Some heads are sure to roll now

Now that India has won both the series in Pakistan, some heads are sure to roll acorss the border. That’s what has always happened in P...

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Now that India has won both the series in Pakistan, some heads are sure to roll acorss the border. That’s what has always happened in Pakistan cricket whenever they have gone through a rough patch and this time might be no different, coach Javed Miandad leading the pack of likely contenders.

Miandad might well be the first to go. It was very surprising to see Javed so quiet after the Rawalpindi Test. Not like him at all. But what could he really have done if his players don’t listen to him and play the way they want?

These Pakistani youngsters look absolutely raw and look like they have just sprouted from the Pakistani farms. They continue committing the same mistakes over and over again.

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There is no denying the fact that the Pakistan team is in the process of rebuilding at the moment. They are feeling the absence of stalwarts like Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, et al, who have all just retired from international cricket.

They also had the misfortune of having injuries chasing their bowlers like Umar Gul, Shabbir and Shoaib Akhtar.

But the biggest problem was that their three youngsters at the top of the batting order just didn’t seem to have it in them to fire. Farhat, Taufeeq Umar and Hameed kept chasing deliveries outside off from Indian bowlers who used the Pakistan conditions well, bowling the right length and line. They were much better than their Pakistani counterparts who were supposed to be superior.

Also, the Pakistanis seemed to reply on one or two players all the time. Shoaib while bowling and Inzamam and Youhana while batting.

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Unlike the Indians, who have a solid batting line-up where someone or the other was always around to step in and do the job. And with Balaji and Pathan doing their job so brilliantly, the bowling was also superior to the Pakistanis.

And wasn’t I fortunate to witness the win at Rawalpindi. This was my second visit to Pakistan, the first in 1976 when I went there as captain of a Rest of the World side. There seems to be a sea change in the attitudes of the people there. Almost none of the people I met seemed to resent the fact that India had won.

I got the feeling that the people in Pakistan are tired. They are tired of the political situation in their country vis-a-vis India and they are tired of the treatment they receive at the hands of the world.

Also, I think they realise that to develop as a nation, they need to be on friendly terms with India. And irrespective of why it has happened, the important thing is that the countries have come closer together with this tour and that has to be the most important thing.