Some people have included Abdul Razzaq in the list of those players who should be shown the door. I strongly disagree. There is no reason he should be dropped.
Most people are saying he is no longer as dangerous as a bowler as he once was. This is true. But his performance as a bowler has been not that bad in the world cup. Look at the figures. He took five wickets from the 37 overs he was asked to bowl at an economy rate of 4.35 runs, which was better than Shoaib AKhtar, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul and Abdur Rehman. Which means he was the most economical pace bowler for the team. Had he been asked to bowl more overs, he could have got more wickets. Thirty seven overs in eight games mean he didn’t get to bowl even five overs per match. This was sheer injustice. Wasn’t it?
And now his batting. He played six innings in eight games, remained not out twice and scored 104 runs at an average of 26, which is very good considering the fact that he was sent in at number eight except the match against India when he came in ahead of Afridi. I don’t understand why they keep him at number eight. His batting average in one-day cricket is 30 runs, much higher than Afridi’s 24 runs. He should have batted at a higher position. Afridi, who batted at number seven in most games, scored 84 runs in seven outings at a poor average of 12 runs.
It is time we used Abdul Razzaq more effectively by asking him to bat at a higher position. He should be sent in at number five or six. Not lower. In bowling, too, his services should be utilised properly. It is being said that he is not fast enough. But Styris and Collingwood are much slower than him and they are a regular part of their teams. Why are we bent upon wasting such a talented player?
In my opinion, he is the most able limited overs cricketer that we have. In the absence of Shahid Afridi, he should be made the leader. Also, Abdul Razzaq is the most senior one-day cricketer with us right now. He made his debut in 1996, almost at the same time as Shahid Afridi did.
Quite a few players who were juniors to him have come in as captain and gone. Yousuf, Younis, Misbah, Shoaib Malik are all juniors to him. Name him captain for the West Indies tour. We have no other option.
Younis could have replaced Afridi, but he has earned heavy criticism for his slow batting in the semifinal. He should be and will be dropped. Kamran Akmal could have been a choice, but his dismal wicket-keeping show in the mega event does not allow this.
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