Cricket defeat

IT was the same old story all over again. Pakistan’s bowlers shined while the notoriously brittle batting line-up collapsed once more to lose the T20 cricket series against England on Monday. Chasing a modest total, it was expected that Pakistan would canter to a victory but that, unfortunately, was not to be. Pakistan lost the match and with it the series decider. A team that has performed exceptionally well over the last year or so could have done better in conditions that suited them more than the opposition. Still, T20 is something of a lottery — not ‘real cricket’ as the purists might put it — and there ought to be no shame in losing a battle of equals. But the 2-1 loss came on the heels of a whitewash in the one-day series and opened up old wounds that only recently appeared to have been healed. Pakistan were on the up but came crashing down rather too rapidly.

That said, it must not be forgotten that Pakistan beat a top team 3-0 in the Test series. It was an extraordinary achievement and accolades are due to Misbahul Haq and his men in green. Test cricket is the real test of calibre and Pakistan proved their worth on that front. We as a cricket-loving nation should take strength from that showing because that was no easy feat against a formidable side like England. Perhaps changes are needed, particularly in the opening batting line-up. Mohammad Hafeez makes up for batting failures with his uncanny spin bowling and enthusiastic efforts as a fielder but he must do more. He should retain his place but serious thought needs to be put into the choice of an opening partner. Also, calls for a change in captaincy in the shorter formats are premature. Cricket fans need to look towards the positive.