Pakistan Hammer Zimbos to Lift Sharjah Cup

Solid Innings Today
By SS
April 10 2003

Pakistan totally outplayed Zimbabwe to lift the Sharjah Cup. 3 wickets apiece for Sami and Malik meant that the Africans could only muster 168. An excellent partnership between Youhana and Taufeeq enabled Pakistan to reach their target with nearly 15 overs to spare.

4 wins out of 4 and all of them with relative ease meant that Pakistani fans and players had something to celebrate today and to a certain extent this banished the unhappy memories of the recently concluded World Cup.

For a team of individuals coming back from the international wilderness and also some players who were new to international cricket, this can be constituted as a very pleasing and morale boosting tournament. Although one must take note that Australia or South Africa were nowhere to be seen in Sharjah, the manner of the victories in all 4 matches were very refreshing.

Led in a very efficient and relaxed manner by Rashid Latif on the field of play, the youngsters seemed to gain confidence with each match and were ably supported and guided by the senior members such as Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan. Alert and sharp in the field, aggressive yet disciplined whilst bowling, solid and organised, but batting to plan, meant that the whole outfit can be proud of their achievements.

Mohamed Hafeez, Umer Gul and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan are rookies who can be proud of their individual performances and they are names to look out for in the future. Shoaib Malik, Danish Kaneria, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq,Yousuf Youhana and Mohamed Sami seemed to relish their more responsible roles within the team. All in all, it was one team rather than 11 individuals who went on the field for every match. No big egos, no superstar status, no hairstyles to look after, no record breakers meant that this was a group of players who were playing for their country and not themselves.

Looking ahead to future assignments, the one day tournament in Sri Lanka against the hosts and the Kiwis presents the selectors with another opportunity to introduce some more players for the future. None of the players playing in County cricket will be available, hence the majority of the current group of players who played in Sharjah should be retained, but also a few new faces should be given their chance.

Javed Miandad may not be looked upon favorably by some of the senior players who find themselves sat on the sidelines, but one thing I like about him is the discipline he brings to the arena. I fully support his stand on Naved Latif and Mohamed Zahid, not being selected for a match due to arriving late for nets. This is the sort of lethargic attitude that has been ignored by his predecessors and which eventually finds itself onto the field of play.

This tournament can be seen as a stepping stone to the future, and gives us all hope that there are youngsters around who can serve the country well in future, but this victory in Sharjah is also the start of a long road ahead for these newcomers. A road that will lead to some failures but also some successes, but above all, it is a step in the right direction.

The likes of Aamir Sohail and Javed Miandad should now attempt to keep this momentum going and to keep the mindset right of all these players. They should also look to improve standards and techniques and carry on the good work which has only just began.