Sunday, Feb 19, 2017

Form is temporary, class is permanent: so goes the adage. The Lahore Qalandars team would vouch for it after their experience at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday, when Kevin Pietersen, with a tally of just three runs from three matches — which included two ducks — destroyed their bowling attack with a whirlwind unbeaten 88.

It was a brilliant exhibition of aggressive batting that made Lahore’s impressive total of 200 for 3 in a 20-over match look too small as Quetta Gladiators sailed to a five-wicket win with seven balls to spare.

Pietersen’s knock was also an answer to some critics who have the habit of belittling top class players whenever they fail in few matches. Their first remark will often be that age has caught up with the player, especially if the player is above 35 years old. No wonder Pietersen after his match-winning knock remarked that his low scores bothered a lot of other people talking about the game and that it did not bother him at all.

Chris Gayle’s poor form in the PSL is also now the subject of debate. When T20 super stars fail, the first reaction is that they are letting down their owners who have bought them for a very high price. This is because cricket today is not merely a sport but a business too. Hence, whoever is investing on a player would want his returns too. No one accepts that loss of form is part and parcel of any sport.

The pressure on a cricketer to perform is increasing by the day. Pietersen batted as if in vengeance and his powerful shots resembled like a slap on those who criticised him. His eight sixes were hit with precision and brilliant timing.

Once during an England’s Test series against Pakistan in Dubai, Pietersen failed in a few innings but returned to form with a new open batting stance to handle Saeed Ajmal’s sharp turn. After his knock an English journalist asked him about his stance and his reply was: “I bat the way I want to and not the way others want to do.”

Like Pietersen, cricketers should have a strong mind to handle failure and tackle criticism. On Saturday night, Pietersen had also remarked that runs don’t bother him and he does the processes the way he has always done.

“If I’m successful, I’m successful,” he said.

There is no cricketer in the world that hasn’t experienced a loss of form. A cricketer, who recovers from his poor form and plays knocks like the one Pietersen played, is a legend.

Pakistan Super League is not just a platform for youngsters to make a mark but is also a tournament for all to learn the traits in legends like Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara and Brendon McCullum.

K.R. Nayar Chief Cricket Writer

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