England not learning much in Asia
Do We Believe Mohammad Amir's Story?
I want to. I really want to. I want to believe that Mohammad Amir was an innocent 18 year old boy who was set up by his friend and captain, and his fixer.
But I can't.
There are a lot of things about Mohammad Amir's interview that are bothering me, and I feel like we are being told a story that is not true. I feel like we, the Pakistan cricket fans, are being lied to again.
Since the interview aired, I've heard a wide variety of thoughts from the general public and Twitterati. A section feels sorry for the kid and believe he was truly set up, and another section believes he is lying.
Many also feel that this is just the start of his rehabilitation and image building plan that has been put in place by his well wishers.
That it may be, but let me start with why I am having a hard time believing this story of a set up.
Why Now?
Even those who believe Amir have been asking this question since last night. Why now? Why tell the world that you were set up now when you had 18 months to do it? Why stay quiet all this time?
The day the story broke in the News of the World, there were senior men in the Pakistan dressing room like Yawar Saeed, and many back in Pakistan, like Ijaz Butt, who had repeatedly requested Amir to be honest and tell them the truth.
But Amir remained quiet. Why?
I understand that at first he denied all accusations because he panicked and then finally pleaded guilty after he was guided appropriately. That's fine.
But then why remain quiet after pleading guilty? Why not tell your story then? Wouldn't that have been the right time to tell the world that you were set up?
I am not sure if there is some law that does not allow those who plead guilty to turn into a witness in a case, but if there isn't then why didn't Amir just become a witness in this whole spot fixing hoopla? His story would have surely helped the prosecution!
So why now Amir?
Why Couldn't he Trust anyone else besides Salman Butt?
Amir says that the reason why he chose to remain quiet was because he did not know who to trust since the person he trusted the most had just betrayed him. He hadn't even told this story to his family according to him.
Did he really not trust anyone else more than Salman?
Wasim Akram is his self proclaimed idol. He has talked about calling Wasim bhai on many occasions for advice. Wasim bhai was also the one who spotted him in a camp and groomed him whenever he got the chance.
So how difficult was it to pick the phone up and tell Wasim bhai how badly you had been trapped?
Waqar Younis was the team coach. Waqar had been working with Amir for many months and surely Waqar would have taught him a thing or two about bowling and how to conduct oneself considering Waqar had also burst into the scene as an 18 year old. I'm also quite sure that Waqar would have developed some sort of relationship with Pakistan's rising star in the dressing room. So why was it so hard to sit down with Waqar and explain to him how you had been set up?
Aqib Javed was also with the team. Aqib must have seen Amir during his time with U19 team and the NCA as well. Aqib is known to have a good relationship with all players, and in particular with the juniors. Aqib has been one of the most respected members of the team's coaching staff in recent years. Why couldn't Amir trust him?
Moreover, before Salman Butt, Amir had played under the captaincy of Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, and Shahid Afridi during his 14 month cricket career. Were Pakistan's senior most cricketers not trustworthy for Amir?
Where the F&*$ is Ali?
There is enough evidence in the text messages exchanged between Amir and Ali for the authorities to implicate Ali in a spotfixing case.
Here is a man who was trying to corrupt a young cricketer and he is no where to be found? Whose failure is that? His numbers and texts were found on Amir's phone so why didn't anyone try and get hold of him? Amir says Ali was Salman Butt's friend whom he had met in Dubai. How hard could it be to trace him? Why did no one try and question Ali in the court?
Amir has openly accused Ali of being complicit with Salman Butt and Mazhar Majeed in setting him up. If Amir was fighting this case in court, Ali would be a key witness wouldn't he?
Now I am no psychiatrist but if you take a look at the interview again, then when the first time Atherton mentions Ali, Amir changes his posture, raises the pitch of his voice, and then speaks about him. Now it could be that Amir got angry, hence the change in body language, but to me it just seemed like he was lying.
Did He Really Not See the Setup Coming?
Now we all know that he is an 18-19 year old boy, but he is not a dimwit.
Amir himself said he was curious to find out what Ali wanted from him, which is why he initially entertained his text messages and asked him what he wanted, before telling Ali that he would not do it.
Amir knew that he had done nothing wrong with respect to what Ali had asked him, so why did he get scared of ICC getting a hold of those text messages? The ICC didn't get hold of them but that is what Mazhar Majeed told him to set him up according to Amir.
I find it hard to believe that an inquisitive person like Amir who has enough sense to probe Ali to find out what he wants, and has enough sense to tell Salman Butt twice that he would not get involved in fixing, doesn't have the sense to say to Mazhar that it doesn't matter if the ICC has got hold of the text messages, they can't do anything to him because he hasn't done anything wrong.
He could have very easily walked away from Mazhar's car in the parking lot after saying that he would not do it. But he didn't.
According to Amir he panicked and he really thought he was in trouble. But how could one be in trouble when you haven't taken any money from a bookie / fixer, nor have you underperformed?
If you have not seen the interview then please go here and take a look and decide for yourself if you want to believe Mohammad Amir or not.
Whether its true or not, Michael Atherton has done a wonderful job getting us this story. And despite the fact that I have my doubts about the credibility of the story, I do feel sorry for Mohammad Amir, who I believe suffered from a generally corrupt dressing room environment.
He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Atherton ends the interview with a very pertinent question: will cricket ever want Mohammad Amir back?
Its a difficult question. A part of me wants to see him in those green colours so badly, but another part of me is frustrated that I am still being lied to.
But does it really matter that Amir has lied in this interview? Or what matters more is that fact that he has served his punishment in jail, he is serving his ICC ban, he has learnt his lesson and will never fix again, and that he has apologized endlessly to all his fans?
Asia Cup Facts, Figures, and Random Info
The 11th edition of the Asia Cup gets under way tomorrow in Dhaka with the hosts Bangladesh taking on Pakistan.
The last time the tournament was held in Bangladesh, in 2000, Pakistan were crowned the Asia Champions. Incidentally, that is the only time that Pakistan has won the Asia Cup with India winning the competition 5 times, and Sri Lanka 4 times.
That is quite surprising considering that 6 of the Asia Cups were held between the mid 80s and year 2000, which was a period of Pakistan's dominance over India and Sri Lanka. Yet Pakistan has won it only once.
Here are some more interesting facts and figures, and some random info, regarding the Asia Cup:
- There has been plenty of confusion regarding the name of the tournament. The first three editions of the tournament were associated with cigarette brands and were called "The Rothmans Asia Cup", "John Player's Gold Leaf Trophy", and "Wills Asia Cup". This was followed by an association with beverages (since ofcourse smoking was considered harmful to health and cricket) and there were two editions that were known as "Pepsi Asia Cup". The other 5 editions have just been called the Asia Cup.
- India and Pakistan, which are by far the two largest cricket nations in the world, let alone Asia, have hosted the Asia Cup only once each. India in 1990, Pakistan in 2008.
- The UAE has hosted the tournament twice and it has also participated in it twice. However it did not participate in the ones it hosted. Weird shit.
- Sanath Jayasuriya has an exceptional record in Asia Cup games. He is the only batsman who has scored over a 1,000 runs in Asia cup matches, he has the most number of 100s (6), and in 24 Asia cup games he averages 53.04 and has a strike rate of 102.5!
- The highest score by a batsman in an Asia Cup game is 144, by Younis Khan against Hong Kong in 2004.
- Muttiah Muralitharan's 30 wickets is the record for most wickets taken in Asia Cup games.
- Pakistan's 385-7 against Bangladesh in the 2010 edition of the Asia Cup is the highest total by a team in Asia Cup games.
- Misbah-Ul-Haq was the Pakistan Vice Captain during the Asia Cup in 2008, he was out of the team during the Asia Cup in 2010, and he is the Captain of the team in this edition. #strangewaysofPakistancricket
- 6 captains have led India in Asia Cups, 8 have led Sri Lanka, and 7 have led Bangladesh. For Pakistan, however, one can field a best XI team of Asia Cup Captains. I'll try and give it a batting order as well: 1. Saeed Anwar 2. Rameez Raja 3. Zaheer Abbas 4. Javed Miandad 5. Inzamam-Ul-Haq 6. Misbah-Ul-Haq 7. Imran Khan 8. Shahid Afridi 9. Shoaib Malik 10. Moin Khan 11. Abdul Qadir
That is some batting line up. A bit weak on the pace bowling front, but then we seem to be relying on spinners these days anyway. - This should come as no surprise, but Shahid Afridi has the best strike rate amongst batsmen in Asia Cup games. He has scored his 388 Asia Cup runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 139! Afridi even has a decent Asia Cup average of 43.11.
Here's hoping to more of the same from Afridi during this Asia Cup, and some more facts, figures, and randomness from the competition that gets going tomorrow.
How Do You Bring Balance back into the Pakistan Team?
What is an ideal ODI combination?
The answer is not as simple as it is for a test combination. A test match is a game for specialists and most teams, if not all, go in with the age old formula of 6 batsmen, a wicketkeeper, and 4 bowlers.
In ODIs you need atleast 5 bowlers, and you also need a 6th bowler if one of your key bowlers goes for plenty. Going in with only 5 bowlers is a huge risk in an ODI.
And your ODI wicketkeeper has to know how to bat really well.
Pakistan has always been blessed with quality allrounders that have always ensured that Pakistan fields a strong ODI unit. From the days of Imran Khan to Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Shahid Afridi, and Shoaib Malik, Pakistan has never had a problem with the balance of their ODI team.
Till recently.
Besides the absence of a quality allrounder like Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan is also suffering from the fact that there aren't any wicket keepers around with the batting ability that the likes of Moin Khan, Rashif Latif, and Kamran Akmal used to have.
We all know that Pakistan faced an issue with the balance of their team during the 4 ODIs that they lost to England.
Asking an out of form Shoaib Malik to fill an allrounders position at number 7 or 8, and making Umar Akmal keep wicket did not work to solve this balance issue in the series against England.
Misbah and Dave Whatmore need to address this issue before the Asia Cup gets underway and they need to know what their best XI is before they land in Dhaka.
What XI would you play?
The Openers
Despite Mohammad Hafeez' relatively bad form with the bat, he has to be one of the first few names you pencil in on your team sheet. No doubt about that.
Who partners him is the more important question. Do you go in with Azhar Ali who knocked a well made century while opening in the last ODI against England? Or do you go in with the more aggressive Nasir Jamshed? Or do you give Sarfraz Ahmed a chance to do what he has done for PIA in the domestic scene?
I would go for Nasir Jamshed. Simply because he can belt the leather like the best in the business, and if he gets going he can take a lot of the pressure of Hafeez who can then look to bat through the innings.
The Middle Order
Now here is the tricky bit. Considering that Pakistan needs to go in with two allrounders and a wicket keeper from 6-8 in order to ensure six bowling options, which three batsmen do you go with for positions 3 to 5?
Pakistan is kind of spoilt for choices in their 15-man squad for the Asia Cup with the experience duo of Misbah and Younis Khan, along with the young and talented brigade of Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, and Azhar Ali.
One can't really leave Misbah out considering he is the captain, though if it were up to me I would not have him anywhere near the ODI team.
Can you really leave Younis Khan and all that experience out? Can you drop the extremely talented Umar Akmal who has been Pakistan's best batsman in recent times? Can you ignore the rapidly developing Asad Shafiq who has played some promising knocks in recent times?
The only one you can bench really is Azhar Ali. Given the way he plays, if he doesn't open, he doesn't fit in anywhere else in the ODI XI.
So which three from Misbah, Younis, Akmal, and Shafiq do you play?
You can't play all four unless you make Umar keep wickets, which we all know is not the right thing to do. If you play all four and make Sarfraz keep then that leaves space for only four bowlers with Hafeez being the fifth. And as I said, playing with only five bowlers in an ODI is a big risk.
I am tempted to play Asad Shafiq, but I also do not want to leave Younis Khan out. He is a valuable member of the team and his experience is needed in the middle. Shafiq is being groomed for the number 3 position, and it will be his for the taking once Younis Khan moves on, but for the now the young talent would have to make way for the experienced war horse.
Umar Akmal needs to bat at four and no lower. Plus with him cushioned between Younis and Misbah, it might just be the ideal position for him to bat on. He needs to be given more chances to build an innings. He's being wasted at 5 or 6.
The Allrounders
There is no question about Shahid Afridi's position in the team. Besides Hafeez, he is probably the only other player who walks in automatically in my books.
It is high time that Misbah and the Pakistan team management places its trust in the burgeoning talent of Hammad Azam. He has shown glimpses of his promise in the little chances that he has had thus far. Its time to give him an elongated run and allow him to make the position left vacant by Abdul Razzaq, his very own.
He is only 20 and faces a long career ahead of him. There is no point carrying him around in the squad if you are not going to play him. And there is also no point if you are going to play him at number 8 and not trust him with the ball.
Give him a proper run.
The Wicketkeeper
The selectors have entrusted Sarfraz Ahmed the job for the Asia Cup, but have also given him an ultimatum to score runs. I wonder how much pressure that would put on this former U19 captain.
The Bowlers
Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul are sure starters, with the third spot a toss up between Wahab, Cheema, and Rehman.
Playing Rehman won't be a bad ploy considering there will be spinning tracks in Bangladesh, but then just one genuine pacer in Umar Gul might be a risk. If it does happen then we will surely see Hafeez opening the bowling with Gul, and Hammad Azam employing his medium pace in the middle overs.
So here is my Pakistan XI for the Asia Cup. I believe a more balanced team than the one Misbah played during the series against England.
1. Mohammad Hafeez 2. Nasir Jamshed 3. Younis Khan 4. Umar Akmal 5. Misbah Ul Haq 6. Hammad Azam 7. Shahid Afridi 8. Sarfraz Ahmed 9. Umar Gul 10. Saeed Ajmal 11. Abdul Rehman
What is yours?
Asia Cup Squad: Overall positive but why Nasir and no Shehzad?
When Mohammad Ilyas announced his resignation following the just concluded series between Pakistan and England, I was a content man. Totally satisfied. Not because Mohammad Ilyas was not going to be part of the PCB selection committee going forward, but because his resignation signalled the end of Imran Farhat's career.
It is no secret that Farhat's inclusion in Pakistan's squads has been due to dear daddy in law. And with no daddy in law selecting the team now, Farhat was bound to be dropped.
And that was made official moments ago when Pakistan's new chief selector, Iqbal Qasim, announced Pakistan's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.
It was double satisfaction for the Pakistan cricket fans as not only Imran Farhat, but even Shoaib Malik, was axed.
No Imran Farhat. No Shoaib Malik.
God I must be dreaming!
When was the last time a Pakistan squad was picked without either of these two?
I really don't remember.
But Good riddance. And finally!
I wouldn't lie, I was expecting this, but I had to see the list of 15 twice to ensure that I was not being deceived.
With both these parchis out of the team, Nasir Jamshed making his comeback, and Adnan Akmal making way for Sarfraz Ahmed for the wicketkeeping duties, I believe Iqbal Qasim and Co. have done a good first job.
All positive changes I believe.
Sarfraz should have always been behind the stumps for the ODIs and I still don't know why he was dropped for the England series when he had a decent outing against the Sri Lankans in December. Adnan is good for the tests no doubt, but for the ODIs, a more aggressive Sarfraz definitely makes more sense.
I don't mind the inclusion of Nasir Jamshed (anyone but Farhat really) considering he provides aggressive starts at the top of the innings.
But I do wonder what the criteria was for his selection.
Considering that the Asia Cup will be played in Bangladesh, the selectors might have given some weight to the performances of the Pakistani players that took part in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League.
But then if that was the case, there were three Pakistani openers that did better than Nasir Jamshed did in the BPL.
I will never advocate the inclusion of Kamran Akmal in any Pakistan team. Imran Nazir might be good enough to still play T20s for Pakistan, but I feel he's too unreliable for ODIs. But Ahmed Shehzad is Pakistan's future, and I don't understand how he can continued to be ignored.
His performance in the BPL speaks for itself.
Well alright, maybe the BPL performance is not enough evidence, but someone please tell me what he did wrong to get dropped from the team in the first place.
I heard of some disciplinary issues. So are you telling me that there is no one in the Pakistan team management that can discipline this 20 year old kid? Seriously?
The National One Day Championship in Pakistan hasn't happened yet this season, but one can always compare Nasir and Shehzad's performances in the domestic T20 and first class games.
During the current 2011-12 domestic season, Ahmed Shehzad has outperformed Nasir Jamshed in every competition, besides the Pentangular Cup. If you include the BPL among these, then one can see that Shehzad has done better than Nasir in four domestic tournaments out of five.
Then what made the selectors go for Nasir and not Shehzad?
It is not that Nasir has done badly. He has had a decent season domestically and he is a proven performer at the domestic level. His BPL stint also showed that he is in good form.
It is just that Shehzad has done better.
Why he remains on the sidelines, is anyone's guess.
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