Pakistan in World Cup: Lessons learnt

March 15, 2015

A few things the team should consider before the match

Pakistan in World Cup: Lessons learnt

Pakistan cricket team is playing its final match of the World Cup today, and if all goes well, it manages to beat Ireland in the World Cup it will have a place in the quarter-finals.

There are a few things the team should consider before the match; things they might have learned from their campaign so far.

1) Trust the best players!

When the Pakistan team was selected, everybody, including this scribe, wrote against the ‘best’ team assembled as per chief selector Moin Khan.

As the first round of the World Cup is coming to an end, people are realising that the former captain erred big time.

Instead of picking up the experienced Zulfiqar Babar they went for Haris Sohail who was transformed into an all-rounder overnight; the Raam Leela inspired Fawad Alam was dropped for his ‘one-of-its-kind-dismissal’ against the Aussies but his absence in the middle order is being felt; Sarfraz Ahmed the opener was dropped from the final XI; and the super unfit and highly misfit Nasir Jamshed was preferred.

Mystery still surrounds the recall of Mohammad Hafeez who was sent back from Down Under and who claims that he was fit enough to bat at the top. Hafeez would most certainly have been better than Nasir Jamshed; we all believe you now Professor!

2) Steadier the custodian, the better the bowling

All those who have played a cricket match -- be it on the streets, in a makeshift ground or in a stadium -- know that the second most important person in the field after the captain is the wicket-keeper; the steadier the custodian behind the stumps, the better the performance of the bowlers.

The Pakistan team management comprised one former military guy and a former wicketkeeper who used to drop catches at will and they kept giving chances to Umar Akmal for reasons better known to them. The same Umar Akmal who hardly kept wickets at domestic level and is the worst wicketkeeper among the three brothers; and the result was that Pakistan lost the first two matches because of his inept glovework. He did manage to take five catches against Zimbabwe but nobody counts the missed chances when the team wins.

Sarfraz Ahmed replaced him in the next match (on PCB’s, former players’ and public’s demand) and Pakistan bowling seemed like a changed unit; it reminded one of the days when Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed used to terrorise the opposition and Rashid Latif used to take no matter from which way the ball arrived.

3) Gone are the Yorkers!

Yes, the Pakistani pacers are back with a bang; they bowled with their heart out against South Africa and proved they are world beaters but hey… where are the yorkers? The generation that grew up watching Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis (the current head coach) bowl toe-crushing deliveries in the ‘90s now has to wait for the yorkers that Pakistani bowlers don’t seem to bowl at all.

The Indians can bowl them, the Sri Lankans still have the art and even the Bangladeshis can put in an odd yorker but for the Green-shirts, the Rahat Ali delivery that got David Miller was once in a blue moon. Why? Beats me!

4) If Shane Watson can be dropped, why can’t we do the same with Shahid Afridi?

Pakistan cricket team boasts of one of the ‘all-time greats’ in cricket and his name is Shahid Afridi who despite his batting average of 23 and bowling average of 34 (no, they aren’t mixed up!) commands a place in the national side because the folks back home love him. Australia have Shane Watson in their team who is a far better all-rounder than the Pakistani yet he was dropped from the final XI after a few bad matches. He came back strongly and delivered a match-winning performance against Sri Lanka, scoring a half century in the lower order (67 off 41 balls) and taking the crucial wicket of the dangerous Thisara Perera. If Watson who averages 40 in ODIs can be dropped from the team, why can’t Shahid Afridi whose combined tally of runs in World Cup (five editions since 1999) is closer to what Misbah ul Haq has scored in 2015. Drop him against Ireland and hope for the best!

5) Post-match conferences are important!

Captain Misbah ul Haq is the most honest cricketer in Pakistan’s history; one who plays with his heart and mind when he is on the field but he must learn to face the media the same way. He shouldn’t (I repeat, shouldn’t) underestimate leg-spinners by saying that Auckland is a small ground and leg-spinners can go for runs there. Did Pakistan score 500 runs in the match against South Africa, considering they had Imran Tahir in their lineup who bowled one of the final overs? No. Secondly, he is the captain of the team; instead of defending the team selection he should have put his foot down and dropped one of the two non-scoring batsmen -- Sohaib Maqsood and/or Umar Akmal -- to squeeze in Sarfraz Ahmed earlier against Zimbabwe. He didn’t do this but one hopes that he has learnt his lesson and will include Yasir Shah against Ireland so that the leg spinner can have a morale-boosting match ahead of the knockout stage.

Pakistan in World Cup: Lessons learnt