Oh, Pakistan, you never fail to entertain! The Men in Green’s musical chairs on and off the field will never cease to amaze the cricket team. Whether it be constant changes of coaches, selectors, chairmans, or even captains, it seems like Pakistan cricket will go to any limit to give us the enjoyment we need. But they are at their best on the cricket field.
PCB chairman’s threat
Pakistan bowed out of the T20 World Cup last night, but even then, they didn’t miss out on entertaining cricket fans. The Babar Azam-led side was already out of the event after losing to co-hosts the USA and India in back-to-back games. Such was the magnitude of their ‘failure’ that Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairman had claimed that a ‘major surgery’ would happen soon.
His comments made it clear that a shakeup will soon happen in the Pakistan cricket team. Whether it’ll be another change in captaincy with Babar Azam going out, someone else taking his spot in white-ball cricket, or multiple players losing their place in the line-up is uncertain, but something is coming.
Pakistan gets serious—well, not so much
Well, given how the ultimatum was given to the players, they came out firing against Ireland. Just 30 minutes into the game, they had Ireland at 32/6. Shaheen Afridi, Mohammed Amir, Haris Rauf, and Imad Wasim were toying with them. Somehow the Irish team made it to 106; many are still wondering how.
But chasing 107. That should be a cakewalk, everyone thought, barring the Pakistan cricket team’s fans. They know nothing comes easy with their side, and they didn’t disappoint. They were off to a good start. Made 40 in the powerplay, albeit losing a couple of wickets.
What happened next? Well, they lost 4 wickets in just 9 balls. You heard that right—from 52/2, then went to 62/6. If it weren’t for skipper Babar Azam, who has received major flak himself, they would have returned home with just one win from four matches. Thankfully, his 32* and Shaheen Afridi’s late hit took them home with 3 wickets in hand and 7 balls to spare.
No one watching the match in the stadium or at home missed even a second. Why? Because they knew that as long as Pakistan was playing, there was some life in the match. Neutral fans may enjoy the many ups and downs of the Pakistan cricket team, but to the PCB and their fans, that is exactly why a change must happen.
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