Ihsanullah was the highest wicket-taker of the Afghanistan series
30 March, 2023
PHOTO: PSL
PCB Management Committee chairman, Najam Sethi, has said that they have identified two youngsters who are ready to be part of Pakistan’s full-strength side in future.
While speaking to media in Islamabad, Sethi opened up about Pakistan’s recent series loss to Afghanistan in Sharjah.
"There was no debacle. You have already heard what the vice-captain said about the series and respective performances. We rested all our top players and sent our A team, but we cannot say that. We tested our youngsters, the same youngsters you all promote year-round," Sethi said.
It was high time that we threw them into the deep sea and saw how they would swim. The kind of pitches UAE offers - it was a great test for them - some succeeded in those conditions, and some failed. At least we now have two youngsters who performed extremely well and are prepared to be part of the national squad. It was a great experience and an equally good outing for the domestic coaching staff and players," he added.
Ihsanullah continued his rich vein of form and impressed with his bowling against Afghanistan, as he ended up being the highest wicket-taker in the series with six wickets.
Rookie batsman, Saim Ayub, had two quiet games at the start of the series, but played an impressive 49-run knock in the final T20I, to set a perfect platform for Pakistan to set a formidable target for Afghanistan.
Babar Azam, who rested in Afghanistan series, is expected to once again take the responsibilities as captain in the upcoming T20I and ODI series against New Zealand.
According to the sources, despite the failure in the series against Afghanistan, only a few changes are expected for the T20I series against New Zealand.
The strategy of giving another chance to younger players can be adopted for the T20I series. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials have decided to avoid more experiments for the ODI matches. Keeping the preparations for the 2023 World Cup in mind, Pakistan will enter the field with a strong combination in the presence of senior players.
