Fear of failure dogging Pakistan players

WELLINGTON: Plato once famously said that one can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
Had Plato lived in our times, he would have included the current Pakistan players among such men.
Pakistan’s World Cup hopes hang by a thread despite their hard-fought 20-run win against Zimbabwe in a must-win Pool B encounter at Gabba on Sunday.
Against India and West Indies Pakistan succumbed to their inner demons. They almost did that against Zimbabwe in Brisbane as well before managing to scrape through to what was their first win of the tournament.
So what’s dogging the Pakistanis? Why are they so afraid?
There might be other factors but for anybody who has a chance to closely scrutinise the players both on and off the field the chief reason for their failure to click is fear.
They come across a scared lot that is terribly short on confidence. That’s something which is pretty evident from the players’ body language. And it becomes crystal clear in matches when many of them get out playing half-hearted shots or fail to hold on to easy catches.
So why are they so scared?
Ask Wasim Akram and he will tell you that their fear stems from lack of self-belief.
Ask some of the players and they will argue that the question should instead be thrown at their managers, coaches and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) itself.
“There is a reign of fear in our camp and the biggest culprits are the men running Pakistan cricket,” a source close to some of the national team players told ‘The News’.
“To maintain discipline in the team is one thing but to scare the players with a variety of threats is another. Our managers should learn that there is a thin line between maintaining discipline and promoting a reign of fear,” the source said.
According to the source many of the players know what’s ailing them and that they blame the PCB for it.
“PCB’s decision to keep the players guessing when it comes to the central contracts wasn’t a wise move considering that it came so close to the World Cup,” another source said.
“Many of the current team players have become insecure because of that as they know that a poor showing in the World Cup will most likely result in their axing from the central contracts’ list once it is announced after the World Cup.”
Also, mixed messages coming from the coaches aren’t helping matters either.
“Take for example the case of Nasir Jamshed. He is a natural stroke-player but time and again the coaches tell him to just spend some time out there and then start hitting. The problem with Nasir is that it’s in his nature that he will hit a short one but because of all the tips and advices he is unable to execute it like the way he did in the past. It’s a similar story with other many other players” a source privy to the happenings in the Pakistan dressing room said.
There is also this thorny matter of “too many cooks” in the Pakistan camp. Though Moin Khan’s expulsion has eased things a bit, there is still friction between the captain, the head coach and some of the senior players.
“In an ideal world, it’s the captain who should have the final say in his team’s matters but Misbah is not getting that luxury. The worst part is that in a bid to extend his Test career, he I not even trying to get such authority. He is just playing along,” the source said.