A welcome win
It is important that the team does not get carried away with this victory.
Umar Gul picked 5 wickets for 6 runs against South Africa in the 2n and final T20. PHOTO: BCCI/FILE
With a 95-run trouncing of South Africa in the second Twenty20 International, Pakistan, once again, proved that there are few better teams in the world when it comes to the shortest form of the game. The players who seemed to be completely out of their depth during the Test series that Pakistan lost 3-0 to the hosts, now could not put a foot wrong, as the national team won the two-match Twenty20 series 1-0 after the first game was abandoned due to rain. The formidable show put up by captain Mohammad Hafeez — who played a blinder of an innings, scoring a 51-ball 86 — and fast-bowler Umar Gul, who returned figures of five wickets for six runs, ensured that Pakistan turned their tour around in a highly emphatic manner, besides jumping to third place in the Twenty20 rankings.
It is interesting to note that Hafeez had scored just 43 runs in the six innings he played in the Test series and was able to exceed that total in just a single Twenty20 innings, which also saw him becoming the first Pakistani to cross 1,000 runs in the format. The array of shots that flowed from the captain’s bat was nowhere to be seen in the Tests. Hafeez followed up this innings with a fine bowling performance, picking up three scalps. His display underlined the fact that he is one of Pakistan’s premier players in limited-overs cricket although question marks regarding his suitability as a Test opener will remain.
Besides the brilliance of Hafeez and Gul, the fielding on display was a heartening sight as well. With the hosts bowled out for just 100 in pursuit of 196, the win will give Pakistan much-needed confidence after the demoralising display in the five-day format. However, it is important that the team does not get carried away with this victory. With the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series kicking off on March 10, the hosts will surely aim at regrouping as soon as possible. Misbahul Haq will be back at the helm of affairs for the ODIs and it is hoped that he will follow Hafeez’s example, as Pakistan tend to do well whenever the man in-charge leads from the front.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2013.
It is interesting to note that Hafeez had scored just 43 runs in the six innings he played in the Test series and was able to exceed that total in just a single Twenty20 innings, which also saw him becoming the first Pakistani to cross 1,000 runs in the format. The array of shots that flowed from the captain’s bat was nowhere to be seen in the Tests. Hafeez followed up this innings with a fine bowling performance, picking up three scalps. His display underlined the fact that he is one of Pakistan’s premier players in limited-overs cricket although question marks regarding his suitability as a Test opener will remain.
Besides the brilliance of Hafeez and Gul, the fielding on display was a heartening sight as well. With the hosts bowled out for just 100 in pursuit of 196, the win will give Pakistan much-needed confidence after the demoralising display in the five-day format. However, it is important that the team does not get carried away with this victory. With the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series kicking off on March 10, the hosts will surely aim at regrouping as soon as possible. Misbahul Haq will be back at the helm of affairs for the ODIs and it is hoped that he will follow Hafeez’s example, as Pakistan tend to do well whenever the man in-charge leads from the front.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2013.