Packing for Pakistan

What an emotional rollercoaster ride the last week has been for the national cricketers.

That in itself worries me somewhat.

One instant they have been unpacking bags emblazoned with labels from England, the next moment they have been scrambling in the laundry basket to get sorted for the sub-continent. Then after flying to Johannesburg for a brief chat, it was back home again to unpack and stock up from the rented DVD shelf, thinking that it’s feet up time. Not to be.

The preparation for the eventually confirmed tour to Pakistan has been far from ideal.

Now it’s time to clock in guys. Firstly the Proteas have to put any further security concerns they may have out of their minds and trust the measures that will be in place. Secondly, they need to get their thoughts back on cricket and take a hurried and close look at the quality of their opposition.

Pakistan at home are a very respectable team. Read nothing…..that’s right, nothing into their occasional close game against Bangladesh of late. The Pakistan selectors were intent on showcasing some promising youngsters as well as dishing out a few wake-up calls to some underperforming senior pros.

I have seen quite a bit of Javed Miandad’s squad over the last 12 months. Make no mistake; they have some gifted raw talent. By the time South Africa square up for the first encounter, those youngsters who fell short recently will be warming the bench.

Inzi is back on track after being overlooked for some considerable time and Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan have hit their straps.

A vital cog for the home team will be Shoaib Akhtar and should he be fully fit as expected, he will be throwing everything at the boys. Strike bowlers are essential in the modern game and Pakistan definitely have the edge in the ear, nose and throat division.

Another player not to be underestimated is Mohammad Sami now that he has been given confidence by the selectors and has emerged as a front line choice.

There is also a real possibility that both Mushtaq (who has just become the first bowler for 5 years to capture 100 wickets in a county season) and Saqlain will operate in tandem during the Tests and that will pose an interesting challenge.

With Danish Keneria also in the mix, the abundance of match winning spinners provides a stark contrast to the extremely barren situation South Africa are in currently with their ‘tweakers’. Also the South African brains trust will not have seen much of gifted youngsters like Mohammad Hafeez and Yasir Hameed.

Pakistan are currently a team determined to prove their worth and reward their fans.

South Africa’s desire in the U.K. was nearly faultless. They would have been emotionally and mentally drained following that tour and such a bizarre itinerary as a trip to Pakistan shortly after will definitely test their mettle.

I suspect that Smith and Simons will be only too aware of the potential pitfalls ahead and will be doing their utmost to get the players’ frame of mind back on track.

South Africa possesses more match winners and importantly are a consistent side. They are a quality team who should outplay the Pakistan boys in their own backyard. Should that be done it will be another huge feather in their green caps. We were all proud to see the professionalism shown recently and our desire is to see that mirrored in the next 4 weeks.

Make us proud boys ... ... again.