They took off with almost indecent haste their going rate for much of their innings
They took off with almost indecent haste; their going rate for much of their innings was five an over and at one stage there was a feeling that they could have stepped up the tempo as the Zimbabwe attack began to dance to a Pakistani tune.Then there was the rate at which Pakistan lost their wickets Now that was indecently hasty. They disappeared into the Bedser stand dressing room in rapid succession as Zimbabwe briefly moved into the frame.But the deciding speed factor was the pace of the respective attacks The contrast between them could not have been more stark. Pakistan’s slowest bowler is Saqlain, who ranges from 52 to 58mph according to the FedEx Speedster contraption. But Saqlain, as he proved, does not need speed.It is accepted that Shoaib Akhtar is the fastest. He was clocked at 95mph at Trent Bridge and yesterday peaked at 94.
Pundits expect him to become the first 100mph bowler, some of his victims probably think he has already become a founder member of the ton-up club, and not a coffee bar or motorbike in sight.Zimbabwe’s hottest bowler yesterday was Olonga at 86mph, Heath Streak did manage 83 and Guy Whittall an impressive 80, but they could not call upon another of their faster bowlers, Neil Johnson who is carrying a thigh strain. For their part Pakistan had three other bowlers in the 80s, Wasim Akram (87), Abdur Razzaq (86) and Azhar Mahmood (85). No contest.Using the speed gun is not an exact science, but it is probably the best it can get. The problem is that when a bowler is known to be fast then deliveries look quicker than perhaps they are, matching expectation rather than reality.The speed gun did not come into use until the Super Sixes, but it has thrown up the unexpected. South Africa’s Allan Donald has been outgunned not just by Shoaib, but also by India’s Javagal Srinath.But if batsmen worry only about pace that will cost them dear, as Zimbabwe discovered at The Oval.
While all eyes were on Shoaib it was Abdur who did the damage, replacing Shoaib after three overs and whipping out three Zimbabweans in 18 balls. Then of course there was Saqlain, lurking quietly, biding his time then seizing his opportunity in dramatic fashion.. NEW ZEALAND plan to adopt a more adventurous approach against India at Trent Bridge today in their bid to enter the World Cup semi-finals. Pakistan’s triumph over Zimbabwe yesterday has left New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Australia battling it out for the final two places in the last four. The Kiwis, hampered by a wash-out against Zimbabwe at Headingley, need victory over India, ideally by an emphatic margin, to increase their run- rate and draw level with Zimbabwe on five points.
That would be enough for both New Zealand and Zimbabwe to reach the semi-finals providing South Africa beat Australia at Headingley tomorrow, condemning Steve Waugh’s side to an earlier than expected exit.
If, however, Australia triumph at Headingley, it would leave Zimbabwe and New Zealand battling it out for the final place, which would be decided by whichever team had the greater net run rate.But New Zealand’s coach, Steve Rixon, will not consider the permutations before his side have overcome India, whose exit was sealed by Pakistan’s win at The Oval. “The only thing we can control is actually going out and winning this game of cricket,” he stressed. “As much as you can say it’s just another game, it’s our only game and it’s our last chance. Our run rate isn’t great but it does change fairly dramatically if you have a good win, but we have to get two points first.”New Zealand will have to lift their standard from Wednesday’s 74-run defeat by South Africa, when the batting let them down. “I think what has held us up is that we have played on a lot of wickets where the white ball has done a lot early and we’ve tried to protect our wickets and not lose any during the early stages,” Rixon added.”Now the wickets are better, I think we have to go back to a more positive approach and try and get over 70 in the first 15 overs.”.
