While many experts are criticizing Pakistan's death bowling and the bowling performance in general, I see the predicament that Pakistan is in to have generated from two basic components.
I feel that Pakistan had this coming in the wake of the constant absurdity displayed by their team selection and captaincy.
To top it all off, Kamran Akmal dropped the easiest catch he could ever made in his career off the bowling of an in form, steaming Shoaib Akhter, who now is ironically being blamed for the thrashing that Pakistan received. In terms of the selection and captaincy decisions made by Pakistan, there are a couple questions that remain.
One question has been bugging me since the start of this world cup. With the pitches turning as they are, why is a flat, quickish spinner like Abd-ur-Rehman getting selected constantly ahead of Saeed Ajmal? Ajmal is a match winner and one bad performance should never cause a team to lose trust in a match winner. Another issue that I have is Afridi's lack of assessment of a situation. He took the second slip out when Shoaib had the Kiwis in a fix and Guptil's catch went through that very region.
The worst and the most astonishing decision was to give the new ball to Rehman when one knew that Razzaq can only bowl with a new ball and is just a medium up and down bowler with an older ball. When Rehman opened the attack I instantly told an acquaintance that Razzaq would be murdered at some stage in the match.
I sympathize with Shoaib Akhtar who was absolutely unplayable in the beginning and was robbed off of Taylor's wicket by the incapable Kamran Akmal.
I fear that this performance would result in Akhtar being dropped, which is really not the right way to go. I hope that the management sees how Pakistan needs Saeed Ajmal as an integral part of the team. Kamran Akmal should be left out and Umar Akmal should keep for the rest of the cup. Asad Shafiq should get a go.
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