Azhar experiment leaves confusion

Pakistan have tried 13 different opening combinations in the last five years with only Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar, who played 35 innings together, giving any indication of permanence.

The slot has been the weakest link in a settled Pakistan batting line-up, and in Sharjah they once again experimented with a new combination. Azhar Ali was dislodged from his normal No. 3 slot to open in place of the dropped specialist opener Shan Masood. Azhar's innings lasted all of 12 minutes in Sharjah; he scored a duck off seven balls.

Pakistan's opening partnerships in the ongoing series read 5, 3, 51, 1 and 5. The years of transition with nine different opening batsmen have led them no nearer to a solution, and highlights their fragility looking ahead to their next Test series in England next year. Pakistan might have scored more heavily overall in the past year, but the opening slot has remained as uncertain as ever.

The cloud of uncertainty has now extended to the No. 3 spot, making the entire top order a muddle as Azhar, who gave a sense of stability at first-drop, was displaced by Shoaib Malik. Azhar missed the first two Tests due to injury and then a bereavement, but returned for the third in Sharjah only to open with Hafeez.

It can be argued that Azhar, who nicked James Anderson in uncharacteristic fashion, should have been rested as he had suffered not only physical injury but also a psychological trauma with the death of his mother-in-law, and needed time to regain focus. His selection looked hasty and another failure in the second innings could dent his confidence ahead of the ODI series.

Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistan's spin bowling coach, argued that Pakistan's team management wanted to experiment with Azhar for the opening slot. "I think you can experiment for one match with the team combination," he said. "Sometimes you have to see if your No. 3 batsman is solid enough to go and open the batting and that was the idea. The positive approach is to experiment on a settled member of the team and not on someone you don't have that much trust in."

Malik was originally brought in as cover for Hafeez, not only as a top-order batsman but also because of his comparable ability as an offspinner to counter England's left-handers. By scoring a double-hundred with the bat at No. 3 on his comeback in Abu Dhabi, he ended up creating a conundrum. Malik has thereafter scored 0, 2, 7 and 38. He picked up two wickets each in two innings in Abu Dhabi but was wicket-less in Dubai.

Pakistan's top-order transition has centered around Hafeez, who has been regarded as the most reliable opening option. He has been paired with as many as eight batsman since Misbah-ul-Haq took over the captaincy after the spot-fixing saga in 2010. Pakistan, though, have lacked resolve in sustaining a regular opening pair. The 23-year-old Ahmed Shehzad, who made his debut less than two years ago, seemed an opening batsman Pakistan could invest in. He averaged 43.05 in his 11 Tests, but was dropped amid whispers of an irresponsible approach.

With Pakistan's next confirmed Test series not until July in England, the ongoing Test in Sharjah was the last chance for Pakistan to gain clarity. The top-order shuffling has raised questions on Pakistan's long-term planning, in not giving youngsters the time to settle and establish themselves in the Test team. Both Shehzad and Masood might not have been consistent, but the team management could have been more patient.