It remains to be seen if ODI team is able to fill the void left by these 2 giants, work on all too obvious weaknesses
Pakistan were knocked out of the ICC World Cup 2015 with the scorecard for the quarter-final suggesting an easy six-wicket win for Australia. What it won’t convey is the incredible intensity with which the second half of the game was played. Despite a modest total to defend, Pakistan were able to push Australia into a corner. In this day and age, when One-Day International (ODI) rules more than just favour the batsmen, Wahab Riaz was able to produce one of the best spells of the tournament that had the Australian batsmen ducking for cover — literally. His mocking of the batsmen after almost every delivery only added to the drama. But all this changed with a dropped catch. And against a top side like Australia, this is the one thing that the opposition just cannot afford to do. The dropped catch — Rahat Ali being the culprit — gave Australia a new lease of life, releasing the pressure that had built up before the blooper, and shattered Pakistan’s confidence.
Throughout the campaign, Pakistan had been criticised for their sloppy fielding and less-than-impressive batting and this is exactly what one witnessed in the crucial knockout encounter against the hosts. While there was also some sympathy for Pakistan considering the playing-eleven was missing four frontline players, the main issue has remained the inability to work on weaknesses. There are several players in the team one wishes the ball would never go to in the field. There are plenty of batsmen labelled ‘talented’ but their shot selection at crucial times raises questions about their temperament. While recognising the fact that Pakistan were missing key players, it should also be noted that most of these players were bowlers, and it is the team’s batsmen who have let the side down. Misbahul Haq and Shahid Afridi have now played their last ODI and bowed out with their heads held not-so-high. It remains to be seen if the ODI team is able to fill the void left by these two giants of the game, as well as work on the all too obvious weaknesses that plague the national team.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2015.
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