Intensity makes Pakistan a different unit, says Imad Wasim

On six occasions before Wednesday, AB de Villiers had been bowled in One-Day Internationals without scoring. Six out of 211 times at the crease. He had never gone first ball, though. De Villiers getting a duck was improbable. Getting a golden duck was almost impossible.

But Imad Wasim turned probability on its head to send South Africa’s finest on his way after just one ball as South Africa crumbled at Edgbaston after choosing to bat in a crucial Group B ICC Champions Trophy 2017 match. It would prove to be one of the key moments that hastened a top-order collapse to reduce South Africa to 118 for 6. From there, the team was always fighting a rearguard action and though the eventual 219 for 8 it put together was commendable, Pakistan still had the comfort of a small total to chase, which meant it could dictate the pace of play.

That is what happened, and Pakistan ended up winners by 19 runs via the DLS Method. Wasim ended up with 2 for 20 in eight overs, the two wickets the big ones of de Villiers and Hashim Amla.

He was not, however, carried away by the feat, keeping himself firmly on the ground despite becoming the first man to send de Villiers back first ball. “Oh, it happens in cricket,” he laughed, while speaking exclusively to ICC. “Sometimes you get hit, sometimes the other guy gets out. It’s just cricket. You should not be carried away or feel too low by this. He hit a shot and got out, so I think I’m really lucky.

“He is such a big player. I see it from the team’s point of view. If AB de Villiers gets out early, and you know what he can do if he stays for a long time, so we were just very happy that he got out. It didn’t matter that he got out on zero or one.”

Pakistan’s win gave the team fresh hope of making a semi-final, and was a complete contrast to how it had buckled against India, with the intensity in bowling and fielding a marked difference.

“I’ve said this before also, we can do anything on any day,” smiled Wasim. “All we need to change is to put up this sort of performance every time. Whether we win or lose is separate. If we had played with such intensity against India, we could have won or lost, but you can see the difference. The way the boys bowled and fielded, it was fantastic to see our lads play like that. We are a different unit if we play with this intensity, if we don’t relax or don’t become lazy.”

While acknowledging that Pakistan could be an up-and-down team, Wasim said the flatness seen against India would not be repeated when it faces up to Sri Lanka for its final league match, where victory could potentially put it through to the semi-final.

“There is no chance of that,” he asserted. “When you win, the morale that is there is different. If we think too much about having beaten South Africa we might be flat again, but we are aware that it’s a do or die match for us. We’ll treat it like a knockout match and not worry about the result. Hopefully, Pakistan and the world will get to see a great performance.”

The other reason the match will be special for Wasim is because it will be at the Cardiff Wales Stadium in Cardiff, a city that is just 40 miles away from Swansea, Wasim’s birthplace.

“Yes the next match is in Cardiff, so there is that,” he said, his eyes lighting up. “Last year when I played against England, the crowd was supporting me a lot. I’m very thankful to them and to the Pakistan fans who give me so much love. Today it felt like we were playing in a home ground. It was fantastic, it is great fun when our crowd turns up like this.”