Pakistan cricket passing through critical phase (9 November 1998)

9 November 1998

Pakistan cricket passing through critical phase

By Lateef Jafri

Unlike the last Australian trip to Pakistan when the former had lost the series 1-0 under the helmsmanship of Mark Taylor, in the just-concluded three-match Test rubber the result was overturned and the visitors took a sweet revenge from the home side by an identical margin of one win in the first Test at the Rawalpindi stadium.

Mark Taylor's performance in the winter four years ago was much below par. This time the Australian captain rose to Himalayan heights and he played a stellar role as batsman with an aggregate of 513 runs in only three Tests with a Bradmanesque average of 128.50. He equalled the great Don's record of scoring 334 in the Peshawar match, the highest by Australians in the Test matches.

The Australian skipper struck the purple patch at Peshawar, where on a batting cushion, he massacred the Pakistani attack with unabated fury for two full playing days. He was undefeated at 334 when he thought that discretion was the better part of valour and declared his side's knock closed at 599 for four, aiming at a second consecutive Test victory after the Rawalpindi success which was denied to him by the Pakistani batting-line.

But did Taylor's feat really match the assured and scientific batsmanship of Bradman. On his first trip to England in 1930, when the freshman was 22, he scored 309 at Leeds on one and the same day with an exhibition of flawless stroke-making. Bradman did not open the knock but once Archie Jackson was trapped by Tate, the one-down Bradman was steadily up against bowlers of the exceptional class of Larwood, Maurice Tate, Geary, Hammond and Richard Tyldesley and not forgetting Maurice Leyland. His forceful and majestic strokes dazzled on the Headingley ground. In one day he rattled up 309 (next day he was out at 334), but there was a thrilling century before lunch, a double ton before tea and a triple century at close of play. There is no instance in the whole history of Test cricket of a batsman scoring three hundreds in a day. The batting machine that was Bradman could have been controlled and contained by Larwood aiming at his body with a stupendous pace which was awe-inspiring during the infamous Bodyline series two years later.

There was no other way, in view of the Englishmen, to keep the cricketing knight quiet.

Pakistan's series loss to Australia at home was the first since 1959-60 when Richie Benaud's visiting Australia had lowered the colours of Pakistan, led by Fazal Mahmud by 2-0. Before that in the winter of 1956 the Australians, captained by the successor to Bradman and Hassett and having such eminent cricketers in their fold as Neil Harvey, Lindwall, Miller, Davidson, Benaud, Archer, Jim Burke and Colin McDonald could not subdue Pakistan on its own venue. The redoubtable Australians were swept aside by nine wickets at Karachi's National Stadium.

At the Rawalpindi Stadium, despite the fact that Saeed Anwar used his wrists well and wielded a free blade to hit a century it was generally the batting that had failed to allow the Australians to have a cutting edge in the match and ultimately won it by over an innings.

The atrocious batting disappointed the spectators and surprised the critics as the strip was grassless. The coach, Javed Miandad, who surprisingly asked the groundsman to remove the grass from the pitch, will have to explain the aim behind his advice. For none of the Pakistani spinners proved effective. Australia, with the variety in their attack, turned out to be the match-winners. No doubt the strip is the responsibility of the home groundsman, who prepares such a pitch, on the directive of the coach, that suits the national team. All through the three Tests slow, docile wickets were prepared on which the Australian batsmen and bowlers made hay while the sun shone. What was the gain to Pakistan? The spinners failed to deliver the goods. Sans an unfit Waqar Younis there was no bowler of his class to give support to Wasim Akram from the other end for a full-blast two-pronged assault from the start.

At Peshawar's Arbab Niaz Stadium a sleeping strip had ruled out a result. It was a nightmare both for the pacers and the spinners. A total of 1,468 was struck in five days. Even though Taylor took the batting honour and his willow moved like a scimitar Pakistan's score of 580 for 9 against Australia's huge total of 599 for four declared allowed it to raise its head again.

Reportedly Pakistan had many injured players in its ranks.

Both Waqar and Wasim Akram were out of commission, but the second line of seam attack consisting of Mohammad Zahid and Azhar Mahmud could not put up an optimal performance carrying groin and finger problems. Spin wizard, Mushtaq Ahmad, too was not his usual self. Under the circumstances the Pakistani centurions viz. Saeed Anwar and Ijaz and Inzamam (97) were powerful and handsome facing an Australian total touching 600. They did not panick against the fit Australian bowlers and the under-study to Shane Warne, Stuart McGill.

But many would like to know as to why Saqlain Mushtaq was shunted out after the first Test, lost by Pakistan. He is a world-class off-spinner, a clever technician with exquisite action. Did England throw out Lock and Laker if they did not send packing batsmen. Or did India sideline Ghulam Ahmad if he turned out a cropper? The answer is certainly in the negative. The explanation that Saqlain was not a success lacked logic and reasoning. Did Bradman punish Arthur Morris and under-rate him after his failures against Bedser. He persevered with the batsman.

Javed Miandad, who has developed the habit of talking too much, came out with a strange comment after the Peshawar Test. He said "the side was still struggling to find a winning combination. We haven't played with our full strength. The boys have not been engaged in five-day Tests for months." For how long this explanation will be given for defeats - and that too on our own happy hunting grounds? He also admitted his error in the reading of the wicket. He should better be more serious and circumspect in his comments.

At Karachi the lineup of Pakistan minus Saeed Anwar, Inzamam and Mushtaq and the axed Saqlain was a considerably depleted one. It was initially a see-saw affair but once Australia had demonstrated its all-round strength and set a target of 419 for Pakistan it had become well nigh impossible to be attained on the fourth innings. The match was slipping from their grasp when Pakistan were 78 for four. But then came the determined Ijaz to rescue his team with a century. Moin gave the needed support with his individual contribution of 75. The match was saved.

Frail batting let the national pack down at Rawalpindi but later the willow-wielders showed that the Australian attack could be hit with positive, sound and cautious batsmanship. But where are the frightening speedsters if Waqar Younis takes time to get fit and Mushtaq too is missing. Or the policy of sidelining Saqlain continues. They are real menace against top-flight Test and international batsmen.

Without some of the senior players the limitations in the Pakistan team are soon exposed. The batting also is incapable of dealing with an attack mixed with pace and spin; it is more often than not annoying for the batsmen. The new hands tried for new-ball deliveries lacked the hostility that Pakistan had been showing for many years. Could some of the new faces tried for slow bowling find the rival batsmen's weaknesses and exploit them shrewdly. The national cricket and the outfit face a crisis, especially due to fitness problems.

Source :: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)