His performance has highlighted Pakistan’s talent pool despite a disappointing Test campaign
Razaullah smashed nine sixes to equal Tim Southee’s record for the most by a player on Test debut during a remarkable innings against England at Edgbaston. Photo: AFP
KARACHI:
The first day of the Edgbaston Test: Razaullah bowled at speeds of around 90 miles per hour and managed to dismiss a world-class batter like Joe Root.
“Pakistan have found a new Waqar Younis! What a bowler, wow! If they had such a good pacer available, why wasn’t he selected earlier?”
The second day of the match: Razaullah took three more wickets, but his bowling speed dropped considerably. He conceded 148 runs for four wickets and recorded the worst economy rate.
“What a useless bowler! Why did they just bring him in and hand him a Test debut? The value of a Test cap has completely disappeared in Pakistan. There are several better bowlers playing first-class cricket—why weren’t they given the opportunity instead?”
The third day of the match: Razaullah smashed nine sixes, equalling Tim Southee’s record, and played a magnificent innings of 81.
“Wow, what a player! He could become an all-rounder like Wasim Akram. He has the potential to go a very long way.”
What happened to Razaullah over the past few days sounds almost like a story. One day he was a hero, the next day a zero, and then a hero again. That is the funny thing about cricket. Here, someone can be placed on top of the world just as quickly as they can be thrown back down to earth.
Some players take years to experience this, but Razaullah got a very good lesson in it within just three days. If he learns from this experience and keeps his feet firmly on the ground, he can go a very long way. Otherwise, there are plenty of examples of players who looked impressive for one or two matches but then failed to do much afterward.
For a long time, we have been saying that Pakistani batters play with fear. Their mindset is often that if they don’t score runs, they will be dropped from the team. This puts them at a huge disadvantage. There was no element of fear in Raza’s game. He batted freely and fearlessly.
I don’t want to make comparisons, but honestly, watching him reminded me of the same Shahid Afridi who once set the record for the fastest century in just 37 balls. The confidence on the face of the teenage Shahid, who was hitting sixes without even wearing a helmet, was the same confidence I saw in Raza. Just as Shahid Afridi gave an innocent, carefree interview after that match, Raza gave a similar interview.
Both are Pathans who play from the heart. But Raza will also have to use his brain . We shouldn’t compare him with Waqar Younis. Let Raza remain Raza.
Now that he has succeeded, there is already a queue of people claiming credit for his development. Someone will say he came through the PSL, someone else will say, “I taught him cricket.” In the end, Raza himself will tell us who actually played a role in shaping his career.
Throughout the series, the English media kept making noise about which team England had been invited to play. Former cricketers repeatedly expressed their displeasure at having invited what they considered the weakest team. The fans were also largely disappointed.
The biggest cheer of the series before this came when the big screen showed a man carrying several glasses of beer, only for him to lose his balance and drop them all.
But everything changed on the fourth and final day of the third Test.
One of the special things about English fans is that they can actually enjoy watching their own team get smashed . The atmosphere is not like India, where the stadium can fall completely silent. When Raza hit sixes, the crowd erupted, and when he was eventually dismissed, people stood up from their seats and applauded him.
There had never been so much applause for the Pakistani team during the series as there was for this young cricketer within just a few minutes.
The same English people who had been declaring Pakistan cricket finished were suddenly talking once again about the abundance of talent.
One innings had completely changed the atmosphere.
Now the question is: if such a player was already there, why didn’t the selectors spot him earlier?
Anyone can build a team around a specific group of cricketers. The real challenge is identifying talent and giving players opportunities to prove themselves.
Anyway, while Razaullah’s excellent performance is encouraging, we must not forget that Pakistan suffered their first Test series whitewash in England in 72 years.
The captain changed. The coach changed. The players changed. Yet defeat was still the outcome.
That means the problem lies somewhere else.
If talent has disappeared from the country, then how did Razaullah emerge?
The talent is there. Perhaps what is missing are the eyes capable of finding it.
Maybe it is time to change the selection committee as well—and now also appoint its chairman.
The person who decided to send Saim Ayub to England despite him not having played a first-class match for a year should also be questioned. His confidence had finally started returning in the Caribbean League, and after what happened at Edgbaston, he may have slipped back into his old phase.
Players should be given opportunities in the format in which they are best suited.
When Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed from his coaching responsibilities, one of the criticisms was that he had not given Ubaid Shah a chance. Now Mike hesson has also failed to give the young pacer an opportunity—so does that mean he should be removed as well?
Mohammad Ali bowled 18 no-balls during the series against England. Why haven’t the coaches corrected this weakness?
Mansoor Amjad has been serving as a fielding coach with various teams for years. When Sarfaraz and Umar Gul were removed, why was he retained?
Anyway, some tough decisions are urgently needed.
A number of new players have been brought into the team, but after a few matches, many of them have simply become forgotten stories.
In Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal, we have found promising young batters. Now, in Razaullah, we appear to have found another player who could potentially be developed into a genuine all-rounder.
The Test team is currently at the bottom of the ICC Championship standings. Pakistan have lost 19 consecutive Tests in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa, while we have lost 11 of our last 12 matches away from home.
In such circumstances, it is perfectly justified to be worried about the future of Pakistan cricket.
But we should not use Razaullah as a cover to hide the worst defeats suffered in England.
Instead, we need to take concrete steps to improve the situation.