Pakistan change its colour from time to time – they are a bunch of freaks who, perhaps, don’t even know what to do in every game, and for which they are still a team that blows hot and cold. Just when the critics tagged that this Pakistan unit could pose a threat after chasing an impossible total against Sri Lanka – they collapsed against India, remained sloppy against Australia, and completed the circle of sloppiness by digesting a defeat against Afghanistan for the first time in the history of Pakistan’s ODI.
Three times in a row – it had been a ridiculous Pakistan
whose captain lacked the spark, while the rest of the players had no idea how
to stick to the basics of the game rather than trying to emulate the
extraordinary talents of the past unnecessarily.
If the collapse against India was hard to imagine then the
sloppiness against Afghanistan is beyond imagination from a side that was at
the top of the ICC ODI ratings before the commencement of the ICC Cricket World
Cup 2023 – while, in between, the lackluster cricket against Australia is
sandwiched.
Before the match – everyone suggested that the Chennai deck
might be sluggish like the match between India and Australia – keeping that in
mind, both the teams focused on spinners with Afghanistan including four.
To be honest among the two teams – The Pakistani spinners
were the weakest links and time and again – they have made Pakistan suffer
terribly and this match was no different.
When Pakistan started to bat after winning the toss, the
deck never gave the impression of sluggishness but a good batting track where
the margin of error in bowling was minimal. Even though the experts stated that
on this deck anything around 250+ would be a competitive total - as soon as the
match progressed – a total of 330+ seemed necessary.
And, Pakistan could have achieved such had their batsmen cut
short the tendency to execute cross-batted shots.
Imam-ul-Haq was dismissed again while attempting to pull and
in the previous matches – he was dismissed twice while attempting such.
Abdullah Shafique was dismissed while attempting to sweep against the wrong-un
when he was well-set – another cross-batted shot. Then, Mohammad Rizwan was
dismissed playing a sweep against a wide-of-a-length delivery – another cross-batted
shot. Meanwhile, Saud Shakil ended up with eggs on his face by trying to whack
a flighted delivery outside off towards midwicket – another cross-batted shot.
Four batsmen were dismissed while attempting shots that were
not even necessary and were against the run of play, automatically, putting
Pakistan under pressure.
A late burst from the Pakistani tail-enders gave the total a
boost – but Pakistan forgot that the nature of the deck kept on improving and
for players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran – this could be a
paradise if the Pakistani new ball bowlers don’t get the basics right.
Till now, in this tournament, the teams that have fared well
with the ball have invested more in attacking the stumps and maintaining an
incisive length backed up by sharp fielding – the perfect example is India.
In three matches in a row – the new ball bowlers of Pakistan
bowled wayward trying to discover swing for a mysterious reason, bowled with a
lot of pace but without control, and surprisingly, none of them have attacked
the stumps enough. Whereas the spinners are just there to ease the pressure
with half-volleys and short-of-length stuff.
Then comes Pakistani fielding which remains a laughing
stock, still, today – the board invests so much in various things for the
players despite the economic crisis – but the effort on the field from the
Pakistani players is like a 50-year-old playing village cricket in England who
runs after the ball and fields too cautiously so that the bones don’t break.
How many easy runs and boundaries have been given tonight
the Pakistanis should look and think whether they deserve to don the Green
Shirt that earned the respect of so many fans in the past.
And, how badly the Pakistanis have bowled tonight surely put
the legendary bowlers of the past in shame – the sad voice of Waqar Younis at
the commentary suggested how low was he feeling deep down watching the dismal
show by the pacers.
Coming into their fifth match of the tournament, Afghanistan
had never beaten Pakistan in an ODI rather suffered heartbreaks. But in the Cricket World Cup, they finally
managed to break the jinx. And they did it, in Chennai, by eight wickets
chasing down 283 with six balls to spare, crafting their highest successful
chase in ODIs in the process - it was also the highest successful chase against
Pakistan in a Cricket World Cup game.
Gurbaz and Zadran batted like a monster – devouring every
Pakistani delivery as if they were hungry for ages as the runs came thick and
fast with the Pakistani bowlers vanishing all around the park. Their 130-run
stand came like the movement of the Flash while the composure of Rahmat Shah
and Hashmatullah Shahidi was like the Batman and Superman –just exploit the
below-par Pakistani attack according to merit as a rush of blood would invite
catastrophe.
The venue where Saeed Anwar smashed 194 in 1997 and Pakistan
won a thrilling Test against India in 1999 which earned them a standing ovation
– the venue where Imran Khan smashed a hundred in a Test in 1987 –witnessed the
celebration of a unit that never lost heart and always pushes their limit to
achieve something.
Afghanistan celebrated another victory in front of the sloppy Pakistanis.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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