New Recruit
How the hell does Misbah miss out?............................................................................
Younis, Yasir, Sarfraz make it to ICC’s Test Team of the Year 2015
Pakistan's batsman Younis Khan celebrates scoring a century during the first day's play of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on August 6, 2014. — AP/File
The ICC on Wednesday announced its Test and ODI Teams of the Year, as chosen by a specially appointed selection panel chaired by the ICC’s Cricket Committee chairman and former India captain Anil Kumble.
The qualification period ran from September 18th 2014 to September 13th 2015 and the selection panel included past greats of the world game including former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, ex England batsman Mark Butcher, former Australia women’s captain Belinda Clark and G Viswanath, Deputy Editor of The Hindu & Sportstar.
Three Pakistan players, Younis Khan, wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed and leg-spinner Yasir Shah were included in the ICC’s Test side.
ICC Test Team of the Year 2015:
- David Warner (Aus)
- Alastair Cook (Eng) (captain)
- Kane Williamson (NZ)
- Younis Khan (Pak)
- Steven Smith (Aus)
- Joe Root (Eng)
- Sarfraz Ahmed (Pak) (wicketkeeper)
- Stuart Broad (Eng)
- Trent Boult (NZ)
- Yasir Shah (Pak)
- Josh Hazlewood (Aus)
- 12th: Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind)
The ICC Test Team of the Year 2015
Alastair Cook has been named as the captain of the side that includes two other Englishmen, Stuart Broad and Joe Root. This is the fifth time since 2009 that Broad has been selected in the ICC Test Team of the Year having previously been included in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014. For Cook, this is his fourth selection and his second as captain having achieved that feat in 2013.
Steven Smith is one of three Australian players selected alongside opener David Warner, for the second successive year, and pace bowler Josh Hazlewood.
New Zealand duo Trent Boult and Kane Williamson make up the starting team, with India’s Ravichandran Ashwin named as 12th man.
However, no Pakistani cricketer managed to be a part of the ICC’s ODI team of the year.
ICC ODI Team of the Year 2015:
The Chairman of the ICC Awards Selection Panel, Anil Kumble, said: “I would like to congratulate all the players for their selection in the Test and ODI teams of the year. It is an achievement for each of them to be proud of and recognition for their good performances in the qualifying period.
- Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL)
- Hashim Amla (SA)
- Kumar Sangakkara (SL) (wicketkeeper)
- AB de Villiers (SA) (captain)
- Steven Smith (Aus)
- Ross Taylor (NZ)
- Trent Boult (NZ)
- Mohammed Shami (Ind)
- Mitchell Starc (Aus)
- Mustafizur Rahman (Bang)
- Imran Tahir (SA)
- 12th: Joe Root (Eng)
“Team selection is one of the toughest jobs and when you have a large pool of outstanding players to select from in a 12-month period then it becomes even more difficult. It was a particularly busy year, with a series of stellar performances throughout the Test and ODI formats, not least in a hugely successful ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which has greatly enhanced the popularity and profile of the game internationally.
“Testament to the quality of cricket played is the calibre of players to have missed out on selection. While selecting these squads, the selectors considered various combinations and took into account several factors in overall performances. Congratulations to all of the players on their selections.” — ICC
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‘Merit being ignored in team selection’
MOHAMMAD YAQOOB — UPDATED ABOUT AN HOUR AGO
Shahid Afridi talks to Sohail Tanvir during the third T20 between Pakistan and England in Sharjah on November 30, 2015. — AFP/File
LAHORE: Despite the Pakistan team management unhappy with fitness levels of several players, most of them are getting regularly selected in the One-day International and Twenty20 teams thanks to support in the power corridors, well-informed sources told Dawn on Wednesday.
The players aren’t maintaining their fitness levels while they’re also not following the instructions of fielding coach-cum-trainer Grant Luden.
“Some players namely Anwar Ali, Umar Akmal and Sarfraz Ahmad are also gaining weight,” the sources said.
They added that the case of opener Ahmed Shehzad, once tipped as the next T20 captain during Najam Sethi’s tenure as PCB chairman, is worsening.
“It’s becoming very difficult for the team management to handle him,” the sources added.
It has also emerged that head coach Waqar Younis wasn’t happy with the selectors’ insistence to include Younis Khan for the recent ODI series against England as it resulted in Asad Shafiq being ignored.
Chief selector Haroon Rasheed flew to the UAE to convince Waqar to include Younis for the series.
Pakistan lost the ODI series 1-3 with Younis announcing his retirement from the limited-overs format after the first match.
According to the central contract, Younis had no right to announce the retirement during the series but instead of taking any action against him PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan elevated the middle-order batsman to be his advisor alongside Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
Limited-overs decline
The loss to England meant Pakistan slipped to eighth in the ICC ODI rankings.
The decline in the ODI rankings showed when no Pakistan player was included in ICC’s ODI Team of the Year which was announced on Wednesday.
Pakistan has been struggling in the ODI format for the last year and half, exiting this year’s World Cup in the quarter-finals stage.
However, there has been no reaction to the dip in form with nobody willing to shoulder the responsibility for the team’s losses.
The ODI series defeat followed a 3-0 whitewash in the T20 series, raising several question marks over the team’s make-up ahead of next years’ ICC World Twenty20.
Sources, meanwhile, attributed the T20 series loss to captain Shahid Afridi supporting the selection of players he prefers.
And while the players he’s supporting haven’t performed consistently, neither the selectors nor Afridi are willing to drop them from the upcoming assignments.
“If the same attitude continues, it won’t be possible for Pakistan to field a strong team at the next year’s ICC World T20 duly on merit,” sources said.
“Every stakeholder in Pakistan cricket — the team management, selection committee and captain — has their blue-eyed boys and they’ve used their influence to keep them in the team, ruining the structure of selection on merit.”
Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2015
I know right...He should be selected, Amir needs to regain his full rhythm. He was so good to watch back in the days, that pace that swing, that bounce, that class. He had a talent, most importantly he was a smart bowler who delivered. We seriously need him. Our test side with Amir in
, that'd be epic.
