by Rex Wijewardene
Pakistan cricket is riding high on a crest of a wave of success. They made a mockery of Sri Lankan cricket in the Sharjah Cup finals where they won by a convining margin of 217 runs. Since then they have not looked back, but carried their success to their home soil, presently in a Test series against New Zealand, with vengeance. My sympathies are with the Kiwis, considering they are a depleted side. They just appear to be sitting ducks when confronted with the devastating pace attack of Akram, Wakhar and Aktar. This is the most dreaded fast bowling attack, in international cricket today. Aktar has been termed as the fastest bowler in the game, faster than Jeff Thomson of Australia. His dangerous delivery is the killer yorker, same times referred to as the toe crusher, which does not give the batsmen a ghost of a chance to counter it, as he proved in the first test against New Zealand with a fiery spell of 6 for 11. Pakistan cricket has taken a dramatic turn, for the better. The selectors opted to infuse young blood, which has paid rich devidends. They have a wealth of talent, which has surfaced in recent times, and will mature in good time, for the prestigious 2003 World Cup in South Africa. The bouncy pitches over there, would be just down the street for their fiery pace attack of Akram, Wakha and Aktar, and Razzak. When it comes to the spin department, they have a world class off spin bowler in Shaqlain Mushtaq, and a good leg spinner in Afridi. As an all rounder Razzak, is outstanding so is Azar Mamood. When it comes to batting, they have a powerful line-up, with the burly Inzamam-ul-Haq, who will carry much of the batting on his broad shoulders. His 3 tons in the first test against New Zealand ranks him as the 10th batsman in the history of the game to reach this magical milestone. Yousuf Youhana is the bright light in their batting. So is Imran Nazir, R. Latif, A. Razzak, Azar Mamood, and the most feared batsmen in world cricket, the pinch hitter Afridi, who holds the record for the fastest hundred in ODI. To add glamour to the batting is the hard hitting Wasim Akram, in all their batting looks formidable. The only grey area is their fielding, which could improve with time. As for the man behind the stumps, they have the reliable R. Latif, who is always in the thick of action. Pakistan is led by the dynamic Wakar Younis, who leads from the front. Pakistan is a well knit side. Going on their current performances, they appear to be favourites for the 2003. World Cup. Wasim Akram’s dream before he calls it a day, after the World Cup, which would be the end of his illustrious career, his vision of Pakistan winning the World Cup could well be a reality.