A World Cup delight: Indian ace versus Pakistan pace

CENTURION, South Africa, Feb 27 AFP - If cricket alone mattered, Saturday's high-profile World Cup showdown between arch-rivals India and Pakistan would be a connoisseur's delight.

One-day cricket's leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar facing record-breaking bowler Wasim Akram is only one of the mouth-watering contests on offer at SuperSport Park.

There is also the world's fastest bowler Shoaib Akhtar sending down thunderbolts at the star-studded Indian batting line-up of captain Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag.

Or Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh plying his trade against two of the best players of slow bowling, Yousuf Youhana and Inzamam-ul Haq.

Alas, the hype surrounding the first encounter between the arch-rivals in two and a half years has relegated the cricket to the background.

The intense political rivalry on either side of the border has spilled over to cricket with India refusing to sanction bilateral matches against Pakistan in protest at Islamabad's alleged support of militancy in the disputed region of Kashmir.

The winner on Saturday will be feted when the team returns home, the loser faces humiliation - irrespective of how far the rivals progress in the World Cup.

Coming at it does towards the end of the preliminary league, the match assumes greater significance in the race for the Super Sixes.

India, with 16 points from five games, will qualify if they win. Even a defeat will see them through unless England upset the form book and defeat reigning champions Australia on Sunday.

Pakistan, who are lagging behind with just eight points from four matches, must beat both India and Zimbabwe to seal a place in the next round.

"We want to win, not only because it is Pakistan, but we want to take as many points as we can into the Super Six," Indian captain Sourav Ganguly.

For his Pakistani counterpart, Waqar Younis, losing is not an option.

"We don't want to leave it to other teams to decide our fate," he said. "We have to win both our remaining matches."

The match promises an exhilarating contest as 502-wicket Wasim pits his skills against 11,917-run Tendulkar and Shoaib attempts to rattle the likes of Ganguly, Dravid and Sehwag.

"I will target everyone," said Shoaib who was timed at a record-breaking 161.3 kmh against England last Saturday.

"Naturally I want to get Tendulkar, because this is a big, big wicket, but not many realise removing Dravid is equally important.

"He rotates the strike and in no time he is on 50."

Tendulkar is the tournament's top run-getter with 371 while Wasim is the joint leader with Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas on 12 wickets apiece.

Pakistan's wayward bowling and inept batting has so far been a concern for Waqar.

Inzamam, the side's premier batsman, has scored just 10 runs in four innings, while hard-hitting opener Shahid Afridi has made only seven runs and taken two wickets with his leg-breaks.

The rest of the batting has been so ineffective that number 11 Shoaib tops the team's averages at 72 following his spectacular 43 against England.