Sixes shake up status quo

By Kashif Qamar

When Tendulkar started his onslaught against Shoaib, the Pakistan team came under great pressure Kamran Abbasi BMJ representative

The dominance Pakistan enjoyed over India since the mid-1980s ended with Sachin Tendulkar's blistering batting in last year's World Cup encounter between the two.

At least, that is the conclusion reached by research published in the British Medical Journal, which suggests mental strength is the difference between winning and losing.

The report points out that since their famous victory in the 1986 Australasia Cup in Sharjah, Pakistan have won twice as many head-to-head matches as India.

The victory, completed when Javed Miandad lobbed Chetan Sharma's final delivery of the match for six, was Pakistan's first triumph in any one-day tournament.

Since then Pakistan have won 44 ODIs and three Tests against their arch-rivals, who have managed a relatively poor 22 one-day wins and a single Test victory.

"Pakistan was losing but Javed Minadad kept his nerve," BMJ representative Kamran Abbasi told BBC Urdu Service.

"The research shows that his famous six gave a sort of mental and psychological edge to Pakistan over India that they enjoyed till the World Cup in South Africa.

"But this mental supremacy ended when the Indian team was chasing a sizable total in its crunch match against Pakistan."

Since 1986 the India team has been under constant psychological pressure Salim Yousuf Former Pakistan wicket-keeper

Chasing Pakistan's 273 in a heavily-hyped group match at Centurion Park, Tendulkar cut Shoaib Akhtar for six to begin an innings of 98, and set-up a six-wicket win.

"When Tendulkar started his onslaught against Shoaib, the Pakistan team came under great pressure," Abbasi explains.

"With the victory, the research has shown, Indians not only overcame Pakistan's mental supremacy but the tide turned against Pakistan.

"Perhaps this phenomenon is still going on."

Former Pakistan wicket-keeper Salim Yousuf endorses the finding of the research.

"I think it's absolutely true because we have noticed that, since 1986, the India team has been under constant psychological pressure," he says.

"And if you look at the World Cup match against India, Tendulkar's batting caused enormous pressure on Shoaib Akhter, then Pakistan's trump card.

"As a result, the entire team was under pressure."

Our domestic cricket structure is not proving very helpful in maturing players Javed Miandad (right)

But Miandad, now Pakistan's coach, disagrees, at least for present team.

"If you see the present team, it has come a long way since the World Cup. It is rebuilding itself," he said.

However, Miandad is of the view that Pakistan need mentally mature players in the team.

"Previously, we had mentally matured and very tough players.

"Most of the [current] players are not only very young but inexperienced and immature as well."

"Our domestic cricket structure is not proving very helpful in maturing players."

India's recent experiences, both against Pakistan and on tour in Australia, have served them well.

"If you look at the Indian team, not only is their batting line-up very strong, they have also performed well against very strong teams like Australia," Miandad says.

"This has made them mentally mature and tough."

There is little Pakistan's cricket authorities can do about the imbalance during the present series.

But plans are afoot to prepare talented and mentally strong players from the grass-root level.

Then who knows when the next world-changing six will come?