Cricket World Cup 2011: Is Pakistan A Contender?

Adil Najam

Part of me thinks that I should wait until the current World Cup match against host and co-favorites Sri Lanka ends. But another part insists that no matter what the result of the game, the point is made: Pakistan is indeed a contender. Mercurial, unpredictable, sometimes spectacular, often its own worst enemy (and that could happen in this game too), but never shy of upsets and surprises (in its own favor and against!).

So, what do you think: Is Pakistan a contender? And now two two games done and every team already having played, how do you evaluate Pakistan’s chances in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup? Is our readers’ assessment of the team’s chances the same it was two weeks ago, or has it changed. Have your say.

Of course, one game does not change the course of a tournament. And even this game is not done at the time of writing this post. But this is no ordinary game. Along with India, Sri Lanka is being talked about as the other favorites. But more importantly, this is the first serious test of Pakistan in quite a while and at least till this point in the game, Pakistan has made quite a game of this. Is this a flash in the pan or indicator of things to come? And that, before we even know how the flash will end! Even so, if you want to place your money on them, you can easily do so on platforms like Kcasino.

I use the word ‘contender’ to mean a team that one should seriously consider as a possible winner. Not just because it can surprise, but because if it would pull off a win it would not necessarily be a surprise. Are we there yet? Can we get there?

Enough said. Now, you have your say.