PAKISTAN is alive and kicking in the 2019 World Cup with an emphatic 49-run win over South Africa at Lord’s on Sunday. It was a happier end to a World Cup match at this famous venue than the painful defeat in the final almost twenty years ago to the day. Sarfraz Ahmed did what his predecessor Wasim Akram had done: he won the toss and batted first. In June 1999, a powerful Pakistan team collapsed to a formidable Australia. South Africa in 2019 offered no such challenge.

Setting their opponents 309 for victory, Pakistan dominated from Mohammad Amir’s first ball. The rejuvenated left-armer trapped Hashim Amla leg before wicket with a sharp in-ducker. This was Amir of old, adding swing to a penetrating line rediscovered during this tournament.

South Africa threatened briefly through Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis, but Shadab Khan played a decisive hand, inducing a miscued attacking stroke just as de Kock was set to fire South Africa. Amir encouraged du Plessis into a swipe that he top edged high into the air as Sarfraz jogged round gratefully.

The rest was essentially a procession. South Africa were overwhelmed by the run rate pressure created by Pakistan’s disciplined bowling. All bowlers contributed. Amir excelled again, as did Shadab who ended up with three top order wickets. Wahab Riaz also claimed three wickets thanks to a late spell of yorker length and a hint of reverse swing.

Pakistan outplay South Africa to keep afloat in World Cup

Lord’s may as well have been decked out for Pakistan day. The crowd was overwhelmingly in the dark green of Pakistan, cheering every moment for their team, and joyously booing Imran Tahir the homespun villain of the piece. The pitch was easy paced with no significant lateral movement. Fortune favoured Pakistan, too, so much so that they won despite grassing at least 5 genuine chances.

Under pressure from defeat to India and close to elimination, Pakistan controlled the controllables at Lord’s. They picked a team with more depth in batting and bowling, and Sarfraz chose to bat. Human beings are simple creatures. When Pakistan captains are appointed the following words should be branded on their hearts: when you win the toss, don’t think, bat first.

From the start, Pakistan showed intent in defence and attack. Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq exhibit two contrasting modes of top order batting. Combine the two and you’d create a complete batsman. Fakhar sits back, ready to pull and cut with venom, fighting every unorthodox nerve in his body. Imam wants forward, to play the classical way on the drive. Imam, in particular, caught the eye, playing three sumptuous punch drives for four down the Lord’s slope in one over.

After a rapid start, though, South Africa’s bowlers hit a good length and a finer line, making batting a struggle. The top order of Fakhar, Imam, and Babar all made starts but none went on to play a match defining innings.

This habit poses the acutest problem for Babar, a batsman of high skill and higher ambition. His statistics are world class but his effect on cricket matches is short of the world players he aspires to rival. These are the details that separate success from greatness, and Babar will be keen to erase this question mark. The solution might lie in the realisation that he is an accumulator, a player for others to rely upon as they themselves accelerate.

That’s exactly what Haris Sohail did. From the moment he began he was on a mission to prove the selectors wrong for dropping him in the tournament, to show the world what it had missed in a twelve year career mangled by the Pakistan Cricket Board. When somebody analyses the reasons for two decades of decline in Pakistan cricket, they would do well to digest the case of Haris, to appreciate how poor player development, absent selection strategies, and mismanagement of injuries harm the country’s cricket.

Haris stroked and thundered everything that came at him. Sublime drives were interspersed with an uppercut over backward point for six. In between the big shots he nurdled and found gaps, and a Pakistan innings that had grown constipated began to run freely again. His intervention was well timed, for without it Babar may have succumbed earlier and Pakistan would not have reached three hundred, a landmark that played on South Africa’s nerves.

Following a limp defeat to India, Pakistan dropped Shoaib Malik and Hassan Ali, both of whom were living on over-hyped reputations. Hassan, with some refocus and better discipline, might return soon enough but Shoaib may have played his last game. Twenty years ago, Shoaib was a breath of fresh air, a budding all-rounder, a livewire in the field, carrying the promise of youth. At the end, two hundred and eighty seven one-day matches later, unfortunately Shoaib was still trading on his promise.

With the group stage reaching its decisive phase, Pakistan have finally uncovered a formula that works and hold an outside chance of qualification for the semi finals. Other results must go their way, but tonight the dream of another World Cup lives on.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2019