Pakistani fans pleased with semis win (18 June 1999)

18 June 1999

Pakistani fans pleased with semis win

The Dawn

Lahore, June 17: Pakistan has a bright chance of clinching the seventh World Cup cricket tournament as now the players have moulded themselves into a fighting combination.

A majority of lovers of the game, while talking to Dawn on Thursday evening during a survey, expressed the hope that if the Pakistan team avoided the mistake of conceding too many extra runs and fought as a well-oiled machine as it had battled during the semi-final against New Zealand, it could regain the World Cup title on coming Sunday.

Sohail Shuja, a librarian, said that like other countrymen he wished Pakistan win the World Cup, but the team should avoid the mistake, it did in the semi-final against New Zealand.

Conceding 47-runs in extra account, against the Kiwis and poor fielding display are the serious matters which should not be repeated in the final", he said.

Mr Shuja also said that as captain Wasim Akram should avoid of bowling no balls while Shoaib Akhtar should emphasis more to bowl with accuracy instead of speed.

A banker, Syed Alamdar Shah said that the decision of including Wajahatullah Wasti as opener and bringing down Shahid Afridi to middle-order position had paid-off and now Pakistan team was quite able to set or chase any big target for the rivals.

He said that Pakistan could beat Australia in the final more easily to South Africa, but he added, that the South African deserved to play the all-important match.

Dr Muhammad Bashir Kasuri said that reaching in final of the World Cup was a good achievement of the Pakistan team, but getting the order of ruling the cricketing world, would be a great gift of the team for Pakistani nation. If all the players would discharge their duties with due responsibility then neither South Africa nor Australian could beat Pakistan, he remarked.

Source :: The Dawn (www.dawn.com)