Pakistan and the fear of being too perfect too soon

In life, there are times where you feel everything will be alright. All things attempted yield the desired outcome.

Whatever challenge comes up, you are ready and equipped to handle it. And whatever may lie in the future, seems just another task – such is the confidence, such is the belief that you are well-prepared.

That happens in sport too. Sometimes, a team gets so used to playing with each other and has so many bases covered, that everything seems to come easy, irrespective of the opposition they are facing.

But as is the way in this world, there is an antithesis to that too, albeit one that is found sparingly. A side, blessed with immense talent and one that can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the world, is almost afraid of peaking too early because a bad display is then never too far away.

Pakistan is that team. And while those within the side might not exactly harbour those thoughts, their fans may do, and that is part of what makes them box-office, and makes them an outfit like no other.

Pakistan entered the Asia Cup as one of the favourites

Pakistan arrived at this Asia Cup riding a massive wave of optimism. A 3-0 thrashing of Afghanistan on Sri Lankan shores was viewed as the perfect preparation for the continental showpiece event.

Their pacers were purring. Batters were churning out runs, and they looked a team that knew what they were doing. More importantly, they seemed a side that knew what to do when their primary plan did not work – such was the meticulousness of preparation.

The first match against Nepal was routine. The washed-out contest against India was encouraging. The victory over Bangladesh clinical. But then, they were demolished by Rohit Sharma’s men – a defeat that has since thrown Pakistan cricket into crisis and caused a meltdown among their faithful.

It was, in many ways, a day (or two days) they could have done without, yet, a sequence they cannot really do without either.

Cast your mind back to 2017 and the Champions Trophy. Pakistan were not considered one of the favourites. They were pummelled by India early in the tournament, and they were in a proper crisis thereafter.

Defying all odds, under the stewardship of Sarfaraz Ahmed, they reached the final. Not only did they reach the final, they gave India a hiding, capping off a fairy tale that the next generation (and the one after that) will probably be told about.

If you go all the way back to 1992, the story was not very dissimilar. Pakistan looked out of sorts at the beginning. The start also included a defeat to India and as usually happens, it led to a ton of introspection (or finger-pointing). By the time that tournament ended, Pakistan were the best team in the world, led by an inspirational skipper and powered by players that would go on to become household names.

The 2021 and 2022 editions of the T20 World Cup also told a congruent story. While they did not quite win the entire thing, their run to the semi-final and final, respectively, stood out, just because of what they overcame.

In 2022, they were stunned by Virat Kohli and India at the MCG. They then lost a game to Zimbabwe that they most definitely should have won (and we are not even getting into the comical Mr. Bean derby ramifications that followed).

Their group-stage campaign finished with them praying for a Dutch win over South Africa, and that is exactly what happened (hello, Qudrat ka Nizam). Pakistan contested the final against England, even as India boarded the flight out of Adelaide many Indian fans had said Pakistan would jump on a lot earlier.

2021 was slightly different for there was enormous turmoil off the field prior to the tournament. Matters on the field were not very rosy either. But when the competition started, they breezed through the group stages, which included an unbelievable 10-wicket win over India and Pakistan not losing a single game.

Because Babar Azam's troops were so spotless, the blot arrived just when they did not want it to, culminating in a semi-final defeat to Australia, where the Men In Green dropped catches, batted a little sluggishly and bowled waywardly – in short, everything they had not done in any of the group games.

That, in a nutshell, tells you why Pakistan needed that drubbing against India.

Imagine this. Pakistan rocking up at this Asia Cup, trampling India not once, not twice but thrice. Batters scoring runs for fun. The pace-bowling troika doing what they do best. No injuries, no setbacks and the quiet confidence that they can beat anyone and everyone, and do so on a scale of consistency never seen before.

The No.1 ranking would have then made sense. The allegations that they have not played any high-quality opposition to have attained that pedestal, baseless. A utopian scenario and the best-possible outcome for a team that promises to take Pakistan to where they once were.

But it would have also felt…….wrong and unlike Pakistan, no?

That might seem absurd. For most teams, it will be ludicrous to think along these lines. But this is Pakistan. And nothing can ever be straightforward with them.

It was not that way at the 2017 Champions Trophy, the 2021 T20 World Cup or the 2022 iteration of that competition. Even their 1992 World Cup triumph was a classic underdog story. Down, in the dumps after the first few games but atop the pile when it really mattered.

Of course, this is not saying that Pakistan will win the World Cup this year. Or that they will make the final of the Asia Cup (and possibly win it).

Had they not been defeated (read annihilated) by India, though, everything would have almost seemed too perfect (just like the 2021 T20 World Cup), and they would have run the risk of turning in a catastrophic display just when it would have hurt them most.

Now that they have been chastened, that risk may have been eliminated and normalcy to this extraordinarily eccentric side may have returned. Maybe, that is how they want it to be. Maybe that is what brings the best out of them. And that is definitely why you never want to take your eyes off them.