PCB asks fans to have faith in Pakistan team

Last chance – Pakistan cling to prayers and hopes,

LAHORE, :In a morale-boosting gesture, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has put its weight behind the national cricket team, and urged fans to have faith in Babar Azam-led team, expressing the hope that it would do well at the ongoing ICC Men’s World Cup in India.

The Pakistan team is faced with a barrage of criticism from cricket fans and fraternity after three consecutive losses to India, Australia and Afghanistan. Pakistan team sits fifth on the points table and must win the remaining four contests against South Africa, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh to keep its hope alive of a semi-final birth at the marquee event.

The message said, “The PCB acknowledges the emotions and sentiments of cricket fans following the three consecutive defeats faced by the national team in the ICC World Cup 2023. In this challenging environment, the board administration hopes that the cricketing fraternity and fans will continue to support captain Babar Azam and the entire Pakistan cricket team.”

The PCB further hoped the national team still has four crucial matches remaining in the round-robin stage, and the PCB is optimistic that the team will regroup, overcome the setbacks and perform positively and effectively in the upcoming fixtures.

Addressing the media scrutiny directed at captain Babar Azam and the team management, the board’s stance, echoing that of former cricketers, is that successes and defeats are part of the game. Captain Babar Azam and Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq were given freedom and support in forming the squad for the ICC World Cup 2023.

Though the PCB expressed its resolve to take decisions in the best interest of Pakistan cricket based on the team’s performances in the World Cup, yet it encouraged fans, former players and stakeholders to rally behind the team as they strive to make a triumphant comeback in the mega-event.

There are no ifs and buts in cricket they say. But Pakistan seem to be an exception to this proverbial rule – perhaps due to its fabled unpredictability and ability to stage a comeback in any tournament.

So, can Pakistan prove themselves true to their billing and, more importantly, sneak into the world cup semi-final now? The answer lies in the very ifs and buts we have just talked about.

But instead of working out the possibilities of reaching the do-or-die stage, let’s find out the answer in few observations about why the team failed to perform well.

At times, it becomes impossible to hide what is going on inside one’s self. This is what happened with Pakistan team captain Babar Azam in the post-match presser after drubbing at Afghanistan’s hands.

Babar with his shoulders weighing down could not falsely depict that all is well. Three consecutive losses in the marquee event have seemingly shattered the captain and his handpicked team.

With Pakistan’s trimmed chances of reaching the semi-final and their fate being solely dependent on perennial ifs and buts, let’s have a look on some important aspects.

The rudderless ship

First of all, captaincy about which everyone was endlessly schmoozing prior to the start of the world cup, hasn’t hit home. Babar Azam, arguably one of the finest batters in the modern era of cricket, has not been able to prove his leadership abilities on the field.

Time and again, his laid back and capricious nature has thrown the victories away from his team. For example, his decision to hand the ball to Usama Mir in the recent match against Afghanistan in such a nail-biting situation has drawn a lot of criticism from former cricketers.

Despite having Shaheen and Haris at his disposal, he rather chose spinner Usama Mir and till the time Shaheen came, the danger of defeat had almost translated into defeat itself.
Pressure

Psychological pressure is also another major reason for Pakistan’s debacle in the last three matches. It seems a lack of Pakistani supporters in India’s volatile cricket stadiums has somewhat disturbed the Pakistani team.

On one side you have a smattering of Pakistani fans and on the other side, you have a hyper-jingoist, hatred-fuelled crowds which have allegedly hooted down Babar and his teammates.

Additional damage is being done through social media tantrums back home where Pakistani fans have now become ruthless after watching Pakistan’s back-to-back agonising defeats.

Harking back to 90’s

Reason number three is Pakistan team’s unabated love affair with 90’s style of batting i.e defensive to the core. No batter in our team, except muscular Iftikhar Ahmed, seems to have the firepower to ensure a good strike rate. Our batters in many cases have failed to pounce on lose deliveries.

Instead they keep on ducking the ball unlike other batters who show aggression and grit right from the word go.
Now, time has come to throw this defensive batting approach out of the park and be aggressive in line with modern-day cricket requirements.

Myth of charged pace battery

Now, let’s come to the myth of the “best bowling lineup”. Sadly, our pacers as well as spinners have bowled drivable lengths and half trackers which have been clinically bulldozed by the opponent batters.

On tracks like those in the subcontinent, it’s very rare for the spinners not to perform. Indian wickets are typically supportive for the spinners but our spinners are either bowling half-heartedly or squandering opportunities to take wickets or contain runs.

Sloppy fielding

Reason number five is Pakistan’s sloppy fielding which gives away every chance which could have otherwise turned the results in Pakistan’s favour. The fielding department has to be critically evaluated in the upcoming matches.

Team selection

Last but not the least, whimsical team selection is what needs to be done away with. Zaman Khan and Muhammad Haris should have been given a chance in place of Haris Rauf and Imamul Haq but since they are among reserve players, it is not possible.

Question of questions

Now, let’s come back to the question of questions. Will Pakistan still manage to make it to semis despite a battalion of vulnerabilities? Apart from ifs and buts, prayers and hope are what the team depends on.