GoUgandaCranes
Time Pass Post of the Week Winner
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2013
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- Post of the Week
- 9
For those who are into cricket in color, there's still something to look forward to, but for those who cherish red & white, the show is now over. The whites have been tucked in for both teams, and for them to resurface again we will be going through a long waiting period.
Such is the cricketing landscape now that barring a few, everyone has to scratch for the scraps; and if you happen to be a bottom feeder which Pakistan sadly is, it's ideal to scrap as hard as you can while you can. Hence every tour to this part of the world has an added importance for Pakistan. So even when almost 40% cricketers tested positive, the management stuck to the plan. In hindsight, it was the right call.
This was cricket like never before, in a bio-secure bubble where even the commentators were limited to doing commentary from the hotel room that they were staying in. Sky pulled one of the greatest stunts in cricket of all times and for that no amount of appreciation is enough. The two keepers from the respective countries walked away with man of the series awards but the real POTS (people of the series) were none other than the sky producers/crew who dared doing what many thought was impossible to do.
When it comes to the result, England were without doubt the better side of the two and they didn't even have to turn on the afterburners. Pakistan it felt were always running on empty, or in the few phases when it seemed that they weren't, it didn't last long enough to make any real impact.
Some may claim that the first test was a missed opportunity for Pakistan but truth be told, Pakistan on the day were just not good enough to wrestle the initiative from England. Jos may have top edged the ball here and there but the fielders who were presented with the opportunity never looked sharp enough or tellingly skilled enough to take those chances.
The spectacle on the whole though was beautiful for not just the beholders but even casual onlookers. The ratings literally went through the sky and the balance sheets were beginning to look balanced.
The second test would probbaly be a footnote in Wisden's alamanack of 2020. Not many would remember it, not many should remember it.
It's not rare in sports that tiny moments decide major destinies and in Southampton in the final test when the score was a very balanced 144/4, Abid Ali was caught on his heals as the ball from Butlers bat fell an inch infront of him. Maybe England should have taken a risk and declared at 500 and trusted their bowlers but they didn't. The rain and Azhar denied them a chance to go 2-0, and maybe now when all is done, Root sitting in the comfort of his home will rue the lack of aggression.
England's catching was abysmal to say the least. For Pakistan, the slips didn't drop many but were visibly a meter too deep the entire series. The line between glory & agony is fine, & Pakistan were so tentative in their approach of safety first that they never even dared treading on it. Between two defensive captains, the series was decided in one session of pure unabashed aggressive brilliance of an underrated allrounder and a limited over star. Such is cricket at times.
Pakistan's next test assignment is going to be probably in another bio-secure bubble in the Southern hemisphere. It used to be their favorite hunting ground once upon a time but things have changed considerably now. The WTC is all but over for Pakistan so all that there's left is a plan for future but do they have the ability or vision to look beyond the next series?
There's so much for Pakistan to ponder. They may not have the talent pool that they once had but with the right dose of modernism and planning infused with strategy and players who could execute that strategy, they may unearth a formula for success. At times it feels that they are tantalizingly close to figuring out modern cricket, but then, a few days later the self destruct button that's pre-installed in almost everyone in the cricketing community seems to be collectively pressed.
At the end of the day, test cricket is a relic from a bygone era. It may not die soon, as it may continue to linger on and somehow manage to adapt and survive, but it's still a fact that for cricket watching public in countries like Pakistan, test cricket is not the main course. For the few of us who still start to wait for a foreign tour moments after it is announced, mark calendars and take time out of our lives to watch it, the length of the series felt underwhelmingly short.
It was beautiful while it lasted, but the show is well and truly over. & all we can do now is wait, wait for the glorious show to begin again hoping that this time we'd do better.
Congratulations to England. Pakistan, please, please, please do better.
Such is the cricketing landscape now that barring a few, everyone has to scratch for the scraps; and if you happen to be a bottom feeder which Pakistan sadly is, it's ideal to scrap as hard as you can while you can. Hence every tour to this part of the world has an added importance for Pakistan. So even when almost 40% cricketers tested positive, the management stuck to the plan. In hindsight, it was the right call.
This was cricket like never before, in a bio-secure bubble where even the commentators were limited to doing commentary from the hotel room that they were staying in. Sky pulled one of the greatest stunts in cricket of all times and for that no amount of appreciation is enough. The two keepers from the respective countries walked away with man of the series awards but the real POTS (people of the series) were none other than the sky producers/crew who dared doing what many thought was impossible to do.
When it comes to the result, England were without doubt the better side of the two and they didn't even have to turn on the afterburners. Pakistan it felt were always running on empty, or in the few phases when it seemed that they weren't, it didn't last long enough to make any real impact.
Some may claim that the first test was a missed opportunity for Pakistan but truth be told, Pakistan on the day were just not good enough to wrestle the initiative from England. Jos may have top edged the ball here and there but the fielders who were presented with the opportunity never looked sharp enough or tellingly skilled enough to take those chances.
The spectacle on the whole though was beautiful for not just the beholders but even casual onlookers. The ratings literally went through the sky and the balance sheets were beginning to look balanced.
The second test would probbaly be a footnote in Wisden's alamanack of 2020. Not many would remember it, not many should remember it.
It's not rare in sports that tiny moments decide major destinies and in Southampton in the final test when the score was a very balanced 144/4, Abid Ali was caught on his heals as the ball from Butlers bat fell an inch infront of him. Maybe England should have taken a risk and declared at 500 and trusted their bowlers but they didn't. The rain and Azhar denied them a chance to go 2-0, and maybe now when all is done, Root sitting in the comfort of his home will rue the lack of aggression.
England's catching was abysmal to say the least. For Pakistan, the slips didn't drop many but were visibly a meter too deep the entire series. The line between glory & agony is fine, & Pakistan were so tentative in their approach of safety first that they never even dared treading on it. Between two defensive captains, the series was decided in one session of pure unabashed aggressive brilliance of an underrated allrounder and a limited over star. Such is cricket at times.
Pakistan's next test assignment is going to be probably in another bio-secure bubble in the Southern hemisphere. It used to be their favorite hunting ground once upon a time but things have changed considerably now. The WTC is all but over for Pakistan so all that there's left is a plan for future but do they have the ability or vision to look beyond the next series?
There's so much for Pakistan to ponder. They may not have the talent pool that they once had but with the right dose of modernism and planning infused with strategy and players who could execute that strategy, they may unearth a formula for success. At times it feels that they are tantalizingly close to figuring out modern cricket, but then, a few days later the self destruct button that's pre-installed in almost everyone in the cricketing community seems to be collectively pressed.
At the end of the day, test cricket is a relic from a bygone era. It may not die soon, as it may continue to linger on and somehow manage to adapt and survive, but it's still a fact that for cricket watching public in countries like Pakistan, test cricket is not the main course. For the few of us who still start to wait for a foreign tour moments after it is announced, mark calendars and take time out of our lives to watch it, the length of the series felt underwhelmingly short.
It was beautiful while it lasted, but the show is well and truly over. & all we can do now is wait, wait for the glorious show to begin again hoping that this time we'd do better.
Congratulations to England. Pakistan, please, please, please do better.
