Dying dream Pakistan's nerves under Zimbabwean trial Click here for more on this story Posted: Thursday June 10, 1999 01:57 PM   Zimbabwe captain Alistair Campbell: "If we play good cricket, we can be competitive. And, if we are competitive, we believe that we can win." Craig Prentis/Allsport LONDON (AP) -- Pakistan started the World Cup campaign with a bang. But it could all end with a whimper. After three losses in a row, Paksitan's skipper Wasim Akram's side has lost momentum and its nerves face a Zimbabwean trial on Friday at The Oval. Pakistan is saddled with the dilemma of entering its last Super Six match without adding any points to the maximum four it carried over from the preliminary round. The dream of winning its second World Cup title could come crashing down should Pakistan fail to defeat Zimbabwe, which is having a dream run despite losing to Australia on Wednesday. Zimbabwe, playing within its limitations, has underlined its ability to keep up the pressure on the fancied rivals and is just a step short of creating history by making the World Cup semifinal. Akram realizes the scenario has changed drastically but asserts that his men have the uncanny ability of bouncing back. "It's the crunch situations which test your resolve," Akram said. "We always come back strongly from a tight spot." The Pakistan captain said his team was going through a bad patch after a six-month winning spree and it was natural for any side to have a bad week. "It happens to the best of teams. We've had a bad week after six [good] months," he said. "But we must pull ourselves together." Pakistan's woes began with a shock, 62-run defeat at the hands of debutante Bangladesh, which made the World Cup through a qualifying competition. Then came the losses to South Africa, having appeared to be in a winning position, and arch rivals India. Wasim's immensely talented team no longer seems invincible to Zimbabwe, which won an away test series against Pakistan last year to underline its prowess. Zimbabwe takes pride in producing some of the biggest upsets of World Cup history, starting with a win in its debut match against fancied Australia 16 years ago. Pakistan and Zimbabwe both figure in the most stunning upsets of the current World Cup. To Pakistan's agony, it features as a losing side [to Bangladesh] while Zimbabwe takes a pride of place with the shock win over South Africa. Zimbabwe's skipper Alistair Campbell is hopeful of giving Pakistan a tough game and is not uncomfortable at his team being dubbed the underdogs. "It's a big game for both of us, but more so for Pakistan after they lost three matches," said Campbell. "We have not problems starting as the underdogs as long as we play good cricket." Campbell said Zimbabwe's approach was to maintain its competitive edge. "If we play good cricket, we can be competitive," the Zimbabwean captain said. "And, if we are competitive, we believe that we can win." said Campbell.   Related information Stories After slow start, Australia on track for final Australia beats Zimbabwe in Cricket World Cup India erupts in celebration after cricket victory Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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