Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha had a cheeky smile on his face when asked questions about India or the ICC ahead of the team’s opener in the T20 World Cup. Agha came well prepared, knowing very well that the questions posed to him would not be about their match against the Netherlands, which also acts as the curtain-raiser for the tournament.
Pakistan have come into the global tournament having drawn themselves into a controversy that was not meant for them. Agha, speaking at the pre-match press conference, stated multiple times that it was not nice for cricket, or the cricketers, to answer questions about politics before their game. But so eloquent and detailed were his answers to questions that were non-cricketing in nature that one wonders if Pakistan have come to play at something more than cricket.
For the uninitiated, Pakistan are set to boycott their group-stage match against India. The decision arrived barely a week before the start of the global tournament, at a point when Bangladesh had already exited the World Cup, citing security threats to their players.
Pakistan, using the garb of Bangladesh’s withdrawal, leveraged months of simmering build-up — stretching from the Champions Trophy, through the Asia Cup, and into this World Cup — to arrive at a stand that was as political as it was belated. What was framed as solidarity came with a heavy sporting cost.
By choosing not to play the match, Pakistan have put themselves in a horrible position in terms of Net Run Rate. By now, nearly everyone who follows cricket understands the arithmetic. Pakistan will have to concede their NRR for the entire game, which effectively means zero runs from their 20 overs, a self-inflicted disadvantage in a tournament where margins are already razor-thin and rain is threatening to do the rest.
At least two of their remaining games are rain-threatened, including the curtain-raiser against the Netherlands. It effectively means that Pakistan are under real threat of getting knocked out of the tournament in the group stage. But that would not be new for them, would it?
They were knocked out in the group stage of the previous World Cup as well, which propelled a massive reaction back home. And yet, without focusing on their cricket, Pakistan inexplicably have somehow found themselves embroiled in a fight that was never theirs.
“In the past two events (Champions Trophy and Asia Cup), more than cricket, we are being asked about other things, which I think is not a good thing, because we have come here as sportsmen and we come to talk about cricket and play cricket. We as a team try not to let these things affect us,” Salman Agha said on Friday, a day before the start of the tournament.
If you watch Salman Agha’s press conference, you are left wondering: is this person here to play cricket, or is he a fabled warrior trying to right some of the wrongs that have happened in the world?
“We don’t really feel hurt or anything like that,” Agha said on India not travelling to Pakistan for ICC tournaments, citing security concerns outlined by the Government of India.
“But, yeah, for the game, it is not good. I can say that with my chest open. For the game, these things obviously should not happen. And me, growing up as a kid, always have seen people doing what was required for the game to be improved. And I think by doing that, to some extent, we are role models. We don’t do that. Because if you do that, then kids are going to pick this up and tomorrow they are going to do the same things. So I think these things should not happen. Because if you think role models, I think role models don’t do this stuff,” Agha said, pinning the blame on India.
It was fairly interesting that Agha would bring in the role-model argument after Pakistan brokered a deal to play at a neutral venue until 2027.
And it is in this context of rift that Pakistan are operating at the moment. There are talking points aplenty, controversies aplenty, and they not only have to take on a tricky team in the Netherlands, but they also have to mentally fight the probability of rain.
PAK vs NED: Player in Focus
Going into the T20 World Cup, there are only two players who have created immense buzz before the tournament. The first is India opener Abhishek Sharma. The second is Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq.
The off-spinner, who bowls with a bent arm, has courted controversy, with Cameron Green alleging that the bowler chucks the ball. There has been no word from the ICC yet, but surely the officials will be keeping a close eye on him.
Agha defended the spinner vociferously, stating that Tariq should probably hang a sign around his neck saying that he has been cleared by the labs — twice.
What Do the Netherlands Offer?
The Netherlands have always been a tricky team. On their day, they have the ability to beat top teams in the world. In the 2023 World Cup, the Netherlands upset South Africa, one of the strongest teams in the tournament that year.
The problem is that the Dutch do not do it that often. And who can blame them for that?
The cricket world is built in such a way that the strong like to flaunt their clout, while the vulnerable are forced to scrape at the bottom of the barrel.
You will see that in this World Cup as well, when not many will come to watch the lesser-known teams. And that is perhaps where cricket needs to be fixed. One hopes that through upsets, these teams slowly climb up the ladder of international cricket.
Colombo Pitch and Weather Report
The first game of the T20 World Cup starts at 11 AM. The match is expected to be rain-affected in the second half, and the pitch is expected to have turn and bounce.
If there is turn, that could serve the Netherlands well, given that they cannot get into a power-hitting contest against Pakistan, who have players far better suited for that against an associate nation.
The real threat, however, will be rain. If Pakistan end up on the wrong side of the toss, it might put them in immediate trouble.
Pakistan vs Netherlands: Predicted Playing XIs
Pakistan:
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman/Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed
Netherlands:
Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (c & wk), Bas de Leede, Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Kyle Klein, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren
Pakistan vs Netherlands: Livestreaming Details
The ICC T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and the Netherlands will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network. Live streaming of the match will be available on JioHotstar.
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