CWC 2019: Five contentious selection calls by Pakistan

#2 Inclusion of Abid Ali

Pakistan v Australia - ODI Series: Game 5

While it’s always good to give new faces a chance in challenging circumstances, it’s not fair to give them a chance in unfair conditions.

Before making his ODI debut in March 2019, Abid Ali had already played close to 100 first-class and 90 List A matches. This clearly shows how experienced he is when it comes to batting in familiar circumstances.

In March 2019, he was named in Pakistan's ODI squad for their series against Australia. He became the fifteenth batsman, and third for Pakistan, to score a century on debut in an ODI match. He made 112 runs before being dismissed, the highest score by a batsman for Pakistan on debut in an ODI.

Even though the lionhearted batsman has proven himself in his debut in the UAE, we cannot be sure how well he can play in English conditions. Abid Ali was out for a duck in the match that followed his debut match which was also an alarming sign.

While we hope that the newcomer will be able to prove us wrong and score freely in English conditions, it is still not wise to name a newer opener instead of someone who has played in English conditions before such a big tournament.