Pakistan’s cricket team is proving to be as unreliable as room service in a Paharganj guesthouse. One week it surprises us with a fine victory over Sri Lanka, yet the next it completely loses the plot and slumps to a humiliating defeat against New Zealand.
Spare a thought for the Pakistani fans, who have been subjected to more than their fair share of trials and tribulations over the years, not least the recent spot-betting scandal that led to lengthy bans for three leading players. Now they are faced with an all-too-familiar specter of a team that turns from tasty to terrible faster than a cheese left outside in the Delhi summer.
Until yesterday’s match against New Zealand in Pallekele, Pakistan was the only team to have won all of its games in this year’s World Cup, giving weight to the argument that it could be the dark horse that goes on to win the title. So far, so good. But then the wheels came off in spectacular fashion after Pakistan decided to give New Zealand a master-class in how not to play cricket, abandoning all composure in the field as players dropped catches, threw wildly and bowled badly.
Kamran Akmal, Pakistan’s wicket-keeper, was the worst offender, missing a couple of easy chances, including the simplest of catches that he should’ve held even if he didn’t have any hands. His woeful performance prompted pundit and former Australia skipper Ian Chappell to say that even if Akmal batted like the legendary Donald Bradman, he still couldn’t score enough runs to make up for what he costs Pakistan with his keeping errors.
Pakistan would do well to learn from New Zealand, who put in one of the best fielding performances this tournament has seen. The New Zealanders were as athletic and keen as the Pakistanis were clumsy and negligent.
But Pakistan has been one of the most enjoyable teams to watch this World Cup, and its victory over Sri Lanka was one of the best games of the tournament so far. Against that high, the team struggled briefly against Kenya, at one point on just 12 for 2, and then only managed to score a relatively paltry 184 against lowly Canada. Pakistan ultimately emerged victorious on both occasions, but there moments when viewers might have asked: “What’s going on?”
One problem this team faces is cynicism from onlookers. Pakistan cricket has been so blighted by controversy that any unusual results or passages of play are greeted with a raised eyebrow and suggestions that foul play and dark forces are once again afoot. Of course accusations of match-fixing are unfounded – sport is unpredictable – but that’s sadly a common reaction from cricket watchers when Pakistan plays.
In contrast, no such suggestions are made when England plays, even though the team has been involved in more bizarre matches than Pakistan this World Cup, including nearly going down to the Dutch. This reinforces the unfortunate truth that it will take a long, long time for Pakistan to recover from the damage it has suffered at the hands of match-fixing and spot-betting scandals.
The Pakistani players could help erase these bad memories by consistently performing to their undisputed potential at this World Cup, but on the evidence so far, I wouldn’t bank on it.
