The galaxy of greats in the commentary box want Shaheen Shah Afridi to bowl a bouncer. He had got Rohit Sharma with a stunning yorker, but Subhman Gill was to soon hit a gorgeously-correct straight drive, looking flawlessly fabulous in his front-foot play. South Africa pace legend Dale Steyn says bowlers need to experiment when things aren’t going their way. A surprise short ball can see a confident ‘straight-driving’ batsman gloving the ball to the keeper, he says. Afridi runs in hard, but it isn’t a short ball. It’s full again and Gill steps down the ground and hits it over the bowler’s head.
This would be one of the many moments in the ICC Champions Trophy league game when Pakistan looked inadequate and outdated. They looked meek, they didn’t innovate. This looked like a team that wasn’t in touch with the changes the white-ball game has seen over the years. India’s one-sided win virtually knocked them out of the tournament. This early exit was symbolic – Pakistan no longer seemed to have the class to be among the game’s elite. This was the Champions Trophy and Pakistan, by no stretch of imagination, looks like a champion side.
There was hurt and pain in the voices of former Pakistan cricketers in the box. Mohammad Rizwan’s team was a shadow of the teams of the past. Back in the day, Pakistan was known for its fearless cricket, street-smart tactics and famous for cricketers who thought out of the box. They have made generous contribution to the world cricket narrative, and are responsible for enriching the game. They have thrown up inspirational captains, speed maniacs, sultans of swing, the doosra and reverse swing.
On Sunday, that famous Pakistan enterprise and adventure was missing. Be the old-timers Babar Azam or Rizwan or youngsters Salman Agha and Tayyab Tahir or even Khushdil Shah – there was a lack of intensity and courage. Like Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, there was no one to put pressure on the bowlers with their aggression. They didn’t push the envelope or take calculated risks. There was no one to disturb the discipline of bowlers, like Shreyas Iyer did later. When the spinners tried to challenge him to cut by keeping the point boundary vacant, he would reverse-sweep. Pakistan batsmen even didn’t sweep much.
Imam-ul-Haq couldn’t steal a single from mid-off even after stepping down the track to drive the ball. There were two reasons – he was slow and Axar Patel was sharp and committed. It was a virtue none of the Pakistan fielders had. Virat Kohli would keep taking his ones and twos between the boundaries – as he knew the art of ODI batting. He could drive between gaps and even defend the ball by opening the face of the bat.
It was said that Pakistan gives its best when the world writes them off. These days they give their worst when pushed to a corner.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
