If the condition of the cricket board and domestic structure are believed to be the biggest reasons behind Pakistan’s early exit from the recently concluded ICC World T20, then the West Indies should never have qualified for the tournament and Australia shouldn’t have failed to reach the semifinals. Sometimes in sports, in addition to skill and strategy, abstract factors can become decisive - like belief, for instance.
West Indies were under the cosh for large parts of both the semifinal and final, but not for a moment did their players on the ground give the impression that they did not believe they could win. When you need 19 off the last over of a World Cup to win the trophy, ordinary nerves would be hammered into chaos - Kraigg Brathwaite powered four sixes against one of the best death bowlers in the game.
Carlos Braithwaite hits the winning runs
What Pakistan can learn the most from the World Champions is the importance of self-belief
It is true that belief alone does not win you a World Cup. The West Indies lineup, especially the batting, is miles ahead of Pakistan. Barring Mohammad Amir there is not a single Pakistani player that would get any way near that West Indies squad - and that is how one gauges one’s team, by juxtaposing it with the best.
Pakistan lack the power hitting that is the hallmark of the West Indies side. They also lack the match-winning spinner that Samuel Badree is. They don’t have a genuine all-rounder like Andre Russel, a big match player like Marlon Samuel, or a captain who understands the game as well as Darren Sammy, without ever wanting to be in the limelight. Sammy understands his limitations as a player, and his strength as a captain, and makes sure he decides what’s best for the team.
Pakistan might finally have an astute T20 captain in the shape of Sarfraz Ahmed. He led Quetta Gladiators extremely well in the PSL, and captaining the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Kumar Sangakkara would have been a great learning experience for him. He is also one of the best limited-overs batsmen Pakistan have right now, which is why it was all the more baffling that he got to face only 17 balls in the World T20.
Waqar Younis
Both Shahid Afridi and Waqar Younis have stepped down from their roles as captain and coach respectively. They would’ve been sacked either way, and rightfully so. While there is a gap between Pakistan and the top teams in terms of skill, the team failed to make the most of what they did have. The blame for that should be shared between the captain and the coach, both of whom have proved to be too egoist to rally troops, let alone motivate a group of players struggling to compete with top teams.
What Pakistan now need is a genuine all-rounder, a finisher in the lower middle order and a world class spinner to transform into a side that can compete with the very best. The fast bowling crew, despite underperforming in the World T20, remains one of the best in the world and clearly Pakistan’s strongest department.
In Sharjeel Khan, Pakistan have an opener who has the skill-set needed at the top of the order. They now need two more reliably aggressive batsmen in the top five, one of whom could be Sarfraz Ahmed.
Umar Akmal epitomises the difference between Pakistan and West Indies. While he has the skill to match most batsmen in the Windies line-up, his self-belief - or lack thereof - almost always lets him down at the biggest stage. His innings against New Zealand was a classic example, when the stage was set for him to finish the game for Pakistan. That the innings came after public complaints of not batting in his desired position, made it all the worse.
There’s a good chance that Akmal might be dropped along with Ahmed Shehzad - the second villain of that particular game.
The good thing for Pakistan is that they don’t play any cricket for a while. This should allow the board to form a new selection committee and do some much needed soul searching.As argued last week, Pakistan does not need an overhaul for a change in fortunes. It just needs the right personnel at the helm, and some influx of new talent. The successes of the Test team are a classic example of that.
