Waqar's mercurial old swingers relish one final hurrah

Depending on which Pakistan side turn up at Newlands this afternoon, England could be heading for a stage of the World Cup beyond their wildest expectations by this evening. Only the second round, true, but what progress that would represent.

The converse to that, unfortunately, is that they could be going down the plughole quicker than it takes to ski down Table Mountain. If Pakistan get their considerable act together – a glistening all-singing, all-dancing showpiece, although you can still forget about the fielding – they will win.

One of the great mysteries of life is Pakistan's mercurial form. In the bad old days of not so long ago it is now known that some of the vagaries in the barometer could be explained by the taking of hard cash from illegal bookmakers. But even since the rogues were expelled to the fringes, Pakistan have barely changed. Or rather, they cannot stop changing.

They were the last team to beat Australia in a one-day series (2-1 last July when Shoaib Akhtar made the Aussies do an impression of dancing on a hot barbie). Although they have won half their 22 matches since then, the victories have been against Zimbabwe, Kenya, Netherlands and Namibia, the heavy losses against Australia and South Africa.

"Maybe the guys relax at certain points when we lose," said their captain, Waqar Younis yesterday, as if to demonstrate that he did not have a clue why they went off the rails either. "It's a different ball game tomorrow, an important game and there isn't going to be any of that uncertainty.

"Since the World Cup started we have been tremendous apart from a little period in the middle against Australia and if we put the same performance on tomorrow, we'll beat them."

It would be a mistake to suggest that Waqar's team could do so at a canter, since such a leisurely rate will have no bearing on the proceedings. Shoaib will be bowling at explosive pace, Wasim Akram will be employing diabolical late in-swing and Waqar himself will be attempting to revive his toe-crunching act.

It will also be either Pakistan's trump card or dummy hand that they have recalled all their old warriors for this trip. Waqar, 31 going on 40, Wasim, 36, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar, who are both 32, have all apparently seen better days. Both the latter are carrying excess baggage, Inzamam round his waist, Saeed a long beard he has grown in accordance with his religion. They are all urging their bodies on for one last hurrah.

Wasim might be the one to go beyond the first hip-hip. His bowling against Australia was briefly irresistible, against Namibia it had swing, drift and pace. It was truly like the old days for a few overs. Indeed, he has been heard around the place telling interested parties that he has never swung it as much in his life before.

Well, he would say that wouldn't he? Wasim is a wily old fox, unrecognisable from the wild kid from the outskirts of Lahore who took the game by storm. Can it really be 18 years ago tomorrow since he rolled up at Melbourne for his fourth one-day international and knocked off the top five in Australia's batting order, the first three clean bowled?

Yes, it can indeed. He has had only five more five-wicket hauls in the one-day game since but he is comfortably the leading wicket-taker in the game's short form. He needs only two against England today to become the first man to 500: Waqar is next with 411.

The betting must be that he gets them and, if his exhibition against Namibia was any guide, you could narrow it down to, say, two of the first three in the England order – of whom Marcus Trescothick might be one.

The Somerset left-hander has had a tough winter in which his primitive but formerly effective technique has been dismantled by skillful bowling. He said the other day that he has been rebuilding it. If it is still a work in progress the thought occurs that it may be knocked down again if Pakistan's tails are up.

It is difficult to see how Pakistan can win this tournament as Australia ruthlessly demonstrated in the first pool match. True, Australia do this to any opposition but the flakiness of Waqar's side was revealed. Their bowling in the middle part of an innings is not the stuff of discipline and their batting is clearly frail if it is denied its lifeblood of slowish pitches.

"The batting has struggled but it can be good at any time," said Waqar. "I want men like Inzamam and Younis Youhana who have so much experience to show what they can do."

"We've played enough cricket," he added. "There are guys who've played 150, 200 or even 300 games, so while it's important there won't be pressure. It's just another game for them." In Wasim's case it's just his 353rd, easily a record.

The side who bats first should win according to precedent but if Wasim swings it one more time all bets, so to speak, are off.