Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Food for thought for fans of Pakistan Cricket


Posted by Saaid at 1:10 AM Pitched (9)

Day before yesterday the aim of this blog entry was to go through each player’s performance in the team and then try to determine if the player justified their selection. However after what has been happening for the past 2 days in regards to spot-fixing allegations against the Pakistani team, that blog article seemed a little pointless. Since there isn’t much to be said till the investigation completes, here is some food for thought.

I would like to put some stakes in the ground, the first one being that up till now these allegations are just that – allegation. Innocent until proven guilty, and by proven guilty I mean an official verdict is passed that these folks are guilty. Moreover what we have here is the word and evidence provided by a tabloid, also referred to as the gutter press. Journalistic integrity and responsibility is opportunistic at best where tabloids are involved. What we also have here is a cricket team which on numerous occasions has been accused of such activities and we the general public will never really know the whole story. Also in the picture are going to be folks who have their own agendas, who want to share the limelight or might have a vendetta to pursue against the people involved.

The reason I mention these things is because when the news about these allegations broke, I found it very difficult to separate the reality of the situation with the influence these factors had in how the situation presented itself. I of course talk about the media coverage that was given (in Pakistan and abroad) to these allegations. The media has all but declared Akmal, Butt, Aamer and Asif guilty without doubt, with everyone coming out of the woodwork and giving their own versions of the story ala Shahid Afridi and Veena Malik. Im not saying that these stories are true or false, but it is the case of one’s word versus another’s and that is not something that one can argue upon so let’s not dwell on these.

Personally I believe that until proven guilty without doubt the Pakistan team (the alleged and otherwise) needs the support of its fans. That does not mean that we don’t have an opinion about whether there was any wrong-doing involved or not, it just means that these are dire circumstances and without the support of its fans, Pakistan cricket will not come out of this hole they have dug for themselves.

I am an out and out fan of the game and of Pakistani cricket, as are most Pakistanis I know, and I will be devastated if these allegations are true; devastated and angry. But I don’t want to let my anger and disappointment do my thinking for me. I don’t want to let the media dictate my opinion, I don’t want to them to paint an 18 year old child guilty because it appears that way. However that is easier said than done. I am trying to write this blog with a level head and without any bias, and I am having to exercise a lot of restraint in doing so. I hope fans of Pakistan cricket can do the same.


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Monday, August 2, 2010

So whose decision was recalling Yousuf?


Posted by Q at 4:12 AM Pitched (8)
This is what Salman Butt said at the press conference after the embarassing loss to England:

"Having seen the past results can anybody over here tell me how many wins Pakistan had with the people who were previously playing?"

The response was to a question about recalling Yousuf or Younis or both.

And this is what Waqar Younis said:

"Look, one is retired [Yousuf]. We can't really bring somebody back from retirement. The other one [Younis] has got serious issues with the cricket board [PCB]"

And then a statement came from Pakistan's chief selector, Mohsin Khan, who said:

"We got a request from the tour management for Mohammad Yousuf and I then discussed with our selectors and we have okayed it"

Aren't Salman Butt and Waqar Younis part of the tour management team?

Did they really request for Yousuf?

I believe the PCB have taken a step back after taking two steps forward, despite the losses, and Yousuf's return will not be really welcomed with open arms.

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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Well Pitched on Twitter!


Posted by Q at 10:10 PM Pitched (1)
Yes we are finally there...


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Saturday, July 24, 2010

Pakistan Outplayed Australia!


Posted by Q at 10:09 PM Pitched (2)
In one of my many conversations on facebook, I mentioned that Australia had been outplayed by Pakistan during the home series held in England.

One of my Pro-Australian friends differed and said that the statement was true if only I had added "given the amount of test cricket Pakistan had played against quality opposition".

Fair enough I thought.

My statement was based on the fact that the tour results show 3 wins for Pakistan and 1 for Australia.

So surely Pakistan were the better team winning the T20 series 2-0 and drawing the test series 1-1.

So then, were Australia outplayed?

I dug into some statistics relating to the two tests; yes the series was drawn but a comparison of player to player performances shows a startling revelation.

Pakistan's top 6 batsmen scored more runs than Australia's; the difference is almost a 100 runs with the Pakistanis averaging 28.6 per batsman per innings, 4 runs more than the Aussies.


Salman Butt was the top scorer in the series and the only batsman on both sides to average over 50.

Now that is some statistic considering that the series involved the likes of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, and Simon Katich!

The difference between the top order batsmen is even more glaring with the Pakistani top 3 - Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, and Azhar Ali - scoring 150 more runs in 4 innings than their Aussie counterparts - Simon Katich, Shane Watson, and Ricky Ponting.


The opening partnerships show the difference between the starts that both the teams got in the 4 innings they played. While the Salman and Imran averaged 42 per innings as a pair, Katich and Watson averaged only 26.

The biggest difference between the two teams, however, is in the bowling performances.

The Pakistan trio of Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, and Umar Gul accounted for 30 of the 40 Australian wickets to fall during the test series. They tormented the Aussies at the crease and they have the statistics to show for it!

An average of just under 23 among the 3 of them and a strike rate of 42.9; the Pakistanis picked up an Australian wicket almost every 7th over.

In comparison, the Aussie trio of Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus, and Mitchell Johnson did so every 10 overs. Australia's pace battery could manage only 16 wickets over the 2 tests - a stark difference to what their Pakistani counterparts managed.

Shane Watson was the best bowler on both sides picking up as many wickets as Aamer and Asif; however at a much cheaper rate.

But the problem with Australia lied in the fact that their top 3 pacers could not do what the Pakistanis could - pick wickets up at regular intervals.

So then, were the Australians outplayed during the test series or not?

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It has taken 15 years but it has been worth it!


Posted by Q at 6:22 PM Pitched (4)
The last time Pakistan beat Australia in a test match...

Mohammad Aamer was still in his nappies.

Umar Akmal and Umar Amin were only 5 years old.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt was 10 years old and probably starting his cricket career in model town, Lahore.

Pakistan were the ODI world champions and Australia the unofficial number 1 team in test cricket.

The Pakistan coaches Waqar Younis and Ijaz Ahmed were part of the victorious Pakistan team.

Pakistan was a safe place where countries toured and Pakistanis were allowed to travel where ever they wanted to.

I was still in high school and a crazy cricket fan.

Atleast one thing hasn't changed - I'm still as crazy about cricket as I was back then.

But the world is a different place than it was in 1995.

It has taken Pakistan 15 years to win another test match against Australia; they had lost 13 consecutive tests to them prior to this one at Leeds.

The drawn series also means that Pakistan have finally managed to level a test series against the mighty Aussies after losing their last 6 test series to them; the last 4 being 3-0 clean sweeps!

Wasim Akram was the last Pakistan captain to enjoy a win over Australia. Hence in effect Salman Butt has managed something that Aamer Sohail, Waqar Younis, Inzamam, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, and Shahid Afridi never did.

New comers Azhar Ali and Umar Amin have experienced something that none of their more illustrious predecessors had experienced.

Things like these spell the importance of this victory for the Pakistan team. Its a young team, a new captain, new and inexperienced players; This win will do wonders to their confidence.

A test win over Australia is never a small achievement; however for this Pakistan team it is more of an achievement than it is for any other side.

No one gave Pakistan a chance.

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry criticized the choice of captain and the exclusion of Yousuf and Younis.

But Salman Butt and Co. proved them all wrong!

It wasn't easy for them; Australia made it really really tough. The catches that North and Hussey took off Malik and Akmal were out of this world. Not many other teams would have done the same.

Yet Pakistan held on and scampered home at the end.

When I was growing up, I used to read stories about Fazal Mahmood and how his bowling took Pakistan to their first ever test wins against England and Australia.

The next generation will read similar stories about Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif.

Its taken 15 years to topple the mighty Australians and its been truly worth it!

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Younis Khan to blame for Pakistan's Problems


Posted by Q at 12:49 AM Pitched (5)
The crisis that the Pakistan cricket team has gone through in recent times, that has seen them change the captaincy 5 or even more times, is not new.

Such problems have existed for almost 3 decades. Maybe even more but I don't know much about era prior to the 80s.

Waqar Younis has termed the current ego clashes in the dressing room as the worst crisis to hit Pakistan cricket in over 3 decades.

I beg to differ.

Waqar has probably forgotten the rebellion he led against Wasim Akram in 1993-94.

Even before that there were 2 rebellions against Javed Miandad; first in 1981-82 when senior players refused to play under him and it resulted in Imran Khan getting the captaincy.

A decade later, after Imran retired, Javed Miandad faced similar circumstances with this time the junior players like Wasim, Waqar, Saleem Malik, Rameez Raja and others refused to play under Miandad.

Wasim Akram got the captaincy then in 1993-94 and soon after a couple of tours the entire team rebelled against him.

The decade after that saw Pakistan change captains faster than people change their clothes with all senior players getting a stint.

Saleem Malik, Rameez Raja, Aamer Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Moin Khan, Waqar Younis and Rashid Latif - all of them! - captained the side during this time with Wasim Akram regaining it 3 times during the period.

The first stable captain that Pakistan got after Imran Khan was Inzamam ul Haq, whose stint lasted almost 4 years.

The two common things about both the stints was that Imran and Inzamam had teams with players of their choices.

Both were dictators of different kinds; most importantly both had the respect of all the players.

Younis Khan was a stable vice captain under Inzamam and he was expected to take over once Inzamam hung up the boots.

However, when that happened after a troubled World Cup campaign in 2007, Younis Khan not only turned the captaincy down, he ditched Pakistan and refused to even play.

For me that is when the problems started.

The PCB named Shoaib Malik the captain and with several senior players like Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, and Abdul Razzaq in the team, it was never going to be pretty.

The senior players never wanted to play under a junior captain, particularly Malik who was not even a regular test player at the time.

Had Younis Khan accepted the captaincy after the 2007 World Cup, Pakistan could have avoided all the problems that it has faced over the last few years.

Younis was well respected; he had filled in for Inzamam on several occasions and demonstrated good authority; he was the leader that everyone had accepted.

And most probably he would have still been captain today.

Younis Khan eventually took over as captain when the PCB finally succumbed to player power and removed Malik from the post.

As expected, Younis had a tremendous start to his captaincy stint. He managed a triple century in his first test after being named captain, and soon after he led Pakistan to the World T20 title in 2009.

What more could Pakistan have asked for - a new captain, a committed team, and a world trophy.

But Younis Khan once again decided to create problems by announcing his retirement from T20 cricket, resulting in Shahid Afridi taking over the captaincy of the format.

And soon after that, the entire team for reasons best known to them, decided that they had had enough of Younis Khan as captain.

The man had just led the nation to a world cup triumph and now after a few losses the team didn't want him as their leader.

Younis Khan is such a troubled personality that I don't think it was the team's fault.

He's refused captaincy more than once; he's retired after managing to unite the team and winning a world trophy; who knows what he was up to when the players lost faith in him!

Mohammad Yousuf's stint after that is well documented in the form of PCB committee meeting recordings and court cases and what not.

And finally Pakistan had gone to the man who was always a natural leader - Shahid Afridi.

But even he decided to retire from test cricket.

Many blame Ijaz Butt for the problems that Pakistan are facing; many have blamed Nasim Ashraf; while some former players are now blaming Shahid Afridi.

What about Younis Khan who has ditched the team more than once?

The one man who could have marshalled Pakistan's players over the last 3 years just didn't have it in him to maintain his authority.

He was weak!

Had he put his hand up in the first place and taken charge, Pakistan would not have had 5 different captains since 2007.

They would have had one and probably the best one possible.

I blame Younis Khan for the all the problems that Pakistan have faced in recent times!

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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Will you dare to dream?


Posted by Q at 5:57 AM Pitched (8)
Pakistan feel more at home in T20 and ODI cricket; they are not a strong test team.

They do not have batsmen who can stay at the crease for a long time.

Their batting will crumble against Australia's pace attack.

This tour should be treated as a learning experience for the young Pakistan team.

These were the kind of statements that were being made during the lead up to the first test between Pakistan and Australia at Lord's.

All true.

Even the most optimistic of Pakistani fans do not have high expectations from the inexperienced test team that is currently in England.

And no one has given them a serious chance against Australia and England, arguably two of the best test teams around.

With all this pessimism and caution surrounding the team, one man defied all logic and on the eve of the first test made the statement that "Australia are beatable".

That man was no other than the Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi.

He was targeted by the Australians during the build up with Ricky Ponting saying that they will "sort Afridi out".

The Aussies know that Afridi is the pulse of the Pakistan team at the moment. All the players are feeding off Afridi's commitment and enthusiasm; they're all looking confident and aggressive - a mind set that has been instilled by Afridi.

So to target him is the probably the best way to target Pakistan.

Afridi knows only one way to respond and that is to attack.

Soon after Ponting came out to the crease Afridi was seen stretching his arms suggesting that he wanted to take on the Australian captain.

Even though Afridi lost the battle against his counterpart, his team has won the contest on day 1.

There was never any doubt that Pakistan's pace attack would trouble the Australian batsmen; they had done so previously at Sydney as well.

With Australia at 229-9 at the end of day 1, Afridi would be a happy captain.

He dared to dream that Pakistan could beat Australia in a test match, something they have not done in the last 15 years!

And his troops responded aptly in the field. There were no dropped catches; hardly any misfields; and every single player looked confident.

Even when Clarke and Katich were scoring freely, the Pakistani shoulders did not drop. Afridi kept the pressure on and he continued to attack.

It paid off handsomely in the end.

Pakistan's last few captains have been on the defensive side so to see an aggressive touch was a pleasure; it was as aggressive as it used to be in the Wasim Akram days.

And that is when Pakistan plays at its best.

The job is still not over as Michael Hussey, who took the game away from Pakistan in Sydney, is still at the crease; and Pakistan's weaker link, its inexperienced batting line up, is still to be tested.

But if Afridi can dream, why can't we?

Will you dare to dream that the Australian innings will be over within 5 overs in the morning?

Will you dare to dream that the Pakistan openers will put on a century partnership?

Will you dare to dream that the Pakistani debutants, Umar Amin and Azhar Ali will score memorable debut centuries at Lord's?

Will you dare to dream that Umar Akmal will tear Australia's attack apart?

Will you dare to dream that Shahid Afridi will make his bat talk and show the world that he is as capable in test cricket as he is in the limited over formats?

Will you dare to dream?

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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Umar Akmal is an Exceptional Talent


Posted by Q at 10:49 PM Pitched (5)
For over a decade the burden of Pakistan's middle order was on the shoulders of Inzamam Ul Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, and Younis Khan.

While for the last three years it has been the YoYos with no one stepping up and playing the role that Inzamam used to play for Pakistan.

However a year ago, a 19 year old boy made his debut for Pakistan and immediately made a stunning impact. Over the last year, Umar Akmal, has shown the world that he can single handedly take the game away from the opposition.

He has been the anchor of Pakistan's batting line up, he has been the aggressor, he has been the accumulator, and he has been the backbone all in one!

I haven't seen a Pakistani batsman make such an impact in international cricket since 1991 when a 21 year old Inzamam Ul Haq made his debut.

Such is the extent of Umar's talent that Waqar Younis has hailed him as the most talented cricketer he has seen in the last 15-20 years!

That is quite a bold statement given the number of talented cricketers that Australia, Pakistan, India, and other teams have produced over the last 2 decades.

There are so many that I can't even begin to list them here.

So how good is Umar Akmal really?

A test century on debut, a fifty in his second ODI and a hundred in his third, an average nearing 50 in tests and nearing 40 in ODIs, a number of match winning innings in limited overs cricket, and over 500 runs in both formats of the game.

All this and he's been around for only a year. A year that can be described as possibly Pakistan's worst year in international cricket.

Very few batsmen attack the ball the way he does; and very few batsmen are at such ease at the crease as Umar is.

In my mind the five modern day batsmen that have had a significant impact on the game, in both tests and ODIs, are Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Inzamam Ul Haq.

All of them have had distinguished careers, while some of them are still going strong.

Its not right to place Umar Akmal in the same category as these great batsmen, but the way he has played over the last one year, I have no doubt that Umar will go on to become one of the greatest batsmen of his time.

The table below shows how the launch of Umar's test career compares with that of the modern day greats of the world.

Sachin, Kallis, and Inzamam had relatively slow starts to their test careers. Umar's initial record is quite similar to Brian Lara's; and even though the data set is too small to make a judgement, the similarity between Umar's strokeplay and Lara's is quite apparent.

Both play fearless cricket and attack the bowlers confidently. Umar's confidence was clear when he took on Australia in Australia late last year.

Only Lara scored more, only slightly, than Umar has in his first 12 innings at the test level.

While in ODIs, Umar has scored more runs in his first 18 innings, than Sachin, Kallis, Ponting, and Lara did. Only Inzamam, whom Umar has comfortably replaced in Pakistan's batting line up, scored more in the first 18 ODI innings.

Surprisingly, Kallis also had a bright start to his ODI career with him averaging above 40 in his first 18 innings.

All of these men went on to become exceptional batsmen; only time will tell if Umar can match up to them.

So far all signs show that he can and he will. I haven't seen any weaknesses that bowlers can exploit; every time he has lost his wicket, it has been due to playing an aggressive stroke.

I doubt Umar's aggression will ever decrease; Lara batted aggressively till his last day on the field, while Ponting does so even now. Umar seems to be in the same mould.

As he matures and gains experience, some of his rash strokes will decrease naturally making him into an even more dangerous batsman.

Umar has a long road ahead of him and as long as he can remain disciplined, I believe he will go down in history as one of the best batsmen to play for Pakistan.

Maybe even in the world.

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Is Mohammad Aamer the next Wasim Akram?


Posted by Q at 3:26 AM Pitched (14)
Despite the 2-0 whitewash of the Australians in the T20 series just concluded in England, which by the way feels extremely good, Pakistan has had a torrid year or two of cricket.

Yes there was the World T20 win last year but besides that the team has generally gone through a very turbulent period.

Amidst all the negatives, Pakistan has shown the world a glimpse of the future of their cricket in the form of Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal.

I haven't written much about both the talent powerhouses since their rise in international cricket has coincided with my fall in the blogging world, but I feel now is probably the right time to start bragging about these two youngsters.

They've been around for a year now and they have made such an impact that the world is taking notice.

Aamer is the future of Pakistan's bowling attack and he is already being compared to Wasim Akram, arguably the best fast bowler to play international cricket.

While Umar Akmal is already the backbone of Pakistan's batting line up. He attacks, he consolidates, he drops anchor, he smashes the opposition apart, he does it all. And boy can he bat!

After Pakistan's first T20 win over Australia at Birmingham, Rameez Raja made an interesting comment. When Ian Ward compared Aamer to Wasim Akram, Rameez said at 18 years of age, Aamer was far ahead of what Wasim was when he was 18.

Quite a bold statement from Rameez!

Aamer is probably a couple of years older than his "official" age of 18, but for the sake of argument lets assume he is 18.

Rameez's statement means that Aamer is far better than Wasim was when he started off in international cricket.

I didn't watch Wasim Akram till the late 80s so I can't really compare the two at the start of their international careers, but I dug out some stats to check on how they both fare head to head.

Aamer has played 8 test matches and 15 ODIs for Pakistan, and his figures in tests are not much to write home about.

He has taken 21 wickets at an average of 42.38 and has one 5 wicket haul. His wickets have not come cheaply in the tests he has played against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia.

Wasim Akram started his test career against similar opposition playing his first 8 tests against Sri Lanka and New Zealand; and in only his 2nd test he managed a 10 wicket haul against the Kiwis.

Wasim Akram took 7 more wickets than Aamer did in his first 8 tests and at a far better average than Pakistan's young new left armer.


Aamer is talented; he is Pakistan's future; but he is no Wasim Akram.

Not yet anyway.

In ODIs, on the other hand, Aamer has made his presence felt.

25 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 24.00 and an economy rate of under 5 are figures of a world class pacer. His strike rate of 31.5 is also up there among the best in the world.

The economy rate of 4.56 speaks volumes of Aamer's control over the new white ball. In modern times when all batsmen go for leather like hungry sharks during the power plays, maintaining an economy rate of under 5 is a remarkable achievement.

Even more so for a young fast bowler playing in only his first few international matches.

Compare those stats to Wasim Akram, and we see Aamer in a different light.

Wasim managed only 17 wickets in his first 15 ODIs at a slightly higher average and a considerably higher strike rate.


So is Aamer more talented than Wasim Akram was in his youth?

I can't really say. But Wasim Akram ended his career as one of the best fast bowlers of all time and safely as the best left arm fast bowler ever to play the game.

Can Aamer reach that status?

If he comes close, he would have had an awesome career and I can't wait for that to unfold in front of my eyes.

Tomorrow: Umar Akmal compared to the modern day greats.

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

A confident Pakistan is a Dangerous Pakistan


Posted by Q at 11:51 AM Pitched (2)
Pakistan have finally done it.

They have finally beaten Australia. Moreover, Afridi the captain has an important victory under his belt.

Pakistan needed this win more than anything in this world.

After the 12 successive losses to Australia since last year and the close losses to India and Sri Lanka during the Asia Cup, Pakistan needed a win to kick start their marathon tour of England.

And they did it.

Umar Gul was the difference between the win at Birmingham and the loss at St. Lucia in the semi final of the World T20.

The wounds of that semi final were still fresh in my mind, and I'm sure in the minds of all Pakistani fans, when Australia needed 50 runs of the last 5 overs with Michael Hussey at the crease.

He could have done it again I thought.

Lightning did strike but this time the strike came from Umar Gul!

That was some delivery to get rid off Mike Hussey and the Aussie hopes.

Boy was Gul missed during the World T20. And what a difference he made yesterday.

Afridi in his post match conference said that he had been waiting for this win for a long time and hopefully it will go a long way in defining Pakistan's attitude under his leadership.

The team looked committed and united; they played with a lot of spirit and were sharp in the field.

Nasser Hussain said it best when he described the catches held by Afridi. They weren't great catches but the celebrations lifted the entire team. Bear in mind, from Pakistan's perspective, the catches were really great catches.

And they surely lifted the team.

The confidence that this win gives Pakistan will do them a lot of good. A confident Pakistan is a really dangerous side and they've been looking for this win for a long time.

A dangerous Pakistan can do wonders in the field and the next 3 months will be very entertaining from a cricket perspective if Pakistan remains confident.

And Afridi is just the right man to keep Pakistan's confidence levels high!

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Monday, July 5, 2010

Start Up Ramblings on Pakistan's Marathon Tour of England


Posted by Q at 3:57 AM Pitched (3)
Pakistan's marathon tour of England has started on a positive note. Even though the wins have come against depleted county teams, they have provided Afridi's men with the momentum they required to get into match winning mode before the real games begin.

Winning is a habit and so is losing; Pakistan has for a long time been at the losing end. Going all the way back to the controversy hit tour to Australia, Pakistan have won very little.

Considering this, the 3 T20 wins against MCC, Essex, and Northamptonshire and the draw against Kent, in which many of the batsmen hit form was just the tonic Pakistan required to be in a positive frame of mind for this tour.

It is such a long tour that it can make or break many careers over the next 3 months. With 6 test matches, 5 ODIs, and 4 T20s, Pakistan face a stern test from Australia and England, both of whom are arguably amongst the top three sides in world cricket today across all formats.

Even though its been dictated by politics, Pakistan have taken a huge gamble by leaving out experienced players like Younis Khan, Misbah, and Faisal Iqbal from both the T20 and the test squads.

With new players in the middle under a new captain, the test is even sterner for the young team.

Their first real test comes today when they face Australia in the first of two T20s.

Pakistan has lost the last 12 international matches against them with the last one being the epic semi final of the World T20.

The Aussies definitely have the edge, but Pakistan should feel at home in a T20 game. They have a better record in the format despite the recent losses, and majority of their players are better suited to this version of cricket.

A win can go a long way in providing Pakistan with the confidence they require to compete against the Aussies in the 2 tests that will follow the T20s.

Losses, on the other hand, can be way too detrimental.

Pakistan is expected to field at least two debutants in their middle order for the test matches. While Shahid Afridi will return to the format after 4 years. This indicates how fragile Pakistan's top 6 will be against the likes of Johnson and Co. when the first test gets underway in about a week.

In light of this, it is imperative that the likes of Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, and the Akmal brothers get some runs under their belts during the two T20s against the Aussies.

Wins and runs for these batsmen will enable Pakistan to go into the test matches with confidence.

Afridi has repeatedly spoken about playing positive and aggressive cricket, and I guess that is the only way Pakistan stands a chance against Australia and England over the summer.

Pakistan will do well if they draw a few of the tests and win some of the ODIs and T20s. Series wins in ODIs and T20s will even be better but they cannot be expected at this stage.

Pakistani fans are generally irrational and expect miracles every time the team steps on the playing field.

I urge all fans not to expect much and just support the team. Its a young team under a new captain; the selectors and the team management have made a bold move by leaving senior players out and blooding several new youngsters.

The seniors were not bringing in the results and we all complained. And now we cannot expect the youngsters to turn things around immediately.

It will take time and Pakistan have initiated this turnaround process at just about the right time keeping the World Cup in mind.

And for the World Cup, it is extremely important if Afridi is at the helm, which will only be possible if the PCB, media, and the fans don't go ballistic over the team losing to the likes of Australia and England.

The journey begins today and we can only support and hope for a fairy tale ending.

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Afridi does an Inzamam!


Posted by Q at 4:36 AM Pitched (8)
Before the match today I had no expectations from Pakistan. The
batting on paper looked wafer thin at best.

The talks of Shahzaib opening and Umar Amin at one down had me
thinking that Pakistan's top five would consist of three 20 year olds,
out of which two were going to play their first ever ODI.

The other 20 year old has not been playing international cricket for
even a year.

All of them are immense talents but to expect that they will be
winning Pakistan games like Inzamam or Younis or Yousuf used to do
would be wrong.

Not much can be expected from a batting line up in which Salman Butt
and Shoaib Malik are the senior most members. They are far from being
what a Saeed Anwar or an Inzamam were for Pakistan.

The fact that we even got so close to Sri Lanka's total is due to the
huge hearted effort of one single man, Pakistan's new captain Shahid
Afridi.

At 32-4, Afridi is the last person most people want to see coming in
to bat. The innings in such a state required an anchor; someone who
would try and consolidate and build the innings from scratch.

Afridi had other things in mind.

He played the anchor role no doubt, but he dropped anchor like no one
else ever has.

Afridi's innings was probably one of the best counter attacks in recent times.

Not only did he hold the innings together, he also ensured that
Pakistan stay ahead of the run rate.

He guided both the Akmals during the two partnerships and it was
evident that he knew he needed to show the way to his junior team
mates.

And show he did.

In many ways he did an Inzamam today. His innings and the way he was
dictating terms was just how Inzamam used to do for Pakistan.

Everyone knows how Afridi raises his game to new levels when given
responsibility. We all saw it in the World T20 in 2009 when he was
vice captain and payed a significant role in winning the trophy for
Pakistan.

We've seen it in domestic cricket for many years where he's led the
Sindh and Karachi sides with success.

But the level that Afridi raised his game to tonight was far beyond my
expectations.

The well pitched regulars are aware that I'm the eternal optimist and
one of Afridi's biggest fans; if he exceeded my expectations then I
wonder what the regular detractors of the man are feeling like today?

Sure the team didn't win, but the only reason they even looked like
winning at some stage was Afridi.

The captain has shown the way and now its up to the new comers and the juniors in the side to lift their game and play with the heart that
Afridi did today.

The bowling looks settled and the fielding is showing signs of
improvement; its the batsmen that need to stand up and be counted for.

And what better than to do it in the next game against India.

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Friday, June 4, 2010

Comebacks to take Pakistan down the same Disastrous Route!


Posted by Q at 7:46 PM Pitched (8)
Well then, Shoaib Akhtar is back for Pakistan.

It wasn't long ago that Shahid Afridi, who also happens to be the captain of Pakistan, conspired with Mohammad Asif to keep Shoaib Akhtar out of the Pakistani dressing room.

It wasn't long ago either that Afridi said "If I am made captain, Shoaib Akhtar will never play for Pakistan".

And yet Shoaib Akhtar is back with Afridi at the helm.

What about all those voices about looking at the future and grooming youngsters? Aren't there enough young and talented fast bowlers in Pakistan that the selectors have to keep going back to the tried and tested and failed ones?

There's one 7 foot tall Mohammad Irfan who Afridi apparently wanted for the World T20. Isn't this the best opportunity to test him before the all important tour to England?

Another one who is back for Pakistan is Shoaib Malik, who is coming of the shortest one year ban in the history of sport.

What was the whole point of banning him for a year if the PCB were going to reverse their decision within a few months?

What message does this send to cricketers? That they can do whatever they please only to be let off with no consequences?

The same mistake has been repeatedly committed with Shoaib Akhtar whose indisciplined acts have gone unpunished and now Shoaib Malik is getting the same preferential treatment.

Not only that but Malik is also the same person against whom Afridi conspired in the past to remove him from captaincy.

So to put it right, on one hand you've got a former captain who has previously conspired against senior players and captains that replaced him, and on the other you've got a current captain who has previously conspired against the returning former captain!

Just how exactly does the PCB think that this dressing room will gel together?

And don't forget that you've also got Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in the same dressing room - the last time that happened, bats were raised and not to hit the ball!

Really PCB? Really Mohsin Khan? Really Afridi?

Is this your best 15 for the Asia Cup? Is this the young team you want to test for England and the World Cup next year?

To top it all, there is another man who is returning to this contingent - Aaqib Javed, who was assistant coach on the tour to Australia and who blamed Kamran Akmal of match fixing and several other players in the Asia Cup squad of under performing!

Aaqib comes back as assistant coach! WHY!?

How is this lot supposed to get along?

I thought the inquiry and the punishments handed out after the Australia tour were to eradicate this problem of dressing room politics.

But all these reversals and comebacks are going to take Pakistan down the same route of politics and infighting irrespective of who the captain is.

Just wait for the England tour and you'll see Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf returning with Ijaz Butt, Mohsin Khan, and Afridi speaking about how important the Yo-Yos are for such an important test tour.

And then we'll have the drama of the Australian tour repeat itself to be followed by yet another inquiry, maybe some bans, and ofcourse all the comebacks for the ODI world cup next year!

Now its not even about when these people will learn, its about if they ever will!!!

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Saturday, May 15, 2010

Which was the most painful?


Posted by SledgeHammer at 12:17 AM Pitched (18)
In chronological order, here are Pakistan's 10 most painful losses since I've been following cricket:

  • Melbourne 1985 (B&H Final vs India)
  • Lahore 1987 (WC SF vs Australia)
  • Bridgetown 1988 (3rd Test vs WI)
  • Bangalore 1996 (WC QF vs India)
  • Lord's 1999 (WC Final vs Australia)
  • St. John's 2000 (3rd Test vs WI)
  • Kingston 2007 (WC Group Match vs Ireland)
  • Johannesburg 2007 (T20 WC Final vs India)
  • Sydney 2010 (2nd Test vs Australia)
  • St. Lucia 2010 (T20 WC SF vs Australia)
Which do you think is the most painful? Try not to let the fresh wounds of St. Lucia affect your choice; naturally it hurts the most right now. But which one is the most painful overall?

Any other suggestions are welcome. This is just my personal top 10.

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Thursday, May 13, 2010

Pakistan Deserve to be There!


Posted by Q at 7:59 AM Pitched (3)
So then, Pakistan are going to be playing the semi finals of the ICC World T20 for the 3rd time in as many T20 world cups.

The fact that Pakistan have qualified has raised a number of comments.

Much like "lucky", "they don't deserve to be there", and the likes.

Why I ask?

Sure Pakistan have won only 2 of their matches but then so had New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, and India - the 4 teams that did not qualify.

Did Pakistan not fare better than them in the matches they played?

Pakistan were beaten comprehensively by Australia, just like all the other teams. While England beat them in the final over and New Zealand of the final delivery!

So despite those losses, Pakistan have not looked all that bad during the World T20.

The openers have fired more often than not, Afridi has played a couple of cameos, and the bowlers have been at the top of their game leaving aside the performance against Australia.

Pakistan's fielding was atrocious in the earlier part of the tournament but in the latter games it picked up, with Umar Akmal and Misbah and a few others holding on to some brilliant catches.

So then why don't Pakistan deserve to be there?

They qualified on net run rate, which they usually never do. So many times, Pakistan have missed out on qualification due to net run rate so I think its high time that it goes the other way now.

Going into the semis, I feel Pakistan's bowling is well settled with the reliance on spinners - the best part being that all 4 spinners are of a different variety.

They should stick to the combination that played against South Africa with the only possible change being Fawad Alam in place of Khalid Latif.

The reason I say that is because Pakistan have struggled with the number 3 spot. A more composed batsman who will not throw away his wicket is what is required to carry on from the platform that Akmal and Butt have so often set during this World T20.

Fawad Alam is an ideal batsman to do that. If not him then surely Misbah should get a promotion to give him time to settle down before he can play his big shots.

Pakistan play the best team of the tournament in the semis, and potentially the eventual champions, but count Pakistan out at your own Peril.

They've got momentum behind them given their victory over South Africa and anything is possible in T20 crciket.

Even moreso, anything is possible when Pakistan take the field in a T20 game!

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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Pakistan needs a Flamboyant Shahid Afridi!


Posted by Q at 1:12 PM Pitched (5)
Bangladesh almost gave Pakistan a few heart attacks last night, but Australia made sure that the defending champions do not get knocked out in Round 1 of the World T20.

More than Pakistan's chances of advancing in the 20-20 world cup, I was concerned about Waqar Younis. The last time Pakistan got knocked out of a world cup in the West Indies, the coach did not make it back home.

Fortunately, things are different this time.

Pakistan's super league stage begins today with their first match against England. With New Zealand and South Africa to follow, the semi finals look like a sure shot but as always, with Pakistan one never knows!

They have not played all that badly so far, but something is missing.

All the batsmen seem to be in good touch, but the bowling, which was supposed to be Pakistan's firepower has lacked the zing.

Afridi, who is one of the most dangerous T20 bowlers, has gone wicketless in the two games against Bangladesh and Australia. What's more is that he has been expensive going at over 8 an over.

That is one of the key reasons why he has not looked like himself in the field.

Afridi has always been the go to man with the ball for past captains; he has always been the one chirping away in the outfield bucking up the rest of the players.

Now as captain, he needs to be doing that even more.

But due to his own below par performance with the ball, he has probably lost some confidence, and in turn his ability to lift his team mates.

For Pakistan to play like the T20 world champions, they need Afridi back at his best. Not with the bat, but with the ball and in the field.

One wicket will do wonders for him, but even if it doesn't come, as the captain of the team Afridi should be concentrating on the bigger picture.

We need more of the flamboyancy that he shows in his batting to come out in Afridi the captain.

That is the only way, we can have a successful Pakistan!

So far, I feel the team selection and the batting and bowling order have not been the best that Pakistan can offer.

The absence of Mohammad Asif and the presence of Mohammad Sami is inexplicable. Surely Asif needs to come back for the Super League games.

Not attacking the bowling with Razzak, something that worked 10 months ago, is also hard to understand.

Afridi needs to be more flexible with his bowlers and less so with his batsman.

Sure Mohammad Hafeez is a domestic star, but in international cricket he is at best an average player. That's why he keeps getting dropped and keeps making comebacks.

His offspin is crucial and can be a potent weapon if used wisely, so he should play but surely not at number 3.

Pakistan is wasting Fawad Alam at number 8 and no one knows this boy's game better than Afridi under whom at the domestic level Fawad has scored tons of runs in all forms of the game.

Give Fawad the number 3 spot and allow him to steer Pakistan's chase or setting of a total; I am sure he will not fail and will do a far better job than Hafeez in that position.

Afridi has been a flamboyant captain at the domestic level and if only he brings that out in the West Indies, does Pakistan stand a chance to have yet another successful T20 campaign.

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Friday, April 30, 2010

Can Australia do it? Is there Hope for Pakistan?


Posted by Q at 9:20 PM Pitched (7)
So Zimbabwe have beaten both Australia and Pakistan in the warm up matches - does it really matter?

With T20 cricket, you can never say. Even Afghanistan stand a chance!

I just got my head around the different groups and the seedings and was surprised to see Australia seeded 9th.

Then I remembered how they had exited the last World T20 in the first round. Back then they had a tough group; this time its relatively easier with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Oh no wait... Bangladesh gave Australia a hard time in the only T20 International they have played, while they have beaten Pakistan only once in the format; a couple of months ago when Pakistan didn't feel like winning anything.

So do Australia have it fairly easier? Especially after losing to Zimbabwe?

Another interesting fact is that Australia have never beaten Zimbabwe in T20 cricket. They lost in the only T20 international between the two teams in 2007, and the other day in the warm up game.

I'm not saying that Australia will exit in Round 1 again; they might make it at the expense of Pakistan.

What I am saying is that Zimbabwe will probably make it to Round 2 instead of either New Zealand or Sri Lanka.

Zimbabwe are out there to prove a point and such teams are generally dangerous; especially in T20 cricket.

As for Pakistan, who always have a point to prove, I just don't think lady luck would smile on them this time around no matter how much I want them to create the magic of 2009 again.

There is just too much going on behind the scenes for them to be able to leave everything behind and concentrate on the cricket.

I hope they can and I hope Afridi can lift his troops, but it will be tough.

However, if they do get past Bangladesh and Australia and make it to Round 2, Pakistan might just get a relatively easier route to the semis.

Group E has the potential of looking like this assuming Pakistan get there:

1. Pakistan
2. New Zealand or Zimbabwe
3. South Africa
4. England or Ireland

Yeah I do think Ireland can upset England.

Not that tough any more is it?

And we all know how dangerous Pakistan can be if they get on to some kind of roll.

And from the semis, its a lottery as MS Dhoni recently said.

A third straight final for Pakistan?

Unlikely but there's always hope!

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Monday, April 19, 2010

T20 World Cup - Coming Soon


Posted by Q at 2:33 PM Pitched (9)
The world T20 is only 2 weeks away and despite the fact that the last tournament was only 9 months ago there seems to be enough excitement for the 3rd edition of the tournament to be played in the West Indies.

Like last year, all international players are immersed in the IPL, while the Pakistanis are back home going through a training camp.

It didn't make a difference to their campaign last year. Will this year be different?

The team has been hit by disciplinary issues and injuries and are missing a number of their key players.

Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik were not considered, while there are injury concerns regarding Umar Gul and Umar Akmal.

Shahid Afridi, the new (old) captain though is confident. He believes Pakistan have the ability to defend their title.

Do they?

Playing T20 cricket is as unpredictable as online betting. You never know which way the game will sway.

Australia, always a threat in any format, have overhauled their team and brought in T20 specialists.

India always looks strong and will be tougher this year compared to last as most of their players are injury free and in decent form in the IPL.

Sri Lanka, who had a near flawless campaign last year, will be dangerous with the emergence of new players like Matthews and the growing ability of King Sanga and Jayawardene in T20.

South Africa stand no chance! As I've always said, any high profile ICC tournament, will never end in South Africa as champions. They just don't have it in them.

England, New Zealand, and West Indies could throw in a surprise but then again its T20 cricket, which is extremely hard to predict.

I did fairly well predicting the outcome last year, and will try again this time around.

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Ban & Fines - Really?


Posted by Q at 3:25 PM Pitched (9)
The last time 7-8 of the top cricketers from Pakistan were banned and fined at the same time, it was due to links with match fixing.

The captain, vice captain, and all senior players were found guilty by an inquiry that went on for months before the bans and fines were announced.

And now Ijaz Butt wants us to believe that his inquiry has spent a couple of weeks investigating and has banned and fined the captain, vice captain, and all senior players due to indiscipline, in-fighting, and bad behavior!

Seriously!?

Since when have indiscipline and in-fighting become sins requiring such harsh punishments?

No I am not saying that it is alright to have indiscipline and in-fighting rampant within the dressing room; what I am saying is that for as cricket has been played in Pakistan, indiscipline and in-fighting have been a part of it.

So why punish it now?

Indiscipline, ego clashes, and dressing room fights and arguments were common even during Pakistan's "most successful era" under Imran Khan.

The Imran - Miandad captaincy struggle is well documented. So are Imran Khan's ego clashes with Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas, and Sarfraz Nawaz.

You don't even have to go and look that far; the last decade has seen Shoaib Akhtar repeatedly commit one indisciplinary act after another. Even he got away without bans or fines.

So what has happened this time round that warrants such heavy punishments?

To ban the country's two best batsmen for "indefinitely" is not a joke. And I find it very hard to believe that it is because their arguments were causing an unrest in the team.

The individuals in the team are not so soft that they get rattled by an argument between two senior players.

So what crime have they committed?

I believe we deserve to know.

Who is trying to clean up whose mess here?

If the players were involved in match fixing then tell us.

If the PCB knows it, then we deserve to know too!

What is even more surprising is that all the players have remained quiet since the announcement of the bans of fines.

Besides Younis Khan's and Afridi's appeals and the news that Malik and Rana will also file for appeals, no one has said a word.

Why?

They are all happy playing in a Bangladeshi T20 league in Sharjah.

Are they not worried? do they not care?

Malik has been an integral part of Pakistan's T20 plans - he has shown no disappointment in being left out of the upcoming World T20 campaign - Why?

Something is terribly wrong with Pakistan cricket and the people in charge believe that they can fix it by banning and fining the top players of the country.

That is not going to work.

You need your best players around, and you need to support them. Not fight against them!

If the cricket management in Pakistan cannot bind 15 men together to perform for the country or resolve their issues by interfering and ensuring performance, then they do not deserve to be the management of Pakistan cricket.

I can go on about how to be a good manager given how much of that BS I have learnt at business school; however, the point here is that Ijaz Butt and his cronies at the PCB are not solving any issues.

The only good decision they have made is pick Afridi as captain. They will spoil that too by picking someone else to lead in the ODIs and Tests.

There are no rules and regulations under which the PCB operates. There are no guidelines that regulate their operations. The Chairman has all the power to pick anyone, drop anyone, fine anyone ban anyone, hire anyone, fire anyone, and so on.

That is NOT how Pakistan's board should be operating!

The problem is not with the players - the problem is with the people managing them.

If Pakistan cricket is to get back into shape, then this operation clean up needs to start at the top!

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Monday, January 11, 2010

America's First Cricket Stadium (with pics)


Posted by SledgeHammer at 5:55 PM Pitched (15)
[Updated to add a few pics directly in this post...scroll to bottom]

So I was visiting Miami a few days back (great place btw - everyone should go there if they get a chance!). While there, I took advantage of a small window of free time to make the short 30-minute drive up to Lauderhill, Florida.

Why Laudherhill, Florida, you ask? Well, it's the location of America's first cricket stadium - the Main Event field at the Central Broward Regional Park. Inaugurated a couple of years back, it has 5,000 seats (with space for accommodating 15,000 more spectators if needed), a pavilion, two pitches, floodlights, electronic scoreboard, well-maintained outfield, etc.

The town has a large population of Caribbean origin, which is why there is an inclination toward cricket. The ground is located in a sprawling complex of various sporting facilities.

There is some cricket held on the Main Event field regularly (domestic, exhibition tournaments, etc), but the field is also used as a soccer and rugby ground. There are four more football fields in the complex, and each pair is designed to be turned into a cricket ground if necessary.

I really don't know why international cricket hasn't been held here yet. It's a beautiful stadium near a wonderful location with a huge passionate fan base for many teams. Well, maybe there is the technology issue i.e. are the facilities available to transform the stadium into a third umpire/hawkeye/etc equipped stadium? And is it cost-effective to do so? Given that so many small stadiums around the world have been able to do this, I can't see why this would be an exception. Another issue would be getting visas to the US, but so many international sports events happen here that I don't think it's that big a deal.

I hope the ICC takes a closer look at the stadium and that cricket boards start getting interested as well. This is a financial success waiting to happen. A short T20 triangular between Pak/India/West Indies would be very well attended, and would constitute a lucrative TV contract as well. People are very keen to see the first international cricket in the US.

Oh well, let me keep dreaming of the potential this ground holds. Hopefully the ICC is listening and my dreams of cricket in the US will turn into reality soon!

Here's an album of stadium pics I put together, enjoy!

Updated: A few pics are pasted directly here for the reader's convenience:








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