Can Pakistan Make it to the Final

Performance against Canada was not that impressive

There is no doubt that Pakistan cricket team has bowled exceptionally well against Canada and defended a total which was not difficult to chase for the minnows even. Pakistan has to improve in specific areas and it is not a tough decision to make for a brave leader like Shahid Afridi. Great teams play their strengths when they participate in a big tournament like world cup. Teams like Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and England cannot be beaten if you do not play your strength.

Batting of Pakistan cricket team has never been exemplary and in fielding, we are one of the worst sides of the world. What makes Pakistan different from the world is; its bowling attack and the fighting spirit of each and every player. To compete at the highest level, you need to have strong nerves and a never-give-up attitude. This is one of the biggest strengths of Pakistan team and lots of other over-rated teams like India and England neither have fighters and nor have genuine outstanding bowling attack. Both the qualities of both the teams have been exposed as England and India could not restrict each other, Bangladesh and Ireland for less than 280 runs, in their league matches.

Pakistan’s batting was better in the first match however they made 30 runs less than the expectations against Sri Lanka and batting against Canada was just below average. Not even playing complete 50 overs and giving a target of 185 is not more than a joke for a team who wants to be the world champion. These were the bowling and team’s fighting spirit which earned victory for Pakistan against Sri Lanka and Canada. Opening pair is not performing as good as it is expected from them and so are the players from the late order (Afridi & Razzaq).

Batting order has to be revisited and one more specialist bowler needs to be added. Pakistan should use Kamran Akmal as an opener with Hafeez and Abdul Razzaq should come at one down position. He can hit the new ball really hard during 2^nd bowling power play and can even be trusted as reliable batsman. Moreover, Saeed Ajmal should be replaced by Abdul Rehman for the rest of the tournament as Saeed is a match winner and a wicket taker who can be expensive but strikes at right time. He is a reliable bowler for the power play and even the last few overs. He is a fighter who plays to win. Saving runs at flat pitches has never been a good idea. Wahab Riaz should also be given confidence in next games for that he can surprise any team at any given day as he can be beneficial with bat and ball, both and the best part is, he is also blessed with a never-give-up attitude.

This little change can make a huge difference as these all players are fighters and can come back from any crisis.

These are the few essential changes in the batting order however as I discussed earlier, Pakistan must focus on its strengths i.e. bowling and fighting spirit.

To keep the (fighting spirit) alive, leader of Pakistan, Shahid Afridi, can play a decisive role. He is not only leading from the front by getting 14 wickets in 3 matches but he is a true fighter who has tremendous record of thrashing any bowling line up and kicking world’s best batting sides off the ground. He still holds the world record of quickest century in ODIs 100 (37) and 2^nd best against India, 100(45). He is the highest wicket taking bowler of T20 cricket. Shahid believes in leading from the front and has always performed well from the day he is given this responsibility. He is one of the best fielders of the world, a reliable bowler and an attacking batsman who can change the game within 5 overs. He remains positive throughout and Never Gives Up.

Abdul Razzaq is undoubtedly the guy who can be blindly trusted and has a proven track record of being a Man of Crisis.  His latest century against South Africa cannot be forgotten by any cricket lover. He has ability to make quick runs in the last overs, especially the power play. His inswinger is life threatening, latest victims are the Canadians. He surely is a reliable bowler and a personification of genuine fighter. Abdul Razzaq scores at more than nine runs per over and manages an average of 37.12 in the last ten overs of ODIs over the last couple of years
In Asia Cup, 129 runs partnership between these two was scored in 60 balls, of which Afridi's contribution was 73 off 24, while Abdul Razzaq managed 21 from 9. Pakistan finished with an untouchable score of 385.

Razzaq, scores at 9.18 runs per over, and makes 37 runs in 24 balls in last overs. In his innings against South Africa, he scored 75 off 36 balls.
According to the stats given by cricinfo, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq proved themselves to be world’s most dangerous partners in last few overs. Here’s the record;

Batsmen in the last ten overs of ODIs since Jan 2009 (Qual: 200 runs) Pakistanis are top 2 out of 10
Batsman	Runs	Balls	Dismissals	Average	Strike rate/over	4s/ 6s
Shahid Afridi	206	119	13	15.84	10.38	23/ 10
Abdul Razzaq	297	194	8	37.12	9.18	26/ 16

This is not the end of story; Pakistan is blessed with a fighter vice-captain, known as Misbah ul Haq. “Misbah’s brain works like a computer”, Ravi Shastri says. Misbah has scored fifties in two ODIs and a knock of 37 against Canada. He has been a top class fighter against any side. He proved the same in T20 world cup 2007 and most recently in New Zealand and now in world cup. The cutting edge quality of Misbah is; he knows how to finish the game, even others can learn the art of taking responsibility from him.
Younis Khan stays till the end, another player who finishes the game and takes responsibility. Pakistan would surely be a world champion if these two perform according to their potential, natural game and aptitude.
Saeed Ajmal’s fighting spirit cannot be forgotten which lead us to the final of T20 world cup 2009. He knows how to tackle top class players in the last overs of the innings. With the exception of one over of one important match (Semi Final of T20 WC 2010, Michael Hussy’s 60), Saeed has proved himself as a genuine fighter who thinks and attacks like faster bowlers.
With a coach like Waqar Younis, how can the bowlers forget to attack and earn victories? Shoaib Akhtar is all set to perform in important matches. Pakistan has a plan to use him sensibly and so is his own. Umar Akmal is the most talented batsman of Pakistan’s young lot. He has shown his exceptional performance. Gutsy Kamran Akmal is back in form. Umar Gul is a real fast bowler, 2^nd highest wicket taker in T20 and a reliable resource for ODIs. He is captain’s secret weapon who surprises opponent with his quick and swinging Yorkers.
Good news for the Pakistani spectators is this, that the only team who has no option to play any unfair game is, Pakistan as watch dogs of ICC, PCB and Indian media are always ready to catch them read handedly which they are not ready to be. However, ICC and media have to make sure that “others” do not play in the hands of bookie as they are in the land of bookies.

As the skipper said at the start of the tournament, “We are the most dangerous side”, he proved the same with his personal and team’s performance.
To me, Pakistan is in the best position to be the world champion again. It is not that the competitors are weak. They are equipped with better tools in fact however Pakistan has more chances because Pakistan is blessed with the most match winners and best fighters who have “Never Give Up” attitude.