Champions Trophy debacle: quiet introspection can be really valuable

A wave of gloom pervades across the country following Pakistan’s ouster from the ongoing Champions Trophy tournament. In other words, an air of melancholy has surrounded all of us.

Whatever the interim head coach and the de facto chief selector Aqib Javed told the media persons yesterday is nothing but an attempt aimed at adding insult to injury.

According to him, for example, Pakistan lost to India in particular because of lack of experience. In order to advance his argument, he produced some statistics, drawing a comparison between the experience prowess of India and Pakistan.

It is true that India’s team is the most experienced as they have played almost 1500 games together while Pakistan’s on the bottom, with less than 400 games.

What is also true is his remark that Babar Azam is only one in the Pakistan side who has played more than 100 games, followed by Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi, while the rest have played less than 30 games.

But the question is who is responsible for fielding a seemingly inexperienced and beleaguered side in the tournament? Was the management not fully aware of the possible upsides and downsides of players before announcing the team for this prestigious tournament?

Why didn’t the chief selector, the head coach and, above all, Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) take into consideration the real value of experienced players who motivate their junior team-mates to fight all out against a mighty or formidable opponent such as India.

Quiet introspection can be really valuable. But we, the hosts of the Champions Trophy, seem to have chosen to analyze our historic humiliation without taking stock of the situation in an objective manner. Interim Pakistan team coach’s remarks say it all.

Saleem Shehzad (Karachi)

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