Daily Times

Ahead of their World Cup 2019 campaign, Sarfraz Ahmad and his charges have
concluded their one-day international series against England on a low, losing the five-match series 4-0. The first contest at The Oval washed out. In the second ODI at Southampton, England won by 12 runs; in the 3rd ODI at Bristol, England won by 6 wickets, in the fourth ODI in Nottingham, the hosts triumphed by three wickets and in the fifth and final ODI, Eoin Morgan’s men overwhelmed Pakistan by 54 runs, showing all and sundry that they are strong contenders for the top prize in the mega event commencing from May 31.

What was heartening to note was the way Pakistan batted. The batting unit long regarded as unpredictable and brittle, posted three hundred plus totals, making them the first team to score 340-plus totals in three consecutive ODIs. Pakistan had gone on to score 361-7, 358-9, 340-7. Unfortunately, in all three instances they ended up losing. England scored 373-3, 359-4, 341-7, 351-9 in the second, third, fourth and fifth ODIs, respectively.

The series showed that England have an outstanding chance to lift the World Cup on home soil, having built a squad full of proven match winners. England enter the tournament as one of the most consistent teams in the format. Since their shock group-stage exit from the 2015 World Cup, England have not only rectified their approach but also been particularly strong at home, winning 34 of their 46 ODIs while losing only nine. Since the start of last year, England have come out on top in bilateral ODI series against World Cup holders Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and India. There are match winners throughout the squad, there are batsmen that can win games on their own, and over the last six or eight months their bowling has improved tremendously. Home advantage could prove critical after Australia won the tournament as co-hosts in 2015 and India did the same in 2011. Pakistan’s batting in the ODI series against England has surprised critics and fans alike. Long seen as a weak area, the batting put an imperious show. One has to acknowledge that the batsmen did fairly well in the series. Scoring 340 or more runs in three consecutive ODIs was never expected from the men in green, no matter how easy the pitches were. Pakistan were right in their comfort zone, accumulating runs and playing the fast-paced brand of limited-overs cricket. Their bowling, always considered challenging and frequently lethal, was, however, toothless, clueless and impotent. It lacked the aggression and venom needed to bowl out a team in 50 overs. Bowling – the team’s forte for decades – showed signs of deterioration. What kind of bowling is consistently unable to defend totals in excess of 350? Throghout the series, fielding was a massive difference between the two sides. Along with bowling, the boys need to improve in the field. Pakistan’s fielding standards improved under Steve Rixon, who left recently upon conclusion of his two-year contract. It seems that with the departure of Rixon, the standards have dropped.

With less than two weeks left in the mega event, the bowlers need to shape up. Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Muhammad Hasnain, and spinners Yasir Shah, Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik and Muhammad Hafeez were no match for the rampaging England batsmen. The England series has shown Pakistan they will be needing true grit in the World Cup. Sarfraz and his comrades need a lot of hard work to seriously challenge teams of England’s ilk at the World Cup. But can one expect consistency from Pakistan? Is it not the volatile nature of their style of play that makes them one of the most interesting teams in the world? *