After a disappointing home season, Babar Azam and his team faced heavy criticism for their poor performances. Winning on home soil is crucial, and if you can’t achieve that, winning away becomes even more challenging. The Men in Green lost 3-0 to England and managed a draw against New Zealand on their home turf.
However, things took a positive turn when a significant change occurred. A strong wind of change blew in, and Mr. Najam Sethi took charge, revamping the entire management to infuse new energy into the team.
The series against Sri Lanka showcased how Pakistan altered their game plan and adopted a new culture known as “The Pakistan Way.” In this article, we will delve deep into this game plan and explore how the Men in Green have utilized it in Test Cricket to achieve success.
What is The Pakistan Way?
In April 2023, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the new management consisting of Mickey Arthur (Team Director) Rehan-ul-Haq (Team Manager), Grant Bradburn (Head Coach), Andrew Puttick (Batting Coach), and Morne Morkel (Bowling Coach).
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Under this new management, the Men in Green made a decisive resolution to cultivate a robust culture and embrace a distinct brand of cricket that embodies boldness and positivity. Their ultimate goal was to secure the top rank across all formats. This unique cricketing style was coined “The Pakistan Way” or PakBall.
What are the key aspects of The Pakistan Way?
With Pakistan’s new team management, they want to establish a culture that enables the green shirts to show off their skills at their highest level without fear of failure. Strong team culture is essential to bring consistency in results. These are some points which are made by new management to develop that culture in Green Shirts:
- Backing skills without the fear of failure
- Taking bold and aggressive decisions
- Dominating the opposition through positive and sensible cricket
- Try to bowl out the opposition cheaply with our incredible bowling attack,
- Outstanding athleticism in the field and scores at breathtaking run rates.
- In the training camp, they drill some out-of-the-box training. If a player plays three consecutive dot balls then he will consider out, which brings
The Pakistan Way will also establish a culture that will instil confidence, belief and consistency in the team.
The Pakistan Way Impact
Pakistan clinched the test series against Sri Lanka with a commanding 2-0 victory. It was not just a win; it was a dominant performance by the Men in Green. The way they asserted their dominance, particularly against Sri Lanka’s spinners, was truly remarkable and awe-inspiring.
This impressive display against Sri Lanka is a direct result of their new approach. The Green Shirts maintained an overall run rate of above four runs per over throughout the series, showcasing the team’s exceptional performance. Here are some other stats that show the effect of PakBall:
- Pakistan’s fielding is just outstanding as they grab 18 catches in their first test match against Sri Lanka in 29 years in a single game.
- 100 off 100 balls (16.4 overs, second test) – this is Pakistan’s fastest team hundred in the first innings in Tests in the 21st century. Might possibly be the fastest in their history (data not available of some old Tests)
- First time in 40 years, Pakistan batted just 8 maiden overs in a Test innings that had more than 100 overs. (First Test)
BazBall vs The Pakistan Way, which is more reliable?
No doubt, Pakistan exhibited aggressive and entertaining cricket during their tour of Sri Lanka. It is hoped that they will carry forward this style to their matches in Australia and across other formats as well. However, at this stage, making comparisons between the new Pakistani approach and BazBall is premature and not advisable. Forming an opinion or trend based on just two games is not statistically significant.
Although, if we were to compare these two approaches, PakBall appears to be more reliable than BazBall. BazBall involves a high level of risk and aggression, whereas the Pakistan approach showed a balance between playing sensibly and adapting to the situation. The Men in Green played fearlessly, yet without unnecessary risks, which contributed to their success.
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