Pakistan's loss is a blessing in disguise because...

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

(in reverse chronological order)

...After England series, we will finally get rid of Azhar and Shafiq
After....series, we will finally get rid of Mickey Arthur
After...series, we will finally get rid of M. Irfan and Junaid
After...series, we will finally get rid of Hafeez
After...series, we will finally get rid of Sarfaraz
After...series, we will finally get rid of Shoaib Malik
After...series, we will finally get rid of Misbah
After...series, we will finally get rid of Umar Akmal
After...series, we will finally get rid of Amir
After...series, we will finally get rid of Kamran Akmal
After...series, we will finally get rid of Shoaib

...and so on.

You will find such comments after each loss on every media/thread you come across.

No team has had as many blessings in disguise in the last 2 decades that Pakistan has had. In fact, looks like Pakistan will continue to be blessed more than other top teams for the foreseeable future.

Still, it may be a good idea to occasionally focus more on winning TODAY and less on who the team can get rid of TOMORROW after each series. It has a tendency to become a free pass for non-performance.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

In each and every test series where our opponents have matchwinners and contributors; Pakistan field passengers and tried n tested failures.

Our ranking should be lower than current one. At this rate, we may become a minnow

and then Misbah will bring back Ahmed Shehzad and the Akmals.

 

[Bhaijaan]

A huge blessing in disguise if you ask me for all the reasons mentioned above.

Only issue is, itni zada blessing ki barsat hone lag jaye to jhola bhi phat sakta hae.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

In each and every test series where our opponents have matchwinners and contributors; Pakistan field passengers and tried n tested failures.

Our ranking should be lower than current one. At this rate, we may become a minnow

and then Misbah will bring back Ahmed Shehzad and the Akmals.

Problem is...it is a vicious cycle. But the focus on 'hidden blessing' takes away all pressure from selectors/coaches/PCB as they axe a player or two after each series and start the whole thing again.

Funny thing is...axed players come back couple of series later as we see in this squad today.

 

[MenInG]

Its never a blessing.

Winning is a habit and we need to win all the time or rot will set in.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

It was a match we should have won. I don't think we need anymore blessings, we need wins.

 

[Shazzam]

I enjoy seeing us lose under this management. I think losses will teach us more than winning.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

I enjoy seeing us lose under this management. I think losses will teach us more than winning.

Under whose management would you have us win then? I'm sure you'd have new problems when new management take over.

 

[Shazzam]

Under whose management would you have us win then? I'm sure you'd have new problems when new management take over.

Any management that has qualified people for there posts. With the current one losses are a norm while wins are a rare occurrences.

 

[ZamanFan]

There is no blessing in disguise

once you lose
your cricket suffers
fans get disillusioned and refrain from watching the game. Games popularity takes a nose dive. Nobody wants to watch a losing team. PCB mafia thinks it can be sustained due to the sponsors sitting in the BoG and courting controversies as publicity but there will be a day when no one will sponsor this team.

. Ehsan Manis and Wasim Khans come and go, the mafia remains. The Akmals, Misbahs, Imam, Hafeez and Maliks continue to thrive. For 17 years Pakistan has not been able to build its batting lineup as mafia has made it mainstay of its favorites. Team overrelies on bowling that cannot deliver. Ex players get to have junket ob trips being paid gor their vacations.

Im kind of slipping away from this game and team as I feel nothing will improve.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Any management that has qualified people for there posts. With the current one losses are a norm while wins are a rare occurrences.

Unfortunately this is the best we got. Who else do you think is more capable? Younis for batting coach, Waqar & Mustaq for bowling, Misbah for overall.

 

[in_cutter]

Next series Hafeez & Malik will be back.

 

[ZamanFan]

Unfortunately this is the best we got. Who else do you think is more capable? Younis for batting coach, Waqar & Mustaq for bowling, Misbah for overall.

I ve never understood this excuse, this is the best we have. They are explayers have they passed level 1, level 2 coaching. Have they ever coached a junior team? What is their coaching experience ? Are they knowledgeable about modern cricket strategies. How to groom a player rofl actually they havent even tried a new batsman they keep a set of players like Shafiq, Malik and Azhar who have averages of tailenders in overseas conditions. They are kept in the team as they are too well-connected to be sacked.

 

[Greenstorm]

With serial losers like Misbah, Waqar and Azhar in the setup, get ready for more blessings.

 

[Greenstorm]

There is no blessing in disguise

once you lose
your cricket suffers
fans get disillusioned and refrain from watching the game. Games popularity takes a nose dive. Nobody wants to watch a losing team. PCB mafia thinks it can be sustained due to the sponsors sitting in the BoG and courting controversies as publicity but there will be a day when no one will sponsor this team.

. Ehsan Manis and Wasim Khans come and go, the mafia remains. The Akmals, Misbahs, Imam, Hafeez and Maliks continue to thrive. For 17 years Pakistan has not been able to build its batting lineup as mafia has made it mainstay of its favorites. Team overrelies on bowling that cannot deliver. Ex players get to have junket ob trips being paid gor their vacations.

Im kind of slipping away from this game and team as I feel nothing will improve.

You stole my words.
I used to believe that IK will at least bring cricket on track but instead he has given loser Misbah multiple designations along with local coaches who are either TTFs or have zero experience.

This team is not worth watching.

 

[Realromeo]

Winning against this England team isn't easy. After not playing cricket for a long time, the Pakistanis shouldn't feel sad.

 

[Shazzam]

Unfortunately this is the best we got. Who else do you think is more capable? Younis for batting coach, Waqar & Mustaq for bowling, Misbah for overall.

I’d take Dean Jones as head couch over Misbah.

 

[Shazzam]

Im kind of slipping away from this game and team as I feel nothing will improve.

I feel the same way. Losses no longer hurt anymore. It feels like they are to be expected. You can’t ask for better results with this management. It feels like the management happily believes we are minnows. Until our standards get better our cricket will suffer.

 

[msb314]

Blessing must be tired getting into disguises all the time...

 

[j_kazmi]

I’ve been hearing this for years...

We’ve seen a lot of disguised blessing over the years

 

[MenInG]

This blessing in disguise thing works at end of series and not during series!

There is no blessing in losing in the series - we need to fix what we have.

 

[Zaz]

I enjoy seeing us lose under this management. I think losses will teach us more than winning.

You cant be a real fan if you enjoy the team losing
Its not an individual game but a team sport

No matter who the personel are i want them to do well and WIN for team Pakistan.

Thats all that should matter

 

[Shazzam]

You cant be a real fan if you enjoy the team losing
Its not an individual game but a team sport

No matter who the personel are i want them to do well and WIN for team Pakistan.

Thats all that should matter

You’re right I am not a real fan I am a realistic fan. I understand that international cricket is not some training ground for a head couch who hardly has experience to be one. You can’t hope to win with a poor base. This passionate bravado means nothing when in the end of the day the ones managing it are happy putting up a fight against a “top” team.

 

[Abdullah]

We just need to calm down.
Stick with the young core in this team and they will serve us well.
Said all along that this series would be decided by how the seniors do as the younger / Inexperienced brigade will more than hold their own.

Nothings changed. If shafiq and Azhar make runs ( 150 runs between them in the game- not asking for too much) I back us to win.

 

[Smbhayi]

I guess Micky Arthur already sacked and he's currently SL coach! Or this lose means he'll lose that job too?

 

[Zaz]

I enjoy seeing us lose under this management. I think losses will teach us more than winning.

You’re right I am not a real fan I am a realistic fan. I understand that international cricket is not some training ground for a head couch who hardly has experience to be one. You can’t hope to win with a poor base. This passionate bravado means nothing when in the end of the day the ones managing it are happy putting up a fight against a “top” team.

This doesnt make any sense

Im no fan of misbah and yes i dont agree with his appointment He doesnt have the credentials or the experience for such big multi roles

If pakistan continues to lose which i hope they dont he should be accountable and get the relevant criticism that comes with it

However im not gonna want pakistan to lose or cheerlead to get misbah out

All i care about and what matters is pakistan winning whether its with misbah arthur or joe bloggs

 

[Dr_Bassim]

This doesnt make any sense

Im no fan of misbah and yes i dont agree with his appointment He doesnt have the credentials or the experience for such big multi roles

If pakistan continues to lose which i hope they dont he should be accountable and get the relevant criticism that comes with it

However im not gonna want pakistan to lose or cheerlead to get misbah out

All i care about and what matters is pakistan winning whether its with misbah arthur or joe bloggs

Thats because you are a fan and not a hater.

There are many on this forum, who hate Misbah more than Pakistan actually winninng.

Hence, the posts.

 

[Markhor]

They're only blessings if you learn from your defeats. Pakistan never learn.

I think Azhar and Shafiq have to shoot someone in the middle of Minto Park in broad daylight to get dropped.

 

[Shazzam]

This doesnt make any sense

Im no fan of misbah and yes i dont agree with his appointment He doesnt have the credentials or the experience for such big multi roles

If pakistan continues to lose which i hope they dont he should be accountable and get the relevant criticism that comes with it

However im not gonna want pakistan to lose or cheerlead to get misbah out

All i care about and what matters is pakistan winning whether its with misbah arthur or joe bloggs

You are a real fan I am a realistic fan. I do not share the same enthusiasm as you to support this team even when I know the management running it has no prior qualifications. Those times where I cared for losses are long gone. Now a days it seems too obvious. Its disappointing but what can you do? It goes back to the base of the problem.

The mentality of the team seems very poor. We like to celebrate victories that were never there. When we get a set up that actually wants to improve by doing something new, only than it will be worth putting time into. Till than this team does not deserve my tears nor yours.

 

[Shazzam]

They're only blessings if you learn from your defeats. Pakistan never learn.

I think Azhar and Shafiq have to shoot someone in the middle of Minto Park in broad daylight to get dropped.

Thats true but they never learn from there wins either. Lol

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Because we might see Babar removed from captaincy, Imam dropped from the XI, Shadab replaced with a proper spinner…

 

[rickroll]

Pakistan fans have been suffering from a repeated loop of insult and injury. Once in a while we get some expectations or a glimmer of hope only for that to crash yet again.

Pakistan for a while could not consistently beat the top nations. We hoped things will get shaken up but nothing happened.

Pakistan somehow won Champions Trophy in 2017 with a steamrolling win over India. While this victory was awesome I feel this was a curse in disguise. It allowed the PCT establishment, to take things for granted in the 50 over format and then the decline started. But we still had the T20 to bank on.

Our 10 wicket win in 2021 T20 win against India was amazing. But this started the Riz-Babar entrenchment and the "Babar+Cronies" era. After a while Pakistan could not consistently defeat top teams. But that was ok, the entrenched PCT powers + players could still create statistical facade by stat padding wins over smaller nations. So there was no need for shakeups or changes when players are "performing" - look at their awesome scores will you?

But now, since the past few months the losses are becoming regular even against associates, let alone the top teams. Afghanistan, Ireland, USA all say hello. Soon UAE, Netherlands, Namibia will also say hello if we keep retaining Biryani guzzlers (looking at you Azam) because of some sifaarish BS. But now, the stat padders will take a hit and the numbers will also look worse on top of the embarrassment of the results. At this rate, people will lose faith and become more disillusioned with PCT and when that happens the "establishment" cannot continue to line their pockets and will have to take action.

So, could this be a final blessing in disguise for Pakistan cricket and fans?

 

[charlie007]

I’m wondering why do Pakistan’s blessings always need a disguise?

 

[kingusama92]

This is an overdose of blessings now.

 

[zn426]

In any enterprise, sporting or otherwise, sometimes a giant shock to the system is required to get people to wake up.
The problem is that Pakistan has been delivered shock after shock after shock and yet despite that there's no change.

With that said- don't overblow this. UAE, Netherlands, and Nepal are not on their way to defeating Pakistan in any regular manner. UAE didn't even make this expanded tournament and Netherlands and Nepal, while it was a great match, were not displaying the type of quality needed to beat a talented side. As bad as the structure and politics are in Pakistan, these teams have even less and they aren't going to catch up in the next decade.

And why should I have to remind you that Afghanistan and Ireland are full members of the ICC? Are we simply going to define anyone outside the top 5 as minnows now? Cricket is a hard sport. Afghanistan beat England and Sri Lanka, and frankly choked away a game vs. Australia in the 2023 World Cup in India. Is England a minnow now? Or Perhaps Australia is a minnow that got lucky. perhaps no one else should play the game? Shut it all down! There's no meaningful cricket if you aren't ranked in the top 5 of the ICC rankings today! Of course, that shuts down half the Full Members and ensures no one will ever suffer an embarrassment like what Pakistan suffered today.

Pakistan was in the semifinals of the T20 world cup in 2021 and in the finals in 2022. How many of you were calling them minnows then?

There's no consistency-until you realize that Pakistan has won 3 ICC trophies in the last 20 years, held the mace once, and been in the finals two more times where they didn't win. Here in America, we call that a successful team. My hometown's ice hockey team won three stanley cups and went to two more finals in the last 20 years. But they also, on occasion, lose to lesser teams or have down periods as an organization. No one here would dare call them some kind of failure. In fairness, it's a professional sporting environment and an Azam Khan would only ever be near the team if he bought tickets in the front row.

You want change? picking the PCB chair and aiming to have someone who reflects their values, which don't value hard work, honesty, and discipline. '
Stand up to these thugs and bullies. Have an honest, but clever person as the next PM of Pakistan once you've driven out all the useless waste clogging up Pakistan. You'll get the PCB chair you desire then. Stop valuing resiliency and start valuing consistency and doing the right thing.

 

[BouncerGuy]

I’m wondering why do Pakistan’s blessings always need a disguise?

Because this bunch is not a team. it is a bunch of timid cats.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

These are the sort of situations where Pakistan becomes dangerous with batters middling everything, quicks bowling with an extra yard, Shadab actually spinning the ball etc.

PAK lost to India and ZIM last time and then went on an unbelievable spree to the final.

Surely, losing to an even lower ranked team like USA portends a championship run from the mercurial tigers?

 

[Varun]

Sorry, I'm not going to reverse jinx them - haven't for a few years.

They can't beat the India H1B team, what chance do they stand against India proper?

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Sorry, I'm not going to reverse jinx them - haven't for a few years.

They can't beat the India H1B team, what chance do they stand against India proper?

They can go through even if they lose to India, just like they did last time around. Just need to make sure NRR doesn't get damaged beyond a point

 

[gazza619]

It would have been a blessing if I was from a different origin.

 

[mon858]

alright, time to revive this thread. please keep it to positive stuff. incredibly blessed team we have.
1. Gary will get much stronger opinion on the surgery to be conducted
2. Hopefully people will learn about gap b/w our domestic/PSL and international and stop simpy hyping/selecting players based on that.
3. Babar will be removed from captaincy and played as a player for remaining career like Tendulkar. He is not a leader, time to move on.
4. All oldies will be removed to allow for a more fresh start for next 2 years to rebuild
5. Much greater focus on fitness, maintained throughout the year not by doing army camps

on lighter side:
6. A new rivalry will emerge and we'll have a new 5 match series with USA every 2 years. Maybe even tri-series with Ireland.
7. Many of our players won't come back, settle in US to get selected in 3 years from now, only to find them not getting selected in the end.

 

[Aang_The_last_airbender]

alright, time to revive this thread. please keep it to positive stuff. incredibly blessed team we have.
1. Gary will get much stronger opinion on the surgery to be conducted
2. Hopefully people will learn about gap b/w our domestic/PSL and international and stop simpy hyping/selecting players based on that.
3. Babar will be removed from captaincy and played as a player for remaining career like Tendulkar. He is not a leader, time to move on.
4. All oldies will be removed to allow for a more fresh start for next 2 years to rebuild
5. Much greater focus on fitness, maintained throughout the year not by doing army camps

on lighter side:
6. A new rivalry will emerge and we'll have a new 5 match series with USA every 2 years. Maybe even tri-series with Ireland.
7. Many of our players won't come back, settle in US to get selected in 3 years from now, only to find them not getting selected in the end.

1. I am getting a feel that Gary will be back home by August.
2. PSL is here to stay and will outcompete with IPL in the same window from next year
3. Pakistan will have 3 more captains by next year CT and Babar will back as captain for CT
4. CT 25 squad will have maximum 3 changes from current T20 squad ( no place for Mohd. Amir and Usman Khan and one more guy)
5. Fitness, naah more biryani
6. Thats very much a possibility, Enough of just bashing Zimbabwe
7. Us visas are not so easy when you have a crescent in your original passport. A sad reality.

 

[blahfriend]

Gary Kirsten is a very overrated coach. He is famous for 2011 WC. Else he left Indian test team in a state worse than he found it. ICT fitness standards were very poor during his tenure. In his tenure, he was reluctant to take big calls(dropping SRT etc). They were taken by MSD. His record in IPL speaks for himself. He has the midas touch and not in a good way.

 

[JaDed]

Gary Kirsten is a very overrated coach. He is famous for 2011 WC. Else he left Indian test team in a state worse than he found it. ICT fitness standards were very poor during his tenure. In his tenure, he was reluctant to take big calls(dropping SRT etc). They were taken by MSD. His record in IPL speaks for himself. He has the midas touch and not in a good way.

? Literally every Indian player has praised him, Drop Sachin from where? After 1 year of his stint was Sachin dropped or retired from ODI.

His coaching helped us in our best SA tour, that was GOAT SA team.

 

[Shaheenthefalcon]

alright, time to revive this thread. please keep it to positive stuff. incredibly blessed team we have.
1. Gary will get much stronger opinion on the surgery to be conducted
2. Hopefully people will learn about gap b/w our domestic/PSL and international and stop simpy hyping/selecting players based on that.
3. Babar will be removed from captaincy and played as a player for remaining career like Tendulkar. He is not a leader, time to move on.
4. All oldies will be removed to allow for a more fresh start for next 2 years to rebuild
5. Much greater focus on fitness, maintained throughout the year not by doing army camps

on lighter side:
6. A new rivalry will emerge and we'll have a new 5 match series with USA every 2 years. Maybe even tri-series with Ireland.
7. Many of our players won't come back, settle in US to get selected in 3 years from now, only to find them not getting selected in the end.

“Incredibly blessed team we have” bhai…dont say that anywhere in pakistan or in front real people… they will beat u up for that. Just a brotherly advice for u.

 

[Bewal Express]

There is no blessing in disguise. We are in deep doggy dodoo. This isn't a blip, this is deep structural malaise and unless we get a chairman who cares and knows what he is doing, it will get much worse. Our cricket reflects our politics and governance

 

[Aang_The_last_airbender]

Gary Kirsten is a very overrated coach. He is famous for 2011 WC. Else he left Indian test team in a state worse than he found it. ICT fitness standards were very poor during his tenure. In his tenure, he was reluctant to take big calls(dropping SRT etc). They were taken by MSD. His record in IPL speaks for himself. He has the midas touch and not in a good way.

Sachin was untouchable and literally nobody could deny the 100 century milestone and 200 test he needed to hang his boots. and Also SRT was the best Indian batter in 2011 WC. That earns any person an extra lifeline.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

There is no blessing in disguise. We are in deep doggy dodoo. This isn't a blip, this is deep structural malaise and unless we get a chairman who cares and knows what he is doing, it will get much worse. Our cricket reflects our politics and governance

Fully agree
Constantly underperforming and losing is never a blessing — if it were, we would have been blessed a thousand times over in recent years.
Other countries have used it as a catalyst for change ie England bringing in Fletcher/Hussain, and later Strauss at the helm of redressing their white ball cricket and winning the World Cup.

I remain extremely sceptical that anything will noticeably change — this is a multiyear project, not a case of dropping a few players, changing captain (though both should happen).

Will the fans, media and those who carp from the sidelines have the patience for the needed overhaul ?

 

[kron]

? Literally every Indian player has praised him, Drop Sachin from where? After 1 year of his stint was Sachin dropped or retired from ODI.

His coaching helped us in our best SA tour, that was GOAT SA team.

Goat SA team that had tsotsobe ?

 

[JaDed]

Goat SA team that had tsotsobe ?

One bad player?

 

[kron]

One bad player?

Tsotsobe isn't bad but not great. Paul Harris alviro also played and they are average. It's a great team but wouldn't say goat SA team. Cause goat SA team would be the team that were banned during apartheid. Unless you mean goat post apartheid team then yes sure.

Only other great SA team would be the late 90s one

 

[BouncerGuy]

This humiliation shouldd be enough for many guys to be kicked out who are currently free riding in the team.

Need to get rid of PSL and domestic bullies first of all. These 1 match-wonder boys are no good and should just play leagues, that is their level.

We will finally get rid of Iftikhar and Azam, thanks to them. Saim also needs to be shaken well before use. Usman Khan should be given a red card as well, he needs to grind in domestics now, bad for him.

Babar will be a goner as a captain, good for him

 

[chinaman00]

For all the people hoping some lesson will be learned, the only lesson one can learn from Pakistan cricket after all this years is: there’s no lesson to be learned.

Pakistan cricket will persist in mediocrity and mediocre decisionsz half-hearted decisions and quick fixes that ultimately amount to nothing will be made.

With Pakistan cricket, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[kach]

Pakistan relied a lot on individual brilliance in the past - both bowling and batting. It produced many match winners who on their day would win matches single handedly and entertain all cricket lovers. Of course their losses were equally entertaining and completely comical too. Now its a 180 , both their wins and their losses are outright boring and their players lack any personality to interest the viewers.

 

[kach]

Gary Kirsten is a very overrated coach. He is famous for 2011 WC. Else he left Indian test team in a state worse than he found it. ICT fitness standards were very poor during his tenure. In his tenure, he was reluctant to take big calls(dropping SRT etc). They were taken by MSD. His record in IPL speaks for himself. He has the midas touch and not in a good way.

Name your best coach, now make him/her the coach of this current Pakistan team, Can that coach can make any changes to the way the current crop plan and play their cricket. The answer is a resounding no. What worse is that the Pakistan has been hurting in every way for the last several years. Their cricket used to uplift their sagging spirits on many occasions. Now that has disappeared too.

 

[Master Blaster]

It will be a blessing in disguise only for one or two tough series. The stats padders will volunteer to be left out of the team. Once these tough series are out of the way, the stats padders agents will work round the clock and get their aqa's back in the team to feast on Zim, Ireland and the likes.

 

[pratiktc]

Frankly the team is similiar to 2022 WT20 and playing same level of cricket. I am not saying that they are a good team but only that they have not become worse than 2 years ago.

It is only the tournament format is a bit tighter and left them no room to manoeuvre.

In 2022 also Pak were a mid tier team who went 4-3 out of 7 games. Only in 1 game (vs SA) did their batting score par plus. They also messed up in defending a 160 game with a poor last over and got choked out chasing a run a ball total in their second match.

 

[pratiktc]

WT20 results frankly aren't really what I would judge a team on.

The nature of tourney and format lends itself to surprising ousters. A couple of bad tosses or dropped catches and a team might be gone. All of Aus, SA, NZ, Ind have suffered group stage exits over the last 3 WCs.

What is important that a team is constantly evolving and pushing boundaries in T20. Aus have had up and down results but they are encouraging buildup of an all-rounder heavy turbo charged batting lineup. England have been doing explosion since 2016 as well. SA have built a very strong hyper aggressive middle order and pace attack

India and NZ as more conventional sides are also (albeit more slowly) trying to embrace it by being more destructive in PP and bringing in players who can be disruptors (Finn, Philips, Pant, Rinku, Dube).

With Pak, I think the mindset of their T20 batting needs a reset. RizBar is not the way forward anymore (probably never was).
They need to find a good spinner and back him and try out aggressive hitting youngsters for long stretches in middle order to develop a new lineup.

 

[blahfriend]

Name your best coach, now make him/her the coach of this current Pakistan team, Can that coach can make any changes to the way the current crop plan and play their cricket. The answer is a resounding no. What worse is that the Pakistan has been hurting in every way for the last several years. Their cricket used to uplift their sagging spirits on many occasions. Now that has disappeared too.

I think so. I think 2017 CT PCT was very fit and that has dropped now. A good coach may not result in direct wins, but can start a process. Shan Masood seems like a reasonable captain and can work with a good coach to bring in processes.

? Literally every Indian player has praised him, Drop Sachin from where? After 1 year of his stint was Sachin dropped or retired from ODI.

His coaching helped us in our best SA tour, that was GOAT SA team.

Except for Greg Chappell, no Indian player has criticized Indian coach publicly. Duncan Fletcher was another poor coach. Gary Kirsten's planning was so bad, that we lost 8-0 in Australia and England straight after WC. To paraphrase Bedi, "Gary did you make the ICT great or did it make you a great coach?" . No fast bowlers, toothless bowling attack. VVS past his prime, RSD past his prime, SRT past his prime, Zak past his prime, Ishant about to be lost, Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla were lost.