Pakistan hopes for T20 world cup are set on Australia to defeat Bangladesh
It has been a familiar site as far as Pakistan cricket is concerned. The national team of the country who are also the defending champions of the Twenty20 World Cup are hoping that Australia manage to defeat Bangladesh when the two teams meet tonight at Barbados, in their final Group A match.
The match will hold special significance for the greenshirts since their future in the tournament depends heavily on its outcome. If Australia wins the match, they will qualify for the Super 8 along with defending champions Pakistan, but calculators will have to come out if Bangladesh manages to create an upset and win the match, against all odds, evens and prime numbers!
For example, if Bangladesh bats first - after winning the toss or are sent to bat - they will have to win the match by a margin of more than 9 runs. Because if they don’t, they will be out of the event, and Pakistan and Australia will succeed. If their winning margin is between 9 and 47 runs, then Pakistan will be out of the event, and Australia will go through with Bangladesh. And if they manage to win by 48 runs, then Pakistan and Bangladesh will qualify, leaving Australia behind.
But if they choose to bowl or are asked to bowl, then they should chase the target before 19 overs in order to stay in the competition. If they don’t, they are out. If they reach the target before 15 and 18 overs, then Pakistan will miss out, while if they achieve the target before the 15th over, Australia will be eliminated.
But this is not the first time the Pakistan cricket team has had to cheer for other teams. It has been a common practice, even in the days of the great Imran Khan when Pakistan hoped the match between Australia and the West Indies had the result they desired so that they could qualify for the semi final stage. Similarly, in 1996, when Shahid Afridi blasted the fastest century in the history of the game, the team was playing aggressively in order to beat the Sri Lankans convincingly, sealing their berth in the final of the tournament.
Why has this been the case? No one has the answer but former test cricketer and former chief selector Iqbal Qasim feels that this has more to do with the planning of the team than the team itself. “We have the best players in the side, yet we don’t plan the game as we should.” said he while talking to a local TV channel. “Had skipper Shahid Afridi used his bowlers to their full capacity against the Australians rather than not opting for the useful Abdur Razzaq, and instead of all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez opened the bowling with regular spinner Saeed Ajmal, the result might have been different.”
Many agree with Iqbal Qasim’s analysis. In an attempt to emulate the world class captaincy of Daniel Vettori and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the over confident Shahid Afridi opened the innings with Mohammad Hafeez. He however forgot to note that both Nathan McCullum and Harbhajan Singh are spinners who can bat, have been regular members of their national squad and individuals who are capable of handling the pressure of taking the new ball. Instead, Hafeez just made a comeback to the side that too on the basis of his batting, has been in and out of the squad and went for runs as if he was the bowling machine!
A decision on Pakistan’s journey in the Twenty20 World Cup will depend on the outcome of the Australia Bangladesh match, but one hopes that in the future, the captain understands the match and situation before appealing for the ever available sentiments of the fans rather than resorting to his star players who are paid for winning matches, which they usually don’t end up as winners!
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