Seriously what is their problem?

LAHORE: Chairman interim selection committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Wasim Bari said that Shoaib Akhtar is not being considered for inclusion in the national team for One-day International series against Sri Lanka as he could not prove his match fitness.

While talking with Geo News before leaving for Sri Lanka, Wasim Bari said that fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar went through physical fitness and he did not give the match fitness.
He said that Shoaib Akhtar was invited to National Cricket Academy on his own request He gave physical fitness test but his match fitness cannot be assessed as he did not play any match.

Bari said that he would consult with the team management and captain during the third Test after which the list of 30 probable cricketers for the Champions Trophy would be provided to the ICC.

He said that Shoaib Akhtar would be considered for the Champions Trophy.

LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt said that if Younis Khan remains firm on his decision for not playing Twenty20 cricket then a new captain would soon be announced for T20 match against Sri Lanka.

Talking with Syed Yahya Hussaini of Geo News, Ijaz Butt said that Wasim Bari has gone to Sri Lanka for consulting only for one-day team and he would meet there with the team management.

When asked who would lead Pakistan in the only Twenty20 match on the tour Ijaz Butt said that he himself would decide it and not Wasim Bari.

It may be recalled that Younis Khan after winning the World Twenty20 Cup announced to retire from this form of cricket.

Allrounder Shahid Afridi is a strong candidate for captaincy of Pakistan’s T20 team.

Agreed it is questionable whether to drop a pacer for a spinner. Ajmal has been taking wickets here and there, so I think he will stay. They probably think Kaneria will be more effective than Rauf. Sri Lanka have done reasonable with Mendis and Herath has done really well. If you think about it, Mathews for Sri Lanka has not been that effective and neither has Rauf for Pakistan. It seems the majority of wickets are either being taken by genuinely fast bowlers (Gul, Aamer, Thusara, Kulasekara) or spinners. I think this proves that medium pacers have no impact in the subcontinent.

About India vs Pakistan- Pakistan has always been a better team until 2000 onwards. The reason was that Pakistani pacers were always taking top order wickets, whereas Pakistani openers have always done well against India. Even now Pakistani openers do well against India- right from Butt, to Hameed, to Imran Farhat. Only now have the likes of Sehwag and Gambhir starting scoring against Pakistan. That is also because now Pakistan does not have good new ball bowlers. Umar Gul is mediocre with the new ball but very good with the old ball. Pakistan cannot find the combination of pace + ability to handle the new ball, which is essential for getting top order wickets.

That is why I keep saying the PCB needs to pull its socks up. Pakistan cricket is breaking apart. They need to get more bowlers like Aamer to restore the new ball attack there once was. No good openers, not a great middle order (Malik + Misbah), not great fielding, very few good bowlers. If they don’t have an edge in any one department, they will falter continuously and they will become a nothing team like West Indies, England or New Zealand.

People blame all kinds of different factors- no fast or seaming pitches, player attitudes, politics/bias, lack of accountability etc. All these are true- no doubt about it. But in my opinion what has led to this rot is the attitude of senior and experienced players. After Saeed Anwar, there is no one a youngster will try and emulate if he wants to become an opener. Younis and Yousuf will retire in 2-3 years max, and then there will no be great middle order batsmen. Akhtar and Asif’s actions mean people will be double minded whether to consider them heroes or villains.

People who are now running boards should be coaching players as a full time job. Aamer Sohail, Miandad, Wasim Bari- these guys should be in academies and coaching centres. Saeed Anwar is busy doing Tableegh- it is good for him in the afterlife, but he should also think about this life. If he can motivate and coach a few young future openers for Pakistan, he will get prayers from millions of people.

Whenever we talk about why Pakistan cricket is suffering, we always come to a brick wall. It is time to bring cricketers back onto the field coaching youngsters. They need to let educated and professional people run the cricket board. Ijaz Butt should open an academy with all the money and clout he has made. All of these former great players should go and watch domestic matches, identify talent and groom it.

Pakistan’s average in all forms of the game has always been better than India. In fact between the two there was a big gap until Shoaib Malik came to lead, he narrowed down the gap and became the first captain to lose a test and ODI series against India.

Just for the record’s sake … here is the comparison between Indian and Pakistan Cricket Teams (Total Tests played against all teams):

INDIAN TEAM:

Total Tests: 430

Won: 99

Lost: 136

Draw: 195

Winning Percentage: 23.02%

Loosing Percentage: 31.63%

Drawn Percentage: 45.35%

PAKISTAN TEAM:

Total Test: 339

Won: 103

Lost: 91

Draw: 145

Winning Percentage: 30.39%

Loosing Percentage: 26.84%

Drawn Percentage: 42.77%

You said, “Malik and Misbah, along with Akmal and one unnamed player (thought to be either Razzaq or Butt) are trying to oust Younis Khan from the team.

It can NOT be Abdul Razzaq because Malik was the main culprit for ouster of Razzaq from the team, when he was the Captain, and thus Razzaq went on to join ICL.

The fourth player can be Saeed Ajmal, why not? Ajmal is also from the ‘majority’ group while he was also well supported by Malik, so I guess now is the time for him to repay Malik. This is what exactly Misbah is doing, repaying Malik for keeping him in the team under his captaincy.

On the other hand, the overall situation for our team at the moment is very bad and most of the cricket fans like us on LS, although know very well the actual problems, but don’t understand how to undo them. Malik and Misbah are the major culprits and the irony is both of them are neither performing nor being kicked out of the playing eleven. Moreover, they are such shameless “Baighairuts” that they will never make a move themselves and voluntarily opt out, they only and only need to be ‘kicked’ out.

Seeing some of the comments on LS, I feel sorry for Younis Khan and as I know that he is helpless and can not go alone aganist Malik, Misbah, Coach, Manager, and a few more team players.

Therefore, I suggest that our LS team as recognized honest journalist and respectable and loyal Pakistan Cricket Fans, shall try to make some inroads and arrange to get direct interviews from Malik and Misbah to make them to speak the truth. Such leads, if worked, can also force these guys to reveal the actual problems and come out in open and own the problems. We can also try to rope-in Coach Intikhab-e-Alam or the Manager Yawar ‘whatever’ and make them to face the music.

On your comment about Iftekhar Chaudhary overturning Nawaz Sharif’s hijacking convictions and declaring him innocent is a proof that Nawaz Sharif now has the Supreme Court in his pocket. This is democracy! Wow.

Most people do not realize the action that Nawaz Sharif took or ordered to hijack his plane. They simply view it as a Nawaz vs. Musharraf instance and that’s all. The truth is Musharraf Pervez at that time was Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and an acting General, Nawaz ordered that his plane must land in India and, Musharraf must be arrested there in India.

Imagine, the consequences? No matter what people say or think about India / Pakistan friendship. They have fought 3 wars since independence plus the Kargil war and, Pakistan’s acting General lands in their territory, they would have easily found ways to interrogate him by giving him truth serum and gotten out country’s top secrets.

Nawaz Sharif’s stupid decision was equivalent to Asif Zardar’s orders to send General Parvez Kiyani to India after the Mumbai attack to help them in investigation. These idiots don’t know that you don’t send your acting Generals into a hostile country. Only a Paindoo like Nawaz Sharif or a dimwit dolt like Asif Zardari can take such decisions without thinking. Actually they do not have brains to think.

What about Aamir Sohail’s rumour that he too has resigned? Reportedly he has serious disagreements with Ijaz Butt. First it was Abdul Qadir and now Aamir Sohail. I wonder how Butt is surviving? According to Dawn, Butt went to Sri Lanka and ordered Aamir Sohail to go to London to attend some meeting, Aamir declined because his wife is ill and he asked someone else to go in his place. Butt came back and was furious at Aamir and then himself he went to London to attend that meeting.

He should be named as MOBILE BUTT.