Pakistan wins a psychological battle

K. SRIKKANTH

Powered by the quickest bowler in the world, Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan's awesome strike-force was on view as the team bounced back after being shot out for 168 to end South Africa's winning streak at Sharjah.

The Proteas seemed to be coasting to yet another victory, when the fiery Shoaib turned the match around with three wickets in one over. From then on, the hunter became the hunted. After Shoaib had seized the initiative, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, too experienced to let such an opportunity slip, cut all escape routes for the beleaguered South Africans. Support seamer Abdur Razzaq too played his part as the tail was swept aside.

The notable aspect of the win was the never-say-die attitude of the side. The Pakistanis have time and again risen from the ashes and it was no different this time with the team making the final after a horrendous start.

The win also confirmed the fact that quality fast bowlers can fashion victories from impossible situations. One witnessed this in the Port of Spain Test where the West Indian quicks blew away the Zimbabweans when everything looked lost for the home team. And when the pacemen call the shots in one-day cricket, they deserve more credit since they operate with so many constraints.

It is clear that the Indian team is desperately short of genuine fast bowlers who can do such damage in both forms of the game. The authorities have to put their thinking caps on and a couple of good fast bowlers should be picked and developed.

On the other hand, Pakistan, despite a welter of controversies, has been able to unearth genuine pacemen. It has a regular assembly line in this department with men like Akram, Waqar, Shoaib and Razzaq glowing examples.

Almost all the countries boast of atleast one good fast bowler. In this context, the Indian mind-set has to undergo a radical change and the spinner-friendly pitches at home are surely not going to help things in the long run. Coming back to the Coca- Cola tournament, the Pakistan batting appeared brittle in the beginning but with Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana running into form at the right time, the side will feel more confident going into the summit clash.

The South Africans may have been without skipper Hansie Cronje, Jacques Kallis and Steve Elworthy for the final league encounter, but the fact remains that Moin Khan's men scored an important psychological victory. The final is a 50-50 game and the side that keeps its nerve should emerge triumphant.

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Section  : Sport
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