So!
Pakistan lost 2 games against India. Sorry, not lost. Thrashed!
Is this an 'Expectation vs. Performance' proportionality issue? Or is it that the expectations were warranted and the performance didn't live up to it? Or is it that the expectations were wrong in the first place!
1. Let's look at it as Pakistan pre Champions trophy and Pakistan post Champions trophy.
Pre-Champions trophy, we were languishing at number 9 in the rankings . . we were not even sure of directly qualifying for the world cup . . we barely made it to the champions trophy . . We were still mostly relying on the Ahmed Shahzads and Umar Akmals of this world . . We were still playing the "old" brand of cricket! Expectations were Very LOW!
Then champions trophy happened and from there, it is a fact that our team's formation underwent a change . . Our team became comprised of mostly young, talented cricketers . . We made a real attempt at changing our game play . . Our fielding saw a marked improvement . . Dressing room environment became upbeat . . We WON the champions trophy! Expectations went SKY ROCKETING!
This is where the problem starts!
We then went on to play a Sri Lankan team that is a complete disaster these days . . We blanked them 5 - 0! Fans felt their expectations were vindicated! Our team was indeed a top team in world cricket! Expectations EVEN HIGHER - Performance matched it!
Then we went to NZ (first tough opponent since the champions trophy) and we got blanked! 5 - 0! . . We didn't just look bad . . We looked hapless! Poor! Back to the pre Champions trophy days . . Some fans justified by saying our combination wasn't right . . we didn't have enough practice . . Too much chopping and changing . . . etc. etc. etc. Point is . . Expectations at that stage should have evened out but looking back, I don't think it did anything . . NZ tour was forgotten very quickly instead of taking it as part of the equation!
Then we went to Zimbabwe . . and everyone had a field day!! double hundreds . . hundreds . . completely destroyed Zimbabwe! Expectation High! Performance High!
To sum it all up: We have played 19 ODIs since the Champions trophy . . Won 12 - Lost 7
That's fantastic! Win Percentage great! Stats great! Team on the high!
Let's look more deeply.
Weak opponents: Played 12 - Won 12
Strong Opponents: Played 7 - Lost 7
Expectations were too high for this team and hence the disappointment is even higher.
PCB would do well to organize more games against top teams! Our schedule since the champions trophy has been Poor!!
Personally, I just choose to look at things differently!
I never thought this Pakistan team became a top team! I definitely thought and still think this Pakistan team is a much better team than they were . . they are going in the right direction . . They have some solid players with talent . . Fielding (barring Asia cup) has improved and has been noted worldwide . . Fitness levels have improved! Team culture seems good . . But we have a long way to go!
What in my opinion needs to be addressed before the world cup?
I have always believed that a major reason behind why we have been struggling in ODI cricket in the last 7 or 8 years is because of the cricket we play in the UAE! Cricket in UAE is very different from ODI cricket anywhere else in the world . . where scores of 300 have become the norm, we have been playing on pitches where 250 is a good score! and that has a huge impact! Pace of the game, tactics, team combination, approach . . everything changes! When we go out of the UAE, we are naturally unable to adapt quickly. We are used to the WRONG kinda cricket. . and the funny part is . . this cricket doesn't even suit us! Our ODI results in UAE are appalling!
So what are the some of the issues:
1. Out-cricket: (tactics/decisions un-related to actual skill levels) This is a serious pet peeve for me! And something that costs us many games!!
I will just quote 3 examples to prove my point:
a. Shaheen Shah Afridi on the long off boundary to a spinner in the last 15 overs. LIKE WHAT?! He is the weakest fielder in the team . . And you put your strongest fielders in the most critical positions at that time . . What was Shaheen Shah Afridi doing there?
b. Shot that Sarfaraz Ahmed hit when we were chasing against Afghanistan! (Got bowled on a full toss) . . We were cruising that chase with Malik and Sarfaraz . . What the hell kinda shot was that for the situation?
c. Shot that Asif Ali played against Afghanistan . . He had just hit a SIX the previous ball! Things were under control. . But ofcourse, he went for another SIX!
Malik has outperformed most people and his average in chases since his come back is AMAZING because he is genuinely the only person on the team who has a BRAIN! He thinks! He assesses! He responds! If only he had the ability of a Babar Azam, he'd be a world beater! But point is . . he thinks!
This is something that you can control!
2. Sarfaraz needs to really focus on his play and captaincy! Get off his high horses and stop yelling at players after every ball . . its counter productive! and start delivering results individually via his keeping and batting! and just CALM DOWN! Not good if poor Shaheen SHah has Sarfaraz in his ears every ball! The players get a game plan! Trust them to deliver on it! You don't need an interjection every ball!
3. Team combination: We are missing a batsman in the middle order! With Sarfaraz looking so bad, you can not have just openers, Babar at 3 and Malik and then no more batting . . in the champions trophy we had Hafeez . . I think its important that we have another batsman in the middle order . . Issue was that we got in Haris Sohail but then he had to be kicked out for Shadab! Hafeez if he is bowling well is still an asset at number 5 or 6 in my opinion . . as long as he is not opening or batting in the top 4, I think he is a useful player in this team . . especially for his spin bolwing!
Amir! I don't even know what to say . . Perhaps would be a good idea to drop him completely from the Australia and NZ series and ask him to go fix himself in Lahore and bring him back in SA . . But he needs time away from teh team . . he keeps complaining about rest and work load and other issues . . He needs a break! Give it to him!
4. Combination in UAE vs. combination in England/SA
You will need the 3 fast bowlers plus Faheem ashraf/allrounder and Shadab in england with someone like a Hafeez as a 6th bolwing option. That's excessive in UAE though . . so important not to panic, but think about the combination for England! UAE throws are combination off too!!
Finally, I think our team is on the right track! I think we have got some good players . . Looking ahead to the world cup . . we have a few issues to address and in those conditions, I think we can be a good team . .
Do not make UAE performances a basis for how we will perform in England . . South Africa may be a better barometer . . UAE will continue to do us more harm than good!
Let's keep the expectations in check and Let's keep supporting the team!
Pakistan lost 2 games against India. Sorry, not lost. Thrashed!
Is this an 'Expectation vs. Performance' proportionality issue? Or is it that the expectations were warranted and the performance didn't live up to it? Or is it that the expectations were wrong in the first place!
1. Let's look at it as Pakistan pre Champions trophy and Pakistan post Champions trophy.
Pre-Champions trophy, we were languishing at number 9 in the rankings . . we were not even sure of directly qualifying for the world cup . . we barely made it to the champions trophy . . We were still mostly relying on the Ahmed Shahzads and Umar Akmals of this world . . We were still playing the "old" brand of cricket! Expectations were Very LOW!
Then champions trophy happened and from there, it is a fact that our team's formation underwent a change . . Our team became comprised of mostly young, talented cricketers . . We made a real attempt at changing our game play . . Our fielding saw a marked improvement . . Dressing room environment became upbeat . . We WON the champions trophy! Expectations went SKY ROCKETING!
This is where the problem starts!
We then went on to play a Sri Lankan team that is a complete disaster these days . . We blanked them 5 - 0! Fans felt their expectations were vindicated! Our team was indeed a top team in world cricket! Expectations EVEN HIGHER - Performance matched it!
Then we went to NZ (first tough opponent since the champions trophy) and we got blanked! 5 - 0! . . We didn't just look bad . . We looked hapless! Poor! Back to the pre Champions trophy days . . Some fans justified by saying our combination wasn't right . . we didn't have enough practice . . Too much chopping and changing . . . etc. etc. etc. Point is . . Expectations at that stage should have evened out but looking back, I don't think it did anything . . NZ tour was forgotten very quickly instead of taking it as part of the equation!
Then we went to Zimbabwe . . and everyone had a field day!! double hundreds . . hundreds . . completely destroyed Zimbabwe! Expectation High! Performance High!
To sum it all up: We have played 19 ODIs since the Champions trophy . . Won 12 - Lost 7
That's fantastic! Win Percentage great! Stats great! Team on the high!
Let's look more deeply.
Weak opponents: Played 12 - Won 12
Strong Opponents: Played 7 - Lost 7
Expectations were too high for this team and hence the disappointment is even higher.
PCB would do well to organize more games against top teams! Our schedule since the champions trophy has been Poor!!
Personally, I just choose to look at things differently!
I never thought this Pakistan team became a top team! I definitely thought and still think this Pakistan team is a much better team than they were . . they are going in the right direction . . They have some solid players with talent . . Fielding (barring Asia cup) has improved and has been noted worldwide . . Fitness levels have improved! Team culture seems good . . But we have a long way to go!
What in my opinion needs to be addressed before the world cup?
I have always believed that a major reason behind why we have been struggling in ODI cricket in the last 7 or 8 years is because of the cricket we play in the UAE! Cricket in UAE is very different from ODI cricket anywhere else in the world . . where scores of 300 have become the norm, we have been playing on pitches where 250 is a good score! and that has a huge impact! Pace of the game, tactics, team combination, approach . . everything changes! When we go out of the UAE, we are naturally unable to adapt quickly. We are used to the WRONG kinda cricket. . and the funny part is . . this cricket doesn't even suit us! Our ODI results in UAE are appalling!
So what are the some of the issues:
1. Out-cricket: (tactics/decisions un-related to actual skill levels) This is a serious pet peeve for me! And something that costs us many games!!
I will just quote 3 examples to prove my point:
a. Shaheen Shah Afridi on the long off boundary to a spinner in the last 15 overs. LIKE WHAT?! He is the weakest fielder in the team . . And you put your strongest fielders in the most critical positions at that time . . What was Shaheen Shah Afridi doing there?
b. Shot that Sarfaraz Ahmed hit when we were chasing against Afghanistan! (Got bowled on a full toss) . . We were cruising that chase with Malik and Sarfaraz . . What the hell kinda shot was that for the situation?
c. Shot that Asif Ali played against Afghanistan . . He had just hit a SIX the previous ball! Things were under control. . But ofcourse, he went for another SIX!
Malik has outperformed most people and his average in chases since his come back is AMAZING because he is genuinely the only person on the team who has a BRAIN! He thinks! He assesses! He responds! If only he had the ability of a Babar Azam, he'd be a world beater! But point is . . he thinks!
This is something that you can control!
2. Sarfaraz needs to really focus on his play and captaincy! Get off his high horses and stop yelling at players after every ball . . its counter productive! and start delivering results individually via his keeping and batting! and just CALM DOWN! Not good if poor Shaheen SHah has Sarfaraz in his ears every ball! The players get a game plan! Trust them to deliver on it! You don't need an interjection every ball!
3. Team combination: We are missing a batsman in the middle order! With Sarfaraz looking so bad, you can not have just openers, Babar at 3 and Malik and then no more batting . . in the champions trophy we had Hafeez . . I think its important that we have another batsman in the middle order . . Issue was that we got in Haris Sohail but then he had to be kicked out for Shadab! Hafeez if he is bowling well is still an asset at number 5 or 6 in my opinion . . as long as he is not opening or batting in the top 4, I think he is a useful player in this team . . especially for his spin bolwing!
Amir! I don't even know what to say . . Perhaps would be a good idea to drop him completely from the Australia and NZ series and ask him to go fix himself in Lahore and bring him back in SA . . But he needs time away from teh team . . he keeps complaining about rest and work load and other issues . . He needs a break! Give it to him!
4. Combination in UAE vs. combination in England/SA
You will need the 3 fast bowlers plus Faheem ashraf/allrounder and Shadab in england with someone like a Hafeez as a 6th bolwing option. That's excessive in UAE though . . so important not to panic, but think about the combination for England! UAE throws are combination off too!!
Finally, I think our team is on the right track! I think we have got some good players . . Looking ahead to the world cup . . we have a few issues to address and in those conditions, I think we can be a good team . .
Do not make UAE performances a basis for how we will perform in England . . South Africa may be a better barometer . . UAE will continue to do us more harm than good!
Let's keep the expectations in check and Let's keep supporting the team!
