Daily Times

The media frenzy and uncalled for hype were additional pressures the Pakistan cricket team had to face even before the start of the World Cup. An extremely tense atmosphere was created before the Pakistan-India match. Unrealistic hopes of a victory were raised without considering the relative strengths and weaknesses of the teams objectively. Our sixth defeat to India in World Cup matches to date shattered the confidence of our team. In the aftermath, the team succumbed to an embarrassing defeat to the West Indies. Our team so far has not been able to overcome its problems, rather these have exacerbated to such an extent that Pakistan had to put in a lot of effort to defeat a relatively weak Zimbabwe. Inconsistencies in batting, fielding, and the selection of players have put Pakistan on the verge of an ouster from the World Cup. Pathetic fielding performances and losing wickets while playing irresponsible shots without regard to how the game is poised are flaws the team has failed to overcome so far. The experiment of shuffling the positions of players in crucial matches has played havoc with the team’s overall performance. The sending of experienced but out of form Younis Khan to open with Ahmed Shehzad proved a disaster. Despite his enormous talent and past winning performances, Younis is struggling to gain his lost form. He should be given another chance and sent at his usual batting position of third or fourth.

At least six batsmen, Ahmed Shehzad, Sarfraz Ahmed, Misbah-ul Haq, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal and Haris Sohail can prove a strong batting lineup. Our openers are consistently failing to perform and the inclusion of Sarfraz, a specialist wicket keeper and aggressive batsman, is necessary in place of Nasir Jamshed, who has failed to come up to expectations. Misbah also needs to come in earlier at the number three or four position. We can have a more balanced team by relying on at least three pacers, Muhammad Irfan, Sohail Khan and Wahab Riaz, two all-rounders in Shahid Afridi and Haris Sohail, and leg spinner Yasir Shah, unused so far. Only the best available and most balanced team can bring some laurels. There are clear indications that if the management remains busy in experimenting with players, our team would not be able to even reach the quarter final stage in the presence of more talented and balanced teams. However, there is no need to lose all hope. Any Pakistani player can click on his day and take the match away from any opponent. All we need to do is support the team with a tinge of realism. *