Beyond the boundary - The Last Waltz (20 June 1999)

20 June 1999

Beyond the boundary - The Last Waltz

Shakil Kasem

Now it is obvious why England '99 began in the miserable month of May. Wimbledon begins always in the third week of June, come rain, hail or apocalypse. The English are creatures of habit, why would they want to disturb the sedate and mournful passage of daily English life? It stands to reason thus. Strawberries and cream are as important, if not more so, to prime time television, than prosaic, mundane cricket. Not that, Tim Henman is likely to win Wimbledon. One supposes, it must be the principle of the thing.

So, the carnival of cricket, as it has been known for the last month and a half, comes full circle to where it began: to Lord's, the home of the game. The new kings are to be crowned here tonight. Pretenders to the crown are the two most flamboyant sides of the tournament. Both have the flair and character to perform on the biggest stage of them all. Australia and Pakistan, have fought through blood, sweat and the tears of others, to be where they are today. They have battled through countless overs of unmitigated hostility hurled at them in every nook and cranny of England. Now, they are just 100-odd overs away from claiming cricket's biggest prize.

It is the last opportunity for armchair critics and experts all over the world, to expound their profound theories and predictions about the outcome of this match. Will they, or won't they? From the starry depths of cricket's heavens, hurtles this solitary spear of query, demanding to be caught on the shield of the cricket pundit's mind. Is it going to be the day Aussie grit wears down every challenge that stands in its way? Or, are we to see at first hand the unpredictable sultans of cricket brush aside the uncertainties of the game? Australian angst or Pakistani panache. The final is a value-centred end, the world has to watch and wait, as the different poles clash.

Australia are fresh (sic) from two of the greatest victories they have ever achieved. Wadud Chowdhury went as far as to insist that Australia, in the last two encounters, masterminded the defeat of victory. So they did. Just when the Australians were written off, they stormed the ramparts of the most organised of defences in world cricket, to reach their fourth final at this level of the game. The team which had its backs to the wall for the major part of this competition, now remain hours away from reaching for the trophy. It speaks volumes for the character and the determination of this team, that they refused to acknowledge adversity as a word in the dictionary.

Pakistan, on the other hand, entered this tournament as firm favourites. Barring the sequence of unlikely defeats for reasons unknown, and other than their own established foibles which do not merit further mention, Pakistan have reached where they had wanted to from the start. The team which had been fractured into conflicting units within itself carried cricket's worst stigma on its shoulders and never looked like a cohesive outfit at all, only six months ago, are now a well-oiled machine. The transformation of this side has been amazing, and as far as the other teams are concerned, eerie. The moot question is, can they carry it off where it matters most?

Australia looked organised in their batting. Mark Waugh has a soft spot for Lord's, and should he be in his elements, the Aussies should be on their way to a good total. The middle order is holding up well. Steve Waugh and his colleagues can graft as well as attack when necessary. More than once, they have managed to defy the odds and get to the target that was required. The bowling has the same kind of variety and depth as Pakistan's. Should the pacemen get the early breakthroughs, they would most certainly expose the suspect Pakistani middle order earlier than Wasim Akram would like. The fielding is extraordinary, quick to stop runs, electric reflexes when it comes to catches and strong throws from the deep to restrict the twos. The Aussies are 15 to 20 runs plus where their total is concerned.

Pakistan would have to expect that Shoaib Akhtar is in the zone today. More than anyone else, he holds the key to the start that Pakistan needs, whether they bowl first or second. He is meant to take wickets and must be used by his captain for just that one purpose. Any batting side is under pressure in these kind of circumstances, the onus is therefore on the bowling captain to deny too much time initially to the batsmen to settle down. Shoaib Akhtar is an unsettling customer, and he has to perform for Pakistan to make the initial inroad. The batsmen may be hedging their bets against the likes of McGrath and Warne. The Pakistanis have not been consistent upto now, barring Saeed Anwar's return to form. Wasti needs to hold up an end, particularly if Anwar departs early. Since the fielding is not up to scratch, it is vital that the batsmen get the extra runs as insurance.

The match promises to be hard fought, no question about it. It is fitting that these are the sides playing at Lord's today. They have the flair, they have all the aggressive moves, they even have the personalities to make this match the most exciting in this World Cup. However, only the team that has the most poise, will win. I am playing it with the middle of the bat.

Source :: The Daily Star