The Hindu : Pak fortitude vs. Proteas efficiency

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 14, 2002

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Pak fortitude vs. Proteas efficiency

By K. Keerthivasan

CHENNAI DEC. 13. A fiercely determined Pakistan will take on a quietly efficient South Africa in the final of the Petro World Cup for the blind to be held here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.

If there is one team that has given it all in all its six matches, it is Pakistan. Playing with raw passion and steely will, Pakistan has come this far owing to sheer determination more than anything else. Watching batsman M. Ashraf Bhatti running for every ball like a man possessed in the semifinals was an apt evidence of the team's resolve.

Never in a match has Pakistan put in less than 100 per cent. All the top-order batsmen have contributed when it mattered. It was the combined effort of wicket-keeper batsman Tariq Samuel, Bhatti, Muhammad Fayaz and Amir Ishfaq that took Pakistan to the final. Excellent fielding has been the team's strong point, and its experienced and articulate captain, Adbul Razzaq, was instrumental in taking the team in the right direction.

The long tail of the Proteas batting line-up will be put to severe test in the summit clash. The team's strength lies in its ability to shuffle batsman to suit the situation. The South Africans have experimented its line-up so much so that an accomplished batsman like Rory Field, the captain and coach, went in as the last man in a league match. Inspired by the fit Field, the team has fared well in the fielding department too.

Quiet performers like Petrus Le Roux, Pieter van de Berg, Christiaan and Riaan Liebenberg and youngsters Adrian Maartens, Raghunathan Naidoo (who has not clicked so far), will have to play a key role with the bat if South Africa has to make a match of it.

In this tournament, it has been the batsmen who have dominated so far, while the bowlers, at best, have been able to take two wickets. Extras, which have been not less than 40 so far in the championship, will play a crucial role.

Whichever team wins, the championship has shown that cricket can be a worthwhile avenue for the visually handicapped to showcase their talent.

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