Babar and Afridi are top class players with long successful careers ahead of them. Good teams have been built around less resources.
That’s correct & wrong both ways. I explain it from another sports - soccer.
Greece won 2004 Euro with a well organised squad by Otto Rehagell - I hardly can recall any name from that squad apart from the German coach. But, that was an experienced squad with most of the players playing CL every year for Panathinaikos & Olympiacos, with few others playing in Germany, Italy & UK. An average squad but several players peaked together during the euro and their collective output was good enough to beat that all concurring French team on their day. Therefore you are correct that to build a very good squad you don’t need too many stars or world class players. The 1986 Argentine team also didn’t have too many names apart from one guy having the best ever individual WC for a player in history.
But, you are wrong in other way. Yes, not many stars are required, but you need a solid back bone, decent players to complement the few stars there. That was Greece in 2004 or that Argentine team had Canigia, Buruchagga, Ruggeri, Valdano, Pasculi, a 35 years old Passarella......, and several players from Italy, Spanish league and from Boca, River, Independente.
This is an utter shambolic PAK batting line-up and a very average bowling unit compared to their illustrious predecessors - it’s impossible to lift this team by few individuals. Here and there one off games may be (because cricket despite being a team game still dominated by individuals - another 30-35 runs, Yasir alone would have won that OT Test) but that Test ranking is a fair reflection of the team. Few weeks back, Aquib Javed wrote something regarding PAK batting in comparison to Bangladesh batting, which got the best out of few trolls here in PP.... it’s impossible to compete at top tier if your level is that.
Bowling is even more hyped - to the level that one certain Mickey Arthur was desperate to coach PAK instead of his current job at SRL .... but reality is, on that track, Poms chased 277 at 3.5 rate; take out Yasir, ..... you know your cricket.
Sometimes think about this line - it’s not about how many stars you have, rather the opposite is true as well - how many baggages you are to carry. That SRL team of 1996 won WC not because the had a peak Sanath & Hari; rather because they had 11 performing players, most of them at their peak. That’s the most important thing in team game, be it such individualistic like cricket.
I was young then had high expectations — now, after all these years I have become more phlegmatic (?realistic) about our chances
