Sri Lanka 175-0 in 25 overs.

Jayasuriya 119* off 80. 15 4s, 6 6s.

First ever 200 in ODIs on the cards?

Third score of above 400?

vs West Indies: 10-0-39-3

The first ever Asian Cricket Awards were held in Karachi on Friday.

Australia have held award nights for many years now with the "Allan Border Medal" being the event of the year. Everyone looks forward to that night in order to get a peak of the Aussie WAGS.

South Africa held their awards recently as well. I'm not sure whether this was their first time or of they've done so before as well.

India could have had an award night or two of their own if they had learnt something from Bollywood, which I think has 10 award functions every year.

Why in this case they wanted to hold one jointly with Pakistan and Sri Lanka is beyond me.

The BCCI with Bollywood in tow could have held a GRAND Awards night even if they wanted to have one with Pakistan and Sri Lanka's involvement.

Have the Indian cricket Administracrats missed a trick here?

Have they missed out on a money making opportunity?

Where were Sharad Pawar and Niranjan Shah when these awards were being planned? Or above all, where was the man who has given entertainment to all and made money for the BCCI - Lalit Modi?

Think about this:

Asian Cricket Awards.

Hosts: Ravi Shastri and Karan Johar.

Presenters: Ajay Jadeja & Neha Dhupia / Shoaib Akhtar & Rakhi Sawant.

Performances: Kareena Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, Shahurkh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Celina Jaitely, Amrita Arora, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Abhishek And Aishwariya Bachan, Meera, Reema, Resham, Shaan, Mummar Rana, Shahid Afridi, Ali Zafar, Atif Aslam, Hadeeqa Kiyani, Shahid Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Saif Ali Khan, and more.

Award Presenters: Imran Khan and Hema Malini, Wasim Akram and Madhuri Dixit, Sunil Gavaskar and Rekha, Kapil Dev and Jaya Bachchan, Arjuna Ranatunga and Bindoo, Shoaib Akhtar and Rakhi Sawant, Saurav Ganguly and Nagma, and more.

Award Categories:
Best Cricketer, Male
Best Cricketer, Female
Best Match
Best Coach
Best Captain
Best Supporting Captain
Best Supporting Cricketer
Best Supporting Coach
Best Wicket Keeper
Best Cricketer in Catch-Dropping Role
Best Cricketer in Comic Dismissals
Best Debutant of the Year
Best Run Out (fielder)
Best Run Out (batsman)
Lifetime Achievement Award

To add to the glamour and achievements the TV people should have also gotten awards in the following categories:

Best Commentator
Best Supporting Commentator
Best Sound from Stump Mic
Best Cameraman
Best Pitch Curator
Best Presenter
Best News Channel
Best Weather Forecast Predictor
Best Cricket Show
Best Cricket Movie

And the Administrators as well.

Best Selector
Best Supporting Selector
Best Board Member
Best Supporting Board Member
Best Chairman
Best Supporting Chairman
Richest Board Member

The rights to telecast the show should have been put up for grabs -Sony, ZEE, ESPN, Star, Neo, Ten Sports, Fox, and others would have vied for the rights and the BCCI would have received a multi-million dollar cheque.

Cricket and Bollywood in India - how did the BCCI miss this money making idea?

Throw Pakistan into the mix and play the India-Pakistan solidarity angle and you have a sure shot winner.

Throw Sri Lanka in and market the "Asia is One" gimmick and you have a sure shot money spinner.

Then why was an Asian Cricket Awards night held in Karachi, where no such performances were possible instead of Mumbai or Delhi?

Oh BCCI, you have disappointed.

If you turn it around next time and follow my tips, I will expect Royalty.

You'll make money, I'm sure you can share a little.

For a change Pakistan have decided on the playing XI ahead of their match against Sri Lanka later today. Not only that but they have also made it public.

Fawad Alam has been dropped and leg spinner Mansoor Amjad comes in place of him, while Wahab Riaz replaces the injured Umar Gul.

Is it a good idea to play a 2nd leg spinner? With the so many left handers in Sri Lanka's batting line up, wouldn't an off spinner (Saeed Ajmal) have been a better option?

The Hong Kong cricketers were annoyed at the PCB officials at the National Stadium in Karachi when they came to the ground "un-invited" to watch the Pakistan vs India match.

Shouldn't the PCB be looking to be as hospitable as possible given the apprehension of foreign teams to tour he country?

Sanath Jayasuriya began the Asia Cup with a thumping 47 ball 72 against Bangladesh. He rested against the UAE but will play against Pakistan today. He turns 39 tomorrow and says he has no plans of retiring.

How long can he go on for?

Suresh Raina scored his 2nd ODI hundred 3 days after his 1st century.

Is he finally showing what he promised a couple of years ago or is it just the weak opposition?

MS Dhoni has complained about the back to back games that India has played. They played Hong Kong and Pakistan on consecutive days and then after a days break, they played Bangladesh. Complain justified definitely.

But why aren't the hosts, Pakistan, playing any back to back games?

I have never seen a score of 300 chased so easily in ODIs. Never!

Pakistan's weakest bowling attack ever? Or the weakest bowling attack in international cricket?

Pakistan and India have stated that they are going to support Zimbabwe on the issues it is facing in world cricket. Nianjan Shah said “We are very clear that we would like to fully support Zimbabwe..."

Didn't India cancel / postpone a tour to Zimbabwe earlier this year to accomodate the IPL?

The PCB is looking to get the result of the 2006 Oval Test changed to a "Draw", when the ICC big-wigs meet for some moot in Dubai from today.

What difference does it make? Aren't there more serious issues on the table? Like maybe Australia, New Zealand, and England touring the country?

Shoaib Malik told the journalists that the selectors give him the final XI, so any question regarding the make up of the team should be directed at he selectors.

As captain, doesn't Malik agree with the XI he's given? Doesn't he know why a Rao Iftikhar plays ahead of a Wahab or a Sohail Khan? Doesn't he know why he's opening and not Nasir?

Nasim Ashraf was surprised that a "sensible cricketer" like Majid Khan called for his ouster as the PCB Chairman.

Dr. Sahab, with all due respect, only a "sensible cricketer" can make such a statement.

Cricinfo is reporting that Saeed Ajmal will probably make his debut today.

Didn't they get the news of Pakistan announcing their playing XI?

Lack of fitness has plagued Pakistan cricket for a very long time but over the past some years the situation has hit rock bottom. In the recent Asia Cup group match with India we saw Shoaib Malik retire hurt after scoring a century. It is so typical of Pakistani batsman to get cramps, retire hurt or something after scoring a century!

Of course the Pakistani bowlers could not stay behind with the primary bowler, Umar Gul getting injured after just eight deliveries. Sigh!

Really there are many issues with the state of Pakistan cricket and there is a definite need for some better and more committed players but really the main issue is the lack of fitness and something needs to be done about that. There is no way any team can plan or prepare or strategize if players are not going to play the full match! Any good physical trainers out there? :-)

With the final ODI between England and New Zealand just a few hours away my mind is still on the controversary from the 4th ODI. Just to refresh everybody's memory, with the game hanging in the balance and New Zealand in the midst of a fight back 8th wicket partnership the spirit of the game came into question.

England's fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom collided with New Zealand's batsman Grant Elliot and knocked him to the ground. With Elliot flattened, Bell picked up the ball and ran Elliot out. After some moments of confusion and indecision England's captain Collingwood was asked by the umpires if he would like to uphold his appeal; Collingwood made the decision to still appeal for the runout thus tilting the match to his side's favor. The New Zealand dressing room erupted understandably so as this seemed completely against the spirit of the game. Was it? Had Collingwood crossed the fairplay and decency limits of the game?

My initial reaction and thought, more than likely purely emotional, was that Collingwood and England had violated the spirit of the game and crossed cricket's line of decency. With the batsman being flattened by a collision with your bowler it just seemed wrong not to call the batsman back. It just would have been the right thing to do to call Elliot back.

But then one has to contemplate on the fact that there have been many runouts resulting from an incidental collision between the bowler and the batsman. Sidebottom was going for the ball and did not knock Elliot down on purpose. So were Collingwood and England okay to appeal and get Elliot to take the angry walk back to the dressing room?

I am a huge fan of good sportsman spirit and because of that I think the right thing to do was to call Elliot back; actually the best thing to do would have been not to appeal in the first place. Actually, why is nobody talking about Bell throwing the ball to get the runout - if he did not throw the ball to run Elliot out then there would be no controversary!

In the end it was poetic justice with New Zealand winning on the last ball. Everybody made the right statements after the match - Collingwood saying he should have called Elliot back and Vettori saying that his team overreacted. I cannot help but feel that New Zealand's victory helped save the spirit of game and preserve the sport from being tarnished.

Obaid has done some hard work and given Well Pitched a new look.

What do you people think?

India has not beaten Pakistan in the Asia Cup since 1988!

Pakistan has not beaten India at the National Stadium in Karachi since 1983!

Something definitely has to give in today's Asia Cup match between Pakistan and India.

Barring a TIE ofcourse!

In 20 years of history of the Asia Cup, the highest team score was Pakistan's 343-5 against Hong Kong in the 2004 edition.

India scored 374-4 against Hong Kong last night.

Sri Lanka scored 357-9 against Bangladesh last night.

Is it the weak opposition?

Is it the pitches that have gone deader over the years?

Or is it the "evil" 20-20 cricket that has upped scoring rates in ODIs?

Before this edition of the Asia Cup, 13 batsmen had scored 17 centuries between them in 20 years of the tournament.

In 4 matches this year, 4 batsmen have scored 4 centuries.

Mohammad Ashraful - 109 vs UAE
Suresh Raina - 101 vs Hong Kong
MS Dhoni - 109* vs Hong Kong
Kumar Sangakkara - 101 vs Bangladesh

Is it the weak opposition?

Is it the pitches that have gone deader over the years?

Or is it the "evil" 20-20 cricket that has upped scoring rates in ODIs?

It has been just over a year since Fawad Alam has been part of Pakistan's ODI squad, though he's just played 9 ODIs during this time.

Its only recently - as recent as the Kitply Cup and the ongoing Asia Cup that Fawad has been considered as a first choice in the starting XI.

Fawad hasn't been a regular in the starting XI due to Pakistan's preference in the past for playing a specialist opener or a 4th seamer with Afridi and Malik sharing the spinner's role.

Fawad's inclusion in the XI has come about due to Malik shying away from bowling coupled with the need to strengthen the lower order batting that has weakened due to Abdul Razzak's exclusion and Afridi's lack of form.

I've come across a number of people who have questioned his inclusion in the side.

I don't blame them as with a frame as small as his, it is difficult to consider him a cricketer. He doesn't look a day older than 16 and doesn't seem the sort that one would want at the crease at the end of an innings.

Don't go on the look though.

Fawad Alam's unbeaten 63 against Hong Kong on Tuesday showed why the selectors and the team management have so much faith in him.

Fawad walked into bat when the score was 135-4 off 22 overs. In the next 7 overs, Fawad watched Misbah, Afridi, and Sarfraz walk back to the pavilion as Pakistan slipped to 161-7.

He then shared a record 100 run 8th wicket partnership with Sohail Tanvir and remained unbeaten at the end of the innings leading Pakistan to a 288-9, something they never looked like achieving.

Ignore the fact that it happened against Hong Kong, with all due respect to them.

A situation like the one described above is tough for anyone, let alone someone who was only playing his 9th ODI.

Fawad batted with responsibility, consolidated when he had to, and accelerated when he had to. He hit only 3 boundaries yet he scored his 63 at a strike rate of over 80.

Job well done I would say.

In 9 ODIs now, Fawad has batted 8 times and remained unbeaten 6 times.

Those not outs have given him a Bevan - Hussey type ODI average of 65.00. And that too with quite a healthy strike rate of 89.65.

He has usually come out to bat at the end of an innings, either during a run chase or while batting first, which explains the not outs.

It has only been 9 ODIs, but more often than not he has delivered.

The game against Hong Kong wasn't the first time that he played the finisher's role for Pakitan.

He did that in his 2nd ODI when he was given a game on Pakistan's tour of India last year. In the 5th ODI between the sides, Fawad came to the crease in the 45th over and remained unbeaten on 32 of only 23 deliveries.

He scored 32 of Pakistan's 45 runs in the last 6 overs of the innings leading them to a match winning total.

So 2 innings does not make one a finisher then does it?

For those still not convinced of Fawad's potential, I'll take them through what made him become a part of Pakistan's ODI plans.

Lets start with his domestic record.

First Class: 39 matches, 2,655 runs at 49.16 with a highest of 151. 19 wickets at 32.68.

List A: 47 matches, 1,398 runs at 46.60 with a highest of 127. 37 wickets at 35.18.

20-20: 17 matches, 268 runs at 44.66 with a highest of 54. 21 wickets at 11.71.

Fawad first showed signs of his talent during the U19 World Cup in 2004. He led Pakistan to victory over India in the semi final with an unbeaten 43 while chasing a target of 169. He had come out to bat with Pakistan in some trouble on 83-5.

His real shot to fame though was the 2006-07 domestic season, at the end of which the selectors were prompted to include him in Pakistan's squad after their disastrous World Cup campaign.

In the Quaid-e-Azam trophy (Pakistan's premier first class competition), playing for Karachi, Fawad was the 5th highest run scorer with 544 runs in 6 matches at 49.45 with 2 100s and 3 50s.

In the ABN Amro One-Day Cup, playing for the Karachi Dolphins, Fawad was the 2nd highest run scorer with 315 runs in 6 matches at 78.75 with 1 100 and 2 50s.

In the ABN Amro Patrons Trophy (first class competition), playing for Habib Bank, Fawad was the 6th highest run scorer with 295 runs in 4 matches at 59.00 with 4 50s.

And then came the ABN Amro 20-20 competition where Fawad Alam starred like no other.

He was the leading run scorer and the leading wicket taker, and led the Karachi Dolphins charge into the final of the tournament.

Even though the Dolphins lost to the Sialkot Stallions, Fawad was the man of the match in the final with an allround performance scoring 54 and picking up 5-27.

He also picked up the player of the tournament, best batsman, and best bowler awards in the same tournament.

Still not convinced?

I am.

Fawad is here to stay and he will only enhance his reputation as Pakistan's finisher.

Students of the Allen Standord University for Cricket Bloggers were given an assignment last night, which was to report on the 1st ODI between Australia and the West Indies from an IPL perspective.

Pakistan scored 288-9 in their 50 overs but only thanks to a face-saving 100 run partnership for the 8th wicket between Fawad Alam and Sohail Tanvir.

Hong Kong had Pakistan reeling at 161-7 with more than 20 overs to go and if it wasn't for some responsible batting from Alam and Tanvir, Pakistan could have folded for less than 200.

Actually had Pakistan's chief tormentor, Nadeem Ahmed, continued his spell after picking up 4 wickets from 7 overs, Pakistan would have definitely folded for less than 200.

Why Tabarak Dar, the HK captain took Nadeem off is anybody's guess. But he truly was on top of Pakistan.

Playing only his 2nd ODI, the 20 year old left arm spinner, destroyed Pakistan's middle order.

He picked up the wickets of Younis, Yousuf, Misbah, and Afridi in 4 consecutive overs as Pakistan fell from a well placed 120-2 in 19 overs to 150-6 in 26.

Some people may say that Pakistan batted poorly, but what happened last night shouldn't have suprised or shocked anyone as Pakistan's fragility against left arms spinners is well known around the world.

Paul Harris, Monty Panesar, Ashley Giles, and Mohammad Rafique have all in recent times shown that Pakistani batsmen are suspect against left arm spin.

Why that is, I am not sure but here is a brilliant piece by Osman Samiuddin on Pakistan's track record against left arm spinners.

Coming back to Pakistan's Tormenter-in-Chief, Nadeem Ahmed. He finished with figures of 4-51 from 9 overs, which would definitely had been better had Dar kept him on after his 7th over.

Nadeem Ahmed played his 1st ODI 4 years ago when he was only 16, also against Pakistan in the previous Asia Cup. Then he had figures of 0-63 in 10 overs as Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik had piled on the runs.

Last night though, Nadeem Ahmed had different ideas.

He managed to induce a top edge from a sweeping Mohammad Yousuf.

He managed to entice Younis Khan down the track and have him stumped after he had been hit for a 6 and 4 in the same over.

He managed to fox Misbah and trap him plumb in front with a straighter one.

And he managed to catch Afridi's checked stroke near his feet off his own bowling.

With figures of 4-33 in 7 overs, Nadeem should have definitely continued bowling.

Inzamam Ul Haq, whose career ended with an ugly swipe against a left arm spinner, would be proud to see a Multan boy do well in world cricket.

George Binoy had warned Pakistan about Nadeem Ahmed a day before the match, but we all know about Pakistan and their preparations for matches, don't we?

Let me caveat this post right up front. THERE ARE HUGE ASSUMPTIONS I AM USING!!! I have been burned by this before (WC 2007), but apparently I have not learned my lesson.

OK, now I will proceed. In a previous post, I posted the schedule for the 2009 World Twenty20 in England next June. The groups were actually decided many months back, but I never really looked at them until now. So here's a basic analysis.

First off, just like the ODI WC 2007 (and I believe the previous T20 WC as well), teams are assigned a "seeding" which they carry with them into the (poorly termed) "Super-8s".

e.g. Pakistan are B1 in the group stage. They will be B1 for Super-8 purposes too. If one of the seeded teams is knocked out (now, would that ever happen???), then the team that qualifies in its place assumes its seeding. e.g. if West Indies qualify instead of Sri Lanka, they will assume Sri Lanka's seeding of C2.

Logistically, this is pretty good. Competitively, this is not a really great idea. Unlike in the ODI WC 2007, all Super-8 teams will not end up playing each other. So it could be that one Super-8 pool is composed of all second place teams from the group stage, and the other is composed of all first place teams.

Anyhow, here are the initial groups and the "seedings":

GROUP A
A1 India
A2 Bangladesh
A3 Zimbabwe

GROUP B
B1 Pakistan
B2 England
B3 Associate1

GROUP C
C1 Australia
C2 Sri Lanka
C3 West Indies

GROUP D
D1 New Zealand
D2 South Africa
D3 Associate2

Now, the Super-8 groups are already fixed too, and they are:

GROUP E
A1
B2
C1
D2

GROUP F
A2
B1
C2
D1

Using basic algebra, AND ASSUMING THAT THERE ARE NO MASSIVE UPSETS (wow, this sounds so familiar!), this is what the Super-8 groups will look like:

GROUP E
India
England
Australia/West Indies
South Africa

GROUP F
Bangladesh/Zimbabwe
Pakistan
Sri Lanka/West Indies
New Zealand

Obviously, Group E is the tougher group. IF (and the "if" is capitalized and bolded for serious emphasis) Pakistan make it to the Super-8s, they could potentially get to the semis without ever playing Australia, South Africa, or India.

Lucky for Pakistan (hey, I shouldn't complain), but not so great from a competition perspective. Given that all the Super-8 matches are in London itself (albeit different grounds), they should have made Super-8 groups based on standings at the end of the group stage. So two first placed teams, and two second placed teams in each group. That would have made more sense.

BTW, many of the second round matches are double headers, so you could, get to see matches like India vs Australia, and Pakistan vs Sri Lanka/West Indies on the same ground, same day.

Once again, please take into account the assumptions I have made. Pakistan and India have shocked and pissed off their fans before - I know this way too well!. They can do it again!

Yes it's a year away, but it's never early enough to start your planning. Given the success of the first World Twenty20, and the increasing acceptance of this format, this event should prove to be a cracker (as long as the rain stays away).

I personally plan to attend, but it's all a bit tentative. But I do plan to scoop up some match tix just in case.

Anyway, here's the ticket info. Tickets go on sale June 30th, 2008. Tickets can be purchased from the ICC's official website.

And here's the schedule.

Pakistan 140-5 against Hong Kong.

The top 5 back in the pavilion.

HK's left arm spinner has picked up 3 wickets - Younis, Yousuf, and Misbah!

Nuff said.

Pakistan 135-4 in 22 overs vs Hong Kong

Bangladesh 105-1 in 23 vs UAE

Does this mean that Hong Kong's bowling is stronger than UAE's or that Bangladesh's batting is stronger than Pakistan's?

Decide for yourself.

Salman Butt went off the 3rd ball of Pakistan's innings.

Shoaib Malik labored to 9 runs of 16 balls before smashing 6 boundaries in his next 11 before getting out.

Mohammad Yousuf just got out to a top edged sweep and in the next over Younis Khan got stumped - these were the last overs right now.

In the other game, pacer Zahid Shah broke through in the 3rd over sending back Nazimuddin caught at 2nd slip by Arshad Ali.

Tamim Iqbal and Ashraful are currently sharing an unbroken 2nd wicket partnership of 103 runs.

Pakistan were the last of the 6 teams participating in the Asia Cup to announce their 15-man squad.

They did so a few days back after a 3-day training camp involving the 20 probables the selectors had announced last week.

Considering that Pakistan were coming off a victorious tri-series in Bangladesh that also involved India, it would have been common sense had Pakistan chosen their 15 from the 16 that travelled to Dhaka.

That may have been the case had it not been for an email sent by Dr. Nasim Ashraf to the team management following Pakistan's heaviest defeat to India in ODI history.

I even responded to that email by DNA, while the PCB selectors / team management decided to respon by fulfilling DNA's demands for a 2nd spinner and a new wicketkeeper.

Those demands resulted in the inclusion of two spinners - Saeed Ajmal and Mansoor Amjad, and a new wicketkeeper in Sarfraz Ahmed.

The victims of these selections were Naumanullah, Bazid Khan, and Kamran Akmal. While Sohail Khan didn't make the 15 due to malaria.

What worries me here is the inconsistency shown by the selectors and the hook they have around their necks which is tied to a rod held by DNA himself.

Firstly the selectors dropped 2 batsmen in Naumanullah and Bazid Khan and secondly they replaced them with 2 uncapped spinners - an offie Saeed Ajmal and a Leggie Mansoor Ahmad.

Remember when I said this about Naumanullah. And this about Mansoor Ajmad.

Mansoor Amjad is a talented cricketer but with Afridi in the team it would defy logic to include another leg spinner in the XI.

Saeed Ajmal, as Shoaib Malik pointed out, was chosen based on his good performance in domestic cricket and with the view that Pakistan needed a bowler to support Afridi in the middle overs.

I'm not too sure how good an idea it is to put an uncapped spinner at the deep end at home against the likes of India and Sri Lanka.

Actually I am quite sure. Bad idea.

Sure Saeed Ajmal has a good List A record - 91 matches, 130 wickets at an ave of 26.64. He also had a decent domestic season with 12 wickets in 9 one day matches at 25.58.

He had a better first class season, though that doesn't matter as this is an ODI competition.

So did Saeed Ajmal deserve the selector's nod?

Considering that there were spinners who did better than him on the domestic circuit, probably not.

Abdur Rehman, who has played ODIs and a few tests for Pakistan over the last 2 years, was the 3rd highest wicket taker in List A games this season - 25 wickets in 14 matches at 24.20.

Mohammad Aslam, Peshawar and Habib Bank's left arm spinner, picked up 17 wickets in 10 matches at 19.17.

Raheel Majeed, the leg spinner from Islamabad, picked up 12 wickets in only 5 matches at 17.41.

Nauman Alvi, PIA and Karachi's left arm spinner, picked up 12 wickets in only 6 matches at 20.25.

So then what led to Saeed Ajmal's inclusion over these players?

It wasn't his age, because at 30, he is the eldest of the lot mentioned above.

It wasn't his economy rate, because at 4.75, he is at par, with the lot mentioned above.

To be honest, I am baffled.

But as always, if he plays, I hope he proves me wrong and shows me that his selection was a mastermind and that he deserves to be there.

Kamran Akmal had been under pressure for quite some time and the selectors waited for the Chairman himself to run out of pateince before they dropped him.

U19 World Cup winning captain Sarfraz Ahmed will get his first full series. He is a better keeper than Akmal though doesn't bring the same depth in batting.

Akmal's exclusion also adds to Pakistan's opening problems as he had been doing the job along with Salman Butt, and his presence at the top allowed Malik and Lawson to field a 6th bowler.

With Akmal out, Pakistan will either have to go with Nasir Jamshed, the only specialist opener in the squad, or a make-shift option that allows that extra bowler in the XI.

Going with Nasir will be risky as banking on Malik to bowl his full quota of 10 overs will be disastrous. Thus a make-shift option will most probably be deployed.

There have been reports that have mentioned that Malik will open the batting himself, while others have also mentioned Afridi.

The latter is a strict no-no. Pakistan has tinkered with Afridi up the order way too much in the past and it almost resulted in finishing his career. Afridi is a bowler, and its high time he is treated as one.

Malik is Pakistan's best option. Not only has he done well at that position in the past, but it also provides him with the opportunity to lead from the front, something he is yet to do.

All of Malik's ODI centuries have come while opening or batting at number 3. Why he was pushed down the order is still a mystery.

I would still drop Younis Khan, open with Nasir, and bat Malik at 3, but Younis' 100 in the final of the Kitply Cup has given him another year's lease of life at the least.

Pakistan kicks off their Asia Cup campaign against Hong Kong today in Karachi. Their bigger test will be against India on Thurday.

Pakistan's likely XI: 1. Shoaib Malik, 2. Salman Butt, 3. Younis Khan, 4. Mohammad Yousuf, 5. Misbah Ul Haq, 6. Shahid Afridi, 7. Fawad Alam / Saeed Ajmal, 8. Sohail Tanvir, 9. Sarfraz Ahmed, 10. Umar Gul, 11. Rao Iftikhar.

As most of you know, I have lived in the UAE for the last 25 years and have been associated with domestic cricket in the country having played Division B cricket since 2002 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

During this time I have played against some of the cricketers that are a part of the UAE team taking part in the Asia Cup.

Thus, through first hand experience of playing with these players, here is a brief introduction on who they are.

Saqib Ali

Originally from Rawal Pindi, Saqib Ali is the captain of the UAE. I'm not sure why Cricinfo is listing Arshad Ali as the captain. It is most definitely Saqib Ali.

I first played against Saqib Ali about 4 years ago when he was still a student at SZABIST University at the Dubai Knowledge Village.

It was a friendly match between the University team and the 'Young Pakistan Professionals Cricket Club', which I was a part of. Saqib didn't score much against us then.

The next time I played against Saqib was in last year's 20-20 cricket tournament where I was playing for Babcock, an engineering firm, and Saqib opened for the 'New Medical Centre' team.

By then Saqib Ali was captaining the UAE and had become one of the best batsmen in the country, and he showed why in his knock of 93 against us.

A strong middle order batsman, Saqib recently made the headlines with a career best 195 in a first class match against a touring Ireland team.

In 10 first class matches, Saqib Ali has scored 940 runs at an average of 55.29 with 4 centuries and 3 fifities.

Amjad Ali

The wicketkeeper of the UAE, Amjad Ali is originally from Lahore, where he will be playing against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup.

Amjad is a left handed batsman an opens the batting for the UAE as he does for his domestic teams. He ended the current domestic season in blistering form with a number of centuries one after another.

I played against him 2 months ago in a Division B cricket tournament where I was playing for 'ACE Cricket Club'.

Going into the match against 'United Bank Limited', we had all heard about Amjad Ali's centuries in the previous 3 matches. Luckily for us we managed to get him out in the 2nd over for only 1 as he tried to cut a short ball only to spoon it to point for an easy catch.

He went on to score a couple more 100s in the following matches.

His first class average of 22.25 doesn't say much about Amjad Ali, but you can expect some firing starts from the UAE if he gets going.

Vikrant Shetty

One of the younger members of the UAE squad, Vikrant is originally from Mumbai and is a hard hitting middle order batsman.

He plays for 'Arab Udupi' in the domestic leagues, which is a strong team in Division A cricket and has won a number of cricket tournaments.

I played against Vikrant in last years 20-20 cricket tournament, where he smashed my part time leg spin for 4 sixes in 1 over. I beat him 1st ball but then saw the next 4 sail over my head. He picked a single of the last one. He scored a quickfire 40 odd against us.

Vikrant is yet to play a first class or List A game for the UAE.

Alawi Shukri

One of the few local Emiratis in the team, Alawi Shukri, is an 18 year old talented middle order batsman.

I haven't played against him but have seen him play against my brother in matches involving U19 teams from the different Emirates.

He is yet to play a first-class or list A match for the UAE but he has been in the news recently for setting up a cricket club for UAE Nationals and for becoming the youngest cricket official in the country.

Alawi Shukri has also been campaigning for a quota system for UAE's selections and he got his wish when the UAE made it mandatory to have 4 local Emiratis in a touring squad.

Besides Shukri, the other UAE Nationals in the squad are batsmen Mohammad Tauqir and Salman Farooq, and fast bowler Fahad Al Hashmi.

The UAE kick off their 2nd Asia Cup campaign against Bangladesh tomorrow in Lahore.

Hosts Pakistan and the 3 minnows - Bangladesh, UAE, and Hong Kong kick off their Asia Cup campaigns from tomorrow, while India and Sri Lanka play their first games on the following day.

Here we take a look at the form these teams are bringing into the tournament.

Bangladesh

Wins: Since beating India and South Africa in last year's ODI World Cup, Bangladesh have only beaten Ireland 3-0 in an ODI series they played at home.

Losses: They have lost 21 ODIs in this 14 month period losing series' to all the big teams - India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, and Pakistan.

Asia Cup '04: Bangladesh were pitted with Pakistan and Hong Kong in Round 1 and managed to qualify for Round 2, where they lost all their matches to the Asian Big 3.

Chances '08: There is no doubt that Bangladesh have come a long way since the 2004 Asia Cup, however they still have not been able to beat top international sides consistently. Their Round 2 spot is more or less confirmed unless the UAE can spring a surprise on them, highly unlikely though. They have upset major teams every now and then but that will not be enough for them to make the final, for which they will have to beat atleast 2 of the Big 3 in Round 2.

Speak: "We are confident for the second round as we have been playing good cricket against India and Pakistan in the recent past” - skipper Ashraful confident of beating the UAE.

“If we can regularly score 240, which we rarely do, we can be competitive and hopefully win a few games” - Coach Jamie Siddons spills the secrets on Bangladesh's plans.


Hong Kong

Wins / Losses / Asia Cup '04 / Chances '08: The last time Hong Kong played ODI cricket was 4 years ago in the Asia Cup where they lost both their matches to Pakistan and Bangladesh. In this tournament they are up against India and Pakistan in Round 1 and an upset looks highly unlikely.

Speak: “At the end of the day, we are not here on holidays. Our aim is to be competitive in this tournament and try to create an upset or two" - HK's Kashmiri captain Tabarak Dar makes it clear that they are here to play.

“We are very positive and optimistic. Cricket is a funny game and you can’t predict any result.” - Coach Aftab Habib seaks of optimisim and humour.


India

Wins: Since their embarassing ouster from last year' ODI World Cup, they have had a mixed bag of results. They won the CB series earlier this year beating Australia in the final despite not looking like the best team of the tournament in the league stages. They beat Pakistan 3-2 at home late last year and upset South Africa 2-1 in Ireland.

Losses: They have lost just as many. They were beaten 4-3 by England in England and 4-2 by Australia at home. Despite being the favorites to win the tri-series in Bangladesh earlier this month, they lost to Pakistan in the final.

Asia Cup '04: They made it to the final at the expense of Pakistan on the basis of bonus points but lost to Sri Lanka.

Chances '08: They have won the Asia Cup more than any other side, though they haven't done it for 13 years now. They come into this tournament as favorites with a strong 15-man squad, each one of whom is in top form. The loss in the final of the Kitply Cup was just a hiccup and India are strong contenders for the Asia Cup title. Expect to see them in the final.

Speak: "We will win more matches than lose if we play to our potential and our capability" - Dhoni mentions the obvious.

“We have a group of players, specifically the batsmen, who are extremely talented... we are certainly backing them to be able to do some special stuff for the team” - Coach Gary Kirsten puts his money on India's young ones.


Pakistan

Wins: After facing an embarassing outer from last year's ODI World Cup, Pakistan has undergone an overhaul, similar to India, though with much less success. They beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in an offshore series in Abu Dhabi and this year they have gone on to win 12 of their 13 ODIs. However 11 of those wins have been against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Losses: They lost both their ODI series last year to South Africa and India by a 3-2 margin, and recently faced their heaviest defeat to India during the Kitply Cup.

Asia Cup '04: They only lost 1 match in the last Asia Cup to Sri Lanka, however failed to make the final on the basis of bonus points.

Chances '08: They haven't lost an ODI series this year and are coming into the tournament on the back of a morale boosting win over India in the final of the Kitply Cup earlier this month. They haven't lost a home ODI in recent times and seem to be strong contenders to make the final as long as they don't succumb to home pressure.

Speak: “Yes, the people are expecting us to win. That will pose some extra pressure but we are professionals and know how to handle it.” - Skipper Malik talks about managing home crowd expectations.

"The two main rivals for us are India and Sri Lanka. We’ve beaten India recently and we can beat them again here” Coach Lawson is confident of a Pakistan victory.


Sri Lanka

Wins: They have had an indifferent 14 months since reaching the final of the ODI World Cup last year. Since then they have won only 1 ODI series, beating Bangladesh at home 3-0.

Losses: They have lost ODI series to Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, England at home, and the West Indies in the Caribbean. They aslo failed to make to the CB Series final earlier this year.

Asia Cup '04: They won the title after beating India in the final under Marvan Atapattu.

Chances '08: They come into the tournament as the defending champions, however the have had a very lacklustre run over the last year or so. Return of some key players will boost them but they will find it tough against India and Pakistan.

Speak: “We are working really hard and we have to start putting things right, there’s no doubt about it” - skipper Jayawardene knows that its gone wrong for Sri Lanka over the last year.


United Arab Emirates

Wins / Losses / Asia Cup '04 / Chances '08: The last time UAE played ODI cricket against major opposition was 4 years ago in the Asia Cup where they lost both their matches to India and Sri Lanka. In this tournament they are up against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Round 1 and it seems unlikely that they will be playing Round 2.

Speak: “We have made a good improvement and it will be good outing against Bangladesh” - skipper Saqib Ali talks about an improving team.

"Batting is the main strength of our team" - coach Vasbert Drakes talks about strengths.


Coming Soon on Well Pitched:

Asia Cup 2008: Getting to Know the UAE
Asia Cup 2008: Pakistan's Selections

The Venue

The 9th edition of the Asia Cup gets underway in Pakistan from Tuesday.

This is the 1st time that the Asia Cup is being held in Pakistan with the previous editions held in Sharjah (1984, 1995), India (1991), Sri Lanka (1986, 1997, 2004), and Bangladesh (1988, 2000).

The Teams

Besides the 4 Asian test playing nations, the top two Asian associate nations, Honk Kong and the UAE, are also part of the tournament as they were in 2004.

The 6 teams have been divided into 2 Groups:

Group A: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE
Group B: Pakistan, India, Honk Kong

The Format

Round 1 will take all of 3 days to complete with each team playing against the other in its Group.

Group A matches will be held in Lahore, while Group B will be based in Karachi.

The top 2 teams from each group will move forward to Round 2 where they play against each other in a Round-Robin format over a week. All matches will be held in Karachi.

The top 2 at the end of the Round-Robin stage will contest the final, which will also be played in Karachi.

The Champions

Sri Lanka are the defending champions having won the Asia Cup in 2004 at home. They have won the title on 2 pevious occassions as well - 1986 and 1997.

India have won the most Asia Cup titles with 4 victories in 1984, 1988, 1991, and 1995.

Pakistan have won it only once in 2000.

The Performers

Batsmen

Among the top 10 run scorers in the Asia Cup, only Sanath Jayasuriya and Mohmmad Yousuf will be playing this edition.

Jayasuriya tops the batting charts with 842 runs in 20 Asia Cup matches at an average of 46.77.

Yousuf is 10th on the same list with 392 runs in 9 matches at an average of 78.40.

Jayasuriya also tops the centuries list with 4 Asia Cup 100s, while Shoaib Malik is the only other player with more than 1 Asia Cup 100 - both his 100s came in the previous edition, a time when Malik used to bat at number 3 (Hint).

Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan are the only other centurions playing in this edition of the Asia Cup.

Bowlers

Sanath Jayasuriya is also the highest wicket taker in past Asia Cup with 20 wickets in 20 matches at an average of 30.25.

His team mates, Vaas and Muralitharan, are also among the top 10 with 18 and 16 wickes respectively.

Irfan Pathan is the only other player from those taking part in this edition to feature in the top 10 with all his 14 wickets coming in the previous tournament.

All matches will be day-night and will start at 10:00am GMT (4:00pm PST, 3:30pm IST, and 2:00pm UAE time).

Coming Soon on Well Pitched:

Asia Cup 2008: The Form Book
Asia Cup 2008: Getting to Know the UAE

Micheal Clarke captained Australia to a 211 run mauling in a practice match against the University of the West Indies Vice Chancellor's XI.

There was no Hayden and Gilchrist at the top. Instead it was the IPL stars - Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson.

Brothers Micheal Hussey and David Hussey were part of the middle order. There was no Ricky Ponting.

Allrounders Cameron White and James Hopes, followed by wicket keeper Luke Ronchi made up the late order.

The pace attack was made up of Bracken, Johnson, and Clark.

With Symonds playing instead of either White or Hopes, and Lee instead of Clark, this could very well be the Aussie ODI side that we get accustomed to seeing over the next few years.

Yes I do believe that Ricky Ponting will be replaced as ODI captain sooner rather than later and that Hayden will hang up his boots sooner rather than later.

Ronchi / Haddin is a 50-50 though.

Australia's future then?

My weekend trip to Karachi coincided with 3 incidents involving the Pakistan cricket team.

While I was on my way to the airport on Thursday, I got a call from a friend telling me that charges against Mohammad Asif had been dropped and he would be flying back to Pakistan soon.

While at the airport, I got an sms saying that Kamran Akmal had been dropped from Pakistan's list of probables for the Asia Cup.

When I landed in Karachi, I found out that Pakistan's 20 probables for the Asia Cup had also landed there earlier for a 3-day training camp.

All items are news worthy, but I'll start with the intrigue surrounding Mohammad Asif.

Since the release contradictory statements have been flying around from the different parties that were involved with the case.

Gulf News, UAE's leading daily newspaper, was one of the firsts to release the story on Asif's release, and the Public Prosecutor who handled the case had this to say:

"The case has been dropped against Mohammad Asif due to insignificance ...
he will be deported as soon as the police finalise the procedures. It is
definite that he committed the crime of smuggling and possessing 0.24 grams of
opium as he was caught red-handed ... however at certain cases and for a faster
litigation process the Public Prosecution drops a case due to insignificance and
deports the suspect."

What exactly is insignificance? Any lawyers out there who can explain this.

It definitely does not imply towards an an insignficant quantity of the drug as I know that people carrying 0.1g of the substance have been sentenced to 4 years in the past.

Asif was sent back to Pakistan on Friday and on arriving in Lahore he said:

“I have never used any wrong substance or drugs and that is why all my tests
taken by the Dubai authorities were negative... a small quantity of a herbal
medicine was in my wallet about which I was ignorant. I did not use that
medicine”

What bothers me is that he continues to call it herbal medicine when the prosecutors in Dubai have tested the substance and claimed that it was in fact opium.

This is the Chief Prosecutor's statement:

"Dubai Police's forensic laboratory results have confirmed that the
contraband substance that was discovered in Asif's wallet is opium. The suspect
faced charges of smuggling and possessing drugs."

So I guess the hakeem gave Asif some opium, which Asif thought was herbal medicine.

The question here is that, why did Asif require some herbal medicine? PCB Chairman, Dr. Nasim Ashraf answers that question:

“I met Asif today and he told me that the authorities found a small
substance from his wallet, which his herbal expert (hakeem) gave to him as a
pain-killer,”

Now now, a pain killer then.

If I understand WADA's regulations correctly then opium is banned substance because it helps relieve muscle pain, which helps in increasing stamina.

A pain killer relieves muscle pain.

So can the WADA ban Asif now for carrying a banned drug?

If news reports are to be believed then Asif was tested thrice during the Indian Premier League and his tests turned out negative. His tests turned out to be negative again when he was tested in Dubai.

So he can't be banned for consuming a banned substance.

However, there is a WADA regulation that states that smuggling banned drugs is an offence.

That is exactly what Asif did. But he didn't get charged. Can he still be banned given that he did actually smuggle the drug?

The other contradictory statement was regarding Asif's deportation from the UAE.

The Public Prosecutor's statement above clearly states that Asif was deported from Dubai. Deporation means that Asif will never be allowed to enter the UAE again.

All those who get deported get their finger prints and eye-scans taken by the police and airport authorities who make sure that they don't enter the country ever again.

Asif also provided his finger prints and eye-scans.

The report clearly spells out that Asif was deported and can never enter the UAE without special permission from the interior minister.

Over in the Pakistan newspapers, DAWN and The Nation, Nasim Ashraf has been claiming:

"Asif was neither charged by the Dubai authorities nor he was deported.
Instead he was repatriated"

Repatriated means that Asif is not banned from entering the UAE, even though the UAE's newspapers are claiming otherwise.

Whose right?

Knowing what happens to the drug related offenders, I'm quite sure that Asif was deported. Thats what happens to all of them whether they go through the 4 years imprisonment or not.

So why is Nasim Ashraf claiming otherwise? To get a clean slate from WADA?

What next then?

Another one of the PCB's ever famous 3-man committees has been formed and they will grill Asif and prepare a report, which will be submitted to the ICC.

A 2-week timeframe has been given for the report to be completed.

Another report has Nasim Ashraf claiming that Asif would be asked to pay the legal expenses incurred during the case.

Having full faith, or rather a lack of, I can safely say that Asif would be given a free slate with a fine amounting to how much was spent on legal fees, and he would be playing for Pakistan in the next few months.

The PCB will also find a way to keep WADA away from all of this.

The biggest debate around the cricket world this week has revolved around Kevin Pietersen's Switch-Hit.

Before I go on with my 10 paisas, I would like to point out to this news piece that dates back to over 5 years ago.

Shortly after winning the World Cup in 2003, Australia's coach John Buchanan came out with a future development plan of sorts for cricket's future in Australia.

As the article states the key objective was to "think about how the game is played and how we can play it differently".

John Buchanan's response to the "playing it differently" was "develop ambidextrous players who can field, bat - and possible even bowl - right and left-handed".

John Buchanan went on to say that by the next World Cup, which was held last year, Australia would have players who would be able to use both sides of their body.

He described Ian Harvey as one who can throw with both hands, and Adam Gilchrist as one who can hit the ball left handed as well as he does right handed.

Before going on, I want to ask my 1st question.

Why didn't the ICC or the MCC or anyone else question the legality of ambidextrous players who could bat and / or bowl either right handed or left handed?

Was it because no one thought that would ever happen?

We didn't see that skill on display at last year's World Cup, but we did see it during the 1st ODI between England and New Zealand when Kevin Pietersen switched his grip, switched his stance, and hit Styris for 6. Not once but twice. (Link above).

But that isn't the first time Pietersen has played that shot. This clip shows Pietersen doing exactly the same to Muralitharan in a test match played in 2006.

Pietersen switched his stance, stood like a left hander and played a reverse slog sweep and sent the ball over the ropes for 6.

And the picture on the right shows that Pietersen has played that shot in matches before the 1st ODI between England and New Zealand.

Why didn't anyone question its legality then?

Was it because it was a reverse sweep and not a shot hit over the bowler's head?

Even before Pietersen, I distinctly remember one Jonty Rhodes do exactly the same. He played the reverse sweep different than most batsmen.

While the reverse sweep was largely played by turning the bat in the hand and sweeping the ball the other way without a change in stance or grip, Jonty Rhodes used to change his grip and stance, in effect becoming a left hander, and then play the sweep.

I couldn't find clips to prove that, but I do remember some commentators questioning if that was allowed.

Why didn't anyone check the legality back then?

Is the hue and cry, which has thankfully been cleared by the MCC, all because Pietersen sent the ball sailing over mid off, or was it mid on, rather than sweep it?

Whatever the answer to the above questions, all it does is goes to show that one day the ICC might be concerned over an issue that has been totally ignored in the past.

In either case, as Sledgehammer points out in his last post, thankfully common sense has prevailed and the MCC have termed the switch-hit legal. Even though I feel there was no need to check for its legality since it has been played for some time now.

What needed checking or revising were other rules that go flushing down the drain if a batsman deploys the switch-hit.

Rule 1: Bowlers switching hand of delivery

That article in which John Buchanan talks about ambidexrous players concludes with "You've got to inform the umpire or they might see it as cheating. If you told the umpire and the batter knew, that's be fine".

That refers to the bowlers switching their hands before the delivery.

This is the first rule that I believe needs to be looked at and ammended or added or whatever it is the MCC does.

The rule in my view should imply that a bowler needs to declare the side of the wicket he is going to bowl from (i.e. over or around) but he doesn't need to declare which hand he is going to deliver from.

It's simple really, if the batsmen can switch from right to left or vice-versa, the bowlers can too.

Rule 2: The Wide Ball

A ball delivered down leg is a wide even if it misses the batsman or the stumps by an inch. This is fine, though what happens to deliveries bowled on the off-side, which becomes the leg side when a batsman switches?

Surely they should not be wide.

But then deliveries bowled down leg side, which becomes the off-side when a batsman switches, should also not be wide.

Rule 3: LBW

A ball that pitches outside the line of leg stump rules out the LBW. But then what about the ball that pitches outside the line of leg stump, which becomes the off stump when he batsman switches?

That should not rule out the LBW.

And the ball that pitches outside the line of off-stump, which becomes the leg stump when the batsman switches, should also not rule out the LBW.

The batsmen have a lot of things going their way in ODI cricket, and its high time the rule makers do something for the bowlers.

Som, who openly criticizes the use of the switch-hit and considers the plight of the bowlers, may not be as against it if these rules were implemented.

Nor would the others who think its unfair.

How happy and thankful we should all be that the MCC is the guardian of the Laws of Cricket, and not the mindless, bureaucratic nightmare that is the ICC. The issue in question is the Pietersen "switch-hit," where he switches his grip from right-handed to left-handed as the ball is being delivered.

Of course, the ICC wanted to challenge this. After all, it's (*gasp*) inventive and exciting, so the ICC must step in! They asked the MCC to review the legality. And the MCC quickly comes up with such a sensible statement:

MCC believes that the 'switch-hit' stroke is innovative and exciting for the game of cricket. Indeed, the stroke conforms to the Laws of Cricket and will not be legislated against.
...
MCC believes that the 'switch-hit' stroke is a difficult shot to execute and that it incurs a great deal of risk for the batsman.

It also offers bowlers a good chance of taking a wicket and therefore MCC believes that the shot is fair to both batsman and bowler.

The MCC also answered a few of the critics, particularly those who feel bowlers are at a disadvantage since they can't switch style mid-run-up:

Furthermore, MCC acknowledges that while bowlers must inform umpires and batsmen of their mode of delivery (Law 24), they do not provide a warning of the type of delivery that they will send down (for example, an off-cutter or a slower ball).

It therefore concludes that the batsman should have the opportunity – should they wish – of executing the 'switch-hit' stroke.

Well, perhaps not the best analogy, since a batsman doesn't also indicate whether he's going to play a cut, a pull, a Misbah, etc. But still, the point is made - the batsman is taking a risk which is within his right, and the bowler also has an array of tools at his disposal to challenge the batsman.

And the MCC is realistic enough to acknowledge that there are implications for at least two laws - wides (ball going down the legside) and LBWs (ball pitching outside leg stump):

MCC accepts that the use of a 'switch-hit' may have implications for other Laws of the game, principally Law 25 (Wide ball) and Law 36 (LBW), and will continue to research and discuss these implications.

These areas have been referred to and will be researched and discussed by MCC's Laws Sub-Committee, which will next meet, at Lord's, on Tuesday 12 August.

Given the MCC's quick, decisive, and appropriate reaction to this issue, and the way they have preserved and adapted the laws for over two centuries, I am confident they will deal with it properly.

I'll end with a prayer: May the MCC remain forever the guardians of the sacred Laws of Cricket. And may an iota of their sensibility rub off on the ICC.

Below, I recommended 5 potential partners for Shoaib Akhtar for producing that diamond he believes he is and will never be found again from the mine known as Pakistan.#

But I forgot to mention that one perfect match, the perfect partner that could help Shoaib Akhtar give Pakistan something that he believes is not available anymore - a natural fast bowler.

So who is this perfect partner?

Its none other than Asmavia Iqbal.

Thanks to Uncle J Rod for reminding me about her. Uncle J did a post on her earlier describing her as the female version of Shoaib Akhtar.

Just before the Women's Asia Cup, that was held in May this year, Urooj Mumtaz, the captain of the Pakistan women's team had this to say about Asmavia:

"The Shoaib Akhtar is Asmavia Iqbal, she's the fastest bowler in our team and her favourite player is Shoaib Akhtar. She copies everything he does. The only difference between him and her is that she's completely fit, sticks to her game and does the job she's asked to do"

So have we found Shoaib his perfect match?

Even though she's not the volatile character Shoaib is but the perfect opportunity to produce that Diamond Pakistan needs lies here and only here.

Asmavia is only 20 and her cricket career is booming. Shoaib needs to make the move fast. Atleast we know thats something he's good at - being fast!

Here are the descriptions:

Proposal Description: Get the coaching job for the Pakistan women's cricket team, do what SRK did in Chak De, and propose to the star after winning the final.

Pairing Description: Fast Ferraris.

Diamond Description: Fast, fat nose, short, mildly dark, built but on the chubby side. Will be the fastest bowler ever to play for Pakistan, will break the 100mph barrier frequently, and will be known as the son of Asmavia Akhtar!

Oh and Uncle J, Urooj Mumtaz is a leg spinner - someone to produce your diamonds with?

"How many diamonds can you retrieve from one single mine; there has to be an end somewhere. I don't see any natural fast bowler after me."

Shoaib Akhtar being his arrogant self.

Sadly he's right.

He can do something about this though. He can start producing!!

Here, I recommend some potential partners whom Shoaib can tie up with in order to retrieve that diamond he's talking about.

1. Rakhi Sawant

Proposal Description: Appear on reality singing and dancing show as a pair, win it, and propose on stage.

Pairing Description: Most dramatic couple ever.

Diamond Description: Dramaybaaz, ugly, big, and voluptuous. Big head, big eyes, big lips, big hips, big arms, big thighs, big legs, big...... Will surely make all the headlines. Will bowl as fast as he speaks, and speak before he thinks. A bigger drama queen than the parents.

2. Soha Ali Khan

Proposal Description: Use big brother Shahrukh Khan to approach his good friend Saif Ali Khan.

Pairing Description: Beauty & the Beast.

Diamond Description: Aristrocratic, long nosed, brown and fairly built. Will have cricket in his blood from daddy and grand daddy, will be a fast bowler and a decent enough batsman who will turn to bollywood on retirement.

3. Kareena Kapoor

Proposal Description: Use big brother Shahrukh Khan to approach his good friend Saif Ali Khan.

Pairing Description: Wild Thyngs.

Diamond Description: Punjab da Puttar, big eyes, big chin, chubby cheeks, and short. Will probably be known as a Kapoor rather than an Akhtar. Will start out on the fat side and then go on a strict veggie / yoga regime to turn to size zero and then retire as a chubby old man. Definitely a punjabi fast bowler.

4. Bipasha Basu

Proposal Description: Beat John Abraham, Dino Morea, and Christiano Ronaldo in a modeling competition with the winner walking away with Bipasha.

Pairing Description: Black Beauties.

Diamond Description: Kolkata Knight Rider, dark, round, voluptuous, and a fish eater. Will be Bengal's favorite son and the fastest bowler to come out of that region ever. Ganguly will be his idol, Aryan Khan his favorite bollywood hero, and Kim Mukherjee the favorite bollywood actress.

5. Katrina Kaif

Proposal Description: Beat Salman Khan in a body building contest and bowl Katrina over.

Pairing Description: Bold & the Beautiful.

Diamond Description: Prim and proper, tall, good looking, wierd nose, and a body builder. Will be a confused English / Desi soul who will start of as a medium pacer and than become a fast bowler. Will spend summers in England playing county cricket and speak of eggs and bacon as his secret to success.

If Shoaib Akhtar mends his pot smoking, vodka drinking, and coke snorting ways, he may be healthy enough 25 years down the line to actually watch Akhtar Jr. fire deliveries at Mohammad Ashraful & Co.

Here's a bit of commentary I read on Cricinfo:

This has set up an intriguing final day's play with West Indies needing 240 and Australia seven wickets. Can a Twenty20 game give you all that? I think not.

I've heard this rhetoric over and over again. People constantly trying to defend Test cricket in a time where IPL and Twenty20 have (temporarily) garnered all the attention. Frankly, I'm getting sick of the rhetoric.

Why does anything successful that is not Test cricket have to be viewed as a threat, or a forbidden love? So much talk of selling cricket's soul (re: IPL and Stanford). Get over it guys!

Test cricket survived the onslaught of ODIs and Kerry Packer. In fact, it flourished once ICC and cricket boards made ODI cricket a victim of overplay and greed (roughly mid-90s and beyond). And Test cricket actually benefited from ODIs - players picked up the pace, and teams wanted positive results.

Here are the percentages of non-drawn Test matches in the last few decades:

1970s: 114/198 = 57.6%
1980s: 143/266 = 53.8%
1990s: 223/347 = 64.3%
2000s: 306/399 = 76.7%

(stats extracted from Cricinfo's Statsguru)

That's a significant increase in positive results. And ODI cricket is definitely a reason for it. So, ODIs have complemented Tests, and both have manged to peacefully co-exist.

There is no question that Tests provide the biggest challenges, the most skill, and the greatest duels, in all of cricket. And that's why Test cricket will endure. But at the same time, Twenty20 will also have its niche. And if crowds like that, then why is everyone so scared?

Outside of England, Australia, and India, Test cricket doesn't attract crowds for the most part - that is the reality. ODI attendance has also waned in certain countries thanks to so many meaningless matches. T20 attendance is up, primarily because of the short time commitment.

Remember what Brian Lara asked the crowd after his last ODI match, in true gladiator fashion - "Did I entertain you?" Lara understood that cricket is as much about skill, as it is about entertaining those who watch it. People want to see competitive, meaningful, engrossing, and result-oriented cricket.

Like almost everything else in this world, cricket is governed by Darwin's Law of Natural Selection. Test, ODI, and T20s will complement, and compete with, each other. But if there are signs of extinction for a certain type (e.g. crowds don't attend, players have no heart, diminishing financial returns), then it better adapt quick, or it will not survive the battle of the fittest.

Is Salman Butt Pakistan' new Mr. Reliable?

After almost a decade of shuffling between openers, Pakistan has finally decided to settle on Salman Butt.

No one since Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail has been able to call the opening slot their own.

Imran Nazir, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Saleem Elahi, Ali Naqvi, Naved Latif and many others couldn't do it.

No Pakistani opener since Saeed Anwar has averaged over 40 for Pakistan in ODIs.

Salman Butt though has done both - made an opening slot his own and pushed his average above 40.

He got the player of the tournament award in the just concluded Kitply Cup and pushed his average to 40.54 following his match winning unbeaten innings of 129 in the final against India last night.

This was Salman's 5th 100 against India and 7th overall. His other 2 have come against Bangladesh.

Apart from 1 of those 100s, all of them have come in matches that Pakistan has won.

Out of the 52 ODIs that Salman has played, Pakistan has won 33 and he averages a remarkable 50.35 in those victories.

Critics may argue that he's done well only against India and the minnows, but I argue that he hasn't played enough against other opposition.

Salman has played 18 of his 52 ODIs against India as compared to only 4 against Australia, 5 against England, 6 against the Windies, 8 against Sri Lanka, and none against South Africa.

Time will tell if he can manage the same success against other stronger opposition, but in the meantime I believe Pakisan has atleast found 1 half of the solution to their opening problem.

He's only 23 and has a long way to go.

Pakistan though, need to stick with him. He has shown more than once that he has the ability to fight it out under pressure.

That he showed very early in his career in his 6th ODI and also in his 4th test match.

As for being Pakistan's Mr. Reliable - in recent times, more often than not, he has given Pakistan a good start.

When he scores, Pakistan usually gets a good total, and Pakistan usually wins.

So yes, I would say that he's well on his way to become one of the mainstays of Pakistan's batting line up.