Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Old Trafford, June 17: Forget Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara. Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar is the best batsman in the world in the eyes of his admiring World Cup captain Wasim Akram.
The left-hand opener justified his skipper’s faith with two back-to-back centuries — 103 against Zimbabwe which carried Pakistan into the semifinals, and then an unbeaten 113 versus New Zealand which lifted his side into the final.
Vanquished Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming conceded: “If Anwar does not fire, you can put pressure on Pakistan.”
Akram was so confident of Anwar’s ability that he was actually delighted when the opener struggled at the start of the tournament with a top score of 28 in the first four matches.
“I’m glad Saeed isn’t getting runs,” Akram had said. “It will mean he will get runs in the Super Sixes … We know there’s more tocome.”
Akram, who has played for more than a decade for Lancashire in English county cricket, told Anwar not to chase the swinging ball in the early overs. The advice went down well.
His solid batting in the semi-final inspired young opening partner Wajahatullah Wasti during a World Cup record opening stand of 194.
The pair looked good to overtake New Zealand’s 241 for seven on their own when Wasti, driving at Chris Cairns, skied the ball to Fleming at mid-off after making 84.
They overtook the 186 by South Africans Gary Kirsten and Andrew Hudson against Holland at Rawalpindi three years ago.
Anwar, however, stayed till the end to lead Pakistan into their second World Cup final. They won the title under Imran Khan in 1992 beating England before 100,000 Australian fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Anwar, a 30-year-old computer engineer from Karachi, has 17 One-day centuries to Tendulkar’s record-setting 22. But his 194 against India at Chennai two years ago remains unsurpassed.
The Indianattack holds special fascination for Anwar.
In the inaugural Asian Test match at Calcutta earlier this year, Anwar carried his bat for an undefeated 188 in the second innings as Pakistan recovered from a seemingly hopeless 26 for six on the first morning to win the match.
It surpassed his 176 against England at The Oval in 1996.
Anwar was almost lost to cricket two years ago when he returned from Australia with what was later diagonised as fatigue syndrome.
“I was tiring easily,” Anwar remembered. “I got out of bed and could not walk. I thought I would die.”
Anwar, exhausted and suffering from cramps in the unbearable Chennai heat, needed a runner in the later part of his innings of 194. But he believes the time is not far when a batsman would get 200 in a One-day match.
Akram and the whole of Pakistan will settle for much less if he can get a third successive World Cup century in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.
