Pakistan look to pin SA back

05 March 2015 - 02:13 By Telford Vice in Auckland
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SPEED DEMON: Pakistan's Mohammad Irfan during the match against United Arab Emirates in Napier yesterday. Pakistan won by 129 runs after posting 339/6 in their 50 overs.In the other game yesterday, Australia posted the highest-ever World Cup total of 417/6 on their way to crushing Afghanistan by 275 runs
SPEED DEMON: Pakistan's Mohammad Irfan during the match against United Arab Emirates in Napier yesterday. Pakistan won by 129 runs after posting 339/6 in their 50 overs.In the other game yesterday, Australia posted the highest-ever World Cup total of 417/6 on their way to crushing Afghanistan by 275 runs

South Africa's fast bowlers are the baddest men in the whole damn World Cup town, badder than old King Kong, and meaner than junkyard dogs.

But, at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, they will come tooth to tooth with the same bristling breed when they take on Pakistan.

"There's not a lot of bowlers who consistently get it up over 140 [km/h] and to have three in your side is a great thing," Ireland captain William Porterfield said wistfully on Tuesday, describing his team's rough treatment by the Proteas' attack studded with Dale Steyn, Morné Morkel and Kyle Abbott.

But he could just as easily have been talking about Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz and Rahat Ali, who pinned Zimbabwe's batsmen to the crease like butterflies to a board at the Gabba in Brisbane.

With Abbott's 4/21 leading the charge, Ireland were reduced to 48/5 in 10.2 overs before being euthanised for 210 in reply to South Africa's 411/4.

Pakistan's pace pack allowed the Zimbabweans to get within 20 runs of victory before putting them out of their misery, but they left their mark by taking a bodyline approach and bowling a length that forced batsmen to fend the ball off their chests - tactics helped by the fact that all three are left-armers.

Asked if South Africa's batsmen could look forward to something similar, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said: "That's the only way we can survive. If your batting is not clicking, then you need to be really aggressive in your fielding and aggressive in your bowling."

Pakistan's win over Zimbabwe was their first of the tournament following defeats to India and West Indies.

To hear Misbah tell it, even in the age of the uber-batsman, a monster created of unfair playing regulations and put on steroids by the rampant attacking intent conceived in T20 cricket, bowlers win one-day internationals.

"The bowlers just kept up the pressure, just kept taking wickets [against Zimbabwe], and that's the key in this World Cup," he said.

"Even if you are defending a low total, if you have bowlers who can take wickets you can really penetrate."

But he understands that, in cricket terms, the difference between the batsmen of Zimbabwe and South Africa looms much wider than the Limpopo that separates the countries on the map.

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