If proof were needed, Inzamamul Haq and Shoaib Akhtar provided it in dramatic fashion in the first Test against New Zealand. Cricket clearly caters for all shapes, sizes and speeds.

The imperious Inzamam is a well-padded man-mountain, with a large appetite and a suspicion of too much unnecessary movement. He lives life at his own leisurely pace.

His favourite place during training sessions is a sun-shaded deckchair, preferably hidden from his coach and captain behind a sightscreen, with his bottle-green Pakistan cap tugged firmly over his eyes. He is a quiet man of few words.

Pace bowler Shoaib, in contrast, is all knotted muscle, a man delighting in his own youth, energy and larger-than-life profile.

He has tree-trunks for thighs and a bowling elbow so loose and flexible that it threatens to come out of its socket whenever he unleashes his quick ball.

His favourite party trick is to lean on to his arm and allow the elbow joint to swivel wildly in alarming directions.

Inzamam's 329 against New Zealand in the first Test, out of a total of 643 which set up a crushing innings and 324-run win, was all the

more extraordinary because of his ample physique.

The popular man from Multan -nicknamed 'aloo' (potato) and loved almost as much for his village-cricket running between the wickets as his craftsmanship at the crease -- toiled for nine hours 39 minutes in saunalike conditions.

He faced 436 deliveries -- more than double the number of balls faced by New Zealand in their entire

first innings -- and, always wary of too much unnecessary dashing around, hit 206 of his runs in boundaries.

The innings, the 10th highest individual score in Test history, was also the highest by a Pakistan player on home territory. Only Hanif Mohammad, with 337 in West Indies 44 years ago, ever made more for the

team.

Shoaib, who took six for 11 in 8.2 overs as New Zealand were routed for 73 in their first innings before following on a gargantuan 570 runs adrift, is a hurtling red Ferrari in comparison to the Inzamam delivery van. Hare to tortoise.

His rubber bowling arm means he will never fully escape controversy, despite expert analysis backing the legality of his action.

But in recent months he has decided to stop worrying about the doubters and concentrate on his bowling, with devastating effect.

In January he took a Test-best five for 24 against West Indies in Sharjah.

In April, there was a one-day best of six for 16 against the New

Zealanders. Shoaib had said then: "I'm not longer just concentrating on speed. I am also thinking about line and length..."

But he made a nonsense of that by bowling a delivery recorded unofficially at 100.04 mph (161 kph) later that month.

Neither Shoaib or Inzamam appeared for the second New Zealand innings on Friday.

Shoaib, complaining of a swollen ankle, was probably trying to keep busy by doing press-ups in the pavilion. A