A lightning rod by the name of Wahab Riaz wasn’t enough to electrify Pakistan into a World Cup semi-final meeting with India. Defeat hurts most when victory is within grasp, and Australia’s ordeal en route to triumph is not reflected in the scorebooks. Sadly, Wahab was the only Pakistan player to rise to the occasion on a day when Misbahul Haq and Shahid Afridi retired from international 50-over cricket, a day when national heroes went missing in action.

Despite the earlier failings of Pakistan’s batsmen, Wahab shook Australia to its core with a superhuman spell of short pitched lightning strikes, possibly the best performance by a fast bowler in Australia in recent years. At 83 for 3, Wahab’s intimidation of Shane Watson produced the moment of the match, a lobbed chance for Rahat Ali at fine leg. The paceman blinked and fluffed a schoolboy sitter to inflict heartbreak on Wahab and his country’s ambitions. It was a clanger that rang around the world.

Pakistan never recovered. Watson unjustly, bearing in mind the roasting Wahab gave him, went on to stroke the winning runs. The rest of Pakistan’s bowling was limp. Sohail Khan and Rahat failed to reproduce the control and penetration that had served them well earlier in the tournament. Haris Sohail made little impact. As did Afridi, again, whose poor line failed to either halt runs or take wickets. Pakistan’s selection issues were significant. Mohammad Irfan’s loss to injury was acutely felt, the ongoing absence of Yasir Shah was baffling, not to mention the missed opportunity to replace Mohammad Hafeez with Saeed Ajmal, the world’s leading one-day bowler.

Selection was a point of contention in the batting too. On a day when experience, proven class, and a steadying hand were required, Younis Khan was left to watch from the bench as a succession of Pakistani batting talents lost their heads, gifting their wickets when well established. It was a critical lack of composure and common sense, some way short of the standard expected of international batsmen. With each reckless dismissal, the case for Younis and Fawad Alam, another player left back in Pakistan, grew stronger.

The conundrum for Pakistan is that not a single one-day batsman has emerged to lead the next generation. Ahmed Shehzad’s wooden footwork doesn’t match his spunky persona. Umar Akmal is a flatterer waiting to deceive. Sohaib Maqsood’s technique is more suspect each time the bright lights shine on him. At least Sarfraz offers hope as a dynamic one-day opener. Haris is a genuine prospect, too, provided his focus remains on his technical game rather than crude slogging.

The day began well, though. Misbah won the toss on a green-tinged but excellent batting strip. Seamers and spinners barely moved a ball off line. At 97 for 2, Pakistan were set fair for a score of over 250, enough to pressurise Australia. Lady Luck smiled further on Pakistan when Misbah was bowled but the leg bail dropped precisely back into its groove. He then safely performed two exquisitely unintentional Chinese cuts. Misbah, playing his classic game of block and blast, struck Glen Maxwell for two vast sixes, and in that moment the underdogs from Pakistan were ascendent.

Pakistan’s promise in the build-up to the game was to be aggressive. But aggression without culture is tantamount to stupidity. On cue, after Misbah hit Glen Maxwell into the hands of Aaron Finch on the midwicket boundary, his fellows sacrificed themselves at the altar of stupidity. The value of Misbah as batsman, leader and rock of the batting order, was evident in the subsequent procession of suicidal batsmen.

Australia bowled tidily, for sure, but it was misplaced aggression that cost each and every wicket. When Afridi, the standard bearer of all aggressors, entered the arena, it was the

all-out attacking 16-year-old Afridi of 1996. His decision to play with gay abandon and not take the batting powerplay was also that of a teenager. Pakistan cricketers, it seems, don’t learn lessons easily.

Decisively, Pakistan’s score was at least 40 runs short, but Wahab transformed the match like a man possessed, a lightning rod conducting megavolts into the withering heart of Australia. As Wahab’s fury passed, Pakistan’s fielding deficiencies and depleted bowling resources helped Australia to victory as much as the batting of Watson and Steve Smith.

Considering Pakistan’s weaknesses in all departments, through a mixture of diminished talent, dubious selection and unfortunate injury, a quarter-final was a par performance. The final World Cup team of Misbah and Afridi certainly did not have the quality of champions, but as the white ball swirled in the Adelaide sky, dropping from night above to Rahat below, the star-crossed love story of Tuk Tuk and Boom Boom imagined a swansong against India.

Instead, the stark reality of the drawing board beckons for Pakistan’s one-day team, back to square one in most respects. In the chill of World Cup defeat, however, cricket discovered a torchbearer for the electric pace of Pakistan. Wave goodbye to Misbahul Haq and Shahid Afridi, thank you for the tuks and booms. Say hello to Wahab, the lightning rod of a new generation of tainted love.

By special arrangement for Dawn

Published in Dawn March 21st , 2015

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