About the World Cup

Shades of ’92?

There’s much to learn, still, from the cricket World Cup victory of ’92. It’s not just that the team bounced back from a far from inspiring start to win the Cup, it’s rather how the boys were handled both off and on the field that materialised the victory; though chance did have a role to play. Like now, the team was below par – Waqar was ruled out and Imran suffered a shoulder injury. Yet the troops were marshaled in a manner that extracted the maximum from each player, and eager and inspired to win, the boys did not disappoint.

Now, though, despite the usual toggling of the batting order and shuffling of the bowling line-up, on-ground results just do not seem to change. Part of the problem clearly lies in the Board. It makes far more headlines regarding appointments, and politics behind them, than the game itself. There’s still no structure around some of the most crucial appointments, and the unusually large number of coaches and managers – and their just as large salaries – are not improving what matters. In the modern day, top-level cricket success is the result of a long process that identifies and nurtures talent from the club and league level. The best example comes from India, where the domestic skeleton has been strengthened over time, with impressive results. But such matters do not seem to concern the Board’s think tank.

Interestingly, veterans of ’92 speak of first concentrating on small and basic features before getting a handle on larger problems. Senior players always emphasised, for example, cutting down on ‘unforced errors’ like extras, mis-fielding, etc. Back then, the senior bunch was also more hands-on and more reliable than today. The Imrans and Miandads did a far better job of rallying the younger lot than the Afridis of today because they were more dependable to deliver themselves. The Board is advised to shift its focus from the office to the game. Pakistan is already a shadow of its old self in the field. There is plenty of guidance and talent, there’s no reason for success to prove so elusive. There’s a lot of cricket left in the Cup. Hopefully, better sense and commitment will prevail.