Ex- PCB Chairman Slams Pakistan's Bowling Before Champions Trophy

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Ramiz Raja, was left disappointed recently after Pakistan lost the opening match of the ODI tri-nation series against New Zealand in Lahore. The 78-run loss exposed a lot of concerns for the Pakistan team, particularly their bowling.

The game in Lahore was crucial for both the teams as they were looking to get an idea of each other before the Champions Trophy, scheduled to start on February 19, 2025. The Pakistani team, with star pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, got a chance to hone their strategies and prove their worth ahead of the big international encounter. Not so for the Green Shihadis, though.

New Zealand batted first and managed to put up a massive total of 330/6 in their allotted 50 overs. However, Pakistan bowlers restricted the Kiwis to 39/2, and the game drifted out of their hands at the end. New Zealand's lower order, spearheaded by Glenn Phillips, turned the table with an explosive performance. Phillips remained not out at 106, scoring his last 77 runs in just 32 balls, tearing apart the Pakistani bowling attack in the last overs.

Ramiz Raja, visibly disappointed with the team's performance, expressed his concern regarding Pakistan's bowlers, especially in conditions that favored batting. He condemned that not much difference was present in variety or accuracy on the part of Pakistani batting as went over the last overs where New Zealand capitalized by taking advantage of deliveries slowing up along with un-hitting marks and commented further stating, "It felt like New Zealand was the home team. They looked fitter, adapted better to conditions, and were clearer regarding what their role inside the game.". They did everything right, whilst we went all over the place.

At first, Pakistan appeared to be in full control of the game, especially when they had ball in hand, but things began to slip in towards the latter half of New Zealand's innings. Daryl Mitchell batted steadily for 81 runs and anchored this inning and laid down the platform for the destructive late onslaught by Phillips. This gave him a tremendous aggressive approach towards the last six overs and brought quite a lot of damage for Pakistan's bowlers, as they could not contain him in any way.

Phillips just exploded with firework when he smashed Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah into the stands. Afridi did take most of the brunt. In the 48th over, Phillips gave it a thumping six directly to deep midwicket. He then forgot caution and crunched another very bold shot in fine leg. And the final over was probably the most ruthless of all bowled by Afridi. It was in this over that he smashed five boundaries alone, fetching him 25 runs off mere six balls. This late surge took New Zealand to a total of 330, which was too much for Pakistan to handle.

After the match, Ramiz Raja further cast doubts over Pakistan's chances of overtopping the world's best in the Champions Trophy. "Can this Pakistan team take 10 wickets on batting-friendly tracks in the Champions Trophy?" he questioned. He further ridiculed the bowlers, saying they were not even able to execute the basics, such as executing slower balls correctly.

The Pakistani attack, led by Afridi and Naseem, has been one of the country's greatest strengths. But in this game, the Pakistani attack of Afridi and Naseem could not do their job at the right time. Afridi had taken three wickets and given away 88 runs in his 10 over spell; and though Naseem Shah is a big potential player, he was wicket-less giving away 70 runs. It was their failure to close the innings and stop New Zealand from unleashing its batting arsenal that sealed the deal.

As the series progresses toward the Champions Trophy, these worries are likely to plague the coaching staff and the fans. The general feeling in Ramiz's comments is of a concern for Pakistan's preparedness for the tournament. With so much talk about their fast bowling, the Pakistan team is going to need to do better in terms of execution and being flexible in really tough batting situations if they have any hope to compete with the best teams of the world.

The loss against New Zealand now serves as an eye-opener for Pakistan, which will contest the Champions Trophy. Where the batting will be not subjected to much inquiry during this game, it's their bowlers turn to respond at crucial junctures now. A line up as glamourous as that of Pakistan's will have to analyze its vulnerable spots before Pakistan takes on harder and tougher tasks from here onward. The hour glass is already passing by with clock ticks which they should bring a changeover without suffering one more debacle of world cricket grounds.