Re: A "face-saving" thread
Neat discussion thus far. Every post added to the main focus of this thread. Glad to see the participation level. :-)
Stats, stats and more stats; painted a great picture, but where does it leave us in this scheme of things? Why can't we be the pioneers in the field of modern cricket rather than follow the footsteps and examples that were already created? Has it become such an impossibility for us to expect something new, something different, something that could have us recognized as a strong unit and a force to reckon with? A great chance to level the series went begging. Let's all go to Bangalore and ride in on the fact that is now brushed under the carpet, that we refuse to accept that change is a part of life. When a change is implemented, all creations do not come to a screeching halt. The decision makers have to come forward and accept the responsibility. We continued the cycle of re-inventing the wheel all over again with a face-saving draw. Pakistan lost both tests, one in results column, the other in the moral victory column. What happened on Day 5 could hardly be described as a face-saving act. It was unworthy of being slapped with a phrase of a higher magnitude. How many can put their foot down and confirm that we entered the field with a mindset that didn't have any positiveness in it. We never wanted to chase any sort of a target even if the declaration had come overnight. Such is the state of things. To top off everything, Shoaib Malik does his part of the research before the start of matches and openly admits his decision to bat or bowl first based on matches that were played at that ground years ago. Stats, the source for all things, often times does not paint that adorable of a picture.
In summarized version, we should have put up a fight. I am in complete agreeance that it was unlikely to reach it within a day's time. Nothing is impossible. At least show some morale with a stroke or two, throw your guard up. It was just so unbelievable, the way it was handled. Never once it looked like we were even putting up a fight. That is all that was asked. Apparently, the face-saving face was given a higher face value than a possibility of going for it and making a match out of it. Win or lose, had the century come under the circumstances that involved putting the pressure on the opposition, it would have counted for something. Something as in a morale booster. Sadly, it did achieve what it was designed to do; increase the number at the end of an average column.
Highly disappointed.