After several months of disappointments, the performance of the national cricket team is finally showing signs of improvement. Pakistan completed a clean sweep in the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh after defeating the visitors by seven wickets in the final match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, chasing down a formidable target of 197 runs. After a shaky start that saw opener Sahibzada Farhan dismissed in the first over, Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub put together a solid partnership, helping the boys in green to 56 runs for the loss of one wicket after just six overs. Haris and Saim built a 92-run stand for the second wicket, showcasing aggressive and fluent strokeplay in pursuit of the target, with Haris continuing to anchor the innings after Saim was dismissed and reaching his maiden T20I half-century. Haris remained unbeaten on 107 off 46 balls, including eight fours and seven sixes, while skipper Agha contributed a quickfire 14 off 11 deliveries as Pakistan comfortably chased down the target in 17.1 overs. Pakistan’s batters rarely play this well when chasing down high targets, and it is encouraging to see that strong batting performances have been a feature of this series, with the national team setting targets of over 200 runs in the first and second games of the series.
For too long, the country has always relied on its bowlers to get it out of trouble and one would struggle to tally all the games and championships that could have been won had outstanding bowling not been let down by subpar batting and fielding. While it is too early to proclaim that those days are behind the Pakistan team, a rejuvenated batting lineup will hopefully help move the needle in the right direction. And, while the batting performances are arguably what defined the series, it is not as though Pakistan’s bowlers were anonymous. Veteran pacer Hasan Ali claimed a five-wicket haul in the first T20 and young spinner Abrar Ahmed notched three wickets for just 19 runs in the second. In both cases, the bowlers disrupted Bangladeshi run-chases that could have gone quite differently if not for their efforts.
Pakistan needs more batting-bowling synergy to keep winning and better fielding would not hurt either. More importantly, the country’s cricket scene needs a strong national team for the game to continue to keep its place at the top of the country’s sports pyramid. The outgoing PSL X and its lukewarm attendance figures prove that private T20 leagues ultimately depend on top-calibre national team players that the country wants to see play for their popularity. While some might argue that it is unfair to judge a tournament that was disrupted by a mini-war too harshly, one could also say that the patriotic fervour generated by Pakistan’s success in the conflict should have helped the nation’s marquee T20 league once hostilities were over and the tournament had resumed. This was not the case. National success remains the bedrock of cricket’s status as king in Pakistan.