Match
Fixing News
Scandal-hit Pakistan prepare to Test Match
From Waheed Khan
CALCUTTA: Pakistan could not have had a worse build-up to the opening
match of the Asian Test Championship here at the Eden Gardens against India,
as not only are they facing injury problems, but the spirit in the dressing
room has also taken a beating with the latest 'Outlook' report on involvement
of Pakistan cricketers in match-fixing and gambling. Skipper Wasim Akram
put up a brave front as his team went through the paces. "The pitch seems
to be a very sporting one and everyone is keen to do well on it, we are
aware that people in both countries are looking at this match as a decider
for the Indo-Pak series, (which ended in a 1-1 tie at New Delhi) although
this is a
totally different tournament." But the problems confronting the Pakistan
team were evident when Wasim stated the final eleven had not been decided
as yet since Inzamam had still not recovered from the freak accident on
Sunday night. The burly in-form batsman hit his head hard against the roof,
while boarding the team bus at the airport when the team arrived here from
Cochin around 10.30 p.m. This resulted in Inzamam complaining of excessive
pain in the neck and he had to be rushed late night to a nursing home,
where x-rays did not reveal any serious injury. But doctor Dan Kiesel said
Inzamam had been ordered rest and it would only be known on Tuesday how
fit he was. Wasim said he would like Inzamam to play here as the pitch
would encourage strokeplay and he (Inzamam) could score a lot of runs on
it. "If Inzamam is not available due to his injury, then we will play Wajahatullah
Wasti, who got 90 odd runs in Cochin." But Inzamam's injury is not the
only concern for Wasim, even Saleem Malik is running a high temperature
from a viral infection and looked very weak this morning at the ground.
"Saleem, I think will definitely play, since he is keen to do well
here." Leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has already left for home complaining
of a strained back and his replacement, the off spinner Arshad Khan joined
the team for nets. "But even if Mushtaq had been available, I don't think
he would have played on this sort of pitch, we would like to have a third
pacer here," said Wasim. The third pacer is likely to be Shoaib Akhtar,
although the word is that if either Inzamam and Malik are not available,
then the tour selection committee might even opt to play Azhar Mehmood
instead of Shoaib, because of his proven batting abilities in order to
shore up a unreliable batting order, which has yet to deliver. In contrast
the Indian camp had only one worry to bother about, the pitch itself, which
is hard and looks pretty verdant, despite the hot weather. Head curator
Maheshwar Shau and the Bengal Cricket Association (BCA) have so far
fought off pressure from Muhammad Azharuddin to shave off the grass, but
the Indian captain made it clear this morning, that the pitch seemed to
have more life in it then was necessary. But Azharuddin should not be complaining
because not only did India win the last Test here against Australia, he
himself has scored five hundreds on this ground in his last six outings,
a awesome record by any standards. Azharuddin said he felt the pitch would
eventually turn into a good batting strip, but admitted that like in New
Delhi, the toss should be a deciding factor. The Indians are also toying
with the idea of giving a cap to the 18-year-old pacer Laxman Shukla, who
has done well against Pakistan in both the side games at Gwalior and
Cochin. He might replace off spinner Harbhajan Singh in the eleven,
if the pitch retains it's verdant look. Apart from the pitch, both teams
will also have to carefully follow the points system being implemented
in the Championship, which is being seen a stepping stone to the planned
World Test Championship of the ICC.
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