Date-stamped : 23 Nov93 - 08:48
Pak v WI, Shj ODI1, 18 Oct 91
  This match featured a magnificent performance  by  the  new  WI
captain  Richie  Richardson,  who  led his team from the front to
what seemed at one point an almost improbabble victory.
  First off, some background to  all  the  matches:  the  Sharjah
pitch  is  dead  as a dodo. It's a dusty pitch (actually, two, in
use on alternate days) which is rolled to rock hardness, and com-
pletely neutralizes any pace or spin.  The average speed that the
Pakistani pacemen were able to work up was  barely  100-105  kmph
(^65  mph),  which  would  qualify as maybe a gentle medium pace.
There isn't much rise off  the  pitch,  either,  which  means  no
sixes, and relatively few boundaries.
  Plus, the outfield is filled with soggy,  coarse  grass,  which
takes the speed off the shots with remarkable efficacy.
  The Pakistan innings (they went in first after  Imran  won  the
toss)  started  off  on  a poor note, with Sajid and particularly
Salim Malik falling to irresponsible  shots.  Javed  Miandad  and
Rameez  Raja  stabilized  the  innings to a great extent, but the
scoring rate never picked up (the first 25 overs brought in  only
84 runs), and after Javed was out to a careless shot to Phil Sim-
mons in his only over, there was a steady patter of wickets while
the batsmen tried to force the pace.  Imran, Wasim Akram and Moin
Khan all just managed to reach the teens, and the innings  folded
up for 215.
  Surprisingly, this turned out to be almost enough. The West In-
dies  also  lost  a  number of quick wickets (3 before the 50 was
posted).  In the midst of the  ruins,  Richardson  (who  came  in
after  the 6th ball of the innings, and was batting with a runner
for most of the innings due to cramps)  stood  like  a  colossus,
while  the other end crumbled.  Except for Carl Hooper, no one at
that end put up any resistance, and suddenly, WI  were  on  158/8
and looking at certain defeat.
  At this stage, Ian Bishop  came  in  to  hold  the  fort  while
Richardson  steadily  pulled the team closer to the target with a
variety of pulls and flicks. When Waqar came back into the attack
with  13  runs  needed  for victory, he managed to trap Bishop in
front, but Patterson  came  in  and  Richardson  rattled  up  the
remaining  runs,  reaching  his  century (106 runs off 141 balls,
with 10 4s) in the process. The winning runs were  scored  off  a
boundary off Wasim Akram.
  Both sides fielded brilliantly, and Moin Khan was in especially
good form, snapping up four catches.

<END> Contributed by probal (probal@*rutgers.edu)