Crickets celebrate the dismissal of West Indies batsman Chris Gayle during the Cricket World Cup quarter-final against the Pakistan at the Sher-e Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. –AFP Photo/Deshakalyan Chowdhury
This team doesn’t stop to amaze me. A knockout game was supposed to rattle the nerves and test the temperament. It not only passed the mental test without a fuss but laid to rest any suspicion of its class. It was a devastating win that punched the West Indies into oblivion and pushed Pakistan closer to greatness.
The West Indies just did not turn up to play. In fact they lost the battle as early as in the first power play. The nature of the beast is such that if you lose couple of wickets in the first ten overs or go through this period without losing wickets it can set up or shut down the game for you.
To make matters worse for the Windies, Chanderpaul played an indifferent innings, devoid of character and substance. He remained subdued and self obsessed and did not even try to douse the fire that had engulfed his batting mates.
Darren Sammy may be an affable chap but not a captain. His lack of talent doesn’t allow him to lead his men from the front which is a serious hurdle. West Indies are clearly stuck as with him in the eleven, they cannot field a strong and the best playing eleven.You could also argue that Pakistan put their opponents to deep slumber with a box of skills and decisive leadership.
Afridi is on a roll as a leader, putting up plans and picking players who could execute them with pin-point precision. He has made Hafeez into a game changer with the ball. The opener knocked the wind out of the Caribbean sail with two blows in one over. By giving him responsibility to bowl with the new ball in the power plays and with attacking field, Afridi has sculpted a new Hafeez.
Saeed Ajmal turned out to be an inspiring pick, making his presence felt with a bag of tricks. Not for a moment did he look finger rusty, getting back to the business of picking wickets. Using his “Doosra” better than his “Pehla”, he foxed the batsmen with embarrassing regularity. The West Indian innings collapsed like a bad novel: a bad beginning with a muddled middle and a disappointing end.
Pakistan have no such problems to address. Its captain and coach have been able to change the culture of the team. They have not compromised on discipline and selection and have repelled any outside intervention in this regard. The players as a consequence of firm showings of the team think-tank have started to trust them. The healthy environment has forced the players focus back on the game which has improved their ability to think through tough situations. There is also a sense of self belief and self realisation to not let the controversies and chaos of the past year revisit the dressing room.
Pakistan now face the prospect of playing India on their territory. It should be the preferred choice. I say that because the pressure of the duel will be a telling factor in determining the winner and India will have more than its share to deal with.Also Pakistan may get a good pitch from the curator as he will not risk a below par 22 yards for an Indian match.
Pakistan though, in the moment of glory, must not lose sight of the challenge that awaits them at Mohali. If it’s India then the bowling will have to readjust to a higher frequency as they not only bat deep but bat well and are good against spin. In such a scenario there may be a place in the script for a cameo from Shoaib Akhtar provided he is fit. You have to sacrifice spin for pace against India.
A bit of “chin music” at Mohali could be the tune to take Pakistan singing all the way to Mumbai.
—The writer is a former Pakistan captain.
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