Rare assembly of World Cup legends

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The countdown to the ICC World Cup 2011 has already begun and the mega event is just a couple of months away now. Four of the greatest cricketers of all time, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Arjuna Ranatunga and Viv Richards, were in attendance in a ceremony held recently in India in connection with the upcoming tournament.

It’s not often when these legends have been found under one more roof and more specifically in the company of each other. Their reunion instantly brings to memory their extraordinary performance in the past editions of the World Cup.

Viv Richards (now Sir Vivian) had not exploded in the role of a master in the inaugural World Cup in 1975 but his amazing fielding in the final when he ran out quite a few dashing Australian batsmen with brilliant throws helped the cause of the West Indies immensely in getting crowned as the champions.

Richards had enhanced his reputation by the time the next World Cup was played four years later. He lived to the billing and it was his magnificent century in the final against England that allowed his team to retain the trophy rather leisurely in the end.

He was easily the most destructive batsman in the world when the West Indies came out to England in 1983 with very high hopes of completing a hat-trick of title wins. They were on course of accomplishing this feat with Richards playing another cameo in the final, this time against underdogs India.

It took a spectacular running catch from the Indian captain, Kapil Dev, to remove Richards from the scene and the complexion of the game changed soon afterwards. It was Kapil Dev, not Clive Lloyd, who received the trophy at Lord’s on June 25, 1983.

Pakistan and India, captained by Imran Khan and Kapil Dev respectively, were the overwhelming favourites to clash in the final in 1987 but neither of them could go that far. Both of them were eliminated in the semifinals much to the disappointment of the millions of their supporters.

Imran Khan, by then a veteran all-rounder at the twilight of his illustrious career, didn’t have a particularly strong team at his disposal when Pakistan took the field in the World Cup in Australia in 1992.

Pakistan were languishing near the bottom of the table at the halfway stage of the tournament but then commenced their fairytale success and they exceeded all expectations by winning the event against the heaviest of odds. Imran was instrumental in lifting the morale of the side after the depressing defeats in the earlier games.

The Sri Lankans, however, were the favourites to win the World Cup in 1996 and they did exactly that under the shrewd leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga.

They were rewarded for playing sensational cricket and they pioneered the concept of pinch hitting from the outset. Their bold tactics worked to perfection as there was not much for the bowlers on the flat sub-continental pitches.

Ranatunga was chiefly responsible for taking the risk of attacking cricket. He himself batted very well, particularly his knock in the final against Australia at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore, ensured there were no hiccups in the closing stages.

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Yusuf Pathan makes himself a certainty for World Cup squad

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

There has never been any doubt about the exceptional talents of Yusuf Pathan both with the bat as well as the ball. But there were question marks about his ability to handle the pressures of international matches in the limited opportunities having come his way in an era when the Indian selectors have far too many choices than their predecessors.

Yusuf had done it in the domestic tournaments and besides having showcased his unmatched potential in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But he needed to prove himself in the international arena.

The moment has come for the enterprising all-rounder. He made the most of the opportunity he got in the fourth One-day International of the recently concluded home series against New Zealand in Bangalore. He produced the kind of all-round performance that would have made even the legends proud.

He followed his three-wicket haul with an unbeaten century under pressure to lead India’s turnaround after the home side, chasing a mammoth total of 316, had lost its top order much more quickly than anticipated generally.

It was a day to remember for Yusuf. He was given a longer bowler, although yet not his qouta of 10 overs, but he still managed to pick up three wicket without conceding too many runs when the visitors came up with their best batting performance of the series.

Yusuf carried the confidence into his batting and I am not sure what exactly was in the mind of the caretaker captain, Gautam Gambhir, promoted him in the order. He was supposed to bat at number seven but the skipper sent him in with his side was reeling at 108 for four in the 21st over with more than 200 still needed.

It was a pressure-cooker situation as far as the hosts were concerned and besides talents and skills one needed a cool head to get going. Nobody would have dared asking a regular number six if he failed to deliver but Yusuf’s career was at stake here. He needed to perform or forget about his place in the team at least for quite sometime.

The additional burden brought the best of Yusuf and he proved the point. Dead rubber it was for India but literally it was a matter of life and death for the enterprising all-rounder who didn’t let the chance go.

His match-winning unbeaten hundred (123 off 96 balls) could well be the turning point of his life and career. In the short run he becomes an automatic choice for the World Cup while in the long run he should be a permanent member of the Indian side for quite sometime not entirely on the basis of just one outstanding effort but his extraordinary talents that have already been unfolded.

"I had enough overs in hand, and I sensed an opportunity to play a long innings. With Rohit (Sharma) and Saurabh (Tiwary) we rotated the strike well and kept in touch with the run-rate. At no stage did I feel we were going to lose the game,” he remarked after leading India to triumph.

"At the rain break, Gautam (Gambhir) told me to utilise the Powerplay to good effect. He advised me not to throw my wicket away, and said if I stayed in the middle till the end, I would win the match for India. I am glad I proved him right," Yusuf recalled.

"I don't change my natural game. But of late, I am trying to spend some time in the middle before going for my strokes. But if there is an opportunity to hit the ball, I will not hesitate to do so,” he added with a smile on his face.

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