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KOLKATA: Pakistan finally seem to be getting a hang of the World Cup.
If their wins in the opening two matches of the 50-over showpiece are to be credited to beginner’s luck, the Babar Azam-led side’s journey actually started with the high-voltage clash against India.
Since then, Pakistan have been in search of a path. Against the hosts at an intimidating venue in Ahmedabad, they were lost. In Bangalore, against Australia they were too erroneous. Against Afghanistan in Chennai, they were too fearful.
It was only against South Africa in the Tamil Nadu capital, that Pakistan seemed to have direction. Here on Tuesday, although facing a less challenging Bangladesh, the team moved forward purposefully and Babar’s charges finally looked like having a clear pathway to a comprehensive seven-wicket win.
The bowlers, especially the pacers, had clear plans to knock out the Bangladesh line-up. The batting ranks were boosted by the return of Fakhar Zaman.
Led by spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, the Pakistan pace attack comprising Mohammad Wasim Jr and Haris Rauf were bowling hard lengths in line with the stumps — something they had struggled to produce with consistency so far.
Afridi, rather than going for his signature in-swinger, mixed his lines up, keeping the Bangladeshi batters guessing. The wickets he took were more about setting it up than going for the kill straight up.
Rauf, meanwhile, brought his express pace to full use, taking the wickets of experienced Bangladesh batters Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al-Hasan.
Wasim, who had been sitting out until he was given a chance against South Africa, was unplayable with a reversing ball.
When the pace battery had done its job, Zaman hit form with a showman’s knock.
The southpaw believed Pakistan had finally learnt enough during their time in India to be able to be an effective unit again.
“When you spend some time in any place, you get an idea of the conditions — for both the bowlers and batters,” the opener said in the post-match press conference.
Afridi, who had a big smile on his face — that of relief and joy — as he walked into the mixed zone after the match, echoed Zaman’s observations, putting more light on the bowlers’ assessment of the Indian conditions.
“The bowl isn’t swinging much here and I think length is crucial,” the lanky pacer said of his learnings.
Afridi was impressed by how Rauf and Wasim had adjusted to the conditions.
“Haris and Wasim have pace, it’s all about variation,” he said. “Haris is a clever bowler and he is working very hard in the nets according to what the conditions demand.”
Zaman, meanwhile, was having a recovery of his own — from an injury as well as poor form.
The left-hander, reflecting Pakistan’s overall emergence as a dangerous side, is perhaps back to his best.
He had mentioned days ago how he felt during practice that his form had returned. The translation of his belief against Bangladesh suggested the batter had more to give.
“ The way I was batting in the nets, you get the idea that the ball is coming well,” he said.
Pakistan have hit form, but it is too late to have their World Cup fate in their control.
They have to win their remaining matches — against New Zealand and England — to keep their hopes for a place in the semi-finals alive, while also hope other contenders for the fourth spot in the 10-team league table falter.
“In World Cup, each win gives you confidence and we were waiting for this win,” said Zaman. “We are on the ifs and buts right now, but we will try to win both matches with good run rates. Our target is semi-final and we will try for that.”
Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2023
