Fawad Alam, Pakistan, And Beauty Contests

Today new writer Auni Akhter discusses the underrated and oft maligned Fawad Alam. He argues that substance is more important than style and that Pakistan cricket in general is somewhat underappreciated. Do you agree?

It was a long wait, a long innings in a long test match at the end of an exceptionally long year. But Fawad Alam scored his first century after being isolated for more than a decade, proving at long last that Pakistan cricket is not a beauty contest.

Fawad’s unorthodox technique has repulsed Dav Whatmore, Waqar Younis, Mickey Arthur, Grant Flower and Misbah-ul-Haq. These are some of the finest cricketing brains in the world and they all turned their noses up at Fawad Alam, this despite a prolific run-scoring record in first-class cricket. But in this age of narcissism, where we are constantly chasing perfection, can you blame them for overlooking Fawad and his imperfect technique?

Plastic surgeons claim that the ideal nasofacial angle falls within 36 to 38 degrees. Similarly, batting coaches purport to know the exact right angles at which the bat must meet the ball to produce a textbook cover drive. But is there such a thing as a textbook cover drive? Is there even a textbook? The success of Fawad – as well as great batsmen like Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Steve Smith– casts doubt on whether there is such a thing as the perfect technique.

Such was the importance of Fawad Alam’s latest innings for Pakistan against New Zealand at the Bay Oval, that the great Younis Khan rose in standing ovation to celebrate the epic century. Fawad’s best shot in his hard-fought innings was not a sumptuous cover drive, nor was it even very aesthetically pleasing as such. It was an incisive square cut off Trent Boult at the end of the 85^th over. Boult fired the ball short and a fraction wide. Fawad, standing open-chested, brought down his bat like a scruffy-looking lumberjack wielding an axe to timber and cut the ball ferociously to between point and third slip. There were no neat right angles or even a pristine sense of balance involved. Rather the beauty lied in the sheer ruggedness of the shot.

The match had begun well for Pakistan. Mohammad Rizwan – captaining Pakistan in the absence of Babar Azam – won the toss and elected to field first in bowler friendly conditions. It was the first time in Test history that three wicketkeeper-captains were present at the toss on the same day – Mohammad Rizwan in Mount Maunganui, Tim Paine in Melbourne and Quinton de Kock in Centurion.

In what was starting to feel like an important reference point for the contrasting cricketing trajectories of the two neighbours, India’s scintillating victory at the MCG came as Pakistan were toiling at 75/4 in their second innings, chasing a highly improbable 373 to win and needing to bat the rest of the day to save the match. The world often looks upon Pakistan as overshadowed by its bigger, more economically successful neighbour. Nothing irks the Pakistani ego more.

But what must have really galvanised the Pakistan team at this stage was the somewhat bizarre omission of Pakistani players from the ICC Awards of the Decade. The only major team to win absolutely nothing. This despite Pakistan and Babar maintaining a number one position in the T20 international rankings for over two years; Pakistan climbing to number one in the test rankings in August 2016 (for the first time since 1988) and winning the Champions Trophy in 2017. These achievements were made all the more spectacular in the context of a decade where Pakistan cricket lived a nomadic existence.

The lack of appreciation afforded to Pakistan cricket by the ICC must have resonated with Fawad more than anyone else. His hard work had similarly escaped the attention it deserved. Fawad had been ignored by selectors for a decade despite scoring more runs than anyone else on the first-class circuit since the start of the 2015-16 season at an average of 56.60 – bettered only by Steve Smith and Hanuma Vihari.

Coaches and selectors have pointed quite blatantly to Fawad’s unusual – if not ugly – technique as the reason for ignoring him. Fawad Alam had lost the beauty contest to Iftikhar Ahmed for a spot on the tour to England in 2016 and to Haris Sohail for a spot against Sri Lanka in the UAE in 2017. During this time Fawad averaged over 56 and amassed over 12,000 runs in his First-Class career.

When finally selected for the starting eleven, in July 2020, to play his first test since 2009, it was only due to Haris Sohail ruling himself out due to Covid concerns. And had it not been for Babar Azam’s fractured thumb in the build-up to Pakistan’s most recent game, Fawad might not have played against New Zealand – the Pakistani think tank demonstrating a repeated preference for the prettier and more technically astute Haris Sohail over the awkward, often brutish-looking Fawad.

But it was Fawad, and his partnership with Mohammad Rizwan, that nearly set up one of Pakistan’s greatest escapes. The pair came together at 75/4 and faced 380 balls to put on the second-longest stand for Pakistan in Tests (where ball details are available). Only three Partnerships have added more runs than Rizwan and Fawad’s 165 in the fourth innings for the fifth wicket In Tests.

Rizwan scored his fourth consecutive fifty in test match cricket and became the first Pakistani wicket keeper-batsman to score two fifties in a Test match outside Asia. Fawad became the first Pakistan batsman to score a century in the fourth innings of a test match in New Zealand and nearly saved Pakistan from certain defeat. New Zealand finally broke Pakistan’s resistance in dramatic fashion, with just 4.3 overs left on Day 5. That is now 16 unbeaten tests for New Zealand at home.

Despite this loss, there were lessons for Pakistan cricket to take into 2021 and beyond. Chief among them is to remind themselves that cricket is not a beauty contest.

When Fawad reached his 50 off 149 balls, he did not celebrate by raising his bat as convention dictates. In fact, he did not celebrate at all. To raise his bat in conventional fashion would have perhaps suggested his journey in international cricket had itself been conventional which, of course, it has not. Far from it.

When he reached his hundred off 236 balls, exactly 4218 days since last doing so in a test match, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion must have overtaken his body and soul. It had been a long journey but finally his hard work had been vindicated.

Fawad’s career shows how cruel Pakistan cricket can sometimes be. Fawad was the ugly, unwanted Pakistani bride with dark skin and Pakistan cricket is the Rishta aunty urging young girls to use face- whitening creams to lighten their complexion in order to find a husband. Despite all this, Fawad has finally proven that cricket is not a beauty contest.

Auni Akhter