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The battle of the two Asian neighbours leaves the mountains of Kashmir for the plains of Old Trafford at Manchester. The result can see the Pakistanis safely into the semifinals or light a ray of hope in the Indian hearts. Anything is possible. For India it is a make or break situation compared to their rivals' slightly advantageous position. The recent history of one-day battles may favour the Pakistanis but the Indian batting prowess on the English wickets has been awe-inspiring and the sight of the four centurians stroding into the middle one after another can give the creeps to any bowler worth the salt. The top order did not click against Australia but that should not be any solace for Pakistan.

The much heralded Pakistani attack spearheaded by the 'Rawalpindi express' Shoaib Akhtar and supported by Wasim, Razzaq, Azhar and Saqlain will face the real test against the strongest batting line-up of the competition, nay, the world of cricket today. The Pakistani top order has had very little to talk about and all their wishes for peaking at the right time will go in vain unless they do so in this crucial encounter. So far they have ridden on their lower order batsmen and the bowlers but today they have to come good to make it a match.

An early breakthrough is always a relief for any team but unless it is achieved at regular intervals the ominous prospect of big total dampens the spirit. A tidy attack without much frills and dressing of wides and nos should also be considered. The extra runs and deliveries turn out to be a pain in the neck at the end of the day and in this area Pakistan is more guilty of the two.

There must be all sorts of talks in the Indian camp. A team with the highest total, highest partnership record, two 300 plus innings and five hundreds is struggling to reach the semis. What a pity! The defeat by Australia is almost the last straw on the camel's back. But every day is not Sunday as they say. McGrath himself wouldn't be able to bowl the same deliveries again. To expect another sensational collapse of the top order will be foolish for any team. The Pakistanis are also jittery after their defeat to South Africa. They were always short of 20 runs which they could compensate by disciplined bowling which they did not against the South Africans. They were guilty of bowling 14 wides and 13 no balls. They may be a talented side but they are not disciplined. And unless they take immediate corrective measures they may have to pay very dearly.

Much has been talked about the security of players at Old Trafford today where large Indian and Pakistani communities live and are expected to be in full strength at the ground. Sunil Gavasker may have annoyed some extreme Pakistani supporters but he was absolutely correct in his assessment. There are lot of bums at the grounds who may create problems for the players of both teams. Hence security at Old Trafford has to be very tight to avoid any nasty situation.

Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has termed it just a game of cricket and called upon the spectators, specially from the subcontinent, not to be carried away by emotion. We hope this appeal of the Pakistan captain will sooth the tense nerves of the spectators and that they will desist from creating any security problem at the Old Trafford today. Pakistan's record against India at this level is not at all encouraging for them. Whatever may be the ODI statistics against India, the Pakistanis lost on both occasions to India - in the 1992 World Cup in Australia and in 1996 quarterfinal at Bangalore. With this definite advantage, the Indians will take the field today. The Pakistanis on the other hand will rely much on their bowling attack and on their superior ODI record against their traditional rivals.

For the one thousand one hundred and fifty million people of India, Pakistan and interested fans and viewers in Bangladesh, the 1996 World Cup final takes place today.

Correction: Please read Saturday instead of Monday in the last line of the first paragraph of this column. The mistake is regretted.