The Pakistani top order looked spineless The top six teams of the World Cup will be engaged in the Super Six stage. They all have deserved their promotion because of the talent, flair and discipline showed in the first round. One-day cricket is all about playing well on the day of the match. This was proved right by Zimbabwe which played two days of quality cricket to surprise India and South Africa and earned four valuable points to stay in line for a semi-final berth. Pakistan is the other team with four points and they look convincing with their overall cricket and may well go places in this World Cup. The defeat at the hands of Bangladesh, however, did mar their consistent run to the Super Six and pose few questions about their ability to chase. This aspect, needless to say, will be exploited by few teams in the Super Six stage. The upper order has been the worrying factor for the Pakistan team which has been spineless in its approach. Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi have been found wanting in technique to fathom the lateral movement of the new ball. Ijaz Ahmed, who has been dropped to bat at No. 4, is a nervous starter and with his poor feet movement that carries him far too across the line of the ball, is likely to be LBW early in the innings. The decision to play Abdul Razzak at the pivotal one down position has worked well so far. The youngster?s approach and technique must have put the established batsmen in the team to shame. This supposedly sacrificial lamb has turned out to be a saviour for Pakistan?s batting. Pakistan along with India will probably be the only teams which shield their top players when the going gets tough. Sachin has been asked to bat at No. 4 whereas the inexperienced Ramesh has been given the arduous task to survive and progress against top quality fast bowling. The newcomers, Wajahatullah Wasti and Abdul Razzak have been drafted up the order to be the ?punching bags? for the Pakistani batting so that Ijaz, Inzi and Salim Malik are provided with some breathing space against the movement of the white ball. These are defensive tactics that air meek signals to the opposition. It also questions the quality of the batsmen in the team who are unable to fire when it really matters and have survived and become stars may be under easier conditions. The late order batting has been put to tremendous test in all the league matches that Pakistan has played in this World Cup. It has won games for the team and its effectiveness has been established by the number of runs they have plundered in the end overs. Such high-quality improvisation has been the key factor that has helped Pakistan to decent totals and challenge the opposition. However, such acts of glory cannot be expected every time and the upper-order batsmen must start contributing now. The ploy did not click against Bangladesh when the late-order allrounders found it difficult to play out more overs than usual. Despite the lows in the batting, the team has performed creditably to come out as the bookies? favourite to win the Cup. The resourcefulness in its bowling and an improved fielding effort have made this team a force to reckon with. The bowling has penetration and thrives on taking wickets ? an element that has been phenomenal in its success in the league matches. Azhar Mehmood has, at times, struggled to control the line especially against the left-handers. He has allowed the batsmen width and has also bowled quite a few wides. It will be beneficial for the team and for himself if he bowls round the wicket to left-handers. This will not allow them to free their arms and strike the ball cleanly. It is unfortunate not to see Mushtaq Ahmed in any game so far. His role against South Africa in the Super Six stage could be crucial as the Proteas showed signs of discomfort against the Zimbabwe spinners. Pakistan can do with two spinners against New Zealand and South Africa as both these teams have historically not played the spinners, especially leg-spinners, with a great deal of command. Yousuf Youhana and Inzamam-ul-Haque will be the key batsmen in the Super Six stage. Inzi?s horrific running between the wicket has to stop if Pakistan hope to win games in this vital round. A run out causes a dent in the batting especially when it is short on runs. It also disturbs the momentum of the innings and makes run chasing difficult.