So what is wrong with team Pakistan? A look at the possible causes of Pakistan's continuous one day international defeats.
I wrote a similar post in another thread before the warm-up loss against Afghanistan.
Pakistan have gotten used to defeats as if losing means nothing of any significance for them or of any consequence what so ever.
Pakistan's lack luster performance indicates deeper team selection and mis-management issues that have plagued Pakistan since Inzimam took over as chief selector but more so after he settled and worked out a mutually beneficial working relation with Coach Mickey Arthur where both overlook each others personal likes and dislikes instead of giving preference to merit and performance.
The pair of Inzi and Mickey have managed to sideline an already accommodating Captain Sarfaraz and reduced his say in final team selection and even playing eleven.
The results have been compromised performances due to nepotism from Inzi in the form of ImamulHaq and chopping and changing the bowling attack from Micky as he liked it or disliked as in the case of mostly ousted Wahab (who had to be included in WorldCup squad afterall as Mickey failed to find his replacement.)
Pakistan's bowling attack has been left in tatters by constant chopping and changing when it used to be formidable as recent as Champions trophy.
The recent run of defeats too are due to the duo of Inzimam and Mickey who "rested" the main players for recent Australia series in UAE and made the worst capain in recent PSL, Shoaib Malik, as captain while "resting" Sarfaraz with others who were not too happy about it.
The other players who were supposedly rested for Australia series as in Shadab, preferred to play domestic club cricket, proving the forced "rest" was a stupid concoction between Inzimam and Micky Arthur.
So all the chopping and changing in the team in the name of resting - personal likes and dislikes - has been detrimental as the team has forgotten its winning ways and gotten used to getting defeated.
Another aspect of the duo of Inzimam and Micky getting things wrong is not playing the most talented and century upon century scoring batsman for the last couple of years in not only domestic but in A matches as well. So let's talk about the most key exclusion and biggest mistake in team selection.
The duo of Inzi and Mickey took the prolific domestic performer batsman Abid Ali, who also scored centuries against a strong England A side, along to UAE but did not play him in any match untill the last ODI and that too because of Mother Nature as ImamulHaq got fever and couldn't play.
Abid Ali proved his capabilities and the obnoxious mis-management of coach and selectors by scoring a flawless and big Hundred on debue but it was the last match.
Again, during recent series in England, Abid Ali was sitting on the bench and was not included in any playing eleven until just the last match, in which he looked good facing the best English bowling attack but was unfortunately given out LBW when the ball was going down leg but only grazing the legstump by a hair's width and that meant the Umpirs decision still was given out. Hard luck for Abid Ali but team management and Selectors got the excuse to kick him out of the team on just one unproven performance and marginal dismissal.
Abid Ali has proved in the past , during A side tour last year in UAE that he could easily manage short pitch bowling of English as well as recently payed against Australian fast bowlers...that he was at complete ease while dispatching bouncers, hooking and pulling the short pitched stuff out of the park.
How Inzi and Mickey managed to kick Abid Ali out of the worldcup squad when he is possibly the best batsman along with Baber Azam against short pitched stuff and a prolific century maker who should have been in the team instead of underperforming Haris Sohail or Imad Wasim, both of whom have been found to be visibly ununcomfortable and fall victims against bouncers and short pitched deliveries.
The bowling attack has been reduced to nothing significant to write home about either due to constant chopping and changing as mentioned earlier. The compromised management and compromised selection has all but destroyed the lethal and wining combination of Champions Trophy. It looks a daunting task for the players to get back to their wining ways.
Lets see if our players get the better of their imposing bosses off the field and make a miraculous turn around possible against the odds and get back to their wining ways.
@Proudpakistaniguy @WAJsal @Hiraa @Salza @litman @niaz