HAVING finished as semi-finalists and runners-up in the last two editions of the T20 World Cup in familiar cricketing lands, Pakistan face an uphill struggle if they are to go one better in a new territory. Interestingly though, while the US is hosting its first major cricket tournament alongside the West Indies, it has the oldest archived references with regard to the sport — going back to the 18th century. Over the centuries, baseball took the lead but cricket is set to make a comeback as the International Cricket Council heads towards a new market. The US will host 16 matches of the tournament, with Babar Azam’s men playing all their group stage matches on American soil after being drawn alongside arch-rivals India, Ireland, the hosts and Canada. The US and Canada played the first-ever international match back in 1844 in New York, where Pakistan and India collide in a blockbuster clash on June 9. With expats from both countries settled in large numbers in the US, the match could reignite America’s love for the sport. The big question, however, is about which Pakistan side turns up for that encounter. In the last three series they have played, the team seemed inconsistent and disjointed. Neither does it help when the skipper says the team is still “figuring things out” after losing its last warm-up game before the World Cup against England.

Going by the current form, with the middle order struggling and the bowlers blowing hot and cold, Pakistan have little time to regain their magic. They face a US side, buoyed by an upset series victory over Bangladesh, in their opener before taking on India. Canada are up next with Pakistan’s Group ‘A’ commitments, concluding with a game against Ireland that stunned Babar’s men during their recent series. That could be a banana skin Pakistan will be looking to avoid in the race to finish among the top two in the group and advance to the Super 8s stage. To ensure that, Pakistan need to get things in order — and fast. Things might not seem rosy now but Pakistan have a tendency to rise when the chips are down. The hope is that Pakistan have saved their best performances for the World Cup. Instead of being overly critical of the players, it is time to back the team.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024