There was a time when the naivety in us would laugh off the inconsistency; we were the Pakistan cricket team after all. The instinctive batsmen, the pace, the spin, they were the ‘comeback kings’. Rather, there was belief that they could comeback after taking a few knocks. But the laughter has died now and the concern has set in for a future so bleak and vague even the players look afraid.
It has become a matter of cricket that the Pakistan team is unable to chase a total of any size. With the 3rd ODI coming to a close and a series loss looming in the distance, fans and critics and perhaps even the team management are desperately scurrying about, trying to find the winning 11, the tonic that prevents one disaster after another. Ideal pitch conditions and an exceptional bowling attack don’t count for much when it is the bowlers who have to do the bulk of the run-scoring as well. Crossing the 200-run barrier is cause for much relief in this camp.
In the last few months, the Pakistan cricket team has entered every match with the mindset that this was the only game and moment that mattered. Statistics, past victories and failures were to be forgotten. It was an interesting approach, effective even for a team that had so often been haunted by epic collapses, but what about the future?
We have Misbah-hating enthusiasts who believe he should be booted from captaincy. A fair case, perhaps, considering the fact that Pakistan have only successfully chased a target of over 250 once since he took the reins. These supporters, very easily, take for granted the solidity that comes with the man and the wins that have come along during his time in charge. But then these are the same fans who live, like the Pakistan team, for this moment. Misbah’s defensive approach is frustrating to say the least. Umar Akmal, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmad Shehzad have all been aggressive players by nature who are often cited as examples of men going against instinct and failing miserably. But for how long can Misbah be blamed for theirs and other batsmen’s follies? As a player he is ‘Mr Dependable’, as a captain he leaves something to be desired, but if not him than who?
This is a team that believes strongly in the stop-start-play policy over patience, trial and error and eventual success. We change around the playing 11 so frequently we barely give the young ones a chance to try and succeed. Jamshed’s promise is apparent, his form imminent. Ricky Ponting put it aptly while discussing Australia’s fresh talent and their struggles at the international level: “If they're the best players we've got, then they've got to learn and grow some confidence, not be in and out of the team all the time. That's our big challenge.” He could just as well have been talking about Pakistan.
But its not just the batsmen, Pakistan just hasn’t gotten the balance and selections right for a while now. Why Junaid Khan has been benched for the South Africa ODIs so far is appalling. These are the boys who will eventually take over, who need the grooming and the advice of the current senior players in order to competently replace them one day. There is no doubt that Junaid, fitness permitting, will be Pakistan’s key bowler in the 2015 World Cup yet he is being ‘rested’ against testing opponents. We have turned to the likes of Sohail Tanvir and Wahab Riaz; both have been tried and tested in the past. We throw these players in after a break expecting them to instantly adjust and perform, a tall order, unrealistic and quite frankly unfair.
As Pakistan inducts Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq back in the T20 squad, there is a realisation that we’re constantly looking for what are perceived to be ‘safer’ options.
When asked how he was able to transform talented individuals into a fearless unit, Imran Khan said: “Most who captained me used to enter a match thinking we should not lose. The result was that team selection became defensive. It's a big difference in strategy and attitude. I took this fear of losing away from them and that's why we used to pull off incredible victories from losing positions.”
It is time to revamp our strategy and turn to what we once relied on, what Pakistan was once famous for: young blood. We must go against public opinion and make decisions that will have long term impact. Unlike Kohli, who is being groomed as the next MS Dhoni, Misbah at the age of 39 doesn't seem to be keen on guiding another, leaving many anxious of the likely return of Shahid Afridi or Mohammad Hafeez as ODI captain. Pakistan’s problem is that they haven’t looked to groom a future captain, future batsmen or develop anyone really. There is an abundance of talent constantly waiting in the ranks and nobody looking to unleash it. The management needs to take a moment, keep a solid young playing 11 for the next series and look for the leader that lies within. Let them make mistakes, be aggressive, stumble and fall, let them grow, perhaps only then will the collapses stop.
