Pakistan’s steady climb towards cue ball stability

The results have rarely been an accurate indicator of the health of Pakistani cricket. 1992 was like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, except Imran Khan never doubted his ability to win. 2009 was almost a rite of passage after Sreesanth disrupted Misbah-ul-Haq’s attack in the 2007 T20 World Cup. And 2017 was a success story based on various line-up factors and a bit of luck with Sarfaraz Ahmed. (possibly their most modest leader of all time) calmly guiding them through the chaotic Trophy of Champions. No one expected Pakistan to win. Yet somehow that’s when they find the gear to make their disbelief of their talent clear. However, be aware of the formats. And now check Pakistan’s current position in the ICC rankings: sixth in tests, fourth in T20I but number one in ODIs.

Pakistan is a temperamental powerhouse in cricket, with arguably the highest dropout rate in the world of professional sports. Players come and go, but it is a fact that only the gifted manage to break through. In fact, the administration has been more suspicious in its inexperienced handling of affairs. That, along with the nearly decade-long exile in the United Arab Emirates after the 2009 Lahore attacks, has played a huge role in Pakistan’s slowdown. To remain a white ball powerhouse despite such overwhelming odds surely points to more than analytical reasoning can reveal.

In fact, very little of what Pakistan has achieved can be attributed to conscious planning. A fast-bowling center but rarely in front of a stable batting line-up, electric one day, pedestrian the other – Pakistan have successfully evaded logic and fueled prejudice. Take a closer look, though, and you’ll start to see the little things they’re now doing right, like building a core group.

Babar Azam is the undisputed leader and Mohammad Rizwan the soul of this team. Fakhar Zaman still exists. As has Imam-ul-Haq, despite the constant murmur that talent alone has not sustained him at this level. Naseem Shah is the protégé bestowed on every Pakistani generation, but in Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan show their true bowling muscle.

More importantly, it is their understanding of the game that makes Pakistan so formidable. Wednesday’s 238-run win against Nepal in the Asia Cup opener in Multan was a small but timely reminder of that. The result was always a foregone conclusion, but it still had to be clinched. Reduced to 25/2 in six overs, playing a maiden from the start; however, this was not shaping up to be one of Pakistan’s best starts, or at least what was expected against a partner nation.

But they paused, stepped back and recalibrated their approach with Babar (who reached his 19th hundred in 104 matches, now second behind Saeed Anwar’s 20 hundred in 247 matches) front and center before Iftikhar Ahmed will provide a brilliant touch up with a 71-ball 109.

Pakistan added 129 runs in the last 10 overs, with Babar anchoring and accelerating as only he can, reaching 50 in 72 balls, taking 37 balls for the next 50 before smashing 51 in the last 22 deliveries of his innings. The first six innings, a one-handed strike of Babar’s bat, came only in the 43rd, but with 10 caps up until then, he ensured Pakistan’s pace never slowed. With Intikhab also fired up, crossing 300 and threatening to top 350 was a matter of time, but at 44/2 after 10 overs, it sure didn’t look easy.

This is an area in which Pakistan has progressed very well since the 2019 World Cup, backed by none other than the fact that they have the best win-loss ratio (4.5) among all nations with a score of at minus 300 in ODIs. Bowling has always been Pakistan’s forte and Shadab, Afridi and Rauf once again showed why. But for a change, that is not his only livelihood.