Anwar shows timing to recover touch (12 June 1999)
Well, after all that they did it
12-Jun-1999
12 June 1999
Anwar shows timing to recover touch
Mark Nicholas
Well, after all that they did it. In the inimitable 'expect the
unexpected' style that has stamped itself so radically on cricket's
modern consciousness, Pakistan trampled all over Zimbabwe's admirable
journeymen and confirmed that their World Cup hopes are still very
much alive.
You can't help but be seduced by this Pakistan team, for there is an
ongoing sense of wonder at their ability to destroy and self-destruct
in equal measures. To a man they are street-fighters, a random bunch
occasionally knit to become a team but more often dependent on
starbursts of brilliance which appear to electrocute the opposition
at the very moment they least expect it.
"We're not batting well enough," said their captain, Wasim Akram, the
other evening at Old Trafford, so Saeed Anwar went out and made a
make-or-break century at the Oval yesterday. Their bowlers had been
doing this for years, lulling batting teams into the comfort zone and
then mowing them down in a trice.
Zimbabwe hardly knew what hit them. After Anwar came Shoaib Akhtar
with a sprinkling of Wasim Akram to further spice the cocktail; never
mind the three 'W's, the three 'A's have an irresistible potential.
Had you picked a dream team before the tournament got going it is a
fair bet that Anwar would have opened the batting. Oddly, he has not
justified such confidence - not until yesterday, anyway, when he took
time to craft rather than blast a one-day innings which came to its
climax with a cover drive of thrilling power and spectacle that took
him to three figures.
This typically exquisite timing is all in the wrists, which create an
extraordinary acceleration through the ball. Because of it he is
stronger on the leg-side, where he scores with a real flourish, than
most left-handers and is therefore able to resist the cramping tactic
which right-arm bowlers now use by coming around the wicket. It also
enables him to play very late, which is the natural gift that
ball-players crave.
It is easy to tell when Anwar is searching for form because he
reaches out in front of his body, feeling for the ball instead of
allowing it to take its course. There were signs of this yesterday,
confirmation of the meagre 137 runs scored from just seven innings in
the tournament - remember that this fellow once made 194 in one
innings, still a world record for limited-overs matches - where he
wrestled with his own patience.
Thankfully he won the bout and, as if in celebration, hit a couple of
those spectacular strokes where good length balls pitched on
off-stump are flicked over straightish midwicket for four.
This is a killer for a bowler, when a batsman scores runs on either
side of the wicket off length. David Gower used to do so by hitting
the ball at the top of its bounce; Desmond Haynes, another fabulous
one-day player, did it by setting himself to hit cross-batted over
squarish midwicket. Because of this daring, the bowler is humiliated
and forced to alter his length. Then, of course, the higher ground is
won.
Pakistan fielded probably their best team yesterday, replacing Salim
Malik in the middle order with Shahid Afridi, whose days as a
pinch-hitter were not a success.
Wajahatullah Wasti, who was recalled to open, is no dasher but he
scored more quickly against the new ball than Anwar and is more
likely to blunt a McGrath or Pollock than Afridi who, in his turn, is
more likely to slog a few out of the park against the older ball.
Unsung for their contribution are the change bowlers Abdul Razzaq and
Azhar Mahmood, who hit the deck deceptively hard and bowl straight in
the uncomplicated manner of, say, Don Shackleton and Tom Cartwright
in their pomp. Razzaq is 19 - as, by the way, is Afridi. Mahmood is 24.
Their cricket reflects the basic principles of the game and a large
dose of flair. If only England had some like these.
Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed were on the Pakistan bench, serving
drinks. I ask you. Such riches. And then there is Saqlain Mushtaq,
the man with the magic in his fingers. He completed the rout with
three in three at exactly the moment the clock struck six.
Source :: The Electronic Telegraph