Pakistan T20 – National Cricket Team
Millions of supporters of the national cricket team have had their eyes opened by Pakistan’s recent performances in the ongoing Twenty20 series against New Zealand. The majority of fans, including myself, had anticipated a closely contested series, but the Kiwis have won all three games handily.
The Men in Green, who are thought to be among the top T20 cricket teams in the world of cricket, appear to have lost their normal killer instinct and are only a ghost of their former self. They appear to be a one-dimensional Cricket team that is lacking in creativity when playing cricket.
Although many cricket enthusiasts were already aware of Pakistan’s obvious shortcomings in the Test and ODI formats, T20 cricket was a different story, with an abundance of excellent resources available in this specific format.
Pakistan has a stellar record in the format and has been among the top cricket teams since T20 internationals began in 2005. The Green Shirts at last discovered a format that complemented their “mercurial” personality to perfection. Like a fish to water, players like Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, and Imran Nazir adapted to the format.
The Pakistani cricket scene as a whole, not just the players, flourished in the reduced format. Pakistan was a master at dominating the format both on and off the field.
As has been the case with the national cricket team in each of the three game forms, Pakistan has been unable to adjust. Pakistan has lagged behind the rest of the world’s best teams, who have advanced.
The cricket ecosystem in Pakistan has not lived up to its full potential, both in terms of player development and the tactical subtlety required to manage a professional squad both on and off the field. From top to bottom, the organizational structure appears to be completely broken. Those working in the national Cricket team and PCB management departments have contributed significantly to the problem by refusing to change and clinging to Pakistan cricket’s former grandeur.
Let’s now take a slight detour and concentrate on our T20 cricket team’s challenges. In my opinion, T20 cricket is the most basic type of the game, requiring teams to make the most use of their available resources. Pakistan has an abundance of skill, thus they would need to win nine out of ten games.
When I say “maximizing your resources,” what do I mean? It’s easy; just make a plan and give each player a specified duty. This does not imply that there is a single strategy, as each side may have a unique plan. After all, the two teams that advanced to the 2022 T20 World Cup final were Pakistan and England, albeit with quite different strategies. Although the outcome of the final is up for discussion, it demonstrates that there is no one right way to succeed in T20 cricket.
Pakistan has often made the same error in the New Zealand T20I series thus far, which is a terrible use of resources. Azam Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed have been employed in batting virtually in opposition to each other.
Iftikhar, who is known for being a stronger player of pace than spin, has been sent in to face the spinners, while Azam, one of the world’s greatest spin-bowling hitters, has been thrown in to face the pacers.
In the same way, I’m confused with Pakistan’s use of Haris Rauf in bowling. Renowned death specialist Rauf has been handed the new ball in all three Twenty20 Internationals and has been very successful, giving up 60 runs in the last T20I. Furthermore, I don’t understand Pakistan’s failure to be adaptable with the bowling adjustments.
Moreover, Pakistan’s spin attack, which used to dominate Twenty20 cricket, has been nonexistent. One of the main causes of Pakistan’s terrible run of form has been the country’s insistence on using subpar spinners and its failure to develop them in domestic cricket.
My simplistic perspective on Twenty20 cricket is based on Brad Pitt’s Moneyball (the concepts are somewhat similar). To win the game, you must score more runs than your opponent, and in order to do so, players must fulfill certain duties for your side. You should target players that perfectly fit your team’s strategy, not the greatest players on the planet.
For instance, let’s say your team has eleven roles defined. These roles may include anchors, pinch-hitters, power hitters, innings-builders, lower-order hitters, opening bowlers, run-containers, middle-overs enforcers, death overs specialists, and wicket-takers—and these aren’t just fancy terms. Following the establishment of positions in accordance with your team plan, you search for the most qualified candidate for each position.
Therefore, if I need one anchor on the team, I will decide who is the best person for the job. For the record, that is the nation’s Babar Azam. In a similar vein, if I require two opening bowlers for the side, I will select the finest players available for that particular position.
When Pakistan put together their team for the New Zealand series, there was one item missing. In Shaheen Afridi, our skipper, the team has one new ball bowler in the complete lineup. The team as a whole has five openers and three middle-order hitters in the batting order. Please make it make sense. I’m done with these Bongi Harkatein.
If we don’t change with the times and prioritize cricket over the other dramas unfolding at the PCB, the problems facing Pakistani cricket will only become worse. Without a clear idea of what you want to do, it is impossible to form a team; otherwise, you will struggle and remain in the same cycle that Pakistan has been in for the past few decades.
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