While commenting during today's match, Ramiz Raja mentioned that batsman Umer Akmal had shared with him his intense disappointment at Pakistan's loss to India, a week ago.
For the players, to carry disappointment after such an emotionally charged event is understandable, but it is important that they process these emotions in a healthy manner. Instead, it seems the negative feelings manifested themselves in other ways.
In a press conference, the valiant Misbah-ul-Haq tried to convince us that rumours of discord in the Pakistani dressing room had been false. But the reports were difficult to ignore.
First came the worrying report that Pakistan’s fielding coach, Grant Luden, had filed his resignation after being abused by senior players such as Shahid Afridi, Umer Akmal, and Ahmed Shehzad, due to his demanding practice sessions.
Read on: Separately-held training sessions — not signs of rift enough?
What followed was a more worrying account of Ahmed Shehzad, who has a history of indiscipline, getting involved in an altercation with head coach Waqar Younis, after being reprimanded for playing the same flawed shots in practice sessions as he had against India.
Such haughty attitudes seemed especially distasteful on the back of poor performances.
As I watched today’s match against the West Indies, I could imagine Grant Luden laughing and then crying, only to laugh and then cry again like some schizophrenic super-villain from Batman’s Gotham City, as he watched Shahid Afridi and Umer Akmal drop multiple catches.
I expected similarly sorrowful reactions from Waqar Younis when Ahmed Shehzad picked the wrong delivery to drive straight to gully, out again in a similar style as before.
These were the very faults the coaches had been abused for trying to correct. If anything, the cricketers in question owe the management a heartfelt apology.
That being said, such complaints are not new. Mohammad Hafeez, who was sent back due to his injury, criticised the extreme training regimes his teammates had been facing Down Under.
While the players certainly need to work on their fielding, it is important that the coaching staff finds the right balance.
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Do you agree with the author's view on the fielding regiments?
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The loss today against the West Indies is more painful than the one against India because Pakistan was thoroughly defeated by an opposition that had failed to defend a big score against Ireland.
Pakistan began the game well and had the West Indies at 28-2. It is entirely possible that had Pakistan held all their chances while Mohammad Irfan and Sohail Khan were steaming in, they would have limited the opposition to less than 200.
It was a tale of two similar teams with contrasting attitudes.
Both West Indies and Pakistan began the tournament without the services of their best bowlers, who happen to be the no1 and no2 bowlers on the ICC ODI rankings respectively. Both bowlers were lost rather sensationally after their bowling actions were determined to be illegal. And both sides experienced mentally scarring losses in their opening matches.
Yet it was the West Indies who played positively, while Pakistan was defensive even after their opening bowlers had done some damage.
Nothing exemplifies this more than Misbah-ul-Haq’s decision to bring part-timer Haris Sohail early into the attack while the West Indies were still in trouble. Startlingly, Haris Sohail bowled a few overs before Wahab Riaz in a clear attempt at quickly using up the fifth bowler’s overs.
The decision to drop Yasir Shah was perplexing.
Yasir Shah’s omission from the team seems especially illogical considering that he was played against India – a team that is excellent against spin – yet dropped against a side that Pakistan has beaten consistently through slow bowling.
Before the match had begun, local expert Scott Styris had claimed that the pitch would offer some assistance to spinners. Surely against a West Indies team that despises quality spin bowling, Yasir Shah would have been a dangerous fifth bowling option at Christchurch.
In spite of his omission, it was difficult to keep the Pakistani Lionel Messi lookalike out of the game. After being brought in as a substitute, he took two smart catches and impressed with his positive attitude.
Meanwhile, the man whom he had subbed for, Nasir Jamshed, had a terrible game. Not only did he seem unfit, but very early in the West Indian innings he fumbled a catch, hurting himself. From here, Nasir spent most of the match sitting comfortably in the dressing room. When he come out to bat during Pakistan’s innings, he almost immediately skied the ball in a disgraceful shot.
The only bright side to Nasir’s antics was that he provided plenty of ammunition to the Nasir Jamshed parody Twitter account.
Pakistan needs a plan.
Thankfully, both Umer Akmal and Sohaib Maqsood scored some runs today and should be automatic starters for the rest of the World Cup. The rest of the lineup seems fairly set, with Nasir Jamshed and Younis Khan the only variables. The next two relatively easier opponents should provide space for Pakistan to discover some form.
Take a look: Mr Sethi and co, we want more than just press conferences
On the 1st of March, Pakistan plays Zimbabwe, followed by the UAE on the 4th. Both of these matches shall be easier to negotiate than the match against South Africa, scheduled for the 7th. The final match against Ireland will probably be the most crucial, as the points standings will be clearer at that time.
It is vital that Pakistan fields the same team against Zimbabwe and UAE, which it feels will help it overcome its tougher opponents.
For Pakistan to challenge the best, they need five specialist bowling options.
With Shahid Afridi coming at no8, Pakistan today played seven specialist batsmen. What can seven specialist batsmen do which five or even six batsmen cannot?
Pakistan’s biggest mistake would be to waste teams like Zimbabwe and UAE on Younis Khan. Even if he finds form, what is an in-form Younis Khan capable of in ODI cricket?
Some experts argue that Younis Khan’s vast experience is his biggest asset.
What use is Younis Khan’s vast experience when his experience is the experience of mediocrity?
One could understand if this was an accomplished ODI batsman such as Javed Miandad or Inzamam-ul-Haq struggling for form, but this a 37-year-old batsman with a terrible ODI record.
Yasir Shah must play instead of Younis Khan. Meanwhile, a regular seamer should be rested in favour of the dangerous Ehsan Adil against the UAE. If one looks at Pakistan’s ODI track record in Australia where the team won multiple World Cup and World Series Cup matches, these victories came through a varied bowling attack.
This leaves us with Nasir Jamshed.
Now, as comical as the left-handed opener's performance was today, he has the potential to play some valuable innings and should be given another chance. If not, Sarfaraz Ahmed could open and take up the specialist wicket-keeping slot. Sarfaraz can be dynamite and his form could ignite against teams such as Zimbabwe and UAE, transforming him into a match-winner against stronger opposition.
Fans must keep their expectations realistic.
I find it a pity that so many Pakistani cricket fans have taken to Twitter to abuse players on their official accounts. Pakistan has lost its opening two matches, but was that really unexpected? The team has already found it difficult to win ODI matches in familiar UAE grounds; hasn’t played international cricket at home for ages; is playing on alien Australian wickets after a long time; lost two of its best seamers to corruption as well as its best spinner, and its main all-rounder to an ICC crackdown on illegal bowling actions.
Explore: How Pakistan was annihilated by Windies – through a fan’s eyes
In spite of these massive hurdles, it is possible for this team to achieve anything. Whenever the boys lose self-belief, I hope the management shows them videos of their magical test series win against Australia.
With the right game plan and enough luck, Pakistan still carries the skill to make its mark.
