If you are the sort who believes in such things, then Pakistan’s tournament seems to be following something of a script.
Here was a team struggling to win ODI matches at home and away. Its only recent win of note against a Test playing nation came in a practice game against a struggling English side. Aside from security issues at home, the team was recovering from various scandals and injuries that had resulted in the loss of talents such as Mohammad Asif, Mohammed Amir, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul and Junaid Khan to name a few – all players Pakistan had heavily invested in.
The replacements were men such as Wahab Riaz, a fast bowler who had shown sparks of genius so rarely that readers chortled at my suggestion that he could prove to be a match winning all-rounder.
Others included Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil, Sarfraz Ahmed, and Sohaib Maqsood; all of them cricketers who, in the World Cup, were playing the first major tournament of their careers.
Still others, such as Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, and Mohammad Irfan were yet to live up to their promise. Meanwhile the best player in the team was an ageing captain often steering the ship on his own.
This team did not have the ingredients of someone destined for the quarterfinals. Yet, fate seems to have designed their path to the next round almost on purpose to propel a suicidal unit to the peak of self-confidence.
Also read: We have the momentum to go all the way: Misbah
Pakistan predictably lost its first game against India, and then having hit rock bottom, were buried underground by the West Indies. It now needed to win all of its last four games to reach the knockout stage, with each contest effectively a knockout match. Had the next match been against the dangerous South Africans, Pakistan would have surely met the same fate as England, but thankfully, the writers placed Zimbabwe in their path.
By barely edging Zimbabwe, the bowlers finally showed the innate ability we all hoped they carried. The win also set spark to a Pakistani candle after it had stood through a thunderstorm. If the win against Zimbabwe lit the bowlers, the triumph against UAE – who inexplicably fielded first – allowed the batsmen to gorge like the starving at a buffet.
Aside from instilling confidence, the victories also gave the players a taste of pressure. When the South African lions came to play, our Asian tigers had already beaten a couple of hyenas.
Sarfraz omission likely just a tactical error
While Pakistan’s performance against Ireland today wasn’t flawless, they showed enough potential in all departments to pose a threat to Australia in the quarterfinals. Their advantage is in that they will challenge the hosts in Adelaide, where the conditions are less alien.
Pakistan’s most welcome new asset is an in-form Sarfraz Ahmed. The management’s decision to keep him out was criticised heavily by fans and critics alike, who didn’t seem to realise that the Karachi-based player was given every chance in Australia and New Zealand, but was finding it impossible to hold catches, stump batsmen, and score runs.
Also read: Sarfraz the man again as Pakistan set quarter-final date with Australia
Like poor Fawad Alam, Sarfraz’s case was seen as a victimisation of Karachi players.
Did the management persist with Nasir Jamshed for too long? Yes, but to suggest a bias against Karachi players affects the team selections is ridiculous.
A large number of players in the squad are Karachi-based, including the chief selector himself. Players like Asad Shafiq were given countless chances to break into the ODI team in spite of poor limited overs' performances.
At worse, Fawad and Sarfraz’s cases could be seen as pigheaded tactical errors by decision-makers such as coach Waqar Younis. But to his credit, the great fast bowler has single-handedly sharped five blunt fast bowlers into dangerous assets. Today’s performance in the final ten overs was particularly impressive, where Ireland scored only 49 runs at the loss of five wickets.
Don't give up hope on under-firing players
Another cricketer getting more stick than he deserves is Shahid Afridi. While the dynamic Pakistani player hasn’t taken many wickets, he's also been the victim of some bad catching.
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The match-winning Afridi performance might just be round the corner.—AFP |
Critics of Afridi invariably bring up his poor batting and bowling average when they argue that he should sit outside of the playing eleven.
Going simply by his statistics, it is true: his inclusion sometimes boggles the mind, but Boom Boom is so much more than his numbers.
Afridi is number five on the list of those with most Man of the Match awards. One more, and he will reach a position behind just Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuria.
Granted, he has played more matches than many on the list, but nonetheless he averages one Man-of-the-Match award every 12 matches or so. What this means is that every dozen games, our unpredictable superstar is likely to cast an irresistible spell which leads Pakistan to victory.
If Afridi hits the jackpot in any of the next three knockout games, his statistics will appear meaningless.
As for Yasir Shah, considering that he's unlikely to play, it remains to be seen whether the leg-spinner will be missed by Pakistan against Australia. His omission today was heavily criticised, but if Mohammad Irfan is unfit, then the blooding of his replacement Ehsan Adil against the Irish may prove to be a timely move.
Also read: Beat Australia and World Cup is yours, Imran tells Pakistan
Of course, some concerns remain. Most Pakistani batsmen are still not converting their 50s into big scores. And while Sarfraz’s enthusiasm for running between the wickets is welcome, he ran out poor Haris Sohail today after which he almost ran himself out. Only Umar Akmal’s wise call saved him.
Also, although Pakistan is coming into their own, the two young batsmen Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal are yet to play at their explosive best. Hopefully, they can seek inspiration from the rise of the fast bowlers.
If that happens, our tigers will be unstoppable.