New Zealand‘s emphatic 61-run win against T20 World Cup hosts Sri Lanka on Wednesday in Colombo further dented Pakistan‘s chances of reaching the semifinals. With a solitary win and a point from the washed-out game against Pakistan, New Zealand sit second in the Super 8 Group 2 table with a superior net run rate of (+) 3.05. Pakistan, who lost their previous match against England, are placed third, with their fate hinging on other results apart from securing a win against Sri Lanka in their final game.
Amid the mounting pressure, legendary spinner Saqlain Mushtaq spun a bizarre theory on the Pakistani show Tapmad, leaving fellow panellists Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul and Sana Mir in splits.
Reflecting on Sri Lanka’s defeat and how it pushed Pakistan to the brink of elimination, Mushtaq launched into a rambling explanation of the kinds of teams that flourish in sport and stressed the importance of a strong administrative structure to drive change and build a winning side.
“There are four types of individuals and organisations present. Pehla, jo hai akalmand aur dileri (First, who is intelligent and brave). The higher the level of intelligence, the braver one will be. That means, the more you become aware of the conditions and the situation and gain more knowledge… they will rise to the top. Look at the England team, then New Zealand and South Africa. They were intelligent and played bravely. Number 2 pe hai kam akalmand aur kam dileri (less intelligent and slightly less brave). Number three, buzdil aur thoda aur kam akalmand (cowardly and less intelligent). And finally, number four, buzdil aur bewakoof (cowardly and stupid).
To rise to the top, you need to gain knowledge, which will give you belief and make you proactive and brave. And only a good system can make a team intelligent and brave. If you ask a bowler from our team, they will show the field position and tell you how they will bowl. That is an uneducated approach. But if you ask the other type of bowlers, they will do complete research and then tell you how they will start and finish the over with a full analysis of the opposition. To make our team stronger, we have to build that system,” he said.
Hafeez, Gul and Mir, all of whom were on the same panel, struggled to contain their laughter. Hafeez then interrupted Mushtaq to ask, “Which category do we fall under?” Gul and Mir echoed the question, before Hafeez quipped, “I gave our team 10th position.”
Pakistan’s semifinal hopes now hinge on the New Zealand-England clash. If the 2022 champions , already through to the semis , beat the Black Caps, Pakistan will need a comprehensive win over Sri Lanka to stay alive in the race.
