performance. The return of James Anderson and Ben Stokes will surely make them a bigger threat than they were in the first match.

Email: syed.mustafa@hotmail.com

Twitter: MustafaFairplay

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2016