Review of Pakistan's World Cup 2019 campaign
Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2019. The Men in Green finished with 11 points alongside New Zealand, but the Net Run Rate (NRR) came into play and saw the latter make the cut. After a poor start, Pakistan won their final four games on the trot. Here is a review of their World Cup campaign.
Pakistan got their team combination wrong in the beginning. Persisting with pacer Hasan Ali and leaving out a batsman like Haris Sohail hurt them. The decision-making was rather an emotional one as far as the team balance was concerned. That saw them stutter in the beginning. Hasan was reckless, whereas, both Asif Ali and Shoaib Malik never managed to get going in crunch games.
In the first five games, Pakistan lost three and won just one game. When the need of the hour for Pakistan was to win all their four remaining matches, the decision-making worked. In came Sohail and pacer Shaheen Afridi. And the win against South Africa helped them sustain with the same XI for the remaining three games. But then it was too late.
If their first half was a blank show, Pakistan upped the ante in the second. They earned impressive wins against SA, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The performances flowed in and there were plenty of positives on offer. Earlier, they lacked the impetus and were way behind the mark against West Indies, India and Australia. Nothing worked for them and the bowling was off.
The three left-arm pacers stood out for Pakistan. Mohammad Amir (17 wickets) was superb throughout the campaign. 19-year-old Afridi was the icing on the cake. He ended up with 16 scalps from just five games that included a six-for. And a big shout out to veteran Wahab Riaz (11 wickets). He bowled his heart out despite suffering a fractured finger later on.
The likes of Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez lacked impetus with the bat. They were far too inconsistent. Hafeez in particular wasted his starts to spinners in the same region. But Pakistan can be proud of Babar Azam. He was superb and scored emphatically. The likes of Imam-ul-Haq, Sohail and Imad Wasim chipped in. Pakistan should base their team around these names.
Pakistan need to be lauded for showing heart and courage. They were under tremendous pressure and fans made life difficult off the field. Just when everyone wrote them off and criticized them, Sarfaraz Ahmed's side rose up to the challenge. They have identified key players and going forward things need to stick together. Their fielding needs vast improvement and youngsters will hold the key.
Shaheen Afridi appreciation post 🤩
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 5, 2019
👉 16 wickets at #CWC19
👉 Youngest to take a five-for at a World Cup
👉 Most wickets by a teenager in World Cups
👉 Best figures by a Pakistan bowler at a World Cup pic.twitter.com/8OUJIdsjtY
