Pakistan vs Australia - Men in Green to start off as ‘Bedouins’ in the Arabian desert - Part 1 - Opinion
It is not often that Pakistan starts off as favourites in any bilateral encounter. Their reputation as an exciting and dangerous, yet inconsistent outfit has meant that oppositions mostly fancy their chances against them. Despite the see-saw nature of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755
cricket, the team has always been feared as they carry the ‘X’ factor. Unlike South Africa or http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754, Pakistan tends to be inconsistent in the formal stages of any series before exploding onto the scene with a blast. Yet in recent times, the team has
witnessed sporadic performances both on and off the field, which have plagued their ascendancy in the ICC ODI rankings. They are however, considered fiercely competitive in conditions which are conducive to spin and batting. The resilience of Misbah ul Haq’s
side would make them the ‘Bedouins’ in the Arabian desert against a team which has been on a constant decline.
It is perhaps, fitting to believe that a side which oozes with talent, yet at times capitulates under pressure, is ranked 6th in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 rankings. Yet rankings are less significant in a clash of such proportions, with a reckless Australian side
struggling to keep itself afloat. Pakistan could well and truly fancy their chances of beating Australia comprehensively this time around.
For http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Gilchrist-c918,
had gravely dented Australia to the point of them losing their ‘killer instinct.’ Times have certainly changed, where the once invincible outfit is now considered beatable, by erudite experts, opposition benches and even their own domestic commentators. No
more was this evident than in their recent collapses against oppositions such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013, who on paper, have looked far more formidable as compared to their contemporaries. Australia has always been competitive though, with players such as
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BW-Hilfenhaus-c1204 have also made great strides in the ODI game and the team is still the second best fielding unit after South
Africa, in world cricket.
Yet in recent times, the once star studded ODI outfit that could annihilate any team on their day, has witnessed a dramatic decline. Their below par performance in the 2011 Cricket World Cup could perhaps be considered as the defining moment for Australian
cricket, where they lost to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in the quarterfinal. That performance summed up a team which had reached its sell-out date long ago. The Australians have had it tough in recent times, as they lost 4-0 to England in the recently concluded NatWest Series and
have a mountain to climb in terms of regaining their status as world champions. Some of their performances in conditions which have truly tested them, have been below par as well, and it is plausible to assume, that this year’s encounter with Pakistan in the
Emirates could prove to be yet another paragraph in an elongated script.
The reasons are obvious. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mitchell-Aaron-Starc-c76392, who have had
the ability to outperform in ODI cricket, but more or less, struggled to fill in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Afghanistan-c745 is a case in point as well.
Continued in Part 2...
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