IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before winning the final game, which helped them level the five-match Twenty20 International series against New Zealand. The 2-2 result — after the opening match had been washed out — against the tourists, who were missing several of their big guns, should be a revelation for Pakistan ahead of the World Cup in June, even though skipper Babar Azam claimed this series would largely test bench strength as well as different combinations. For all the talent at their disposal, expectations had been much higher. Pakistan’s squad included top performers of the Pakistan Super League and Babar said the team would try to improve. It should start with the batting where Pakistan’s inability to post big scores continues. While there was a lot of rotation during the series, openers Babar and Saim Ayub featured in every game. While Babar, who returned to the opener’s slot after being reinstated as captain, got runs and also upped his strike rate, young Saim failed to make an impact. Shaheen Shah Afridi showed he remains Pakistan’s premier pace option. Mohammad Rizwan remains indispensable, a fact proven after he was ruled out injured. Fakhar Zaman responded with runs in both the games he played. Shadab Khan showed he is Pakistan’s top all-rounder. Spinners Abrar Ahmed and Usama Mir as well as pacer Abbas Afridi staked their claim but were not consistent enough.

The series against New Zealand has shown there are places up for grabs in the starting XI, but it also made clear that more work needs to be done to find the winning combination ahead of the World Cup in the West Indies and US. For now, Pakistan appear to be a work in progress. With the series against Ireland and England next month, we will soon have a better picture of where the team stands.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2024