Pakistan in 2015 - The Year in Review

2015 - The year that has been

Pakistan's unpredictability has always frustrated and endeared their most ardent fans in equal measure. A heady concoction of sheer delirium from against-all-odds performances versus better opposition and the inevitable heartburn from implosion of unbelievable proportions, has often left fans on the edge of their seats. The year 2015 has been no different. After a rather tame start to World Cup 2015, Misbah's men gathered momentum and made it to the quarters. Even if they couldn't advance further, it was a knockout game display that many would remember for years. World Cup was followed by retirements of Misbah and Shahid Afridi and a disastrous tour of Bangladesh followed. Pakistan's most poignant moment of 2015, however, arrived soon as cricket returned to their backyard for the first time since the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009. Pakistan handed Zimbabwe a sound drubbing the four-match series but the bigger picture of this series went far beyond numbers and results.

February 3, 2015

Shaky start to the year

If Saeed Ajmal withdrawing from the World Cup 2015 just four days before new year was not devastating enough, Pakistan's performance tour of New Zealand for two One-Day Internationals (ODI) as a lead up to the showpiece event, put a big question mark over the credentials of the 1992 victors.

February 15, 2015Another World Cup fixture, another defeat

Blockbuster, the World Cup headliner and most crucially, a clash laden with some feisty history - Pakistan began World Cup 2015 against arch-nemesis India amid fanfare of magnanimous nature. Misbah-ul-Haq's side came into the tournament with a sense of nostalgia - of winning their only World Cup title Down Under in 1992 - and perhaps their best chance of beating India in the showpiece event. A century for Virat Kohli and fifties for Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina meant Paksitan were chasing 300. It was only their first group-stage game but the pressure in chase was palpable. That plus a predominantly India-supporting crowd added to Pakistan's nervousness. The target, by current standards, was far from daunting but the batting unit crumbled with Misbah playing the familiar role of the lone battler in an eventual defeat.

March 7, 2015

Pakistan pacers turn up unannounced

Pakistan struggled in the early stages of the World Cup. After losing to India, they were blitz by the West Indies and came close to being handed an upset by Zimbabwe. And then came the turnaround.

Defending a paltry 231 against South Africa - who had already suffered defeat at the hands of India - should've sealed Pakistan's fate in the tournament. Their left-arm quicks, however, decided to pen a completely different script - one that fans back home would've heartily embraced. After much ado, the Pakistan team management handed Sarfraz Ahmed a debut. The opener scored a run-a-ball 49 and complemented it with six catches behind the stumps. His one-handed beauty to get rid of Hashim Amla will go down as one of the best World Cup moments. It is easy to point fingers at South Africa and their tendency to crumble under pressure, but nothing should be taken away from the left-arm fast bowling triumvirate of Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali and Mohammad Irfan - who shared nine wickets between them. AB de Villiers put on a tough fight but his fall brought down the curtains on South Africa's chase and injected life into Pakistan's dreary World Cup campaign.

March 20, 2015

The Wahab Riaz Spectacle

9-0-54-2 - Bowling figures of this kind, specially in a losing cause, often fail to paint the complete picture - the impact, the fury and the closeness of turning a knockout game on its head. Wahab Riaz bowled one such spell in the World Cup - giving the Adelaide fans a chance to witness something truly special. Pakistan were defending 214 and were in dire need of an inspired performance, one that Riaz came agonisingly close to provide. It all began when the left-armer dug a couple of deliveries short to first, trouble Michael Clarke and then send him packing. Australia were 59 for 3 in the 11th over and Pakistan perhaps, fancied their chances. From what transpired since then, one can say with surety that at least Riaz surely did. The pacer unleashed a set of fiery deliveries to welcome Shane Watson. The ball eluded him with as much success as his form with the bat. Riaz got the ball to talk in the most commendable manner and followed it up with typical fast bowler's fury - a taunting stare. Even a dramatic round of applause for his teammates as Watson squirmed at the crease. A barrage of short deliveries followed, most clocked at close to 150 kmph and beyond Watson's ability to fend at. The Aussie batsman was made to hop around while he struggled to keep the ball down. Riaz's efforts were relentless and a breakthrough was round the corner, but there was an unbelievable lack of support from his fielders. First Rahat Ali put down an absolute sitter to give Watson a reprieve and then Sohail Khan gave give Glenn Maxwell a massive let off. Riaz got a pat on the back from his teammates for his unmatched efforts - even a handshake from the truly bamboozled Watson - but he finished on the losing side as Pakistan crashed out of the World Cup.

Misbah, Afridi call it a day

After a fairly-successful campaign in World Cup 2015, Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan skipper, called time on his ODI career - finishing with 5122 runs in 162 ODIs at an average of 43.40. He has smashed 42 fifties but departs the game having been unable to breach the three-figure mark, with his highest score being 96. Shahid Afridi too decided to hang up his ODI boots, bringing down the curtains on a glorious 19-year-long career with 8064 runs and 395 wickets in 398 matches.

April 22, 2015

Humiliation in Bangladesh

With a new captain in Azhar Ali, Pakistan embarked on a tour of Bangladesh. Saeed Ajmal returned to the side, albeit with a remodelled bowling action that did not yield excellent results of the old. Bangladesh had a fantastic World Cup campaign - beating England and reaching the quarters - and carried back some of their momentum for this home series and blanked the visitors. A 3-0 series defeat to Bangladesh wasn't the most ideal start for Azhar Ali as the new ODI skipper.

May 26, 2015

Historic home series

Six years since the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, a brave Zimbabwean side brought cricket back to Pakistan. After a lot of deliberation, Elton Chigumbura & Co. embarked on a journey to give Pakistan fans a taste of 'home cricket' after a really long period. Pakistan went on to win the three-match ODI series 2-0 but numbers and results were hardly important as the enthusiastic Pakistan crowd held placards and cheered for the Zimbabweans and thanked them for their big-hearted gesture.

October 14, 2015

Shoaib Malik returns in style

For a batsman returning to Tests after a break of five years, Shoaib Malik hardly looked out of sync. Playing in his first innings in white flannels since August 2010, Malik displayed what Pakistan were missing all these years - a reliable run-machine in familiar conditions. Malik lasted over 10 and a half hours in his marathon knock of 245 in the first drawn Test against England in Abu Dhabi.

Yasir Shah steps up in Saeed Ajmal's absence

Saeed Ajmal had been Pakistan's most crucial weapon in Tests in Abu Dhabi but in his absence, Yasir Shah stepped up with exceptional leg-spin bowling. Such was Yasir's ability that Shane Warne spent a few net sessions with him and called him the best in the world. That must've heaped a lot of pressure on him but he emerged on top with 15 wickets in four innings.

Desert Kings

Over the years, Pakistan have understood the importance of feeling at home in UAE, with majority of the 'home' Test series played there. England, Australia and New Zealand have suffered on their tours to the desert. Relentless run-scoring and spinning a web around their opposition has been the two-step mantra for Pakistan in those favourable conditions. If not for Alastair Cook's commendable knock of 263, Pakistan would've won the series 3-0. Cook was at his resolute best as he defied Misbah & Co. in the first Test in Abu Dhabi. Cook finished the series as the leading run-scorer but his team failed to match his brilliance as they suffered defeats in the second and third Test.

November 2015

Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik retirement

There were two surprise retirements that soon came up. Malik called time on his career after the England series, playing just three Tests after his successful return after a five-year hiatus. Younis Khan followed suit. The 37-year-old veteran, who was dropped from the ODI side after a dismal World Cup show, was roped into the side for the England series after solid performances in Tests. His return, however, lasted just one game as he called it quits after the first ODI.

November-December, 2015

The India-Paksitan impasse

Will it happen? Won't it? In India? In Pakistan? In UAE? Sri Lanka, even? The dramatic turn of events in the fate of the proposed India-Pakistan series hasn't been short of a soap opera. Pakistan demanded a home series, scheduled for December 2015 as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two nations while the Big Three (India, England and Australia) took over the ICC. However, complex nature of the political relationship between the two nations was a big stumbling block. A top-level meeting between officials of the two boards was supposed to take place on the sidelines of the ICC meeting in November but that didn't materialise. Shahryar Khan, the Pakistan Circket Board (PCB) chairman was then invited by Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, for a crunch talks - only for Shiv Sena activists to disrupt it by barging into the BCCI headquarters. With every passing day in the month of December, the chances of the series began to reduce and eventually hasn't happened as per schedule. Would it happen in 2016? Don't hold your breath.

Mohammad Amir's messy road to return

After serving his five-year ban for his involvement in spot-fixing, Mohammad Amir has made giant strides towards an international return. He began plying his trade and caught the attention of the selectors as he showed that the five years he spent away from the ground has hardly had an impact on his abilities as a fast bowler. His performances in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) also showed that he was ready to don the Pakistan colours again. While his talent and ability were not under the scanner, PCB faced the moral dilemma of bringing back a player into the dressing room he once betrayed by corruption. In a sport like cricket, team dynamics is of paramount importance. Amir's potential return hasn't gone down well with a couple of members of the national side. PCB roped the pacer in for the national camp where the squad for the New Zealand series was to be picked but Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali opted out of it due to Amir's mere presence. The PCB had to swoop in and settle the matter. It went to the extent of Ali offering resignation from captaincy, which was rejected. The duo eventually agreed to train with Amir but the road ahead is anything but smooth for the prodigious talent.

Yasir Shah dope

It could still have been a fairly-successful year for Pakistan cricket, had the late news of Yasir Shah failing a dope test not come out as bolt from the blue. The wily leg-spinner had captured the imagination of fans all over the world with his match-willing ability and the suspension from ICC for taking a banned substance comes as a massive setback for the team. The extent of the possible ban is still unclear.

Best Player - Mohammad Hafeez

The "Professor" pipped his captain, only just, to take the title of the best player of the year. The top-order batsman finished as Pakistan's second-highest scorer in Tests (behind Younis Khan) with 710 runs in 13 innings at an average of 59.16 and the highest in ODIs with 782 runs in 20 games at an average of 41.15.

Worst Player - Umar Akmal

Umar Akmal endured a torrid time, starting with World Cup where his form alluded him. With immense pressure on his shoulders to showcase the massive potential that has always been spoken about, Akmal struggled. He managed just one half-century - against West Indies - and finished the tournament with 164 runs in seven games. There were also reports that Misbah and Waqar Younis, the head coach, had asked for the axing of Umar from the national side for one year, until his attitude improves.

Most Promising Player - Imad Wasim

The Swansea-born, Wasim Akram-idolising 27-year-old made his international debut this year and has all the potential to slot in as a useful all-rounder. Five games is too small a sample size but Wasim is quite a good striker of the ball and can trouble the batsmen with his left-arm orthodox spin bowling.

2016 - The Year that will be

Misbah-ul-Haq & Co. have established the fact that they're nearly unbeatable at home in UAE. Now is the time for them to prove their credentials away from home. If PCB succeed in forcing Misbah to delay his retirement plans, the 41-year-old could be leading his side to a tour of England in July. Beating England in England, however tough the proposition maybe, will serve as an excellent swansong for a fabulous leader. In the limited-overs scheme of things, there could not have been a better way for Shahid Afridi to bow out of the game other than leading his team in the World Twenty20 in India.