LEADERS, TEAM PLAYERS & NOTHING PLAYERS
Imran Khan was the only captain who lead the team like a leader. Among others, one can say that Inzamam was a team player and somehow he managed to build a decent team which was comprising of new players because the seniors were scrapped for betting and match fixing. I reckon Inzamam’s era as pretty decent except for his abrupt ending. First of all he shouldn’t have announced his retirement after the Caribbean world cup. But, he thought that is the way he can salvage some pride by tendering his resignation from ODI and also in paying some tribute to Bob Woolmer whose sudden death made him very upset also, it distracted many critics and the focus was not entirely on Inzamam or his defeat and his retreat, it dissipated.
Inzamam The Team Player
Younus Khan was considered as Inzamam’s successor, a logical choice to captain the side but, he couldn’t make up his mind to lead the team and twice he had rejected the offer to lead. He was bold enough to say that he will not be a rubber stamp or a “dummy captain,” which means he wanted a free hand in selecting his own team and have his say in the team affairs and not be dictated by the dumb selectors and the PCB administrator. He decided to serve the nation by playing only as a batsman and he proved that he is a selfless character, a man of principle and a player who wants to contribute by his bat and the role of leadership is not important for him.
The fate of Pakistan cricket and the leadership role is as bleak as the country and its leaders. The selectors and the administrators had to choose a captain and they picked up a nothing player to lead the team and that nothing player is Shoaib Malik. He is neither a leader, nor a player of any substance. In fact he is very trivial, petty, negative and selfish. As a captain, instead of building a team he ruined the team with his trivial jingoistic politics. And, the irony is, he is not playing cricket, but playing dirty politics and, not only he is getting “sport” from his fans but, they are still hoping that he will reinstated as a captain!
Shoaib Malik The Nothing Player
From the day the feelers were aired a few years ago that Shoaib Malik was being nominated as Pakistan’s future captain, I had raised my voice on various blogs against the choice. I said, if he becomes the captain, it will be a big disaster for the team because, he is not a captaincy material. His decision to throw away the final of a domestic match, followed by his arrogant speech speaks volumes about his negative mentality. A person who was so adamant after throwing the match that he did the right thing and was very bitter about the whole episode, it demonstrates his crookedness. By nature he is a creepy person, a very jealous type. Hence you cannot make him a captain also, he needs to be controlled from spreading venom.
He didn’t last long as a captain and he was kicked out. Not entirely from the team but, he was stripped off his captaincy role. Now he is corroborating with Misbah, Butt, Akmal and others by creating groups and it is an extremely shameful act. I don’t think any player has stooped as low as Malik. He thinks that he is doing this in a very deceitful and dubious manner and he is wrong because it is so obvious now and, he is exposed. Everyone knows that he is jealous of Younus Khan’s achievement i.e., winning the T20 WC and now he wants to fail him. So, he ganged up and literally damaging the team by creating groups and factions within the team which are so dangerous for the team and its future.
Younus Khan needs to be serious like this
Younus Khan has said clearly in his interview with DAWN newspaper: “I just inherited these players. I mean what can I do if players like Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq are failing regularly. If I throw them out of the team, the whole of Pakistan will blame me for running the show on my whim and fancy. It is up to the authorities to decide what should be done about it.” The statement says a lot between the lines. He wants to do it, but he cannot. That is because his position is very weak and definitely there will be a lot of hue and cry from the public, especially from Punjab.
The people of Punjab are not willing to accept that Malik and Misbah are the culprits, in fact they are blaming that Pakistan lost the second test because of Younus Khan’s reverse sweep on which he got out. Agreed it was a stupid shot, but that was not the reason for defeat. Younus Khan scored 83 runs he was involved in a 200 run partnership with Fawad Alam. So, how can you say he is responsible for the defeat? It is Misbah, Malik and Kamran Akmal who are responsible for the defeat, they came and played stupid shots and got out cheaply and quickly. They are the ones who played irresponsibly. Their intention was to get out asap, they were not there to add runs. Their intention was to fail Younus Khan and Fawad Alam’s heroic efforts. Therefore, people should open their eyes and their minds and stop being biased against Younus Khan and Fawad Alam.
No one should be deemed above the law and there must be zero tolerance. If there is a deliberate intent to lose the match not only they be banned from playing for the team for one year and fined. Also, they must make public apologies.
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.
The reason I have posted the above comment, which has already been posted on the previous thread, is because I will refer to it when I analyse this current thread in my next comment.
This following comment is from what I wrote on a different blog, in response to someone who was arguing that Malik and Misbah are the same calibre as Younis and Yousuf, that Malik should still be captain, that Younis and Afridi performed poorly under Malik to get him sacked as captain etc.
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Why do class players have to be good finishers? Tendulkar is a class player but he was never a finisher. You are wasting your time and the time of people who read his blog by comparing lack of talent with plenty of talent.
I am not trying to be rude, but if you don’t know the difference between Test cricket and first class cricket, it’s not my problem.
And for Malik to have an average of 35 and Misbah to have an average of 40, firstly those averages are not brilliant. Secondly they have been accumulated by making a lot of scores between 30-45, especially for Misbah. That is hardly “class batting”, it is just selfish batting. It signifies what Malik and Misbah’s batting is all about- make 35 runs and then lose all your concentration, because your place will be guaranteed for 6 months.
I am asking to get players who can potentially get their averages into 40s and mid 40s, if not 50s. You are asking to stick with players with averages in 30s. I believe there are better players than Malik. No one could think Fawad Alam could play like that as an opener. Hardly anyone thought he could get a century even if he was playing in the middle order. It shows there are players with potential- it is just a matter of selecting them and resting Malik and Misbah.
However because of people like you, that is not happening.
Malik and Misbah have been part of this middle order for 2 years and neither of them has done anything great, except 1 series that Misbah played against India. Every Pakistani batsman murders India, so I won’t even call Misbah’s effort “great”- it is normal for Pakistani standards. Unless you drop Malik and Misbah, you will never know whether there are players who can replace them. They have to be dropped FIRST in order for us to know whether than can happen.
Pakistan has no strength in pace, no strength in fielding, and because of Malik and Misbah, no strength in middle order too. Younis and Yousuf are the only saving grace of this team at the moment.
Actually, Malik has batted in all positions. He has batted before no 6, and he has also batted as opener. I know it is cool to be biased for someone like you, but it is not so cool when you get your simple facts wrong. And Younis and Yousuf with their averages in 50s will always be better than Malik.
Younis Khan showed “determination when it was required” by scoring 82 and scoring a lead over Sri Lanka under pressure. Malik showed “no determination when it was required” when he scored 39, because he kept giving tailenders most of the strike which is why Pakistan got out on 90. Cricinfo also criticised Malik over this. You must have read it. Yousuf showed determination when it was required when he scored 112 at Galle- the next highest score was half of his score, 56, made by Misbah.
Time for Malik and Misbah to go so Pakistan can become a top 3 team again.
What I want to add to what Javed A Khan has written, is that there is no specific agenda against Punjab. Inzamam and Imran Khan are both Punjabis. We also praise Yousuf, we have praised Ajmal, Aamer- they are all Punjabis. This is just for those who get touchy thinking Malik and Misbah represent Punjab or something. Yousuf is a legend, after his conversion to Islam there is nothing that differentiates him from other Punjabis in the team. He is just too talented.
I recently learned that Imran’s immediate roots are in Mianwali, like how my immediate roots are in India. Imran is not a Pushto speaking Pathan, like how I am not a Pushto speaking Pathan. The people of Mianwali are not like Hindkos or mixed ethnicity Pathans/Punjabis of Hazara or Abbotabad; they are pure, 100% Punjabis.
However, that does not affect my opinion of Imran. He was a different calibre to other greats. He is like an institution in itself, he has the basic qualities one can find in a good leader, but unfortunately he does not understand politics. He spent his cricketing life like a dictator, so he does not understand democracy and politics that well, a bit like Musharraf. Anyhow he would be brilliant at running the PCB.
We need to seriously consider whether we want to remain entagled in this web of mediocrity, or whether we want to creep out and revive the past glories. The problem is that when you taint something pure, exciting and impassioned like the spirit of cricket with politics, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth and what you see on the field is mediocrity and no fighting spirit. Even if Malik and Misbah were Tendulkar and Bradman, they would be ruining their own game and ruining the team’s potential, too.
Younis needs to put his foot down. It does not take a genius to realise who is showing fighting spirit, who is rotating the strike and also hitting the bad ball for the boundary, who is concentrating, who is playing for himself and who is playing for the team and the country etc. The team must not compromise on indisclipine and politics.
I long to see the day when lack of fighting spirit will result in the player being sacked instantly, without the need for any ruminating or playing politics.
Younis Khan has potential to be a good captain. Under him we saw Butt being dropped as opener- which could have never happened under Malik or Inzamam. He also gave a warning to Misbah and Malik to start performing. In his interview shortly after the T20 victory, he said, “I have to answer my Allah in the afterlife. I can’t select all Pathans in the team, all Punjabis or all Sindhis. I have to be fair”.
Let us hope he maintains this fairness.
khansahab
The point is about performance and not provinces. Cricket is a game of gentlemen then it must be played in that spirit and it should be carried out in every department and that applies to team selection as well, hence there are no provinces and no boundaries. Secondly, if one is uncouth at grass root level and, carry that tendency throughout then, how can one have finesse as a finished product?
By saying Imran Khan was a leader, I won’t deny that he was not a dictator. Also, I don’t mind dictatorial qualities in a person as long as the dictator is not a tyrant and a cruel person, as long as he is doing good for the team or for the country he is OK.
Similarly, what I have said about Inzamam that he is a team player, it is in the sense that, he used to play for the team (in team selection, he too was more like Imran Khan) unlike Malik who still plays for himself and not for the team. And, he demonstrated that spirit right from the start of his career in 1992 WC.
I have also written in the previous thread that I don’t have any doubts about Younus Khan’s integrity, he is a selfless, dedicated person, a man with good character but, he needs to pull up his socks and get serious. His desire to keep the whole world happy can never be attained. He has to think what is good for the team and how he can win instead of worrying how the public will react if he drops Malik and Misbah.
When Inzamam played the 92 WC final, he was warned by Miandad to be careful when playing Ian Bothom, because he swings the ball a lot. But, Inzamam played a good innings and scored a few boundaries of Bothom. After Inzi was out and came back, he told Miandad, “that bowler did not bowl today.” He was pointing at Alan Lamb.
Great thread and it shows that LS is trying very hard to make the facts open to all, and this is why the things are put out in black and white. Unfortunately, it is not helping the cause of the Pakistan Cricket, and it seems more needs to be done.
Good luck to the team for thrid and Final Test.
Shoaib Malik: The Hard Facts …
- Shoaib Malik’s Test Batting average is 35, with 1 century in 25 Tests, while he took 16 wickets at an average of 70.
- Shahid Afridi’s Test Batting average is 37, with 5 centuries in 26 Tests, while he took 47 wickets at an average of 35. (This is only for comparison).
- Even Kamran Akmal have Batting an Average of 33, with 6 centuries in 42 Tests (and he is only a wicketkeeper).
The Other Issues …
- Abdul Qadir, ex-Chief Selector, openly named Malik for petty Politics in the team and also playing below his potential.
- Abdul Razzaq and Mohammed Yusuf also blamed Malik for their ousters from the team, when he was Captain. Malik was the reason, they both left PCB and joined ICL.
- Malik have openly ‘thrown’ a domestic match to ouster Lahore Team from ABN-Amro Bank (RBS) domestic T20 Tournament and he also accepted it. (His post-match presentation with Ramiz Raja is available on YouTube).
- Malik as Captain of Pakistan, had shown unconditional support for Misbah-ul-Haq, Saeed Ajmal and Kamran Akmal.
- Malik had problems with an Indian girl about his marriage and then declined.
- Confirmed affair with an Indian actress Siyali Bhagat.
Conclusions …
1- Shoaib Malik is NOT good enough for Test Cricket, NO WAY !!
2- Shoaib Malik is NOT even a good and honest human being and have ‘accepted’ to play dirty politcs.
3- Shoaib Malik is conspiring along with Misbah, Ajmal and Akmal to form a clout within the Team and bring about downfall of Younis Khan.
Hello Friends,
With this hope that from now on I will stick to LS the way i was stalking this website last year i would like to let you know that i have found a new job.
Now before you all start thinking why am I discussing my Bio-Data or CV on a Cricket Blog it is just that i am excited because it is a Canadian Company and although intially there seem to be no travel prospects but who knows maybe in the Future i will get to meet JAVED somewhere in Canada!! Unless until he fears that i might put a Truth Serum in the Kabab or Aloo ka Parantha depending on whether we have lunch or breakfast together!!and talk out all the Secrets he knows through his years of Contacts and Connections all over the World from Canada to Scotland to Pakistan and India!!
Anyways coming back to Cricket or the Politics in Cricket. Malik is definitely proving to be a thron in the unity of Pakistan Cricket but i am not so sure of Misbah or Akram or more accurately their constant support of Malik because Why should they jeopardise their Careers by supporting an already out of sorts Villian-Malik also I am sure that People of Punjab cannot be so blind so as to support Malik (and Misbah) and they are also able to see what maybe other Pakistanis are observing ultimately the people do not have a say in anything as one can go on and on writing about what is wrong about the system but unless until the powerful people change things are not going to change.
As Younis Khan as so clearly expressed about his fears of dropping the other senior members so the onus is on the Pakistani Management or the Selectors to take the big step forward by taking the following 3 actions immediately;-
1. Give Malik a break, ask him to improve his domestic average and sort out his ‘domestic’ troubles.
2. Make Afridi the Captain of T-20 Team and Vice-Captain of One-Day Team and if possible the Test Team.
3.Try to invest and encourage in Young upcoming Talent like Fawad Alam, Mohammed Aamir e.t.c. and forget the Old Defaulters like Tharki and Charsi.
They should also give Younis Khan a bit of a free hand in Team Selection and not make him appear like a ‘dummy’ captain.
5.Pakistan’s management should definately hire some Goras if not Pakistanis or even Indians to provide the whole team with Personality Management and Language Improving Courses so they can be good brand ambassadors and role-models when they tour abroad.
As Javed has also pointed to his fact before if Dhoni, Harphajji,Irfan,(although not my-name-is-YP-my-nickname-is-YP) Zaheer, and now even Sehwag and Yuvraj can handle themselves better in Public compared to few years ago then why can’t the likes of Malik and Younis be trained to be sometimes good actors and hide their real emotions as now they are not merely playing Cricket but due to the amount of Cameras present it is much more than just Cricket maybe a Opera!
These are just some of my recommendations if someone from the Butt-Heads is reading this Blog…
How can you guys talk so endlessly about this “sport”? And even spend effort and time typing about it?
I mean it’s not just an asian thing cos the guys at work talk endlessly about football, as though they are experts (most are thick generally, but that’s another topic).
Excusez-Moi! for the spelling mistakes I wrote it in a hurry and some keys of my Laptop are Kaputt
Sana
more than sport, cricket is a game. At least men don’t waste time in discussing about trivial things in life like nail polish, lipstick, mascara, artificial nails, eyelashes, facial creams, airbrushing blady blah and daady daah and women not only talk endlessly about these things but, they actually spend hours and hours in the nails boutique, hairdressers, designer shops etc. and also in reading the fashion magazines and discussing about their vanity on these blogs, asking questions etc., etc. If you don’t do all this, it doesn’t mean others don’t do.
Varun
U should worry about the truth serum because you will be landing in my territory
Anyways, you are welcome to choose the flavour and the mode i.e., whether you like it in a drink or in the meal or thru an injection? 
.
On domestic cricket in Pakistan it is not different from Mumbai vs. other provinces so you better accept what we are saying as truth. As regards Wasim Akram, yesterday at a dinner party I was pleased to hear some similar views that I air about him. There is a guy here originally from Jhelum, Pakistan he said no one can deny Wasim Akram’s bowling capabilities, but he is the filthiest, characterless cricket player Pakistan has ever produced. He also talked about Malik and Misbah playing dirty politics and asked for kicking their assess and, most of the Punjabi crowd who were present there agreed with him.
At least when you meet people in person they don’t deny the facts or the truth and agree with you but, on certain blogs there are people who blindly support the Punjab players as if players from other provinces are trash and they are filled in on a quota basis.
Fawad Alam interview : “I learnt a lot from Anwar”
Mumbai: Pakistan never ceased to produce talented cricketers despite the prevailing turmoil in the country. Vijay Tagore speaks to Fawad Alam, the latest sensation, who scored a brilliant century on Test debut against Sri Lanka last week
You started the Test career with a bang. You are the first Pakistani to hit century on debut overseas.
It was first Test and there was a lot of excitement. I was getting to play my first Test after being with the side for nearly two years. The excitement was unbearable and I was in no mood to let go this opportunity. The team was in trouble early on. I wanted to rescue the team. The century happened that way.
What do you think is your strong point?
The strong point for any player is his mind, temperament. For me that was the key. I was all charged up for my first big match.
How have you managed to adjust to Test cricket so well? You were known to be an ODI and T20 specialist?
It was not difficult. It is all in the mind. The difficult part is to get into the side. I focus on the basics and requirements of the format. The key factor for me was to do well for my team. Of course, one must perform to stay in the team.
Tell us about the stand with Younus Khan.
It was a big factor. Nothing is more comforting for a cricketer than the captain’s faith in his ability. The job becomes that much more easy. There would be no fear of failure. I did not have it. Younus bhai had told me long back that I would be playing Test cricket. It was Allah’s decree that Younus Khan himself became the means for my entry into Tests cricket.
How come Pakistan is able to produce so many talented cricketers so regularly?
All Pakistan cricketers are naturally talented. The players put in a lot of hard work. The domestic cricket is robust in our country and we get to play with a lot of seniors and star players at the domestic level. For me, it was easy because my father was a good cricketer himself. I used to go with my father to play cricket and it was a big advantage for me.
Have you moulded yourself on any particular cricket?
Yes. Saeed Anwar was my idol. I started idolising him since my U-15 days. It happened so that when I was in Pakistan team camp, Saeed Anwar was the batting coach. Getting tips from him was extremely important for me. I still consult him whenever I face any difficulty. It makes a difference for a cricketer to be coached by his idol. Being a left-hander I could not look beyond Anwar. I can say Brian Lara is my next favourite.
You had been to India in 2007. How was the experience?
It was very good although we did not do well in that series. I played an ODI in Jaipur and scored 32 runs.
Do you have any friends in Indian team?
All of them are my friends, although no particular player who I can say is my best buddy. Off the field we get along very well. They all are superstars.
How did your team suffer two collapses in two Tests?
Highs and lows are common in cricket. We had two good sessions but they had one very good session. The bottomline is Sri Lanka played very well. They were the better side in the two Tests. We now want to end the Test series on a winning note by doing well in third Test so that we go into the ODIs and T20 matches on a high.
There were reports of groupism…
That’s rubbish. We are committed and united. Winning and losing are part of the game. We want to correct our mistakes of the first two Tests in the rest of the series.
BREAKING NEWS
According to Express News, Butt will replace Khurram Manzoor and the management might decide to replace Malik with Faisal Iqbal.
khansahab
from where do you get this so-called “breaking news”? There was nothing wrong in Khurram Manzoor’s innings he played with Fawad Alam in the second innings, a partnership of 85 is still the highest opening partnership of the series from both sides. So, dumping Manzoor for a Butt Load of Shit is a shitty decision.
If they really do replace Manzoor with Butt, then one can really be pissed off by such decisions. This is nepotism, jingoism and regionalism at its peak. Get rid of Malik and Misbah and get Faisal Iqbal and Abdul Razzaq in the team.
There are rumours that now all these crooks (if Butt plays tomorrow, he too) like, Malik, Misbah and Akmal will play well in the 3rd test and that is how they are going to retain their place in the playing XI. At the same time someone else was saying “I can bet on anything, Pakistan will still lose the 3rd test.”
The point to be noted is Murali is playing and he is equivalent to two bowlers in the team. Especially, in his own backyard he is a “Doosra Player.”
Javed A Khan
The breaking news was mentioned on a Pakistani cricket forum, which I consider reliable. However the source itself, Express News, is not considered very reliable. Malik is likely to play.
Javed – not ALL females are like that (rolls eyes).
With Chaminda Vaas and Murali back in the side, the Sri Lankan bowling is even better than before and Pakistan has not yet announced which of the rogue player is playing and which one is dropped?
Khansahab, yeah we all know Malik will play because he has inherited a spot in the Pakistan playing XI because of his Senator uncle and his girayeen bandhi with Ijaz Butt & Co., i.e., Inti Alam and Yawar Saeed.
My favourite batsmen, whichever order – there is no merit – for me all of them are a treat to watch, you never get bored watching them play and they are:
Kevin Pietersen
Ricky Ponting
M. J. Clarke
Shahid Afridi
Yuvraj Singh
Ross Taylor
Chris Gayle
Jayasuriya
In the past:
Brian Lara
Viv Richards
Saeed Anwar
LOL whoever said Malik and Misbah will be dropped?
Waqar has just said that Butt and Razzaq should have played in this match.
I don’t see how Manzoor could have been dropped in any match. I don’t like Manzoor’s technique, but to drop him after the first Test would have been harsh and to drop him after the 2nd Test would have been unfair, because he scored 38. For a Pakistani opener, it’s a decent score.
Also Waqar didn’t say who Razzaq should have replaced?
Javed Khan …
Did you miss Javed Miandad or he is not among your favourites ?
The commentators are praising Vaas now, but I don’t think Vaas looks in good bowling form. He is too wayward. Sri Lanka have won the series so they are playing Vaas only to honour him.
To me he was kind of like Mushtaq Ahmed; talented, good on his day but I won’t call him a great bowler.
Manzoor is looking very edgy. He has serious problems playing swing.
Just as I am typing this, Fawad Alam has been dismissed. He looked overconfident today. He needs to keep calm and play like he was playing in the 2nd Test.
I didn’t expect this from Younis. What irresponsible batting.
Munir
My choice of players are those who score fast and play big strokes and entertain. Miandad, Inzamam, Yousuf, Tendulkar, Dravid etc., are very good players, they are in their own class but, those are not in my list of entertainers. I may have included Sehwag in that list, but his footwork is zero, somehow his style is not that appealing to me. The best footwork I have seen is from Brian Lara and he has style too. Even M J Clarke has excellent footwork, he goes forward a long way and suddenly withdraws and goes on back foot and cracks a shot, like Inzama used to have a lot of time to play his shots Clarke too has a lot of time. Anyways, this is my personal choice of batsmen there is nothing against others.
Two wickets in one over? Wow that is Pakistan batting. Now, that Fawad Alam is out cheaply they will talk about his technique and his shuffling at the wicket and blah, blah.
Younus dragged the ball on to his wicket……. well its more of a bad luck than irresponsible shot.
So basically there is no change in batting line up, in fact a bowler (Rauf) who could have added a few runs is replaced by Danish Kaneria. He better punch Kamran Akmal in the dressing room before he bowls on the field. Because, Akmal is the culprit who ruined his career by dropping so many catches off his bowling and then saying, “Wail Done Danny Buoy” or Koi baat nia, Koi baat nai.
Javed A Khan
Fawad didn’t shuffle today- he was just too eager to poke balls outside his off stump. He played a nothing shot to Thushara. It reminded me of how Butt used to be dismissed a lot when he started- just a vague poke at the ball without any great footwork or application.
Younis started attacking right from the first ball. I don’t think there was much point in playing that loose cut shot on that delivery. Anyhow he got an inside edge, unlucky.
So, Pakistan is “Under Pressure Kay Dabao May.” Mohammad Younus 0 runs in 9 balls. If he goes into his shell he won’t be able to survive long, he should at least take singles to keep the score board ticking.
I wonder what would happen had Malik and Misbah been batting in the top 4 positions? Their averages would have been around 5.
Today Malik and Misbah will have to make some kind of contribution.
The problem is that in this Test, Pakistan is lacking a third seamer who could have been very useful on this track.
I think it is too early to judge Fawad Alam at the opening position unless he plays 5-6 Tests.
Hi Guys,
So it seems no one is sleeping
Yes, Pakistan is at least ‘consistent’ in this series. Consistent in Collapsing !!
With Kaneria in for Rauf, it ‘may’ help us with bowling to some possible extent, but I agree with Javed Khan that Rauf could have scored a few useful runs with bat. One thing our stupid management does not understand here is that, so far in the series, we are FAILING in our batting department and our bowling is doing an ok job as the bowlers are not allowing Sri Lankan batsmen to make any big scores. So meddling with our bowling lineup will not help us as much as batting and thus we needed changes in our pathetic batting line specially the middle order (Malik & Misbah), but they did not change anyone there.
In fact, our batting (which have collapsed 3 times in four innings of first 2 Tests) have technically become weaker in this third test when compared with our earlier batting lineup.
Wah Kiya Scene Hai !!
LOL @
- “Wail Done Danny Buoy” or Koi baat nia, Koi baat nai. I wonder how a bowler must be feeling when Kamran Akmal, after dropping a catch, always says “Koi Baat Nahin, Koi Baat Nahin”.
- “Under Pressure Kay Dabao May.”
Despite his shoddy technique, Manzoor has a knack of scoring in the 30s.
That is why temperament is so important. In Pakistan people talk too much about technique and too little about temperament. Batting is a combination of technique and temperament.
What is the point of having good footwork, confident stance etc if you keep hitting the ball in the air and get caught? The first match I saw Manzoor play, I said he can last longer than most other openers.
I would still not call him an ideal opener, but he is better than Farhat, Imran Nazir and the like. A lot of people were upset at Manzoor playing instead of Butt, but in my view Manzoor is better on seaming tracks.
At the toss…
Younis calls and loses. Sri Lanka will bowl. Vaas comes in for Mendis – a four-seam attack for the hosts. “We’ve got a lot of pride at stake here”, says Sangakkara though the quote is more pertinent to the Pakistanis. Not a surprising call by Sanga in these overcast conditions. “I would have batted anyway,” says Younis. Wears a cheerful, confident look as ever. “If we don’t collapse, we should do well,” he remarks. Wise words. Pakistan have made one change, Kaneria comes in for Rauf.
Younis as cheerful as ever
I’ve just realised something. I was watching the fall of wickets, and saw Fawad Alam’s dismissal. The delivery he got was perfect length and it was the perfect outswinger to the left hander. But I criticised him fully for it when I commented on his dismissal a few comments ago- I didn’t say that he got out on a good ball, or whatever, like how Malik’s supporters were supporting Malik when Malik got out in the last Test, saying it was a peach of a delivery or whatever.
You have to observe these things to see who is biased and who is not.
Mohammed Yousuf reaches his 50 in style and he took a special fancy toward Herath today
As 23 runs of his total of 50 (being 46% of his total score so far) have come off Mr. Herath, and Yousuf scored 23 runs off Herath’s 32 balls that he faced at a strike rate of 71.87.
He made his statement … What a player, WHAT A PLAYER !!
A good Test for Pakistan so far. Manzoor has played very well, despite his strange technique. All those who wanted Butt to play instead of Manzoor must now be very embarrassed.
If Manzoor can keep amassing runs, I don’t see why he should not play ODI’s, too. He is slow, I agree but once he can score 30-35 he can start going for his shots. He has three 50’s in 7 ODI’s, it’s strange why he does not get more chances in ODI’s. His fifties have come against Zimbabwe, West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Varun
Good ideas there about Pakistan cricket. It is heartening to see you understand the situation so well.
Congrats on the new job. Hopefully it will bring you plenty of success and prosperity!
Where in Canada will you be working?
Varun Suri …
Congratulations for finding a new job and hope to see you on LS more often.
Being an Indian, I guess you have the best insight of the Pakistan Cricket, and all your points were well received. You have mentioned a few really valuable suggestions and I must say that reading LS frequently
as well as coming from India (having similar domestic conditions as Pakistan), you understand the problems of Pakistan Cricket so well.
Good luck with your new job, and take care about that truth-serum in Canada
BTW, everyone is not so lucky to feast on Javed’s cookings, those are a few lucky guys or gals 
Disappointing stuff from Manzoor. But he still played his part. In the end, a good knock of 93 under pressure- it wasn’t easy to score runs when pace bowling at the start was very good and Alam and Younis had been dismissed cheaply.
Too bad … after such a good innings, Khurram Manzoor departed and could not reach his ‘would-be’ maiden Test Century.
Anyways, I think, he played a very good and a useful knock and may be it is a time for us to get permanent rid of Salman ‘nikki’ Butt
I hope it’s not time for another COLLAPSE for Pakistan
I was surprised to see that Gambhir is No 1 in the ICC Test rankings. I expected him to be in the top 10, but didn’t realise he had progressed so much.
I was not in favour of dropping Gambhir and picking Jaffer a few years ago, when the latter had benefited from an excellent domestic season. I thought the selectors had been slightly unfair with Gambhir. But then he made his return and he has been phenomenal.
The best thing about his batting is that he can bat aggressively and defensively with equal expertise. He is evolving into a complete batsman and I feel he will finish his career as a great.
BTW, where is “ABDUL” these days ??
Oh yes, where is “THEOSSA” too ??
I hope they are not both having a ‘romantic’ holiday somewhere in a jungle.
WTF happened there?
Did Misbah run Yousuf out?
The new ball isn’t due for 17 overs. It is ample time for Malik to make a 50 in easy batting conditions and cement his place for 6 months.
Yousuf normally runs himself out and his partners more times than Inzi ever did. His judgment is pretty bad running between the wickets. Very poor way to get out. Shame!
khansahab
Yeah it was a conspiracy, so that Misbah and Malik can play good knocks together, take all laurels and cement their places
Awas
You understand the situation so very well
You should write a book on it!
On a serious note, Malik has played a couple of good shots.
There, Waqar said it. Mohammad Yousuf has himself to blame for the run out….
I said on first instinct that it might me Misbah because I couldn’t imagine Yousuf would be going for that run in the 90’s.
khansahab
When I retire, I will write a book of controversies…
khansahab
But…isn’t Waqar jingoistic too like Wasim or is he less so?
Awas
Regarding the Yousuf run out point, jingoism doesn’t matter because both Misbah and Yousuf are Punjabis.
I think Waqar is biased sometimes, but generally he seems like a nice guy. Wasim is biased, but I find Ramiz the most biased. So Waqar is the least biased of them all. If his English was good, he would be a top commentator. He is very genuine, has a good sense of humour and he also comments a lot about other teams.
khansahab
I agree with you here. I have always liked Waqar’s commentary more than the other two chaps despite his bloopers like Butts, Unddas and A Room. Funny though they are but I never got bothered with them and in fact I have defended him on his bloopers when he was being heavily jested in the past because he is a likeable chap nevertheless.
Malik lucky to be dropped on 21 by Dilshan.
khansahab
On that run out point the fact of the matter is that it is for the batsman to judge whether there is a run or not, no matter what the other player’s ulterior motive may have been. On the second run Yousuf could have stayed his ground on that misfiled/overthrow. As a well set batsman in 90’s he didn’t have to take that risk. Besides, he was in the crease for much longer than a new coming batsman to be in a position to judge better whether there was an easy run or not. So, I agree with Waqar that “Mohammad Yousuf has himself to blame for the run out”.
I don’t know how to check but it would be interesting to see as my hunch is that Yousuf’s run out record is worse than Inzi’s even though Inzi is more notorious for this.
Khansahab …
There are ‘chances’ all around … drop catches, missed run-out, appeals, etc.
Both these are born lucky, and born unlucky for Pakistan
Following are the excerpts from Fawad Alam’s interview after he scored 168 runs in his first ever Test Match. These words are worth their weight in gold, specially so, for any new comers who are trying to break the ceiling and make their presence felt. These words are such motivational stuff and every young cricketer should remember and try to learn from it:
“When young I used to watch Younis bhai, Yousuf bhai, Shahid bhai play. They are such big players, it was enough to be with them.”
“The coach and captain called me to their room on the eve of the match. They told me they were not playing a gambit here, they had faith in me. This is not a sacrifice. If a man dreams of doing something – and more than me it was my father’s dream to see me wearing a Test cap – he should be prepared for everything.”
Tapping the side of his head with his left index finger, he explained: “It’s all here. If you are strong here, you can play anywhere.”
“He (Younis Khan) told me he knew I would do well. When the captain is taking so much interest in you, you also feel you must have something.”
“If you want something so badly, you have worked towards it with complete honesty, you eventually get it,”
“I can’t think negative. I don’t have doubts.”
Marvelous, absolutely Marvelous !!
Munir
If they are getting lucky…good for Pakistan.
Nothing players have woken up from slumber in a lost cause. Go Malik & Misbah go
Typical Shoaib Malik innings. He made only 11 runs after the new ball was taken. Another Test knock where he was unable to make 50 and was unable to handle the new ball.
Plus the worst thing is, this knock of 45 will keep him in the team for a while.
Yeah “Go back home”
BTW, I said ‘lucky’ for them and ‘unlucky’ for Pakistan, that is what they both are, really “UNLUCKY” for Pakistan.
England won …… So, ‘Mubaarkaan’ to Khansahab and Awas
I am more happy for Australia’s defeat than England’s win
I am phhully tay totally agree with Khansahab on the Malak issue.
Why the F…. they always have to get out in pairs
Malik out for 45 and hope for good and his mate Misbah followed him soon after. What are friends for?
I think now that Yousuf is back, either he should be made VC or even better Afridi. So, no one can say a vice-captain has been dropped.
Munir
In Australia’s second innings, at least three of their top players were given out yesterday when they were not out. I haven’t seen what happened today.
Misbah only made 7 runs after the new ball was taken.
Malik only made 11 runs after the new ball was taken.
If they have a problem playing the new ball why are they automatic selections? Faisal Iqbal should have replaced Malik and Razzaq should have replaced Misbah.
Three wickets in two overs. The “collapse” that Younus feared has started again. I was hoping for 400.
Younis Khan and Wasim Bari should develop some balls and drop Malik and Misbah for the ODI series. They are nothing players, they are plaguing the middle order which was once Pakistan’s strength.
khansahab
Faisal Iqbal and Razzaq may have been a short term solution for this match but Razzaq, even though he has impressed occasionally, is definitely not a test class batsman although good for shorter versions of the game. Faisal Iqbal looked promising but has never really impressed either apart from one or two knocks in the subcontinent. They really need to invest in future. There must be some solid batsmen in the domestic circuit.
Well Younus did put Malik and Misbah on notice, so I hope this is it.
Sohail quits as academy director
Aamer Sohail has quit as director of Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy (NCA). The former Pakistan captain and opener cited personal reasons for his resignation, with differences with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt thought to be at the root of the problem.
“I can confirm that I have decided to resign from the post of director of the National Cricket Academy and game development with immediate effect,” Sohail told Pakpassion.net. “I have resigned due to personal reasons as I wasn’t enjoying the job any longer and getting any sort of job satisfaction out of the role.”
Sohail, who was appointed to the post in November last year replacing Mudassar Nazar, played 47 Tests and scored 2823 runs at 35.28, along with 4780 runs from 156 ODIs at 31.86. His decision to quit comes a month after chief selector Abdul Qadir put in his papers because of differences with the board’s top brass.
Earlier this year, Javed Miandad resigned as PCB’s director general due to differences about the exact scope of his work. However, Miandad was back at his post a few weeks later after a meeting with Butt.
——————————————-
I hope all these former cricketers resign and become coaches.
Awas
I totally agree. Actually I now have a problem with this label of “specialist” because Misbah and Malik, the specialists, are of no use. They need to get fighters, people who will be willing to bat on any position and people who will look like they are fighting to perform for the team and the country.
Malik certainly does not deserve a place in the middle order. What people don’t realise is that Misbah’s failure has made Malik look weaker. During Inzamam’s time, the middle order of Younis, Yousuf, Inzamam and Malik was relatively stronger. Now after Inzamam’s departure Misbah has come, and he looks out of place in Tests. That has made the batting order very vulnerable.
This is unsporting conduct by Inti Alam.
http://www.cricinfo.com/slvpak2009/content/current/story/415344.html
He is blaming the 2nd new ball replacement for his team’s collapse. The Lankans play the game with good spirit and this will leave a bad taste in their mouths.
This is how low Alam will get. Instead of blaming Malik and Misbah he will blame other factors.
I think we have seen enough of Malik’s 20s and 40s, and no one 45 is going to change it. In test matches, once the player gets set, he has to be “able” to score big. This is why Malik isn’t and can never be a genuine batsman. When a good player gets set, the saying goes that he see’s the ball like a football and it is impossible to get him out, barring a lapse of concentration or a genuine wicket-taking ball. What Malik repeatedly shows is that he simply doesn’t have the eye to be able to do that, and at 40, he is the same as he is on 10 or 20.
It is unfortunate that Mohd Yousof got run-out again, as he did when he made a 100 in the first test. It should also be noted that on the other end, it was once Malik and now it was Misbah. I wouldn’t put it past them to try to reistrict Yousof this way, as this way the gap between Yousof and them is narrowed (although it still is humongous).
I am tired of arguing of the demerits of selecting Malik as a player. Here is not a Tendulkar or a Saeed Anwar causing bad team spirit and division in the team, here is a player who never, ever deserved to be there in the first place. A player of this calibre wouldn’t make it in any other test side (barring Bangladesh). We want to beat Australia one day, we want to think that we can beat South Africa and India, too, but can we imagine players of the calibre of Malik and Misbah playing in any of those teams? And, despite their mediocrity, can we imagine them causing bad team spirit in any of those teams?
If we can’t play genuine batsmen in the middle order, how do we ever expect to compete with the top teams. What we are basically doing is that, this way we are putting a lid on our potential, the height of our potential will be to beat New Zealand, West Indies, and Bangladesh. And, that will be the height of our potential, which wouldn’t always mean that we will always beat them. By selecting genuine players, and 7 batsmen rather than 5 or 4, we can raise our potential: In percentages, out of these 7 batsmen 1 or 2 will play, when on form, and set up or win a match against any opposition. However, as it is, if Mohd Yousof’s or Younis Khan’s form dips for a series, there is no way Pakistan can win: Malik and Misbah can potentially make 40 but that will never win or save a match. Imagine 7 Younis Khan’s and Mohd Yousof’s playing against Aus: One or two might lack concentration on the day, 1 or 2 might get good balls, but in percentages one or two will always play a big innings. This way Pakistan will be competitive in the long-run. However, as it is, we rely on only 1 or 2 players to win a match, and a dip in form, a good ball, or a lapse of concentration can mean that Pakistan gets all out on 50 and the there is no match, no competition.
This is what I mean of grooming new players under Yousof and Younis before they retire. Khurram Manzoor said,
“”This is the first time I’ve played with Yousuf he encouraged and supported me talking between overs,” Manzoor said. “I enjoyed batting with him. As a senior player he did a good job to ensure that I was comfortable in the middle.”
Manzoor has played a decent knock and surely deserves a longer run now.
Sehwag as a player doesn’t need the orthodox technique, neither did Ghilcrist, Jaysuriya, and many others. However, every player needs ‘a’ technique. Inzamam and Yousof both have an exagerrated shuffle. The point I am making is that there is a difference between “orthodox”, textbook technique and other forms of technique. Many a batsmen have survived without the orthodox technique because they had formed defense in their own unique ways. If a batsman has a clear weakness in that, he can’t defend against the moving ball or the bouncer, then he has a problem. However, the point of technique is to have some form of defense to be able to consistently negotiate the good or moving balls, and to be able to hit the bad balls. For instance, Sehwag’s defense to negotiate the good balls is to attack them and, by killing the bowler’s confidence, make him bowl bad balls. So, all in all, I’d say, if Manzoor can show, with a fair degree of consistency, some sort of defense, even in his unique way, against the short ball and the moving ball, then he can come good as an opener for Pakistan. As of now, it is too early to say…but the point that I am making is not to get preoccupied with orthodox technique and hold the purpose of the technique, a sound defense which can fairly consistently engage the good balls, secondary.
Omer
Ramiz Raja should have explained what he meant by Pakistan needing wholesale changes. I think he was too scared to speak his mind.
They don’t realise they will kill cricket in the country. Already Pakistan cricket is being marginalised across the world. If they self destruct using flawed strategies then who else is there to blame?
Fawad Alam’s century is a blessing in many ways. I think it has shown that there ARE certain players who can play out of their skins. He played for more than personal glory. There was something else there. That should be seen in more players. I don’t understand why they can’t pick more players like that.
The problem is one of mindset. If a player likes to hit fours and sixes he is somehow automatically preferred to open.
I don’t think this 45 by Malik means anything. He was dropped on 21. He played a few risky shots because he wanted to prove a point that he deserves a place in the side. He got lucky on a few occasions. The worst thing was he fell against the new ball. In my opinion he has never been in such bad form in the past 3-4 years. I have seen him play the new ball- he was never so defenceless.
Aamer Sohail generally speaks nonsense, but he was very right when he said recently that Pakistan is failing because new ball bowlers are not being introduced in the domestic circuit. Not only does that mean that the likes of Gul, Tanvir and Rauf are not as effective with the new ball, it also means that Pakistani batsmen will struggle against the new ball, because they have no domestic exposure to it.
Some people may already declare this team to have no substance. In my opinion Pakistan is just slightly better than New Zealand and West Indies. That also, only because of Younis and Yousuf. Gul is OK with the new ball, but he is not a bowler who can rip through a batting order with the new ball. I think he has only done that a few times in his career. He is much better when the ball is 30-40 overs old.
People don’t realise that under Inzamam Pakistan had a similar team and did not have consistent openers, but it was placed around no 4 or 5 in the world. Pakistan is blessed with the likes of Younis and Yousuf who are capable enough to build an innings after the openers have fallen cheaply. The problem is, what happens when they get out? After that there is no player who can fight and build a good score consistently.
Basically this means we expect Younis and Yousuf to make 50s every innings, which is not humanly possible. Someone else has to have the ability to score 75 when they get out cheaply.
Khansahab
I am agree with you on all points (especially on Fawad Alam), except that Malik was once good against the moving ball.
I have been seeing him play for the last 6, 7 years and, if the ball is slightly moving a bit or is a bit too fast, Malik always looked totally out of sorts. His averages in England, NZ, and Aus are testament to that. The only teams he did well against were India and Sri Lanka, and that was in a period that there was great dearth of fast bowling in the world. SA’s Steyn, India’s Sharma, the new Zaheer Khan, Kulasekra are fairly recent developments, and when Malik was playing against India and scoring, it was on flat tracks against the likes of Balaji. But don’t expect this to last long, as India has a better bowling attack now and Sri Lanka has a better pace attack now. The other thing is that he comes 6-down, so it is a matter of luck for him. If he comes well before the second-new ball, aroun the 40-th over, he can make 40-odd runs, as no shine from the first new ball remains. But can you envision him playing a decent knock against Steyn, Jhonson, Zaheer Khan, and the like? I really doubt it, at this point Kulasekra is proving really tough.
Khansahab
Jhonson is certainly a better batsman than Malik (He has played in tough conditions against the moving ball, with the tail, against Steyn, Ntini, and now in England). But just look at the Australian thought-process, his form has dipped in bowling for the last two matches, and he is facing the axe. Because Australians don’t seek nothing players (which Jhonson certainly isn’t), and they have also shown the door to Mcdonald (who was a nothing player albeit a much better nothing player than Malik). To compete against the best, Pakistan will have to acquire a similar thought process of selecting or seeking to select 11 genuine matchwinners within their own context: to select younger players who show promise or to select older players who have consistently shown promise. All the nothing players in between like Malik and Misbah must go. We can certainly learn from others’ finer points.
“Johnson left sweating on place
Alex Brown at Lord’s
July 20, 2009
Text size: A | A
Mitchell Johnson hit 63 in the second innings, but it couldn’t make up for an awful bowling display © Getty Images
Related Links
Players/Officials: Stuart Clark | Andrew Flintoff | Mitchell Johnson | Brett Lee | Ricky Ponting
Matches: England v Australia at Lord’s
Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of England and Scotland
Teams: Australia
The contrast could not be more stark. Andrew Flintoff, England’s marquee all-rounder and emerging pace spearhead, claimed 6 for 119 and man-of-the-match honours from 39 high velocity overs, highlighted by a second innings haul of 5 for 92 from 27 overs, the last ten of which were delivered without respite on the final day. A Herculean performance, and one worthy of recognition on the Lord’s honours board.
Mitchell Johnson, Australia’s emerging all-rounder and marquee pace spearhead, bowled just two fewer deliveries than Flintoff in the second Test, albeit for the somewhat less flattering figures of 3 for 200. His 0 for 68 in the second innings was marked by short, ineffective spells and slumped shoulders. As the boundaries mounted and the economy rate soared, one wondered whether he wanted the ball thrown his way at all.
In two otherwise evenly-matched teams, the contrasting fortunes of the respective all-rounders proved the major difference at Lord’s. While their batting efforts were remarkably similar – Johnson averaged 33.5 for the match, Flintoff 34 – the demeanour, application and general effectiveness of their bowling performances were night and day.
Flintoff’s indefatigable efforts proved an inspiration to team-mates, and England’s major task going forward will be to maintain his physical condition for the final three Tests of the series, and his career. Johnson, on the other hand, served only to deflate the Australians with his misfiring spells and submissive body language. Stick or twist? That is the question now confronting the tourists looking ahead to Edgbaston and beyond.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Ricky Ponting sought to ease the mounting pressure on Johnson, but stopped short of confirming his place in the side for the third Test. Aware of the gaping chasm that currently exists between Johnson’s dire form and his match-winning potential, Ponting all but deferred decisions on the all-rounder’s selection future until after the tour match against Northamptonshire, beginning on Friday.
“[Bowling coach] Troy [Cooley] is obviously working really closely with him,” Ponting said. “What you don’t want to do with young-ish blokes – Mitch has only played 20-odd Tests and is still pretty new to the game and pretty new to fast bowling – is to fill their heads full of too much and have him thinking of too many things all the time. I’ve been there as a batter, and the more information sometimes you can get into your head the harder it makes everything.
“We have to be careful of the way we manage him over the next little bit. He’s up for the challenge. He’s continually trying to make himself better in all aspects of his game. He’ll continue to do that this week. Hopefully we see some improvement from him in Northampton, if he does happen to play that game. It would be great to see him get a bit more confidence and a bit more rhythm than he’s got at the moment.”
Seldom has a tour match taken on such importance. Following a defeat at Lord’s that exposed fundamental flaws in both batting and bowling, Australia’s three-day game at Wantage Road will presumably go far to determining their selection and tactical course for the remaining three Ashes Tests.
Chief among their concerns is Johnson who, if his current malaise persists, cannot be entrusted with the new ball duties in Birmingham or beyond. A like-for-like swap with Brett Lee appears the least painful solution, but given that Lee has yet to bowl since suffering a side strain during the England Lions tour match, such a move would represent a considerable gamble.
A reconfigured attack featuring Stuart Clark, the destroyer of England two years ago, will also enter the thinking of Ponting and on-duty selector Jamie Cox, however Johnson’s performance against Northamptonshire will go far to determining his own path, and that of the team, for the final three Tests.
“Of course I can see him playing [at Edgbaston]. With him, it was only a couple of games ago that he was bowling as well as anyone going around. There was a lot of talk about Mitchell Johnson arriving here and everyone wanting to see him bowl and see him bat. That was only a couple of weeks ago. It’s not as if he’s lost everything he’s ever had. He’ll work hard over the next ten days to give himself the best chance to keep improving.
“We haven’t spoken about changes as yet. Over the next couple of days we’ll sit together and talk about first of all the make-up of the team for Northampton and what we need from certain guys out of that game for selection for the third Test. I don’t think there’ll be drastic changes to our set-up. It was only a week ago that we dominated the Test match as well. We shouldn’t forget that, and it’s important that all the players don’t forget that. That’s what we’ve got ahead of us over the next ten days.”
If the senior officials of the PCB administrations, the former test players of Pakistan like Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir and now Aamir Sohail have resigned because of differences between them and the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, it means something and people who appoint the PCB chairman must open their eyes and see what the problem is?
If people like Ijaz Butt and Intekhab Alam think that the T20 WC was won because of them or during their tenure and they have the right to stay there as long as they wish, then they are sadly mistaken. It is very ironic that no one is paying any attention to Ijaz Butt’s traveling all over the world on the PCB account and spending money like it is no body’s business and on top of that his contribution to the game is absolutely negative, he should be sacked with effect from yesterday.
Intekhab Alam was reportedly boasting that when he was the coach-cum-manager at the 1992 WC in Australia, the team had won and now also because of him the team had won. In Pakistan the horse chariot or Tonga owners attach a mule (Khacchar) along with the horse to train the mule as well as to release some burden and it is called “Pukh.” Intekhab Alam should know his place and his role. – He is a Pukh.
I’ve watched the Ashes 2nd test, especially Andrew Flintoff’s bowling in the second innings was incredible, he bowled with a lot of force, speed and accuracy and he went on bowling without a break. He looks big chested, broad shoulders, tall man but not even for a moment he was seen huffing and puffing like SHOAIB ACTOR. I don’t remember the Actor bowling more than 6 overs at a stretch in any match. And, I don’t remember him completing his quota of 10 overs in any ODI not at least for the last 6 years. And, even in T20 he seldom completed 4 overs, because he was thrashed so much (43 in 3 overs) that the captain had to remove him. He is a spent force, a dramay baaz, jhoota insaan and he should not be considered even for domestic matches. PERIOD.
Javed,
Yes you are right and one is definately the king of his den/jungle but the point is that there are more reasons for me to give you a truth serum and nikal-wao the sach! than you to me because after all i am a aam-aadmi and my knowledge is only limited to what is printed in the leading dailies so i have no secrets and my life is like an open-book
) and since you are elder than me and much more travelled you certainly have more experience and knowledge about certain things which might not be feasible to share on a public forum!!!
Anyways, I have never hesitated from trying mind-altering substances just for the experience of it, so i have no issues in trying out the truth serum and experience the effect, Well as you know now that i am in Holland instead of eating, drinking or injecting it i would rather prefer to roll it up and smoke it if it is going to effect the same way!
KhansahEb,
I will continue to be based in Holland only the company is from Kanayda.
Munir,
Yes sometimes i feel i am stalking this website. Something’s addictive about it. Also sometimes i am the lone fighter and i enjoy that position!
Jabse Job gayi aur T-20 mein jo hua uske baad kisi tarah mein Chess ka addict ho gaya aur ab kabhi kabhi normal life main bhi Chess ke Funde Ghusane ki Koshish karta rehta hoon!!
I don’t know if anyone really plays or follows Chess here but that is my latest obsession so much so that i might start a Chess-blog just to update my notes about the amount of Theories&Principles people have come up for those 64 Black and White squares…
More laterss.
Varun
When you come to Canada from Netherlands, make sure you don’t travel by KLM they have a knack of losing the luggage. Last week a Dutch friend of mine along with is Dutch girl friend landed here without their luggage and were hoping and waiting that it will arrive by the next flight, it was left behind in Amsterdam by the KLM people. They kept saying, it is coming, it is coming and three days later they confirmed, “Sir your baggage is lost.” The girl was literally crying because from here they were starting 3 weeks vacation in Canada and the USA and without their clothes and everything else in those suitcases, it is quite a hassle.
So, what time frame are you talking about? I mean when and in which month you plan to visit here?
Asif, Veena tie the knot
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
News Desk
RAWALPINDI: Cricketer Muhammad Asif and actress Veena Malik entered wedlock in London recently.
According to reliable sources, the wedding took place on May 28. Veena Malik had left for London with Asif while wearing a burqa from the Islamabad airport. Asif gave Veena a car as a gift on her birthday, while Veena bore Asif’s expenses including the fee of the lawyers he had hired in connection with cases relating to his cricketing career.
It is divulged that Asif had assured Veena that he would make public their marriage on his return to the national cricket team in September. It may be noted that Veena Malik has ended her interaction with the press following the revelation of this news.
Asaf has married Veena Malak. I wonder what Veena found in him? Veena is not a very established or dignified actress herself, but I thought she deserves better.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U8H-Q8k-jK8/SLZ3aQkaeKI/AAAAAAAAAHA/-APJtovaQog/s400/765px-Veena_Malik_at_the_red_carpet_event_for_the_Lux_Style_Awards.jpg
LOL @ Asaf & Veena wedlock
Now, wait for the news that one day they will be separated because, this is a marriage of convenience and for publicity and for getting famous. Asaf’s marriage will be as short as his cricket career. He is a Paindoo of Machikay and knows nothing now he has married this so-called actresses.
I am wondering how Shoaib ACTOR would be responding to this news?
Khansahab …
Yes you are right there, it seems Malik is really having big problems playing new-balls, he likes old-balls
Jokes apart, it shows that as if Malik was in a hurry while batting and he wanted to score as much as possible before the new ball was due and this is what exactly happened. Almost the same goes for Misbah, and the tragedy is that these two are considered as our middle-order specialist batsmen. What a shame !!
On the other hand, regarding Asif and Veena’s ‘marriage of convenience’ … Well, the question is not ‘what Veena found in him’, rather the all important question is what Asif is gonna find in Veena ?
BTW, this girl Veena was good on that funny TV program, about our politicians and the politics in Pakistan, called, “Hum Sab Umeed Say Hain”. She is no more with them, and is replaced by someone else.
Awas …
I agree with you that Australia was a bit unlucky with a few doubtful decisions going against them but at the same time just see the spirit and positive thinking with which Ricky Ponting is taking these things. In the post-match presentation, he said the following about those umpiring glitches:
“It’s all irrelevant. We’ve been beaten by over 100 runs in a Test”. He says Australia can only focus on what they can do to improve. “I’m pretty proud of the way we fought the game out”.
This is positive thinking and not the one where our coach is pointing to ball-changes rather then blaming his two star batsmen, Malik & Misbah.
Varun …
Great to know that you like chess too … this is nice.
This game was invested in India and now a days there are two main versions, the Indian Chess, which is mostly played in India/ Asia and the more accepted and slightly changed International Version, which is slightly modified to have more result in the games and less draws.
I not only play chess since my very young age, but I have followed it for some time with remembering the names of well known Grand Masters, and reading s few interesting beginners’ books on chess. These days, I am not very active with it, but I play ok, not the best but so so. In chess my only problem is I am not good at being patient and I quickly want to make my moves and get over with it, which sometime is not the best one. (more like Afridi style)
Rather then the normal game, I am better at ‘Rapid Chess’, which is again a slightly changed and faster version of the game (like ODIs in Cricket) where one have less time and have to make his moves quickly. In my home, two of my brothers also play well and we play at times, but most of the time I enjoy playing at my PC, Laptop, mobile phone, and even on my Blackberry. Anytime free time, that I am stuck somewhere and have to wait for longer times, like clinics, I never get bored and keep myself busy with electronic-chess.
I don’t know if any of our other fellow-bloggers on LS have the liking for this game.
My guess is that Javed, Awas and Theo ‘may’ like/ play it, whereas Khansahab and Omer seem being busy and happy with ‘other’ more interesting things
Oops … ‘invented’
Afridi for you (this is a comment form one of Afridi fan):
“I cant recall him (Kaneria) going through a batting lineup in the near past. Even his place in the side is arguable. I would say Afridi is a much better player on the basis of his bowling alone now. Forget Batting, Fielding & Charisma. Period!”
CHARISMA … Yes, sure
Pakistan is surely dropping a few catches and this will hurt …
An obviously upset Pakistani fan have to say this:
“The way Pakistanis are spilling chances reminds me if my nephew is playing cricket on PS 2 with a match level of Village. They either need a cheat code to avoid drops or a super glue, whichever works for them.”
285 & JINXED
In the 2nd innings of the 2nd test, Pakistan were 285 for 1 and, 320 all out
In the 1st innings of the 3rd test, Pakistan were 285 for 4 and, 299 all out
Do they find a GENE in the BALL? Or, is there one in their bats which makes a hole in it?
I really don’t understand this, in the first test match they had to score only 168 and they were all out on 117, from a winning situation they lost it. Even in a T20 match 168 is an achievable score. After scoring 285 for 1, one could easily assume that they could have made 500 plus but, they were all out on 320. And, when they were 285 for 4, one could have easily assumed they will make at least 400.
If they can get a lead of 100 here, because the Sri Lankans have scummed to spin and are dropping like nine pins, Kaneria got 3 wickets, most importantly the priceless wicket of Jayawardene who is the lone scorer and the only danger man left is the injured player, Dilshan.
A cat has 9 lives, Dilshan got is first one. Here is what the cricinfo guy wrote: “Saeed Ajmal to Dilshan, no run, appeal for a catch, goes for his favoured scoop, bowled on a good length on leg stump, goes off the glove and straight into the hands of the short-leg fielder who dives running to his right to pluck a good catch, Ian Gould, though, thought there was no contact with the bat, he was wrong.”
Why didn’t Ian Gould refer it to the third umpire? Things would have changed drastically with Dilshan back into the pavilion. They are assuming that he is injured and we will get him soon. But, he is such a determined fighter if he stays there with any of the tail-enders he can narrow down the lead to nothing.
For whatever reasons Murali & Mendis are not playing in this test better known to SL selectors. If they lose this test match they will be ruing their decision of not having spinners in the team except for Herath. Vaas bowled with a good economy rate and banked on his reputation, experience and past glories, but he couldn’t get wickets as much as Tushara (5) or even KulaSakeRa (3).
Dilshan is still there trying to stay with the tail but, Pakistani spinners are pinning them down. I hope Younus Khan does not pull out a rabbit out of his sleeve and ask Malik to bowl?
189/8 both spinners got 3 a piece. But, Kaneria is under-estimating Dilshan here, they have to target the weak link which is Herath and then the last guy Thushara.
Pakistan should stay focused and not allow Sri Lanka to cross 200 in order to achieve the magical lead of 100. The second step would be to reach 285 and then give SL a chance, ……………………………
As I was writing, Dilshan hammered Danish Kaneria with a huge six, earlier a four and now they have passed 200. Shucks that is so disappointing, Pakistani bowling is so predictable. And, now I see Younus Khan will replace Kaneria with another bowler, who could that be?
At 205/9 is Dilshan going to go berserk? He just got rid of his helmet, so he is showing his intent. In fact that is what both batsmen should be doing to narrow down the lead.
Q. Why did Kamran Akmal fail again? Was he genuinely out or, did he join the culprits?
Dilshan, we all know how good he is, whereas the unknow guy, Thushara made 44,30,40,54 not out in last year’s ODI series against India. So, it would be pretty frustrating for Pakistan if this last pair plays like Andy Roberts and Dereck Murray did in the 1975 first World Cup in England. The score is creeping up and the lead is narrowing down. Umar Gul has been reintroduced into the attack, the only difference between the Umar Gul of T20 and test is, here he is the most expensive bowler today!
My bad, as I was typing Dilshan smacked him for a six it is 221/9 now.
I can’t believe Kaneria has picked up 4 wickets. 3 of those 4 have been batsmen.
Pakistan has a chance to win this game. It is only the 2nd day today.
Dilshan got a second life. Even the third umpire could not see the ball deviating after taking an inside edge of the bat and ruled him not out. That is why you need the HOT SPOT technology to make sure where the ball hit?
cricinfo: “The umpires refer it, and the replays indicate, to my eyes, that the bat hits the ground and then the ball just about makes contact with the outside edge to produce the deviation…….However, the third umpire is usually referred to to verify whether a catch is taken off a bump ball. If he’s trying to find out if that actually made contact with the bat, then it’s an unprecedented decision, especially as the review system is not being employed. A bit of confusion there, the third umpire says not out. “
khansahab
Pakistan HAD a chance but, they are throwing it away. There was no need to bring in Umar Gul at this stage. I thought he would remove Kaneria after that SIX from Dilshan and bring in another spinner, instead he removed Ajmal who was bowling well. This is Younus Khan’s captaincy and I would never understand his decisions. Anyways, seems like a lead of 120 has been reduced to 50 now.
Dilshan has amassed 43 runs in 58 balls. Pakistan got complacent and is losing the initiative.
So typical of Pakistan.
I wonder if Pakistan will get a chance to bat today. There is 1 hour’s game remaining.
If Dilshan will need stitches, why are they standing there? He should retire from the innings as “hurt”. I don’t know how long they are allowed to stand there?
I thought it will prove expensive to play 2 spinners, but it has worked quite to the contrary.
An Indian guy, called Srikanth has commented the following on cricinfo:
“Dilshan is again proving his value to the Lankan team. Pakistan’s hopes of managing a sizeable lead seems to be dwindling, now that Dilshan has started attacking. A lead of even 50 will give Pakistan considerable hope, given that they have all the time in the world to bat patiently and set a respectable target. Opening worries apart, Pakistan has a strong middle order in Yousuf, Younis Khan, Misbah and Shoiab Malik with Akmal to follow. Not all have fired through the tournament though. Sad to see the Pakistani top order in shambles. High time they found a good opener who can see the new ball off.”
I don’t know what he sees and how he can say that Pakistani openers are not doing well and Pakistan has a strong middle order. Yes, it is on paper especially Misbah, Malik and Akmal.
Secondly, in the 2nd innings of the 2nd test Pakistan’s opening partnership of 85 is the highest of the tournament so far. Also, one of their openers scored 168 in that match and then the other opener went on to score 93 in the third test. It is the LATE middle order that is crashing all the time.
Just look at Dilshan he is injured and playing down the order at number 7 and still, 43* he has shifted gears from a middle order test and ODI player to an opening batsman in T20 and now a late middle order fighter batsman. Now he got another blow from Ajmal and got hit on his eyebrow which got a cut and he is bleeding. But, that is not his end, he will continue fighting.
Pakistan has lost the killer’s instinct and that ability to intimidate the tail-enders with their fast bowlers.
Javed A Khan
You are right that Pakistan has lost that killer instinct. That is why Gul is limited in what he can do at Test level. He is a good bowler, but he is not world class at Test level. At T20 level he has no match. But these things show you how different these formats are.
It will be embarrassing for any Pakistani if Malik and Misbah are selected for the ODI series.
khansahab
they know very well that if Dilshan goes for stitches the innings is over, if he stays with some bandage and ice pack treatment he may well add a few more runs to narrow down the lead and that means a lot for the Sri Lankans. They will take their time. However, if there is any other delay after the play resumes i.e., on changing his bandage or anything else, then the umpires can call for that, but it is the batting side that decides first whether to declare him retired hurt or continue playing.
Younis Khan’s captaincy has brought the best out from Afridi, Kaneria, and because of his captaincy Fawad Alam got to play.
So maybe him being the captain is some kind of blessing in disguise.
FINALLY……….. Dilshan lost his focus and got out.
Kaneria 5 wickets? LOL…. he has earned his test spot for another 10 matches.
But, a lead of 66 is nothing if you look at the way Dilshan scored 44 runs, any player can stand up and reduce the lead like this from almost 120 to 66 then, Pakistan are famous for throwing away the match, rather giving it away on a silver platter.
About 10-15 overs remaining in the day, can Pakistan survive without losing a wicket in the second innings by the end of the day? It is hard to say how they will fare by the end of the day but, I think they will.
Javed A Khan
I think Kaneria is the type of bowler that if he has support from the captain and if people hold on to their catches off his bowling, he will take wickets.
He was good under Inzamam. He was only poor under Malik. Let us see how he carries on under Younis, who is his best friend in the team.
When he was bad under Malik, he was still picked up because Malik did not want Afridi to play.
I don’t know why Fawad Alam is trying to play these silly shots? He just played one over gully.
If he keeps doing that he will be dropped. He needs to get his act together.
Actually, I have seen Kaneria bowling aggressively when the Pakistan team was in a winning position i.e.., in India. And, he is successful in the sub-continent pitches only. Otherwise, he gives away too many runs. Even in this test match his economy rate (3.02) is slightly higher than Ajmal’s (2.80) but, this is how he bowls. I agree that if his catches were not dropped he would have got more wickets and been more confident and aggressive.
My question of the day remains unanswered and I repeat it again.
Q. Why did Kamran Akmal fail again? Was he genuinely out or, did he join the culprits?
This guy Srikanth, commenting on cricinfo. I doubt if this is Krishnamachari Srikanth the ex-Indian opener? He has no knowledge of Pakistani players and simply blabbing, he is demanding that Salman Butt is the best bet for Pakistan as an opener.
Someone already gave him a befitting reply by saying Salman Butt got too many chances and failed, so the best bet is the current opening pair of Fawad Alam and Khurram Manzoor at the moment. And, I am agree.
Khurram has scored 2 runs of 24 balls so far and he wants to be there for tomorrow. But, Fawad Alam wants to play his shots and might end up getting out. He doesn’t have to be as cautious as Manzoor, but he has to play sensibly.
End of Khurram Manzoor’s career. We don’t want dumb openers players playing.
Zero tolerance for stupidity.
Pakistan should open with Afridi or Alam, Akmal or Alam, or 1 other opener or Alam. Get Afridi in the middle order if he is not opening.
This pair (Fawad Alam and Khurram Manzoor) had to UNDO what Dilshan did today. They need to stay there for a few overs remaining today and then play the entire pre-lunch session. But, Fawad Alam is getting impatient and doing all the scoring by himself. Its like a race between the Hare and a Tortoise.
And, the Tortoise got out……….. what a shame, he got bowled by the spinner in probably the last or the penultimate over of the day! That is what happens when you are too careful and too cautious.
This is what pressure does. Khurram Manzoor is very inexperienced and he couldn’t hold on for a while. He was out on the penultimate ball of the day in which 14 wickets fell. Still Pakistan has a lead of 82 runs and it might look like an “Advantage Pakistan” sort of situation. But, Pakistan can change that advantage into disadvantage any time. They have this knack of getting out cheaply and if there is something to be done in this test match, it is by the captain himself. Younus Khan needs to score big, in this series apart from the 82 -83 he scored in the second innings, his performance is not even upto his own potential or his own average in tests. He needs to score a hundred here to take his team to safety and to win this match. Otherwise, the NOTHING PLAYERS will do EVERYTHING in getting this series white washed.
16-1
I knew it…only Pakistan are capable of loosing a wicket right at death. Annoying!
Javed
“Even in this test match his economy rate (3.02) is slightly higher than Ajmal’s (2.80) but, this is how he bowls”.
The fact is leg-spinners are always more expensive than off-spinners but good leg-spinners will take wickets thats the difference.
I agree with khansahab that Kaneria is a wicket taker if supported well and encouraged. A 5 wicket haul is commendable returning after such a long time. If he plays like that I will be happy for him to play in “another 10 matches” too.
Javed A Khan
Akmal is such a bad keeper that even if his batting was like Gilchrist he would not have been persisted with at Test level. People talk about unfairness, politics, regionalism, but how Akmal has benefited on the pretext of his batting is criminal. It is more than politics or selectors’ bias- it’s something that I just can’t fathom.
I didn’t see his dropped catch today, so I don’t know whether it was intentional but Cricinfo did say it was a catchable chance.
Does anyone remember how many catches he has dropped since 2007? I am sure he has dropped more than 50 Test catches and he must have dropped 75 ODI catches or so. By 2008 he had dropped 48 catches in his last 28 ODI’s or something.
Omer
Yesterday I was reading somewhere that a few years ago, there was a 4 Test series between Australia and some other team. Hayden made no 50s in the first 3 matches. In his 4th Test he scored a 100, but he was still dropped after that.
That is what you call professionalism. Dropping a senior player like that requires guts. They dropped Hayden because they looked at his overall performance in the series, and it was lower than his overall average.
Khansahab …
Forget cricket for a while and have a look at this:
http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00608/Kim_Kardashian_608829a.jpg
Munir sahab
I didn’t know you were also “Shoqeen Mizaj”?
khansahab
Munir is not talking about Shaoqeen Mizaji but, about good elegant dressing. He is saying this is a nice red and black dress, its more like a Mermaid in red and black and he is dreaming that one day he would find an “Armenian Mermaid” on the barren Sharjah beach, where not even the black hooded ninja turtles are allowed. Anyways Munir nice “fishful thinking.”
The Chonsa’s are at the best and you will get them for the next two weeks whereas, Anwar Ratoles are almost off the market aur Sharjah may baith ker dil kay behlanay ko Ghalib yae Khayaal Accha hai. Varna iss July ki Garmi may aur iss veerani may vahaan rukkha kya hai ?
Ps.
Shaoqeen Mizaaji koi buri baat tou nahee? Aur agar vo Shaoqeen Mizaaj nahee hota tou Thurki, Turkey baar, baar kion jaata?
Dilshan is doubtful for the ODI’s. Sri Lanka will be on high morale as they have already won this series. Pakistan is too unpredictable. In T20 one usually predicts Pakistan will win, in Tests one usually predicts Pakistan will lose. In ODI’s no one can say anything for sure.
After every series PCB must assess what they have learned about the players. Since the past few years Pakistan has shown no improvement in any department except a meagre improvement in fielding.
After every series PCB must assess what they have learned about the players. khansahab
Which players? There are permanent players and there are temp players and some of the permanent players are like a fixture. Among the temp players, they come and go because, the PCB has no policy to review. The only way a temp player becomes permanent is, IF he scores a big hundred or bowls his heart out and get 4-5 wickets on his debut and when he is performing consistently. Otherwise they disappear into oblivion.
Misbah came into limelight during the 2007 T20 WC and he scored in test against India, in India. Other than that his performance is pretty mediocre. But, one cannot understand on what basis Malik came into the side and so much so that he was made captain of the team and then he was stripped from captaincy. His batting and bowling is pathetic and yet he is in every squad, in every playing XI for Pakistan.
It is time that Pakistan calls Sarfaraz Ahmad to join the squad for ODI and see if Kamran Akmal does not perform in the first ODI, he should be rested for the rest of the ODI’s. When he sees a sword dangling over his head he pulls his socks up. Also, when he will see that his heroes in Malik and Misbah are also facing the same treatment then he will not get involved in petty politics.
youtube.com/watch?v=ClNsK1bX23A
Ricky Ponting’s majestic 196 against England. In my view there are few players in the world who look so glorious in full flow.
To me the best batsmen have to have the following traits:
1) They should play every shot or most shot in the book- cut, cover drive, straight drive, on drive, leg glance of some sort, sweep, hook, pull etc.
2) They should be consistent.
3) They should be able to have a healthy average against good bowling attacks.
4) They should be able to have a healthy average on seaming/fast/bouncy tracks.
5) They should be able to handle pressure.
6) Their runs should help the team win.
There’s a rumour that this is the 14 man squad for the ODI series:
Younis Khan (c)
Imran Nazir
Nasir Jamshed
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Mohammad Yousuf
Fawad Alam
Misbah Ul Haq
Shoaib Malik
Shahid Afridi
Abdul Razzaq
Rana Naved Ul Hasan
Mohammad Aamer
Umar Gul
Saeed Ajmal
IF this is the right squad, then it is shameful because Malik and Misbah are playing.
I would go with the following 15 man squad:
Butt
Nazir
Jamshed
Afridi
Younis
Yousuf
Fawad
Akmal
Razzaq
Gul
Aamer
Wahab Riaz
Ajmal
Kaneria
I think Butt should get a last chance because he is better at ODI’s as opposed to Tests and T20. I put Kaneria there because his peformance today was excellent. Although out of those 15, I would choose the following XI:
Nazir
Afridi
Butt
Younis
Yousuf
Fawad
Akmal
Razzaq
Gul
Aamer
Ajmal
I’ve put Butt at no 3 because at the moment no new middle order batsman is in contention of being in the squad. I obviously don’t want to put Malik and Misbah there.
Javed A Khan
I meant doing assessments on players like Malik and Misbah. In this series Yousuf played 2 classic knocks and Younis played 1 good knock under serious pressure. Younis has underperformed generally as a batsman, but he still has made one innings of character. So if I was doing an assessment I would take that into account.
Misbah and Malik have failed. Malik has not improved, Misbah has worsened. They should keep a record of these performances. They should have a graph.
For all Younis’s inconsistency, he ends up scoring a big one when people write him off. I feel if he doesn’t perform in this last Test, he will score a century in the ODI’s.
Khansahab
You are right in that Aussies look at players in a very different way, and if say, player X doesn’t play under pressure, they would drop him even though he might average pretty high. This way they can build a culture that expects players to play under pressure. If you notice, Australia has this tendency to come back from ridiculous positions to win matches.
I don’t think Ponting is as good a player as his averages show. He has fundamental weakness against spin bowling on low and slow tracks. His average against India, especially in India, is very low. At the same time, though Shane Warne was a great bowler, his average in India lets a lot to be desired. The point being that, the way we judge our players, in conditions such as those in Aus and Eng, if we judge Ponting and Warne by the same barometer in India, then we would say that both are not the most “complete” players.
This is also why I think Akram was probably better than Mcgrath, and many other great bowlers: He could reverse the ball, bowl with the new ball, bowl yorkers, bouncers, swing, and also seam. In other words, he was very good in the subcontinent as well as other places (one of the most complete bowlers). Also, this is why Tendulkar is also better than most batsmen he is compared with (though the only player probably better than him was Lara, a player for all conditions, and more destructive than Tendulkar).
From Aus, however, if I have to pick one player that stands out, then it is Michael Clarke. He is very talented, plays in pressure situations, can play on any pitch, and against any bowling attack.
Omer
I think his record in India is one minor blemish. He has played only one Test in Pakistan and he made 119 runs in it. In Sri Lanka he averages 54, which is more than decent.
Weakness against genuine spin is pervasive across batsmen who are from outside the Subcontinent, in the same way genuine pace is a weakness for most Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Indian batsmen. I won’t hold that against Ponting, much.
I will hold Tendulkar slightly better than Lara because left handed batsmen always get a better deal than right handed batsmen. This is a simple analysis- 75% of batsmen are right handed, so sometimes bowlers have problems adjusting their line when a lefty gets strike. That way it is always slightly easier for left handers to score runs.
Also, in ODI’s Tendulkar has been more consistent. I don’t think Tendulkar has any comparison when it comes to ODI’s. In his career there have been only 2 years when he averaged less than 35, compared to Lara’s 6.
He has also batted as opener in over 300 ODI’s. Making those runs as opener, against the new ball, all over the world is something extraordinary. Whereas, the majority of Lara’s innings have been played at no 3 and no 4.
In Tests I think it is arguable whether Ponting and Lara are better than Tendulkar. In ODI’s, I don’t think he has any comparison. All over I would say he is slightly better than the other two.
Someone mentioned this on a different blog. I think it makes a lot of sense.
Why not make Afridi vice captain? I feel he should be captain in all forms of the game, but him being vice captain will assist his position in the team.
Why is Misbah still the vice captain? What kind of bias and stupidity in this- on the pretext of 1 T20 series and one Test series against India, Misbah has been made the 2nd most senior player in the team. Why was he made VC for all 3 formats? So if he played well in T20 and had one good Test series, how does that make him good enough for ODI’s too?
Pakistan president Asif Zardari bans jokes ridiculing him
Pakistanis who send jokes about Asif Zardari by text message, email or blog risk being arrested and given a 14-year prison sentence.
The country’s interior minister, Rehman Malik, announced the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had been asked to trace electronically transmitted jokes that “slander the political leadership of the country” under the new Cyber Crimes Act.
Mr Malik, said the move would punish the authors of “ill motivated and concocted stories through emails and text messages against the civilian leadership”.
The step, which was described by human rights groups as “draconian and authoritarian”, came after government was particularly riled by a barrage of caustic jokes being sent to the presidency’s official email.
Critics have accused the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a party that espouses a liberal agenda, of stooping as low as the former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, who took television broadcasters off air when he faced political opposition.
Mr Zardari, the widower of the assassinated former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, has long courted controversy.
During his wife’s two tenures he earned the nickname of “Mr 10 per cent” on account of his alleged penchant for demanding kickbacks on government contracts.
A former polo-playing playboy, Mr Zardari has proved to be prickly about what others say of him since he was elected as president by the national parliament a year ago.
Most of the criticism stems from his government’s inability to address problems such as severe power outages and inflation, and his inability to shake off old allegations of corruption.
Mr Zardari’s thin-skin when it comes to jokes has forced Pakistanis to find other ways to refer to the president, with nicknames ranging from “dacu” or “bandit” to chief choor, meaning thief.
The ban has become the focus of intense television debate in Pakistan, as Mr Zardari’s aides have attempted to justify the move using every argument ranging from counter-terrorism concerns to saying that women parliamentarians had received abusive messages.
The prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, with whom Mr Zardari has clashed, has distanced himself from the ban saying that it would not be enforced.
Mr Zardari’s PPP-led government tried to target text messages and emails last month when it levied a new tax on all text messages.
The tax was abandoned after it emerged that it would ruin a major source of revenue for Pakistan’s five mobile phone companies.
As soon as the tax was announced, a text message began making the rounds saying: “The government has imposed a tax on all messages. This means that until now President Zardari was getting abused for free. Now he’ll get paid every time someone abuses him!”
Zardari jokes:
“Terrorists have kidnapped our beloved Zardari and are demanding $5,000,000 or they will burn him with petrol. Please donate what you can. I have donated five litres.”
To commemorate the ascension to the Presidency, Pakistan Post has officially launched a new stamp. But the people of Pakistan are confused which side on the stamp to spit on.
Robber: “Give me all your money!”
Zardari: “Don’t you know who I am? I am Asif Ali Zardari.”
Robber: “OK. Give me all my money”
khansahab
I said something similar in comment 63.
“I think now that Yousuf is back, either he should be made VC or even better Afridi. So, no one can say a vice-captain has been dropped”.
Khansahab
Ponting averages 20 in 12 test matches against India in India. 12 Test matches is quite a bit to count as a mere blemish. In Pakistan, he has played only one match and pitches in Pakistan are generally flat rather than slow and low, broken pitches in India. It is not that he has scored so low in India, he has generally looked very uncomfortable on slow tracks in India and never looked like making an impact. It could be argued that Ponting is the most outstanding player of pace bowling in the world, but is he a complete batsman like Lara or Tendulkar?
Lara has simply dominated spinners and pacemen alike. Likewise, Tendulkar has performed well over the world, even in Aus and England. Tendulkar, like Lara, also has had to play the most difficult bowling during the 90s. This point is inescapable as batsmen almost never averaged 50 during that period, but now the averages can go towards 57, 58. Take players like Ponting Mohd Yousof, Sangkkara, and others, and you will see that not only are they averaging close to 55 but they have also been averaging around 65-70 during the past 3-4 years because of the lack of quality bowling. Thus, their career averages have moved considerably upward from where they would have been before 2002/2003. In fact jayawardena also averages 53, and it is inconceivable anyone would put him in comparison with the above lot.
I agree Tendulkar is the best one day player among these all, but I think Ghilcrist was as good as Tendulkar in one days.
My personal favorite player in test matches is Sehwag though. If I had an option to choose between Tendulkar or Sehwag or Ponting for my ideal team, I’d definitely choose Sehwag, though I am not sure if I’d choose him over Lara. It is because he simply dominates the bowler, his impact is much more than the number of runs he makes.
Omer
I won’t delve into very minute details such as Ponting’s record on low and slow pitches compared to generally flat pitches. In Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh you can find low and slow pitches, too. I accept he is not a great player of spin, but I think more people will agree genuine pace and swing bowling is more difficult to play. That is why Tendulkar and Lara are so great- they can play everything with extraordinary ability.
I can see why you like Sehwag. He does shatter the opposition’s confidence. However because of his limited footwork and sometimes poor shot selection, I don’t rate him that highly. I find Gambhir is a better player. He is the type of player who can play slow for 5 overs but then completely change gears and come out of his crease to fast bowlers and hit them over their heads. India has already found a great in the making, after the imminent departures of Dravid and Laxman.
Omer
I agree with the analysis. The biggest benefactor of poor quality bowling (or you could say pitches that don’t assist quality bowling) is Kallis. He always plays at the same strike rate. He takes calculated risks. But his game is so repititive that many people question whether he plays for himself or his team. I sometimes think his average of 55 in Tests is a joke.
His defence is impenetrable. So you can’t get him bowled or LBW easily. He does not try and poke outside his off stump. So you can’t get him caught behind or in the slips and gully region, easily. He stays there like a brick wall.
I feel Smith and De Villiers are match winners. Most of the times when they perform, South Africa wins.
Khansahab
To be honest I don’t see Ghambir being close to former Indian greats. Ghambir is a worker of the ball, like Mike Hussey. He tends to make the most of the opportunities he gets, has a sound head, and generally fulfils his potential. But, though a very good player, he is not, and is unlikely ever to be, a great player. The reason being that, imo, he is playing at the height of his potential right now, and he can only get worse from here rather than better. Sehwag, on the other hand, has a lot of potential. Not only does he dominate the opposition, he plays in the toughest of circumstances, on the most difficult pitches, in difficult conditions against the best bowlers. Just look at what he has done, two triple hundreds in which he absolutely clobbered the bowlers. Only recently, his innings in Sri Lanka where every other Indian player was succumbing to Mendis in a very short amount of time changed the course of the match. Against England in India, he made the 4th innings chase possible by making runs very fast. India could have at best tried to draw the match, but he changed the course of the game in a very short amount of time. He has got many 3rd, 4th innings 100s, and he averages aroun 50 in Australia and South Africa. Here is a player who doesn’t need footwork and the possibilities for him are endless. When you look at a player in terms of how limited a player feels in different aspects of batting, Sehag is probably the most unlimited, his potential is probably the highest. The only other player which I have seen of equally unlimited potential was Lara.
I agree with you, Kallis is probably the most boring player to watch.
Yesterday on a different blog I was discussing that Fawad Alam has looked too overconfident in this Test and will probably fall cheaply. There was another person who was arguing that I am just worrying unnecessarily and he will go on to make a 50 at least.
But not to be. I pointed it out yesterday that he is feeling to smug and he is trying to play every ball for a scoring shot. He poked one ball outside off stump which he shouldn’t have. Today he got a bouncer and he played a nothing shot. He did not attack and neither did he defend.
I hope he is picked up for the ODI series, but with Nasir Jamshed, Imran Nazir, Rana Naved and Afridi returning to international cricket plus Malik and Misbah probably being persisted with, it looks difficult.
Omer
I am not saying this to disagree or anything, I accept your opinion on Sehwag and Gambhir.
But I’ve just looked at Gambhir’s stats on Cricinfo and surprisingly he averages 58 against Australia, which must be one of the highest averages anyone has against Australia. I know that has not been made against the likes of McGrath and Warne but still, Australia is probably the 2nd best bowling attack after South Africa.
Another remarkable thing about his batting is that he averages 44 in India whereas his overall average is 54. I think such a discrepancy between the home and away averages in amazing for any batsman, but even more so an Indian batsman because they are generally known to be relatively poorer playing outside India. Sehwag, Tendulkar, Lara- all of them either average the same home and away, or they average significantly more at home, which is normal for most batsmen. To me that shows Gambhir is very strong mentally.
It’s for these reasons that I rate him higher than most openers in the world. He is a slightly different class to some other Indian batsmen.
One more thing, I wonder if someone on the blog can explain how Indian batsmen generally tend to perform better against Australia as opposed to most other countries? I don’t know why that is so, but the statistics certainly reveal that:
Player Overall Average Average vs Australia
Gambhir 54 58
Sehwag 50 51
Dravid 53 41
Laxman 45 55
Tendulkar 55 56
Dravid is the anomaly here. But generally it seems India’s top Test batsmen either find Australia too easy to play, or maybe the Australians give them too much respect. It’s some kind of mental advantage they carry against Australia.
NUMB3RS
Seems like certain numbers play a definite role in making, breaking and jinxing. Last time I had mentioned about the number 285 and now it is 16.
In the 2nd test Pakistan were 285 for 1 and then, 320 all out.
In the 3rd test Pakistan were 285 for 4 and 299 all out.
In the 1st innings of the 2nd test Fawad Alam was out on 16
In the 2nd innings of the 2nd test Fawad Alam was out on 168 (16 divided by 8 = 2 and, 2 being the second innings.
In the first innings of the 3rd test Fawad Alam was out on 16
In the 2nd innings of the 3rd test Fawad Alam was out on 16
Perhaps if one delves deeper into Fawad Alam’s statistics number 16 or number 7 (1+6=7) has some significance on his cricket career.
Younis Khan is OUT @ 19 LBW by Kulasekara, thereby reducing his series average to a paltry 21.83. He was rather unlucky today as he was struck high on the the pads besides, there was an inside edge too! Umpire Gould was in a hurry to give him out, whereas the replay confirms the inside edge. Younus Khan is not happy but, he has to go.
Mohammad Yousuf has to take the mantle and lead now. He is playing well and one can only hope that Misbah, Malik and Akmal do not run him out. The lead is only 130 with 7 wickets in hand. Seems OK at the moment and even if they take it to 300 it will be fine but, Pakistan has the tendency to collapse like a house of cards.
Here is what someone wrote on cricinfo about umpring:
“Younis was unlucky. BUT without sounding too harsh against the umpires who try to do thier best, I have noticed a DECLINE in recent times of the standards. The Ashes & the WI v BANG test series there were so many poor decisions, all credit to the batsman for not showing dissent.”
It is true the umpiring standards have gone down. During the current Ashes Series, besides a few other dubious decisions more obvious are Ponting and Hussey’s and both were not out. When Ponting talked about it at the press conference they called him a “Winger”
I don’t know how the umpiring decisions are reviewed and what action is taken after that, but certainly it makes a big difference if the key players are given out at the wrong time.
Right now Pakistani batsmen are struggling especially Misbah is in a blocking mode (3 runs in 24 balls) and Sri Lanka has bowled FOUR consecutive maiden overs !!!!! This will add undue pressure on Mohammad Yousuf too.
Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
My bad, as I was saying that it will add undue pressure on Mohammad Yousuf, he got OUT. 27 balls and no run. Earlier i.e., prior to Misbah’s arrival he was playing well and from one end Misbah started to block and scored nothing, Yousuf too bogged down and played a half-forward shot to defend with a slightly open faced bat, it turns away to take a thin edge and Sangakkara made no mistake Pakistan in TROUBLE.
PS
Even the 5th over is maiden (5th being wicket maiden) it means 30 balls and NO RUN. Now, the culprits have joined at the centre, let us see what role they had to play today!
On the use of technology, read Rudi Koertzen’s interview here.
http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/415827.html
“Technology is going to improve the decision-making from where we stand at the moment, at 96%, to about 98 or 99%. But we want 100%, to make everybody happy. If we have to go, go all the way. It’s not going to lower the dignity of the umpire, definitely not, because the umpire has still got to make decisions……………………”
Over no. 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 were FIVE straight maiden overs, and then we also saw fall of Mohammed Yousuf in over no. 32.
What a team, and what a match !@#(%&*^
Malik and Misbah are on … how many overs to ‘new ball’ ?
Munir
This is the 34th over, new ball is due after 80 hence Dilli Doooor Asttt but now he is playing well, suddenly he opened up and cutting loose.
Ps
One should ask, how many overs left for lunch? Because, they have the tendency to get out before lunch, before tea, before the end of the day, even on the last or second last ball
Now Malik is adding pressure on Misbah by playing Maiden Overs. In the last 10 overs 26 runs were scored and 5 being maiden overs, there is so much inconsistency in scoring due to erratic batting.
Javed …
Khailna Aayay Ya Na Aayay, Out Honay Ka Bahaana Chahieay
BTW, how come you are awake so late ?
Neend Nahin Aarahi ?
Net lead is now 152 runs, and I think we can have an outside chance for a fight at around 250 plus. What do you say ?
Khansahab …
Well, correct me if I am wrong, but all men are somewhat ‘Shoqeen Mizaj’ in nature, and those who are not, they are ‘others’
BTW, since cricket was not going anywhere and we were all ‘Dil Ka Khoon Jalarahay Thay’, so I pasted that link to change your mood, and it helped didn’t it ?
Javed Khan …
Yes ‘Chounsa Iss Waqt Pooray Shabaab Par Hai’, and Anwar Ratole is almost nearing it’s end time. However, toward the end of the mangoe season, we once again see a lot of Naqli mangoes like the (Kala Chounsa, Soofaid Chounsa and also Naqli Anwar Ratole which is similar to Desi). Desi is a variety of normal mangoes which are not patched (not being made “Kalmi”).
Ahhh, Turkey Mut Yaad Dila Zalim … the other day one of my close friend have traveled to Bodrum in Turkey along with his entire family where they have rented a four-bed-room furnished apartment and they are going to stay for a few weeks. Since he knows about my Turkey trips, he was teasing me before going.
This year, so far, I have no plans for any traveling as I have to keep budget under control and secondly I have started a major repair and refurbishment project for my villa in Sharjah, so as it is, I am not only enjoying the ‘hot and humid’ UAE weather but also going through hell with the contractors and outdoor construction.
This one specially dedicated to our LAWYER Friends
Although, it is not new, but it always bring about a smile.
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: You’re kidding me, right!?
=======
ATTORNEY: She had three children, is that correct?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
=======
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Now whose death do you suppose terminated it?
=======
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Guess.
=======
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. Would you like to rephrase that question?
=======
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
=======
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m..
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!
=======
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
======= And the best for last:
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, he could have been alive and practicing law.
PS: These are from a book called “Disorder in the American Courts” and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
Come on guys admit it, if this good partnership continues Misbah and Malik should be made permanent fixtures and fittings of the team and made life peers.
Let them have some fun till the new ball is taken
khansahab@137,
What you have observed is only happening in the last 10-15 Years all the Batsmen you have mentioned are from or after Tendulkar’s arrival 90’s. I agree for some reason they have played Australians better than the other Teams, but also in the last 15 Years they have also won more Test-Matches abroad than they had in a long-time before that,Indian Team never had the good fortune of having Batsmen of the calibre of Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly and Tendulkar at the same time.
Maybe that also explains why they generally have high averages against all the Teams compared to their earlier compatriots…
I don’t think there is any kind of mental advantage when it comes to India-Australia but surely this factor comes into play when you analyze the following statistics:-
These are the statistics of 27 Pakistani Batsmen sorted according to their Batting average against India in Test Matches:-
Player Mat Runs Ave
Zulfiqar Ahmed 3 108 108.00 Ijaz Faqih 7 105 105.00
Basit Ali 3 164 82.00
Zaheer Abbas 32 2352 73.50 Misbah-ul-Haq 14 894 68.76 Taslim Arif 1 136 68.00 Javed Miandad 63 3403 60.76 Younis Khan 41 2433 56.58 Rashid Latif 11 158 52.66 Saeed Ahmed 5 460 51.11 Asim Kamal 5 353 50.42 Qasim Umar 7 349 49.85 Shoaib Mohammad 15 793 49.56 Mudassar Nazar 38 1776 46.73 Javed Burki 5 325 46.42 Inzamam-ul-Haq 77 3236 45.57 Wasim Raja 19 682 45.46 Saeed Anwar 53 2291 44.92 Shoaib Malik 36 1504 44.23
Aamer Malik 6 307 43.85 Mushtaq Mohammad11 435 43.50 Faisal Iqbal 3 217 43.40 Younis Ahmed 4 172 43.00 Mohammad Yousuf 58 2590 42.45
Azmat Rana 2 42 42.00 Aamer Sohail 25 958 41.65 Hanif Mohammad 15 970 40.41
Out of the 27 players mentioned 17 played fewer test-matches than 20 and that there were several one series decent/good performances by several not so famous players like Saeed Ahmed,Qasim Umar AMar Malik and Javed Burki.
Pakistani batsmen become professionals like Australians when it comes to playing against India and that is the reason why even if some of them are aware that they might not get any more opportunities in the future to kick some (Indian)ass so they make sure they leave a mark behind!!
This message is for all readers on this blog.
Isn’t this so typical of Malik and Misbah? Now that their places are on the line suddenly they end up performing.
It makes me sick, these guys. They need to be dropped asap. Plus they are making hay while the sun shines because the ball has grown old.
Munir sahab I also want to be Shoqeen Mizaj but that evil Theossa keeps telling me “Kal key liye bhi kuch bachana”?
I thought only Memons speak like that- Pathan kanjoos nahi hotey?
Omer, don’t take offence
Munir sahab
This might have happened in real life and it might have happened in America, where having long and expensive trials is fashion and there is a lot of emphasis on both the lawyer and witnesses being heroic and trying out outsmart each other. UK law is very different to that. Hardly anything resorts to the courts, and the rules of procedures are such that these types of questions cannot be asked.
I am keeping this brief explanation simple, but for example, it has to be decided beforehand whether the testimony will be oral or written. So the lawyer can’t ask the witness in the box at that moment, “Please give oral answers” or anything like that because it would be decided beforehand.
Awas …
Why do they only “play” well when togather ?
Anyways, they make a good couple
Everyone knows about Malik and Misbah’s problems with the new-balls …
A guys just commented on another site:
“Knowing how prodiguously the new ball has swung through out the series Malik & Misbah should take maximum advantage of 16 overs before the 2nd new ball becomes due. They need to increase the pace a bit.”
Khansahab …
I am agree with you on Malik & Misbah’s mentality and yes as they see a real danger of being kicked out, now they started performing.
This is where they are both so much more to be blamed that they CAN PLAY WELL, but they DO NOT PLAY, because they are not ready to play under Younis Khan and can not see any credit going to him.
Bloody Traitors !!
Omer
Apart from the shackles of giyareenbandi, another reason why people support Malik is because he can score between 30-50 with some consistency. Plus he is the best batsman in the world when it comes to his place being on the line- he always responds with a score of 40-75.
Here Malik’s score will help Pakistan and if they win, his innings will be hailed as a match winning one.
Also, Younis has this knack of being too inconsistent. I have been saying this for a long time. I know very well that he is a good guy, honest and committed to the country and the team, but others will use his inconsistency to bring him down and promote Malik and Misbah. It has been a bad series for Younis the batsman and also Younis the captain. I know technically he was not out, but Misbah was also not out recently when the ball was hitting outside leg.
People need to wake up, be fair and realise that there is a tremendous difference in class. Younis and Yousuf need to stay. Malik and Misbah should go.
Khansahab …
On being ‘Shoqeen Mizaaj’, well there are some things (instruments), like gun, etc. which keep performing well when in use, Warna Zung Lug Jaata Hai
Theo Ki Mut Soon …
Misbah’s problems exposed …
Comment from another site:
“Misbah gets so tied down because he can’t consistently maneuver the ball for singles. In fact before this innings, despite scoring very nearly half his career runs in boundaries (49.5%) his strike rate was 38.7, which meant that excluding boundaries he gets almost a run every five balls, at a strike rate of 20.50″.
No surprises in the ODI squad just announced except a call up for Omer Akmal. Good to see Imran Nazir back and Butt dropped. Why Rana Naveed is in is beyond me.
Younis Khan (capt), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Rao Iftikhar Anjum.
Pakistan ODI squad for Sri Lankan Series …
Younis Khan (capt), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Rao Iftikhar Anjum.
Pakistan Champions Trophy probables …
Younis Khan (capt), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Salman Butt, Khalid Latif, Azhar Ali, Umar Amin, Sheharyar Ghani, Yasir Arafat, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Talha, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Hafeez.
Khansahab …
BTW, how is Musharraf ? I heard he is permanently stationed in UK
Recently, there was a news that Musharraf was stealing electricity for his palace in Pakistan (Chak Shehzad) or something, which was given at a subsidised agricultural rate for a non-agriculture purpose, and I guess the overdues were half a million rupees and finally Wapda had to disconnect the electricity.
You did not know about it, or you did not want to report it ?
Shruti “Haasan”, who is Kamal Hassan’s beautiful daughter, is making waves in Bollywood. She has “Pakistani looks”:
http://movies.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=3927542
http://www.greatandhra.com/newsimages/shruti-hassan1246876879.jpg
A couple of good partnerships at long last.
For once the new ball hasn’t done the expected damage.
Munir sahab
That news has been fabricated by pro PML N people. I personally know a pro Musharraf activist who told me Musharraf decided to sue the newspaper that revealed those allegations. After that they seriously dumbed down their allegations and merely said that the case is “being investigated”.
Firstly it’s not a palace, it’s a “big house”. A palace is like what Zardari and Nawaz Sharif have built. All senior armed force officers are given free plots of land in and around Islamabad. Politicians are given free plots, too. People are making all kinds of stories about where he is getting his money from. It is reported he gets paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for each lecture. So that is definitely a lot of money, earned without corruption.
It is strange because Musharraf has not actually “lived” there and the house was under construction for a long time.
khansahab
Shutter-Murgh looks better than this Shruti…kiwoon Javed?
Awas
What’s a shutter murgh?
LOL
I think she is quite attractive. That bikini pic turns me on.
Omer
What happened
Malik scored a match winning century under pressure and that too against the new ball 
Malik reached his century with a 6. That says something.
I wonder if he was just out of touch and coming back into form.
This is what Waqar said after the 2nd day’s play:
“pitch is superb, danish was superb and danish bowl superb, and he bowl superbly”
Waqar commentate superb, he speak superbly
Awas
That is the story of his career. On the verge of being dropped, and then usually makes a 50 or 40. Today he was different and scored a 100. Well played. But I still want him and Misbah out of the team. They are just not long term middle order solutions.
Younis does not play politics but he is inconsistent. The difference is Younis tends to respond usually with a big century. Malik responds with a 40.
khansahab
I agree!
With packed middle order, will Fawad get a chance in the ODI’s now and there are a number of them for the opening slots as well.
Awas
He can’t get a place in the middle order. So now Younis has to decide whether to let him open with Imran Nazir, or will Younis opt for Nasir Jamshed?
Younis, Yousuf, Malik, Misbah, Afridi…….no chance for Alam there. In fact Younis will probably go for
Nazir
Akmal
Younis
Yousuf
Malik
Misbah
Afridi
Razzaq
Gul
Aamer
Ajmal
It is strange that Fawad will not get a chance despite a spectacular hundred in his debut Test.
Let’s look at the bright side, at least Pakistan can win this – a face saving win instead of a complete whitewash.
In my view more credit goes to Danish & Co than the batters in this match. Imagine if SL had score over 400 in the first innings. Pressure on the delicate shoulders of Malik & Co would have been too much to bear.
Awas
Exactly. I think more credit should be given to Danish Kaneria and Saeed Ajmal. In fact if Kaneria can take 2 or 3 wickets in SL’s second innings he should be man of the match.
khansahab
Either Malik or Misbah should make “a room” for Fawad. As it can’t be voluntary, Younus needs to put his foot down here.
Otherwise, your 11 is perfect.
Awas
Fawad wants a room, but Younis is not giving him a room.
Maybe Imran Nazir should make a room for Fawad? How about Fawad and Akmal opening, if Malik and Misbah have to stay in the team?
khansahab
Personally, I like the idea of Imran Nazir as opener in ODI’s, he can be explosive.
Fawad is ideally suited in upper middle order. Make shift opening for him in tests was a good experiment as all others chickened out but best to give him his right slot.
Awas
You are right. But he will not get a chance ahead of Malik and Misbah. No way. One is a former captain and other is the vice captain. And they can both make 30s and 40s in ODI cricket.
My preferred side wud be :
Nazir
Akmal
Younis
Yousuf
Malik
Afridi
Fawad
Rana Naved
Umar Gul
Ajmal
Aamer
pak power rulz yaar !
Rehan Qadir from Surrey, England:
Welcome to LS. Please tell me why you are using my e-mail address? Actually, it’s gmail.com and not gmail.co.uk
Oh I forgot Razzaq btw he will replace Aamer or Fawad in my books !
gr8 to see the mouth-watering prospects from ICL returning to the international arena. Their expertise and credentials were greatly missed.
Some from a different site has said something very crucial:
Malik did not perform in those Tests when winning mattered. He performed in this Test after Pakistan had already lost the series and his place was on the line.
Wahab Riaz satisfied with his performance
——————————————————————————–
LAHORE – Pakistan A team fast bowler Wahab Riaz says he is satisfied with his performance during the Australia tour.
Wahab took 18 wickets to be the top wicket-taker from Pakistan team while Abdur Rehman claimed 10 scalps.
Wahab said that he would push hard to maintain the same or rather improve his bowling abilities.
“Though Pakistan team lacked experience as compared to the Australians but still we played courageously. I have delivered during the series but its up to the selection committee to decide over my selection in the future national teams,” he added.
Wahab began his international career against Zimbabwe last year at Sheikhupura and has thus far player in five ODIs having taken 10 wickets.
The writing is on the wall. Please consider yourself Pakistani first and shun regional interests. Afridi has indirectly admitted that Malik was playing regional politics. We were right and the Paindoos were wrong:
——————————————————————————————————————————
Afridi backs Younus as national captain
KARACHI: Endorsing the leadership attributes of Younus Khan, a confidence-brimming Shahid Afridi has stressed unity and determination of seniors that also stimulated youngsters to perform, boosted Pakistan from nowhere to claim the World Twenty20 crown in England.
‘We started off with losses in the practice games followed by defeat in the opener against England. However, the positive development was that not a single player lost his morale.
The squad was united, each player had the identical aim [of winning the title for Pakistan] and this thing helped us in the latter stages,’ Afridi said in an exclusive interview with Dawn.
‘I shall also give credit to Younus who guided the team to an unexpected triumph.’
‘The senior players took the responsibility at the right time while at the same time the exuberant juniors performed impressively which worked well for us,’ the dashing all-rounder who played a pivotal role in the final against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, added.
Afridi was all praise for his captain, noting the unbiased approach towards players was one of the best characteristics Younus enjoys.
‘Younus never considers from which province or city a player is coming. Quality performance is the top criterion for him to decide whether a cricketer deserves a place in the national team,’ the 29-year-old Afridi stated.
Batting at No 3 in the last four matches of the World Twenty20, including the semi-final and the final, Afridi hit the headlines, crafting vital knocks under pressure.
In all, he scored 176 runs at an average of 35.20 in the World Twenty20 besides claiming 11 wickets at 13.45.
Asked how he batted at No 3, Afridi said he asked Younus to let him bat at the crucial position.
‘I discuss everything [related to the game] with Younus frankly. I thought I had no advantage in batting down the order in the world event. So, I asked the skipper to promote me which proved to be prolific,’ Afridi asserted.
On the forthcoming one-day series in Sri Lanka, the player known for his distinctively awesome use of the willow, said he would prefer batting at No 6.
‘In the 50-overs format No 6 is suitable for me as keeping wickets intact in the early stages in limited-overs cricket is imperative. While in Twenty20 I can bat top of the order, depending upon the need,’ he explained.
Afridi, replying to the query regarding limited-overs captaincy after Younus’s retirement from Twenty20, said, if offered, he would not decline, adding: ‘Captaining Pakistan [in limited-overs cricket] is a huge honour.’
However, the lively all-rounder — a veteran of 26 Tests and 276 one-dayers — underlined that Younus presently was doing a good job and that he should continue.
Answering a question on speculations of divisions in the team, which have gathered attention after shocking batting collapses in the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka, Afridi said he didn’t know about any groupings.
However, he underscored that if a player held any wrong intention for any other team member, he starts facing divine justice soon.
Evidence of regionalism in Pakistan team selection:
1) A newspaper article reported Malik was preferring players from Punjab. It was pasted on this site.
2) A TV programme detailed Malik was preferring certain players. The details were pasted on this site.
3) Jang reported in several articles that Malik did not want Fawad Alam, Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed and Sohail Khan in the team. Most of them were pasted on this site.
4) Imran Nazir admitted in a TV programme that Malik preferred players from Sialkot. That video link was pasted on this site.
5) Another TV programme stated Malik and Akmal created a group after Inzamam left.
6) The same TV programme reported what happened during T20 WC and what kind of politics was played, and what kind of grouping has been created against Younis.
7) Shahid Afridi praises Younis saying his remarkable quality is that he is unbiased and does not prefer players due to regionalism.
What Shoaib Malik was said after today’s play:
Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik who brought up only his second Test century said he enjoyed batting at the SSC, the venue where he scored his maiden hundred. “Even on that occasion I had to save the team from defeat,” Malik said. “This ground is quite a lucky one for me. Today I thought no matter what I will just go out there and play my natural game. I got the same message from the captain and the coach. I’ve been telling myself a long time that we had to compensate for the two opportunities we missed out in the first two Tests.”
Malik was also full of praise for Misbah-ul-Haq, with whom he put on 119 for the fifth wicket to take Pakistan to a commanding position. “After Sri Lanka took the first four wickets, the match was in their grasp,” Malik said. “The major thing was the way Misbah played and our partnership. Misbah was not in good form and he came back at a crucial stage. Once you’ve broken the bowlers’ confidence you can take them on and get some runs. The best time to bat on this wicket was between lunch and tea. We have performed well while batting in this Test. We are hoping the bowlers will produce something for us.
“We’ve worked hard and learnt from our mistakes. The way the team is playing at the moment we have covered a lot of ground. The batting didn’t perform well in the first two Tests we got the opportunities but couldn’t win from there. This is a good batting wicket, turning a bit but not supporting the fast bowlers anymore. That’s what I felt when I was batting. What target we’ll set Sri Lanka depends on the captain and coach. We will play accordingly.”
Khansahab …
All senior armed force officers are given free plots of land in and around Islamabad.
Actually, “ALL armed force officers”, and NOT only “seniors” are given free plots by the Army itself. Secondly, NOT only in Islamabad but all over the country.
It seems the Army is out there to conqouer their own country and distribute the “Maal-e-Ghaneemat” among themselves.
Trust me, the Army in Pakistan is as corrupt as the civilians, if not more.
Wah Bhai Wah … Malak Sahab Kay Moun Mein Bhee Zubaan Aagai Hai.
Why the F… was he not comming out earlier and speaking out when we lost those two games so badly and the Captain was out there along trying to explain the group stupidity.
Shame on Malak and his ‘Meesna-pun’.
On our ODI team, well I think selecting Imran Nazir is fine, but he should not be made an automatic choice in all playing elevens. The guys have not played for a long time, plus how many quick openers should we have ? Akmal, Afridi, Nasir, Imran Nazir.
Fawad must play and he should not open, neither in ODIs nor in Tests. I agree with Awas, if he opened for once and sacrificed himself, it does not mean we should now penalise him and try to change in entire game. He should play at his position of 4/5/6 and should be used as part-time bowler as well.
Razzaq should also make it in the all ODI teams, no matter what, before Rana or Malik.
Khansahab on Shruti Hassan …
You said, She has “Pakistani looks”
How did you know that form her bikini picture ? How many Pakistan girls have you seen in a bikini ?
Munir sahab
I have seen many Pakistani girls in bikinis and also birthday suits. But her face looks Pakistani- like from Punjab or Kashmir side. Or let us say she does not look “Indian” in that she does not have typical Indian features.
It is so obvious, as the expression goes, ‘even a blind man can see this’ i.e., what Malik, Misbah and Akmal did. They did not play in the 1st and 2nd test and deliberately lost the two test matches and the series. Now, their places were at stake and they knew very well that if they don’t score they are out of the team. Hence they ALL played. What a shame and a disgrace to people who do this i.e., to keep the regionalism ahead of nationalism. Now, ALL THREE OF THEM will be in the team for the next few series.
Khansahab
I am surprised, flabbergasted Malik hit a 100!
Now lets hope it doesn’t take him another 40 innings to bring up another 100. He should build on his performance from here, and as Javed Khan implied, play with a lot more heart for the team.
The other thing is, Pakistan might play their home test matches in England, so he certainly needs to conquer his weaknesses against pace and the moving ball. I have no problem with his place in the team so long as he can get more consistent with these sort of performances.
However, the question still is, who will be dropped when Afridi returns. I feel, more than any format, Afridi will be best utilized in test matches. He averages around 37 with the bat, and can be a Kumble sort of legspinner. In other words, Afridi can be a genuine all rounder, provided he bats at no.5 or no.6. In my opinion either of Malik or Misbah should still be dropped, as with Afridi the team gets a better balance.
Yes, I agree with Javed, it is such a coincidence that now that the series is lost, suddenly the “THREE MUSKETEERS” have all performed today.
And since their ring-leader (Malak) played well, so did the Chhota-Chetan (Misbah) and Bacha Jamoora (Kamran Akmal).
Rather then a group, it’s more like a gang.
Omer
I don’t know why Afridi made a decision to not play. His contribution would have helped. I think he was worried that because of this grouping he will remain out of the playing XI. It can’t be because of Kaneria because Kaneria only got to play in the 3rd Test and Pakistan was always going to go with 3 pacers at least in the 1st Test.
I think the next time Pakistan plays a Test will be in December. It is disappointing that Malik will be in that series again.
The reason why Malik got this century today is because he started playing T20 cricket as soon the new ball was changed. If they select players due to merit and people can identify what roles should be given to whom, having Afridi at no 6 can prove invaluable. Even in Tests it is now handy to have a player who can dominate any kind of bowling, made 30 quick runs, and take wickets at regular intervals, which he is now capable of doing. His overall utility is much better than Malik in Tests.
Having Fawad Alam/Asim Kamal or someone like that at no 5, and Afridi at no 6 can help Pakistan much more. At least the players will give their 100% and not play politics.
khansahab
You may well be right that “Afridi has indirectly admitted that Malik was playing regional politics”. But directly he also said this:
1. The squad was united, each player had the identical aim [of winning the title for Pakistan] and this thing helped us in the latter stages”
2. Answering a question on speculations of divisions in the team, which have gathered attention after shocking batting collapses in the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka, Afridi said he didn’t know about any groupings.
So, different perception here.
One of the reason I admire Younus is that as Afridi says he is “Younus never considers from which province or city a player is coming”. Malik on the other hand is susceptible to regional politics and condemnable though it is but that is different to a group trying to lose the match deliberately. You make a group to consolidate your place not to jeopardise it by loosing. It is just as I am convinced that Yousuf, Younus and Fawad etc hoped and tried to score well in every innings but that didn’t happen as opposition has their own ideas and plans. If the best cannot do what they wish then mediocre ones are no match. Their failures do not necessarily mean an agenda of losing. The best way to have an agenda as a player is to do best for yourself in every innings, an impossible task even for the best players.
Omer
“Now lets hope it doesn’t take him another 40 innings to bring up another 100. He should build on his performance from here…”
Nice thoughts!
Aoa how are you? i didn’t read all, the topic you write but i want to share many things. first of all i want to give the answer of too much asked question that “why Pakistan cricket team going to decline day by day and also why there is no consistency in their performance?” the answer is very simple that we are lacking in leadership. Actually we don’t know any thing about leadership we just consider a captain as a great leader who bring world cup in Pakistan. Like Great Imran Khan who considered as a great captain and leader just because he bring the world cup in Pakistan. i said with 100% surety that if we remove world cup from Imran Khan’s credit then he will be consider just as a good player like many others like Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Majid Khan, Hanif Muhammad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar and many others which are also great players but they didn’t find a place like Imran Khan have, just because of that no one has world cup in his credit. But now we start considering younis as a great captain and leader just because of that he was the captain when Pakistan win T20 world cup. while i consider Imran Khan as a great captain but also as a great leader not only because of that he win world cup for Pakistan but for his great leadership qualities and after him i consider Wasim Akram as a great captain and i also consider the decision of Imran Khan to give the captaincy to wasim akram not to miandad was the perfectly a right decision. but many people are against it and considered that decision as a base of politics in Pakistan cricket.
Now a tell you about leader and leadership. One thing is very clear about leader that you cannot make leaders. a leader is a leader by birth. secondly he should not only be brave in decision making but also have the ability to make right decisions because decision making has four types 1. right decision at right time 2. Right decision wrong time 3. wrong decision right time 4. wrong decision wrong time. Great leader have the quality to make right decision at right time. third he should be a sincere person. there are many other qualities that a leader must have but in cricketing sense the leader also have the quality to judge the player’s ability. Imran khan and wasim akram both have many of the above mentioned qualities and many others.
in Pakistan the captaincy is given to the senior member of the team and that is the worst thing we do. our think tank in PCB (which i consider as empty tanks) don’t have any ability of leadership. there is nobody in Pakistan who asked from PCB chairman that on which bases they announced shoab malik, younis khan and now Muhammad Yousaf as captain. while inzi was a good captain but not a great captain. if PCB take a good decision to make a captain for a long time then they pick a wrong person and took the decision. and same the case is with whole Pakistan. they stood up for younis when he resigned from captaincy, who is a very dull minded captain and don;t have the sense of decision making don’t have the ability to judge the players ability. but no one stood up for inzi’s resign just because of that he lost the match against Ireland.
i think its taking too long and may be you don’t read all this so in short i just want to say that now there is only one man in Pakistan team who can lead the team in all three forms of cricket and that is Shahid Khan Afridi. he shown his abilities of a good captain and i am sure that he would become a great leader if he given a chance of leading the team.
after your response i will discuss many other things about cricket with you. and one thing i must say is that winning or loosing is not a big matter the matter is that your decision must be right
I will also discuss the batting order of Pakistan and team selection later.
and in last i would say that, i consider Imran Khan as a great captain and leader not only for winning world cup but for his leadership qualities and he is the only person who can put Pakistan out of these crises.
Best regards
Sheraz Hamid Sohail