JEDDAH, 28 February 2003 — The battle lines are drawn.
“Watch the Clash of Titans,” says one banner. “Watch the Clash of Archrivals,” screams another.
These are references to Pakistan and India, who have fought three wars against each other since Independence in 1947. But the banners are in reference to another “war” — one between two cricketing rivals who are to play each other at the Centurion in South Africa at 10.45 a.m. (Saudi time) tomorrow.
Playing for the boisterous Subcontinental gallery are dozens of Pakistani and Indian restaurants that are displaying such banners to draw large crowds of diners with good cricket on their mind. Visitors to the Consulate General of India will have an opportunity to see the match on its TV.
Jeddah Trident is one of many hotels showing the match live.
Who will win the match is being hotly debated in both camps, with each hoping to come out victorious. Pakistanis say they are comparatively stronger with their bowlers like Wasim Akram, the only one with a haul of 500 wickets in history, “Rawalpindi Express” Shoaib Akhtar and captain Waqar Younis.
“We’ve this potent attack and a dangerous batting order that can click any time. After all, we were the runners-up in the last World Cup played in England in 1999,” says Pakistani Maqbool Hussain, 35, an airconditioner technician.
Pakistan has been beaten in the current World Cup tournament by Australia and England.
India, on the other hand, is already ahead having won four out of the five matches played so far.
Pakistan has to play one other match against Zimbabwe on Tuesday before the “Super Six” slot is decided in Group A.
Nayaab Restaurant has booked its family hall for fans to watch the “clash of titans.” “The response is tremendous. We wonder whether our hall will be big enough to accommodate all our Pakistani and Indian fans,” said its owner Meraj Farooqui. “We’ll make additional arrangements if necessary,” he added.
Ijaz Ahmad Quazi of Marhaba Restaurant said: “It is going to be one of the best events of the tournament. It will be a tough fight.”
Middle-aged Muhammad Javed of Shaheen Restaurant said a family hall of his restaurant had already been booked by some families to watch tomorrow’s match. “We expect 50 to 100 Pakistani and Indian family members, including women and children, to watch the match. We’ll serve them lunch or whatever dishes and drinks they order,” said an excited Javed.
“India has the best batting lineup, while Pakistanis have the best bowling lineup. Don’t forget our strong attack had bothered even the Australians in an earlier clash,” says Syed Zeeshan Ishtiyaque, a ninth grade Pakistani student of Al-Hara International School in Aziziyah. “We students had decided not to attend school tomorrow, but we’re glad our principal has acceded to our request to make arrangements for us to watch the match,” he said. “I want Pakistan to win the toss and Shoaib Akhtar to do the initial damage by removing India’s star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguli and Rahul Dravid,” Zeeshan added.
“We don’t care even if we don’t qualify for the Super Six,” says 40-year-old Pakistani shop attendant Muhammad Imran. “All we’re interested is in beating India. We consider this as our cup final.”
“Going by India’s performance so far, we’ve an edge over Pakistan. We’ve also beaten them in earlier World Cup and in Sharjah and Sri Lanka,” says 29-year-old Aqib Hussain, a computer specialist.
A survey shows that attendance in industrial establishments may be affected in view of the match. “In all probability, some die-hard fans may resort to ‘sick’ leave just to watch the clash,” said Zulfiqar Muhammad, 46, a Pakistani manager at a carpet factory in Jeddah Industrial City.