Dropped catch might haunt Pak
The Pakistani batsmen were spooked by some authentic quick bowling by the Australian fast bowlers. Haris Sohail may have done his bit to exorcise his own ghosts by square driving immaculately the very first ball he faced. He is the one who had that supernatural experience in New Zealand where a ghost is said to have sat on his chest in his hotel room. But, out in Australia, he was the confident one in taking on the fast bowlers and in the process pointing out what a splendid pitch this was at the Adelaide Oval.
Given the fact that their batting is not their strongest suit, the Pakistanis had to ensure that the ghosts of the past did not take hold of them. However, the commentators’ curse is a phenomenon not as easily shaken off as a run-in with ghosts. As a rule, these ‘ voices’ are filled with hyperbole and every player is ‘ awesome’ or ‘great’ when it comes to explaining the game to viewers. Even there, the Pakistani comments men can be a tad more ‘patriotic’ in their effusive praise for their ‘great’ and ‘talented’ players.
The curse on Friday came from the former player with the widest international exposure in Wasim Akram. He was commenting on how well the openers had settled in and he had hardly closed his mouth when Sarfraz Ahmed stretched to drive a widish half volley and edged Starc to Watson, another cricketer who has had his share of supernatural experiences in English hotels. He let no ghosts interfere with that catch though. The fine stroke from Sohail followed and Akram was off on his praise trip again. The wicket of the other opener was preordained at this point. Where the curse may have run out and fortunes changed dramatically was in the great stroke of luck that came Pakistan’s way as Josh Hazlewood got one to jag into Misbah’s thigh pad and the ball grazed the leg stump lighting up the bails and illuminating the stumps in the new technology being featured for the first time in this World Cup. The ghostbuster of a captain, who had helped Sohail come around in New Zealand, survived and rebuilt the innings with the ghost spotter Haris and it was game on from that point.
On such little twists of fortune are games known to turn. It might have helped that the commentator’s curse seemed to have lifted by the time Misbah, lucky to survive when he had not even scored, began ticking over in his typically imperturbable manner and Pakistan could make a match of it right up to the point that Rahat dropped Shane Watson when Australia were 80 for three.
Wahab, who bowled one of the finest spells of pure fast bowling in this World Cup, was gutted, so too Pakistan who were out of it soon enough as a competent Steve Smith purred along and Watson stayed unbeaten to hit the winning runs after a bright cameo by Maxwell.
It was current form — Pakistan has lost 24 of the last 31 games to Australia and five of the last six meetings — rather than the ghost of the past that haunted Misbah’s men who have not been in with a chance of winning the World Cup since last making it to the final in 1999. The dolly that Rahat dropped at deep fine leg might haunt them for a long time though.