IT was a throwback to one of those days in Pakistan cricket when all sense seems to have vanished, when nothing follows the narrative so carefully nurtured by the Pakistan Cricket Board. On Monday, a logic-defying selection of the national team for the Twenty20 World Cup was followed by the resignations of head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis. And just 47 days before Pakistan begin their campaign in the UAE, where there is to be a high-voltage clash with India, chaos has erupted. Chief selector Mohammad Wasim called his 15-man squad a perfect balance of youth and experience, even appearing at a television show on Monday night to defend his selection which he said was made in consultation with captain Babar Azam and the team management. That team management though was out minutes after the announcement of the squad, which will also feature in the series against New Zealand and England before the Twenty20 World Cup.

Misbah and Waqar had two topsy-turvy years at the helm of a team that never produced consistently good results. Incoming PCB chairman Ramiz Raja had spoken about those inconsistencies in the lead-up to his nomination for the post and there was a feeling that the axe would fall on Misbah and Waqar — though surely not before the World Cup. Their resignations leave the interim coaching set-up of Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq with a squad of players regarding whom they probably never had a say. Asif Ali’s return to the squad raised eyebrows, so did Khushdil Shah’s. Azam Khan’s selection as a reserve wicket-keeper borders on the senseless. Mr Wasim claims history has shown that throwing new players into tournaments has benefited Pakistan. Yet most of his selections are of those who have been tried and tested. In the past, the Pakistan team — mercurial as ever — has risen to the occasion despite troubled build-ups to major tournaments. The nation will pray that once again the team defies the odds and gives cricket fans something to cheer about.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2021