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| August 04, 2006 | Friday | Rajab 8, 1427 |
Judgement day for Inzamam’s men
LEEDS, Aug 3: Friday is judgement day for Pakistan. The withering defeat at Old Trafford may have embarrassed and angered the players but they face a stupendous challenge to turn that raw emotion into a result.
Emotion, though, is often no bad thing and Pakistan are a team who seem most dangerous when fired with passion or stung by criticism.
Pakistan's batting aberrations could be put right with a change of personnel at the top of the order, a return to form of its magicmiddle-order trio, and a pitch more akin to a featherbed than atrampoline.
Imran Farhat's injury should end any dithering over his place and create an opportunity for Pakistan's other left-handed openers Salman Butt and Taufiq Umar. Pakistan's best opening partnership of this series is a dismal 28.
Aamir Sohail and Ramiz Raja put on 34 in 1992, Pakistan's highest opening partnership at Headingley in the last 25 years. Pakistan have won one and lost four at this venue. Their sole victory was by an innings in 1987 when Imran Khan took ten wickets and Salim Malik scored an outstanding 99.
Interestingly, England won the toss on that occasion, decided to bat, and were routed for 136. Inzamam might take some solace from Mike Gatting, England's captain in 1987, suffering a similar fate to his own thrashing last week, although Inzamam might not consider Gatting good company to keep other than in a restaurant.
Imran and Wasim Akram opened the bowling in that Test in 1987, a stark contrast to the waifs and strays at Pakistan's disposal this year. The bowling attack has abysmally failed to fire in the absence of its best three bowlers—a considerable handicap for any team.
The pace strategy for Leeds seems to be strength in numbers. Four seamers are a serious option. With Mohammad Sami and Shahid Afridi on the executioner's list, Shahid Nazir and Samiullah Niazi are best placed to step in.
After guiding Afridi back to brilliance by giving him responsibility, Inzamam has denounced him in this series as a tailender, not the most sensible motivational technique.
That leaves Danish Kaneria with sole responsibility for the art of leg-spin, an art that he hasn't quite mastered. Kaneria's ineffectiveness is being put down to his desire to deliver a miracle ball each time he twirls his arm.
Meanwhile England begin the third Test confident and composed. They have taken a leaf out Australia's selection manual by having the guts to change a winning combination and attempt to make it stronger.
Chris Read will return behind the stumps in place of Geraint Jones, whose failure was not in gathering the ball but in gathering runs.
England might also prefer Jon Lewis to Sajid Mahmood. Pakistan consider the pitch to be a dry, seaming track, with no cracks and little threat of the bounce that disturbed them at Old Trafford. Under those circumstances Inzamam's men have a chance of regaining their poise.
The influence of the English cricket media is such that Inzamam's legend will always be measured by what the big man achieves here.
Inevitably, the captain is held responsible for the team's willingness to fight and compete.
Inzamam's team must stay afloat at Headingley to offer Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif the chance of a daring last-minute rescue. The good ship Pakistan, a vessel of much class but considerable frailty, requires its pilot to be a captain and not a passenger. This is his moment. Will Inzamam-ul-Haq seize it?
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