Pressure is a big man

A batsman having to face Akram, Akhtar, Srinnath or Kumble, in front of a capacity crowd, is pressure in itself but when you are doing it with the added strain of millions of expectant supporters sitting on your shoulders the burden could easily become unbearable. Bowling to Tendulkar or Anwar is as tough for a bowler on a normal day let alone when the whole world is watching to find more meanings from a game of cricket than simply who will earn the vital two points. The intense rivalry between Pakistan and India goes far beyond the realms of the cricket field as has been evident by the international interest in today's game. For the game's sake it was a great relief to see the game played in brilliant spirits followed by one of the most vocal crowds ever witnessed in this country. It was easy to see by the body language of every player on the field that this game was as big as any they had played in before. The passionate expressions on the faces of all of the player's indicated a concentrated determination to leave Lancashire tonight as a relieved winner.

In the end of the day the Pakistani fielding could have been the deciding factor between the two teams. Chasing runs is never a simple task, but tonight Wasim's team will be disappointed that their target wasn't more moderate than it ended up being. Missed fielding and dropped catches are sins in the international game, sins that have put Pakistan's certain Semi-Final place a week ago, in doubt today.

Time will tell!

One thing is certain, cricket was the winner today. I am sure the ECB will be thrilled with today's triumph.

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