Handling pressure - Why Pakistan lags behind

[shariqnoor]

If there's been one constant in the world of sports, it's Pressure - a dreaded 8 letter word that makes sports persons succumb to it time and again.

No team has succumbed to pressure in cricket more than Pakistan over the past 15 years. The list is long when it comes to matches squandered from the jaws of victory and tears plentiful.

So why is it that Pakistan has over the recent past failed to control their nerves at the exact time when you require a calm head? I allude to a few reasons. Please feel free to add more.

1) Handling pressure is a byproduct of skill:
I genuinely feel that handling pressure is a byproduct of your skills. If you are skilled enough to last at international level, your chances of handling pressure goes up a lot. Most of the time you will find a world class player at the end of success and an average player on the receiving end of failure (exceptions may happen). You will find the greats of the game being the most calm under pressure. Miandad, Dhoni, Kohli, Bevan, Hussey. One thing in common. World class at their skill. The moment when you are being buried under pressure, the first thing that gets exposed is your ability to execute. Take Nawaz's over for example. I have not seen Nawaz bowl a waist high full toss ever. I have never seen him bowl 2 wides in an over. Yet when the pressure came towering down, his ability to execute went out of the window. Because he's not world class at his skill while at the other end you had the GOAT.

2) Not mastering your art in practice:
Related to the above point as the ability to execute under pressure will always be positively correlated with your ability to transfer a particular shot or ball into your muscle memory and making it a habit. Ricky Ponting also alluded to the same thing when he said that the only way to do well under pressure is to work hard in the nets and that unless playing a certain short or delivering a particular ball becomes a habit, it's almost impossible to produce it under pressure. Nawaz for all but one delivery in the last over darted the ball as if he was a medium pacer and never backed his spin. The one delivery where he did bowl spin was to Karthik where Karthik couldn't connect and got stumped. The reason why Bumrah is so good is that bowling a yorker has become part of his muscle memory. He can bowl that delivery almost at will.

3) Fear of success:
Yes! Just like there is a fear of failure, there is also a fear of success. The bigger the stake, the bigger the fear of success when it comes to the crunch moments. How many times have we seen tennis players not able to serve out a match. They will never double fault throughout the match but will double fault when serving for it. Anticipating success combined with the fear of ruining all your hard work, makes crossing the finishing line that much more difficult. The mind wanders to two places. Inevitably, execution goes out of the window. Think back to how many times Pakistan have lost from positions that they had no business losing. SA ODI in Lahore 2007, Hussey WC semi 2010, SA ODI in Sharjah 2013, Wade WC Semi 2021 and now Kohli WC 2022. I'm sure I'm missing some more.

I think back to the Pakistan team of the 90s where I was lucky enough to witness literal heists - Waqar vs SA in 1993, Waqar vs NZ in 1994, Wasim vs SL in Jamshedpur in 1999, Razzaq vs SL in 1999, Razzaq vs SA in 2010. I again revert to point number 1 where handling pressure is a byproduct of your skills. It's no fluke that out of these matches that I mentioned the heroes were Waqar/Wasim/Razzaq who had mad skills at that point in time.

The fear of mine is that once these type of games start adding up where the team ends up on the losing side, the situation itself will be the second opponent in the minds of the players. A psychologist can only help you bring clarity to your thoughts and keep you calm. What a psychologist cannot do is hit a winning shot or bowl a winning delivery for you. And for that you need to be a master of your art.

 

[TheSultan]

There is a simple answer. To win, you must try and WIN. There's a lot made out of "game management" these days. You may be able to do that when stakes are NOT high. But in crucial, pressure matches you have to go and WIN the game. Kill it off.

Two crucial matches in recent times

1. Asia Cup Final
2. Yesterday's match



There were multiple times in both matches that we were so far ahead - all the advantage was with us. But what happened, we tried to manage the victory rather than KILL the game off.

Asia Cup - 58/5, all Babar was interested in was getting everyone's overs in and manage the target that was going to be set. KILL the game. Then when we were batting 10 FREE runs off the first ball when batting. 169 target became 159 in ONE ball. Babar and Riz went in to their shell by calculating "well we have 10 runs already, just take it easy now". No, KILL the game. 10 free runs, bowler demoralised - if we had scored another 10 runs in that over, there was no coming back from 20-0 in one over.

Yesterday's match - 31-4. Babar again more interested in squeezing the spinners' overs out. KILL the game. 48 required off 18. Bring Rauf on, KILL the game!

It's the lack of killer instinct


Yesterday 31-4 - KILL it

T20 is a game that flips very easily and very hard to control once it flips. KILL it when you have the advantage.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

This is an interesting post but I think before discussing how to handle pressure we should try to answer the following questions regarding what it is and how it is created.

What creates pressure in the first place?

If you know someone is not world class at even their own skill, do you force them into a position try and execute a process that requires additional skill?

In T20 ( batting) which position requires the batsman to cope with most/least pressure, are the batsmen who are capable of handling that pressure occupying those positions?

 

[Zardad]

There is a simple answer. To win, you must try and WIN. There's a lot made out of "game management" these days. You may be able to do that when stakes are NOT high. But in crucial, pressure matches you have to go and WIN the game. Kill it off.

Two crucial matches in recent times

1. Asia Cup Final
2. Yesterday's match



There were multiple times in both matches that we were so far ahead - all the advantage was with us. But what happened, we tried to manage the victory rather than KILL the game off.

Asia Cup - 58/5, all Babar was interested in was getting everyone's overs in and manage the target that was going to be set. KILL the game. Then when we were batting 10 FREE runs off the first ball when batting. 169 target became 159 in ONE ball. Babar and Riz went in to their shell by calculating "well we have 10 runs already, just take it easy now". No, KILL the game. 10 free runs, bowler demoralised - if we had scored another 10 runs in that over, there was no coming back from 20-0 in one over.

Yesterday's match - 31-4. Babar again more interested in squeezing the spinners' overs out. KILL the game. 48 required off 18. Bring Rauf on, KILL the game!

It's the lack of killer instinct


Yesterday 31-4 - KILL it

T20 is a game that flips very easily and very hard to control once it flips. KILL it when you have the advantage.

You can't just blindly kill. In a game of 20 overs, Pakistan will need to get 8 overs spin in with the current line-up. If you focus on killing by bowling your pacers out early, the opposition will just play them out and then smash the spinners later.

 

[Rana]

You can't just blindly kill. In a game of 20 overs, Pakistan will need to get 8 overs spin in with the current line-up. If you focus on killing by bowling your pacers out early, the opposition will just play them out and then smash the spinners later.

Pakistan management and chief selector is the biggest culprit and proven incompetent

Pakistan cannot select a pace bowling all-rounder because the option just isn’t there for them in the squad

Who cares about Faheem Ashraf’s or Aamir Jamal’s form right at this moment? How desperately do you realise you need them in the team?

How is Wasim JR anything more than a flashy lower order option like Shaheen Afridi? Wasim JR is not a bowling all rounder!

 

[NishanKonar]

To be honest yesterday you cannot blame Babar Azam for his on game tacttics. Easy to say in hindsight

Actually Babar had the right idea. Get Haris Rauf, Naseem and Shaheen Shah to bowl out - hoping they get Kohli and Pandya out and get tailenders on when Nawaz bowls the final over. The problem was Shaheen , Rauf and Naseem could not get the wickets -and even conceded loads of runs -thus Nawaz had to bowl at Pandya and Kohli

The strategy was correct but the bowlers could not get the job done. That exposed Nawaz

 

[TheSultan]

To be honest yesterday you cannot blame Babar Azam for his on game tacttics. Easy to say in hindsight

Actually Babar had the right idea. Get Haris Rauf, Naseem and Shaheen Shah to bowl out - hoping they get Kohli and Pandya out and get tailenders on when Nawaz bowls the final over. The problem was Shaheen , Rauf and Naseem could not get the wickets -and even conceded loads of runs -thus Nawaz had to bowl at Pandya and Kohli

The strategy was correct but the bowlers could not get the job done. That exposed Nawaz

The thing is - that was not the strategy. He was forced in to that strategy because of Nawaz' 20+ over and didn't want to risk another over like that until he had no choice. It was reactive. If he was proactive, he would have paused the spin for a bit and brought back the pacers before that Nawaz over. India would be searching for that big over vs the pacers. And at that stage, one or both may have got out. In the last 3 overs, the pacers can go, it's not easy to put them away in the middle phase.

It was plainly obvious they were going to target Nawaz in that 11th/12th over (whichever one it was, can't fully remember). They started trying to push the over before in Shadab's over, but because of the wrist spin, they had a decent over, but not the monster one they got off Nawaz. They were definitely going to target the finger spinner. And it was that ONE over that brought the match in to some semblance of balance. A couple overs of the pacers then would have really killed the match.

Babar was cruising and he paid for it. And this is not the first time.

 

[TheSultan]

You can't just blindly kill. In a game of 20 overs, Pakistan will need to get 8 overs spin in with the current line-up. If you focus on killing by bowling your pacers out early, the opposition will just play them out and then smash the spinners later.

It's not as simple as that. He got 3/4 cheap overs from Shadab and Nawaz out of the way - fine. No problem with that, but one of them was gonna go sooner or later. Yes they could have smashed the spinners later - however, the task would be a lot bigger for them, every over adds pressure. Spinners, if they have a buffer, with pressure, they will induce a mistake.

There is a difference of hitting spinners when you're calm and difference when you are under pressure. Fine lines, and that's where matches are won and lost.

 

[asadee]

You need a sharp thinking mind in pressure situations and unfortunately none of our 3 leaders on the field Babar Shadab and Rizwan are there yet. They don't read the game 5 overs ahead and think over by over. While chasing individual batting can help u win but when defending u need to take preemptive measures and dynamic decisions. Something Babar and his deputies are unable to do

 

[shariqnoor]

This isn't just about yesterday. It's the general way we go about in crunch moments over the past two decades. Captaincy no doubt is a big part but you cannot blame captaincy all the time. Sometimes the individual players need to step up as well. Pakistan has developed a culture of laziness and it doesn't take much for you to get selected into the Pakistan national team.

What performances have Mohammad Haris or Waseem Jr or Haider Ali have given in the domestics on a consistent basis to merit inclusion in a World Cup squad? When you start doling out caps, the incentive to work hard is gone. Hence you'll see more hacks in the team. Imagine Sanju Samson is not considered good enough for India. That guy would've been a superstar in the Pakistan team. We need to make Pakistani caps an expensive product.

 

[asadee]

True. Out of the young brigade the only 2 players in my opinion who have shown how to handle pressure are Abdullah Shafiq and Naseem Shah

 

[Hasan]

Lack of support from the Board, media and fans. Short-termism leads to constant change which cultivates a culture of fear which put the team in a defensive frame of mind.

 

[Gullycricket]

If there's been one constant in the world of sports, it's Pressure - a dreaded 8 letter word that makes sports persons succumb to it time and again.

No team has succumbed to pressure in cricket more than Pakistan over the past 15 years. The list is long when it comes to matches squandered from the jaws of victory and tears plentiful.

So why is it that Pakistan has over the recent past failed to control their nerves at the exact time when you require a calm head? I allude to a few reasons. Please feel free to add more.

1) Handling pressure is a byproduct of skill:
I genuinely feel that handling pressure is a byproduct of your skills. If you are skilled enough to last at international level, your chances of handling pressure goes up a lot. Most of the time you will find a world class player at the end of success and an average player on the receiving end of failure (exceptions may happen). You will find the greats of the game being the most calm under pressure. Miandad, Dhoni, Kohli, Bevan, Hussey. One thing in common. World class at their skill. The moment when you are being buried under pressure, the first thing that gets exposed is your ability to execute. Take Nawaz's over for example. I have not seen Nawaz bowl a waist high full toss ever. I have never seen him bowl 2 wides in an over. Yet when the pressure came towering down, his ability to execute went out of the window. Because he's not world class at his skill while at the other end you had the GOAT.

2) Not mastering your art in practice:
Related to the above point as the ability to execute under pressure will always be positively correlated with your ability to transfer a particular shot or ball into your muscle memory and making it a habit. Ricky Ponting also alluded to the same thing when he said that the only way to do well under pressure is to work hard in the nets and that unless playing a certain short or delivering a particular ball becomes a habit, it's almost impossible to produce it under pressure. Nawaz for all but one delivery in the last over darted the ball as if he was a medium pacer and never backed his spin. The one delivery where he did bowl spin was to Karthik where Karthik couldn't connect and got stumped. The reason why Bumrah is so good is that bowling a yorker has become part of his muscle memory. He can bowl that delivery almost at will.

3) Fear of success:
Yes! Just like there is a fear of failure, there is also a fear of success. The bigger the stake, the bigger the fear of success when it comes to the crunch moments. How many times have we seen tennis players not able to serve out a match. They will never double fault throughout the match but will double fault when serving for it. Anticipating success combined with the fear of ruining all your hard work, makes crossing the finishing line that much more difficult. The mind wanders to two places. Inevitably, execution goes out of the window. Think back to how many times Pakistan have lost from positions that they had no business losing. SA ODI in Lahore 2007, Hussey WC semi 2010, SA ODI in Sharjah 2013, Wade WC Semi 2021 and now Kohli WC 2022. I'm sure I'm missing some more.

I think back to the Pakistan team of the 90s where I was lucky enough to witness literal heists - Waqar vs SA in 1993, Waqar vs NZ in 1994, Wasim vs SL in Jamshedpur in 1999, Razzaq vs SL in 1999, Razzaq vs SA in 2010. I again revert to point number 1 where handling pressure is a byproduct of your skills. It's no fluke that out of these matches that I mentioned the heroes were Waqar/Wasim/Razzaq who had mad skills at that point in time.

The fear of mine is that once these type of games start adding up where the team ends up on the losing side, the situation itself will be the second opponent in the minds of the players. A psychologist can only help you bring clarity to your thoughts and keep you calm. What a psychologist cannot do is hit a winning shot or bowl a winning delivery for you. And for that you need to be a master of your art.

I agree with you 100 percentage. I remember once Kohli was asked how he is able to perform so well in England and Australia after he had disastrous tour in 2014. He said 80 percent of the batting in tough conditions is mental. Look at how Babar, so called no 1 batsman batted or Shan . They looked clueless since they don't have the mental strength to counter anything outside their comfort zone. Even an over the hill Kohli is better than them since he is mentally tough. Same thing applies to Nawaz and others. I remember many such instances. 2019 WC we got a runout chance against Rohit early on but Fakhar threw at the wrong end . There are many more examples. It also about society . Everyone in Pakistan thinks same way that even with India 4 down we will mess it up. This is where Imran Khan or Kohli are great. They have that ego, that arrogance which is necessary to be great and mask any weakness

 

[proud_pakistani]

With India their batsmen genuinely have the skills and the IPL has honed their skills. Even with 11 an over in the last 10 they still believe they can do it because they have done it time and again in the IPL. If Pakistan was 45-4 and Babar and say Asif Ali were batting at the crease Pakistan would be bowled out for 110. Its time we realise Asif Ali, Khushdil etc arent proper batsmen just tullas. We should have scored 15 runs more to win yesterday. Genuinely blame the batting more than the bowling. Iftikhar, Haider and Nawaz too casual.

 

[RexRex]

Even with 11 an over in the last 10 they still believe they can do it because they have done it time and again in the IPL.

This sounds like an excuse. Don't you have these last over scenarios arise in the PSL ? India haven't won a t20 WC since the IPL started so not sure how much of an influence it has.

 

[Gullycricket]

This sounds like an excuse. Don't you have these last over scenarios arise in the PSL ? India haven't won a t20 WC since the IPL started so not sure how much of an influence it has.

PSL isn't quality enough. Look at the top scorers from. last few years. It's over the hill cricketers like Akmal, Ronchi etc. Khushdil was batting like Bradman there. No use of analytics or any matchups Is done.

 

[jnaveen1980]

9 of the Indian players that played for India yesterday have played test matches. Some of them lot of test matches. Ashwin has played 3 Tests, and 4 ODIs at MCG alone. So most of them have come through the system properly. Nobody got picked because he hit a couple of sixes in Tully baaz league. Even SKY Is there because he could score big not because he could play cameos.

 

[WengerOut]

9 of the Indian players that played for India yesterday have played test matches. Some of them lot of test matches. Ashwin has played 3 Tests, and 4 ODIs at MCG alone. So most of them have come through the system properly. Nobody got picked because he hit a couple of sixes in Tully baaz league. Even SKY Is there because he could score big not because he could play cameos.

Ashwins shot to score the last run was the coolest shot ever played in cricket while requiring 1 run from 1 ball.

 

[jnaveen1980]

This sounds like an excuse. Don't you have these last over scenarios arise in the PSL ? India haven't won a t20 WC since the IPL started so not sure how much of an influence it has.

We have to do a deep dive analysis. How many "Indian" finishers in the IPL? Not many. Very often you face pace bowling in death overs. So you need batsmen who have the skills to score fast against pace. They have sampled all the leagues. Look how many Indians are there in that? None except DK

 

[jnaveen1980]

Ashwins shot to score the last run was the coolest shot ever played in cricket while requiring 1 run from 1 ball.

Even way back in 2011 he played two fast cameos in a test match which India lost by 197 runs. That was a pretty good attack.

 

[RexRex]

We have to do a deep dive analysis. How many "Indian" finishers in the IPL? Not many. Very often you face pace bowling in death overs. So you need batsmen who have the skills to score fast against pace. They have sampled all the leagues. Look how many Indians are there in that? None except DK

View attachment 117540

So you agree with me. IPL's influence is overrated.

 

[Fenrir]

Pakistan will not win anything when Asif Ali and Khushdil are in this team.Haider Ali has lost form.He should go back to domestic cricket and improve his game.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Pakistan are great at creating pressure on opposition with their masterful bowling. But the moment the tables turn, Pakistan wilts like a delicate flower in the sun quickly. It all comes down to mental toughness. The will to succeed is a rare commodity. It is even more rare in PCT. With PSL, Pakistan are bound to produce new age players who can better handle pressure situations.

 

[jnaveen1980]

So you agree with me. IPL's influence is overrated.

Current line up? Yes. Don't think they need help from the IPL. They are already experienced except SKY who has played very few T20 internationals. If India has to pick a side solely based on IPL it will be a completely different side. There won't even be Kohli in it. That is where you can gauge the actual IPL influence not with this line up. For heavensake Dinesh Karthik made T20 debut in the very much when India made T20 debut (in SA) and incidentally won the man of the match. He is that experienced. Both him and Rohit were part of 2007 world cup winning squad.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Having said that other teams benefit a lot from IPL. They can do a lot of experiment in the IPL. Bairstow, Buttler, Livingstone, Conway played well in different high pressure scenario. Especially one of Conway's IPL innings for CSK was outstanding. He played 360 degrees.

 

[shariqnoor]

I agree with you 100 percentage. I remember once Kohli was asked how he is able to perform so well in England and Australia after he had disastrous tour in 2014. He said 80 percent of the batting in tough conditions is mental. Look at how Babar, so called no 1 batsman batted or Shan . They looked clueless since they don't have the mental strength to counter anything outside their comfort zone. Even an over the hill Kohli is better than them since he is mentally tough. Same thing applies to Nawaz and others. I remember many such instances. 2019 WC we got a runout chance against Rohit early on but Fakhar threw at the wrong end . There are many more examples. It also about society . Everyone in Pakistan thinks same way that even with India 4 down we will mess it up. This is where Imran Khan or Kohli are great. They have that ego, that arrogance which is necessary to be great and mask any weakness

The thing is mental issue is secondary. The first and foremost thing is skill. Kohli can talk about being mentally tough because he already has the skills sorted out. Kohli doesn't need to get drastically better on the technical aspects of batting. All he needs to worry about is how his mental state is during the game.

But for a guy like Imran Butt playing in a Test match at Headingley in overcast conditions, being mentally tough is secondary. He doesn't have the skill level to play in that match situation. You can make him the most mentally tough guy out there but he's not going to survive 10 balls without a proper technique.

The problem with Pakistan starts from skills. And if you are going to start selecting players who just have a couple of good games in the domestic, then they are going to get exposed in the international arena. No Pakistani player should be selected for the national team until he has played at least 30 first class games. There might be exceptions, like Shaheen which is fine. But the majority needs to have enough first class games under their belt to have been exposed to multiple match scenarios. That should just be the starting point.

 

[Savak]

Handling pressure ultimately boils down to the quality of your domestic cricket and the amount of frequent pressure situations your players routinely get exposed too.

You have to understand that India plays a lot of Cricket against Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa. Also their domestic players get to play with and against the best players in the world in the IPL, they get coached by the very best. They have a solid U-19 and A tours system, i read in an article that India has had the highest number of A tours and U-19 tours all across the globe. India's selection system is also a lot more competitive and ruthless. Batsmen know that if they don't perform in a couple of innings, there is someone else waiting in the wings to take over, no friendship with the captain, senior players is going to help you.

No other country would have carried the likes of Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushil Shah for so long. The Chief Selector and PCB Chairman have also tried to talk sense into the captain into looking at other options but the captain is being stubborn.

 

[Noman]

Fulfilling 20 over when you have opportunity to get all out 3-30 something. We should gone for the kill instead we let batsman settle in and pay the price Asifa cup final if we went for kill the worst the score would be 170 and we were going to bowl 20 overs and this match why did we not bowl rauf or Naseem bowl
Outside off back of length ? Instead we open field open field and let these batsman settle in ?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Handling pressure ultimately boils down to the quality of your domestic cricket and the amount of frequent pressure situations your players routinely get exposed too.

You have to understand that India plays a lot of Cricket against Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa. Also their domestic players get to play with and against the best players in the world in the IPL, they get coached by the very best. They have a solid U-19 and A tours system, i read in an article that India has had the highest number of A tours and U-19 tours all across the globe. India's selection system is also a lot more competitive and ruthless. Batsmen know that if they don't perform in a couple of innings, there is someone else waiting in the wings to take over, no friendship with the captain, senior players is going to help you.

No other country would have carried the likes of Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushil Shah for so long. The Chief Selector and PCB Chairman have also tried to talk sense into the captain into looking at other options but the captain is being stubborn.

I think since T20 leagues popularity Pakistan is exclusively focusing on PSL? Babar is not a product of PSL. He came through ranks right? Under-19, first class then Pakistan. India still values that under-19 system. It has to be a combination of many leagues. If India purely goes by IPL you will see guys like Tewatia (who hit 5 sixes of Cottrell in one over) playing for India. Besides IPL India have its own domestic T20 tournament. SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament). Right now it is going on. All the elite talents take part in it. They have introduced a new point system called which basically provides MVP points. This gives lesser weightage to averages. More about impact. India is a little behind in this. This may not have IPL level pressure. But it is still very competitive. Kinda like auditioning for IPL. Pakistan cannot solely rely on PSL. A tours, under-19, first class, domestic tournament. all these will help

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/syed-mushtaq-ali-trophy-2022-23-1332915/most-valuable-players

 

[Savak]

I think since T20 leagues popularity Pakistan is exclusively focusing on PSL? Babar is not a product of PSL. He came through ranks right? Under-19, first class then Pakistan. India still values that under-19 system. It has to be a combination of many leagues. If India purely goes by IPL you will see guys like Tewatia (who hit 5 sixes of Cottrell in one over) playing for India. Besides IPL India have its own domestic T20 tournament. SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament). Right now it is going on. All the elite talents take part in it. They have introduced a new point system called which basically provides MVP points. This gives lesser weightage to averages. More about impact. India is a little behind in this. This may not have IPL level pressure. But it is still very competitive. Kinda like auditioning for IPL. Pakistan cannot solely rely on PSL. A tours, under-19, first class, domestic tournament. all these will help

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/syed-mushtaq-ali-trophy-2022-23-1332915/most-valuable-players

Finances make a big difference. BCCI have $6 billion from IPL and lion share of ICC shares along with its own commercial market allows it to invest in its infrastructure and so many development programs like no other country. Money helps when you have local appetite for Cricket like no other country.

PCB has to watch its pockets for every main initiative. Just doing the PJL which cost around $6-7 million (pocket change for BCCI) invited so much criticism from reporters and ex players in Pakistan who were like why is the PCB wasting such precious funds in a development initiative which will not give anything back to the PCB from a financial or cricketing point of view and that the PCB should just splurge the money on U-19, A tours instead (where the PCB will not get any financial return guaranteed). Ramiz Raja is gambling and hoping that the first PJL season experience will invite commercial sponsors, broadcasters and franchises to take over the league from the second season onwards and give the PCB an additional revenue stream.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Finances make a big difference. BCCI have $6 billion from IPL and lion share of ICC shares along with its own commercial market allows it to invest in its infrastructure and so many development programs like no other country. Money helps when you have local appetite for Cricket like no other country.

PCB has to watch its pockets for every main initiative. Just doing the PJL which cost around $6-7 million (pocket change for BCCI) invited so much criticism from reporters and ex players in Pakistan who were like why is the PCB wasting such precious funds in a development initiative which will not give anything back to the PCB from a financial or cricketing point of view and that the PCB should just splurge the money on U-19, A tours instead (where the PCB will not get any financial return guaranteed). Ramiz Raja is gambling and hoping that the first PJL season experience will invite commercial sponsors, broadcasters and franchises to take over the league from the second season onwards and give the PCB an additional revenue stream.

Definitely. Srilanka is another example. It is a miracle they are able to produce a competitive team. They rely on school system. They rely on Indian tours. There is a joke about how the Srilankan board makes money. They make more money from Dinesh Karthik's youtube videos than through other means. West Indies board is more or less in the same situation. They have wasted far too many talents. In IPL on average, these batsmen play 15 to 20 balls every match. You can hardly make anything out of it. That is much shorter than a net session. IPL played a bigger part in identifying players. Bumrah, Ashwin, Sundar, and Pandya several more were all identified because of IPL. Otherwise Bumrah may have never played for India if he had come through regular system. As part of the talent scouting for Mumbai Indians, John wright's team identified Bumrah.

 

[Markhor]

There's truth to that, but there's another aspect we find ourselves lacking besides skill and mentality which is game awareness. Lack of game awareness has cost us these tight matches.

I've felt one of the reasons NZL have punched above their weight in recent years is because they generally read conditions well. For example, in the 2019 World Cup final on a slow Lords pitch, they adjusted their approach realising it wasn't a typical English ODI pitch and scored 241 which they almost defended. I bet you PAK would've folded for less mistakenly aiming for 300 plus.

Against AUS in their opening match, they came out ultra-aggressive and hammered them.

Yesterday we saw Shadab, Nawaz and Haider played rash shots trying to clear those huge MCG boundaries when they could've still maintained a decent scoring rate knocking the ball into the large gaps. We've also seen Babar and Rizwan repeatedly misjudge the tempo of their innings in key matches - the AUS SF last year being prime example when we ended up 10-15 runs short on a belter.

Babar as captain unfortunately has repeatedly demonstrated this deficiency. T20 cricket is the toughest test of captaincy because the margin of error is so small, one bad over can decide the outcome. I've lost count of the tactical and selections missteps under Babar and Saqlain, but the decision to play only three seamers (one not fully matchfit) on a green MCG track is right up there.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

There's truth to that, but there's another aspect we find ourselves lacking besides skill and mentality which is game awareness. Lack of game awareness has cost us these tight matches.

I've felt one of the reasons NZL have punched above their weight in recent years is because they generally read conditions well. For example, in the 2019 World Cup final on a slow Lords pitch, they adjusted their approach realising it wasn't a typical English ODI pitch and scored 241 which they almost defended. I bet you PAK would've folded for less mistakenly aiming for 300 plus.

Against AUS in their opening match, they came out ultra-aggressive and hammered them.

Yesterday we saw Shadab, Nawaz and Haider played rash shots trying to clear those huge MCG boundaries when they could've still maintained a decent scoring rate knocking the ball into the large gaps. We've also seen Babar and Rizwan repeatedly misjudge the tempo of their innings in key matches - the AUS SF last year being prime example when we ended up 10-15 runs short on a belter.

Babar as captain unfortunately has repeatedly demonstrated this deficiency. T20 cricket is the toughest test of captaincy because the margin of error is so small, one bad over can decide the outcome. I've lost count of the tactical and selections missteps under Babar and Saqlain, but the decision to play only three seamers (one not fully matchfit) on a green MCG track is right up there.

After we exit this WC surely time for a new captain. Shadab is a better choice.

 

[Saj]

You have a team on its knees at 30/4 and instead of getting in their faces and hunting in packs, Pakistan still looked nervous and frightened.

It was the Kohli factor, as long as he was at the crease, Pakistan was worried and under pressure.

Weak leadership!

 

[Suleiman]

Fear of success is a real thing and better known as self sabotage. You think you’re not worthy of success due to some form of self limiting beliefs in your subconscious.

While I agree with the general gist of the OP, I have to disagree in that handling pressure is not a byproduct of skill.

Handling pressure and being skilled are two independent skill sets. Being skilled can give you the confidence to navigate around pressure, but it does not automatically mean you won’t be a bottler.

Umar Akmal and Hashim Amla are two cricketers who had talent and skill but both bottled it under pressure.

I know, I know. No one takes Umar seriously anymore. But you have to be naive to think that he wasn’t immensely gifted. That shot Kohli played off of Rauf down the ground for six? Well, Umar played that exact same shot vs Morne Morkel in SA’s tour to the UAE in 2013-14.

He had skill but lacked any rational thinking, and when we needed him the most in crucial tournament games, he buckled under pressure.

Same goes for Amla who looked like poetry in motion in bilaterals but lost the plot in tournaments.

There have also been players who haven’t been the most skilled, but still pulled out clutch performances when no one expected them to.

Yesterday, bottling was being done by both sides. Rohit, Rahul, SKY, DK and yes, even Pandya (with the bat) all couldn’t rise to the occasion under pressure. Before Pandya lovers get triggered, he got out to a nothing ball top edging because he couldn’t handle the situation.

SKY is probably the most naturally gifted player in that lineup and he did nothing.

Players far more skilled than Kohli have played the game, but lacked his nerves of steel and achieved far less.

 

[Varun]

POTW material right here.

 

[shariqnoor]

Fear of success is a real thing and better known as self sabotage. You think you’re not worthy of success due to some form of self limiting beliefs in your subconscious.

While I agree with the general gist of the OP, I have to disagree in that handling pressure is not a byproduct of skill.

Handling pressure and being skilled are two independent skill sets. Being skilled can give you the confidence to navigate around pressure, but it does not automatically mean you won’t be a bottler.

Umar Akmal and Hashim Amla are two cricketers who had talent and skill but both bottled it under pressure.

I know, I know. No one takes Umar seriously anymore. But you have to be naive to think that he wasn’t immensely gifted. That shot Kohli played off of Rauf down the ground for six? Well, Umar played that exact same shot vs Morne Morkel in SA’s tour to the UAE in 2013-14.

He had skill but lacked any rational thinking, and when we needed him the most in crucial tournament games, he buckled under pressure.

Same goes for Amla who looked like poetry in motion in bilaterals but lost the plot in tournaments.

There have also been players who haven’t been the most skilled, but still pulled out clutch performances when no one expected them to.

Yesterday, bottling was being done by both sides. Rohit, Rahul, SKY, DK and yes, even Pandya (with the bat) all couldn’t rise to the occasion under pressure. Before Pandya lovers get triggered, he got out to a nothing ball top edging because he couldn’t handle the situation.

SKY is probably the most naturally gifted player in that lineup and he did nothing.

Players far more skilled than Kohli have played the game, but lacked his nerves of steel and achieved far less.

I agree. That's why nowhere have I said that being skilled automatically makes you handle pressure. "If you are skilled enough to last at international level, your chances of handling pressure goes up a lot." See that's what I said. Only your chances go up. But if you are talentless, being mentally tough will not do anything for you in pressure situations.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

If there's been one constant in the world of sports, it's Pressure - a dreaded 8 letter word that makes sports persons succumb to it time and again.

No team has succumbed to pressure in cricket more than Pakistan over the past 15 years. The list is long when it comes to matches squandered from the jaws of victory and tears plentiful.

So why is it that Pakistan has over the recent past failed to control their nerves at the exact time when you require a calm head? I allude to a few reasons. Please feel free to add more.

1) Handling pressure is a byproduct of skill:
I genuinely feel that handling pressure is a byproduct of your skills. If you are skilled enough to last at international level, your chances of handling pressure goes up a lot. Most of the time you will find a world class player at the end of success and an average player on the receiving end of failure (exceptions may happen). You will find the greats of the game being the most calm under pressure. Miandad, Dhoni, Kohli, Bevan, Hussey. One thing in common. World class at their skill. The moment when you are being buried under pressure, the first thing that gets exposed is your ability to execute. Take Nawaz's over for example. I have not seen Nawaz bowl a waist high full toss ever. I have never seen him bowl 2 wides in an over. Yet when the pressure came towering down, his ability to execute went out of the window. Because he's not world class at his skill while at the other end you had the GOAT.

2) Not mastering your art in practice:
Related to the above point as the ability to execute under pressure will always be positively correlated with your ability to transfer a particular shot or ball into your muscle memory and making it a habit. Ricky Ponting also alluded to the same thing when he said that the only way to do well under pressure is to work hard in the nets and that unless playing a certain short or delivering a particular ball becomes a habit, it's almost impossible to produce it under pressure. Nawaz for all but one delivery in the last over darted the ball as if he was a medium pacer and never backed his spin. The one delivery where he did bowl spin was to Karthik where Karthik couldn't connect and got stumped. The reason why Bumrah is so good is that bowling a yorker has become part of his muscle memory. He can bowl that delivery almost at will.

3) Fear of success:
Yes! Just like there is a fear of failure, there is also a fear of success. The bigger the stake, the bigger the fear of success when it comes to the crunch moments. How many times have we seen tennis players not able to serve out a match. They will never double fault throughout the match but will double fault when serving for it. Anticipating success combined with the fear of ruining all your hard work, makes crossing the finishing line that much more difficult. The mind wanders to two places. Inevitably, execution goes out of the window. Think back to how many times Pakistan have lost from positions that they had no business losing. SA ODI in Lahore 2007, Hussey WC semi 2010, SA ODI in Sharjah 2013, Wade WC Semi 2021 and now Kohli WC 2022. I'm sure I'm missing some more.

I think back to the Pakistan team of the 90s where I was lucky enough to witness literal heists - Waqar vs SA in 1993, Waqar vs NZ in 1994, Wasim vs SL in Jamshedpur in 1999, Razzaq vs SL in 1999, Razzaq vs SA in 2010. I again revert to point number 1 where handling pressure is a byproduct of your skills. It's no fluke that out of these matches that I mentioned the heroes were Waqar/Wasim/Razzaq who had mad skills at that point in time.

The fear of mine is that once these type of games start adding up where the team ends up on the losing side, the situation itself will be the second opponent in the minds of the players. A psychologist can only help you bring clarity to your thoughts and keep you calm. What a psychologist cannot do is hit a winning shot or bowl a winning delivery for you. And for that you need to be a master of your art.

Even though all of the above is 100% correct but there is one other thing that trumps it all.

Our players are not street smart.

If they were street smart, they would've known it all just as you and I do. And they would have worked on it.

But hence they are not street smart, they can't perceive the realities of life to prepare themselves accordingly to the international level cricket, and they can't perceive the realities of QUICKLY AND ACURATELY assessing and analyzing the game situation, and act accordingly.

The brain is numb! That's the problem.

 

[shariqnoor]

Even though all of the above is 100% correct but there is one other thing that trumps it all.

Our players are not street smart.

If they were street smart, they would've known it all just as you and I do. And they would have worked on it.

But hence they are not street smart, they can't perceive the realities of life to prepare themselves accordingly to the international level cricket, and they can't perceive the realities of QUICKLY AND ACURATELY assessing and analyzing the game situation, and act accordingly.

The brain is numb! That's the problem.

Pakistani cricketers are one of the worst in game awareness. No two ways about it. Maybe it's due to lack of quality education. Pakistani school systems do not promote critical thinking. Criticism is shot down quickly and once you go down that route, you are then just mere robots. We see the effects of the schooling system in our cricketers.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Look at Kohli .... he is a live wire.

Why? Because his mentally super alert. He knows the realities of life and he knows the game requirement in an all 365 degree spectrum.

He keeps himself super fit, religiously follows a strict routine of self discipline, (without coaches and former players begging him to stay fit, something is common with Pak players), Kohli has developed immense stamina and physical ability, and his brain is on the continuous alert.

He is continuously looking to dominate, he truly works hard off the field to a point that now, he does not even understand the concept of going on the back-foot or get on survival mode, EVER !

You don't always require some sorta God given super natural cricket talent to do all what Kohli does - you simply need a super alert brain, and you need to be super street smart to know the realities of life - and then you must have the willingness to act upon what you have perceived.

Our players are more focused on raising their collars in the field, and doing sajdaas after hitting a 50 against Kenya or something.

 

[Stewie]

SAB se pehlay:

Aap ne ghabrana nahi hai!!!

Its just one game. If you go by the last ten wicket defeat, then you can say Indians are totally clueless and cannot handle pressure. Thats the thing with cricket. On a given day, one team can play better and win and sometimes in really close encounter one individual briliance can make the differece like that innings from Fakhar did for us.

Early days in this world cup so chill, relax and enjoy the ride. For reference, just know that in spite of all the crazy following and such, both PAKISTAN AND iNDIA have a pretty poor record in world cups compared with Australia and West Indies and even Sri Lanka which has played more finals than us in world cups if I am not mistaken. So maybe both India and Pakistan are poor at handling pressure? Sri Lanka typically punches above their weight in ICC tournaments.

Yes we are not as bad as England or South Africa or NZ but our records are not as impressive as Australia and West Indies.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

SAB se pehlay:

Aap ne ghabrana nahi hai!!!

Its just one game. If you go by the last ten wicket defeat, then you can say Indians are totally clueless and cannot handle pressure. Thats the thing with cricket. On a given day, one team can play better and win and sometimes in really close encounter one individual briliance can make the differece like that innings from Fakhar did for us.

Early days in this world cup so chill, relax and enjoy the ride. For reference, just know that in spite of all the crazy following and such, both PAKISTAN AND iNDIA have a pretty poor record in world cups compared with Australia and West Indies and even Sri Lanka which has played more finals than us in world cups if I am not mistaken. So maybe both India and Pakistan are poor at handling pressure? Sri Lanka typically punches above their weight in ICC tournaments.

Yes we are not as bad as England or South Africa or NZ but our records are not as impressive as Australia and West Indies.

lol -- baat he khatam!
/thread

 

[Saj]

The leader absorbs the pressure.

Unfortunately Babar looked terrified after the 12th over of the Indian innings. He panicked, lost it and I'm afraid that match was heading only one way after that over of 20 runs bowled by Nawaz.

 

[heddie19]

Pakistan management and chief selector is the biggest culprit and proven incompetent

Pakistan cannot select a pace bowling all-rounder because the option just isn’t there for them in the squad

Who cares about Faheem Ashraf’s or Aamir Jamal’s form right at this moment? How desperately do you realise you need them in the team?

How is Wasim JR anything more than a flashy lower order option like Shaheen Afridi? Wasim JR is not a bowling all rounder!

FYI, Faheem Ashraf got injured in first game of national t20.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

With India their batsmen genuinely have the skills and the IPL has honed their skills. Even with 11 an over in the last 10 they still believe they can do it because they have done it time and again in the IPL. If Pakistan was 45-4 and Babar and say Asif Ali were batting at the crease Pakistan would be bowled out for 110. Its time we realise Asif Ali, Khushdil etc arent proper batsmen just tullas. We should have scored 15 runs more to win yesterday. Genuinely blame the batting more than the bowling. Iftikhar, Haider and Nawaz too casual.

Lol..IPL bullies KL, Pant, Avesh, Bumrah etc are always bottles (White Ball format).
Please don't say that IPL has honed their skills.

 

[Rana]

FYI, Faheem Ashraf got injured in first game of national t20.

Aamer Jamal?

 

[Savak]

I remember in the 2003 ODI WC Debacle report, the then coach Richard Pybus called the Pakistani players un-coachable. He mentioned there was no point in having all the talent and ability in the world if you didn't have mental strength to curb your natural instincts and to play according to the situation. Unfortunately Pakistan throughout its recent history is filled with such players i.e. Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Umar Akmal, Asif Ali, Haider Ali and co. These players match after match get out the same way as if they cannot play any other way and cannot find another way to score runs.

Pakistani selectors in domestic cricket need to broaden their horizons and need to select players apart from the basic criteria of performance and talent, they also need to assess things like ability to have different gears, ability to play proper cricketing shots, good technique, ability to play according to the situation. Once selectors start getting strict i.e. no indisciplined slogger is going to play for Pakistan, things will get better as the next generation of batsmen will know that their indisciplined Afridi, Asif Ali type irresponsible slogging is not going to cut it.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Umar Akmal and Hashim Amla are two cricketers who had talent and skill but both bottled it under pressure.

Same goes for Amla who looked like poetry in motion in bilaterals but lost the plot in tournaments.
.

I think Amla's case is totally different, he was a beast in test matches under pressure and played more clutch innings than anyone I have seen from India.

Many players are clutch in one format and chokers in other, so it's more than just mental state.

Skill level in that format is definitely connected to choking

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

SAB se pehlay:

Aap ne ghabrana nahi hai!!!

Its just one game. If you go by the last ten wicket defeat, then you can say Indians are totally clueless and cannot handle pressure. Thats the thing with cricket. On a given day, one team can play better and win and sometimes in really close encounter one individual briliance can make the differece like that innings from Fakhar did for us.

Early days in this world cup so chill, relax and enjoy the ride. For reference, just know that in spite of all the crazy following and such, both PAKISTAN AND iNDIA have a pretty poor record in world cups compared with Australia and West Indies and even Sri Lanka which has played more finals than us in world cups if I am not mistaken. So maybe both India and Pakistan are poor at handling pressure? Sri Lanka typically punches above their weight in ICC tournaments.

Yes we are not as bad as England or South Africa or NZ but our records are not as impressive as Australia and West Indies.

Completely agree.
Indian team itself does'nt handle pressure well, Pakistan lost just bcoz Kohli played a godly innings.

 

[Farabi]

There is a simple answer. To win, you must try and WIN. There's a lot made out of "game management" these days. You may be able to do that when stakes are NOT high. But in crucial, pressure matches you have to go and WIN the game. Kill it off.

Two crucial matches in recent times

1. Asia Cup Final
2. Yesterday's match



There were multiple times in both matches that we were so far ahead - all the advantage was with us. But what happened, we tried to manage the victory rather than KILL the game off.

Asia Cup - 58/5, all Babar was interested in was getting everyone's overs in and manage the target that was going to be set. KILL the game. Then when we were batting 10 FREE runs off the first ball when batting. 169 target became 159 in ONE ball. Babar and Riz went in to their shell by calculating "well we have 10 runs already, just take it easy now". No, KILL the game. 10 free runs, bowler demoralised - if we had scored another 10 runs in that over, there was no coming back from 20-0 in one over.

Yesterday's match - 31-4. Babar again more interested in squeezing the spinners' overs out. KILL the game. 48 required off 18. Bring Rauf on, KILL the game!

It's the lack of killer instinct


Yesterday 31-4 - KILL it

T20 is a game that flips very easily and very hard to control once it flips. KILL it when you have the advantage.

Can you share some specifics on what killing it means.
Pick 31-4, what does Babar do? Does he bowl out Rauf

 

[Colorblind Genius]

I remember in the 2003 ODI WC Debacle report, the then coach Richard Pybus called the Pakistani players un-coachable. He mentioned there was no point in having all the talent and ability in the world if you didn't have mental strength to curb your natural instincts and to play according to the situation. Unfortunately Pakistan throughout its recent history is filled with such players i.e. Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Umar Akmal, Asif Ali, Haider Ali and co. These players match after match get out the same way as if they cannot play any other way and cannot find another way to score runs.

Pakistani selectors in domestic cricket need to broaden their horizons and need to select players apart from the basic criteria of performance and talent, they also need to assess things like ability to have different gears, ability to play proper cricketing shots, good technique, ability to play according to the situation. Once selectors start getting strict i.e. no indisciplined slogger is going to play for Pakistan, things will get better as the next generation of batsmen will know that their indisciplined Afridi, Asif Ali type irresponsible slogging is not going to cut it.

Don’t agree with the last part

Fortunately or unfortunately, “slogging” has become not only an integral part of T20 but it has also made its way into red ball cricket.

What we need is truly professional power hitting coaching and rigorous strength building drills by a coach who actually knows what is he doing and where is he going to take the batsman, instead of the STUPIDITY we currently practice in nets where batters are given 100’s of throw down balls in the hitting zone - And our current coaches, call it six hitting practice.

But when the batsman bats in an actual game, those throw downs in the hitting zone are no where to be found. Instead, he faces Yorkers, slow bouncers, pacey short balls and other deceptive delivers - and he acts like a deer caught in the headlights.

Slogging/power hitting/tulla maari for modern day T20, requires great hand eye coordination and great agility in powerful muscles, something that our current coaches have no idea of how to develop it.

 

[Farabi]

This is an interesting post but I think before discussing how to handle pressure we should try to answer the following questions regarding what it is and how it is created.

What creates pressure in the first place?

If you know someone is not world class at even their own skill, do you force them into a position try and execute a process that requires additional skill?

In T20 ( batting) which position requires the batsman to cope with most/least pressure, are the batsmen who are capable of handling that pressure occupying those positions?

The pressure is in the mind. We’ve all felt pressure in our lives, so we can all connect with it. Not wanting to lose a job, a friend, an exam, an interview, it creates pressure right?
Getting attached to the winning outcome (I need to win) and trying to control outcomes creates pressure.
Winning is important. But thinking about winning and winning aren’t the same. The mind wanders and focus is lost.
Focus on the game itself and try to enjoy it. If you’re just enjoying yourself and enjoying exciting your skills, results will automatically follow. The less attached to an outcome, the less pressure there is on the mind.

 

[arunpsm]

Its natural this loss has put Pak team under the lens. But over the past few years, Pak team has risen from strength to strength -
- has built solid openers + top order,
- reestablished/reestablishing their tradition of fast bowling supremacy and
- also has gone up several notches in spin + all rounder dept.

So its just a matter of time before results start coming in. Maybe middle order needs some more exposure and resilience. But even now Pak team is ready to go and I give it as much chance as Eng, Oz, NZ or India to win this tournament.

So this thread is just a knee jerk reaction, IMHO.

 

[Farabi]

The thing is - that was not the strategy. He was forced in to that strategy because of Nawaz' 20+ over and didn't want to risk another over like that until he had no choice. It was reactive. If he was proactive, he would have paused the spin for a bit and brought back the pacers before that Nawaz over. India would be searching for that big over vs the pacers. And at that stage, one or both may have got out. In the last 3 overs, the pacers can go, it's not easy to put them away in the middle phase.

It was plainly obvious they were going to target Nawaz in that 11th/12th over (whichever one it was, can't fully remember). They started trying to push the over before in Shadab's over, but because of the wrist spin, they had a decent over, but not the monster one they got off Nawaz. They were definitely going to target the finger spinner. And it was that ONE over that brought the match in to some semblance of balance. A couple overs of the pacers then would have really killed the match.

Babar was cruising and he paid for it. And this is not the first time.

I 100% agree with this

 

[proud_pakistani]

This sounds like an excuse. Don't you have these last over scenarios arise in the PSL ? India haven't won a t20 WC since the IPL started so not sure how much of an influence it has.

I am praising Indian batsmen Hardik and Kohli for having the guts to even take on this challenge. Also, eventhough India might not have won a WC their general record has been pretty good and they are able to take on such chases even after having a bad start.

 

[proud_pakistani]

Its natural this loss has put Pak team under the lens. But over the past few years, Pak team has risen from strength to strength -
- has built solid openers + top order,
- reestablished/reestablishing their tradition of fast bowling supremacy and
- also has gone up several notches in spin + all rounder dept.

So its just a matter of time before results start coming in. Maybe middle order needs some more exposure and resilience. But even now Pak team is ready to go and I give it as much chance as Eng, Oz, NZ or India to win this tournament.

So this thread is just a knee jerk reaction, IMHO.

agreed with all but our middle order has declined and our spin department hasnt really gone up a notch. At the most its the same.

 

[Shafi]

Simple!!! You cannot win against better teams unless you have similar talents. Wins here and there are due to luck.

 

[TheSultan]

Can you share some specifics on what killing it means.
Pick 31-4, what does Babar do? Does he bowl out Rauf

When the 4th wicket fell it was during Shadab's first over. So now you have Kohli who has only faced a handful number of balls and a new batsman at the crease (Pandya) - the last recognised batsman (Dinesh Karthik, I don't think could have accompanied Kohli for as long as Pandya did). I would have brought on a pacer from the other end - an attacking option. Maybe Haris, maybe Naseem, even if it was Shaheen (he may be half fit, but India have a mental block against him at the moment) it's an opportunity to grab a wicket. See if you can prise one of them out. You get one of Kohli and Pandya and the match is done.

Why are you making it easy for the new batsman? Why are you thinking you can contain Kohli and Pandya all the way to the end of the innings? If in the 7th over, if someone said to you Kohli and Pandya will still be at the crease in the 20th over chasing 160, you would back India to win. You cannot contain for the whole innings. You HAVE to get one of them out.

The other option which I didn't have too much of a problem with was bring Nawaz on at the other end for only a couple of overs. No problem with that, but they went too far. Too many consecutive overs of spin. By the time Nawaz came on for his 3rd over you had 5 consecutive overs of spin and about to start the 6th one. Babar's plan was to do 8 CONSECUTIVE overs of spin at the MCG. It's madness. Why are you letting them get comfortable?

And it comes back to my original point. You have to WIN the game. Babar tried to manage the game by a template he has set and won't veer from unless he's forced to. Kill it off. Yes be a little bit pragmatic if you need to, but it's the rigidity of thinking in this team that lets them down.

1. Babar and Rizwan MUST open, we won't think about anything else
2. We MUST play 3 pacers and 2 spinners - on any wicket. Sorry, that's our plan, we're not changing it.
3. Nawaz will NEVER bowl to a left hander and Iftikhar will NEVER bowl to a right hander.

To be a world class side you need to have adaptability and pivoting strategies. It's too mechanical at the moment.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

The leader absorbs the pressure.

Unfortunately Babar looked terrified after the 12th over of the Indian innings. He panicked, lost it and I'm afraid that match was heading only one way after that over of 20 runs bowled by Nawaz.

That's exactly what happend , in these situation where your captain is in panic mode , one of the bowlers should come to the captain and tell him to set the field he wanted and assure him that he will going to pick one of the batters in his two overs , unfortunately Shaheen is not that sort of character and leader as well.

 

[heddie19]

Aamer Jamal?

Too inexperienced to be a part of WC squad.

 

[Rana]

Too inexperienced to be a part of WC squad.

But your are clearly yearning for a pace bowling all rounder?

Faheem was appointed captain of Northern first team. If he is fit now, he is clearly good enough and experienced enough to fill some kind of void for us!

 

[Noman]

When the 4th wicket fell it was during Shadab's first over. So now you have Kohli who has only faced a handful number of balls and a new batsman at the crease (Pandya) - the last recognised batsman (Dinesh Karthik, I don't think could have accompanied Kohli for as long as Pandya did). I would have brought on a pacer from the other end - an attacking option. Maybe Haris, maybe Naseem, even if it was Shaheen (he may be half fit, but India have a mental block against him at the moment) it's an opportunity to grab a wicket. See if you can prise one of them out. You get one of Kohli and Pandya and the match is done.

Why are you making it easy for the new batsman? Why are you thinking you can contain Kohli and Pandya all the way to the end of the innings? If in the 7th over, if someone said to you Kohli and Pandya will still be at the crease in the 20th over chasing 160, you would back India to win. You cannot contain for the whole innings. You HAVE to get one of them out.

The other option which I didn't have too much of a problem with was bring Nawaz on at the other end for only a couple of overs. No problem with that, but they went too far. Too many consecutive overs of spin. By the time Nawaz came on for his 3rd over you had 5 consecutive overs of spin and about to start the 6th one. Babar's plan was to do 8 CONSECUTIVE overs of spin at the MCG. It's madness. Why are you letting them get comfortable?

And it comes back to my original point. You have to WIN the game. Babar tried to manage the game by a template he has set and won't veer from unless he's forced to. Kill it off. Yes be a little bit pragmatic if you need to, but it's the rigidity of thinking in this team that lets them down.

1. Babar and Rizwan MUST open, we won't think about anything else
2. We MUST play 3 pacers and 2 spinners - on any wicket. Sorry, that's our plan, we're not changing it.
3. Nawaz will NEVER bowl to a left hander and Iftikhar will NEVER bowl to a right hander.

To be a world class side you need to have adaptability and pivoting strategies. It's too mechanical at the moment.

My exact thought - It could have been an easy win if Babar just understood captaincy better. He is doing the same mistake again again. Last year he keep playing Hasan ali now he never goes for the kill.

 

[Usergame]

If there's been one constant in the world of sports, it's Pressure - a dreaded 8 letter word that makes sports persons succumb to it time and again.

No team has succumbed to pressure in cricket more than Pakistan over the past 15 years. The list is long when it comes to matches squandered from the jaws of victory and tears plentiful.

So why is it that Pakistan has over the recent past failed to control their nerves at the exact time when you require a calm head? I allude to a few reasons. Please feel free to add more.

1) Handling pressure is a byproduct of skill:
I genuinely feel that handling pressure is a byproduct of your skills. If you are skilled enough to last at international level, your chances of handling pressure goes up a lot. Most of the time you will find a world class player at the end of success and an average player on the receiving end of failure (exceptions may happen). You will find the greats of the game being the most calm under pressure. Miandad, Dhoni, Kohli, Bevan, Hussey. One thing in common. World class at their skill. The moment when you are being buried under pressure, the first thing that gets exposed is your ability to execute. Take Nawaz's over for example. I have not seen Nawaz bowl a waist high full toss ever. I have never seen him bowl 2 wides in an over. Yet when the pressure came towering down, his ability to execute went out of the window. Because he's not world class at his skill while at the other end you had the GOAT.

2) Not mastering your art in practice:
Related to the above point as the ability to execute under pressure will always be positively correlated with your ability to transfer a particular shot or ball into your muscle memory and making it a habit. Ricky Ponting also alluded to the same thing when he said that the only way to do well under pressure is to work hard in the nets and that unless playing a certain short or delivering a particular ball becomes a habit, it's almost impossible to produce it under pressure. Nawaz for all but one delivery in the last over darted the ball as if he was a medium pacer and never backed his spin. The one delivery where he did bowl spin was to Karthik where Karthik couldn't connect and got stumped. The reason why Bumrah is so good is that bowling a yorker has become part of his muscle memory. He can bowl that delivery almost at will.

3) Fear of success:
Yes! Just like there is a fear of failure, there is also a fear of success. The bigger the stake, the bigger the fear of success when it comes to the crunch moments. How many times have we seen tennis players not able to serve out a match. They will never double fault throughout the match but will double fault when serving for it. Anticipating success combined with the fear of ruining all your hard work, makes crossing the finishing line that much more difficult. The mind wanders to two places. Inevitably, execution goes out of the window. Think back to how many times Pakistan have lost from positions that they had no business losing. SA ODI in Lahore 2007, Hussey WC semi 2010, SA ODI in Sharjah 2013, Wade WC Semi 2021 and now Kohli WC 2022. I'm sure I'm missing some more.

I think back to the Pakistan team of the 90s where I was lucky enough to witness literal heists - Waqar vs SA in 1993, Waqar vs NZ in 1994, Wasim vs SL in Jamshedpur in 1999, Razzaq vs SL in 1999, Razzaq vs SA in 2010. I again revert to point number 1 where handling pressure is a byproduct of your skills. It's no fluke that out of these matches that I mentioned the heroes were Waqar/Wasim/Razzaq who had mad skills at that point in time.

The fear of mine is that once these type of games start adding up where the team ends up on the losing side, the situation itself will be the second opponent in the minds of the players. A psychologist can only help you bring clarity to your thoughts and keep you calm. What a psychologist cannot do is hit a winning shot or bowl a winning delivery for you. And for that you need to be a master of your art.

Some good points but waqar always used to choke under pressure.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I think the OP is too young to have watched the 90s generation, who fell apart spectacularly in crunch encounters despite possessing all the talent in the world.

The answer lies somewhere in between. We as a nation do not produce professional cricketers. Our boys focus too much on the ‘momentum’ rubbish and forget to do the basics. Mentally weak.

 

[Usergame]

Yes we are not as bad as England or South Africa or NZ but our records are not as impressive as Australia and West Indies.

?? South Africa sure.
But England has won a t20 world cup and 50 over world cup since pakistan last won the t20 world cup.
NZ won the test championship in 2021.

Pakistan is only good for some bilateral pointless triseries , champs trophy etc. Since pakistan last won a world title in 2009 - England, India, west Indies, srilanka ,Australia and NZ have all won a world title each. Apart from sa -pakistan are the biggest chokers/unable to perform under pressure.

 

[Markhor]

After we exit this WC surely time for a new captain. Shadab is a better choice.

Shadab seems fairly tactically adept according to his peers and coaches, but his injury record is concerning.

Shaheen is another option having captained LQ to the PSL title, and Cummins has shown there's no reason why a fast bowler cannot be captain. However he's also returning from injury.

Most likely they'd appoint Rizwan, but his Mr Nice Guy persona is exactly what we don't need. We badly require a tough, Allan Border-esque taskmaster who hates losing and ends this cake cutting, let's be mates with the opposition, deferential culture that's crept in.

 

[shamaan]

But your are clearly yearning for a pace bowling all rounder?

Faheem was appointed captain of Northern first team. If he is fit now, he is clearly good enough and experienced enough to fill some kind of void for us!

Wasim Jnr is much better as a bowler than Jamal

 

[heddie19]

But your are clearly yearning for a pace bowling all rounder?

Faheem was appointed captain of Northern first team. If he is fit now, he is clearly good enough and experienced enough to fill some kind of void for us!

I was and I am. That is where we're actually lacking on paper. Faheem is a good allrounder in Tests but his LOI stats are below par with the bat. He averages 10 @ 128 t20Is, Hassan Ali averages 14 @ 180.

I feel we should have invested on Hussain Talat in Mickey's era. That was when we made players (Babar, Imam, Fakhar, Hassan, Shadab, Shaheen)

 

[castortroy]

Don't back any of the pak players bar maybe Rizwan to handle pressure.

 

[topspin]

Shadab seems fairly tactically adept according to his peers and coaches, but his injury record is concerning.

Shaheen is another option having captained LQ to the PSL title, and Cummins has shown there's no reason why a fast bowler cannot be captain. However he's also returning from injury.

Most likely they'd appoint Rizwan, but his Mr Nice Guy persona is exactly what we don't need. We badly require a tough, Allan Border-esque taskmaster who hates losing and ends this cake cutting, let's be mates with the opposition, deferential culture that's crept in.

Yep all thanks to Misbah.

The act is symptomatic of a small team mentality and it was utterly embarrassing to see losing tons and 5fers made in consolation to be rewarded with cake.

What made it even worse how this was publicised. It made Pakistan look soft and gave the impression that the team was filled with a bunch of timid kittens.

 

[Suleiman]

?? South Africa sure.
But England has won a t20 world cup and 50 over world cup since pakistan last won the t20 world cup.
NZ won the test championship in 2021.

Pakistan is only good for some bilateral pointless triseries , champs trophy etc. Since pakistan last won a world title in 2009 - England, India, west Indies, srilanka ,Australia and NZ have all won a world title each. Apart from sa -pakistan are the biggest chokers/unable to perform under pressure.

You’re going a bit too hard there. Champions Trophy is definitely a relevant tournament. It’s the best Vs the best. Even Indians quote their victory in it when listing the titles held by their team.

 

[Stewie]

I will reiterate we can handle pressure as well as most teams, even Aussies got killed by NZ. Look these are young kids playing their first or second big tournament. Compared to some seasoned veterans in other teams, they dont have much experience of the big stage. They will only get better with such experiences and after learning from their mistakes. We have Shaheen (who is still not fully fit) Rauf, Naseem, Wasim, Hasnain, Shadab, etc who are all young and even Babar is pretty young. Our bowling alone has a lot of people terrified. I can almost guarantee that they will wreak havoc during the rest of the tournament.
Stay tuned, this was a boon in disguise, we figured out where our strategy and selection went wrong. Now, hopefully, we fix them for the rest of the games.

 

[jnaveen1980]

I will reiterate we can handle pressure as well as most teams, even Aussies got killed by NZ. Look these are young kids playing their first or second big tournament. Compared to some seasoned veterans in other teams, they dont have much experience of the big stage. They will only get better with such experiences and after learning from their mistakes. We have Shaheen (who is still not fully fit) Rauf, Naseem, Wasim, Hasnain, Shadab, etc who are all young and even Babar is pretty young. Our bowling alone has a lot of people terrified. I can almost guarantee that they will wreak havoc during the rest of the tournament.
Stay tuned, this was a boon in disguise, we figured out where our strategy and selection went wrong. Now, hopefully, we fix them for the rest of the games.

I have seen several Pakistan teams over the years. This is not the worst team in handling pressure. Even the elite pakistan team from the past displayed nerves. Especially while running between the wicket. Headless chicken type running. In 2019 world cup in a crunch moment Pakistan bottled it by throwing at the wrong end. Rohit was almost at the other end.

 

[Stewie]

I have seen several Pakistan teams over the years. This is not the worst team in handling pressure. Even the elite pakistan team from the past displayed nerves. Especially while running between the wicket. Headless chicken type running. In 2019 world cup in a crunch moment Pakistan bottled it by throwing at the wrong end. Rohit was almost at the other end.

Agreed, this team is full of extremely talented and skilled players in the T20 arena. Probably will take some effort to do well in ODis but in T20s they are fairly brutish. I think we will only seem them improve given how young and upcoming they are.
Besides T20 world cups are held every two years, so they will quickly start to feel "oh yeah we have done this before" and that always eases nerves.

 

[giri26]

Pakistan are still a very good T20I team because of their bowling alone. The batting surely is a problem. Reliance on couple of batters can never be good for a team and Pakistan have that problem. It was good that Shan & Iftikhar played well in the game against India but those performances aren't consistent. Most times Pakistan crumble if Rizwan & Babar get out and that is what Pakistan need to work on. The bowling will always get Pakistan out of the woods 9 times out of 10 if they can put up a decent total.

Not many teams can handle pressure that well. India for a brief period under MS Dhoni handled pressure better in the white ball formats but again that changed after players like Yuvraj, Gambhir, Raina and Dhoni himself declined or retired. The current Indian team is good as we can see from their wins in bi-lateral series but when it comes to world tournaments they struggle. This means they aren't great as well. We will know if this time it will be different as the tournament progresses.

Over the years we have seen except for Australia, majority of the teams struggle to manage pressure in major tournaments. So Pakistan isn't the only one who is guilty of that. Pakistan do struggle at most times to handle the pressure of India-Pakistan games. Despite their wins in the WC 2021 and Asia Cup, I would back India to beat Pakistan most times in white ball formats because of that reason. This is similar to how India were during the 80's & 90's vs Pakistan.

 

[Usergame]

You’re going a bit too hard there. Champions Trophy is definitely a relevant tournament. It’s the best Vs the best. Even Indians quote their victory in it when listing the titles held by their team.

Champions trophy is just a warmup for the world cup. It's a nice thing to win but it's not a world title.
Test championship, 50 over world cup and world t20s- those are the 3 world titles.

 

[pratiktc]

It's not as simple as that. He got 3/4 cheap overs from Shadab and Nawaz out of the way - fine. No problem with that, but one of them was gonna go sooner or later. Yes they could have smashed the spinners later - however, the task would be a lot bigger for them, every over adds pressure. Spinners, if they have a buffer, with pressure, they will induce a mistake.

There is a difference of hitting spinners when you're calm and difference when you are under pressure. Fine lines, and that's where matches are won and lost.

If Babar had done a McCullum and left 5-6 of last 8 overs to spinners; then India would have chased even 110+ off last 8 ovs without worry. Shadab, Nawaz, Ifthikar would all have been smashed.

Babar played the odds correctly. He backed his 3 seamers to deliver goods to support the weak link. Shaheen bowled a terrible over, Naseem was brilliant and Rauf was good until the last 2 balls.

Not a captaincy error

 

[Suleiman]

Champions trophy is just a warmup for the world cup. It's a nice thing to win but it's not a world title.
Test championship, 50 over world cup and world t20s- those are the 3 world titles.

It definitely is a world title. You face the best teams only. You don’t wear yourself out by facing Netherlands, Uganda or whoever. You get straight to business and face everyone who matters fair and square.

Winner is the champion. Who gets the trophy.

 

[heddie19]

Champions trophy is just a warmup for the world cup. It's a nice thing to win but it's not a world title.
Test championship, 50 over world cup and world t20s- those are the 3 world titles.

Just because you said it?

I rate champions trophy more than T20 WC and Test championship that happens every other year. It is about significance and 50 over format has more significance imo

 

[heddie19]

It definitely is a world title. You face the best teams only. You don’t wear yourself out by facing Netherlands, Uganda or whoever. You get straight to business and face everyone who matters fair and square.

Winner is the champion. Who gets the trophy.

True, reason why it is called "champions" trophy. Like the Champions league in football. Where you don't face wee-wee teams.