The defending champions and hosts Pakistan stand at the brink of being eliminated from the Champions Trophy after being beaten by India. The former spinner Danish Kaneria suggested that PCB should take measures that would be stricter, like India post the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series loss, to get the results desired.
Pakistan lost the tournament opener to New Zealand by 60 runs in Karachi and were beaten by old rivals India in their second game, with still no points to show after just one game is left. A slender hope remains for the hosts at the Champions Trophy now, who can progress to the semifinals depending solely on the results of others.
Following Pakistan’s loss to India, Kaneria said that the PCB needs to ask its players to stay away from distractions and concentrate on their game improvement.
“I just hope PCB does not make the blunder that was made in Lahore when India’s national anthem was mistakenly played (during the Australia vs England match),” Kaneriya told IANS.
“The PCB’s task is to give strict commands that they should focus on cricketing improvement and keep all distractions away.”
It should give a year’s time frame to the selectors, coach, and captain, stating: “We need results.” If they don’t do it in a year, they must step down themselves. We need a stricter approach. Friendship and camaraderie are not going to work here.
“They have almost been eliminated from the tournament now, so their focus will be on ensuring that everything goes with the conduct of the tournament. It would be really interesting to see that Pakistan is hosting the tournament, and the final has India and New Zealand in a face-off in Dubai,” Kaneria expressed.
Another stipulation mentioned was that Pakistan requires a fast-bowling all-rounder like Hardik Pandya and efficient left-arm spinners. The manner Kuldeep Yadav got Salman Agha out using a deceptive googly emphasizes the need for such spinners.
“I think Pakistan needs two strong all-rounders. A fast-bowling all-rounder like Hardik Pandya, and they also need some good left-arm spinners. Kuldeep Yadav’s dismissal of Salman Agha, which he didn’t even recognize was a googly, really puts into focus just how important good spinners are,” he added.
Pressure must now be put on PCB contacting Mohammad Rizwan and telling the authorities what they intend to do about the future of the skipper as well as how long their intentions are before they bring in younger players.
“The PCB has to be stringent. India too set parameters after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the players performed. The PCB has to adopt the same format which would involve decisions on tactics and the selection committee. They will need to be blunt with Rizwan about his role as captain-how long they will continue with him in that capacity. They will also need to establish a clear picture of Babar Azam’s role and discuss it openly with him,” he said.
Continuing, the tests where the time should be put into address if Rizwan was not comfortable as captain as this could affect his performance. In that vein, I think the next person to be considered should be Fakhar Zaman. There are myriad decisions PCB has to make for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.”
Pakistan will keep a close watch on Monday’s match, as they will be hoping Bangladesh defeats New Zealand, thus remaining contestable in their Group A for another handful of days. Otherwise, it will be New Zealand who will qualify for the semi-finals along with India.
Kaneria added to the home fans’ endorsement by saying: If there’s a Champions Trophy match in Pakistan and the team is already out, what is the point for people to spend money to view a match?
“Besides, the stadium was hardly gathering many fans. With Pakistan no longer in the tournament, the fans will feel that our team is not playing and it’ll be better if they stay and watch the match at home.”
The Champions Trophy host now returns to home ground, back from Dubai, to prepare for the Thursday clash with Bangladesh.
