Wills Cup: A view from the gully (24 October 1998)
Two of the weaker teams in contemporary cricket will vie for a quarter-final slot in the Wills International Cup today
24-Oct-1998
24 October 1998
Wills Cup: A view from the gully
Tawfiq Aziz Khan
Two of the weaker teams in contemporary cricket will vie for a
quarter-final slot in the Wills International Cup today.
The nine-nation 'sudden death' cricket tourney begins at the
refurbished Bangabandhu National Stadium today amidst pomp and
splendour and under a shadow of uncertainty surrounding the
unpredictable weather - but not at all an unusual phenomenon at this
time of the year.
The Bengali month of Kartik has always been notorious for its
treacherous behaviour known as Kaitan.
New Zealand will be playing against Zimbabwe in the opening match.
This could be a one-match tournament for all the teams. The prospects
are as bright or as bleak for every team and in a game of this variety
anything bizarre can happen.
New Zealand is no stranger to this ground. I am not talking about this
team. They first came here in November 1955 and played an official
Test match on a matting wicket. In a low-scoring match they almost
lost to Pakistan but were saved by untimely rain. Two of the world's
best opening batsmen of the time, Bert Sutcliffe and John Reid, graced
the dressing room but hardly could offer anything in the form of
cricket.
They again visited this land of ours in 1969. This time matches were
played on turf, nay clay. The wicket was so shiny that one could see
himself on it. It was a November again, but this time it was pleasant
and profitable for the tourists. New Zealand's one of the all time
greats, Glenn Turner, delighted the knowledgeable Dhaka crowd with his
maiden Test hundred. In the second innings the burly Peter Burgess
produced a dour unbeaten innings of 119 out of a total of 200 runs. It
was a tremendous effort that saved the match for his side.
Since the official ODIs started at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on 5
January, 1971, New Zealand had produced some good results off and on
but they had not been very consistent. The Kiwis have impressive
record in the World Cup of 1975, 1979 and 1992 as they reached the
semifinals only to be beaten by West Indies, England and Pakistan
respectively.
Since Fleming took over the reins of the team the Kiwis are having a
mixed fortune. In Australia last season they had a torrid time but won
a series against Zimbabwe (4-1). But the absence of a very powerful
all-rounder, Chris Cairns, must be telling upon the strength of the
team. They will be looking for runs from Astle, Parore, Flemming and
young McMillan and Simon Doull and Chris Haris for the wickets.
But I strongly feel that a delightful left-hander as he is, Flemming
should promote himself in the batting order. This unassuming youngman
is a treat to watch when he is in command. I think he is doing
disservice to his side as well as to himself by coming at no 7 or 8
position.
The newest addition to the exclusive club of 9, Zimbabwe, can not be
written off. They are a fine team and capable of producing a couple of
surprises in the tournament on their maiden appearance in Dhaka.
Whatever may be the result of the exhibition match at BKSP, Zimbabwe
is flying high after their recent showing against the mighty Indians.
It is no mean achievement for the Africans to wrest a one-day match
and then turn the table on Azhar's men in the only Test match. The
Flower brothers, skipper Alistair Campbell, Goodwin are in good nick
and the Zimbabweans will be naturally expecting them to provide with
respectable scores.
Though bowling is not the forte of the African outfit, nonetheless
Heath Streak and Paul Strang should be watched very carefully.
But if we go by the words of Phil Russell, the 'pitch pundit', the
turf at Dhaka 'will behave like a young lady'. Russell, however, did
not say about the nationality of the 'lady' but we take it that his
subsequent remarks about the pitch indicate the bounce may be low and
wicket generally slow. Dhaka wicket is notorious for its low and
uneven bounce and traditional slowness, hence mediumpacers should do
well on this track.
We should expect an absorbing contest today.
Source :: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)