Why not audition the youngsters?
After Pakistan announced the squads for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, Hassan Cheema in Dawn questions the players chosen by the selectors for the Tests
08-Aug-2013
After Pakistan announced the squads for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, Hassan Cheema in Dawn has questioned Pakistan's selection policy for the Tests. He asks why haven't they picked up more youngsters, like most of the other Test-playing nations when they go to Zimbabwe? Why are they "wasting" the players who have already proved themselves and why are they still persisting with players like Imran Farhat and Iqbal instead of giving more opportunities to Taufeeq Umar, Nasir Jamshed and others?
"This is precisely the sort of series that 7 of the remaining 8 major nations in world cricket use to test their youngsters. This tour would have been used to develop these guys - provide Nasir with the assurance that he's Pakistan's first choice; allow him to get a few easy runs and restart his five-day career."
"Equally worrying has been the fact that Faisal Iqbal has been retained. There is little use in taking any of the first choice four middle-order players to Zimbabwe. We already know that Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq have succeeded in similar conditions against far better bowlers. Similarly, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan and maybe even Junaid Khan are far too good to be "wasted" on Zimbabwe. With two major series coming up, they might have been better served having a rest. Instead of providing Harris Sohail (the owner of the most exceptional season with the bat last year) an opportunity to prove himself; instead of giving Umar Akmal his first Test match for over two years as a reward for his performance in the West Indies; instead of even trying the likes of Sohaib Maqsood or Umar Amin, Pakistan have decided to keep Faisal Iqbal - who has had a decade to prove himself and has failed to do so, again and again."