Whenever a Pakistan cricket team embarks upon an overseas tour, a rousing question that surfaces amongst the dedicated cricket fans in the country is whether the team would be capable of delivering the goods. As always, the fans usually split into two contrasting camps, one into yes and the other into no. With the Pakistan squad already in the West Indies and with the tour to begin in all earnest from May 18. By good measures, if I were a betting man, all the money available at my disposal would be placed firmly on Pakistan for the mere asking.
What, has promoted me a fairly cautious critic and admirer of the glorious game of cricket is the neat blend of balance to be found in the Pakistan team.
By every reckoning, some sullied interpretations have gained currency in the last year or so, was that Inzamamul Haq was skippering a young band of warriors.
By all accounts, a heavily criticised Inzamam, has come of age by not only silencing his arm chair critics but also galvanising his young lads into a unit.
Belatedly, as it may sound to all and sundry, it is a fact accomplished in a million ways than one.
No small measure, Inzamam was able to lead his young bunch of players from the front due his incredible skill with bat and overcoming his laid back approach to captaincy with a new found aggressive style.
In all, the Pakistan team is to play six matches on tour, with the opening one-day international on May 18th a warm-up tie beginning today, after two days of rest and recreation.
Of course, they should be able to sustain the tremendous good work done in India as they would encounter similar weather and playing conditions that they are use to in the sub-continent.
Surely, Inzamam and his team were able to outwit India in both the Test and one-day international series, that too, after receiving a severe mauling by the hosts Down Under earlier this year. Pakistan were able the draw the Test series One-One and then swamped India in the one-day internationals by a heart-warming four matches to two. And that too, after being outclassed by Australia, the world's greatest team in both Test and limited-overs internationals.
By far, it was the drubbing receive at the hands of Australia that galvanised Pakistan into a combination to be reckoned after vigorously working on their shortcomings.
As so often happens, when one deviates from the normal, to the abnormal, gets handsome dividends in corporate terms.
To say the least, Inzamam and his English coach Bob Woolmer were humiliated by across-the-board-characters, that they had taken the weakest-ever team to India and that they hardy stood a chance against their superior rivals. But that is now history.
In many ways, the West Indies team today is not like the mighty ones of the seventies and eighties.
Besides Brian Lara, the world's greatest batsman, the others can at most be described as flash-in-the-pan batsmen. Furthermore,, their bowling lacks the sting and bite that is needed to bowl out teams for a low score. In particular, the South African captain Graeme Smith and the rest of his team had more than exposed the frailties of the West Indians by winning the Test series and leading 4-0 in the best-of-five one-day internationals.
Reverting back the Inzamam, although he will miss fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami, he can call upon the services of Shabbir Ahmed and Umer Gul.
Spinners Danish Kaneria and Arshad Khan and to beef them up will be Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzak and the cleard Shoaib Malik.
Even, though, Inzamamul Haq and Shoaib Malik will miss the first one-day international for different reason. Firstly, Inzamam was docked by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for slow overrate in India. Secondly, Shoaib Malik received a one-match ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for throwing a domestic cricket match, Pakistan would still be able to field a strong eleven.
Whereas the captaincy is concerned Younis Khan has showed in India that he possesses an impressive cricketing brain and has the stuff in him to be the next Pakistan skipper.
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