RAWALPINDI: There was a sad irony to this, although it wasn’t a surprise. It had rained through the night and then it became torrential as soon as the Pakistan cricket team reached the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Pakistan’s much-anticipated Champions Trophy campaign, that had dampened expectations and crushed hopes, ended in a washout.
As a result, Pakistan finished an embarrassing last in Group ‘A’ below Bangladesh who attained a better net run-rate of -0.443 in the event compared to hosts’ -1.087.
Some fans had still braved the rain and turned up at the venue, hoping to see some action; the rebirth or “coming back in life” as Pakistan head coach Aqib Javed had put it on Wednesday. Umpires Adrian Holdstock and Michael Gough came to the outfield, attempting a pitch inspection as the drizzle died out. But it came back and the toss was delayed.
As it went beyond the official start time, spinner Abrar Ahmed took a stroll around the park, meeting former pacer Wahab Riaz on the boundary rope at the Far End. Under the dark, gloomy sky, they shared a light moment before Abrar returned to take cover in the dressing room as the intensity of the downpour increased.
The standstill brought forth by the rain offered a chance to reflect on what could’ve been. The Champions Trophy is the first International Cricket Council tournament on Pakistani soil in 29 years, but the hosts suffered a premature ouster following back-to-back losses against New Zealand and India. The match against Bangladesh was a chance to salvage some pride.
“We haven’t played well in this tournament,” Pakistan assistant coach Azhar Mahmood told the official broadcaster. “We have played good cricket in this format,” he added, referring to Pakistan’s recent series wins in South Africa and Australia. “…but in the tournament it has not gone well because of injuries [to openers Saim Ayub and then Fakhar Zaman].”
Azhar, though, was hopeful that Pakistan can turn the page. “We know where we need to improve. It is all about adapting and taking responsibility. We haven’t played well in ICC tournaments the last few times,” the former all-rounder said, referring to the failed campaigns at the 2023 ODI World Cup and last year’s T20 World Cup. “It has been shocking for us.”
The Rawalpindi-born Azhar, who has one of the two hospitality boxes at the Pindi Stadium named after him, said the players needed to be backed for a longer time for them to give better performances. Pakistan’s team selection for the tournament had come under heavy fire.
“It is not ideal; the chopping and changing that has happened,” he said. “We need to trust. If you give anyone a chance, give them for six to eight months, and you will get results … whoever that might be. Here, you have two bad games and people are asking for players to be dropped. You can take six months to identify talent, but you need to stick with it.”
Azhar was hoping for some action but pouring again, and with puddles all across the outfield, it was apparent that there was no chance of that happening. The official announcement on the abandonment came at 3:30pm, a grim end to a dismal campaign completed; Pakistan finishing bottom of the group with a point but no consolation win.
“We wanted to do well and perform well in front of our nation,” Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said after the match was abandoned. “The expectations were high but we didn’t perform well and it is disappointing for us. We will work harder and come back stronger.”
There was, once again, emphasis on Pakistan learning from their mistakes and rectifying them during their upcoming tour of England. Amid rumours of discord with Aqib, Rizwan reiterated what the head coach had said a day earlier. “As a captain, you don’t want injuries like we had but it should be no excuse,” he said.
Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2025
