SPORTS THIS WEEK – Pakistan broke Australia’s 34 match World Cup winning streak with an outstanding bowling and fielding performance. Their batsmen then hung around just long enough to squeeze out a memorable triumph which would take their team to the top of the Group ‘A’ standings.
It is a mystery why Pakistan has to give their fans a nervous breakdown by taking every run chase down to the wire. Having reduced Australia to 170 odd with a display of professional, tight bowling and fielding, they proceeded to lose key wickets when only a handful of runs were required. Once the openers and Younus had departed, it was left to the fearless young guns Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal to lead the run chase. Shafiq clearly has the knack of hanging around at the wicket, knowing that if he does so, he will score runs.
He is a find for Pakistan and could anchor the batting for the foreseeable future. Along with the veterans Younus and Misbah and the electrifying hitting of Abdul Razzaq, backed by their outstanding bowling, Pakistan should be fancying their chances of going deep into the World Cup draw.
The only question mark is the utterly inane batting of Shahid Afridi. The way that he got out with his ungainly heave to long on is not only a waste of his considerable batting talent, it also sets a bad example for his side. The captain, through his attitude, should lead by example and Afridi should realise that this is not the way to go about things.
Pakistan now lead their group and would be playing the West Indies or England in the quarters, depending on the result of the India-West Indies match. Australia drops to third and will face India or England. But the form team looks to be Sri Lanka, as predicted in this column before the tournament started. Sri Lanka has two of the best batsmen in the World Cup, in Sangakkara and Jayawardene. Although India matches them in batting, Sri Lanka has perhaps the best bowling attack. And in the end, it will be taking wickets that will be the deciding factor.
South Africa outclassed Bangladesh in Group B to lead the table. It will be South Africa, India, England and the West Indies. Bangladesh had an outside chance of making the last eight had they gotten the better of South Africa and should India beat the Windies. But from the onset it was no contest. After South Africa had crossed 250, it was several bridges too far for the Bangladeshis as they crumbled for their second score of less than a hundred.
England and the West Indies fought out a nail biter, proving that ODI cricket between two relatively well balanced sides can be an exciting spectacle. But then too many of the games have been so lopsided as to be embarrassing. This was a must win game for England and they survived primarily due to a meltdown by the West Indies batting caused by some incisive spin bowling by Swann and Tredwell.
Swann is England’s main strike bowler, the pacers being hampered by an inability to adapt to South Asian conditions. Having almost made the knock out stage by the skin of their teeth, England could be excused for fancying their chances a la Pakistan in 1992, when England themselves fell victim to our rampant tigers who had earlier, barely survived the league matches.
In the knock out stage, Pakistan would do well to use Razzaq in the middle order, around the number five position. He requires a few balls to relax and get his eye in, a luxury he has not had because of his position in the tail. A rampant Razzaq is one of the best hitters of the long ball, along with Yousuf Pathan. Either Younus or Misbah should play the role of stopper, should the top order fail to produce.
The big question mark is Pakistan’s keeper, Kamran Akmal.
Akmal’s ‘keeping has been at the very low and he could fall apart at any stage. He is snatching at the easiest of catches and is not committing himself to balls between himself and first slip. Such errors could prove unsustainable from here on. It was not surprising that at the exact moment when he was being considered for the ‘keeping responsibilities, Umar Akmal should hurt his finger.
One could give him the benefit of the doubt, but he has a history of this type of behavior, where he seems to be supporting his brother. Should this be so, it is absolutely intolerable. There are plenty of talented young wicket-keepers and batsmen in the country, who would give 110 percent every day of the week. There is no place for this kind of politics in the national team.
Fascinating year in tennis: Novak Djokovic has continued his impressive form on the ATP Tour, remaining unbeaten for the season. Ever since Serbia won the Davis Cup, the Djoker has raised his game up a level. His service weakness has disappeared and his rivals are now at a loss as to where to attack him. Djokovic made light work of Andy Murray and Roger Federer in the early going this year.
At Indian Wells this week, he has continued his torrid run and faces a likely showdown with Federer in the semis. Roger has been smarting from his two defeats to Djokovic earlier in the year and would be looking to reverse the trend. But Djokovic must be the favourite. He makes almost no errors from the baseline and passes very well. The serve is a weapon now and at the moment, he might be too much for the fading Federer to handle.
In the other semi, Nadal plays Juan Martin Del Potro. Del Potro is on the way back following wrist problems and might find Nadal too hot at this stage of his comeback. The most significant match up would be a Djokovic-Nadal final, with the winner having bragging rights to being the form player of the moment. Should this happen, it would be a pointer to who could be number one at the end of the year.
The front runner for end of the year honours looks to be Novak Djokovic. Should he stay healthy and maintain his form, Djokovic will unseat Rafael Nadal as the best player on the planet. Roger Federer may have something to say about that, but it looks ever so lightly, that his best could be behind him. The young guns seem to have his measure.
Andy Murray still hasn’t recovered from the mauling he received at the Australian Open Final. He has not won a set since and his emotional fragility could mean that he might inherit Bunny Austin’s 1930s role of the perpetual runner-up. But Murray is too good a player to be kept down for long. All he needs is a better attitude and body language on court.
A player-coach relationship will inevitably run its course over an extended period. Fresh blood and ideas in his support group could very well make a difference. 2011 promises to be a fascinating year.
