“Happy families are all alike; Every unhappy family grieves in its own way.”
This is how Leo Tolstoy opened his classic novel Anna Karenina, published in 1878.
This is also a way to watch the final of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2021.
The two teams reaching the finals got there by equal margins, chasing challenging totals with one remaining when all hope was extinguished at some point in their pursuit.
However, the losing teams lost very differently.
England piled their team with batsmen, left themselves vulnerable when it came to bowling death, relying heavily on analytics and match-ups, allowing New Zealand to take the game deep and end it. allowed to do so.
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Pakistan had the bowling resources to put them to work at the business end, positioned them sub-optimally, holding Shaheen Shah Afridi until the 19th over, when victory was at snuff, prompting Australia’s batsmen to pick them up. Gave the permission to. Had he bowled the 18th over instead, when 37 were needed from three overs, his one tight over – after his brilliant opening act – could have pushed Australia to the brink of desperation.
There was, of course, a dropped catch by Hasan Ali from Matthew Wade, who hit three sixes to end the game, but at the other end was Marcus Stoinis, growing in confidence and largely unconcerned was playing cricket.
The fact was that Pakistan had almost completely set up the game in the first half.
His blueprint is based on Babar Azam, one of the game’s finest batsmen across all formats, working closely with Mohammad Rizwan, who has become a beast in white-ball batting.
They start slowly, but the whole point of their approach is ensuring that a platform is created, allowing others to make the most of it when the opportunity presents itself.
It was no different that day. Except, almost no one knew that Rizwan was approaching the final of a two-day stay in the hospital’s intensive care unit for severe chest congestion. He even captured the field, it was an act of bravery.
At the top of the order, he was his usual combative self, and the way he picks up fast bowlers at the off-stump and hits them for sixes at square-leg is as much a work of art as Azam’s immortal cover drive.
Rizwan’s bravery – and it is real, not the fictional cricket type – ensured that he got a 67 out of 52.
But, in the knock-out matches of global tournaments, it is the glory that comes of its own.
Zaman’s left-handed approach to hitting is so unconventional that it is difficult for teams to set him on the field. And, when he engages his fast hands, the bat speed he generates ensures that hits that can just overtake the infield scream at the ropes.
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Zaman’s innings of 55 off 32 balls took Pakistan to 176, a score that ultimately proved not enough, but was only the latest example of him rising for a big opportunity.
In the semi-finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy, he scored 57 runs in a match where Pakistan chased down 212 to defeat England.
In the final of the same tournament, Zaman broke a pitch-perfect 114, taking Pakistan to 338 for 4 before India crashed out and were all out for 158.
Zaman once again proved that he is a big match player, Shadab Khan, bowling legspin in the rich Pakistani tradition but doing so with originality proved to be another great force.
In Twenty20 cricket you have four overs to bowl, or 24 events, as R Ashwin recently said.
There is no room for slackness and no margin for any kind of bowler. Teams in longer formats will tolerate a leggie that sometimes sends a long hop or bounces one that doesn’t dip as expected.
Shadab was clearly brilliant in his four-over spell. Shadab created pressure not only by bowling a single loose ball but also by bowling perfectly in his field – Shadab produced a wicket-taking delivery in each over.
Read also | ‘He was in hospital for last two days’: Shoaib Akhtar on Rizwan’s semi-final knock, calls him ‘hero’
Shadab got Mitch Marsh caught on a slog sweep in his first over; In his second, Steve Smith played a similar shot and suffered the same fate; In his third David Warner, who was taking the game away, drove loudly and missed a ball, but heard no sound and went without review, believing he was caught behind. ; Finally, in his fourth over, Glenn Maxwell played a pre-determined switch hit and was dismissed by extra bounce.
Shadab took 4 for 26 in his 24 appearances, an economy rate of 6.5 in an innings where the opposition scored around 8 per over.
Coming to an unbeaten knockout, playing a brand of cricket that was always entertaining, it is tempting to say that Pakistan did not deserve to lose to a team that was struggling long ago. But, life teaches us that we don’t always get what we deserve, or don’t deserve what we get.
For Rizwan, Zaman and Shadab, this experience should be a learner: remember the tournament, remember what you achieved without a loss, define how you judge yourself.
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