Recent wins on the cricketing fields are a welcoming sign. Pakistan clinched the Hong Kong Super Sixes, which was followed by an impressive triumph in the Rising Star Asia Cup in Doha. The national team’s wins over South Africa in two white-ball series, followed by convincing victories against Sri Lanka in ODIs and the tri-series, were both satisfying and celebratory.
Pakistan’s triumph in the Rising Star Asia Cup in Doha, Qatar, is a view-changing event, or more suitably, an epiphany. Even the legendary pacer Wasim Akram admitted: “Like many people, I used to think that there is a dearth of talent in Pakistan, but the talent I witnessed in the Rising Star Asia Cup prompted me to change that view.”
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) deserves appreciation. It is a norm that we judge the performance of a cricket setup on the basis of results. If they are not good, we take a swipe at the cricket board. This is unfortunate, but it continues and has become the norm. Now, with the welcoming results coming, it is the duty of everyone, including the media, to give credit to PCB’s policies. They are finally coming to fruition.
Indeed, Pakistan’s recent wins in the Hong Kong Super Sixes, followed by the Rising Star Asia Cup win, have proved there is no lack of talent. The need of the hour is to groom and develop that talent. It would have been great had we sent some greenhorns to the Doha event. There are a number of new players who need to be groomed. The tagline ‘Rising Stars’ demanded that. But when the aim is to win each and every event, then we send established players. There were some players in the side who had already played international cricket. The most prominent being skipper Irfan Khan Niazi. It could have been a youngster leading the side so that a younger person could be groomed for posterity.
Under Mike Hesson, the national team has also progressed well, notwithstanding certain improvements which are badly needed. Pakistan capped a good year in white ball cricket, winning 21 of the 34 matches they played in the year.
Although the progress is satisfying, it is not of a top-class standard. Pakistan mostly played teams that were below their rankings, and those above them beat them squarely. Pakistan lost all three matches against India, including the Asia Cup final. They also went down 4-1 against top team New Zealand. Even when you dig deep to assess the progress, it is evident that this Pakistan team lacks the killer instinct, so crucial for top-notch T20I cricket.
Of the 21 wins, Pakistan chased eight times and won while defending on 13 other occasions. The only two impressive chases were the 205 runs at Auckland and the 194 against Bangladesh. The other targets ranged from 140 to 148. Pakistan failed to chase targets above 160 on four occasions, highlighting a weak area.
The T20I World Cup will be a litmus test of the progress in the shortest format of the game.
Pakistan played only five Tests this year, winning two while losing the other three. They drew both the home Test series, one against the West Indies, which left them in ninth and last position in the World Test Championship’s last cycle. This WTC cycle, they have drawn a series against South Africa, which is a good result considering their opponents are the defending champions of the WTC.
The results in ODIs are also satisfactory if you consider the series-by-series result. Pakistan won both the series at home, against South Africa and Sri Lanka, as well as the series in the West Indies. They lost the one they played in New Zealand and, at the start of the year, went crashing out of the Champions Trophy in the first round. They also lost the final of the tri-series to New Zealand at home.
Match-wise, they lost 10 from 17, winning seven.
Overall, the signs are good. Wins boost confidence. It gives value, raises the profile and rankings of a nation, which Pakistan so badly needs at the international level. If you are a top team, you get recognition. If you are low in status, you are just an also-ran.
