Our victory is proof of the power of positive thinking (13 June 1999)

13 June 1999

Our victory is proof of the power of positive thinking

Wasim Akram

The Pakistan team are feeling great after the outing we had against Zimbabwe. We had had a bad week and it was good to get over the rough patch with a convincing victory.

Our performance was significant because we showed great character to bounce back after three defeats and claim our place in the semi-final. Perhaps those defeats did have a positive effect on us since we sat down and worked upon the weak points in our cricket and I am certain that we have emerged a stronger team in time for the semi-finals.

Friday's was a crucial toss to win since batting second was bound to be difficult. Having said that, full marks to our batsmen, particularly the openers who put an ordinary tournament behind them and came up with a great showing. I was also happy with the bowlers with Shoaib and Saqlain coming back with strong performances after being hit in the last two matches. Saqlain deserved his second hat-trick because I rate him as the best offie I have ever seen. I have been fortunate to have a couple of hat-tricks in both forms of the game and would be delighted if he were to break my record.

Shoaib Akhtar did us proud with a blistering spell of fast bowling. I spoke to him before the game and told him to go all out for pace. I have also given him the freedom to bowl what he feels like bowling. Therefore, I am not going to stop him when he strives for that extra yard of pace or attempts to bounce the batsmen out. Moreover, I have decided to use him in four-over bursts so that he can go flat out.

Looking ahead, I think it will be unfair to underestimate the strength of any side. Zimbabwe, who are tipped to be our semi-final opponents, must not be taken lightly. And more importantly, our side have the ability to beat any team that make it to the semis. We have beaten Australia, Zimbabwe and New Zealand during the tournament, and also ran South Africa close. We have the talent to beat any team, whether it is in the semi-final or the final.

Zimbabwe, as I said, are no pushovers. They have a world-class player in Neil Johnson, and many of their other players have made useful contributions. They managed to defeat two top teams in the league stage and therefore deserve to come this far.

Looking at the other team who have confirmed a place in the semis, South Africa, I must say they are a top team. They have had a great run right through this tournament and other than the one hiccup against Zimbabwe, have played great all-round cricket. Their team comprises some of the toughest professionals in the game, and Hansie Cronje, along with his team management, does his homework thoroughly before every match. However, even a top side may have a bad day or a bad spell during a crucial time of the game. If it comes when they are playing us, we are confident of wresting the initiative from them and avenging our loss in the Super Six match.

The other likely semi-finalists, Australia, are also a competitive outfit. According to some experts, they are the side to watch out for because they are peaking at the right time. I am not so sure. They have a very good batting line-up, but their bowlers are not having too great a time. Other than Glenn McGrath, who has been getting better with every match, the rest of the bowlers are yet to make their mark in the tournament. There is a question mark hanging over the form and fitness of Shane Warne. I think it would be foolish to write him off. He is a great bowler, and who knows, he may come good when it matters most.

The teams who will have to make a painful journey home at this stage are bound to find fault with the format. I have played in a few World Cups and I think this is the best format.

Teams like India and the West Indies faltered at the group stage while Zimbabwe beat two top teams. Whatever the experts say, they cannot deny these facts. Moreover, all the teams knew of the format long before the tournament, therefore finding fault now is quite pointless.

As far as we are concerned, we fancy our chances against all these teams. We will go out and try our best, the rest of course is up to destiny. I would like to tell our fans that we always try our best to win, but being human, we fall short at times.

True supporters are those who rally around their team during the bad times. When we lost against India, it pained me to see supporters coming to the bus and abusing us. Having seen the highs and lows I am equipped to handle the pressure. The youngsters in the team, however, are unable to take this pressure, and it might harm them psychologically. We always give our best, we would like our supporters to remember that.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph