Now is crunch time

At 7.30 in the morning, when the wake-up call arrives at their hotel rooms, the Lancashire sun will hopefully shine on these same 22 men, who will have a defining opportunity to write themselves into the history books.

They will all acknowledge the fact that this is the business end of the 1999 World Cup, and by coming out victorious tomorrow evening they will thrust themselves on to the biggest stage in world cricket in four days' time.

There are 600 balls due to be bowled tomorrow, and the team who can win the crucial moments in this time frame will come up trumps. The pressure is sure to be on, and the 11 players who are able to rise to the occasion and overcome the demons associated with that big man called pressure will win this semi-final.

Tomorrow it comes down to a pure and simple process of winning the game of cricket, with all equations and calculations going out the window.

From the Antipodeans' point of view, I believe that their best chance of securing victory over their more talented and flamboyant opponents will be to win the toss and bat first. By putting the runs on the board, the Kiwis can apply enough pressure to the lacklustre Pakistani batting line-up to see them progress.

A lot of this responsibility lies on the shoulders of World Cup's leading wicket taker Geoff Allott. If he can remove the brilliant Saeed Anwar early in the innings, then the underdogs from New Zealand will be well on their way to Lord's on Sunday. Although the Pakistani top order is extremely talented, they seem a little susceptible in a run chase.

Apart from the street fighter Moin Khan, anything is likely to happen with the Pakistani batting. In a way this is the danger of the Pakistan team, because if they do have a good day out they have the potential to wipe the floor with any opposition, including the Kiwis tomorrow. If New Zealand can get themselves on top from the start, the game will certainly be a battle of wits and concentration.

On paper Pakistan should win, but as long as I have watched the nature of the one-day game, a team on paper means little. The fact is that tomorrow is World Cup semi-final day, and the 11 men who can seize the moment, grasp every opportunity and play with the spirit of a hungry tiger will be the team that prevails and progresses to the World Cup Final.

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