Middle order batsman Fawad Alam finally completed his fairytale story on Saturday and buried the ghosts of the past as his fighting knock of 114 rescued Pakistan from peril in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka. The defending Asia Cup champions were staring into the abyss against Sri Lanka at Mirpur after the early departures of Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez. Memories of the 1999 ICC World Cup final, when Pakistan capitulated to 139 against Australia, kept rushing back.
With his side precariously placed at 18-3, Fawad made sure that there would be no repeat of that forgettable final with his maiden one-day international century, guiding Pakistan to a competitive 260-5.
In the process, the 28-year old also created a record, becoming the first Pakistani left-hander outside the opening position to reach three figures.
However, Fawad had to endure a rough ride before finally registering the first ton in his seven-year ODI career.
He began his days as a Pakistani cricketer at the Under-19 level and rose to prominence when he inspired his side to the final of the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2004.
In the semi-final against rivals India, Fawad struck 43 off 50 balls and started attracting headlines back home. Pakistan went on to win the tournament and Fawad announced his arrival as a young, graceful left-hander.
Some years and consistent domestic performances later, he made his bow in one-day internationals. Dismissed for nought, his debut was anything but memorable.
In the following years, Fawad constructed starts but was unable to come up with any significant scores and found himself in and out of the national side on a regular basis.
Fawad, however, had been completely out of the reckoning since 2010 due to his failure to put together a long innings and spent four years in the wilderness.
Several Pakistani cricketers like Fawad had graduated from the U-19s to the national side only to be completely wiped away later. It seemed that Fawad was becoming one of them.
The cricketer from Karachi had other ideas.
He smashed 438 runs in eight innings in the President’s Cup One-Day Tournament a couple of months ago to give a timely reminder of his ability to the national selectors.
Recently, former Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore expressed his wish to see more cricketers getting selected from all parts of the country, rather than primarily from Lahore. Whatmore alleged that regional geo-politics prevented players being picked from all over the country.
And so, after a four-year exile, the national selectors began mulling over the probable inclusion of Fawad and provided him renewed hope when he was selected in the Asia Cup squad.
Fawad’s selection would have pleased Whatmore a great deal.
After four years of waiting, Fawad had to be patient for two more Asia Cup games before finally getting selected for the game against hosts Bangladesh on March 4.
Despite Shehzad’s century and Shahid Afridi’s whirlwind knock, it was his knock of 74 that sustained Pakistan’s momentum. Fawad’s responsible knock went a long way towards ensuring that Pakistan recorded their highest ever successful chase.
And in the final against the Lankans on Saturday, Fawad needed 12 balls to get off the mark. But once he did, he never stopped rotating the strike. The eight boundaries and three sixes only added to the beauty of his innings.
Irrespective of his side’s eventual loss, he made certain that his side would not suffer a collapse. And as for the long-running problem with the Pakistan middle order, Fawad’s 134-ball 114 will give belief to his countrymen that they have finally found the solution and an able guide who can steer the side out of trouble when the going gets tough.
-With New Age input
