ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Pakistan’s Chances

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Pakistan’s Chances

The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup is less than two months away. Most participating teams are on their final international tours before the tournament. England and Australia are fighting for the Ashes, which will be followed up by ODI clashes. India is in South Africa, testing their skills on bouncy tracks. Pakistan too, has reached New Zealand, where they will play 2 Tests, 3 T20s and 6 ODIs.

It has been almost 2 years, since Pakistan last won an ODI series. Their last win came as a 3-0 whitewash of the West Indies in 2008. It is no surprise that most cricketing pundits are ruling Pakistan out, for presenting any real challenge in the 2011 competition. However, if we examine history, we will find that it might be too soon to pass such judgments.

Over the years, Pakistan has been considered the most unpredictable team of all. On their day, they can destroy the strongest of teams; however, they also have the ability to falter against minnows like Ireland and Bangladesh. This attribute is blamed, by most cricket experts, on Pakistan’s lack of teamwork. It has been argued that Pakistan has always relied on individual brilliance.

In 1992, when Pakistan won its maiden ODI World Cup title, it was a blistering knock by the young Inzamam-ul-Haq, in the semi final against New Zealand, which took Pakistan through to the final. The final against England, saw Wasim Akram’s heroics, both with bat and ball, take Pakistan to World Cup glory.

In the 2009 T20 World Cup, it was Shahid Afridi, who bludgeoned bowling attacks to smash Pakistan to victory in the semi final against South Africa and the final with Sri Lanka as well. Early in the tournament, when Afridi was not on song, Umar Gul kept the ship steady with his fiery bowling at the depth.

This time around, Pakistan has many individuals who can single-handedly turn a game on its head. ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi has already proved in the 2009 T20 tournament that he can be a match winner when the stakes are down. In addition, Abdul Razzaq’s ability to kill bowling attacks towards the end of an innings is second to none. Youngster Umar Akmal still has a long way to go in his career, but the lad has shown exceptional batting skills.

In the bowling department, the 35-year-old Shoaib Akhtar will be heading Pakistan’s attack. The Rawalpindi Express might have shortened his terrifying bowling run up, but he has proved he can still bowl around about the 95-mile mark. Umar Gul will be looking to replicate the performance he produced in the 2009 T20 world Cup. Saeed Ajmal, who has not been in good form of late, will surely come in handy on the World Cup pitches, which are expected to suit spin bowling. Even though Ajmal is not a big turner of the ball, his ‘doosra’ has troubled most batsmen who have faced him.

Another similarity this World Cup has with the 1992 and 2009 tournaments is the ‘underdog’ state of the team. In 1992, Imran Khan was probably the only person who believed that Pakistan could go on and become champions. Pakistan came into the 2009 tournament as one of the favourites, but after a dismal start, the team’s chances started being questioned. Nonetheless, Pakistan went on to win both the competitions.

However, Pakistan has failed to go past the first round of matches in its previous 2 attempts; in 2003 under Waqar Younis and in 2007 under Inzamam. A lacklustre performance in this campaign will hamper Pakistan cricket immensely, which has yet to recover from spot fixing scandals and internal politics in the Pakistan Cricket Board.