COMBINATION ANALYSIS
Follow UsIn short, Pakistan can’t replace Naseem Shah.
Close your eyes and imagine a Pakistan bowling unit without Naseem. If you see nothing, you are not wrong. He has just played 14 ODIs, but 32 wickets and an average of 16.96 underline his importance in Pakistan’s ODI setup.
Read: Naseem Shah makes Pakistani pace unit ‘sexier’
You dig into the statistics further, since his debut, no other Pakistani bowler has picked up more wickets than Naseem (32). His average (17), too, is significantly better than Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi. So, you get the gist.
It is almost impossible to replace Naseem as an individual, but as a bowling unit, Pakistan have some choices - straightforward and otherwise.
Front runners as replacements
Ihsanullah
Ihsanullah has played only five international matches. But he offers something quite different from the rest of the pack: PACE. After his debut in the 2022 Pakistan Super League, the pacer promised to breach the ‘160 kmph’ barrier.
While he hasn’t quite fulfilled that promise yet, there stands an opportunity for the pacer to conquer that at the ODI World Cup in India. The 20-year-old averages 22.36 in List-A format, picking up 25 wickets. He was the best pacer in Pakistan’s premier domestic ODI competition - Pakistan Cup - where he averaged 19.96.
Shahnawaz Dahani
Dahani is a relatively ‘experienced’ campaigner. He’s played 13 international games for Pakistan but hasn’t played an ODI since August 2022. Incidentally, Dahani was also the one Pakistan relied upon to replace Haris Rauf for the Asia Cup, but a late arrival meant a debut for the slinger Zaman Khan.
Dahani offers pace, but accuracy isn’t his cup of tea. His high variance is something that Pakistan will have to be wary of, but given that they need someone to attack with the ball, Dahani could be a prime option. In the last edition of the Pakistan Cup, he picked up 17 wickets, pushing his case.
Zaman Khan
Zaman made his ODI debut earlier in the must-win Super Four clash against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup. He started on the best possible note - with a maiden. But as the innings progressed, he erred in line and length, eventually costing Pakistan a comeback win.
The speedster made the headlines when he defended 13 runs in the last over in Global T20 Canada, giving away only three runs. They know the upsides of the slinger, whose action is perhaps his biggest advantage.
So, will Pakistan trust that factor alone and include him in the upcoming World Cup squad?
Outside choices
Abbas Afridi
Perhaps not the first name on many lips, Abbas Afridi’s success at the PSL is quite vibrant. The 22-year-old pacer has picked up 33 wickets in 23 T20 appearances, averaging 20.66 with the ball. He’s tall, has a clean follow-through and is someone who has the ability to tail the ball late into the right-handers. At the death, Abbas also picked up 19 wickets in the 2023 PSL.
That’s the closest that they can get to Naseem. Combine that with the slower deliveries, he’s a package. He’s right now an outside choice, but upon close consideration, there is a real possibility that Abbas might be in the World Cup scheme of things.
Hasan Ali
Even before Naseem debuted in any form of cricket, Hasan Ali was doing that role for the national team. While he hasn’t been part of the limited-overs setup for some time now, the all-rounder has been playing white-ball cricket worldwide, including in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), where he starred with the ball, picking up eight wickets.
Not just that, he also showed his prowess in England, where he represented Birmingham Bears. Since the start of 2022, he has picked up 46 wickets, averaging 25.7, which means he could be a real option.
Imad Wasim
Wasim is no stranger to international cricket. He’s perhaps no stranger to high-pressure situations either. That’s something that could help the all-rounder push a case for himself to be included in Pakistan’s squad. He’s played 55 ODIs and last made an ODI appearance in 2020 for the national side.
But his display worldwide in franchise cricket makes him a real outside option. Given how Pakistan are struggling to find a second spinner, count Wasim’s comeback out at your own peril.
Abrar Ahmed
When we are on the topic of spinners, why not include a mystery spinner - Abrar Ahmed? He needs no introduction, so we will not give him one. He hasn’t done much in the white-ball formats, but the fact that Pakistan are evidently struggling in the spin department can push a case for the bespectacled spinner.
In fact, his inclusion could also mean that Pakistan could balance out their bowling unit to benefit from Abrar’s new ball prowess.
Arshad Iqbal
It wasn’t until the 2023 Emerging Asia Cup that Arshad’s name appeared on the radar after his seven wickets in the tournament. Arshad isn’t a tearaway. He isn’t someone who is going to deliver thunderbolts, but his consistency is quite an interesting topic of debate.
Combine that with his ability to tonk the ball, it isn’t a surprise that the 22-year-old’s name is on the list.
So, what are the combinations?
Combination 1: Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Faheem Ashraf
“Experience is irreplaceable” is the best way to sum this bowling unit up.
With Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, Pakistan have some serious firepower. But then, with Faheem Ashraf, you have someone who has the ability to bowl across phases. Mohammad Wasim Jr’s experience at his death, too, will come of value.
What will hurt this bowling unit? Lack of firepower with the new ball. Shaheen is the only proven pacer in that segment, and that could come at a cost for them. The lack of wickets upfront might be a huge problem, given how their spinners have also struggled.
Combination 2: Wasim Jr, Shaheen, Shahnawaz Dahani, Rauf
More or less, this is a pace-bowling line-up that Pakistan’s management would have envisaged after Naseem’s injury. Shahnawaz Dahani adds to the potency of the bowling unit with his pace alongside Haris Rauf.
Given that he was also involved in the scheme of things for the Asia Cup, there’s a strong chance that this is what Pakistan’s bowling unit will look like on October 5, when they take on the Netherlands.
What will hurt this bowling unit? Control, of course. This is perhaps the least accurate of all bowling combinations for Pakistan. Three of their four pacers are highly volatile, and the fourth is Wasim Jr, who is also notorious for having a high economy rate in T20 cricket.
Combination 3: Wasim Jr, Shaheen, Zaman, Rauf
Zaman’s inclusion in this bowling unit makes it extremely interesting. His slingy action might surprise the opposition, and the fact that he is a brilliant death-over bowler works in his favour. The right-arm pacer picked up eight wickets at the death in the 2023 PSL and nearly pulled off a win against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup.
This will ensure that Pakistan won’t have a pace unit that will be one-dimensional.
What will hurt this bowling unit? Yet again, experience won’t be part of this bowling unit, which will have to do with Zaman’s experience at the international level - that is, one ODI. That might hurt them big time.
Combination 4: Ihsanullah, Shaheen, Rauf, Faheem
And then comes this combination, a rather deadly one. Ihsanullah’s pace can really make this bowling unit one of the best in world cricket. Combine that with Shaheen’s accuracy in the first ten overs, Pakistan could be a menace. Also, the right-arm speedster can bowl with the new ball and later bowl in the middle-overs, which Naseem was doing as well.
So, that’s a real way in which they can replace Naseem.
What will hurt this bowling unit? Ihsanullah went wicketless in the only ODI he played earlier in the year. He ended up conceding 60 runs in 48 balls, which might come to haunt the Men in Green. His economy rate of 6.66 in List-A cricket isn’t too pleasing either.
