Pakistan head coach Grant Bradburn lamented that his team doesn’t always get to play the top teams, especially India, between ICC events. Bradburn was responding to a question on the eve of the Bangladesh clash about the fortunes of his team that has plumetted in the last month when they’ve gone from being the top-ranked ODI team to now needing something short of a miracle to make the final four of the ongoing World Cup.
Bradburn refuted the assertion that Pakistan had been ‘favourites’ to win this competition at any stage and stated the ICC rankings were misleading. “Look I’m not sure where you get favourites from because there are 10 teams in this tournament, there’s 150 cricketers who are the best on the planet,” he said on Monday (October 30). “In terms of the ICC rankings, we know they are skewed because we don’t get to play India, we don’t get to play a lot of the top nations who haven’t been to Pakistan of late.
“We were No. 5 in April, we became No. 1 recently before the tournament, and that might be where you term the phrase favourites. But we’re realistic. We have not been the best in the world as yet, so which highlights where we are in this tournament right now. We have no divine right to beat anyone in this tournament. We have to play quality cricket, and we have to put all three departments of our game together.”
Pakistan played only seven completed ODIs against the ‘Big Three’ of India, England and Australia between the two World Cups, the same number as Bangladesh. Only Zimbabwe, Netherlands, Ireland and Nepal have played in fewer games. Babar Azam’s team also has the obvious disadvantage of not playing the IPL and while Bradburn denied feeling the team isolated, he did cede that there is an obvious unfamiliarity with conditions across different grounds in India, including in Kolkata where they play their next game.
“No, we don’t feel isolated or intimidated by that,” Bradburn said. “Mickey [Arthur] and I, when we took over this team in April, six months ago, we recognised that the team was playing a gear or two below where we wanted the team to be playing in terms of the brand, because we know the brand of cricket that is winning against quality teams is a more dynamic brand than perhaps, we were playing. So, we set a new course in April this year. [link Aayush Bradburn interview]
“So, it hasn’t been a big lead-in to this major tournament for us. Ideally preparation for a tournament like this starts four years ago. We started six months ago and changed direction in the way that we want to play the game of cricket , especially the one-day brand. We’ve shown some positive signs of that over the last six months, and as I’ve mentioned, during this tournament, we’re very proud of some of the performances that we’ve put on the park.
“It’s taking a little bit longer than we were hoping, but we want to play a dynamic brand that matches the challenge of the conditions we’re playing in. So, this tournament is foreign condition for us. None of our players have played here before. Every venue is a new one, including this one. So, we’ve done our homework meticulously on our opposition, on our venues that we’re playing at, and we’re prepared very, very well for each and every encounter. But the reality is that each and every venue is a new one for us and we don’t feel disadvantaged at all in terms of the knowledge, the quality, the skill, the backing that we have for this team of cricketers.”
Among the challenges posed by the conditions is the absence of swing for the fast bowlers, a traditional strength of the side. Among the venues, only Dharamsala, Delhi and Lucknow have been conducive in terms of either swing or seam, but Pakistan haven’t played in either of those venues. “So, you know, we’re learning that on the fly as well so therefore our lines have been different that we’ve been bowling and we haven’t put enough balls in good areas really to create the pressure that we want and to take the wickets,” Bradburn said.
“Look, we haven’t got on a roll in this tournament, and we understand that it’s fine lines here in Indian conditions,” Bradburn said. “And particularly, I would say, with our bowlers, we’re renowned for having a fantastic group of fast bowlers, both here and at home. We have a great resource of fast-bowling talent in Pakistan. We do rely on swing, but we haven’t experienced too much swing here. The balls are different. The conditions are different, and certainly the ball tends to wear a lot quicker here.”
Bradburn however stated that the team was unwilling to throw in the towel despite their unenviable position in the qualification race. “We are desperate to bring joy to our nation. We are desperate to make our nation very proud of this cricket team. And we are also realistic in the knowledge that we haven’t put all departments of our game together over the last four games but four losses does not define who we are as players, as coaches or a team, So we’re determined now to focus on what we can control and that is putting our best on the park in these last three games and then leaving that to fate as – to determine the remainder of the tournament for Pakistan.”
