AFRICA. The name forces a kaleidoscope of images. From romantic Casablanca to the savagery of the slave trade. From the untamed wildlife, best epitomised by Hollywood to the uninhibited landscape. The continent has perhaps been the most unstable, with tribal traditions snubbing out all of western civilization. It still displays gut-wrenching images of the Ethiopian famine and the Rwandan massacre, and remains the breeding ground of coups and counter coups. The wife of a European baron once asked a diplomat from one of the central African countries what their favourite sport was and he said that it was hunting wildlife. “Isn’t it revolting?” the fair lady asked with a degree of concern. “Oh no,” said the official. “That’s our second favourite sport.”
Other forms of sporting activity too have been very popular in the African continent. African long distance runners have excelled in their field for the past number of decades. Football too has found proper footing, especially since Cameron’s exploits in the 1990 World Cup. Compared to them, cricket has been the distant cousin. Barred to the south, where it grew under apartheid, the sport was fenced in for the colonial elite. However chances for a cricket renaissance in the continent look bright, now that Morocco will be organizing its first international cricket tournament.
Britain’s Prince Philip, on the recent tour of Australia, caused quite a storm when he asked the local aboriginal population, “Do you guys still throw spears at each other?” To me, it brought forward the fact that cultures, distant from the west, are still far misunderstood. It is therefore beneficial in many ways that countries like Morocco get exposure to the west continuously through some activity or event for all sorts of people to understand them better.
The Morocco Cup, will be doing just that for the followers of cricket in places like England and Australia. The country, of course, is no stranger to sports. But cricket will advertise it to another profile. Morocco has long been the entry point for European invaders of Africa. So it is quite ironic that it has become the stepping stone for cricket into North Africa.
In a region where 4x4 station wagons and jeeps from all over would crisscross the rough countryside in their quest for the top slot in the Paris to Dakar Rally, some fifty players will be pitting their cricketing skills to lift the first ever cricket trophy of international repute offered in North Africa. There will be the ‘home team’ from the continent, South Africa. And then there will be the Sri Lankans and Pakistanis.
Though in present form, Pakistan look most likely to lift the trophy, they will be hard pressed from their two competitors, who must be far more driven to win. Both of them have had humiliating defeats so close to the World Cup. With morale down, the captains and team management of both the teams are aware that they are under the threat of losing their jobs.
Shaun Pollock returned from injury in the Test series to be handed a 5-1 thrashing by Australia. Sri Lanka too, playing under a new captain, appeared a listless side in the triangular tournament in England last month. They too lost 5-1. The bowling of both teams lacks both penetration and planning. Compared to the Pakistani quartet of Waqar, Wasim, Razzak and Saqlain, the South African cause is led by Pollock, Telemachus, Kallis, Ntini and Boje, all having potential to bowl out sides. But their credentials have seen better days, except perhaps Ntini. Pollock is a great controller of runs in the initial overs but has time and again, failed to stem the onslaught by even tailenders in the last ten overs. That is double criticism of him as he is also the captain. He is being exposed on both counts therefore and there is serious talk of appointing Jonty Rhodes as captain for the World Cup campaign. Rhodes’ cause has perhaps been bolstered by the Australian selectors who appointed Ricky Ponting as captain of the One-Day side, his loss to Pakistan at home notwithstanding. Both these countries are firm believers in giving the new fellow, time to get a grip on captaincy.
South Africa appear to be keeping the bowling strategy close to their hearts. They have included both Adams and Boje in their squad, which is rare. In recent times, Boje has handled their spin requirement, bowling well and of course getting tremendous success as a pinch hitter at one-down. The South Africans are expecting turning pitches, as can be read by the dropping of the vastly talented Neil McKenzie, vaulted as another future Test captain. McKenzie showed glaring weaknesses against spin in recent matches, but it appears a wrong move. This would have been a good tournament to help iron out the technical problems. They can’t hide him forever. Conversely, the Africans have chosen Dippenaar in his place, another player weak against the turning ball. And despite having an average of 42.78 in 34 One-Day internationals, he is unlikely to play Muralitharan and Saqlain with any greater degree of skill than McKenzie.
Sri Lanka’s expectations of the pitch vary from that of the South Africans. They expect the pitches to be pacy and have packed their side with seamers, even though their immediate eye will be on the batting and captaincy, both of which let down the team in England.
Admittedly, Sanath Jayasuria is not under much pressure, just as Pollock is from the home selectors. Jayasuriya has also provided an insurance cover for himself by batting lower down the order to get back in the runs, though he has been asked to open by the new selection panel who will have none of the experiments so close to the World Cup. His springy partner, Kaluwithrana has been dropped again after his reinstatement last year. Sangakkara will keep wickets. Atapattu will be opening with the captain. Overall seven players have been axed in the purge, following the disastrous English tour where they also lost the Test series 0-2. The new panel has brought back the 36-year old Aravinda (275 matches, 8430 runs) into the One-Day fold as well, keeping aside Gunawardne. In bowling Zoysa, who in England seemed to have lost all the steam and enthusiasm for bowling has, as expected, lost his place, as has the newly inducted Wickremasinghe. The Sri Lankans will be trying out the 23-year old Chamila Gamage, who impressed in the second Test against Bangladesh, and alongwith Pulasthi Gunaratne, he will represent new blood alongside Vaas and the Fernando doublet. Then of course there is Muralitharan, man-eater on any pitch.
Even without Shoaib Akhtar, who in my opinion is making a serious miscalculation in taking a break just when he’s re-establishing himself in the side, Pakistan not only have the deadliest attack among the three sides but also the most diverse and experienced. Waqar and Wasim have between them some 800 wickets in a combination of right and left-arm swing bowling. Saqlain, though not the unreadable off-spinner, he can still outthink many batsmen, new and old. And then there is Razzak. He is the good old-fashioned line and length bowler. He is like the anaconda, choking the batsman for runs before breaking into the defences of a suffocated batsman, desperate to hit out.
Pakistan, unlike the other two sides, have had recent successes against New Zealand and most impressively, against Australia in Australia, the first time any side from the subcontinent, has beaten Australia in Australia in any one-on-one cricket series. Their captain has no pressures of retaining his job, and has been allowed the charge for the next three tournaments extending to end September, Waqar himself is in prime form.
Pakistan is always dangerous in hot climate where they often capitalise on wilting opposition, especially one like South Africa. To me the only problem they are likely to face is in the shape of Murali. Shahid Afridi, Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir and Younis Khan all play spin with a pinch of salt, and Inzamam’s recent knee operation will, to some extent, limit his footwork. It would not be a bad idea to send in Wasim when Murali comes in for his first spell, just to try and knock him around a bit. England’s tour was a clear example that without an effective Murali, the Sri Lankans are like the Glamorgan side of the mid-’70s, when Majid Khan was unavailable.
A bit of a surprise was the inclusion of Shoaib Malik, along with Saqlain. In Melbourne, he wasn’t expected to bowl his full quota, which indicated he could be only in the side as a batsman all-rounder. In that case it seems unlikely that he will get in, considering Razzak is back and there is Azhar Mahmood. Trying out Danish Kaneria in place of Azhar, who was completely ineffective on even the bouncier tracks of Australia, or Shoaib Malik, would have been a better idea. With hardly a left-handed batsman in the two sides he would have been quite effective. Obviously Shahid Afridi’s presence eliminated him but it is clear that with the return of Saeed Anwar, Shahid can only bat lower down if Pakistan sticks to their winning formula found at Brisbane. There, Youhana, Inzamam and Younis followed the openers, Saeed and Imran. Razzak now comes in at six. In such a case Shahid can come in only after that.
Whatever the cricket on the field, this tournament in Morocco will be good for the game. ICC has realized the threat from FIFA, which is taking over the sporting ambitions of even twelve-year olds. Subsequent talents may eventually slip out of cricket’s grasp by the time the game reaches remote areas like North Africa. CBFS also deserves praise for exporting the game to these countries. Such private sector interest is what ICC needs at this time and businessmen like Bukhatir can only be good for any game, as they see with a long-term vision and bring monetary incentives into the game.
However, it remains to be seen whether the natives, curious no doubt as to why anyone would want to spend a whole sub-Saharan, summer’s day, hitting or chasing a ball, will warm to the game. For the moment, Bukhatir may well be seen as DH Lawrence of Arabia, leading an assortment of tribes across the Namoo Desert in an attempt to capture Aqaba from behind. For his encouragement, Lawrence did exactly that, even as he lost some loyalists along the way.
AFRICA. The name forces a kaleidoscope of images. From romantic Casablanca to the savagery of the slave trade. From the untamed wildlife, best epitomised by Hollywood to the uninhibited landscape. The continent has perhaps been the most unstable, with tribal traditions snubbing out all of western civilization. It still displays gut-wrenching images of the Ethiopian famine and the Rwandan massacre, and remains the breeding ground of coups and counter coups. The wife of a European baron once asked a diplomat from one of the central African countries what their favourite sport was and he said that it was hunting wildlife. “Isn’t it revolting?” the fair lady asked with a degree of concern. “Oh no,” said the official. “That’s our second favourite sport.”
