Daily Times

What an eventful week it has been for Pakistan. Roads, avenues, markets, offices, the rustic rural, and the plushy upscale urban; the entire country and all its ‘galimuhallahs’ are a scatter of celebrations. All major tabloids have been waxing lyrical about the green kits and how they have warmed the cockles of the nation’s heart.

It seems Eid has arrived a few days early, since Pakistan’s win over India in the Champions Trophy is resulting in bumper sales at all major bazaars across the country. Young babes and ageing aunts are already out having their palms sketched.

Beating this Indian side initially seemed like a mountain to climb. Sunday’s game, however, proved that Cricket is the world’s most amusingly unpredictable and nerve straining game, and that is precisely why Cricket to this day, is fancied and craved by billions around the planet.

How did the Pakistani team come good in the tournament? How did a team which is usually out of whack in international competitions get its act together and perform at full pelt? After all, all bets were off when our team was thrashed by the Indians in the opening game of the tournament.

Word from within the camp has it that Shoaib Malik provided the much needed spirit booster in one of the camp’s after match meetings. “Give it a whirl and hit your straps”, is what he told the boys who were quite understandably shaking their way out of the tournament. A little soapbox pontification and some reshuffling of the squad was all that was required, and the Pakistan team we all saw in the game against the Proteas was a completely different group of players; back on their feet, ebullient, shouting from their chests, and bobbing and weaving like never before.

A little soapbox pontification and some reshuffling of the squad was all that was required, and the Pakistan team we all saw in the game against the Proteas was a completely different group of players

The team management also made some rapid and highly effective decisions. The omission of Wahab Riaz and Ahmed Shehzad was a delight. Wahab has been outliving our predictions for a while. That one spell he erringly composed against the Australians in the 2015World Cup was his seemingly perennial ticket for selection into the team. Wahab’s famous spell was allowed to bloom simply because Shane Watson was completely out of color and sorely out of his depth that day. On any other day, he would have taken Wahab to bits.

Wahab has failed to produce a similar spell in any of his outings since then. This lack of consistency means that the ball in his palms is nothing more than a mechanical exercise, as it never swirls and never teases any decent batsman. Certainly, not the ideal recipe to dodge the intractable blade that Virat Kohli commands, particularly when Kohli gets going in the middle.

As for Ahmed Shehzad, his place in the opening spot was always up for grabs, given his uncaring temperament and his knack for cheaply throwing away his wicket. Instead, in Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali, the Pakistani team seems to have finally discovered a combination that should fetch more victories in months and years to come.

Fakhar Zaman, despite having a few blots in his technique that will be tested on bouncier tracks, is endowed with a big match heart. His legs and mind seem to be in perfect symphony when he decides to attack. Moreover, Babar Azam is the ideal number 3 batsman. Solid, and, has a touch of Aravinda De Silva about him whenever he bends and milks through the covers. Hassan Ali is the middle over exterminator, blessed with a perfect action and approach to the wicket. Mohammad Aamir is finally getting his groove back and on his day, can prove to be extremely distressing for any batting lineup in the world.

In a synopsis, a string of victories in the Champions Trophy means that things are going well for the green kits. They must now put their heads together and without losing their momentum, load up for the World Cup in 2019.

The writer is an alumnus of University of Cambridge and previously worked as a journalist in London. He has also played for Pakistan’s junior cricket team. He can be reached at bjsadiq46@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, June 23rd, 2017.