Pakistan finished the 2023 World Cup in fifth place, just outside of the knockout qualification spots. Despite some positive performances, their campaign was marred by on and off field issues which culminated in a below-par tournament. Here’s a rundown of where it went wrong.
Opening partnership problems
Fakhar Zaman was under pressure at the start of the tournament after a series of poor results. Although he had not been over 50 since April, he had a difficult season in the Asian Cup. He has been Pakistan’s top scorer in recent years, but his 12 points in the opening game against the Netherlands was enough for him to be sent off and replaced by Abdullah Shafiq. However, due to Imam-ul-Haq’s inconsistent form, Pakistan had to further postpone their opening three matches until well beyond the World Cup.
Fakhar’s brilliant century against New Zealand showed that he still had the necessary power, but it came too late for the tournament in Pakistan. Pakistan’s opening partnership scored the fourth most points as a team in the group stage, well ahead of New Zealand and South Africa, but these scoring percentages were the second lowest of all teams’ opening partnerships. .
The struggle for stability and the lack of power behind their highest ranks has increased pressure on the increasingly unpredictable middle ranks.
Babar-Rizwan middle-order dependency
Despite scoring 450 runs, Babar has not been able to provide the kind of movement that Pakistan needed in this World Cup. The instability in the pecking order under him and Mohammad Rizwan has made their performance even more difficult. This weight was doubled on him due to the slowness and inconsistency of the top order.
A significant correlation can be established between matches won by Pakistan and matches in which at least either Babar or Rizwan scored. Pakistan’s average score in the group stage from 5th to 9th place is 23.72 points, which ranks seventh compared to other teams in the World Cup. Babar Rizwan’s engine room has long held Pakistan’s middle class back, but the World Cup has proved to be a bridge too far, requiring groups rather than individuals.
Spin issues
In this World Cup, no Pakistan spinner has taken more than four wickets. This is a dire situation for subcontinental teams in the subcontinental tournament. The cause of the problem was Shadab Khan’s poor performance in the first half of the season, forcing them to rely on all-round players who can make better use of their bats in the lower middle order. As a result, neither job ultimately performed well. Spin has always been the key to success in this World Cup, and the fact that there were no players who could reliably be used as an attacking option in this regard was a fundamental flaw in Pakistan’s campaign.
Middle-over mediocrity
Haris Rauf was selected ahead of the tournament as part of Pakistan’s formidable pace attack looking to make a big impression. However, at the end of the tournament, he instead set an unwanted record for the most runs conceded by a bowler in a single tournament in the history of the tournament.
Pakistan will be hoping Rauf will step up as soon as the first big shot hits the first hard volley. He keeps the pressure on throughout the innings. However, despite taking 16 wickets in this competition, his high spending meant that Pakistan were constantly seeking control. Injuries to Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi kept them out of their prime, putting extra pressure on Rauf, but his role was their biggest flaw in the Sea Bowling attack.
Off-field commentary
Everything about Pakistan’s election campaign was made worse by the constant noise surrounding us from our homes. Once the results started rolling in, Babar was followed by a constant cloud of criticism, leaving the team to constantly defend themselves from the constant stream of quotes.
While some of the criticism leveled at them was valid, it only worsened the players’ decision-making on the pitch. Ramiz Raja admitted that when he spoke to Babar before Pakistan’s final, he looked “depressed”. If the captain isn’t exhausted enough from the World Cup failure, constant criticism and a chaotic off-field environment will make it nearly impossible to turn the campaign around.
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