World Cup: Gloveman guides Pakistan into last-8

Pakistan is faring better on the field since its cricketers have begun to focus longer and harder on the task at hand

Behind every victory lies an uncluttered mind. Pakistan is faring better on the field now that its cricketers have begun to focus longer and harder on the task at hand. At the start of the World Cup, the think tank of Waqar Younis and Misbahul Haq had a little too much on their mind. Their endeavour to choose the ‘best playing eleven’ from the 15-member squad weighed them down.

So much so that the duo kept coming up with bizarre explanations during media interactions—Misbah was ‘pained’ but seemed to have no idea where to slot Sarfraz Ahmed as he looked to strike the right balance in the team while Waqar questioned the technique of the most enterprising batsman in the squad at the opener’s slot.

But Sarfraz was not overawed and as the cluttered minds finally gave in to the greater demand by almost every cricketing pundit worth his salt, the Karachi-born glove man grabbed his opportunity at the top of the innings with both hands.

After the game changing 49 against the Proteas the 27-year-old went many notches ahead with an incredibly assured century on Sunday to help seal a quarter-final berth for Pakistan against an Irish team that was not willing to throw in the towel at any stage in the Adelaide Oval.

The verve in Sarfraz’s stroke play early on and the poise with which he turned the fifty into a hundred once again highlighted what Pakistan was missing out on in the first four World Cup games. Luckily, the realisation of his talent and ability has come just in the nick of time for the greenshirts as they have completed a full circle following a harrowing start against archrivals India and the West Indies.

Rarely has one player made such an incredible impact on the fortunes of a team and Sarfraz thus deserves all the praise in the world for maintaining his composure, despite being forced to cool his heels on the sidelines in the first four games.

While Sarfraz’s performance with the bat was undoubtedly the tonic in the chase the game was set up by an attacking approach adopted by Misbah and his bowlers in the first half.

Irish captain William Porterfield unfurled a series of confident pull shots but Misbah kept coming at him and the other batsmen with smart use of the quartet of pacers at his disposal.

Shahid Afridi endured another wicket-less day in the tournament but bowled with great control conceding only 38 runs in his 10 over spell as the screws were firmly tightened in the death overs.

Pakistan clawed back superbly as the Irish were strangled by Wahab, Rahat and Sohail Khan, with only 49 runs conceded in the last 10 overs of the innings.

Another plus for Pakistan was the century stand between Ahmed Shehzad and Sarfraz and while Shehzad threw away a golden chance of posting a World Cup ton for the second time in three games, Sarfraz motored on.

The convincing win also helped bury the demons of the past in no uncertain terms. The 2007 World Cup defeat at Jamaica is just a part of the folklore and doesn’t languish as extra baggage on the players and officials anymore.

The Adelaide win is now Pakistan’s fourth on the bounce in the tournament and gives them great momentum as they square up against the mighty Australians on Friday at the same venue.

Michael Clarke’s team must be wary of Misbah’s men and one hopes that Misbah continues to attack the opposing batsmen with an uncluttered mind. The pace attack at his disposal has the potential to ruffle the best in the business and the Adelaide deck is likely to make batting a relatively easier task for Pakistan too.

The World Cup has reached its business end, Pakistan have also turned up with their best stocks now, the third quarter-final at Adelaide would be a humdinger. Pakistan must not lie down or lay low, the world can be at their feet in a fortnight’s time.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2015.