Pakistan's overall performance no mean feat (11 July 1999)

11 July 1999

Pakistan's overall performance no mean feat

The Dawn

Lahore, July 10: The overall performance of the Pakistan team in the seventh World Cup Cricket Tournament was remarkable and the nation should encourage the players so they could gird up their loins for future contests.

This was the overriding sentiment of speakers ata reception held by a private firm in honour of the Pakistan cricket team at a local hotel on Friday. Only five member of theWorld Cup squad were present - Ijaz Ahmad, Yousaf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Azhar Mahmood and Abdul Razzaque.

Speaking as a chief guest, the former president of the then Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP), Chief Justice (retd) Nasim Hasan Shah, said that although the performance of the team in the final had disappointed its fans, it had done tremendous work in reaching the final.

Mr Shah said that pressure, weather and bad luck had played a role in Pakistan's defeat. The side comprised mostly young players, but it was a strong team as compared to the 1992 squad which had won the World Cup.

Commenting on skipper Wasim Akram's decision of going into bat after winning the toss, Mr Shah said: "When Akram won the toss, cricket experts as well as the nation started predicting that Pakistan would win the final. But when it backfired, they began to criticize the decision".

He condemned those who were levelling match-fixing and gambling allegations against Pakistain cricketers. These were all baseless allegations and no cricketer would put a final match at stake for money, he said.

Former skipper and manager of the Pakistan team which won the 1992 World Cup, Intikhab Alam, said that Pakistan could win the next World Cup if the present team managed to maintain their fitness and form.

Intikhab Alam said that qualifying for the final with a team with an average age of 20-21 years was not a mean achievement.

He criticized the way the Pakistan team came home from London. "Despite earning second position in the 12-nation contest, our players landed at Karachi airport like thieves", he said.

Former Test cricketer Aftab Gul said that at the start of the World Cup, Pakistan were placed third as favourites while the Indians were at fourth position. But at the end Pakistan proved themselvesf as the second best team and the Indians went down tamely.

"In the 1998 World Football Cup the strong Brazilians tasted defeat in the final at the hands of France who were playing for the first time in the all important match", Gulpointed out.

A cash prize for the Pakistan team of Rs 2,50,000 given by the host firm was received on behalf of the team by Ijaz Ahmad as senior member. Prizes of Rs 50,000 each for three cricketers, namely, Wasim Akram, Moin Khan and Saqlain Mushtaq, were also given away.

Source :: The Dawn (www.dawn.com)