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Before going through the review below, I would like to draw the attention of the readers to the following two factors. Firstly, when the Pakistan cricket team was on its way, the bomb blast incident at Karachi arrested the winning momentum.

Secondly, my suggestion to the cricket authorities is to concentrate on facing the best cricket playing countries on international standard wickets. Only such tough assignments will equip the team for the formidable challenge like the World Cup 2003 in South Africa.

Pakistan's cricket team is on a triumphant track these days which augurs well for the future. The credit for this largely goes to Waqar Younis who has shaped the team into a well-knit unit.

It is time, I think, Waqar should be appointed as captain for the World Cup. Unless he has full confidence of the PCB he will not be able to wield the necessary authority. We have the example of Imran Khan before us who was unconditionally vested with all powers as a result of which the players were disciplined and performed to the best of their abilities.

But Imran never abused his authority and never preferred his personal choice over national interest. Hence the consequential march to memorable victories. Let me in passing mention that Imran didn't have the team that Intikhab Alam had with Majid Khan, Sadiq Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas, Mushtaq Mohammad, Asif Iqbal, Wasim Bari, Imran Khan and Sarfraz Nawaz etc. What made the difference was the degree of confidence generated by the leadership.

Waqar has definitely emerged as a competent and capable leader notwithstanding the mistake of dropping Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq in the Asian Test Championship for which the selectors were also to blame.

His bowling, field placing and above all confidence building so convincingly displayed in the case of Inzamam-ul-Haq when he was passing through a lean patch and was under great pressure, showed the calibre of the man.

Waqar actually nursed lnzi upto the stage when he came into his own and played a memorable innings. Equally reassuring was Shoaib Akhtar's resurgence as a match winner for which Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Lt-Gen Tauqir Zia deserves praise.

The PCB boss went all the way to overcome a series of crises and took a commendable and courageous stand, not only for the paceman's survival but his stunning success at last. What the PCB Chief did to save this valuable asset outmatched Sri Lanka's sustained effort to shield Muttiah Muralitharan.

As I have pointed out earlier every player of the Pakistan team is showing his full form whether openers or middle order batsman, Inzamam, Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan and in bowling the greatest of them all Wasim Akram, Waqar, Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain are all doing their best. This is the mark of a good team.

I was, however, struck by the statement of the coach, Mudassar Nazar, who seems intoxicated with victory. Without denying credit to him or the players such premature claims against Australia at this stage were not in good taste.

He should not challenge the critics, leaving this task to the PCB officials and concentrate on the enormous responsibility in his hands. Let us not forget that the series we have so far wonin Bangladesh, Sharjah and Pakistan were all played on low bounce wickets and against modest oppositions.

Moreover, New Zealand played minus their top eight players including stars like Chris Cairns and Shane Bond just to fulfil their commitment for which we should be grateful to them. They could as well have trotted out on lame excuses like India.

At the moment the team is at it's peak and with the return of Saeed Anwar it will be further strengthened specially in batting department. If we look around at the history of our cricket we have most often been let down by our batsmen. Whenever they gave their bowlers a reasonable chance and a sizeable score to proceed they came up with success.

When batsmen and bowlers are both delivering the prospects are definitely bright. The vagaries of weather do not matter for professional cricketers.

© Dawn