Lights! Camera! Action!

Pakistan cricket is not any less than an Indian soap opera, and the latest drama created by Ijaz Butt, Younis Khan and the revolting players in the team proves this. Younis Khan, called “Drama Khan” recently by Javed A Khan, has disappointed many of his fans firstly by his slipshod batting in ODI’s recently. Secondly, Younis Khan, troubled by the not-so-secret rebellion in the team and the pressure of playing in a high profile tournament such as the Champions Trophy, offered his resignation on the pretext that he was upset by match fixing allegations and “other matters” (these thought to be the certain dissenting players in the team).

Sure, it is accepted Younis Khan is a man of honour. But match fixing allegations have been part and parcel of Pakistan cricket since time immemorial. Younis could have condemned these accusations in strongest possible terms in front of Jamshed Khan Dasti, but the fact that he resigned made his reaction appear as extreme as the accusations that were levelled against his men. Younis received the sympathy of the nation and was reinstated as captain, however critics were right in predicting that this episode would divert attention away from Younis’s failure as a batsman and captain in the Champions Trophy.

Ijaz Butt is the comedian of Pakistan cricket and it is a wonder he is still Chairman of the PCB after repeated failures. Ijaz

Ijaz Butt- the comedian of this Drama

Butt’s standard of incompetence can be discerned from his unwillingness to sack Malik as captain just before Younis was appointed as captain (it took a Presidential order to convince Butt to remove Malik as captain). Also, recently Butt gave a statement that the English media should focus more on county cricket performances of Pakistanis. Butt gave Kaneria’s example to say that Kaneria has been ripping through line ups, and PCB should get the credit for these performances. However, maybe Butt should realise that even mediocre players like Yasir Arafat have been performing commendably in county cricket and international cricket is very different. If the PCB Chairman is going to make stupid statements like that, what will the world think of Pakistan and PCB? How long do we have to tolerate this incompetent, uncouth and uneducated man as the Chairman? The Pakistan Senate has already predicated that it seems Butt never went to college because he is running the PCB like a grocery shop.

There are villains in this Drama, too. Malik, Misbah and Akmal are playing politics apparently. As always, no direct names have been mentioned; there are only rumours and controversies. Yet it seems fishy Younis has openly stated that certain players have reservations with this captaincy and that there is some kind of disunity. In dramas and movies you see the villains perishing sooner or later, yet in this Drama, Malik and Akmal are still there in the team, vitiating team morale and almost encouraging mediocrity. It is sad jealousy and bias based around regionalism still affects the team after Pakistan as a country and as a cricket team has lost so much because of it. But, that is how it works in Pakastan.

Speaking of regionalism, the reaction of the Karachi lobby to Younis Khan’s resignation was extreme and unprecedented. The Karachi lobby was instrumental in the sacking of Malik and appointment of Younis Khan as captain, and it is thought the lobby also wants Afridi as the next captain of the Pakistan team. The anti-Punjab stance of this lobby is worrying although it is submitted that its intentions are to weaken regional influence in team selection.

Afridi is also playing a little drama of his own. For some reason Afridi has decided to temporarily quit Test cricket at a time when he is batting more sensibly than ever and his bowling has significantly matured. What has caused Afridi to make this ridiculous decision? Test cricket is dying in Pakistan and Afridi could have been an asset for the team.

Pakistan is the laughing stock of world cricket and this Drama must now end. The Chairman needs to go, the elements playing politics need to be removed. Malik needs to be sacked anyway because playing him means accepting mediocrity. Malik has recently given an interview saying that he will be selected for Pakistan’s next Test assignment. This is shocking considering that he is one of the reasons why Pakistan is considered a mediocre Test team. Younis Khan is unstable and unpredictable and a person of his temperament must not be captain. Now he wants to play T20 cricket again although earlier this year he was adamant T20 is not for him. Younis should set an example and retire from ODI cricket. Pakistan is pinning hopes on Shahid Afridi to lead the team and weed out mediocre players.

Dasti thinks Pakistan lost matches due to match fixing

Pakistan cricket finds itself in further chaos after Pakistan’s pathetic defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy. The Chairman of the Sports Standing Committee, Jamshed Khan Dasti has levelled allegations that Younis Khan and his men fixed matches for various reasons. Dasti has reportedly backtracked on his accusations but the incident has left a deep scar on Pakistan cricket and its followers.

Dasti’s outbursts against Ijaz Butt a few months ago were generally well received by

"Yes, I can play stupid and irresponsible shots but I am no match fixer"

most fans. However this time Dasti is being accused of being too whimsical in alleging match fixing. Whenever Pakistan loses a major tournament, match fixing is always alleged by someone. It is impossible to say whether these players are truly match fixers because match fixing is planned in secrecy for obvious reasons and because it is very difficult to ascertain which bowlers is deliberately bowling badly or which batsman has deliberately thrown his wicket. It was a stupid reaction to say Younis Khan dropped Elliot’s catch because the match was fixed; this is because harder catches are dropped under extreme pressure even by the best fielders. Younis Khan’s batting in ODI’s is inconsistent and irresponsible and the way he gets out, it is extremely unlikely that he would be throwing his wicket. He gets so many inside edges and strange edges that it would take a magician to master those shots leading to a dismissal. However, Younis Khan is definitely talented and the title of this thread does not do him justice as it is meant more for Shoaib Malik and Misbah ul Haq.

Malik- great against India, deplorable against everyone else

The only time Malik performs when it matters is against India. Otherwise he is like a parasite in the team and his bowling and batting both are below par. One must ask how long Pakistan will keep tolerating Malik’s meaningless selfish batting displays? How long will this nonsense continue? Malik has shown absolutely no improvement for years; he is still vulnerable against the new ball, weak against sheer pace and his batting is still very selfish. Malik got a huge and overwhelming lifeline after scoring a century against India and even his harshest critics praised him. However it was shocking to see Malik receiving so much praise since he scored his first 30 runs in about 65 balls and he could have been out on 35. Indian bowlers were disinterested and demoralised and the Indian team showed no application or desire to beat Pakistan. Only one team wanted to win that day. Malik’s selection is devoid of educated reasoning and this biased and emotional selection must now cease once and for all. Pakistan must look for more Umar Akmals and Fawad Alams.

The so called talented opener Imran Nazir is talentless in ODI’s. One wonders what

So called specialist opener Imran Nazir is jeered by Makhaya Ntini

Pakistan’s obsession with specialist openers is, when the country has only seen 1 world class specialist opener live up to his domestic reputation, in Hanif Mohammad. The other great opener was Saeed Anwar but he was initially a middle order player. Fawad Alam’s splendid century on a seaming track proved that a middle order batsman can play the same as, if not better than an opener and for that reason it is submitted Pakistan should try Fawad Alam as opener in all forms of the game. The so called cricketing experts like Aamir Sohail moan about why Pakistan does not use more specialist openers, but Sohail should be quizzed as to who exactly should be tried. Everyone from Butt, to Hameed, to Umar and to Nazir has been a complete and utter failure.

In this tournament Pakistan’s weak links proved to be Imran Nazir, Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik. Pathetic batsman Misbah ul Haq has finally been sidelined, but Malik must now be sacked. Younis should either quit ODI cricket or he should be demoted down the order as his wicket has a high price on it and Pakistan cannot afford to see him throwing away his wicket irresponsibly any more.

The problem with PCB is that the idiots who run the show are uneducated and uncouth and they have absolutely no concern for the future of cricket. A lot of the problems are outside the PCB’s control but player selection is totally in the hands of the team management and the Board. Ijaz Butt has learnt no lessons in the past and he will learn nothing in the aftermath of the humiliating defeat against a mediocre team like New Zealand, either. If he is willing and able to learn, my advice for him is to drop Malik permanently, bring Younis down the order  and get rid of players like Imran Nazir. Match fixers or not, these players are definitely not performing in ODI’s and they must be fixed so that Pakistan can creep out of the shackles of mediocrity.

There is no need to replace Younus Khan with Afridi at the moment

It is time to write a new thread and it is time to analyze the Pakistan cricket team selected for the Champions Trophy.  It is time for us to raise our concerns over the selection and omission of a few players. The most obvious one is the inclusion of Mohammad Asif and omission of Abdul Razzaq.  Asif has not played international cricket for almost 18 months and it is possible that he might take a few wickets, just like Abdul Razzaq did in the T20 WC, two wickets in his first match and 4 in the final.  But, Abdul Razzaq is dropped in favour of Rana who took 4 wickets in the last ODI and Rao took 5 wickets in the previous ODI against Sri Lanka. Some say that Asif’s inclusion is OK but, Abdul Razzaq should have been retained in the team and either Rao or Rana should have been omitted.  That is because Razzaq has more experience and his bowling would be more effective in SA.

Similarly, in the batting department some say that Salman Butt should have been in the team, but he is totally out of form and he has been getting out cheaply and the team spirit is dented with his early departure.  Khurram Manzoor’s form is better than Butt and he should have been considered in the squad. But, in any case there is no need to lament on Salman Butt’s exclusion.

For someone to open the innings in a 50 over match should not be the likes of Imran Nazir, who is certainly the best bet for a T20 game and not for a 50 overs match. However, if Nazir learns something from (the current) Shahid Afridi, who has learned to control his aggression in the early stages of the innings, he (Imran) too can be very useful and valuable for the team.  The difference between Afridi and Nazir is, the later is only a batsman and if he is out cheaply his utility in the team remains at only 33% of his abilities i.e., purely his fielding. Whereas, Afridi’s utility, because of his bowling and fielding remains at 66%, even if he gets out cheaply.

It is strange that Butt’s omission is justified by his poor form but, Malik and Misbah escapes like a Stealth and no one notices them or raises any objection and they have managed to sneak into the side through an automated selection panel.  This is purely nepotism and jingoism, their inclusion is justified on the basis of experience! What experience are we talking here? Age multiplied by number of years = zero experience.  There has to be a realistic measure to select a player based on his recent past performance and not the averages. The averages could be deceptive and misleading.

Misbah’s average during the Sri Lanka tour (barring the last match in which he remained 72*)  was only 9 and after one not out it is 45. And, Malik’s average is only 7. Yes, s.e.v.e.n. 7.   If one takes into consideration just the averages, then rookie fast bowler Mohammad Aamir’s batting average is second highest at 49 because he remained not out twice.   So, it appears that Misbah’s inclusion in the team is not justified on the basis of his ODI average but, purely on the basis of regionalism. But, Malik case is neither this nor that. He is a chronic, persistent, consistent loser, a trivial politician who is out their to back stab other players in the team and he deliberately throws away his wicket, even asks his colleagues (Misbah and Akmal) to do the same.  Based on that he should have been dropped long ago. The irony is in Pakistan it is neither the form, nor the class but, only “sifarish” works.

Even with the inclusion of the super star bowler Asif in the team, the bowling department is pretty mediocre especially in South Africa the wickets are hard and bouncy.  Rana has the tendency to bowl out side the off stump and he gives too much width to the batsmen to play their shots freely.  Rao, bowls wicket to wicket but, he takes wicket once in blue moon and for rest of the time he is pretty mediocre. Aamir, is too young and he would be playing in SA for the first time, so there is nothing much you can talk about him but, he is by far the best fast bowler in the team today.  Even Gul is off colour in ODI’s these days and he should be used after 20 overs when the ball is old and again after the 44th or 45th over to get the best out of him.

Among the spinners, we need to see how Ajmal will bowl in SA, India and Australia can play him with ease and they can frustrate him and force him to change his line and his variations which could end up in giving away too many runs.  He needs to be focused and remain calm even if he is not getting wickets, if he can contain runs that will be an achievement.   As regards Shahid Afridi, being a leg spinner he is bound to give more runs than a off-spinner and on fast tracks, if Kamran Akmal is slacking behind the stumps, not only will be dropping a few of Afridi’s catches but, would be giving away runs.

Therefore, the bowling department seems to be weak, whereas the batting is still better – provided they play sensibly – but, that is asking too much from Pakistan team.   The whole team plays like champions one day and the next day they play like minnows.

Ijaz Butt should stop making stupid decisions of firing people and now thinking of replacing Younus Khan with Afridi, it is going to hurt the team’s performance a lot.  You cannot change the captain a few weeks before the departure of the team to a major competition especially when the captain and the team has been announced.  This PCB’s off-the-cuff management must come to an end.  Enough is enough.  If the captain needs to be replaced this is not the time, it must be done after the CT and in a proper manner with proper justifications.   This is not Ijaz Butt’s Jageer that he can take decisions just like that.   In fact he should be fired immediately, that will not effect the team’s performance in any manner whatsoever.

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

IMRAN KHAN

There is too much of Imranism in Pakistan cricket. I have a lot of respect for Imran Khan, but sometimes he disappoints me with his bigmouth loud thinking. Apart from sponsoring, praising and ruining the career of Mohammad Sami, and then by saying that Younus Khan is the logical choice to captain Pakistan side and now this recent statement that, Shoaib Akhtar deserves one final chance to prove his worth are a few examples of his bad judgment about players and imo these are big bloopers. I think he speaks loud without thinking and then he goes on supporting his own view even when he is proved wrong.

During his captaincy days, he supported Mansoor Akhtar who failed miserably and not just once but many times and Imran Khan not only selected him over others but, gave his total support to the extent that people started calling Mansoor Akhtar as his blue eyed boy.  As a captain and as a player Imran Khan had many good qualities but, it doesn’t mean whatever he says is always right.

Giving Shoaib Akhtar one last chance is like killing one more young potential fast bowler’s career. I don’t agree with his notion that the Actor deserve one last chance. Its all over, he is done and dusted and finished. He should not even think of playing cricket anymore at any level. Therefore, it is not right for Imran Khan to poke his nose in the team selection and influence the senile, demented, daft and impotent selectors who are already ruining the career of so many young cricketers.

Pakistan should seriously bring in fresh, new, young fast bowlers in the team like Mohammad Aamir, Sohail Khan etc. And forget about Shoaib Akhtar, Rao, Arafat, Rana they are all spent force. They cannot justify their presence in the team purely on the merit of bowling alone. Abdul Razzaq is in again because of his batting and a little bit of bowling left in him and because of the fact there aren’t any fast bowlers who have some experience. The ban on Asif shall be removed but, there is no guarantee that he will get back into his rhythm and take wickets.

In this thread, I want khansahab and others to identify and highlight the names of a few young talented fast bowlers who are performing well in the domestic circuit and they are either ignored or sidelined by the selectors.

Younus Khan’s blaming the domestic cricket structure of Pakistan is definitely like a bad carpenter blaming his tools and I think he is simply echoing the words of his mentor, supporter Imran Khan who has been talking about it since the last 2 decades. In order to set that structure right one needs to identify and recognize the fallacies and set the priorities in order and determine which came first, the egg or the chicken? In this context i.e., to change the domestic cricket structure, whether the wholesale change in the team is needed first or, the whole of the PCB regime needs to be revamped and restructured first?

Is Younus Khan's reverse sweep the sole responsibility for losing the test series?

Whats wrong with today’s journalists, critics and experts that they tend to ignore the basics and have become spineless reporters, they simply take orders or press releases and pre-packed information for reporting rather than working out what is the truth behind the stories and giving the readers a truthful picture and not a sensational or biased story which either hides the truth or distorts the truth. The first obligation of any form of journalism be it political, scientific, cultural or sports is – truthful presentation of facts to the public.

It has to be such that  you display your loyalty to the readers and to the public in general. And, the essence of its discipline is the verification of truth from various sources and, those who practice as freelancers must maintain their independence by covering the stories that are not just stories but, what is the truth behind those stories.

Unfortunately in today’s journalism they do not have the independent power to stand up for the rights for the people who read their articles, news items, the reporting must provide a truthful forum for public criticism and compromise. But, thanks to the Internet and the emergence of blogs, there is a kinda check and balance in their reporting, yet there are those who have built a name or a reputation as fair and impartial journalists can get away by their biased reporting and or, writing the stuff that suits their needs or, by writing their personal views which they think is right. That is not journalism, it has to be relevant and significant as well as interesting yet very comprehensive, fair, honest, unbiased and the writer must exercise his personal conscience in reporting.

Even in routine reporting, bias can creep into a story through a reporter’s choice of facts to summarize, or through failure to check enough sources, hear and report dissenting voices, or seek fresh perspectives. And, the recent example of this kinda reporting was observed in sports journalism. I am talking about cricket in particular where, well known and renowned journalists and critics have deliberately ignored the truth and picked up only bits and pieces of a story, distorted it and created something they think is right, in fact they want others to believe that this is the truth – which actually is far, far away from truth.

Some of the journalists are practicing two types of censorship, one is organizational censorship and the other is the self-censorship and both are a growing problem in journalism, particularly in covering stories that sharply restrict press freedom. As commercial pressures in the media marketplace grows, media organizations are loath to lose access to high-profile stories by producing unflattering stories.

It is a known fact that journalists in many countries enjoy certain privileges which are not enjoyed by members of the general public, including better access to public events, crime scenes and press conferences, and to extended interviews with public officials, celebrities and others in the public eye. And same is the case in sports journalism and in dealing with famous cricket personalities who are more famous than movie celebrities of today.

These privileges are there because of the perceived power of the press to turn public opinion for or, against governments, their officials and policies, as well as the perception that the press often represents their consumers. These privileges extend from the legal rights of journalists but, are not guaranteed by those rights. Sometimes government officials may attempt to punish individual journalists who irk them by denying them some of these privileges extended to other journalists. Like banning them from the White House news briefings where they like to see and to be seen and nothing more than a status symbol.

Anyways, I do not wish to delve deeper in the political journalism but, my aim is to highlight the trend that is seen for the past few years and now it has become more obvious to public and i.e., choice reporting. But, the best thing that has happened in these few years is the emergence of blogs on the Internet and the emergence of our independent blog is the result of organizational censorship that we have seen on cricinfo where our comments were censored, edited, curtailed and sometimes deleted completely. So, we established this blog not only vent out our feelings or frustration as some may think, but to raise a voice against injustices in Pakistan cricket, against regionalism, jingoism and unfair selection of the team etc., etc.

Here we not only write what we feel is the truth and nothing but truth, but we also allow comments which are very diversified and sometimes very inappropriate in language yet we publish them and we do reply to them according to the tone of that comment, sometimes with a touch of light humour and sometimes with comments supported by facts and figures.

The reason of writing this thread on this subject is, we felt very cheesed off by the recent articles written by some very well known and respected journalists and critics for whom we had very high regard and we considered them as journalists and critics of very high standard that they are fair and unbiased. But, they too have either ignored or neglected the truth and wrote something to appease the masses.

Now, I would like to pinpoint the fact that irks us and it is about the criticism that is hurled and bombarded on Pakistan cricket team captain, Younus Khan for playing that reverse sweep on which he got out in the second test against Sri Lanka. The whole media has targeted him as the culprit and because of his stupid shot Pakistan lost the test series against Sri Lanka. Wait a second gentlemen, take pause and don’t allow your mind to run like that of a cattle herd and keep on jumping into that hole one after the other, don’t let your mind controlled by a pied-piper instead, use your mind and your intellect in all fairness and think whether they are right or they tainting your opinions? Younus Khan was out after making 80 odd runs, he was involved in a 200 runs partnership with Fawad Alam. How can you blame him, or make him responsible for losing the series?

What else do you want from him? Score a triple hundred and win the match singlehandedly? What about the spineless and nothing players like Malik and Misbah. They came and played like novices, in fact they deliberately threw away their wickets and from 285 for one, the team was all out on 320. Just an addition of 35 runs and lost 9 wickets. And you hold Younus Khan responsible for that?

If there is a sports journalist in Pakistan or elsewhere who can say I write independently or cover the news for the interest of Pakistani cricket fans, must stand up now and speak like a man rather than creating a story for the masses who do not wish to hear anything against their local heroes Malik and Misbah along with their sidekick Kamran Akmal. The reality bites, they cannot handle the truth hence they cannot write the truth.

I request the readers and bloggers of this blog to express their views without any bias or hesitation and let us clear this thing and prove that there is freedom of expression here and we do not have those organizational censorship or the self-imposed censorship to get a vote of appreciation for being fair, impartial and lenient and the truth they are not fair and lenient but biased and partial. We are setting up a polling here for you to vote whether you hold Misbah and Malik as culprits for losing the test series or was it Younus Khan’s reverse sweep? Please be honest and fair and vote.  Thank you ALL.

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.

I don't know why we are loosing but I am happy

Younus Khan refused to captain the Pakistan side twice by saying:  “I don’t want to be a dummy captain.” On paper and in theory it sounded very impressive that this man has the guts to say that he does not like to be under someone’s thumb.

Now, what made him change from refusing to be a dummy and acting like a dummy? It is very obvious from his statements to the media, pre and post match comments that he wants to keep the whole world happy. He has clearly mentioned that he cannot drop Misbah and Malik despite the fact they are not performing well, especially Misbah simply because one is a former captain and the other is a vice captain and if he does that, the media will be after him. It means he is scared of the media and not doing justice with team selection.

By now even a school kid who plays cricket can say with authority that the UAE pitches are favouring spin bowling. Australia’s weakness is spin bowling, Pakistan’s weakness is its batting. Pakistan has the advantage of strengthening its batting and spin bowling department by including Fawad Alam in the team. He has been in the squad only to sit on the bench or we saw him as a 12th man in the 4th ODI.

Australian batsmen are used to playing fast bowlers, as they have one of the best fast bowling battery in their team and they are not afraid of fast bowling. But, they are finding it extremely difficult to handle Afridi and Ajmal, even Malik bowled well in the 3rd ODI. So, any dummy captain would notice this weakness and take advantage of the situation. But, Younus Khan in his pursuit to keep the whole world happy is blinded by his goody, goody nature.

He has become a laughing stock among the commentators and cricket fans that you ask Younus Khan, ‘how are you?’ He would reply.  ” I am happy, I am always happy, no matter what I am happy.” It is good that you are a happy go lucky (rather unlucky so far) person, but on the ground you have to be firm and tolerate no nonsense from any player who under performs or play below par.

Just because Shoaib Akhtar is a senior player and carries a lot of clout behind him and in the 4th ODI he took two wickets in his first two overs, he got a free hand after that, he was clearly out of breath and couldn’t maintain his line and length and in the fielding department he was making a mess of the situation and Younus Khan was seen laughing at his pathetic fielding. This is not what you expect from a good captain. If you can’t admonish him on the field, take action against him later and drop him from the playing XI.

Misbah out of form

Mishab is totally out of form like he was for the rest of his life prior to the T20 WC stint. In the 4th ODI, he was out first ball, but umpire Aleem Dar said, he couldn’t hear the nick and did not give him out. Despite a life Misbah continued his poor form, played a very slow innings and scored 30 odd runs.

Younus Khan’s own batting form is simply pathetic he has not been able to score in any match during this series and yet he has the audacity and the cheek to say, ‘we are learning.’  Learning how to loose? This is pathetic.  Malik was heavily criticized for saying the same thing after loosing a match, ‘we are learning’ and the irony is they also call themselves as professionals.

I am so happy that I don't mind throwing away my wicket

Professionals don’t learn at this level, the deliver and the Pakistani captains consider these international matches as a learning place? It is indeed very pathetic.

During this series Shahid Afridi not only performed well with ball and bat, but he was seen encouraging, cheering, bucking up every single player. In fact he took the lead role which Younus Khan and Misbah are supposed to do. He was going with the bowlers before their run up and talking to them. He was seen congratulating Ajmal, Malik, Akhtar and even Akmal whenever they took a wicket or a catch. He was also seen very upset at Shoaib Akhtar’s lazy running in fetching the ball and clearly gave him the message that he is not happy with his fielding.

shahid-afridi-dama-dum-mast-qalandar

This is how a captain must be leading from the front and not just laughing, smiling and saying I am happy. May be you are trying to cover your embarrassment or may be you are really happy but the Pakistani public and fans are not happy upon loosing 3 matches in a row. The second ODI was given away to the Australians in a platter. After a 95 run opening partnership the team collapsed like a house of cards. Its a shame that none of the batsmen played well.

The question is, is Pakistan going to look for another captain? Or, are they will keep Younus Khan who says he is not a dummy captain, but certainly acting like one. Or, if they decide to replace him, who would be the new captain? There is no one better than Shahid Afridi not just because of his seniority but because of his temperament and his ability to lead from the front and his proven domestic record speaks in volumes. Therefore, it is about time for Pakistan to give Shahid Afridi a chance to lead the team Pakistan in the forth coming T20 World Cup. And Younus Khan is definitely a misfit for T20 and so is Salman Butt.  May be Younus Khan should lead the test side but, if that is going to effect his batting then he should better not lead the test team as well.

What are your views on Younus Khan’s Captaincy, please go ahead and speak your heart out.  For sure, my vote is for Afridi.

The responsibility on Younis's shoulders is enormous, and the expectations of Pakistani fans are greater

A new leader is at the helm in the form of Younis Khan, a generally respected figure. Younis is one of the few stars of Pakistan cricket of the past decade who have not been involved in scandals or disgraceful incidents. Across the world Younis Khan is known as a friendly, caring individual who is deeply patriotic about his country and passionate about his culture, but who does not let that come in the way of respecting other countries and cultures. Although it is too early to speak in favour of or against Younis’s captaincy, he needs to lead with relentless aggression because that is the only way Pakistan can become a top side.

TOP PERFORMERS

The top performers for Pakistan going into this series are Younis and Umar Gul. Whereas

With Shoaib Akhtar's fitness being debatable, Gul goes into this series being Pakistan's main strike bowler

Younis has been Pakistan’s best batsmen for almost 2 years now, Gul has been Pakistan’s best bowler for almost the same duration. Apart from testing Younis’s captaincy skills, this series will also test his character when it comes to batting. Younis only averages 16 against Australia in ODI’s and he needs to improve that figure.
Gul needs to bowl with fire and aggression. If he can extract the right bounce, bowl quick and use reverse swing, he can cause Australia plenty of problems.

LOOK OUT FOR…………….

Will Afridi's batting form return against the 2nd best ODI side?

Shahid Khan Afridi: Afridi has been in good domestic form and made an impact both with bowling and batting in the recent RBS One Day Cup. If Afridi can get into some kind of batting form, he will be a force to be reckoned with in this series. He is going into this series as Pakistan’s most reliable spinner.

Sohail Tanvir: Tanvir got into some form in recent tournaments after consulting Javed Miandad. He started with a bang and he needs to retain the same attitude. If he can bowl with pace he will trouble some Australian batsmen.

Nasir Jamshed: Younis reportedly prefers Ahmed Shahzad over Nasir Jamshed, not least because of obtaining the right hand/left hand opening combination with Salman Butt. However, Nasir has more experience and has impressed to some degree so far in international cricket. He needs to bat with confidence and play his natural game. A good series against Australia will guarantee him selecton in the team at least for another year.

Australia will be banking on captain Clarke, all rounder Symonds, keeper Haddin and medium pacer Bracken.

Symonds is back, and he enjoys ripping Pakistan to shreds

Symonds averages 62 against Pakistan in ODI’s which is his highest average against any Test playing nation. Haddin is averaging 43 this year. Clarke is going into this series as Australia’s best batsman. Bracken is amongst the best ODI bowlers in the world, although against South Africa he was not in his best form.

A lot of Pakistan fans are predicting a series win for Pakistan, and some are also saying that Pakistan will end up winning 2 matches. Australia cannot be underestimated and in fact the LS Management is doubting Pakistan’s potential, although they acknowledge this potential. Players like Hauritz and Shane Watson have the ability to turn matches around single handedly. Hauritz was the Man of the Match in the last match against South Africa, so he is in form.

The biggest advantage to Australia which is also Pakistan’s biggest disadvantage, is that some consistency can be expected from the Aussies. Clarke can bank on knowing the limits to what his players can and cannot do. Younis will be less sure of his team’s potential, but his job is just to offer support to his players and persuade them to play positive and aggressive cricket.

Who is the next legend in the making?

Pakistan cricket thrives on uncertainty. The fans expect the unexpected. That has been the pulse of Pakistan cricket for a long time. Today Pakistan is devoid of legends like Wasim, Waqar, Imran and Miandad. The problem I have with Younis and Qadir’s management is that we are only seeing 1 or 2 new players in this squad. Barring Nasir Jamshed, Ahmad Shahzad and Fawad Alam, all of these players have been tried and tested. When his career ends Younis will probably be considered a legend, but ODI cricket has not been his forte until very recently. So, none of the players in this squad are capable of emulating the feats of Saeed Anwar, Miandad or Wasim Akram.

However, playing under a new captain and in home-like conditions, still offers limited hope to Pakistanis. Younis will be in the spotlight because he has supported playing these tried and tested players. Now it is upto Younis Khan to create some magic and create history by leading his team to a series victory against a formidable side, a win which will go in history books as the revival of Pakistan cricket. A loss is expected, but a win will transform the morale of a bruised nation, and an emotionally battered people. This is Pakistan’s chance to make a difference.

The reaction to the 15 man squad for ODI’s against Australia has generally been positive with most fans approving the selection of Nasir Jamshed, Shoaib Akhtar, Ahmed Shahzad and Saeed Ajmal. However, this thread argues that the some players should not have been selected.

Is it Younis who is running the show?

There were reports that Younis was against the selection of Ahmed Shahzad in the Sri

Why was Ahmed Shahzad chosen over Khalid Latif?

Lanka series earlier this year. It is very strange hence that Ahmed has now been selected for this series, and that too against one of the best sides in the world. For those who are not aware, Ahmed Shahzad is a 17 year old aggressive opener from Lahore who has only played 12 List A matches at domestic level. With such inexperience, why was he selected over the likes of Khalid Latif and Khurram Manzoor?

Khalid Latif is a 23 year old opener from Karachi who has played 34 List A matches and averages 54 whereas Shahzad averages 45. In the recently concluded RBS One Day Cup, Latif averaged 114 with a highest score of 204 not out. Latif has a phenomenal conversion rate too, with 8 hundreds and 2 fifties which shows that when he gets going, he tends to score big.
It is accepted that Latif had a poor debut against Zimbabwe last year when he made 19 runs. However, many players have had lacklustre debuts. Surely Abdul Qadir or Younis Khan could not have made their decision based on one sole innings?

After his aggressive 50 against Sri Lanka at Lahore in Pakistan's last Test, Manzoor should have been selected for this series

Since Younis is known to prefer experience over youth, it is just mindboggling why he

Khalid Latif had an outstanding domestic one-day tournament but has been overlooked in favour of Ahmed Shahzad

would prefer to play Shahzad over Latif or Manzoor. Manzoor has so far shown inconsistent batting technique. His debut was impressive, but in his next few matches he struggled with shot selection. However, largely he impressed and in the 2nd Test vs Sri Lanka at Lahore, he played more confidently than Salman Butt. Is this how PCB wants to reward performance?

One could argue that recent domestic tournaments have little bearing, or should have little bearing, for international selection but it would be wrong for someone to say that. Abdul Qadir stated at the start of the RBS Cup that players who perform will be considered for the series against Australia. Selectors around the world use domestic tournaments to decide who should feature in a given forthcoming international assignment. It is not that case that Nasir Jamshed or Ahmed Shahzad are established players, if one wanted to argue that one poor domestic tournament should not affect their chances of playing against a top team.

Speaking of Nasir Jamshed, we have always spoken in support of him on LS. However, as a matter of principle he should also have not been selected and his place should have gone to Khurram Manzoor who as stated earlier, has so far performed adequately (this is on the basis that Shahzad’s place should have gone to Khalid Latif). Nasir was out of form in the RBS Cup and only scored 153 runs in 7 matches, whereas Manzoor had a much better tournament, scoring 246 runs in 6 matches.

The reason why is it submitted this selection is diabolical is because the opposition team is Australia, not Zimbabwe or Sri Lanka. There are reports that a second string team will be sent to play Pakistan, but even a third string team will be tough for Pakistan to handle. It seems as though there is a conspiracy to favour Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shahzad, whilst depriving Latif and Manzoor. This is because you only need to score 1 fifty in 5 matches against Australia to build a reputation as a formidable international-level opener. Salman Butt went through his worst form after his century against Australia in one of his earlier Tests, but he was constantly picked on the pretext of being the batsman who “scored a century against Australia”. So this series is a tremendous confidence booster and a golden chance in all respects for Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shahzad. The only problem is that there were other players who deserved this golden chance more than them.

Saeed Ajmal seems to be a useless selection

Saeed Ajmal has been satisfactory so far, but is he really useful to the team? Shoaib Malik has recently improved his bowling and seems to be bowling just as effectively as Ajmal. Ajmal is a pretty mediocre fielder and further, he failed to impress in the RBS Cup. Qadir had suggested selecting Yasir Shah, a young legspinner from NWFP who has been in good form over the past year or so. It is strange Qadir chose the ostensibly useless spinner Ajmal and ignored Shah, who is an attacking legspinner and shows considerable promise. With Malik and Afridi containing the batsmen and attacking them too occasionally, it would have been much more useful playing the attacking Yasir Shah, his inexperience notwithstanding.

Shoaib Akhtar and Kamran Akmal are other controversial selections. Whereas Akhtar is likely to be injured or unfit, Akmal’s batting performance is the RBS Cup was average. We have discussed both Akhtar and Akmal many times previously. One has to wonder that if Younis Khan is supporting the constant selection of Akmal, can he guarantee Akmal will stop dropping catches? Whoever has been responsible for the unfair selection of this squad should come forward and explain his choices. This series is all-important because the opposition is Australia and hence it was very crucial that the most in-form players should have been selected.