September 24, 2006	Sunday	Sha'aban 30, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

Some things, for unidentifiable reasons, mean a lot more than others. Cricket is one of these. Of course, if studied in more details the reasons for this become clear. Cricket has a history in Pakistan, not always positive, but significant nonetheless. In some ways, it has almost become a way of retaining pride in the nation’s achievements. Cricket is something we all share; it brings us glory, drama, and most importantly, it gives us heroes. It is also a way of defeating our former rulers, and more significantly, defeating them in a fashion they constructed. Some of us are aware of this at all times, others only subconsciously.

For this reason, the Test defeat and subsequent drawn one-day series in England was the most disappointing result the Pakistan team has had in quite a few years. We are now quite used to returning from England with some sense of pride, if not a trophy or two. This is the first time in more than a decade that this tour has ended so disappointingly. If the players themselves do not elucidate the feeling of sheer despondency, they most certainly feel it. Perhaps, we should be forgiving and let the Test result, despite its greater magnitude, go unmentioned – there were far too many injuries to contend with. But the ODIs, Pakistan’s specialty in many ways, will not be forgotten too soon. The players know this all too well.

Against a mediocre English side, Pakistan’s near best 11 could not conjure a favourable result. To lose a game is understandable, although a whitewash was not asking too much, but the image of Inzamam-ul-Haq holding the series trophy alongside Andrew Strauss is irreconcilable for all and sundry. What is more pressing, however, is the effect this result has had on the team’s confidence.

Since Bob Woolmer took charge, Pakistan have regained their self-belief piece by piece. The side had its coming of age by finding resolution through humiliation and then slowly learnt how to hold fort by defeating both England and India at home. The series against Australia, where Pakistan were made to look worse than a group of bewildered schoolboys was perhaps the turning point. Since then, with the drawn Test against India at Mohali providing the required fortitude, Pakistan have grown stronger with every step. The team’s results reaffirmed, if there was ever any doubt, that appointing Woolmer was the wisest thing the PCB has done in many years.

Now, the team has to come to terms with its first failure in almost two years — that too if we term losing to Australia in their backyard a disaster. This is where things get tricky. Before the last World Cup, Pakistan found themselves in a similar scenario, albeit there was a great deal of infighting and uncertainty involved at that time, with the side suffering a depressing slump for over a year before the main event in South Africa. It resulted in a disastrous showing at the World Cup and took another year to get the team back on its feet. The current situation is not as advanced or complicated as the last but with the World Cup less than six months away, Pakistan cannot afford to go into a slump.

I hate to cause alarm at the first sniff of fire but there are a few concerns that must be urgently addressed. Had Pakistan lost to Australia, or even a full-strength England side, they could have regrouped with too much psychological damage. Now self-doubt has been thrown into the mix. The excuse is that the team was tired, but they will face as much hardship in the West Indies next year. There will be no room for slip ups, or tiredness then. With these factors in mind, it seems the England result has made next month’s Champions Trophy so much more meaningful for Pakistan. A positive trip across the border would rekindle the spirits, a poor result, on the other hand, could embed the seeds of self-doubt far too deep.

As it is, the small matter of an opening pair has not been sorted out. Woolmer has been given some flak for not repairing this glaring hole in the armour by Imran Khan among others. Surely, the top sides will exploit this weakness with every opportunity. Pakistan have been lucky that their middle and lower order possess so much skill and will that they have overcome the lack of a solid top order. How much further the England series has fractured the fragile structure of the Pakistan side will be revealed in October.