Showing posts with label Saeed Anwar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saeed Anwar. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 17, 2018

A Trip Down Memory Lane Reminiscing Pakistan's unlikely Test Victories


Posted by Q at Wednesday, October 17, 2018 Pitched (1)
This morning, with Australia at 91-7, a friend on Whatsapp commented that this has got to be the mother of all comebacks after Pakistan were 57-5 on the first morning of the test.

That discussion led to more examples of Pakistan coming from behind to win a test.

Here are five of Pakistan's great test wins that came after they had their backs against the wall.

PAKISTAN VS NEW ZEALAND
ONLY TEST
HAMILTON 1993
On a green top, a typical surface in New Zealand, Pakistan were put in by the Kiwis and in no time were reduced to 12-3. A customary captain's innings of 92 from Javed Miandad saved Pakistan from complete disaster as they managed a somewhat respectable 216 in the first innings.

Mark Greatbatch played a magnificent knock of 133, but Wasim, Waqar, and Mushtaq ensured that New Zealand do not bat Pakistan out of the game. The rest of the Kiwi batsmen could not do much and New Zealand took a modest 48 run lead.

Pakistan's woes against seam and swing continued in the second innings as they were bundled out for 174 with the only saving grace being Inzamam's 75.

Set a target of 127, it should have been a walk in the park for New Zealand.

But Pakistan's deadly Ws duo had other things in mind.


Wasim Akram bowled unchanged for 22 overs and dismissed half the New Zealand side, with Waqar Younis running through the other half, leaving the Kiwis in tatters.

The greatest pacers to play for Pakistan destroyed New Zealand giving Pakistan an unlikely 33 run win.

PAKISTAN VS INDIA
FIRST TEST, ASIAN TEST CHAMPIONSHIP
KOLKATA 1999
Having just drawn the test series 1-1 with India, Pakistan took on India again in Kolkata in the first match of the Asian Test Championship.

After winning the toss and batting first, within 45 minutes of the game, Srinath and Prasad had Pakistan reeling at 26-6.

The entire batting line up, barring Saleem Malik (32), had succumbed to the seam and swing of India's opening bowlers. Moin Khan played a valuable knock of 70 and with support from Malik and Wasim Akram (38), managed to give Pakistan a total of 185.

India could not capitalize on this as they also folded for 223 in the first innings as Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar shared 7 wickets, including Shoaib's two scalps of successive yorkers to Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.


Pakistan's second innings was a one man masterclass from Saeed Anwar as he carried his bat with a magnificent career best 188 off 259 deliveries, which was laced with 23 boundaries and a six. He found some support from Mohammad Yousuf (56) with the rest of the Pakistan batting not doing much.

Javagal Srinath, Pakistan's first innings tormentor, took 8 wickets in the second innings, giving him career best match figures of 13-132.

Thanks to Saeed Anwar, Pakistan managed to post 316, giving India a target of 279 to win. In response, India managed only 232, and Pakistan won by 46 runs.

No one expected Pakistan to win after they were 26-6 inside 9 overs on the first morning of the test.

PAKISTAN VS INDIA
THIRD TEST
KARACHI 2006
This test match started in similar fashion to the one in Kolkata. After winning the toss, Indian put Pakistan into bat on a breezy Karachi morning on a damp wicket.

At the end of the first over, Pakistan were 0-3 having lost Salman Butt, Younis Khan, and Mohammad Yousuf to an Irfan Pathan hatrick!

By the 10th over, Pakistan were reeling at 39-6.

Kamran Akmal then played the innings of his life as he smashed 18 boundaries in a classy 113 where he shared a 115 run 7th wicket partnership with Abdul Razzak (45) and a 82 run 8th wicket partnership with Shoaib Akhtar (45) to take Pakistan to a respectable 245.


Pakistan wrested the initiative away from India once again as Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, and Abdul Razzaq combined to bowl India out for 238.

In the 2nd innings, Pakistan just smashed their way to 599-7 declared. Faisal Iqbal hit 139 and every other batsman that batted got 50+, including a couple of 90s from Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq.

India managed only 265 in their improbable chase of 607, giving Pakistan their largest win ever by 341 runs (which was later broken in 2014 when Pakistan beat Australia by 356 runs).

Who would have thought that Pakistan will manage a record breaking win after they were 0-3 on the first morning!

PAKISTAN VS ENGLAND
SECOND TEST
ABU DHABI 2012
This was the second test of the series against England and Pakistan were behind in the entire game except for the final 30 overs of the match.

On day 1, Pakistan collapsed from 203-4 to 257 all out as Broad, Anderson, and Panesar proved too much for Pakistan's lower order. In response England posted 327 taking a 70 run first innings lead.

In the second innings, Pakistan again could not handle Monty Panesar as he picked up 6 wickets to bowl Pakistan out for 214.

Needing only 145 runs to win, England began their chase cautiously putting on 20 runs in 14 overs. They lost Alastair Cook to Hafeez off the final delivery of the 15th over to make it 21-1.

Then the carnage began.

From there it went to 26-2, 37-4, 68-7, and then 72 ALL OUT !

Abdur Rehman's 6-25 and Saeed Ajmal's 3-22 gave Pakistan one of their most improbable wins ever.


No one gave Pakistan a chance to defend 145, but they did and how. It was a great escape and a wonderful win! 

PAKISTAN VS ENGLAND
THIRD TEST
DUBAI 2012
After winning the series following the great escape in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan should have been confident going into bat after winning the toss in the third test against England.

However, within 45 minutes of the morning, Pakistan found themselves at 21-5, with Broad and Anderson ripping through the batting. Panesar further added to their woes and Pakistan were bowled out for 99.

England should have run away with the match but their Abu Dhabi tormentors, Rehman (5-40) and Ajmal (3-59), combined again to restrict England's lead to only 42 runs.

In the second innings, Azhar Ali (157) and Younis Khan (127) combined in a 200 run partnership to give Pakistan a 300 plus run lead.


Pakistan set England a target of 324, which at the end proved too much for them.

No one thought Pakistan will end up winning the test by 71 runs after they were bowled out for 99 in the first innings.

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Monday, April 10, 2017

How Special is Babar Azam?


Posted by Q at Monday, April 10, 2017 Pitched (1)
With over 1,000 ODI runs, 5 ODI centuries in 25 innings, an average of 56.78, and a strike rate of 90.50 - at the age of 22 - I think extremely special.

BEST EVER ODI AVERAGE

That average of 56.78 is the second best average ever in ODI cricket; and if you exclude associate nations, then Babar Azam currently has the best ever ODI average of all time.

Among these 10 batsmen with the best ODI averages of all time, Babar has the third best strike rate, behind the magnificent AB de Villiers and very marginally behind the great Virat Kohli.

For Babar to be spoken of in the same breath as ABD and Kohli, he will have to sustain this performance and average for at least another 100 ODIs.

With the start he has achieved, I do not have any doubts that in about 5 years time, Babar's ODI record will be very similar to that of ABD, Kohli, and Amla.

 PHENOMENAL AT NUMBER 3

Out of his 25 ODI innings, Babar has played nine at number three and all of his 5 ODI centuries have come from that position.

Why Pakistan even bothers to change his batting order around is beyond me.

He has been phenomenal at number 3. His average of 95.62 at number 3 is the current best ODI average ever from that position.

Among the 10 batsmen with the best ODI averages at number 3, only ABD and MS Dhoni have a better strike rate than Babar Azam's.

I'll say it again that in order to be considered one of the best alongside Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and other star performers at number 3 in ODIs, Babar will have to sustain this performance for another 30-40 odd ODIs.

Pakistan's team management will have to play its part though, by sustaining with him at number 3.

BEST SRIKE RATE EVER FOR PAKISTAN

 There are only two batsmen in all of Pakistan who have a better strike rate than Babar Azam in ODIs - the one and only, Shahid Afridi, and the one who may never play again, Sharjeel Khan.

Never has Pakistan had a batsman like Babar, who scores freely and consistently. Not since Zaheer Abbas, Saeed Anwar, and a young Inzamam Ul Haq anyway.

But even those names (besides Zaheer Abbas) do not feature in the top 10 batting strike rates for Pakistan.

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This is just the start of what looks like a promising career. Earlier this year, Babar joined the likes of Sir Viv Richards, KP, Trott, and de Kock as the fastest batsmen to reach 1,000 runs in ODIs. It took them just 21 innings. No one has for their faster.

Here's hoping that Babar Azam continues in the same vein and that he continues to build on this exceptional platform by scoring runs and runs and more runs.

For this batsman is special and Pakistan have rarely seen better.

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Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Asad Shafiq is a HERO


Posted by Q at Tuesday, December 20, 2016 No Comments
No one expected Pakistan to chase 490, so when Pakistan ended day 4 with only 108 more to get with 2 wickets in hand, expectations changed.

Hopes rose even further as the target got to less than 50 on the 5th day.

But then, when another 40 odd runs were required, Pakistan lost Asad Shafiq, the man who had turned the first test between Pakistan and Australia on its head.

It was a monumental effort by Asad Shafiq, which took Pakistan to 450 in the 4th innings. Easily their highest every 4th innings total, and the joint third highest 4th innings total ever.

This Pakistan team has surprised us way too many times over the past 6 years, and especially in the 4th innings. The successful record making run chases in Sharjah and Palakelle, and now this epic effort at the Gabba.

The man behind Pakistan achieving this record, created some records for himself too.

Asad Shafiq has been a great addition to Pakistan's test line up and his performances at number 6 have played an instrumental role in the rise of Pakistan's test cricket over the past 6 years.

He is undoubtedly the best number 6 that Pakistan have ever had, and now he is very close to being considered the best number 6 ever to play test cricket. His record shows you why.

Most Runs at Number 6 in Tests

Steve Waugh is the ultimate number 6 and sits above all other batsmen in terms of number of runs scored in tests from this batting position.

Asad is fast approaching Waugh and is now only 400 odd runs away from becoming the leading run scorer in tests from number 6.

Most Centuries at Number 6 in Tests

It will take a few innings before Asad Shafiq becomes the highest scoring number 6 in test cricket history, however he has already created a record for making the most centuries from that position breaking the record of 8, which was held by Sir Gary Sobers.

 Unique Pakistani Feat

As Asad brought up his first century in Australia in his first test downunder, Asad manage a unique feat that only Saeed Anwar had managed before him.

Asad is the only batsman from Pakistan, besides Saeed Anwar, who has scored a test century in Australia, South Africa, and England.

None of the greats who have played tests in all these countries have managed that. Inzamam, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, none of them.

That is surely a great achievement by Asad.

Asad Shafiq is a HERO!

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Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Pakistan was ahead of its time... before it hit rock bottom!


Posted by Q at Tuesday, April 21, 2015 No Comments
Pakistan's ODI cricket has never been in such a sad state as it is in right now. They are ranked 7 in the world, are currently trailing Bangladesh 2-0, and if they lose the series 3-0 then they will drop down to number 8.

Where did it all go wrong for them?

If we consider the entire 45-year history of ODI cricket, Pakistan has the third best overall record in ODIs. Only Australia and South Africa have won a higher percentage of ODIs than Pakistan in this time. Despite this record, we are going through a period where Pakistan has not won an ODI series for over a year.

I fail to understand how they have fallen so far behind other teams. There was a time in the 90s when Pakistan was one of the best ODI teams, if not the best, in the world. They played two World Cup finals in that decade, winning one, and created a number of ODI records, which stood for a long time.

They were well ahead of other teams, but the turn of the century has witnessed a significant transformation, which is hard to understand.

Pakistan and its cricketers created 5 ODI records in the previous century, which at the time were the sort of records that one felt would never be broken. However, since the turn of the century, those records have fallen multiple times and it shows how other teams have not only caught up with Pakistan but have also marched ahead tremendously, leaving Pakistan far far behind.

1. Fastest Century in ODIs

 In October 1996, one innings changed Shahid Afridi's life forever. He smashed a century off only 37 deliveries while slaughtering Sri Lanka's bowling in Nairobi and held the record for the fastest century ever scored in an ODI for 17 years! No one came close to breaking that record besides Afridi himself, who also held the record for the second fastest ODI century ever scored (45 deliveries) when he smashed India's bowlers to all parts of Kanpur in 2005.

Even though Mark Boucher bettered the second fastest ODI 100 in 2006, it was not until 2014 that Afridi's fastest 100 record was broken. Corey Anderson broke that record by 1 delivery when he sprinted to an ODI ton off only 36 deliveries against the West Indies. That record was broken again by AB De Villiers earlier this year when he further tormented the West Indies by destroying their bowlers and reaching an ODI century off only 31 deliveries.

In the 90s, one could easily say that no one can hit the ball the way Afridi does. He was well ahead of his time and gave many a bowling attack nightmares for some time.

The way the game is played today, however, there are many who can hit the ball better than Afridi ever did. The fastest 100 record has been broken twice already, and maybe ABD's 31 ball century will never be bettered, however it is easy to imagine many more centuries scored of 30 odd deliveries in the year to come.

2. Highest Team Score in ODIs

 Back in the day, a team scoring 400 was unheard of in ODIs. In fact even 350 was a score that was rarely achieved by teams even when an innings used to be 60 overs long. In fact in the first two decades of ODI cricket, 350 was crossed only twice - by the West Indies in 1987 (360-4) and by England in 1992 (363-7). Sri Lanka were the only team that threatened the barrier of 400 when they managed the highest score by a team in ODIs in 1996 against Kenya when they amassed 398-5.

In that same game where Afridi hit the fastest century, Pakistan scored a daunting 371-9 in their 50 overs. That was the highest score by a team in an ODI between two test playing nations. That stood for 3 years before India scored 373 and 376 in 1999 against Sri Lanka and New Zealand respectively.

The game has changed so much that in the past decade or so, teams have crossed 400 in an ODI innings on as many as 15 occasions. Pakistan have managed it exactly zero times.

It is ironic that the three teams that posted the highest ODI totals in the 80s and 90s - West Indies, England, and Pakistan - are the only teams among the top 8 ODI sides who have not posted a score of 400 in an ODI yet.

3. Highest Individual Score in ODIs

Like a team score of 400, to think that a batsman will ever score 200 in an ODI was unfathomable. Viv Richards's 189* against England in May 1984 remained the highest score ever in an ODI for 13 years before Saeed Anwar smashed India's bowlers for a magnificent 194. That was the closest anyone ever got to scoring a double century in an ODI. Saeed Anwar could have easily become the first man to do so had he not perished as there were still a few overs left in Pakistan's innings.

At the time many felt that Saeed Anwar's record will never be broken. It took 12 years for someone to equal the record as  Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe scored 194 in an ODI against Bangladesh.

But then came Sachin Tendulkar's epic unbeaten 200 against South Africa in 2010. Saeed Anwar's record stood strong for 13 years, like Sir Viv Richards', before Sachin became the first ever batsman to score a double century in ODIs. In the past 5 years since then, we have witnessed 5 more double centuries in ODIs, and with the way the game is played today we will definitely see many many more.

4. Most Sixes in an ODI innings

In 1987 and 1988, Viv Richards played two innings in which he hit 7 sixes each. That was the most number of sixes anyone had hit in an ODI innings at the time. 7. In 1989, Sir Viv's compatriot, Gordon Greenidge bettered him by 1 and held the record for most 6s hit in an ODI innings - 8!

In 1996, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi, during their respective record breaking fastest ODI hundreds, hit 11 sixes each. 11 sixes in an ODI innings was unbelievable, and it remained so for more than a decade before Xavier Marshall smashed Canada for 12 sixes in 2008.

However, the past 5 years has seen even that mark crossed on 5 different occasions. Rohit Sharma, AB De Villiers, and Chris Gayle jointly hold the record for most sixes in an ODI innings - 16! Shane Watson has hit 15, while Corey Anderson has hit 14.

It is not long before we will witness someone smash 20 sixes in an ODI innings.

5. Highest Partnership in ODIs

 In 1994, Aamer Sohail and Inzamam Ul Haq got together and pummelled New Zealand for 263 runs for the second wicket. Back then, not only was that the highest partnership for any wicket in ODIs, it was the only time that a 250 run partnership was witnessed in an ODI.

Even though that record was broken before the turn of the century, this century alone has seen over 15 partnerships of 250 or more in ODIs, with the most recent one being Warner and Smith's 260 against Afghanistan, and the highest being Gayle and Samuel's record 372 against Zimbabwe.

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Pakistan's ODI batting is currently the worst in the world. However there was a time when it was one of the best. In fact, as the above records show, Pakistan's ODI batting was well ahead of other teams, and definitely far far ahead of its times.

To think how far down the barrel we have fallen; it is just sad. It is unbelievable. And it is quite incomprehensible.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Misbah the ODI Captain: Average; Misbah the ODI Batsman: a Giant


Posted by Q at Tuesday, March 24, 2015 Pitched (5)
Misbah the ODI captain and Misbah the ODI batsman are two very different people.

While the captain was timid, defensive, weak, and lacked imagination; the batsman was calculated, strong in both defence and attack, imaginative, and a giant of the game.

If only he had translated the latter into his captaincy, he might not have as many critics as he does.

Despite ODI series wins in India and South Africa and an Asia Cup title under his belt, Misbah was just an average ODI captain. Some say that he didn't have the right resources and a captain is just as good as his team; I argue that men like Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi inspired average teams to do great things. Misbah just could not.

Misbah has won more ODIs as captain than he has lost, but his Win % is far less than most of Pakistan's ODI captains.


Purely as a batsman, however, Misbah is a giant of the ODI game. Despite never scoring an ODI century, he ended his ODI career with a higher average than Inzamam, Yousuf, Miandad, and Anwar.


Only Zaheer Abbas had an ODI average higher than Misbah. For those who criticize his slow approach, popularly known as tuk tuk all over Pakistan, there isn't much difference in Misbah's ODI strike rate when compared to those of Inzamam and Yousuf. In fact the only Pakistan batsmen who stand out in terms of strike rate are Zaheer Abbas, Saeed Anwar, and Umar Akmal - the only three Pakistan batsmen with an ODI average north of 34 and strike rate north of 80.

Even when captain, Misbah's batting did not suffer. He was by far Pakistan's best ODI batsmen during his captaincy tenure. He is second only to Imran Khan in terms of runs scored as Pakistan captain, while he has the best average. His 27 fifties as Pakistan captain are far more than 50+ scores for Pakistan captains in ODIs.


Despite that amazing record as a batsman, Misbah failed in inspiring his team to ODI wins. He has a phenomenal record as an ODI batsman in matches won by Pakistan; however as captain that record doesn't look as phenomenal.


Misbah averages almost 50 in ODIs won by Pakistan, however Yousuf, Miandad, Anwar, and Inzamam have superior records. Not only in terms of average but also the volume of runs scored in ODI victories. Even Saleem Malik and Ijaz Ahmed scored more centuries and fifties in ODI wins for Pakistan.

Misbah's average decline by about 3 runs when we look at his performance in matches that Pakistan won under his captaincy.


Javed Miandad and Inzamam Ul Haq average over 10 more runs per innings than Misbah is matches that they captained and won for Pakistan. Thus further highlighting the fact that despite his greatness as an ODI batsman, Misbah was not as good a captain and just didn't win enough games for Pakistan.

Misbah's prowess as an ODI batsman is highlighted to a greater extent when one assesses his performance in matches played away from home. His record is extremely impressive and he stands head and shoulders above all other Pakistan batsmen.


It should be noted that the record above does not include ODIs played in the UAE. No one even comes close to Misbah's average of 48.6, which is a good 10 runs higher than the next batsman on the list. What is even more interesting is that Misbah's strike rate in ODIs played away from home is bettered by only Yousuf, U Akmal, Razzaq, and Hafeez. In matches played away from home, Misbah has striked at a better rate than Inzamam!

This record for Misbah is not exclusive to Pakistan. Among all Asian batsmen, Misbah is just at another level when it comes to ODIs played in foreign countries.


Misbah averages a significant 16 more runs than the next batsman on the list in ODIs played in Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, and West Indies. In fact, he and Zaheer Abbas are the only two Pakistanis among the seven Asian batsmen who average above 40 in ODIs played in these countries.

For perspective, Anwar and Inzamam average only 27.9 and 29.8 respectively in ODIs played in these countries; while Miandad and Yousuf average 37.7 and 35.3 respectively.

While I agree with the criticism about his captaincy, there is no way anyone can criticize Misbah the batsman. He is an ODI batting giant and one of the best produced by Pakistan. One can only wonder what he could have achieved had he played during his younger years when he was amassing runs in the domestic circuit.

A strong Pakistan middle order comprising of Younis, Yousuf, and Inzamam meant that Misbah could not find many opportunities till after Inzamam left in 2007, following which he found himself often dragging Pakistan out of trouble. Misbah rarely had the opportunity to play with the freedom he would have liked. Again one can only wonder what he could have achieved had he consistently featured in a middle order comprising of Inzamam and Yousuf.

Misbah leaves the ODI game as one of the only 27 ODI batsmen in the world with an average north of 40. He leaves it with a better average than all Pakistani greats and other world class batsmen such as Ponting, Sangakkara, Lara, Haynes, Kirsten, and Ganguly.

Being talked about in the same breath as Inzamam, Yousuf, Miandad, and Anwar in Pakistan's batting chronicles is an achievement and a half. Considering that Misbah did better than them as an ODI batsman and one realizes his true worth.

I will be the first to admit that I was not a fan of his captaincy, or his ability to suck the life of Pakistan's batting while at the crease. But I will also say that often he had no other choice. Misbah's performance is a classic case of a realization that comes too late; his value as an ODI batsman was rarely recognized, however, it will be now like never before once he has left the game for good.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Ahmed Shehzad - Pakistan's Greatest Opener Ever?


Posted by Q at Tuesday, February 10, 2015 Pitched (4)
The past year (2014), was the year when Ahmed Shehzad stamped his authority and made one of Pakistan's opening positions his own across all formats of the game.

After making his debut in 2009 as an 18 year old opening batsman, Shehzad found himself on the sidelines after his first ODI series for Pakistan. He remained on the sidelines for two years before briefly returning to international colours just before the World Cup in 2011. A tour of New Zealand, a World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, and a tour of West Indies later, he was gone again. No one really knew why considering he had opened for Pakistan and knocked a century in New Zealand and another one in the West Indies. Despite a disappointing World Cup, he did not deserve to be dropped.

Rumours were that he was punished for his closeness with Shahid Afridi who was at loggerheads with the PCB Chairman at the time and had announced his retirement from the game.

Shehzad was the best opening batsman in the country but he was still not a part of the team. He continued to pile on the runs in domestic cricket, and finally made another return to the side in the middle of 2013 on another tour to the West Indies.

18 months since then and Shehzad has undoubtedly become a mainstay of the side, one of the few players who is key to the team's success across all formats, and is well on his way towards becoming the best opener produced by the country.

After establishing himself as Pakistan's opener in the limited overs formats, Shehzad made his test debut at the start of 2014 in the series against Sri Lanka. In his 5th test innings, he produced a magnificent 147, and followed that up with two more test tons during the year against Australia and New Zealand.

In March 2014, he recorded his first ever T20I century, becoming the first Pakistani to score a hundred in the T20 format, and only the 7th batsman in the world (at the time) to record a century in each format of the game. (Faf du Plessis became the 8th batsman earlier this year).

2014 was truly the year that brought Ahmed Shehzad to the world stage. He is only 23 and has an entire career ahead of him. He has already achieved so much and one can just start to imagine what he may be able to achieve going forward given his immense talent and potential.

He has scored runs against all comers and in all conditions. His international centuries have not only come in the subcontinent and the UAE, but also in South Africa, New Zealand, and the West Indies. He is yet to play international cricket in England, and the upcoming World Cup will be his first international outing in Australia.

After just 57 innings as an opener in ODIs, he is already the 8th highest run scorer for Pakistan in that position. His 6 ODI centuries as an opener are bettered only by Salman Butt (8), Rameez Raja, and Pakistan's best opener ever, Saeed Anwar (20).


What I find even more impressive is the fact that he has 6 ODI centuries in only 58 ODI innings; that is a remarkable conversion rate with Shehzad scoring an ODI century every 9.7 innings. Comparing that with innings:centuries ratios of Pakistan batsmen who have scored at least 5 ODI centuries, shows that only Zaheer Abbas scored ODI centuries at a faster rate.


There are only 10 batsmen in this world among the top 8 ODI teams who take less than 10 innings to score their next ODI century; Ahmed Shehzad is one of them!


Sure we are still in the early stages of Shehzad's career and the challenge for him lies in maintaining the stature that he has already achieved, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he is well on his way towards greater things.

Shehzad's best days are still ahead of him. When you think of the best ODI batsmen to have played the game you think of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli, Hashim Amla, and AB De Villiers to name a few. Not all of them started off on the same note that they achieved later in their careers.

Sachin Tendulkar did not score his first century in ODIs till his 76th innings! Yet he went on to score more ODI centuries than anyone in the history of the game.

Shehzad's career stats compare well against those of some of the greatest ODI players at the same stage in their career; i.e. after 58 ODI innings. Only Amla, among the batsmen shown below, stands out from the rest. All the other batsmen have pretty much the same figures at the same stage in their careers.


Only Hashim Amla had more centuries against his name than Shehzad does after 58 ODI innings. There is an uncanny similarity between the careers of Pakistan's greatest opener ever, Saeed Anwar, and Shehzad after 58 ODI innings.

And there's not much difference between what Ponting and De Villiers had achieved at the start of their ODI careers and what Shehzad has achieved.

As I already mentioned, the challenge for Shehzad is to maintain this same form throughout his career. There is no doubt in my mind that he has the ability and the will to do so.

There is also no doubt in my mind that he will.

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Sunday, August 16, 2009

Who is Charles Coventry?


Posted by Q at Sunday, August 16, 2009 Pitched (32)
Charles Coventry sounds like someone from the British Royal family; he is not though!

He is the man who has just broken Saeed Anwar's record of the highest score in a One-Day International.

Yes, that 194 that Saeed Anwar scored against India is no longer the highest ODI score.

194 Not Out is and it belongs to Charles Coventry!

Just yesterday I was at a friend's place in San Francisco browsing through some old cricket videos from his collection.

One of the videos was of Saeed Anwar's 194; we watched the innings again.

While watching it, I thought that that was one record that will probably never be broken.

This was just yesterday!

Since Saeed Anwar notched up that record, Sanath Jayasuriya, Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden, and MS Dhoni have gotten close to breaking it, but none have been successful.

It was as if there was some external force keeping the 194 record safely in Saeed Anwar's pocket.

But it wasn't to be.

Today, a relatively unknown Zimbwean, Charles Coventry, smashed the Bangladeshi bowling to all parts of the ground to notch up an unbeaten 194!

The fact that it was an unbeaten innings, it sits above Saeed Anwar's 194.

Coventry could have broken the record, however.

He was on 192 when facing the last ball of the innings.

It was a full toss, which he could have deposited to any part of the ground.

But he hit it straight past the bowler for only 2 runs to equal the 194.

The external force at work again?

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Random Pakistan Cricket Fact #10


Posted by SledgeHammer at Thursday, June 25, 2009 Pitched (4)
In the 2003 World Cup, Shoaib Akhtar had the highest batting average of all Pakistani players (72.00), while Saeed Anwar had the highest bowling average (15.00).

Yep, it's true - just another piece of evidence for Pakistan's disastrous performance. Shoaib Akhtar's average was boosted by his short, explosive innings against England, and a few not-outs. Saeed Anwar bagged one wicket when he was asked to bowl a few overs inconsequential against Netherlands (same match in which Wasim Akram got his 500th wicket).

Here's a link to the stats.

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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Taking Over Cricket in Pakistan


Posted by Q at Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Pitched (8)
Since Nasim Ashraf was a personal adviser and friend of Pervez Musharraf, it was only apt that he resigned as the PCB chairman hours after the Pakistan president resigned from his post.

Either way, he wouldn't have stayed long post Musharraf considering the mess he had put Pakistan cricket in over the last 2 years.

The Pakistan president is the defacto Patron of the PCB according to the constitution, which now makes Asif Zardari just that. That man as the head of anything is just laughable but thats a point for another debate.

Zardari has now been patron of the PCB for a month but he has not been able to appoint a PCB Chairman yet.

No one really knows why but I believe that at the moment there are way too many people lobbying for the post and I guess Zardari is waiting for the best 10% offer to be made to him.

In the meantime, as Zardari made calculations on his "cut", the Federal Sports Ministry decided to take over the PCB. Since there's no chairman, as per the constitution the Sports Ministry becomes responsible for the board's operations.

If this remains, cricket will be treated like hockey and football is in Pakistan and that is not good news.

If you thought that was bad news, worse was to follow when we heard that Najamuddin Khan, Pakistan's Sports Minister, had sent his name to the ICC as the PCB Chairman to attend the ICC moot in Dubai later this month.

Since the PCB comes under the Sports Ministry, the Sports Minister became the defacto PCB Chairman.

But why?

The chairman of the hockey and football boards were elected by the Sports Minister. So why didn't Najamuddin elect a chairman for the PCB? Why did he decide to become chairman himself?

We all know the answer to that.

The PCB after all is one of the richest institutions in Pakistan, let alone being the richest sports body in the country.

But that's not it. The power struggle for the top PCB post was just starting.

Farooq Naek, the Federal Law Minister of Pakistan and a member of Zardari's ruling political party, is currently reviewing the constitution of the PCB in order to remove its "flaws".

Naek has been assigned to do so by Zardari, who will not name a chairman till this review is over.

This review has been on-going for a few weeks now, however what took place yesterday is what created ripples in the cricketing circles around Pakistan.

Farooq Naek held a meeting with 5 key cricketing figures of Pakistan - Wasim Akram, Inzamam Ul Haq, Rameez Raja, Saeed Anwar, and Mushtaq Ahmed.

According to Naek, he met them in order to get their views on the PCB constitution and how they think it can be improved.

But, there's much more to it than just that.

Why did Naek meet these specific people?

Wouldn't Imran Khan have been the most appropriate person to meet for this purpose?

Members of the PCB and the Sports Ministry are part of the 15-man committee currently reviewing the PCB constitution. Where were they?

Did Naek deliberately keep them out?

This has upset Najamuddin, the acting chairman of the PCB, and he now thinks that Naek is trying to take control of the PCB.

This power struggle is going to kill cricket in Pakistan I tell you! This needs to stop!

Anyhow, coming back to Naek's meeting with Wasim, Inzamam, Rameez, Saeed, and Mushtaq.

Among a number of things suggested to Naek, the one thing that caught my interest was the suggestion to form a Cricket Committee.

These are the suggestions that were made by the 5 regarding the Cricket Committee.

1. Form a 5-member Cricket Committee
2. Committee to have final say on all decisions
3. Independent committee not reporting to CEO or Chairman
4. Members must have experience of over 50 test matches

Thus, in effect, what this means is that the committee can over rule any decision made by the selectors, CEO, or the Chairman. It gives the 5 committee members autonomous power in running Pakistan's cricket.

Good or bad?

Its a great idea to have former experienced test players running cricket in Pakistan.

Plus its happening successfully in India I believe with the likes of Gavaskar and Shastri sitting on a similar committee.

But full autonomy just doesn't sound right. Not in Pakistan.

What is bothering me right now is the fact that it seemed like Wasim, Inzamam, Rameez, Saeed, and Mushtaq were lobbying for themselves. Pushing their own personal agenda rather than thinking about cricket in Pakistan.

All 5 have played more than 50 test matches for Pakistan thus making themselves the ideal candidates for the committee.

There are only 25 Pakistani cricketers who have played more than 50 tests and 3 of them are current players - Yousuf, Younis, and Kaneria.

That leaves 22, which includes the likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Sarfraz Nawaz, Asif Iqbal, Wasim Bari, Majid Khan, Hanif Mohammad, Mudassar Nazar, Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim, Mushtaq Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas, Wasim Raja, Saleem Malik, Ijaz Ahmed, and Moin Khan.

Different reasons such as association with the ICC, ICL, match fixing, academies, political parties, coaching, coupled with bad relationships with the PCB easily rules all these 16 out of a seat in the Cricket Committee.

The remaining 6 possible members are the above 5 who met Naek along with another former captain, Waqar Younis.

One report in fact even mentions that Waqar met Naek, however he wasn't there as per my understanding.

The fact that Rameez Raja has been lobbying for the post of PCB Chairman, it could be that the 5-member committee suggested was Wasim, Waqar, Inzamam, Saeed, and Mushtaq.

So are these the men that can get Pakistan cricket out of trouble?

Are these the right men to run cricket in Pakistan?

They may be better than most and better than the politically appointed bureaucrats but their involvement with Pakistan cricket can only spell trouble.

Wasim Akram has forever been haunted by the match fixing ghost. Justice Qayyum's report, which the PCB swears by, has clearly stated that Wasim not be given any post of authority within cricket. So how will the PCB justify his inclusion in a Cricket Committee with all powers?

Inzamam-Ul-Haq captained Pakistan from 2003-2007 and when he was in control, Pakistan cricket went from bad to worse. Great batsman no doubt, but he in a leadership position within Pakistan cricket, would be disastrous. Moreover his involvement with the ICL will also be a problem. How will the PCB justify an ICL player being a part of their board set up?

Rameez Raja served as CEO of the PCB under 2 different Chairmen, and he couldn't do anything to improve the state of cricket in Pakistan. At the end he chose his media career over his PCB one, which just shows how committed he really is to the cause of Pakistan cricket.

Saeed Anwar has been uninvolved with cricket for over 5 years now. He has not been in touch with the game and spends almost all of his time giving and attending religious sermons. He admitted that religious activities came between his cricket, so there's no reason why they wouldn't come in between now.

Mushtaq Ahmed was also implicated in the same Justice Qayyum report. In addition his association with the ICL as well as talk of him working with the ECB / England as a spin coach will not allow him to devote much time to Pakistan cricket.

Waqar Younis is probably the least tainted one out of the lot but his relationship with Wasim, Inzamam, and Mushtaq is questionable. His feud with Wasim is well documented while his removal as bowling coach in favour of Mushtaq when Inzamam was captain left him hurt.

All these reasons are why I think these 5 will never make up the Cricket Committee. Or even if they did, the world would have a problem with them because of their history.

All of them, except Rameez, were involved in the match fixing scandal and implicated by Justice Qayyum. Two of them are involved with the rebellious ICL. One of them has been out of cricket for 5 years. One was accused of being a dictator, while another was termed unpatriotic for helping Indian bowlers. Three of them have been blamed for emphasizing on religion rather than cricket. And two of them have been blamed for keeping new talent from coming up. And all of them have been involved in the player power struggle.

On the flip side, Pakistan may not have a better choice than them.

So would you give Pakistan cricket in their hands?

Imran Khan did and that too with a lot of faith. They were part of arguably the best XI Pakistan ever had.

So are they the saviours of Pakistan cricket?

Think about it.

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