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The show began with Umar Gul’s stunning in-dipper that accounted for the prolific Shane Watson. It ended with Abdul Razzaq’s sizzling boundary that saw Pakistan home by four wickets. The Shahid Afridi-brigade, thankfully, saved their best for the toughest assignment in the group stage and, for once, emerged taller than the all counquering Aussies. The Pakistanis, it seems, took former skipper Wasim Akram’s advice to “play fire with fire” quite well to outsmart Australia in the much-hyped clash. The Greenshirts came out all guns blazing when it really mattered and, though Ponting had the luxury of winning the toss, that was the only good moment he and his boys enjoyed in the day-nighter.
With the knockout phase commencing now, the loss has come at a really bad time for the Aussies who, prior to the Pakistan defeat on Saturday, were riding a crest of wave with their incredible 34-match winning streak in the mega event, that commenced way back in May 1999.
It remains to be seen how they regroup against India in Ahmedabad and whether they could still take a shot at the record fourth consecutive World Cup trophy.
Pakistan, on the hand had many positives to draw from the victory. The peaking of Umar Gul at the right moment, Asad Shafiq’s unruffled willow work at number three and Umar Akmal’s calculated aggression in against a fired up Brett Lee and the menacing Shaun Tait, the teasing spells of Afridi, Rehman and Hafeez who made life difficult for the Aussie batsmen are encouraging signs indeed and have now compelled many experts to revisit their opinions about Pakistan’s chances in the event.
Another big relief came in the shape of Kamran Akmal’s form. That he has had a miserable tournament with the gloves is no secret, but his three catches and a close run-out were, perhaps, the most substantial gain for Pakistan in the high-pressure game. Up in confidence, he then crafted a useful cameo while opening with Hafeez.
As the Greenshirts lock horns with Darren Sammy’s West Indies in the quarter-final at Mirpur on Wednesday, the one thing they need to prioritise for themselves is ‘consistency in performance’ and not be too proud of their ‘unpredictable’ tag which has, at times, worked negatively for them.
One strongly feels the team management should now persist with the Hafeez-Kamran opening pair and give confidence to Asad and Umar Akmal by retaining their positions. The bottom line is, ‘No more experiments in the batting please’ because there is no second chance here.
Gul should take the new ball without any shadow of doubt. However, selecting Shoaib Akhtar or Wahab Riaz for the Windies clash is a matter of choice. Wahab, after a wayward first spell, came back strongly to dismiss Brad Haddin with some intelligent bowling. In Shoaib’s case, what matters is how the maverick pacer is feeling on the day, both physically and mentally (after announcing his retirement a few days ago). If he is on song there is no respite for the West Indians, that’s for sure.
The debate over playing Saeed Ajmal or Abdur Rehman has gone on for about three weeks now. The fact is that quarter-final and beyond is all ‘special’ challenge and thus requires some ‘specialist stuff’. While Rehman has bowled well in patches, he does not possess Saeed’s variety which can be decisive in crucial games.
Afridi, who has had quite a contrasting Cup in bowling (17 wickets) and batting (65 runs) so far, must take responsibility when he comes out to bat in the knockout ties.
One final word: Taking the West Indies for granted could be detrimental with the likes of Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul along with promising men like Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo and Kemar Roach in their ranks.
Coach Waqar Younis has rightly cautioned his charges to keep their feet on ground despite halting the Aussie juggernaut. The World Cup is just three games away, and Pakistan simply need to hold their nerve to reach there.
