Beyond the boundary - Of mice and men (21 May 1999)

21 May 1999

Beyond the boundary - Of mice and men

Shakil Kasem

What does a Scot do when he feels cold? He sits before a candle. What does a Scot do when he feels very, very cold? He lights the candle.

It was incomprehensible therefore to picture them gifting sundries so willy-nilly, that the Scots managed to enter the record books of one day cricket. The truth of the matter was, had it not been for the innumerable number of wides, no-balls and byes, Pakistan may have had to look more than a trifle embarrassed at the halfway mark of their innings. As it was, the Scots were on top for the better part of the innings, before the predictable happened. The Scots knew it as did the rest of the world. Pakistan stepped on the pedal and the match ran away from the men in blue.

As per the script, struggle struggle, repair repair, berserk berserk and Pakistan can rejoice. There is a method to the Pakistan madness. But this approach, whether perforce or by design has served them well. So far. It is important that the upper order quickly get into the habit of getting some runs on the board before the opponents get to sniff at the tail. For the time being,

Wasim Akram, with his phenomenal talent and not so inconsiderable knowledge of English conditions and the small awkward shaped grounds, has bailed out the errant batsmen of his side. Against more penetrating bowling and experienced sides, the odds might just even out.

One had to sympathise with the Scots. Theirs is a team of weekend cricketers, not meant to be jaywalking in the fast lane of the hurly-burly world of international cricket. They were out of their depth. Although they tried gamely to stop the bleeding when the Pakistanis decided to end the nonsense of pushing and prodding and getting on with the show, the sheer ferocity of the counter attack left them mesmerised. This wasn't the usual walk in the park.

The Pakistan bowling was incisive, business like and very matter of fact. The quickest bowler in the world was out for blood. It was an unequal struggle between bat and ball and the Scots who had fought many a bloody battle in the past, knew in their "bravehearts" that this one was not going their way. But the Scots have shown they are triers to the core. The world has not heard the last of them.

Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men. This competition is likely to bring out of the undergrowth every devious strategy devised in cricket and more. While Australia and New Zealand struggled against each other elsewhere, Pakistan's upward mobility was short and swift. The Scots were sadder but more than a bit wiser. After the luck of the Irish propel Bangladesh a step closer to the top, they would do well to take the Scottish intentions in the World Cup with a sizeable hunk of salt. Result of this match, regardless.

Source :: The Daily Star