Feb 1, 1999

Why Pakistan Shouldn't Lose

Although reeling under the match-fixing scandal, recent home losses and dissensions, Pakistan will be egged on the by the sheer force of emotions to deliver.

By Fareshteh-Gati-Aslam in Karachi

It could always be read in the tea leaves that a Pakistan tour to India would inevitably start with a controversy. It has rarely not been so. In India, the Pakistan team will battle as much against the threatening religious fanatics as they will amongst themselves. Will Wasim Akram be able to unite the many disparate factions within the team? Will he put aside off field differences with coach Javed Miandad to forge a winning strategy? The sheer force of the emotions egging on the Pakistan team to victory means Akram must deliver. He must carry the many juniors along with him. He must put aside all differences with the voluble and volatile Miandad and work in tandem with him. And he must put aside the fact that he is the prime suspect, along with Salim Malik, in the match-fixing case.

The team he leads is a curious mixture of his old cronies and the young ones. The core of the team will be the seniors, Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saeed Anwar, Malik, Inzamam ul-Haq, Ijaz Ahmed and Moin Khan, the clique known to support him through thick and thin. The nucleus of the Pakistan team is thus bound to function, at least for a while, as a unit. Anwar has a batting average of 45.64 and his avowed intention is to tot up a triple hundred during the series. In the absence of Sohail, who was not selected, the second opener's choice will be among promising newcomer Wajahatullah, the impetuous Shahid Afridi and Ijaz. Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas, who has reservations about the opening pair, says, "Anwar should do well but Wajahatullah is not so experienced. The Indians play the Ranji Trophy regularly and so are accustomed to their wickets. Our players do not play the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and so they have no idea about the tracks in the subcontinent." Pakistan's main weakness, should they fail to get a good start, will be the frailty of their batting line-up. Inzamam and Anwar till recently were not in the best physical condition. Malik, one suspects, is past his prime and that leaves only Ijaz among the recognised batsmen to anchor the innings. Says Raja, the captain who led Pakistan during its last two one-day forays to India: "On the Indian pitches the batsmen will have a ball." Of course, Pakistan also has a young star in Yousuf Youhanna. He has shown both talent and temperament to play at the international level. His ability and those of the other younger players to cope with pressures of large crowds and media glare will be the most important factor in shaping their immediate careers.

Akram with 354 Test wickets and Younis with 275 will aim to hunt as a pair, but the wickets are not going to be to their liking. Despite the slow wickets, Akhtar is a fast bowler to watch out for. One of Akram's tasks as captain will be to groom players like Akhtar so that he can readily replace the ageing quickies. Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed are the spin devils with the form and ability to skittle out sides. As the Indians are so good at playing spin, Akram would do well to vary his attack. He has an extraordinary amount of talent at his disposal. There is Afridi's and Malik's leg-spin, Ijaz's medium-pacers, Nadeem Khan's off-spin and the economical bowling of Azhar Mahmood. The delightful charm of this Pakistan team lies in the fact that the juniors are brimming with talent. But like all budding players they need to be nurtured. They need an understanding, kind captain, not one who is struggling for his own survival. Says Raja: "If you get an Indian tour so early in your career it's a great plus."

The series should be more than just a cricket contest. Given the background to its start it is a great opportunity to thumb noses at sceptics and foster ties. Zaheer Abbas speaks with affection of the Indian cricketers with whom he played. "In the counties we were inseparable. Bedi was at Northants, Sunny at Sussex and Venky at Derby and whenever we got together we relaxed and had a laugh. I was particularly close to Sunny and Vishy. Those were happy days." Will Akram and Azhar, Anwar and Sachin, Younis and Srinath say the same at the end of the series? The tea leaves have the answer.

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