BY the time these lines appear in print the Test series would have already gone under way. In fact, the first Test would have been halfway through. Since I discussed the strengths of the two sides in the longer version of the game a couple of weeks ago, nothing has happened in the meantime to make me add anything to it. And that is saying a lot, really.
The way the One Day series went, I think it is a proper reflection of the difference that separates the two sides. The fact that the South Africans were able to come back into the series after being 0-2, and take it away from Pakistan 3-2 is, however, a reflection of the fragility that has unfortunately become a hallmark of the national team in recent months, if not years.
Come to think of it, the two victories that Pakistan earned in the first two games, exhilarating as they were, owed much more to individual brilliance rather than to any effort on the drawing board. Take Shoaib Malik’s innings in the first game. It was just out of this world. It was as good an innings as you can ever hope to watch. As a player, it was good enough for any big-hitter in the cricketing world to own. Within just two overs, he literally took the game away from the opponents.
But in your heart of hearts you know for sure it was something that happened on the day. It could not have been planned. Such innings can never be planned, of course. They just happen. And it was great that it happened for, and not against, Pakistan.
The second game was won basically through a string of run-outs that halted South African progress which was smooth till that time. And none of those run-outs were due to the fault of the batsmen involved. They were all brought about by extraordinary fielding by Mohammad Sami and Yunus Khan. It was like watching the South Africans doing the fielding when in fact they happened to be on the receiving end.
So, while it was great to watch, the fact remains that the direct hits were not a result of some sustained fielding drills, but it was individual brilliance which just happened on the day. And, to my great pleasure, happened for, and not against, Pakistan. I say the fielding could not have been planned because there was no other instance during the entire series to suggest that the standard of Pakistan fielding had improved.
The argument is not over yet. The individual performances didn’t come from likely sources. For instance, had Abdul Razzaq scored eighty-odd runs in forty-odd balls, it might have been a possibility discussed at team meeting because he has played such blazing innings in the past and the team might have depended on him. But Shoaib Malik has never been a big-hitter. He does not have the physique, to start with, and it is the first time he has done anything in this mould. It simply could not have been a matter of discussion prior to the match.
And the same applies to the fielding efforts of Mohammad Sami and Yunus Khan, neither of who is known for brilliance in the field. It would have been more palatable coming from someone like, say, Shahid Afridi, who has set high standards for himself in this regard.
In the absence of any individual sparkle in the last three games, the team failed to make an impression as a unit. It is very convenient for those involved to blame ‘luck’ and ‘fortune’ for the loss of the third game in the series on the Duckworth Lewis formula, but the fact remains that the team and the team management have themselves to blame for depending on individual brilliance rather than a team effort.
Just as I was about to finish today’s column came the news of Moin Khan’s return to the national fold and the unavailability of Inzamamul Haq for the first Test. The two pieces of news have a strange link which I will touch next week.
BY the time these lines appear in print the Test series would have already gone under way. In fact, the first Test would have been halfway through. Since I discussed the strengths of the two sides in the longer version of the game a couple of weeks ago, nothing has happened in the meantime to make me add anything to it. And that is saying a lot, really.
