Political Knockout

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

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

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

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

Have fun!

To Tour or Not To Tour

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

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

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

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

What do you think?

3rd Test: Double or nothing

On the eve of the final test match in the India vs Pakistan series, there is a lot to play for. India is up 1-0 in the two match series, they have not won a test match in Bangalore since 1995 and Pakistan have never lost a test series in India since 1979/1980.

Looking back at 1979/80, things are back full circle. In that series, the first test was played at Bangalore and in the current one, the last test is being played at Bangalore. A look back at the scoreboards of those 6 test matches makes for interesting reading. Mudassir Nazar made a century in the first test match... that alone should tell you something about the pace of the game. In the second test at Delhi, India was in a position to win the match, requiring 390 to win the game in the last innings. They were in a strong position at 117/2 at the start of day 5, but decided not to chase the target, falling short by just 26 runs with 4 wickets still in hand !?! India won 2 of the remaining 4 games and Pakistan remained winless on tour.

Other interesting facts from that era.

- The 2nd edition of the world cup had been played in the summer of 1979. Sri Lanka upset India by 47 runs - this must have been as big an upset as Bangladesh beating India this WC or Ireland beating Pakistan (how long ago was that...!)

- Imran Khan picked up an injury in the 2nd test match and did not bowl till the 5th game I think. You can draw parallels between him and Shoaib, but then thats where the comparisons stop :)

- The Kotla at Delhi somehow favors one bowler running through the opposition. In teh 2nd test which was played there, Sikandar Bakht took 8 Indian wickets in teh first innings bowling India out for 120 odd... how Pakistan didnt win the game from there and actually set India a target they almost reached is incomprehensible. Maybe Soulberry can shed some light on this trend, being a citizen of Delhi.

- And finally, those who argue for more games in a test series... I think 6 is way too many. It looks like the players really got into it after the first 2 test matches and were more concerned about not losing at the start of the series.

Now to the present era, the game is about to start in a few hours. Seems like wellpitched readers have once again conspired to influence things like team lineups. Younis Khan is going to continue as Pakistan captain (donkey rides and all) and Yuvraj is set to make his entry to the test side. I think Yuvraj and Pathiv may come in for India in place of Tendulkar and Dhoni. For Pakistan Abdur Rehman, the left arm spinner may come in for Sami.

I am waiting ...

I am bad with dates and names. I am bad with statistics pertaining to the game as well. I can't recall when this affair with the game began for me - but I do remember watching Miandad score a century on the opening day of the world cup 1987 against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad. I do remember collecting coke bottle caps during the tournament to win the free scoring sheet that Coke had offered to its consumers. I do remember feigning stomachache and pulling a sicky from my class to watch the semi-final with Australia, tallying every run and wicket on the most prized-scorecard till Steve Waugh hit Jaffar for 18 in the last over. With the last over of Aussie innings not in my scorecard, I started afresh in Pakistan innings. Don't remember much, except that Bruce Reid clean-bowled Miandad and my scorecard remained incomplete, and down the throat of a dust-bin. I remember watching the Sharjah-6 by Miandad. I remember Imran Khan inviting Indian film-stars to raise donations. I remember Zia's crash, and I remember Nazia Zoheb's young tarang, where Ali Azmat sang Dosti with Jupiters (awesome song by a crap band).

But I think the affair became an obsession at the start of 92 world cup. Waqar was sidelined, and Miandad not selected. There was wholesale criticism about Imran, and everybody at my dad's press (where I used to spend my evenings getting acquainted to computers) proclaimed doom for Imran Khan. There is history here as well. Both Imran and Miandad had their exclusive fanbase ... and this was reflected by where a person was physically based in Pakistan. If you are in Karachi/Hyderabad, Miandad was the superman, and Imran was perceived to be this conniving dictator, who had this sectarian-based agenda of sidelining players from Sindh, and had a personal vendetta against Miandad on top of it. I was (still am) an idealist - and was extremely miffed by this sheer bias of my dad's folks as I could never understand how hatred for one person (Imran) and love for another (Miandad) would lead somebody to actually dismiss the entire Pakistani campaign even before it began. In one of those arguments with a bunch of over-patronising elders, I proclaimed "Imran will bring the cup to Pakistan."

Nobody took me seriously but myself. I would wake up in the middle of the night, make myself sehri, and watch the match. Good thing I was in the middle of schools, and was usually at home. I remember Ramiz taking ages to get a century in the opening match, and then Lara completely dominating Pakistan attack. I went through heartache after heartache in the initial stages of the campaign. Yet, every evening at Iftar at the press, I would stand by my captain, and more than anything, reassure myself that Pakistan would win - often under extreme pressure from the patronizers. There was too much going against Pakistan. Ijaz was our 5th bowlder. Inzy wasn't clicking and floated in the batting order. I hated Iqbad Sikander. Yet Imran, Miandad and Akram were digging in deep - and there was this immovable faith in Imran Khan.

Then came the crunch games, we shared a point with England, and our qualification was on the road. I remember praying for Aussies victory against Windies, and actually offering 2-Nafils when the semi-final berth was confirmed. The blind-faith in Imran was paying off. I was boasting off in my dad's office. It was as if I was giving all those patronizing sonofbitches a finger-salute. The semi-final gave us a star in Inzy. Miandad, Imran and Was were the support act. Moin's pull for a straight six was a classic. Aaqib's slower one to get rid of Greatbatch. The moments have been etched in my memory. Then there was the final, Wasim was the beauty, Imran the anchor, Miandad the shrewd, Mushy provided the guile, and Ramiz the finishing. The world cup was ours.

Imran had brought the cup home. I lined up on the street to welcome our all-conquering heroes. I even campaigned for Shaukat Khanum Hospital fundraiser at school. That was the beginning of my passion for the sport. Imran retired, and we've been see-sawing on the cricketing map since then. Some good, some bad and some downright ugly moments form the sports history post 1992 triumph. I sat down to list the best-11 for ODIs after 1992, and here is what I came up with:

1. Saeed Anwar


2. Aamir Sohail


3. Abdul Razak


4. Inzamam-ul-Haq


5. Mohd. Yousuf


6. Shahid Afridi


7. Moin Khan (WK)


8. Wasim Akram (C)


9. Waqar Younis


10. Saqlain Mushtaq


11. Shoaib Akhtar

It's been 15 years since that triumph, and only 3 players in the current setup find themselves in the best-11 post-92 triumph. This is an astoundingly worrying prospect as in these 15 years we have given ODI debuts to a total of 76 people. Asif and Younis are the only other players from the current team that can potentially challenge to displace somebody from this list - though highly unlikely as Asif is no Waqar and Younis is no Inzy. The future is yet unknown - the openers are a dilemma that doesn't seem to resolve despite Butt's resurgence (i still doubt his ability), Misbah is a finisher who never finishes, and Rao/Tanvir are average bowlers at best. And we are still missing Razzak's batting in late order.

I am waiting for the nextgen of Ws and Inzy to come through. And yes, I still believe in Imran Khan. I am waiting for my captain to lead us out of the rot, this time the task is even bigger - it's the country. Yet the faith has never been stronger - both in the captain, and in the ability of the country to produce the next best thing to hit the cricketing world.

A Video That Speaks of a Thousand Possibilities

I was just randomly sampling some cricket videos and I searched for some "doosras", especially by Saqlain since he was the first legitimate bowler of the delivery. I realized that I missed seeing him bowl. Harbhajan, Murali and other top spinners bowl this delivery quite commonly now, but its fair to say that Saqlain invented it and Moin Khan coined the phrase "doosra".

Here is an interesting video I'd like to share from that amazing 2nd Test match between Pakistan and Australia in 1999.



Some interesting points:

1 - Saqlain clearly at his best. I think during this time period (1999), Saqlain was up there with Warne and Murali as one of the best spinners and may even have been the best finger spinner.

2 - First dismissal of Gilchrist shows the difference a great keeper makes. Akmal is no where as nifty as Moin Khan.

3 - 2nd dismissal, you can hear Wasim utter an expletive after the dismissal. Atleast the team has a positive and vibrant vibe about it. When you saw the team like that, you could see they had self belief, something the current team lacks.

3 - Third dismissal... showcases the wonderful variety possessed by Saqlain. Flighted delivery for the first dismissal, doosra for the second one and finally a faster one that spun for the third one.

4 - Australians had quite a few problems with Saqlains doosra during this time period. The novelty has worn out since then and they have studied the delivery very carefully and I don't think they have the same problems with it anymore.

5 - The match itself: I rate this match as a turning point and as a starting point of Australia's ascendancy. If I'm not wrong, this video is from the Australia's first innings of the second Test match in 1999. After Saqlian's brilliant spell Australia only managed a 24 run lead, Pakistan set Australia a target of 396. With Australia at 126-5 chasing this target Langer and Gilchrist combined to chase this record target. Langer's position at that time in the side was not secure and Pakistan had lost the first game. If Pakistan had won this match it would have opened up lots of possibilities. They didn't and I feel this was a turning point from where Australia have never looked back (other than that Ashes defeat).

6 - There is some talk of Saqlain playing for England. His wife is English and he will also get English nationality. Do you think he can or will do something like this?

What do you think?

The Romanticism of Radio Commentary

These days we have 24/7 live coverage of cricket games all over the world, from first class games to international ones, from women’s games to men’s ones. The emergence and proliferation of TVs and TV channels has made it easy for us to watch the games live. For those who can’t do that, there is vivid and detailed commentary as well as analysis available on CricInfo.com. Credit must be given where it is due – CricInfo has served millions of cricket fans all over the world and the world is a better place with it.

However, I remember the 80s and the 90s when the only available mediums for following cricket were print, TV and radio. The game was not as commercial then so it was not feasible to broadcast games live. Living in Pakistan and even India at that time, there were no sports only channels. For the only local channels, Pakistan Television (PTV) in Pakistan and Doordarshan in India, it was far more lucrative to broadcast soap operas compared to cricket games.

If you were a cricket fan in the sub continent and were really lucky, the state run channel would carry a short highlights clip after the nightly ‘news’. If President Zia and his many chief ministers, governors and generals had had a busy day in the field chairing various boring meetings, cutting inaugural ribbons etc, the cricket highlights would be the last thing shown on TV. If the country was going through bad times, highlights of a lost match wouldn’t necessarily be shown. The backup option was always to quickly glance at the scorecard in the morning paper before scrambling to school.

But true joy came from listening to live cricket commentary on the radio. For me, there is no cricketing memory better than Chishty Mujahid or Omer Kureishi passing verdict on Pakistan Radio, that the old ball in the hands of Waqar or Wasim had started to swing. Hallelujah! The beginning of the end had started! That’s when you closed your eyes and pictured a rampant Waqar steaming in to bowl. The batsmen’s fear, the tension in the air and a warm tingling sensation in the base of your gut that Pakistan’s ascendancy was imminent; all made the air thick with excitement and anticipation. To their credit, the commentators only added to the drama, sucking the listeners in and using a scarcity of words to keep the listeners engaged (its funny how TV commentators these days feel the need to keep talking, even if its crap). The gathering roar of anticipation by the crowd as Waqar or Wasim ran up to the crease was typically accompanied by the following words

“Waqar goes back to his run-up…
[the buzz in the crowd grows]
He starts his run-up
[buzz grows to hum]
Crowe to face him…
Comes in to bowl
[hum reaches crescendo.. ooooOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHH!]
[dull thud of the ball hitting the pads]
[loud appeal!]
AND HES GONE!
[high fives all around, jubilant jumps etc]”

Im sure all readers don’t have memories as magical as mine, especially if their team was at the receiving end of the W magic. However, my point is that for me the radio and following cricket went hand in hand. If Pakistan were in deficit, I felt it was my responsibility to turn the radio on and guide Miandad or Salim Malik through till the deficit was wiped out or follow on averted. Visits to family at the other end of town or tuition center rounds were planned such that your could hear commentary for the first twenty overs of the test match. If you got to hear commentary when the ball started to swing, then that was a bonus.

I still remember very clearly, one of Pakistan’s greatest overseas triumphs when Waqar and Wasim combined to bowl out New Zealand for 93 when they needed 127 at Hamilton in 1993. I remember being glued to the Radio, hoping that the ball would swing and that Pakistan would give New Zealand a tough time in their run chase.

What are your fondest memories of associated with following cricket? Has the radio figured prominently? Please share your thoughts by posting a comment

India vs Pakistan: 1st One Day PostMortem

So the first one day is over and I have to say that the quality of cricket was quite poor. Initially when Pakistan batted they seemed to be playing without purpose. A thoroughly listless performance! India were efficient when bowling, but they were also quite unimpressive, specially in the field. Ganguly's crucial dropping of Yousuf will only fuel arguments for a youthful Indian team

India's batting was as impressive as Pakistan's bowling and fielding was poor. Shoaib looked like he was laboring and whenever bowlers succeeded in creating chances the fielders let them down. I thought Umar Gul was the best bowler but he was a bit unlucky, with low bouncing balls barely passing the stumps.

Pakistan's performance was summed up in the space of two balls in Shoaibs opening over. Gambhir edged great deliver in the corridor of uncertainty between Akmal and Younis at first slip. They both didnt move an inch and watched the ball pass by. Next ball - same result, this time Younis made a half hearted, one handed attempt. Pakistan's performance was the same - a half hearted attempt to put on a semblance of competition. The big question is why? Every Pakistani is affected by the genaral situation in their country? Do you think its that or is it unispired leadership from Malik?

What do you think?

India vs Pakistan: 1st One Day Preview (Guhawati)

A few hours before the start of the first One Day match between India and Pakistan at Guwahati, there are some very intriguing questions that make things interesting. India seem to have a definite mental edge over Pakistan in recent times – it seems like the new generation of Indian players are too young to remember Miandad’s six ☺ Inzi who really seeped up the pressure of these great contests is not there anymore. How will Shoaib Malik handle the pressure on his first tour to India as captain? Will he lead from the front and be aggressive or will the pressure of touring India, with an unsettled side and a returning Shoaib Akhtar put him on the defensive. The Pakistani side appear to have lost the sheen of consistency and mental maturity that they had gained under Inzi – can they do what usually eludes them; play consistently and as a team?

On the Indian side, will Dhoni continue to assert his captaining maturity? Will the greatly improved and disciplined Indian bowling attack trouble the Pakistani batting, which certainly is vulnerable without a settled opening pair and a missing Inzi? This match has an early start and dewy sub continent winters make for ideal seam bowling conditions. How will Dravid’s omission play on the psyche of other senior Indian players such as Tendulkar, Ganguly and an out of form Sehwag? Will they come out stronger after a tough series against Australia?

Overall, I would say that the Pakistani side is weaker on paper compared to India’s. There are more question marks about Pakistani players such as Akmal, Butt, Shoaib Akhtar. India appear well settled and have the home advantage as well. The ground itself at Guwahati has short 60-65 yard boundaries on the sides but definitely favors swing and seam bowling at the start. The side batting second has to face poor light, because the sun sets around 4:30pm local time but then batting conditions are more favorable for the side batting second. Overall, India Pakistan games bring out the best in players so I am eagerly anticipating improved performances by the Pakistanis. On the Indian side I am predicting a good team performance. A disciplined performance by their bowlers will make them clear favorites to win. A good batting performance by Pakistan will only keep them in the game,

What do you think?

New Poll - Who should be Pakistan's Vice Captain

Its time for a new poll... who should be Pakistan's vice captain. We got a great response on the last poll, with the majority of people saying that Dhoni should also be India's Test captain.

Why isnt anyone talking about India vs Pakistan?

For those of you who want a good recap of past India Pakistan series, I was going through the blogosphere and came across this great piece by Dr Saad Shafqat titled "The Complexities of Playing With India". Even though this was written for the 2004 series in India, a lot still holds true. Also, you may recall that Dr Shafqat wrote Miandad's autobiography titled "Cutting Edge"

Anyways, amidst all the other stuff going on, the traditional India vs Pakistan hype hasnt built up yet. Is it because the two countries have been playing each other quite regularly (after a long gap)? Or is it because the fragile internal situation in Pakistan has had its people focussed on issues much bigger than mere sport? Or maybe its just randomization due to Inzi's retirement, Pakistani self destruction while playing South Africa, Indian over exuberance at winning the Twenty20 world cup, sledging, racial slurs and an Indian thrashing at the hands of Australia? Phew, thats a lot of randomization which may be hindering the context switch to an India Pakistan series. Is that even possible? What do you think?

The interesting part is that this series may well be the last one for many Indian greats namely Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid. I think the pressure will be on India for exactly the same reason Graeme Smith mentioned during the Lahore test. India will be hoping to script a fairytale ending for their senior batsmen who will be playing their last home series against Pakistan. I usually am not a big believer in this distraction theory, but we all saw it in action when Inzamam went for a big stroke in his last inning. Whether you try for too much (in his case), or being defensive (by not wanting to be the guy that lost his last match), it can have a negative effect on the team.

Let the games begin. Its going to be a great series for two teams who have gotten a reality check after being on Twenty20 cloud 9.

The best of Pakistani sledging

I was reading a pretty funny post by one of regular visitors, Ottayan on Simon Taufel's recent comments on sledging. Apparently Taufel has said that sledging is ok, but originality is very important.

So as a tribute to great Pakistani sledgers, and those that had great sledges targetted at Pakistanis, here are some good ones:


"Pakistan is the sort of place every man should send his mother-in-law to, for a month, all expenses payed" - Ian Botham, after England's 1984 tour to Pakistan

"Why don't you send in your mother-in-law now? She couldn't do any worse" - Aamir Sohail's belated, but effective response after Botham's duck in the 1992 World Cup Final

"I knew God was on our side" - Imran Khan after the 1992 WC final

"I have never upset anyone in my life" - Miandad before the 1992 Pakistani tour to England

"Ive waited 6 years for your autograph, Mr Wog."
"Well, another 10 minutes wont hurt you mate." - conversation between a Pakistani fan and Steve Waugh as the latter left the field during Aus tour of Pak in 1994

"They've always had a lot of talent, a lot of good players, but they're like eleven women. You know, they're all scratching each other's eyes out" - hauntingly accurate words from Ian Bothan on Pakistani sides he's known

"Atleast when a side like Australia tries to rattle you, they do so in a language you can understand" - Billy Alley overestimating the English skills of the Pakistani players in 1992.

Pakistan 3-2 tomorrow?

A pity for the Karachi fans with the ODI being shifted to Lahore but a fitting finale to the ODI series. Pakistan have never won an ODI series against South Africa losing 4-1 in SA in 2002, 3-2 in Pakistan in 2003, and 3-1 in SA earlier this year. However, they have the best opportunity to turn the tables over tomorrow.

With Shoaib Akhtar making an expected return to the ODI side after over a year, Pakistan's bowling will have a much stronger look to it. Asif and Gul have done exceptionally well in his absence but I have always maintained that Shoaib's pace has the ability to topple over the best of batting line ups in a matter of overs. Only if he can stay disciplined and not feel above the game. Hopefully a 2-year probationary period will do him and Pakistan some good as I believe he can still do a lot for Pakistan for the next 2-3 years provided he stays fit and mentally stable.

Cricinfo is reporting that Pakistan are set to move back to Imran Nazir and Kamran Akmal as openers with Yasir Hameed facing the axe. Why these musical chairs? Yasir Hameed fails in 2 games and they move back to Imran Nazir who has been constantly failing forever. In my previous post (below) I mentioned that people will scream for his neck if Hameed doesn't do well in the next 2 games and thats exactly what has happened. He deserves a decent run at the top of the order. He has performed before and can be a better opener than any that Pakistan have at their disposal these days.

Nevertheless, the match tomorrow has the potential to be a cracker. Both teams have shown their brilliance throughout this series and its only fitting that the 5th game is a decider rather than a dead game. My money's on Pakistan, and its not an emotional wager - I have been predicting a 3-2 victory since before the series began and I feel the team will be charged up tomorrow to wrap up the series and move on to India on a high.