There is an age old saying, “the graveyards are full of indispensable people”. The PCB would do well to ponder this little piece of wisdom. It will stand them in good stead. Among the players short listed for the New Zealand ODIs are names that are controversial to say the least. Then there is the apparent wait to see how the Doha trio fare at the verdict.
This simply won’t do. It is high time for the PCB to clean up its Augean stables. There is no dearth of players who would give 110 per cent for their team and their country, just for the honour of getting to play. Some of them have demonstrated this in Pakistan’s victory over New Zealand in the first Test. So, PCB please cleanup your house, take out the trash and move on. No player is indispensable.
Pakistan achieved a welcome win against New Zealand in the first Test. It was a solid all-round performance with the middle order batting consistently to get their team a handy first innings lead. Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq show promise in the middle order while the recalled opener Taufeeq Umar should never have been dropped in the first place. Along with Younus Khan and Misbah ul Haq, the gut of the Pakistan batting looks settled.
Umar Gul led the way along with Tanvir and the effective spin of Rehman, another player who deserves a lengthy run at the top level. Misbah’s understated captaincy style is just what the doctor ordered. He is unobtrusive, yet gets the job done. This is far removed from the histrionics of the volatile Shahid Afridi, whose captaincy prefers style over substance.
With a team that is high on excitement and enthusiasm, the calming influence of Misbah could be just what the doctor ordered in the frenetic environment of the World Cup. And Misbah is no slouch when it comes to performing with the bat either.
This looks like a wide open World Cup with all the teams going through their up and down cycles. It will be the team that catches the World Cup with its form and momentum on the rise that will have the best chance to take the trophy. With the Australian behemoth transformed, at least temporarily, into a purring feline, it might be time for England to stake its claim.
This England side is loaded with talent, perhaps the most since the war. The batting is solid and with the addition of the little Irish genius, Eoin Morgan, the lower middle order will have the ability to play the role of a stopper or an aggressor. One would be hard put to find a better balanced team.
Perhaps South Africa, but we know about South Africa’s ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But if ever there was a time for them to buck this trend, it would be at this World Cup. Their fast bowling, led by Dale Steyn and Albie Morkel will be sure to get them some early breakthroughs. The batting is solid. All they need is to hold their nerve and get some inspiration at the critical moments and they should go deep into the draw.
Among the sub-continental teams, Sri Lanka look beautifully balanced and could be a surprise packet.
India would be looking for Sehwag and Tendulkar to lead their assault. They will need to score big and fast because their bowling, apart from Zaheer Khan, looks a bit weak. This is a long World Cup and to rely on a couple of bowlers can be risky.
Pakistan has been going through a turbulent time. But then when have they not? It is often in the midst of chaos such as this that they go from the ridiculous to the sublime. Our team can be the most unpredictable of all. What they need is a steadying hand at the helm. Misbah must be the captain. Afridi must revert to his role of match-winner. The captaincy sits uneasily on his head, deadening his batting and bowling flair. Afridi has a special liking for the low bounce sub-continental pitches, where he can dispatch the ball from back and front foot with certainty and where his fastish leg-spin also finds purchase.
Used as a blitzkrieg type weapon, Afridi could win the Cup for Pakistan – just as he did in England in the 2009 version of the T20s.
New Zealand, the West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have little chance of making it beyond the preliminaries. They will cause an upset or two but lack the firepower of the top teams.
The playing conditions will favour the sub-continent teams. In fact, in more than almost any other sport, in cricket playing conditions can be the decisive factor. It remains to be seen whether someone like South Africa’s vaunted pacemen will be able to adjust their line and length to the placid pitches against batting lineups like India and Sri Lanka. The cricket ball can play its role as well. A lot of times it is not the atmosphere or the pitch that can make a ball swing or seam. It can also be the ball itself. Many teams have come to realize this and have nominated players to select the best ball. This they do by throwing the ball up in the air and watching for any signs of movement. This movement can be caused by an imbalance in the weight of the ball. If the centre of gravity of the ball is even slightly off, the ball will swing more than a perfectly centered one. This imbalance in the ball can be further enhanced by adding weight through soaking one side of the ball with saliva. And then if you have pace and the ability to move the ball, you could get reverse swing – an art that the Pakistanis perfected but now others too practice.
In the final reckoning, it will be the team that seizes its opportunities that will triumph. This writer’s pick: England defeating Sri Lanka in the final. May the best team win.
