AS the world’s top eight cricketing nations prepare to lock horns in England from June 1 in the eighth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan will be hoping to measure up in order to boost its poor ODI ranking by at least making it to the semi-finals of the mega event. Beginning their campaign with a marquee match at Edgbaston against arch-rival India, the green shirts will be looking to repeat their 2009 victory over the neighbouring nation, scored in the sixth edition of this tournament, to silence their detractors. However, that would require something truly extraordinary from a team that lacks depth in all departments of the game.

A mere glance at Pakistan’s recent performance in 50-over cricket matches shows that the bowling lacks sting, the fielding is atrocious and the batting brittle. This is why the Champions Trophy will be skipper Sarfraz Ahmed’s biggest challenge to date. The wicket-keeper batsman will not only have to perform well, he will also have to inspire his main players including Azhar Ali, Ahmed Shehzad, Baber Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik and Emaad Wasim to play an attacking form of the game. Sarfraz will be mindful of head coach Mickey Arthur’s blunt assessment of the team last month when he accused it of being stuck in the 1990s brand of cricket, rarely posting a score of 300-plus in times when 350 is a norm. Fortunately, Pakistan has the easier of the two pools to grapple with. The tough opening game against India is followed by matches with South Africa and Sri Lanka. Here the team will have greater confidence in its abilities given the mercurial traits of the latter two opponents. Though hosts England start as favourites in the 18-day extravaganza, the hype has been significantly dented by the Manchester attack. The authorities have beefed up security and the teams will be hoping for a smooth staging of an event that is eagerly followed by millions around the world.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2017