Showing posts with label Mohammad Asif. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mohammad Asif. Show all posts
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, 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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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Do We Believe Mohammad Amir's Story?


Posted by Q at Tuesday, March 20, 2012 Pitched (2)
I want to. I really want to. I want to believe that Mohammad Amir was an innocent 18 year old boy who was set up by his friend and captain, and his fixer.

But I can't.

There are a lot of things about Mohammad Amir's interview that are bothering me, and I feel like we are being told a story that is not true. I feel like we, the Pakistan cricket fans, are being lied to again.

Since the interview aired, I've heard a wide variety of thoughts from the general public and Twitterati. A section feels sorry for the kid and believe he was truly set up, and another section believes he is lying.

Many also feel that this is just the start of his rehabilitation and image building plan that has been put in place by his well wishers.

That it may be, but let me start with why I am having a hard time believing this story of a set up.

Why Now?
Even those who believe Amir have been asking this question since last night. Why now? Why tell the world that you were set up now when you had 18 months to do it? Why stay quiet all this time?

The day the story broke in the News of the World, there were senior men in the Pakistan dressing room like Yawar Saeed, and many back in Pakistan, like Ijaz Butt, who had repeatedly requested Amir to be honest and tell them the truth.

But Amir remained quiet. Why?

I understand that at first he denied all accusations because he panicked and then finally pleaded guilty after he was guided appropriately. That's fine.

But then why remain quiet after pleading guilty? Why not tell your story then? Wouldn't that have been the right time to tell the world that you were set up?

I am not sure if there is some law that does not allow those who plead guilty to turn into a witness in a case, but if there isn't then why didn't Amir just become a witness in this whole spot fixing hoopla? His story would have surely helped the prosecution!

So why now Amir?

Why Couldn't he Trust anyone else besides Salman Butt?
Amir says that the reason why he chose to remain quiet was because he did not know who to trust since the person he trusted the most had just betrayed him. He hadn't even told this story to his family according to him.

Did he really not trust anyone else more than Salman?

Wasim Akram is his self proclaimed idol. He has talked about calling Wasim bhai on many occasions for advice. Wasim bhai was also the one who spotted him in a camp and groomed him whenever he got the chance.

So how difficult was it to pick the phone up and tell Wasim bhai how badly you had been trapped?

Waqar Younis was the team coach. Waqar had been working with Amir for many months and surely Waqar would have taught him a thing or two about bowling and how to conduct oneself considering Waqar had also burst into the scene as an 18 year old. I'm also quite sure that Waqar would have developed some sort of relationship with Pakistan's rising star in the dressing room. So why was it so hard to sit down with Waqar and explain to him how you had been set up?

Aqib Javed was also with the team. Aqib must have seen Amir during his time with U19 team and the NCA as well. Aqib is known to have a good relationship with all players, and in particular with the juniors. Aqib has been one of the most respected members of the team's coaching staff in recent years. Why couldn't Amir trust him?

Moreover, before Salman Butt, Amir had played under the captaincy of Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, and Shahid Afridi during his 14 month cricket career. Were Pakistan's senior most cricketers not trustworthy for Amir?

Where the F&*$ is Ali?
There is enough evidence in the text messages exchanged between Amir and Ali for the authorities to implicate Ali in a spotfixing case.

Here is a man who was trying to corrupt a young cricketer and he is no where to be found? Whose failure is that? His numbers and texts were found on Amir's phone so why didn't anyone try and get hold of him? Amir says Ali was Salman Butt's friend whom he had met in Dubai. How hard could it be to trace him? Why did no one try and question Ali in the court?

Amir has openly accused Ali of being complicit with Salman Butt and Mazhar Majeed in setting him up. If Amir was fighting this case in court, Ali would be a key witness wouldn't he?

Now I am no psychiatrist but if you take a look at the interview again, then when the first time Atherton mentions Ali, Amir changes his posture, raises the pitch of his voice, and then speaks about him. Now it could be that Amir got angry, hence the change in body language, but to me it just seemed like he was lying.

Did He Really Not See the Setup Coming?
Now we all know that he is an 18-19 year old boy, but he is not a dimwit.

Amir himself said he was curious to find out what Ali wanted from him, which is why he initially entertained his text messages and asked him what he wanted, before telling Ali that he would not do it.

Amir knew that he had done nothing wrong with respect to what Ali had asked him, so why did he get scared of ICC getting a hold of those text messages? The ICC didn't get hold of them but that is what Mazhar Majeed told him to set him up according to Amir.

I find it hard to believe that an inquisitive person like Amir who has enough sense to probe Ali to find out what he wants, and has enough sense to tell Salman Butt twice that he would not get involved in fixing, doesn't have the sense to say to Mazhar that it doesn't matter if the ICC has got hold of the text messages, they can't do anything to him because he hasn't done anything wrong.

He could have very easily walked away from Mazhar's car in the parking lot after saying that he would not do it. But he didn't.

According to Amir he panicked and he really thought he was in trouble. But how could one be in trouble when you haven't taken any money from a bookie / fixer, nor have you underperformed?

If you have not seen the interview then please go here and take a look and decide for yourself if you want to believe Mohammad Amir or not.

Whether its true or not, Michael Atherton has done a wonderful job getting us this story. And despite the fact that I have my doubts about the credibility of the story, I do feel sorry for Mohammad Amir, who I believe suffered from a generally corrupt dressing room environment.

He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Atherton ends the interview with a very pertinent question: will cricket ever want Mohammad Amir back?

Its a difficult question. A part of me wants to see him in those green colours so badly, but another part of me is frustrated that I am still being lied to.

But does it really matter that Amir has lied in this interview? Or what matters more is that fact that he has served his punishment in jail, he is serving his ICC ban, he has learnt his lesson and will never fix again, and that he has apologized endlessly to all his fans?

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Monday, November 7, 2011

Pakistan Dominant in 2011


Posted by Q at Monday, November 07, 2011 Pitched (4)
So, with the 3rd test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka ending in a draw, Pakistan ended the series with yet another test series victory under Misbah-Ul-Haq.

This is now the 5th consecutive test series that Pakistan has played under Misbah's leadership. This is also the 5th consecutive test series that Pakistan has not lost.

That surely must be some sort of record! When was the last time Pakistan played five test series without losing even one?

With draws against South Africa and the West Indies, and wins over Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe, Pakistan's test outfit is looking quite strong.

Those results are even more astonishing when you consider the fact that their opening bowling pair, arguably the best opening bowling pair in the world, are currently in jail!

So what do these wins mean for Pakistan? They are still the 6th ranked test team according to the ICC rankings, but Pakistan's record this year (2011) is immaculate and better than all other teams, except England.

Pakistan's win-loss ratio and percentage of wins during 2011 is second only to England, whom they will incidentally be facing at the start of next year. England was also the last team Pakistan played against before this no-loss streak started under Misbah.

With their next test assignment against Bangladesh next month, Pakistan is sure to improve this record even further.

Pakistan's astounding performances in tests this year have come on the back of some remarkable performances from their bowlers, as well as, their batsmen. Its the bowling, however, which has really shone, even in the absence of the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Aamir.

Saeed Ajmal is the leading wicket taker in tests this year, with 41 wickets in 6 matches. I wonder how many he would have had, had he not missed 2 of Pakistan's tests this year.

(Note: wicket tally does not include Bishoo's 6 wicket haul in the on-going India vs West Indies test)

What makes Saeed Ajmal's feat even more note worthy is that he has 14 more scalps than Graeme Swann, who is widely regarded as the best spinner in international cricket currently. What's more, Ajmal has played 2 fewer tests than Swann this year!

Even the Pakistan batsmen have fared well this year, with 3 of them making the list of top run getters this year.


Pakistan's rise this year is not only restricted to test cricket, as their record in ODIs is also immaculate.

Only Australia has more wins than Pakistan in ODIs this year, and if Pakistan can register a victory over Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Dubai this Friday, they will be level with Australia at the top of the ODI table for 2011.




















So what is really behind Pakistan's success in 2011?

Is it Misbah's leadership?

Is it the fact that Misbah has trustworthy team mates like Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal who have played under him for Faisalabad for over a decade now?

Is it the emergence of batsmen like Azhar Ali, and the re-emergence of the likes of Taufeeq Umar at the top of the order?

Is it the fact that bowlers are taking more responsibility in the absence of the jail birds?

Is it the safe hands we have behind the stumps now and no Kamran Akmal to drop the easy ones?

Or is it merely the fact that the spot fixing scandal has ensured that all shady characters are out of the team?

Whatever it is, Pakistan have managed to grab all chances by the balls this year and made it their very own 2011.

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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Food for thought for fans of Pakistan Cricket


Posted by Saaid at Tuesday, August 31, 2010 Pitched (11)

Day before yesterday the aim of this blog entry was to go through each player’s performance in the team and then try to determine if the player justified their selection. However after what has been happening for the past 2 days in regards to spot-fixing allegations against the Pakistani team, that blog article seemed a little pointless. Since there isn’t much to be said till the investigation completes, here is some food for thought.

I would like to put some stakes in the ground, the first one being that up till now these allegations are just that – allegation. Innocent until proven guilty, and by proven guilty I mean an official verdict is passed that these folks are guilty. Moreover what we have here is the word and evidence provided by a tabloid, also referred to as the gutter press. Journalistic integrity and responsibility is opportunistic at best where tabloids are involved. What we also have here is a cricket team which on numerous occasions has been accused of such activities and we the general public will never really know the whole story. Also in the picture are going to be folks who have their own agendas, who want to share the limelight or might have a vendetta to pursue against the people involved.

The reason I mention these things is because when the news about these allegations broke, I found it very difficult to separate the reality of the situation with the influence these factors had in how the situation presented itself. I of course talk about the media coverage that was given (in Pakistan and abroad) to these allegations. The media has all but declared Akmal, Butt, Aamer and Asif guilty without doubt, with everyone coming out of the woodwork and giving their own versions of the story ala Shahid Afridi and Veena Malik. Im not saying that these stories are true or false, but it is the case of one’s word versus another’s and that is not something that one can argue upon so let’s not dwell on these.

Personally I believe that until proven guilty without doubt the Pakistan team (the alleged and otherwise) needs the support of its fans. That does not mean that we don’t have an opinion about whether there was any wrong-doing involved or not, it just means that these are dire circumstances and without the support of its fans, Pakistan cricket will not come out of this hole they have dug for themselves.

I am an out and out fan of the game and of Pakistani cricket, as are most Pakistanis I know, and I will be devastated if these allegations are true; devastated and angry. But I don’t want to let my anger and disappointment do my thinking for me. I don’t want to let the media dictate my opinion, I don’t want to them to paint an 18 year old child guilty because it appears that way. However that is easier said than done. I am trying to write this blog with a level head and without any bias, and I am having to exercise a lot of restraint in doing so. I hope fans of Pakistan cricket can do the same.


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Saturday, July 24, 2010

Pakistan Outplayed Australia!


Posted by Q at Saturday, July 24, 2010 Pitched (2)
In one of my many conversations on facebook, I mentioned that Australia had been outplayed by Pakistan during the home series held in England.

One of my Pro-Australian friends differed and said that the statement was true if only I had added "given the amount of test cricket Pakistan had played against quality opposition".

Fair enough I thought.

My statement was based on the fact that the tour results show 3 wins for Pakistan and 1 for Australia.

So surely Pakistan were the better team winning the T20 series 2-0 and drawing the test series 1-1.

So then, were Australia outplayed?

I dug into some statistics relating to the two tests; yes the series was drawn but a comparison of player to player performances shows a startling revelation.

Pakistan's top 6 batsmen scored more runs than Australia's; the difference is almost a 100 runs with the Pakistanis averaging 28.6 per batsman per innings, 4 runs more than the Aussies.


Salman Butt was the top scorer in the series and the only batsman on both sides to average over 50.

Now that is some statistic considering that the series involved the likes of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, and Simon Katich!

The difference between the top order batsmen is even more glaring with the Pakistani top 3 - Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, and Azhar Ali - scoring 150 more runs in 4 innings than their Aussie counterparts - Simon Katich, Shane Watson, and Ricky Ponting.


The opening partnerships show the difference between the starts that both the teams got in the 4 innings they played. While the Salman and Imran averaged 42 per innings as a pair, Katich and Watson averaged only 26.

The biggest difference between the two teams, however, is in the bowling performances.

The Pakistan trio of Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, and Umar Gul accounted for 30 of the 40 Australian wickets to fall during the test series. They tormented the Aussies at the crease and they have the statistics to show for it!

An average of just under 23 among the 3 of them and a strike rate of 42.9; the Pakistanis picked up an Australian wicket almost every 7th over.

In comparison, the Aussie trio of Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus, and Mitchell Johnson did so every 10 overs. Australia's pace battery could manage only 16 wickets over the 2 tests - a stark difference to what their Pakistani counterparts managed.

Shane Watson was the best bowler on both sides picking up as many wickets as Aamer and Asif; however at a much cheaper rate.

But the problem with Australia lied in the fact that their top 3 pacers could not do what the Pakistanis could - pick wickets up at regular intervals.

So then, were the Australians outplayed during the test series or not?

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It has taken 15 years but it has been worth it!


Posted by Q at Saturday, July 24, 2010 Pitched (3)
The last time Pakistan beat Australia in a test match...

Mohammad Aamer was still in his nappies.

Umar Akmal and Umar Amin were only 5 years old.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt was 10 years old and probably starting his cricket career in model town, Lahore.

Pakistan were the ODI world champions and Australia the unofficial number 1 team in test cricket.

The Pakistan coaches Waqar Younis and Ijaz Ahmed were part of the victorious Pakistan team.

Pakistan was a safe place where countries toured and Pakistanis were allowed to travel where ever they wanted to.

I was still in high school and a crazy cricket fan.

Atleast one thing hasn't changed - I'm still as crazy about cricket as I was back then.

But the world is a different place than it was in 1995.

It has taken Pakistan 15 years to win another test match against Australia; they had lost 13 consecutive tests to them prior to this one at Leeds.

The drawn series also means that Pakistan have finally managed to level a test series against the mighty Aussies after losing their last 6 test series to them; the last 4 being 3-0 clean sweeps!

Wasim Akram was the last Pakistan captain to enjoy a win over Australia. Hence in effect Salman Butt has managed something that Aamer Sohail, Waqar Younis, Inzamam, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, and Shahid Afridi never did.

New comers Azhar Ali and Umar Amin have experienced something that none of their more illustrious predecessors had experienced.

Things like these spell the importance of this victory for the Pakistan team. Its a young team, a new captain, new and inexperienced players; This win will do wonders to their confidence.

A test win over Australia is never a small achievement; however for this Pakistan team it is more of an achievement than it is for any other side.

No one gave Pakistan a chance.

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry criticized the choice of captain and the exclusion of Yousuf and Younis.

But Salman Butt and Co. proved them all wrong!

It wasn't easy for them; Australia made it really really tough. The catches that North and Hussey took off Malik and Akmal were out of this world. Not many other teams would have done the same.

Yet Pakistan held on and scampered home at the end.

When I was growing up, I used to read stories about Fazal Mahmood and how his bowling took Pakistan to their first ever test wins against England and Australia.

The next generation will read similar stories about Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif.

Its taken 15 years to topple the mighty Australians and its been truly worth it!

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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Pakistan needs a Flamboyant Shahid Afridi!


Posted by Q at Thursday, May 06, 2010 Pitched (4)
Bangladesh almost gave Pakistan a few heart attacks last night, but Australia made sure that the defending champions do not get knocked out in Round 1 of the World T20.

More than Pakistan's chances of advancing in the 20-20 world cup, I was concerned about Waqar Younis. The last time Pakistan got knocked out of a world cup in the West Indies, the coach did not make it back home.

Fortunately, things are different this time.

Pakistan's super league stage begins today with their first match against England. With New Zealand and South Africa to follow, the semi finals look like a sure shot but as always, with Pakistan one never knows!

They have not played all that badly so far, but something is missing.

All the batsmen seem to be in good touch, but the bowling, which was supposed to be Pakistan's firepower has lacked the zing.

Afridi, who is one of the most dangerous T20 bowlers, has gone wicketless in the two games against Bangladesh and Australia. What's more is that he has been expensive going at over 8 an over.

That is one of the key reasons why he has not looked like himself in the field.

Afridi has always been the go to man with the ball for past captains; he has always been the one chirping away in the outfield bucking up the rest of the players.

Now as captain, he needs to be doing that even more.

But due to his own below par performance with the ball, he has probably lost some confidence, and in turn his ability to lift his team mates.

For Pakistan to play like the T20 world champions, they need Afridi back at his best. Not with the bat, but with the ball and in the field.

One wicket will do wonders for him, but even if it doesn't come, as the captain of the team Afridi should be concentrating on the bigger picture.

We need more of the flamboyancy that he shows in his batting to come out in Afridi the captain.

That is the only way, we can have a successful Pakistan!

So far, I feel the team selection and the batting and bowling order have not been the best that Pakistan can offer.

The absence of Mohammad Asif and the presence of Mohammad Sami is inexplicable. Surely Asif needs to come back for the Super League games.

Not attacking the bowling with Razzak, something that worked 10 months ago, is also hard to understand.

Afridi needs to be more flexible with his bowlers and less so with his batsman.

Sure Mohammad Hafeez is a domestic star, but in international cricket he is at best an average player. That's why he keeps getting dropped and keeps making comebacks.

His offspin is crucial and can be a potent weapon if used wisely, so he should play but surely not at number 3.

Pakistan is wasting Fawad Alam at number 8 and no one knows this boy's game better than Afridi under whom at the domestic level Fawad has scored tons of runs in all forms of the game.

Give Fawad the number 3 spot and allow him to steer Pakistan's chase or setting of a total; I am sure he will not fail and will do a far better job than Hafeez in that position.

Afridi has been a flamboyant captain at the domestic level and if only he brings that out in the West Indies, does Pakistan stand a chance to have yet another successful T20 campaign.

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Friday, September 25, 2009

Pakistan vs India - FINALLY!


Posted by Q at Friday, September 25, 2009 Pitched (24)

The Fans

In 2004 when Pakistan and India finally decided to put aside their political differences and get on to the cricket field, there was an overdose of Pakistan vs India cricket.

Tours took place every year with an abundance of test matches and ODIs.

Many at the time felt that the euphoria surrounding the battle between the arch rivals was deteriorating due to the overdose.

But then cricket was once again put on the back burner last year as relations between the neighbors soured.

It has been over a year since Pakistan and India clashed in an international match; the last ODI being the Super 4 game of the Asia Cup in July last year.

The long wait for the fans, however, is almost over!

In about 8 hours Pakistan will take on India in the 6th match of the Champions Trophy, and I cannot wait for it to start.

The T20 warm up match between the two sides before the start of the World Twenty20 was an indication of the buzz that is created when Pakistan and India take on each other on the cricket field.

It also showed what the cricket world had been missing for so long.

That was only a warm up and it arguably had a larger crowd than any of the World Twenty20 matches.

Come tomorrow and Centurion will be buzzing!

The world in fact will be buzzing in front of their televisions.

Here in Manchester, I will watch the game with a dozen Indians; sadly there are hardly any Pakistanis in my program so it will be 1 of me and tons of them.

The last time I watched a Pakistan vs India match on TV with Indians, Saeed Anwar scored 194; that has got to be a good sign.

The Players

With the firepower of Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh missing from the Indian line up, they will be relying heavily on the experienced duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

Ironically, Pakistan will be depending more on their inexperienced duo of Umar Akmal and Mohammad Aamer, both of whom will be playing against India for the very first time.

The pressure will test both of them.

Another player expected to return to the international fold today is Mohammad Asif.

That has been another long wait.

Pakistan has missed Asif with the new ball for almost two years now, but against India he is expected to make his return.

Hopefully one, from which he never looks back.

The Teams

Both the teams look very balanced so to pick a winner at this point is almost impossible.

I do, however feel that Pakistan has the edge and that is not an emotional thought; they have already played a match and won it, they did well in the warm up games winning both of them, and the team seems to be eager to prove a point.

India, on the other hand, lost their warm up game to New Zealand, and will take the field today for the first time in this Champions Trophy.

Hence, Pakistan does have an advantage, but to take full opportunity of that, their seniors will have to come to the party.

Umar Akmal cannot do all the scoring, nor can Aamer pick up all the wickets.

The Outcome

Its a crucial game for both Pakistan and India.

The team that wins is more likely to go ahead into the semi finals at the expense of the other (assuming that Australia wins all and West Indies loses all); so the pressure is going to be at its maximum.

More than a year's wait, the return of Mohammad Asif, crunch game, Pakistan vs India, the Champions Trophy; it can't get bigger than that!

Its been a long wait and I can't wait anymore for it to be over.

Let the match begin!

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Friday, August 21, 2009

Pakistan's Champions Trophy Squad Announced: Mohammad Asif is Back!


Posted by Q at Friday, August 21, 2009 Pitched (28)
Dope tainted fast bowler, Mohammad Asif, will don the Pakistan colors again during the Champions Trophy that will be held in South Africa next month.

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 the same bowler he was before he was banned?

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

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The best thing about Mohammad Aamer


Posted by Q at Wednesday, July 08, 2009 Pitched (25)
We all knew the boy had pace.

We all knew he could swing the red ball both ways.

We all knew he was touted to be Pakistan's next pace sensation.

We all knew he was one for the long term for Pakistan.

We all knew he would get wickets in heaps.

All that, Mohammad Aamer showed during his debut in the first test against Sri Lanka, with a match haul of 6-112.

The best part about that though, was that all his 6 wickets were top order batsmen.

Aamer got the best of them, 3 in each innings, 1 bowled, and 5 caught by the keeper or in the slips.

Just goes to show how well the left armer bowled.

King Sanga twice, Jayawardene, Dilshan, Paranavitana, and Warnapura - that's 5 of Sri Lanka's top 6 that Aamer managed to topple over in his debut test.

He has a lot of promise and a long road ahead of him; hopefully a bright one.

And hopefully he follows in the foot steps of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and not Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif.

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Friday, July 3, 2009

Pakistan set to play an overseas test after 17 months!


Posted by Q at Friday, July 03, 2009 Pitched (14)
Sri Lanka have never beaten Pakistan in a test series at home.

In fact the last time Sri Lanka won a test match against Pakistan at home, many of Pakistan's squad members were in their diapers; while some had not even come into this world.

That is an intriguing statistic, considering that Sri Lanka have beaten Australia, South Africa, India, and England at home in a test series in the last decade.

So what has kept Pakistan from losing a test match in Sri Lanka?

The last time they were there in 2006, Shoaib Malik's magnificent rearguard as opener saved Pakistan a test, while Mohammad Asif, in his pre-doping days, won another with his wily swinging deliveries.

Pakistan won that 2-test series 1-0.

In their tour prior to that in 2000, it was Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis who bowled Pakistan to victory in the first 2 tests before rain played spoilt sport in the 3rd.

Both of Pakistan's test series wins in Sri Lanka in this decade have come through pace and swing.

That is another intriguing statistic considering that Sri Lanka largely rely on their spinners and prepare pitches to suit the same.

This time round however, Pakistan do not possess the guile of a Mohammad Asif, nor the pace and skill of a Wasim Akram or Waqar Younis.

Umar Gul has been a revelation on T20Is, and has had some success in ODIs, but in test matches he is yet to produce a magical spell or two since his 5-for against India in Lahore in 2005.

While the other two pacers, Mohammad Aamer and Abdur Rauf, are yet to play a test match.

Hence, I doubt pace will be the key for Pakistan in this series.

On the spin front, Danish Kaneria has been a disappointment in my books; Saeed Ajmal is another member of the bowling attack who is yet to play a test match.

With such an inexperienced attack, Pakistan is going to find it tough to keep their test record in Sri Lanka intact.

I'm not sure what Pakistan's team composition is going be like, but going by what has happened in the past, I believe Khansahab is right in saying that they need to play all 3 pacers in Gul, Aamer, and Rauf.

That would leave space for only 1 spinner and I reckon it should be Ajmal.

But then Pakistan will be going in with as many as 3 debutant bowlers.

Wise or not, you tell me?

The batting doesn't seem to be a worry in my view.

Salman, Khurram, Younis, Yousuf, Misbah look like a solid line up on paper; they have it in them to deliver as well.

Barring Salman, all are very good players of spin; countering Murali and Mendis will not be a problem for them.

The number 6 spot is where the question mark is - Shoaib Malik, Faisal Iqbal, or Fawad Alam?

Recent form suggests it should be Fawad; continuity suggests it should be Faisal; Younis Khan's logic of not dropping seniors suggests it should be Malik.

Who will Younis go with?

I believe it is a good problem to have; either of the 3 are more than handy batsmen to have at number 6.

Come tomorrow, Pakistan will take the field for their 1st overseas test in 17 months.

That's a hell of a long time not to have toured anywhere for a test series.

Will Pakistan make the most of it and live up to their repuation in Sri Lanka?

Its up to Younis Khan to lift his troops up again for another fight.

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Pakistan & The Reverse Swing Saga


Posted by Q at Wednesday, June 17, 2009 Pitched (33)
A brief run down history first before I get to Umar Gul.

Wasim Akram

1985: 10 wicket haul in only his 2nd test match against New Zealand.
1985-1990: enhances his repuation through leading performances against all teams.
1990: destroys Australia in Melbourne with a 11 wicket haul.
March 1992: one of the leading wicket takers of World Cup, 2 in 2 ends England's hopes.
Summer 1992: Destroys England in England with 21 wickets in 4 tests leading Pakistan to 2-1 series victory.

Reaction: Wasim isn't an exceptional bowler. He hardly picks up wickets. We don't know how he managed so much swing and picked up so many wickets against us. Must be ball tampering.

Waqar Younis

1990: Destroys New Zealand at home with 29 wickets in 3 tests.
1990: Picks up 9 wickets against a powerful West Indies test line up in his first test against them.
1990-92: Builds his reputation as the world's fastest bowler.
Summer 1992: Destroys England in England with 22 wickets in 5 tests leading Pakistan to 2-1 series victory.

Reaction: He's just a fast bowler. Has pace, but we've never seen him swing the ball so much. We don't know how he managed so many wickets. Must be ball tampering.

Mohammad Asif

Jan 2006: Destroys India in Karachi with 7 wickets helping Pakistan win test series 1-0.
Apr 2006: Destroys Sri Lanka in Kandy with 11 wickets in 2nd test.
Summer 2006: Returns from injury to play England in 3rd test at the Oval. 4 wickets in the 1st innings results in England collapsing to 173 all out.

Reaction: Who is this boy. We've never seen him before. And how can he come back from injury and swing the ball like that? Must be ball tampering.

Saeed Ajmal

July 2008: Makes impressive ODI debut against India in the Asia Cup.
July - Nov 2008: Bangladeshi and West Indian bastmen find his offies and doosras difficult to pick.
2009: Bamboozles Australia with his doosras in ODIs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Reaction: Where did this spinner come from? Has he even played before? Why don't we have videos of him? How does his doosra spin so much? Must be a chucker.

Umar Gul

2007: Leading wicket taker at the ICC World Twenty20.
2007-2009: Builds his repuation as one of the best T20 bowlers; figures speak for themselves.
May 2009: Destroys the Australians with 4-8 in a T20I in Dubai and becomes leading wicket taker in T20 internationals.
June 2009: Demolishes New Zealand batting line up with 5-6, the best ever figures in a T20 international.

Reaction: We don't know how he swung the ball so much. We have never seen reverse swing in the 12th over of a match. Must be ball tampering.


After the English and the Australians, only New Zealand were left to whine against Pakistan. Maybe it will be South Africa's turn after the semi final.

Why can't these guys just accept the skill and talent that the Pakistan bowlers possess?

Why do they always have to come out with baseless accusations?

Ofcourse Daniel Vettori doesn't know how Umar Gul managed to swing the ball.

Had he paid more attention to Gul's feats in T20 cricket over the last 2 years, maybe then he would have realized what hit his batsmen.

Actually Vettori didn't even have to look all that far back in history; just a month ago Gul had run through Australia's batting line up with 4-8. Not that different from his 5-6; that too against far superior batsmen.

The problem with all the above mentioned accusations is that those accusing have chosen to ignore history.

Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Asif, Saeed Ajmal, and Umar Gul did not become unplayable overnight.

Nor did they perform with the ball for the first time when these accusations were made.

Did none of these baseless assusers follow these great bowlers or study them on video before coming out to play against them?

Why raise eye-brows when the same bowlers have been doing the same stuff to all teams, particularly when those other teams have had no reason to doubt!

About time everyone sits put, shuts up, and acknowledges that they were just not good enough.

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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Pakistan starts its year


Posted by Q at Tuesday, January 06, 2009 Pitched (8)
Rewind back a year and the Nasim Ashraf led PCB had announced the fresh list of contracted Pakistan cricketers.

Mohammad Asif had been upgraded to a Category A contract putting him among the top notch of cricketers in Pakistan, while Shoaib Akhtar had been relegated to mere retainership, a new category that was formed purely for players who did not appear in enough international games de to lack of fitness or discipline or selectorial blunders.

That had resulted in an outburst from Shoaib Akhtar, who criticized the PCB, refused to sign the retainer contract, and went on to bad mouth Nasim Ashraf & Co.

Shoaib was eventually banned, fined, and dumped, while Asif, the new blue eyed boy of the administration went on to smuggle some drugs and test positive for a banned substance for the second time in as many years.

A year and an administration change later Shoaib Akhtar has landed a Category A central contract from the PCB, while Asif is no where to be heard of.

Life comes a full circle they say.

For Shoaib and Asif it has not only come a full circle but they have exchanged the circles in the meantime as well.

The Ijaz Butt led PCB announced this years list of contracted players this afternoon and as always they dished out quite a few surprises.

Besides Shoaib, Danish Kaneria, who had also been relegated to retainer status last year, has also landed a Category A contract.

How absurd is that.

Kaneria did not play a single international match during 2008.

If Pakistan doesn't play any tests this year, like 2008, Kaneria will not play any internationals in 2009 either.

And he would have ended the year pocketing Rs 3 million (US $150,000) without playing a single game.

Same for Shoaib who as history tells us may play only a handful of matches.

I'd like to smoke what Intikhab Alam, Yawar Saeed, and Abdul Qadir have been smoking.

The men who decided on the contracts.

As expected Mohammad Yousuf is no where in the list either.

I believe this was the ideal time for the PCB to take steps in bringing the ICL players back into the fold given the situation with India at this point in time.

With none of the players expected to appear in the ICL or the IPL, this was PCB's chance to make sure that its players stayed loyal to them.

Yousuf along with the likes of Razzak and Imran Nazir could have been roped in.

Obviously the PCB thinks otherwise.

There are yet more surprises in the list of contracted players.

Faisal Iqbal, Yasir Hameed, and Mohammad Hafeez have been handed Category B contracts.

Niether of them is even close to playing an international match for Pakistan yet they are placed in a category above the likes of Nasir Jamshed, Fawad Alam, Saeed Ajmal, and Rao Iftikhar, who have not only are regular members of the side but have also put in some match winning performances during last year.

Whats more, Sohail Tanvir is placed in Category B. The country's best 20-20 bowler and arguable the best ODI one as well and he is among another 3 cricketers who don't stand a chance to play for Pakistan.

Get me those smokes. Seriously.

PCB has definitely pleased some players for reasons best known to them. But at the same time they have also snubbed quite a few by placing them in the wrong categories.

The men behind it claim that the criteria was different than last year and seniority was given more importance than performance amongst other things.

Whatever it was, some common sense should have prevailed.

There is no reason why a Faisal Iqbal should make Rs 2.1 million a year when there are the likes of Azhar Ali, Nasir Jamshed, Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif, and Naumanullah making much less than that.

Azhar Ali has atleast managed to land a Category C contract, as has the talented Umar Amin.

This is the first time that uncapped players have been considered.

They both deserved it.

Azhar Ali, a 23 year old batsman from Lahore had a tremendous last year and first caught the eye when he led the scoring charts during the ABN Amro One Day tournament in early 2008.

He is also among the leading scorers of this season in both the first class and List A competitions.

Azhar averages over 50 in both forms of the game and is a great find for Pakistan. He should make his debut this year and is in my opinion the ideal replacement for Mohammad Yousuf in the test side.

Umar Amin is only 19 and created waves at the under-19 level last season with a couple of centuries in youth tests against England and Bangladesh.

This Rawal Pindi boy is only in his second domestic season and has already given smashing performances with the bat in both first class matches as well as List A games.

He is averaging over 50 in 13 List A games and is only behind Shoaib Malik in terms of runs this season.

Umar has a tremendous future ahead of him and this contract should give him the much needed confidence from the powers that be.

Well sometimes the PCB can make some sense after all.

They also showed some sense in retaining Shoaib Malik as the captain of the team for an indefinite period.

Malik's term had expired at the end of 2008 and there was no reason to replace him and rightly so, the PCB didn't.

Its a new year and the PCB has taken a fresh start. It has made some mistakes but then it has put some things right as well.

Malik's in charge and the men have been identified. Hopefully the international series will take place as well Pakistan will play some cricket.

One can only hope for a good international season for Pakistan.

I have a feeling, it will be just that.

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