da heads bet： Whatever talk there always is of the Karachi pitch, it manages to be overshadowed eventually by producing a winner
The Verdict by Osman Samiuddin at Karachi01-Dec-2006
‘Thanks to Danish Kaneria – leg-spin beinganother of the ground’s old, enjoyable weaknesses – West Indies weren’t able to consolidate’ © Getty Images
Finally, some much-needed PR for Karachi and the National Stadium: including thisTest, ten of the last eleven matches here have produced results. Whatevertalk there always is of the pitch, it manages to be overshadowedeventually by producing a winner. And provided you have thebowlers, it has always been a ground given to reverse swing, an art thatalways makes for an entertaining spectacle.Old balls have regularly been made to do remarkable things amidst theconcrete surrounds of the National Stadium. India were safe at 108 for twoin 1982-83 here, before Imran Khan skittled them for 197 after tea; onlyone of his eight victims wasn’t bowled or leg-before and if Wasim Bari,’keeper that day, is to be believed, were there corners to be navigated onthe pitch, Imran would have done so.Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis didn’t much mind Karachi either, especiallyduring the 1990-91 season. New Zealand would have felt secure at 167 forthree on the first day, though by its end and the next morning, the Ws hadmade sure their total didn’t go past 196. West Indies too disintegratedtwice suddenly in their Test here later that season, both bowlers sharing15 of the 20 wickets to fall.And Karachiites still recall Waqar’s five-wicket haul in the ODI againstthe West Indies from the same tour: chasing 212 from 40 overs, DesmondHaynes and Richie Richardson had a handle on the situation with a 138-runpartnership for the second wicket. The return of Waqar, after a spankingin his first spell, brought a swift, spectacular end, 139 for one ending205 for seven.There have been more, but why does battered leather take to Karachi somuch? For such a little-understood phenomenon, answers are understandablyvague. But ex-cricketers, Wasim and Waqar among them, point first to thesea breeze that filters in from the coast roughly15km south. Drierconditions and traditionally rough outfields have always helped, ensuringthat reverse swing is always a factor at the ground.Waqar, now bowling coach, worked especially with Umar Gul and Shahid Nazirbefore the match, with a scuffed up ball, knowing it would play a part. Inhindsight, it was a handy session, for at various junctures through theTest, the old ball told. Not as extravagantly as it has been known to, butenough. On the second day, Gul winked out three top-order batsmen in 11balls, Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan castled by deliveries that swungbig and late. In essence, if the Test wasn’t decided during that period,it was set up.And for stretches of the last day, it appeared as if only some old ballmagic would sweep aside what periodically threatened to be stoutresistance, especially as clouds gathered and the light faded. It didn’twork out that way entirely thanks to Danish Kaneria – leg-spin beinganother of the ground’s old, enjoyable weaknesses – but Gul fracturing awell-set Sarwan’s foot in the morning was a moment as important as it wasunfortunate. In tandem with Nazir and Abdul Razzaq, all others weretroubled if not dismissed.It wasn’t hurled at the pace it has been known to be delivered at andneither was the parabola it cut as much a banana as it can be. Andultimately the old ball really had only Razzaq’s time-honoured tail-endremoval to show at the death. But swing it always did and the atmospherewas forever pregnant with its threat. Lara acknowledged later that this particularability was especially handy. “Gul, Nazir and even Razzaq all swung theball late. On such dry pitches and in such conditions, it is an addedadvantage to be able to do it.”Reverse swing, leg-spin, a cool sea breeze, permanently bright weather andnow 21 Pakistan wins out of 38: as advertising goes, selling points forvenues don’t get much better than that.