Pakistan have a definite edge

After winning the one-day series Pakistan has come to the conclusion that its spinners can pose problems for England's batsmen. This impression perhaps gained ground following the victory in the Karachi ODI where the home team lost on a track that yielded an aggregate of 609 runs. Had Pakistan adopted the spinning strategy in the first encounter the dew disadvantage could have been easily neutralized.

Here I would like to dilate on the term home advantage for the readers to grasp its fuller implications. Different countries prepare the playing strip to suit their teams. In India spinners wickets are designed since they had a galaxy of world class spinners in the past like Bishen Singh Bedi, Parsanna and Chandrashekar upto Anil Kumble, who belongs to the same category.

England preferred seamers surfaces as they had acknowledged masters of the art in Ian Botham and Mike Hendrick. The Caribbeans commanded a brigrade of superb speedsters like Roy Gilchrist Wesley Hall and Griffith who revelled on steam roller surface where the ball tended to fly. Australia went for bouncy tracks to help trundlers like Allan Davidson, Miller and Lindwall. Later, Lillee and Thomson sparkled on similar wickets.

Curiously while Pakistan had at its disposal great fast bowlers like Imran Khan, Waseem Akram, Waqar Yunus and Shoaib Akhtar, it never went for fast wickets. The reason was obvious: our batsmen did not feel at ease on such tracks.

We have two main centres of cricket, Lahore and Karachi. Punjab has been traditionally the breeding ground for speed merchants from Mohammad Nisar down to Shoaib Akhtar. Their physical strength apart the fast grassy patches gave their gifted talent fuller play. On the other hand Karachi produced world class batsmen like little master Hanif Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad. One reason for this was the batting paradise where bounce is low and the ball comes on to the bat. Of course this is not meant to question their calibre as they performed equally well in other countries and continents. Now coming back to the present series against England the weakness and vulnerability of the visitors against our spinners has confirmed the strategy to go for underprepared pitches. Unfortunately we do not have a qualified groundsman and would therefore opt for a gentle roller to be on the safe side. But I am afraid with all that the toss would still be vital since the softening strip starts cracking and bowling marks create complications. Here let us remember India's underprepared wicket in the world cup semi-final where an average bowler like Sanath Jaysuria swept the opponents clean - a classic case of intended advantage recoiling.

We have a definite superiority in bowling - both fast and slow - over the opponents. Waseem Akram is a phenomenal fast bowler. The spinning trio of Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Shahid Afridi is a formidable challenge. An additional asset Qaiser Abbas a left arm finger spinner will further fortify this deadly combination. Afridi - equally proficient in one-day and regular Test category a 'la' Saeed Anwar, Sanath Jaysuria and Srikanth who had one time been branded as only one day players, can spring a pleasant surprise with the bat too. Qaiser is no mean willow - wielder either and as left hander be a tough proposition for the visiting bowlers.

As for the home team, a recovered Saeed Anwar will definitely walk-in and an all-rounder, perhaps Azhar Mahmood will be out. In fact barring one or two players the whole XI virtually select itself. That is why I was surprised to hear my good friend Waseem Bari said in a TV Interview that Pakistan team selection is a challenging task. Having been the selector several times before I deem myself lucky as chairman since my job was almost cut out for me. At the moment the same situation makes a selector's assignment easiest. For a one-day team all cricket lovers would agree on the following combination.

1. Saeed Anwer 2. Shahid Afridi 3. Inzamamul Haq 4. Yousuf Youhana 5. Azhar Mahmood 6. Abdul Razzak 7. Wasim Akram 8. Moin Khan 9. Saqlain Mushtaq 10. Mushtaq Ahmed.

For the eleventh players Waqar Younus and Saleem Elahi may be the contenders. Where then lies the challenge. It beats my comprehension.

There was an era in West Indies when Clive Lloyd had profusion of players who could just walk in, an embarrassing enrichment. Just recall the names: Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Vivian Richards, Kallicharan, Derrick Murray, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Clive Lloyd as captain. Today the same team is in a shambles. Brazil's football team with the legendary Pele had the same great good fortune.

Excuse me for this digression. If in today's context we give England a target of 350 on a spinners track Inzamam will have to play the same anchor role that the great mastermind Javed Miandad used to do in the past. With Yohana to support him he can take the whole team on his broad shoulders.

In conclusion a couple of observations about the visiting team. Although I do not relish critisizing the visiting team composition, I fail to understand why England omitted off-spinner Robert Croft from the Pakistan tour and Andrew Caddick from the World Cup squad. Another point worth noting is about the language confusion. If we start translating the peculiar linguistic expressions flowing from the lips of highly strung players in an atmosphere charged with tension, a great war might erupt. Let us take them in our stride and rise above these little pin pricks. They are part of the game.