Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 4th ODI - Well played Pakistan, well done Azhar Ali

What an amazing turn around by the Pakistan team! Yet another clinical performance to secure the one-day series against Sri Lanka in style. Over the years, their performance in the ODIs has been shoddy and their lack of temperament while chasing was always under scrutiny. It created enough frustration for the fans and critics.

But all of a sudden, this current Pakistan team is reminding us about the Pakistan of old times – the men in green, who  were rated among the best ODI teams in the world and dished out eye-catching performances to claim place in most of the people’s heart. The fans and critics always wished to witness that Pakistan team, but sadly they were hardly evident on the cricket field.

This Pakistan team seems different and they play with much more positive intent and hunger. On the field, they play as a unit and each player always seems super-charged. Should I think that Azhar Ali’s captaincy has an impact over Pakistan’s brilliant performance? I think it is. As because, a lot of things depend on the captain in cricket and his way of handling the pressure and man management is always vital behind a team’s sound display on the field.

In that sense, Azhar Ali has done a great job in regrouping this fragile Pakistan team and of course, he has proved critics like me and others wrong. When he was appointed as the captain of the ODI team, many people from his own country, let alone me,  thought that it was a step-backward-appointment and after losing 3-0 against Bangladesh, gave such sort of thinking enough validity. Many thought that Ali would be the carbon copy of Misbah-ul-Haq’s pragmatism. Even some of my Pakistani friends in Facebook blasted expressed their utmost dissatisfaction and anger regarding his appointment.

But, Ali has proved all of us wrong. As an ODI batsman in Sri Lanka, he was fluent and played according to the demands of modern day cricket. His captaincy has been way better than it was in Bangladesh while his field setting hinted us of how quickly he can learn from his mistakes. Ali has proved that he is a tough character and he is capable of leading Pakistan.

Yet another fantastic show by the men in green in Colombo and personally, I have no interest in whether they will be able to qualify for the Champions Trophy or not, but as a cricket fan, the satisfaction is that the Pakistan team has started to turn around and I shall be happier when the West Indies would do the same. The cricketing world badly needs teams like Pakistan and West Indies to perform well.

Lastly, Ahmed Shehzad's attempt to claim that catch during the second ball of the 40th over was a bad example for the game. It was clearly against the spirit of the game and a foolish attempt in this age of standard technology. Shehzad should be ashamed of himself for doing such.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar