More application needed from Pak batsmen

LAHORE, April 11: After a rather easy five-wicket victory in their inaugural match of the Cable and Wireless tri-series against Zimbabwe on Wednesday last, Pakistan will take on the West Indies in their second match of the series on April 12. The outcome of the match will neither affect Pakistan nor the West Indies as they had already won whatever they have played so far in the series but surely a Pakistan's victory in the said match will virtually end Zimbabwe's chances of making a comeback, who, despite playing some fighting cricket, have yet to taste a win in their first tour to the Caribbean Islands.

While bowlers and fielders did a commendable job in the opening match, it was Pakistan's batting which caused the alarm bells ringing once again. The batting failed to click after a temporary recovery in the Sharjah Cup final against South Africa. The Pakistani batsmen made heavy weather of a modest target and a victory, which should have been there for the asking, was achieved at the expense of five batsmen and after some tense moments. Had Zimbabweans had 15 or 20 more runs to play with, the result of the match could have been different.

After in-form opener Imran Nazir was well held at first slip off Johnson for 6 and Younis Khan, once again showing some flaws in his technique, was trapped by Heath Streak also for 6, the Pakistanis were cruising towards their target with Shahid Afridi going great guns and Inzamam-ul-Haq firmly holding up his end. Pakistan will have to avoid the alike things which followed during the next a few overs which saw Shahid Afridi and Inzamam-ul-Haq literally throwing their wickets away in identical fashion after being well set. Both of them were caught in the deep attempting mighty sixes at the stage when singles and twos could have seen Pakistan through. But thanks to skipper Moin Khan, who finally had a mentionable knock to his credit, and ever-improving all-rounder Abdur Razzaq Pakistan got home with quite a few balls to spare.

The team management should assess the current situation which clearly shows that this is their best chance of returning victorious from the West Indies. The Pakistanis have a clear edge not only in the triangular tournament but also in the three-Test series against the Caribbeans which follows soon after. True that West Indians' confidence must have been sky high after their victories in all the matches against the Zimbabweans but the fact of the matter is that they were up against a side which lacked killers instinct and which failed to hit the iron when it was red hot. Without taking anything away from Jimmy Adam's men, some poor planning and wear and tear in the wicket were instrumental in their Test victories. Playing against Pakistan will be a different-ball game for the West Indians, who at the moment, are not producing quality batsmen and their aging fast bowlers are the shadows of their past.

On the other hand, Pakistan should not be complacent. True that their is one of the best bowling attacks in the world which will have the backing of an improved bunch of fielders, but they have a little inconsistent batting line-up capable of plundering even the best attack in the world on their day but at the same time it can crash to the gentle pace of Phil Simmons and Venkatesh Prasad. While the bowling department will get a huge boost after the return of Wasim Akram, Pakistan should also look to have some reshuffles in the batting line-up. The failure of Younis Khan every now and then certainly demands the inclusion of Wajahatullah Wasti who possesses a better technique and can score at the same rate as the former do. And if the authorities consider him unfit for the one-dayers there is no point is selecting him in the limited overs squads. If the tour selection committee sticks with the winning combination then Abdur Razzaq must be promoted for No three slot. By doing so Pakistan's batting line-up would also give a better look -- at least on paper.