The damage was already done (Getty Images).
TENDULKAR'S MASTERFUL KNOCK
There were 19,047 flag-waving madmen watching India crush the life out of
Pakistan at Centurion. But an estimated TWO BILLION living rooms around the
world bore televised witness to the crunch game of the 2003 Cricket World
Cup.
And India's little master Sachin Tendulkar engineered the six-wicket win
England needed. His knock of 98 off 75 balls, scored despite injuring his
left thigh while in the 60s, was enough to leave Pakistan clinging on by
their fingertips.
While most considered this England's desired outcome, there are now fears
that an out-of-form Pakistan will lose to Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Tuesday –
a result which will leave England banished from the top three in the Group A
table, whether they produce a miracle against Australia in Port Elizabeth
or not.
A steady century from Saeed Anwar (101 off 126) took Pakistan to a
defendable 273-7 off their 50 overs but on a nearly grassless featherbed of
a track, Tendulkar, the tournament's top scorer going in to the game, simply
tore the Pakistan attack apart. The world's fastest bowler Shoaib Akhtar was
taken off after his first over went for 16.
Mind you, England's Andy Caddick would be amongst the first to defend
shocked Shoaib...like them he suffered a Sachin overdose as England succumbed
at Kingsmead last Wednesday.
Even on one of those short stubby legs, Tendulkar was too much for a side
already struggling for confidence.
He moved to 12,000 one-day runs at an average of 45 and a strike
rate of 86 (that's 0.86 runs per ball). That's 3,000 ahead of the
second-best batter, Indian Mohammed Azharrudin.
And the little man can do it under pressure. This game was beamed to well
over a billion people in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh… and
almost as many again in cricket-speaking cultures of Britain, Australia,
Canada, the West Indies, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sharjah, Afghanistan and
even the United States.
On the sub-continent, where these two countries live on the edge of all-out
war, Tendulkar has long been considered the cricketing weapon of mass
destruction. Together with Mohammed Kaif (35), Tendulkar put on 102 for the
third wicket at faster than a run a ball. It was destructive enough to
startle passing weapons inspectors – and more than enough to crush
Pakistan's hopes.
The roar which greeted the limping warrior's dismissal – two runs short of
his third century at this World Cup – could be heard around the world, from
Cape Town to Cairo, from Islamabad to Islington.
Shoaib's raw pace finally induced a miscue… and the Indian run-rate slumped
alarmingly in the post-Tendulkar depression.
But the damage had been done. Rahul Dravid (44) and Yuvraj Singh (50) saw
India take the score between these two nations to 4-0 in World Cup clashes.
Now all England need is a miracle… or two, judging by the slumped shoulders
of the Pakistanis.
The thought of finally beating Australia and then going out to Robert
Mugabe's evil empire is simply too much to contemplate.
Kenya beat Bangladesh by 32 runs in Johannesburg, raising hopes of
a third African nation reaching the Super Six stages.
The scenarios for England now look this this:
If Australia beat England and Pakistan beat Zimbabwe:
1. Aus 24, 2. Ind 20, 3. Eng or Pak or Zim 12, decided by net run-rate.
If Australia beat England and Zimbabwe beat Pakistan:
1. Aus 24, 2 Ind 20, 3. Zim 16.
If England beat Australia and Pakistan beat Zimbabwe
1. Aus 20, 2. Ind 20, 3. Eng 16.
If England beat Australia and Zimbabwe beat Pakistan:
1. Aus 20, 2. Ind 20, 3. Zim 16 (Eng 16 eliminated by loss to Zim)
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