So where are we now after the SA Test series? A big dose of reality has been delivered. We are still awful against high quality pace bowling and our batting is not good enough against the best attacks. On the plus side our bowling remains excellent and it looks likely to remain that way with the crop of pacers we have waiting in the wings. If anything, Seales, Chemar and Smith should be an upgrade on Shannon and our attack will be stronger in the coming years.
However, given the lack of 4 day cricket, I just don't know what to do about our batting lineup. Kraigg averages under 20 over the last 3 years! Shai Hope was beought back in the side as an opener after failing for 3 years in a row in the middle order, only to end up back in the middle order after one innings in which he looked quite promising! Kieron Powell is back opening instead, looking good for short bursts only to get himself out. Roston Chase had a terrible 3 years with the bat, getting out to the short ball or trapped in the crease and then he ends up batting at 4 against South Africa. It feels like our management lost the plot.
The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Our selectors reverted to type as soon as Bonner was concussed. Of course, the likes of Mayers and Da Silva had their first really bad series with the bat, but they deserve a run and to try and improve.
For me, the Pakistan lineup has to be something like:
Kraigg Braithwaite (on really thin ice!!)
Shai Hope (opening, not middle order!)
Nkrumah Bonner
Kyle Mayers
Jermaine Blackwood
Jason Holder
Joshua Da Silva (wk)
Rakheem Cornwall
Kemar Roach
Jayden Seales
Chemar Holder
Reserves
Kieron Powell (spare opener)
Darren Bravo (spare middle order)
Roston Chase (spare spinner/all-rounder)
Alzarri Joseph/Nial Smith (spare pacer)
Of course, I would much rather see a radical plan of integrating Shimron and Pooran into our test set up but that won't happen with these selectors.
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