EXPERT COMMENT – Pakistan’s preparation for the World Cup has been completely over-shadowed by the match-fixing charges that have hogged headlines over the last few months. The overriding emotion in Pakistan is anger and sadness. That three young and talented cricketers have let their country down fills cricket fans with a feeling of humiliation, but if one thinks about it, the verdict pronouncing Salman Butt, Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif guilty reflects the chaos and lack of direction within the Pakistan cricket establishment.
What saddens me further is that this news could not have come at a worse time for Pakistan. There have been devastating floods, the war on terror has denied the country any major sports event, including this very World Cup. This makes the conduct of the three cricketers even more inexplicable – they have not only let themselves down, they have let their country down. In all the doom and gloom of their circumstances, the performance of Amir and Asif in England had filled the Pakistanis with pride and hope. What’s more Butt looked like an assured opener and had the potential to become a good captain.
It’s unbelievable to see how everything unravelled so rapidly, and how from being possible contenders for the title, Pakistan is considered a no-hoper. I know it’s pointless to repeat this but Pakistan had the most lethal bowling combination in the form of Amir and Asif. I have seen Wasim Akram at 18 and I have seen Amir at the same age. I would say this youngster had as much potential as Wasim. Asif too is a very talented bowler, but the inability of the management to handle him and rein him in has cost Pakistan a very promising cricketer.
Today, the main hope of Pakistan rests on the fact that they are still an unpredictable team and the quarter-final format means they just need two incredible matches to be in the title match. The other factor they have going for them is the fact that they still do possess some very talented cricketers. The team was impressive against New Zealand. However, the team would have been served better if Shahid Afridi had been announced captain earlier. Considering the team is on awash with leadership options, there was no need to have kept a two-week gap between announcing the team and naming Afridi captain.
A cricket captain needs to be prepared and ready when he is leading his side to a World Cup. Afridi does not have that luxury, and while he is a flamboyant and energetic player on the field, he needs to do more with the bat to stamp his authority. The other problem I have with his being leader is that he does not lead the side in Tests. The pressure and challenge of Test match cricket is so intense, it prepares you for anything and everything that the other versions of the game throw at you.
In 1992, I had planned my side for a long time because I knew that I would be captaining the team for the World Cup. I started identifying young cricketers like Inzamam ul Huq, Saeed Anwar, Aamer Sohail from April 1991. Unfortunately, Anwar and Waqar Younis got injured before the tournament and we had to do without them. We started the tournament on the most disastrous note possible, and there was a time when we were staring at the exit door. It was at that the preparedness of knowing I would lead and the experience of having captained before did help. A huge challenge confronts the Pakistan team ahead of the World Cup.
It would be fair to say that India and Sri Lanka are favourites, but thanks to the quarter-finals anything is possible. I remember we were favourites in 1987, but were eliminated by a less-fancied Australian side in Lahore. Similarly, when the World Cup returned to the subcontinent in 1996, Pakistan had the strongest team in the competition but lost at the quarters.
This time round, Pakistan is not one of the favourites, but knowing their penchant for the unpredictable I hope they spring a surprise. Pakistanis are due some good news from their cricketers.
