Pakistan’s Prospects for the Finals of Twenty20 

  I                                  

  At long last, finally, on 13 June, the day when President Ahmadinejad won his second term in Iran with a landslide, with or without impact from that historic event, Pakistani cricket team has settled down and come out in flying colors, literally. A positive approach from Pakistan and a determined fight by the cricket team united have produced the results envious of any nation wanting to reach e top of the word cricket.

In becoming the top most bowler of the 20/20 with 5 wicket haul for  just 8 runs in three overs, Umar Gul bagged a sensational five-wicket haul as Pakistan defeated New Zealand by six wickets on Saturday to keep their semi-finals hopes alive in the World Twenty20. Pakistan almost made a mess of an easy chase before scoring the required runs with 6.5 overs to spare at the Oval. The victory strengthened Pakistan's chances of making the next stage as they next play minnows Ireland on Monday, the 15 June. That is now a foregone conclusion and Pakistan is now set to enter the semifinals towards the victory.

In an incredible spell of fast bowling, he demolished the Kiwis for a paltry 99 in 18.3 overs after they chose to bat in the Super Eight match. Introduced as late as the 13th over, Gul wreaked havoc in his three-over spell and emerged the first bowler to claim five wickets in T20 internationals. A come back after a long wait of Abdul Razzaq (2-17), playing the first match for his country after quitting the Indian Cricket League, gave the necessary impetus to the team form and he celebrated his return by rocking the Kiwis top-order at the start. The strong Kiwis never recovered from the early blows and kept losing wickets at regular intervals, which took a heavy toll on their run rate. Shahzaib Hasan (35) and Kamran Akmal (19) began Pakistan 's chase in right earnest, putting up 36 runs in 4.2 overs but the departure of the latter triggered a mini collapse. Razzaq had struck with the fourth ball of his first over when he dismissed Brendon McCullum (12) and then trapped Martin Guptill (8) to leave New Zealand reeling at 37 for three.

It was not all nice with Pakistan in the beginning. Pakistan had bowled yet another ordinary first over; the first and last balls, from Mohammad Aamer, were boundaries, in between there was poor fielding and no dot balls. Razzaq's first wicket was the first dot ball of the innings, but by the time Aamer and Razzaq were done with their three-over spells, New Zealand had barely doubled their score at 1.3 overs. Razzaq got Brendon McCullum before he could cause severe damage, and then Martin Guptill with a trademark straight delivery that the batsman missed. The hat-trick didn't come, but New Zealand managed just 27 since Gul's introduction to the attack.

Welcome back, Pakistan cricket was poorer without Razzaq. For the first time with the medium-pacers having put the Pakistani team in a favorable position. It was for the fielders to raise their game, which they did. Diving saves, hustling fielders, and accurate bowling meant that Scott Styris and Jacob Oram struggled even to rotate the strike. It was all Gul, his accuracy and his late swing. Peter McGlashan tried to paddle him next ball, but was undone by the in-dipper. James Franklin saved the hat-trick, but couldn't deny the irresistible Gul for long. With a change of ends, he cleaned up Nathan McCullum and Franklin with straight and fast bowling. Kyle Mills, though, fell to a slower one, giving Gul the five-for and another chance for a hat-trick. (NZ 99 runs; Run Rate: 5.35; Pakistan Run Rate: 7.59 while completing 100 runs.

Pakistanis cricketers feel the pain of their sincere efforts, but Pakistan is in a different world now, they are all excited and breathing fine now! It was a clinical performance by the Pakistanis today. They bowled exceedingly well and literally bowled the Kiwis out of the contest in the first half itself. An impressive performance at the top by young Shahzaib Hasan ensured that the Pakistani dug out doesn't get into any sort of scare. A brisk 29 from Afridi sealed the game in the end. Skipper Younis Khan said that it was a much better performance by us and we are looking forward to doing well in the next match. Salman Butt in an interview during half-time said that pressure situation brings the best out of any team, their body language was different and they looked a lot better on the field today.

II

No wonder India is scared of Pakistan and annoyed with very existence of the Islamic state as a stiff competitor in the region. This is because; Pakistan team does things unexpected of terror India . Pakistan elegantly returned to the  20/20 when India media have already scripted an Obituary for Pakistani cricket, though  yet to be published, and was enjoying the  mere thought that one of the  tremendous hurdles  for the final was out prematurely. But Pakistan has a resurrection unexpectedly. Shahid Afridi carried Pakistan into the Super Eights at the expense of a spirited but outclassed Dutch side at Lord's, as he ripped his top-spinning legbreaks through a succession of bamboozled defences to deliver his team a thumping 82-run victory with the superb figures of 4 for 11 from four overs. For the Netherlands , the end came with unseemly haste as they lost their last nine wickets for 52 in 10.2 overs, but they still left the tournament with their heads held high after last week's unforgettable floodlit triumph over England .

Pakistan must be busy playing domestic cricket, but the team tours very little abroad. With a very little international exposure on account of Indian terror activities and terror plank linking Pakistan with their terror blasts, Pakistan generally prefers to bowl first, but this time for a change they opted for bating first to put in place a formidable score. On June 10, the greater class and knowhow of the Pakistanis came to the fore. They produced a chastened display after their error-strewn effort against England at The Oval on Sunday, and though their batting was kept on a tight leash by some determined Dutch bowling, the prospect of defeat was never seriously entertained. Netherlands were set 176 for victory, but thanks to their superior net run-rate going into this game, they could still have gone through with a score of 151 or more.

After successive defeats three times in England so far during the current 20/20 series, Pakistan had been exposed very badly as the one of weakest cricket teams of the day, but a in a must win situation they fought vigorously to win a match against Netherlands which had defeated England in the opening match in London and now entered the Super 8. As the secular Indian media were ready with big banner news about the departure of Pakistan after Australia , Pakistan has stormed into the higher state of 20/20 super 8. Shocking the cricket world, Pakistan chose to bat. They needed to win by 25 runs to go through and settle in Super8. But Pakistan booked their place in the Super Eight stage of the World Twenty20 tournament, thrashing the Netherlands by 82 runs in a must-win Group B match for both teams at Lord's on 10 June. Riding on Shahid Afridi's haul of four wickets for 11 runs and Saeed Ajmal's three for 20, Pakistan , who needed win the match by a margin of 25 runs to qualify, dismissed the Dutch for a paltry 93 in 17.3 overs.

After thrashing England , Netherlands were sure of a success, but were given a typically brief but belligerent start from their pinch-hitter, Darren Reefers, who smashed three fours from his first five balls including two stand-and-deliver slaps over long-on from Mohammad Aimer, but that, realistically, was as good as their run-chase got.  Afridi struck with the first ball of his third over, a full flat topspinner that flattened the leg stump. Two balls later, Daan van Bunge yorked himself as he charged down the track and was easily stumped for a duck, and though Ryan ten Doeschate stemmed the procession with a six over midwicket off Shoaib Malik, his same-over dismissal - again to a yorker-length stumping - reduced the score to a sorry 71 for 7.

III

 It is to the credit of the Pakistan cricket team that they have come up in a rarely big way under tremendous pressure. The Pakistani cricket, for no traceable reasons, was undergoing a phase of depression, frustration or even fluctuation in the recent past, but it had reached the bottom level almost on the verge of the exit from the ill-fated 20/20 of this year. The weak disposition of a frightened display of skills just showcased the present state of Pakistani society which is now in a possible destabilizing mode. None seems to be serious there where Muslims kill Muslims. I wrote a short note on June 08 immediately after the 3 consecutive defeats of Pakistan after it arrived in UK that Pakistan is gradually fading out of the cricket sport under the caption: Cricket fall of Pakistan ? Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan correctly spotted the possible reasons for the debacle of his country's present team.. It seems they tried to rectify the errors to some extent. But the selector of the Pakistani team unnecessarily quit the post in a hurry without offering any good suggestions.

The tone of the Pakistan performance was set during their six Powerplay overs, in which they raced to 50 for 1. Salman Butt, singled out by his captain after the England match for the woeful state of his fielding, responded with the aggression of a man whose job was on the line as he whipped his first ball, from Nannes, through midwicket for four, before launching Schiferli over the covers and into the Mound Stand for six. When Akmal found his range with a brace of sixes in consecutive overs, Pakistan 77 for 1 with 11 overs remaining, and looked as though they were pulling clear. But the Netherlands captain Smits was damn sure about a victory against a weak Pakistan : "We will take the confidence out of our previous game. We saw Pakistan play on Sunday against England .  We are confident." But Netherlands showed from a similar position against England that they are a side who will not give up.  

  IV

On 11 June, despite all “excellent delivery bounces”, England recorded their lowest total in a Twenty20 international as South Africa bowled them out for just 111 before easing to a seven-wicket win in the World Cup second round match on Thursday. Although England did well to contain South Africa in reply, ultimately they were never able to defend their paltry score as the Proteas reached 114 for three with 10 balls to spare. Jacques Kallis batted patiently for his 57 not out. Also, on June 11, South Africa was looking to be the form team in the tournament as they thumped England by 7 wickets. It was a doodle in the park for SA as Kallis led them to victory with a composed innings of 57. England Run Rate of 5.6 forced the SA to go slow to reach the target without losing wickets.

Pakistan outclassed the Netherlands by 82 runs after losing tamely to England to enter the Super Six, but Lawson was not surprised at the team’s stunning comeback to qualify for the Super Eights. Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson expects Pakistan to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals, after a morale-boosting victory over the Netherlands in a must-win Group C match. It seems cricket is moving towards shorter versions of the game and Ten10 is on the cards, because the matches would be over quickly leaving less strains the poor people watching the shows. Pakistan ’s captain, Younis Khan, may have derided Twenty20 matches as "fun" after their defeat against England .

Younis Khan rightly says "he has not given so much importance to T20. But as the captain he has to take it seriously now and show to the world that even with reservations about the 20/20, Pakistan has done extremely well. As it stood then, it was quite likely Pakistan would be faltering badly to reach even the semis. Younis dented ten Doeschate's figures by clearing his front foot to swipe Pakistan ’s fourth six of the innings, then belted Seelaar for two more in two balls to hoist his team past 150 with 15 balls remaining. Afridi would later go on to show with the ball, sometimes there is simply no stopping him.. When the mood takes them, there is sometimes no stopping Pakistan either.

Windies handed "defchamps" India a drubbing, upsetting Indian apple cart by seven wickets in the Super Eights at Lord's but India wants to draw the blood sitting on the fences and hoping to get some mileage form a possible win by WI against South Africa on 13 June, watching eagerly WI struggling against SA. India media have already congratulated the West Indies for their “outstanding victory” when WI defeated Australia June 06 to enter the Super 8 and conversely they would have done so on 12 June too when India was demolished by WI. But South Africa has easily thrown the WI out.

V

First of all, I personally wish the Pakistani team all the best for the trophy, however I do caution: it all depends on the team cohesiveness and proper direction. Last time they narrowly missed the trophy, or let India clinch it, by playing uncricket towards the end of the finals match.

On 14 June England let the world see who the masters are and who the "underdogs". And Indians are to QUIT London shortly after trying their badluck against the strongest team of today, the next game - against South Africa inconsequential- for formalities' sake. South Africa n 16 June and reach the Indian capitals with all wickets they could gather in London along with bad memories in UK where as even South Africa did not understand their false prestige issues. Indians will also miss the occasion when new champions would be crowned on June 21.

On 12 June, Sri Lanka playing against Pakistan was 80 for 0 after eight overs and would have crossed 200mark, but the Pakistanis spinners did a tremendous job of restricting them to 150. Chasing 151 would not have been all that difficult, but Pakistan could outsmart the Lankans and collapsed. Pakistan could not carry all the momentum at this moment and could not win the match against, a friendly, SL. But Indian situation is now more appalling and terribly pathetic after their clinical defeat at the hands of “small” fellows form West Indies. Indians thought since “ India ” is part of “West Indies” in the name, India could somehow clinch the match, but Indians were chased and driven out and finally drowned in Atlantic along with 7 wickets. Now Indian future at the hands of South Africa is also doomed.

Strong contenders South Africa have come closer to a semi-final berth in the Twenty20 World Cup after a convincing 20-run victory over giant-killers West Indies in a Super Eight match at the Kensington Oval on 13 June, while Pakistan was making all out efforts to follow the suit. Now the Pakistan’s semi berth is almost around, Pakistan team has to concentrate on the finals. Individual record should be part of the game, but not the main concern of the team as the Pakistan team has just demonstrated with big lead and records. And with full conviction! So far South Africa has out powered other teams against which it played. The final contests would possibly be among South Africa, Pakistan, and possibly SL since Australia was thrown out of the series by Sri Lanka without even letting it to enter the Super8, Lanka would replace it for the semis.

There was clinical approach about the Pakistan’s handling of the cricket crisis to win the matches so far after 3 consecutive defeats. Obviously, both South Africa and Pakistan, the runners up last time, are now threats to Indian cricket 20/20 as well now. Now Pakistan would also be in the semis. However, extra factors like luck, fluke, adjustments, agreements, match fixing, etc., would play their own games in the cricket 20/20 series as well. So, it is not easy to clearly state if South Africa would be world champions of 20/20.. Recently, in the IPL India the best and but most unexpected Hyderabad team under Gilchrist got the trophy against all odds and despite the negative attitude of the team members. Pakistan has to overcome the unpredictability in performance once for all. World should once again admire it as the best or one of the best teams around the world. Not that Pakistan, defending runners-up of 20/20, cannot reach the finals or win the trophy this time, but the issue is whether or not they are serious enough to play cricket!  

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Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

Independent Researcher in World Affairs, The only Indian to have gone through entire India, a fraud and terror nation,
South Asia.