By Syed Talat Hussain
Our T-20 loss to England should be an eye opener for all those managing cricket in Pakistan. The defeat comes at the heels of a devastating beating in the one-day series. Together, the two have almost drowned the glorious performance of the same squad in the test-matches where England got the white-wash.
This see-saw in our cricketing fortunes reflects on the legendary uncertainties of our on-field conduct. We show matchless brilliance and dismal failures in the same tournament and therefore have earned the unfortunate epithet of being the most maverick team in the world.
However, the redeeming feature is that the team did not fail completely and it did seem to give its best even in the matches we lost. But the succession of defeats has created an impression that we have learnt nothing from our unpredictable past and the team is the same old squad that can dip and soar in one go.
This impression is unfair to the vast new talent in the team. We need to keep our criticism balanced and not neglect our recent string of successes. There is much room for improvement and decisions about Misbahul Haq and Shahid Afridi need to be taken in the context of their dwindling abilities. But not all is lost.
Our cricket is getting into a stride. Let us work hard and keep the columns of our success long and failures short. We know we can do it because we have done it by beating England in the test matches. Hard work and focus is the answer to our disappointments, not national mourning and endless criticism.
