Dead wickets leading Pakistan cricket to death

At the end of the second day of the first Test match at Brisbane, Pakistan was at 97 runs for 8 wickets in reply to Australia’ 429 runs. Clearly, Pakistan is in deep trouble in the match and as usually Pakistani batsmen seemed incapable to bat on fast and bouncy wickets while bowlers were lacking experience to generate spark and rhythm in their bowling. The big question is why always the same happens? The answer lies in a famous quote “Man is what he eats”. And, the interpretation is what Pakistani cricketers sow on dead wickets in their domestic cricket at home cannot reap fruits on the deadly wickets abroad.

One of the best and latest examples is the recently concluded Grade 1 final of the Qaid  e Azam  Trophy -- the Pakistan premier domestic event – between WAPDA and HBL, which ended after three days of boring cricket as drawn, yet resulting in the triumph of WAPDA as the domestic champion on dubious rule of first inning lead. HBL despite giving WAPDA an almost impossible target of 444 runs to chase lost the match just because WAPDA had slender advantage of first inning lead of 42 runs. What is more noticeable, around 1200 runs scored in the match with the fall of 24 wickets. More disappointing was during the last two and half days only 4 wickets were fallen down, proving the pitch as “the graveyard of bowlers” yet again.         

It is generally happened that wickets everywhere help batsmen during first two or three days and later when the cracks developed in the pitch they begin to assist bowlers. But here in Karachi’ decisive match of the season, bowlers were helpless in the last three days and it was very depressing the way the final of our premier domestic event was concluded.  In the end, the barren National Stadium of Karachi was really in mourning on the dead cricket of Pakistan. 

 Five centuries were scored in total during the final match including two by Salman Butt in each innings and young Imam ul Haq’ 200 not out. Fakhar Zaman scored 170 while Ahmed Shahzad also scored 104 runs. While at the end of the season Kamran Akmal emerged as the leading batsman of the season with 1035 runs.

With these results and batting performances if tried and tested cricketers Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal and Ahmed Shahzad are called back in the national team, the national selection committee under their head Inzamam ul Haq will really be doing nothing but repeating, time and again, the same mistake.

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And, would the young and promising Imam ul Haq be given chance to show his potential at international cricket for his 200 not out in the final? One of my friends jokingly declared that the dead wicket in the final was deliberately made batting-friendly, only to make ease for chief selector Inzamam ul Haq’ nephew, who using this podium make his double ton as a credential to knock the door in the national team. But, I doubt in such credentials as performers on dead wickets are often proved dead fish on result-oriented tracks.    

By Naseem Rajput

naseemrajput@hotmail.com