Carnival gives way to sound of silence (21 June 1999)

21 June 1999

Carnival gives way to sound of silence

Martin Johnson

For MCC members, still under sedation from the prospect of women in the pavilion, it was an unnerving prospect. However, the threat of Pakistan's jubilant supporters invading the Long Room and taking it home, brick by brick, for souvenirs never materialised. If thousands of Pakistani fans left Lord's celebrating their good fortune yesterday, it was because thousands of them couldn't get in.

Not that they didn't try. The ticket forgery squad concentrated most of their men around the media entrance, where several hundred people were all claiming to be the cricket correspondent for the Khyber Pass Bugle. Gatemen did well not to break down in tears listening to some of the hard luck stories ("the dog ate my ticket" sort of thing) and one MCC custodian showed commendable fortitude in turning away a young lady trying to tempt him with an alternative offer to money.

About a hundred or so managed to get themselves on top of an apartment block roof overlooking the Mound Stand, but when they suddenly disappeared you weren't quite sure whether they'd been moved on by Plod or given up on their team in disgust. The Australian prime minister yesterday appealed to employers to look benevolently on latecomers who had sat up through the night to watch the game, but in the event the match was as good as over before most Australians had got home from the pub.

Such was the air of expectation beforehand, however, that the home of cricket has rarely witnessed scenes like it - bugles, horns, klaxons and firecrackers of such potency they could barely see the smoked salmon mousse through the smoke up in the corporate boxes.

All this was taking place at about half past eight in the morning and when the St John's Wood High Street residents peered out of their curtains to witness the mounted police trying to keep a lid on all this, they must have been pretty certain that Middlesex were not about to play Derbyshire in the CGU National League. They only got back to sleep during the match itself, when you could have heard a pin drop.

The passion generated by cricket on the subcontinent fair takes the breath away at times and as Pakistan went from feeble to feebler yesterday, it was hard not to spare a thought for Wasim Akram. When he woke up, he was 100 overs or so from being showered with gifts and being handed the keys to cities. When he went to bed, he'd have been wondering whether he'd arrive home to such a fruit pelting that he'd be able to launch a new career in the greengrocer business.

It is not possible to forge a reputation as a captain in Pakistan as you get judged purely from match to match rather than over a career. It's an entirely different matter in England, where Mike Brearley was always an egghead no matter how badly his team might do. Likewise Raymond Illingworth, who once brought on Jack Birkenshaw to bowl for Leicestershire in a hopeless situation and when Birky took four for six to win the game, the headlines were "Wily Old Fox Does It Again". "Wily old fox?" spluttered Birkenshaw in the pub next day. "Shall I tell you what the wily old fox said? Lob 'em up, Jack, t'game's boogered."

However boring this World Cup final turned out to be in the end, it did contain several examples of the magnificent fielding that is now the norm in this type of combat. This mostly came from Australia, for whom Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh all took outstanding catches.

Every player is an athlete these days. In the match programme, the now retired doyen of cricket writing, John Woodcock, had included W G Grace and Denis Compton in his dream one-day team, though with W G patrolling the covers he'd have given away 400 in singles and Compo would have run his entire team out inside 20 overs.

It is hard to think of any old timer who would get in on fielding. Colin Milburn, perhaps, if only for the first 15 overs when the white ball is moving around and you have to have fielders up. Ollie could have covered three slips and a gully all on his own.

In the absence of a match, there was nonetheless great pleasure to be gleaned from watching individuals and none more so than Shane Warne. Before the semi-final Warne had done little of note in the competition and other than playing two leg-spinners, it had become difficult to see a place for him ahead of Stuart MacGill in Australia's next Test series.

However, Warne's apparent rehabilitation is a cause for celebration in England as well as Australia as bowlers of his type are international, and not just national, treasures.

It was a bad day all round for Pakistan, none more so than for Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was so miffed (Haq-ed off you might say) at being given out caught behind that his tardiness in leaving the pitch left the next batsman in danger of being timed out. Later on, Inzamam did not even enjoy catching Adam Gilchrist at mid-off as the ball was travelling so fast that he had to leave the field with a damaged wrist.

So, sadly with a whimper, the carnival is over. Normal service resumes this morning with the ECB attempting to whip up similar passion for the Test series with New Zealand. They'll probably commission an official song, for urgent release on Sept 30.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph