Coming to the point straight away, let us start with our bowling blunders. It is blessing in disguise for our spinner Nauman when batters themselves get out for very quick/urgent runs, he bowls over after over endlessly “mostly” wicketless. He may have line and length but “rarely” crucial nip and bounce for the wicket.

Sajid and Shadab Khan are blessed models of nagging line and length blended with teasing nip and bounce to baffle and bowl out any batsman home and abroad.

Pacers blunders tend to prove very expensive many a time in terms of erratic line and length and wayward nip and bounce irrespective of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad and all so bewitched and bamboozled.

However, with their super speed and stamina blending with teasing line and length, combining with horrendous nip and bounce send many a wicket cartwheeling and leave many a celebrity bewildering.

Had it not been for our fielding blunders rather loopholes mediocre bowling would not thrive. Imagine fielders diving after the ball had already passed or the ball passing helplessly and ridiculously between the wavering legs.

An extra run on each throw at the keeper’s or bowler’s end is imminent when the ball is picked but not released all in one action as the ball is fielded but the arm swings to release it at the wicket gives enough time for an extra run adding enormously to the total and adversely affecting result of match.

Cricket blunders turned blessings offer an array of opportunities for batters. All is blunderous with inappropriate selection of batters for T20s or 50 over or Test matches. Suitable batting strategy counts for each format of the game indeed.

An ideal T20 strategy is a careful and watchful flying start in the first six overs of the power play focusing on all like ones, twos, threes, fours and sixes keeping the score briskly moving even if a wicket or two falls.

Once the power play is well-played and runs amassed as strategized, it is time to avoid dot balls, stay alert and alive and for scoreboard moving with ones and twos and a big hit here and there as-when chances arise.

Barring occasional let offs and disappointments; On and off the field looks formidable and has delivered well Pakistan squad of Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shoaib Malik including reserves: Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir.and others.

Barring sporting egoistic and distorted feeling of complacency, over confidence, self deceit، false prestige and self righteousness, there remains hope for emotional maturity, seriousness of purpose and positive thinking in our cricketing mindsets and heart beats towards a better and brighter tomorrow with trend setters expected to lead from the front for the team to emulate.

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The thumb ring which was missing – leading the biggest side in the lucrative league – has also been worn by the master batsman and can show proudly his complete ring-hand which also depicts the utmost responsibility with the expectations to continue flowing the runs with his bat.

One of the finest batsmen Pakistan has ever been produced with the right amount of talent, composure, and technique, Azam has already been compared with the greats of Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad. With, some even predict him of surpassing the greats for the extra amount of talent he possesses.

Making gigantic strides in the past few years as a world-class batsman, Babar Azam was suddenly elevated to lead the national side in all three formats besides having the more senior players in the team and a successful stint of Sarfaraz Ahmed as a skipper in the shorter formats. But, the unsuccessful test record of Sarfaraz paved a quick way for Babar as the management had little to ponder over the choice considering Azam’s superfluous record as a player, and the policy of making a ‘future’ captain. Babar Azam ticked all the boxes and took the reins from all the senior pros as assuredly one would have least expected in Pakistan’s uncertain cricket.

With no experience before, his leadership would have been tested, yet expected to be given a fair amount of time, unlike his predecessors. After the false start here and there, and contrasting the composure of bat while in command, the series against South Africa gave him the booster to continue and be trusted as an unchallenged skipper. Though SA was also struggling, Babar looked settled and the question marks surrounding the pressure of being the captain in all three formats apart from the backbone of the batting lineup were faded away, at least for a considerable time.

The major test – leading in the T20 world cup – has been considered satisfying, given Indian hammering by the green shirts and overall fighting spirit, besides another Aussie drubbing in the majors. Then, having known a bit of ‘King’s Science’, there was little doubt left for Azam’s ascent to the newly added role in the Super League.
Since the inauguration of PSL, Karachi Kings has been the hastiest in making the moves. It was quite a surprise, given the form and flare of the great batsman and particularly the superficiality and science of Karachi owners, that Babar had been denied the captaincy when he was at the helm of all three formats at the national level.

It had, to some extent, do with the sound leadership of his fellow national player Imad Wasim, who made a difference with his acute decisions after the continuous failures of Kings besides being the most sought out and watched for the side. Under Imad, Karachi managed to win the title in the Covid-hit PSL 2020. Even before the postponement amidst the pandemic, led by Imad, the team was on the winning track and had looked very much poised to win the title.

But after the demise of Dean Jones, the coach of Karachi, and Gibbs ‘first and failed’ stint as a coach, Karachi was backed to its normal faltering way in the last year PSL. With the predictable ouster of Gibbs as a coach, Imad has also been ‘asked’ to hand over the charge to his ‘brother’ in a ceremonious course.

Now, the team’s major run-getter and playing for the team since PSL 2, Babar Azam has been given the responsibility to carry the customary way of ‘the best player should be the captain’ formula. Though carrying an extra layer of composure in any role, it would be a major test for the batter as unlike the settled Pakistani team, Babar would have to be gone through the hither and thither attached to the Kings. Add more to that, he is clearly not technically too sound as captain as he is as a batsman.

So there is the risk attached for his fifth uplift and the ring in the thumb. After all, the thumb is not more suited and could shake the balance Azam is holding out at the moment. It might be the beginning of doffing the hats he is clinging on.

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The fact is the current Prime Minister Imran Khan experienced racism when he was playing cricket and other sportsmen faced similar problems as well. I remember Moeen Ali was called an Isis fighter simply because he prayed and avoided pork-based products.

In the United Kingdom, Muslims are the least employed of all groups despite having above-average academic qualifications. Muslims suffer abnormal economic problems as a consequence of institutional discrimination. This is no secret and British newspapers regularly promote negative stereotypes of non-Caucasian races as a matter of principle. If you have never read The Daily Mail, The Daily Star and The Daily Mirror you will never know what I am talking about.

It is sad that Pakistan is obsessed with English cultural concepts including cricket—despite having its citizens regularly profiled and harassed by the elitist establishment of the UK for having the wrong faith, the wrong skin colour etc.

The players should have self-respect and not play with people who dislike them and cause problems for them. As a matter of principle, I have always promoted the ideal of self-employment as the solution to economic problems and social isolation. There is no glory working for someone else, whether they are racist or not; you simply become a slave to a system, a cog in a machine if you work for a company.

Some biologists believe that racism might have a survival value because it unites similar humans into tribal entities that support one another. If this form of evolutionary thinking is correct, then surely it should be accepted by people that racism will not be rooted out through legislation—it will simply find a way out in a different way i.e. micro-aggressions and rude comments that have plausible deniability.

Instead of screaming against racism, players of any sport in any country must play for a team that is the least likely to be racist to them: their home team with shared sociological, psychological and biological characteristics. Why is this a controversial point when the entire premise behind racism is that the individual being discriminated against is not from the biological and cultural identity of the racist?

Cricket is a colonial introduction into Pakistan with no basis in the foundation and heritage of anything remotely Asian—this is why all cricket players from a Pakistani heritage are responsible for their own discrimination. Why? Because you are playing a sport that is not part of cultural identity but was imposed on your ancestors by a European invader. When play this sport, you are re-enacting the enslavement and rape of your forefathers. If you lack this basic level of self-awareness and understanding of historical sociology, why are you surprised that you are making mistakes when it comes to playing cricket for a team that hates your guts?

I have never played cricket in my entire life because I am not a slave in temperament or culture. And I have always hated group sports because I am not a team-player and I do not listen or associated with stupid people. The fact is cricket distracts young men from God and the objective truth as revealed in nature. It is important for men to live simple dignified lives surrounded by scripture and silence—instead of liquor, ladies and bats which cricketers usually are.

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Marred with problems, cricket is the least of worries on anyone’s mind when a new morning sees dollar touching new highs, petrol becoming a luxury item for most but in a midst of all this cricket is a breather for a lower middle-class citizen who has nothing much left to cheer about. The bigger problem is the fact that all this is being witnessed when the Prime Minister of Pakistan happens to be a man who was the captain of the only 50 over world cup the country has won so far. Nothing right after that world cup has ever happened for Pakistan, besides 2009 T20 World Cup, 2017 Champions Trophy and introduction of Pakistan Super League.

Most governing bodies have administrators who run the affairs regardless of the fact whether they have played a particular sport or not. Pakistan has hopped onto a journey much like Benjamin Button. There is hardly any appointment by Imran Khan that has not raised eyebrows but that of Ramiz Raja is outrightly disastrous. Forget the cancellation of series with England and New Zealand, it is time to discuss about credentials of the man.

Raja succeeded Ehsan Mani, a well-known cricket administrator with service in ICC for over a decade and last 3 year there as a President. He then headed Pakistan Cricket Board after Najam Sethi’s resignation owing to Najam’s political position not in line with the worthy PM Imran Khan. Sethi’s credentials by then outshined his achievements at PCB. He enabled the board to attract top notch teams to play in Pakistan, a feat strengthened by his successor Ehsan Mani. Sethi was more than instrumental in launching and helping sustain the business model of Pakistan Super League. PSL eventually came to Pakistan in phases and not at the expense of known players. Some of the world’s best have played in PSL and many in Pakistan all because of Najam Sethi.

On the other hand, Ramiz is known no more than an ordinary commentator with fame coming mostly from his ability to speak some degree of good English for an average Pakistani, his ability as a player was no more than ordinary, his previous administration has not lasted for more than a year as Director PCB where god knows what he was doing. The love for foreign coaches is back when locals have been able to bring about the best results in World Cups. After the 1999 cricket world cup, the 2003 and 2007 had Richard Pybus and Bob Woolmer as coaches respectively and the nation knows how those two campaigns went. Waqar Younis was able to give Pakistan some boost in 2011 as head coach with a semi-final berth while in 2015 a quarter final against the eventual winners Australia. The sole T20 world cup win came when incharge was Intikhab Alam.

One can easily deduce that lucrative foreign names would not be of any help for a team where half of the lads cannot understand proper English. In order to look cool, relevant and establish a new order Ramiz does a press conference way before being elected resulting in resignation of both bowling and head coach whose cricketing skills and achievements were always way better than the new chairman of PCB. The day was not far when CEO PCB would step down realizing the rampage of a journey Ramiz had himself embarked upon. The same was witnessed on 29th of September, 2021.

What is next in line is the miracle which would never be pulled off by high quality players with zero coaching experience, Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander. Times have changed and it is the structure that needs to be in place so firm that quality players automatically keep on nurturing. We cannot afford to fall party to favoritism and “my way or the highway” approach both of which have been so perfectly introduced by Ramiz Raja. It is just a few more days and the world will see much more damage to the cricket structure in half the time it took two previous chairmen to build and give hope to Pakistan.

Ramiz Raja is a perfect example of hand-picking the Chairman PCB, a feat so often criticized by the sitting PM Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi.

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Speaking to Dunya News outside the Lord’s cricket ground, fans said they were angry and humiliated that the Greens showed no spirit of fight and gave away second consecutive match to England. They said that it was the fault of PCB management and the coaching staff that Pakistan players were not fit and prepared for the matches against England.

On Saturday, England thrashed Pakistan by 52 runs in the second one-day international at the Lord’s Cricket Ground to secure a 2-0 lead in the three-match series in a competition that has raised several questions about Pakistan’s team.

Lord’s management told Dunya News that 24,000 fans were in attendance for the match. Out of the total, 10000 were Pakistani fans who had travelled from London and afar to attend the match hoping that Pakistan team will do well after losing the first match to England in Cardiff.

Zahar Hussain who travelled from Birmingham to watch the match in London said he had wasted £700 on buying tickets for the whole family. “On top of that I wasted the whole day. We supported our players throughout but they let us down. This is unacceptable.”

Sahir Hussain from London said Pakistani cricket team had brought shame to them because there was no team spirit and the players looked shocked and withdrawn throughout.

“PM Imran Khan said he will make Pakistan cricket team number one in the world. He has appointed his friends in PCB who are good for nothing. They are all politically affiliated. They have destroyed the game of cricket. They must be removed and professional people should take charge.”

Talib Hussain said he spent £300 on tickets for his three friends but lamented that his money was wasted. “It’s a shame that our A team is losing to England’s B Team. Next they will lose to C team of England, they are so ill prepared.”

Pakistan, set 248 to win in a match reduced by rain to 47 overs per side, were dismissed for 195 with six overs left after Saud Shakeel had made 56, his maiden ODI fifty.

On Sunday, the players left London Marriot Hotel for Birmingham to play the last and third one day against England.

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