At sniffing distance, foes do sizing-up

BIRMINGHAM: They were in the same indoor stadium, practising in adjacent nets; but the Indian and Pakistani players pretended like they were in different worlds.
They went through their preparations, unmindful of the other team, as rain lashed outside, sending the entire city into a gloomy and dark mood.
The clouds had returned on Thursday night itself; the sheets of drizzle started early in the morning. The forecast for Sunday is for brighter weather but not many are counting on it.
If things clear up by Saturday afternoon, the Asian giants might still end up clashing in an uninterrupted game.
The two teams were scheduled to practice at 9.30 in the morning, taking turns at the outdoor facilities. But the rain changed everything, forcing them to refine their skills together, right under each other''s eye.
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer agreed that the cold and persistent rain had changed the entire equation.
"Toss becomes far too important in this situation," he said, after his team''s practice session. "Whoever gets to bowl first will hold the upper hand," he added.
He, however, conceded that the spinners'' performance in the Champions Trophy added a new dimension to the contest.
"Harbhajan and Kumble have the edge in terms of experience. But Afridi and Malik are not bad either. Our fast bowlers too can be expected to test the Indian batting line-up."
India coach John Wright too felt that Pakistan had the edge, especially after their two victories in their last two encounters.
"They definitely have the edge. We need to raise our game to beat them on Sunday," he said.
"The Pakistani team has nice balance. It can also be dangerous," he added.
"We are glad that we''ve managed a bit of momentum going. We need to come up with a good all-round performance to try and aim for something special, something like retaining the trophy."
Wright said that there were no fitness worries as of now.
"Our final composition will, however, be finalised only later in the evening. Harbhajan and Kumble had bowled well together at Lord''s. The Pakistan-Kenya match too showed that spinners can do very well here."
"But Sourav prefers to play with three seamers and one spinner, especially on tours. So we will have to wait and see how things go," he said.
Wright also expressed happiness at the return to form of at least of some of the batsmen.
"I have lot of patience for Sehwag," he said jocularly. "He is a match-winner and is usually just two or three shots away from his form. One good innings should be more than enough."