COMMENT – At last sanity prevailed and Shahid Afridi was retained as captain for the World Cup 2011. It was indeed preposterous to create this entire controversy so close to the big event. Misbah-ul-Haq has been doing a good job as Test captain but Afridi has been leading in the ODIs for the last year or so. Dillydallying on his appointment now was not on.
Luckily for Pakistan cricket, unlike 2009-10 twin tour Down Under, the results of such brinkmanship by Ijaz Butt have not been disastrous. It though owes nothing to him, but to the sensible attitude of the protagonists, Afridi and Misbah. Afridi may not be a shrewd tactician or an astute game planner, but he has his passion and all-round ability. It is good that he and Misbah have shown intent to work together for the team.
The Pakistan team meanwhile has come up rather well in both Test and ODI series in New Zealand, but in the context of the World Cup the form in the latter is important. So are the positive vibes emanating from the entire camp. The green shirts must have had their backs to the wall for the last year or so but Pakistan has always managed to deliver in the face of adversity.
Connoisseurs who had written Pakistanis off at the end of last year after all the turmoil must be blushing now. A closer look at recent performances shows that things are now falling in place for Pakistan just at the right time. There is that couple of calm accumulators in the middle order in Younis Khan and Misbah, ferocious hitters down the order in Afridi, Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq, and before all this a set of reliable ODI openers in Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad, and it looks like a side that would give all comers a run for its money.
Young Shehzad seems to be exceptionally talented, and keen to explode in the World Cup. Add to that the incredible depth in the bowling attack and you have a well rounded unit – a unit that none can write off. Pakistan’s World Cup squad is balanced. There aren’t too many major surprises except for Mohammad Yousuf’s omission. At the expense of Yousuf’s experience and class have come Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq, the two young guns who should be aiming to make this World Cup their stage, for both have loads of talent that would want to en-cash the sub-continental conditions.
Younis and Misbah would be key factors for Pakistan. While Younis has had an average ODI series in New Zealand, he is too good a player to remain quiet for long. At the biggest stage in cricket, he would be the vital cog in Pakistan’s batting lineup. Misbah on the other hand is in the form of his life and has reignited his career really well. In New Zealand, he showed intelligence and calm, the must-have attributes in the World Cup pressure games.
In New Zealand, his form straight down the ground was outstanding, and later in the innings he was pretty able to improvise and pick the gaps square off the wicket. He read the situations beautifully, and his intelligent knocks were a delight to watch. Shoaib Akhtar heading the bowling attack is another good augury. His efforts against England and South Africa and then in New Zealand have been full of promise.
Shoaib at his best, bowling quickly around 150 kmph, with late movement into the right-handers later in the innings, would be a very valuable asset. He can be a reliable fast bowler, and his wealth of experience at the highest level would come handy. Then there is Umar Gul who has matured into a world class performer. On his day, he is a match-winner. Wahab Riaz is improving day by day and will add a different angle to the bowling line with his fast and whippy left-armers. If he can be more consistent with pitching the ball in the right areas, he could be of greater advantage.
Abdul Razzaq is ever present with his truckloads of experience, adding all-round value. Coming to the spinners, Pakistan have a healthy conundrum. While Saeed Ajmal has been their main spinner for almost two years now the left armer Abdur Rehman can give another dimension to the bowling line with his angle and thrifty approach. And he is a capable lower order bat too. Afridi always asks tough questions with his quickish leg-spin and there is Mohammad Hafeez who can also chip in with vital overs lending balance to the side.
The Pakistanis can and will take enormous confidence after their series wins in New Zealand. Pakistan has a historical tendency to endure rough times both on and off the field, but this series win is most welcome for its timing. The unison and the harmony is clearly evident, making one confident that in this edition of the World Cup Pakistan would leave behind the disappointments of the previous two in 2003 and 2007.
