Asia Cup is the perfect opportunity for the Pakistani Cricket Team to restore its lost reputation.
Pakistani Cricket has fallen from grace in the past couple of years, and the Asia Cup presents them with the perfect opportunity to restore their image as a great cricketing nation and to win back fans who have lost faith in the team.
Pakistan cricket has disappointed its fans several times in the past, but those teams had one thing which fans used to celebrate, and that was their fighting spirit. But they have failed repeatedly and there seems to be no end in sight.
Crushing blows in the past two years
Pakistan cricket was faring a bit better till 2022. Then came the most disappointing performances in World Cup 2023/24, where they could only manage four wins in 9 matches and couldn’t make it to the semi-finals. But the lowest of lows for them in the tournament was their defeat to Afghanistan.
It was followed by another disastrous performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. They couldn’t even chase a modest total of 120 against their arch-rivals, India. The most shocking moment in Pakistan’s cricket history after their defeat to Ireland in the 2007 World Cup was their loss to the United States in this tournament.
The batting was so poor throughout the campaign that the two matches they won against minnows Canada and Ireland, they took the chases into the 18th and 19th overs, respectively. Because of these strings of poor performances, they couldn’t even qualify for the super-eights. Pakistan cricket lost a lot of fans after this poor outing.
Champions Trophy 2025
Pakistan got the bragging rights for hosting the Champions Trophy 2025. Although India’s denial to travel to Pakistan created lots of hurdles for the PCB, they still had a lot to prove as a cricketing nation. Since the cricketing world closed its doors on Pakistan in 2009 after the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team, the Champions Trophy was supposed to bring a new dawn, and the Pakistani Team had to grab this opportunity with both hands.
A lot was at stake, and the performance from the team playing in its home condition proved a final nail in the coffin for the fans who were still attached to them. They not only lost to India but also couldn’t manage a single win in the tournament and ended up in last position in the points table.
New management and their first major victory
Since then, PCB has seen a string of changes in the coaching staff, team captains and the playing squads. Babar and Rizwan, once considered the backbone of the Pakistani team, also got dropped from the T20I team. They brought in new faces, but they also couldn’t provide satisfactory results. They even lost a T20I series to Bangladesh and an ODI series to the West Indies.
The recently held Tri-Series against Afghanistan and UAE gave them the opportunity to find some form, and despite some slight hiccups, they managed to win the tournament under the leadership of Salman Ali Agha. There were promising performances and some poor ones but they got the job done.
All eyes are on the Asia Cup
If Pakistan is to perform well in the Asia Cup, they will have to take confidence from the Tri-Series victory, but they will also have to sort out the misfiring links. They must remember that they will be up against much better teams like Sri Lanka and India, who have been winning every Asia Cup since Pakistan’s last victory in 2012.
They need to perform much better than they did in the Tri-Series. For example, the top three batters Saim-Farhan-Fakhar have failed to give the team a solid start. They must balance between attack and defence to give the team a brisk start in the powerplay without throwing away their wickets like they did previously.
The middle order is in tatters as well. The weakest link in the team is Muhammad Haris, who only scored 35 runs in the whole series. It would be better if he were dropped because he seems to be going nowhere with his current form. Or if he is there in the team, they could play him at the number 3 position, because that will suit him.
But the current batting lineup and the batting order do not give much confidence. The lower order of Faheem Ashraf and Muhammad Nawaz has bailed Pakistan out in the Tri-Series, and they cannot depend on them to do the same in every match. Batters need to pull up their socks; otherwise, they will crumble like a house of cards against better bowling lineups.
Pakistan’s bowling is getting much better with each match. Shaheen Shah Afridi has started showing shades of his older self. He must strike in the powerplay to set the tune for other bowlers to come and make an impact. Haris Rauf needs to work on his bowling because he has been really expensive lately.
The best thing about the current team is its spin department, where they have a lot of variety at their disposal. Muhammad Nawaz has perhaps been in the form of his life. His hat-trick in the final against Afghanistan was the match-winning moment. Sufyan Muqim has also been good since his arrival in the team. So Pakistan should take confidence from their performance in the Tri-Series.
The conditions will play a crucial role, and since Pakistan already has a number of matches under its belt here, it should be easy to adapt. If they are to perform well, they have to play a fearless brand of cricket.
Concluding remarks
Pakistani fans had lost interest in their team after so many heartbreaks, but the recent Tri-Series win has got their hopes up, and they have started believing in the team again. They don’t yearn for the team to win the tournament; all they want is a fight. So the players should leave it all there on the field and should play with confidence.
Sometimes it’s not about winning, it’s about fighting. And that Pakistani fans are hoping for. And if they put on a proper fight, there is no doubt that they can beat the best of the best on their day. Let’s hope the dreams and hopes of the Pakistani fans are not shattered again!
