Can Ashraf fill Pakistan's long-standing void?

Listing down a squad for Pakistan's away tour is no mean task. The usual openers cannot be trusted to execute their jobs. A question mark remains over who will provide stability in the middle-order. And, after the ICC's crackdown on the off-spinners, Pakistan's struggle to find an effective off-break bowler continues.

There is another position that Pakistan has long longed to fill up - of a seam-bowling all-rounder's.

With scoring runs becoming easier than ever and, naturally, every team wanting to put more and more runs on the board, bowlers are now expected to contribute with the bat. They are expected to score the runs that will "come in handy" either in the death overs of a limited-overs contest or in the final phase of a days game.

Pakistan found themselves in a quagmire just some overs into the one-off Test against Ireland. They had both their openers back in the pavilion, off back to back deliveries, with the runs column reading 13. After a brief calm, the middle-order crumbled leaving the tail exposed.

Everything unfolded the way it was anticipated. Pakistan were on their way to be rolled out for a paltry score. After all, with Pakistan batting on a green wicket in overcast conditions, such collapses in recent times form an integral part of their game. But, fortunately, they had handed Faheem Ashraf a debut cap earlier in the day.

With Pakistan languishing at 159 for 6 in the second session, Ashraf walked out to bat in his debut Test. And, before the day ended, the 24-year-old had made the record for the fastest fifty on debut by reaching the 50-run mark in 52 balls, bettering Umar Akmal's record by five balls.

He went on to score some more runs the next day, registering 83 before a scorching delivery by Stuart Thomspon ended his innings. But, his 83 went down as the highest score a Pakistani batsman posted in the match. It also helped in Pakistan passing the 300-run mark as he struck a 117-run partnership for the seventh-wicket with Shadab Khan, who also scored his maiden Test fifty.

When in the field, Ashraf accepted every challenge that confronted him. His immaculate length bowling kept Ireland batsmen in check. He leaked runs at 3.60 and 2.83 in the first and the second innings respectively and removed Paul Stirling in the first one. When the Irish openers began to pose a threat to Pakistan with a 50-run stand, Ashraf ended Ed Joyce's stay at the crease with a scintillating direct hit from mid-on.

At a time when youngsters are making it to the Pakistan team on the basis of their PSL performances, Ashraf was picked up by Islamabad United after impressing at the international level. He came into the limelight with a fabulous 34-ball 60 against Bangladesh in a Champions Trophy warm-up match. This was his first outing in the Pakistan jersey. Though he was selected for his pace bowling in the domestic one-day tournament for the Champions League, he helped Pakistan score 100 runs in the last nine overs, coming out to bat at number nine.

Throughout his career, he has used his bowling as a stepping stone and established himself at the next level with the bat. He was handed a first-class debut for Faisalabad in 2013 on the back of his remarkable 22 wicket at 11.13 in a senior district-level tournament. But it was his century on debut which stood out. When HBL were six down for 21 against WAPDA in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in December 2016, he scored 44, taking his side to a respectable 236 on the back of partnerships with Rameez Aziz (90 off 221) and Abdur Rehman (53 off 92). Though the contest ended in a draw, Salman Butt-led WAPDA won the title on the basis of their first innings' score.

He followed up his batting performance by becoming the highest wicket-taker in the Departmental One-Day Cup with 19 wickets at an average of 23.15. After having proved himself with both bat and ball, he was put on the flight to the British Isles for the Champions Trophy and there he became the first player from Kasur to represent the national side when he played against Sri Lanka at Cardiff in a virtual quarterfinal for Pakistan.

The pattern did not come to a halt. He played a crucial role in Islamabad United's triumph in this year's PSL by being the highest wicket-taker of the tournament. That performance made him a member of the 16-man lineup for Tests against Ireland and England. And, on his debut, he stood out with the bat.

"There are many challenges in life. If you accept them, only then you will achieve goals in your life," he had said in Lahore ahead of his departure for the United Kingdom as he reflected on his Test selection. His cricketing career until now shows that he knows a thing or two about accepting the challenges. But, what makes him stand out is his ability to not only surmount them but also turning them into opportunities for himself to take the next step.