By Saj Sadiq
November 14 2002

Pakistan with a morale and confidence boosting victory will be hoping for a clean sweep in the test seies in Zimbabwe, but the home team will have other ideas. Having beaten Zimbabwe fairly comfortably in Harare, Pakistan will also be looking to win the 2nd Test starting in Bulawayo this Saturday. Although it wasn't a totally one-sided match in Harare, for the most part Pakistan were in control and stepped up the pace as and when it was required.

The Pakistanis though must guard against complacency and over-confidence, 2 attributes that are commonly known to strike Pakistani cricketers. If they take their opposition lightly they know that a shock could be on the cards. In the 1st Test match they will have seen enough of the fighting spirit of the Africans and must realise that in Andy Flower they possess one of the finest batsman in the world today and a player who can single handedly win matches for his team.

Looking at the batting, patience is not a word that too many of the current players know the meaning of, but this is obviously key to Test cricket. A few flashy strokes will bring you quick runs, but a similar flashy stroke will bring your downfall. Taufeeq Umar in the match in Harare displayed the kind of temperament that other youngsters need to adopt. His innings was a prime example of skill and mental strength. Too often our batsman show flashes of brilliance but when it gets hot in the kitchen they are the first ones to run out of there. The Pakistani think tank must be looking to Taufeeq to play a similar anchor role in Bulawayo.

The middle order still oozes class with Youhana and Inzi the solid rocks that the Zimbabwean bowlers know hold the key to whether Pakistan get a big score or capitulate. Younis Khan and Hasan Raza will be looking to cement their places for the South African tour, as they know Faisal Iqbal is breathing down their necks for either the number 3 or number 6 slot.

One would expect that Shahid Afridi will be let loose once again to either commit cricketing suicide or give spectators the chance to catch the ball as it flies over the boundary. Afridi's bowling could also be extremely useful as I believe he is a good partnership breaker and at times in the 1st test Pakistan lacked that extra variety that the leggie brings to their attack. Also in my opinion it's a very dangerous ploy going into a test match with only 4 front line bowlers and no part time bowlers at the captain's disposal.

Once again the match winners in the bowling department should be Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Akhtar. Although Saqlain appeared to be overused by Waqar in the 1st test, he still managed to take key wickets on a wicket that didn't suit spin. Shoaib's performance will in this test be of extreme interest as quite often he has produced the goods in one test and then goes off the boil later in the series, thinking his job has been done. A prime example of this being the recent series against the Aussies. The skipper will also be looking to get amongst the wickets after looking rather rusty in the 1st test and bowling only the occasional good delivery.

A victory for Pakistan is the expected result and I think it will be quite comfortable.