The second Test against the Kiwis in Dubai that ended in a thrilling draw last week once again vindicated the age-old phrase — the glorious uncertainties of cricket — which indeed make this game so engrossing and exciting for one and all.

Pakistan, after having completely dominated the previous three Test matches in the UAE this season, including the two against Australia and the first Test against the Kiwis, experienced some really anxious moments before holding on to a tense draw.

It was also the first time in four Tests when Misbah-ul-Haq lost the toss and the New Zealanders made most of the opportunity by making the first use of the wicket to amass an impressive 403 which set the tone for their dominance in the match.

Having said that, I feel that toss does not hold key at venues like Dubai and Abu Dhabi where the pitches are flat and conditions fairly benign to pose any real threat to the batsmen.

Rather than the toss, I would give New Zealand the credit for playing positive, aggressive cricket despite being one-down in the series. They regrouped marvellously to put Pakistan on the ropes quite a few times during the Test which I feel was mainly due to their skipper Brendon McCullum who has this perpetual never-say-die spirit about his game.

As I see it, there are multiple strategies which are devised for a Test match since it’s a five-day game and circumstances can change with every session. There are many factors that determine the game plan in Tests such as toss, pitch condition, weather conditions, fall of wickets, etc.

On the other hand, in the ODIs there are mainly two kinds of strategies - to play out the 50 overs to maintain a steady scoring rate and pile up a decent score. However, in case the scoring rate is falling behind the estimated mark, one can promote hard-hitting, game-changers like Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal and a few others to bolster the total in the death overs.

As for the T20, there is only one game plan; hit out and score maximum number of runs.

Pakistan did attempt to go for the target at one time when both Shan Masood and Younis Khan had resorted to some lusty hitting. But the dismissal of Shan to a controversial decision and also of Younis after a little while forced Pakistan to put the shutters down which I thought was a sensible thing to do at the time.

Both Shan and Taufiq Umar were playing a Test after a gap of over a year and looked a bit rusty indeed. However, Shan did make up for his first innings failure with a bright 40 in the second, showing sound defense coupled with calculated aggression. Taufiq, however, has looked clearly out of sorts, though it will be a bit unfair to axe him after just one game.

That said, I feel that if Taufiq’s form continues to desert him in Sharjah as well, the selectors should recall Imran Farhat for the seven limited-overs games ahead as Imran can strengthen the Pakistan squad in the absence of Hafeez and Shehzad.

A word for Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq who also impressed in either innings at Dubai with their sensible knocks. However, for me the man of the moment is Sarfraz Ahmed. The young wicketkeeper-batsman has been batting like a champion for the past three series and it is his belligerence in the lower order that has often put Pakistan in a position of control from a state of despair.

He has kept the wickets well too, keeping in mind the low bounce of the UAE tracks. Keeping wickets to a combination of leg- and off-spinner is a huge challenge on these wickets because most of the time the keeper is standing close to the stumps and is often gloving the ball on sheer instinct which is very tough indeed.

It is for this reason, perhaps, that Sarfraz stands with his legs apart while keeping at the UAE venues which allows him to alter his position quickly to gather the ball whichever side it is going.

In the final analysis, we must laud what our team has achieved in the UAE matches despite a spate of injuries to its key players like Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Shehzad and Hafeez coupled with the unavailability of our best bowler Saeed Ajmal. The exuberance and high quality performance of newcomers like Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah, Imran Khan, Rahat Ali and others bode well for Pakistan cricket and is a testament to the abundance of talent available in the country.

For one thing, I will strongly advocate the inclusion of talented Mohammad Talha in the third Test as he remains our best fast bowling bet alongwith Junaid.

In the end, I would like to say that with two able and seasoned men like PCB chairman Shaharyar M Khan and Najam Sethi representing Pakistan in world cricket today, the future appears really bright for us.

I must mention here that it was Shaharyar’s brilliant diplomatic efforts back in 1996 that opened the doors for a Pakistan-India cricket series which was no mean achievement then.

Similarly, Sethi’s wisdom and use of good offices resulted in Pakistan once again getting an elevated status at the ICC, almost at par with the Big Three, the benefits of which are many and the impact far reaching.

The writer is a former Test cricketer and chief selector

Published in Dawn, November 25th , 2014