da apostebet： Though series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh might not test Pakistan, it does offer Shoaib Malik and his side the time and space to settle down
da casino： Osman Samiuddin in Faisalabad 10-Apr-2008
Geoff Lawson and Shoaib Malik need some cricket to build a team for the tougher tests ahead © Getty Images
From every encounter something must be drawn. On the surface Pakistan’sassignments this year have been a doddle. They blanked Zimbabwe and if thefirst ODI is any indication, are likely to do the same to Bangladesh in thecoming week. But Pakistan knows better than any country that any cricketis better than no cricket at all.”Playing cricket, against any side, is better than not playing any atall,” Shoaib Malik, Pakistan captain, said ahead of the second ODI atthe Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. “Every type of match, every series isimportant for us.”It is more than just obligatory captain-speak. In nine days time, Malikwill mark his first year as captain. It has been a strange time, in whichMalik has not really settled as leader and neither has his side under him.A lack of international cricket and staggered schedule hasn’t helped:Malik has captained in 19 ODIs since his appointment, while MS Dhoni, whobecame ODI leader a fair few months after, has already led his country in22 ODIs. And meek, indifferent and unsure performances under him haven’thelped, so it cannot be said yet that this is Malik’s team, as it canbe perhaps of Dhoni and India’s ODI side.Precisely for this reason, this series and the preceding one againstZimbabwe hold some value. Even more than giving fresh players exposure,they give Malik an opportunity to settle down and decide on what kind ofside he wants, what kind of cricket he wants them to play, what kind ofplans he wants them to execute and what kind of attitude he wants them totake on the field. On the surface, they are pointless, calendar-fillers butthese two series allow Malik to get comfortable and that, in the mid-term,is of undeniable importance.The series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh give Shoaib Malik an opportunity to settle down and decide on what kind ofside he wants, what kind of cricket he wants them to play, what kind ofplans he wants them to execute and what kind of attitude he wants them totake on the fieldNine players were introduced against Zimbabwe and should Pakistan wrapthis series up with two games to go, a few more will be inducted. “We havetried a number of experiments and ideas in the last few matches,” Malik said. “We havetwo important tournaments coming up in the Asia Cup and Champions Trophyand before that there is the tri-series in Bangladesh as well so thiscontest is good for that.”.An idea of the type of side he wants, Malik said, is settling in his headnow, though there are still kinks to smooth out. One is the number ofbowling options available to him and it is something they have beenmulling over since the tour to India last year.”We have played mostly with five bowlers which includes two allrounders,”Malik said. “One thing I’ve seen over that time is that we might need asixth bowling option, maybe at the expense of a batsman. On fast tracksmaybe we can utilise a fast bowler and on spinning ones, someone likeFawad Alam.”It is an option that is being given serious thought and there would be nobetter time to try it than now. There are drawbacks to it, however, andMalik admitted any such move might push wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal up to open. “If we doget another bowler, then Kamran can move up to open and that would alsohelp us in giving us a right-left combination at the top of the innings.”Malik insists before every match that winning the next game is the onlypriority, doing so here as well. Quite right too, but he also knows thatthrough the last six games and over the next four, grander schemes arebeing hatched, plans that will make or break his captaincy. To that end,Bangladesh might as well be Timbuktu, but something will be drawn fromit.