In a display of applied pressure, India and Pakistan took turns to be both predator and prey. Eventually, it was Pakistan’s constriction that proved to be tighter
Vithushan Ehantharajah19-Mar-2016For a while, there was a common misconception about the way a boa constrictor killed its prey. It was thought that, for example, an anaconda would wrap itself around its meal of choice and slowly squeeze the life out of it. With every breath, the constrictor squeezed a bit more, until there were no more breaths to be taken. The clue was in the name.But it turns out that it’s not suffocation at all. Constrictors are not going for your airwaves – they want your blood. Or rather, they want to stop you from getting it. They effectively clamp the vessels, causing your blood pressure to go through the roof. After struggling to get blood to the key parts of the body in a fight or flight scenario, the prey is powerless, at most managing a few panicked swipes that merely highlight who is in charge.During this match, India and Pakistan took turns to be the constrictor and the prey. And it was Pakistan who played the lead role first.The game was billed as India’s batters against Pakistan’s spinners. When Sana Mir won the toss and chose to use them, they dictated the match.The terrain suited them: a dry pitch and an outfield large enough to ensure boundaries had to be earned. Left-arm spinner Anam Anim started from one end, Asmavia Iqbal bowled pace from the other. Pakistan’s fielders walked in with the bowler and honed in on the batsmen. Like all good hunters, they knew where to be and, against India’s strong top order, that was the off side. Five of the seven ring-fielders set-up camp: a pair shared point, another two at cover, while mid-off was on lookout.Vellaswamy Vanitha tried to find safe passage on the on side only to be caught at midwicket. Smriti Mandana was trapped in front. At the end of the Powerplay, the score was just 7 for 2 as Pakistan churned out 30 dot balls.Mithali Raj was still there, joined by Harmanpreet Kaur. The two were capable of going big and straight down the ground. But Mir knew they would not do. So she put mid-off and mid-on back, but wide enough to provide an inviting ‘V’ down the ground. She then asked Sadia Yousuf to toss the ball above the batsman’s eyes. On another day, the pair may have taken Mir up on the offer. But still reeling from the start, they dared not to. Mir was playing with her food.The first boundary of the Indian innings came after 7.3 overs. The 10-over announcement of “27-2” was greeted like a death knell by the crowd of 6,000 at the time. Just surviving became too much for Raj and she hit a full toss straight to deep midwicket.When Veda Krishnamurthy looked like getting away, Mir took matters into her own hands. An arm ball was smashed back to her and a return catch was taken. Tame, yet almost expected.Within four balls, Pakistan had bettered India’s Powerplay effort with Nahida Khan reeling off two fours off the third and fourth ball of the chase. While she fell, Sidra Ameen started up and saw the score through to 39 for one after their first six. Even in a match with so much at stake, India just wanted to be put out of their misery. The morbid fascination of the Delhi locals was piqued, as the crowd tipped over 7000 to watch the last breaths. And then, just like that, the hunter became the hunted.The moment it happened was clear: Ameen was bowled trying to sweep Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Jhulan Goswami urged her players to huddle up. Raj brought the words of encouragement, but it was Goswami that showed her team-mates that the fight was not futile. The next over, Bismah Maroof tried to clear Goswami at mid-off. Mistake.The ball was next in Goswami’s hand when Pakistan needed 31 from 48. They tried to get her away, but she closed in. Muneeba Ali encroached, so Goswami beat her for pace. Iram Javed stayed still, so Goswami cramped her for space. One run came from the over.Soon it was 26 from 34: Javed beaten one too many times, chased Goswami. But by now, Raj had a new lease of life. After a couple of steps in, she leapt to her right to take a brilliant catch off a firm strike at cover. By now, Pakistan were gasping, paralysed by fear, and India sensed blood. Their fielders roamed: Raj put six in the ring. Panic set in to Pakistan. Not long ago, the ring had been their hunting ground. Now, everywhere they turned they saw blue. Ali tipped and ran, searching for the refuge of the non-striker’s end. But Iqbal was reluctant to leave it and Mandana ran her out.Mir then found herself back in the middle, where she had once been queen. But now, she was powerless to stop the squeeze. She too tipped and ran into the sea of blue. And from behind, wicketkeeper Sushma Verma, a near corpse for much of the chase with missed stumping after missed run-out, sprung to square leg to throw down the stumps at what Mir thought was the safer end. Now, nowhere was safe.But just when it looked like the team higher up in cricket’s food chain were about to take their spoils, Mother Nature had her say. A storm seemingly from nowhere, ripped through the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. There was panic in the stands as the watching masses looked for shelter. So did Pakistan.The panic spread to the press box as a cut-off time was needed. After much shouting around, it was found to be 6:55pm. And when that time came, even though the rains had subsided on the plains, it was Pakistan who survived, by two runs on the D/L method.A match-up in the wild, settled by a calculation. A raw exhibition of fear and fight in the exposed Delhi air, finishing with handshakes under umbrellas. In every sense, this was not how this game was supposed to finish.