Since the time I last spoke about him, Mendis has played another 4 ODIs and has picked up 15 more wickets.

He is one of those players whom I have followed since his debut.

I first wondered who he was and who knew what about him. We even got a perfect answer to that.

I then made an outrageous comment about him becoming the highest wicket taker in all international cricket by the time he retires.

I still stand by that.

I kept raving about him on Well Pitched. And I continue to.

As I write this, Mendis is playing his 18th ODI and before this match, his figures stood at:

126.3 - 13 - 463 - 48

That is 2.8 wickets per ODI.

That is a wicket every 3rd over.

That is a bowling average below 10!

Today, if he picks up atleast 2 wickets, Mendis will become the fastest bowler to 50 wickets in ODIs in terms of matches.

The record is 23, held by Ajit Agarkar.

To put it in perspective, Shane Warne got his 50 in his 25th, Saqlain in his 28th.

Mendis to 50 today!

And that too at an average of below 10.

I don't think I have ever seen a bowling average of 9.6 in any form of cricket.

We first had MoYo.

Then we got YoYo.

Then came HaHa.

And today we bring to you RaRa!

Last ICL season, Ra denied the Lahore Badshahs the championship, despite all the efforts of the other Ra.

On opposite sides, Ra and Ra were at each other throats during the finals of the ICL 20-20 Championship - last season as well as this season.

In the 1st final this season, Ra smashed Ra all over the park before Ra got his wicket and dished out some abusive remarks.

Tempers flared between Ra nd Ra. Ra complained but no one listened.

In the 2nd final Ra clean bowled Ra and the contest stood even.

They did not cross paths in the 3rd final but stayed away from each other when handshakes were exchanged.

And then in true bollywood style, they were brought together in the ICL World Series as part of the ICL Pakistanis.

In today's must win game they were set an imposing target of 189 by the World XI, and were soon 2 down with only 38 on the board.

That's when Ra and Ra came together.

74 deliveries, 133 runs, 19 boundaries, 4 sixes, a record partnership, and a joint man of the match award later Ra and Ra became RaRa!

I'm not talking about Bear, Lehmann, and Merill.

I'm referring to Ponting, Kallis, and Dravid - arguably the top 3 batsmen of this decade.

Two of them have over 10,000 test runs, while one of them is approaching the landmark.

All three have over 25 test centuries, two have more than 30.

All three average over 50 in tests, two of them above 55.

Since the turn of the milennium, I haven't seen either of these 3 in a rough patch. They have knocked 100 after 100 after 100, piled on the runs, and frustrated the opposition no end.

Not anymore though.

All three seem like fading stars at the moment.

Ricky Ponting had a very lacklustre test against New Zealand that followed a below par series in India. Rahul Dravid had a poor series against Australia, while Kallis is being troubled by the Bangladeshis.

Can they bounce back or is this the start of a decline leading to the end of glorious careers?

Since the century in the 1st innings of the 1st test against the West Indies earlier this year, Ponting has averaged only 32.28 in 14 innings.

That's 25 runs below his career average, which sits just above 57.

Rough patch it maybe but only 1 century and 2 fifties in those 14 innings, and as many as 8 scores below 20 is a worrying sign.

The last time Ponting hit a rough patch like this was in 2000-01 when Australia played the West Indies at home, toured India, and then went to England for the Ashes, at the end of which he bounced back.

Back then he was under Steve Waugh and part of a record breaking team.

Now, he is the leader of a sinking ship.

Can he bounce back?

Like Ponting, Kallis has been off color as well, for a longer period though.

Since the tour of West Indies at the end of last year, Kallis has averaged a mediocre 30.50 in 21 innings.

Like Ponting, that too is 25 runs below his career average.

Kallis, who has 30 test centuries to his credit, has scored just 1 in these 21 innings in addition to only 3 half centuries.

With 14 scores of below 20 in this period, Kallis should be worried for he has never experienced such a dry patch in his career. For a man who kicked off his career with a first test century in his 7th test match against Australia in Australia, this is his leanest period ever.

The series against England this summer, where he barely managed just over a 100 runs in 7 innings at an average of 14.5, was by far his worst ever.

His troubles continued in his only innings against Bangladesh.

Will he be able to bounce back after this?

Dravid would be more worried than either of Ponting and Kallis for his woes date back to the series against South Africa at the end of 2006.

Dravid entered that series with a career average of 58.75, which has dropped to 52.61 today.

Since that series, he has averaged a mere 30.62 in 47 test innings, in which he has scored only 2 centuries, with 1 of them coming against Bangladesh.

His form has dipped further this year with his 18 innings since the start of the series against South Africa in March producing an average of only 26.23, half that of his career average.

While Kallis and Ponting are going through a recent slump, for Dravid it has been a longer period of decine.

Will he be able to come out of this or will he be the first out of the big 3 to fall?

I don't think much of the ICC Cricket Ratings but a look at how these 3 have fared is a fair indication of the low they are experiencing right now.

Ponting had made the number 1 spot his own for all of 2006 and 2007 and he entered 2008 at number 3. Today he sits at number 8.

Before Ponting took over the number 1 spot, it was Kallis who was at the top for all of 2005. Even after Ponting took over, Kallis remained a part of the top 5 till this year's England series, after which he fell out of the top 10 for the first time since 2003. Today he sits at 11.

Dravid was the first out of the big 3 to the number 1 spot, getting their first in 1999 and then later in 2004. He remained a part of the top 5 and later the top 10 up until last year's series against Pakistan, during which he for the first time in a decade fell out of the top 10. Today he sits at number 28.

The question though remains - can they bounce back?

Starting today there will be 20-20 cricket in your face everyday for the next two and a half weeks.

Its not international 20-20 cricket by the way, its club cricket, for the lack of a better way of describing it.

Never before has club cricket been covered by the media in the way it is now. Or rather since 20-20 cricket went commercial with a bunch of leagues.

Those who think 20-20 cricket is not changing the cricket world, need to stop and ponder again.

A test series is being played in Australia, which I believe is being covered on TV only in Australia. Maybe in England. But I can't watch it here in Dubai, nor can anyone watch it in the wider Middle East, nor in Pakistan. I'm not sure about India.

Another test series is being played in South Africa. Oh you weren't aware? Yeah I thought so. For that is not being shown anywhere on TV it seems. Not here in Dubai, not in Pakistan, and from Soulberry's comment on his post, niether in India.

An ODI series is being played out in India. That I can watch and have watched. The TV coverage is great but the series is 4 matches too long I reckon. The English have probably lost interest already. Maybe the Indians as well. Or maybe not with Sachin returning to the fold today - perfect timing to keep the interest alive!

Oh and international cricket has returned to Zimbabwe after a long time. But does anyone care? The matches are just as good as 20-20 cricket anyway, with niether of the 2 ODIs lasting over 3-4 hours.

With a few uninteresting international series being played coupled with international cricket that is not being televised, it would not surprise me, or rather it would surprise me if the ICL World Series starting today followed by the 20-20 Champions League kicking off on December 1st don't generate more interest.

Atleast in the subcontinent, which by the way is 80% of the cricket viewing public.

The ICL World Series will be televised all over the subontinent, in the Middle East, and in England.

With the Lahore Badshahs capturing the imagination of a number of fans all over the world, their return to the field in the form of ICL Pakistan XI, will definitely rouse some interest.

And this time they've got Abdul Razzak on their side too.

Rana & Razzak in the same team? That's some viewing.

The ICL World Series also involves teams from India and Bangladesh, and a World XI.

While the ICL Bangladesh XI played as the Dhaka Warriors in the just concluded ICL 20-20 Championsip, the India XI and World XI puts together the best performers of that ICL tournament.

ICL India XI is being led by R. Sathish and includes the likes of Stuart Binny, Rohan Gavaskar, Abbas Ali, Ambati Rayudu, and RS Sodhi.

Whereas the ICL World XI is captained by Chris Harris and comprises of Damien Martyn, Jason Gillespie, Ian Harvey, Lance Klusener, Justin Kemp, Marvan Atapattu, and others.

ICL India are the defending champions, however ICL Pakistan should be the favorites going into the World Series.

The team that played as the Lahore Badshahs in the ICL 20-20 Championship, and won that tournament, was by far the strongest team on display.

With Imran Nazir & Imran Farhat at the top, Inzamam and Yousuf in the middle, Rana & Razzak in fiery form with the ball, and Saqlain inventing new deliveries in every match, there should be little the World, India, and Bangladesh teams would be able to do.

But stranger things have happened in cricket.

Even more so in 20-20 cricket.

I reckon it will be a tournament worth watching.

As will be the 20-20 Champions League that kicks off a day after the World Series ends.

That will be televised all over the world - India, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, England, the Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong, and everywhere else where cricket is watched.

Not only that, but international cricket will come to a standstill as domestic teams from 5 test playing countries go up against each other.

To read more on the Champions League, see this and this.

And then they say that 20-20 cricket will not have an impact on test cricket.

Its already been taken off TV!

That is how many Graeme Smith requires this year to over haul Mohammad Yousuf's 1,788 in 2006.

Smith just mauled the Bangaldeshi boys for 157 in the just concluded test.

He has another test against them starting in 3 days.

Following that, Smith plays another 2 test matches against the Aussies before the year comes to a close.

A maximum of 6 innings and a probable of 5 to score 452 - can he do it?

Considering his form against Bangladesh this year he can probably get half of those in his next innings.

Besides the Bangladeshis, Smith has scored his 1,336 runs this year against West Indies, India, and England. Its taken him 12 test matches and 20 innings to get there.

Yousuf got his 1,788 against India, Sri Lanka, England, and the West Indies in 11 tests and 19 innings.

Viv Richards, who held the record for 3 years before Yousuf got past it, got his 1,710 against India, England, and Australia in 11 tests and 19 tests.

So atleast we have established that Smith is no where near the class of Richards or Yousuf.

But we have also established that if you want a crack at the record, make sure you get to play tests against India and England during the same year!

A couple of weeks back, it was reported that preparations for the 2011 World Cup are 10 months behind schedule.

Now, that in itself is a bit unsettling, especially since this needs to be coordinated between four countries. But it gets more interesting.

Let's add into the mix the fact that only Asian teams have been willing to play in Pakistan, and this trend is unlikely to change (or sadly, get even worse). If Pakistan's involvement as a 2011 host is questioned, expect Pakistan not to send a team to participate, and cause havoc with the organizing.

And then throw in the whole ICL situation. With Miandad and Ranatunga showing some flexibility with regards to ICL players, I can only imagine that the BCCI will be none too thrilled. Beware a BCCI scorned! And isn't Miandad banned from going to India anyway?

Finally, how about the fact that the last two World Cups have been pretty lackluster. You've had a few good matches for sure, but they have generally failed to live up to their billing by miles.

So what does that mean for 2011? Does anyone even care about the ODI World Cup anymore? I certainly have lost respect for it since they pointlessly continue to include so many teams. And then the format for 2011 is horrific - as I have previously ranted about on another blog.

Honestly, if the World Cup was to be canceled, or shifted to Australia (which really should have been the original bid), or moved to India alone (I'm not a fan of joint bids at in any sport), I think it would make little difference to me. The tournament has lost its original glory. Like with any cricket, I will get involved when it comes around. But till then I will probably be mostly indifferent.

I'm looking more forward to the Twenty20 World Cup, not because I am abandoning ODI cricket for T20I, but mainly because they are so much more sensible about the format. Not sure why the ICC can't use its lessons from T20I into ODI, but nothing about the ICC shocks me anymore.

2011 is a long way away, but the path to there seems to be pretty rocky. Let's hope they smooth out.

Homer reports that the BCCI has asked the ICC to remove Clive Lloyd from his post as the Chairman of the ICC Cricket's Committee.

This request has been made after Lloyd made a statement saying that the ICL and the IPL can coexist and that there was need for communication between the two leagues amongs other things.

This is not the first time that the BCCI has requested for the removal of an official due to the ongoing war between the two 20-20 leagues.

They did the same when they threatened to sever all ties with Sri Lanka Cricket if Arjuna Ranatunga was not removed as the Chairman of SLC.

The BCCI conveyed that threat because Ranatunga had been in an IPL-bashing mode for quite some time.

He first called the IPL names such as "instant noodles". Then he lifted the bans imposed on Sri Lanka's ICL players. He tried to get the Sri Lankan cricketers to play a test series in England instead of the IPL. And then finall he blamed the IPL for SLC's financial losses.

Ranattunga's claims may not be all that accurate but is the BCCI right in requesting for these removals?

Isn't that trying to wield that baton of their power a bit too much?

I then wonder how the BCCI will react to Javed Miandad's recent statement.

The recently appointed Director General of the PCB spoke of the need to allow Pakistan's ICL players to play international cricket.

That was all fine, but Miandad went on to call the BCCI a bully and that all boards needed to think for themselves and not tow the line of the BCCI.

Surely Lalit Modi & Co. will not take that lying down.

I foresee a request to removed Miandad from the PCB.

The BCCI could also threaten to cancel the upcoming tour.

How long will this go on for?

Seriously the BCCI should just look to find a solution to this whole mess. Let the ICL exist. After all, competition is only healthy.

Now will the BCCI request me to stop blogging?

With the recent appointment of Javed Miandad as the Director-General of the PCB and Abdul Qadir as the new Chief Selector, that followed the appointments of Aamir Sohail and Wasim Bari, the PCB is increasingly looking like an ex test team from Pakistan.

Aamir Sohail
Shoaib Mohammad
Ijaz Ahmed
Javed Miandad
Ijaz Butt
Intikhab Alam
Wasim Bari
Abdul Qadir
Saleem Altaf
Aqib Javed
Saleem Jaffar

Two solid openers, 3 good middle order batsmen, a wicket keeper, 2 leg spinners, and 3 pacers - Ijaz Butt has managed the balance of his team perfectly!

I wonder if Ijaz Butt is looking to create a new team for the IPL. Or the ICL maybe?

4-5 more appointments and they could have a full squad of ex players.

After his century in the 3rd ODI agianst the West Indies in Abu Dhabi, Younis Khan instead of celebrating, took his gloves off, took a note out of his pocket, and showed it to the cameras.

MOTI in our language means fat woman. It can also be used in reference to male in humour.

So who was Younis missing?

His wife?

One of his South Australian team mates?

Mohammad Yousuf?

The team - yes. The city of Kanpur - no.

Today's ODI between England and India ended in slightly strange circumstances as bad light abruptly ended play early, and India won on D/L. This is nowhere near the farcical end of the WC final, but it does bring into light (no pun intended) a few things.

First, the match was delayed by 45 minutes, yet only one over was cut from each team. I've heard of slow over rates, but 22.5 minutes per over??? C'mon!

Second, the lunch break was untouched at 35 minutes. Look, I know the players need a break. But think about it, the previously-batting-now-bowling team is pretty well rested and is probably ready to field. And only a few players on the other side would be affected. It's not like this would apply to all matches, but just ones where there's a delay. Now, ICC has a rule about lunch break being affected only if 60 minutes or more are lost. I say this - make that a guideline, and allow the captains to decide before the game starts (or once light/weather become a factor).

Third, there were lights at the stadium. OK, these are not certified ICC/BCCI lights and maybe that's enough to exclude their usage in this specific match. But, in general, lights should be used when they can be. Per this Cricinfo article, the captains decide on playing conditions before a series (which includes use of lights). Maybe the ICC should make it a rule - i.e. use lights when they exist.

I like D/L, I think it ends up being fair, and credit to India for keeping D/L in their sights. My issue is not with D/L at all, it's with how playing times are affected by weather/light. So, what's the solution? Should games like this go into the next day? Should lights be used whenever possible? Should lunch break go away? Should matches in stadiums without lights require a half-hour earlier start? A combination of all I guess. Let's hope the ICC will start thinking - hey, miracles can happen!.

(Sidenote: I also think that playing cricket in North India in late November is not the best idea. I know there's a whole rotation system, but give preference to central/southern cities in winter tours, and northern cities in fall/spring tours. There are enough grounds to go around.)

When we went to watch the 2nd ODI between Pakistan and the West Indies dressed in white t-shirts with the letters P A K I S T A N painted on them, we also carried with us several banners.

One such banner was this one.

At that time it was something we had talked about, thinking out aloud about who would win and how the players would fare against each other if such a match up ever took place.

With the ICL considered a rebel league and the players taking part in it banned by national boards, none of us really thought such a match would take place.

Though it ran through all our imaginations.

I talked about the two teams, as did Jrod, while NC had a completely different take on it.

Even then, no one really thought it would happen.

Or did we?

Whether we did or not doesn't matter anymore for Inzamam Ul Haq has come out openly and challenged the Pakistan international team to a match.

Pakistan vs Lahore Badshahs!

Inzamam wants it. Yousuf wants it. The Badshahs want it. We want it.

But does the PCB want it?

Will Shoaib Malik accept the challenge?

With Inzamam's recent meetings and conference calls with Ijaz Butt indicating that the bans on Pakistan's ICL players will be lifted, such a match is very much a possibility.

Who do you think will come out on top?

Pakistan or Lahore Badshahs?

Irrespective, I think it will be one charged up contest with a number of players looking to settle some scores.

If you thought the Badshahs vs Heroes game was a heated one, wait till you see this!

Pakistan have beaten the West Indies 3-0 in the just concluded ODI series in Abu Dhabi.

What does this victory mean for Pakistan?

Everyone seems to be asking that question.

Rameez asked Shoaib Malik; Ian Bishop asked Waqar Younis; Jemima asked Imran Khan; Aqib Javed asked Intikhab Alam; Rameez asked Younis Khan; Zardari asked Ijaz Butt; Dawood Ibrahim asked his bookies; Afridi asked Shoaib Akhtar; Faisal Iqbal asked Javed Miandad; and Tom, Dick, Harry, Larry, Laurel and Hardy asked me.

It means exactly what the 5-0 wins over Zimbabwe and Bangladesh earlier in the year meant.

Or so the ICC ODI Rankings would indicate.

Oh and what's this - Pakistan is ranked 4th on the table? How did they manage that?

They haven't been playing good cricket lately so how in the world are they among the top 4 ODI teams?

Isn't that what just went through your mind after looking at the rankings?

Over at BCC! fellow bored member Raja Baradwaj initiated a discussion around Pakistan cricket - it is a discussion carried out over three different posts and must be read in entirety including its comments to be understood completely.

He first asked who was responsible for a turnaround in Pakistan's fortunes, he then showed us some stats to back his statements, and then followed that up with some more stats.

After all that, Raja B's conclusion was that Pakistan has not played good cricket in the last 1 year.

I beg to differ as you would have seen in my comments on the above 3 posts.

Now what follows here, is not a response to any of those posts, but it can be read in context of the discussion that started on BCC! a few days ago.

What I initially wanted to do was analyze the performances of the Pakistan players in the 3 ODIs against the West Indies.

But then I stretched that back a bit to assess how these players have performed since Shoaib Malik took over as captain, i.e. since after the ODI World Cup in 2007.

That would serve three purposes:

1. Indicate whether the players have played good cricket or bad, hence implying whether the team has played good cricket or bad.

2. Highlight how Shoaib Malik has performed as a captain.

3. Assess whether the key players have performed better under Malik or not.

In order to keep it in perspective, I am not going to count the matches Pakistan played against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Hong Kong during this time. This leaves us with 21 ODIs that Pakistan has played against India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies over the last year and a half since Shoaib Malik took charge. Pakistan won 11 of those matches.

Thats better than a 50% success rate, which in my opinion is hardly bad cricket. Its inconsistent yes but then that Pakistan has been since I set foot on this planet.

On to the players then - the key players that form the core of Pakistan.

Lets start with the skipper.

Shoaib Malik - In 33 ODIs as captain, Malik is averaging 43.88. Thats well above his career average of 35.61. In the 21 ODIs mentioned above, Malik has played 20 and scored 790 runs at an average of 46.47.

Thats definitely not bad cricket and those who think that he has not performed as captain need to think again, for he has surely improved as a batsman since he took charge.

Those 790 runs include several match winning knocks, including an unbeaten century against India in a losing cause.

Misbah Ul Haq - He walked into the team during the 20-20 world cup last year and didn't have much of a record before that so there's not much to compare to.

However, an average of 43.71 during this period is hardly bad.

In the above mentioned ODIs, Misbah averages 46.00 in 18 matches. Moreover, his last 5 ODIs against India, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies have produced scores of 79*, 52, 7, 70*, and 76.

He has been a consistent performer and has definitely played good cricket. The accusation of not finishing matches hovers over his head, but then he's been in the team for only a year. Give him time, 18 ODIs is nothing to judge a player over. Inzamam gained his reputation over 300 ODIs.

Younis Khan - Following Inzamam's departure, Younis became the senior most batsman in the Pakistan team. Though the other half of the Yo-Yos is more senior in terms of age, Younis is the more senior in terms of years played for Pakistan.

With Inzamam gone, Younis had to step up and step up big time, especially in ODIs. And now with Yousuf also gone, the pressure on Younis doubled.

Despite this, Younis performed. And boy did he perform!

17 ODIs, 953 runs at an average of 59.56. Those runs include 4 match winning centuries.

Compare that to a career average of 34.49 and it tells you the difference in Younis Khan's performance under Malik and before him.

He can safely be called Pakistan's most dependable batsman these days.

Salman Butt - During this time, he has made one opening slot his own. Despite a quiet series against the West Indies, out of the 21 ODIs mentioned above, he played 16 scoring 602 runs at an average of 40.13.

He has been a consistent performer for Pakistan and in him they have found atleast one half of an opening pair they have been looking for, for almost a decade now.

7 centuries in 60 ODIs - that's almost the same conversion rate that Saeed Anwar had at the start of his career.

Shahid Afridi - There have been a number of reports indicating his difference with Malik and his captaincy aspirations.

Despite this, Afridi has been a champion on the field, supporting Malik and egging the players on. Malik, on more than one occassion, has pointed out how good Afridi is on the field.

19 ODIs, 19 wickets, 321 runs, 9 catches - you really can't ask more from a bowling allrounder. He has been Pakistan's best bowler during this time.

Those who may argue that he has failed with the bat, I will only point to the 73* against Sri Lanka, 47 against South Africa, 29* against India, and 28 against the West Indies - all match winning knocks in the last 18 months. 4 match winning knocks in 19 ODIs - what more are you looking for?

Kamran Akmal - 17 ODIs, 350 runs at an average of 26.92. That is not much different from his career average. He has been criminal in the past behind the stumps, but in front of them, Pakistan probably does not have a better choice.

In the recent series against the West Indies, he was probably the difference between a 3-0 Pakistan win and a 3-0 West Indies win.

In the 1st ODI he smashd 17 runs of the final over the take Pakistan to victory, in the 2nd he played a valuable knock of 45 that took Pakistan to a respectable total, and in the 3rd his 20 odd proved the difference between a chaseable score of 250 and the 270 odd that Pakistan got.

The Pace Attack

The fast bowlers have been a problem for Pakistan for almost 3 years now. Or have they?

Due to various reasons Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, and Umar Gul have been in and out of the team during this time. This problem for Pakistan is so grave that not even once have they managed to field all three in the same XI. Not once.

In the absence of Shoaib and Asif, Gul has risen to lead the pace attack and he has done that outstandingly. Along with him, the likes of Sohail Tanvir and Rao Iftikhar have emerged and have carried Pakistan's pace attack with aplomb.

Umar Gul - 17 ODIs, 31 wickets at an average of 25.70 including 3 or more wickets in a match as many as 7 times with at least one against each of the Lankans, Indians, Safrikaans, and the Windies.

Sohail Tanvir - 16 ODIs, 27 wickets at an average of 28.40 including a 4 wicket haul against India and a 5 wicket haul against Sri Lanka.

Rao Iftikhar - 17 ODIs, 30 wickets at an average of 28.36 including 3 wickets or more on 6 occassions, and atleast 1 each against the 4 opponents.

Now with all the above highlighting good individual performances over the last 18 months and in most cases improved performances as compared to the period before Malik took charge, I really do not see how anyone can claim that Pakistan has played bad cricket or that the team is going through a decline.

So then why the complains and voices against a "mediocre" Pakistan?

I can agree to the fact that the team does not have the same flair and aggression that it did in the 90s, or that the team does not play the attacking cricket it has always been famous for, but I cannot agree to the fact that the team has not played good cricket over the last year and a half.

A number of factors have resulted in tarnishing the image of Pakistan, both the country and the cricket team, however, despite all that the Pakistan cricketers have turned up to play cricket, and good cricket they have played.

To achieve those results for a team that has gone through what the Pakistan players have gone through (read death of a coach in the middle of a tournament, read doped players, read player bans, read cancelled tours, read disturbed nation, read lack of support for captain, read trouble at the board level, read ICL defections) is quite an achievement in my opinion.

Any team that was less strong mentally, would have crumbled. Pakistan didn't.

They beat all the teams they played against. Lost to them as well but they were never thrashed comprehensively as far as series results are concerned.

There was a small achievement in reaching the 20-20 World Cup final as well during this period, in addition to beating India in the final of a triangular tournament in Dhaka.

As Jrod mentioned "you can only beat the bowlers you face", I would just take it a bit forward and say "you can only beat the players you face".

The lack or rather nonexistence of matches against Australia, England, and New Zealand during this time is beyond the team's control.

They have played against the other 4 major oppositions and done well. Their past record against England and New Zealand is quite brilliant, while against Australia they haven't been worse than the other teams around.

Then why the questions I ask?

The 3-0 win over the West Indies means absolutely nothing for Pakistan.

Those who expected any other result probably forgot that the West Indies were the weakest of the 8 international teams, and they definitely underestimated Pakistan.

The Lahore Badshahs take on the Hyderabad Heroes for the ICL bragging rights tonight. With the best of 3 finals tied at 1-1, the winner takes all in tonight's match.

There is a lot of history between the two sides, which makes today's match even more compelling.

Rewind to November 2007 when the first ever ICL tournament kicked off.

The Hyderabad Heroes team in that tournament was captained by Inzamam Ul Haq and coached by Moin Khan. The team included Abdul Razzak, Azhar Mahmood, Chris Harris, Nicky Boje, Ambati Rayudu, Shahabuddin, Ibrahim Khaleel, IS Reddy, Alfred Absolom, and others.

The Heroes didn't win much in that tournament.

Fast Forward to March 2008 and the 2nd edition of the ICL 20-20 Championship kicked off.

A dozen and a half Pakistani cricketers had joined the ICL and there was a new team playing the tournament - the Lahore Badshahs.

Inzamam, Azhar Mahmood, and Moin Khan had all moved from the Heroes and were part of the Badshahs now.

Razzak however, remained with the Heroes.

The Badshahs cruised through the group stages and entered the finals series unbeaten.

Up against the Heroes in the finals, the Badshahs stumbled for the first time in the competition.

They lost the 1st final by 6 runs and were down 1-0.

The 2nd final ended in a tie and the Badshahs' players failed to hit the stumps even once in the bowl out, hence conceding the ICL championship to the Hyderabad Heroes.

Inzamam and Moin Khan had lost out to a team they had captained and coached in the previous tournament.

And their main nemesis in both the finals was their old team mate Abdul Razzak who was also the player of the tournament.

Fast forward to October 2008 and 2nd season of the ICL kicked off with the 3rd edition of the ICL 20-20 Championship.

The tournament started with a rematch of the previous tournaments final and the Heroes were victorious once again on the basis of run rate as the match ended prematurely due to the lights of the stadium switching off 6 overs into the Badshahs innings.

The tournament went on, the Badshahs gained steam with every match, qualified for the semis, went past te Superstars in emphatic fashion, and then waited for the Heroes to join them yet again in a best of 3 finals.

In the 1st final, Abdul Razzak, a former team mate of the Badshahs and the one who had denied them the title in the previous tournament, yet again proved to be the thorn between the Badshahs and a victory.

Tempers flared as Razzak smashed his way to 69. The Badshah bowlers seemed flustered by Razzak's onslaught and the casual taunting by Razzak got under the skin of Rana Naveed and other bowlers.

But this time the Badshahs were not going to stumble.

Despite an imposing total of 170, the Badshahs raced to their target with 5 balls to spare.

The Badshahs were 1 up but they had to win 1 more match.

Come the day of the 2nd final and tension between the 2 sides was evident.

The Badshahs wanted to win badly and not repeat the same mistakes of the previous tournament.

The Heroes wanted a 2nd title and were not going to fall without a fight.

158 should have been an easy target for the Badshahs but Abdul Razzak, their enemy number 1, shook them up with 2 early crucial wickets.

The Badshahs were rocked and were staring at defeat with the scoreboard reading 87-6.

Their innings ended at 150 but not without drama. Sami, batting on 18 and looking good, smashed Boje to the long off boundary. Kemp running around took a stunning one handed catch while still in air.

The catch was cleanly taken but the Badshahs thought otherwise.

For a minute it seemed like Oval 2006 but this time sense prevailed over Inzamam and the match continued but not before some foul verbal exchanges between Azhar Mahmood and Steve Rixon, the Heroes' coach.

Come today and the teams go one on one in the 3rd and last final of the series.

With so much history, stress, tension, and drama between the Badshahs and the Heroes, you should expect nothing less than a totally charged up contest.

A contest that even the rivalry of two international sides cannot match.

The first thing we noticed when we walked into the ground yesterday were the long boundaries. The ropes had been pushed back quite a bit - about 10 feet from where they were on Wednesday.

That compounded to the match being a low scoring one.

A number of strokes by Younis, Misbah, Chanderpaul, and Sarwan would have been fours if the boundaries were where they were on Wednesday.

232 seemed like a low score when Pakistan's innings ended, but under lights when the ball swings a lot at the Abu Dhabi stadium, coupled with the longer boundaries it was never going to be easy for the West Indies.

Having said that, I did not expect Pakistan's attack to be able to defend it so well.

Chanderpaul did get a 100 but he never looked in control. He played out too many dot balls in the first part of his innings and every time he tried to up the tempo, he lost a partner.

Many times he just could not connect.

At the end the Pakistan bowlers were too good for the West Indies.

Or so I thought.

At a discussion during the late night dinner after the match, a couple of guys pointed out at how Chanderpaul lost the match for the West Indies.

Their arguement was that Chanderpaul did not even try to increase the scoring rate and just kept going at mediocre pace falling behind on the run rate throughout.

My point, along with some other guys, was that Chanderpaul could not do much because of the quality of Pakistan's bowling.

The arguement continued for a good half an hour with no conclusion.

Those blaming Chanderpaul maintained that Pakistan's bowling was not all that and Chanderpaul just messed it up, especially since he was given 2 lives.

I differed on that opinion.

I thought that Tanvir and Gul were brilliant in the beginning. Rao followed up the good work, while the spinners, Afridi and Ajmal, kept a very tight line and didn't allow him the freedom to score.

On top, Gul was outstanding at the end.

So which school of thought do you belong to?

Chanderpaul messed up or the Pakistan bowlers didn't allow him to do any better?

Or are you with the outrageous view, which is also suggested be someone, that Chanderpaul pulled of a Saleem Malik.

Made an easy run chase look difficult, top scored, stayed their till the end, ran out a couple of partners on the way, looked good in a failed chase.

Saleem Malik had mastered that art, Chanders though, I doubt.

For those of you who would be watching the 2nd ODI between Pakistan and the West Indies on TV, watch out for 8 boys with T-shirt with the following letters:

P A K I S T A N

I'll be the one with the 'K'.

Packed stadium of 25,000 expected.

The 1st match was a nail-biter.

Pakistan will be looking to carry forward the momentum.

West Indies will be looking to level the series.

Expect another close one.

Updates after the game.

You know those so called cricket fans who hardly know whats going on in the international scene and suddenly wake up from their slumber when the world cup is around the corner?

Yeah we all know some of them.

The same fans in this part of the world also get out of their slumber when international cricket comes to town.

One such fan said to me a couple of days ago - "the West Indies are weak, Pakistan should win it easily."

My response to that was that the West Indies were an improving side, while Pakistan is not as strong as before and the matches would actually be closely contested and worth watching.

The first such match just ended and boy was it close!

It was quite an experience being at the ground. The atmosphere was electric and the crowd was completely charged up, as was the Pakistan skipper.

If this is what half a capacity crowd can do, I can't wait for Friday, which is all sold out.

Quick notes on Pakistan's performance:

Salman Butt - rusty, which is surprising considering his amazing form during the Pentangular. Looked nervous and bothered and seemed concerned with the positive attitude of his new partner. Didn't seem too keen on running between the wickets.

Khurram Manzoor - confident start to his career. After a debut 50 against Zimbabwe in January he scored a solid 69 and ensured Pakistan got off to a good start. His partnership with Younis was crucial. Good future ahead.

Younis Khan - continued his marvellous run in ODIs this year. His 56 today followed 5 consecutive scores of 108, 67, 59, 48, and 123* (only 1 of those is against minor opposition, the rest against India and Sri Lanka). He has grown as an ODI batsman tremendously and played a sensible innings today guiding Khurram along the way. Got out when he needed to up the tempo, but useful contribution none the less.

Misbah Ul Haq - yet again found a strange way to get out.

Shoaib Malik - looked determined from the word go. Outstanding innings. Looked confident and in control on the field as well and seemed more comfortable leading the team. I wonder if thats due to Yousuf's absence or Intikhab's presence? Brilliant with the ball and needs to do that more often. Match winning knock.

Shahid Afridi - great with the ball, shit with the bat. His wretched run with the bat continues, needs to be moved lower down the order. Continues to be Pakistan's best bowler. His chemistry with Malik didn't show any signs of stress between the two - actually it never has. When Wasim & waqar didn't get along during their playing days, the tension showed.

Fawad Alam - match winner! This was his 9th innings in ODIs and the 7th in which he remained unbeaten at the end of an innings. Out of the 11 ODIs he has played, Pakistan have won 9. His late innings contributions have won Pakistan several matches and did so yet again. Has a Bevan / Hussey type average of 78.00 right now. Not sustainable, but needs to bat 1 position higher.

Kamran Akmal - in Shoaib Malik's words: "AWESOME". To win a match from that situation takes balls. He had plenty. 2 consecutive sixes in the final over and that too over cover is simply unbelievable. He must be thinking who needs Stanford - he was awarded a million rupees from the sponsors! Well deserved.

Sohail Tanvir - brilliant with the ball. To go at 4 an over when 600 runs are scored in a day is quite an achievement. And to pick up 3 wickets along the way, even better. Showed he's not only 20-20 material.

Umar Gul - needs to tighten his lenght, bowls too short. Did well near the end but should be more consistent.

Abdur Rauf - wasn't good enough. Needs some sessions in the nets with Aqib. Has potential and needs to be groomed properly.

Hopefully Shoaib Akhtar will be back in the next match.

Before I sign off I would like to spare a thought for Chris Gayle. What an exhilarating knock! And what an excellent 49th over under pressure. Captain cool did not deserve to be on the losing side but Kamran Akmal spoilt his party.

Just to keep things in perspective - Pakistan is still the most unpredictable team on this planet. They chased 294 today; tomorrow they may not be able to get to 150.

Thats the story of Pakistan cricket.

Well played today though.

Update 1:

The day began with Shoaib Akhtar ruled out of the 1st ODI due to a calf injury delaying his comeback by another couple of days.

I hope he's fit by Friday when I am at the ground.

The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed stadium is a batting paradise. In the matches I've played there, the new ball swings for about 3-4 overs and that too only under floodlights. During the day there is hardly any swing.

It spins though. Spins quite a bit.

Gayle won the toss and chose to bat. No brainer.

West Indies were 24-0 after 7 overs.

Now they are 67-0 after 11.

What happened!?

Gayle went crazy.

The millionnaire skipper is batting on 49 off only 33 deliveries - 3 sixes and 7 fours.

He tore apart Abdur Rauf who has given away 33 in 4 overs and is now smashing Umar Gul all over the place.

Why is Umar Gul bowling so short? Oh I forgot, he always bowls too short.

Nothing to worry about. We have Afridi!

Update 2:

Khurram Manzoor is playing his 2nd ODI.

Thank God Malik has gone in with a specialist opener and not used Kamran Akmal as was being reported.

Fawad Alam is playing in Yousuf's place. He should bat at 6, not lower than that.

Misbah is slated to come in at 4 but I feel he should stay at 5 with Younis coming in at 4 and Malik at 3.

The team management thinks otherwise I guess. It will be interesting to witness Pakistan's batting without either of Inzamam and Yousuf, something that hasn't happened in over a decade and a half.

The Windies' are cruising at 76-0 in 13 overs.

Gayle has got to his 50 and looks set for a big one.

Afridi needs to come into the attack NOW.

Chattergoon has been quiet, unlike his name suggests - he's batting on 18 off 40.

Update 3:

Sorry about that, my late lunch came in between my udates.

Gayle has just got to his 100. His 2nd successive one.

SP in the comments says he's batting like a billionnaire. Totally is!

And there's 20 overs to go. Very dangerous for Pakistan.

YPU Soulberry?

My brother is at the ground. I'm still contemplating whether I should go or not. Maybe for the 2nd half.

Everytime a batsman gets to 100 by the 30th over I start thinking of that first double in ODIs.

The last 2 times I thought of that Jayasuriya lost his wicket. Hopefully Gayle will go soon.

Afridi came into the attack 3 overs too late I reckon.

177-1 in 31. Windies looking strong. Pakistan need breakthroughs.

Update 4:

Appeal for a run out. Looks close. Not out. Gayle's in.

Akmal appeals for a caught behind. Afridi doesn't. Not out.

Windies croooozing!

Afridi's bowling a tight line. Fielding well of his bowling too. His fellow pathans have thronged the stadium.

8,000 in says Sanjay Manjerekar. Friday will see 25,000!

Surprisingly I see a number of West Indies supporters. They're definitely not from this part of the world.

Khurram does good work at the boundary off Malik's bowling.

Waqar compares Gayle to Jayasuriya. I see the similarity.

Umar Gul returns to the attack.

194-1 in 34 overs.

Update 5:

HOW CAN YOU DROP A PLAYER LIKE GAYLE!!! ???

Afridi shows how not to!

Finally!

198-2 in 35.

Update 6:

Maik has done well with the ball. 9-0-40-1 and bowling his last one now.

He put the breaks on the Windies. They could have been close to 230 right now.

How can Chanderpaul bat with a stance like that?

200 up for the millionnaires.

Afridi hasn't picked up a wicket. I'm surprised. He's got 2 overs to go.

A word for Tanvir - in this situation his figures look outstanding: 7-0-22-0.

Malik ends his spell. He should bowl more often.

201-2 in 36.

Update 7:

Have I mentioned how well Sarwan plays the square cut?

He's done it twice now in this over to Umar Gul. And he's got to 50.

Aqib Javed was trying to show how Gul should be bowling. He's got Waqar Younis' job right now, wonder what Waqar thinks about that.

Tit for tat as Waqar once got the jeep Aqib was supposed to get.

Gul has lost his touch. Or was that there only in 20-20 cricket?

213-2 in 37 overs now. 310-320 looks likely.

Morrison talks about how stunning the full moon is. I suggest a dinner at the Royal Meridien's roof top Danny.

Afridi does some stretches. His fellow pathan is shown relaxing on the grass.

Another pathan there!

Sarwan caught behing down the leg side. Great stuff by Akmal. And finally Afridi has a wicket!

213-3 in 37.3.

Update 8:

Afridi would have had his 2nd if Akmal had not dropped that catch!

I'm switching the updates off now. Going to watch the last 10 overs and then head out to the ground.

Match update tomorrow morning.

It may be a low profile series but with a team that has hardly played any international cricket this year, coupled with fans who have not watched their team play, combined with a region that has hardly hosted any international cricket, you can be sure of witnessing a highly charged up contest.

The 3 match ODI series between Pakistan and the West Indies kicks off today at the Sheikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The ground has hosted 5 international one-day games in the past - even I have played more cricket than that in the ground.

Needless to say that the cricket watching public in this part of the world is starving for some action to begin.

Since Sharjah was dumped from the cricket calendar, this region has hardly hosted any international cricket.

The first international tournament in years was the 2 match ODI series between India in Pakistan in April-May 2006.

That ended 1-1.

The next series here was held in May 2007 after the dismal World Cup as a new look Pakistan played a 2nd string Sri Lanka team in 3 ODIs.

Pakistan won that 2-1.

Having featured in all the 5 ODIs that have been played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Pakistan would certainly be feeling at home.

More than the West Indies anyway.

Morever, with the 25,000 capacity of the stadium expected to be filled up by Pakistanis, it certainly is some kind of home advantage for Pakistan.

In my 26 years in this part of the world, I have never come across a West Indian - not in Sharjah, not in Dubai, not in Abu Dhabi.

Unless some fanatics have flown in from neighboring countries for this series, apart from the 20 members of the West Indies touring party, I highly doubt there would be any others at the ground.

Friday's match is a sell out and a capacity crowd of 25,000 will light up the stadium, while on last reports tickets for today and Sunday were fast running out.

Pakistan can definitely expect to have some crazy cricket starved fans supporting them in full force.

Action begins at 11:00am GMT today.

Just about 2 months ago the Caribbean Regional Anti Doping Agency (RADA) carried out drugs tests on 32 West Indies cricketers who were part of the provisional Stanford Superstars squad.

Xaiver Marshall along with another player from the Leeward Islands tested positive during those tests.

This news was made public and did the rounds around mid September. The substance, however, for which they tested positive was not disclosed.

At that time, Donald Peters, the CEO of the WICB, said that appropriate action will be taken against Marshall.

I never heard about the news again.

There was no inquiry.

There was no action.

There was no news about a fine or a ban or even about Marshall escaping punishment.

Then the Stanford Superstars squad was announced and Marshall was not in it.

Considering that he had hit the record number of sixes in an ODI recently, to me the only reason he didn't make Stanford's squad was because of the positive dope test.

But then the West Indies announced the squad for the 3 ODIs against Pakistan that start tomorrow in Abu Dhabi.

To my surprise, Marshall was part of the squad!

He will most probably play tomorrow as well!

What happened to the positive dope test?

Was the test not accurate?

Was Marshall cleared?

What was the substance?

Did Marshall escape punishment?

What did the WICB do?

What did Marshall do?

What did RADA do?

What did WADA say?

What about the ICC?

Have I missed something?

Enlighten me please!

For Pakistan fans who had been craving cricket all this time, they suddenly seem to be spoilt for choices.

As the Pakistan international team gets ready to take on the millionnaires in a 3 ODI series in Abu Dhabi, the Lahore Badshahs gear up for the ICL finals for the 2nd time in as many seasons.

Between tomorrow and Sunday the Pakistan fans can witness 3 ODIs and a best of 3 finals series of a 20-20 competition, both involving the biggest names in cricket from Pakistan.

On one hand you can witness Salman Butt continue his good run of form along with the extremely talented Khurram Manzoor or Khalid Latif, both who have great futures ahead of them; while on the other you can witness the two Imrans, Nazir and Farhat, tear apart bowling attacks like they have all season.

For Pakistan it will be a challenge filling the gap in the middle order created by Mohammad Yousuf, whereas the Badshahs are glowing with Yousuf and Inzamam creating the magic of old for them.

The way Inzamam blasted the Superstars' attack last night reminded me of an innings he played in another semi-final 16 years ago. In this form, you don't want to miss the big man in action!

For Pakistan, Malik, Misbah, and Younis will look to stand up to be counted as their predecessors try and bring the ICL trophy to Pakistan.

Rana Naveed has been in tremendous form for the Badshahs, both with the bat and ball. He has been in devastating form batting up the order, and with the ball he has created magic reversing like the Waqar Younis of old.

Rana is the man to watch out for in he ICL semi-finals.

On the international front, Shoaib Akhtar's return to the side will be viewed with great interest. If he can remain fit and committed as is being said by the team management, then all you fans out there are in for a treat.

Saqlain Mushtaq has been developing new deliveries everyday and has been at the forefront of the Badshah's campaign sitting 2nd on the top wicket takers list behind Rana. As he tries to spin a web for the Badshahs, Saeed Ajmal will be looking to do the same for Pakistan.

While Afridi will be waiting to entertain you with his hard hitting prowess against the West Indies, Azhar Mahmood would be eager to get a longer hit to do the same in the ICL finals.

Mohammad Sami and Shahid Nazir complete the pace attack for the Badshahs, and on the Pakistan front it will be Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir supporting the pace of Shoaib.

Whoever thought that talent in Pakistan was diminishing needs to think again.

If all of these play to their potential, we Pakistan cricket fans, are in for some great cricket over the next 6 days or so.

Stay tuned people!

I'll tell you how!

I hardly covered the series here on Well Pitched as I was giving my two-bits over at the BCC!, where you will find opinions from the other Bored Members as well.

At the same time, there were a number of other blogs giving their views and facts on the series and I just resorted to commenting on them.

The Australians JRod and Nestaquin did daily updates including previews and reviews of each day of each test.

I reckon that if any of you have not watched this series, just hop on to Cricket with Balls and 99.94 and you'll feel like you didn't miss a single delivery.

On the Indian front, besides the BCC!, the usual suspects continued with their expert voices throughout the series.

Homer, Ottayan, Soulberry, Straight Points, Som, Victoria, Scorpicity, Trideep, John, Naked Cricket, Samir, Poshin, and Srinivasarao were the ones that I mostly followed.

There were tributes for Ganguly, tributes for Kumble, praise for Dhoni, criticism for Dravid, elation over India's victories, pot shots at Ponting, discussion over Australia's fall and India's rise, debates over slow over rates, Australia's spin options, India's future and a whole lot more.

The series promised to be an entertainer, and it was just that, although the Aussie fans may differ with that opinion.

For some of them it was a first to see their team be dominated in this manner. For others, it was a reminder of the 80s.

Nevertheless, whether the guard has changed or not, whether Australia's dominance is over or not, Whether Dhoni is India's best captain ever or not, the fact that India vs Australia provides the most intense battle on the cricket field was definitely proven over the last month.

For me, it was all the more entertaining as I witnessed my rise to the top of the "Cricket with Balls Cricket League" over at Cricinfo, which was managed by JRod throughout the series.

I was hovering somewhere around number 7 or 8 after the 3rd test, but managed to end the series at the first position.

Gambhir's ban and Kumble's retirement forced me to substitute before the 4th test.

Since I wanted both Dhoni and Sehwag in the team, I was forced to include Krejza as it didn't leave me enough money for Lee or bhajji.

At the end of it, it all worked out perfectly for me as every player contributed during the 4th test.

Sachin hit a 100, Sehwag, Ganguly, and Dhoni hit half centuries, Krejza picked up an astonishing 8 wickets, Katich hit a 100, Hussey hit 90, Mishra picked up 2 wickets, Sehwag hit 90 odd, Dhoni another half century, and Krejza picked up 4 more wickets.

I didn't think Krejza would give me any points, and he ended up giving me more than anyone else!

And I was on top of the world!

Mishra's 3 wickets today just helped consolidate my position.

I feel like I've won the trophy!

It make me proud to get ahead of experts such as Nestaquin, Aashrey, Vijendra, Moses, JRod, Miriam, and others.

It has been a pleasure fellow fantasy players.

Thank you JRod, thank you all.

Mohammad Yousuf, who "ditched" Pakistan for the Lahore Badshahs, kicked off his ICL stint on Friday with 3 boundaries in 3 deliveries before edging the ball to the keeper.

Yousuf began in emphatic fashion against the Dhaka Warriors on Friday as he walked to the crease at the fall of the 2nd wicket.

His first deivery was the first ball of the 5th over from the former Bangladesh pacer Tapash Baisya, which was cover driven in true Yousuf style.

No one looks more graceful when playing the cover drive than Yousuf.

The next delivery was hit past extra cover for another boundary, and the 3rd delivery was hit to the mid wicket fence as Yousuf raced to 12 runs of his first 3 deliveries in the ICL.

His ICL debut was shortlived though as Baisya induced an edge of the next delivery that went straight into Dhiman Ghosh's gloves.

Yousuf's next appearance, against the Chennai Superstars last night, was an ever more entertaining experience as his 4th wicket partnership with Inzamam Ul Haq provided nostalgic moments from the last decade.

Inzi and Yousuf have scripted a number of victories for Pakistan over the last 10 years and have been involved in a number of partnerships in the middle.

Last night was no different.

Inzi joined Yousuf in the 14th over with the Badshahs cruising on 141-3.

From there the pair added another 64 runs in only 6 overs to take the Badshahs to a match winning score of 211 in 20 overs.

Yousuf remained unbeaten on 40 off 28 deliveries that included 2 sixes and 3 boundaries, while Inzi scored 31 off 19 deliveries with a six and 4 hits to the fence.

The two will be in action again tonight against the Superstars in the 1st semi-final of the ICL 20-20 Championship.

The Lahore Badshahs entered the semi-finals of the ICL 20-20 Championship last night when they overcame the Chennai Superstars in a high scoring game.

Unlike last season when the Badshahs clean sweeped all opposition in the round games to qualify for the semis, this time round they lost a few matches in the beginning before bouncing back.

The lack of cricket for the Pakistani players before the ICL was blamed for the lacklustre performances when the tourament began.

But the Badshahs campaign soon caught up and they qualified for the semis ending the group stages with 5 wins and 3 losses, only behind the Hyderbabad Heroes in the points table.

The Heroes are the defending champions, who won the last tournament by beating the Badshahs in a bowl out in the 3rd final of a best of 3 finals series.

The Semi Final line up is:

Lahore Badshahs vs Chennai Superstars
Hyderabad Heroes vs Royal Bengal Tigers

The potential of a repeat of last year's final is very high and Inzamam's team would be looking for some sweet revenge this time round.

Tonight, the Badshahs and the Superstars go into a repeat performance of last night while the Heroes take on the Tiger tomorrow with the best of 3 finals starting from Thursday.

It was a record breaking day as Jacques Kallis scored 49 off 49 deliveries notching up a Strike Rate of 100, which is unheard of when it comes to Kallis.

He was delighted after this effort and was found waving his bat vigorously at his critics who have always claimed that he bats too selfishly.

His spirits though were slightly dampened as he realised that Hashim Amla, who not only got a big 100, but also scored at a Strike Rate of 103.70!!!

And if that wasn't enough, AB De Villiers walked to the crease after Kallis' dismissal and smashed 54 off only 27 deliveries, scoring at twice the Strike Rate that Kallis did.

Kallis' record breaking day wasn't looking all that record breaking anymore, but it kept getting worse for Kallis.

Albie Morkel decided to have some fun and smashed 3 sixes and as many fours to score an unbeaten whirlwind 37 at a Strike Rate of 284.61!!!

At the end of the innings, Kallis was seen with his head in his hands wondering why he always gets overshadowed.

Last, at the time of going to press, Tamim Iqbal was batting at a Strike Rate of 207.14 and Kallis' displeasure was evident on the field.

Match Scorecard.

Now that the dust over Mohammad Yousuf's defection to the ICL has settled, and Pakistan's new team management has taken control, we can look ahead to their up coming ODI series in Abu Dhabi against the West Indies.

The Pakistan team lands in Abu Dhabi tonight after going through a 2-day training camp at the National Stadium in Karachi (see pictures).

The camp was supervised by the team's new management including coach Intikhab Alam, assistant coach Aqib Javed, and manager Yawar Saeed. Ijaz Ahmed, who is part of the new selection committee, was also present helping the players with fielding drills.

All the right messages seem to be coming out of the camp with Intikhab saying that the players have gelled well and that the team is raring to go.

While Yawar has talked about how well disciplined the players have been during the camp.

How good everything really is, will only be witnessed once Pakistan they take the field and return to ODI cricket after a gap of 5 months.

Their last outing was the Asia Cup, in which they failed to make the final and prior to that was the Kitply Cup, which they won beating India in the final.

The squad that has been selected by the new selection committee, after monitoring a few players in the Pentangular Cup, includes all the familiar faces, yet their seems to be a different look to the team, particularly due to the absence of Yousuf and presence of Shoaib Akhtar.

Lets take a look at the probable team composition.

THE OPENERS

Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif

Salman has over time become one of Pakistan's most dependable batsmen and he is going to Abu Dhabi after a good string of scores in the Pentangular Cup.

Intikhab has said that he would use specialist openers in the 3 ODIs against the Windies, which means that Nasir will most probably partner Salman at the top.

The Salman-Nasir combination showed a lot of promise during the Asia Cup this year. If the selectors show some patience and persist with them, Pakistan could finally boast of a strong opening pair.

Khalid has been drafted into the squad in place of Yousuf and why an opener was chosen to replace a middle order bat is beyond my understanding. Surely there are other promising middle order batsmen that could have been selected.

On top there are other openers such as Khurram Manzoor and Shoaib Khan, that have done better than Khalid in the domestic competitions. Khalid is no doubt a talented batsman, but he should defnitely be lower down the pekking order.

THE MIDDLE ORDER

Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Misbah Ul Haq

After over a decade and a half, Pakistan will go into an ODI without either of Inzamam or Yousuf in the starting XI. Inzamam and Yousuf have been the backbone of Pakistan's batting line up in the past, a role they are now fulfilling for the Lahore Badshahs.

Yousuf was Pakistan's highest scorer in ODIs this year and his absence leaves a glaring gap in the middle order. With him not there Younis, Misbah, and Malik will have to play more responsibly and stand up to be counted.

In this situation, I would rather see Younis bat at 4 with Malik coming in at number 3. Malik has always done better in the top 3, averaging more than he does lower down, and with him leading the side its high time he does so by leading from the front.

Younis has become increasingly dependable lately and his experience at the number 4 position would do Pakistan good in Yousuf's absence.

Misbah has batted mostly at 5 or 6 and I believe he should now look to make the number 5 position his own. The team management might be tempted to put him in at 4, but I think Misbah is a much better batsman near the end of an innings than he is at the start.

THE ALLROUNDERS

Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam

Afridi returned to some batting form during the Pentangular Cup with a few good innings, but I wouldn't look at those with any hope.

His leg spin is invaluable to the team and his presence gives the team a more aggressive look, which Pakistan badly need during these times. Afridi is a good option to have batting at number 7 or 8, but as I have always maintained, he needs to be treated like a bowler who can bat a bit.

With Yousuf gone, this series provides Fawad with the perfect opportunity to cement his place in the top 6. Though he is more of a batsman, I have put him in this category as he would be required to fill in as a 6th bowling option.

Intikhab is right in saying that Yousuf's absence provides chances to youngsters. Not only that, but in my view his absence gives Pakistan a more balanced look as well.

THE WICKETKEEPER

Kamran Akmal

Akmal would finally feel comfortable knowing that he will not be required to open the innings and he can settle into his role in the late order batting at 7 or 8.

Akmal returns to ODI cricket after Sarfraz did the job during the Asia Cup, lets hope his gloves don't have any holes in them anymore.

THE SPINNER

Saeed Ajmal

Ajmal made an impressive debut during the Asia Cup and is the most promising spinner to come out of Pakistan since Saqlain and Mushy were sidelined 5 years ago.

He is an attacking off spinner and even though he may not have a permanent place in the XI, his presence in the side gives Pakistan's bowling attack the much needed variety.

THE PACERS

Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Abdur Rauf, Ifitkhar Anjum

Shoaib Akhtar returns to the ODI side after over a year and this is being viewed with a lot of skepticism.

Only time will tell whether Shoaib is back in full form and fitness, as Intikhab has been mentioning, or is this just like his previous comebacks, which will be short lived due to some reason or the other.

For Pakistan's sake, lets hope its the former.

His presence does provide impetus to the Pakistan pace attack, but no one really knows what Shoaib is going to bring to the table this time round.

Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir were in tremendous form in the Pentangular Cup, however they will need to put in strong performances to shed the tag of being T20 bowlers.

With the team management putting all their faith behind Shoaib and also looking to recall Asif, Gul and Tanvir would need to step up their performances to remain permanent fixtures in the XI.

Abdur Rauf has had a promising start to his ODI career picking up 8 wickets in 3 matches. He was impressive in the Asia Cup and provides a good back up option to Pakistan.

Why Rao Iftikhar continues to be considered is beyond me. Sohail Khan should have been in the squad instead of him. The selectors continue to sideline Sohail for unknown reasons. He has been Pakistan's best bowler on the domestic scene and deserves a prolonged run with the team.

He might have benefited with Shoaib and Aqib's presence with the team, but the selectors thought otherwise.

THE TEAM

On paper the team looks like a well balanced outfit but we all know Pakistan better than that to give them any label.

As unpredictable as ever, the new management would be looking for positive results. Intikhab has talked about resolving the small rifts that existed in the team. If he is to be believed then the Windies need to watch their guard for there is nothing more dangerous than a united Pakistan team.

Malik will for the first time have more say in the playing XI than he has had before so it will be interesting to see what combination he plays, but I think for now the starting XI does choose itself in the form of:

Salman, Nasir, Malik, Younis, Misbah, Alam, Akmal, Afridi, Tanvir, Gul, Shoaib.

I would like to see this batting order as well, however Malik would probably persist with Younis at 3 followed by Misbah and himself. That could be disastrous.

Saeed Ajmal's inclusion remains a dilemma as going in with 2 pacers is not an option, niether is him replacing Afridi unless Malik thinks so. Fawad could be the one to miss out if Saeed is to play but that would weaken the batting. It will be interesting to see how Malik handles this.

The team management has to fill in a number of roles and their task is cut out.

Everything will fall into place over the next few days as Pakistan land in Abu Dhabi today, hold their practice sessions tomorrow and on Tuesday, and then take the field on Wednesday.

Mohammad Yousuf might become the first person to represent the "rebel" ICL as well as his national team at the same time.

On the same day that the PCB selectors announced the 15-man squad for the ODIs against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi, a squad that included Yousuf, the news of him joining the ICL was also revealed.

Yousuf is currently in Delhi and he will be launched by the ICL tomorrow in some kind of unveiling ceremony.

It will be intriguing to see how the PCB will react to this.

Yousuf has never been out of Pakistan's ODI and test plans and he was always going to be selected for the upcoming ODI series and he definitely knew this.

Then what brought about this signing with the ICL?

Obviously the still pending case that has stopped him from appearing in either of the two indian 20-20 leagues.

Its an open secret that Inzamam and Moin Khan had been pushing Yousuf for a long time now, and he finally gave in.

So where does this leave his international career?

I believe Yousuf made this move after gaining consent from the PCB administration, especially Ijaz Butt.

Ijaz Butt's comments last week assured that he would be looking after the Pakistani ICL players and it was widely speculated that he would allow them to play domestic cricket in the near future.

Yousuf in all probability will turn up for the ODIs against the West Indies later this month.

I may be wrong but I have a big hunch that this is what is going to happen. And if it does, it will highlight 3 very important points:

1) There is a future for ICL players in Pakistan's cricket structure;
2) The PCB is no longer going to tow the line of the BCCI;
3) The ICL will release players for national duty when required.

The impact of each is quite significant for the times ahead, but I won't get into that right now.

At this moment, lets just hope that Yousuf becomes the first cricketer to appear in the ICL and his national team without announcing his retirement or getting banned.

My day started normally. I woke up after a hectic weekend, not wanting to go to work. Yes for us poor souls in the Middle East, Sunday is a working day.

I got to work on time, called in for some garam chai, and logged on to my laptop.

As I sipped through the tea I watched the laptop take its sweet time logging on and then Windows taking its even sweeter time trying to start some programs and block some start-up programs.

Even the tea wasn't that sweet!

As all the icons came into place and the network told me it was up, I clicked onto the explorer and got on to Cricinfo for some live ball-by-ball of the final day at the Kotla.

A draw was the only result in my mind but I wanted another Gambhir 100 and some Johnson wickets for cheap fantasy points.

Niether happened and the day went on as I juggled between work, gmail, cricinfo, facebook, and the blogs.

Somewhere during the day I lost interest in the match and got engrossed in some animated gmail exchanges on several mailing lists.

That is when an email from Gaurav Sethi popped up. The subject was "who retired first" and in the mail was a link saying Anil or Saurav?.

I wondered what imaginary post NC had written this time when suddenly it occurred to me - Had Kumble announced his retirement?

NO! How could that be I thought. I looked at the watch and thought that the match had not ended surely and it was only days ago that Kumble was blasting the media on speculating about his retirement.

With all these thoughts in my mind I shifted to my Cricinfo window, which was now showing "network server error". I clicked on refresh and as the browser opened I read comments on the ball-by-ball from readers paying their tributes to Kumble who had announced his retirement during the tea interval.

I had said on numerous occasions that this would be Kumble's last test series but I never expected the announcement to come like this. Actually I didn't expect it at all with the way Kumble answered the media throughout the last month.

Then I read NC's post and I left a comment saying the same.

Who would have thought Kumble would be the first one to go out of the 5 seniors?

As the day went on, tributes kept coming in. I read them all.

I followed the ball-by-ball seeing Kumble take the new ball hoping he gets a wicket in his final spell. That would also give me some fantasy points.

Then it occurred to me that I had to substitute him before the next test now.

The match ended and I read about the hand shakes, the doffing of the hat, the hugs, the carrying on the shoulders, and the lap of honour.

A champion was leaving the game and I still wondered why. Why so sudden? Why out of the blue? Why during a test? Why not get a farewell test if not a series like Saurav?

The answer to all those is because he is Anil Kumble.

A man who never put himself before the team, a man who never chased the spotlight, a man who always remained in the shadows.

For Kumble, the team came first, always. He wanted the emphasis on the test series, not his retirement, which I eventually found out wasn't all that out of the blue after all.

During his press conference Kumble said "...Anyway I had more or less decided this would be my last series." [Read in full here]

That is when it hit me that ofcourse he had decided. He must have before the series began. Maybe even during the summer. He would never have continued to play on knowing that he was past his best.

He just didn't want the focus to be on him.

It was India vs Australia, and he wanted it to be just that and not "Kumble's last test series".

He knew he was going even before Saurav did. So what if he didn't say it?

As he said he "would have ideally liked to have finished in Nagpur". But fate was cruel to him. The injury to his hand denied him what he had wanted.

Yet he got the most rousing farewell from his team mates on his favorite ground - maybe that's what fate wanted for him.

He deserved no less.

As my Sunday comes to an end, so does the career of one of the best bowlers to have played this game.

Definitely not out of the blue!

On a day when the fate of Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar was to be decided by the Pakistan selectors, both brought up their finest effort in a long time.

[Read about Shoaib here].

Sindh were looking down the barrel after being shot out for 126 on the opening day of their Pentangular Cup match against Baluchistan.

Abdur Rauf, Kamran Hussain, and Azharullah had combined to destory the famed Sindh batting line up in only 44 overs.

Baluchistan then batted for the a day and a half to post 362 in their first innings.

Afridi along with Sohail Khan picked up 4 wickets each to restrict Baluchistan's lead. Afridi's 4-113 included thekey wicket of Misbah, who is leading the Baluchi side in this competition.

Sindh resumed their 2nd innings on 24-0 this morning and ended the day on 364-8.

Afridi, who had been among the wickets yesterday, top scored for his team with a fine 81 of 75 deliveries that included 10 hits to th fence and 2 over it.

It was a subdued innings according to Afridi's standards but one that as needed more than ever - not only for him but also for Sindh.

Afridi was well supported by Khalid Latif (78), Fawad Alam (68), and Sarfraz Ahmed (57).

The match will resume tomorrow with Sindh 128 runs ahead with only 2 wickets in hand.

(Scorecard)

Afridi along with Sohail Khan and Anwar Ali will have to rise and put in their best effort to avoid an embarassing loss to Baluchistan.

(Sindh are the defending champions, while Baluchistan have never won a match in a Pentangular Cup).

Shoaib Akhtar could not have chosen a better day than today to display an outstanding bowling effort.

Saleem Jaffar, who had kept Shoaib along with many others on a close watch in the on going Pentnagular Cup, had announced that the squad for the 3 ODIs against the West Indies will be selected after a meeting in Islamabad today.

Saleem Jaffar along with Ijaz Ahmed and Intikhab Alam are in Islamabad watching the Federal Areas vs Punjab game.

It was openly known that the selectors and the coach chose to watch this game at the ground to have a look at Shoaib Akhtar.

But no one thought that Shoaib would be able to impress. His fitness was lacking, the stamina wasn't there, the determination was, but that was just not enough.

It was over for Shoaib. Even I thought so last week.

However, as he has done so in the past, he chose the perfect day to lead his team to a probable victory.

As the 3rd day of the match began, Punjab resumed their innings at 33-1, 126 runs ahead of Federal Areas with 9 wickets and 2 days to go in the match.

At the crease were Salman Butt, fresh from his 155 in the first innings, and Umar Akmal.

It didn't take Shoaib Akhtar & co. long to send the Punjab batsmen packing to the dressing room for 144 allowing their batsmen a day and a half to chase 238 for an improbable victory against a strong Punjab team.

Shoaib picked up 4-14 in 10 overs of hostile pace bowling, while Sohail Tanvir and Rao Iftikhar picked up 3 wickets each.

Shoaib was the most impressive out of the lot bowling at extreme pace and picking up the wickets of Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, and Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik.

(Scorecard)

Shoaib was ecstatic after his performance and this surely would have sealed his spot for the tour to Abu Dhabi.

I honestly did not expect Shoaib to make it but he has.

Saleem Jaffar can surely not deny him after todays performance and I can't wait to watch him in full flow here in Abu Dhabi in just under 10 days.