Fawad Alam’s wild-card selection embodies faith in Pakistan’s ‘experienced’ selection-theory
When Pakistan’s skipper Azhar Ali revealed the playing XI for the second Test against England, it included a certain soon-to-be 35-year-old Fawad Alam on the team sheet. That sent a wave of surprise across cricket fans worldwide, both puzzling and at the same time inducing excitement on their faces.
The last time the left-handed Alam was part of Pakistan’s set up in the longest format, the year was still 2009 and Sony Ericsson was still in the market alongside Nokia with Apple launching their premier phone, iPhone 3GS. In the entertainment world, Game of Thrones was still a book, yet to be made into a world-favourite television series. Just like its final season, the 35-year-old’s life since 2009 has been a disappointment, with several close calls returning back into the Test setup only to be left out.
But almost eleven years later, the Karachi cricketer has made his comeback into the Pakistan Test setup. His career has seen an eerily similar comparison to Australia’s Chris Rogers. The former Aussie opener, who had made his debut against India in 2008, had to wait a long seven-years before he returned to the setup. That was, however, not the only similarity between them, as both of them had to work their back-sides to put them back in contention.
Since his axe as a Pakistani Test player, the southpaw has changed many gears and appearances, with a beard and without it. One thing that has remained constant, however, is his endless stream of runs that he has managed to churn out season after season, nearly 7651 runs since 2009. A Test comeback was always on the cards but his luck ensured that it eluded him till today, at the age of 35. An exceptional stroke-maker, Alam has to put aside his disappointing days and put on his thinking hat, with the perfect example of the Australian opener in front of him. While his stance has gotten uglier by the day, his run-scoring form has not, with him as fresh if not more than what he was in 2009, the last time he played for Pakistan.
Pakistan had moved on or at least tried to, but this time, they have fallen short of options. The southpaw has been at his exceptional best on the domestic circuit, with a long-moustache. However, unlike Sevilla midfielder Roque Mesa, he hasn’t kept his moustache until he is selected but it is a mere change in his facial appearance. Yet before Mesa, he has returned to the setup, on the back of his uncanny run-scoring ability. If cricket has shown us anything in the recent past, it has been that you could be looking ugly with that bat but if it does talk properly, it will get your work done.
Alam’s experience and an aged bat, that has thousands of red-ball spots on it, clearly demonstrates that he is ready for the job. Pakistan’s love-tale with senior-pro has been clearly effective in the past, with Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, both of whom played till they were aged well like a bottle of wine. It is only fitting that, under the tutelage of Misbah and the batting guidance of Younis, Alam returned back to the unit. Yes, he doesn’t quite possess the international experience that the duo have yet but he has a domestic record that couldn’t go unnoticed anymore at this point in time, averaging better than even Virat Kohli. During his time in Pakistan’s domestic competition, the southpaw has scored 12,265 runs at a whopping average of 56.78. That demonstrates two things clear and straight - he has the calibre to score runs and he surely has the ability to score them in a prolonged period. In England, he will be surely put under the microscope if he does not perform well but given his stature and form, he wouldn’t clearly care too much about the backlashes.
Clearly Azhar Ali’s team captures the very essence of what Fawad Alam brings to the table - experience and runs. In the last year or two, on the back of skipper’s bad form, Pakistan have struggled massively with the onus on the bowlers and Babar Azam to pick up the pace. Uncanny or not, crabby batting posture or not, he brings an immense potential, that is yet to be unearthed. With Pakistan’s lower-order still being stung by the carrying from their top-order, the Karachi man walking into the setup would be a blessing in disguise and be their ‘Steven Smith’ in English conditions.
Finally, the ball is now in Pakistan and their management’s court. If Australia did inject some sense in Pakistan’s management, they would stick by him and that would see them write a new chapter for the foreseeable future. As crazy as it sounds, at the age of 35, he and Pakistan still haven’t unearthed his potential on the international stage with the southpaw hungry as ever.
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