Pakistan Taking It Easy in Last League Tie

Javed Akhtar, Arab News

AMSTELVEEN, 25 August 2004 — Australia and Pakistan, the world’s top two cricketing nations, face off today in the last league match of the Videocon Cup tri-series tournament but the rivals approached the game in contrasting styles. While world champions Australia scheduled a full-fledged nets at nearby Utrecht, the Pakistanis opted for a light workout at the VRA cricket ground here, the venue of the tournament. It is a different story that a heavy downpour just as the Aussies were assembling at their hotel lobby to set out for the nets resulted in their canceling the practice session altogether. Pakistan can afford to take it easy since they have already qualified for the final of the tournament. But the Australians must avoid a heavy defeat to make the grade. It will be a morale-booster if they can win and reach the final with a clean slate. India are the third team in the competition and their chances were literally washed out by rains which have badly affected this tournament when their match against Australia was abandoned as a draw on Monday. Australian captain Ricky Ponting is looking forward to the match against Pakistan. “Obviously, the match against Pakistan is another important part of our preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy,” Ponting said yesterday. He was disappointed that the tournament has been badly affected by rains. “We will keep our fingers crossed that the rains stay away because we would like a full game in to give our bowlers a full workout and the spectators a great spectacle,” Ponting said. He was not familiar with the Pakistanis since the two teams have not played for some time now. “It has been a while since we played Pakistan so it will be interesting to see what they can serve up,” Ponting added. The Australians are missing opening batsman and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist who stayed behind due to family commitments. His replacement Brad Haddin did not make much of an impression in the match against India and it was obvious that the Aussies would not get the same rollicking start usually given to them by Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden. But the Australian batting has a lot of depth. The openers are followed by Ponting, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Darren Lehmann and Michael Clarke who are all highly talented batsmen. Though Shane Warne has quit one-day cricket, Australia still boast off a formidable attack. Fast bowlers Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee are back after long layoffs with injuries. Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz complete the pace quartet but it will be interesting to see if the Aussies opt for left-arm spinner Brad Hogg and leave out one of the fast bowlers as they did against India. The wicket has helped spinners in the first two games and Hogg is likely to get the nod again though Ponting said they would finalize their playing 11 only on the morning of the match. Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer also hoped that it did not rain and full quota of overs could be bowled in the match. He did not agree that his team would take it easy today having already entered the final. “We play every game as it comes. Any one-day game is important for us and tomorrow’s game is no exception,” Woolmer told me. He said the team management had not yet decided about the composition of the team for the match. “We will use the match to give our players the opportunity to get into top form,” Woolmer added. He said the wicket was slow and it was not easy to score runs on it. “South Africa played one match here in the 1999 World Cup and I was familiar with the wicket. I don’t think it has changed character over the years. It is the sort of wicket I had expected it to be. As the ball becomes older, it becomes tougher to score runs,” Woolmer added. Pakistan’s new ball attack failed to deliver in the match against India. Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar was unable to generate the kind of pace which has made him a terror for the batsmen. Mohammed Sami, Shabbir Ahmed and Abdur Razzaq also were unimpressive. Like they did against India, leg-spinner Shahid Afridi and off-spinner Shoaib Malik can again trouble the batsmen. Malik has also been in good form with the bat. Afridi’s whirlwind batting can give Pakistan a good start. But it is about time that other leading batsmen like Yasser Hamid, skipper Inzamam ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan came good. Then only can Pakistan put up a big enough total to defend against the Australians or successfully chase any target given by the opponents. The weatherman has forecast heavy rains for today. If the rains come again, it will be truly unfortunate.