Ehsan Adil makes strong case for national selection

By Farhan Nisar

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) December 6, 2012: Right arm fast medium bowler Ehsan Adil impressed Dav Whatmore, Pakistan national cricket team’s head coach, with his impressive bowling in his first match for the Faisalabad Wolves in the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 on Thursday.

Dav Whatmore has been keeping a close look at the pool of young players exhibiting their skills in the ongoing Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup in Lahore and Ehsan Adil’s brilliant bowling performance against Karachi Dolphins caught his eyes.

Karachi Dolphins are regarded as one of the top Twenty20 domestic sides in Pakistan but Ehsan Adil maintained his discipline and confidence against the likes of Shahzaib Hasan, Khalid Latif, and Khurram Manzoor as Faisalabad Wolves stormed into semifinals of the most prestigious domestic tournament.

Ehsan Adil gave away only 28 runs from his four overs and took four crucial wickets which helped his side restrict a strong batting unit of Karachi Dolphins to an average score of 147 for six from their 20 overs.

Ehsan Adil first removed Khalid Latif (23 from 19 – 2 fours, 1 six) by dislodging his stumps and then got rid of Fawad Alam (16 from 13 – 1 six), Khurram Manzoor (51 from 41 – 8 fours), and Anwar Ali (12 from 9 – 1 four).

The impressive performance by the fast medium bowler has earned him praise of Dav Whatmore who looked at his bowling with keen interest and the young pacer may get a chance to prove his mettle in Pakistan’s upcoming tour to South Africa.

Ehsan Adil, who represented Pakistan in this year’s ICC U19 World Cup in Australia, came up with the goods both with bat and ball in the top U19 tournament and impressed all and sundry with his control and discipline in bowling.

Ehsan Adil has also performed exceedingly well for Habib Bank Limited in the President’s Trophy this year as he is the second highest wicket taker in the tournament with 47 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls and an average of under 16 and with his yet another jaw-dropping performance the PCB selectors may find him room in the squad for South Africa tour.

Ehsan Adil has the ability to swing the ball both ways and bowls them at a pace over 130 kilometers per hour which makes him a perfect choice for Pakistan on the pacey and bouncy pitches in South Africa.

Ehsan Adil has toured South Africa in the past with the U19 team where he not only performed with the ball but also showcased his skills with the bat as he hit them big in the 3^rd youth One-dayer. Earlier this year, Ehsan Adil also performed with the bat in the quarterfinal match against India where he scored 35 from 38 balls to take Pakistan to 138 runs after they were reduced to 98 for seven. He followed that batting performance up by two wickets for 25 runs from his 10 overs.