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Well, after all that they did it. In the inimitable 'expect the unexpected' style that has stamped itself so radically on cricket's modern consciousness, Pakistan trampled all over Zimbabwe's admirable journeymen and confirmed that their World Cup hopes are still very much alive.

You can't help but be seduced by this Pakistan team, for there is an ongoing sense of wonder at their ability to destroy and self-destruct in equal measures. To a man they are street-fighters, a random bunch occasionally knit to become a team but more often dependent on starbursts of brilliance which appear to electrocute the opposition at the very moment they least expect it.

``We're not batting well enough,'' said their captain, Wasim Akram, the other evening at Old Trafford, so Saeed Anwar went out and made a make-or-break century at the Oval yesterday. Their bowlers had been doing this for years, lulling batting teams into the comfort zone and then mowing them down in a trice.

Zimbabwe hardly knew what hit them. After Anwar came Shoaib Akhtar with a sprinkling of Wasim Akram to further spice the cocktail; never mind the three 'W's, the three 'A's have an irresistible potential.

Had you picked a dream team before the tournament got going it is a fair bet that Anwar would have opened the batting. Oddly, he has not justified such confidence - not until yesterday, anyway, when he took time to craft rather than blast a one-day innings which came to its climax with a cover drive of thrilling power and spectacle that took him to three figures.

This typically exquisite timing is all in the wrists, which create an extraordinary acceleration through the ball. Because of it he is stronger on the leg-side, where he scores with a real flourish, than most left-handers and is therefore able to resist the cramping tactic which right-arm bowlers now use by coming around the wicket. It also enables him to play very late, which is the natural gift that ball-players crave.

It is easy to tell when Anwar is searching for form because he reaches out in front of his body, feeling for the ball instead of allowing it to take its course. There were signs of this yesterday, confirmation of the meagre 137 runs scored from just seven innings in the tournament - remember that this fellow once made 194 in one innings, still a world record for limited-overs matches - where he wrestled with his own patience.

Thankfully he won the bout and, as if in celebration, hit a couple of those spectacular strokes where good length balls pitched on off-stump are flicked over straightish midwicket for four.

This is a killer for a bowler, when a batsman scores runs on either side of the wicket off length. David Gower used to do so by hitting the ball at the top of its bounce; Desmond Haynes, another fabulous one-day player, did it by setting himself to hit cross-batted over squarish midwicket. Because of this daring, the bowler is humiliated and forced to alter his length. Then, of course, the higher ground is won.

Pakistan fielded probably their best team yesterday, replacing Salim Malik in the middle order with Shahid Afridi, whose days as a pinch-hitter were not a success.

Wajahatullah Wasti, who was recalled to open, is no dasher but he scored more quickly against the new ball than Anwar and is more likely to blunt a McGrath or Pollock than Afridi who, in his turn, is more likely to slog a few out of the park against the older ball.

Unsung for their contribution are the change bowlers Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood, who hit the deck deceptively hard and bowl straight in the uncomplicated manner of, say, Don Shackleton and Tom Cartwright in their pomp. Razzaq is 19 - as, by the way, is Afridi. Mahmood is 24. Their cricket reflects the basic principles of the game and a large dose of flair. If only England had some like these.

Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed were on the Pakistan bench, serving drinks. I ask you. Such riches. And then there is Saqlain Mushtaq, the man with the magic in his fingers. He completed the rout with three in three at exactly the moment the clock struck six.