Can Pakistan overcome their crippling inconsistency?
Being a fan of the England
football team must be one of the most frustrating pastimes in sport, with hope the
main thing supporters cling to, but spare a thought for the millions of
Pakistanis who follow their cricketers around the world and on TV and have to
suffer the roller-coaster of emotions.
From the recent low of
humiliation against fierce rivals India to the high of knocking favorites and
tournament hosts England
out of the Champions Trophy in the semi-finals, there is never a dull moment
when those wearing the gold star on their cap are in town.
The Pakistan cricket team
has always been mercurial, with an ability to implode when put under pressure
while they have also produced some amazing cricketers who have shone on the
world stage over the years.
Imran Khan led them to
World Cup glory back in 1992, inspiring his men with the famous “play like cornered
tigers” speech which saw them fight back from the brink of elimination to beat
England in the final.
They have only once
returned to the 50-over final but did win the World Twenty20 in 2009 and will
now have a chance to add the Champions Trophy to their roll of honour.
There is a much-used
phrase by sports commentators regarding certain sides that you ‘never know
which team will turn up’.
That certainly applies to
Pakistan who can beat anyone on their day but can also be so poor as to attract
criticism from former stars that the players are not fit to wear the shirt.
Cricket, like all sports, is
cyclical and, as has been shown by the demise of the West Indies, no team dominates
for ever.
Australia threatened to
disprove that theory but even the men from Down Under have proved to be human
in recent years.
The one constant in the
game over that period is that Pakistan can never be written off as they always
seem to discover new talent both with bat and ball.
With greats such as Mohammad
Yousuf, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq now retired, batsmen Azhar Ali, Babar
Azam, and Fakhar Zaman have stepped up to the plate while the bowling department
looks strong.
Mohammad Amir is now back
to fulfil his undoubted potential while Junaid Khan and leg-spinner Shadab Khan have made a real difference to the team.
However, despite the
victory over Eoin Morgan’s men, it is inevitable that it will not be too long
before another setback threatens to derail their progress.
It is not always on-field
matters that seem to be the problem as there have been many issues surrounding
selection, while the Pakistan Cricket Board are never too far from criticism.
Imran suggested that the
structure of cricket in Pakistan lends itself to mediocrity on the world stage
after they lost for the 13th time in 15 matches against India at ICC
tournaments.
Beating England and a few
other top teams now and again is all well and good, but it is results against
their neighbours that matter most.
Former Pakistan captain
Aamir Sohail has slammed the selectors for picking
players in the wrong format and not allowing them to show their true talent, while
there is a general sense of unrest that cricketers in the country are being
held back by the powers that be.
It will take time to implement
a new domestic structure into Pakistan cricket but it seems as though that is
the only way to get the consistency required to become a top-three side in the
world game.
Pakistan might win the
Champions Trophy this weekend but it will only just paper over the cracks and
maybe buy the authorities a bit more time.
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The toss decides the match, if India win the toss, they chase whatever score Pakistan puts up but if Pakistan bowl first, then its gonna be an even contest!