Image Credit- AP
Pakistan has experienced some last-minute scrambling
during this World Cup. Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi are now inferior
bowlers as a result of the devastating loss of Naseem Shah just before the
World Cup. Then, in this competition, Afridi—who is known for making an early
impression with the ball—has failed to find any swing. Although it has been
marginally lower than it was in all of the ODI cricket earlier this year, the
average swing and seam available in this tournament is still higher than it was
in the previous World Cup.
Three locations—Delhi, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad—have
unquestionably provided above-average seam and swing, offsetting the lack of
support for seam bowlers in six other locations—with Kolkata only now joining
the mix.
Certain teams believe it’s because of the fresh supply
of balls, while others attribute it to the dry squares that have also marked
the ball earlier than usual, and yet others believe it’s simply the season.
Whatever the reason, Pakistan’s fast bowlers, who are the team’s main asset,
have had to deviate significantly from their original game plan. Their seam
bowlers have had to frequently venture into offensive lengths rather than
regularly banging away at the hard lengths that have been effective in this World
Cup because of their spinners, who are what they are and put extra pressure on
them to take wickets.
An additional facet of Pakistan’s game that has been
lacking for some time has surfaced once more during this World Cup. Their
hitters aren’t as strong as those on ODI teams. In limited-overs cricket,
batters must put in a lot of effort; in Test matches, a strong pace attack and
solid hitters can be effective. It is challenging to account for this portion
of the game because there are two new balls, one extra fielder within the
circle in overs 11 to 40, and the game is progressing.
Pakistan have steady batters, but none of them strikes
fear in the heart of oppositions. Even Babar Azam hasn’t shown the range of
some of the other No. 3s although it not easy to do so in a batting line-up
that is easy to keep quiet.
The numbers are difficult to read. Only Bangladesh,
the Netherlands, and Afghanistan have used more balls per boundary and scored a
lower percentage of their runs in boundaries than Pakistan this World Cup. If
you only count six hits, these are the only three teams left in contention.
Only India has attempted a boundary on a lower proportion of deliveries when
batting first, but they have only done it once and in very difficult batting
conditions.
The new ball has been attacked more than in previous
World Cups, but Pakistan’s first powerplay run rate is the fourth lowest.
Pakistan has attempted boundaries on a lower percentage of deliveries during
the first powerplay than any other team.
Babar is the only player from Pakistan among the 26
batters who have scored 500 runs or more at a strike rate of over 90 and an
average of over 40 between this World Cup and the previous one. Among the 12
players, none from Pakistan have scored more than one run per ball.
There may be talent, but Pakistan may not be
encouraged to push themselves further because they don’t play the modern sides
as frequently as they would like. Nonetheless, the top three must consider the
direction the game is taking and adjust accordingly. They must become
accustomed to this, and the coaches and selectors must help them become
accustomed by allowing them the occasional slip-up as they put in that effort.
Maybe we should start with Babar, who is the best batter of the group.