I hate clichés. A cliché to me is like a red rag to a bull and I avoid them like the plague. The very thought makes me as sick as a parrot. However, there is one cliché relating to this World Cup that fits like a glove: Pakistan are a little unpredictable.
In this they are in the image of their captain, for Shahid Afridi is surely the most bonkers cricketing talent of recent times. When not being banned for deliberately scuffing the pitch or biting the ball he has been the catalyst for some of Pakistan’s more remarkable feats of recent years, most notably the World Twenty20 victory of 2009. As a batsman he can, when the muse is with him, destroy any attack (although he’s just as capable of getting out to a part-timer), as a bowler he can run through sides and bowl 75 mph leg breaks and as a fielder, when he is not in one of his ‘Hello clouds, hello sky’ moments, he is impressive. The question is whether he can take his team with him or if they will disintegrate in a flurry of rash strokes and comical fielding.
Misbah-ul-Haq deserves a lot of credit for the way that he pulled the team together after the spot fixing scandal and they played some decent cricket in New Zealand but concerns must surely remain about the top order batting and the penetration of the bowlers, especially the seamers. There’s a big part of me that would like to see Pakistan have a successful, scandal-free, World Cup, but there are too many flaws in their side to mount a serious challenge.
Much depends on: Umar Gul. Any side in the world would miss Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif and Pakistan’s seamers will have their work cut out to make inroads with the new ball, especially with the withdrawal of Sohail Tanvir as well. Umar Gul, though, is a handy performer and if he has a good tournament then it will dramatically improve Pakistan’s chances.
Verdict: Quarter-finals
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