Pakistan eager to avenge World Cup humiliation

At the end of the month Pakistan will be embarking on another tour of Australia, their ninth, since they first stepped in the Antipodes in 1964 under the master batsman Hanif Mohammad. The two countries have since played forty Test between them at home and away of which Australia has won 14, Pakistan 11 and 15 Tests have ended without result.

Surprisingly however, whereas Pakistan has a rather envious record of seven wins against only two by Australia in Pakistan in17 Test played here, Pakistan somehow has failed to dominate the Aussies Down Under. Of the 23 Tests in Australia Pakistan has won only four and Australia incredibly 12 matches. And Pakistan is yet to win a series on their soil. The only worth mentioning success in Australia has been Pakistan's win in the World Series Cricket (WSC) in 1996 when they outplayed both Australia and the West Indies in the finals at the MCG. That indeed is a big credit in itself as not many countries have the privilege of winning the WSC championship.

Every time that Pakistan takes off on a tour of Australia they are well focussed on winning the elusive Test series. On occasions they managed to come near it but yet remained too far. The forthcoming tour by Pakistan once again facing a similar situation. Last time that they met in the Test series was in Pakistan last year, Australia took the series 1-0, their first win in a series in Pakistan for 39 years. Mark Taylor, the then captain had then struck 334 in the second Test at Peshawar in a drawn Test after Australia had won the first Test of the series at Rawalpindi with the support of the leg-spinner Stuart MacGill. Pakistan had played poorly in that series after Aamir Sohail had taken over the captaincy briefly.

The humiliation, has to be avenged, says the present Pakistan captain Wasim Akram who after all the aches and pains of recent controversies in Pakistan cricket has been reinstated. Despite some brilliant performances in the last World Cup they failed to rise in the finals against Australia at Lord's having had tremendous success in the preliminary matches. Thoroughly professional Australia had however, reserved trump cards for the finals as they came from behind and took away the cherished prize.

For the last one month I was with them in Sri Lanka during the three match Test series. They had lost their first one-day trophy against the Indians and Sri Lanka which surely was shocking to say the least for the Australian followers who only a couple of months ago had given their team a ticker-tape reception for the World Cup victory against Pakistan. In the Tests they looked an ordinary side. Sri Lanka easily beat them in the first Test at Kandy by six wickets and within three days and if rain had not come to their rescue they might have even lost the series at Galle before the final Test at Colombo. With the last two Tests drawn Sri Lanka won their first ever Test series against them and they looked a lot better side than the Australians as the visiting captain Steve Waugh himself admitted after the series.

Injuries to Jason Gillespie and Steve Waugh who had collided in the Kandy Test while attempting a catch, lack of form of the rest of the batsmen like Mark Waugh who had make five ducks in six innings in Sri Lanka on various visits and that of the other batsmen had given Sri Lanka the edge. That outing in the emerald island should however not be taken as the measuring stick for the Australians ability to spring back and shock their visitors on their home grounds.

Every thing favours them, the bouncy pitches, the atmosphere and the crowd all contribute and that is not only true for the Australians but for every country. Pakistan however has tremendous capacity and also enormous talent which makes them a dreaded opponent. Australians that I talked to on my recent visit to Sri Lanka are acutely aware of this. They consider Pakistanthe biggest threat to them. Steve Waugh considers Wasim Akram the most dangerous bowler and the team as unpredictable as ever. "We are looking forward to Pakistan visit, they are a very strong side, we all know and we will have to raise our standards if we have to damage them and stop them from winning against us in Australia," says Steve Waugh.

Pakistan in full strength could be a daunting prospect, they have an allround team with their weaknesses in batting and fielding meticulously studied by the Australians who had a close look at them during the Test series in Pakistan and in the recent World Cup. If only Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq,Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram remain fit and untested Shabbir Ahmed is able to show form, Pakistan bowling could be a handful on the bouncy tracks of Australia.