England v Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed upsets the status quo as he hits home 'boring' century in second ODI

Pakistan were in deep trouble at 2-3 when Ahmed produced one of the finest rearguard hundreds that has ever been played at Lords, writes Derek Pringle

Pakistan's Sarfraz Ahmed celebrates reaching his century during play in the second one day internationa (Getty)

You have to worry sometimes about the monsters unleashed by T20 cricket. Pakistan played a 50-over international at Lord’s on Saturday and were in deep trouble at 2-3 when Sarfaraz Ahmed produced one of the finest rearguard hundreds that has ever been played at the home of cricket. It didn’t impress everyone though, with more than one person in the Lord’s press box describing the restorative process as “boring.”

There was not a hint of irony there either, just the philistinism that T20 has brought to the analysis of all batting that does not tick along at more than a run-a-ball and plonk sixes into the crowd every over, something, on cue, West Indies opener Evin Lewis was doing against India in Florida, making 100 off 49 balls with nine sixes.

By contrast, Sarfaraz, who came in at five, took 130 balls to make 105 and scored only six fours. Yet his was a brilliant knock that combined careful risk management, verve, skill and good judgment in difficult circumstances way beyond that required in your average T20 innings, where the choice is nearly always all or nothing.

There are some useful wicket-keeper-batsmen around in world cricket at present. Indeed England are blessed with two, Jonny Bairstow unable to get a game in this one-day side due to Jos Buttler’s excellence in white ball cricket. Sarfaraz though is probably the best across all three formats, something Michael Vaughan tweeted on Saturday despite sharing the same management team as Buttler.

There are elements of Javed Miandad about the 29-year old Sarfaraz. Both come from Karachi and both have that scrapping instinct that values substance more than style. They even share that cussedness that sees batsmen trying to mess with the minds of bowlers by walking down the pitch, or across the stumps prior to delivery. Both also like to hit the gaps in the field and run hard, mindless slogging being for those who like to put everything on red at the casino.

The space and time in 50-over cricket allowed Sarfaraz to play his game of cat and mouse, and his team to recover their wits, something T20 does not. It is that grey area which, like a siren on the rocks with a conscience, tempts you to attack but also warns of the perils if that goes wrong. Rebuild or reach for the stars, cautious or carefree - these are the decisions that so often decide great one-day innings. Until he tried to hit Adil Rashid’s last ball for six and was caught at deep mid-wicket, Sarfaraz had made all the right choices.

Sarfaraz combined careful risk management, verve and skill to reach the century mark (Getty)

The need for Sarfaraz’s superb but measured innings to give Pakistan any kind of chance of reaching a competitive total, will also bring into question the balance between bat and ball in white ball cricket.

Too much spice in the pitch, especially early on, can make for a one-sided spectacle. On Saturday, Pakistan won toss on what was described as a grassy pitch. There was cloud cover too, which at Lord’s normally means seam movement, so it was a surprise they did not opt to bowl first. Three wickets in the opening four overs saw many expecting a rout, but Sarfaraz’s “boring” innings and a fine 63 from Imad Wasim meant a contest was eventually fought, albeit one England won comfortably after conditions had eased.

Pitches for one-day cricket need to be as batsman-friendly as possible, albeit with pace in them. If that sounds heretical from a former member of the bowling fraternity, I would balance the books by giving bowlers the opportunity to bowl as many bouncers as they liked (providing they were below head high) and by giving them the leg-side line for wides (at present the ball only has to miss the pad by a whisker to be wided by the umpire.) That way, batsmen have optimum conditions to play their big shots but bowlers have more means to prevent them from doing so.

On the other hand pitches with something in them for the bowlers could continue to be produced allowing batsmen like Sarfaraz to show us that one-day greatness is not all about Biff Bang Pow.