PIETERMARITZBURG, 24 February 2003 — India made the almost perfect response to England’s resounding win over Pakistan by notching up an equally impressive win over minnows Namibia. Admittedly both these victories cannot be compared because of the difference in the standards of the teams, but since India now play England next in what could well be the deciding game for qualifying to the next stage, it was important for them to send the message that they were also ready for battle.
England’s performance was methodical, true to the way they play cricket and are in fact brought up to play it. One hardly finds flair in English cricket, with rare exceptions of course, but a lot of thought and planning invariably goes into each contest and it was that which shone through as they totally outclassed the Pakistanis. They were in danger of being shot out for less than 200, but even Flintoff batted with restraint till his patience ran out and his partnership with Collingwood was a crucial one. What may well have cost Pakistan the game was the expensive Shoaib Akhtar who went for 63 runs in his 9 overs. He is obviously not 100% match-fit, for toward the end of his second spell, he was bowling more slower deliveries at the English tail-enders than they would have expected. Ashley Giles smote him for a six and that should have been a supreme insult, but what followed was even more slower deliveries, as if he was showing that he wasn’t really bowling fast. What good is clocking 100 miles per hour if then it is followed by slow stuff not even reaching 100 kilometers per hour.
Pakistan needed a good start, but with Elahi not providing it and Anderson bowling a superb line, the batting order just collapsed. Much was expected of Inzamam and Youhana, but they disappointed, as also Younis Khan, who threw his wicket away going for a big hook when he should have helped Anwar rebuild the innings. The problem with the batsmen in our part of the world is that they only believe in the big shots and are not too fond of looking at singles and twos. This makes them want to play at deliveries they should well be leaving alone, and perishing in the attempt.
The win has boosted England’s chances of qualifying and they will now look forward to their remaining matches instead of just going through the motions as would have been the case if they had lost to Pakistan. India need to watch out, as in Anderson they have a good find, and on these pitches he will be a tough customer to handle, especially at Durban which has a reputation as a fast bouncy pitch. India will also go in a better frame of mind in that game, as they destroyed the Namibian attack and then bundled them out quite easily. It is clear that they have realized that they need to play here quietly in the first few overs rather than go all out, because that has got them in trouble.
Tendulkar batted like he is does, and it was good to see Ganguly bide his time and then explode as he grew in confidence. There was no opportunity for the others like Dravid and company to get some runs under their belt, but still it was the kind of performance that sends a good signal to the opposition. If England are on a high after their win over a team that has troubled them in the past World Cups, India too have signaled that they are ready for the big game.
