Cricket and controversy

Controversy has never stayed far off from Pakistan cricket, and it hung heavy over the Premadasa Stadium on Sunday as the team led by Shahid Afridi clinched what looked like an impossible victory over Sri Lanka to win the T20 series 2-0. Pakistan, which had won the first T-20 match on Thursday by 29 runs, claimed a one-wicket win in the second, successfully chasing the target of 173 runs, after at one point floundering at 40 for 5 in the eighth over. The victory came as Pakistan’s number 9 batsman Anwar Ali collected 46 from 17 balls to pull away what had seemed like a certain defeat from Sri Lanka. He had been helped along the way by Captain Shahid Afridi’s 45 from 22 balls in a brutal innings that included four sixes. Sri Lanka, playing with an inexperienced team, eventually found themselves overwhelmed. The unlikely win places Pakistan at third place in the world T20 rankings and makes it among the top contenders in this cricketing format. Pakistan’s fielding throughout the game was no match for that of Sri Lanka and this remains an area of considerable concern.
The concern is highlighted by the controversy that was stirred up after wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed was dropped from the two T20 games, despite a series of superb performances in previous contests this year including the one-day World Cup in March this year. Even in that contest, his selection came only after intervention from the PCB chairman. The decision to drop Sarfraz Ahmed has been heavily criticised at home, with former captains and other experts lashing out at Afridi and Coach Waqar Younis. Afridi has defended the decision after the victory in Colombo, saying that Sarfraz Ahmed would figure in future games. The fact that Ahmed was also the vice captain of the squad makes the decision to leave him out seem particularly peculiar. But these are the workings of Pakistan cricket. We have seen similar controversies rage in the past and it appears unlikely that there will be an end to them in the near future with many doubts continuing over selection policies. For now, however, Pakistan and Pakistanis everywhere can revel in the astonishing victory pulled out from nowhere in Colombo and remind themselves that they still possess the talent to take the cricketing world by storm – at least every now and then.