The Coca-Cola Cup Final at Sharjah

How promising is the future?

By Omar Kureishi (www.dawn.com)

THE FINAL of the Coca Cola championship at Sharjah was won by Pakistan in the first over of the match. It was the best over I have ever seen bowled and Wasim Akram came within a whisker of a hat-trick. He bowled with a ferocity, though with a shorter run- up, that must have got the alarm bells ringing in the Indian dressing-room. He looked grim and purposeful, as if he had a point to make. Stung by criticism when Pakistan lost to England and India in the second leg of the preliminary matches and particularly the match-fixing accusations that seem to surface with fiendish timing, he played the final although running a fever. Had he not played and Pakistan had lost, the not-so merry band of accusers would have had a field day. There seems to be a sinister pattern to these match-fixing allegations. They are made whenever Pakistan loses, as if, Pakistan has some divine right that they will win every time they take the field. No credit is given to the opponents, that Pakistan might have lost to better team on the day. So far these accusations have not been backed by any proof. What are the motives of those who have been making the accusations? Are we to believe that they are knights in shining armour who are determined to rid the game of the scourge of match-fixing? Or do they have some personal axe to grind? Or even more intriguingly, that they are made to divert attention from themselves because they have some of their own hidden skeletons? To make reckless accusations can be a double-edged sword. These allegations have been hanging over the heads of senior players. It unsettles them and destabilizes the team. And they are still expected to win because to lose would prove the allegations. It is a Catch-22. Notwithstanding, the Pakistan team drew the series against India, won the Asian Test championship, the Pepsi Cola tri-national championship and the Sharjah tournament. It is a transformed team which bears little resemblance to the team that played against Australia and Zimbabwe. Perhaps, here are people who are not happy at this turn-around. One does not have to be a cynic to accept that we live in a cynical world. But let me get back to the final.

After India lost Ramesh and Dravid in the first over and Azharuddin soon, after only a batsman of the class of Sachin Tendulkar could have brought India back in the game and Sachin was in Mumbai and lucky not to be injured in a car accident in which he was involved. India made 125 and Wasim Akram did not even bowl his full quota of overs. Three run-outs testify to the unsettling effect Wasim Akram`s first over had had on the Indian batsman. I am never at peace whenever Pakistan has had to chase a modest target and Pakistan`s track-record in this respect is a poor one. But this time they got it right. Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi batted sensibly and then Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamamul Haq finished the job with consummate ease.

Wasim Akram was rightly man of the match and Shoaib Akhtar the player of the tournament. But neither Pakistan nor India should draw any conclusions about their relative strengths and weaknesses with reference to the World Cup. Conditions will be radically different in England and there will be other teams, some of them better prepared, both mentally and physically.

Pakistan is confident at the moment and they should remain so. Wasim Akram has spent many years playing for Lancashire and he will be familiar with the conditions and he will pass on his experience to his teammates. India will have Sachin Tendulkar back in the team and this will make a difference. I hope for India`s sake that they don`t do something silly like removing Azharuddin from the captaincy and handing it to Jedeja. That`s the rumour doing the rounds and Azharuddin`s body-language suggested that he was not at peace with himself. The survival rates of captains losing to Pakistan and India respectively is not promising. Bedi, Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and from Pakistan`s side, Asif Iqbal, they all lost their jobs.

The World Cup is more than likely to be a bowlers tournament. And Pakistan is well served in this department. Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed are both in the squad and it might have been a good idea if they had been taken to Sharjah. They are both desperately short of match-practice. It is not easy to find your rhythm after a long lay-off and although Pakistan will be playing a few practice matches before the World Cup, these matches are no substitute for the real thing. But Waqar and Mushtaq have played for English Counties and this should help. Pakistan`s bowling has variety and it packs a punch and Shoaib Akhtar has been a revelation. Young he may in years but he has shown that he is old in hours. He`s not a tearaway. He has become a thinking fast bowler though spurred on by the speed gun he was inclined to bowl short in the final. But under the guidance of Wasim Akram, he will learn and he should relish the English conditions.

Pakistan`s main worry will be the batting. It is a bit too chancy. Sparkling on its best day and flat on its worst. In other words, it lacks consistency. And that should be a worry. But at the moment, morale is high and Inzamam`s form is reassuring. Moreover, he was run-out only once at Sharjah!

As-salam-o-alaikum

I would just like to say something to sid:

Two of the three Australians who accused the Pakistani players of match-fixing and bribery in the first place have been found guilty themselves while there is still no proof that our players are involved. Knowing that, why do we keep blaming our players whenever the team loses and some ``losers`` accuse them. Surely, you don`t think Pakistan is invincible.

Talk sense man!

Ammar Khan

This well written article arrived a bit late so
I repeat:

``Time to think World Cup. One can hope that
Mofeez and CHOWK will stay in the thick of that
tournament. GO PAKISTAN!!!!``

Ras

It would be nice to think that the Pakistan team lost the two games since they were too confident. In my eyes it was just simple match fixing. Recent allegations against the team by Rashid Latif and also the news of Miandad leaving due to conflict between Akram and him. In the past Miandad accepted that he would bet on matches that Pakistan would play but he would never bet against the team like Akram does. …Now you tell me….when the bookies put odds of 60/1 on the Pak vs England and 20/1 on the Ind vs Pak game… allegations against Akram and others in the past ….and the greed of money with the Pakistan team…..and the just loose because they are over confident….its hard to believe….