Javed Miandad, the former Pakistani cricketer, believes that Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali are the most senior players of the Test Cricket at present and they shall not be dropped straight away.
He said that it would be too early to judge them despite they have already received criticism for their poor performances.
Javed Miandad prefers seeing Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq in the Tests
“Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq have received criticism for their recent performances, but it’s too soon to drop them.”
He says the coaching staff needs to work more to utilize their skills and the salaries need to be utilized properly.
“The Pakistan coaching staff needs to earn their salaries and work on restoring Azhar and Asad’s confidence and I’m sure better results will follow for both players,” he added.
He feels Azhar has hold on as the skipper because the other candidates do not have potential for it.
“Azhar has been given the captaincy due to a lack of other candidates which isn’t the right way to go about this,” he added.
“The problem is that in Pakistan, captaincy seems to be given to individuals based upon a whim. The result is that a Pakistan captain learns on the job instead of using his knowledge and experience, which is totally incorrect and people who have poor leadership skills are elevated into this role,” he maintained.
“As long as the Pakistani batsmen can learn from their mistakes and put up fighting totals, this Pakistan bowling attack has the edge over England’s batsmen, so don’t be surprised if this series finishes 1-1,” he concluded.
It has been noted that Asad and Azhar, both have failed to make a surplus score in Tests from their last twenty innings which have made them prey for criticisms.
