The battle of the two Asian neighbours leaves the mountains of Kashmir
for the plains of Old Trafford at Manchester. The result can see the
Pakistanis safely into the semifinals or light a ray of hope in the
Indian hearts. Anything is possible. For India it is a make or break
situation compared to their rivals' slightly advantageous
position. The recent history of one-day battles may favour the
Pakistanis but the Indian batting prowess on the English wickets has
been awe-inspiring and the sight of the four centurians stroding into
the middle one after another can give the creeps to any bowler worth
the salt. The top order did not click against Australia but that
should not be any solace for Pakistan.
The much heralded Pakistani attack spearheaded by the 'Rawalpindi
express' Shoaib Akhtar and supported by Wasim, Razzaq, Azhar and
Saqlain will face the real test against the strongest batting line-up
of the competition, nay, the world of cricket today. The Pakistani top
order has had very little to talk about and all their wishes for
peaking at the right time will go in vain unless they do so in this
crucial encounter. So far they have ridden on their lower order
batsmen and the bowlers but today they have to come good to make it a
match.
An early breakthrough is always a relief for any team but unless it is
achieved at regular intervals the ominous prospect of big total
dampens the spirit. A tidy attack without much frills and dressing of
wides and nos should also be considered. The extra runs and deliveries
turn out to be a pain in the neck at the end of the day and in this
area Pakistan is more guilty of the two.
There must be all sorts of talks in the Indian camp. A team with the
highest total, highest partnership record, two 300 plus innings and
five hundreds is struggling to reach the semis. What a pity! The
defeat by Australia is almost the last straw on the camel's back. But
every day is not Sunday as they say. McGrath himself wouldn't be able
to bowl the same deliveries again. To expect another sensational
collapse of the top order will be foolish for any team. The Pakistanis
are also jittery after their defeat to South Africa. They were always
short of 20 runs which they could compensate by disciplined bowling
which they did not against the South Africans. They were guilty of
bowling 14 wides and 13 no balls. They may be a talented side but they
are not disciplined. And unless they take immediate corrective
measures they may have to pay very dearly.
Much has been talked about the security of players at Old Trafford
today where large Indian and Pakistani communities live and are
expected to be in full strength at the ground. Sunil Gavasker may have
annoyed some extreme Pakistani supporters but he was absolutely
correct in his assessment. There are lot of bums at the grounds who
may create problems for the players of both teams. Hence security at
Old Trafford has to be very tight to avoid any nasty situation.
Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has termed it just a game of cricket and
called upon the spectators, specially from the subcontinent, not to be
carried away by emotion. We hope this appeal of the Pakistan captain
will sooth the tense nerves of the spectators and that they will
desist from creating any security problem at the Old Trafford
today. Pakistan's record against India at this level is not at all
encouraging for them. Whatever may be the ODI statistics against
India, the Pakistanis lost on both occasions to India - in the 1992
World Cup in Australia and in 1996 quarterfinal at Bangalore. With
this definite advantage, the Indians will take the field today. The
Pakistanis on the other hand will rely much on their bowling attack
and on their superior ODI record against their traditional rivals.
For the one thousand one hundred and fifty million people of India,
Pakistan and interested fans and viewers in Bangladesh, the 1996 World
Cup final takes place today.
Correction: Please read Saturday instead of Monday in the last
line of the first paragraph of this column. The mistake is regretted.
Source :: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)