There was a defining moment in the buildup to today's quarterfinal, where it was obvious that the Asian team would be unable to emerge victorious against Australia. It wasn’t in the actual loss of the giant strike bowler Mohammad Irfan to injury, but rather, in the manner with which Pakistan had lamented his loss.
It was almost as if Pakistan had already accepted that they couldn’t win without him.
For Misbah to consider his loss a ‘huge setback’ was fair enough, but for him to obsess about how ‘difficult’ it was to have lost two bowlers to suspension and then bemoan the losses of Umar Gul and Junaid Khan after reaching the quarterfinals was worrying.
It was a concern because Pakistan had already qualified for the quarterfinals with able replacements for the two seamers, and yet the captain was still living in the traumatic past.
I suppose we are to blame for some of this fear with the constant social media attacks on the cricketers that has extended to their official Twitter accounts, but at the same time, I wanted to shake the captain and say, “You are in the quarterfinals. Forget about Ajmal, Hafeez, Gul, and Junaid. Bring your mind back into the present. ”
This defeatist mindset was reflected in today’s game, where it seems only Wahab Riaz showed up like a cornered tiger, while the rest of the team were more in cowering kitten mode.
 |
Michael Clarke fails to control a short delivery. —AP |
Pakistan did not deserve to score even 213, and certainly rode their luck to the total. Incredibly, none of the batsmen were out bowled or LBW. Yes, all 10 batsmen were out caught on a pitch which was excellent for batting.
Our total would have been far lower had the batsmen not had plenty of luck throughout the innings. From the careless shots they were playing, they seemed to lack belief and intent in their ability to play the 50 overs.
Of bad decisions, dictators and more bad decisions
When we came out to bowl, we certainly missed Mohammad Irfan, but that was out of our hands.
More so, we missed Yasir Shah, who in the absence of the striker bowler, was an alternative match-winner on a slower pitch, against a team he had recently bamboozled in a Test series.
But I am not surprised by Misbah and Waqar’s defensive team selection.
Let us be honest: Misbah only responded with aggression in the tournament when he was backed into a corner with no other choice; as it happened in the games against Zimbabwe and South Africa, where after a low total he could only win by attacking.
But, for the rest of the tournament, when he had the choice, he repeatedly took the most defensive options.
The PTI’s official twitter account mentioned that Imran Khan at a speech jokingly asked the crowd if they would like to play it safe like Misbah and gain nothing, or take a risk for high rewards.
In a blog before Pakistan’s World Cup campaign began, I wrote that there was a general feeling that Misbah wouldn’t make attacking changes until they were forced upon him, by which time it would be too late.
I also stated that Pakistan would likely qualify for the quarterfinals due to the nature of the tournament, and should plan for the knockout game by getting its match-winners Yasir Shah and Sarfraz Ahmed into shape.
How I wish that the prophecy had not come true.
How I wish that the management had proved me and other Pakistani fans wrong by actually sharpening its match-winners before the quarterfinals.
There are three players that fans had been screaming for to be part of the playing 11.
They were Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah, and Fawad Alam. Two of those were in the World Cup squad but barely played.
Sarfraz, who did manage to get more than one game, won us two of the three matches he played. Yet, even he played only after the management had exhausted all options.
On the other hand, poor Yasir Shah was only played against the best players of spin in the World Cup, while Imran Tahir, a bowler, who in my opinion, isn’t as good as Yasir, has played every game for South Africa and has proven to be their X-factor.
Finally, there is Fawad Alam, who, as rumors suggest, was dropped for being considered too slow. On several occasions, Pakistan embarrassingly failed to play their 50 overs in the World Cup.
In such matches, players were dismissed for quick 10s and 20s.
Did the management believe that these quick 10s and 20s were more valuable than a more deliberately paced 50 from Fawad?
 |
Misbah-ul-Haq and Haris Sohail put on 73 runs for the third wicket. —AFP |
Reportedly, the management was as against Fawad in the squad as they were against Sarfraz and Yasir Shah in the playing 11.
What’s more, selector Mohammad Akram revealed – as confirmed by reports before the squad was selected – that Nasir Jamshed was considered unfit and out of form, but the coach and captain were almost adamant in their attitude to have him selected.
Mohammad Hafeez later stated that he could have recovered from his injury in time for the World Cup had he been given enough time. But it seems the powers that be were eager to replace him with Nasir.
The unfair treatment of Sarfraz Ahmed, Fawad Alam, Yasir Shah certainly cements Hafeez’s claim that Waqar Younis was stubborn and controlled the team like a dictator. If so, then Waqar has to answer for his actions.
On the other hand, it was the same Waqar Younis whose perspicacity and backing got Ehsan Adil and Wahab Riaz into the team, and we know how fortuitous those decisions turned out to be.
Why was Haris Sohail in the team ahead of Fawad?
My concern with Fawad’s omission is that here was a player the team had invested in for several years, yet was dropped on a whim before a major tournament. At the same time, a similar left-hander was drafted into the team without the performances to back his claim in the side.
Much has been made about Haris Sohail’s inability to convert his starts, but this has more to do with his lack of skill than mental strength. Time after time again, Haris has created pressure upon himself by hitting ball after ball directly to the fielders. Lacking more than a few good shots, he gets out after trying to release the pressure through an ugly slog.
In that sense, he is similar to Ahmed Shehzad. Meanwhile, we have players who easily find gaps and score runs but are neglected.
These are symptoms of a selection process that lacks transparency where ordinary cricketers are selected purely on ‘gut instinct’, while the deserved are left on the sidelines.
This culture, where one man has almost absolute power began with Imran Khan.
At the time, it was a necessity because the system was corrupt and Imran found it difficult to trust anyone. But many of the current crop of selectors are former students of Imran themselves. Why are they bowing to team management?
If a player can not be selected after performing at both first-class and international level, then what more does he need to do?
Every time Pakistan crashes out of the World Cup, we promise ourselves that we will begin a cleanup process, but we never do.
We need to start planning for 2019 now, and that means ignoring old trouble makers such as Sohaib Malik and Kamran Akmal. It also means ignoring Ahmed Shehzad who has proven himself to be the most overrated batsman in Pakistan.
 |
Shehzad makes himself small to dodge a short ball. —ICC |
Three players who reportedly were involved in an unfortunate altercation with the fielding coach were Ahmed Shehzad, Shahid Afridi, and Umar Akmal.
Incidentally, all three failed in the tournament, carry a long history of disciplinary problems, and fail when it matters.
Whether it is Afridi chewing on cricket balls, Shehzad trying to convert Sri Lankan players by scaring them with hellfire, or Umar faking injuries for his brother, the three are like the spoiled divas who can’t sing, but seem to think that they can.
Investing in the future
Certainly, it will be sad to see Misbah go as he has been the solitary fighter for Pakistan and has provided a great service to the nation. Fortunately, he is continuing in the longer version of the game.
While Afridi wants to stay on as T20 captain, it is time to invest in the future rather than an ageing superstar, and select a fresh leader for the ODI and T20 formats.
When selecting a captain, we should think in the long-term and outside of the box.
We must look towards Sarfraz Ahmed, Fawad Alam, or even Wahab Riaz as the next Pakistan captain. To this new skipper, the leadership of both the ODI and T20 cricket must be granted.
Meanwhile, players such as Afridi and Younis Khan, who don’t have the self-respect to retire from all limited overs formats, must not be allowed to plague the team. If Younis Khan tries to blackmail the selectors by withdrawing himself from the Test match team, so be it.
Some of these rather shameless senior players must only look at the dignity with which Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, and Zaheer Khan conducted themselves, when they were left out of the World Cup squad for India.
I can only imagine the outrage had Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan not been selected for the tournament. Younis Khan and his tantrums certainly gave us a taste.
Certainly, there is talent in Pakistan, but the system where they are identified and encouraged begs for a surgical overhaul. A system where world class bowlers such as Yasir Shah and Saeed Ajmal make their debuts after their prime is unacceptable. Yasir Shah, in particular, should have been playing for Pakistan far earlier than the age of 28!
As for the rest of the tournament, I am now happily supporting India due to the overwhelming support from our neighbouring cricket fans over the past month. When Pakistanis were at their most bitter, it was touching to see Indian fans try to raise our spirits through encouraging comments on news websites and social media.
Honestly, I was at a loss for words after these overflowing positive sentiments. It is why I wish all the luck to India and Ms Dhoni for their second consecutive win.