LEGSLIP

Re comment 2

Thanks but not a good link… keeps failing. Is it because it’s a busy site?

“Lala” Zindabad

khansahab

That’s quite amazing performance by the spinners especially Afridi. Wow!

Didn’t one of the expert say spinners would do well here…was it Sallahudin…can’t remember…

Shahid Khan Afridi…

Da Kho”Khan” Saray Da !!

Now fast bowlers are leaking runs and that too against the tail.

Why didn’t Malik bowl especially when spinners did well? Inexplicable!

Now this is I called stupidity. You have a regular opener in the form of Nasir Jamshed but the management stuck with ‘Khutmal’. He better not ‘Suck Up’.

Khansahab – I was here busy with work but I was reading the blog but didn’t get time to give my input. Good to see the team back in action. Hope today’s game is not a fluke and they capitalize the series with the win from today’s game.

It’s ELECTRIC here guys

The Arabs are dancing allover the ground, it’s lunch.

UAE is back.
Bukhatir is back.

PAKISTAN IS BACK !!

Afridi should have opened. They take pressure for no reason. It is only Pakistan that can make a match out of a chase of 169.

It looks like Misbah is playing a test match.

I fink Fawad Alam should have been included. Either Malik or Misbah should make way for him. They need to look for and groom a solid option.

Khansahab

Ajmal bowled well, too. This is a good strategy, incredibly slow and spinning wickets. What Pakistan really needs is Mohd Yousof and Fawad Alam. Malik could easily be replaced by Alam, whereas Mohd Yousof could come in place of Khurram Manzoor or Butt. In fact if the new generation of Aussies are so inept at spin, this is the ideal time to beat them in test matches, too.

ALTHOUGH PAKISTAN WON THE MATCH BUT……… Their batting is below par. The next match won’t be as easy as this one. I am sure some of you must be wondering where I may have disappeared? I was watching the match live on TV (CBN) and then I had something important at work and had to go when Pakistan were 87 for 3. I have recorded the match on PVR and watched the rest of it after coming home.

My observation about YK’s captaincy was similar to that of Awas. Why did he not bring Shoaib Malik straightaway instead of the fast bowlers? Australia were 122 for 9 and because of that poor decision the last pair added 46 runs. Pakistan still don’t have that killer instinct. They should have bowled out Australia under 130. I was also thinking the same thing as Awas, that Misbah was playing test? 9 runs in 33 balls? But, as the expression goes “All is well that ends well.”

And, Misbah should avoid playing premeditated shots. He was lucky not to get bowled by Nathan Bracken, he moved away on the off side to play a premeditated shot on the leg side and all his wickets were exposed, he was lucky that the cross bat shot got connected. Waqar said the same thing and Khansahab also mentioned about it. Misbah should understand that in order to be a finisher he must not play such premeditated shots.

LOL @ Afridi for saying Qadir gave him good time. These guys don’t know what they are talking. YK at the post match speech was blabbering, there was no reference to the context. Sawaal Kuch, Jawaab Kuch. And, I agree that it was Salahuddin who said that spinners will play a big role but now Intekhab Alam takes the credit for being man on the spot.

Shoaib Akhtar should be kicked off, sent back and should not play for Pakistan in any form of the game. Including Rao Ifti was also a mistake. Tanvir and Arafat should be included in the team replacing these two.

Since Nasir Jamshed has injured himself for diving and not taking the catch he should be replaced by Fawad Alam. These are the three changes that I recommend in the team for the next match.

When Shoaib Akhtar dropped the catch of Shane Watson, you should have seen Afridi’s face. He didn’t know whether to get angry or to smile. It must be very agonizing for him that they have been dropping catches of his bowling regularly. After YK took a good catch of Afridi’s bowling his luck changed and he bowled exceedingly well, he was definitely at his best. And Ajmal complimented him from the other end. They both destroyed Australia completely. BUT, watch out Pakistanis, the second match will not be a piece of cake. Symonds, MJ Clarke they will all come back strongly with the bat and the ball as well.

khansahab I agree with your team selection except that I want Akhtar to be out and Arafat to be in.

Well played Pakistan !………….

Here is the fall of wickets……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZyieObTjrc

Afridi was on fire. The flight, guile, drift and variation he bowled with was exceptional as demonstrated in those bowled dismissals. Credit to Ajmal who also bowled mysteriously and economically. After all the criticisms we raised over his selection he proved to us that he is “international cricket material” and can make an impact after all.

A victory is a victory but Pakistan should learn from that late onslaught which was conceded. On another day the margin could have been the difference between a win and defeat.

RAMIZ RAJA, before the commencement of the match, was asking Boycott to express his comments about Shoaib Akhtar, Younus Khan and Shahid Afridi which he did and later Boycott inquired Ramiz about the new comers. The way Ramiz was acting innocent was a kinda prod and poke technique and only wanted to hear some criticism from Boycott. But, Ramiz failed to trap Boycott against Afridi and YK.

Boycott did criticize Shoaib Akhtar for his “BadBoy” behaviour but he praised YK and Afridi both. Ramiz said something like this: “Don’t you think Jeff, Shahid Afridi with 272 matches – given numerous chances to play – in fact more chances than anyone else and yet his performance is a big question mark?”

Boycott replied. “That will be when he will retire, but right now he is still a very good player, he is an extraordinary player, a very gifted all-rounder, his bowling is exceptionally good and his batting is under scrutiny and that is because too much is expected from him but that is Shaheeed Afridi, when he gets going he is unstoppable. He is one of the rare players in the world and must be in all forms of the game for Pakistan and I must say that Pakistan is LOOOKY (lucky) to have him in their team.”

And then he inquired Ramiz by asking, what do you know about this new off spinner Ajmal Saeed? And, immediately Ramiz responded by saying: “He is rated very highly in the camp. He was first spotted by Misbah ul Haq and he has played too many A class matches and performed very, very well, he is an excellent bowler and he also bowls doosra.”

Ramiz Raja’s job as an expert commentator is to be fair towards all and not biased for a few. He was spilling sweet venom against Akhtar and in the same breath he talked about YK and Afridi, assuming Boycott will continue in the same fashion as he did in case of the Actor. But, he didn’t and shocked Ramiz.

Ramiz your sinister comments and your “BHOLA PUN” are very obvious, may be it is only you who think that you are as clever as a sly fox and no one would notice your biased agenda, then you are mistaken. If Afridi had not taken 6 wickets in this match, even with that 24 runs he scored in 13 balls meant nothing and Afridi haters would have pounced at him and called for axing him.

Shoaib Malik also scored 24 runs but in 53 balls but, no one will say anything. Misbah played a test match innings and added too much pressure on the team and also tried to play a suicidal premeditated shot, but was lucky this time not to get out and stayed till the end and they are calling him a hero who saved the match? BULL.

Cricket (playing) sucks now days especially when your out of form like me !

Javed

There is one good thing about Boycott, he is never biased and that’s why he is the best commentators around followed by Nasir Hossein, David Gower and Dean Jones.

Some years ago when everyone in the UK was calling two W’s cheats because of their art of reverse sing, Boycott was the lone voice in saying “they have special ability, forget about a cricket ball, even if you put an orange in their hands to bowl at you they will still take a wicket”.

Abdul

“…Pakistan should learn from that late onslaught which was conceded. On another day the margin could have been the difference between a win and defeat”.

Well said!

Now let’s be fair, Intikhab Alam indeed was the one who said that our spinners would do well. I found this out reading Osman Samiuddin’s good article today on the first ODI. See a link on his article on Cricinfo dated 10/04/09. This is what Intikhab Alam had said:

“I am pleased to see the Australians lost wickets against spinners and we too have three quality spinners. If the wickets assist slow bowlers we have a good chance,”

His quote was during Aus v SA series.
Whatever Intikhab Alam is these days but his views are not surprising coming from him as he himself was a spinner once.

It was an important win by Pakistan yesterday. Although they didn’t get any style points during their run chase, winning the game on a pitch that offered some assistance to bowlers was satisfactory. Afridi’s spell was destructive and with his bowling constantly improving, I would rank him among the best spinners around. I guess after having a good time with Qadir he was feeling relieved. His bowling had a positive effect on his batting as well and he didn’t seem bothered by the Pakistan’s tricky situation.

Chasing 168 in 44 overs seem somewhat insignificant but if I were Younis I would make Pakistan win the game in 50th over because rusty Pakistan needs match practice. The way I see it Misbah and Malik although played very slowly but will only improve in the remaining matches. The most surprising aspect of the game was Akmal’s sharp wicket keeping. Since I didn’t spare any chance to criticize his work behind the wicket I would applaud his yesterday’s performance and I hope it wasn’t a fluke but rather improvement.

I think Younis did the right thing by introducing fast bowling to take the last wicket. It didn’t work yesterday but historically fast bowlers clean the tail very quick, especially when one considers the Yorker capabilities of Gul and Akhtar. It is usually spinners who get spanked for runs by tail enders.

For the remaining games I would hope for Pakistan winning the toss and batting first. This is a nervous team and bowling second and defending a descent total is their strength especially considering the good bowling form of Afridi and Ajmal. Akhter has been in and out of the team and lacks stamina to complete his 10 overs with consistency so he is a question mark. Omer didn’t look sharp as usual but I’m sure he’ll perform much better in the remaining games. Personally, I would like to see Sohaill and Fawad as the starters for the remaining games and I really hope they get to play at least a couple of matches.

Khan : “I’m wonder if you saw his doosra which came from the back of the hand. He bowled it like how in Pakastan many bowl an off cutter, where you twist the ball with your thumb, index and middle finger and bowl from the back of the hand. Do you I am agree with me?”

Well I only saw the fall of wickets and therefore saw that Clarke doosra dismissal .Yes fascinating stuff to say the least! Before I can analyse this delivery which u wanted me to, I need to see more of the delivery rather than just that single dismissal. I’m not sure what u were exactly saying but if u were asking me if I bowl a doosra the answer is NO as it’s an off spinners invention which originated from the great Saqlain himself.

But what does this mean : Do you I am agree with me?”

It doesn’t make any sense ????????

Must watch tragedy………

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVCD5dM-xN4&feature=related

“Do you I am agree with me”. Right do u mean do u agree ? Over what ?

Just to add Ajaml’s bowling action is rather suspicious. Do u agree ?

Theossa

Wonderful fair and balanced analyses…I enjoyed reading it.

Abdul

This time I am agree with Khansahab, why could you not understand, “Do you I am agree with me?” I hope I could translate this simple and as it is sentence in other words but essentially Khansahab is asking if you am agree with him. That’s it, hope that helped you out.

Khansahab @ 62

Why it doesn’t surprise me at all. There was never a check and balance in the entire country and there will be no check and balance in PCB. Thanks to Musharaf, with media freedom, at least we can read about it and may be an embarrassed establishment can take some action since their sludge and terd have surfaced.

khansahab;

They should not give stupid reasons in dropping Shoaib Akhtar that he caught a viral infection, this is all Bull Chitt. He is a spent force and a drag and must be jettisoned. They must not hesitate in calling a spade, a spade. And yes, its sad that they keep Fawad Alam out of the team for NO reason. There is no need to replace Jamshed with Shahzad, because Butt and Akmal opened the innings and that’s fine. You need depth in batting and Fawad Alam will be more than handy with his bat and ball both, so they must bring in Fawad Alam as Jamshed’s replacement. It is really a waste of talent and a demoralizing effect on the youngster who is such a good player that he should be in the team without a second thought.

Nasir Jamshed got injured while attempting to take a catch in the third slip, gully region the ball didn’t carry and he fell on his chest, dunno where he got injured but soon after he was limping. At this age he is already chubby like Inzamam and to me he doesn’t look very athletic which is a shame. Like Saeed Ajmal is also a lousy fielder and has a short history of mis-fielding and dropping catches.

Btw, I was surprised at the reaction of Punjabi speaking people, they are not mentioning a word about Shahid Afridi’s 6 wickets and 24 runs in 16 balls, but they are talking only about Saeed Ajmal. He is now the talk of the town. Yes, his figures say that he gave 19 runs and took 2 wickets. The reason is, from the other end Afridi was taking wickets at a regular interval, sometimes two in a over. So were no set batsmen and, the new batsmen were not scoring runs against both spinners. Containing runs is fine but, it is not the only criteria, taking wickets is more important. This is the first time Saeed Ajmal has taken two wickets for 19 odd runs, it is good to encourage him but, not worship him for one solo performance.

This is exactly what they did to Asaf by calling him Sheikhupura’s McGrath and then Sohail Tanvir as new Wasim Akram and blah, blah. And, Ajmal has taken just 2 wickets and for that they say O Mayeee GAAD he is a TARRY FEEK BAALER. Emaan di Kasam Munda inna Qudarti baaler hai kay iss da jawab koi nai.

Well, Congats to all of you,

It was expected that Shoaib Akhtar would break down after three or four overs. Its good to see that they dropped him for the next game.(on whatever flimsy excuse!!)

Like Khansahab suggested, it will be a sensible decision to include Sohail Tnceer and Ahmed Shehzad. Similarly they should include Fawad Alam in place of Rao Iftikhar since the pitch is favoring spin and in any case, Rao made no impression on the Aussie batsmen.

There is the most obvious place which Fawad Alam can get– Shoaib Malik’s. Shehzad should remain in the team though, and Afridi should open. This will give depth in batting, and Afridi’s fast 25-30 up the order will be useful. I don’t see the point of not sending Afridi in powerplays (which have increased to 20 overs rather than 15). If Afridi clicks for 10-15 overs, Pakistan will most likely win the match. My team for the second match will be:
1)Afridi
2)Butt
3)Shehzad
4)Younis Khan
5)Fawad Alam
6)Misbah
7)Akmal
8)Tanvir
9)Akhter/Rao
10)Gul
11)Ajmal

The batting in this instance is much stronger. It is a good balance between attack and defense and has much more depth. The bowling has variety– letf-arm spin, legspin, and off spin. There is also a left-arm fast bowler. The current team is really weak in batting, lacks depth and quality alike. Should Australia make 250, which is a good score but by no means a matchwinning one, Pakistan will have very less chance of winning. There is barely anyone who can make a century in a one day, which is why players who can make big scores like Shehzad and Fawad Alam are needed.

I agree with Awas, Theossa’s comment no. 53 was a treat to read. Most balanced, well thought, very fair overall analysis and giving good explanations.

It’s unfortunate that in enthusiasm of criticism we are all missing to celebrate a rare and well deserved Pakistani win, no matter how it came.

Alas, I would have also loved to see some positive commentary on the new ground, Dubai facilities, well cordinated security arrangements, cricket-crazy Pakistan fans in Dubai/ UAE, state-of-the-art new stadium and pumped-up and glamorous inaugural event.

For me the most important thing was the Pakistani win !!

I, for one, will be the happiest if we win the series without Fawad Alam or any other player playing a single match, rather then loosing with their best individual performances.

absolutely spot on mate!! exactly my thoughts…brilliant blog

Does Pakistan pose a global threat? Hillary Clinton.

Here is a link read it:

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=6377&edition=2&ttl=20090424135414

The amazing thing is, ALL the Indian Bloggers on the BBC are agreeing with her and not only that, they are saying that, “what India has been saying all along, the US is saying now.” What a shame. This is just the real side of the Indians, they never miss an opportunity to nail Pakistan and damage it at any cost.

Misbah out once again trying to play a predetermined shot. When is he going to learn? Afridi is a Pathan and 27, Misbah is an MBA, a matured 34 years old and has been playing silly shots since he came to the lime light.

“I, for one, will be the happiest if we win the series without Fawad Alam or any other player playing a single match, rather then loosing with their best individual performances.”

Munir: What a farcical and Mullah type emotional statement you have made. First of all you are picking on Fawad Alam only by saying, you would be the happiest man if he doesn’t play. Secondly, if matches are won by “fishful thinking” then you don’t need good players at all. If you wish to win, then you have to choose your best team and that is not about cricket alone. It applies in every game and in every situation.

The team selection is very poor. Shoaib Akhtar’s inclusion in the team was a mistake and after seeing how he performed in the first game, including him in the second game is a blunder. Sohail Tanvir or Yasir Arafat should have been taken. But, they wanted to rely on the old and experienced horse which is nothing but a spent force. If that is what they want, then why did they choose Ahmad Shahzad over Fawad Alam today?

Ramiz is playing his sinister role in the commentary box with Boycott by saying, ” Australians should get Afridi out soon and Butt has played a magnificent innings and he should stay till the end. ” Why?? Why this Sauntela Pun? What was he trying to imply here?

Waqar’s bloopers of the day so far……….

1. Once again he said, “There was “A GRASS” on the pitch on the first day Buttta not anymore.
2. I don’t understand how Younus Khan could run when the ball was in the hands of “THE CLARKey” (MJ CLarke)
3. The Asad Rauf took his time in thinking.
4. Saeed Ajmal bowled incredibly well yesterday (day before yesterday) and took 3 wickets (actually 2)
5. Shahid Afridi scored quickfire 26 in 19 balls, he actually scored 24 in 16.

We can make silly mistakes here, but he is a commentator and before he opens his mouth he should know the facts about “the yesterday’s match.”

Salman Butt out on 57 in 112 balls. What a great TEST match innings he played. Congratulations Butt Saab you have guaranteed your spot for the next 10 matches.

Butt and Akmal played similar shots in getting out. Afridi is Afridi what a silly way to get out, Hopes frustrated him and in the end Hopes succeeded. Still not a bad score from Afridi (41 of 40 balls) especially comparing his past batting performances. He has to excel in bowling again, otherwise this total is not that big to defend. Actor on the ground and there are a few comedy of errors.

Javed

To be honest “Butt Saab” did alright this time in comparison to others. I agree with khansahab he played well. I have been watching the match for the first time and I can see as the commentators have been saying too, it’s a very different low slow pitch where normal ODI score of 250-300 is not possible. Even Afridi after getting a lucky escape realised how the pitch is behaving and played sensibly.

I can understand Munir’s point about Fawad to an extent. Agreed that selection should be made on merit but he is no Lara, Tendulkar or Miandad i.e. not of same calibre to compulsorily warrant his inclusion in the team, at least not yet. However, he may well prove to be better than Malik or Misbah.

Awas - I don’t agree with that notion of commentators or whoever, because as an opener if you play such an innings you build a lot of pressure for the middle order and the rest of the batsmen. The point is Butt took 112 balls to score 57 whereas, Afridi took only 40 balls to score 41 and now SHOIAB ACTOR who seems to have been selected in the team as a BATSMAN is proving that the pitch is not all that low and slow. All you need is to have that attitude and in case of Butt his attitude is only to play safe, thats what Butt and Malik always do. The Actor is hitting well, and just now Umar Gul departed.

khansahab

The loser played a similar innings in the WC in South Africa………. and what a catch Actor is OUT

207 ALL OUT in 46.1 overs. The batting needs to be improved and Pakistan cannot repeat their bowling performance against Australia, its not easy for them. I think Australia has better chances of winning this game.

The batting has folded, they needed at least 225 by the looks of it. Afridi played his part but unfortunately the king of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe has let the team down again. Add his 30 and the score would look much more reasonable. Fawad Alam should replace him asap.

Javed

I take your point about the effect of slow openers. However, neither can a team comprise of solely Afridi and Actor type batsmen. It would produce hit and miss results but can never guarantee success consistently. A balance is necessary in a team.

khansahab

I have always expressed the views that Fawad Alam is a deserving case to be picked (after your discovery) for the team and agreed many times that he seemed to have better credentials than some of the youngsters picked in his place. I had too hoped he would get picked early on in this series. Yes, quite inexplicable!

The point here though just was Munir’s comment about Fawad Alam…somewhat different matter. I read Munir’s comment in a different context than thinking that Munir would be the happiest man if Fawad doesn’t play. Maybe just a matter of interpretation and perception!

Javed Khan

Don’t you think Malik is a waste of player in the team? What I don’t understand is that, when he doesn’t play, nobody criticizes him or anything, as though he is above criticism.

Khansahab

I don’t think comparing Misbah and Malik is fair. Misbah at least saw the team through and Pakistan won that much. At one point a very familiar collapse was lurking, and Afridi’s and his partnership made the win possible. Yet there is one player who is a total liability, who when he doesn’t play, no one questions him, as though he is above criticism, and his spot is sealed in the team. After all why should his kingship be questioned (against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh)?

Awas: I am not saying we need “Hit & Miss” type of players. The point is when the openers score fast i.e., at a good run rate then the middle order also plays their part and the late middle order the likes of Afridi, Razzak (if he is there) and Kamran Akmal can chip in invaluable runs and to make that difference, the openers must give a good stat. OR,

Like Butt always take too many balls to score runs, he should not throw away his wicket after making 50 + he should stay there till the end and make a 100, otherwise its a waste. The irony is Butt carries the same style of batting in T20 which is criminal. IMO, he should not play T20 at all.

Omer Admani, how many times and in which language do you want me to tell you that Shoaib Malik cannot retain his place in case of a fair selection. Fawad Alam will replace him anytime but, they will not let this happen. They believe in “Na rehay baans na bajjay Bansuri.” They don’t want Alam to come in so that he becomes a threat for Malik.

I don’t think Nasir Jamshed’s utility in the team is as good as Fawad Alam and I can’t tell about Ahmad Shahzad because he hardly played a few balls today and got run out, courtesy Butt Saab.

So far, ACTOR has bowled a good first over and that was a maiden over. Lets see when this Rawalpindi Express engines goes out of steam and becomes a Maal Gaari.

Both Gul and Actor bowling too many loose balls and giving away too many runs. The spinners must come in now. 49/1 after 9 overs. They are playing much faster than the Pakistanis.

IMRAN KHAN took advantage of the little air time he got and talked about politics and his party. And this chirpy Mayanti d/o Damyanti was very proud to interview him ( and why not?)

Miandad is there, Imran is there, Waqar and Ramiz as well as Aamir Churial they are all there, so who is missing? Wasim Chakram?

This match has already slipped away from Pakistan. I don’t think there will be a repeat encore for Pakistan.

khansahab

yeah, I noticed he should have said you are welcome or thank you in return instead of a simple OK.

khansahab

players usually don’t talk about politics, but Imran is a politician now so obviously he does. Whereas Tony and Dean as ex-players talked about Imran Khan’s game by saying what a great player he used to be. Secondly, they are British and Australian and not American to take it that personally.

Waqar just said it was a GEEEN-WIN doosra from Ajmal.

Pakistan should have fielded first. Why change a winning strategy? Also after Akmral batted well in the opening slot he had to return to bat at no7.Why change ?

Anyway let’s see the spinners in operation. Khansahab can I urgently have a link please ?

Applause to Shahid Afridi on reaching that landmark. This live -match- chat is quality. Who needs a TV in this day and age ? LOL !

Pakistan are in with a chance now that 2 wickets have perished in quick succession. But can I have some visual aids please ?

I am glad to see Dean Jones back in the commentary box after that ban. He is a very positive and fair commentator and I like his commentary.

Why is Malik not bowling? He is a self proclaimed “best all-rounder” of Pakistan, so he should ask his captain to give him a chance rather than allowing Shoaib Akhtar to come in at this stage. Like Omer Admani says he is the King of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and a geeder against Australia?

Thank You Khansahab

@106 I will take your advice on board 100% !

Khansahab is king khan u on the right side forum ?

Get Tanvir in the team ASAP! The game is very much a one sided dead rubber from here. The bowling is just getting milked ever so easily.

khansahab

“I am agree” with you on team selection, Fawad Alam’s inclusion would have given another bowling option BUT why is he not using Malik? You bring Malik when the batsmen are all well settled then they would thrash him like it happened in the first match. He should have replaced Afridi with Malik instead of Rao & Akhtar at this stage.

The Abu Dhabi pitch is not the same as Dubai’s and there will be more runs. Going to Abu Dhabi with 2-0 would have been a better way than 1-1 which is very likely to happen and in that case Australia would be more confident. And, Pakistan’s batting needs a lot of improvement. Right now they are playing with a long tail and that tail is not effective in their own department i.e., bowling.

Get Fawad Alam, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat in the team.

Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Clive Loyd should be part of the “presentation party” tonight.

Khansahab

I am agree with you that Malik should be replaced with Alam, and Tanvir, as a left-arm bowler, should also play. However, Arafat is barely the solution, he is more of a Malik/Hafeez type of player who will end up being neither a batsman nor a bowler. Imo he needs time in domestic cricket (a few years at least) and either improve his bowling to the standard of a genuine bowler, or his batting to the standard of a genuine batsman, and once he is able to do that should he be considered to play in the team.

Rao, unfortunately– as I have suspected before– will struggle on pitches that don’t offer sideways movement and is not a permanent fix to Pakistan’s fast bowling quandry. Rao has invaluable experience and should go back to domestic cricket and try to learn from that experience, in that he should work on slower balls, swing, reverse swing, and the like. He will not be effective on subcontinental pitches unless he starts swinging it as there is no sideways movement from the pitch and simple line-and-length will simply not do.

Pakistan should bring back Sohail Khan, keep Akhter in the squad and work around these two as the 4th bowler. Akhter did improve today although his fitness is still a question.

Munir

So where will you be? Behind Bukhatir?

The match is almost over by now 207/4
Right after the first match I was saying that Pakistan’s batting needs improvement. They struggled to score in the first match and this time the Australian team played better than last time, MJ Clark scored the winning run (THE MATCH IS OVER) and the others chipped in very useful runs. If Pakistan does not improve their batting, they will loose the series for sure.

Khansahab

In that case someone should have a word with Arafat (someone from the management hopefully) and ask him to raise his standard in either batting or bowling. If the team wants another Mohd Hafeez/Shoaib Malik then they should go on, breed more mediocrity, and bring in Arafat. There ought to be some barometer and some standard for selection and Arafat doesn’t cut it as far as I am concerned (of course this is my opinion). I have supported Afridi with the same barometer, not because of any personal conviction or the like, I have argued that he justifies/should justify his place in the team as a bowler first. Afridi has worked on his bowling and improved tremendously, and now he is Pakistan’s main strike bowler (at least in this series).

Likewise I argue against Malik/Hafeez/Arafat because they are nothing players and will remain as such unless they go in domestic cricket and try to raise their standard in batting or bowling. If they don’t, then maybe however much experience they get and whichever county they play in, maybe international cricket is just not for them.

“Why didn’t Imran come to the Presentation Ceremony?”

khansahab why should you worry so much about Imran Arrogant Khan? I did not bother to see the Presentation Ceremony, I had to go but, it wasn’t that urgent I could have waited, but I preferred to go.

Secondly, the point that I was making 2 days ago about Ajmal i.e., when his Girayeens were worshiping him for AXEE- LENT baaling and said he is a TARRY FICK baaler, I said he bowled in tandem with Afridi. And the reason they didn’t score much against him was because Afridi was taking wickets from the other end and the new batsmen were reluctant to play shots, which is very normal. Whereas, today the batsmen were well settled and they were playing against Ajmal comfortably.

I also said that Symonds and MJ Clarke are very good players and they were out cheaply in the first match and that doesn’t happen with them everyday and it also doesn’t happen that Afridi takes 6 wickets. The Pakistani batting line up is very weak and they will not be able to win against Australia if their batsmen don’t play well. Younus Khan, Shoaib Malik and Misbah needs to score 50 plus in the same match and the openers must give them a flying start otherwise, they are going to loose the series for sure.

Fawad Alam must be included in the team his inclusion will strengthen batting, bowling and fielding.

LOL @ waqar, he is now a maaDrun Mullah with his beard and no mustache ……… he is looking fat now.

Javed Khan …

No, ‘beside’ Bukhatir

Khan Sahab …

Imran opted out at the last minute due to his political status.

Afridi has worked on his bowling and improved tremendously, and now he is Pakistan’s main strike bowler (at least in this series). Omer Admani.

Omer I know you have clarified it reluctantly within those brackets. But, the fact is Afridi is bowling well for the last 2 years BUT it was Akmal and a few others who were dropping his catches. This time Akmal is on his toes and he took some good catches. Misbah took a great catch in the first match when Akmal dived and missed and Misbah took that catch in the first slip of the bowling of Afridi. It was a very sharp catch.

Munir - When Mayanti was asking him questions he should have opted out as well, she did not ask him to comment about Pakistan Politics, but he started with the war on terror and blaming America and projecting his party and NO thank you to that girl. He should have had a duct tape on his mouth rather than blabbing all that braggadocio.

Behind every Bukhatir
There is a TAWAZOH

called……………………………? (munir)

Hahahah ……….

I wish you were here.

Try coming to Dubai for the next Pakistan/ New Zealand series, you would see new stadium at least.

I guess after Pak/ NZ series, we may also have Pakistan/ West Indies right here in UAE, you may come for that at least.

Javed Khan …

As you mentioned in the email, UAE is definitely going to go ahead as a world class venue for cricket once again.

They are already lining-up for the Pak/ NZ, then Pak/WI, and many more to come.

It’s late here 1.00 am to be exact, and I was just up so I am writing some light comments only.

But later when I have time, I will clarify my stance on Fawad Alam, and some more heavy stuff on our performance/ selection so far.

Mr. Bukhatir is so proud of his new Dubai Sports City Stadium !!

Javed Khan …

Some time back you told me that I have a knack of picking-up half sentences to support my arguments. Well, all I can say now is that you have picked-up that habit from me very well.

Out of my entire comment no. 68, you picked just one last sentence and ‘missed’ the rest of it. This, I must say, was the “enthusiasm of criticism”.

After seeing how you have purposely distorted my comments on Fawad Alam and came-up with a totally different version, I went back and ‘re-read’ my comments a few times, to double check myself. I clearly said, and I will copy here again, “I, for one, will be the happiest if we win the series without Fawad Alam or any other player playing a single match, rather then loosing with their best individual performances”.

Now this absolutely does not mean, what you have interpreted in your comment as, “First of all you are picking on Fawad Alam only by saying, you would be the happiest man if he doesn’t play”.

What I meant was that, I will be happy to win the series, even if Fawad Alam or ANY OTHER PLAYER did not play any matches. So for me, it is most important that we win the series and my comment also came in the background of all-round severe criticism of almost all players, in spite of a win in first ODI.

Although, Awas and Khansahab, clearly understood what I mean but they were somewhat mislead with your phony interpretation and putting words in my mouth.

Finally, now that we lost the second ODI convincingly, we all have a good chance to criticize as much as we want to, but at least we should not do that when we are winning !!

Khansahab …

Please do not misunderstand me for quoting these, but following are some of your pre-series comments:
“Younis and Gul are the only two consistent performers whereas Afridi will be tested as the lead spinner in the squad”.
“I didn’t say Afridi is reliable, I said Gul and Younis are”.
“The top performers for Pakistan going into this series are Younis and Umar Gul.

In background of the aforementioned comments, I think you should not be much disappointed with most of the other non-performing players, as from the very beginning you did not have much hope on any of them anyway. You pinned all your hopes on only Younis Khan and Omer Gul (more then Afridi also), so I guess, they are one who have disappointed you the most, so far.

But the most shocking point is that you have criticized most of the others, whereas you never blamed your most consistent guys

On Fawad Alam and Younis Khan …

I don’t have to justify to anyone that I admire Fawad’s cricketing skills and I also like his polite and composed nature. Fawad surely will be an asset for Pakistan and he will provide the team with much needed variety through his left hand batting and left arm spin bowling. However, if he is not included in the playing eleven, whom shall we realistically blame for this ? Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal, Nasir Jamshed, etc. ?

Well my guess is, the management and mostly the Captain are the reasons for Fawad not playing.

Why are we only arguing that weather Fawad Alam should be in the team or not, whereas we should ponder on who is keeping him out and who is the decision-maker to make Fawad part of the playing-eleven in the team ?

None of the Malik, Ajmal or others will voluntarily opt out to make way for Fawad, but Captain is the guy who should put his feet down and select his best person.

When Malik was the captain, we all use to blame him for wrong selection, including his own friends (which was a correct thing to do), but now that Younis is the Captain and if there is a fault in selections; we are all beating around the bushes and no one dare say a word against him, why?

Javed Khan wrote in one of his comments above, “The team selection is very poor. Shoaib Akhtar’s inclusion in the team was a mistake and after seeing how he performed in the first game, including him in the second game is a blunder. Sohail Tanvir or Yasir Arafat should have been taken. But, they wanted to rely on the old and experienced horse which is nothing but a spent force. If that is what they want, then why did they choose Ahmad Shahzad over Fawad Alam today?”

They, they, they. Well who are THEY? Why can’t we simply say that the Captain Younis Khan is too scared to give chance to Fawad Alam and he is depending on his ‘old and experienced horses’ ? Alternatively, we have to accept that Younis too is a weak and a dummy captain, who can not make a strong decision on his own. It is surely one of the two scenarios, either Younis does not have a say in the final playing eleven (which is hard to believe knowing Younis) or he is not confident of Fawad yet.

Younis Khan, the so called ‘best and most consistent batsman of Pakistan’, has failed in both the matches and not only with his batting but moreover he was not much impressive even with his captaining too. Plus he played a stupid shot in the first ODI, but since we won that game, no one pointed a finger at him. In the second ODI he made a mistake of continuing with Akhtar and Gul for too long which gave chance to Australian batsmen to settle down well. Seeing our previous game and from the spin-friendly wicket, he should have introduced Afridi and even Ajmal much earlier.

The Mr. Consistent, may perform in one or two matches, if lucky, out of the five ODIs and then we shall be praising him all over.

On Shahid Afridi…

Shahid is of the paramount importance in this Pakistani unit, and I am sure UAE brings out the best in him. I am not only talking about his unsurpassed performances in batting, fielding, as well as bowling departments, but since I was in the ground during both the Dubai matches, I saw him as the most agile, eager and hungry for a Pakistani win player. Yesterday, during second ODI, Shahid was running to every single bowler, after the deliveries, to encourage and buck them up. After it was obvious that Pakistan is going to loose, Younis Khan started taking it easy and he was ‘laughing’ and smiling along with Shoaib Akhtar and others, while Shahid was still giving it his 100% till the very end showing good fighting sprit. He was so committed which was also obvious from his cautious batting as he badly wanted to win it for Pakistan.

IMO, Shahid Afridi, have single handedly won the first ODI for Pakistan, without any mentionable contribution from either a bowler or a batsman.

On Salman Butt …

I agree with most of the comments above that Salman Butt played a very negative role and at the end, during the presentation ceremony, some young spectators ‘booed’ him and one of them even shouted that ‘Salman go back to Pakistan, there is no Test Cricket in Abu Dhabi’.

His slow start puts the entire team in a negative frame of mind, but the tragedy with this Pakistani team is that we do not have a dependable and better choice opener, so I guess we are left with no options.

On Rao Iftikhar, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, and Ahmed Shahzad …

They all simply need to be out of the team.

But who will bell the cat ?? Can Younis Khan take this hard decision ??

Fawad Alam, Tanveer Sohail and Yassir Arafat …
They should be part of the playing eleven, no matter what.

Munir:

1. Phony interpretation? There is no such thing is phony interpretation, it could be “wrong or incorrect interpretation” but, not phony. Besides, my interpretation is based on your words and sentences, if you express them clearly then there would be no ambiguity in understanding them. So, better choose right words and sentences next time so that a lay person like me can also understand it clearly. I am not the scholarly Awas or a genius like, khansahab.

2. On that comment, “habit of picking up half the sentence that suits your argument”, now by trying to make a point that I have picked up your habit (Allah na Karay) which is not the case but, you are now admitting that you do have that habit, which you were vehemently denying at that time. So, you have proved it that you do that.

3. Let me copy paste your comment #68 and mind you not a word or a sentence but, it was the whole last paragraph of your comment which was the punch line and you’ve emphasized it after highlighting it: “For me the most important thing was the Pakistani win !! I, for one, will be the happiest if we win the series without Fawad Alam or any other player playing a single match, rather then loosing with their best individual performances.”

The only player you’ve picked from the squad is poor Fawad Alam who is sitting on the bench and those who underperformed or, seems to have been unfairly selected have been ignored. So, obviously anybody will say, “why are you picking on him?” You could have made the point without picking on him.

4. You are hammering on the use of the word “they” which means selectors and when one refers to the selectors one doesn’t write their names in every sentence, its just they and it is understood. Besides, you’ve dumped the whole criticism on YK assuming that I am his ardent fan or the biggest supporter, aNO, I am not. And I have criticized his decisions many times, Iwould not include him in my team for the T20 format, I would include him only in the test side.

5. And, for the post of a captain I would say Shahid Afridi is the man. And, once again Imran Khan was blabbering about YK as the logical choice and blah, blah and he let us down by refusing to captain the Pakistan side when offered. There is no logical choice or automatic choice its all BULL and Imran’s own imagination. Like he imagines ‘one day’ his party will come to power!

6. When Mayanti asked Imran about Afridi, he did Ayeen, Bayeen, Shayeen as usual. Most people know that Imran doesn’t like Afridi that much because Afridi is not the buttering type to please Imran, whereas YK is. And you, by saying: “Shahid Afridi, have single handedly won the first ODI for Pakistan.” You have discovered something which none of us knew it before, hence you have just become Munirstein.

And, I don’t agree with your point that when a team wins they should not be criticized, we can only criticize them when they loose! And, you called it “a rare win” which is also wrong. Because, Pakistan has won against Australia many times before this not as many as they have won against Pakistan, but it is not a rare win. Secondly, if you don’t criticize the weakness in the team, then it breeds complacency and that’s a disease.

A win based on one player’s solo performance can be celebrated as an achievement for that person, but for the team its a shame if it happens again and again and others don’t perform. Because, an individual cannot excel in every single game. A team is not an individual, a team is comprised of individuals and each one of them is as important as the other. Sometimes one performs better than others and that is why there is a MOM award. But, for the lack of performance from the others, pointing out the mistakes is important whether it is a win or a defeat.

Khansahab

You are correct in that many Pakistanis fail to improve and there is a lack of effort to ‘learn’. Part of the reason is that to learn you need to reflect, understand your weaknesses, and then consciously conquer them. Unfortunately, rarely does a Pakistani player improve (This is not to include Waqar, who as a pace bowler would naturally peak at a younger age).

However, what I implied was that if Arafat can justify his place in the team as a batsman or a bowler alone, only then should he be selected. In my mind he doesn’t. He needs to improve a lot more in bowling or batting. Afridi is a prime example. The way I see it, Afridi is in the team primarily as a bowler. The fact that he can bat is a bonus, but that is not/should not be the reason for his selection/ouster. If we select players like Arafat who don’t deserve a place in the team either on batting or bowling alone, we will have players who will average 40 in bowling 25-odd in batting, while making a bare minimum impact on a match (and very rarely winning a match).

Now you might think he is adding something to the team, but the way I see it is that there could be a bowler in his place who will average 25-30 and actually win a few matches (such as lately Afridi and Gul have been doing). For me, Arafat needs to play a lot more in domestic cricket and make a conscious effort to either improve his batting to the standard of a batsman or his bowling to the standard of a bowler. The examples that you gave above are people who were initially selected on the basis of batting or bowling alone. Likewise Razzaq was a genuine bowler when he came to the team initially who could also bat. Once his bowling faded, according to you, he wasn’t worthy of selection (imo he would justify his place in the team as a batsman who could bowl though). Same is the case with Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Duminy, and the like. They are batsmen who can bowl. The same would be the case with Fawad Alam. Only the likes of Malik are exceptions and we can trace the coming of Hafeez’s and Malik’s to the average form of Pakistan since 2002/2003. It is hard to win a match by actually playing 7,8 players rather than 11.

The whole barrage of nothing players like Shoaib Malik, Mohd Hafeez, and the like got to stop or the team will not recover. The team needs matchwinners, be they genuine bowler or batsmen.

khansahab

“I will disagree that fast bowlers peak at an early age. Well, it depends on what kind of fast bowler we are talking about”. And you gave a good example of Glen McGrath. Another good one is Courtney Walsh…he went on and on till quite late like an old war horse.

Khansahab

I have seen Arafat bowl in that test match, and to be honest I’d much rather that Sohail Khan or Akhter bowl for 5 matches than Arafat. We made judgment on Sohail Khan based on one match in which Younis Khan made a tripple-century, there were 2 other double centuries, Murali and Mendis failed to make any impact, and so on. So, I think there is a better bowler to be given a more consistent run than Arafat.

Unfortunately, Arafat simply doesn’t have the standard of bowling required at the international level, and if played he might get lucky here or there, but in the long-term he will not be a matchwinning bowler. Mohd Yousof and Fawad Alam alike are genuine matchwinners. I fully support your first team, the key thing is to realize the difference between a finisher and a consolidator. Both win matches in their own right.
This will be better for Arafat. Look at Malik, he never knew how to really bat and he was selected. If they had axed him earlier in his career, he would have gone back to domestic cricket and made an effort to improve and learn how to play the moving ball or the bouncer. It would also have allowed him to change his attitude, to make his determination stronger, and the like. Overall he would have emerged a much stronger and better player. Even if he weren’t selected for the national side again, it would have been good for him in that he would have emerged a better batsman and a person with a more positive attitude, with a bit more character. He would have made a bigger difference in domestic cricket or country cricket than he ever would at the international level.

Likewise Arafat needs to raise his bowling standard to international level and if he comes back in the team, he might well be the next Ntini, Gellispie, or the like. But at this point that will not suffice, he will never be considered a really good bowler, and after 3-4 years of lingering around he will be axed. There’s got to be a bit more value and worth to the green cap that the players wear.

Khansahab …

I can wait dear, take your own time

We are all busy at times and I understand that.

Javed Khan …

It’s start of a new week for us, so I will make it crisp, short and sweet

1- No matter how better I choose the right words and sentences, a “lay person” will understand only what he wants to.

2- Some where in between the lines, I may have proved to you that I have a habit of picking up partial comments, but you have openly and honestly confessed that you are a “Lay Person”

3- Out of a squad of 15 players, 4 are always bounded to sit on the bench in every game, so what if Fawad is among them? Secondly, I said, “Fawad Alam or any other player”, which you did not pick. Further, although now you seem to be so concerned about “poor Fawad who is sitting on the bench”, but I do not remember you speaking much about Fawad Alam prior to this. It was always only Khansahab, who is more in favour of Fawad. Why all this sudden change of heart for “poor Fawad”, if I may ask?

Actually, deep down, even you know it well that if Fawad Alam started playing permanently in the team and since Malik have ‘pukki-parchi’, there may be a situation that Afridi’s position is being sacrificed for Fawad Alam. (I know it will be so wrong if this happened, but it is an eventuality, and you know it).

4- I think we both know well enough that ‘Selectors’ pick-up a squad of 15 players for the entire tour only, whereas picking-up the playing-eleven is mainly the duty of Captain. At most, Captain can consult Manager and Coach prior to start of the game. But Selectors are never finalizing the playing-eleven in each and every game. I can’t believe you don’t know that?

5- I agree with you on Shahid Afridi being a better choice for the Captain.

6- I am not sure if Imran really doesn’t like Afridi, as you have pointed. While even if he does, I guess like all of us, Imran is also entitled to his own free opinion. We can not force all Pathans to like Afridi, can we?

That Pakistani win was special and rare too, because it was after a very long time, first-ever-game-in-Dubai, first match of series, new Stadium, etc.

You said, “Secondly, if you don’t criticize the weakness in the team, then it breeds complacency and that’s a disease”, if it is so, then you should openly criticize Younis Khan lest he also does not become complacent

I am still waiting for your answers on the followings:

– If Fawad Alam is not picked in the playing-eleven, whose fault is it ?
– If Shoaib Malik, Rao Iftikhar, and Shoaib Akhtar are playing in spite of poor performances, whom should we blame for their inclusion ?
– Who is responsible for not playing Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat ?

Your answers ‘may’ be ‘Selectors’, but I will say ‘Captain’ !!

Khansahab …

Very good explanations, a well thought and fully informative reply. I must say, I agree with almost all your points and I absolutely liked your mature assessment of the situation by and large.

Having said that, there is only one point which I would like to make is that, knowing Younis Khan, being the man who has twice thrown back the Captainship in the face of PCB, I am not ready to believe that he is intimidated in any possible way by the Manager and Coach.

Although, it is not easy for me to agree on this, but I still accept that I “may” be wrong.

Interesting debate here and some admirable thoughts both from Munir and khansahab. One question. I know what Qadir is but amongst the selectors how many are Punjabis? I honestly don’t know, hence the question.

Amongst the newcomers, I agree with khansahab’s assessment of who seems more deserving but the fact of the matter is that amongst the tried and tested players, the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Malik, Misbah etc, we are not likely to see the back of them pretty much soon. The reason being, whatever our preferences, the people that matter in selecting the final eleven such as captain prefer to stick with tried and tested players with international experience. Younis Khan made the same noises about them before the series started and so did his predecessors such as Inzi etc before him and there is no doubt there is some justifiable thinking in selecting tried and tested players despite our different preferences. Inzi would hardly ever tinker with established players. Abdul Razzaq for example had become a liability towards his late career with his mediocre bowling, batting and fielding but he was still persisted. That trend seems to be ingrained in every captain’s mindset. That may be one reason Fawad Alam is not being replaced with Malik or Misbah.

Munir: I ‘ve never considered myself as an intellectual or proclaimed to be a scholarly person and I am happy to be in the category of a lay person, which in my opinion is better than being a pseudo intellectual. Most people don’t recognize their own level of intelligence and they don’t know on which platform they are, even when they are on stilts they think they are on top of the world. If I admit that I am a lay person and if that makes you feel happy, then “don’t worry – be happy.”

Change of hearts about Fawad Alam? I think you just woke up from your hibernation and, you don’t read or you don’t remember well, because its not just khansahab but, mois aussi i.e., me too, I have said this on numerous occasions on this blog that Fawad Alam is being treated like a step son because of his ethnic background. In fact they treat him worst than that.

I have criticized Younus Khan as well not just for dissing Shahriyar Khan by saying: “I don’t want to be a dummy captain” and, rejecting the captaincy offer twice. But, I have said that as a player for T20 game he is a misfit, imo he is not an automatic choice, whereas the selectors and MY BAAP thinks otherwise.

May be khansahab remembers what I wrote, before the T20 WC in SA, when MoYo was dropped and Misbah was selected, I wrote that both MoYo and YK don’t deserve a place in the squad for T20, because they play slow and MoYo’s fielding is pathetic.

During Bob Wooler days and prior to the Indian tour by the Pakistan team in 2005, on Wooler’s Blog I had criticized YK for sitting next to Woolmer all the time and it was so obvious that he was buttering Bob’s Butt. And, I wrote to BOB that you like him because he wears velvet gloves to pick your balls. A lot of his supporters got mad at me at that time. I ridiculed him for his silly comment when he said, “I am going to win because winning is my habit” this he said when he was captaining in one ODI because Inzi was sick. That was the only ODI Pakistan lost against England. I have criticized Imran Khan’s stupid speech at the 1992 WC, he appeared like a self-centered arrogant individual and not a team captain. So, Pathan or no Pathan when someone creates a hole they are vulnerable.

In that famous 2005 Mohali Test Match, which Abdul Razzaq and Kamram Akmal saved it for Pakistan, YK not only played very badly by scoring single digits in both innings but, he also dropped a simple catch of Tendulkar when he was on 9 and on top of that he was laughing while everyone else got pissed off. He was lucky after that and, in Kolkata and Bangalore tests he scored centuries and double centuries and since then he became a permanent fixture in the team. Apart from Razzaq and Akmal, the player who actually saved Pakistan from total disaster was ASIM KAMAL, he top scored 91 in the first innings and 48 in the second innings @ Mohali.

The Selectors killed Asim Kamal’s passion and are doing the same thing with FAWAD ALAM now. And, mind you these days the selectors are more powerful than the captain. Now, the team selection is not done purely on the whims and wishes of the captain he is one important cog in the wheel, but not th most dominant person. That is why Afridi survived under Salahuddin’s tenure otherwise, Shoaib Malik and Talat Ali Malik did their best to get rid of Afridi.

I always criticize poor decisions, poor performances and I have not spared anyone. Even when Afridi plays poor shots and get out, I have called him hothead, pothead, Akhroat and what not. I made fun of him on saying “Qadir gave me a good time” after the first match presentation ceremony.

It is your own weird imagination about my thinking because, you have no clue what I feel or think deep down, in fact no one knows kay kis kay dil may kya hai? Otherwise they wouldn’t have written this song:

Mayray Dil may aaj kyaa hai
Tu kahay tou mai bataa doon

You may read what I have written on this blog a few months ago when Fawad Alam won the match for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Toronto last October. In fact it was a lost match and Malik was batting to survive and his captaincy then, Fawad Alam came and smashed 3 huge sixes, 23 in 8 balls and single handedly won the match, Umar Gul got 4 wickets for 13 runs and he was ignored too whereas Shoaib Malik scored 42 in 37 balls and got the man of the match award, please go and check the archives of LS and read what I have written. Probably you were hibernating then or is it “Old-Timerz” ?

“That may be one reason Fawad Alam is not being replaced with Malik or Misbah.” Awas

it is not a matter of replacing Alam by dropping Malik or Misbah, I think in this current situation they should replace Alam with Rao Iftikhar, because the wicket suits spinners so drop a fast bowler. You can’t drop Akhtar for his reputation, then drop Rao. And Alam is not a bad spinner, in fact he is better than Malik in that department. But, neither Malik nor Misbah can be dropped because of their reputation. Actually it would be unfair to drop either one of them for Alam. So, replace Alam with Ahmad Shahzad or Rao Iftikhar.

Also, the main point that is being talked about is the batting side which is very weak, by adding Alam in the team you are strengthening the batting line up. I was suggesting that instead of Ahmad Shahzad, who is a rookie bring in Alam he has a proven record (if that is the criteria) and replace Rao with Arafat or Tanvir because they are both better in batting and fielding than Rao.

Javed

I think it would be better to replace Rao Ifti with Tanvir than Fawad Alam as otherwise it would leave the team with two quickies only - Gul and Shoaib Akhtar. That could be dangerous as there is a good chance of unpredictable Shoaib breaking down after a couple of overs. So, for Fawad Alam there has to be another replacement.

Hi guys.

khansahab

Except for Saqlain Mushtaq, every single bowler be it Murali, Harbhajan, Ajmal or whoever, their DOOSRA is a suspect action. In fact Murali and Harbhajan’s action is very obvious to the naked eye. Shoaib Akhtar’s faster deliveries are like that, so that is nothing new.

khansahab on that Jang news:

When Malik was captain he did the same, Afridi was playing well and he dropped him against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi a couple of years ago by saying we are giving him rest to give a chance to other younger players. Afridi lost his momentum and never recovered. It is very normal for any player if you play YO YO with him.

If Younus Khan is going to do the same then, he is a bloody Ch2yum Sulfate.

That time I wrote, Malik should have dropped himself to give the other younger players a chance because as a captain his place was guaranteed. Likewise, YK despite two failure performances, his place is guaranteed because he is the captain therefore, he should drop himself to give others a chance. And Shoaib Akhtar definitely does not deserve a place in the team. Tanvir or Arafat should come in.

Quote of the day …

They Just Have The Best Understanding Of Their Differences”

PS: Suits us all

Iftikhar and Akhtar are out and replaced by Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat

This shall help strengthen our batting line, but why is Malik still included ?

Most ideal situation would have been to also replace Malik with Fawad Alam.

hello guyz since u r all watching cricket in the uae, here is a tape of how the Dubai ruler’s brother tortured his worker it is a must see video and to know how brutal they are

http://abcnews.go.com/blotter/story?id=7402099&page=1

They dropped Akhtar because of the hot weather, it is 41C and he wouldn’t have lasted for more than 4 overs. Rao needed a break too because he was pretty ordinary. Unfortunately neither Tanvir nor Arafat proved their selection by bowling loose deliveries. Once again it was the spin department that overwhelmed the fast bowling department (except for Gul who took 3 wickets). Therefore, under these conditions it would be worth having another extra spinner in Fawad Alam.

Today, when YK introduced Malik ahead of Ajmal, Waqar Younus was saying: ” I don’t understand this decision because Ajmal is a better bowler than Malik and he should have been brought in.” Waqar can never understand because he doesn’t like to think outside the box.

This is exactly what I was saying a few days ago that Malik should be introduced when a wicket has fallen or the batsmen are not settled or finding difficult to score runs. Then, Malik can contain them or take a wicket or two. And, thats what happened. He clean bowled Hadding from behind his legs and then he contained the batsmen from scoring, that is how Malik should be used.

Ajmal if he is a good bowler should be able to contain them or take wickets whenever he is introduced. Although he bowled well under the circumstances i.e., according to the match situation and his mental. He is under scrutiny because of the umpires reporting a suspect action so at the back of his mind he is cautious in bowling his doosra and that is there at the back of his mind therefore he was not delivering 100% yet he bowled well except that he was thrashed towards the end of the innings, which in any case happens to most bowlers.

The target is achievable and Pakistan should win this match without much difficulty, they need to play sensibly rather than emotionally. And, that is a big ask from them.

Munir

Dropping Malik may not have been the “ideal situation,” Fawad Alam should have been replaced by Ahmad Shahzad. Malik is a better and known product than Shahzad. May be Shahzad may score today but, that is a 50-50 chance. Whereas, Malik’s utility as a bowler, batsman and a fielder is far better and known. From whatever little I have seen of Shahzad he is not a good fielder and he doesn’t bowl. So, you cannot compare the two. In the shorter version games you have to select a player on his overall utility. Also, the way he is used by his captain at the right time. Today, Malik was used by YK at the right time and got better results.

Bassam - what the hell is that man? Geez that poor guy is beaten and tortured not only by the Shaikh but by the police as well and the irony is the Shaikh wanted the video to be made. I have also read the news on abc in which its written that the government made an official inquiry and cleared the Shaikh and closed the case! Wow, what kinda justice is this? Munir must also see this and comment.

They seem to be batting sensibly whilst chasing, albeit at a slow pace. As they don’t have a target to set this is the right approach…to keep the scorecard ticking whilst keeping wickets in hand.

Awas …

Lagta Hai Aap Ki Nazar Lag Gai Hai Team Ko

Younis Khan on a first ball duck, and he said he wants to score a century in this series

Wow, there you go again… they are 107 for 3 now.

Misbah out on 9, and he wanted to be Afridi today

What the F …

There goes wicket no. 4.

They are falling like dominos.

I am outta here :shocked:

A good steady partnership should see this match home. Fundamentally nothing bazaar or pathetic is required and then I’m sure we’ll have this game in the bag.

Yours Truly
Abdul

Pakistan team is so capable of turning a winning situation into a losing one and they have done this so many times and they are doing it today as well. I have been saying that spin bowling is very effective on these grounds and MJ Clarke should be bowling (he didn’t bowl in the first two) I have also been raving and ranting that Pakistan should include Fawad Alam to have four spinners and only two seamers in the team. They really don’t need their fast bowlers other than Gul and they can have just one more either Tanvir or Arafat, but both are out of form.

Butt ko Shahzad nay ghaiyrat dilayee only then he started scoring at a faster pace earlier he made 9 in 29 balls. But, his departure triggered the collapse with Younus Khan playing once again a stupid shot, Misbah too – he either blocks or tries to hit big over the bowler’s head, he succeeded once but, failed once again.

Afridi, is Afridi he was telling Malik ” Ek run ko zahen may rekho” and then sudden rush of blood as usual jumped out of the crease, the bowler saw it earlier, pulled the ball to deny him getting under it and he had no choice but to cut it. It was a suicide when you have a slip and playing a spinner either you are stumped out or you nick it and you are trapped in the slips.

Kamran played a silly scoop shot like Younus Khan and now as Haddin called, “Boyz the crusty tail has just begun.” If Pakistan wins it would only be Malik’s heroics if he stays there till the end and guides the tail-enders. Its not impossible 55 runs in 57 balls. Like I said, earlier batting sensibly is a big ask.

What a stupid shot by Arafat…just like the others. They deserve to loose.

They seem to be loosing. So, Misbah should be rested for the next match and replaced by Fawad. There is no question of Younus getting a rest whether it’s fair or not.

What a pathetic performance. The ultimate problem is too much mediocrity .

Younus Khan should play Malik at number 4 and not after Misbah, because Malik plays well when the going is good and same is the case with his bowling. He cannot perform well when the chips are down, he has a chicken heart and that’s his weakness. He was there till the end but, he wasn’t looking confident, he always get cold feet if he has to play till the end.

Against Sri Lanka he was there and the target was looking big for him and Fawad Alam came and hit three sixes and then Malik hit the winning four. In Karachi, in 2004 against India when India scored 349 and Pakistan lost by 5 runs, Malik gave a dolly catch to Mohammad Kaif and Moin Khan couldn’t hit a six on the last ball. I can’t remember the exact number of times but, Malik gets cold feet in tense situations.

Therefore, a good captain must be able to see and recognize the strengths and weaknesses of his players and use their strengths to get the maximum out of what is available to him. This is a message for Younus Khan.

Misbah, if he plays the next game must re-think his strategy, he either blocks or hit big OR, he plays premeditated shots like reverse sweep, paddle shot etc., and gets out.

Waqar’s blooper of the day:

“He is one of the Best Batsmens I know.”

khansahab

Misbah has only one test century against India, c’est ca. Besides, Misbah’s international career shot to stardom during the SA T20 WC. On both occasions he failed to finish the match in Pakistan’s favour.

From the most “deniable” resources I have come to know that Saeed Ajmal will be rested in favour of Fawad Alam. Let us see if this is true.

Its so typical that Pakistan collapsed. Malik was very sly, he never took a chance, and let the run-rate creep up. Then he had a word with Tanvir and asked him to hit, and Tanvir got out the very next ball. It was typically Malik, too, that he played for himself and not the team. Now for the next four years every Malik-fan will point to this performance and say, he was there and no-one was there to accompany him (as has happened in SA).

Meanwhile Younis seems to find it difficult to play well in ODI’s. The reason may be that he finds it tough to pace his innings, and suddenly tries to break the shackles by playing an ordinary shot. Maybe he needs to take more singles and work around rotating the strike a bit more.

Batting without Mohd Yousof is looking thin, and when Mohd Yousof left, I said that the team will find it difficult to make 200 without him. He was the backbone around which the whole batting revolved and Pakistan is utterly misshing him. Malik should immediately be replaced with Fawad Alam, as he might provide the middle-order impetus that Pakistan needs.

Omer Admani

This is what I have pointed out that Malik is a chicken he plays well when the going is good and not when the chips are down. Even Waqar said that Malik asked Tanvir to hit and the next ball he got out.

This is the second time in the recent few matches that Pakistanis have forgotten to take the batting power play. What is that DUMMY COACH INTEKHAB ALAM DOING THERE? He was sitting there like an idiot, he should have thought about taking the batting power play when Afridi was there.

Afridi was out in the 30th over (29.1) if they had taken the power play things would have been different then. Because After Afridi it was Akmal, Arafat and Tanvir they all could have played with ease and not to mention about Malik who was playing for himself. He knew that he bowled well and got a wicket at a good rate. So, he wanted to play safe and let the run rate creep up.

Younus Khan is being too complacent, defensive and laid back in his approach. Besides, his own batting form along with Misbah is questionable. If your middle order or the backbone is so weak then what do you expect from the long crusty tail?

ULLU KAY PUTTHO, the pitch is favouring the spinners, Australia used 3 spinners, Hauritz, Clarke and Symonds and you guys have 4, including Fawad Alam, play all of them to your advantage. As regards fast bowling, Australian fast bowlers are anytime better than Pakistan’s fast bowlers and even they are using spinners why don’t you? And, their batsmen are used to play fast bowling better than ours so you are using your third rate pace battery.

LOL @ ULLU KAY PUTHHO

They are sure are

In the three games, the batting has let Pakistan DOWN.

Even the game we won, they were six out while chasing only 168.

Mr. Consistent and Pakistan’s, supposedly, number one batsman, Younis Khan, is himself a major disappointment, so far. (What’s more painful is that he is “COOL” about it)

In spite of totally spinner-friendly pitches, Pakistan is continuously playing with three fast-bowlers, none of whom has made any decent contribution.

Javed Khan, very good observation, yes I agree with you, Shoaib Malik seems more like a spineless, gutless, chickenhearted, ‘Meesna’, who can be used earlier in batting line.

Solutions …..

I think Fawad Alam MUST come in for the 4th ODI, in place of Yassir Arafat.

Although, Fawad can also replace Malik, however, since fast-bowling is failing, there is no need to play three fast-bowler, plus Malik’s spin bowling can be more useful then Yassir Arafat’s fast bowling. Secondly, since batting is the main worry, keeping Malik and replacing Fawad with Yassir will be helpful for batting department as Malik is considered a better batsman then Yassir.

Whereas on a long term basis, PCB should find a way to bring Mohammed Yousif back in the team, as we are not going anywhere with such hopeless batting performances.

Khanshab …

Misbah is VC, so he is not going to go.

I guess, Yassir Arafat should make way for Fawad Alam in fourth ODI.

Oops … “Khansahab”

Khansahab please quickly check your inbox regarding my word press account.

Ramiz Raja is like an over protective mother of Shoaib Malik. He finds ways to dis Afridi and praise Malik. When Afridi was interviewed by Mayanti, he confessed that he is struggling with his batting and somewhere in the middle he even mentioned the word ‘surviving‘ and as soon as the interview was over …. over to Ramiz, he picked up the two words. Poor Afridi is struggling and surviving….. and he said that with a smirk.

Also, before the match when he was commenting on the crowd, he said, Abu Dhabi is full of Pathans and they come here to support him. He was trying to create a jingoistic touch that only Pathans support him. Even in Lahore when he enters the ground there is a big roar from the crowd. And, everywhere else, even in India when he goes out to play the crowd gets frenzy. Boycott admitted that Afridi is one of his favourite players. And, Ramiz cannot digest that.

Whats wrong with abdul? Why this transformation from abdul to aamir iqbal?

Khansahab

Musharraf led Pakistan to near-collapse and it seems now there is no way out. Taliban’s rule of Pakistan is inevitable. The army has messed the country up right thru its inception. But now even the army will not be able to recalim the country. Because the tribal Pashtuns haven’t been conquered by any country or force historically, and it isn’t likely that Pakistan army will be able to defende what is left of the country. Pakistan is heading onto become a quasi-Taliban state, where Taliban will wule with their stringent interpretation of Islam along with the ISI generals who are supporting them right now. I can’t help but think that the whole Taliban rule is orchestrated by some Mullah-elements of ISI who will come in power once Taliban establishes its control over Lahore and Karachi.

Imran Khan is a dreamer and not a visionary. He can dream about anything and wake up like everyone else empty handed. He was a good cricket captain more like a dictator than a leader who uses diplomacy as his tools to succeed, Imran used danda in getting things done. Dropped and selected players he liked or, those who buttered him.

His blue eyed boy was Mansoor Akhtar, he made him play umpteenth number of times and that idiot never took off, because he was a mediocre. Imran and Majid, before they turned up against each other, protected Wasim Bari and ruined the career of Taslim Arif who was a better wicketkeeper and a better batsman than Bari (Taslim Arif had a double century against Australia and his average is in 60′s, his only drawback was he was not so appealing to Imran Khan)

He predicted about Sami to be the greatest bowler and after that Sami couldn’t perform whether it was the praise from Imran that got into Sami’s head or, whether it is an orchestrated scheme to gang up against Sami by those who don’t like him. In any case that was the end of Sami.

He predicted about Younus Khan to be the best future captain for Pakistan and that went into his head he rejected the captaincy offer twice – without using his akhroat brain – and now we all are seeing the goody, goody smiley faces and the laid back attitude of YK which is not working in his favour. He wants to please the officials, selectors, manager, players and even the media. That is impossible. He should put his foot down in selecting the best team and prove that he is NOT A DUMMY CAPTAIN. I have my serious doubts that YK can stand on his own.

That Imran’s snobbishness and arrogance can be seen in Afridi and he can lead the team better. I am not saying it is a very good quality, but that is the only way you need to deal with Pakistani players because, that is the only language they understand. On the ground Afridi doesn’t tolerate any nonsense whereas, YK keeps laughing and trying to be nice and that is not enough.

Now, Indians should take this from me, ISHANT SHARMA kay DIN POORAY ho gaye! Already, that Lamboo got sudden and a lot of attention and praise in a very short period of time and he shot to stardom plus, he has got a lot of money from the IPL and since then his bowling is not that good. In fact recently in NZ he was smacked a lot by the NZ players – more sixes on his bowling than anyone else got – and now Imran is hitting a nail in Lamboo’s back by praising him.

Javed Khan …

Great post and very nice comments.

I almost fully am agreed with you all the way.

I always liked Taslim Arif (ask Dennis Lilly) , but I did not know what were the reasons behind his exclusion.

BCCI offers amnesty for ICL players.

http://content.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/402028.html

PCB to consider amnesty on case-wise basis.

http://content.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/402156.html

I read this following comment from an Indian, and he is so right about BCCI. He is talking about the news, “BCCI offers amnesty for ICL players”.

Enjoy ….

“This I guess is the last nail in the ICL’s coffin. BCCI has been bullish in denying ICL a fair run. The name itself suggests that BCCI wants to CONTROL the cricket in India as if it were an Epidemic. To make the matter worse ICC is coming with new laws to handle “unauthorized cricket” post May. Who these bunch of jokers are to suggest which form of cricket is allowed and which is not. Dictators like Pawar and Modi want to just make BCCI a profit making organization. BCCI is bringing shame to our country & the sport”.

Posted by Shakti_Chittara on April 29 2009, 11:53 AM GMT (from Cricinfo)

So, basically it goes without saying what I had mentioned earlier in comment 151 “…the people that matter in selecting the final eleven such as captain prefer to stick with tried and tested players with international experience” and that even Inzamam didn’t want to drop Razzaq despite his failures.

I don’t necessarily agree with above logic but it says something about the mindset of captains.

I have a slightly different take on Taslim Arif.

Between Bari and Taslim Arif, it was not like the competition that we had between Rashid Latif and Moin Khan. Rashid Latif was definitely a better keeper between the two but it would be debatable to say who was better between Rashid Latif and Wasim Bari, except that its pertinent to mention that Allan Knott, perhaps the best wicket keeper of his era, when asked who he considers a better keeper, he mentioned Bari was better than him. So, that says something. Whereas, Taslim Arif may have been a better batsman but he only played 6 tests with 9 dismissals for anyone to make a reasonable comparison with Bari. Besides, wicket keepers are primarily picked on their keeping not batting. The fact of the matter is that Bari was a pretty good keeper of his time even though he was a mediocre selector and PCB official thereafter. Likewise, one could say about Wasim Akram as one of the best bowler Pakistan ever had despite the way he is – two different things.

On Taslim Arif’s profile, Cricinfo mentions this: “But with Wasim Bari a vastly superior gloveman, Taslim only played six Tests”.

Khansahab

I don’t defend America. American foreign policy is generally a disaster, when they go to wars with other countries they fail to respect their values; in fact when they invaded Iraq, they barely had an intellectual or someone who understood the country, its people, and its values. Likewise is the case with Iran, and Americans have generally no idea about the history of that place and how to go about diplomacy and negotiate with Iran. Stereotype and propaganda reigns supreme against here, the media feeds the dogma against countries such as Iran, and rational debate is usually sidelined.

Yet I realize that America is by far the strongest country in the world. They have power and they act to preserve that power or enhance it. There is no moral rationale behind America’s foreign policy, it is plain self-interest. Also, such is the case with many countries, such as Canada supporting America with troops and the like. Likewise, the British and the French empires at their zenith had no moral rationales: They acted to expand their global hegemony, used systematic racism to invade and colonize, and the like. So, basically, I never justify American foreign policy, but I can understand why it is so. Now you and I can say on our whims that America is about to collapse, this, or that, but that wouldn’t make it happen. Only the economy of California is more than twice that of India. A few years ago the economy of Russia was smaller than the economy of New Jersey.

When I support America I usually argue that the way they treat their own people here in America is totally different. This is also something Pakistan can learn from, rather than act as a testacle of other countries, when at the same time killing and looting its own country and the people.

Musharraf led Pakistan here. He played both sides, the army got money, he provided America with random people in exchange for those dollars. This whole issue of Taliban, thus, has gone out of control, and the country faces an intrinsic and existential threat in that Taliban might rule Pakistan pretty soon. The army doesn’t have the will nor the capacity to fight these people. This is simply an observation: Pakistan army couldn’t fight the taliban in Swat and thus negotiated from a position of weakness. When you negotate from a position of weakness, you implicitly accede power to the adversary. Thus Taliban effectively replaced Pakistani govt in Swat. Naturally they would then eye the cities, such as Lahore and Karachi, to expand their reach, knowing that the govt was weak.
They shouldn’t mindlessly bomb people for the sake of dollars, I have never supported that. Yet they shouldn’t let Taliban come into power either. If they negotiate from a position of strength, they can get a lot of what they desire and that which will be good for Pakistan. But, as I said, I feel it is unlikely that Pakistan can recover from the losses to Taliban at this point, and in the near-future Pakistan becoming a quasi-Taliban state is not too unlikely. It will have disastrous economic impact, social impact, ethnic and religious tension will further flame beyond control. Under the Taliban it will be Taliban Pashtuns versus Punjabis or Urdu Speaker, Shias will be persecuted under a stringent Taliban doctrine, in fact Sufi Islam (which encompasses much of South Asia) could well go internally at war with Wahabi Islam. It will be a disaster, Pakistan will become many different pieces. Taliban have no tolerance, and their intolerance will breed a lot more intolerance.

KARACHI: ‘I am not at ease here,’ admits Mohammad Salaar, surveying the bustle and traffic at Safora Chowk in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar area. ‘The political culture of the city is unfavourable for displaced families like mine which didn’t opt to stay at a refugee camp.’

Salaar is one of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled military operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas last August. According to City District Government Karachi officials, between 100,000 and 300,000 IDPs have settled in Karachi in the past few months. Many have yet to adjust to their newly adopted home. As Salaar puts it: ‘Life in Karachi is not very favourable for us Pashtuns. I am only here because I have relatives on whom I can rely. We haven’t been helped by the government in any manner.’

Born and raised in Bajaur’s Damadola district, Salaar left his home village seven months ago. He now works as a day labourer in Karachi while living with his family in a cramped room in Sohrab Goth for which he pays Rs 3,000 per month. For Salaar, adjusting to the difference between life in his hometown and this sprawling metropolis has been challenging. But the likelihood of returning to Bajaur any time soon is rather small. Like thousands of other IDPs, Salaar finds himself in limbo, unwelcome in Karachi and unable to return home.

Urban Nightmare

Salaar’s anxieties about Karachi are shared by many IDPs. Sher Khan, a cobbler who hails from Bajaur’s Mamond area and settled in Karachi’s Machar Colony five months ago, feels particularly vulnerable. ‘Apart from having to adjust to a different routine and lifestyle,’ he says, ‘the political climate is also problematic as our ethnicity is not viewed favourably.’

Khan claims that one of his relatives who used to live near Karachi’s Steel Mill was killed some months ago. He also narrates the story of two other Pashtun men who bore no affiliation to any political party but were recently killed. Following their death, Awami National Party workers identified them as party workers. ‘I know they were apolitical,’ insists Khan. ‘The political parties are using helpless, poor people like us for their own purposes.’

Salaar and Khan are made further insecure by a government campaign to register IDPs in an attempt to identify needs and provide humanitarian assistance. More than 552,000 IDPs have already been registered in the North West Frontier Province. In coming weeks, registration will be completed in the Punjab and Karachi under the auspices of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions. The registration exercise is aimed at profiling and documenting IDPs, but in the politically and ethnically charged environment of Karachi, Pashto-speakers fear this is a means to target the community.

Troubled Passage

Sadly, Salaar and Khan’s problems began long before they arrived in Karachi. Salaar left Bajaur after his house was destroyed in mortar shelling. ‘My father barely survived the tortuous journey and my mother died during the shelling that destroyed our house,’ he recalls, adding, ‘when my family was escaping, we spent seven days charting through the mountains with the children. We were starving and thirsty and my eldest child became the victim of a helicopter gunship. I cannot tell you how helpless and desperate I felt at that time.’ Even now, Salaar thinks about his late son constantly. ‘I think about how I had to leave his body there and how I could have saved him, but could not.’

Bajaur under the Taliban

In the past few months, IDPs have proved a valuable source of information about the Taliban in FATA. Salaar and Khan are no exception. They explain that most of the militants in Bajaur are Pakistanis, but they are commanded by an Afghan national, Jan Wali, who is popularly known as Sheena Mujahid. ‘Apart from Pashtuns, there are also Chechens and Uzbeks, but they are not in any large numbers,’ adds Salaar.

‘Everybody welcomed Sheena when he first came to Bajaur,’ says Salaar. The militant commander banned music and television but people were grateful for the campaign ‘because it suited the Bajauris and our society.’ But Sheena didn’t stop there. Salaar claims that the commander issued a form and told the men of Bajaur that they would be paid if they filled it out. ‘A lot of people signed that form,’ Salaar says.

Khan confirms Salaar’s account of Sheena’s activities. ‘Every time we questioned the security personnel in the area as to why they did not attack Sheena Mujahid, they would say, ‘if we kill the hero of the movie, the movie will end,’’ he says.

Khan also explains that the Taliban is Bajaur and Swat must be kept distinct. ‘Bajauri Taliban do not destroy girls’ schools and they have never treated innocent civilians with brutality like the Taliban of Swat have done.’

No way home

Even though Khan and Salaar do not explicitly object to Taliban presence in Bajaur, they do not plan to return in the foreseeable future. ‘Even though the operation seems to have stopped, there is no place to live,’ says Salaar. ‘I have three children, a wife, and my father is very old. It will not be possible to live there if there is a chance that the military operation might start again.’

Similarly, Khan, who complains that IDPs have yet to be compensated for losses sustained, is reluctant to return. ‘We still have land in Bajaur, but with the destruction and mass migration, what are we going to do even if we do go back? How will my children go to school?’ Shaking his head and recalling how his house was bulldozed, Khan softly adds, ‘this war has consumed us.’

Just to emphasize from the article above:

“Salaar claims that the commander issued a form and told the men of Bajaur that they would be paid if they filled it out. ‘A lot of people signed that form,’ Salaar says.

Khan confirms Salaar’s account of Sheena’s activities. ‘Every time we questioned the security personnel in the area as to why they did not attack Sheena Mujahid, they would say, ‘if we kill the hero of the movie, the movie will end,’’ he says. “

How can you blame your poor performance on Captaincy? Why did not Younis say anything when he scored 313 after being made Captain?

This is a major problem with Younis Khan, he is NOT “owning” the Captaincy decision.

Younis thinks he is being “made” a Captain, and it’s not what he essentially sought for.

Simple rule in life … if you get something without working hard for it, you will never value it as much.

I say, make Afridi the Captain for ODI team, while let Younis be there as Captain for the Tests.

“We will learn a lot from this experience, by playing against the Australian team.”
Younis Khan.

Is Younis Khan proving to be another Shoaib Malik for Pakistan ??

LOL, I was browsing on cricinfo and read this line: “We will learn a lot from this experience, by playing against the Australian team.” Younis Khan, The first thought that came to my mind was, he has picked up this line from Shoaib Malik. How long are they going to learn? International matches are not about learning but, DELIVERING. The way the Pakistani players are playing, they aren’t even good to deliver a PIZZA.

The actor is likely to play in place of Yasir Arafat, reportedly to add fire to the pace battery which is already dead. Why can’t they drop a fast bowler and pick up an additional spinner in Fawad Alam? It will also strengthen the batting department. UKP was a mild comment, they understand, EMP, EBP etc. where E stands for Ena-dee and M for Maa dee etc., …. and that too with a Danda.

It is very strange that no one, even from the media questioned Intekhab Alam that what was he doing when Pakistani batsmen forgot to take the batting power play? What was he doing? Snoozing? Earlier we had a team manager in Talat Ali Malik who used to wear dark glasses all the time and take a snooze. And now, we have Intekhab Alam who can sleep with eyes wide open.

Khansahab

Hear, hear…
I endorse your views of peace and tolerance in Karachi…and that goes for the rest of Pakistan as well.

Khansahab

Pakistan could surely play Fawad Alam instead of Arafat?

Fawad Alam bowls spin and can bat. Surely, only spinner have been successful on these pitches, whereas Pakistan have also lacked batting depth. How can Younis say he doesn’t forsee any changes?

Btw, Ajmal has been fined for making comments to the media against the Australian team. His reaction was upon the suspect bowling action, which the Australians did not report but, the umpires themselves have reported it to the ICC. Ajmal was fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board for comments directed to Shane Watson and Younis Khan, asked why Australia are involved in so many controversies when they face India and Pakistan?. There was no need for him to vent out his frustration against Australians, especially since they have nothing to do with that.

Secondly, after a long time they are playing against them so, why not play in good spirits? And, good spirits does not mean you play like Younus Khan, keep getting out cheaply and laugh. Display poor and defensive captaincy and laugh. He can be a La Vache qui Rit or the laughing cow. Luckily he is not as fat as a cow, so he better stop acting like a clown.

Omer Admani: “How can Younis say he doesn’t forsee any changes?”

That is because Younus Khan is high on Niswar or may be Bhang that is why he is laughing all the time. And neither as a captain he can visualize or assess the exact situation of the game, nor he can perform as a player. Except for acting like a clown he is doing nothing. At least a clown makes other people laugh and himself he is serious, whereas YK is doing the opposite.

whats the problem with this kid? He cannot upload his own picture? Every single girl who writes here on LS has uploaded her own picture and they keep changing off and on, and this kiddo is trying to impress who? Abdul pagalon kay sir pay seengh nahee hotay, woh harkataon say boojhay jaatay. Grow up and stop bugging khansahab for uploading your picture, which is not yours…….. Neither khansahab’s nor Awas’ have their own photos but we all know whose picture is that, whereas, you want to disguise and tell us you are so and so, whereas you are not. If that is the case why not upload Rani Mukerjee’s photo as yours?

U have now recieved it.

“You have such a low opinion of me “. I actually rate U as a very high educated graduate and one of the best cricket writers there are around. I rate u up there with Osman Sami.. and Kamran. Personally I think u are better than me from both a technical and analytic point of view.

There is something called “Buttering the Butt of the Bread.” And, some people are good at it.

khansahab

Younus ki tou baat hee na kero
Younus tou Liwanna ho gaya!

Pak 12/2. Misbah first ball nick, Aleem Dar gave Pak a lease of life. Obviously the batting lacks depth, the pitches are spin-conducive, and yet they play Arafat instead of Alam. It doesn’t seem like Younis can play left-handed pace bowlers.

The only batsman that has thus far played with a straight bat has been Shehzad. I have always thought of him as talented, it is just a matter of application and concentration for him.

Boycott, Dean Jones, and Tony all are talking about how Pak are missing Mohd Yousof. He was the one around whom the whole batting revolved and if he comes back, only then will Pakistan be consistently able to score above 200.

The good news is that the PCB can allow him to play now, and the sooner they do it the better. At this point it seems that if Pakistan score 200 that will be a miracle. I am just hoping that Shehzad can hit a 50 and Afridi and Misbah can add a few between them.

Can’t Malik “add a few” as well

Awas

Malik can add a few too

But I presume what he is really waiting for is Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He is saving his best for crunch time

Misbah didn’t need to get out, he could have played in singles till 35th over. Then they should have taken powerplay, once assured of 180-200. Clarke seems to have the magic arm..

Malik dropped too

That’s it then…if you give Malik a life, he scores a century

Hats off to Ahmad Shehzad for playing his heart out, he is a rookie, a youngster, and is playing against the world champions under some tough conditions on a tricky wicket. I always liked him and insisted on his inclusion in the team. Why Misbah and the rest of seniors lose their wicket and cannot capitalize by scoring 50s and 100s when they are on the wicket for a while? It seems like they get out often by scoring runs between 30s and 40s. Malik just survived a caught behind chance and I hope he takes the charge from here on and focus on singles and doubles and support the rookie. It’s a shame that a lot will depend on the innings by rookie Shehzad. If Pakistan can keep 5 wickets in hand for the last 40 overs they can put a descent total on the board. I wouldn’t worry about run rate at this point now and would rather concentrate on playing safe. I’m sure with some big hitters like Afridi, Akmal, and Akhtar we can accelerate the run rate at the end. I don’t want to sound too optimistic like Younis but I predict a Pak win today.

Nah Awas he is not Tendulkar

But he does hit a 40-50 with a few chances, so there is hope for Pakistan.

Never mind about my prediction, LOL.

It’s looking like a procession again.

They should go back and learn how to bat first. If they cant even bat on slow and low home like pitches then may as well just give up and let the youngsters take over.

I’m sure Fawad is much better player than this tried and tested bust Yasir Arafat, what a ball-less player!

Theossa

“…ball-less player” he may be…but he did hit the only six so far

Akmal should open with Salman Butt with Shehzad to follow. Younis should come at no.4 followed by Malik and Misbah. I would replace Yasir with Fawad. With Afridi gone now even 200 will be tough to achieve. One observation though, both these Dubai and Abu Dhabi venues are not ODI standard wickets. We are probably playing to Australian strengths.

Awas

Yasir hit the six after “Aleem Dar eik aor kha gaya”. Fawad is more complete batsman than Yasir who at the moment is just cementing his spot in the team.

Once again inept batting by Pakistan. There is not a single player who can make a 50. Afridi who was playing sensibly for the first time got a sudden rush of blood that he must make use of the batting power play and got out on a pre-determined shot.

Misbah got a life, first ball he faced, he nicked and Aleem Dar said, he did not hear and Misbah once again took too many balls to score his 30 odd runs.

And what a stupid shot YK played? He played an inside edge of Bracken in the previous over which missed the stumps by a few inches and he got a risky 4 out of it and then in the next over he was out by an inside edge crashing on to his stumps. Seems like he did not learn from his mistake. According Boycott the gap between his bat and pad was so wide that he could drive his car through.

The tail-enders must whack from now onwards and take some risks to take the score past 200 and it is possible. Anything over that should be a bonus.

Theo no that was not a nick, it was shown in slow motion and it wasn’t a catch, so Aleem Dar had only one. Whatson dropped a sitter. And this time they took the catch……….. Now comes the Actor

What a shame they couldn’t make 200 and Bollinger took 5 wickets. Pakistan has this honour of making mediocre bowlers into heroes.

Mediocre or not but this bowler definitely deserves a bottle of Bollinger for his 5 for…

Thoessa

I’m all for players like Fawad as I said in my comment above:

“It’s looking like a procession again.
They should go back and learn how to bat first. If they cant even bat on slow and low home like pitches then may as well just give up and let the youngsters take over”.

Khansahab why han’t my pic been uploaded yet ?

Awas

One thing we are forgetting here is the rustiness of players. Except for Afridi who banks on sharp eye and arm strength everyone else looks out of sorts at the crease. Slow pitches which assist the bowlers do not help either. Before the series this rustiness was expected but as the series went on we are back to our usual criticism. Even our sharpest players like Gul and Tanvir looked rusty. Let’s face it, every one of us want a couple of players dropped and couple added. If we put too many youngsters in the team we will dip even more. Let the players get into some groove by playing more matches. I know this is not the best Australian side but this is not the best Pakistan side either. Even the strongest Pak teams had trouble beating Australia. It could be a mental thing or it could be just that they are a better team than us. Having said that let’s hope Pak gives Australia a run for their money, maybe it’s time for a AAA i.e.Akhtar, Afridi, Ajmal magic?

I am indeed waiting as I’m sure the other bloggers will be ……

Theossa

Fair assessment…I can’t disagree with much you said here. I had mentioned on these lines above as well when I said captains do prefer experienced players despite their failures and there is some justification in that on the lines you mentioned.

I get the feeling your reluctant prediction might just come true. So, let’s hope “maybe it’s time for a AAA”. Despite that it’s a shame they still won’t enjoy a bottle of Bollinger

LOL, one A that is Akhtar is firing canons; let’s hope the other two As also fire when they come to the attack. Oh, how about little help from fourth A i.e. Aleem

I would rather leave the 4th A, a secret weapon alone

Looks like that would be fourth weapon backfired when he didn’t give Watson out, could have been a difference making decision

That Jammal is bowling economically…but the end is nigh…

Ajmal bowled very tight and unlucky not to get a wicket, the umpiring was below par today.
Afridi got injured and may be he will not play the final ODI, it means Fawad Alam will be in. Hopefully its just a cramp. But, he should be ready for the T20. Akhtar was “haanping like a Saaand” and he could hardly run while fielding. He was lucky to get the initial two wickets, but as usual he was expensive and so was Tanvir.

I dunno what happened to Tanvir? He either bowls very wide or short there aren’t any length balls and he gives away plenty of runs.

Abdul Qadir was so full of praise for Afridi and was concerned about his injury and was hoping that its not a serious one. He said, the way Afridi bowled in the first ODI against Australia that 6 for 38, he has not seen any Pakistani spin bowler, rather any spin bowler in the world bowling so well especially in that particular match. His whole short interview was focused on Afridi and he wants to work with him to improve his bowling.

Anyways, it was a pathetic performance from Pakistan and Australia has won the series now the last ODI is only for namesake and if Pakistan wins that will be some face saving to say we lost 3-2 and not 4-1.

But, I have a strong feeling that Pakistan will win the T20 against Australia….. i.e., if Afridi plays and he is fully fit.