Pakistan’s ever reliable all-rounder Abdul Razzaq is perhaps at the
twilight of his career and it appears as if the time has come for him to
seriously start pondering over his future in Pakistan cricket after he was dropped from the Pakistan squad for the West Indies series.
After the ICC World Cup 2011, which concluded on April 2, the
selection committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to
exclude the all-rounder, who lacked the will to win matches for the home
side throughout the mega event.
Razzaq’s lacklustre performance in the ICC world Cup 2011 is being
blamed for his exclusion from the squad. However, the defiant
all-rounder refuses to admit that he did not perform up to the mark and
has shown disappointment after not being considered for the West Indies
tour.
According to him, he was sent way down the batting order when he
wanted to bat at number three. He argued that the team management had
not taken full advantage of his talent. Nonetheless, the fact remains
that it was not just his batting that lacked fire, his bowling was
equally disappointing.
Razzaq
has always been regarded as a match winning player for his home side
but for the last few series he has been a mediocre player, which leads
one to think that perhaps the time has come for the PCB to start looking
for another all-rounder as his replacement.
No one can deny the fact that in November, 2010, Razzaq played a gem
of an innings when he single handedly won Pakistan a match against the
mighty South Africans in a One-Day series played in the United Arab Emirates.
“The soldier” as he his nicknamed in Pakistan, completely snatched a
victory out of the grasps of Graeme Smith’s men. The five-match One-Day
series was kept alive because of Razzaq’s match winning performance with
the bat. Nonetheless, the series was taken by the Proteas 3-2.
After this, it was off to New Zealand, where Pakistan had a commendable tournament. After losing the three-match Twenty20 series 2-1, the Men in Green
bounced back by taking the six-match one-day series 3-2 and then went
on to win the two-match Test series 1-0. Razzaq did not play a big role
in the tour but because of his killer instinct, he was included in the
World Cup squad.
Now, it seems as if the PCB has had enough and wants him replaced.
The intentions of the board became clear when in April the chairman of
the PCB, Ijaz Butt,
hit hard on Razzaq and discarded wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal by saying
that the players should either impress the selectors by their
performance or retire from the sport.
The retirement call from the chairman of the board should be alarming
for Razzaq and he seriously needs to weigh all his options. The 31-year
old Razzaq believes that he can still perform for the national side for
another two to three years but for that he needs to prove his will and
fitness. Otherwise, with so many young players coming up, it is going
to be increasingly difficult for the veteran all-rounder to make his
place in the side.
Winds of change are definitely blowing in Pakistan cricket as skipper Shahid Afridi
has also favoured the inclusion of young players in the national squad,
especially in the shorter versions of the game. In a situation like
this, if Razzaq manages to pull off one or two winning performances, he
will surely get his place back in the national team because there is no
doubt in his abilities. Until the cricket management finds a younger
version of Razzaq, he will always have a chance to climb back into the
ranks of the national team.
Razzaq deserves to go out with a bang just like former great Imran
Khan and the ICC T20 Championship 2012 will be the best opportunity for
the all-rounder to shine. If Razzaq finally decides to bounce back to
his best, he is certain to make life for his opponents miserable.
The PCB should not discard him and make sure that he is given a fair
chance to make a comeback in the national squad. While on the other
hand, Razzaq should not think with emotions and instead look at the
situation at hand practically and realise that he needs to make an
extra effort to prove his willingness to play for Pakistan.
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