India are through to the final of the U-19 World Cup and Pakistan is looking to make it in what would be a rematch of the 2006 U19 World Cup Final.

Pakistan is currently playing its Semi Final against South Africa and the Protea youngsters are off to a very good start - 64-1 off 14 overs.

As Straight Point mentioned in one of the comments section of another post, Pakistan has taken a huge gamble bowling first. Their batting has been their weakness in this tournament and putting that under pressure in a crunch game is a big risk. However, the reasoning behind that was the expected rain, which if happens would make it easier for the chasing side as it makes it difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball - this was evident from the 1st Semi, in which India chased down New Zealand's total relatively easily despite the minor collapse near the end.

The Pakistani bowlers, who have been outstanding in this tournament didn't get any swing this morning, and if it doesn't rain, Imad Wasim's decision to bowl first could backfire.

But the younger Pakistani lot does have a few brilliant batsmen who haven't yet fired during the WC - it could be their day today if SA gets a huge total, which looks highly likely as of now.

Pakistan skipper Imad Wasim and wicketkeeper batsman Ali Asad were both part of the world cuo winning team of 2006 and played instrumental roles in Pakistan's victory in the Semi Final against Australia in 2006 and the Quarter Final against Australia 2 days ago. So they have the experience on their side - Can they grant the Indian boys their wishes of a repeat final?

I sure hope so.

I have my own match in the afternoon, so I won't be able to watch the entire match or cover it. But till then - EYE!

NOTE 2: List of batsmen with highest number of 4s in career sorted by highest percentage of runs through 4s

What surprises me is that 2 wicketkeepers top each of the lists. Adam Gilchrist can be expected to be at the top, but Alec Stewart? Does anyone even remember him?

I know this not an accurate reflection so I randomly picked some players whom I thought would have a high percentage of runs in boundaries. Here's what I found:

Considering these, Salman Butts 58.5% in test matches is not as remarkable as his 52.9% in ODIs. Virender Sehwag was the only other batsman I found who scores more than half his runs in boundaries (excluding 6s) in ODIs. Even Salman's 58.5% is on the very high side when looking at the other percentages above.

More runs through boundaries in ODIs could also be termed as a weakness of not taking the quick singles or converting 1s into 2s and 2s into 3s, which probably explains why the Australians (apart from Gilchrist) have low perentages of runs in 4s - Hayden (41%), Ponting (35%), Symonds (35%), M. Clarke (34%), MEK Hussey (32%).

This fact about Salman Butt was just an observation that led me to do this post - maybe I've missed out some big 4 hitters in these lists, but if Salman can go on to become even half as good as the names above, Pakistan wouldn't have to worry about who to open their innings with.

Who else comes to your mind when you think of batsmen who seem to hit a 4 of every ball?

It has been quite a while since I have had the chance to meet a cricketer in person. This past weekend I was fortunate to meet one of my favorite current cricketers and definitely one of the most exciting ones the game knows. The experience was rewarding.

Shahid Afridi is currently on a US tour doing fund raising for water projects in Baluchistan. This is a cricket blog and I will not comment on this any further apart from saying that this is a noble cause for which Afridi is passionate and genuinely and whole-hearted involved. For this passion he has even further won my respect and admiration because now it is not only for him as a cricketer but also for Afridi the person.

Afridi agreed to my doing an interview after the fund raising but once the fund raising was over the mood was solemn for both of us as really compared to the plight of the people in Baluchistan without clean water cricket did not seem all that import. Both of us chatted for a bit instead.

Afridi really impressed me as a person. He has a witty sense of humor which was apparent both by his quick-witted remarks in his presentation and his jokes when chatting with me. He is moved by this issue for which he is campaigning and it really reflected a 'seriousness' to his personality which some of his strongest critics have lashed out on. His drive, determination is admirable and I think he has that both in his professional and personal life.

The event organizers were commenting on how at US Airports Afridi has had quite a few spectators waiting to catch a glimpse of the flamboyant celebrity. The interesting thing was that all the fans at the airports were Indian and there were no Pakistani fans at the airport. The author of this blog is also guilty of not being present to receive Afridi at San Francisco airport :-)

In my opinion Afridi is the kind of player that you need to give a free reign to, within bounds of course and I think he does a great job of staying within those bounds. There have been great players in various sports throughout the ages that have had this free flowing style which is difficult to coach. I am sure no other basketball player is or will ever be coached like Michael Jordan; the snippet of Phil Jackson turning to Jordan and simply saying, "Michael" and then giving him the look is being played again in my mind. Then you have Federer who has played for the longest time without a coach and is without doubt the most dominant and the best tennis player in the world!

I am not putting Afridi at the same level as those two athletes who can easily say they are the best in their field, but still feel that Afridi is one of those players that needs to be coached differently and perhaps less than other players. Some of Afridi's centuries have been innings were he has blasted all bowlers all over and out of the ground and then he has gotten out to a forward defensive shot. The century against India when he got bowled by Harbhajan on a forward defensive prod comes to mind.

I think Afridi needs to know which position he is going to be batting - and I for one do not want to see him open and would like to see him come lower down the order. He needs to be communicated what his job/role is and then he needs to be allowed the freedom to get the results as best he sees fit. I think with this formula more often than not he will succeed.

Afridi over the last couple of years has shown determination and has applied that to his bowling. He is one of our best ODI bowlers and I feel warrants a place in the side just on the basis of his bowling and fielding and exuberant on field presence. His clean and powerful hitting is just an added skill he brings to the field.

I end with a warning that if you ever meet Afridi, count your fingers after shaking hands with him; he has got one of the firmest hand shake that I have ever seen!

When I posted after meeting Dr. Nasim Ashraf two weeks ago, I mentioned that I doubt the PCB Chairman met Sheikh Mubarak Bin Nahyan to only discuss human development and a possible series in Abu Dhabi was most probably discussed considering Australia were not going ahead with their tour to Pakistan.

Sohail Tanvir, who made his international debut last year, led the Federal Capital to a thumping innins win with an exhilirating all round performance on the 3rd day of the match against Baluchistan.

After a week's break for the elections, which went by peacefully without any bomb blasts (Hint to the Australians), the Pentangular Trophy restarted on Friday with 2 more matches in Karachi and Lahore.

The lead up to the next 2 matches was controversial for a few reasons. Firstly, a number of players that were part of the 5 different squads signed up with the ICL - These were Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami, Hasan Raza, and Naved Latif among others. While the PCB looked to replace these in the respective squads, the Federal Capital's selectors dropped another bombshell by excluding Shoaib Akhtar from the squad owing to disciplinary reasons. A statement from the PCB said that Shoaib will no longer take part in the Pentangular because of his bad influence on players in the dressing room.

What bad influence is my question? Does he force them into drugs? Does he beat them up? What does this man do in the dressing room that makes him such a disruptive force?

The Federal Capital (FC), led by Naved Ashraf (who has played 2 tests for Pakistan back in 1998), bowled Baluchistan out for 253 on day 1. Pakistan internationals Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat were the wreckers in cheif as they ended with figures of 5-66 and 4-83 respectively.

In response, FC began positively but ended day 1 on 79-3. Resuming the innings on day 2, FC opener Raheel Majeed struck 98 before skipper Naveed Ashraf and domestic prolific batsman Usman Saeed got together to post a partnership of 287 runs for the 5th wicket. Usman scored 109 while Naveed plundered 141 runs of 200 deliveries with 24 boundaries and 2 sixes as FC ended the day on 441-7. Kamran Hussain, who made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in January, picked up 3 wickets for Baluchistan.

In the other match being played at the Gaddafi in Lahore, Punjab posted 354 in their first innings against NWFP. Considering the all star batting line up that Punjab walked out with, one would have expected a much larger total but Salman Butt (72), Mohd. Hafeez (3), Nasir Jamshed (16), Misbah (53), Shoaib Malik (41), and Kamran Akmal (40) managed 222 between them before the tail took them to over 350.

Salman, coming off a career best 290 in the previous game continued his good form, while Misbah, Malik, and Akmal got good scores without converting them into huge ones. For NWFP, former test bowler Fazl-e-Akbar picked up 4 wickets and 2-ODI old Samiullah Khan picked up 2. In response the frontier team ended day 2 on 181-3 with skipper Younis Khan unbeaten on 36.

Shoaib Malik, who missed the first match due to being away in Dubai for an interview with GEO, came back to lead Punjab, while premier batsman Mohd. Yousuf changed roles with him and flew to Dubai, probably also for an interview with GEO.

Where else do players miss domestic matches due to interview obligations in other cities?

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

- Dylan

Life at the top is not easy – weeks of touring, living in hotels, not seeing family and friends and carrying the weight of expectation. Playing first class cricket comes with all this mental pressure and as well as physical demands. To this cauldron, add the pressure of trying to make it as a regular on one the best teams of all time and being seen as a comrade and a peer. Finally, when you start questioning your own abilities – whether you are good enough to get to the finish line, when your own perceived inadequacies tip the scale of possibilities, then this mental cauldron reaches a boiling point.

Shaun Tait does not deserve our wrath, nor our scorn; not does he deserve to be labeled a “coward” or “quitter” for “walking away”. He needs to be respected and given the space he deserves because he has made a tough, hard choice. He has had the presence of mind to realize that he is only 24 and that he is suffering from mental issues. He has a bright career ahead of himself if he decides to continue playing cricket. But I fully support his decision to take a break and rethink things.

Test cricketers are not unlike soldiers. They spend weeks on tour, whether it is a home series or an away one. To achieve the best results, total concentration is key and to achieve this concentration they try and create a comfort zone. As Gatting points out, family and friends are deliberately blocked out:

"You also get used to a certain way of life on tour. When you get home that suddenly changes.

"You've been used to doing what you want to do, and then suddenly there are other people in your life again who you have been trying not to think about for four months."

While we have seen an increasing number of international cricketers get injured because of the hectic demands of the cricketing calendar, we rarely see players raise their hands and admit to mental fatigue or depression. As this BBC article suggests, one in 6 of us suffers from mental distress. Further, David Frith’s book on cricket, "Silence of the Heart" suggests that the incidence of suicide among Test cricketers is higher than in the general population. If you do the math, we get to an alarming result – the law of averages suggests that atleast 2 players in a team are experiencing mental distress!

The greater problem, however, is that mental issues are seen as a sign of weakness, especially when compared to physical ones. Fans
find it impossible for a player who does battle in front of thousands of spectators to admit to mental frailties. We first idolize our sporting heroes and then put them on a pedestal which makes it impossible for us to believe that the construct of our fantasy can be flawed. But we must realize that our sporting heroes are only human and are subject to immense pressure. In recent times we have seen Trescothick and now Tait and Lou Vincent speak up. We have seen the symptoms such as Murali not touring Australia last time around. Is sledging just an outlet for all this mental pressure?

More importantly, how many other such players suffer silently?

Cricket's blogosphere space has been dominated by the IPL player auction over the last 2-3 days. On Well Pitched I covered the entire auction and then gave my 2 cents on what I thought about it. The other blogs that I frequent - Soulberry's TCWJ, Uncle J's Cricket with Balls, and Ottayan's midoff, have all shared their views on what went down at the Hilton Towers in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Now that Q has enlightened us all with his great coverage of the IPL circus, it its now time for a new poll. Go ahead and exercise your right to vote, just as many other Pakistanis just did (wasnt that great!)

I know there is an overdoes of IPL related posts on Well Pitched but the whole auction drama has left me stumped and thinking about all that went down and all that will go down once the competition kicks off is mindboggling to say the least.

Here are some random thoughts that I think will make the IPL extremely exciting to watch.

1. Saurav Ganguly ordering Ponting from one field position to another will be a sight.
2. Same goes for Ganguly and Shoaib Akhtar who have had numerous on field battles but will now turn up for Kolkata and Ganguly will throw the new ball to Akhtar thanking God that he is not the striker this time round.
3. When Ganguly throws the ball to Ishant Sharma, Ponting will be relieved that he is on the same team as the kid.
4. Shane Warne telling Greame Smith to go out there and rip the bowling apart. Now how 'bout that? Smith and Warnie in the same team colours!
5. Dhoni keeping wicket to Murali and Sangakkara doing the same to Lee. That surely is exciting stuff.
6. Mohammad Asif sharing the new ball with his Idol Glen McGrath.

I'm sure you guys can think of more stuff. Here's more:

The best opening combinations - ranked in order of ability at the T20 Level:

1. Gilchrist & Gibbs
2. Sachin & Jayasuriya
3. Ganguly & Gayle
4. Sehwag & Gambhir
5. Hayden & Fleming
6. Smith & Langer

The best new ball attacks:

1. Lee & Pathan
2. Steyn & Bracken
3. Asif & McGrath
4. Shoaib & Ishant
5. Pollock & Malinga
6. RP & Vaas

If that has got you excited, see this.

Hard Hitting Pairs that can turn any match upside down in the middle to end overs of an innings:

1. Afridi & Symonds
2. Micheal Hussey & Oram
3. David Hussey & McCullum
4. Cameron White & Boucher

Aussies working with the Kiwis, Aussies working with the Proteas, Pakistanis working with Indians, Aussies working with Indians - the IPL throws at tou mindboggling and endless possibilities to watch the most exciting cricket ever.

The cricket world came to a standstill yesterday as all those who mattered gathered around the Hilton Towers in Mumbai and spent millions on cricketers for their IPL franchises. The media frenzy and crowd pull to the cricketers auction was such that other cricket happenings around the world went by unnoticed.

England and New Zealand played out a 340 run tied ODI match, which was probably the most interesting ODI in recent times, the U-19 world cup marched on with its 4th day of matches, a Duleep Trophy Final was being played at the Wankhede, and the ICC announced a shorter 2011 World Cup.

Despite all this, all eyes were on the auction. So how did the bidders fare? Who were the smart ones? Who got it wrong? My Bidometer answers all your questions.

Team Jaipur
Franchisee: Emerging Media
They picked an able leader in Shane Warne at a good bargain along with a potentially dangerous opening combination in Smith and Langer. The middle order looks good too with Younis Khan and Kaif, however the two may not be suited to the T20 game. In Kamran Akmal they have a valuable late order batsman ideal or the T20 game, however their bowling picks look thin - apart from Shane Warne there is Munaf Patel whose history of breaking down makes him a risky choice. They dished out over a million for Yusuf Pathan and Kaif, which is on the high side in my opinion. Apart from Warne, there isn't much star value in the team either, which is essential to oull the crowd in.
Bidometer: 3/10

Chennai Super Kings
Franchisee: India Cements
They made sure that they pick the T20 world cup winning captain in Dhoni, who along with being a sound leader in the shorter versions of the game, also adds the star value required to pull a crowd and add to the brand equity of India Cements. They also got it right with the openers in Hayden and Fleming and a good looking middle order with MEK Hussey and Raina. Add to that hard hitting allrounders Oram and Albie Morkel followed by Dhoni and the Super Kings' batting line up looks very strong. On the bowling front Ntini and Murali are potentially threatening; and they've also got India's T20 WC star Joginder Sharma to bowl the last overs of the innings. They got a very good deal for Hayden and Hussey but may have over paid for Oram and Morkel - but if those sixes start flowing in the last few overs with these 2 in the middle, $1.3 million for both of them may prove to be worth it.
Bidometer: 7/10

Team Mumbai
Franchisee: Reliance India Limited
Mukesh Ambani and his men were blessed with Sachin as their Icon and they ensured that they get te best opening partner for him - Sanath Jayasuriya. This is a dream opening combination for any team and I reckon the best opening pair that will walk out once the IPL kicks off. Both of them bring ample star appeal to the team as well. With Uthappa in the mix they've got a solid top order but the middle order is missing. As is the wicket keeper. Mumbai missed a trick there but they ended the bidding war on a good note by stocking up their bowling with Pollock, Malinga, Fernando, and Harbhajan. Thats a very varied attack and has the potential to trouble all the oppositions batsmen - probably one of the best bowling attacks picked up at the auction. I think they dished out way too much for Bhajji and Uthappa but it got it right with the other bids.
Bidometer: 6/10

Bangalore Royal Challengers
Franchisee: UB Group
Vijay Mallya had Rahul Dravid by his side during the auction but even he could not help Bangalore pick suitable men for the T20 game. Dravid, Kallis, Chanderpaul, and Wasim Jaffer look more like a test batting line up than one for a T20 match. Moreover, they spent as much as $900,000 for Kallis, who was dropped by his national team for the T20 World Cup played in his own backyard. On the bowling front however, with Steyn, Bracken, and Zaheer they probably picked up the best pace battery out of all franchisees and all at very good prices. They got a very good deal for the best keeper in the world, Boucher, and they gambled half a million on Cameron White. With the 3 pacers, White, and Kumble; Dravid has managed a varied and dangerous attack but the batting is on the weak side and apart from home boy Dravid, Bangalore haven't really managed any crowd pullers.
Bidometer: 5/10

Team Hyderabad
Franchisee: Deccan Chronicle
VVS Laxman withdrew his Icon status so that his team could play with a larger budget. That worked very well for they picked up the most apt batsmen for the T20 game - in Gilchrist, Symonds, Afridi, and Gibbs they've got a hard hitting batting line up that will send shivers down the spines of bowlers, they've got multi dimensional cricketers, and they've got the stars that can fill the stadiums. Add Laxman, Styris, Chamara Silva and Rohit Sharma to that batting line up and you've got the strongest one out of the eight. The bowling picks area a bit weak though with all left armers in RP, Vaas, and Zoysa. They made sure they pay high for the stars, which makes sense but $875K for RP is probably too high.
Bidometer: 8/10

Team Mohali
Franchisee: Preity Zinta led Consortium
They started off with probably the best T20 batsmen in Yuvraj as their Icon and made sure they got one of the best middle orders with Mahela and King Sanga who will get to work with their World Cup coach Tom Moody, along woth Katich and Sarwan who were picked up at good bargains. But they didn't pick any openers. Priety also managed to grab a lethal new ball attack in Lee, Pathan, and Sreesanth who will be well supported with spinner Powar and Chawla - plus all 5 bowlers have the ability with the bat as well. They've got the crowd pullers in Yuvi, Lee, and Pathan but the openers slot is a major issue.
Bidometer: 7/10

Team Kolkata
Franchisee: Shahrukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment
Being the King of entertainment Shahrukh Khan made sure he fills his side with entertainers in Shoaib Akhtar, Ponting, and Gayle - all more than able cricketers. Led by Ganguly, the prince of Kolkata and SRK's managed the players who can fill up the 100,000 plus seats at the Eden Gardens. Shoaib sharing the new ball with Ishant Sharma followed by Umar Gul's toe busting yorkers looks like a solid pace attack on paper which can be ably supported by the spin of Gayle and Murali Karthik. They also gambled by paying a pricey $675K for arguably Australia's best T20 batsman in David Hussey. Add McCullum as the keeper to the mix and Kolkata looks like a well balanced side that could be one of the favorites as well as one of th most entertaining side of the competition. SRK bagged the best bargain in the auction with Ponting, Akhtar, and Gul but may have overpaid for Ishant.
Bidometer: 9/10

Delhi Daredevils
Franchisee: GMR Holdings
They didn't pay over a million, made sure their Icon doesn't go over a million, and made sure they got local stars able to turn the game on smartly using the stipulation that allows only 4 international stars in the final XI. Sehwag, Gambhir, Tiwari, and Dinesh Karthik makes for a solid batting line up and all able to take the field and attract the local crowd. Add to that Shoaib Malik , Dilshan and AB De Villiers and the batting line up seems more than decent. Glen McGrath and the Pakistani version Mohammad Asif make for a dream new ball attack and only had they been aggressive on home by Ishant Sharma it would have been perfect. Mahroof and Vettori provide the support to the bowling and Dilshan, Malik, and Sehwag add variety to the spin department. They didn't over pay for anyone and managed smart deals for all their players.
Bidometer: 9/10

Thats how all the bidders fared in my opinion. How smart they all were will be proved once the competition gets underway and how the teams manage their stars in an XI that allows only 4 non-indian players. Who do you think were the smart bidders? Who do you think got it wrong? Let me have your views.

77 out of the 79 cricketers that were up for sale were bought by the 8 IPL franchises on a cricket history defining day at the Hilton Towers in Mumbai for a whopping $42 million. Thats an average of over half a million dollars per cricketer!

The IPL got their 6th Millionnaire in Saurav Ganguly who joins Dhoni, Symonds, Sachin, Dravid, and Yuvraj in the elite club. Ganguly achieved the status owing to Kolkata's aggressive bid for India's latest bowling senation Ishant Sharma.

Shahrukh Khan bid aggressively for Ishant Sharma closing his bid at a whopping $950,000! Thats the highest than any Indian fast bowler has got thus far. Irfan Pathan is a 2nd close who bagged a $925,000 deal from Priety Zinta's Mohali. Ponting would not have to worry about facing Ishant now as both of them will turn out for the Kolkata team. Ishant sharing the new ball with Shoaib Akhtar - the could be hell for the opposition batsmen and a treat. RP Singh was the other most valuable Indian pacer who was bagged by Hyderabad for $875,000.

The auction has proved the most beneficial for Indian players as almost all of them have gotten deals in excess of half a million dollars. Gambhir was picked up by his home team Delhi for $725,000 while Mumbai picked up Uthappa for $800,000. Delhi also won the bid for Manoj Tiwari for a high $675,000 while Rohit Sharma ($750,000), Suresha Raina ($650,000), and Mohammad Kaif ($675,000) all got valuable deals from Hyderabad, Chennai, and Jaipur respectively.

In my view the biggest surprise of the day was David Hussey being picked up for $657,000 by Kolkata. Uncle J has been running a petition for David Hussey's inclusion in the Aussie ODI side and his case has been made stronger due to the struggling Aussie batsmen in the CB series and his most recent 113 of 64 balls, the 2nd fastest century in Australian domestic cricket. Hussey junior's bid was more surprising because his elder brother Micheal Hussey, who is a permanent member of the Aussie side, did not attract any bids.

In the most recent round of bidding the franchisees concentrated on tanking up their bowling force with Jaipur picking up Munaf Patel ($275,000), Mumbai bagging the Lankan pair of Lasith Malinga ($350,000) and Dilhara Fernando ($150,000), Bangalore hitting the jackpot with Dale Steyn ($325,000) and Nathan Bracken ($325,000), Hyderabad bidding succesfully for RP Singh and the Sri Lankan pair of Chaminda Vaas ($200,000) and Nuwan Zoysa ($110,000), Mohali settling for the spinning combo of Ramesh Power ($170,000) and Piyush Chawla ($400,000), and Kolkata smartly bagging Ishant Sharma, Murali Karthik ($425,000), and Umar Gul ($150,000).

Stay tuned for the final update.

Bangalore bid successfully for Jacques Kallis for $900,000 thus putting their Icon Rahul Dravid into the millionares bracket. But Kallis and Dravid in the same 20-20 team? Not smart I think.

Shahrukh Khan and Saurav Ganguly look like men on a mission - after picking up Shoaib Akhtar, Ricky Ponting, and McCullum they added Chris Gayle to their roster for $800,000. That puts Icon Ganguly at $920,000. Kolkata is turning out to be a strong oufit.

Delhi picked up Pakistani skipper Shoaib Malik and his team mate Mohammad Asif for $500,000 and $650,000 respectively. Shahid Afridi 'Boom Boom' Afridi was bagged by Hyderabad for $675,000 while Younis Khan was auctioned to Jaipur for $225,000.

Hyderabad also picked up Herchelle Gibbs for $575,000. Gibbs joins Gilchrist, Symonds, and Afridi - thats some firepower in the Hyderabad squad.

Gibbs' opening partner Greame Smith was picked up by Jaipur for $475,000, while Chennai added to their impressive star cast of Dhoni, Hayden, Murali, and Oram with the addition of Stephen Fleming for $350,000.

Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth joined the Bangalore and Mohali bandwagons for $450,000 and $625,000 respectively.

The squads are shaping up well at the Hilton Towers. I hear that the number of people present there in the form of journalists, TV reporters, actors, cricketers, and businessmen are more than those present at the Wankhede stadium witnessing the Duleep Trophy Final.

Its clear to me which way domestic cricket is going to go in India and the rest of the world.

Andrew Symonds and Yuvraj Singh joined Dhoni and Sachin in the millionnaires club as Symonds was picked up by Hyderabad for $1.35 million. Big bucks being thrown around here. Looks like Symmos spat with Bhajji and the whole racism row didn't have much of an impact on his value. Symonds joins team mate Adam Gilchrist in the Hyderabad Team. Deccan Chronicle have now spent over $2 million on the two Australians.

All facebook users out there go and add this new cricket game application on facebook called Political Knockout.

The game features various Pakistani politicians and you as the user select one politician and select another politician as your opponent. Each player/politician bats for an over and at the depending on how good the batting/bowling was the total votes for each candidate is computed.

The game is developed by a talented company based in Pakistan - tintash - two of the founders are in the US.

You can add Political Knockout bygoing to http://apps.facebook.com/politicalknockout

Have fun!

Come tomorrow and the 8 IPL franchisees will be getting together to bid for the cricketers they want in their teams.

Sounds fun doesn't it? - after all the only thing required is a suitcase full of dollars and knowledge about the players available. That can't be difficult can it? All 8 franchisees have truck loads of dollars and they know their cricketers.

But its not as simple as it sounds. There are certain restrictions in place which have given this IPL player auction the image of a mathematical problem rather than a selectorial headache.

You have to spend a minimum of $3.3 million but can't go above $5 million.

You have to choose 8 international players

You have to choose 4 under 22 players

You have to choose 4 players from the local catchment areas

You can choose as many Indian players as you like

You cannot have more than 2 Australian players in the same team

You cannot choose Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid, or Yuvraj unless you are Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, or Mohali respectively. The same is being requested for Laxman (Hyderabad) and Sehwag (Delhi).

The above mentioned Icon players will earn 15% more than your highest paid cricketer

The Under 19 Cricket World Cup got underway in Malaysia yesterday. Pakistan are the defending champions and are also looking to win their 3rd consecutive U-19 title. Pakistan's U-19 captains from the 2004 and 2006 campaigns, Khalid Latif and Sarfraz Ahmed respectively, have made their international debuts in the last 6 months. Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla, who represented India in the 2006 U-19 WC have also made their international debuts.

I did a post some time back covering players that have represented their teams in U-19 world cups and then gone on to play international cricket. In this post I profile the captains of the 9 major U-19 teams taking part in the current World Cup.

How many of these will play international cricket? How many of these are future stars? How many of these will go on to captain their countries in international cricket? Only time will tell, but taking a look at their profiles and achievements thus far shows a lot of promising young cricketers for the future.

Australia
Micheal Hill - 19 years. Left Hand Batsman, Right Arm Medium Pace Bowler.
Hill, a Victorian, led the Victoria U-19 team to the title in the National U-19 Championship in 2007. That led him to a contract with the Bushrangers for the current season, however he hasn't made his first class debut yet. Hill began Australia's U-19 campaign with a thumping 124 of only 71 deliveries against Namibia yesterday - that innings included 7 hits to the fence and 12 SIXES! The sixes is an U-19 record I think. The ODI record is 11 shared by Jayasuriya and Afridi and Hill bettered that by 1.

Bangladesh
Suhrawadi Shuvo - 19 years. Right Hand Batsman, Slow Left Arm Orthodox.
From Rajshahi, Shuvo was part of the Bangladesh U-19 squad that played the U-19 WC in 2006. In that tournament he impressed with his left arm spin picking up 9 wickets at 14.44 apiece. Shuvo made his first class debut in 2004-05 for Rajshahi - he's played 15 first class game picking up 69 wickets at about 22 runs apiece. The Bengali skipper was wrecker-in-chief picking up 3-9 in 7 overs against Bermuda as Bangladesh romped to victory in their opening game of the WC.

England
Alex Wakely - 19 years. Right Hand Bastman, Right Arm Fast Medium Bowler.
This young English lad made his first class debut for Northamptionshire in the last county season, playing 4 games between July and September 2007. Though his overall figures are not much to speak of, Alex impressed in his debut innings against Somerset scoring a gritty 38 batting at number 6. Slated to come at #3, Alex didn't get to bat in England's 10 wicket rout of Ireland in their first match of this WC, and he didn't bowl either.

India
Virat Kohli - 19 years. Right Hand Batsman.
This Delhi boy made headlines with his 251 for the Delhi U-17 side in the National U-17 Championships in 2005. Form there, Kohli went on to make his Ranjhi debut in the 2006-07 season and has thus far played 11 first class matches for Delhi scoring 630 runs in 17 innings at an average of 45.00. He has hit 2 first class centuries and a fifty with a highest score of 169. Batting at #4, Kohli hit a 49 ball 40 against Papua New Guinea in India's opening match of this WC.

New Zealand
Kane Williamson - 17 years. Right Hand Batsman, Right Arm Offspinner.
The youngest of all captains in the U-19 WC, Kane from Tauranga made his first class debut for Northern Districts before he played at the U-19 level. He is more of a batsman but bowls handy offspin and was adjudged player for the tournament at the Gillette Schools Competition in 2007, which led him to captaining the NZ U-19 side. Batting at #3, Kane managed only 13 in the Kiwis' first game of the WC against Zimbabwe.

Pakistan
Imad Wasim - 19 years. Slow Left Arm Orthodox, Left Hand Batsman.
This young Islamabadi boy was a member of the U-19 world cup winning team in 2006. Named captain of the U-19 side in July 2007, Imad led Pak U-19 to a 1-1 draw in the youth tests and 3-1 win in the ODIs against England in England last summer. This was followed by a thumping 5-0 whitewash of the Australian u-19 team in Pakistan in which he took 12 wickets at 13.00 apiece. Primarily a left arm spinner, Imad is also a hard hitting lower order batsman, a skill he displayed in his first class debut for Islamabad where he scored a run a ball 88 against Quetta in January 2007. He has played 7 first class games scoring 201 runs in 8 innings at 50.25 and picking up 6 wickets. Imad was a spectator in Pakistan's opening match against Malaysia as he saw his pacers bowl them out for 75 and his top order easily knock off the runs.

South Africa
Wayne Parnell - 18 years. Left Arm Medium-Fast Bowler, Left Hand Batsman.
From Eastern Province, Wayne was a member of the U-19 team that took part in the 2006 WC. Primarily a pacer, he has an impressive first class record having played 6 matches picking up 17 wickets at 22 apiece with a best of 4-7. Wayne impressed with the ball in the Proteas' first match of the WC against the Windies where he took the new ball and ended with figures of 3-37 off his 10 overs.

Sri Lanka
Ashan Priyanjan - 18 years. Right Hand Batsman, Right Arm Medium-Fast Bowler.
This young boy from Colombo impressed selectors with some allround performances for a club side in Sri Lanka. Ashan is yet to make his first class debut, however he has represented bloomfield in a couple of Domestic One Dayers. A top order batsman and a lively pacer, he was also a member of the team that took part in the 2006 U-19 WC. In Sri Lanka's opening match against Nepal, Priyanjan scored 46 with 5 boundaries batting at number 4 in a battling innings that saw him come out at 13-2.

West Indies
Sharmarh Brooks - 19 years. Right Hand Batsman, Right Arm Leg Spinner.
An allrounder from Barbados, Brook was a member of the Carribean team during the 2006 U-19 WC and made his first class debut last year. In 5 first class games he is yet to pick up a wicket, however he has impressed with his leg breaks at the U-19. Brooks managed only 7 in the Windies' first game against South Africa but he shone with the ball picking up 4-39 in 9 overs and running through the Proteas middle order.

IMO, that is a very talented bunch and some of them have a very bright future. Imad Wasim and Virat Kohli would probably make their international debuts earlier than the rest because of the subcontinents' nature of throwing the young ones at the deep end. Micheal Hill may take another 10 years to bag the green cap but he would have probably scored over 15,000 first class runs for Victoria by then, while Wayne would probably join the never ending South African pace bandwagon in the next 2-3 years. Brooks could be the spinner the West Indies have never had, while Shuvo could join the long list of left armers to represent Bangladesh.

But then again, maybe all of them could go the Reetinder Singh Sodhi way! I hope not though.

Stay tuned for more updates from the U-19 world cup from Malaysia.

Administracrats is one of the many terms coined by Uncle J and I couldn't think of a more appropriate title for this post. Uncle J uses the term to describe those people we love to hate - the higher ups responsible for running the cricket show.

Last night two of us bloggers at wellpitched, O2 and myself, met one of these administracrats at a dinner in Dubai. It was none other than Dr. Nasim Ashraf, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. He was in town in a different capacity as Chairman of the Pakistan National Commission for Human Development, however the dinner where we met him was hosted by Sheikh Mubarak Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Cricket Council, which made me think that there may have been another angle to his trip to the desert.
Australia is probably not touring Pakistan and it is no secret that the PCB are looking for alternative options in case the tour gets called off officially. Could an ODI series in Abu Dhabi be a possibility? A 3 ODI series between Pakistan and India? Or maybe a triangular between India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka?

April is the month during which Abu Dhabi has hosted its tournaments since it got its international stadium - Pakistan vs India in 2006 and Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in 2007. This year their plans were put into disarray because of the IPL. Australia not touring Pakistan gives Pakistan a free month before the IPL kicks off and they are desperate for some action. As are the cricket starved public of Abu Dhabi.

When I asked Dr. Ashraf if he was here to discuss a possible series in Abu Dhabi since Australia isn't coming, he just smiled and said "Australia haven't called it off yet". I couldn't get more out of him but I doubt that the PCB Chairman met the ADCC Chairman to discuss only human development.

Despite not being a big fan of the administracrats, it was exciting meeting the PCB Boss (little does he know that he currently has my dream job), and it was even more exciting meeting my childhood fantasy, Nadia Khan! I am definitely a fan of hers. I also got the chance to thank Sheikh Mubarak for all the cricket facilities he has provided us with in Abu Dhabi and told him how I thought he was doing a great job running the game here. He's one Administracrat I like.

For all that has been going on in Pakistan recently, the right things are getting the least attention. I am referring to the elections which are due to be held on Monday. Pakistan has been in the news for bombings, assassinations, dictatorial brouhaha and a variety of other despicable and deplorable reasons - it really is a pity. But when I talk to people back home (and will soon experience myself during my up coming vacation) the biggest concern is the lack of natural gas for heating, the frequent power shortages and the hiked up prices for basic food items such as flour, eggs and vegetables. Sure, the security situation is not good, but in Maslow's hierarchy or basic needs food, shelter and personal comfort ranks up there with security.

Which of these issues are the Australians likely to be thinking about right now? Are they thinking about the elections to be held soon? Or are they worried about getting blown up? are they going to wait and see and pull out at the last moment?

I know that there are no guarantees for anything - and that security is an impossible thing to guarantee. For all you know a piano could fall from above (as it does in cartoons) while you have 'VIP level' security around you. I agree that the security situation in Pakistan is not great at the moment, but cricket should not be made to suffer. The people of Pakistan are desperate for some entertainment and what better entertainment than some high quality cricketing action? I know this isnt an easy decision, but I would encourage the Aussies to think long and hard about any decision they make. Despite what the media portrays the situation to be and the reality on the ground, we must not let the terrorists dictate terms - life must go on and so must cricket

Make a tough decision, leave the security to the experts and play some cricket. My vote lies with Kamran Abbasi, though I dont agree with his whole elaborate rich vs poor philosophy.

What do you think?

On the final day, favorites Sindh comfortably reached their target of 309 owing to a well made century by opener Khurram Manzoor. Resuming their chase at 130-0, Khalid Latif and Khurram took the score to 161 before Khalid fell for 72. Khurram then continued his subdued and watchful innings in partnership with Naumanullah who fell leg bfore to Samiullah fo 35 after a 62 run partnership.

There was a minor hiccup at that point as Sindh collapsed from 223-1 to 226-4 as Naumanullah, Khurram (118) and Faisal Iqbal (0) fell in quick succession. From there on Fawad Alam (51* of 31 balls), who has played a handful of ODIs for Pakistan and skipper Shahid Afridi (29 of 34) took Sindh past the winning line.

Afridi praised all his team mates after the win saying "Sindh achieved a good result from the match. At one stage the home team was in a difficult situation but the team’s batsmen helped it achieve the victory target of 309." Afridi also mentioned that it was a team effort and that a come from behind win after conceding a 1st innings lead will help his to perform well in the remaining matches as well.

In the other game the Federal Capital batsmen held Punjab for a draw. The Capital Areas' effort was led by test discard Bazid Khan who scored a composed 172, and he was well supported by Usman Saeed (65) and Yasir Arafat (56*).

Results:

Sindh beat NWFP by 5 wickets. Sindh 6 points, NWFP 0.
Federal Capital Areas Drew with Punjab. Punjab 3 pioints, Federal Areas 0.

Now the tournament takes a break for a week due to the elections in the country and action will resume again on 22nd February with 2 more matches: Federal Capital vs Baluchistan and Punjab vs NWFP - the latter will be a cracker as it will pit Younis Khan vs the rest of the Pakistan middle order (Malik, Yousuf, and Misbah).

I also found out why skipper Shoaib Malik missed the 1st match. He was in Dubai recording an interview for GEO Tv and got stuck their due to a delayed flight and couldn't make in time for the match. Pakistani airlines I tell you. Actually all airlines these days.

On day 3 of the Pentangular Trophy, Pakistan opener Salman Butt hit a career best 290 to lead Punjab to an imposing total of 599-7 declared, leading Federal Capital by 216 runs. Salman past his previous first class best of 206 and scored at almost run a ball for his 290. What was most astonishing about his innings was the significent percentage of runs hat came from boundaries - he hit FIFTY 4s and a six. He got to his previous first class best in boundaries alone!

He was ably supported by Nasir Jamshed, who continued his amazing form this season with a polished 108. Nasir shared a 290 run 2nd wicket partnership with Salman. Nasir's knock was unlike his swashbuckling ODI innings against Zimbabwe and he took up 180 odd deliveries for his century. I hope that this boy is here to stay and he's not another Nazir or Farhat in the making.

Mohammad Yousuf hit a rapid 56 of as many deliveries with 9 hits to the fence, while Misbah (9) and Kamran Akmal (23) lost their wickets in an effort to score fast. The Capital bowlers led by Shoaib Akhtar were listless for the entire day. Akhtar and Yasir Arafat bowled 18 overs each without any luck, while Sohail Tanvir bowled 25 giving away over a 100 runs and picking up the lone wicket on the previous day.

Federal Capital ended day 3 on 37-3 with the top 3 back in the hut and still 179 behind Punjab with 1 day to go.

In the other game, Sindh turned the tables once more on NWFP and are on their way to victory needing another 179 runs with all their wickets intact.

Resuming their innings on 146-3, only 3 runs behind, NWFP folded for 254, as Pakistan leg spinner Danish Kaneria ran through their middle and lower order with 5 wickets. Danish ended with 5-62 of 25 overs and was well backed up by young pacer Anwar Ali (3-66). NWFP skipper Younis Khan was the only one to put up some resistance scoring 111 with 19 boundaries, before falling to the spin of his counterpart Shahid Afridi.

Chasing 309, the Sindh openers Khurram Manzoor and Khalid Latif batted watchfully to ensure they don't repeat their 1st inning failures. It paid of for them as Sindh ended the day on 130 without losing any wicket. Khurram was unbeaten on 74 and Khalid on 56.

So after a day of turning tables, the favorites Punjab and Sindh are back in the driving seats and look set to end victorious on the final day.

From a Pakistani point of view, the selectors should be pleased to see in-form openers led by Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed, Khurram Manzoor, and Khalid Latif. Add Hafeez to that mix I think Pakistan has a decent pool to rely on in ODIs and Tests. Yousuf and Younis have also looked in good touch, while Kaneria's form with the ball is a good sign as he has had a below par domestic and international season.

Stay tuned for the final day's results.

The ABN Amro Pentangular Trophy got underway this morning at the National Stadium in Karachi and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The Karachi game is being played between Sindh and NWFP. Winning the toss, Sindh skipper Shahid Afridi sent NWFP into bat and his bowlers delivered a knock out punch led by Pakistan's most recent pace prospect Sohail Khan, who is also this domestic season's leading wicket taker. Sohail, who ended the first day with figures of 4-65, struck early and twice in his 2nd and the innings' 3rd over to leave NWFP at 11-2. Both the batsmen, including Yasir Hameed, bowled.

NWFP skipper Younis Khan toiled hard for 40 odd deliveries scoring only 12 before he was plumb in front to a beauty from Anwar Ali, the star of Pakistan's victorious U-19 world Cup campaign in 2006. The pacers were well supported by spinners Kaneria and Afridi, each taking 2 wickets and bowling NWFP out for only 203.

By the close of play Sindh had raced to 60 for the loss of opener Khurram Manzoor in 15 overs. At stumps Khalid Latif (12*) and Naumanullah (33*) were at the crease. Openers Khurram and Khalid made their international debuts in the series against Zimbabwe last month and Naumanullah is this season's leading run scorer in domestic first class games.

At the same time there was a match going on in Lahore between Punjab and Federal Areas. I had heard that Shoaib was not playing and I thought that there goes Shoaib Akhtar's chance of redemption in front of the PCB but I later on realised it was Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik who was missing the match and not Shoaib Akhar. In Malik's absence it was Misbah ul Haq who walked out to the toss with Shoaib Akhtar.

Shoaib Akhtar won the toss and elected to bat on a typical rock solid Gaddafi pitch. The Federal Areas batsmen took full advantge of the good batting conditions and ended day 1 on 301 for the loss of 4 wickets. Opener Raheel Majeed knocked a century scoring 107 of only 130 deliveries with 12 boundaries and 3 sixes. He was ably supported by his opening partner Afaq Raheem (40) in their opening partnerhsip of 80 runs. Usman Saeed and Naveed Ashraf carried the innings to close of play leaving the Federal Areas team in a commanding position.

Of all the punjab bowlers only the left arm quick, Wahab Riaz, who made his ODI debut against Zimbos looked impressive picking up 2 wickets.

The Punjab and Sindh teams playing today look like All Star Line ups:

Punjab: 1. Salman Butt, 2. Nasir Jamshed, 3. Mohammad Hafeez, 4. Mohammad Yousuf, 5. Misbah ul Haq, 6. Mansoor Amjad, 7. Kamran Akmal, 8. Abdur Rehman, 9. Mohammmad Khalil, 10. Aizaz Cheema, 11. Wahab Riaz.

Sindh: 1. Khurram Manzoor, 2. Khalid Latif, 3. Naumanullah, 4. Faisal Iqbal, 5. Fawad Alam, 6. Shahid Afridi, 7. Sarfraz Ahmed, 8. Danish Kaneria, 9. Sohail Khan, 10. Anwar Ali, 11. Uzair ul Haq.

While Punjab looks like a Pakistan side, Sindh looks like Pakistan A with the emerging upcoming cricketers.

Stay tuned, I will keep you all updated on the days play.