SHARJAH, 11 April 2003 — Pakistan’s revamped cricket team under captain Rashid Latif won the four-nation Sharjah Cup with a eight-wicket demolition of Zimbabwe in the final here yesterday.
The 2,000th one-day international in cricket’s history produced a lackluster contest as Pakistan skittled Zimbabwe for 168 and then romped home easily in the 36th over.
Left-handed opener Taufiq Umer hit an unbeaten 81 and Yousuf Youhana contributed 61 not out during a match-winning stand of 144 for the unbroken third wicket.
Pakistan’s 14th title at this off-shore desert venue came without eight senior stars, including Wasim Akram and captain Waqar Younis, who were sacked following the first round exit at last month’s World Cup.
The new-look team under Latif and coach Javed Miandad made a promising start by winning all their three league matches against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Kenya before brushing aside Zimbabwe in a one-sided final.
A capacity crowd of 20,000 at the Sharjah cricket stadium saw Zimbabwe crumble in the first session after captain Heath Streak won the toss and elected to bat.
Young wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu was the lone batsman to defy the Pakistani bowlers, making an unbeaten 74 as seven others failed to reach double figures.
Zimbabwe were struggling at 133-9 before last man Douglas Hondo (nine) helped Taibu add 35 runs. Seamer Mohamad Sami and off-spinner Shoaib Malik finished with three wickets apiece. Danish Kaneria and Mohammad Hafeez picked up two each.
Zimbabwe never recovered after the three-wicket burst from Sami reduced them to 36-4 by the 13th over. Taibu and Sean Ervine dug in to retrieve the situation, but their 46-run stand for the fifth wicket was rudely cut short by Indian umpire Avi Jayaprakash, who ruled Ervine caught down the leg-side by Latif as the batsman attempted to sweep.
Television replays showed the ball clearly miss the edge of the bat. Ervine made 25. Zimbabwe moved to 122-5 when three wickets crashed in the space of five runs as Kaneria dismissed Dion Ebrahim and Hafeez got rid of Streak and Andy Blignaut in consecutive overs.
When Pakistan batted, Streak removed Hafeez in his second over and Faisal Iqbal in his fourth to make it 28-2, but Taufiq and Youhana settled in to see their team home. “I am proud the way the young players performed over the last one week,” Miandad said. “But now comes the hard part because they have to maintain this standard in future. It’s no use winning on tournament and failing in the next. We have to be consistent.”
Pakistan’s next engagement is a one-day series in Sri Lanka in May against New Zealand and the hosts.
Zimbabwe, scheduled to tour England later this month, reached the final without the services of Andy Flower, Henry Olonga, Guy Whittall and Alistair Campbell, who all retired after the World Cup.
“We did well to get to the final but failed to put up enough runs on the board to challenge Pakistan,” Streak said. “It is something we have to work on if we have to do well in England.”
Pak Board Blames
Stubborn Waqar
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s cricket chiefs in Karachi yesterday blamed skipper Waqar and senior players for the country’s dismal World Cup performance. A report released by the Pakistan Cricket Board said pace bowler Waqar’s “stubborn” style of captaincy had left him unable to get the best out of his players.
The speed-king’s straight-talking approach had also led to a damaging rift with vice-captain Inzamam ul-Haq, who in turn was blamed in the report for not meeting Waqar’s standards. “Waqar is a seasoned campaigner who is straightforward but at times stubborn, and struggled to communicate with some of the players resulting in frustration for himself and others,” the report by the PCB’s three-member review committee said.
The committee, comprising former Test players Naushad Ali and Aqib Javed, and first class player Sultan Rana, was set up to examine the circumstances of Pakistan’s first round exit from the World Cup. While the committee supported the decision to retain Waqar as captain for the World Cup, it questioned his form as bowler.
“During the World Cup, Waqar did not bowl at his best taking only seven wickets at an average of 25. He is an attacking bowler but his economy rate was much too high at nearly six runs per over,” it said. The committee also blamed senior players as well as Inzamam for lack of cooperation with the captain.
“Waqar expected high level of commitment from his players but unfortunately did not get the same, including from the vice-captain,” the report said.
Despite documenting discord between Waqar and senior players, the report insisted rumors of cliques and infighting were wide of the mark. “The differences within the team were rumored. Five senior players and the team manager had met the Chairman PCB Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia and assured him that the differences, if any, would be left behind before departure,” it said.
The report also criticized special treatment to fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. “One of the factors was the special treatment accorded to Shoaib Akhtar by appointing Dr. Tauseef Razzaq which caused predictable resentment among the team members, particularly among the seniors,” it said.
