Colombo: All those who didn’t mind the competitive feel of the India-Pakistan match were left scratching their heads in Premadasa on Sunday evening.
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Pakistan have been in Sri Lanka since the start of this World Cup and their spinners can take advantage of the slow pitch conditions here. Usman Tariq is an X-factor bowler who may not be Varun Chakravarthy but he has taken wickets in 24 consecutive T20 games and bowled at an economy rate of 5.93 in T20Is.
Still, it was a tame surrender when faced with a high-pressure Indian game. Pakistan didn’t seem to learn from their hat-trick defeat in the Asia Cup and fell before the game even got into the contest.
Before any analysis, let us accept one thing. India has the upper hand over Pakistan, and an upset is needed for the neighbor to turn things around. But passionate Pakistan fans have every right to demand this once-in-a-lifetime disappointment. Like the Indian teams from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, they won the World Cup, the Bangladesh Independence Cup and the Toronto Sahara Cup despite Pakistan dominating the competition in the subcontinent.
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It would have been a timid affair for Pakistan on Sunday. The pitch became slower and it became easier for Pakistan to set targets and pressure India with their spinners.
But they were wrong, opting to bat first and putting all the pressure on their batting line-up, which was average at best. They should understand that if they put in a huge effort to chase down 147 against Netherlands, then they are not good enough to cross the line to chase India, who even on their worst batting day will not give you a target below 160.
“I was surprised to see Pakistan elect to field after winning the toss. That’s where they lost half the game,” spin legend R Ashwin said on his YouTube show. However, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson defended skipper Salman Agha’s decision and felt it was Ishan Kishan’s talent that cost them the game. “The pitch didn’t slow down in the second innings and the spin was less. So you have to look at facts and not get emotional. It was the quality of bowling in the first six overs and the way Ishan played that cost us the game,” Hesson said.
Furthermore, what hurt Pakistan cricket was the poor performance of pacer Shaheen Afridi. He’s been sub-par in every game in a row, but team management knows better than to give up on him. On Sunday, he hit two clutch shots and gave up 31 runs, which is huge in a low-scoring game. For India, the two pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya bowled 5 balls and conceded 33 balls, taking 4 wickets. “Afridi cannot bowl hard-pitch bowls consistently on a pitch like this. If he bowls to Ishan, he should try something different,” Ashwin said.
The third aspect, of course, is the way Pakistan bats. Indeed, 175 degrees on a slow pitch is similar to 225 degrees on any Indian track. Keeping wickets in the final seconds would give Pakistan a fighting chance at the back end.
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja said on the show that it was difficult for him to understand the approach of the Pakistan team. Ramiz pointed out: “They have learned nothing from their Asia Cup defeat. They have been trying a slam-bang approach which is not going to work for them against a team as skilful as India. But no player is ready to go deep into the game.”
But on the negative side, Pakistan will still qualify for the Super Eights if they beat Namibia on Wednesday. If they make it that far, they will go on to play in Colombo and fans will be hoping that the opposition team won’t be as deadly as India.
