South Africa's strident march to a place in the Super Six notwithstanding, the secondweek of the World Cup definitely belonged to Pakistan. They have provided the mostexciting cricket in the tournament, and also set the standard for other teams to emulate.The match between Pakistan and Australia was easily the best of the event as yet, and gavethe other teams plenty of reasons to worry about Wasim Akram and his supremely talentedbunch.
In three matches out of three, Pakistan have fought back admirably from tightsituations. It could have been seen as good fortune the first time, but I think it wasAkram's vast experience of English conditions that finally made all the difference. He wasthe only captain to realise that the only way to win in these conditions is by includingfive specialist bowlers. It's a logic which soon rubbed off on other teams, the WestIndies being the obvious beneficiaries.
Like South Africa, Pakistan is also blessed with three or four quality all-rounderswhich has made Akram's task that much easier. Azhar Mahmood had proved his credentialsbefore coming here, but the surprise has been Abdul Razzak, who is a class act. Yet, howmany captains would have picked a 18-year-old and thrust him into the heat of World Cupbattle - batting at number 3 and bowling first change? To me, Akram has been the captain ofthe tournament, leading with imagination, taking calculated risks and inspiring hisplayers with example. I almost forgot to add that he is a superb all-rounder cricketerhimself!
Pakistan also have Moin Khan in their midst, who, in my estimation, is the gutsiestplayer in the business. His 31 in a dozen balls broke Australia's resolve, but how manyknow that Moin is playing with a chipped finger bone? Such are the deeds that make heroes,and Moin, with his flashy wicket-keeping and guts and glory batting is emerging as one ofthe major players of this tournament.
After a cautious first week, batsmen also came into their own in the second. A stringof high scores was instigated by Sachin Tendulkar, who made a superb century againstKenya, followed by the 318-run twin-assault of Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid which leftSri Lanka shell-shocked. Inzamam-ul-Haq finally found his rhythm to bolster the Pakistanmiddle order, and the West Indian Ridley Jacobs revealed why he is already rated amongstthe world's more dangerous openers. I think by the second week, most batsmen had come toappreciate that while the tracks were helpful to bowlers, they were not deadly ordangerous, and, with some application and skill, runs would be available in plenty. Thechallenge of batting in England lies in coping with different pitches and conditions everyday, and by the end of the tournament, the wheat should be separated from the chaff.
The big story of the week has been India's resurgence. Two thumping victories,propelled by some spectacular batting, has suddenly awakened everybody to the fact thatthis Indian team is packed with some of the best players in the world. Sachin is hungryfor runs, runs and more runs, Dravid is batting like a dream and Ganguly played one of themost amazing innings one could see in a limited overs match.My concern, however, is thatIndia seems to be driven by strong individual performances rather than by teamwork. But asfar as I can remember, it has always been like that!
The two captains I played a lot under were Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. One was thebest batsman in the world, the other the best all-rounder, and it seemed to me that bothwere weighed down by the sheer onus of their labels. From what I have heard and read,India's best captain was Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who was able to shrug off the weight ofhis personal reputation and inspire his players to do well. Unfortunately, I haven'trubbed shoulders with him, but Bedi, Chandra and others have told me how communicative andreceptive Pataudi was as captain, apart from being clever and foresighted. He was able tospot talent and nurture players to do well. That is the hallmark of a good captain.Perhaps if Azhar regains his form, we will see more consolidation of team effort, and notmerely individual brilliance. Only then can we win consistently. The remaining weeks willsee tactics and strategy take centrestage, and I would like to see a more convincinggameplan from India too.
Frankly, pushing Sachin Tendulkar down to number 4 is not such a hot idea, even if hedid get a hundred against Kenya. To me it suggests defensiveness. If India are to make areal attempt at winning the World Cup, they will have to show both boldness andcraftiness.
