Good show, Pakistan!

Pakistan have gone through a see-saw campaign but seem to be peaking at the perfect time

Pakistan coasted to the quarter-final of the ICC World Cup 2015 on March 15, dealing a fatal blow to Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for the next round, and set up a last-eight clash against hosts Australia. The last group match of the mega event saw pretty much everything falling into place for Pakistan. A superb bowling performance neutralised Ireland’s strong batting before Pakistan batsmen made merry in pursuit of a modest total. Sarfraz Ahmed — ignored for the opening four matches — bagged his second successive man-of-the-match award through a performance that grabbed the headlines. His first century — also the first by a Pakistani wicket-keeper in a World Cup as well as the first for any Pakistani batsman since the 2007 World Cup — meant the team will now go to the Australia clash brimming with confidence.

Australia have been performing exceptionally well so far, with their bowlers in superb form, backed up by swashbuckling batting performances and discipline. Pakistan, on the other hand, have gone through a see-saw campaign but seem to be peaking at the perfect time. The openers seem settled, the number of catches dropped has gone down, the bowlers have found their rhythm and the team spirit seems upbeat. However, a good showing in the group stages may count for nothing on March 20 — the day of the quarter-final clash — and it will all boil down to who plays better cricket during those seven hours of play. Pakistan will have to go all out against a supremely aggressive Australia. Misbahul Haq’s limited-overs career will now span a maximum of three matches and he would want to shed the ‘defensive’ tag that is often associated with him. Shahid Afridi, too, is playing his final World Cup and owes fans a huge performance. Beating Australia will take some doing and the hosts will start off as favourites but Pakistan have a habit of making a mockery of the odds, especially when they are stacked against them. Let’s hope March 20 will see another odds-defying performance from the national team.

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

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