On Saturday afternoon at Lord’s, Joe Root played a beautiful square cut into the ground. Fielding at backward point, Imam-ul-Haq dived to intercept the ballwithhisoutstretchedarms, and grabbed the ball cleanly. In a split-second of athleticism, four runs became none, prompting the entire Pakistan team to run to give Imam a high five.
It was a microcosm of the transformation in Pakistan’s fielding. Imam, like all of Pakistan’s young players, is dynamic in the field; rewind 15 years, and his uncle, the brilliant batsman Inzamam, would reach down to field balls with the air of a man rather insulted at being asked to do so.
After an England Test defeat as abject as Lord’s, fingers have inevitably been pointed at Twenty20 - for England’s shoddy shot selection,themarginalisationoftheCounty Championship, and probably the inclement May weather too. But ask Pakistan about the impact of T20, and their answer will be very different: the shortest format has done more than anything else to improve the standards of Pakistani fielding.
To understand the roots of Pakistan’s brilliant fielding performance at Lord’s - when they did not drop a single catch and, until a couple of pieces of poor ground fielding on the third evening, barely missed a ball either - it is necessary to understand the impact that the Pakistan Super League has had on cricket in the country.
مضمون کا ماخذ:میگا ملینز کا جیک پاٹ