The Hindu : Sport : Inzamam injured; Pakistan in trouble

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Thursday, Dec 01, 2005

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Inzamam injured; Pakistan in trouble

Ted Corbett

GOTCHAI Liam Plunkett gets Salman Butt to nick one to wicket-keeper Geraint Jones for his first wicket in Test cricket. -PHOTO: AP

LAHORE: It is easy to mock Inzamam-ul-Haq, a pound heavier every time he appears on the horizon, an Eastern W.G. Grace; but when he is no longer available, the difference to the Pakistan-England series is palpable. On Wednesday he was hit on the wrist by Steve Harmison and had to retire — temporarily at any rate — and suddenly England had catchers everywhere, Harmison and Andrew Flintoff went on the attack and it looked as if Pakistan faced defeat.

They finished the day 185 for four, 103 behind, and the game is wide open.

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach said: "We have sent Inzy to hospital but only as a precaution. We are sure it is just a bruise but we know it takes a lot to get him off the field.

It is sore and swollen but we are happy that nothing is broken."

Pakistan are still in trouble, particularly if their captain cannot play in the Test again. He was certainly in considerable pain when he walked off.

It is a tragedy because this great batsman may still win the player of the series award and deserves to pick up the trophy as well.

Once again he was playing calmly for 35, as he has through two fifties in the first Test and two hundreds in the second; and he was just 11 runs from a career landmark of 8,000.

What is more he looked as if he could go another at least another 4,000 runs, bat until he was 40, or set himself a Bradman target as Brian Lara has done this week.

While he was on the field you could see Pakistan gaining a small lead some time on the third day and controlling the rest of the match through their spinners; instead the pitch that is often called a bowlers' graveyard came to life.

It had been offering tiny amounts of help throughout the day but just after tea Harmison, who had been threatening all though the Pakistan innings, made a ball steeple from just short of a length and hit Inzamam on the right wrist. Inzamam did not register the pain immediately but after a squirt from the spray the physic tried to touch his hand and it became clear that the pain was too much. Then his glove would not go back on and we could see how swollen the forearm had become.

Plunkett earns his applause

If Inzamam was the home crowd hero — although Mohammad Yousuf made a fine elegant 80 after being dropped by Flintoff, of all bucket-handed fielders — the small English contingent, here for the one-day internationals really, found their own, a lanky 20-year-old from Durham who had a taste of success in everything he did. He is certainly a lad worth watching. Liam Plunkett began by batting an hour for nine with Paul Collingwood, who failed to make a first Test century when he swung at a short ball from Shoaib Akhtar and was caught for 96.

Collingwood had given England a score that suggested the pitch was a menace — it is not, yet — but they struggled to 288, which I guess is 120 short of their target figure when Michael Vaughan won the toss. Plunkett then took a simple two-handed head-high catch to get rid of Shoaib Malik off the sixth ball of the Pakistan innings and Matthew Hoggard had a second success when Asif Kamal was lbw to the last ball before lunch. It seemed Plunkett might be a talisman for the side that was badly in need of a fresh pair of legs and when he was finally given a chance to bowl he took the wicket of Salman Butt with his 11th delivery. He may be a find and at 20 he has time to learn. From every quarter of the England camp there are whispers about his potential that once came when Ian Botham was the rising star.

Lets hope the expectations don't undo this lad's career as they have so many others.

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