Cricket World Cup, 2019 and Pakistan.

Supporting Pakistan had been my priority ever since I started watching and following cricket, 10 years ago. I've witnessed some eras of the legends like Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi and Younus Khan. The energy and intensity that these legends showed on the field was eye-candy for the true lovers of the game. However, there has always been a lack of planning within the board which drove to a lot of blunders in the past and it was somewhat the reason behind our team's elimination from the World Cup, 2019.
Image Courtesy: ACE NEWS

The Setbacks
This tournament suffered the biggest set back in the form of weather. Many of the matches were washed away and our points were compromised. In the match against India, however, the case was entirely different. The team's body language was very blue and that demotivated everyone. It wasn't about the performance or the dls, the team was very downhearted, for some reason. Rather than blowing up controversial theories, I'd only blame the team management. Even if the team went out or ate junk, the blame is all on the management. A lot of money is invested in the team annually, the coaches bag a whopping amount too still if the team fails to display professionalism at such a stage, who must be held responsible?
The Positives
Taking the positives out of every tournament is the only way forward. We must learn from our mistakes. It is important to state that Pakistan did not play too bad but we were not as good as the other teams. Teams like India, England and New Zealand have displayed the finest quality of cricket throughout the tournament and being completely honest, they deserved the spots in the semis. Pakistan bagged 11 points and stood 5th in the final standings. Out of 9 matches, we won 5 and lost 3, these are the exact figures of New Zealand that qualified for the semi-final but what made the difference was the NRR. Our approach is each match, including the ones we won, cost us big time.
Conspiracy theories
There were many controversies regarding other teams 'trying' to throw Pakistan out of the tournament but the truth is that we lacked. Our game was not up to the mark. Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq certainly stood out with the bat. Babar Azam, specifically, looked great. His intent and passion really made us proud. We must root for another batting legend in Babar Azam and pray for no politics to affect his career whatsoever.
Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

Future and the T20 World Cup, 2020
The venue of every big tournament gets announced early for the teams to adjust their selections according to the conditions but it rarely occurs in Pakistan. The T20 World Cup is scheduled in Australia, 2020. There's still time and room for improvement. A plan is all that is required. The pitches in Australia are fast and offer steady bounce. The selection must be based on that. Good, confident attitude and consistency is the magic formula for victory.

Comments

  1. R.A.July 10, 2019 at 12:46 AM

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  2. Rawal AfzalJuly 10, 2019 at 12:51 AM

    Well written. I agree with the views expressed. One thing that we as a nation need to get rid of are the conspiracy theories and the victim mentality. The net run-rate system wasn´t specifically put in place to eliminate Pakistan. It just happened to have run against the team, and it wasn´t bad luck or a coincidence. We just need to look at the defeats, the margins of them to be precise, against the West Indies and then India.

    A few things are clear though. Now that Malik has retired, Hafeez too must go. Pakistan need to look to new blood for the future. Fakhar must go back to domestic cricket to sort out his temperament, and Hasan Ali too must go back to find form and his lost touch. Both are otherwise still fine players and still a part of the future plans, especially the latter.

    I'm of the opinion that the coach, Arthur, should stay and be given some more time. Under his coaching, Pakistan have won the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and now performed quite well in the ongoing World Cup. When was the last time, before him, that Pakistan performed as well in two consecutive ICC tournaments?

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  3. Junaid dinoSeptember 3, 2019 at 10:50 AM

    Well described in a precise way .... unfortunately we always lack professionalism is every department .... but things are building up now ...lets hope for the best

    ReplyDelete

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