Catches win matches

At some point you have to stop feeling sorry for Pakistan. Like South Africa who always choke whenever they are on the verge of greatness, Pakistan never give themselves a chance just when you expect something reasonably rational from them.


After India, if there is a team that I can't resist watching, its Pakistan. When the West Indies were at their peak I was incapable of appreciating the cricket they played. With Pakistan, the connection was instant. Their cricket is all heart, unfinished, un-coached in a western sense and un-apologetically individualistic. They defy all conventional wisdom and embrace homegrown insight, without getting preachy about it. Their ways to victory have always been distinct from the rest and their approach to the crafts of batting and bowling is most traditional. Steady batting and wicket taking bowlers.

For a while now they had been good enough to cover for their only weakness; fielding. Pakistan have never been a great fielding side. They never had to. Sprawling on the ground to save a few dozen runs is beneath their style of cricket. Prevention has been their preferred choice. Why put your fielders in a position to dive, when you can just get the bloody batsman out. For Pakistan, this style has worked well for decades but yesterday at Mohali, their catching cost them a place in the world cup final against a team they beat comfortably in the league phases.

The game was more one-sided than the 29 run margin suggests and the blame for that should go to the dropped catches.

To me when India lost 9/29 against South Africa, it highlighted how good a team India are to take a game to the final over in spite of the monumental collapse. Pakistan dropped 4 Sachin Tendulkar catches. It highlights how good their bowling is. Good enough to have Sachin Tendulkar 85 / 4

While batting, Misbah played the kind of an innings Javed Miandad would whole heartedly endorse. Problem was he did not have any believers in his approach. All Pakistan needed to do to make a match of the semi finals was to hold on to their catches and bat around Misbah. Instead they gave Sachin 4 lives, viewed Misbah's innings as a liability and completely lost the plot and the World Cup