ISLAMABAD - Poor team selection, worst captaincy and irresponsible batting by the green shirts’ gifted young Australian team victory in the one-off Twenty20 international, while Kangaroos also outclassed Pakistan in the first One-day international played in Sharjah.
Ever since Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed ‘super coach’ Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s performance is going from bad to worse. First, they were tamed by the Lankan Lions and now they have been facing the worst defeats in the hands of a weak Australian side. Pakistan batsmen are mainly responsible for both the defeats, but one thing which comes in everyone’s mind is what Grant Flower has been doing. He is supposed to help Pakistan batsmen remove flaws from their batting, but Flower’s role looks nowhere, as batsmen are committing blunders. What is reason of paying an army of coaches and that too in dollars when they can’t help the team perform against ordinary teams?
The PCB top brass claimed that they were cash-strapped and in serious financial strides, but on the other hands, they have been wasting national exchequer on Waqar and company. When they can’t provide even average results, they must quit and give chance to the deserving ones who can change the fortunes of Pakistan cricket and it teams.
When reins of Pakistan team would be handed over to the tainted persons, how could one expect favorable results from such persons who were proven guilty? On what grounds and reasons Moin Khan was given chief selector and managerial post? Ever since Moin is at the helm of affairs, Pakistan cricket team’s fortunes are fast declining. He is working on a malicious agenda, only one certain province’s players have been given top priority when it comes to selection of the national squad. It seems the selectors are not selecting national squad but a provincial squad, as it was feared Younus Khan’s absence would hurt Pakistan badly and they would struggle to even play out quota of overs, so the same happened in the first two matches.
Shahid Afridi had played a lot of ODIs and T20s, and always proved himself an irresponsible person. He never played for the team, no matter what the situation is, Afridi plays rash strokes, which leads to his downfall, and this time too, he just gifted his wicket in the T20. An average bowler like Maxwell managed to take three wickets in the T20, who hardly takes wicket against even weaker opponents, as he is known for batting rather than bowling.
Misbah is completely out of touch, and need his team’s unity and help to bounce back. Who is going to tell Fawad Alam that Australians are not Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, against whom he scored runs after consuming too many deliveries? Ahmed Shahzad must realise, scoring in one or two innings is not enough to occupy a place in the playing XI, he must have to change his attitude. He is aspiring for national team’s captaincy, but his place in the starting lineup is under serious threat. None of the batsmen are playing with positive frame of mind. Anwar Ali was looking nervous and shaky against Australian fast bowlers, when Pakistani batsmen are finding it hard to cope the Aussies bowling in the limited overs’ cricket, how on earth would it be possible for them to face the hostile bowling attack in the Tests.
PCB chairman Shahryar Khan must have to intervene and without wasting more time, he must remove coaching staff especially the tainted persons if he wants to revive the declining fortunes of the national team. The World Cup is round the corner and all the other top cricket playing nations have completed their homework, but Pakistan is struggling to field a winning-combination. If tough decisions are not taken in the best interest of the country, only miracle can help the green shirts to go beyond group stages in the world cup.