How Pakistan's semi-final dream goes sour?
Cricket
How Pakistan’s semi-final dream goes sour?
By Anees-ur-Rehman
Avid cricket fans in Pakistan can recall the time when win or defeat in a match would be a matter of life and death. And if it was a drubbing in a world cup match or exit from the prized tournament, it would be nothing less than an occasion for ‘mourning’ in every nook and cranny of the country. The gloom and hurt feeling would linger for days and remain a subject of gossip.
Times have changed. The sadness has given way to anger and exasperation which are natural. The cricket lovers do bemoan the loss of the coveted prize but now let loose their indignation in a different way. Social media comes in handy, allowing them to share their opinions and do catharsis.
This is what is happening in Pakistan where cricket fans are disturbed, and rightly so, over the team’s inglorious exit from the world cup. Contrary to the public expectations, the Men in Green were knocked out of the event in group stages.
Let’s try to figure out how the semi-final dream of the team, which was rated high among contenders, went sour.
What pundits said
The cricket pundits did not write Pakistan off at the start of the world cup as they knew the element of unpredictability the team is known for. Keeping in view their recent form and track record, the experts believed that the former world champions would give a tough time to host India and at least make it to the semis.
But that didn’t happen. Even the Qudrat Ka Nizam (law of nature) did not come to rescue the struggling side as Pakistan lost five out of nine matches – the highest defeats in any single world cup edition.
Pakistan have historically struggled in the world cups, having made it to the semis just once in the previous six editions. Their last semi-final appearance in the ODI world cup was in 2011, when India defeated them at home ground in Mohali.
So, let’s reflect on the shortcomings of the Babar Azam-led side which missed a golden opportunity to make an impact on Indian soil.
‘An overrated team’
Despite entering the Asia Cup as the top-ranked ODI team, Pakistan's actual performance didn't match their ranking. Pakistan were exposed in the face of quality teams in this world cup as they did not prepare well to even face Afghanistan who rewrote history after registering first-ever victory in the ODIs.
Pakistan looked an ordinary team when it comes to execution of the plans. They did not play like a competitive side throughout the tournament. This dismal performance highlighted Pakistan’s underachievement in major tournament.
It seems Pakistan’s past performance and media hype, especially ahead of match against India, made it an overrated team which crumbled at the crunch time.
Babar’s failure as captain
Babar Azam is Pakistan’s most prolific batsman and he was expected to lead from the front. However, the skipper could only score 320 runs with four fifties, failing to make a mark in the tournament.
He failed to convert these half-centuries into hundreds – a stark contrast with Kohli with whom he used to be compared because of his style - and contribute to the success of the team.
His decisions of bowling changes, field placement and occasional changes to the batting order also came under question in the tournament. Many believe that his decision to put Australia and New Zealand to bat first in key matches was beyond belief.
His body language was not that of a leader who could inspire his team to secure victories in the mega event.
Babar faced another challenge in the middle of the tournament as his WhatsApp conversation with an official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was leaked. The development came after former captain Rashid Latif claimed that PCB chief Zaka Ashraf did not respond to the calls and messages of Babar Azam.
The Pakistan skipper was dethroned by Indian batter Shubman Gill to become number one batsman in ODI rankings.
Now, Babar may step down after the poor show in the world cup. Earlier, chief selector Inzamamul Haq and bowling coach Morne Morkel resigned from their posts.
Lack of quality spinners
Getting wickets in the middle overs is key to success in any format of the cricket. Pakistan lacked a quality spinner in this world cup. Vice-captain Shadab Khan was leading the spin attack and he had a very poor tournament as he could take two wickets in six games, leaking runs at an average of more than six an over. His poor form led Babar to utilise Iftikhar Ahmed as fifth and sixth option.
Mohammad Nawaz and Usama Mir were given opportunities in the middle of the tournament but they also failed to deliver under pressure.
‘Toothless’ pace attack
Fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were considered a lethal pace attack but Naseem Shah’s injury just ahead of the world cup broke the chain.
Although Afridi ended up with 18 wickets in nine games, his opening spell lacked venom in the absence of his bowling partner Naseem Shah. The right-arm fast bowler’s absence raised questions about Pakistan's bench strength.
Hasan Ali replaced injured Naseem Shah, but he was unable to trouble the batters with his medium pace.
Haris Rauf has had a disastrous tournament as he conceded many runs in each match. He gave away 533 runs in nine games of this tournament, which is the most by any bowler in the history of the world cup in a single edition. He surpassed Adil Rashid’s record of leaking 526 runs in the 2019 world cup.
Former captain Wasim Akram advised Rauf to play first-class cricket to become an all-format bowler.
Dropping Fakhar Zaman, dropping world cup
Pakistan carried Fakhar Zaman to the world cup but he was dropped after his early dismissal against the Netherlands. Abdullah Shafique joined Imamul Haq at the top and did fantastic job against Sri Lanka, helping Pakistan achieve record total in world cup history.
The drop of Fakhar Zaman against South Africa seemed a big mistake as he is an impact player who can change things around in no time as he did against New Zealand with a record-breaking hundred.
Politics in PCB
Politics in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not a new thing. Three chiefs have been changed in just eight months, thanks to the political developments in the country.
Najam Sethi took over as chief of the management committee following the removal of Ramiz Raja as the PCB chairman in December last year. During his tenure, Sethi restored the previous departmental system undone by the PCB when the PTI government was in power.
He also appointed a new team management led by Mickey Arthur.
Najam Sethi ended his six-month stint after he pulled out of the race for PCB chairmanship, paving the way for Zaka Ashraf, who was backed by PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, to take over the Pakistan cricket affairs.
Sethi had said he did not want to become a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif.
After assuming the charge in June this year, Zaka Ashraf has been running the show amid controversies that gripped the Pakistan cricket recently.
Zaka Ashraf, in a recent interview, admitted that there’s “too much politics” in the cricket board.
