Hafeez backs Malik and Afridi to come good

Pakistan captain says the team is responding well under pressure and it is looking forward to Sunday's game

There is always tremendous hype ahead of an India-Pakistan clash at a global tournament, and it’s no different this time around, with the teams scheduled to face off on Sunday in a crucial Group 2 Super Eights match at the ICC World Twenty20 2012. 

Some have termed this the final before the final, but it’s not a trap Mohammad Hafeez wants Pakistan to fall into. “I don’t think this is a concept we players think of,” said Hafeez. “This is another game for us and we will try to do our best. India obviously brings greater expectations, so there is pressure on both sides. But we’ve been playing each other and the pressure has gotten a little less. We’re not thinking of it as a final, it is a normal game of cricket in which we have to do our best.  

“We are not really taking pressure, especially in this tournament. The boys are showing great character, they are taking every game positively, the approach is great. We’re really happy that the boys are responding under pressure. Against India, all I can say as a captain is that everyone is looking forward to the game. We won the warm-up game, so that will give us confidence. Also, we have been playing good cricket throughout the tournament, so that will boost the confidence of the players.” 

This game has been touted in some quarters as a battle between India’s batting might and the depth and versatility of Pakistan’s bowling. “I want to clarify that our strength is our whole team, we are not relying on one particular thing,” said Hafeez. “Since we started this campaign, our batting and bowling have both been winning us matches, we have not been successful because of only one discipline. Both are our strengths, and all guys are playing their roles. We’re playing positively and we’re quite hopeful that we can play better cricket in this tournament.” 

While the batting and the bowling have been up to the mark, Pakistan has had its problems in the field, and Hafeez didn’t need any reminding that in the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final at Mohali in March 2011, Sachin Tendulkar alone was dropped four times. “We as a team are working really hard on that, in practice sessions,” he said. “We work extra hard in that area. In this tournament and in the last series against Australia, we have shown good character in the field. It happens sometimes that you drop a few chances. But overall, we are happy with the effort of the boys, especially in this heat and difficult conditions.” 

This tournament hasn’t yet seen the best of Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi, both former captains, but Hafeez was quick to spring to their defence. “For us, both are match-winners, always have been,” he said. “Both are experienced and in our side, their role has always been good. You don’t finish a career on the basis of one bad match. Afridi has always done well for Pakistan. His good or bad performances don’t matter to the team as much as his presence in the field does, that is the big thing. 

“Malik can bowl, but we will use him whenever we need, according to conditions and team’s requirements. We don’t ignore anyone in the side, we go with what is best for the team.”

Taylor, Broad Split over Finn Issue

New Zealand captain says his team was robbed off eight runs while England captain didn't want too much focus on his fast bowler

On a day when Steven Finn should have been celebrating his best bowling figures in Twenty20 Internationals, three for 16 from four overs that set New Zealand on a path towards defeat, conversation centred around his habit of breaking the stumps in delivery stride. Finn did so on at least three occasions on the day, and his actions cost New Zealand eight runs by Ross Taylor’s reckoning.   

Finn’s habit might appear a curiosity, but it irritated Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, enough at Headingley recently for him to get officials to do something about it. On that occasion Smith was the beneficiary as he was caught behind off Finn, only for the ball to be declared a dead ball.   

In the lead-up to the ICC World Twenty20 2012, the players and coaches were told by tournament officials that the first time a bowler did this, it would be tolerated, but every subsequent default would result in a no-ball. As Taylor pointed out, this was not fair on the batting team. “I think it cost us eight runs. I disagree with the rule. It’s a rule for one person in particular,” said Taylor. “Unless the batsman gets out you should just carry on. If the batsman gets out it should be a dead ball.”   

Taylor’s suggestion of the football-style playing advantage obviously did not find support in Stuart Broad, who did concede that Finn needed to sort the problem out.   

“The main point is that Finny’s got to try and stop doing it. And he’s working hard on it,” said Broad. “I don’t know where it’s come from. It’s not as though it’s been a problem all along. It came about this summer when he jumped in a little bit in his action. It’s normal for bowlers to do it with their hand, but I think he actually clips it with his knee. He’s aware of the problem and David Saker [England’s bowling coach] is pulling out whatever hair he has left working the problem out. It’s also important in a world tournament not to make that too much the focus.”   

When he was not kicking the stumps over, however, Finn was getting things spot on, and Taylor underscored the role his wickets played. “Finn bowled really well. Two wickets upfront put us on the back foot,” said Taylor, who admitted that New Zealand’s total was a bit below par. “When the ball is new and hard is probably the best time to score.”   

If Finn set the game up, it was Luke Wright who finished it, putting together a crucial partnership with Eoin Morgan. For Wright, the innings was one he wouldn’t forget in a hurry. “To win any game for England and win Man of the Match is always memorable,” said Wright. “After the last innings it was just nice to get past the first ball, to be honest. Once I got past that I was able to chill out a little bit and build a partnership.”  

Champions hope to avoid knockout blow

Big Picture

Group 1 of the Super Eights may be a collection of runners-up but second-best is an accurate summary of England and New Zealand's performances so far. After this match, one team is going to be propping up the group and, depending on the result of Sri Lanka versus West Indies, potentially checking the departures timetable from Bandaranaike International.

Of the two, New Zealand should enter the match in better fettle, having scrapped like cornered kiwis in their exhilarating Super Over defeat against the tournament hosts. They also pushed Pakistan - fast turning into one of the favourites - all the way in the group stage and in Brendon McCullum they have the World T20's leading run-scorer. By contrast, England made their lowest T20I score against India in Colombo and then followed that up by ushering Johnson Charles to his best showing in all senior cricket, and West Indies to a first win.

Unsurprisingly, England's green (not to mention KP-free) batting order has been the problem. Stuart Broad was explicit in blaming the batsmen after the failure to chase 180 against West Indies and first-over performances of 0 for 1, 2 for 1 and 0 for 2 in their three games have given England more of a stop than a start. If they can get through the first six balls, one crumb of comfort may be the fact that New Zealand's slow bowlers are of the orthodox finger-spin variety.

For New Zealand, the challenge is to convert the disappointment of two close defeats into match-winning momentum. The Black Caps are often dark horses but they have still tended to fall before the final fence. Their only T20I win against England came during the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, when they progressed to the semi-finals; the teams also met in the 2010 Super Eights, when England went on to lift the trophy. Of those two precedents, a repeat of the former looks more likely than the latter.