World Cup dream still alive

After consecutive losses against Australia and India, Pakistan’s chances of making it to the semi-finals of the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup were very slim — as the team only had three points from five games.

But Pakistan has once again sketched a familiar pattern bringing back its best game up, despite being pushed into a corner, after two wins on the bounce against South Africa and table-toppers New Zealand.

Pakistan still needs to win their remaining matches, against Afghanistan and Bangladesh, as one or two other results will be decisive for Pakistan’s standing in the tournament. But what seemed like a distant dream has now turned into a realistic possibilit0y.

After the defeat against India, all hope seemed lost and the Men in Green were at the receiving end of some severe criticism, which was even harsh at times, but it’s amazing how a couple of wins can change the morale of the side and renew optimism among the fans. Despite the wins, in the past couple of matches, Pakistan’s fielding has left a lot to be desired. This is something they will have to fix in order to ensure that it does not come back to haunt them — especially when they have come back into contention after such a precarious situation.

In batting, they have done reasonably well, since the collapse against West Indies in the opening match of the tournament. The form of middle-order batsmen Haris Sohail and Babar Azam must be refreshing for the team management and fans. As far as bowling is concerned, pacer Mohammad Amir had been a step ahead of the rest in the previous few matches with little or no support from the rest of the bowling armoury. The trend has now been reversed. The breathtaking spell of fast-bowling from Shaheen Shah Afridi, where he registered figures of 3-28, against New Zealand should go a long way in adding more potency to Pakistan’s bowling.

Pakistan’s campaign has been topsy-turvy so far, but it’s safe to say that the World Cup dream is still alive.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2019.

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