The year that went by was a very eventful one, even by Pakistan’s standards. For most parts the cricket team’s performance took a back seat to its off-pitch antics. It was a period when the state of affairs went from bad to worse and it seemed as if the drama would never end. It was a time when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) failed to fulfill its duties and players made senseless decisions. 2010 was a year where controversies made headlines and got the better of Pakistan cricket.
Pakistan started the year with all rounder Shoib Malik as the captain of the one day side. It was clear that he would not last in his role because he wasn’t able to lead his team to victory or elevate his own performances. The inevitable change came when Shahid Afridi was announced as the new captain. ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi led the Cornered Tigers in a winning streak at the ICC T20 World Cup where they reached the semi-finals before losing out to Australia. The Asia Cup followed where below par performances against India and Sri Lanka saw them eliminated before the finals. After that the team went to England to play a series against Australia and Afridi was confirmed as the captain in all formats of the game. Pakistan won both the T20’s under his leadership. However, his Test captaincy was short lived and he resigned after the team’s heavy defeat in the first Test match. Salman Butt was thereafter named the Test captain for the next match that Pakistan won convincingly to draw the series.
Pakistan then faced England in a Test series, two T20s and five One Day matches. The tour ended with Pakistan loosing on all fronts. Pakistan’s poor performance was overshadowed by the spot fixing scandal. The British tabloid, News of the World, leaked a controversial story that claimed that Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and the Pakistan skipper Salman Butt were allegedly involved with bookmakers in fixing some parts of the fourth Test match. The charges levied against them resulted in their immediate suspension. They were not to take part in any form of cricket until the court’s decision came out. The Pakistan team suffered as it lost three of its key players at once. The spot fixing scandal triggered a series of investigations and the drama finally came to an end on fifth Feburary, when the trio was banned for a minimum five year period.
The One Day series against South Africa further plunged Pakistan cricket into a crises when their wicket keeper Zulqarnain Haider disappeared mysteriously from Abu Dhabi. The young keeper soon arrived in England where he held a press conference to disclose his reasons for leaving. He declared that he was retiring from cricket because he was facing threats from bookies, who had earlier approached him for help in fixing outcomes of matches. The focus had once again shifted from cricket. The team meanwhile lost a well fought five match series against the Proteas.
For the New Zealand tour, Pakistan called in the services of Misbah-ul-Haq, since Salman Butt was no longer available to lead the Test team. The decision to name Misbah the captain came as a surprise but he soon proved his worth by scoring runs on a consistent basis and giving match winning performances. Pakistan won the Test series against the Black Caps and the win was considered a major coup for Misbah and his men.
The Men in Green had just tasted success but with this came a mind-numbing announcement from the PCB. The PCB announced the team for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2011 without a captain. From what followed it became clear that the board was completely clueless and they had no idea who they wanted as captain. It took a string of good performances from Afridi and a One Day series win against New Zealand to convince the selectors to go with Afridi as the captain for the mega event.
The team has gone through a lot this past year but there is hope. They have had their share of problems but this is perhaps the first time in months the team has started looking like a unit. They are also playing under a captain who seems determined to guide them to the Promised Land.
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