Match Report: Pakistan vs India

Pakistan could not get rid of the second monkey off their backs either. India had nothing to lose in this game and they played like it. Pakistan needed to step up to the plate but they choked. Pakistan could have controlled their own destiny by winning this game but they went out to play as if they were afraid of losing. One can not win if one is afraid to lose. The Pakistani team was tentative and edgy all day. The captain was irate and mad all day. One thing was proven in this game and that is Pakistan can not chase a total. India stayed mathematically alive in this tournament by winning. Pakistan dropped in a mesh of other teams and now absolutely has to win the next game. Mohammed Azharuddin has come under a lot of fire lately and he stood tall today. My gut feeling is that he has survived for a few more days, as the captain but that might not last long. The Indian team lived upto its billing of being one of the hottest teams at the end of the preliminary round but it might have been a little too late.

India won the toss and elected to bat. The weather was overcast but the wicket looked good and it was the right decision considering that Pakistan has a hard time chasing. Tendulkar and Ramesh started steadily. Ganguly was out due to injury. Pakistan brought back Afridi in place of Wasti and Yousuf could not play due to injury and Malik was included. Wasim Akram bowled accurately and with a lot of fire. Shoaib was a shade expensive and bowled well within himself. An obvious effect of the tongue-lashing he must have received after the last game. A pull to widish mid on by Tendulkar off Shoaib and he started looking ominous. Ramesh was the initial run getter though as he flicked and cut the ball with ease. After playing well he threw his wicket away when he tried to play a Razzaq delivery across the line to lose his middle stump. Razzaq was brought as Shoaib had completed his four overs. Azhar was also brought on and both the youngsters bowled in tandem. They were steady without being spectacular, curtailing the flow of runs but Tendulkar and Dravid were well in charge. Razzaq was hammered a bit by Tedulkar as he pitched short once too often. Dravid was steady but did dance down the wicket, as Saqlain was brought on in the 16th over, to hit over mid on for four. India was cruising with an average of over 4 with 20 odd overs gone when Tendulkar had a sudden rush of blood. He danced down the wicket to a ball by Azhar that was outside the off stump. He tried to hit it over a deep mid off but hit it straight down Saqlain’s throat. An absolute gift after settling in and he was visibly mad at himself. He left for 45 off 65.

Jadeja was the next man in and coming off a century against Australia. Azhar was bowling very accurately and had beaten Jadeja many times before he got the edge with a delivery that kicked and moved. Inzimam at slip caught a blinder. He dived to his right to second slip from first and held on. He injured his finger in the process as blood poured from it. Inzimam left the field and did not return. Saeed had also twisted his ankle while fielding and it was the 1987 world cup semifinal revisited as in that game Salim Yousuf and Tauseef injured themselves. Saeed however returned to the game later. India were 107/3 and in a spot of bother. At that juncture Azhar walked in. His plan was to anchor the innings, as Dravid was the aggressive and well-settled batsman. Both batsmen played Saqlain very well as they milked singles off him to the leg side. Saqlain looked very ordinary today. Azhar Mahmood bowled brilliantly and gave away only 34 in his ten and picked up two wickets. Ijaz put down Dravid at point and it looked like that would haunt Pakistan. However, Wasim brought himself back on to break a partnership and he achieved just that as Dravid drove towards cover where Afridi grabbed a beauty lunging to his left. Dravid had made a very good 61 and his great run in this tournament continued. Robin Singh walked in and launched Saqlain for a six over wide mid on but Azhar had settled by then. He was dropped by Afridi at the deep mid wicket fence off Saqlain and started middling the ball. He played two very good shots off Shoaib for four as he lifted him over mid wicket and then cover. Wasim finally got him with an outswinger that he played straight to point but by that time he had 59 to his name off 77. Singh played out the rest off the balls and was out off the last ball. India had scored a competitive 227/6 off 50 overs. Pakistan had done well to curtail the run flow.

The chase began in a flurry. Anwar hit the first one he faced through mid wicket for four. He drove Mohanty for another boundary. Shahid Afridi edged Srinath over slips for another four and Pakistan were away. Afridi played away from his body once too often and was caught at point off Srinath. It was 19/1 in the third over. Ijaz was sent in at one drop and that is where he should play. He started off very positively with a fluent drive to cover for four. Pakistan was cruising along. Saeed was particularly on fire as he hit another four to cover. Pakistan was scoring at around 6 per over when Azhar switched ends of both Mohanty and Srinath. This brought about a dramatic change as they both settled into a good line and Srinath started bowling at Saeed round the wicket. The runs dried up and Ijaz played a ridiculous shot off Mohanty. The ball went straight to mid on and Ramesh floored a sitter. Ijaz should have refocused and both batsmen should have put their head down from there on but they did not. Ijaz played at a Srinath delivery that moved away and was caught easily by Azhar at second slip. Saeed tried a heave, which he mishit but was lucky to survive. Malik was promoted in the batting order and started hogging the strike. Saeed did not face a ball in a while. Malik finally started to look confident as he drove Prasad for four but then an off cutter caught him in front of the stumps and Pakistan were 52/3. Saeed got the strike when Malik left and immediately the singles began to flow. Inzimam was very subdued. The media seems to have got to his head. He ran perfectly in this innings but the constant barrage of jokes has disturbed him. The rest of the Pakistani team and fans need to boost his confidence instead of fueling the propaganda. Saeed Anwar was looking really good by now with 36 to his name but his recent nemesis Prasad got him again playing at one that moved away and Azhar took a great catch diving to his right at slip. Azhar Mehmood was promoted in the order. Both players defended for a while and the runs came at a snail’s pace. As Azhar settled down with a square cut for four off Singh, Kumble was brought on. Kumble broke through immediately as he got Azhar caught behind off one that lifted and was too close to cut. Pakistan was 78/5 in 24.2 and the match firmly in India’s grasp. Moin walked with an injured finger and all but played like the trooper that he is. He hit a great straight six off Kumble and then one off Singh. He deftly played a Kumble ball past fine leg for four and was looking very ominous when Prasad was brought back into the attack. Moin top edged one from Prasad to Tendulkar at long leg but Pakistan could not expect more from their vice captain who again showed the top order how to play under pressure. He was out for 34 off 37. Razzaq then clipped Prasad for a six but injured himself in the process and needed a runner and out walked Moin again. Inzi was opening up but Razzaq was bowled when Srinath came back for his final spell. Akram and Inzi got 11 off an over from Srinath but the asking rate was much too high by now and when Inzi left for 39 trying to hit Prasad across the line, the match was over. The rest folded quickly as Prasad got 5 and India won by 47 runs.

Prasad has been a thorn in Pakistan’s side in world cups and he continued to be so. Pakistan has to win now against Zimbabwe to qualify for the semis but I do not think they deserve to win the cup with these performances, even if they do qualify. Pakistan needs to reshuffle the batting order a bit and get their best batsmen to play the most overs. I think Azhar should be promoted to open the innings with Saeed. Ijaz at one down and Inzi at two down. If Youhana is injured then Moin should follow Malik at number 5. Shahid should come after that to be followed by Razzaq and then Wasim Akram. I think Saqlain needs a rest, as the wickets are not helping him either. Waqar should play at his spot and Shoaib at the end, completing the side. In any case, I think Waqar should be in the side even if an all rounder has to be dropped. A lot of soul searching is in order for Pakistan as they now do not control their destiny and have to wait for other results and win their last game. Zimbabwe will not be a push over. The points table is now cluttered, as South Africa is about to emerge again as the best side in the cup. Pakistan will live to fight another day but they need to look back at 1992 to rekindle the spirit of the cornered tigers.