Many moons ago, former Australian cricketer, Mark Waugh had said this about the Pakistan team in his biography: “They had such a brilliant but fragmented side. Ever since I have played against them, I have seen guys come to training in different coloured tracksuits and shirts, they wear different hats and helmets when they play – there is no consistency to their cricket, but you catch them when they are at their best, and you really have to play well to beat them.”
He had shared his thoughts on Pakistan’s epoch-making triumph, in the 1996 World Cup. After clinching that coveted trophy, Imran Khan, their finest cricketer, announced his retirement from the game. Although the subsequent Pakistan teams in the 1990s had a wealth of talent, they seemed to underperform. Despite not fulfilling their potential, Pakistan continued to have an air of unpredictability about them. On their day, they could beat any side in the cricketing landscape.
Fast-forward to present times. The current Pakistan team may not have the aura of some of the sides of old, but they still come across as a mercurial line-up. Even their recent results across formats have a ring of unpredictability about them. With the Champions Trophy on the horizon, let’s concentrate mainly on ODIs, here. In the 50-over format, Pakistan defeated both South Africa and Australia, in their own backyard. If you look at their track record, Pakistan rarely emerge victorious, in bilaterals, in those two nations.
Granted that ODI bilaterals have basically become friendlies in modern times. And Australia didn’t field some of their key players for a couple of matches, but it was still an impressive show. Pakistan followed it up by chasing down a score in excess of 350 versus South Africa, in the home tri-series. Once more, a caveat has to be added – South Africa missed a few of their mainstays in the bowling department. Pakistan then notched up a below par total in the summit clash versus New Zealand and slipped to a loss.
That was about Pakistan’s build-up to the Champions Trophy. The bigger question remains to be answered – Do Pakistan have the personnel to repeat the stunning performance of the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side, in the Champions Trophy, in 2017? To some extent, yes.
Mohammed Rizwan, the current Pakistan skipper, will be the lynchpin of the batting order. Since the start of the 2023 Asia Cup, the wicketkeeper-bat has averaged a whopping 68.33 in this format. In the tri-series, his unbeaten 122 proved to be the catalyst behind Pakistan hunting down the massive target of over 350. Although his 76-ball 46 in the final was a below-par effort.
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Babar Azam, another fulcrum of the side, however, hasn’t been at his absolute best. Although he has had some fine performances of note in the recent past, Babar hasn’t been able to compile a hundred, in ODIs, since the 2023 Asia Cup. In that phase, he has been getting out to some soft dismissals across formats. Babar also seems to be tinkering with his game a little too much, an indicator of a muddled state of mind.
Outside of the two known faces in the Pakistan camp, eyes will be zoomed in on Fakhar Zaman. The left-hander seems to wield the willow like an axe, and on his day, he can turn out to be a game-breaker. Fakhar, who returned to the Pakistan set-up for the just concluded tri-series after health setbacks, crunched an imposing 84 in the first game of that tournament. Incidentally, the left-hander was instrumental in Pakistan sealing the Champions Trophy, eight years ago. He ended up with a hundred in the final, versus arch-rivals, India.
Salman Agha, the middle-order bat, is a plucky cricketer. He gave a glimpse of his talents in the tri-series game versus New Zealand, accumulating a hundred. Agha can also be a useful option with the ball. Unfortunately, Pakistan will miss out on the services of Saim Ayub, the promising opener, due to an ankle injury. Ayub has composed three hundreds in a mere nine games. In his last ODI itself, he aggregated a ton at the Wanderers. Compared to Test cricket, Saud Shakeel hasn’t had much success in ODIs. Meanwhile, Tayyab Tahir can land a few big shots, alongside the occasional lap shot around the corner.
The Pakistan pace attack will be led by the two Shahs – Shaheen and Naseem. The latter’s form hasn’t exactly been good in the 50-over format. There is also a school of thought that he doesn’t make the batter play often enough with the outswinger. The Pakistan think-tank will be trusting Shaheen to nip out a couple of Indian top-order batters when the two sides lock horns in Dubai, on February 23. Interestingly, the wickets in Dubai were offering some assistance for the pace bowlers in the ILT20.
On the flip side, Shaheen’s bowling in the slog overs has come under scrutiny: In one of the recent ODIs versus New Zealand, he conceded a mind-numbing 55 in his last three overs. Pakistan also will be sweating over the fitness of Haris Rauf, with the fast bowler being laid low by a side strain. Abrar Ahmed, who has a bit of mystery about him, will be the frontline spinner.
On an overall basis, certain pieces of the jigsaw in the spin department and batting line-up are missing. So, can Pakistan chisel out a way out of a group that comprises New Zealand, India and Bangladesh? On paper, it could come down to Pakistan usurping one out of New Zealand or India. The hosts would believe, on their day, they have the required arsenal to pip one out of those two teams. If Pakistan reach last-four, then they can’t be discounted as history tells us that they tend to peak at the right time.
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