THERE is no dearth of talented cricket players in Pakistan provided they are given the chance to demonstrate their skills and mettle. One saw its manifestation yet again on Sunday when teenage pace-man Naseem Shah became the youngest player to record a Test hat trick in the first test against Bangladesh. Just when Bangladeshi team seemed to have fought their way back into the match, minutes before the close of the third day, Naseem destroyed them with three wickets off successive deliveries. Naseem had burst onto the scene on Pakistan’s Australia tour last year and he is also the youngest fast bowler and second bowler overall to take five wickets in a Test innings. He achieved that feat against Sri Lanka in Karachi last year. Undoubtedly, Pakistan has always produced quality pacers like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and there is no reason that Naseem and some other young bowlers included in the team have the talent and they are the future of our cricket team. What is required from them is to show the commitment and professionalism to the game that was the hallmark of the past legends. They should not be carried away by any other thing but there focus should only be on their game. This is the only formula to maintain consistency. It is also for the PCB to properly groom these youngsters and provide them with proper chance to demonstrate their skills. Apart from bowling department, the cricket board also needs to focus on finding new talent in the batting which has always struggled. Those tried and tested guns in the batting should be shown the door and new blood should be inducted. This will help us build a strong team in the long run and also perform better against top ranking teams in the world. Also our selectors need to be very careful whilst choosing the team for the three formats. The selection should be made purely on merit, if we really want to take forward our cricket.
