Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq and coach Waqar Younis give the team a pep talk on Saturday. PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan’s preparations going into the World Cup have been far from ideal, with much of the frontline bowling attack missing from action, either through injury in the case of Junaid Khan or due to an illegal bowling action in the case of Saeed Ajmal, which was cleared after the World Cup squad had been selected. Later Mohammad Hafeez also had to be sidelined because of injury. Illegal actions and injuries aside, the questionable selection of the playing-elevens that featured in the recent ODI series against New Zealand, indicating the lack of proper planning by the team management, has contributed to the less-than-ideal build-up to the mega event. One of the more worrying aspects of the team’s performance in the New Zealand series was the lack of penetration shown by the bowlers. In the past, even when Pakistan lost the services of bowling superstars, the country’s bowling resources were enough to provide Pakistan with the competitive edge needed to succeed. While there is no reason why the likes of Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil and Yasir Shah cannot give a good account of themselves, one has to remember that they have only a handful of ODI appearances and wickets to their names. The team management also needs to realise quickly that going into matches with only four frontline bowlers and expecting part-timers to do the job of a fifth bowler is not going to work.
The batting line-up will need to overcome its traditional frailties. Among all the frontline teams competing in the World Cup, Pakistan seem to have the most laid back approach to constructing their innings. In this regard, it is important that youngsters like Ahmed Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Akmal and Sarfraz Ahmed are allowed to display their natural flair instead of relying solely on the staid approach often employed by captain Misbahul Haq and Younus Khan. While Pakistan’s recent ODI record has been dismal, if one goes back in time a little, it would be clear that in our most recent series wins against South Africa and Sri Lanka in 2013, as well as in the 2014 Asia Cup where the team reached the final, the younger brigade of Shehzad, Maqsood, Akmal and the unfortunate Fawad Alam were instrumental in Pakistan’s good performance. The recent poor showing can be correlated with the sidelining of some of these youngsters or to not playing them at numbers where their talent can be exploited fully. The team management needs to realise that while it has the right talent at its disposal, this talent needs to be backed fully.
Despite the inexperience and the poor planning, if Pakistan manage to find the right playing-eleven early on in the tournament, they have the potential to go far in this World Cup. The tournament’s format favours Pakistan and if they reach the quarter-final stage, which they should, it is only a matter of playing three good matches thereafter. A break from history with a win against India will be just the tonic that could galvanise hopes of a repeat of the 1992 World Cup performance, where the build-up was every bit as inauspicious — or perhaps even more — as it is now.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2015.
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