One should never write off Pakistan
Never write off Pakistan cricket. By now it is a known fact that Pakistan can stun any formidable team in the world. The reputation of a team or the presence of star players among their opponents has never mattered to Pakistan.
In Dubai they demolished Twenty20 World Champions West Indies last Friday and Saturday to win the three-match Twenty20 series. Before arriving here, Pakistan had also defeated Twenty20 World Cup runners up England in a Twenty20 International. Conquering the top teams obviously position them as the best in this format. Pakistan has also clinched top rank among the Test playing nations. What makes their achievements remarkable is that they haven’t played a home series in their home country for the last seven years due to security reasons. Their success can be attributed to the sheer determination of their players to give their best. Their fighting spirit is undoubtedly the best among all cricket-playing nations.
Pakistan’s Twenty20 team captain Sarfraz Ahmad remarked that his players focus only on the game rather than what’s happening outside the ground, and that has brought them success. For years their players were pulled down by scathing criticism following some poor performances.
Sarfraz has a cool head as a captain and so does Misbah-ul-Haq, their Test team captain. If captains
that they do not wilt under pressure or criticism, the team too will follow suit. Any cricket board that has appointed the right people to select the team will reap its rewards. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has now done the right thing by appointing one of their finest and most experienced players in Inzamam-ul-Haq as the chief selector. Creating a professional environment for the players to deliver their best is important. It is in this area that West Indies has failed. The battle between their board and players has affected their performance. To send their team for a tough tour of UAE without a head coach is nothing but sheer disregard for the players. Lack of guidance to play on a wicket like Dubai was evident in the two Twenty20 matches in Dubai.
Cricket fans turn up to watch West Indies, the world champions, and they expect them to play like world beaters. It’s a cricket board’s responsibility to ensure fans get their money’s worth and that their team does not yield easy victories.
Today it is not the players alone who must exhibit professionalism, but the cricket boards too. Teams managed by professionally run cricket boards will be the ones dominating world cricket.
Chief Cricket Writer