Showing posts with label Mohammad Aamer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mohammad Aamer. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Pakistan - The Lords of London


Posted by Q at Tuesday, May 29, 2018 No Comments
Lords of Lord's, Lords of London, Oval Hero, have all been used in recent days and over the past 60 odd years to describe Pakistan's dominance over England, especially in tests played at Lord's, as well as, at the other ground in London - the Oval.

London has a special place in Pakistani hearts and it has truly been a significant location for a lot of cricket success that Pakistan has had over the years.

The World T20 Final in 2009 was won in London, at Lord's.

The ICC Champions Trophy Final in 2017 was won in London, at the Oval.

Pakistan won their first ever test outside the subcontinent in London in 1954, at the Oval.

Both Lord's and the Oval are part of Pakistan's cricket history and besides Australia, there is no other team in the world that has had as much success as Pakistan has had against England in London.

Here's a look at some amazing Pakistan cricket feats in London.

Test Victories at Lord's
Pakistan's win over England in the 1st test of the series was their 5th test win at Lord's. This is the second most victories for a touring team at Lord's, behind Australia's 17.

Pakistan have the second best W/L ratio and Win % at Lord's among all touring sides.

Test Victories at the Oval
Even though Pakistan's 5 wins at the Oval are behind West Indies' 6 and Australia's 7, Pakistan's W/L ratio and Win % at the Oval is the best among all visiting teams.

In fact, no other team has won more games at the Oval than they have lost, while Pakistan have a lead of 2 over England.

Test Victories in London
When it comes to test performance in London, combining the tests played at Lord's and the Oval, then there is no team that comes close to Pakistan's dominance over England.

Pakistan's W/L ratio and Win % in London tests is significantly better than all other visiting teams.

Pakistan Test Captains at Lord's
With this win over England, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed joined the likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, and Misbah Ul Haq as the Pakistan captains who have led their teams to test wins at Lord's.

Leading Pacers at Lord's and London
Mohammad Aamir picked up 5 wickets in the just concluded Lord's test and his 2 wickets in 3 deliveries were crucial in scripting this historic victory for Pakistan.

Aamir's 5 wicket burst brought him into the top 10 wicket takers among visiting team pacers at Lord's. He is now the joint 6th highest wicket taking visiting pacer at Lord's with a few legends ahead of him.

Among Pakistan's bowlers, Aamir has more wickets at Lord's than any other pacer and spinner. He has surpassed the feats of Pakistan's 2 Ws, Imran Khan, and Pakistan's legendary leg spinners.

Overall, in tests played in London, Aamir is third on Pakistan's list of bowlers, very slightly behind the legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in terms of wickets tally.

Leading Spinners at Lord's
Yasir Shah's 10-141 at Lord's that led Pakistan to victory in 2016 is the second best match haul by a visiting spinner at Lord's, behind only off spinner Sonny Ramadhin's 11 wicket feat in 1950.

Yasir's 6-72 in the first innings of that Lord's test is also the second best innings haul by a visiting spinner at Lord's, behind off spinner Marcus North's 6-55.

Among leg spinners, Yasir's innings and match hauls are right there at the top.

Yasir's average of 14.1 and strike rate of 36.0 at Lord's are also second best among all visiting spinners.

Not many teams and individuals come close to Pakistan and its cricketers' achievements at Lord's and in overall in London.

They have faced more success than any other visiting in London and have just become the only team to win two back to back tests at Lord's in recent times.

They have won two ICC trophies in London and they will have the opportunity to win the one that they haven't when the ICC World Cup comes to London next year!

Pakistan have truly earned the tag of being the Lords of London and with the way this young team is playing right now, it seems like they will be holding on to this tag for some time to come.

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Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Mohammed Amir's top three cricketing moments


Posted by Q at Tuesday, August 02, 2016 No Comments
Mohammed Amir is one of the cricketing world’s favourite sons - despite a rocky past he’s been on top form since his return to the game last year.

Born in a remote village in Pakistan, the left-arm fast-bowler is a symbol of the meritocratic nature of the sporting world - despite humble beginnings, he was able to rise to become one of Pakistan’s biggest cricketing stars.

Read on to find out more about his best cricketing moments:

2009 ICC World Twenty20

Amir’s first international match was played against England during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 tournament, conceding only one run in his debut international over. The youngster must have impressed the powers that be because after a stellar first performance, he went on to play in every game.

In no small part thanks to his contributions, Pakistan went on to win the tournament and Mohammed Amir was praised from all sides, including by his hero Wasim Akram, another Pakistani left-arm fast-bowler.

Pakistan vs New Zealand, 2009

In the same year that Amir made his Twenty20 international debut, he also played in his first one day international match, and in one of the first matches that he played - against New Zealand - he accomplished a truly impressive feat.

The then-seventeen year old scored 73 runs against New Zealand - a record for a number 10 batsman. In total, with batting partner Saeed Ajmal, he added 103 runs to Pakistan’s chase, though they did not eventually win the match.

Pakistan vs England, 2010

After successful performances in both Twenty20 and one day international cricket, it came as no surprise when Amir was selected to play as part of Pakistan’s test squad too.

In this memorable match against England, played away, Amir was awarded the Man of the Match award for becoming both the youngest player in history to take a five-wicket haul in England, when the opposition was on home soil, and the youngest player ever to take fifty test wickets. It was an eventful test series which eventually saw him take a total of nineteen wickets, more than any other member of the Pakistan team, as well as an impressive double whammy of five-wicket hauls.

Book Mohammed Amir as a celebrity speaker

Though Mohammed Amir’s recent past is somewhat chequered, he remains one of the brightest young talents in cricket today, and his stratospheric rise to occupy the position he does today from such humble beginnings makes him a fascinating public speaker who will appeal to a wide range of audiences, whether dyed in the wool cricket aficionados or otherwise.


If you’d like to book him to speak at an event you’re planning, get in touch with MN2S celebrity agents, who can help you ensure it goes off with a bang. If it’s a cricketer you’re after as a celebrity speaker but Amir doesn’t quite fit the bill then never fear - they have plenty of other cricket legends on the talent roster.   

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Monday, August 1, 2016

Mohammad Amir: A Life Story


Posted by Q at Monday, August 01, 2016 No Comments

For fans of the Pakistani cricket team, Mohammed Amir is a tough nut to crack. On the one hand, he’s one of the best fast-bowlers that the side has ever seen - on the other, he’s been in the midst of a serious corruption scandal in recent years.

Thankfully, the youngster was given a lenient sentence because of his youth and willingness to confess, and the reformed sportsman recently returned to cricket. His willingness to admit to his mistakes and serve out the ban with which he has served has made him into a role-model for sportsmanship.

But just where did Mohammed Amir come from, and why was he banned from the sport?

Amir was born in a rural region of Punjab, the youngest of seven siblings and part of the Kotla tribe. His obsession with cricket started early, and from a young age Mohammed Amir was playing street cricket with his friends and siblings.

This often involved emulating one of his heroes: "Wasim Akram is my favourite, he's my idol.” Amir said.

“When I used to watch him on TV, I would try to see what exactly he was doing with the ball. Then I would go outside and imitate his actions and bowling.”

At the age of just 11 he was spotted by a scout and invited to join a local sports academy, where his talents were honed and he was picked for the national U19 team at the age of just 15 - by his hero, Wasim Akram.

In 2009, aged just 17, Amir was picked for the national team; the first match that he played was an international World Twenty20 tournament. The game he played was so impressive that the young player was picked for every game in the tournament following his debut.

In 2010 the first allegations of match-fixing surfaced, levelled by the now defunct British paper, the News of the World. They said that Amir, along with others, had deliberately bowled no-balls in return for payment from those with vested interests in betting.

The International Cricket Council banned Mohammed Amir for five years - a lenient sentence compared to those he was said to have conspired with. In a criminal court he pled guilty and served three months in a young offenders’ institute, but has since returned to international cricket determined to salvage his reputation.

A fascinating character with a story as colourful as he is, Amir’s chequered background makes him an intriguing public speaker, and one whose past misdemeanours only make his current determination to win over the public more endearing.


Available to book for celebrity speaking engagements of all sorts, Amir is the perfect example to teach an audience about considering the consequences of their actions and motivate them to behave with integrity. He’s a witty and engaging speaker who’s sure to charm any audience and particularly fascinate those with an interest in the world of cricket. Get in touch with London based agency MN2S to find out more about booking his services. 

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Thursday, July 14, 2016

Lord's - a dream come true


Posted by Q at Thursday, July 14, 2016 No Comments
In less than an hour, Pakistan and England will start the first test of their series at the home of cricket, Lord's.

For all cricketers, it is a dream to play at Lord's. Some realize this dream early in their careers, while others at the twilight.

For Pakistan's 42-year old captain, Misbah Ul Haq, this will be his first test at Lord's. His first in England.

Unfortunately, Pakistan don't schedule international test tours as frequently as other Asian teams like India and Sri Lanka. It is unfortunate that in a test career that began in 2001 and has spanned 60 odd test matches, with the majority since 2007, Misbah has not played a single test in England or Australia.

However, at the same time, it is a dream come true for him. This tour marks a full circle of Misbah's captaincy tenure, which started after the demoralizing tour to England in 2010. Since then he has led Pakistan's team in whites with aplomb and is today the most successful captain in Pakistan's test history.

Many cricketers dream of playing a test at Lord's; Misbah would not have thought that he would realize it at 42. 

Another cricketer who probably thought that he would never play cricket again, let alone play at Lord's, is Mohammad Aamer.

Lord's is the scene of his crime that almost ended his career way too prematurely. Having served his punishment and returned to white ball cricket for Pakistan since the start of the year, Aamer is all geared up for his return to test cricket at the venue where he lost 5 years of a promising career.

The build up to Aamer's return has been as expected with a number of current and former England cricketers and the British media reminding the world of what he did in 2010. The England captain has also warned Aamer about the possible abuse he may receive from the crowd at Lord's.

Pakistan's cricketers have been supportive like a bunch of elder brothers looking to protect the problem child. While other supporters, like myself, cannot wait to see Aamer back in action.

Aamer might have dreamed of playing for Pakistan again, but he would have never thought that he would resume his career at Lord's!

Shan Masood recently spoke about living in St. John's Wood, walking and jogging around the neighborhood, and thinking about playing at Lord's every time he passed by the gates. That is quite some story for this opener who has gradually cemented his place in Pakistan's Test XI.

For Shan, stepping into Lord's as a Pakistan test cricketer, is a very filmy story. I can just picture this Pakistani kid standing outside the Lord's gates and imagining himself playing a cover drive before continuing on his jog and dreaming about playing cricket for Pakistan.

Shan dreamed about playing for Pakistan, he dreamed about playing at Lord's, and today he will realize that dream is Pakistan's first choice test opener.

 Besides Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Wahab Riaz, and Mohammad Aamer none of the players from Pakistan's test squad have played at Lord's.

Today is going to be a dream come for all of them, however it will be a bit more special for Misbah, Aamer, and Shan.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Pakistan's Real Chance in England for the First Time in 20 years...


Posted by Q at Wednesday, July 13, 2016 No Comments
This article first appeared on DAWN

 “Ghar ki murghi daal barabar”

That is a very common saying among Pakistanis. In the literal sense it means “chicken made at home is equivalent to lentil” and I don’t need to get into what it implies. What I will get into is that the same term of ‘endearment’ can also be applied to Pakistan’s test team.

Ranked number 3 in the world, unbeaten in the UAE, second best W:L record among all test teams since October 2010, second best W:L record among all test teams at home since October 2010, second best W:L record among test teams away since October 2010. All of this without playing a single test in Pakistan.


Yet for a lot of the fans and critics, it is not enough because Pakistan win at home, which really isn’t home but it is the UAE. For some illogical reason a win in Australia or England is superior to a win in the UAE.

Pakistan’s test team under Misbah has done what no other test team from Pakistan has done. They have won more tests under Misbah than under any other captain. They have beaten all nations that have toured the UAE. They have climbed the rankings like never before. And their batsmen and bowlers have created records like never before.

The one thing that has been missing from this great test team is victories in Australia and in England. It is unfortunate that the team has not toured either nation in the past 6 years. However, it makes for a great story - the final frontier for a team that has achieved so much in what could be Misbah’s final year in international cricket.

The past 6 years has seen Pakistan become one of the best test teams in the world. Under Misbah they have conquered all. What remains is series wins in England, something that no one has achieved since Wasim Akram’s team 20 years ago, and in Australia, something that no one has achieved ever. It truly is the final frontier for Misbah.

Australia will happen later in the year; right now it is all about England.

Pakistan are back in England after 6 years since that ill-fated tour in 2010, because of which Misbah became test captain. Little did we know that 6 years later he would be the most successful test captain in Pakistan’s history. Back then it seemed like a stop-gap arrangement for a team that had lost captains, senior players, and all of its integrity. Now he is the leader that has given Pakistan a serious chance to beat England in their back yard for the first time since 1996.

England have been playing great cricket but don’t forget that Pakistan has won 5 out of the 6 tests against England in the past 4 years, Pakistan are ranked higher than England, and Pakistan have the following:

Yasir Shah
Over the years the wickets at Lord’s, Oval, and Old Trafford have become conducive to batting. High scores have been posted here regularly and spinners have played a bigger role in matches than seamers, especially in the later stages of the matches. Three of Pakistan’s four tests this summer will be at those venues, and one can count on Yasir Shah to be a handful.

Since the fall of Saeed Ajmal, Yasir has fast become Pakistan’s leading spin option. Yasir has been exceptional against all teams and his wicket taking ability resulted in the record of reaching 50 test wickets faster than any bowler ever for Pakistan. Yasir is among the few bowlers who have managed to capture 50 wickets in less than 10 tests; he is among the only 6 spinners who have achieved this feat; and he is the fastest leg spinner to the feat equaling the achievements of Arthur Mailey and Stuart MacGill. In terms of time, no one has done it faster than Yasir.












Yasir has shown why Shane Warne keeps saying that he is the best leg spinner in the world today. Since his debut for Pakistan in October 2014, he is among the leading wicket takers in the world; behind only Nathan Lyon and Stuart Broad, both of whom have played far more tests than Yasir has.


While Pakistan’s series victories in England in 1992 and 1996 are more popular for Wasim and Waqar’s toe crushing yorkers and the havoc they ran among England’s batsmen, the guile of Mushtaq Ahmed played as big a role in those wins as the 2 W’s lethal bowling. Yasir will undoubtedly play a major role in the upcoming series and he, along with Aamer, can potentially recreate the bowling and the eventual series wins of 1992 and 1996.

Sarfraz Ahmed
He has been a revelation for Pakistan at number 7 and a key driver of the team’s success in tests for the past 2-3 years. Not only has he transformed into the best wicketkeeper batsman Pakistan have ever had, he has been the leading wicketkeeper batsman in test cricket for the past 2-3 years. He has scored more runs, more centuries, and more fifties than all other wicketkeepers during this period.


One of the main reasons why Sarfraz has been able to make such a big positive impact is his strike rate. Not only does he score more runs than other wicketkeepers, he scores them faster. His numbers in tests are just mind blowing. Sarfraz has taken full advantage of bowling attacks that have been tired out by Azhar, Younis, Misbah, and Asad to drive home the advantage for Pakistan. He possesses all the tools required to take the game away from the opposition very quickly and is a game changer that England will need to be wary of.

Mohammad Aamer
Hailed better than Wasim Akram at the same age, Mohammad Aamer is undoubtedly one of the best pacers to be produced by Pakistan. Unfortunately, his career hit a roadblock 6 years ago at Lord’s; however in less than 2 weeks, Aamer will resume his career at the same venue. Call it karma, call it irony, call it what you may, no one can deny the fact that Aamer is the most skillful fast bowler in cricket at the moment.

Last time Aamer was in England he picked up 19 wickets in 4 tests and won the Man of the Series award for Pakistan. Before those 4 tests, he had tormented the Australians over 2 tests in England. Those spells during that summer in 2010 were one of the best fast bowling spells I have ever witnessed in test cricket. If Aamer can produce anything similar then Alastair Cook and company are going to have a very torrid time at the crease.

Misbah Ul Haq
The most successful captain in Pakistan’s history has also scored the most number of runs as a Pakistan captain. Not only that, but in the past 6 years he is among the leading run scorers as a test captain and also boasts one of the highest batting averages as test captain. His 7 test centuries during this period includes the fastest century ever scored in a test match, a record that he jointly holds with Sir Viv Richards.

If anyone can lead Pakistan to their first test series win in England in 20 years, it is Misbah. He has done it already, marshalling his troops to 5 spectacular test wins over England in the past 4 years, so he knows what is required. The venues might be different, but the tactical nous that Misbah possesses and the advantage he has over his counterpart is stronger than many think.


Younis Khan
He has scored more runs and centuries for Pakistan in test cricket than anyone else. Not only has he arguably become the best test batsman produced by Pakistan, he is also among the best test batsmen in the world at the moment. In the past 6 years, since Misbah has been at the helm, the world has seen Younis at his peak. Pakistan’s batting mainstays, Younis and Misbah, have been among the best test batsmen in the world during this period.


The last time Younis was in England, the world witnessed a monumental innings of 170 odd. He has the backbone of Pakistan’s batting in every test series he has played in and it will be no different this time. Becoming Pakistan’s highest run scorer and his march towards becoming the first Pakistani to score 10,000 test runs have added more fuel to Younis’ already burning desire to be the best. He is at his peak and England are going to find it very tough to remove him from the crease.

Azhar Ali
A batting average of 43 is dwarfed in front of the numbers that Misbah and Younis have mustered over the past 6 years; however Azhar Ali has more often than not proven that he is among one of the best number 3 batsmen Pakistan have ever had in tests. Since Azhar’s debut in England in 2010, he is Pakistan’s second highest run scorer in tests, behind only Younis. During this period he has hit 9 test centuries; only Younis has hit more for Pakistan in this time.



Just because he had a mediocre tour of South Africa a number of skeptics believe that Azhar will be a sitting duck in England. These skeptics have probably forgotten that Azhar’s debut series was in England and his 50’s against Australia and Lord’s and Leeds coupled with his unbeaten 92 vs England at the Oval showed his mettle. He is a far more accomplished batsman today than he was 6 years ago. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the tour that will transform Azhar from a good test batsman to a world class one.

Asad Shafiq
Along with Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq has also been a key component of Pakistan’s middle order in tests that has transformed the team into world beaters. Not only is Asad the most prolific number 6 Pakistan has ever had in tests, he is also one of the most prolific number 6 the world has seen. Asad’s 8 centuries at number 6 equaled a record held by Sir Gary Sobers for over 40 years; one more ton and Asad will have the most centuries at number 6 in tests in the history of the game.

Skeptics again will say that Asad has played mostly in batting paradises of the UAE and is yet to be tested in seaming conditions. For all of them, I will only ask to refresh their memory and rewind back to Cape Town, February 2013 and remind themselves of that magnificent century against the world’s best bowling attack of Steyn, Philander, and Morkel.

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The series gets underway in two weeks and Pakistan have their best chance to win a series in England for 20 years. They also have the added advantage of playing 3 of the tests on batting friendly pitches and a 4th one at a venue (Birmingham) that will have more Pakistanis cheering in the stands than the British. Pakistan’s test team has created a fortress in the UAE; ironically enough they will find more support at the grounds in England than they have in the empty stadiums of the UAE. Just this fact will further motivate this lot, who have been starved of home crowd support for over 7 years now.

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Sunday, January 17, 2016

How can you stop Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif from playing for Pakistan?


Posted by Q at Sunday, January 17, 2016 Pitched (1)
The bans are over and Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Aamer are back; the latter in international colors and the former two for their domestic team. Considering that they did not play any competitive cricket for 5 years and have now come out of the wilderness to get their first taste of cricket, it has been quite a remarkable comeback!

Let us take Aamer out of this equation given the support he was provided throughout his ban by the PCB, ICC, and current and former cricketers. Butt and Asif were condemned by all. They did not get the kind of sympathy Aamer did; not from the administrators, nor from the fans. The PCB did not provide them the same kind of support, nor did the board do them any favors by delaying the rehabilitation process till it was completely necessary.

So in a situation like this when one knows that the entire world is aware of the wrong they have done, how does one motivate themselves? Think about it. Butt and Asif went through jail terms. They served a ban for cheating their team, their sport, their country. They were not provided support by officials in the same manner that another player was. Everyone wrote and spoke about how it was the end of their careers. They were not allowed inside the academies nor did they have access to practice facilities. Butt was condemned by everyone for being the architect of the fix, while Asif had struck the final nail in his coffin full of offenses.

Everyone including me thought that their careers were over! We all knew that Aamer will be back, but none of us ever thought that Butt and Asif would be able to make a comeback. Age was not on their side. A 5-year layoff from any sort of profession is as good as an end of a career, let alone sport where mental strength and fitness play such a major role.

Ignoring what they did and only thinking purely about the mental strength and fitness required to compete at the highest level after a gap of 5 years, their comeback has been nothing short of remarkable. Butt’s 135 and 99* in his first two innings and Asif’s 2-22 and 0-29 are phenomenal achievements given how they spent their past five years.

There was always this remote possibility that they would perform at the domestic level, but now that they have (particularly Butt), what will the PCB do? They have allowed Aamer to come back and don the green; will they be as welcoming to Butt and Asif if both continue to perform in domestic games? It will be highly unfair if both are ignored despite building their cases considering that a fellow player who was accused and convicted for the same crime has been welcomed back.

In fact, the PCB has had to intervene and coerce a couple of players to accept Aamer’s presence in national colors. What will they do in Butt’s and Asif’s case?


I understand that everyone from the administrators to the players and fans believe that Butt and Asif are more guilty than Aamer was. Their respective jail terms also imply that. However, like Aamer, the other two also went through their terms and fulfilled all obligations that were required of them for the ban to be completed. Now that they have been allowed to compete domestically, how can anyone stop them from competing internationally? 

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Monday, October 12, 2015

Pakistan, England, and DRAMA!


Posted by Q at Monday, October 12, 2015 Pitched (2)
Pakistan vs England test series always provide entertainment, on the field and off it as well! Rarely does a series against England go by without one controversy or the other. While the cricket between the two sides has been extremely entertaining, there has been plenty of drama dished at us as well in the past.

Arguments with umpires, ball tampering allegations, forfeited tests, spot fixing, pitch tampering, court cases, you name it and we have seen it in a series involving Pakistan and England.

With yet another test series between the two sides starting tomorrow, here’s a look at some of the controversies we have witnessed in the past in Pakistan vs England tests.

Umpiring Altercation: GATTING vs RANA

Back in 1987 when there was limited TV coverage and barely any cameras covering the action on the ground, the naked eye of Shakoor Rana spotted England captain Mike Gatting moving a fielder while a bowler was in his run up (during the 2nd Test at Faisalabad). Rana immediately halted play and reprimanded Gatting for breaking the rules, and with it the spirit of the game. Gatting waving his finger at Rana is an image that has been played repeatedly on Pakistan television and the internet.

Umpiring Altercation: AAQUIB VS PALMER

During England’s tour of 1992, Pakistan’s pace attack was arguably at its best and England’s batsmen had little answers for them. During the 3rd test at Old Trafford, Roy Palmer warned Aaqib Javed about intimidating bowling to number XI Devon Malcolm. Aaqib had bowled a couple of bouncers and Palmer was not too impressed. Aaqib bowled another short one but it was not a bouncer from any stretch of the imagination. Malcolm ducked and the ball hit his helmet smack in front of the stumps. Palmer called it a no ball! At the end of the over Aaqib snatched his sweater and cap back from Palmer in anger and Miandad had to intervene to calm things down and also give Palmer a piece of his mind.

Umpiring Altercation: INZAMAM VS HAIR

Who can forget the episode with Darrel Hair who accused the Pakistanis of ball tampering and docked them 5 penalty runs during the 4th test at the Oval in 2006. Pakistan’s captain, Inzamam Ul Haq, took this so personally that he decided not to take the field after tea and forfeited the test match. The first such instance in the history of test cricket. Administrators from both sides and ICC officials failed to convince first Inzamam, and then Darrel Hair, to restart the game and an exciting test match ended midway during day 4 with the first forfeiture ever in test cricket history.

Ball Tampering Allegations

That wasn’t the first time the Pakistanis were accused of ball tampering; though it was the first time that they were docked 5 penalty runs because of it. No Pakistan tour to England is complete without ball tampering allegations.

It all started in 1992 when Wasim and Waqar swung the old ball so late into the batsmen that the English had no idea what hit them. They were so confused by what was happening that they termed it cheating and accused the Pakistan pacers of tampering with the ball. The British Tabloids were full of stories about Pakistani bowlers running their nails into the ball and lifting the seam with their fingers. Accusations were passed left, right, and center as the English batsmen continued to fall like nine pins.

The allegations continued during Pakistan’s tour to England in 1996 and 2001; and then finally culminated in that forfeited test in 2006.

The Spot Fixing Saga

Arguably the worst scandal to hit Pakistan cricket. Despite all the match fixing allegations levelled against Pakistani cricketers throughout the 90s, surprisingly tours to England remained devoid of such accusations. Besides one-off rumors about ODIs during the tour in 1992 and 1996.

Pakistan’s last tour to England in 2010 has got to be their worst tour there ever. In Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, Pakistan had found a potent new ball pair that was right up there with the very best. Finally, Pakistan boasted a new ball attack as lethal as Wasim and Waqar. What could have been is a question that still lingers around the minds of cricket fans as we all witnessed the downfall of the two best bowling talents produced by Pakistan in the past decade.

The 4th and final test of the series was underway at Lord’s when the News of the World broke the news about a spot fix that Asif and Aamir has been involved in along with their captain Salman Butt. Pakistan’s cricketers had been caught in a sting conducted by the now defunct investigative British tabloid.

Every tour of England has been full of drama for Pakistan’s cricketers but there was none that had been as embarrassing as the one in 2010.

 Whether you are a fan of off-the-field drama or not, you can't miss action in a Pakistan vs England game, so use these bonus codes and pick your side and get ready for some non-stop action packed cricket.
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There are several more off-the-field stories like British tabloids reporting Imran Khan’s affairs during tours to England, Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi partying at Soho on nights before matches, and the famous pitch tampering that Afridi got involved in during England’s tour to Pakistan in 2005 that have added extra spice to Pakistan vs England contests over the years.

With Pakistan’s current test squad largely subdued compared to their predecessors, one doubts that we will witness drama of this kind in the test series that gets underway tomorrow. But then again, one thought the same about the Inzamam led team.

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Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Are Butt, Aamer, and Asif really worth it?


Posted by Q at Tuesday, September 08, 2015 Pitched (2)
Five years have passed since Pakistan cricket was rocked by the worst scandal ever in its history -then Test captain Salman Butt and Pakistan's two premier fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were accused of spot fixing.

It seems like yesterday when they were handed 5-year bans from the game and jail terms for their role in spot fixing during the summer of 2010. There is some irony in the fact that they are once again eligible to play international cricket when Pakistan is gearing up for a series against England, the same opposition they played against last.

Noise has already been made by all three players about resurrecting their international careers.

Aamer's return is most likely considering that his return-path was paved for him 6 months ago when the ICC allowed him to return to domestic cricket, enabling him to play some competitive cricket before making a fully fledged international return. For Butt and Asif, it will be harder. They haven't played any competitive cricket for 5 years and both players are not as young as Aamer, who at 23 has a full career ahead of him.

I would place my money on them returning. Would be interesting to see what the odds are on betting sites regarding the return of these three cricketers.

Whether they will return to the Pakistan team or not is all together another question. Should they return is the more pertinent question really.

It seems a little unfair that Butt, Aamer, and Asif are now allowed to play international cricket again after disgracing their country and the sport on the international stage, while a player like Danish Kaneria is banned for life for coercing a domestic cricketer to accept money for fixing in a domestic game. What this means is that wrong doing in international cricket can be forgiven, while the same in domestic cricket cannot be? That is a bit perplexing for me.

And what about all the players who have represented Pakistan during the past 5 years with integrity and success? Is it fair for Aamer and Asif to come back into the team at the expense of Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Imran Khan, or Rahat Ali? Is it fair for Salman Butt to make a return at the expense of Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Mukhtar Ahmed, Nauman Anwar, Sami Aslam, or Babar Azam? Definitely not.

These are arguments based on moral grounds.

Here's a look at how these three faired in the three formats before their bans, and whether their return is warranted on a statistical basis or not.

The records that stand out are Salman Butt and Mohammad Aamer in ODIs, and Mohammad Asif in Tests. In T20Is, all three had below par figures. While in tests Butt and Aamer were just about average, and likewise for Asif in ODIs.

I can probably shed more light on these three after comparing their figures with those of the players who replaced them in the past 5 years.

In test matches, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, and Taufeeq Umar have all performed far better than Salman Butt ever did in his career. Even Shan Masood, who is just finding his feet in test cricket, seems like a better test opener than Salman Butt. 

Azhar Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed have been a revelation at the top for Pakistan, and have performed better than most openers. Even Shehzad has a solid record that is comparable to Salman Butt's. 

Salman Butt was never an opener in the T20 mould and Pakistan have far better batsmen to do that job. Shehzad and Mukhtar have both performed better than Butt did, while all the batsmen in the table above, barring Nasir Jamshed, have a better T20 strike rate than Butt's.

It is quite clear from all this that Salman Butt has no place in Pakistan's international team for any format.

On the bowling front, however, the story is a bit different. 

In tests, there has been no fast bowler for Pakistan who has performed as well as Asif. Not even one who has done so as well as Aamer either, besides Tanvir Ahmed who appeared for a short time and then fell out of favor for reasons best known to selectors. In fact, besides Tanvir, only Imran Khan averages under 30 among the pacers that have played for Pakistan in the past 5 years since Aamer and Asif got banned. 

While there have been several bowlers for Pakistan who have done far better than Asif in ODIs; such as Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali, Aizaz Cheema, Mohammad Irfan, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, and Junaid Khan; there has been not a single one who has performed at the level of Mohammad Aamer.

Pakistan's pace bowling has definitely not been the same during the absence of Aamer and Asif, who together created arguably the best attacking pair Pakistan has had since Wasim and Waqar. It is unfortunate that they played together for less than a year and that their best years were taken away from them due to their own grave mistakes.

Once can only sit and wonder what could have been had these two not succumbed to greed and had continued to share the new ball for Pakistan over the past 5 years.

While statistically there is no argument about whether Aamer and Asif should return to Pakistan's colors; however on moral ground there is still plenty of debate.

On Salman Butt however, there should be no debate. Pakistan has far better resources at the moment to go back to a dead weight like Butt.

Butt might have served his 5-year ban from cricket and his jail term, but the damage he has done to Pakistan cricket deserves more punishment in my opinion. He was the captain of the team when all this drama ensued. That only means that he needs to accept more responsibility than both Aamer and Asif who were in a way coerced by Butt to bowl those no balls. Butt was in control of the bowers on the field. He was the sole decision maker regarding who to throw the ball to. He was the one who ensured that Aamer and Asif bowled those particular overs and the no balls on those specific deliveries. The control was all in Butt's hands. He was critical to the whole spotfix. Without him, it would not have been possible.

Just this fact that it was Butt who enable the whole fix should ensure that he never plays for Pakistan again. Ban or no ban, Salman Butt should never be allowed to don the Pakistan cap.

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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Junaid Khan - One of the Best Fast Bowlers in the World!


Posted by Q at Sunday, December 22, 2013 No Comments
In the summer of 2009, Pakistan unleashed a teenage left arm fast bowler on the international stage who took the world by storm. By the end of the summer of 2010, with his international career barely a year old, Pakistan's teen sensation had shocked the world with the disgrace he brought to his country.

Mohammad Amir's career stocks fell just as fast as they had risen.

It has been more than three years since Amir played for Pakistan, yet hardly a match goes by without the fans missing his presence in the Pakistan XI. Till date majority of the Pakistan fans miss him, would like to see him play for Pakistan again, and are eagerly anticipating his return in two years, if not sooner.

Amir has created such a euphoria with his spellbinding performances that his aura continues to remind fans of what could have been.

This euphoria is also the reason why the rise of another left arm fast bowler from Pakistan, who came on to the international scene about a year after Amir left it, has gone unnoticed.

Junaid Khan has now been playing for Pakistan for over two years, and he is by far the best fast bowler to play for them for a long time. He has been spearheading Pakistan's pace attack for a while now and some of the performances that he has given, especially in ODIs, deserve special praise.

Something that I feel he has not been given enough of.

Junaid Khan is an inspiration for up and coming young pacers. He is not only the best fast bowler in Pakistan, but arguably one of the best in the world currently.

Junaid's performance in the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Dubai left me awestruck. He bowled with intensity, with the firepower once associated with the two Ws, and single handedly brought Pakistan back into the game.

The performance also got me wondering just how good is Junaid Khan.

A comparison with Mohammad Amir shows that Junaid has been just as good, if not better, than the disgraced teen sensation, and yet he has not been applauded the same way that Amir was.


Junaid has definitely been superior in ODIs for Pakistan. One can only wonder how it would have been if these two left armers were currently spearheading Pakistan's attack.

A comparison with Pakistan's greatest fast bowlers, including the two Ws, Shoaib Akhtar, and Imran Khan, shows just how well Junaid Khan's career has progressed in ODIs.



Only Waqar Younis took more wickets than Junaid has in 39 ODIs; only 4 more wickets. And only Waqar Younis had a better strike rate than Junaid has after 39 ODIs; only 2 fewer deliveries required to pick up a wicket.

Junaid's relatively higher average and economy rate can be attributed to the playing conditions these days, which are far more conducive to high scores than in previous times.

Based on just this, Junaid is surely one of the best fast bowlers to emerge from Pakistan. He is only 23, and if he can sustain this form and fitness then he will have a long career, which will place him among the very best produced by Pakistan.

To put this into perspective at the global level, Junaid Khan's ODI bowling average of 22.93 is only bettered by Saeed Ajmal (22.87) and Ajantha Mendis (20.82) among the current ODI players with over 50 wickets.

There is no pacer in the world among the current players who has a better average than Junaid Khan.

Those players include Dale Steyn (25.49), Steven Finn (27.74), James Andersen (29.11), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (24.96), Morne Morkel (23.54), and Mitchell Johnson (25.37) - the fast bowlers part of the ICC rankings' Top 10 ODI bowlers.

Does this not make Junaid Khan one of the best fast bowlers in the world right now?

If you still need convincing, hear this...

Junaid Khan's strike rate of 27.6 in ODIs is the second best strike rate in ODIs ever (only Shaun Tait's 27.2 is better) for all bowlers who have taken a minimum of 50 ODI wickets.

While Amir might have taken the world of fast bowling by storm, it is Junaid who is slowly but surely making it his own!

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Sunday, July 1, 2012

Stay at Home Butt!


Posted by Q at Sunday, July 01, 2012 Pitched (1)
I have thought and thought and have failed to understand what Salman Butt hoped to achieve through his interview on Express News on Thursday and his press conference on Friday.

"I am innocent", "it was Mazhar and Aamir", "I did not get justice", "I want the supreme court to look into this".

Cut the bullshit Butt!

Seriously.

I can't believe that he is still trying to fool the Pakistan fans. Our seniors might have gotten away with screaming the same phrases, which they do so today as well, but lets face it man - the evidence that is in front of the entire nation paints Salman Butt as the main culprit in this whole spotfixing drama and there is no way that he can change the perception of the public, the team management, the cricket board, or the ICC.

Impossible.

Zaka Ashraf has already stated that whatever Salman Butt said were his personal views and the PCB has nothing to do with it.

Majority of the media in Pakistan is not buy his claims of innocence.

And neither is the public with 90% of the fans refusing to believe him in this poll conducted by the Express Tribune.

Who is he trying to fool anyway?

We are not going to forget his face that hung with shame and guilt during the first press conference held in England on the day the spot-fixing news was made public. Yawar Saeed had to step in and answer as Butt could barely speak.

We are not going to forget Butt walking up to Aamir just before the delivery to Trott and then looking on with intent at the line that Aamir was supposed to overstep (and did) instead of concentrating on the batsman.

We are not going to forget the pictures of Butt and Mazhar Majeed roaming around the UK in a convertible.

We are not going to forget about the money that was found in Butt's room, nor your statement where you first said that it was your own money for your sister's wedding, and then said some of it came from the opening of an ice-cream parlor and the rest from adidas.

We are not going to forget the lies and deceit Salman Butt. We are not.

I can't believe that he is actually blaming the whole thing on Mazhar Majeed and Mohammad Aamir. He is carrying around a document that shows text message between Mazhar and Aamir - but what about all those phone conversations and text messages between Mazhar and Salman Butt?

Butt might have forgotten but the ICC tribunal that banned the trio from the game actually made their report and findings public. So he needs to realize that his lies about not exchanging calls or messages with Mazhar and not brokering a deal to bowl the no balls are not going to fly with us.

The best thing Salman Butt could have done after returning from the UK was to sit at home and not speak to or meet with anyone.

I reckon he should still do that and just disappear.

He really should not harbor any hopes of playing cricket ever again.

Aamir might even return to international cricket with all the support he is getting from the ICC and the PCB. While Asif might even end up playing some domestic / club cricket once his ban is over.

But Salman Butt; all he deserves is to sit at home and never face the public ever again!

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