New World Cup, old story

Pakistan’s World Cup clash against India ended up repeating a similar story as Pakistan were on the wrong side of the result. Again! The Men in Green have now failed to register a win against their archrivals during World Cup matches on all seven occasions and their fans will now have to wait another four years to even think about the possibility of defeating India at the mega event. It’s surprising to see Pakistan being consistently mediocre, especially in World Cup matches against the Men in Blue, and they just don’t seem enough in the tank to match the intensity of their opponents. Sarfaraz Ahmed yawing on the field, at a moment when Pakistan had their backs against the wall, was a bizarre sight. You don’t want to see your captain setting such an example on the field, especially when he should be at the forefront in terms of leadership in a game of such magnitude.

Be it Pakistan’s batting, bowling or fielding, the Men in Green put up a lackluster show in all departments of the game. The bowling, to begin with, lacked penetration and that was amplified by team’s poor catching and ground fielding. In modern-day cricket, there are no hiding spots on the field and every player must be up for the task throughout an innings. Mohammad Amir looked Pakistan’s best bowler, by far, during the match but his efforts were not properly rewarded because none of the other bowlers bowled well with him in tandem. There were no demons in the pitch but for some odd reason Pakistan batsmen found it difficult to get the ball away. Although it goes without saying that the Indian bowlers bowled well but Pakistan’s batsmen were also guilty of not showing intent and that cost them the match in the end.

Now Pakistan face the Herculean task of having to win all of their remaining matches in order to stay alive in the tournament. But looking at the team’s current performance, it seems unlikely.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2019.

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