Another sorry loss

Pakistan need to somehow galvanise their energies now and improve their performance in the upcoming matches

The biggest match at the biggest One-Day International (ODI) tournament of all turned into a virtual no-contest as Pakistan succumbed for the umpteenth time in a pressure chase. Yet another loss against India in a World Cup clash has depressed our cricket crazy nation as its hopes, excitement and expectations for the ‘mother of all battles’ didn’t bring the desired result. Captain Misbahul Haq was again left fighting a lone battle and once again, could not see his team through in circumstances somewhat eerily similar to the events of the Mohali semi-final defeat four years ago. Pakistan lost the toss giving India the huge advantage of batting first at the batting paradise that is the Adelaide Oval. A sublime performance from the trio of Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina helped the defending champions post a score of 300. In modern ODI cricket, such a total can at best be considered a par score and Pakistan bowlers cannot be blamed too much for the glut of runs conceded, especially since from a seemingly disastrous position, Sohail Khan’s brilliance restricted India to a total that could have been much higher.

The onus was on a batting line-up that had both experience and flair in its ranks but the combined force of Ahmed Shehzad, Younus Khan, Haris Sohail, Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal could do little to change the history of Pakistan-India World Cup encounters. Pakistan continue to come second in the battle of nerves and India are simply a far superior team, with even their so-called average bowling attack consistently raising their game when pitted against the men in green. Meanwhile, Ireland’s shock win over the West Indies has opened up Group B and Pakistan now need to play their best game if they are to even make it to the quarter-final stage. They next face the West Indies at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval on February 21. A defeat there is going to severely test the already fragile temperament of Misbah’s charges. They need to somehow galvanise their energies now and improve their performance in the upcoming matches.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th,  2015.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.