In general, Pakistan did not deserve to retain the World Cup even if they had squeezed into the semi-finals. Every team had either stayed at the same level from last time or improved, apart from us and maybe India. A major part of this was the loss to injury of Umar Gul before the tournament, leaving the pace department really weak. The performances of Abdul Razzaq with the ball, and Mohammed Sami did nothing to soften the blow from the loss of Gul. Razzaq started off the short and slow six balls from the beginning of the innings and was frustratingly poor, ending up giving 22 runs of just two overs. I think it is time up for both him and Sami.

With their run of defeats against the Australians, and the manner of the latest defeat, Pakistan will be left mentally scarred for some time to come. But they must show the positiveness they showed in their semi-final batting, and not fear the Australians but emulate them.

Hats off to Hussey, Mr Bevan+

Michael Hussey: Six machine

And now to give credit where it’s due: if there ever was a batsman in an innings who looked like he could do what ever he wanted, it was Hussey in the semi-final. Each time it got critical and he needed a six, he got it. His batting manner very much reminds me of Michael Bevan, though Bevan didn’t hit as many big boundaries. Credit must also go to Cameron White. Without his innings, Hussey’s improbable task would have been made an impossible one. White dragged Australia back into the game and Hussey duly finished it off as Mr Cricket showed us that he was also Mr Six-at-will.

Shane Watson’s Woes
By now you may be getting the impression that I don’t like this guy, and you’d be right. His swearing, and constant moaning at the umpires when he himself was bowling wides was really irritating. Watson has a history of behaving like a petulant child of course. How people see him as an all-rounder I do not know. His bowling was found out, quite beautifully, by England in the final, and soon, his batting will be too. The most pleasing thing was when he was knocked over by Haddin when they both went for the same catch. Forget picking him up, Haddin did not even look back at him so it just proves that not even his team mates like him. Watson needs to appreciate how fortunate he is. People like him need to be called to account so that the game does not slowly slip towards one where officials and players are pressured, abused and disrespected.

Captains take a bite. Maybe there was something wrong with the Australian food?

Afridi was being touted for captain in the Test and ODI formats and I would not have minded. He made a good case with his recent performances and showed signs of maturity but his actions here have got me wondering if he really has matured. Yes, every team probably does it Shahid, but I doubt they use their teeth and make it so blatantly obvious. He may as well have gone up to umpire Asoka De Silva and asked to use his dentures. And when quizzed on Pakistani television, why on earth did he come out with the excuse that he was smelling the ball? He would have even been better off saying that he was starving because of the poor Australian cuisine.

Afridi has history of course. In a game against England, he walked onto the middle of the pitch and preceded to do a few pirouettes to scuff up the track with his spikes. Highly subtle once again. Yet maybe he should have used his spikes on the ball this time by stepping on it as it obviously legal as it worked for Stuart Broad in the recent match against South Africa where he got away with it.

Stuart Broad, sinking his spikes into the ball & doing "nothing wrong"

And the difference between what Broad and Afridi did? Nothing. So why did he get away with it? Well it’s obvious, Broad is an Englishman. Broad knew what he was doing and as soon as the allegations emerged, the English PR machine went into overdrive with Broad being “astonished” by the allegations, Strauss calling them “malicious” and Cook being angry since they’d done “nothing wrong”. At the time, Nasser Hussain, Michael Vaughan and Simon Wilde of The Sunday Times had suggested that the outcome would have been far different if the bowler who did it was from Pakistan. It is clear this difference they spoke of is being shown to some extent in how Afridi’s actions were dealt with. If you look at the effect it has on the ball, surely metal spikes are worse than the enamel that teeth are made of? But I guess in the eyes of the ICC, a Pakistani is worse than an Englishman too.

What Afridi did was wrong and embarrassing, but that and what Broad did shows why it continues to pay to be from certain countries. Just ask Sulieman Benn who was suspended after an incident with Mitchell Johnson and the saint that is Brad Haddin. Haddin, who instigated the clash, and Johnson who clearly makes physical contact with Benn first (at 3 minutes 55 secs), were only fined a fraction of their match fees, whereas Benn was banned, after the match referee had finished analysing his findings. That match referee was Broad’s daddy Chris, by the way. If you don’t want to call it racism, then call it whatever you will, but what it is, is obvious.