The Hindu : Sport : Lara, Inzamam and their fickle teams to light up opener

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Tuesday, Mar 13, 2007
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Lara, Inzamam and their fickle teams to light up opener

S. Ram Mahesh

West Indies and Pakistan all geared up for the much-awaited inaugural match of the World Cup

Kingston: Both first called forth gasps of global admiration in the 1992 World Cup; both have since added inches around the middle, one reportedly from debauchery, the other allegedly from gluttony.

Over the last 15 years, each has, at most of the grand stages around the world, shown why his art has compelled the normally reticent to purple prose.

On Tuesday, Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq will lead their bands of ostensibly fickle men out to battle at Sabina Park.

The World Cup opener couldn't have asked for a better setting though the Bajans will disagree; they've got the final at their beloved Kensington Oval, which they call The Mecca, so perhaps they'll grudgingly concede this honour to Sabina.

PHOTO: AP

A FORCE TO RECKON WITH: If Gayle gets going, Pakistan will find the going tough.

The mist-laden Blue Mountains set off the George Headley Stand, the Kingston Harbour forms the backdrop of the south: grounded in geography, Sabina Park has nevertheless evolved with the times to now be fully accessible by wheelchair.

And the party stand is larger then before: more advice then for the players of the West Indies and Pakistan.

"It will be a fitting opening game," said Lara, who in 1992 inebriated the senses with 88 before Wasim Akram forced a yorker on to his toe. "It will be a good match, the right match for the opening."

Lara prides himself on his intimate knowledge of cricket's history: it's safe to assume he approved of the choice of the opening match knowing full well that Pakistan and the West Indies are the only two sides in World Cups to have been twice involved in one-wicket victories. West Indies won the first in 1975, Pakistan the second in 1987. A third in 2007 will ensure the Cup opener sets things up excellently for the 46 days to follow.

Lara and Inzamam couldn't be more different as men and batsmen: Lara the self-confessed manipulator, Inzamam the naïve gentleman who values honour above all else. Barring the detail that both make excellent use of their top hands — perhaps because Lara the left-handed batsman is in the other world a right-hander, and Inzamam the right-handed batsman does other things left-handed — there's little common technically in their batsmanship.

Lara crackles into position like an electric surge; Inzamam slimes into it like a giant slug, but a benevolent, graceful, all-knowing slug at that. Lara's cover drive involves a throwing of the arms, wrists given full abandon. Inzamam executes the same stroke with a potter's assuaging touch, wrists shaping it just so. Both though are crucial to the team, and both, by the reckoning of former greats of their nations, bat one spot too low.

Both 37-year-olds have an old-world sense of fair play and a personal code of ethics. And both have needed these qualities for they captain cricketing countries that are governed by capricious administrators. This will likely be each's last hurrah, though Inzamam, when asked if he'd continue, said simply, "definitely".

Batting problems

Pakistan and the West Indies have both chased better than set targets in recent times. But, the two sides have different sets of batting problems. The West Indies, in its last 20 ODIs, averages nearly 170 for their first four wickets, but just over 70 for the remaining six. In Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul it has an opening pair that has settled like mould; Ramnaresh Sarwan and Lara complete the high quality quartet. Once these four are dismissed, however, the rest fold fast.

Pakistan has trouble at the top, but in Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, and Inzamam, the side has three punitive players. Kamran Akmal, Azhar Mahmood, and Shoaib Malik, should he bat down the order, stiffen the line-up considerably.

"Yes, our openers are struggling, but we'll have to try and manage with our experienced middle order," said Inzamam.

Better tactician

Lara is the better tactician, and despite the odd glitch manages to read conditions up front well.

It'll be interesting to see if he employs the fast, flat off-spin of Gayle and Marlon Samuels, who started turning his batting around when the West Indies toured Pakistan, in the middle overs.

Meanwhile Inzamam bereft of Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar has been forced to front up to using leg-spinner Danish Kaneria as an attacking option.

Inzamam refused to read into the West Indies's collapse in the warm-up against India; he insisted in typical turn of phrase in Urdu, which Pakistan has chosen to answer all pressers, that the better side on Tuesday would win.

The teams (from):

Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt.), Younis Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Danish Kaneria, Iftikhar Anjum, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Yousuf, Naved-ul-Hasan, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat.

West Indies: Brian Lara (capt.), Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Corey Collymore, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Devon Smith and Jerome Taylor.

Umpires: Billy Bowden and Simon Taufel; Third umpire: Brian Jerling; Match referee: Chris Broad.

Hours of play (IST): 8 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. and 12.15 a.m. to close of play.

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