Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal was forced to withdraw from next year's ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia after failing to rectify his bowling action in time. The 37-year-old made his decision in front of the Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday, but will his absence hinder Pakistan's prospects at cricket's showpiece event down-under?
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Our #360debate today is: Can Pakistan win the World Cup without Saeed Ajmal?
Ajit Vijaykumar, Sub Editor, says YES
Admittedly, Pakistan are not exactly the favourites to win the World Cup in February Down Under.
There are many things going against them. Their captain Misbah-ul Haq has not been in the best of forms in limited overs cricket and there is a quiet struggle going on for the leadership role, with Shahid Afridi also eyeing that post.
The batsmen have been inconsistent in coloured clothing and their efforts against New Zealand in the UAE, where they lost the five-match series 3-2, didn’t inspire a lot of confidence.
Their bowling has been hampered by the ban on spinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez and with the former pulling out of the World Cup, many are fearing Pakistan’s chances have extinguished with it as well.
However, it’s in adverse situations like these that a mercurial team like Pakistan can be at their most dangerous. They do have a few factors going in their favour. They have some excellent batsmen in peak form, with the likes of Ahmed Shehzad and newcomer Haris Sohail finding form.
The way Younis Khan plundered the runs in Tests against Australia and New Zealand shows he is in peak form and can turn up the heat in coloured clothing as well.
Afridi has always been reliable with the ball and he has suddenly hit a purple patch with the bat. His novel plan of batting with earplugs on has worked wonders for him, fetching him two half centuries and a 49 against the Kiwis.
And Pakistan have no dearth of very quick and efficient fast bowlers. Left arm pacers Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir can expect to trouble the best in the world in helpful conditions and should be eager to bowl Down Under.
One must also not forget that the favourites don’t always lift the world title. The 1992, 1996 and 1999 editions all saw teams who were not expected to triumph take home the spoils.
So even though Pakistan’s spin threat has been nullified to a great extent, they have enough firepower to genuinely go for glory. Whether they have the belief is another matter.
Jaideep Marar, Assistant Editor, says NO
Pakistan only had a 10 per cent chance of winning the upcoming World Cup and now that Saeed Ajmal has withdrawn from the tournament it has been reduced to eight per cent. It is a harsh assessment allright but their recent displays prove that they are way behind in the list of contenders.
Their current ODI ranking of seven is an apt indicator where they stand as their win percentage in 2014 is a lowly 37.5. Compare that to the year’s showings of other heavyweights – World Cup hosts Australia (72.22) and New Zealand (63.33), defending champions India (63.04), South Africa (66.66) and Sri Lanka (62.50) – and you get a fair picture of what they will be up against Down Under. Worse, they have just two victories from their last 10 one-dayers, that too in sub-continent conditions that suit them the best.
Only England (nine wins from 25 ODIs) have fared more badly in 2014 amongst the top Test nations. But unlike Pakistan, England have a solid squad in place suited for the conditions in Australia and New Zealand.
With a new captain in Eoin Morgan, they have it in them to challenge the best and are potential dark horses of the tournament.
On current form, Pakistan have a mountain to climb. They are struggling to put together their best line-up at the World Cup. Their strongest suit, bowling, has been laid low with injuries and suspensions while their batting doesn’t inspire confidence. Highly inconsistent displays is another cause for concern. They might create an odd upset but to do it consistently is beyond them.
Ajmal’s return would not have changed the situation and neither does his absence. The star off-spinner’s effectiveness with a new action was not a surety which means he would have played purely on reputation. To do that in a World Cup is a risky proposition and Ajmal needs to be lauded for his decision to pull out from the tournament.
The good thing is that Pakistan know what to expect without Ajmal as they have played their last 12 games without him. But it has not been easy as they have won just three games since. Such is their state of affairs that World Cup glory is a distant dream.
