WATCHING one wicket fall after the other I really wondered if there was any team strategy worth its name in the Pakistani camp. From the nature of the pitch to team selection to sloppy fielding and dropped catches, to directionless bowling and, indeed, to mindless batting, there was little anywhere to suggest that the team was playing to some plan. Under the circumstances, the result could not have been any different, and it wasn’t.
Almost everyone has written about the dead nature of the playing surface and what it represents or does not represent in terms of the mindset behind such a decision, and I have nothing to add to that particular debate. What baffles the mind, however, is the fact that different and divergent accounts have been aired through the media by all concerned about who actually took the decision about the wicket. PCB bosses, the coach, the captain, the local curator, the foreign consultant, they all have a different perspective on the issue. I find this a bit odd.
Second, I saw the pre-match assessment of the wicket by the coach and the captain, as quoted by the media on the morning of the match. They had read the wicket rightly, but when the match started, I was surprised to see four pacers and just one spinner in the lineup. The lone spinner selected had played no international cricket in the last several months, and there was no backup in the side in the shape of part-time spinners. And the spinner was required to bowl before lunch on the first day of the Test, and from thereon Pakistanis were groping in the dark.
Third, the playing surface was not all that bad, I guess. Yes, it was slow, but Pathan, Balaji and Zaheer were getting regular bounce and movement off the track, while Kumble and even Tendulkar were having the ball turn both ways. It is not hard to find an explanation for why Shoaib, Sami, Shabbir, Razzaq and Saqlain could not do the same; it was simply because they were not putting the ball in the right place. When they did, they also got enough from it to trouble the Indians. However, they failed to make the most of such chances because the fielders had slippery fingers and flagging concentration. Even Sehwag would struggle to remember how many times he was let off the hook.
For allowing Sehwag to have such a lengthy and rewarding stay at the wicket, Pakistan may well have to pay a huge price in the remaining two matches. The kind of player Sehwag is, he thrives more on confidence than technical excellence, and may make the opponents rue their antics.
And, finally, to the inept batting that was on display by the Pakistanis in Multan. It was a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions. Even the century by Youhana in the dying moments of the game was worthless. This is not a matter of perception, mind you. See the way he played that innings, and you would know why I am saying this. He was his edgy self and stayed away from the strike till pressure wsa still there. He was even taking singles on the first ball of the over and allowed the tailenders to face the bulk of the bowling till he crossed the fifty mark.
Once he did that, he started to hit out and got a couple of easy overs by Yuvraj and Tendulkar that boosted his score to the 70s. From thereon, he was keen to face most of the bowling in order to get to his century. A century in the last innings of the match is often given much credence for it is generally played under pressure. But Youhana’s innings was different, as there was no pressure; the match was already decided before he had crossed fifty.
That Sehwag made it big because of fielding blunders is understandable, but what about Tendulkar’s innings? If he could grind his way, what was there to stop Inzamam and company from doing the same? And how would one explain the silly dismissals of Moin Khan on the last ball of the third day, of Saqlain in the first innings, and that pointless run-out of Inzamam in the second? It was all mindless stuff. It is clear that the team management failed to devise any strategy worth its name, and whatever there may have been, the players failed to execute it on the field of play.
WATCHING one wicket fall after the other I really wondered if there was any team strategy worth its name in the Pakistani camp. From the nature of the pitch to team selection to sloppy fielding and dropped catches, to directionless bowling and, indeed, to mindless batting, there was little anywhere to suggest that the team was playing to some plan. Under the circumstances, the result could not have been any different, and it wasn’t.
