Image Credit- ICC
Pakistan’s coach, Mickey Arthur, advised the PCB to
avoid “witch-hunts” following their heartbreaking one-wicket loss to
South Africa, blaming his team’s inability to put together the “perfect
game” for their World Cup problems.
Pakistan suffered their fourth straight loss, their
worst run in World Cup history, thanks to a last-wicket stand between Keshav
Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi. But compared to their previous game in Chennai last
week against Afghanistan, and even their seven-wicket defeat to India in
Ahmedabad two weeks prior, it was a far more energetic display.
Pakistan is still in the running to make it to the
semifinals despite the loss. But it appears like their campaign’s post-mortem
is already under way.
Following Afghanistan’s defeat, the PCB released a
press statement in which it said that “the board would make decisions in
the best interests of Pakistan cricket based on the team’s performances in the
World Cup” and addressed “the media scrutiny directed at captain
Babar Azam and the team management.”
Speaking after the South Africa loss, however, Arthur
replied: “They’re going to be blaming everybody, don’t worry. It’s just
the way of the world.
“It’s really unfair to start a witch-hunt,
certainly on Babar Azam, on Inzi [chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq], on our
coaches, on the management team,” he added. “What I do know is the
boys have tried and the effort of the coaching staff, the effort of the players
has been first-class. If they would see that the amount of effort that the
players and staff put in, they would be amazed.”
That effort was evident in the last moments of the
match in Chepauk, which was by far the most exciting World Cup finish this
year. Pakistan took five wickets for 54 in 12.3 overs after posting a
competitive but below-par mark of 271, leaving South Africa struggling at 260
for 9, until they laboured their way over the line with 16 balls remaining.
“Tonight, I thought was our best bowling
performance of the competition,” Arthur said. “I thought we bowled
really well, but I still thought we were under-par in terms of the runs that we
had. We haven’t put the perfect game together yet. It hasn’t been for lack of
effort, hasn’t been for lack of trying, but we just haven’t got enough players
in form at the minute, particularly with the bat.
“Tonight is a totally different feeling in that
dressing-room to the Afghanistan game,” he added, after their eight-wicket
loss at the same venue on Monday. “The Afghanistan game, we were average
in all departments. Tonight, we were okay with the bat, I thought we were very
good with the ball. And tonight, I’m really proud of those [players] because
they fought right to the bitter end.”