Pakistan continue to stretch the limits of unpredictability in this World Cup.
After losing to India and the West Indies, and managing an unimpressive win against Zimbabwe, the Pakistani campaign seemed to be in complete disarray.
Despite a 129-run victory margin over part-time UAE cricketers, a lot was left to be desired from the 1992 world champions.
All this changed in Auckland when Pakistan beat one of the favourites, South Africa.
On a ground smaller than some of smallest club grounds in Australia, the South Africans were expected to chase down 233 runs in 30 overs of less, but the Pakistani bowlers put on a fine fast bowling display for which the mighty South African batting line up had no answers.
Equipped with arguably the best fast bowling attack in this tournament, Pakistan has brought in a new keeper, Sarfraz Ahmed, who can actually keep wickets very well and is an aggressive opening batsman – two issues Pakistan always struggled with.
A hard-fought, bowling-led victory against a top team, a fearless opening batsman now at their disposal and improved fielding and catching are more than enough to excite a cricket-crazy nation like Pakistan.
Pakistan’s next game is at the Adelaide oval against Ireland, and it’s a hard game to predict given the inconsistent performances from Pakistan and rather consistent approach from the Irish. If Irish luck or Pakistani inconsistency does not affect the result, Pakistan could very well be playing their quarter-final against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, which will be their third game at the venue this World Cup.
How far Pakistan go in this tournament will largely depend upon which grounds and opponents come their way as they progress further into the finals. For Pakistan to strengthen their campaign, the batsmen need to catch up quickly to rest of the world. It almost feels like they are playing in some other tournament from another era when compared to the likes of Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers. Their bowling is certainly capable of defending small scores, but bowlers alone will not win every game.
One thing we can be certain of is that the Pakistan team will continue to add plenty of excitement, entertainment, and diversity of perspective and skills to this World Cup.
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