Nothing makes us merrier, as a society, than winning a cricket match. I am almost sure our Gross National Happiness was at its peak in 1992 and 2009 and at its lowest whenever our team is touring Australia. Some of us have repeatedly requested that our team builds some kind of match plan and preconceived strategies that would help us be consistent and hopefully win more of the times. Lot of people would argue that given the almost unmatched volatility of our team’s composition and composure, no strategy -even if conceived- is ever executed and hence it is useless to devote time to them; I, on the other hand, always like to think that it is important to give some thought to what can be done to improve. Here are a few things that our team needs to consider before venturing out to the world cup:

1. Using Powerplays:

I cannot remember how many times I have screamd at my television set asking the Pakistani batsmen to take the Powerplay, but Alas, only if they could hear it. I don’t know what goes through their mind and how they decide when to take the powerplay, but they definitely need to think more about it. Often times they wait too long before taking the powerplay, betting on a all-or-nothing scenario and missing out on potential runs while they still have wickets in hand. Also, since we know our blood circulation triples in last 5 overs anyway, why waste a Powerplay on that and why not take it slightly early, say 40-45 or 41-46 depending on the situation. Moreover, do Afridi and Razzaq really need a Powerplay to hit sixes? Why not then let batsmen like Umar Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq utilize the field restrictions and hit more fours.

2. Body Language:

There is a drastic contrast in our team’s body language when we are playing against Australia as opposed to when we are playing against India. When batting against Zaheer Khan and company, our batsmen appear confident, unstoppable and in-control. However, when its Brett Lee, Tait or one of the other Australians on the other end, our batsmen appear like a little kid who is afraid the class bully would snatch his toy. They need to feel confident all the time, even if the match is going against them. Body language doesn’t only add to your confidence, it also tells the other team that you won’t back down.