Pakistan cricket works. Not sure how, but it does. It’s counter-intuitive, a bit like Quantum Physics for a layman, but there is ample proof of it around. It’s kind of weird too, but like Taher Shah, it succeeds even when you think it’s laughably inept.
Defying odds with certainty
No team has defied odds so routinely in the history of any sport. You can, in fact, always give them good odds on defying odds. I know that doesn’t make sense, but so does the enigma of Pakistan cricket team. It seems they are on a mission of putting cricket pundits, fortune tellers and bookies out of job.
Pakistan loves to lose when you back them to win and when you give them no chance, they will turn in their best performances. You bet on them at your own peril. Fittingly, they are playing the final of Champions Trophy after qualifying for the tournament as the lowest ranked team.
Probably the only thing they have ever been consistent at is losing to India in important ICC tournament encounters.
There is a reason why head to head, pre-match analysis, form guide, statistics doesn’t get anyone excited before a Pakistan match. They are a team that will float or sink based on how they are feeling about themselves right before the game. That game against Sri Lanka where they escaped a humiliating loss by the skin of their teeth would have embarrassed a few dressing rooms. With Pakistan, it may well have given them a sense of invincibility, a belief that destiny is on their side.
Amateurishly yours
When cricket players worldwide are getting more and more professional at their trade, Pakistan somehow managed to stay in a limbo, still playing the 90s brand of cricket. 250 was considered a winning total back in those days. Today most teams will be disappointed at scoring 250 batting first on a good track. Against Pakistan 250 is quite safe, 280 is an insurance policy.
If England was going so slow against India in a semi-final, someone would have tried to hit out much earlier and aimed much higher. Against Pakistan, they may have thought 250 is enough. The hardest hitter of a cricket ball in the world right now, Ben Stokes, played 64 deliveries without hitting a single boundary. The pitch had a role to play, but the normally aggressive English batsmen were also put off their game plan by the unpredictability of Pakistan. They simply didn’t know what is a competitive score against them, tried setting a conservative goal and ended up falling way short of even that.
Pakistan’s reluctance to play cricket the “modern way” makes them uniquely attractive as a sports team. You know you are going to be entertained when they take the field. With them, you aren’t going to see ten well-trained bots operating on a set plan, but a bunch of natural athletes backing their unique methods and somehow finding order in chaos. Professionalism produces more consistent results, but ad-hocism is way more fun.
Mental battles
The Pakistanis generally win or lose a game or cricket in their minds. If they believe they are invincible, they can be sublime on their day, while even the slightest of doubts can dent their confidence irreparably. That’s one of the reasons why they always play their best cricket when they have a strong leader in charge of affairs.
In 1992, Imran Khan would go around saying Wasim Akram is the best bowler in the world and Inzamam-ul-Haq is better than Sachin Tendulkar. That team would hold on to every word their skipper said. Imran’s belief was their belief, his dreams their dreams. No wonder then that they achieved their best results under him. Sarfraz doesn’t have the charisma of an Imran Khan but he has shown that he is a strong leader of men even if tactically he still has a bit to learn.
The biggest favour this team can do themselves is to treat this Champions Trophy final as not the most important game of their lives but an opportunity to showcase their brand of cricket on a world stage. Their performance in the competition so far has already given them many reasons to celebrate. Whether they win or lose from here, it’s important for them to take confidence from their good show in the tournament and rally around a young captain to create a strong pool of players that can represent them consistently at the highest level and delight cricket fans throughout the world.