Cricket: Pakistan Must Play Safe

-DR. ABDUL RUFF

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Cricket is a funny game and cricket mafias have reaped maximum benefits out it by using the cash-rewards hungry cricketers. There is no team or individual cricketer that is above this rule of game.

After winning the test-1, Pakistan is poised for a consecutive win in the Test-2 as well. So far Pakboys played well. If they continue to do so, they are going to win the series also. In the first innings, Pakistani boys unnecessarily offered 100 plus to NZ captain Vettori but since the NZ refused to oblige the guests from Pakistan with a 100 plus to Misbah-ul-Haq(c) and removed him at 99, in the second innings Gul quickly thrashed Vettori with just one run to his credit. Obviously, NZ captain would play some tricks to strike the Pakistani top batboys. Hence there is the need for caution for Pakbatboys. An inspirational spell this has been from Gul as bowler with 4 wickets, but he must also use his bat properly too like Vettori, if he gets the chance.

Now the Pak-NZ test -2 is getting into the fifth or final day tomorrow the 19th Jan and the home NZ side has set 274 runs for the Pakistani boys to chase down and win the match comfortably. It is not difficult to make this target in a day since 300 runs is the average runs per day in Test match. Pakistan, however, has a choice to make, either to win or go for a draw as the home side would like that tell India that they are not too bad a team. India would have chased this average target very easily against a weak New Zealand, but Pakistani boys are not those tricky or cunning to go for the onslaught and wind up the match early tomorrow even before Pakistanis wake up at homes in the morning.

Pakistani fielders took to long to decide to strike and end the NZ innings. They even offered a couple of SIXes to the tail-enders to make them first happy and then make errors.

Pakistani bowlers are not god batboys and they prefer to throw away their bats at the earliest trap and return to their seats to watch the show. It then would be better the tailenders are asked to bat in the middle and some good players come a bit later, if the openers do not understand the intricacy of the problem now and play wisely.

Pakistan team must resurge from hideouts and make it to the top order team- not for the bogus rankings and records, but to make an impact as one of the real sports teams. India will feel sorry for its witch-hunts against Pakistani players. But is that enough?

For now, Pakistani batboys must win by playing safe and let not their chance slip into opponents’ hands. A full team for a mere 274 runs. Best Wishes.