Cricket ke maidan par jab England vs Pakistan ka muqabla ho, toh umeed hoti hai ki thodi takkar dikhegi. Lekin is baar Pakistan ki team ne wahi purana raag alap diya be-dum bowling aur be-haal batting. Joe Root ki sena ne Edgbaston mein teesre Test ke chauthe din hi khel khatam kar diya. Target sirf 130 runs ka tha, aur England ne bina kisi darr ke lunch se pehle hi 3-0 se series pocket mein daal li. Pakistan ke liye ye tour kisi nightmare se kam nahi tha, lekin Joe Root ke liye ye unki nayi kaptaani ka ek clinical start hai.
The Guru Story
Is summer England cricket mein jitna drama off-field hua hai, utna hi dominance on-field dikha. Series shuru hone se pehle hi chaos ka mahool tha. Pehle Ben Stokes aur Gus Atkinson ne protocol tode, phir Ben Stokes ne kaptaani chhodi aur coach Brendon McCullum ki chhuti ho gayi. Itna hi nahi, Brydon Carse ke arrest hone ki khabron ne bhi khoob surkhiyan batori. Lekin Joe Root ne saaf kar diya ki chahe chaos kitna bhi ho, unka vision clear hai. Root ne kaha ki unhe 3-0 chahiye tha aur unki team ne wahi deliver kiya.
Doosri taraf, Pakistan ka haal dekhiye. Unke stand-in coach Mike Hesson ab England ko Ashes jitne ke nuskhe de rahe hain. Hesson ka manna hai ki agar England ne aisi hi seaming pitches banayi, toh Australia ke batsmen bhi ghutne tek denge. Sach toh ye hai ki Pakistan ke apne batsmen is series mein Ollie Robinson ki swing aur seam ke samne bilkul bebas nazar aaye. Joe Root (62 not out) aur debu-tant Jordan Cox (59 not out) ne target ko aise chase kiya jaise wo kisi gully cricket team ke khilaf khel rahe hon.
Analysis & Numbers
- Ollie Robinson is series ke asli hero rahe, unhone 8.76 ki average se total 21 wickets chatkaye.
- Is summer batting karna lohe ke chane chabane jaisa tha, average 33.04 (2023) se gir kar seedhe 24.61 par aa gayi.
- Puri series mein 20 fifty-plus scores bane, lekin century sirf ek aayi jo Ben Duckett ke balle se nikli.
- Joe Root ne captaincy mein wapsi karte hue 33.50 ki average se 3 fifties lagayi, jo ki stats se zyada unke leadership impact ko dikhati hai.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
Pakistan cricket team ka level ab itna neeche gir chuka hai ki wo England ke 'unusual' summer mein bhi unka fayda nahi utha paaye. Joe Root ne bina kisi shor-sharabe ke bata diya ki asli Baap kaun hai. Pakistan ke liye mashwara yehi hai ki pitches par rona band karein aur batting seekhein, warna agla tour bhi aise hi white-wash mein guzrega. Root is back, and England is ready for the new era under Stephen Fleming!
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