Advantage Pak, Zimbabwe

With the World Cup having entered the Super Six stage, it becomes important for the teams to collect as many points as possible so as to ...

With the World Cup having entered the Super Six stage, it becomes important for the teams to collect as many points as possible so as to make it to the last four.

Pakistan and Zimbabwe are at an advantage, having four carry-forward points each. That can prove very handy, unless they lose every game in this stage, which is highly improbable. But then, in cricket no team can take things for granted. Weren’t the invincible South Africans humbled by Zimbabwe, the in-form Pakistan laid low by a lesser-fancied Bangladesh?

Barring that one off-day, the Pakistanis have done very well for themselves. Their bowling attack, I suppose, is the best in the competition, and they have won matches by bowling brilliantly in the death just when it appeared the match was drifting away from them. Apart from Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq, they have young Abdul Razzaq, an all-rounder ideally suited for English conditions. Their batting, however, looks suspect, and could be tested when it comes to the crunch.

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The performance of Zimbabwe, who also enter the Super Six with four points in the kitty, has been nothing short of outstanding. They woke up giants South Africa from their slumber in dreamland by beating them comprehensively, and who can forget that. They boast of no big stars in their line-up, but more than make up for that with their outstanding fielding and their belief in themselves.

South Africa, rated hot favourites looked unconquerable till they were done in by their neighbours. I guess it will keep them on their guard in the matches to come. The depth in their batting and bowling is phenomenal; their fielding out of the top drawer, what with class fielders like Jonty Rhodes and Herschelle Gibbs saving around forty sure runs in each game and plucking out impossible catches.

Like South Africa, New Zealand, by virtue of outstanding team effort, are two points to the good. Their top order batting has failed them time and again, but their lower order, particularly the all-rounders, have bailed them out from tight situations on more than one occasion.

Chris Cairns, both with bat and ball, has had a very good tournament thus far, and has established himself as one of the best all-rounders in the business. Cairns apart, Chris Harris, Dion Nash, Gavin Larsen and, of course, Geoff Allott, who bowled superbly, used the helpful conditions to their advantage. Their fielding is brilliant too.

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As for India and Australia, they’ve entered the Super Six empty-handed where points are concerned. They will have to work very hard, win almost every game, if they are to figure in the shortlist of four. For them it’s going to be a tough, uphill task, there’s no doubt about that. But then, as they say, just anything can happen in cricket…