Pakistan’s sad decline is no surprise!

ldquoThese days when victories are few and far between for Pakistan fans like me can only wistfully look back at some of the allconquering teams and players of yesteryear those good old days in our childhood the glory days as we fondly refer to themrdquo remarked Aayan Afzal AnsariAfzal a businessman from Karachi living in Colombo since 2018 with his family of five seemed to reminisce about times gone by but a phone call from his lsquodearrsquo friend Rohith Pillai did not let him linger too longldquoBook my return tickets for Sunday at once I told you they are not going to lastrdquo Afzal cried angrily in a voice of despair and repressed irritation attracting a curious crowd of onlookers while he slung his jacket into the chair in frustrationRohith a brand strategist cum designer in Chennai called to check if Afzal had left for his home yet He did though several minutes later moments after Pakistan slumped to their fourth defeat on the trot after opening the tournament with backtoback winsBefore heading to Koyambedu bus stand where Rohith resides Afzal reminded me of a popular saying in world cricket that one has no clue about which Pakistan team will turn up on a particular day ldquoThey could be the best playing XI at work one day but could leave you embarrassed on other days Unfortunately as fans we have not been very proud of the side lately and you know whyrdquo said the 32yearold pausing briefly to wave goodbye to a toddler who was seated beside him in the standsAlso ReadOne step behindAfzalrsquos sentiments would strike a chord in the hearts of thousands on the other side of the border For many years Pakistan has been known for its beguiling unpredictability and a predisposition to sway frantically between the hapless and the sublime much to the dismay of its fansThe 1990s bring alive tales of domination by the subcontinent in the cricket world with all three of the testplaying nations India Pakistan and Sri Lanka reigning supreme However the 2000s have seen the mantle shift more and more towards the Tendulkars and Dravids of India with the Men in Green faltering time and again The paths of Pakistan and India have diverged a little too significantly over the last few years in cricketing termsWhile the Blue Army now competes at the level of Australia and England in both the Test and ODI formats modernday Pakistan struggles to avoid a slide into mediocrity similar to that of the oncedominant West Indies in the late 1990s and early 2000s While drawing a comparison between the two teams playerwise one can easily make out how India have had a streak of luck in discovering new talent Even fast bowling which at one time used to be monopolised by the Pakistanis is now something which the Indians are excelling at But why has the talent dried up for PakistanFor one cricket has grown to be a much more scientific and technical game with talent alone not being good enough Gone are the heady days of Wasim Akram Waqar Younis or Shoaib Akhtar running in and knocking over batsmenrsquos stumps Moreover in all fairness Pakistan continues to be categorised as one of the weaker fielding sides while India has built a cavalry of young and zestful fielders like Mohammed Siraj Shubman Gill Jasprit Bumrah etcThe winning mentality that Akram once instilled in his teammates has failed to remain with the team as there have been several major flipflops on all fronts Babar who is already feeling the heat after a dismal show with the willow and captaincy in this World Cup might end up losing captaincy as it will be virtually impossible for his side to salvage the campaign in remaining three games even if it wins thoseLooking ahead the board will make decisions in the best interest of Pakistan cricket based on the teams performances in the World Cup At present the PCB encourages fans former players and stakeholders to rally behind the team as they strive to make a triumphant comeback in the megaevent PCB had released a statement ahead of Pakistanrsquos mustwin South Africa tiePakistan which has managed only 24 sixes in five games and 136 boundaries continues to be gripped by melancholic attitudes on the ground That Pakistan batters hitting a six in Powerplay after consumption of 1200 deliveries across games in the first six overs is embarrassing enoughUnlike their crossborder neighbours India has been more akin to a student always eager to learn from failures Indiarsquos 100run win over England despite their batters falling by the wayside on a twopaced pitch on Sunday was a manifestation of that as much as anything else As long as Pakistan donrsquot realise this they will keep wondering lsquokab phodengersquo