Re: Pakistan v India - ICC WT20 2012 Super 8 Match
a great analysis by a poster on another forum...that is the kind of analysis I was talking about and one should expect when you are losing against an opponent in every high pressure environment for so many years.... and why focus on "against india" only? we have a known as poor chasers against any team, which again goes back to the same symptom... "mentally weak"....it is not just about "had he put two more slips" had he batted second"...had we done that" etc....we have lost in every possible scenario against India in every WC..so yes we should keep an eye on tactical weaknesses of the match, but we should at least admit that the root cause is somewhere else and try to address, if we can...
*"Unlike Pakistan, India has been fortunate to have had some great players of 'stature' to carry the baton forward and to mentor the mental and cricketing abilities of young players. Which is why it is crucial to let some senior 'iconic' players to continue on in the team.
Its not that the Kohlis just spring out of nowhere overnight. They are well served by observing, playing with, and sharing the dressing room with players like Sachin, Dravid, Kumble etc. That India has a more organized domestic cricket organization and infrastructure helps hone youngsters even more.
Unfortunately several of the current crop of young players of team Pakistan have not had the luxury of playing alongside Akram, Waqar, Inzi, or even Mohammed Yousuf. The Pak teams of the 70s and 80s had several iconic players to mentor youngsters coming in through the ranks. Players of 'stature' like Imran, Zaheer Abbas, Miandad, Mudassar Nazar, Wasim Bari. Wasim and Waqar learnt a lot from Imran. I remember Imran walking up to Wasim after each ball and speaking with him and showing him which way to grip the ball with respect to the seam. He did this practically after each ball Akram bowled in his initial matches.
Inzi was the last link of that great chain that dates back to the 80s and 70s. Afridi could have been another link to continue that chain. However, despite the initial promise, he has failed to live up to expectations (though most Pakistanis still consider him a legend and revere him as 'The Beast').
That leaves team Pakistan as a revolving door of ever changing captains who lead a team of several ex captains. Very rare to find a few 'iconic' players who form a stable core of this team around which to groom and crystallize the cricketing and mental strength of younger players"*
Absolutely agree with this analysis… it’s reasoning I’ve maintained for a very long time myself.
Additionally, I feel that the lack of mentorship itself is an outcome in the cause-effect chain. In my mind, the cause is attributed to the sensibilities and attitudes of players. The cause is that our team has always been ridden with divisive politics, seniority complex, and a sense of entitlement. The cause is a lack of education and literacy that leads to broad-mindedness.
This is the one big difference between Pakistan and India! The Indian team has had its own share of problems, but on the whole, it has been relatively more stable and senior players haven’t had major issues playing for and alongside junior colleagues – all the while grooming them, supporting them and mentoring them.
