6 Takeaways From the Pakistan-Australia ODI Series

Things turn around in cricket with amazing speed. Australia, defending world champions, looked like a team in utter shambles a few months ago. The thought of them defending their title seemed ludicrous at that time.

But now, with the big event in England less than two months away, they are among the biggest favourites. Everything seems to be falling in place for the 5-time world champions. Even those minor issues which worried them before the start of the Pakistan series, have disappeared. Those players struggling for form have got their groove back.

Pakistan, on the other hand, fielded a depleted team in this series with the intent of testing new players. While things didn’t go their way, it was a danger which would have been foreseen by the Mickey Arthur-coached side. They took the risk and paid for it but if it helps them in the long term, the sacrifice of a series would be well worth it.

In the end, the 5-match series between the two teams may have produced a whitewash in favour of the Aussies, but there were many other things, apart from the result, which require our attention. Series like these, being seen primarily as a preparation for the World Cup for both teams, have much more at stake than the final scoreline.

So, while the result is visible to everyone, let us identify the various sub-plots which were part of the contest and the conclusions emerging from them. Here is a list of the most important takeaways from this series that will have a bearing on the two team’s future and World Cup chances.

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#6 No Need for Pakistan to Panic

Haris Sohail's form was one of the big gains for Pakistan in this series

It may seem strange, but in spite of the whitewash, Pakistan don’t need to get too worried about the state of their ODI team. As stated above, going into this series, Pakistan had themselves weakened their chances of success by resting many of their key players.

The reason was understandable. Pakistan wanted to try out other players than the ones already in the side, to see if any of them can stake a better claim for a place in the World Cup squad. And to be fair, the results have been quite good in this experiment.

The form of Sarfraz Ahmed was a concern. There has been a talk about his place in the team. By bringing Mohammed Rizwan and Umar Akmal into the team, the selectors sought to identify possible replacements for him.

The two hundreds scored by Rizwan in these five matches suggests great potential. Sarfraz may get another opportunity in the series against England before the World Cup, but if he doesn’t perform, Rizwan may end up keeping wickets in the biggest ODI event.

Similarly, the performances of Haris Sohail and Abid Ali have provided two more solid options to the selectors and team management for the batting order. Ali has only played two ODIs so far and has a hundred in his debut match. But his effort would put pressure on others in the batting line-up to pull up their socks.

Considering the fact that they didn’t have the services of key players like Babar Azam, Mohammed Hafeez, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, etc., one cannot be too critical of Pakistan’s performance. Any team in the world playing with half of their first-choice players, not in the squad is bound to struggle.

Hence, their fans need not to worry too much and take heart from the fact that many encouraging performances were produced in these five games.

#5 Australia’s Remaining Dilemmas Fade Away

Aaron Finch made a spectacular return to form in this series

The biggest concern for Australia heading into this series was the form of their captain Aaron Finch. Just one 50+ score in the series against India had put his place in doubt. Ian Chappell had even said that he should be left out of the team.

The response from Finch in this series was hard-hitting. By plundering 451 runs in these 5 matches, he cast away all doubts about his position in the side. The fact that he had a very incisive bowler in Mohammed Abbas, who had troubled him immensely last year in the Test series, bowling to him increased the level of challenge. By proving successful, Finch has reasserted his value as an ODI player.

Another man who underachieved in the India series was Glenn Maxwell. His high-risk style of play makes him vulnerable at times. But he too returned to form in a big way against Pakistan. The daring stroke-play of Maxwell was back in view as was his big hitting. This has made the Australian line-up even more dangerous and removed another lingering concern.

Shaun Marsh, too, hadn’t scored too many runs in India. By scoring three half-centuries, he announced his return to form. This, coupled with his impressive record in ODIs, makes him a near-certainty for the final XI.

So, things are only getting better for Australia. When you consider the fact that David Warner and Steve Smith are now back in contention, what the Kangaroos have, currently, is an embarrassment of riches.

We may well see a situation in the World Cup where a player of the quality of Smith is left out. This shows how the Aussies are back among the best batting line-ups in world cricket.

#4 The Curious Case of Umar Akmal

Umar Akmal once again failed to nail down his spot in the team

No current player in international cricket has wasted as much talent as Umar Akmal. He has been around for more than a decade but, in spite of undeniable ability, failed to make his place certain in the team.

Given another chance in this series, Akmal once again came up with underwhelming performances. There were a couple of promising innings from him in these matches which ended due to the growing pressure of required run-rate. But when all his five scores are taken together, it paints a picture of another wasted opportunity.

We saw the same old stuff from Akmal this time also. There were great strokes, brilliant timing, occasions when he looked likely to get a big score and the eventual dismissal putting an end to all hopes.

However, he may have just done enough to keep himself in contention. Pakistani selectors have a strange way of going about their business. They may, once again, decide to trust his talent more than the outcomes. But with other names thrown into the mix, that is not certain.

#3 Pakistan’s Bowling

Usman Shinwari emerged as a leading strike bowler for Pakistan in this series

There were two interesting names in Pakistan’s bowling line-up for this series – Mohammed Abbas and Yasir Shah. Both these men have been key figures in Pakistan’s Test team.

The selectors decided to rest Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali – two regulars in the ODI set-up – and give these men an opportunity to replicate their Test success in the shorter format also. The results are not entirely clear.

Yasir Shah’s performance was a mixed bag. There were some good wickets but overall, the leggie didn’t set the stage on fire. Similarly, Abbas also bowled some good spells but seemed a shadow of the bowler he is in the five-day game.

So, the selectors are still unsure about their future in ODIs. Hasan Ali will be back in the team for the World Cup, so will Shadab Khan. Abbas and Yasir are the same type of bowlers as Ali and Shadab, respectively. Can Pakistan afford to have two pairs of bowlers offering, essentially, the same thing? We don’t know.

On the other hand, Usman Shinwari has emerged as a very potent one-day bowler. He has been in the ODI side for some time with decent efforts on his part. But this series saw him emerge as a leading strike bowler who utilized his left-arm angle superbly.

Another bowler who improved his stock was Imad Wasim. His left-arm bowling in this series was very useful and makes him the sort of reliable support bowler that most teams in the world want.

The likes of Junaid Khan and Mohammad Hasnain had ambiguous results. The latter was keenly watched due to his reputation for bowling high-speeds but it is clear that he is not yet the finished article.

Mohammad Amir remains a problem for Pakistan. In spite of his potential, the recent form of this left-armer hasn’t been encouraging. He and Junaid Khan will have to do better in the following weeks to ensure their place in the World Cup squad.

#2 Australian Bowling

Pat Cummins would lead the Australian bowling attack in the World Cup

With Mitchell Starc not playing in this series, once again the opportunity presented itself to the group of Aussie bowlers who are fighting amongst themselves to book their place in the side. The likes of Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson and Jhye Richardson, all had an opportunity in these matches.

But none of them really grabbed it with both hands. Jhye Richardson suffered an injury that cut short his series while others too, didn’t come up with a defining performance. Pat Cummins made just one appearance in the entire series and in that too, asserted his brilliance.

It is clear that Cummins is among the best bowlers in ODI cricket at the moment and would lead Australia’s bowling attack in the World Cup. Mitchell Starc is certain to be his partner but who would be the third seamer remains a mystery. This is the only remaining piece in the jigsaw puzzle of the Australian World Cup team.

On the spin bowling front, there was a continuation of what we saw in the India series. Spin bowlers in ODI cricket of modern-day can be divided into two types. Aggressive wicket-taking spinners – likes of Adil Rashid and Yuzvendra Chahal – and those who maintain a good economy rate – for example, Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja.

Australia has found a spinner each of both types. Zampa has remained consistent with his wicket-taking and continued to improve as a leg-spinner. Lyon’s consistency and accuracy have made him a dependable commodity to keep the batsmen honest in middle overs.

On top of that, Maxwell’s off-spin came in very handy too. It would be interesting to see if Australia opt to have both Zampa and Lyon in the playing XI during the World Cup. But they are very likely to be in the squad.

Apart from the third seamer spot, the rest of the bowling line-up seems pretty clear for the defending champs.

#1 Captaincy Conundrum for Pakistan

Sarfraz Ahmed's captaincy is under threat

With Sarfraz’s place in the side coming under doubt, there were concerns about who would lead the team in the case of him being dropped. Shoaib Malik seemed certain to be the replacement after his good performance in South Africa.

But now, due to him having suffered a loss at ‘home,’ there is no certainty about his leadership either. A lot now depends upon the outcome of the series in England. But who would be the captain in that series also becomes a big question.

Will the selectors give Sarfraz another opportunity? Or would they let Shoaib Malik lead a full-strength side rather than one weakened by the absence of various players? Is there a third name in the mix?

Imad Wasim led the team in the final two ODIs but can Pakistan trust him to be the leader in the World Cup? This is a major problem for the selectors. Since Sarfraz’s own place is under doubt, Pakistan have to be certain of a back-up option for the skipper of the team.

Mohammed Hafeez is likely to return and he may be considered another contender due to his experience. This is another puzzle that the team and its management have to crack.