Analysis: Australia-bound Pakistan players had mixed fortunes in National T20 Cup.

Byline: Khalid H. Khan

THERE is no doubt Pakistan face the biggest challenge of their status as the top-ranked T20 side in the post-Sarfraz Ahmed period. The onerous task in front of incoming skipper Babar Azam and his rather inexperienced squad is the daunting prospect of taking Australia head on during the three-match series that starts next Sunday (Nov 3).

Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq in his capacity as the chief selector took bold steps by picking an unprecedented number of uncapped both in the T20 and Test squads which he announced last Monday - featuring six newcomers altogether, with three named in the T20 team and four for the two-Test rubber while Mohammad Musa Khan considered talented enough to be included for both formats.

The just-ended National T20 Cup for the First XI held in Faisalabad offered ample opportunities for the Australia-bound tourists to gain invaluable match practice for the international fixtures Down Under. Notwithstanding the contrasting nature of Iqbal Stadium pitch compared to what Pakistan would find in Sydney, Canberra and Perth, the report card of the shortest-format squad members offers interesting reading.

The selection of Musa, the 19-year-old right-arm speedster from Islamabad, is a huge gamble that could go either way. He played just two matches in the National T20 - claiming four wickets (all in one game) with question marks being raised over his overall fitness that actually prevented him playing in the final for the eventual winners Northern.

For Usman Qadir it's a dream come true barely six weeks since his legendary father Abdul Qadir suddenly died of cardiac arrest in their hometown of Lahore. Nowhere in the class of his illustrious dad as a leg-spinning wizard the 26-year-old been picked largely selected because of his exploits in the domestic Australia Big Bash competition. He took just five wickets in four matches for Central Punjab.

He may not get the opportunity against Aaron Finch's team to showcase his talent, but Khushdil Shah's selection is a deserving reward for consistent performances in limited-overs cricket over the past couple of domestic seasons. The 24-year-old left-hander from Bannu had a decent National Cup for someone batting in the middle-order. In five games for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he scored 161 runs at 80.50 with a brilliant strike-rate of 159.40 - only Asif Ali, Amad Butt and Wahab Riaz bettered that rate of scoring during the tournament.

After a run of low scores in...

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