The PCB announced Pakistan's ODI squad for the tour of Sri Lanka over a month and a half before the 1st ODI, which is quite early by PCB's standards. As always the selectors sprung a surprise on everyone by including Younis Khan in the ODI squad, 16 months after Younis played his last ODI game.

The President's Trophy continued this week with some exciting games and good work outs for Pakistan's national team cricketers. With no international cricket being played, this season's President's Trophy has been set alight with the presence of all the national stars.

Habib Bank's First Loss

Habib Bank fell from the number 1 spot for the first time this season as PIA ended their winning streak this week. PIA's victory came on the back of a big performance from Shoaib Malik who followed up his first innings 56 with an unbeaten 94 in the second innings to help PIA chase 176 and win the game by 6 wickets.

Aizaz Cheema continued his good form with the ball picking up 7 wickets in the match including the wicket of Younis Khan in both innings. A rare twin failure by Younis Khan meant that Habib Bank could manage only 200 and 147 in their two innings.

Habib Bank's rare failure allowed Sui Gas to take the lead in the table and they now sit at number 1 with a 3 point lead over HBL.

Sui Gas at the Top of the Table

Sui Gas crushed ZTBL by 186 runs as Pakistan skipper Misbah Ul Haq, Azhar Ali, Taufeeq Umar all returned to form at the same time. The three had had an atrocious run this season so far, but in this week's game against ZTBL, which included Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Khalil, and Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan trio put on their best show.

Misbah's 110 in the first innings allowed Sui Gas to put up a fighting total of 250 after they were reeling at 63-3. And then Azhar Ali's second innings unbeaten 129, during which he was involved in a 153 run partnership with Taufeeq Umar who scored 80, enabled Sui Gas to set ZTBL a daunting target of 408.

Abdul Razzaq's good form with the ball also continued as he picked up 6 wickets in the first innings that helped restrict Sui Gas to 250; but the effort was not enough to avoid a crushing defeat. Nor was Haaris Sohail's well made century in the second innings. Haaris, who should be in the national selectors' thoughts for future tours, remained unbeaten 117 as ZTBL were bowled out for 221.

Samiullah Khan Niazi, who had been on the fringes of Pakistan's national team for some time picked up 10 wickets for Sui Gas, with his first innings 6 resulting in ZTBL collapsing for a first innings 99.

National Bank Finally Win

National Bank of Pakistan, who have a star studded batting line up with Nasir Jamshed, Sami Aslam, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, and Hammad Azam finally won their first game of the President's Trophy as they won a closely fought encounter against Port Qasim by 2 wickets.

NBP were able to fight off a super performance from Tanvir Ahmed whose 12 wickets for Port Qasim were not enough to avoid a close defeat after they had set NBP a target of 211. Fawad Alam had a rare failure in both innings in a game that was dominated by the bowlers.

Imran Khan, the 25 year old medium fast bowler from Peshawar picked up 6 wickets to restrict Port Qasim to 150 in the first innings. His effort was bettered by Tanvir Ahmed who picked up 7 wickets and restricted NBP to only 117. Then it was the turn of Silakot's Umaid Asif who picked up 5 wickets and bowled Port Wasim out for 177 in their 2nd innings. Tanvir's 5 wicket haul was not enough to restrict NBP who scraped home by 2 wickets to finally notch up a win.

In other games this week KRL and State Bank played out a draw, while Wapda crushed UBL by an innings.

The President's Trophy continues next week.

For now, lets forget about the bad and the ugly, and lets just concentrate on the good. The good that we have witnessed on the cricket field. There have been plenty of moments to cherish in the year gone by, and here are my personal Top 10 performances from 2010.

Pakistan has never been short of quality pacers and they have always been known for the young fast bowlers they unleash on the world. This one though was an exception; at 32 no one really expected what Tanvir Ahmed showcased on his test debut against South Africa in Abu Dhabi. 6 wickets in an innings is a significant achievement; on a dead wicket its an even bigger one. But to achieve that on debut, including wickets in your first and second overs in test cricket, and to get scalps of Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, and Hashim Amla in your first outing is something that Tanvir Ahmed will always be remembered for.

9. Finally a 200

There are two performances that can qualify under this title, but one of them deserves a much higher rank on my list. When Jacques Kallis flicked Jaidev Unadkat to the fine leg boundary, he reached the score of 200 for the first time ever in his test career. The way AB DeVilliers, his partner at the crease, and the rest of the South African team in the dressing room celebrated showed what the feat meant to Kallis and to the team. It was a huge rabbit that had been disturbing Kallis' back, and its finally of it. The significance of the feat lies in the fact that Kallis had played over 140 test matches, batted over 240 times, scored over 11,000 runs, and hit 37 centuries in a career spanning 15 years before he hit his first double century!

The only triple century in test cricket in 2010 was scored by Chris Gayle. And what a triple century it was! Gayle single handedly demolished Sri Lanka in a brutal innings of 333. His innings came off only 437 deliveries and included 34 boundaries and 9 sixes. Gayle has played a number of whirlwind knocks in all formats of the game, but this innings is surely one of his most memorable ones in my book.

With his ability to take wickets slightly on the wane, Harbhajan Singh became quite vocal about the dead pitches being prepared for test matches. Once he realized that his rants were falling on deaf ears, Bhajji decided that it might be best to stop complaining about the lack of wickets, and start making the most of the dead pitches by scoring some runs. He first notched up a 69 in the 1st innings of the 1st test against New Zealand. He follows that up with 115 in the next innings, his first ever test hundred. To make sure that the ton was not regarded as a fluke, Bhajji returned in the 2nd test with another century - this time an unbeaten 111. Its widely considered that batsmen peak at the age of 30 and Harbhajan Singh has done exactly that.

Hatricks are always memorable and fun to watch in cricket. There weren't many this year, but the one that will probably remain in my mind is Peter Siddle's hatrick on the first day of the Ashes series that is currently going on. Returning to test cricket after a back injury, Siddle had a lot to prove. And how he managed to do it by snaring a well set Alistair Cook, Matt Prior, and Stuart Broad in successive deliveries to set up the series in most emphatic fashion. It was truly the best way to kick off an Ashes series.

This one is a nightmare for Pakistani fans, but when looking at it purely from a cricket fan point of view, Michael Hussey's unbeaten 60 in the semi final of the World T20 against Pakistan is the best ever T20 innings in my books. Since the days of Wasim and Waqar, I have never seen anyone take a game away from a team the way Hussey took the game away from Pakistan. His 60 took a mere 24 deliveries and when he came to the crease Australia still required 87 runs to win in 7.3 overs with half the team back in the pavilion. It looked impossible even when 47 runs were required of the final 3 overs, and even when 18 were required of the final over. For Hussey that day, impossible was nothing.

When England won the 4th test against Australia at the MCG in the ongoing Ashes series, they also retained the Ashes and did what no other English team had done in 24 years - win the Ashes on Australian soil. The celebrations at the end of that test will be etched in my mind for a long time to come - the way the England team celebrated just shows how much the victory means to them. And we can all admit that there is that extra pleasure that we all derive out of watching Australia lose.

No one could have imagined in their wildest dreams that Pakistan would beat Australia in a test match, let alone bowl them out for 88. Pakistan did both, and how! It was one of the sweetest ever test victories for Pakistan in the 2nd test against Australia at Leeds. It took Pakistan 15 years to beat Australia in a test match, which made the victory even sweeter. The batsmen made all of us sweat and they made it more difficult than it was, but when it ended it felt really good. If Pakistan's batsmen had done better during the year, Australia's 88 would have been the lowest test total in 2010.

When a 200 would be scored in an ODI was something that everyone wondered. Sanath Jayasuriya was widely regarded as the man who would do it first; while many thought that if anyone could do it, it was Adam Gilchrist. Many though Virender Sehwag would be the one to achieve the feat. I used to hope no one ever gets there so that Saeed Anwar's record remains intact; secretly I used to dream of Shahid Afridi doing it. But I can safely say that if there was anyone who deserved to achieve the feat first and who deserved to break Saeed Anwar's record, it is Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin holds most of the batting records there are in ODI cricket and Test cricket, and the first ever 200 in ODI cricket is also his! Even though it came of only 147 deliveries, it wasn't an all out slog fest, but rather a classical innings from the game's greatest ever batsman. It came in the 2nd ODI against South Africa in Gwalior and fittingly it was the last ODI Sachin played in 2010. This one, I will never forget.

Pakistan are generally extremely bad at chasing a total. When the total is as high as 286, they are even worse. No one really expects Pakistan to chase a low total, let alone one as high as 286. And then when Shahid Afridi gets out leaving the team at 136-5 in 29 overs, most people would turn their TVs off considering that the 286 is now an impossible task. Very few people believed that Abdul Razzaq walked out to the crease in the 30th over and hit an unbeaten 109 off 72 deliveries with 10 sixes and 7 boundaries to take Pakistan to a 1 wicket victory with 1 ball to spare over South Africa in Abu Dhabi! It was that type of innings that you don't get to watch ever. It was that type of innings that you can never forget. In my books, it was the best ever ODI innings played in a chase, not only this year, but in ODI history. The way Razzaq single handedly took the game away from South Africa was quite unbelievable. I said above that I had not seen someone take a game away like Hussey did since the days of Wasim and Waqar. Well for me, Razzaq's feat was a notch above what Wasim and Waqar used to do as well.

Many Pakistanis will say that 2010 was a cricket year they would like to forget; despite that I believe that there were many positives that can be taken out of the year for Pakistan cricket and cricket in general. It was a memorable year in more ways than one, and Pakistan ended 2010 on a victorious note with their largest ever win in a T20 game.

Here's hoping to a better 2011 with many more victories for Pakistan, and many more memorable cricket performances all around the world.

We all saw why Pakistan cricket is so so special.

Majority of the special wins that Pakistan have achieved during their cricketing history have been at the back of outstanding individual performances.

Yes it is a team game and Australia and South Africa have time and again shown how a good team effort can bring you wins consistently.

For Pakistan, however, it has always been about the Imran Khans, Javed Miandads, Wasim Akrams, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam Ul Haqs, Saeed Anwars, and Shahid Afridis that have brought them victories single handedly.

And last night Abdul Razzaq did exactly that!

He single handedly destroyed South Africa's bowling attack to notch up a brilliant match winning century that led Pakistan to victory by a mere 1 wicket with only 1 ball to spare.

The belligerence of Razzaq's innings is demonstrated by the statistic of 10 sixes and 7 fours in an unbeaten innings of 109 that took him only 72 deliveries.

The magnificence of Razzaq's innings is demonstrated in the fact that he came to the crease in the 30th over with the score on 136-5 - Pakistan still needed another 151 runs in 20 overs with half the team back in the pavilion.

The best part though is the wizardry that Razzaq showed at the crease.

With 5 overs remaining, Pakistan required a near impossible 54 runs to win with 3 wickets in hand.

Out of the next 29 balls that were delivered, Razzaq faced all but 8 of them!

Out of the final 17 balls that were delivered, Razzaq faced all but 1 of them!

Last night, Razzaq was a wizard at the crease. He toyed with the South Africans, hogged the strike, smashed boundaries and sixes with abandon, and did as he willed.

South Africa probably still don't know what struck them.

How many of you did not bother to watch Pakistan's chase, knowing that traditionally we are bad chasers?

How many of you turned the TV off when Afridi fell in the 30th over, knowing that there was no more hope?

I bet the majority did.

But the beauty of Pakistan cricket is in the fact that we can notch up victories from situations that seem impossible and when there is no hope left.

Those kind of victories have become rare in recent times, but when they happen, it feels really damn good.

As it did last night when Razzaq produced a dazzler out of no where.

The emotions that Razzaq showed at the end shows what this victory means to him and to Pakistan.

And it is those emotions that keep Pakistan cricket fans like me, and many of you, waiting for the men in green to show the world the beauty of Pakistan cricket.

Asif, who was banned for a year by the IPL's Drugs Tribunal, will have his ban lifted a day before the Champions Trophy kicks off.

That resulted in Pakistan announcing him first in the 30 probables, and now in their 15-man squad for the event.

Asif has not played any official cricket since the IPL in 2008.

His last international cricket match was an ODI against Bangladesh in April 2008.

During this 17 month lay-off, Asif has not appeared for any domestic team, or played any cricket match whatsoever.

Considering that, his selection raises more than just a few eyebrows.

Is he match-fit?

Is he even fit to begin with?

Is the PCB sure that there is no nandronolone in his body any more?

The Champions Trophy is an ICC event so he will surely be tested, no matter how random the tests are.

For the last week or so, Asif had been training at a camp in Karachi, with an Under-23 squad, that was being over looked by Rashid Latif.

The Pakistan selectors had requested Rashid to send them a fitness report on Asif, following which Iqbal Qasim & Co. gave him the go ahead.

Forget the eyebrows that will be raised due to his selection; think about what else will be raised when one figures that Asif comes into Pakistan's squad at the expense of Abdul Razzaq!

Razzaq made an impressive return to international cricket during the World Twenty20; I reckon he played an instrumental part in Pakistan's victory in the tournament.

And just due to a few lacklustre ODI performances against Sri Lanka, he finds himself dropped.

That too for a bowler who has been found guilty of substance abuse, not once but twice!

If Razzaq has been excluded based on his performance in the ODIs in Sri Lanka, then why are Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah, and Shoaib Malik still in the squad?

There was a lot of speculation around all 3 players due to their recent indifferent ODI form, but all 3 find a place in the plane to South Africa.

Besides Asif, the only change to the ODI squad that played in Sri Lanka is the exclusion of Nasir Jamshed.

That leaves Imran Nazir as the only specialist opener in the 15-man squad.

Sometimes I wonder what these Pakistan selectors smoke.

Even 7 men could not sit down and bring up the courage to drop a couple of senior batsmen who are way past their best; nor did they have the balls to name a few promising youngsters; nor a back up opener!

What they did though was bring back a doper and dropped an allrounder who was just finding his feet again in international cricket.

They never cease to amaze me.

Pakistan's Champions Trophy Squad: Younis Khan, Misbah Ul Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Imran Nazir, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Rana Naved, Saeed Ajmal, Rao Iftikhar Anjum

The problem I'm talking about is the one regarding the selection of the playing XI for the upcoming ODIs against Sri Lanka.

With the return of the ICL rebels into the international fold, Pakistan's 16 man squad looks very strong on paper.

I believe the squad provides Younis Khan with a lot of options; he and the team management have a lot of thinking to do.

Will it be the specialists, Imran Nazir and Nasir Jamshed? Will it be Kamran Akmal who had a great impact in the position during the World T20? Or will Fawad Alam continue in his new found role?

With Yousuf's return, the middle order seems packed with him, Younis, Misbah, Malik, Afridi, Akmal, Razzaq; will Fawad continue to be ignored?

Will he continue in the lower order where he has batted in ODIs for the last 3 years? Will he be used as a floater? Or will he come up the order where he rediscovered his batting form during the World T20?

With Yousuf out, Pakistan had the luxury to play with 6 bowling options; with Yousuf back, will they revert to using Malik as the 5th bowler? Or will Misbah or Malik make way for Yousuf?

Razzaq has not played an ODI for over two years now; does he still have a place in the team? If specialist openers are used with Malik, Afridi, and Akmal in the lower order then where does Razzaq fit in?

There are just some of the questions that Younis Khan and Co. should be looking to answer.

They better be thinking about it.

I surely am and I have still not been able to figure out what the best XI should be.

I always prefer to have 6 bowling options in ODIs; 5 is too big a risk in my view.

At the same time, I am extremely excited about watching a potentially explosive opening pair in Imran Nazir & Nasir Jamshed.

However, if that happens it would leave only 5 bowling options considering that Younis, Yousuf, Misbah, Malik, Afridi, and Akmal are almost garanteed a spot in the XI.

Unless Younis considers himself as the 6th option, which he should going by the way he bowled in the tests.

3 pacers? Or Saeed Ajmal and 2 pacers? If Ajmal plays then does Razzaq still make the team as the 2nd pacer?

See the problem I'm talking about. I think it has been a while since Pakistan faced so many options with the selection of an XI.

This is the XI I would look to play.

Q's XI: 1. Imran Nazir 2. Nasir Jamshed 3. Shahid Afridi 4. Younis Khan 5. Shoaib Malik 6. Fawad Alam 7. Abdul Razzaq 8. Kamran Akmal 9. Umar Gul 10. Mohammad Aamer 11. Saeed Ajmal.

Though I don't think that will happen. There is no way Younis Khan will drop Yousuf and / or Misbah.

I believe he should.

3 Pakistanis have taken 4 hatricks in test matches; all have come against Sri Lanka.

In almost 128 overs, Pakistan's bowlers managed to pick up only 7 wickets of a Sri Lankan XI; with all due respect to them they were a second string Sri Lankan batting line up.

There was no King Sanga, no Jayawardene, no Dilshan.

Umar Gul did not play against the Sri Lanka XI; but the other pacers - Aamer, Rauf, and Razzaq did.

Only Rauf managed to pick a wicket in the two innings.

While Kaneria and Ajmal, who are expected to be the key strikers for Pakistan in the tests, bowled 63.4 overs between them and picked up a total of 3 wickets.

That does not bode well for Pakistan's spinners, or the pacers for that matter.

What are they going to do when they come up against the real Sri Lanka?

All of them and their efforts have been praised by everyone who witnessed Pakistan's performance in the World Twenty20.

Pakistani fans, cricket experts, column writers, and everyone who care to share their thoughts have continuously raved about the above-mentioned stars of Pakistan's successful T20 campaign.

One man whose efforts have gone almost un-noticed and who has not got his fair share of credit for Pakistan's victory, is Abdul Razzaq.

The entire Pakistan was elated when Razzaq was called in as a replacement for Yasir Arafat. And for good reason.

Over the last 2 years, we had all seen Razzaq conquer the ICL with bat and ball; we had also witnessed his destructive form in the RBS 20-20 Cup.

Pakistan had hardly made the ideal start to the cup and Razzaq's addition to the squad was exactly the kind of impetus the team was looking for.

Younis handing him the new ball was a masterstroke. I didn't expect it; I even questioned it, but it worked wonders for Pakistan.

Razzaq's level headed performance in the first 6 overs did not allow any team to get off to a flying start against Pakistan.

This is apparent in the table I put up recently showing Pakistan's disciplinary turnaround.

Razzaq brought all his experience to the field and bowled with skill and precision to tie the opposition down.

Yasir and Tanvir has been wayward and expensive in Pakistan's first few matches, which had resulted in Umar Gul bowling an over or two at the beginning.

Razzaq's effort allowed Younis Khan to keep Gul for the latter stages of the innings, which was essential to Pakistan's plans.

Razzaq not only gave Pakistan good starts with the ball, he also enabled the perfect endings with the ball through Gul.

To top this all, Razzaq ended the tournament with the 3 wicket burst in the final.

People have talked about Pakistan's victory being one of the best turnaround stories in sport.

What about Razzaq's turnaround - the man who quit international cricket because he was left out of the World T20 squad in 2007 returned to the squad for the same tournament in 2009 and helped Pakistan win it.

Now that is what I call turning it around!

Pakistan may not have done it without Afridi, but they surely would not have done it without Razzaq.

I don't know many others who can boast of such a feat.

Shoaib Malik comes close but he has never walked out to bat as a number 11; Razzaq has done that too!

For the record, in test matches, Razzaq has batted in all positions except 4, 10, and 11.

Where else will you find such a versatile player?

Everything clicked for them. Absolutely everything!

Here's a quick list of things that resulted in Pakistan's outstanding performance tonight.