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Razzaq needs to realise that his bowling and fielding are not good enough for international standards

Even though players like Razzaq, Butt, Ajmal, Malik etc have shown some improvement compared to how they used to field years ago, the problem Pakistan is facing is that the standard of fielding is not improving in line with how fielding has improved in countries like Sri Lanka, India and West Indies. This is sadly again due to the fact that, other teams are selecting players on the basis of their fielding ability and

Political selections such as that of Malik and Misbah have obviously prevented the selection of good players

then giving them exposure to cricket so that they can get better in other departments. At one time Pakistan could dismiss this strategy with minimal fuss because they had match winners like Anwar, Inzamam, Wasim, Waqar etc. But now for whatever reason the same calibre of players is not emerging, and therefore Pakistan needs to rethink its strategy. For example, Sri Lanka played Dilshan whose bowling was like Shoaib Malik’s when he started, and batting was like a tailender’s. But, he was in the team mainly due to his fielding and now he is one of the best batsmen in limited overs cricket. India used Suresh Raina who was also an expert fielder but then he improved his batting and has now become one of India’s most reliable players. Pakistan introduced Fawad Alam three years too late and he responded by playing some match winning knocks in T20, and an unprecedented century on a seaming track in Tests, but he has been sidelined due to politics. As a batsman and fielder both, Fawad was miles better than Dilshan and Raina (keeping in mind how they were when they started) but now his international cricket future is uncertain, simply because his countrymen would prefer to see someone like Shoaib Malik in the team rather than him.

The form of Pakistan's key bowlers is worrying

The Pakistan think tank cannot impose a system where merit is the main factor in selection, and Pakistan cricket is suffering because of this. An important tour lies ahead for this underperforming team, and if predictions are anything to go by Pakistan is likely to lose the Test series against England and Australia.

The summer weather in England so far this year has been drier than normal, and how much that would impact the pitches remains to be seen. It goes without saying that Pakistani bowlers would prefer bowling on England’s pitches compared to how they would have

Pakistan will miss the batting prowess of Yousuf and Younis

felt bowling on Sri Lankan pitches, but their batting on England’s pitches has never been satisfactory. The batting card for Pakistan on the tour of England should have read- S Butt, Yousuf, Younis, U Akmal, F Alam, S Afridi, but now three players from that card are not playing, which means that the batting has halved in strength. Naturally with drier weather, spin bowling becomes a useful option but Pakistan does not need to worry as much regarding their spin attack because Kaneria has experience in England, and Ajmal and Afridi are reliable.

Australia has shown improvement in T20 and this was clearly visible in the last T20 Cup. Pakistan showed some signs of concern in that Cup as they seemed to excel in neither bowling, batting or fielding. The signs are clearly ominous for Pakistan because they are not a force to be reckoned with in T20 anymore, they are worsening in ODI’s and they are weakest in Test cricket.

There are many challenges for Afridi- keeping the excellent batting form, uniting the team on a difficult tour, and devising some ingenious plans to produce winning results

Pakistan plays some country matches before their first T20 against Australia on 5th July. They will probably win the county matches and they may win against Australia in T20, but they need to put up a good fight in Tests. In fact they will probably be treating the Tests against Australia as a testing ground for the Tests against England.

What Pakistan should have learned for the T20 Cup and the Asia Cup, is that it needs an improvement in all areas- batting, bowling and fielding. Improvement does not come overnight, but ratings do not change overnight too and Pakistan has constantly plummeted in international ratings. After watching Pakistan lose to India in the Asia Cup, one should realise that Pakistan- India matches are not “50-50 chance” contests anymore- one team is clearly stronger than the other. Shahid Afridi will have to work some miracles to make his team put up a decent show against Australia in Tests- and to his misfortune he is pitted against the deplorable standard of fielding, political selections of undeserving players and pathetic management of the PCB of over a decade.

Key players for India- not just in bowling but also in batting

India is ranked no 3 in ODI cricket compared to Sri Lanka and Pakistan’s unimpressive rankings (6 and 7 respectively) but they are without two star players, Tendulkar and Yuvraj. Also, India’s bowling has only two consistent performers- Harbhajan and Zaheer. As expected India is carrying a strong spin attack- they have Ojha, Ashwin, Jadeja and of course the reliable Harbhajan. It seems the bowling attack could comprise of Zaheer, Nehra, Praveen, Harbhajan, Jadeja/Ojha and of course Sehwag can assist with a few overs. India is going ahead with a balanced line up- they have a decent amount of all rounders, their wicketkeeper is one of their best batsmen and they have a young, athletic side. What I consider to be a huge advantage from India’s point of view is that, Zaheer and Harbhajan can contribute with batting whereas Sehwag’s bowling form has been impressive over the past 2 years. So, unless the key players fail to perform it does not appear India will miss Tendulkar or Yuvraj.

India’s problems would be too much reliance on young players and lack of mental strength in

8 out the 15 players in the Indian squad are below the age of 25. Tiwary is a promising batsman who gets a chance to make a name in this Asia Cup

pressure situations. India still lacks reliable finishers, and one of the reasons for this has been the mastery of India’s top order with players like Gambhir, Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar- because these players have almost always been in decent form, the lower middle order has remained relatively underexposed to pressure situations. It is interesting to see that the average age of this Indian squad is only 25, which shows the emphasis of the BCCI on grooming youngsters and getting them ready for World Cup 2011.

Sri Lanka has proven to be an unpredictable side, much like Pakistan. Sri Lanka has often been accused of carrying players who have talent, but do not have the propensity to develop this talent into consistent match winning performances. Sri Lanka is going into this Cup with mostly experienced players; certainly the only 2 players who have played less than 15 matches are Welegedara and Randiv. However experience is a big advantage that Sri Lanka have, and it remains to be seen whether the batting prowess and experience of Sangakkara, Dilshan and Jayawerdene

Murali has not been in top bowling form, but will the Asia Cup revive his status as a leading bowler?

can dominate the Indians and Pakistanis? However, India can argue that Sehwag, Dhoni and Gambhir are no less than the Sri Lankan batting stalwarts.

In bowling, Sri Lanka appears to be the weakest of the 3 main sides. They have the experienced Murali, but everyone knows he is beyond his best. Maharoof, Samaraweera, Malinga, Kulasekara can all be effective on their day, but are prone to inconsistency. The Sri Lankan team, as always, will have to rely on a team effort as they always do when they want to win. Provided their bowlers maintain discipline and their key batsmen contribute with runs, they can win this Cup. They are probably the best fielding side in the tournament. The average age of the Sri Lankan squad is 29.

Pakistan is the most mercurial side in this Cup and they have a new captain who does not have immense captaincy experience in ODI’s. Pakistan is also without its star batsmen Yousuf and

Captain Afridi has begged his team to remain united

Younis but has been bolstered to an extent by the return of Shoaib Akhtar. I say, to an extent because if Akhtar gets injured or does not show form he can prove to be a big liability and affect the team morale badly. In fact the egregious error of selecting Akhtar and Malik has

The PCB has not been able to justify Fawad's exclusion

saddened many fans, many who were looking to the future and hoping that underperformers would be sidelined from the team. There have also been question marks over the omission of promising batsmen Fawad Alam and Hammad Azam. Politics has clearly played its part and Pakistan is not going ahead with its premier squad.

Batting wise Pakistan remain as unstable as ever. Umar Akmal, Salman Butt and Malik are going ahead has Pakistan’s main batsmen in this Cup. Whereas Malik and Butt have still not been able to convince the fans that they deserve selection to play international cricket, U Akmal is

Umar Akmal is one of the best young batsmen in the world

some cause for optimism. He is aggressive, reads the situation well and is very good at playing cross batted shots, which is often a rarity in international cricket. However, already U Akmal has been involved in controversy and this Cup will test his demeanour as to whether he can focus on his game and detract from dressing room politics. The biggest advantage that is held by Pakistan is that that their main batsmen- Malik, Butt and U Akmal have stellar records against Asian teams, particularly India.

In bowling, Pakistan is going ahead with the strongest line up on paper. Asif, Akhtar, Aamer and Ajmal are considered to be amongst the best in the world. However if one considers Akhtar’s normal fitness problems and Asif’s mediocre form over the past few months, then the Pakistani bowling appears vulnerable. Since Pakistan rarely ever plays as a team unit, they will be looking up to their potentially match winning bowlers and players like Afridi, Razzaq and U Akmal to swing matches in their favour.

In conlusion, the Asia Cup ought to be an exciting tournament with balanced teams. India can be beaten if their top order is dismissed cheaply, Sri Lanka can be beaten by performing basic tasks right, and Pakistan can be beaten by any means, by anyone at any time. Now it remains to be seen who exploits the other’s weakness best and who utilises their strengths in the best possible manner.

Miracle man? Good player? Useless player?

The title of this thread must be the story of Fawad Alam’s career.

In the T20 match against Australia, Fawad Alam took 2 catches quite safely which was a complete contrast to how Salman Butt and Misbah fielded. Then, he came into bat when 71 runs were needed off 30 balls and managed 16 runs from 11 balls including one sixer. He came into bat at no 8, just before the tailenders, Sami, Aamer and Ajmal.

Generally some regional-minded/biased people accuse Fawad Alam of being a usless batsman because of his so-called inability to hit boundaries and inability to “win matches”. Yet, all logic, reason, fairness is swept under the carpet in his criticism. Whereas I ignore the biased representations of these people who want to see more of Malik, Misbah and Butt and less of Alam, Afridi and Younis etc, it is quite concerning that some fairer and more educated people have started losing patience with Fawad Alam. This thread is aimed at them.

In ODI’s, Alam has played 459 deliveries in 15 innings. That is an average of under 31 balls per match. It must be noted that Alam does not play as a pinch hitter, but as a run accumulator and facilitator. If we compare the balls Alam has faced to the balls other batsmen have faced per match, this is what we get:

Butt- 46 balls/match, Umer Akmal- 40 balls/match, Misbah- 38 balls/match, Malik-38 balls/match, Younis-39 balls/match, Yousuf- 48 balls/match…

In T20′s, the comparison is thus:

Butt- 23 balls, U Akmal- 24 balls, Misbah- 22, Younis- 17, Malik- 18, F Alam- 10

So, we have now established that Alam plays less balls per match than all of Pakistan’s main batsmen.

In 15 ODI innings, Alam has played at the batting position no 6 or below, 12 times. In T20′s he has played 13 innings and has batted at no 6 or below, 11 times. So it is established that Alam is usually sent to bat lower down the order and does not get the opportunity to face many balls, yet why is so much expected of him? Why is he expected to create miracles when no one is bothered to respect his abilities first? This applies not only to the team management, but also to commentators and bloggers.

In terms of what Fawad Alam has done in his very short career:

1) He hit 3 sixes in 5 balls and played a match winning knock against Sri Lanka in Canada

2) He hit 168 in a debut knock on a seaming track, the next highest score in the match from Pakistan was 82 by Younis and then barely anyone else could reach 25 on that pitch. He hit a six when he was on 92, he played that knock with a strike rate of 66.

3) He played valuable T20 and ODI knocks against Sri Lanka and India, assisting players like Malik, Misbah and Akmal on at least 1 occasion each in finishing matches

4) He played a determined knock against England, complementing Razzaq very well. Those who saw the match knew Pakistan could not have won without his contribution.

5) He took an excellent catch off Umer Gul, and then effected a brilliant run out in a recent match which changed momentum for Pakistan in that game (I forget who the opposition was). After his spirited effort Pakistani bowlers and fielders looked rejuvenated and performed well.

The above is not a comprehensive list by any means. The point is that in his relatively short career he has already shone on a few occasions, but why don’t people recognise this? I can’t remember 5 occasions when Butt, Malik or Misbah did something amazing in their long careers. Not only have these 3 failed miserably as batsmen most of the times, they have also let the team down by virtue of their fielding. Somehow critics expect Alam to achieve feats even Tendulkar and Lara and incapable of achieving, but at the same time find Butt, Misbah and Malik’s constant selection (Malik’s, until very recently) understandable?

It was clear that Pakistan lost this match against Australia because of Misbah’s and Butt’s fielding, yet why did people have to question Fawad’s handling of this period when 70+ runs were needed of 30 balls and no other recognised batsman was there to support him?

Fawad Alam is an asset for the team because of a number of reasons:

1) He can play under pressure

2) He keeps the strike rotating

3) He is an excellent fielder

4) He plays with determination, he appears modest and does not have a big mouth or ego

Every player in international limited overs cricket must be assessed on a “net utility” basis. The player’s all round capabilities must be observed simply because international cricket has become a high stakes and competitive game. If a player makes 35 runs regularly, but then gives away 10 runs because of his poor fielding, then that player’s worth to the team is really only 25 runs. In my mind given the chance Alam is capable of batting better than players like Misbah and Malik. That coupled with his fielding, makes his net utility very high, and as such a very valuable player for the team.

Amidst the pinch hitters (Afridi, Hafeez, Imran Nazir, Akmal, Razzaq) , slow players (Butt) and selfish players (Misbah, Malik) you need to have someone who can rotate the strike and occasionally put the bad ball away for a boundary, someone who can take pressure off by taking quick singles and doubles etc. If Alam is properly utilised he can become a great player- the problem is that due to policies of bias and favouritism he is not getting chances to perform.

The travesty is that, we expect Alam to do something which is his weakest point- hit 4s and 6s regularly and convert losing causes into winning results. It is this travesty that is destroying the career of a potentially great cricketer for Pakistan.

A viictim not just of politics and favouritism, but also of ill judgement and lack of logic

Butt is the laughing stock of the cricket world and under his leadership Pakistan cricket has gone from bad to worse

There are reports of turmoil within the PCB as Ijaz Butt has failed to change the culture of the PCB and in fact internal strife, mismanagement and incompetence levels have increased. Butt is under immense pressure to resign as it is alleged he is too old, incompetent and more concerned about running his private business than managing the cricket situation in the country. Since Butt has appeared on the cricket scene, the team has gone from bad to worse. There is no vision, no planning, and like his appointor, Asif Zardari, Butt is spending more time facing flak and responding (unconvincingly) to criticism than actually doing something positive to remedy the affliction the Pakistan team is experiencing.

On one hand Butt said that Yousuf was the wrong choice as captain of

Pathetic Yousuf thinks he captained well in Australia

the team for the Australia tour, but on the other hand he said there was no alternative. What kind of decision-making is this? Why was a younger player not appointed as a temporary captain? Yousuf proved to be a worse captain than anyone thought. Not only was he completely negative in everything that he did- batting, field placement, bowling changes, managing team morale etc, he also failed to win the respect of his team-mates, unlike Inzamam who was at least senior enough to obtain some respect from the juniors. It was also disheartening to see Yousuf openly condemning Butt’s running between the wickets and Manzoor’s technique. Interestingly, Butt proved to be Pakistan’s best batsmen in Tests and Manzoor probably played the best knock by a Pakistani in the Test series.

According to many news reports, Malik is the reason behind dirty regional politics in the team

At the same time as Butt’s inept management and Yousuf’s maladroit captaincy, there were reports of team disunity. Some reports went as far as suggesting that two camps were created in the team- the Karachi camp (thought to be led by Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi) and the Sialkot/Punjab camp led by Shoaib Malik. In fact some news suggested that the team manager had created a report on Shoaib Malik using politics to advance his camp’s interests. Whether any action is taken against Malik for this remains to be seen. Indeed, Malik captained Pakistan’s T20 match and although it was known Pakistan would provide a tough challenge to Australia in any circumstance, Malik’s captaincy has been hailed as “inspirational” and “attacking” by his misled supporters. The truth is that a club T20 team from Pakistan can provide a tough challenge to Australia in T20, yet somehow Malik’s supporters have forgotten this.

In such dire times, Pakistan needs a completely new and revolutionary strategy. As far as team

Umar Akmal is a gifted batsman and has a very good cricketing mind

Fawad has some technical batting problems, but he still impresses. He is the best fielder in the side and his batting and fielding impressed the Australians

performance is concerned, in Umar Akmal and Fawad Alam Pakistan found their best 2 ODI batsmen. This firstly proves that the much maligned Pakistani domestic structure can still produce good players. Secondly, this proves that for some reason or the other, the team’s main batsmen- Younis, Yousuf and Malik, are not up to the mark and must make way for juniors. When your best ODI batsmen are not your 4 or 5 most experienced batsmen, you know something is wrong with your team.

The horror seen in Butt’s time shows that a former cricketer is not necessarily a good administrator. Pakistan should appoint a management expert with good cricket acumen to lead the Board. In fact, the best way forward is probably to fire all former cricketers who are involved in running the show as all of these cricketers seem to have shady motives and personal grudges against each other, and an organisation cannot run successfully in this way.

Inti, it is no laughing matter that under your term as coach, Pakistan has become a very weak team, especially when chasing targets

A younger, fitter coach should be appointed. Pakistan should look beyond people like Intikhab Alam and should opt for a relatively low profile coach, perhaps from some regional academy. Pakistan has suffered too much and too long under Intikhab- his failure reflects in the fact that no improvements have been seen in the players. All the technical weaknesses remain, the standard of fielding is still poor, the bowlers are still getting injured relatively easily. The worst aspect is that mentally the Pakistan team has worsened under Intikhab, whereas when Inti was appointed he said mental strength would be one of his main areas of focus. Pakistan is losing Test matches from winning positions and it is looking increasingly vulnerable when chasing even modest targets.

Mediocrity is prevalent across the squad. Being mediocre is in some

Too many mediocre performers spoil the broth

ways worse than being pathetic, because a mediocre player makes 30 runs with some consistency to cement his position in the team, but is always focusing to remain in the team because he finds it so hard to make sizable scores, especially when the situation demands some character from a batsman. Similarly, bowlers like Rana and Rao survive on picking up 1 or 2 wickets here and there, or keeping the economy rate to under 4.5. Whereas, a pathetic or substandard player gets booted straightaway from the team. Shoaib Malik must not be tolerated anymore in the lineup. Similarly, Rana and Rao must be permanently banned from playing international cricket.

He can be very stupid sometimes, but his "outside the box" gameplay may well be what Pakistan cricket needs to survive

Afridi’s ball tampering incident was regrettable. However, whereas it has caused anger for many, many also see Afridi as someone who would be willing to think outside the box and who would be desperate to win matches for Pakistan. Although Afridi is not the brightest cricketer in the squad, he is very unlikely to tamper with the ball again. Afridi has received his penalty from the ICC and he must now be forgiven by the PCB and Pakistani public. Pakistan needs Afridi’s passionate captaincy and fighting spirit, and the fans should persuade the PCB to experiment with Afridi in all formats. Otherwise, Malik or Akmal will be appointed captain and Pakistan should not reward their consistently poor performances any longer.

Now the PCB must use their initiative and build a Test team with Younis, Yousuf, Afridi, U Akmal and Fawad Alam in the middle order. In ODI’s, Afridi, U Akmal and Alam must be the main batsmen and perhaps Butt will also improve his ODI form and become a significant cog in the wheel. In Umer Akmal and Fawad Alam Pakistan has found two exciting and talented players and now the PCB must look for more players like them.

Misbah is a loser and we would love to see his back

Waqar Younis was asked what happened in the last 2 ODI’s and he actually spoke bluntly about the issue, and hinted that some players were under the verge of being dropped and they had to perform. Of course, he was talking about Misbah ul Haq. Ever since the series against India during which Misbah was Pakistan’s best batsman, Misbah seems to have lost his touch. He looks lazy on the field and appears to be uninterested in ensuring Pakistan fights and retains some pride. Indeed he appears to be playing for himself only. He underperformed in the ODI series against Australia, but then he played a good knock in the final ODI and remained not out, which catapulted his average into the 40s. He then had a poor T20 tournament, although it is accepted he did not get many chances to bat. But after his performance in this ODI series where he only played for himself, PCB should definitely drop him permanently. But the way things work in Pakistan, Misbah is being hailed as a good batsman again and his selection for the Champions Trophy next month is definitely on the cards. If the PCB can’t discern this pattern whereby some players only play for themselves and don’t support the captain, then the selectors might as well consider them automatic selections. Why did the management drop Malik and Misbah a few times in this ODI series if it keeps giving them chances like these to play selfishly and cement their places in the team? It is so obvious from the way Misbah played that he was only interested in remaining not out, in the 5th ODI. His strike rate was almost 100 when he came out to bat, but dropped into the 80s when he was on 40, because he only wanted to reach his 50. And then he could never improve his strike rate towards the end. It was pathetic to see Misbah blocking the balls and running singles when the time had come to slog.

Another loser is Shoaib Malik, who was dropped after 3 failures. Malik only made 21 runs in 3 matches and his

Any fair and rational person would want Malik to be dropped. However, his selection for the Champions Trophy is also very much on the cards

 bowling also made no impact. Malik appears so clueless against the new ball that you wonder why he plays international cricket. It is accepted that all Pakistani batsmen, to some extent or the other, struggle to play the moving ball but Malik appears especially vulnerable. Why is the selection committee so blind that they can’t see he is a nothing player who makes no meaningful contribution and plays selfishly? How many potential Umer Akmals and Fawad Alams must have been destroyed by the PCB in order to retain Shoaib Malik!

Younis Khan is under fire, but just how much respect and authority he commands is questionable

Although Malik and Misbah are the main problems in the Pakistan side, Younis Khan does not make a solid impression as captain. Younis failed on the seaming tracks of Dambulla but his performance was better on the flatter Colombo pitches. Younis has made some unforgivable errors in captaincy, such as using a spinner to bowl in Powerplays in the last few overs of an innings. It is debated how much authority Younis actually has. Whereas the PCB reports that Younis has considerable authority, Younis himself has given statements to the media where he is clearly unhappy with some players in the team and he has also complained of too much interference from the coach, the manager and the vice captain. Younis did play two outstanding knocks in the final 2 ODI’s and he showed fighting spirit. He was easily Pakistan’s best batsman in this series.

Young Umer Akmal also performed commendably. Unlike his team mate Fawad

One would hope Umer Akmal will permanently replace either one of Malik or Misbah

 Alam, Umer was lucky to have been called to the international stage at such a young age. However, Umer showed a lot of panache and character when he made his century. It seems Malik and Misbah don’t mind Umer Akmal as much. They vehemently opposed Fawad Alam’s inclusion when Fawad’s introduction on the international arena was being considered. One wonders why?
Speaking of Fawad Alam, he had a disappointing series. Although showing some mettle in the 1st ODI when he was Pakistan’s top scorer amongst all recognised batsman, Fawad looked clueless in the next 2 games. Still, it was unfair to drop him after only 2 bad games. It seemed the management did not want to isolate the underperforming Malik, so Fawad was also made a victim of this agenda. Fawad should never bank on having support from the seniors or having some kind of permanent position in the team because of his background. He needs to perform like Miandad if he wants to stay. Otherwise, he will disappear into oblivion like Asim Kamal.

Bowling wise Pakistan was better. Aamer and Ajmal were Pakistan’s best bowlers and one would hope Aamer is not burned out. Rana and Rao bowled well in patches. Pakistan was pathetic on this tour because of its batting, so the bowling will not be considered any further. 

This is definitely another new low in Pakistan cricket. Malik and Misbah are ruining team spirit and underperforming. However, this series has also exposed how fragile Pakistani batsmen are on seaming tracks. With two able batsmen in the side, U Akmal and Alam, it would have made a lot of sense to drop Malik and Misbah and persist with those two. However, it is already being reported that Malik and Misbah will make into the Champions Trophy squad. The PCB has learned nothing and this tour of Sri Lanka proved to be a waste of time. The team management seems to have a different agenda to seeing the players develop and seeing more fighting spirit from the players. What else can explain the constant selection of Malik and Misbah in the Pakistan team? It is very likely that the Pakistan team will underperform in the Champions Trophy.

A bunch of losers

Misbah Paddling

Shoaib Malik Pack your bags and go home

Kamran you are too small to get into big conspiracies so don't get involved

Younis Khan’s team won the first T20 WC champions by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.  Then, suddenly they became the first team from Pakistan under his leadership to suffer a test series defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka.

There are rumours of conspiracy theories creeping up, whatever the reasons or rumours that may be spreading, Pakistan has proved to be one of the most unpredictable teams in world cricket who can self-destruct from a winning position to a losing one.

People say you can expect anything from Pakistan, they are the most unpredictable team in the world. Unpredictability alone is not the issue, there are some unexplainable questions like, no one knows how Fawad Alam on his debut can play the Sri Lankan bowlers with ease and scored a masterly 168 with such ease and without any stress. Whereas, the most experienced middle order couldn’t even reach double figures.  It seems like they did not want to score any runs and get out as soon as possible was it a deliberate ruse or was it really so difficult to play?  If it was difficult for them why was it so easy for Fawad Alam?

The way Shoaib Malik scored a six and got clean bowled the next ball is a proof that he wasn’t interested in securing the match. Neither Misbah nor, Akmal did anything to add a few runs to the total neither the Captain has any explanation to this pathetic batting displayed by his batsmen in both the test matches.

The captain, the coach, the selectors and the PCB Chairman they all came up with some stupid notion that Pakistan has not played much of test cricket. Earlier in the T20 WC when they lost the warm-up matches as well as the first round matches, they used the same template.  “Our team didn’t play much of international cricket and we are a bit rusty.” And, when they won the WC they used it as a dual edged sword.

It is really stupid to make such excuses especially when the senior batsmen simply throw away their wickets, it is not cricket it looks like there is something more than what meets the eye. The senior players simply didn’t show any responsibility and lack of test exposure or lack of international cricket has nothing to do with it and not only Younis Khan, but the entire Butt management knows the real reason. But, they are not willing to accept it and not willing to make any changes.

Some of the viewers and TV media sports critics are blaming Younus Khan for the reverse sweep that he played and got out.  Agreed that was a very stupid and unwanted shot.  But, he made 83 runs and was involved in a partnership of 200 runs with Fawad Alam.  But, what about the rest of the players? Three of the team’s senior batsmen did not do anything in this series so far.  Mohammad Yousuf has made a century but what about others?

The former captain Shoaib Malik, who self proclaims that he is Pakistan’s best all-rounder, he is playing international cricket for ten years and still he cannot decide at what number he can bat?  In 4 innings Shoaib Malik has scored 83 runs 39 n.o. being the highest which helped his average reaching at 27.66 still it is lower than his career average of 35.73.  His supporters are saying that he got out on a peach of a ball.  What a load of BS.  A good player is not supposed to get out on a peach of a ball. Although it was not a good ball, but just a straighter one and he missed it completely.  If he is such a good player he should not have played such a stupid shot.  A six and then clean bowled.  That was not what the Doctor Ordered.

Misbah-ul-Haq or,  Mis fit ul Haq in the test team yet he is the vice captain, has a career test aggregate of 779 runs in 14 test matches with an average of 37 runs.  And, in the last two tests or in 4 innings he scored only 66 runs at an average of 16.50.  What has happened to him? Is he just like this from the beginning? Or, he has become so lethargic and indifferent lately?  Because the moments of sporadic brilliance do not have any consistency in his game which makes him a very mediocre player.  His game is more like a swinging yo-yo. He is definitely not a finisher but, a loser.

Kamran Akmal is displaying the worst batting performance in Sri Lanka. He managed only 29 runs from four innings in the series at an average of only 12.25. He has a much better career average of  33.09 but, it seems like he has unduly dragged himself  as a part of the conspiracy. He should better get out of this triangle because he is a square peg in a round hole.

The below-par performance of the Three Musketeers has sparked rumours that they are not happy with the captain and also with other members of the team because Shoaib Malik was stripped off his captaincy and to avenge this, they are creating groups.

These conspiracy theories are not new, but this time it is getting so obvious that even a dimwit dolt can make out that it is happening. Even the morale boosting win at the T20 WC in the UK has failed to unite the team which many people including Sarfaraz Nawaz, believes the team is bitterly divided and killing the team spirit.

Sarfraz Nawaz is convinced that there are ‘groupings’ within the team with senior players like, Malik and Misbah unwilling to give their best under Younis Khan and they deserve an axe.

Even Inzamam-ul-Haq has raised similar fears.  He also said, that Younis Khan is not handling the situation very firmly and his happy and jovial attitude and light comments during the post match press conferences are not helping in erasing this menace and he needs to take a firm action and drop those players who are not performing.

It was expected a lot from Younus Khan that he is  “NO DUMMY CAPTAIN” and will stand up firmly to discipline the team because, it is definitely the job of the captain and the team management not only to discipline the team but, also to resolve these trivial issues and those who are trying to divide the team or create fractions and divisions in the team must be admonished, dropped and penalized.

It is about time that Malik and Misbah must be dropped from the third test and Kamran Akmal should be advised that he is getting a last chance, either he perform or join the culprits who are creating divisions and fractions in the team.  Sarfaraz Ahmad is waiting for his wings and eager to fly.  Fawad Alam has set a precedent that no matter how long you may suppress an individual you cannot kill the spirit and the desire to fly and a talent is never wasted for long.

The selectors were not willing to drop Salman Butt they made several excuses by saying:  “Yes, Fawad Alam is a very talented player an excellent fielder BUT, we do not have a spot for him in the team.” The moment he replaced Salman Butt, it is all history now.

Why is it Malik and Misbah not questioned for their pathetic performance? Are they above the law or like someone said, are they sacred cows? If they don’t perform they must be dropped. Like I have said in the previous thread that, Faisal Iqbal and Abdul Razzaq can fill in their spots and these two defeats should be considered as an opportunity to bring about the desired changes.

If Pakistan needs to build a team for the test, they have to take these decisions and formulate a plan and a strategy to make sure that such shameful defeats may not happen again, especially when they visit Australia and New Zealand in the near future.

No one expects Pakistan to be the world champions of T20 (which they are) ODI and also number one test team in the world. But, they expect them to fight till the end. The team’s morale is such that they do not show any fighting spirit at all. Until and unless these changes are not made, others will not pay any heed in improving their standards.

Winning the T20 WC was no fluke, the team played the finals in the last WC and won this time. It was a good start to win the cup after the political crisis and the social boycott they got because of the security aspect. But, this test series defeat has left a big stain on the face of those who proclaim that they are the best all-rounders and best batsmen in Pakistan, it is more like a stigma and a taboo for them after this shameful defeat.  But, there are other players who played well and they deserve the respect, praise and accolades and they must be encouraged.  Hence, the team needs to move ahead and move on just like Fawad Alam did.  He shone brilliantly like a star in the dark night while others around him were dwindling and fading away.

Fawad Alam is a shining example for those who thought that, “Alam tou sirf Dam-e-Khayaal hai.” And it is for this reason Ghalib has said:

Hasti kay faraib may mutt ajaiyo Asad

Alam tamam dam-e-khayaal hai.

Fawad Alam The Shining Star

 

I have narrated the following incident more than once, but for those not aware of it yet, I will do so again. Here I don’t want to take credit for “spotting talent” and neither am I trying to give Javed A Khan and Awas credit for believing in Fawad Alam. But, the first time I noticed something different about Alam was in the final of the ABN AMRO T20 Cup 2006. Karachi lost the final to Sialkot, but Alam went down fighting. The biggest problem with Pakistan cricket of late has been that Pakistan tends to lose humiliatingly very often and shows no fighting spirit. In that match I saw fighting spirit, class, passion and a certain genius. It was not the Tendulkaresque or Yousufesque genius of creating super strokes. It was the genius of ticking the scorecard, rotating strike, punishing the bad ball for the boundary and playing with a big heart. Verily, Sialkot players stood in one line and appluaded this 20 year old as he left the ground injured, for he was the only barrier between Sialkot and that Cup. Never before had I witnessed such a sight in any kind of cricket.

After that as I relayed the domestic performances of Fawad Alam, the other Legslip managers supported him. We spoke about where he would suitably bat in the line up, whom he would replace, and who was playing politics against him. None of us could imagine that Alam would be made to open the innings. It could be Younis’s surprising masterstroke, or it could be a sinister trick contrived by someone with an agenda against Alam. Yet, whatever it was, it worked wonders as Alam became the only Pakistani to score a century on debut outside of Pakistan.

Perhaps Man makes his own destiny, or perhaps it is created for him. What else can explain the singular events

Fawad should ideally have replaced Malik in the middle order

 culminating in one of the best knocks by an opener seen in recent times? Perhaps having such resilience, passion for the country and honesty within oneself, is bound to pay dividends. The formula seems simple, but it takes a man and a half for execution. Fawad Alam’s name was on the cards for two years. Despite repeated batting debacles, Fawad was not experimented with. Average players like Malik were preferred and during Malik’s time as captain, Fawad was sidelined so much, as to bat in the line up after the likes of Sohail Tanvir. Yet, he did not lose hope. Sometimes the difference between the winner and the loser is one who sees the glass half full rather than half empty. Fawad emerged as the winner.

No young cricketer has suffered and been made to suffer so much in recent times. And no young cricketer has come out on top like this either in recent times. The scenes we witnessed today as Fawad performed the “sajda” after getting his 50, and then a very long sajda after getting his hundred, signify what he has gone through. When Younis embraced him after his milestone, he was seen wiping tears off his cheeks. Fawad is actually not “young” when you consider the age he has made his Test debut- 23. Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Aamer, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Khurram Manzoor- all these players debuted before they were 23. In fact one could say according to Pakistani standards, his entry into international cricket has been at a relatively ripe age.

The prophecies have been fulfilled

Pakistan cricket has found a hero. This has been a journey of a fighter, of someone who has strived to look at the bright side of things in times of despair. It has been nothing short of a fairytale, or a rags to riches story. Fawad was right when he said that if you have what it takes mentally, then it does not matter what number you bat on- you are bound to succeed. One would hope future selection of players is based on this criterion, and not other criteria. Today Fawad silenced all critics who thought he was too short, too young, too meek, too modest and who just did not like him for his looks or background.

The premise of the much acclaimed movie, “Slumdog Millionaire”, is that God works in mysterious ways and sometimes, unexpected success and glory is written in destiny, and hence unavoidable. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. This is not to say Alam is a “good person” per se, but something about Alam’s success makes me feel it can teach an invaluable lesson in life. The moral of the story is never to look back in times of adversity, even when you know there is injustice against you. It is a simple formula, but it produces spectacular, unbelievable results.

However, Younis and Yousuf have a track record of performing in difficult conditions. Countless times both have done amazing things with the bat which has earned our respect. Younis Khan might not be a consistent century-maker, but he makes centuries in desperate times, when they are badly needed. Similarly, Yousuf has been a run machine for Pakistan over the years. His consistency is unmatchable. He scores 50′s and 100′s so often that you don’t care whether they win matches or not.

However, this begs the question- what exactly is Shoaib Malik’s role in the Test team? If one says he is a batting all rounder, then that is surely incorrect because someone like Younis Khan, who hardly even bowls at domestic level, can bowl better than Malik in Tests. If one says he is a batsman, then one must question why Malik can never perform when real “batting skill” is needed. Why can Malik not perform

a) under pressure
b) on fast/seaming pitches
c) when other batsmen have also not performed?

The way Malik got out in both innings against the swinging/fast ball, demonstrates his perennial weakness against genuine pace. Malik’s predators were Kulasekara and Thushara, hardly whom one would call great Test bowlers.

I know why there is this pattern to Malik’s batting. The reason is that Malik was never a proper, skilled batsman at domestic level and as a consequence, he never developed those skills at international level. Simply because he  actually never learned them at domestic first class level, where those skills are learned, which makes batsmen become Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf or Misbah.

An analysis of Malik’s potential (or lack of) can not be comprehensively undertaken without reference to how domestic cricket is structured in all Test playing nations and what the purpose of first class cricket is. First class cricket is the domestic equivalent of international Test cricket. It is the format that requires the highest amount of skill, and the format which separates the “nothings” from the “somethings”. The other two popular domestic formats are List A cricket (domestic equivalent of One Day Internationals) and Twenty20 (self explanatory).

Shoaib Malik averages a paltry 29.54 in first class cricket. Compared to his first class performance, he is much better playing List A matches (averaging 39) and T20 matches (averaging 42). Now let us compare Malik’s first class performance with the performance of other batsmen:

Name                                            Average

Shoaib Malik                                 29.54

Younis Khan                                 51.89

Mohammad Yousuf                  51.51

Fawad Alam                                 56.75

Misbah ul Haq                             51.38

Abdul Razzaq                               34.39

Kamran Akmal                            31.62

Sarfraz Ahmed (keeper)          47.38

Salman Butt                                 41.39

Shahid Afridi                               31.80

Faisal Iqbal                                  40.11

Khurram Manzoor                    41.78

I wonder if this will come as a surprise to readers. Our specialist, automatic selection middle order batsman, Shoaib Malik, averages less than all these batsmen. Even Afridi, who at one time when almost dropped by Malik on accounts of his batting, averages more than Malik.

It is crucial to stress here that this is an analysis of Malik’s Test performance. In ODI’s and T20, Malik is much better. However, it is submitted that there are potentially better players than Malik who are waiting to perform. So now we must come to the question that, if there are question marks over Malik’s position in the team, why is he selected?

The answer is a blunt one, and it is a controversial one. Shoaib Malik commands significant support from a sizeable number of Pakistan’s population, who are willing to sideline logic, common sense and justice in order to support their preferred player over someone else, who might be from a “minority group” in Pakistan. English, Australian, West Indian commentators often ask why other players are not selected to play for Pakistan who have shown some promise. They also don’t understand how a batsman with an average of under 30 can be offered so many opportunities to become a Test player, when someone who averages over 50 is treated like a second class citizen and kept on the bench.  It doesn’t make sense to them because they come from backgrounds where merit has some value.

Malik is a waste of space in the Test team. Pakistan must replace him with Fawad Alam in Tests. This  is not to support Fawad Alam per se. Alam is sitting on the bench. At domestic level he has achieved feats which someone like Malik can only dream about. Until Alam is given a few matches to prove himself, we can’t say either way whether he is worthy or not. There are many players all over the country who can perform better in Tests than Malik. I urge everyone to realise what kind of calibre is needed in Tests and to campaign to get Malik sacked from the Test team.

The going has not been great for team Pakistan

The warm up matches for the T20 WC start next week. Pakistan will be playing its preliminary matches against England and the Netherlands. The last few years have been disappointing for Pakistan for various reasons. Pakistan’s openers remain as clueless and brittle as ever since the departure of Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail. The middle order has not managed to remain consistent with critcism being levied on Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik and Misbah. Pakistan’s best batsman Yousuf has been largely unavailable and so have been three of Pakistan’s key T20 players, Abdul Razzaq, Imran Nazir and Rana Naved. Further, although Pakistan’s fielding standards have improved slightly, they are improving slowly compared to other international sides.

They have destroyed Pakistan's standing in world cricket, yet Pakistanis still worship them

Pakistan’s pace battery is almost totally ineffective, with Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif ruining their careers themselves and Umar Gul being the only fit and world class pacer. If all this isn’t enough, the Pakistan team management seems obsessed with not providing any meaningful chances to promising youngsters such as Fawad Alam.

T20 is not real cricket, because it seems to go against everything cricket is meant to be. Cricket is meant to provide equal footing to both batsmen and bowlers. Test cricket, which is considered as real cricket, is all about patience, intelligence, stamina and mental toughness. T20 is more about luck and excitement, although the qualities needed to play Test cricket can be useful in playing T20, too. Yet, if one attempts to envisage what the founders of cricket must have had in mind, T20 must be a polar opposite.

Shoaib Malik is a domestic T20 specialist

Pakistan has a golden chance to provide some hope to fans, as the Pakistan team is balanced and consists of experienced T20 players. It is crucial to stress that half of these players have played cricket in English conditions, so they know what to expect and also, Pakistani cricketers probably play more domestic T20

Younis has a point to prove in this tournament

 than anyone else. So, there should be no excuse for poor performance and claiming lack of familiarisation with English conditions will be unacceptable.

Younis Khan is leading the side although his T20 credentials are doubted. Younis performed commendably in the ongoing RBS T20 Cup where he played 2 aggressive knocks for Peshawar. There were reports after the ODI series against Australia that Younis has decided to relinquish captaincy in favour of Afridi. These reports were obviously untrue, but it does prove that there is a considerable body of opinion that doubts Younis Khan as a T20 player.

Shahzad may be talented but he will struggle in T20 unless he plays more lofted shots

Younis has to show more aggression than what we have seen from him. If Pakistani batsmen play defensively in this Cup, Pakistan will lose. Pakistan should also be mindful that other teams like New Zealand and South Africa have improved their T20 standards and they are capable of beating Pakistan this time round.
In particular the two openers Shahzad and Butt need to play lofted shots if they can’t drive the ball between the gaps. This is particularly important for Shahzad, who has struggled to place the ball in the gaps so far in international cricket. Neither Butt nor Shahzad have been in great form recently and it must be questioned why they have been picked for T20 when they do not appear to be T20 batsmen.
The new kid on the block, Shahzaib Hasan is inexperienced and it is rumoured Younis Khan opted for him over Khalid Latif. It would perhaps be wiser to give Hasan a chance in place of Shahzad, although it seems unlikely. Hasan was impressive in the recent mini series between Chairman’s XI and Patrons’ XI, where he was amongst the top scorers. Nasir Jamshed is returning to form in domestic cricket but his form was mediocre before this RBS Cup, so his exclusion is justified.

Ideally Younis should go with no more than 3 pacers. Spinners are usually more effective in T20 because the focus is

Merit is no qualification to play for Pakistan, so Fawad is hoping for a miracle

 also to restrict the runs from the bat. My guess is that whoever is responsible for selection will once again not give a meaningful chance to Fawad Alam, but playing Fawad is undoubtedly an advantage because of his batting and fielding. He can also bowl a couple of overs if need be, although bowling is not his forte. The team management is likely to go with, 1.Butt 2.Shahzad 3.Younis 4. Malik 5. Misbah 6. Afridi 7.Akmal 8. Tanvir 9. Gul 10. Rao 11. Ajmal.

My preferred line-up would be: 1. Hasan 2. Afridi 3. Akmal 4. Younis 5. Malik 6. Misbah 7. Fawad 8. Tanvir 9. Gul 10. Rao 11. Ajmal

Aggression, good team spirit and fair selection can make Pakistan win this World Cup. Bowling wise Pakistan is adequately equipped with Gul, Afridi and Ajmal being world class bowlers. If Younis, Malik and Misbah once again do not show commitment and consistency, it will be a new low for Pakistan cricket and a slap on the PCB’s face.

When will the PCB realise that tolerating average performances will destroy Pakistan’s status in international cricket? When will the cricket administrators realise that Pakistan is treading down the path of the West Indies, a team which ruled the cricket scene for two decades but is now considered almost a minnow team? Corruption, politics and negligent management has destroyed cricket in the West Indies and Pakistan is certainly heading down that path.

There is no denying that an indication of a weak cricket board is that player power is rampant and players consider themselves above the board and the country. In the Pakistan team groupings are formed and certain players back other players and create a situation where, “I scratch your back and you scratch mine”. The board could not convince Younis Khan to accept captaincy and as a result a weak and inept captain was selected in Shoaib Malik. The board cannot persuade Malik and Misbah to raise their level of performance against good sides in pressure situations despite both these players being on the top tier of central contracts, earning a sizable amount every month from the PCB. No administration has ever been able to control Shoaib Akhtar and he continues to fool the board, the team and the fans in broad daylight but he is above every being it seems. He is barely capable of bowling 5 overs in a match and yet he is an automatic selection in the team. This is a joke and this can only happen in Pakistan. Nasim Ashraf’s administration tried to put Akhtar in his place but Ashraf became very unpopular with the masses when he tried to curb player power.

A lot of the PCB’s incompetencies result from the social and political problems in Pakistan. There is corruption, ethnic bias, nepotism, dishonesty, mismanagement in the police force, in the armed forces, in the civil service, in government offices, so why should be cricket board be bereft of such evils? The cricket board, after all, is a public organisation and it works in tandem with the sports ministry. How to resolve these types of problems, becomes a political discussion, not a discussion about cricket and we have spoken about these issues many times on this blog.

There is an absence of professionalism in the PCB which filters down to the players on the field when they are playing. On his day Kamran Akmal can score a century against Australia, but in the same series he is very capable of dropping easy catches and playing stupid shots. Consistency has been Pakistan’s biggest problem for over a decade now and the PCB is absolutely clueless. Consistency does not come from the player itself; when a player performs and does something spectacular, that is a sign that this player is capable of doing something amazing and it is up to the team management and the board to ensure the player reaches his potential and performs more often. However, the PCB has not been able to answer the question, “How to nurture a player’s talent so that he becomes consistent?”

Since the PCB is incapable of producing consistency from the players, it should rotate players more often so that seniors are kept on their toes. Pakistan cricket has to come out of this tried and tested mentality that a senior player should not be dropped because it will weaken the team. Why do senior players in Pakistan have so much power and why are they untouchable? Recently I saw a programme where it was revealed that Shoaib Akhtar has sources in the Punjab government, which is why he is never dropped on accounts of unfitness or bad behaviour. So again we come to the point about corruption and favouritism in the Pakistan and how that affects everything, including sport.

Fawad Alam has become a victim of team politics and most people now consider him to be exceptionally tenacious to still have a big heart and still hope for playing for Pakistan. Fawad has been amongst the top domestic batsmen in Pakistan for about 3 years. He has performed in all formats- 4 day, 1 day and T20 and he is amongst the few players in the world who average above 40 in all 3 formats domestically. Whatever limited chances he has benefited from playing at the highest level, he has made a mark but he is still being ignored. He single handedly won a T20 for Pakistan when he hit 3 sixes in 5 balls. He has been involved in brief partnerships with seniors like Malik, Misbah and Yousuf and he has outperformed them, yet he has been ignored. Recently in a practice match against the international Pakistan side he was the best batsman against the bowling of Akhtar, Gul and Tanvir and he was the best bowler too. He is also one of the best fielders in the country.

So in real terms it seems no improvement was detected with Pakistan cricket. There is widespread incompetence, player power and politics that is ruining the sport in the nation. People in Pakistan are becoming fed up of the team’s substandard performances and are turning to other sports like football, baseball and basketball.  In the time of Imran Khan and Miandad, players played with more fire and patriotism but now these current players only play for themselves and for money. As cricket has become more “glamourised” and “commercialised”, perhaps that is not entirely the fault of the players themselves. However, politics and nepotism are definitely evils that should have nothing to do with sport.