A Review of the Pakistan Cricket Team in 2010
In 2010, Pakistan practically lost every series it took part in. The team was in the news more for its off-field antics than their on-field performances. In a year when a spot-fixing scandal became the most talked about event of the year, Pakistan lost series
against England, South Africa and failed to make it to the finals of Asia Cup. The only redemption for Pakistan came on a recently concluded tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754, where they managed to win the Test as well as the one day series.
The year started off on a good note for Pakistan. They got to the semi finals of the T20 World Cup, losing to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in a thrilling see-saw battle. That was probably the only high point of their otherwise dismal year. In the Asia Cup the green shirts
couldn’t over power either http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 side. After an early exit from the Asia Cup, the Pakistan squad headed to England for a Test series against Australia. They lost the first match but came back
from behind to square the series in the second and final Test.
Pakistan then gathered to play another test series on English soil against the host country. What followed was an almost total domination by England. The visitors lost three of the four matches and managed to win just one. The One Day International (ODI)
series that followed did not see a change of fortunes for Pakistan. They ended up losing 2-3. If Pakistan was not put off by their heavy losses then the spot fixing controversy sure left them lurking in the dark. Three of its key players were allegedly involved
in a betting scandal involving bookies. The charges forced them out of action until the courts reached a verdict.
Next was the “Home” series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in Abu Dhabi. It started in the worst way possible when Pakistan lost both the T20 matches by large margins. The Pakistan squad did manage to pick up the pace and give the crowds a show later on in the series.
However, the four match ODI series ended in a 3-2 win for the Proteas. The two matches that Pakistan won were real nail-bitters but the Pakistani boys pulled off wins. The test series was a similar story and ended in a draw, with both matches failing to produce
a result. Near the end of the year, Pakistan began its tour of New Zealand, where they finally tasted success. They won the test series 1-0 and went on to win the one day series 3-2. This was quite an achievement from a side that had been underperforming all
year.
The year that went by may not have given Pakistan great results but they did succeed in finding some new players with loads of talent. It was also a period when some senior player came back in form and showed they still had a lot left in them.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482, the captain of the One Day team, was the highest scorer for Pakistan in 2010. He scored 601 runs at a steady average of 33.38 with two centuries to his credit. His bowling average was a bit on the higher side at 45.05 but he took 19 useful
wickets in the 18 matches he played.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972 was made the captain of the test side at the end of last year. He responded by performing exceptionally and that led to his selection in the One Day squad. He played the entire series against New Zealand, where he accumulated 203 runs at an
excellent average of 67.66 which included a match winning 93.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 has not been able to find a suitable pair of openers but the last few months saw two youngsters performing well when their team needed them the most. Mohammad Hafeez was able to raise his game and played consistently. He managed 370 runs in the
10 matches that he played. Ahmed Shehzad, who was called up for the One Day series against New Zealand, answered his calling by scoring 188 runs at a very healthy average of 47.00.
Pakistan will definitely rely on these players and others when the ICC World Cup 2011 starts on the 19th of February. The last two World Cup campaigns have not been memorable Pakistan. Their shortcomings seem to be a lack of teamwork and a major
reason for their downfall. In order to do well in the upcoming World Cup they will have to perform a lot better than what they have been doing over the last year.
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