Early morning on the 5th of March I had tweeted that the PSL final had come down to KAMRAN AKMAL vs AHMAD SHAHZAD scenario.
No one had expected the final to be a low-scoring match. The pitch report had predicted tons of runs. Precisely why Sarfaraz (as a matter of rule) put Zalmi into bat after winning the toss. The idea was to know about the TARGET to be chased.
If I had been backing Quetta Gladiators, I would have wished Sarfaraz to choose to bat first and put up a decent score without coming under pressure. It was all the more necessary after the exit of Pieterson and Rousseu (two key Quetta performers) from the team.
But Sarfaraz was over-depending upon himself and upon Ahmad Shahzad.
Both were to come under pressure. Ahmad Shahzad much to his annoyance learnt that the ball was not coming up to the bat, and the length of Hassan Ali was just too good. One good length ball rose sharply to end shahzad’s desire to thrill the Lahore crowd.
From the other side Kamran Akmal had already FIRED yet again. His 32-ball 40 was to prove the match’s highest score.
This diminutive and burly Lahore veteran has proved that neither age nor propaganda has blunted his talent. His wicket-keeping too was incredible.
In my opinion the team for West Indies mostly stands selected automatically.
The quartet of pacers i.e Sohail Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz does not need a second thought. And in the top order Kamran Akmal, Ahmad Shahzad, Mohammad Hafeez and Sharjeel Khan (if cleared) select themselves. Sarfaraz, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Younns Khan and Misbah are there for sure (the last four for the Tests only). Among the spinners Yasir Shah and Asghar stand selected whereas claims of the Quetta boys Nawaz and Hassan, too are strong.
The big question will be: Should Umar Akmal be left out because his elder brother has forced his way in?
I think Akmal brothers deserve some respite from the non-stop propaganda that has put them under pressure since long.
Their alleged sin can stick to any player in the team. No one exactly hates the sweet smell of money.