Inspirational Sarfraz Ahmed drags Pakistan into the light at World Cup

Pakistan’s World Cup campaign has had the look of wild beast stuck in a river of mud; struggling to get out of it but its own weight dragging it down. Pakistan just couldn’t get out of their way with muddled selection choices, poor out cricket and the perennial handicap – batting. It needed a moment of inspiration or a million. It needed Sarfraz Ahmed. He lit a spark from the word ‘Go’. It would smolder, catch the breeze and spread through the team, and became a wildfire. Pakistan were a team transformed. He took first strike facing up to Dale Steyn. He was keen on taking sharp singles. He owned up to the job. He was going to show the way to his teammates. He was going to get it done. [caption id=“attachment_2141419” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Pakistan needed a moment of inspiration or a million. It needed Sarfraz Ahmed. AFP[/caption] The reason bandied about for the non-inclusion of Sarfraz so far in the tournament had been that he may not stand up to the scrutiny of his technique that comes with opening the batting in the conditions prevalent in New Zealand and Australia. At best, it was an excuse. At worst, it was veil to hide behind to justify the continued selection of non-performing Nasir Jamshed. How about this then for technique? As early as the fifth over of the innings, Sarfraz having gauged the pace of the wicket, stood two feet outside the crease and began to walk down the pitch to Steyn and Kyle Abbott to negate their outswingers. How about understanding the flow of the game? AB de Villiers decided to introduce part-timers to get those 10 overs out of the way. In came JP Duminy. After a quiet first over from the off spinner, Sarfraz teed off, to knock him out of the attack and in the process, pick up the scoring rate. Three sixes over deep midwicket and de Villiers went to his attack leader Steyn. Even his dismissal, completely against the run of play, came in the process of changing the mode Pakistan have been batting in this tournament. In his enthusiasm to push 1’s in to 2’s, he caught himself short – 1 run short – of a well deserved fifty. But he had showed the way how it can be done. Sarfraz’s even more significant contributions would come later in the match, with gloves in hand. An Akmal was keeping the wickets in the first four games of the tournament. All along a wicket keeper batsman was available for selection and yet, Pakistan utilized two players to fill the spot. It was the 21st over of the South African innings. South Africa were already 7 down but AB de Villiers was shifting through the gears only he possesses in the cricketing world. Wahab Riaz was in the middle of a dream spell: 5-2-15-2. AB had decided enough was enough. As if he waving a wand, he nervelessly swatted a delivery going across him to the midwicket boundary. A fired up Wahab responded in kind with a fierce bouncer that rapidly rose over de Villiers and seemed destined for the boundary and 5 wides. Sarfraz used all of his height, defying gravity, brought the orb down. Wahab would get pasted for two sixes later in the over by de Villiers and made to look ordinary – AB can do that any bowler – but the boost of confidence that the man behind the wicket is someone you can rely on, you can depend on and he will not let you down, helped raise the game of the Pakistanis in the field today. Earlier, Hashim Amla, a man who personifies calm, was blasting the bowlers all around Eden Park. The turning point came when, Wahab on the first delivery of his opening spell, had a length delivery going across Amla, kissing past the outside edge. Sarfraz dived to his right, plucked the dying ball one handed, inches off the ground. Far away, high above the ground, perched in the press box, the view was clear and the take was clean, even as the Umpires wanted to confirm it with replays. The tide turned right there. It meant AB de Villiers had to do the entire rescue job and it was only a matter of one mistake from him for Pakistan to rush to a morale-rousing victory. AB, as great as he is, almost saw it through but the spark Sarfraz had lit could not be contained. A visibly distraught and annoyed Ab de Villiers said after the game that “Pakistan wanted it (the win) more than us. I think they bowled well with a good intensity and good energy and with a good mindset, and it shows you what can be done when you do run like that.” No one personified the positive intensity and mindset for Pakistan more than Sarfraz. He did it by taking strike first ball against Steyn and bookended by taking the last offering from the South Africans, as Imran Tahir edged Wahab behind. A mighty Pakistani flame followed the Sarfraz spark. Neither AB de Villiers nor the Auckland rains could douse it. The spirit of 1992 is just about starting to manifest itself now. How far can they go?