Redemption time in Zimbabwe

So finally, the law of averages caught up with us. After winning four out of the five tournaments we have participated in this year, we f...

So finally, the law of averages caught up with us. After winning four out of the five tournaments we have participated in this year, we faced defeat, a comprehensive one at that, in the Sahara Cup.

We started off on a positive note, despite having arrived barely 36 hours before the start of the tournament. The comfortable win in the first match was a big impetus for us to snatch the initiative right from the start. But thereafter things just drifted away for us. Our batting clicked only in patches, so did our bowling. We fielded so poorly that the rival batsmen were never under any kind of pressure.

Having said that, I am taking nothing away from Pakistan8217;s fine performance. They staged a remarkable comeback in the series by winning four matches on the trot. Javed bhai

seems to have brought about a remarkable transformation in the side. I have always believed that Pakistan has a talented bunch of cricketers but its problem has been to keep them together. They needed a strong personality who could get them united and they could not have asked for a better person than Javed Miandad. Congratulations once again to Pakistan for its fluent win.

Today we head on for Zimbabwe to play a one-off Test and three one-dayers. The best thing we ought to do is stop brooding over spilt milk and look ahead. We8217;ll have to put up our best show on the field. Zimbabwe is no mean opposition at home. We have to be on the job straight away 8212; we have to bat, bowl and field at our very best to redeem ourselves. In a sporting contest, somebody has to lose, but what I have always believed is that even if you are losing, fight it out till the last ball. Sadly, that did not happen this time around and we just collapsed. But nevertheless, this was a good experience to go through. The youngsters must have got the taste of international cricket which can be ruthless if you slip on the field. We promise a much improved showing in Zimbabwe.

It was a pleasure to watch huge crowds, by North American standards, turn out for the games in Toronto. The game seems to have really picked up here. Cricket has found a new venue to develop, thanks to the Sahara Cup, quite in line with the International Cricket Council8217;s dream of globalising the game.

Professional Management Group