Pakistan are CT Champions!

Congratulations to Pakistan for lulling everyone into a false sense of security with that embarrassment at Edgbaston two weeks ago before trouncing England and now India to claim their first Champions Trophy and first ODI crown since Imran’s men held aloft the World Cup 25 years ago.

After that Group B defeat to India, coach Micky Arthur described it as “a reality check of where we are in ODIs”. Seeing as Pakistan were ranked eighth entering the competition, this seemed an appropriate response. So how did his charges transform so quickly from no-hopers into irresistible champions?

I suspect the answer is not a simple one; a mix of good fortune, hard work, strategy and brilliant individual performances when it mattered. The India opener excepted, Pakistan’s strength lay with their seam bowlers. The strategy of softening up the opposition with Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan, entice them with the spinners then – POW! – introduce Hasan Ali and bring back the opening pair. Crucial spells did for South Africa and Sri Lanka then in the Cardiff semi, everyone played their part in a game few expected them to win.

The England engine room of big hitters failed miserably to attack the Pakistan bowlers of all speeds. Yet again it was Hasan who stole the show with three wickets but the team’s major improvement was in their batting. Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman shared a century partnership before Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez finished the job in style, defying the country’s reputation for failed run chases.

Once India had made similarly short work of Bangladesh the following day, the assumption was that Pakistan’s renaissance would come unstuck against Kohli and co in the final. Surely the Indian batting would be too strong even for a full-strength Pakistani pace attack?

The India skipper has been condemned for winning the toss and inserting Pakistan. However, it’s not such a stupid decision when there are himself, Sharma, Dhawan, Yuvraj, Dhoni et al to charge towards any target. Where it began to look fragile was when newbie Fakhar followed his two 50s with a maiden ODI century. Hafeez demonstrated his ability not only to plod in Tests but also to strike sixes and suddenly they were 338-4. No probs. All week, counties were knocking up scores of 350+ in the Royal London Cup so why not India?

Amir took the new ball and trapped Sharma plumb third ball. His tail up, he continued to bowl superbly, ably assisted by Junaid, and India’s famed batting order was in tatters. The top five were all back in the pavilion with just 54 on the board and this time Sarfraz would not let his side’s collective boot off the Indian neck. Pandya showed some aggression and singlehandedly kept India in the hunt for three quarters of an hour. However, a farcical run-out mess with Jadeja left the tail exposed and that man Hasan Ali did the rest.

The 180-run victory margin was by far the biggest for a side batting first in an ICC one-day final and high on the list for any global competition fixture against a Test-playing nation. Hasan was named the Player of the Tournament, surely a no-brainer. He took the most wickets (13), had the best average (14.69) and the meanest economy rate (4.29). His youth (just 23) and inexperience were further demonstrated by the necessity of using an interpreter for the post-match interview. Ludicrously it was a one-sided translation so only Urdu speakers were able to understand his answers! Hopefully we’ll hear, as well as see a lot more of him in the future.

So are Pakistan now a global force once more, even without the retired Younis and Misbah? The CT triumph will undoubtedly boost the confidence of the team, the management and the PCA. New players have come through fro the discredited domestic cricket set-up. And yet the latter’s consistent cock-up tendencies will probably not disappear overnight.

And India? Well, their strength in depth is undimmed. Even if MS Dhoni calls it a day, Kohli leads a formidable squad and they must remain the side to beat when the World Cup comes along in 2019. England will also be hoping to shrug off the Cardiff debacle, and become champions for the first time ever.

Team of the Tournament:-

Tamim Iqbal (Ban), Dhawan (Ind), Kohli (Ind), Root (Eng), Williamson (NZ), Shakib (Ban), Sarfraz (Pak + *), Plunkett (Eng), Junaid Khan (Pak), Hasan Ali (Pak), Hazlewood (Aus)

India's CT win - a view from the stands

The Champions Trophy has to me been another example of a superfluous tournament, draining the cricketing calendar of spare dates and domestic cricket of the big names. However, with my new home town of Cardiff hosting five of the 2013 tournament's fixtures, I made sure I secured a couple of tickets. As a result I was privileged to have been present at today's opener. Block 29, Row E didn't offer the greatest view ever but good enough to appreciate batting, fielding and bowling of the highest order.

With at least 95% of the spectators supporting India, the atmosphere was amazing, with some dazzling costumes and dodgy drunken dancing and chanting. Once the sun broke through and the cool breeze died down in the afternoon, the weather played its part, too, and the SWALEC-cum-Cardif Wales Stadium looked a picture. The opening ceremony was hardly up to Olympic standards but the local schoolchildren did a grand job with the giant flags, Only Men Aloud did their Welsh vocal heritage proud and the drummers provided rhythm, as they did throughout the match, even if the pseudo Guardsman uniform didn't seem appropriate somehow!

Once South Africa won the toss and Morne Morkel took the ball it became apparent that Dale Steyn had not recovered from injury. Already lacking Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, India must have been favourites. However, Morkel's short-pitched deliveries were troubling openers Dhawan and Sharma and it was a slow start. However, once the big man gave way to Ryan McLaren, the Indian duo began to play their shots and the run rate built steadily. Before we knew it, the century stand was achieved and first Rohit, then Shikhar reached their 50s.

McLaren made the breakthrough in the 22nd over, but the left-right patrnership of Dhawan and Virat Kohli, so revered by the spectators, continued to make life difficult for seamers and spinners alike. The former stroked some delightful boundaries while Kohli picked up the ones and twos with practised ease. However, 210-1 became 260-5, and Jadeja was accompanying skipper MS Dhoni at the crease. There were more strokes to admire, the orthodox and the more creative, and Tsotsobe and Kleinveldt were carted all over the ground. AB De Villiers was as athletic as ever, but the outfielding was looking particularly tired in the latter stages as India closed the innings on 331-7.

The crowd were rejoicing, already satisfied that the game was theirs. That feeling was reinforced as first Ingram, then the dangerous Amla fell cheaply with the score on 31. However, in contrast to the Indian innings, they set off like a train before it later came off the rails. The stadium atmosphere started to fade and the exuberant optimism waned once De Villiers and Robin Petersen stabilised things and really punished Yadav, Kumar and Ishant Sharma. With the likes of Kohli, Raina and Jadeja patrolling the covers, the Indian fielding was always going to be top-notch but when Petersen was run out for 68, it owed more to farcical running than an expert pick-iup and throw from Jadeja.

Indeed, although AB seemed to be cruising for his 70, the mid-innings collapse smacked of irresponsibility. South Africa were ahead of the required run rate so why did they throw their wickets away. One fan behind me found the dismissals so suspicious he spent the rest of the game telling anyone who'd listen that the match was rigged: "You have not been watching a genuine game of cricket, my friend... the ICC must investigate it for irregular betting...." Well, I sincerely hope this allegation was borne of a little too much beer and brandy rather than clear insight into the twilight world of Asian bookies. De Villiers was out to a mistimed hook, Miller's run out for a duck was a terrible shambles, Duminy was trapped LBW to Jadeja's spin while Du Plessis was caught in the deep. The spin trio of Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina had slowed the run rate significantly and, while McLaren whirled the bat defiantly, the tail was unable to wag. Poor Morkel came out at eleven but, having retired mid-over earlier in the day, he could barely run. Almost all singles were declined, but even McLaren had no chance of scoring 70-odd in boundaries. He was entirely responsible for getting the Saffers past 300 but the game had long passed them by.

So, apart from the handful of SA supporters and the over-suspicious chap in Row F, it turned out to be a highly entertaining start to the Champions Trophy. Maybe it has finally won me over. I have a semi-fnal ticket so I look forward to enjoying more of the same, whoever qualifies to play at Cardiff in two weeks' time. India v England has a certain ring to it, perhaps...