It is time to drop Azhar Ali?

Azhar Ali’s story is one of grit and determination. The Lahore-based cricketer burst onto the international scene during the ill-fated 2010 tour of England. With Misbah-ul-Haq being appointed as the new Test captain following that disastrous tour, the Pakistan team gained some stability and Azhar Ali established himself as a solid No. 3 batsman.

Ali's rise was helped by the fact that he had played under Misbah-ul-Haq for Sui Northern Gas in domestic cricket. This must have allowed the former Pakistan captain to realise the talent that Azhar has.

In the years to come, he proved his capability at the highest level and became an integral part of the Test team that became the No. 1 ranked side in 2016.

Azhar Ali's decline

After being consistent over a long period of time, Ali started experiencing a loss of form following the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah ul-Haq in 2017. He not only failed to make up for the void, but his performances became underwhelming.

By the time his former captain was appointed as the head coach of Pakistan, there were speculations about his future with the team. Nevertheless, his record was given weightage by the PCB and he was made the captain of the Test team.

His first challenge as captain was a tour of Australia, a place where he had enjoyed success in 2017. However, the 2019 series turned out to be a nightmare for him and his team. His highest score across the four innings he played in the series was just 39. His form dipped even further when Sri Lanka and Bangladesh visited Pakistan.

Azhar Ali nevertheless showed great resilience against England during the 2020 tour by scoring a match-saving hundred in the third Test. By the time Pakistan played their next Test, he was no longer the captain.

After being removed from the captaincy, Azhar Ali had to go through 18 innings before scoring his next Test hundred. For a player batting at the pivotal No. 3 position, his recent stats have been quite ordinary.

Replacements waiting in the wings

Pakistan's domestic cricket has produced a number of decent batsmen in recent years after pitches were improved in 2019 and the decision to move from Duke to the Kooraburra ball was made.

The two most prominent names that stand out among top-performing batsmen in the domestic circuit are Osman Salahuddin and Kamran Ghulam.

Salahuddin's first-class stats in Pakistan can only be matched by Fawad Alam. Having played in over a 100 first-class games, he is knocking on the selectors' doors for a chance in the Test team.

Ghulam, on the other hand, made history last year by scoring the most number of runs in a single edition of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. Ghulam also has experience of over 50 first-class games.

Both these players are ideal replacements for Azhar Ali. If the right-hander goes for an extended period without a century again, the Pakistan selectors may well prove brave enough to relieve Azhar of his place in the team.