It may be amusing to some, but to me its quite amazing that the fate
of the world’s premier cricket tournament may be decided by the
weather
Javed Miandad22-Feb-2003It may be amusing to some, but to me its quite amazing that the fate
of the world’s premier cricket tournament may be decided by the
weather. I am used to seeing rain and cricket go hand in hand during
English summers, but the World Cup could certainly have done without
the stormy weather. One team that will not be complaining too much
about the weather is host nation South Africa, for whom the rain –
which denied the West Indies valuable points against Bangladesh – was
a shot in the arm after some shock losses.
| © Reuters |
But the cricket itself, in all fairness, has been exciting, and there
have already been some interesting results through the inclusion of
teams like Bangladesh, Holland, Namibia and Kenya. Their inclusion has
not only made things difficult by stretching the World Cup into a long
drawn-out affair but also by wrecking a few teams’ plans by collecting
two points from rained-out games and almost pulling off an upset or
two. One must give these spirited “minnows” a lot of credit. Many may
think that the one-sided games involving lesser teams drag down World
Cup standards to the level of farce, but the new blood, in my opinion,
has made the tournament more interesting on a global basis and will
certainly help in the growth of cricket.Apart from the rain and the odd one-sided game, this Cup saw more
drama when England and New Zealand forfeited their games against
Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively. Highly charged global politics and
security concerns have, I feel, driven some people paranoid. I don’t
think sport and politics should ever mix, for politics of any kind has
only been detrimental to the game. If the International Cricket
Council classifies a venue as safe, the teams should be willing to
play there – simple as that. If some teams are going to opt out of a
game or two, why play in the World Cup at all? The individual boards,
moreover, are going against ICC rulings, so if there is talk of
penalties imposed on the countries, the ICC would only have my
support.
| © CricInfo |
Pakistan, in its World Cup foray so far, has had a different set of
problems. Their approach in the first game against Australia was much
too casual. Where has the famous fighting spirit gone? Where is the
pride of playing for Pakistan? I thought Wasim Akram bowled a superb
first spell and exposed the Australian weakness – the middle order –
but once Wasim was taken off, the weaker aspects of Pakistan cricket
allowed Andrew Symonds to take the game away. Given the opportunity,
Pakistan should have been able to finish Australia off, for that is
what wins matches in top-class cricket.Controversy dogged this match too, and I was surprised to see Waqar
Younis lose his cool and bowl two beamers at Symonds, consequently
being barred from bowling further in that match. Waqar is a very
senior cricketer and an experienced one. Surely he should have known
that such adverse publicity can only harm team morale.But bygones are bygones, and there is yet a World Cup to be won. To
bring it home to Pakistan, their batting will have to play a more
responsible role. After all, if Rashid Latif down the order can score
runs, why cannot Inzamam ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana? These two batsmen
have the responsibility of holding the middle order together and score
the majority of their team’s runs. Failing to do so against Namibia
will be something that Pakistan would have discussed after the game.
One must also remember that during Pakistan’s sole World Cup win, in
1992, Inzamam was the key batsman for the side, and here too in South
Africa, a decade later, he must start firing immediately.Pakistan’s fixture against Namibia ended predictably, with their
batting hardly able to withstand the Pakistani pace attack. I was glad
to see Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar have an extended bowling stint in
that game, for their next match – against England – has the potential
to be a deciding one as far as Pakistan’s campaign is concerned. A win
at Cape Town will help them breathe a little easier before their
crucial encounter against India.England too will be out of sorts after going through the wringer
during the Zimbabwe controversy, and their win against Namibia was
none too convincing. There is thus a big chance for Pakistan to beat
them, but it will take a good game-plan and an excellent execution of
it in the middle.Strategy, indeed, seems to be the buzzword in this tournament.
Watching this World Cup from the armchair, I can closely follow events
on the field, watch replays over and over again, and this is exactly
what Pakistan must also do – observe. If they learn from watching
their opposition closely, it will help them formulate precise
strategies that will go a long way in helping them win the Cup.
