Pakistan’s resurgence in Test Arena
The moment Abdur Rehman scalped Monty Panesar leg before on Day 4 of the third Test against England in Dubai, there was a sense of disbelief. Disbelief amongst the players themselves, the cricketing legends and the cricket fans, especially Pakistanis. Yes, their team had achieved something incredible, a 3-0 series whitewash of the No.1 side in Tests, their consecutive and that too in a resounding manner.
Disbelief? Yes, because the same team was at its lowest ebb and down in the dumps two years ago going through a horrendous phase. The terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan side in Lahore made sure that they did not have any home advantage going further; Pakistan’s very own poster boy, Shahid Afridi, relinquished Test captaincy owing to poor form in the longest format; the new captain Salman Butt along with two of the finest talents, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, was jailed on charges of match fixing which brought disgrace to an already grief-stricken country.
Pakistan’s Performance in 2010 in Tests
The year 2010 saw them lose six of the 10 Test matches played, including two series losses against England (1-3) and Australia (0-2) away. They won just two matches through the year and the after-effects of the turmoil were clearly visible.
After Salman Butt’s ouster, Misbah-ul-Haq was named the captain of the Test team ahead of senior stalwart Younus Khan. Many eyebrows were raised regarding his selection. But Pakistan started off well under his leadership as they drew a tough Test series (0-0) against South Africa at their new found surrogate home, the UAE, in November 2010. A high scoring series saw their batting line-up put up a brave fight against a mighty South African pace attack.
Pakistan’s Performance in 2011 in Tests
A confident Pakistan side started 2011 with a bang as they won their first Test series in four years, beating New Zealand 1-0 (away) in the two-Test series. They thumped them by 10 wickets in the first Test and did exceedingly well to draw the second. Their next stop was West Indies where they hit back hard to draw the two-match series after being 1-0 down. They won the second Test in grand style by 196 runs.
The following win in the one-off Test in Zimbabwe saw the birth of two exciting pace talents in Aizaz Cheema, who took 8 wickets in the match, and Junaid Khan, who impressed with his immaculate line and length.
They carried their sumptuous form in the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE as they defeated the Lions 1-0 in the three-match series and then finished off the year in style with a 2-0 whitewash of the Bangladeshi Tigers, battering them by an innings and 184 runs, and by seven wickets in the two respective matches away. The year 2011 was prolific for the Asian side as they won six out of their 10 matches and lost just one. Being the second best team after England, winning four out of five series was a huge achievement for this newly transformed side. Two Pakistan bowlers were in the top five wicket takers list of 2011; Saeed Ajmal topped the list with 50 wickets, while Abdur Rehman was the fifth with 36 wickets.
Performances of top teams in the year 2011
The resurrection was finally complete as they recently whitewashed the No. 1 side, England, 3-0 in the UAE.
With an astute captain in Misbah, upcoming youngsters like Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal and prodigious talents like Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez in their ranks, Pakistan’s future is secure. The resurgence has indeed applied a much needed healing touch to their open wounds.
