Pak know they must win… to stay in the race and save face

Talk about acid tests in sport and here’s one right at the top of the list. When Pakistan play India for the second...

Talk about acid tests in sport and here’s one right at the top of the list. When Pakistan play India for the second time in Asia Cup on Wednesday, a victory will mean keeping their hopes alive in the tournament and a loss – apart from great despair for fans – will in all likelihood result in a severe backlash from the media and, more importantly, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Shoaib Malik, who was on a drip until Tuesday, was back and Shahid Afridi, expected to be benched for this match, is almost sure to play as the hosts make a last-ditch effort at saving face.

While the entire team is under pressure, it’s these two who really have their necks on the line. Despite the fact that Malik scored a century in the previous game against India — his first in two years and 53 one-dayers — Malik will almost certainly lose his captaincy if his side fails to beat India, a loss that would make it four defeats in four games against India and Sri Lanka. The fact that he has been among the runs (212 from three games) will probably ensure he keeps his place in the squad, but that will be little consolation if he loses the top job.

In fact, the word doing the rounds is that Misbah-ul Haq has already been sounded out for the job. On Tuesday evening, Haq attended the mandatory press conference — not as captain — to keep Malik and Lawson away from the media frenzy and the recent spate of controversies. “The only way out is to win tomorrow. We can’t keep cribbing about what is going wrong. India will be under pressure as well as they need to book their place in the final,” Haq said.