War stories were part of my upbringing as a soldier’s son. Having listened to my father’s firsthand account of an India-Pakistan war and its horrors, I have always been irked by the comparisons of a cricket match between the two nations to a war. A sporting contest cannot be called war. Yes, there might be more heat in an India-Pakistan match and pressure on the players, too, but it’s naive to use the term ‘war’ so loosely. For long, India and Pakistan had given us the most gripping rivalry the sport offered, but not anymore.
Amidst all the hype and build-up to the match between the arch-rivals last Sunday, the informed cricket fan knew that it was never going to live up to its billing. It turned out to be an India vs Mohammad Amir contest, as many expected. When every Pakistani, starting from Prime Minister Imran Khan, wanted captain Sarfaraz Ahmed to bat first on winning the toss, the captain had other ideas. His decision would have been vindicated as well, had Pakistan had one bowler to complement Amir’s efforts upfront. The left arm pacer bowled beautifully, asking some serious questions, but sadly there was nobody to sustain the pressure from the other end. The Indians could easily see him off and score against the rest.
Much of Pakistan’s dominance over India in the 1990s was owing to its deadly new ball pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Most successful teams in world cricket have had such bowling combinations―Curtly Ambrose-Courtney Walsh, Glenn McGrath-Brett Lee, to name a couple.
Deadly pair: Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram | AFP
Reliving the memories of an absorbing Hero Cup semifinal in 1993, former India cricketer Pravin Amre shared with me recently how tough it was to negotiate a deadly accurate Fanie de Villiers when everyone’s focus was on ‘White Lightning’ Allan Donald. Amre was one of the three Indian batsmen who managed to reach the double figures in a low scoring affair which is better known for Sachin Tendulkar’s thrilling last over. For the record, Fanie’s returns in that match was three wickets in his quota of 10 overs at an economy rate of 1.90. Two bowlers may not be equally successful in terms of the number of scalps every time but it’s very important that the pressure is maintained at both ends. It takes two to tango.
My two favourite matches so far in this World Cup have been the ones wherein the team batting first posted less than 250 on the board and made a fight out of it. South Africa was in the contest till the very end, but they were up against a resolute Kane Williamson. New Zealand as a cricketing nation is not known for producing ‘superstars’ but they have produced some excellent cricketers over the years and Williamson is one of them. He may not have the swag or the flair of someone like Virat Kohli, but he is a superb batsman and a fine captain as well. The shot he played against Lungi Ngidi off the last ball of the penultimate over in the match against South Africa is a testimony of his class as a batsman. With the Kiwis needing 12 runs off 7 balls, Williamson got one to go between the wicket-keeper and the short third man to the fence, a deft touch of genius. Just when you thought that Sri Lanka’s World Cup was almost over, they punched above their weight to defend 232 and shocked favourites England! Lasith Malinga’s pace might be a thing of the past and his physique might suggest it’s been a few years since his retirement, but the ‘slinger’ has shown that he can still be a handful.
Sri Lankan players celebrate their World Cup group stage match victory against England | AFP
Perhaps the most disappointing match so far has been the West Indies vs Bangladesh one. Athar Ali Khan, whose commentary is a reflection of Bangladesh’s mediocre resources in that department, exclaimed, “What a match!” when the winning run was hit, and one couldn’t help saying to oneself “What a mismatch!”. When a score of 321 is overhauled with absolute ease with 7 wickets in hand and 51 balls to spare, it’s hard to call it a great match! Take nothing away from the Bangladesh’s deserving win, but the West Indies lacked intensity and hunger to win on the day.
With so much irrelevant cricket being played these days, what the World Cup can least afford is lack of contests. As I am writing this, a Shami hat-trick has just bailed India out against a spirited Afghanistan, and spirit is what you need. No two teams are the same in terms of talent and skills but lack of intensity and desire to win is unacceptable. With the event moving towards its business end, we expect keener contests and closer finishes. Let there be two teams ‘visible’ in every match. It takes two to tango!
Sreeduth is a sports broadcaster, management consultant, quiz show host, columnist and a noted percussionist as well.
