I am not a fan of wicket keepers playing at 6 and a test eleven comprising 5 batsmen and 5 bowlers including a couple of allrounders.

In limited overs cricket, sure that is ideal; but in test matches, definitely not.

I am a traditionalist who believes that test cricket is a game for specialists.

6 batsmen, wicket keeper, 4 bowlers.

That is the combination to play in a test.

If some of the batsmen can bowl and some bowlers can bat then great, but essentially they need to be a force in their specialist department.

That is the combination that West Indies used to dominate world cricket for two decades. That is the combination that Australia used to rule world cricket for a decade and a half. That is the combination that Misbah's Pakistan used to remain unbeaten in the UAE and reach the number 1 ranking in test cricket.

There is no reason to change that balance.

Australia didn't do it with Adam Gilchrist, even though he could easily fit into the top 6 of any test nation.

Even England are playing this test at Lord's with this combination.

Pakistan changed it around against Ireland, pushing Sarfraz Ahmed up to 6.

I did not like it but thought maybe they can afford to against a first time test nation; however they went into this Lord's test with the same combination and I thought it was criminal.

I found it extremely strange that after losing your two best and most experienced test batsmen in Misbah and Younis, Pakistan's leadership decided to sacrifice another batsman and play an additional bowler.

One would think that an additional batsman would be required to fill the gap left open by Misbah's and Younis' departure.

Instead Pakistan have gone into tests in bowler friendly conditions with 5 batsmen, Sarfraz at 6, and 5 bowlers.

I don't like it. I feel it makes Pakistan's batting look weak. Sarfraz is not a top 6 test batsman. Some may argue that he averages 40+ in tests and he is good enough to bat at 6, but his form over the past two years has not been good and to promote him at a time like this just does not seem right.

Having said all this, seeing how Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf have batted at 7 and 8 respectively in these two tests has made me rethink my stance.

Shadab has played innings of 55, 4*, and 52 in 3 innings against Ireland and England.

Faheem has innings of 83 and 37 in these two tests.

The two came together to take Pakistan out of a precarious situation against Ireland when they were reduced to 159-6. Shadab and Faheem forged a partnership of 117 runs in quick time and ensured Pakistan got a healthy first innings total.

In the ongoing test at Lord's, they again contributed with a steady partnership of 70 odd ensuring that Pakistan did not end their first innings with only a lead of 50.

Pakistan's lead in excess of 165 is due to the way Shadab and Faheem batted.

The duos current form is covering up for Sarfraz' constant failures at 6.

The duos current form has strengthened Pakistan's batting significantly.

It also allows some batsmen to be a bit more aggressive.

It is heartening to see two young allrounders like Shadab and Faheem put on strong performances in just the first few tests, that too in foreign conditions where subcontinental teams take time to adjust.

They are taking wickets, they are scoring runs, they are fielding well - they both provide Pakistan a rare luxury of having two genuine allrounders that are good enough to play all three formats.

I am extremely impressed with the discipline Shadab has shown while batting. And I am extremely impressed by the dominance and aggression that Faheem bats with. Faheem has an amazing straight bat and I believe he is one of the best batsmen in the side.

Number 8 seems too low for someone like Faheem and I reckon he has the ability to be a long term number 6 for Pakistan in all formats.

While I am still not a fan of the combination that Pakistan is playing, I am pleased that they did as it provided all of us the chance to witness the start of two very promising careers of Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf.

Mohammad Abbas was the pick of Pakistan's bowlers in the just concluded test match against Ireland.

He provided with the initial breakthroughs in Ireland's first innings and ended the match with career best figures of 9-110. His 5-66 in the second innings was his second 5 wicket haul in only his 6th test match.

Since Abbas' test debut in April last year against the West Indies, he has shone for Pakistan and has been the clear pace spearhead for the team, ahead of the likes of Mohammad Aamir.

During this 13 month period, Abbas has been the leading wicket taker for Pakistan among the pacers, and second overall behind only Pakistan's biggest match winner, Yasir Shah.

That average of 18.8 is phenomenal and among all test bowlers from the time of his debut, Abbas has the second best average, behind only South African's Vernon Philander (Qualification: Min: 5 Tests and 100 overs).

Abbas boasts a better average than the likes of James Anderson and Kagiso Rabada.

Abbas' economy rate during this period has also been extremely impressive, however in this area he has been out shone by Mohammad Aamir.

However, he still has the 5th best economy rate among all test bowlers since the time of his debut (Qualification: Min: 100 overs).

His strike rate is also among the best in the world during this time (Qualification: Min 25 wickets).

Since his test debut in April last year, Mohammad Abbas has been among the best test bowlers in the world. He is clearly Pakistan's pace spearhead currently and with Yasir Shah absent this summer, Pakistan will rely heavily on Abbas in the upcoming test matches against England.

At the end, Pakistan won quite comfortably by 5 wickets against Ireland, Test Cricket's newest team, but there were some jitters when Ireland had Pakistan reduced to 14-3 during their chase of 160.

It was heartening to witness two batsmen in their early 20s, one of them a debutant, put on a century partnership that steered Pakistan clear of danger and on the course of victory.

Imam Ul Haq, whose selection in the squad was heavily criticized, rose to the occasion in his very first test match and guided Pakistan home with an unbeaten 74.

He shared a 126 run partnership for the 4th wicket with Babar Azam who displayed ample responsibility during his knock of 59, which was cut short due to an unfortunate run out.

There were a couple of other notable performances from Pakistan as well.

Faheem Ashraf, another debutant in his early 20s, and Shadab Khan, still a teenager and playing only his second test, came together at the crease in Pakistan's first innings at the fall of the 6th wicket.

At 159-6, Ireland seemed to be all over Pakistan, but Faheem and Shadab had different ideas. They both batted extremely sensibly.

Faheem was aggressive and displayed a wide range of strokes, while Shadab was more circumspect and showcased immense temperament. Their games complemented each other and they put together a 117 run partnership for the 7th wicket.

Faheem, with a knock of 83 off 115 deliveries, was Pakistan's top scorer in the first innings and if it was not for his partnership with Shadab, Pakistan would have fallen well short of the 310 runs they managed in the first innings.

Undoubtedly there were a number of mistakes that Pakistan made during this test match, but that is for another post.

For now, let us all rejoice a Pakistan test win curated by 4 cricketers who are yet to turn 25!

Ireland took the field on Saturday 12th May for the first time ever for a test match. It was a historic day that marked the entry of the world's 11th test playing nation.

If it was not for rain, the historic day would have been a day earlier on 11th May, when Ireland's first ever test match, against Pakistan, was actually supposed to start.

Rain and cricket have a long standing relationship. It has been a savior for some teams, while it has played spoilsport for many others. It has left spectators wanting more, it has denied teams glory, and it has spoiled the day for TV channels, producers, and advertisers.

But I doubt that rain has ever changed the course of history books the way it did for Ireland. It moved their first steps into Test cricket forward by an entire day!

There is an interesting article on Betway about cricket and climate change, where the author discusses how climate change has impacted cricket in England over the years. Here is an infographic summarizing the contents of the article.











































Here are two incidents where rain changed the course of cricketing history.

1. Pakistan vs England, World Cup 1992
With 9 points in the group stages, Pakistan edged out Australia and the West Indies (both with 8 points, to qualify for the semifinals of the World Cup in 1992. Pakistan's 1 point more than the Aussies and the Windies was on the back of a rain interrupted match against England.

Batting first, Pakistan were blown away for 74 runs. With the form that England had displayed during the tournament, they would have chased that total down without any fuss; however due to rain only 8 overs were possible in England's innings and both teams shared a point.

It was only because of that 1 point that Pakistan qualified for the semifinals and eventually went on to win the World Cup. Had it not been for rain, 1992 may have seen a different World Cup winner.

2. South Africa vs England, Semi Final, World Cup 1992
In the second semifinal of World Cup 1992, South Africa required 22 runs off 13 deliveries when rain came pouring down the SCG. Brian McMillan and Dave Richardson were at the crease and seemed to have the target within sights before the rain interruption resulted in a farcical end.

Strangely, once the rain ended, their target off 22 runs remained the same; however instead of getting the 13 deliveries that they were supposed to, they were told that the rule required them to face only 1 more delivery.

And thus ended the most farcical match ever in the history of World Cup cricket. Rain denied a true fairy tale ending for South Africa, who were taking part in their first ever World Cup after returning to international cricket after over two decades.

Imam Ul Haq, the heavily criticized selection for Pakistan's summer tour to Ireland and England, is in line for a test debut following scores of 61 and 59* against Kent and Northamptonshire respectively.

Pakistan take on Ireland, who will be playing their first ever Test Match, starting this Friday and Imam looks well positioned to open the batting for Pakistan following his impressive scores in the tour matches.

Azhar Ali has not been able to get past 15 in the three innings he has had on tour; however given his experience and track record it goes without saying that he will be walking out to open with Imam in the upcoming test.

Sami Aslam just got 1 innings and failed to put up a score to push his case and it seems he will lose his opening spot to Imam Ul Haq.

I was quite surprised that Fakhar Zaman was not given a go in either game as he would have been my ideal candidate to open in the upcoming test matches.

I would still give Fakhar a go with Imam at the top, with Azhar Ali moving back to the crucial number three position.

This will enable Pakistan to strengthen their middle order with Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, and Sarfraz Ahmed to follow.

I hope they do not go in with Sarfraz at 6, like that did against Northamptonshire, as that leaves the batting quite brittle in my opinion. And if they do not play all three of Fakhar, Imam, and Azhar at the top then they would need to bring in Saad Ali or Usman Salahuddin at number 6 and neither of them were given a hit in the tour matches.

It has been quite a strange tactic by Pakistan to keep these youngsters away from the practice games.

The bowling line up looks more sorted than Pakistan's batting. In fact, Pakistan are actually spoiled for choices.

Shadab Khan will easily fit into Yasir Shah's shoes as he displayed in the tour game with a match winning 10 wicket haul.

The pace options are aplenty with Mohammad Aamir, Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Abbas, and Faheem Ashraf.

Mohammad Abbas seems like the front runner though as he was the only one, besides Rahat Ali, who was among the wickets in Pakistan's win against Northamptonshire.

Hasan Ali and Mohammad Aamir were not able to pick many wickets, which creates some confusion in the camp. If both Abbas and Rahat get a shot then only one of Hasan and Aamir will get to play, though I am sure Sarfraz would want both of them in the XI.

It will be interesting to see what XI Pakistan field this Friday. My first choice would be:

1. Fakhar Zaman 2. Imam Ul Haq 3. Azhar Ali 4. Asad Shafiq 5. Babar Azam 6. Haris Sohail 7. Sarfraz Ahmed 8. Shadab Khan 9. Hasan Ali 10. Mohammad Aamir 11. Mohammad Abbas