Beware cornered tigers of Pakistan

during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match between South Africa and the West Indies at Sydney Cricket Ground on February 27, 2015 in Sydney, Australia.

during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match between South Africa and the West Indies at Sydney Cricket Ground on February 27, 2015 in Sydney, Australia.

Published Mar 6, 2015

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Zaahier Adams

Auckland: Call them “cornered tigers” or whatever else you can think of to describe a desperate team, but Pakistan are a considerable threat to South Africa at Eden Park tomorrow.

Pakistan have to win all their remaining games to qualify for the quarter-final stages after two early defeats here at the World Cup, and it is when they have their backs to the wall like they do now, that the 1992 champions are at their most dangerous.

It is something within Pakistan’s DNA that they require an extra challenge – perhaps it has to do with the Pathan warrior-like lineage that runs through the blood of one of their premier players Shahid Afridi – but fighting for survival is what usually brings the best out of Waqar Younis’s team.

They have already responded with two consecutive victories – albeit against lesser opposition – since those setbacks and are slowly getting the sum of their parts to work as one.

The top-order batting remains as dodgy as any cab driver, but at least Ahmed Shazad and Harris Sohail have found some form while captain Misbah-ul-Haq remains the glue that keeps Pakistan from falling over altogether.

“Pakistan is a big game, we will be tested on Saturday,” Proteas coach Russell Domingo admitted yesterday at Eden Park. “They have come off two good wins, they have some match-winners in their side and they beat us in South Africa just over a year ago. We see every game as a big test for us.

“Their unpredictability is not a challenge because they are predictably unpredictable.

“We know that they can beat anybody on their day so that is great for us. We need to prepare really well and to make sure we respect the opposition. We need to go through our processes over the next couple of days because their strength lies in the predictability of their unpredictability.”

It is unlikely Pakistan’s batting unit will win the game for their team though.

Instead, they will be hoping that the likes of Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan and the irrepressible Afridi are able to contain AB de Villiers and Co tomorrow at a ground that has notorious small boundaries.

Eden Park’s straight boundaries are only 55 metres in length, the square boundaries slightly longer at 65 metres, and are well short of ICC regulation (64 metres is the minimum for the straight boundaries).

Considering South Africa have scored over 800 runs in their last two turns at bat, resulting in six of their seven batsmen – Quinton de Kock is the lone exception – all averaging over 60 thus far in the tournament, they should be quietly confident of continuing this run spree tomorrow.

Domingo, though, is taking nothing for granted. “You can easily think you need to get 400 because of the nature of the field and then get blown over for 150 or 160 like we saw in the other two games,” he said.

“We have to make sure we get off to a solid start. They’ve got some great bowlers. The tall man Irfan has been bowling really well at the moment and I think Wahab Riaz has bowled the quickest ball in the competition thus far – 154km/h.”

Domingo is spoilt for riches in the batting stocks at the moment with JP Duminy set to return after a two-game absence through injury.

Farhaan Behardien is the most likely casualty to accommodate Duminy, while Kyle Abbott, despite his recent hot streak from the last two matches, could yet find himself back on the bench for Vernon Philander. Domingo stressed yesterday that he would treat Philander’s hamstring strain with caution, but his body language suggested that the Cape Cobras all-rounder remains an integral part of the Proteas bowling unit, especially in the more bowler-friendly New Zealand conditions.

The World Cup thus far has certainly belonged to the batsmen, but taking into account the high quality of both the South African and Pakistan bowling attacks, we could be in for yet another fascinating contest at the storied old rugby ground.

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