KARACHI, JAN 20 (DNA) – Euphoria is one hell of a drug. It sweeps over large groups of people in one fell swoop, completely and utterly trapping them in the moment. All those who have experienced euphoria will tell you that in that very moment, it is the only thing that matters. Not the past, not the future. Nothing. As a nation, we were swept away by such euphoria by the Champions Trophy.
How could we have not? Sarfraz Ahmed was so inexperienced. Hasan Ali was so young. Fakhar Zaman was so wild. Muhammad Amir was so fired up. Virat Kohli and India were so helpless. Someone called it the work of angels. It was all so perfect.
As a nation we spent hours looking at clips of Muhammad Amir getting the better of Kohli twice in two balls. “Pakistan cricket at its very best. One minute down, next minute up,” proclaimed Nasser Hussain as the Men in Green celebrated and the Indian skipper slowly removed the gloves off arguably the greatest pair of hands the game has ever seen.
It was entertaining. It was exhilarating. It was euphoric. And so it made us forget.
It made us forget that Pakistan went into that tournament as the lowest ranked team for a reason. It made us forget the frailties of Pakistan’s batting line-up. It made us forget the profligacy of their fielders. It made us forget about the inconsistency of their bowlers. It made us forget about the limitations of their captain.
And then along came New Zealand. Or rather we went to them. Euphoric lambs to the slaughter. Sri Lanka had been kind enough to prolong the euphoria by letting the Men in Green walk all over them. New Zealand had no such plans.
All those problems that the euphoria had masked came rushing back. Hafeez’s ban has once again produced a conundrum that no one seems to know the answer to; what exactly is Pakistan’s best combination without the reliably and more-than-handy off-spinner?
Sarfraz is still one of the worst, if not the worst, wicketkeeper at the highest level. Technically questionable yet highly effective Fakhar is the team’s only opener who would even be considered for a spot in any of the teams Pakistan consider their rivals. There is only so much Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik can do and only so long that their form will last.
