If wins could be traded for enthusiasm and courage, Younis Khan should collect the winner’s cheque following Pakistan’s crunch encounter against arch-rivals India at the Centurion today.
Younis confirmed his participation in today’s match after missing his side’s opening win against the West Indies due to a fractured finger. Advised four weeks’ rest, Younis remains adamant to play through the pain and hopes to emulate Sachin Tendulkar’s innings against Pakistan at the World Cup 2003 while leading his side to victory.
Pakistan come into the match following three consecutive wins on the tour, a feat alien to the team on tours. India, who claimed number one ranking in the ODI table following South Africa’s defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, were handed a 103-run loss by New Zealand in their only warm-up match. Younis, labelling the opposition the best team in the tournament, remains wary of the fightback India is capable of and opted to make himself available for the encounter despite the injury.
“If the opposition wasn’t India, I might have rested the fractured finger slightly longer,” Younis said in his pre-match conference after Pakistan’s training session. “It’s easy for me to run away from this and avoid the crunch match but I prefer to look at the bigger picture. I want to play, score a century, get the man-of-the-match award or just have a hand in leading Pakistan to victory. Not playing is not an option for me. I want to perform like Sachin did in 2003 against us so that people remember my innings just like they do his, especially given my fractured finger.”
Younis’ return is likely to mark the exit for Imran Nazir, the solitary specialist opener in the 15-man squad with Shoaib Malik likely to be promoted to open the innings with Kamran Akmal.
With Younis forming a formidable middle-order with Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq, with the in-form duo of Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s vice-captain, to follow. The return from the 12-month ban of Mohammad Asif also poses a tricky dilemma for the team management, with the captain keen on drafting the lanky pacer into the side to face India. While shying away from naming the playing eleven, Younis, in an exclusive interview with Dawn, realised that playing Asif would be a huge risk given the stakes but a risk he was willing to take.
“Asif’s return is a welcome sign for us. He looked in good form during the training sessions and, despite his inclusion being a total gamble, it is a risk I’m willing to take. He may turn out to be our trump card and help us beat India or it may backfire badly. But in life, you need to take risks and I’d rather face the consequences in the worst-case scenario than regret not having gambled on him.”
The likely omission, if Pakistan were to include Asif in the squad, will be Rana Naved who had figures of 1 for 26 in the opening match.
Whatever the team combination, Younis has emphasised the need for his players to perform and enable Pakistan to come out on top — a win that, according to Younis, the nation badly Centurion: Pakistan captain Younis Khan (R) and fast bowler Mohammad Asif wait for their turn during a training session at SuperSport Park on Friday. Both will be key
needs. “We all know it’s a crunch match but there is no need to take any pressure. I have told my players the same thing to help motivate them and not take any unnecessary pressure which sometimes directly contributes to a side’s collapse.”
Younis reserved special praise for the younger Akmal, terming his calculated innings against West Indies (and unbeaten 41 off 51 balls) a great sign for the future. “He is a very energetic player and uses his brain well despite being very new to first-class cricket. He adapted well to conditions at the Wanderers, took his time settling in and then launched into his natural game.”
While India will be missing Virendar Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, much emphasis will be on Sachin Tendulkar who took Pakistan apart with a 75-ball 98 in 2003 and if he will be able to repeat his performance from six years ago at this ground.
The Pakistan captain, in awe of that innings and cherishing the chance to see Tendulkar in action once again, remained confident that it was the Indian batsman and not the Pakistan side that will be under pressure.
“As we know India will be without their key players and because of that, the onus will be on Sachin to perform and deliver. There’s nothing scary about him as he’s not a ghost and I’m actually happy when he scores
against us. It gives me pleasure to watch him bat and score and there’s a lot you can learn by watching him do just that. However, we’re playing against eleven men and not an individual so we need to look out for the whole team and not just a single batsman.”
While much will depend on the toss, with the lack of sunshine coming into the match likely to keep the pitch soft and difficult for batting, bowlers are still expected to be the underdogs with both teams fielding strong batting line-ups.
For India, it will be a case of carrying on from their Twenty20 win against Pakistan at The Oval in June. Pakistan, however, will be hoping for a lesson learnt, restricting the run-flow and hoping the wall crumbles against an unnerving and energetic bowling attack and an individual hoping to make amends for his actions just over twelve months ago.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper, Sep 26, 2009
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