Shoaib faces World Cup nightmare (6 June 1999)

6 June 1999

Shoaib faces World Cup nightmare

Trevor Chesterfield

Nottingham (England) - Mounting pressures and growing expectations can yet turn Shoaib Akhtar's World Cup into a terrifying nightmare as the quest to become the first bowler to deliver a 100 mph delivery grows at the expense of his own needs and those of the team.

Now accused by his captain, Wasim Akram, of costing Pakistan their crucial Super Six showdown with South Africa at Trent Bridge on Saturday, the temperamental bowler's focus is in danger of being destroyed as the peripheral demands of the speed gun threat en to derail the Rawalpindi Express.

Such has been the profile and hype surrounding the fun-loving fast bowler, whose pace has caught widespread attention since the tournament started three weeks ago, that plans to use the tracking device to measure the speed of bowlers was delayed until the Super Six series started with the idea of clocking Shoaib and Allan Donald, two of the five most feared bowlers in the second stage World Cup '99.

Only Akram's comments that his pace ace failed to 'bowl according to plan', seen in some circles as a way to shake up Shoaib may yet work against the side. Akram has so far not commented on the demands of the speed gun which timed one delivery at 95 mph ( about 150 kph) when bowling to the South Africa captain, Hansie Cronje.

'He (Shoaib) bowled a little too short in the over where he gave away 17 runs,' an accusing Akram said after the game, yet agreed there is little a bowler can do against the devastating batting by Lance Klusener, now becoming the 'hitman' of the tournamen t. Akram also received serious attention from Klusener with a massive six off perhaps the most experienced all-rounder in the tournament.

Shoaib, who has a habit of calling most people me meets 'darling' and loves patting giggling Pakistan schoolgirls who throng the boundary on the head instead of signing autographs as well as smiling for the camera, is finding the attention 'becoming a lit tle bothersome' and the demands irksome.

Another factor which has started to emerge, but noticed by few, is that umpires have twice warned Shoaib about running on the pitch. On Saturday the portly figure of Devonshire-born David Shepherd, wagged an admonishing west country finger after Shoaib ha d run on the pitch.

It happened in the game against Australia at Headingley in Leeds, but it was more noticeable against South Africa on Saturday with Shepherd talking to Akram after examining the footmarks. With Waqar Younis no longer regarded as a front line bowler and out of favour as well, Pakistan cannot afford to allow the pressures to disrupt the ability of one of their match-winners.

Should Shoaib be forced out of the attack by falling foul of the laws in damaging the pitch by running on it, Pakistan could find themselves with a serious problem. Losing a bowler in the middle of a match as important as a semi-final could spell serious long-term problems: one being the fast bowler's confidence.

Source :: Trevor Chesterfield