They huffed and puffed but they finally got the job done. Pakistan were thoroughly beaten in their first two matches of the World Cup – by India and the West Indies – and the nature of those defeats led many to believe that the men on green would be dumped out of the tournament in no time.
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Even the game against Zimbabwe turned out to be a tricky affair, with the all-round brilliance of left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz securing a 20-run win. Issues remained but the results started to fall into place.
The UAE were taken care of without too much hassle before the big match-up against South Africa. The Proteas did well to restrict Pakistan to 222 but ran into a charged-up Pakistan pace battery, with left-arm fast bowlers Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali and Riaz picking up three wickets apiece.
It was a performance that raised the spirits of Misbah-ul Haq’s team to unprecedented levels. And in their final group stage game against Ireland, a match that they simply had to win to qualify for the knockouts, Pakistan came up with their most complete performance of the tournament.
The Irish were restricted to 237 and the Pakistan top order did not put a foot wrong in the chase, with opening batsman and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed scoring an unbeaten ton and putting up a century stand with fellow opener Ahmed Shehzad.
The match was unnecessarily stretched towards the end of the chase as Ahmed cut out all risky shots in search of his century but that takes nothing away from the fact that Pakistan had a solid day in the field.
Many believe it is better to have some tough games leading up to the knockouts but for Pakistan, a comfortable win was the need of the hour. They had more than their far share of tough matches, humbling defeats and unconvincing efforts.
One match with all systems firing in unison has provided Pakistan with the perfect platform from where they can plot Australia’s downfall in the quarter-final. The Aussies have been exceptional with the bat and ball in the tournament and they know the conditions inside out.
What makes them a major threat is their pace battery which has been simply outstanding, with left-arm quick Mitchell Starc bowling like the wind and picking up wickets almost at will. Australia’s batting has looked solid but Pakistan need to remember that they were dismantled by some accurate swing bowling by the Kiwis, who bundled them out for 151.
The Aussies themselves retaliated with full force, taking nine Kiwi wickets but their shortcomings against quality seam bowling had been exposed. If Pakistan quicks Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan and Mohammad Irfan, if fit, hit their straps, they too can trouble Australia’s batting.
How they fare against the strong batting line-up of Michael Clarke’s team will decide the fate of this encounter. But for now, Pakistan can celebrate the fact that they did what was asked of them – win four games in a row to qualify for the knockouts.
Slowly but surely, the pieces are falling into place and a lot of credit for it must go to captain Misbah, who has weathered quite a storm and kept the unit together. The turnaround they have achieved is indeed commendable.
