The Curious Case of Pakistan Cricket Team: Part 5

Pakistan played the Asia Cup in June 2010 and did not qualify for the final. Next, was the tour to England. Pakistan faced Australia in 2 T20s (and won both) and 2 tests in England. Shahid Afridi left Test captaincy after losing the first test. Salman Butt was made captain for the second. The test series was drawn 1-1. Then Pakistan faced England for four tests. The series was lost 3-1 and everyone knows the "shenanigans" for which the tour is famous. The T20 series was lost 2-0 and the ODI series 3-0. 
Pakistan flew to Abu Dhabi to face SA. Greenshirts lost the ODI series 3-2 but surprised everyone by drawing both Tests under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq.
Pakistan travelled to New Zealand next. The T20 series was lost 2-1 but the Greenshirts showed composure and won the tests 1-0 and the ODIs 3-2. Next assignment was the World Cup 2011. Pakistan surprised everyone by qualifying for the semifinal after beating Sri Lanka, Australia and West Indies. India spoiled Pakistan's party and Greenshirts headed home after the semifinal.
Next was the tour to West Indies. Pakistan lost the only T20 but won the ODI series 3-2. The first test saw Pakistan's trademark collapse. Chasing 219, Pakistan were bundled out for 178. The second test was won by Greenshirts and series ended 1-1. Shahid Afridi had some concerns with the management and Waqar Younis and he quit captaincy after the WI series. Misbah ul Haq was made captain for all three formats.
Pakistan won all their games on the tour to Zimbabwe. Waqar quit coaching after this series.
 Next was the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE.Mohsin Khan was installed as an interim coach. Pakistan won the tests 1-0, the ODIs 4-1 and also won the only T20. Pakistan travelled to Bangladesh where they won all the games.

England came to the UAE to face the Greenshirts. They were humiliated in the test series where they had no idea where the doosra of Saeed Ajmal was spinning. Pakistan took the Test series 3-0 but the ODI series saw a total reversal and Pakistan lost 4-0. The 3 T20 series ended 2-1 to England. PCB felt Misbah was not the perfect T20 captain and Hafeez was installed as T20 captain. Dav Whatmore was made coach and Mohsin Khan was removed, although he had done wonders as coach of the team.
Pakistan went to Bangladesh to play the Asia Cup 2012. Pakistan won the final against Bangladesh (although they were beaten by India in league games).
Next was the tour to Sri Lanka. Pakistan drew the T20 series 1-1, but lost the ODIs 3-1 and the tests 1-0. Australia came to UAE in September 2012. Pakistan lost the ODI series 2-1 but won the T20s 2-1. 
Next was the ICC T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Pakistan showed impressive form by beating Australia but lost the semifinal to Sri Lanka. 
A small series was scheduled in India. Pakistan showed great skill in the entire series. Although the T20 series was 1-1, a great innings by Mohammad Hafeez was about to win it for Pakistan. The Greenshirts manhandled India in the ODIs 2-1 but it could easily have 3-0 had Pakistan's batting shown some strength in the final ODI.
The tour of SA proved horrible for Pakistan as they were whitewashed 3-0 in the tests. They won the T20 1-0 but were beaten again in the ODIs 3-2 due to lacklustre batting performances.
ICC Champions Trophy also was dreadful for Pakistan as they lost all three group games and went out of the tournament.
The tour of West Indies was beneficial as Pakistan won the ODIs 3-1 and the T20s 2-0. But the following tour of Zimbabwe was marred by poor batting of the Greenshirts. Pakistan lost an ODI in the series but won the series 2-1 to match with the T20 win of 2-0. Unfortunately, a test was also lost after a collapse and the series ended 1-1.
South Africa faced Pakistan in UAE in October 2013. Pakistan won the first test but a batting collapse meant the series was tied 1-1. The ODIs were lost 4-1 although it was closely contested. Pakistan blew off two ODIs. The first one was lost by a single run and the fourth one saw a batting collapse while cruising on 239-5 while chasing 270 odd. The T20 series was also lost 2-0.

Conclusions:

The purpose of this circumlocution was not to bore you, but to make you understand that it is not just a lack of consistency that has left Pakistan cricket in the state that it is today. 
* Pakistan have tried being consistent. First giving Waqar Younis a reign of 2 years. Then Inzimam a reign of 4 years. Shoaib Malik had a reign of almost 2 years and now Misbah has been the captain for almost 3 years in tests and 2 in ODIs. But we haven't seen huge performances from the team during these consistent eras as well. Yes, there have been strong performance like against India and England in tests, but they are soon forgotten due to poor shows in the following series.
* Changing captains does not work. From 1999 till today, Pakistan has had 13 captains. 
* It does not matter whether the coach is foreign or local. Mohsin Khan did great work with the team, something Geoff Lawson and Dav Whatmore haven't been able too. Pakistan did win under Woolmer but there are no major world events to brag about.
* Interestingly, Pakistan won the T20 World Cup under Younis Khan who was made captain just 5 months prior to the event. The coach in the series was Intikhab Alam.
* The domestic structure was changed from departments to regions in 2007 apparently after the advice given by Imran Khan to Dr. Nasim Ashraf. Cricket greats say that cricket has been effected badly by this change. I'll say, cricket wasn't touching heights before the change either.

So as I conclude, Pakistan get ready to play their 2nd ODI in South Africa. I hope they win the series.There are rumours of Waqar Younis joining the team as coach after the board fires Whatmore. But bear this in mind, changing captains, boards or coaches won't help Pakistan cricket. It will stay the way it has for the past 14 years.

The Curious Case of Pakistan Cricket Team: Part 3

We ended the last part at Pakistan's humiliating first round exit from the World Cup. So, as has been the norm, an operation clean up was undertaken and Waqar and Richard Pybus were sacked. Rashid Latif was made captain and Miandad was named coach for a third time. Senior players like Inzimam and Shahid Afridi were not included in the Cherry Blossom Cup that followed. Pakistan won the Cup after beating Zimbabwe (tournament also featured World Cup Semifinalist Sri Lanka). Next was a tri-series in Sri Lanka also involving New Zealand. Pakistan were beaten by the Blackcaps in the final. Pakistan headed to England for the Natwest Challenge which the Greenshirts lost 2-1.
In the following series, Pakistan hosted Bangladesh. Inzimam saved Pakistan from embarrassment by winning the the third test by a wicket. As if fate was on his side, Rashid Latif was banned for five ODIs for claiming a dropped catch and Inzimam was made captain (first temporarily but eventually permanently). Rashid never played a game for Pakistan again. The ODI series was whitewashed by Pakistan.
Pakistan hosted South Africa next. A closely contested ODI series was won by the Proteas 3-2 but Pakistan came back strong and won the test series 1-0 (Pakistan's first test series victory against SA).
Next NZ was mauled by Pakistan 5-0 in the ODI series in Pakistan. In the return series to NZ, Pakistan won the test series 1-0 but lost the ODI series 4-1.
Next Pakistan faced India after a long time. The ODI series was tightly contested but Pakistan lost 3-2. India went on to win the 3 test series 2-1 after lacklustre performance by Pakistan in Match 1 and 3. Miandad was removed as coach and Bob Woolmer was inducted.
Asia Cup followed in August 2004. Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka, beat India but did not qualify for the final. Pakistan faced Australia and India in the Amstelveen Cup where Pakistan beat India but were defeated in the final by the Aussies.
ICC Champions Trophy saw Pakistan beat Kenya and India to qualify for the semifinals. Inconsistency came back to haunt Pakistan during the semifinal against West Indies. The whole team was bundled out for 130 odd.
Next was Paktel Cup in Pakistan which Pakistan lost in the final to Sri Lanka. The corresponding test series was drawn 1-1. Pakistan faced India in a one-off ODI to commemorate BCCI's 75 years, and spoiled the party for Indians by winning comprehensively.
In December, Pakistan toured Australia and were drubbed 3-0 in the test series including a 491 run loss. In the VB series that followed, Pakistan grudgingly qualified for the finals, getting beaten 2-0 by Australia.
The Indian tour followed this horrendous defeat. Pakistan drew the first test match courtesy Kamran Akmal and Abdur Razzaq's famous stance at Mohali. They were not so lucky in the second test but went on to draw the series 1-1 in the third. The ODI series was a great boost for Pakistan. Greenshirts won 4-2 after losing the first two games.
The next series was in the Caribbean where Pakistan won the ODI series 3-0 but went on to lose the first test due to the same inconsistency of the batting time up. The second test was won and series drawn 1-1.
England toured Pakistan in November 2005. The English team was fresh from a great Ashes victory but were mauled 2-0 in the test series by Pakistan, only because the second test was drawn due to insufficient light. Pakistan dominated the ODI series winning it in the 4th game (3-1) but went on to lose the last game.

-- to be continued