Is this Rebirth of Pakistan cricket?

Is this Rebirth of Pakistan cricket?: Erratic and often unpredictable, has been the similar old age story of the Pakistani cricket for decades. If you talk about a country blessed with dominion pool of prodigal talents then Pakistani team is second to none. But, yet even after possession of such endowments, the fickle performances of the team has characterized much of its time than anything else. Recently, when after 9 years, Pakistan tasted success in ODI cricket series on the Sri Lankan soil after their commanding Test glories in the last few years, the heart of Pakistani fans took a U- turn from the state of overriding fitfulness to somewhat steadiness in the face of Azhar Ali.

When the World Cup 2015 concluded, and two burly pillars of Pakistani ODI side Misbah-Ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi stepped aside, the going was meant to be even more dreadful. Now, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was in spot of bother to select the ODI Captain, the post which has always categorized controversies and politics than anything else after the era of Imran Khan. Azhar Ali was given this demanding task of ODI captaincy, some people raised their eyebrows in shock while some could sense the calming effect that Azhar Ali could bring into the otherwise volatile side.

In the first series under Azhar Ali and after World Cup, the Pakistani team was a bunch of youngsters lacking experience and when they took on Bangladesh at their home turf, the Bangla tigers roared to an easy series victory against Pakistan. Now, even the ICC Champions trophy qualification looked dreadful. But, this time around the PCB and team management looked unruffled which was very unlike the PCB and team management which we know as they keep on chopping and changing their side in short duration of time.

But, it was the series against Zimbabwe that changed it all. Pakistan was hosting its first series in Pakistan after the Lahore 2009 attack on Sri Lankan team. Pakistan won the series comfortably but it was always meant to be a cakewalk. But, there were some greater challenges lying for the duo of Azhar and Waqar. The act of establishing strong bonds and feeling of oneness among the youth and seniors of the team was that unconquered front in which the Pakistanis didn’t succeed for years. But, that series promised a lot as now the seniors like Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik were complimenting and gelling well with the juniors in the team which might have been the magic of the motherland or else the zeal of the players to finally take their cricket in the right direction. But, whatever it was the team was molding into a close bunch of guys.

When Pakistan faced Sri Lankans at their den, we could finally observe some positive effects from the previous series, as now it was not the clash of egos between the players like the earlier times but rather collective efforts of the team which earned them a rare test series victory over Sri Lanka. There we witnessed how the younger crop of players like Wahab Riaz, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Asad Shafiq and Shan Masood took the imperative roles in the side while the likes of Younus Khan, Misbah and Azhar Ali were always performing excellently while guiding the team which was really magnificent keeping in view the spirit of the team.

When the ODI series commenced, the arduous challenge for Pakistan was to seal the berth in ICC Champions trophy as a series loss might have well ruled out their entry into the event as qualification in the tournament is pre-determined by the rankings of the teams 18 months before the commencement of the ICC Champion trophy 2017.

Azhar Ali set the tone for the team not only with the willow in hand but also by marshaling his team resources to the very best. Now, we can finally see how the spirit of team has risen from the gloomy phase of thwart to that where the sense of belonging is tangible in their body language. Now, the unreliable young players are milking the path of evenness and from Ahmed Shehzad to Anwar Ali that was ever so visible. When, Shehzad missed his ton by 5 runs, the team balcony looked as dismayed as if they had lost. That spirit said it all and is a testimony of the success that Azhar and Waqar have tasted in binding the team.

Now, that Pakistan has sealed a berth in the ICC Champions Trophy. They have won the series against Sri Lanka and are looking a very firm as a side. When breathtaking talents meets uniformity, it ignites even more menacing wound on the face of the opponent.

Although, it would be too early and hard to say a lot but now the Pakistani team certainly looks to be on the right path under the cool persona of Azhar Ali. The phase after the World Cup 2015 was never meant to be a honeymoon period but since then they have gone strength to strength which is a fascinating sight for Pakistan fans. We would have to wait and watch how the team marches ahead in the times to come but the first step certainly seems stout and resilient. Let’s see whether the characteristic fickleness in the team retain its roots or the combination of Azhar-Waqar can continue watering the saplings until they start reaping giant fruits for the team.