Cricket: Team overview: Pakistan

Pakistan's express bowler Shoaib Akhtar said a strange thing recently. He said he was no longer interested in bowling faster.

Just imagine if James Dean had said he was giving up screen stardom for slippers, a pipe and an armchair by the fire.

Akhtar is speed. The man, with his powerful, low-centred frame, reeks of the stuff. If the fastest bowler in the world were to start trying to check his pace and concentrate on line and length instead, he would be denying his very personality.

He would no longer be Shoaib Akhtar. He would be Glenn McGrath, only with longer hair.

Fortunately for the World Cup and for world cricket, Pakistan's most exciting player will be hurtling in during the cup with the express intent of sending as many stumps and batsmen flying as possible.

The man has been in love with his own flamboyant talents since bursting on to the world scene in the late 1990s, breaking rules almost as often as wickets. That did not stop him being the biggest draw of the 1999 cup, when he took 16 wickets before disappointing in a one-sided final against the Australians.

Much of 2000 and 2001 was obliterated by injury or throwing controversies before Akhtar wrenched his career back on track last year with a string of lavish displays.

In January he took five for 24 in the first test against the West Indies and in April a career-best six for 16 in a one-dayer against New Zealand in Karachi, shortly before being timed at 161km/h against the same opponents in Lahore.

In May, the New Zealanders suffered again in the first test, when Akhtar rocketed down a spell of four wickets for four runs by clean bowling four batsmen with unplayable, in-dipping yorkers, ending with test-best figures of six for 11 from 8.2 overs.

In June, he helped Pakistan to beat Australia in a one-day series by taking five for 25 in the decider in Brisbane, something not lost on Australian captain Ricky Ponting: "We've got to find a way to combat that [Akhtar's pace and swing]."

But the Australians had not done so by October when the bowler widely known as the Rawalpindi Express took five wickets in 15 balls.

With things going so well, it was time for the rogue in Akhtar to make a reappearance, leading to a ball-tampering charge against Zimbabwe in November, followed by late-night partying in South Africa.

The question is, who will suffer most at the hands of the Pakistan paceman when the cup comes around - the bowler himself or his opponents?

With the wise old heads Wasim Akram and captain Waqar Younis providing the expeerience, he is part of a sizzling spearhead and providing the batting power of Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar clicks, Pakistan will be a formidable presence at the cup.

- REUTERS

INSIDE TRACK

Captain: Waqar Younis.

Coach: Richard Pybus.

Strengths: Batting and bowling match-winners in abundance. It is hard to find a Pakistan player who has not produced a man-of-the-match performance.

Weaknesses: Regular dissension between team-mates, suspect fielding and few disciplined players, apart from Abdul Razzaq and Yousuf Youhana, to steady the ship.

Key man: Wasim Akram - playing in his last cup, he has the stature to make sure Waqar is supported as captain. He also has the power to undermine him, which could prove disastrous.

One-day form: Coach Mudassar Nazar was sacked in September after a wretched run, the team losing six out of 10 ODIs and being knocked out of the Champions Trophy at the first hurdle. Whitewashed Zimbabwe 5-0 away, but lost their final cup warm-up with a 4-1 defeat in South Africa.

Past World Cups: Pakistan's greatest hour came when they beat England in the 1992 final, but they made a horrible mess of their second final, in 1999 against Australia. Their only real failure came in the first tournament in 1975, when they won one game out of three. Made the semifinals in 1979, 1983 and 1987, and the quarters in 1996.