Pakistan exposed for a lack of senior players

Pakistan cricket is an exact mirror of Pakistan as a country: inconsistent, unstable, unpredictable and chaotic. The result in this World Cup might have saddened many around the country but it reflects the reality of what the country is all about.

There is a huge cricketing infrastructure in Pakistan. It is the world's second-largest cricket playing nation with no dearth of potential cricketers in the country with an annual budget of at least Rs. 4 billion (US$40 million) but at the world level they are no more than a semi-finalist team anymore. On paper Pakistan arguably had one of the weakest teams that had ever played in the World Cup. They crashed out in the knockout stage losing to Australia by six wickets.

Pakistan began with a nerve-wracking defeat to India by 76 runs, followed by a humiliating 150-run loss against West Indies. A close fight with Zimbabwe helped them to regain confidence and they then bounced back hard to rip through South Africa with a powerful victory. The momentum and Jazba, as written by Hassan Cheema, was back with Pakistan winning four out of six group matches to finish third in the table.

Pakistan remained baffled in picking their best XI as they played with at least one weak link in their combination in all seven matches. They persisted with Nasir Jamshed and Younis Khan for some time; disregarded specialist legspinner Yasir Shah; Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shahzad suffered from fluctuating form; Mohammad Irfan was mismanaged and Shahid Afridi underperformed. Those were the points of concern.

Afridi's blaring career came to an end silently. Throughout the tournament, he never came close to performing to his potential. On the contrary, Misbah-ul-Haq, also retired from ODI cricket, finished with Pakistan's highest batting average in the tournament and 3003 ODI runs to become Pakistan's second-most successful ODI captain after Imran Khan.

Pakistan never came close to a World Cup challenge. They could have crashed out way earlier in the group stage as they lost their first two matches comprehensively and nearly lost their way against Zimbabwe as well. Misbah's men were worn out by losing to arch rivals India, then came the Moin Khan casino controversy, speculation of a personality clash between coach Waqar Younis and Sarfraz Ahmed, selection dilemma, and excessive criticism - in short, Pakistan crumbled under pressure.

But Pakistan roared back strongly through their bowlers - one of few positives throughout the event. They stood tall with a remarkable victory against South Africa. They might have stalled to just 222 batting first in 46.4 overs - but then came one of the intense shows by Pakistan bowlers in Auckland that actually lived up to the World Cup billing. Pakistan ripped though South Africa's strongest batting line-up to quash all the negative vibes. That was the contest that blew fresh life into their campaign and lifted the doleful persona of Pakistan cricket.

1-4 is a football score line - it should not be the score of a top order. Pakistan were, though, when their top order was blown away by West Indies' bowlers - which was the lowest score by any team for the loss of four batsmen. Pakistan lost the match by 150 runs, which is the largest in an ODI at the hands of West Indies.

Apart from the batting concerns, each dismal result exposed Pakistan's fielding limitations as well. They dropped 12 catches in seven matches with five in one game against West Indies. The very good work by the bowlers was somehow spoiled by the lack of support by the fielders.

Wahab Riaz and Sarfraz Ahmed are two positives Pakistan can carry over after the World Cup.

They persisted with giving Umar Akmal the additional job of keeping. He dropped on average of one catch per match as a keeper. Sarfraz was eventually forced to return as the very last resort, which paid off timely. He not only kept flawlessly, taking six catches, but also contributed with a vital 49 runs to help Pakistan regain much-needed confidence against South Africa. He later notched a century - the first for a Pakistan wicketkeeper in a World Cup.

Sarfraz might have boosted his career but it was Wahab Riaz who inspired a generation with a passionate bowling spell in the quarter-final - one that will stay with the Australians for a long time.

The batting was once again predictably unpredictable. But the Pakistan bowlers enhanced their reputation throughout the tournament. Whoever made it into the squad lived up to the expectation. Pakistan were supposedly playing with their second-string fast bowlers but the lot managed to stun the world with the most exciting spells in the World Cup. A furious spell from Wahab Riaz to Shane Watson on Friday is something that satisfied the glory of Pakistan pace bowling.

The word "talented" to describe Ahmed Shahzad and Umar Akmal has proved to be an overrated word. Their selection arguably was flawed as Pakistan in the entire World Cup campaign hardly played a settled XI and had more liabilities in their batting line-up. They were exposed for not having enough senior players. With Misbah and Afridi now retired from ODI cricket, it leaves a big challenge to find the right man at the helm of the young and inexperienced team.