Faheem’s progress reminiscent of Pakistan’s upsurge in white ball cricket

This series has been a mismatch of epic proportions. Pakistan, are one of the form teams of white ball cricket. Zimbabwe’s full side failed to beat UAE in the World Cup qualifiers, and they dropped all their key performers. Its made for boring and one sided cricket so far. Pakistan, to their credit have been ruthless, and haven’t given the weak Zimbabwean team a sniff. So, as a fan your attention starts to wander off, obviously for starters to your phone. And when the cameramen allow it, off the field activities such as the crowd dances or dressing room antics.

After Pakistan polished off Zimbabwe under 70, the happiest man on the field was Faheem Asharaf. Sarfaraz, gave him ample opportunity to complete his five wicket haul, and the all rounder obliged. As he walked off the field, he lead the team to the dressing room, on his way showed the ball to the camera and got a pat on the back from Micky Arthur. All pretty standard stuff. But what followed next was a bit surprising, pleasantly so. Azhar Mahmood, the bowling coach was recipient of a warm hug from Faheem Asharaf. It was more like a ‘Jadoo je jhappi’. As the two men stood, Faheem with a wide grin, spoke a few words. I assume he might be talking in Punjabi, thanking the coach for all the hard work over this past year or so. It was a lovely moment. And rich praise is well deserved for Azhar Mahmood.

The Changing Ways Of Fakhar Zaman

If you follow domestic cricket, you could see that Faheem Asharaf had potential with bat and ball. But the way, his skills have developed with the ball, is tremendous. He is way different a bowler than what he was a year or so ago. The consistently of his length is excellent. In different conditions, he has been able to find that ‘hard length’. Credit must to go to the student for learning so quickly and the master for imparting knowledge. Nothing pleases a fan more than seeing a player develop. One hopes, that Faheem gets a chance with the bat too and show case his talents. Team management could experiment with his batting position in the upcoming games.