I was not in town for the last few days and hence the late timing of this blog. But being in India, I was not too far from a cricket match, and got to see the 3rd ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan on a high definition, widescreen, surround sound supporting television set. And it got me thinking, who has the best ODI team at the moment?
The two clashes in England and India by the respective teams did not clear any confusion about it. It only reiterated the point that both the teams are really hard to beat at home and that England are a bunch of whiners when things don’t go their way. Australia does have the top spot at the moment, but it is India with the World Cup in their cabinet. South Africa are always good without somehow ever managing to be the best. Since the slot for the best team on the field is open for discussion, allow me to put up my candidate, Pakistan.
I admit, they don’t have a great track record of consistency in any sphere. Their batting has been prone to collapses throughout their history, their bowling can either be world beating or pedestrian, and the less said about their fielding the better. But they have always produced talented cricketers and any man who can bind these precocious talents into a collective whole has the potential to win a World Cup. Imran Khan did it; Inzamam was close, as was Afridi. Under Misbah, a veteran with a good temperament and calm nerves, Pakistan might have stumbled onto another such leader. His age might be a bit of an issue, but as we have seen with the likes of Kallis, Hussey and yes Tendulkar, it is certainly not an insurmountable barrier. I believe this level of calm is only going to help a team long known for its rash decision making and inconceivable methods of self destruction.
Their batting has never looked too far away from a collapse and it hasn’t changed much. Now however, they have got a nice stability in their order. With stroke makers on either side of the experienced duo of Misbah and Younus, with Razzaq at the bottom, there is some assurance against failure. Though this does not mean that they can’t go wild and hit 350 with the likes of Umer Akmal and Hafeez in the side, it does mean that they are in lesser danger of getting skittled out for 150. But this is probably not the suit that is going to win them games.
Their fielding has always been their Achilles heel and the rest of the leg. But considering the athletic ability of the younger generation in Umer Akmal and the new keeper Sarfraz, things might be changing or be a false dawn. Hopefully, Pakistan can find the work ethic they have long been lacking and push themselves to perform better.
Their bowling however, has got to rank as the best ODI bowling line-up in the world. The main reason behind it is the vise like grip that their 3 spinners, Hafeez, Afridi and Ajmal, have over the middle overs of an ODI contest. The first two are more defensive adaptations of Anil Kumble, varying their pace to keep the batsmen guessing and by constantly keeping the pressure up by bowling tight lines. Ajmal, on the other hand, is a true attacking spinner who can get the ball to dip and spin in the most awkward of angles. These three were a major reason for Pakistan’s run to the semi-finals of the WC, conceding as a unit, 3.5 RPO with an average of 17. Considering how even Sri Lanka are finding it difficult to get them away, they could pose problems for some time to come. Another plus is Umar Gul, a man whose ability for bowling at the death is almost as fearsome as that of Lasith Malinga. Add to that the experience of Razzaq, and there are few reasons not to fear this bowling unit.
All in all, Pakistan have always been world beaters on their day. It is sad to note that it’ll be some time before they are invited to play in locations other than Dubai and thus we may never get to test their true strength in different conditions. Even so, I think they are in with a shot at being the best. But it might be a long time coming before politics and nefarious organizations allow them to be.
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