What are our chances at the 11th edition of the mega tournament?
In less than a week the country will be gripped with the ever famous cricket fever. Once again, the world is coming down and the flags will be up. Cricket World Cup 2015 is round the corner and Australia and New Zealand will be hosting the mega event. As an ardent cricket fan, this brings back fond memories of the last world cup hosted by the two islands in 1992. I still remember how I cried tears of joy when Moin Khan hit that six in the semi final against New Zealand after which just three runs were required from seven balls. I also remember how I danced the entire evening with my family to the world cup song after we had lifted the crystal globe and become the world champions. In Melbourne, for the final match against England, the confidence of the skipper Imran Khan at the toss, and how he called his players tigers, the solid batting of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad to lay the foundation for the quick run piling by Inzamamul Haq and Wasim Akram, the super bowling by Mushtaq Ahmed, the exceptional fielding (especially the catch by Aqib Javed to dismiss Graham Gooch), and the magical two balls by Wasim Akram to Alan Lamb and then Chris Lewis, are a source of pride and joy for the whole nation even today. Pakistan had won the world cup with three and a half bowlers. Although it later produced seven test captains, and legends like Wasim Akram and Inzamamul Haq, the team that had won the world cup in 1992 was still young and relatively inexperienced. How the captain of that team and his experienced vice-captain led from the front and made use of the available resources to the fullest is what Misbahul Haq and his team management should learn from.
Recent games in Australia and New Zealand have been high scoring affairs. This pattern will most probably continue throughout the world cup with new field restrictions (where only four fielders can be taken outside the 30 yard circle instead of five for non-power play overs) and batting friendly regulations (like two new balls, etc) in place. In such circumstances the strength of a team’s bowling will make the difference. Traditionally, pitches in Australia and New Zealand have been more helpful to fast bowlers than spinners; therefore teams are focusing more on their fast bowling. The two best fast bowling sides today are New Zealand and South Africa, hence both are considered hot favourites. Most other teams have been struggling especially with the form of their pace bowlers. Pakistan has been known for its bowling over the years. Unfortunately, the absence of Umar Gul and the recent setback of Junaid Khan has reduced our strength considerably. With Saeed Ajmal also missing in action the problem intensifies even further. The four games played in New Zealand recently highlighted this deficiency in the team where the opposition was able to score at an average of 6.19 against our bowling. This is especially sad when the head coach of our team is none other than Waqar Younis. We also have the services of Mushtaq Ahmed as the bowling coach. Pakistan will have to come up with the right combination of bowling to give the batsmen a chance to win.
Having six specialist batsmen and Shahid Afridi coming in at number seven, the team will have depth in batting as well. If Ahmed Shehzad and Muhammad Hafeez continue to open the innings and the middle order has Misbahul Haq coming in at number four, we can choose between Younis Khan or Sohaib Maqsood for the number three position. If Younis Khan struggles for form, Sohaib Maqsood can be a ready replacement. He debuted as the number three batsman against South Africa in 2013 and scored two consecutive fifties in his first two innings. Incidentally, they were the only two innings where he batted at number three. With Haris Sohail at number five and choosing Umar Akmal as the wicket keeper batsman ahead of Sarfraz Ahmed, we will have seven batsmen and as many as six bowlers in the team.
What is also significant is that Pakistan will be playing against India and West Indies early in the tournament. Both these teams are struggling with the bat and ball themselves. India has been very poor in its recent performance in Australia while West Indies was at the receiving end at their recently concluded one day series against South Africa. If we can capitalise on their weaknesses and gain momentum from early victories we could finish higher in our pool. This will be very significant because it will help us avoid a quarter final clash against New Zealand or Australia (who are expected to perform better than the other teams in their group based on their form). If we play Sri Lanka or even England in the quarter final, our road to the semi final would be easier than if we were to defeat New Zealand or Australia. Once in the semi final, it will be a contest of nerves in addition to form and the winning combination.
In short, we have our chances to repeat history, and we need to make them count in our favour. Imran Khan after lifting the crystal globe in 1992 said that the world cup would go a long way in making his long time dream of building a cancer hospital a reality. Becoming the world champions again will go a long way in bringing our nation the much needed happiness and hope. It might also bring us closer to each other for the celebrations at least.