Luck and circumstance touch different people at different times in many different ways. In the lead-up to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India, Pakistan has got the short end of this stick.
First, its very participation in the event came under a cloud. Once that shifted, there was the lack of clarity over the ‘safe’ venues for the team. Then came the disastrous performance at the preparatory Asia Cup where it finished last in the Super Four group.
A tournament-ending shoulder injury to premier fast bowler Naseem Shah was the next body blow. The latest is the delay in procuring visas, which means the Babar Azam-led squad will arrive in India only on Wednesday evening, with under 48 hours left for the first warm-up match against New Zealand in Hyderabad.
