Date-stamped : 02 Jul96 - 02:15 Tetley's Challenge Series Glamorgan v Pakistanis Pontypridd 29,30 June,1 July 1996 ====> REPORT (Day 2, 30 Jun 1996) (Electronic Telegraph, UK) Pakistan`s rustiness shows hint of menace Scyld Berry at Pontypridd IT WAS the Pakistanis` first first-class match since their visit to New Zealand early in the year, although one or two interna- tionals have flowed under their bridge since then. On a windy day they were naturally rusty, as a 20-day camp in Lahore in mid- summer did not exactly replicate conditions here, but the tour- ists still bowled with a penetration that will worry England. This was also the Pakistanis` first visit to Pontypridd, beside the now-clean waters of the river Taff. An inducement of #25,000 from Rhondda-Cynon-Taff council succeeded in bringing the tourists to Ynysangharad Park, the one flat piece of land amid the surrounding hills, and here they dismissed Glamorgan for 304 and themselves scored 74 without loss in 17 overs by the close. There could be another "first" too, in that this could be the first Pakistani tour for a long time that is not controversial. A war memorial stands above the Park, which was itself created as a tribute to the fallen by the Lenox family, iron workers who produced the anchors for such ships as the Titanic; and, as the late afternoon sun shone upon the visitors, it was tempting to think that Anglo-Pakistani disputes are over too, and this tour will be dominated by Wasim Akram rather than acrimony. The comradeship at Lancashire between Akram and Mike Atherton will help for a start, and the tourists seem to have a gen- eral desire to turn over new leaves. Their tour manager, Yawar Saeed, believes in the sporting tradition, having been educat- ed at Millfield and played for Somerset as an amateur in the 1950s. The son of Pakistan`s first cricket captain, before Test status, he subsequently pursued a career in a tobacco company - he smokes a pipe - and was little involved in Pakistani cricket politics. So he bring no "baggage" of vendettas, no history of slights imagined or real; to him, a score is not something to settle. The rustiness showed in the no-balling by the Pakistanis` three fast bowlers and in the creakiness of some of their ground-fielding. There again, even when in prime form Akram and Waqar Younis and Ata-ur-Rehman are capable of expensive no-balling and their fielders of unforced errors. Their crick- et is born of aggressive impulse and not brought up attend- ing to detail. Waqar takes the new ball on seniority. Pakistan might be stronger if either Rehman or the right-handed Mohammed Akram takes it instead, leaving to Waqar an older ball. Mushtaq`s flipper tended to shoot down leg side but he settled into his leg break, which is his stock ball again, after a phase in which he dropped his left shoulder too much. Akram has plenty to do as all-rounder, but captaincy will be a lot easier if he can keep Mushtaq going productively for three hours, as he did from the Taff end, while his fast bowlers alternate at the other. If Shane Warne`s effectiveness diminishes as the novel- ty of his enormous leg break wears off, Mushtaq`s ever more controlled variety makes him better with age. Waqar takes the new ball on seniority. Pakistan might be stronger if either Rehman or the right-handed Mohammed Akram takes it instead, leaving to Waqar an older ball. Now that he is less awesome of speed, and does not swing the new ball, Waqar can be expensive when he drops it short and wide. Steve James took three fours off Waqar`s second over. Alun Evans, a 20-year-old from Fishguard short of hearing and stature, moved courageously forward on the slow yet springy sur- face, and hooked Akram for a six. James several times cover drove Mushtaq impressively until caught at second slip - Aamir Sohail took four chances out of five there - and when Mushtaq threatened to overwhelm the young bloods, Matthew Maynard played a few big shots. Akram was his casually brilliant self, resorting to the briefest run-up if so inclined, posting only one leg-side fielder for James at one point. As so often, he did everything but take a wicket, until his last ball. In reply Pakistan`s opening pair of left-handers scored at more than four runs an over without any loss of control against Glamorgan`s young seamers. Sohail, vice-captain, is the taller; Saeed Amwar could be a treat in store - he has a fine Test record, 1,038 runs at an average of 41 - for someone on his first tour of England. The series against Pakistan will be strong tea after the milder milk of India. England allowed India back into the series at Lord`s by letting them play at their own tempo after lunch on the second day. Nevertheless, England should still draw at Nottingham on the flattest of pitches (bringing back Min Patel for Peter Martin), and secure Atherton his second Test series as captain. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk) ====> Day 2, 29 Jun 1996 (Rediff On The NeT, India) Saeed Anwar, Inzamam ul Haq run riot against Glamorgan By Our Correspondent Michael Atherton and his men struggled to stave off defeat against the admittedly weak Indian Test squad in the second Test at Lord`s. If Pakistan`s performance in its first warm up match in the Tetley Challenge Series, against Glamorgan, is any indi- cation, then England`s struggles are only just beginning. After bowling out Glamorgan for 304 on the first day of their three day match, the tourists blasted the county attack to the tune of 461 for the loss of just two wickets. And in the process, underlined the fact that they are strong favourites to retain the Cornhill Trophy they won 2-1 in the controversy ridden tour of 1992. Unlike India, which tends to use its county games as extended net practise sessions, Pakistan has always been in the habit of go- ing flat out for a win. During its last tour, thus, the Pakistan side began with a defeat at the hands of Nottinghamshire, but went on to win nine out of a total of 12 county games and, in the process, to pouch the 50,000 pound bonus put up on offer by food and beverage giant Tetley. This time, too, the tourists seem determined to make some extra money while getting their winning edge going - both Saeed Anwar and Inzamam ul Haq typefying this resolution with blis- tering knocks that scattered the Glamorgan bowlers to all parts of the field. Though the flamboyant Aamir Sohail was out early on the second day for 49, Saeed Anwar took over the attacking role to hit up a blistering, undefeated 219. Ijaz Ahmed, number three in the Pakistan lineup, had meanwhile come in at the fall of Sohail`s wicket and gone right out again, edging a simple catch to Croft in the slips. But this only brought to the crease the baby-faced Inzamam ul Haq, who masks murderous intent behind a choir-boy facade. Haq was all languid elegance as he hit up an unbeaten 169, help- ing Anwar to power Pakistan to its mammoth total. In the process, the two put on an unbeaten third wicket partnership of 362 - the highest ever for Pakistan for any wicket on an England tour, beating the 319 partnership for the first wicket recorded by Mohsin Khan and Mudassar Nazar against Sussex in 1982. Both batsmen also surpassed the highest individual score by a Pakistani batsman against Glamorgan, which was Mudassar Nazar`s 163 not out in 1982. Saeed Anwar hammered 31 fours and one six in his double hun- dred, while Inzamam for all his languid grace and seemingly comatose mein struck 24 scintillating boundaries and two sixes in his own undefeated 169. Skipper Wasim Akram declared with a lead of 157 and, at close of the second day, Pakistan had already taken an important step to- wards a possible victory by reducing the host county to 34 for the loss of one wicket. Akram struck the opening blow, finding the edge of Glamorgan opener Alun Evans to have him caught in the slips for 18. With Akram, Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed and Ata ur Rehman in the bowling lineup, it will be interesting to see whether Pakistan manages to blast out the whole team on the last day inside of 157 runs or, failing that, of bowling Glamorgan out fast enough to score whatever runs are needed for victory. A win will mean that Pakistan will be richer by 2,500 pounds - but more to the point, it will get the tourists into the winning habit straight off. And that, as any cricket analyst will tell you, is half the battle won right there. Earlier, Ata ur Rehman struck form in Glamorgan`s first in- nings when he took four wickets for 82, while leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed chipped in with three for 76 and Aamir Sohail, fielding in the slips, snapped up four catches to tumble Glamorgan to 304 all out. Opener Steve James, who played freely against the pace of Akram and Younis before falling to Rehman, and England bats- man Mathew Maynard, with 40, were the principal scorers while Akram and Younis, ineffective in their opening spells, returned at the end to polish off the three Glamorgan tailenders, all out to swinging deliveries that took the edge of their bats to fly to Sohail in the slips. Source :: Rediff On The NeT (http.//www.rediff.co.in) ====> REPORT (Day 3, 1 Jul 1996) (Electronic Telegraph, UK) Pakistan win friends with neighbourly approach By Christopher Martin-Jenkins in Pontypridd Glamorgan (304 & 60-2) drew with Pakistan (461-2 dec) THEY KNOW a bit about close-knit valley communities in Pakistan and a touring side who have set out, in captain Wasim Akram`s words, "to play some good cricket and make some friends", must have felt some affinity to the Rhondda and its people over the last three days. Nothing, alas, could be done about the squalls which blew along the Taff with increasing frequency in the morning and even- tually became serious rain. The umpires were forced to spend a little longer than planned over the Rhondda-Cynon-Taff Council`s extremely tempting lunch after they ran for shelter the second time with Glamorgan 60 for two and the match was abandoned, with the mayor left to give his speech to an empty ground. He also handed over a cheque for #300 to Saeed Anwar, the Tetleys Challenge man of the match for his innings of 219 on Sun- day. Pakistan won #50,000 in 1992 for winning nine of their 12 matches - and they will again play all their games to win, the Tests included. They will play them too, if they possibly can, without ran- cour. That, at any rate, is the clear intention of their manager, Yawar Saeed, ex-Millfield and Somerset, and Wasim, past and fu- ture Lancastrian. It is clear from the smiling demeanours not just of these two important men but of the team as a whole that they have come here to mend fences, so long as the scandal- mongers will give them a fair chance. The batting, as proved here by Anwar and Inzamam- ul-Haq - a stone lighter than he was in the World Cup - has talent and ex- perience. Wasim says now of the Allan Lamb book which will soon be seek- ing headlines: "I wish Lambie all the best, that`s all." He would rather talk about what is potentially the best of the three Pakistan teams with whom he has toured England. The first two, in 1987 and 1992, won the five- match Test series and he has every reason to be confident that his own side will beat Eng- land in the three matches this time. "We have had a lean period in Australia and in the World Cup but we have got together now," he said. "I`m very happy with the team. They are working hard. We have the capacity to win the series and we will take some risks to do it." After three weeks practising together in Lahore they fielded a possible Test team for this first county match and Wasim and the impressively brisk and direct Ata-ur-Rehman were threatening in the nine overs of play on a good, lively pitch yesterday. Steve James was undone by bounce and Gary Butcher was missed twice off Rehman, whom Wasim describes as a different bowler from the willing tyro of 1992. "He`s a real seam bowler. With him and Waqar and myself we have a good combination," said Wasim. The batting, as proved here by Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq - a stone lighter than he was in the World Cup - has talent and ex- perience. The reserves are also exciting young cricketers, three of them brought here, says Akram, primarily to learn and develop. They and their opponents alike should heed the captain`s words: "We are sportsmen. We may only be around at the top for six years or so. We should make friends and retire happy." Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)