BunnyRabbit
ODI Debutant
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2016
- Runs
- 9,313
- Post of the Week
- 1
January 2011, against New Zealand in their backyard, the last time I saw Pakistan team booming and blossoming with talent.
I remember the first match where Southee ran through us and we meekly surrendered, but after that match, the real story starts.
Pakistan was still recovering from shackles of spot fixing saga and trying to build a team for future. Misbah in 4 Tests at helm had given a solid hand to stabilize our Test team, but it was the ODI team that we need to talk about.
We were in our last series before the World Cup, but the series was being played in NZ where the pitches and conditions were going to be totally different from the WC. After losing the first match, there was sheer criticism on Afridi being a clueless captain, and there were calls to hand over the reigns to Misbah who had just led Pakistan to our first Test series win since 2006.
So when the 2nd Odi came, the forecast was gloomy and there was a greentop pitch. Pakistan chose to bring Ahmad Shehzad in place of Asad Shafiq. Only 4 overs were possible in that Odi but Shehzad played possibly his most aggressive ODI inning till now 25* off 16 delivers in swinging conditions. He was the new hope of our batting demons. The new kid had the aggression that everyone wanted. Come the next ODI, Pakistan again had a top order collapse, but Hafeez, a returnee still trying to find his feet in International cricket after numerous comebacks, stuck with Misbah, who played a slow but solid 35 off 64 deliveries his first knock which would later become the blueprint of his batting for the next 4 years while Hafeez scored his first ODI century. Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi stormed with boundaries followed by allround clinical bowling to win the match. In the next one, Pakistan were able to chase 263 with Misbah lending a big hand. Ahmad Shehzad would announce himself to the world with an aggressive maiden century in the next match allowing Pakistan to win their first ODI series in over 2 years.
In that series, we saw the intent and hunger to win, new guys coming in trying to tell the world that they belong, old horses coming back to assert that they were still good enough, batsmen played aggressively, bowlers bowled in partnerships to comeback from an embarassing first ODI loss. That series gave Pak the momentum on which they were able to storm to the semi final in the world cup.
Little did we know that this would be the last series, we will see a spark from Pakistan. There was glimmer of hope that our ODI team is in good stead. Batsmen were playing to win, bowlers were bowling to win.
6 years later, we are in the deepest hole we could imagine ourselves to be, heartbreaking losses after losses, abject surrenders, clueless bowlers, afraid batsmen, tired seniors, no one seems to take notice what it will take to lead our team out of that hole we threw ourselves in.
Fans still hope in every match that this will be the game where our tigers will rise again and stand up to the opposition but every game appears to be a holocaust. No one knew there will come a time when Pakistan will be fallen warriors with their faces on the ground.
We still keep waiting for that moment where our tigers will rise again, until that moment comes, it's all doom and gloom.
I remember the first match where Southee ran through us and we meekly surrendered, but after that match, the real story starts.
Pakistan was still recovering from shackles of spot fixing saga and trying to build a team for future. Misbah in 4 Tests at helm had given a solid hand to stabilize our Test team, but it was the ODI team that we need to talk about.
We were in our last series before the World Cup, but the series was being played in NZ where the pitches and conditions were going to be totally different from the WC. After losing the first match, there was sheer criticism on Afridi being a clueless captain, and there were calls to hand over the reigns to Misbah who had just led Pakistan to our first Test series win since 2006.
So when the 2nd Odi came, the forecast was gloomy and there was a greentop pitch. Pakistan chose to bring Ahmad Shehzad in place of Asad Shafiq. Only 4 overs were possible in that Odi but Shehzad played possibly his most aggressive ODI inning till now 25* off 16 delivers in swinging conditions. He was the new hope of our batting demons. The new kid had the aggression that everyone wanted. Come the next ODI, Pakistan again had a top order collapse, but Hafeez, a returnee still trying to find his feet in International cricket after numerous comebacks, stuck with Misbah, who played a slow but solid 35 off 64 deliveries his first knock which would later become the blueprint of his batting for the next 4 years while Hafeez scored his first ODI century. Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi stormed with boundaries followed by allround clinical bowling to win the match. In the next one, Pakistan were able to chase 263 with Misbah lending a big hand. Ahmad Shehzad would announce himself to the world with an aggressive maiden century in the next match allowing Pakistan to win their first ODI series in over 2 years.
In that series, we saw the intent and hunger to win, new guys coming in trying to tell the world that they belong, old horses coming back to assert that they were still good enough, batsmen played aggressively, bowlers bowled in partnerships to comeback from an embarassing first ODI loss. That series gave Pak the momentum on which they were able to storm to the semi final in the world cup.
Little did we know that this would be the last series, we will see a spark from Pakistan. There was glimmer of hope that our ODI team is in good stead. Batsmen were playing to win, bowlers were bowling to win.
6 years later, we are in the deepest hole we could imagine ourselves to be, heartbreaking losses after losses, abject surrenders, clueless bowlers, afraid batsmen, tired seniors, no one seems to take notice what it will take to lead our team out of that hole we threw ourselves in.
Fans still hope in every match that this will be the game where our tigers will rise again and stand up to the opposition but every game appears to be a holocaust. No one knew there will come a time when Pakistan will be fallen warriors with their faces on the ground.
We still keep waiting for that moment where our tigers will rise again, until that moment comes, it's all doom and gloom.
