Pak-India again
No doubt the Pakistani cricket team deserves much praise for its impressive turnaround in the Champions Trophy. Captain Sarfraz is clearly one to dig in his heels and fight the long fight when the tide turns against the team. And the boys, especially the new lot, responded at just the right time, turning from an outfit falling apart to one that mechanically squeezed one good team after another to reach the final; with authority. The match with India will, of course, be a very tough one, not the least because how we were taken to the cleaners in the first outing of the tournament.
Yet not matter how well we pulled ourselves together in this crucial competition, we must not lose sight of the fact that the team, just like the cricket Board, is practically falling apart. The complete breakdown – from an unfit chairman to an ineffective management to, therefore, an unimpressive team – has been on glaring, shameful display far too often, and still those to make crucial decisions have not done anything about it. With the next World Cup due in ’19, a complete overhaul of the cricket establishment is already long overdue.