Qamar Ahmed: Causes of Pakistan's twin-tour failure (27 Apr 1998)

Monday, April 27, 1998

Causes of Pakistan's twin-tour failure

By Qamar Ahmed

JOHANNESBURG: Pakistan's twin tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe culminated in as calamitous a manner as it had started at the beginning of February. Pakistan having reached the finals of the Triangular Series was expected to lift themselves and their game for the occasion but once again they were no match to a well disciplined South African outfit.

Lack of mental concentration and lack of application in their field play stemmed mainly from weak management of the team and paucity of proper direction which at times was badly wanting. Rashid Latif, the captain like others, had his share of injuries and poor form despite his best efforts. The captaincy was thrust upon him and he was fully aware of his own shortcomings. But there was nothing he could do about it because Pakistan batsmen let him down all through the tour. Long tours such as one taken by Pakistan also contributed a lot to the setback. Injuries, homesickness and the pressure of performing at the peak, proved a bit too demanding. In such circumstances boredom sets in and the daily rigours of the touring team drain out enthusiasm and physical fitness. Losing and winning is what really matters most. Being human, however, one's body can only take a limited amount of beating.

This Pakistan tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe was characterised by all sorts of pains and aches and nearly every individual had a fair share of injuries and headaches. The so-called mugging incident early on was an unfortunate event which really set the tone of the tour, Pakistan however did well to recover from it and strike in the second Test at Kingsmead to win the Test but then lost their way through some poor planning and indifferent cricket to succumb in the final Test to miss that golden opportunity of wining a Test series in South Africa. In Zimbabwe they nearly perished again under pressure through poor batting in the first Test but were able to save the Test and then win the second Test to clinch the series and the two one-dayers. Yousaf Youhana with five fifties in Tests and one-days was the bright star and Mohammad Wasim once again was able to explore his talent with that massive 192 in the second Test. Ijaz Ahmed had started to come back in form and by the time they arrived back in South Africa, they appeared to have shoved off the jitters.

In the Triangular Series Pakistan suddenly started to show their real colours as Inzamamul Haq made a blistering century at Kimberly against Sri Lanka and Ijaz Ahmed played that belligerent innings of over fifty. But the thing which really made Pakistan look impressive was the form of Pakistan's great fast bowler Wasim Akram. Not only with the ball but also with the bat he began to shine and Pakistan started to look as threatening as ever as they won their second game against Sri Lanka. One wonders what would have happened had WAsim Akram been on this tour from the start. The story could have been a lot different. You do not discount a man of his experience and ability on suspicion alone. His omission from the team was injustified.

Nothing was ever proved against Salim Malik, neither against any other player whether in India or Pakistan. The Pakistan cricket authorities in that regard did a lot of disservice to this game by leaving him out at the beginning of the tour and thus making themselves a laughing stock of the world. His 354 wickets in One-day Internationals and as many in Test cricket is testimony enough of his commitment with the Pakistan team. He bowled superbly on the tour and batted responsibly to provide some respectability to badly denote team.

Despite the situation conjured for him by the selectors he remained calm and unshaken on the tour. He emphasised that jealousy is what made people turn against him. "I have always been clean and given my hundred per cent. Pakistan is my first love and its service is of prime importance. I do not care what people think of me, my conscience is clear and I have always put Pakistan first." He said immediately after taking his 350th one-day wicket in the Triangular Series. His tally of 15 in the one-day series at an average of 15.31 and his batting average of nearly 30.00 speaks for itself.

There was not much help for him from the rest as the team started to run out of steam and out of form. The responsibility of Pakistan's poor image, unpredictable batting, lack of discipline and unimaginative management as also the arbitrary attitude of the Pakistan Cricket Board played havoc with the players who had started to blossom into a world beating team. For this they have a lot to answer. Constant chopping and changing of the team, the captains, the management, ruined the promise and prospect for which the board must take most of the flak. The decision to ban Aamir Sohail and throw Wasim Akram out had all fallen back flat on the faces of people who were responsible for it. Both of them made their comeback despite the obstacles. But sadly no one is prepared to take the responsibility and face the consequences.

Source:: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)