Fat of the matter: Chicken soup good for cricketers’ souls

Inzamam-ul Haq and Andrew Flintoff have several things in common. Most strikingly, both are half the men they used to be. Pakistan vice-capt...

Inzamam-ul Haq and Andrew Flintoff have several things in common. Most strikingly, both are half the men they used to be. Pakistan vice-captain Inzamam, to be accurate, is some 10 percent less of the figure he cut just five months ago.

“I’ve lost 12kg (1st 12lbs) since September,” he says. “I’m down from 104 (16st 5lbs) to 92kg (14st 7lbs). I feel very good. My wife says I look five years younger.” Inzamam and Flintoff, who come face to face when Pakistan meet England in a World Cup Group A encounter in Cape Town on Saturday, both used to be renowned for girth almost as much as for run-getting. Flintoff, with his taste for pizzas and beer, was read the riot act by England coach Duncan Fletcher a few years ago when the 1.93m-tall (6ft 4ins) all-rounder tipped the scales at 114kg (17st 13lbs) — more than world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis.

Fletcher had told Flintoff, who had been plagued by back problems, that it was high time to slim down if he wanted to save his career.

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Inzamam, fast approaching his 33rd birthday and who has played 286 one-dayers as well as 85 Tests, got the message at last year’s Champions Trophy. He had already undergone knee surgery and was struggling with an ankle problem which will also require an operation after the World Cup.

“I realised I had to get fit and reduce weight if I wanted to enjoy a long career. The team doctor and physio helped me to get my diet sorted out,” he said. “I do miss some things, though. I love eating chicken with gravy. I still eat chicken, but only grilled.” Saturday’s match is hugely significant for both sides as they try to qualify from a tough group including Australia, India and Zimbabwe.

Neither Flintoff, one of the hardest hitters in the game, nor Inzamam, one of the best batsmen and not short on power himself, have struck any sort of form to date in this World Cup.

The Englishman had a lean time of it against lightweights Netherlands and Namibia, managing a mere 21 runs in all and three wickets. Inzamam’s record is even thinner, averaging just five after facing 13 balls against Australia and 15 against Namibia.

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Pakistan brought the best out of Flintoff in Karachi two years ago when he bludgeoned a 60-ball 84 to help England chase down 304, the seventh highest successful one-day run-chase in history. That score remains the 25-year-old’s best in one-dayers.

Inzamam, who hit 329 against New Zealand last year in Lahore to record the 10th highest Test score of all time — “it would have been 450 if I’d been fit” — has always scored heavily against England.

It will be interesting to see how their respective fans respond if either gets heavy on Saturday. (Reuters)