Ignoring the silver lining

Pakistan's loss to Sri Lanka in the final of the ARY gold triangular tournament at Sharjah has resulted in yet another fit of inspired indignation among the brotherhood of the professional carping critics. Whatever the mitigating circumstances surrounding it, any defeat of the national cricket team presents an ideal opportunity to these self-proclaimed pundits for letting loose a torrent of abuse against individual players in general, and against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in particular, which by some twisted logic, is held directly responsible for every setback on the field. But, in the case of the Sharjah tournament, their vociferous criticism and pessimistic outcries do not bear a close scrutiny.

True, that Pakistan virtually lost the match in the first 15 overs justly riled the fans. That is not expected of a professional side, and on a docile batting wicket to boot. If the team had put up a brave fight and still lost, the defeat would not have rankled so much, or allowed the detractors to come out of the woodwork. After all, our old nemesis, poor fielding, suddenly reappearing at the most inopportune moment. That allowed the Sri Lankans to pile up a formidable total, while the opposition's catching was simply out of this world. This aspect alone is sufficient to explain the debacle, although it does not fully justify it.

However, if one looks at things with the half-full instead of the half-empty glass attitude, one can say, without fear of contradiction, that the team performed exceptionally well through the tournament and won all four of its league matches. Remember that a full-strength Sri Lanka, with its dazzling array of batsmen, unmatched in experience and proven talent, was the pre-tournament favourite. It had recently beaten England at home, while Pakistan had suffered a loss at the hands of the third team of the tournament, the Black Caps, by a 3-2 margin on the recent away series. That Pakistan was without a coach to help plot strategy and tactics was also an important factor in the team faltering and stumbling at the final post.

Be that as it may, that Pakistan won all its preliminary matches despite the absence of six of its stalwarts through injuries, represents no mean achievement. The team was like a well-oiled machine at this stage of the proceedings: the batting of Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi was a treat to watch, while the fielding, especially of youngsters Imran Nazir, Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan, was a sight for sore eyes.

But, as in that nightmarish World Cup final against Australia in England, it all fell apart when it mattered the most. And, as in that encounter, it was (apart from the terrible fielding display) the lack of commitment and patience that was their undoing. Or maybe the youngsters were too overawed by the occasion: the ARY Cup may not have been that big an event but for them it was the first of their careers and the packed-to-capacity crowd yelling full throttle must also have added to the pressure.

One however fails to see where the fault of the PCB lies in all this. Defeat in a game, and that too a one-day game that is a lottery in any case, is certainly being blown out of all proportion. And this is not the first time it has happened. Almost on all occasions when the PCB has tried to take on player power head on, the pressure has invariably been brought to bear on it - through harsh, unwarranted criticism, rumours and inspired stories - so that it reverts back to the tried and tested veterans, who, we know, reinstated again would soon be up to their shenanigans.

Coming back to the Sharjah event, as manager Yawar Saeed talking to this correspondent said the other day, while the victory in the final would have been an icing on the cake, quite a few positive things emerged from the tournament. For one, Pakistan's new captain and the young guns were tested, and while the former was found to be worth his salt, it was evident that the latter too have enough talent to strike it big at the highest level. The level of commitment generally was so high that Saeed Anwar, whom even club sides would like to hide in the field, was making desperate dives to save a mere run or two. It is entirely another thing that his dives were all over the place. But the fact that despite an operated knee he was resorting to dives - which could mean curtains for his career if he got seriously injured - reflects nothing but commitment.

Though it is early days to comment on Waqar's captaincy, for in the last decade we have seen Pakistan captains totally disintegrate in a series or two, overall he did a tremendous job. And that is why the side didn't lack in consistency, save for the final. Worth dwelling on is the questions, when was last time Pakistan had won four successive matches?

Instead of denigrating the team at this point, when it is about to embark on a demanding tour of England, which is the most improved side in the world over the last year or so and for the first time in 22 years has won four back-to-back series. It is a measure of Waqar Younis self-belief as captain and confidence in his charges that he is not willing even for a moment to concede that England are as invincible as they are being dubbed. He is inspired by the fact that he was one of the leading lights of those Pakistani squads in 1992 and 1996 that conquered a mightier England. Let us wish him luck, and may be England would see the beginning of reversal in Pakistan's fortunes.