Daily Times

It was written all over the wall. India were the clear favourites. But still majority was hoping for a miracle. But miracles seldom happen. Many were expecting and praying for an exceptional performance but Sarfraz Ahmed and his charges not only kept their tag of poor chasers intact, but also caved in without putting up a gallant fight. It was a tame surrender. Pakistan never looked a front line cricketing nation. So clueless, so inept and so devoid of spirit the fight was that one could easily associate Pakistan with the minnows. Defending champions India thrashed Pakistan by 124 runs to start their ICC Champions Trophy campaign in style. Pakistan never got going in their reply and were all out for 164 chasing a revised Duckworth/Lewis total of 289 in 41 overs. India were able to numb Pakistan with a clinical performance. A mere glance at Pakistan’s performance not only showed that the bowling lacked sting, the fielding was atrocious and the batting brittle but also confirmed how far they have fallen behind modern limited-overs cricket. The gap between Pakistan and India has increased manifold. The win moves India to the top of the pool on net run-rate ahead of South Africa, who defeated Sri Lanka in their opening match on Saturday. India face Sri Lanka in their second fixture at the Oval on Thursday while Pakistan take on South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

The green shirts, who only just qualified for the Champions Trophy with eighth position in the International Cricket Council’s ODI Rankings, were looking to repeat their 2009 victory over the neighbouring nation, scored in the sixth edition of this tournament, to silence their detractors. However, that required something truly extraordinary from a team that lacked depth in all departments of the game. Pakistan needed to show a plenty of commitment and hard work to outplay their nemesis. But their archaic style and pathetic display let them down once again, giving India a sixth straight win over them in ICC events. In the last one decade the limited overs game has undergone tremendous change. It has become very fast-paced. But Pakistan are still a decade behind with their style of play in the modern day cricket. They showed this to all very load and clear in their opening game. Pakistan came into the game with a simple strategy: no game plan. They dropped simple catches, bowled tripe and misfielded simple balls. The captain’s field placing and bowling options didn’t make cricket sense. Dot balls, stupid swipes, and an aggressive disregard for singles was their plan. No Pakistan player looked confident. They remained confused, under pressure and slumped to an unbelievable low.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh made Pakistan pay for below par fielding and bowling with dazzling knocks. The trio literally put the Pakistan attack to sword. India smashed 72 off their final four overs as Pakistan’s attack wilted. In particular, Yuvraj changed the scenario of the game with his scintillating innings. Yuvraj’s 53 off 32 balls was full of eye-catching strokeplay and helped India break free from a sluggish phase towards the back end of their innings. After a stable but steady start provided by the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit, India failed to press the accelerator, partly because of intermittent disruptions caused by the frequent rain. Despite playing an ODI in England for the first time since 2007, Yuvraj showed no signs of struggle and imposed himself on Pakistan quickly. After India made 319 for three in 48 overs, the third rain stoppage of the match left Pakistan with the revised target, which was achievable under bright sunshine. But Pakistan were rarely up with the run-rate.

India don’t have the pace of the other three top bowling sides, but they do possess a well-balanced attack, capable of taking wickets in any conditions. They proved it against Pakistan in their opener. This ICC Champions Trophy is one of the most important events for Pakistan in recent times for a number of reasons. As the ODI squad, they need to re-establish themselves as one of the top ODI sides by putting up strong performances against their rivals. This will help their global ranking and help them to qualify for the ICC World Cup 2019. With South Africa and Sri Lanka next opponents, Pakistan chances to reach the last-four stage or improve their ODI rankings seem an uphill task. The contest at Edgbaston has shown the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the worst possible light and drawn attention to the lack of unified vision among senior members of the cricket board, selectors and team management. Winning and losing are part of the game, but it is more painful when Pakistan lose without showing any grit. *