Its only few hours to go before the first match of the cricket world cup between Pakistan and West Indies, the anxiety the excitement is not letting me sleep. I lay on my bed thinking about the chances of Pakistan cricket team in the world cup.
As always while considering Pakistan chances in cricket my heart always takes over, but somehow for this world cup my mind is saying the same thing what my heart is saying. PAKISTAN will inshallah win the world cup
why? i give you a simple reason. Pakistan always play their best cricket when they are cornered and the pitches are suited to their style of batting which ironically is the strongest point of Pakistan cricket team (even before Shoaib and Asif opted out of the world cup due to doping). Not a single soul in the cricket world apart from Kamran Abbasi ( a fanatic fan like me) is giving Pakistan any kind of hope.
To the contrary i am pretty hopefuly of Pakistan chances. Didn't Pakistan played well in India (2005) after going down in test and also in one day matches. Remember the 1992 world cup when Imran Khan wanted the team to play like a cornered tiger and they indeed did. (although you might say it was long ago).
I dont prefer Inzimam as a captain(I adore his batting). He appears to be unimaginative and uninspiring while on the field. But i saw him inspire the entire team during the last test match in India( in 2005) when he had everything to loose (his captaincy his place in the team). He was agitated making shrewed moves in the field. Isnt that the same case right now. This is probably his last big tournament. A chance to cement his legacy. Isnt he at the same point as he was in the india series. If pakistan looses or doesnt do well, wouldnt he be sacked. On the other hand if he wins the world cup, how can the Pakistan board fire him. I think he will be inshallah lot more agitated in the field. Pakistan cricket team respect him and i think they will inshallah play their heart out for him. Inzimam has a once in a life time chance to become the next HERO of pakistan, i dont think he intends to let it slip through his fingers.
The batting line up is mashallah very strong. Apart from Inzimam we have the reliable Mohammad Yousaf which after converting to Islam has become quite a match winner. Younis Khan can be dependent upon to give stability at the top no matter what the situation is. I like the move of opening with Imran Nazir, that guy is talented. And as Gavaskar says "Form is temporary, class is permanent". We also have the unheralded Shoaib Malik which i think is the backbone of Pakistani Lineup. He constantly scores runs without getting noticed. Then we have the explosive but mercurrial Shahid Afridi. With the pitches suiting his style of batting he should do good. Rest of the batting includes Kamran Akmal( a good oneday batsman), Imran Hafeez( better than average batsman) and Azhar Mahmood( replacing Abdul Razzaq ( actually i worry more about the loss of Abdul Razzaq then the 2 bowlers). Batting line up is as strong as it could be and by the will of Allah they will be firing in all cyclinders come the world cup. If this happens we will be a difficult team to beat.
Although the losses of Shoaib and Asif will be felt but i still feel our bowling is not that bad as it appears. I think Abdul Razzaq was the biggest blow to our world cup chances not Shoaib and Asif. Shoaib can be easily be replaced by Sami. I always felt Sami was a much better one day bowler than test match bowler (although we kep playing him in the test matches). He can be match winner in the one day form of cricket if he stops worrying about his looks and starts concentrating on his career. He has something to prove so Inshallah his head will be at the right place this time. I have a hunch that Danish Kaneria will play a very important role in this world cup. Although a leg spinner he has good control over his line and length and on the slow west indies pitches he will be difficult to score runs of. If inzimam him uses him the same way as Imran Khan used Mushtaq Ahmed in 1992 he can become quite a weapon. The pitches are slow in west indies and we have a very plenty of slow bowling options at our disposal shahid afridi, shoaib malik and mohammed hafeez complement Danish. Umar Gul although not as good as Asif but still quite capable will help in lowering the blow of Asif. Yasir Arafat is a speedster and if given the chance i think he can do some damage. I think our bowlers will do good in the world cup, they are playing with a chip on their shoulders. Every body has thrown out Pakistan chances because of their bowling department, they have something to prove even more than the batsmen. They will inshallah come through.
Overall i think the stars are alligned for Pakistan to win the world cup (Inshallah). The team needs to believe in themselves that they can beat any team in the world and play as a unit. As the saying goes "There is no I in team". But most importantly the fans need to believe that they can do that and dont let the loss of 3 playes put a dent in our expectations.
I realized that i have used Inshallah and Mashallah much more than needed. But i believe that luck is needed to win a cricket match and specially world cup. And i hope and pray that Allah will provide the divine hand to pull Pakistan through. Aaameen
