The gloves are completely off now. The sparring for position is done. The Cricket World Cup has now entered the decisive phase; the shootout phase where if you win you move ahead, you lose, you go home. Some exciting contests are now in the reckoning, none more so than the one today where a resurgent Pakistan meets the rampaging Australians in the quarterfinal.
Just when the going was about to get really tough the Pakistanis were stunned by the disclosure that their shock bowler Irfan’s World Cup was over. MRI scans disclosed what the team management was hoping not to hear. The body of the world’s tallest bowler body could not take the strain of bowling flat out over extended periods. The stress fracture of the pelvis means that he cannot take any further part in the competition.
But all is far from lost for the resurgent green shirts. They have to make the best of a challenging situation. Their bowling attack has been admirably led and sustained by the fast bowling trio of Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali and Sohail Khan. Wahab has led from the front with searing pace. In fact he has bowled the fastest ball of the competition to date. Rahat has been accurate and nippy, moving the ball in the air and off the seam. The fact that both are southpaws is an advantage. They can angle the ball across the right handed batsman and then bring it back in, looking for the leg before. Sohail is the classic right arm seamer with a textbook action. The three are quickly developing into a match for the Starc-Johnson duo of Australia and Boult-Southee of New Zealand. But pace alone will not be enough.
The subtlety and cunning of the spin bowlers is something that makes the Australian batsmen rein in their aggressive instincts. They have to decipher the flight and the turn off the wicket that the spinner brings into battle. That is where Shahid Afridi can make amends for a mediocre bowling performance so far. At his best, Afridi is a match winner with both bat and the ball, but that “best” is becoming an increasing rarity. His batting seems suited to when the ball is hard and the field is in, when even his mishits will go over the top. A quick fire 50 could make a difference early on in the contest and should he fail it would not be such a setback. But Afridi has to choose the balls to hit and defend or deflect the ones he cannot. He will claim that he bats instinctively and cannot restrain himself, but that then is the difference between greatness and mediocrity, winning and losing. Afridi’s issues are not between the wickets but between the ears.
Pakistan should consider Yasir Shah for the Australia game, who along with Afridi could expose the Aussies' perceived weakness against spin
Pakistan should consider leg spinner Yasir Shah for the Australia game. A skilled wrist spinner, he along with Afridi could expose the Aussies’ perceived weakness against spin and could turn the game on its ear. Shah generates a lot of energy on his ball which he can employ for his bowling variations. A good spell from him, where he takes a couple of wickets and brings a bit of uncertainty to the opposition batting, could be a game changer.
The Australian bowling is pretty much set. Johnson and Stark are the leaders, ably backed up by Cummins, Watson and Faulkner. They only have Clarke as the part time spinner. Starc has been in wicket taking form and will look to make early inroads into a Pakistan batting line that is only now regaining its self-belief.
Ideally Pakistan should hope to bat first and give our fast bowlers a score in the high 200s in order for them to attack and take wickets
It is the Pakistan batting that is the big question mark. The inclusion of the combative Sarfraz has made a huge difference in the outlook of the line-up. Younus, Shahzad and Misbah have been amongst the runs, with Misbah showing exemplary consistency. In an ideal situation, Pakistan should hope to bat first and give our fast bowlers a score in the high 200s in order for them to attack and take wickets. Anything in the low 200s could rein them into a run controlling mode, something they are simply not comfortable with. And the Australian batsmen are too good to be held back. They have to be bowled out. Chasing has never been our forte. Let’s hope it does not come to that.
Australia’s batting lineup is formidable, with batsmen who can turn the game around in five or six overs of brilliance. Leading from the front is the diminutive Warner and the powerful Finch. Rounding off the middle order is Maxwell, who along with De Villiers is considered the most destructive player in the ODI game. In between are Clarke, Smith and Bailey. Such a batting line-up cannot be defeated without a cunning game plan.
In the absence of the lanky Mohammed Irfan, leg-spinner Yasir Shah could be the crucial difference
Misbah has to delve deep into his bag of tricks. Something like opening the bowling with the two leg spinners until the ball loses its shine and is controllable by the seamers. That might be reaching a bit too far but Pakistan has to think out of the box to upset the composure of the cocky Australians.
Who will win? The mind says Australia. They are simply too well rounded, confident and used to winning. The heart says Pakistan. But the batting will have to click with three batsmen making runs and the bowlers performing like their life depended on it. Anything is possible. Such are the glorious uncertainties of cricket.
