Remarkable cricketing events in Pakistan

Supporters of the Pakistan men’s cricket team are well accustomed to the experience of their team turning a winning position into a loss. The three-match Test series in Pakistan with England that ended last Tuesday has provided yet another one of those experiences. England’s preparedness to tour was in stark contrast to September 2021, when the English Cricket Board pulled both men’s and women’s team out of short tours, citing security concerns.

These days the ECB has different management, as does the England team, along with a different attitude. Additionally, the COVID-induced bubbles which the teams had to inhibit have gone, although safety issues still necessitate heavy security for the teams in Pakistan. Since England’s new order was installed, performance on the field has improved dramatically. Having won only one Test out of seventeen between mid-February 2021 and end of March 2022, it has now won nine out 10 between early June 2022 and Dec. 20, 2022.

All of this is in addition to winning the T20 World Cup in Australia last month. This turnaround has been achieved with many of the same playing personnel who were involved in the previous slump. Cricket, as with many sports, is a matter of confidence, of management picking and backing those who they believe have the necessary combination of talent and attitude, allowing them to play without fear of failure, taking the game to the opposition.

This approach often makes the difference in tight situations, as exemplified in Pakistan. In the first Test, in Rawalpindi, the wicket was lifeless. It is not the first time that this has been the case. The International Cricket Council’s match referee has ruled that Pakistan will receive two demerit points for the inferior