Pakistan passion

Was that the Aussies choking that I watched today? “The pressure got to us,” said Moises Henriques, their captain. The favoured outcome of today’s match was the powerfully consistent Australians (at least in this tournament) to out do the talented but inconsistent Pakistanis. But that depended on which Pakistan arrived. For 17 overs it seemed for all the world that it was the reckless version, but then an extraordinary turnaround occurred. When Pakistan were 80 for 5 we all feared another one-sided final, that’s what it was – but for the other side.

The Australians lost their composure in the field, discipline with the ball and just had an old-fashioned stinker with the bat. They were well-coached, well led and had the best possible support team – but today all that was outdone by raw talent. Mansoor Rana, the Pakistan coach, has had his squad together for about two months – other teams have been together up to two years. But as Rana said: “It is the nature of Pakistanis to do things when they are needed most.”

Rana also said the Pakistan support, the first meaningful fan base to appear at the tournament, helped to spur the side on and they showed their appreciation by going over to them at the end. The Khettarama area of Colombo, where the Premadasa is built, has a strong Muslim community and one small corner of the ground was decked out with flags and banners. The noise level steadily rose during the evening and the final wicket brought a chorus of delight.

With two huge rivals now set to clash in the final there is certainly an increased interest, especially with the series in Pakistan now being dead. Two more TV stations are making their way to Colombo and, according to the tournament media manager, a batch of journalists are making the short hop from India. Rahul Dravid has also shown his support for the Under-19s following saying: “We heard the news [about them reaching the final] and we all cheered and are right behind the guys.”

The semi-finals have been two one-sided to be called classic matches but hopefully, given the sudden surge of interest, the final will provide a worthy finish. The two teams lining up means there is every chance.