Posts Tagged PCB
A TALE OF PROPHECIES
Posted by Sentinel Prime in LS Pakistan on July 13, 2009
An article was composed today on Cricinfo commemorating Fawad Alam’s century titled, “A tale of two prophecies”, highlighting how Alam’s father and Younis Khan had predicted Fawad would score a century in his debut Test. No other cricket blog has supported Alam so much as Legslip, and if one were to read about Alam on this blog, it would be reasonable to say that Alam’s fairytale has been pinned on more than just two prophecies.
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.
THE PARASITE IN THE PAKISTAN TEAM
Posted by Sentinel Prime in LS Pakistan on July 8, 2009
There is a parasite in the Pakistan cricket team. His name is Shoaib Malik.
Picture this: Pakistan lose a match because of its usual batting woes. Who gets blamed? Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf. Now they are the world class batsmen in the team, so one can sensibly say, they should get blamed. Awas was sensible recently when he stated that the reason why both of them get blamed is because they are the stellar batsmen in the team.
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.
RETURN OF THE KING
Posted by Sentinel Prime in LS Pakistan on July 6, 2009
King Yousuf
Michael Jackson’s tour of the UK scheduled for this year was being hailed as the “Return of the King”. Jackson was the King of Pop and unfortunately, his fans will not see his much-awaited return. But there is another King, and his fans did see his fantastic return where he silenced all critics and cemented his status as a legendary batsman.
If consistency is the criterion, then no Pakistani batsman can match Yousuf. Since 2000, Yousuf has never averaged under 40 in a given year in Tests. What makes Yousuf different to Inzamam and Younis is that Yousuf has somehow garnered 24 Test centuries without being noticed. That very fact makes Yousuf seem less significant to the team at the same time; indeed, Inzamam and Younis generally made/make centuries to save or win matches for Pakistan.
Yet, that should not make one think less of Yousuf. Tendulkar, probably the greatest batsman of all time also does not have a reputation of being a match winner for India. But he has scored plenty of runs at amazing consistency, something he shares with Mohammad Yousuf.
The century Yousuf made in his comeback Test is more than just an addition to his glorious statistics. It has demonstrated a side of Yousuf we don’t see regularly- or perhaps we don’t notice when we ought to. Such is Yousuf’s meek and introverted personality that as an individual, he often fails to get himself noticed. Yet, his bat has done the talking, and his statistics don’t lie. In this comeback Test we have seen Yousuf’s mental strength, we have seen his “revenge” on certain team mates or PCB officials who thought he was redundant, and most important of all, Yousuf has made us realise how much the team needs him and how much the Pakistan cricket fans need him.
Yousuf fought to get this century. He survived many close LBW appeals. He ran hard and he persisted in humid conditions. The determination was visible on his face and his body language. Only a great player can arrive on the crease with such contrivance, and have the guts, skill and tenacity to see it through. Every run he obtained was through careful, workman-like execution. His trademark lazy and effortless drives were barely seen. However, there is a certain charm and a certain elegance to the way Yousuf makes his many runs, whatever the circumstances and however the execution thereof. So much so that even an innings that features only a handful of boundaries seems like a spectacle.
Pakistan's most consistent batsman
Consistency has not been the strength of Pakistan’s batsmen. Inzamam was a great player, but he was inconsistent. Similarly, Younis is also very talented, but batting at no 3 has affected his consistency. Yousuf is an anomaly in this regard. It is difficult to recall the last time when Yousuf did not perform in a few consecutive series. That has probably never happened in his career. We give Inzamam the credit for being a matchwinner. We give Younis the credit for making huge centuries and being a fighter. Perhaps we ought to appreciate Mohammad Yousuf for his consistency, which has been a rare trait in Pakistani batsmen. Consistency may not win you many matches, but it makes you a very skilled and professional player. The return of the King has been phenomenal, and now fans hope the King will rule the world once again with aplomb and make plenty of runs for Pakistan.
