The Khan Is King

A year after the 바카라™87 World Cup, I visited Pakistan for a social science conference. Here, a lady psychoanalyst from Lahore presented a paper on 바카라˜the Great Man Syndrome바카라™. Borrowing from the work of Carl Gustav Jung, and adding a feminist angle of her own, she argued that the South Asian male had fantasies of omnipotence. The dreams were, by definition, unrealisable, but in trying to live them out, these men brought down the societies they were fortunate enough to lead. Paradigmatic cases were Zia-ul-Haq바카라™s attempt to Islamicise Pakistan, and Rajiv Gandhi바카라™s dispatch of Indian troops to Sri Lanka. There was also Imran Khan. Thus, when the 바카라™87 World Cup came along, the once great Khan was old and out of form, yet his Jungian fantasies made him usurp the Pakistani captaincy. Now, implied the lady, if only he had allowed Miandad to lead, would Pakistan have been booted out in the semi-final?

Also at the conference was a distinguished Indian psychoanalyst,   whom I won바카라™t name for fear of libel. He said, off the record, that a reading of Freud made it plain that the Lahori lady had once been in love with Imran. I have myself often wondered where the Jungian psychoanalyst was when Imran played, captained, and won the 바카라™92 World Cup.

THE KIWIS AREN바카라™T BIRD-BRAINED

In 바카라™92, as in 바카라™75, 바카라™79 and 바카라™83, the home sides started well but eventually faded away. Australia did not qualify for the semi-final. New Zealand did, but saw the match taken from them by an innings of breathtaking brilliance by the then unknown Inzamam-ul Haq (it was this innings that led Imran Khan to make the incautious claim that the Multani would become a better batsman than Sachin Tendulkar). Now the Kiwis are generally regarded as earnest and well-meaning men but altogether dreary and dull as cricketers. But in this tournament, they were responsible for two daringly effective innovations. First, 바카라˜pinch hitter바카라™ at the beginning of the innings. This was the left-hander Mark Greatbatch, who without so much as a sighter would begin tonking the ball all over the park. Second, an off-spinner opening the bowling. This was Dipak Patel, whose slow looping deliveries befooled opponents accustomed to playing seam and bounce.

These two tactics are now widely used, not least by the team New Zealand eventually lost to in 바카라™92. When Shahid Afridi hits straight six in the first over, or Saqlain Mushtaq comes on to bowl early, I think that Martin Crowe, in the commentator바카라™s box, must allow himself a wry smile. 

IT RAINED RUNS

CRICKETING-WISE, the Indian perf o rmance I remember best f rom the 바카라™92 Cup was Azhar바카라™s knock against Australia. The rules grievously discriminated against the team batting last, especially if it rained. In this match, India needed about 5.5 runs an over to start with, it rising to 9 an over when a shower stopped play. Azhar hit a series of unbelievable shots, drives over extra-cover and flicks through a packed on-side field. He scored 93 at more than a run a ball. After he was out, India needed 12 off the last over. More struck two fours, both fine leg glances, then was bowled. Four were needed off the final ball, with Srinath on strike. The young fast bowler went for the big one, connected and stayed put at his crease, confident it would clear the fence. But there was a stiff breeze into which he had hit the ball, which kept it in the air a little longer, and allowed it to drop inside the fence.While the ball hung in the air, Srinath realised he might have to run  the runs. He ran two, but was run out inches before he had completed what would have been the tying run. It was sheer inexperience바카라” today, Srinath would be off running as soon as he바카라™d hit the ball.

MOM-IN-LAW바카라™S A BETTER BAT

THE 바카라™92 final was contested between England and Pakistan. The last time the two sides had met on the cricket field, there had been a dddhuge ro w, sparked by an abusive exchange between an English captain and a Pakistani umpire. Among the immediate responses to that exchange, I remember two바카라” Tom Graveney바카라™s magisterially precise claim that 바카라˜they [the Pakis] have been cheating us [the honest British] for 38 years바카라™, and Botham바카라™s impulsively off-hand remark that 바카라˜Pakistan is a place to which I would not even send my mother- in - law 바카라™ .

Well, here was Botham, opening the innings  under lights in Melbourne, with cricket바카라™s most tre as ured prize at stake. Very early in the match, the great all-rounder flash e d at a ball outside off and was given out caught behind. As he walked off the ground ,shaking his head, Amir Sohail ran up to him and remarked, 바카라˜Send your mother- in - law 바카라” at least she will bat better than you바카라™. The truth is that Botham did not touch the ball. But then the umpire was not a Pakistani.