Pakistan's reputation for defending a small total remained intact after the last league tie in the Sharjah cup. Restricted to 151 for nine by Zimbabwe, Pakistan struck back confidently and bowled out their opponents for 119 in 40.1 overs. The victory will not give the Pakistanis that much confidence for the final though, as their batting failed them and it was left to the likes of Moin Khan and Saqlain to ensure that they went beyond their lowest score at Sharjah, 87 against India in 1985.
To some extent, the Zimbabweans were to blame for their defeat. They had Pakistan reeling at 51 for seven but failed to deliver the knockout punch. At this very point, when a little more pressure could have ensured that the whole Pakistan innings ended, Campbell chose to replace Streak who was the chief tormentor. He did not bring back Brandes or Matambanadzo either; both had taken a couple of wickets early on. Instead he chose to persist with Strang and Andy Whittall, both of whom bowled a good line but never threatened. It was almost as though he could not believe he had a team like Pakistan on the ropes.
Pakistan experimented with their batting order, sending Inzamam to open and dropping Afridi to number eight. It did not help in any way. Their batting is weak and some fresh blood is needed. Rameez had to sit out this game due to a minor injury but even he has not shown signs of the form which earned him a slot for this tournament. There was little application and though Zimbabwe deserve credit for reducing them to 51 for seven, Pakistan were partly responsible as well. Sajid Ali fell early as usual and Inzamam was run out; he seemed to be sleep walking when the direct throw hit the stumps.
It was left to Moin and Saqlain, both of whom put their heads down and played with straight bats until they had settled down. The introduction of off-spin helped them as well. Slowly, they began to score and after a while, Moin began to indulge himself in the occasional boundary as well. By the time Zimbabwe broke the partnership, (Streak got the wicket) the damage had been done -- 77 runs had been added. The other tail-enders ensured that the total would cross 150.
Had Campell kept Streak on and brought back either Brandes and Matambanadzo, Pakistan may well have folded for much less. Keeping them for the end also seemed to indicate that he was not confident his team could bowl out Pakistan before the 50 overs were completed. He erred in this; it was a do-or-die match and he should have gone for broke. In being cautious, he employed the wrong tactics and paid the price. Zimbabwe's weak link right through the tournament has been its batting and they have even failed to get to three figures once. Campbell's emphasis should have been on bowling out Pakistan not trying to restrict them; by doing so, he let his opponents off the hook.
Zimbabwe's innings had a familiar look about it; Wishart was comprehensively beaten and bowled by a Waqar yorker and half the side was back in the pavilion with just 58 on the board. Grant Flower was caught off what appeared to be his pads and in the 18th over Saqlain took care of both Strang and Campbell. Andy Flower was bowled by Mushtaq and the same bowler ensured the exit of Brandes (stumped) and Andy Whittall (caught by Akram) in the 33rd over. Viljoen also left in this over; he was run out. The last wicket stand of 20 only delayed the inevitable. Waqar ended the innings by trapping Streak leg before.
And so, sadly, Zimbabwe's fire was put out, partly by their unwillingness to press that bit harder when they were on top. Pakistan added a full 100 runs for the loss of two wickets after that disastrous start. Zimbabwe won the initial battle but ended up losing the war. They seemed to be mentally psyched when they began the chase; the previous match against Pakistan had ended in disaster. That can be put down to inexperience, the inability to make a fresh start mentally for every game.
Pakistan go into Friday's final against Sri Lanka with their batting problems unresolved. Only Afridi, Inzamam and Malik have crossed 50 and none by a big margin. The bowling has been their strength and they seem to be slowly becoming a team like the West Indies were during the latter stages of that 15-year unbeaten run; the batsmen failed them more often than not and the bowlers had to maintain their record. Pakistan's bowlers have kept their flag flying high but it is too much to ask that of them every day.