Complacency could be undoing

The Juggernaut finally stumbled at Northampton, when Bangladesh put up a superb bowling performance to skittle out the mighty Pakistanis....

The Juggernaut finally stumbled at Northampton, when Bangladesh put up a superb bowling performance to skittle out the mighty Pakistanis. The tame defeat proves what I have been saying for a long time, namely, that Pakistan do not chase well. For a chase to be effective, a team amp; its openers need to be in form. Neither Saeed Anwar nor Shahid Afridi have done anything of note in the tournament, and their pathetic run continued on Monday.

When a team opts to chase, it should have faith in its top order, because these are the batsmen who will score a majority of the runs. In the case of Pakistan, however, the top order has been collapsing in routine fashion, and the lower order batsmen have had to bail the team out.

That they cannot do so all the time was evident against Bangladesh, when it was necessary for them to graft partnerships. It is all very well for Wasim Akram or Moin Khan to come in with 10-15 overs left and take the bowling to pieces, but you cannot expect them to step into the shoes of themiddle-order while chasing a total. Besides, one is never really sure on English pitches, because the ball is always doing something.

Incidentally, the match at Northampton saw Pakistan bat second for the first time in this World Cup, and the result is surely ominous. The match against Bangladesh may have been inconsequential, but the Super Six games will not. The Pakistan team management needs to form a definite plan of action to counter stronger bowling attacks should Pakistan have to bat second once again.

Another thing that worried me was Pakistan8217;s apparent lack of motivation. An element of complacency seems to have crept in, and if the team is not careful, this could prove their undoing. They know they only have to win one Super Six match to make it to the semi-finals, but if they lose the winning habit, they will struggle to advance any further.

Finally, a word on team selection. Pakistan experimented with reserve players against Bangladesh, but I fail to see why they left out Abdul Razzak 8212; whoplays the moving ball so nicely 8212; to include Salim Malik. I, for one, firmly believe that Malik8217;s time is up, and the selectors should thank him for services rendered and bid him adieu. Compared to him, a youngster like Wasti is a breath of fresh air. Given the opportunity, he will blossom into a special player, and may even replace someone like Afridi if the situation so demands.