Dark day for Pak Cricket

After what happened in the Pak & Ireland World Cup game that Pak lost by 3 wickets I was thinking of a name to describe the day:

• St Patrick's day Massacre (personal favorite)
• Minnows on a roll (considering India lost to Bangladesh as well)
• Pak hit Rock Bottom

Either one you go with, its a dark day for Pak cricket and I can't help but feel sorry for the millions of fans around the world. We waited for 4 years only to see a repeat of the last Cricket World Cup (CWC) - an early exit. I thought the Pak team had hit rock bottom after the South Africa tour but I guess I was mistaken. It was such a bad performance that calling it pathetic is an understatement (although the bowlers did try their best - all for a lost cause). First West Indies and now Ireland, yes Ireland. Not that I want to take credit away from the Irish, they played their hearts out. Unfortunately, Pak just didn't have it in them. I wonder what would have been better, exiting now or exiting in the Super 8's stage.... I guess the latter would have only prolonged the inevitable. Plus losing against one of the big boys might have been 'understandable' I suppose.

For the days to come there will be lots of finger pointing, lame excuses, heads rolling & axing. Unfortunately, the real problems that need to be addressed at the grass roots level, will not be addressed yet again. For quite some time this team has the 'unpredictability factor' associated with them especialy in the media. But I am now becoming of the opinion that they have become more and more predictable in self destructing than anything else. I mean just look at yesterday's game, fine it's a green top and they were put into bat first after losing a crucial toss. Sure the conditions are not in your favor but the way they proceeded to bat was quite mind boggling. I mean what's worse - having to bat first on a bowler friendly pitch against Ireland or chasing 434 against Australia. These are not cornered tigers, these are more like cornered sissies. I am sick and tired of hearing statements like Pak has such great talent and they have numerous potential. What a bunch of self-satisfying & sorry statments. At this level of the game every team has talented players so Pak having talent is nothing new. What matters at this level is physical fitness, team work, technique and most importantly playing like a real champ. If you got it then show it otherwise prepare to be thrown on the sidelines. A few times I have noticed that Pakistani players are just not mentally strong enough; they choke when in a tough situation. I mean isn't that the real thrill in playing the game. How can you be victorious without breaking a sweat.

To make things worse they have a flawed technique when it comes to bouncy & seaming wickets. Leading to the CWC, Pakistan's inability to bat on bowler friendly wickets was quite well exposed. Let's take, for instance, the ICC Champions trophy last year. Pakistan were bundled out for under 100 runs against South Africa. Then came the South Africa tour itself and the batsmen were continously struggling. So how come the management has never done anything about this? I would really like to know what are the steps they took to address this issue. Let me guess, they thought to themselves since the CWC is being played in West Indies, the probability of bowler friendly wickets is very low so its a waste of resources to help the batsmen fix their technique. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't bother with the issue at all since they were so busy promoting the Urdu language. An incompetent team's ability is further exaggerated by an incompetent management. A good for nothing management that some how finds ways to get into one controversy after another. A management that has tried 9 opening pairs, to no fruit, out of the last 20 or so odd matches.

Gone are the days when Pakistani players were one of the most feared. Players like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Saeed Anwar, Wasim and Waqar who were able to conflict unprecedented damage on their opponents by their sheer brilliance. Batsmen who prized their wickets with their lives. Players who wanted to win for themselves and the millions of supporters back home. Players who realized that for a developing country their win would bring a smile to the faces of millions who don't have much else to cheer for. A team that gave their best. A team that stood up to the West Indies when many others could only dream of doing so. A team that produced one of the most charismatic leader the world had seen. That spirit is long gone. Pak cricket now consists of a below par team run by an equally incompetent, hypocrytical, short-sighted and backstabbing managment.

I am sorry to paint such a dark picture but that's the current state of affairs. This was coming sooner or later. Winning and losing is part of the game but when you lose then what matters most is how you lose. The Pak team have repeatedly gifted their games in recent memory either due to bad bowling or batting. Fielding was never their big weapon and they haven't done much about it anyway. Has all hope died for this team?... probably not. Hope is that one dangerous thing that makes me want to believe in this team, reluctantly, again. Here's my take on how:

1. The first thing one has to do when trying to improve themselves is admit that there is a problem (in this case numerous). The management has to realize this rather than singing praises of this teams (in)ability.
2. Once they have taken the crucial step of admitting the problem they have to identify what is the cause of the problem e.g. the teams inability to perform on bowler friendly conditions, ineffective bowling and sloppy fielding.
3. Come up with logical and long term solutions to address the problem. The fact that batting on seaming wickets and bad fielding is Pakistan's trademark does not mean you fix it by sending them on a tour to South Africa or Australia. This problem has to be addressed at the grass roots level. Domestic cricket in Pakistan is played on the most flat tracks one can imagine and fielding is considered as the least important part of the game. You can't blame a generation of players brought up in this environment. The next generation has to be prepared.
4. Leave your political hats out before entering the field (can't emphasise enough on this one). Everyone from management to players should have only one prime objective - WIN no matter what it takes. If that means setting aside your differences with other players and finding a common ground then be it. If that means axing the players that have big sources behind them, then be it. If you have failed to become one unit before the competition even starts, you have effectively failed to form the knock-out punch.
5. Although I am all for using whatever it takes to make the team stronger, some practices are better left out e.g. the influence of religion. Religion for me is a very private thing. But when you are out there playing at the international circuit you have to maintain a certain level of professionalism. Other players and teams may not be accustomed to your beliefs so one always has to respect that. There have also been rumours that 2 groups have formed with in the team - the conservatives and the moderates. This is a very sorry state of affairs.
6. Find a leader who knows how to lead from the front. I am sorry to say but Inzamam, no matter how good a player he is, was not the right leader. He tried hard but unfortunately he has been more criticized than praised for his efforts. This is going to be tough but a team is only as good as its captain. Look at Ricky Ponting and Grame Smith; they know how to set examples. There was talk of Younis Khan being the successor but lately he has been a bit of a disappointment for me quite honestly.
7. Dalai Lama once said "Everything changes except change". One of the biggest things lacking in this team and management is not adapting to this change. Cricket, especially the one day version, has changed quite considerably in the last few years. Technology is being used to improve yourself and expose your opponents. Strategies have become more aggresive and teams more cohesive. This is a big attribute missing in this camp.

These are just some of the most common sense things that I feel should be taken into consideration if one hopes to see the star shinning again. Unfortunately, from past experience I know things are easier said than done with PCB but I hope this dark day will result in Pak hitting rock bottom 'cause once you hit rock bottom then you can only go back up from there (unless you figure out a way to get stuck there).

Update:

The dark day just got darker after the sudden death of Bob Woolmer. My deepest condolences go to his family. The Cricket world has lost a great coach today.