Focus shifts to spin gurus

The Pakistani and Sri Lankan batsmen are not in the bracket though. Ahead of their quarterfinal clash on Sunday, they would be thinking about Murali and Saqlain. There’s a buzz already around the Nairobi Gymkhana: When the gurus clash, let’s see who comes off better?

Both Murali and Saqlain are aggressive, attacking bowlers with varying styles, who have taken off-spin bowling, techincally the easiest delivery a school-going kid picks up, to such lofty heights. Murali is more of a traditional kind, who preys upon the batsmen with flight and turn so he is better suited to the longer version. And, how big he turns it. The soft-spoken Tamil doesn’t even need helpful tracks, he can turn the ball even on a floor tile. He puts in more hip movement and hits the wicket, getting bounce with the turn.

Saqlain is more streetsmart of the two, has more variety, can bowl six different balls but is very dangerous when he doesn’t turn the ball. For years, batsmen had no clue about his doosra (the other one); more like a leg cutter it goes middle to off.

This particular ball gets him wickets in the limited-overs cricket as batsmen trying to hit him over long on or mid-wicket are fooled when the ball goes the other way. The doosra makes Saqlain one of the safest slog-over bowler and most of his wickets come in those overs only.

It doesn’t mean Saqlain is no good when it comes to Tests. Remember, how he tied down Sachin Tendulkar in the Test series in India (1999), something which not many spinners, not even the great Shane Warne can boast of. The Indians are the best players of spin bowling but Saqlain ensured they finished only second to him.

Colin Croft, the Former West Indian paceman of the 70s, watched Murali bewitch the young West Indian batsmen the other day in the Knock-Out Cup game.

Murali’s figures on Wednesday read 10-4-9-0. Croft said: “Who could have picked him today, he is the most difficult spinner to pick. Murali is the best in the world.”

For long Murali manned the Lankan bowling all alone as his wickets in the last two-three years would testify, but Saqlain has been lucky as Pakistan has never been short on fast-bowling greats. Saqlain also has an under-study in Arshad Khan who has been pushing him for a place in the team, but who cares? It’s all about the gurus anyway!

The Teams

SRI LANKA (from): Sanath Jayasuriya (Capt), Avishka Gunawardena, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Russel Arnold, Kumara Dharmasena, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Muthiah Muralitharan, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Pramodaya Wickremasinghe and Erick Upashantha. Coach: Dave Whatmore.

PAKISTAN (from): Moin Khan (Capt), Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Wasim Akram, Arshad Khan, Waqar Younis, Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Saleem Elahi, Saqlain Mushtaq and Faisal Iqbal. Coach: Javed Miandad.

Umpires: Peter Willey and David Orchard. Third Umpire: Srinivas Venkatraghavan