Showing posts with label Salman Butt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salman Butt. 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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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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Thursday, February 7, 2013

Is Salman Butt for Real?


Posted by Q at Thursday, February 07, 2013 Pitched (1)
Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, two cricketers who will never step on to the cricket field in Pakistan colors ever again, are in Switzerland for hearings of their appeals filed against their bans from cricket.

Sometimes I really wonder what world these two are living in. Do they actually think they have a chance to play cricket with dignity again?

Not only are they fighting their case, they, or at least one of them (Salman Butt) is also giving public statements about playing again.

Seriously?

"It may be easy for some people to say that a five-year ban from cricket is all right but what they don't realize is that for a sportsman like me - this is like a lifetime ban" 
No shit sherlock!

Did Salman Butt really not understand the point of a 10 year ban (5 of which are suspended)? The point was to keep him away from cricket forever.

And please, you are no sportsman. You are a bloody disgrace!

"Cricket is my life and every single day that has passed has been so painful because I have not been able to play. All I want is an opportunity to get back into cricket whilst I am still young and I can still play well." 

Oh so you can fix a few more games and corrupt a few more promising players? No thank you! Please stay the hell away from Pakistan cricket.

You should feel lucky that some people even allow you to comment on the game on TV. And luckier that some people even take time out to listen to your utter bullshit.

Hell I'm taking time out to write about you. 

What a waste seriously.

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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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Saturday, October 30, 2010

What is the Purpose of the ICC Spot Fixing Hearings?


Posted by Q at Saturday, October 30, 2010 Pitched (1)
The UAE was abuzz today with the Pakistan cricket team involved in several engagements.

While Pakistan's ODI squad trained at the Sheikh Zayed cricket stadium in the capital city of Abu Dhabi, Salman Butt and Mohammad Aamer were busy with their lawyers and the ICC Code of Conduct Commission at the ICC Headquarters in Dubai. The two players, suspended for their alleged involvement in spot fixing, were there for the first day of hearings for their appeals against the suspension.

This whole situation regarding the players' suspension and ICC hearings seems a bit peculiar to me. The hearings will not lead to proving the innocence or guilt of either Salman or Aamer - then what exactly is the point?

As far as I understand it, the conclusion of the hearings will result in ICC making the decision of whether the players can resume their cricket careers or not. The players were suspended because the ICC felt that they had violated ICC's anti-corruption code, and now the players are appealing against that and trying to prove that they did not violate the code.

So if the hearings conclude that the players did not violate the code then does it not mean that they are innocent? At the same time if the suspensions remain, then does it not mean that the players are guilty?

Logical reasoning would lead anyone to that conclusion. Yet, it won't and I don't really understand why.

There is another investigation that is undergoing - the police are involved, however charges have not been pressed yet. Wouldn't ICC's verdict after these two days of hearings have a bearing on the decision of the other case?

What happens if the ICC clears the players, but the police charges them? Or if the ICC does not clear them but the police drops all the charges?

For sanity to prevail, both the verdicts need to be the same. Which means that ICC's verdict will surely have a bearing on the overall verdict. Yet the innocence or guilt of the players will not be decided after tomorrow.

Are you as confused as I am?

The statements that Salman and Aamer have given over the last few days indicate that the players are confident about being cleared. Salman has blamed Mazhar Majeed for exaggerating and also defended his association with the player agent. Aamer has been less vocal, yet silently confident of being cleared.

I'm not really sure how these hearings are going to go down, but I just feel the ICC acted in this manner because the world spoke of how ineffective their Anti Corruption Unit was / is. Since they had not been able to do much in eradicating the menace of match / spot fixing, they went ahead and suspended the players to show that they are not a toothless body.

I don't know if the players are innocent or guilty, but its for the police and the courts to decide that, not the ICC. The ICC have put themselves in a difficult position and probably the only way out for them is to clear the players, and sit back for the verdict from the police case.

Maybe that's the reason for the confident statements from Salman and Aamer.



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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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Monday, August 2, 2010

So whose decision was recalling Yousuf?


Posted by Q at Monday, August 02, 2010 Pitched (8)
This is what Salman Butt said at the press conference after the embarassing loss to England:

"Having seen the past results can anybody over here tell me how many wins Pakistan had with the people who were previously playing?"

The response was to a question about recalling Yousuf or Younis or both.

And this is what Waqar Younis said:

"Look, one is retired [Yousuf]. We can't really bring somebody back from retirement. The other one [Younis] has got serious issues with the cricket board [PCB]"

And then a statement came from Pakistan's chief selector, Mohsin Khan, who said:

"We got a request from the tour management for Mohammad Yousuf and I then discussed with our selectors and we have okayed it"

Aren't Salman Butt and Waqar Younis part of the tour management team?

Did they really request for Yousuf?

I believe the PCB have taken a step back after taking two steps forward, despite the losses, and Yousuf's return will not be really welcomed with open arms.

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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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Monday, January 4, 2010

A Year in Pakistan (Test) Cricket


Posted by Q at Monday, January 04, 2010 Pitched (6)
After the drought in 2008, the year 2009 gone by started with Sri Lanka touring Pakistan.

It was also the beginning of Younis Khan's captaincy stint; this time as full-time captain and not just a fill in for Inzamam ul Haq or Shoaib Malik; this time in the job he had finally accepted and not turned down like in the past.

If that was the start, 2009 ended with a different man at the helm of Pakistan cricket - Mohammad Yousuf.

Yes, Pakistan's captaincy had been played like a YoYo again, from one Yo to another, with the all familiar sight of Younis Khan giving up.

It is hard to imagine how a tough personality like Younis can give up so easily. In his own word he "lost control of his players".

Why Younis? Why did you lose control? Why were you not strong enough to command respect? What did you do so differently from the meek Shoaib Malik that you could not even last a full year as captain? You started your stint with a tremendous 313 in your first test as captain, yet you did not command respect? You led your team to the World T20 title, yet you did not command respect?

And how does someone like Mohammad Yousuf, who has turned his back on the country, who has dissed the players currently representing Pakistan, who has dissed the selectors currently serving Pakistan, who has spoken against the current cricket board of the country, command respect as captain that you could not Younis?

As always, 2009 was no different for Pakistan cricket - it continued to entertain, amuse, bemuse, satisfy, and sadden on and off the field.

Where there was the emergence a Mohammad Aamer and an Umar Akmal, there was the unfair handling of a Fawad Alam.

Where else in the world will you find a player who tours with the test squad for 3 years without playing, makes his debut as an opener when he has played in the middle order all his life, smashes 168 on debut, opens in another test and is then moved to number 3 in the next, then gets dropped from the XI, and then all together from the touring squad!

A 168 on debut and 5 innings of 16,16,16,29, and 5 gets Fawad Alam booted from the Pakistan camp! How absurd is that? What about all those innings that he played in domestic cricket to get him into the squad? What about all the time he spent on the bench for a chance?

What's more, while Fawad was dropped, Misbah Ul Haq, who had a torrid year with the bat was first dropped and then called back to strengthen the batting in Younis Khan's absence!

Where is the logic? You drop your most promising batsman (well after Umar Akmal) and you recall a fading star?

This happens only in Pakistan!!!

The opening is another drama in itself.

Khurram Manzoor is hailed as the solution to the opening problem at the start of 2009, but by the end of the year he is dropped in favour of Salman Butt who was dropped mid way during the year due to a prolonged period of failures with the bat.

And then they think they have an opening problem! They have a problem sustaining their openers!

Khurram was dropped after scores of 27, 59*, 2, 15, 3, 38, 93, 2, 6, 4. Alright so not convincing but bad enough to be replaced by an opener that has failed so many times?

Well on the brighter side Salman Butt is being hailed as a part of Pakistan's next promising opening pair along with Imran Farhat - how many times have we heard that one before?

There was Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar, then there was Salman Butt and another dozen partners, then there was Khurram Manzoor, then there was Fawad Alam, and now its Salman and Imran again!

Some things never change.

Enough with the negatives; as always with Pakistan there were some positives too and none bigger than the emergence of Umar Akmal and Mohammad Aamer, who will in all probability will be at the forefront of Pakistan cricket for the next decade and a half.

It had been a long time since a true batting star emerged in Pakistan. The last one was Mohammad Yousuf; before him, Inzamam ul Haq.

Such has been the dearth in batting talent in Pakistan that we had to wait for over a decade for the next batting star to emerge.

And who better than Umar Akmal!

We at Well Pitched had followed Umar's rise before he made his international debut; and what a ride it has been since then.

A century on debut, followed by 5 fifties and 9 test innings into his career his scores read: 129, 75, 46, 52, 0, 77, 51, 27, 49.

His ODI start has been just as impressive.

Dare I say, this is just the beginning!

Pakistan had always had riches in the fast bowling department, which was displayed yet again by Mohammad Aamer.

He first thrilled during the World T20 where in his debut tournament for Pakistan he played an instrumental role in taking Pakistan to the title.

His ODI and test performances, which peaked at the MCG with his first 5-for, have been stellar to say the least.

With Mohammad Asif returning from his doping facade, Mohammad Sami returning from the wilderness and rocking Australia's boat at Sydney, and Mohammad Aamer hopefully returning from a groin injury, Pakistan's bowling attack looks almost as strong as it was during the days of the 2 Ws.

Pakistan cricket never ceases to amaze and with plenty of cricket to come on 2010, we can be sure to see a lot more surprises.

A lot more heartache, a lot more pleasant shocks, a lot more thrilling cricket, and a lot more drama, which never stops as long as Pakistan keeps playing.

Hopefully I will be able to continue blogging too!

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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Open Letter to Pakistan's Selectors


Posted by Q at Thursday, July 23, 2009 Pitched (20)
Dear Selectors,

It has been brought to my notice that you have announced the Pakistan squad for the ODIs against Sri Lanka.

As always, you have surprised me; both pleasantly as well as otherwise.

Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on finally putting Salman Butt out of his misery. You have done yourselves proud and I am sure that the entire country is unanimously happy with this decision of yours.

Even moreso because this brings Imran Nazir back into the fold!

We all just love him, don't we?

Although I feel that he is more of a T20 batsman, but anyone instead of Salman Butt is a welcome change.

You have also done well in maintaining your faith in Nasir Jamshed.

I understand that it is not your fault that he has had several injury problems in recent times; it is clear to me that he is your first choice ODI opener and I am glad to see this continuity.

But where is Ahmed Shehzad?

He had a good debut ODI series against Australia and now he is off the radar and doesn't even find himself a place as a reserve opener?

Why?

But coming back to the good things, I was pleased to see Umar Akmal's name in the 16-man squad that you announced.

That really made me feel good.

I had been talking about Umar's outstanding performances for Pakistan A during their tour to Australia; I had also mentioned that his inclusion in the Pakistan team was not far off.

This time you exceeded my expectations by inducting him in the senior side so quickly.

Great work!

But then where you guys display great decisions, you also display some strange ones.

Why is Rana Naveed back in the team?

When he was dropped two years ago he was clearly out of form and not even close to the kind of bowler he was during that India tour in 2005-06.

His bowling had become wayward, he had lost his swing, he had lost his hair, and he looked more like a club bowler.

So what has changed since then? Why are we going back to him?

Where is Sohail Tanvir? Where is Sohail Khan? Where is Mohammad Talha? Where is Anwar Ali?

Why didn't you guys look to blood a promising, young, upcoming fast bowler instead of Rana?

Overall, however, I believe you have given Younis Khan a very good squad. It is up to him now to find the best XI and take them on to the field.

I feel it will be a difficult task chosing an XI from the squad, but that is something for another post.

Yours Faithfully,

Q.

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Sunday, July 12, 2009

What are they doing with Fawad Alam!?


Posted by Q at Sunday, July 12, 2009 Pitched (15)
I cannot believe what I am watching!

Fawad Alam making his test debut for Pakistan and opening the innings!

What is Pakistan doing?

Are they hell bent on destroying one of the most promising careers that has not even got going yet?

Fawad Alam has been the best batsman in Pakistan's domestic circuit for close to 4-5 years now, but he IS NOT an opener!

I am more than pleased to see him make his test debut considering that I have been writing about him for close to two years now.

But I am not happy to see him open.

He has never opened in his life! Not in domestic cricket, not for the U-19 side, not for any side!

For Pakistan to throw him at the deep end in his very 1st test match goes to show the lack of planning, and a lack of a whole lot of other things, within the team management.

Fawad might go on and do well as opener, but if he fails, it will be a major major blunder on part of the selectors and the team management.

Even if he does well, does it garantee him the opening spot? It should not; there should be specialist openers and Fawad should be batting in the middle order!

First the selectors don't select a reserve opener in the squad. Then when the team management decides to drop an out-of-form-one out of the XI, they throw a debutant, who has never opened in his life before, at the deep end of things.

What happened to Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal who have opened before?

It is just as if Pakistan doesn't want to give Fawad a proper chance to succeed at international level.

In ODIs and T20Is they bat him at 7 or 8, which hardly gives him a chance to bat; in a test match they ask him to open, which is one of the most difficult tasks in the game.

Just give him his position at number 5 or 6!

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Pakistan and Sri Lanka Ready for yet another Clash


Posted by Q at Sunday, July 12, 2009 Pitched (3)
In just about 4 hours Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take the field again for the 2nd test match of their series.

The 1st test last week set the tone for a fast paced, action packed series between the two; if the initial reports coming in regarding the nature of the pitch are true, then this morning will see yet another exciting test match kick off.

After Pakistan's dramatic collapse on the 4th morning of the previous test, there were a number of reactions from various quarters.

Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt received a lot of criticism, Fawad Alam's exclusion raised eye brows, while some even questioned the omission of Abdul Razzaq and Danish Kaneria.

Personally, I don't think there was anything wrong with the XI that Pakistan fielded in the 1st test.

They dominated the test for 3 days, before collapsing in a heap.

What does the team composition have to do with that?

An Alam, Razzaq, or Kaneria would not have prevented defeat last week for Pakistan.

I don't see a reason why Pakistan should tinker with its line up; the only change I would like to see is Fawad Alam or Faisal Iqbal in place of Shoaib Malik.

I am not a fan of make-shift openers; particularly in test matches, hence I see no reason to separate Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor.

Sri Lanka is likely to go in with the same team, unless they want to bring in an additional pacer, which I highly doubt.

Here are a few things that I am looking forward to seeing:

King Sanga and Younis Khan, after their double failure last week; big innings from the captains.

Ajantha Mendis with a point to prove or three; a few more wickets than he has managed thus far against Pakistan.

Umar Gul after a lacklustre perfomance; a breathtaking opening spell.

Another Mohammad Yousuf century; don't count it out.

Rangana Herath being smashed around; how I would love that!

More magic from Mohammad Aamer; this boy has it in him.

Another failure from Mahela Jayawardene; it'll take some time for him to get back to his best. Or will he ever?

Dilshan with a fiery cameo before getting out playing a scoop; don't think he will stop doing it.

Misbah finding yet another way to lose his wicket; you can surely count on that!

And a Pakistan victory; it has to be 1-1.

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Saturday, June 13, 2009

What Worked for Pakistan


Posted by Q at Saturday, June 13, 2009 Pitched (20)
Everyone knows that Pakistan always do well when they have their backs to the wall; tonight's do-or-die situation, which could have seen them out of the World Twenty20, brought out the absolute best in them.

Everything clicked for them. Absolutely everything!

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

  1. Salman Butt. Its amazing how one less Butt on the field can significantly enhance the fielding performance of the team.

  2. Abdul Razzaq. What an outstanding comeback. He led the attack with aplomb, provided early breakthroughs, and was also the reason why Umar Gul was so potent today.

  3. Umar Gul. Its no secret that Pakistan look to bring him on in the 13th over to bowl straight through at the death. He did it in the 2007 tournament and also in T20 internationals following that.

    The bad starts by Tanvir and Yasir in previous games did not allow Younis to do that, and Gul ended up bowling much earlier than desired. Razzaq's performance today allowed Gul to be kept for the later stages, and he turned out at his destructive best!

    He bowled fast, bowled crushing yorkers, managed best bowling figures in a T20 international, and got a first ever 5 wicket haul in a T20I.

    All that keep him at the top of the leading wicket takers of all time in T20Is.

  4. Shahid Afridi. He never fails to impress on the field. Another boom boom performance with the ball; what stood out today though was that catch to dismiss Styris.

    Has to be one of the best catches I have seen. And surely the best by a Pakistani.

  5. Discipline. No extras, fielding was spot on, they stopped the boundaries, caught their catches, and even caused run outs! Again, what one less Butt can do to the enthusiasm, passion, and commitment.

  6. Opening. They got their best start of the competition and it was also due to the absence of one certain (surpise surprise) Butt at that position.

  7. Shahzaib Hasan. He just took to the bowling the way he's done at the domestic level and showed everyone why Rashid Latif and Younis Khan spoke so highly of the boy.

    Definitely the kind of T20 opener Pakistan needs. Not too much technique though, but extremely effective and exactly what is required for 20-20 cricket. The Butt can keep the bench warm.
Before I sign off, a few concerns.

Pakistan tweaked around with their batting order to improve their net run rate; that could come into play if New Zealand beat Sri Lanka, which doesn't look likely though.

Giving confidence to Razzaq and Afridi was also important as their form in the lower middle order will be critical in the coming matches.

However, I strongly believe that much should not be expected of Afridi with the bat. He should bat lower in the order; after the likes of Fawad Alam as well.

Razzaq at 3 should work. He can take any attack apart on his day and an out of form Malik will be better off at 6, with Younis and Misbah in between.

At the end, Pakistan lives to fight another day in the Super 8s.

Ireland also presents a do or die situation, and we all know what Pakistan does when faced with that!

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Friday, May 29, 2009

RBS 20-20 Cup Semi Finals: Pak Openers Fail Again, Akmal Continues Good Show


Posted by Q at Friday, May 29, 2009 Pitched (2)
Contrary to what I reported yesterday, Pakistan's ICC World Twenty20 squad members did turn out for the RBS 20-20 Cup semi finals.

Salman Butt (25 off 33) and Ahmed Shehzad (10 off 13) once again showed why the PCB selectors have been so wrong in their choice of openers for the 20-20 world cup.

Hell, Salman Butt hasn't even opened in the last few matches.

Lahore Lions have so many of them in these two, Nasir Jamshed (1st ball duck), and Imran Farhat (33 off 27), that it confuses Abdul Razzak.

Butt, Shehzad, and Nasir have taken turns in getting those 1st ball ducks. Well it was 2nd ball ducks for the former two, but you know what I mean.

Despite that, the Lahore Lions won a close match against the Islamabad Leopards and booked their place in tonight's final.

If it wasn't for Kamran Akmal the Lions would have been embarassed, but he managed a well made unbeaten 27 off 18 deliveries with 2 sixes and a boundary, to take them home by 3 wickets in the last over.

Razzak hasn't used Akmal well during the RBS Cup. In the first 2 games, he didn't get a hit; and then in the last game and the semi he batted at numbers 7 and 8. With the World Twenty20 around the corner, I believe Akmal should have been given more batting practice.

Akmal's keeping however has been top notch! - with another 2 catches in the semi, he's on 9 dismissals in 4 matches.

In the 2nd semi final, the defending champions Sialkot Stallions easily beat the Lahore Eagles after posting 181 in their 20 overs.

Imran Nazir faced only 10 deliveries - 4 he missed or hit to the fielders, 3 of them he hit out of the ground, 2 of them he hit to the boundary, and 1 he got out on. And that is what he scored - 26 off 10.

Oh how we are going to miss him at the 20-20 world cup.

Shoaib Malik continued his good run with the bat with an aggressive 45 off 27 balls with 5 boundaries.

The Stallions are not only the defending champions but they have also won the domestic 20-20 title thrice in 3 years.

If they beat the Lahore Lions, who have been on a rampage under Razzak, they will make it 4 in a row.

Can the Lions stop them?

Should be a cracker tonight.

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Monday, May 18, 2009

Why Salman Butt?


Posted by Q at Monday, May 18, 2009 Pitched (3)
Today I woke up to the strangest message I have ever received on facebook.

See for yourself.
____________________________________________________________________

Riaz Ahmad
Confirm Friend
May 18 at 7:27am
Report Message
dear brother do u hav any contact source with salman butt. if u do nt mind plz provide it to me. i m his fan and struggling to met him since 2004.but all in vain. plz help me out. my mail adress is (deleted for privacy purposes) plz reply me on this mail adress plz dear brother
_____________________________________________________________________

I guess this request was made after Mr. Ahmad saw this album.

But truth be told, I have no contact details for Salman Butt whatsoever.

What I don't understand though is, why Salman Butt?

I would understand if it was Shahid Afridi. Or Shoaib Akhtar for that matter.

Even Misbah or Younis Khan would make sense.

But Salman Butt?

Really?

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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Dining With Pakistan and Australia


Posted by Q at Wednesday, May 06, 2009 Pitched (20)
This post is best read while viewing these pictures.

Dubai Sports City hosted a Gala Dinner tonight at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai, in honor of the Pakistan and Australia cricket teams and to celebrate the opening of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

I was there ofcourse on the prowl with my camera in tow.

The Aussies arrived bang on time at 7:45pm, which was a surprise considering the traffic in Dubai and that they are staying at a hotel an hour away from Grand Hyatt.

The Pakistanis, who are staying at the Grand Hyatt, were 20 minutes late.

As the Aussies walked in, they waited at the lobby area for someone to guide them. Shane Watson was busy texting, probably Warne, while Brett Lee stood by him staring into open space.

Soon they were taken away to some secret room, where they were kept for a good hour. I found that strange because during that hour, the Pakistanis arrived and were mingling away with the crowd inside the ballroom.

I managed to get myself clicked with almost all of them - Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Misbah, Umar Gul, Fawad Alam, Salman Butt, Ahmed Shehzad were all kind enough to oblige.

I really wanted one with Younis Khan but I couldn't find anyone who would take the picture and I didn't want to ask one of the cricketers.

Misbah was there with his wife and little kid, who roamed around for most of the evening with Ahmed Shehzad. The kid of the team taking care of the Vice Captain's kid.

Afridi joked around with Umar Gul and Fawad Alam, while Rao Iftikhar and Saeed Ajmal found themselves a quiet corner.

Shoaib Akhtar and Shoaib Malik bonded with Chris Cairns who was there with his lady friend - maybe his wife.

Younis Khan hung around with Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt, Ahmed Shehzad, and Yasir Arafat; and when Shoaib got bored of Cairns, he joined them too.

I also caught Kamran Akmal having a very animated phone conversation in a corner. Wonder what that was about.

While I was getting a picture taken with the Pakistani openers, Salman Butt made a dig at my height - "taudi height wekh ke to lagta ke agle opener tussi hoge!"

It was quite funny the way he said it in Punjabi. Translated it means, "your height suggests you would be the next opener". I surely would not mind!

I bumped into Chris Cairns later and reminded him of over 10 years ago when he had toured Sharjah and had really long hair. I confessed that it was me who had shouted, "get a haircut", from the crowd. He obviously did not remember but I haven't forgotten the smug look he gave as he turned his back from third man to see who it was.

Cairns smiled as I narrated him the story. Soon after, a man standing behing me said, "and you used to hit the longest sixes".

Cairns response was quick, "don't tell Afridi that", to which the man insisted, "yours were longer!". Cairns changed the subject and spoke of a Pathan - "but that man Younis Pathan hits them real long!".

I corrected him, "Yusuf Pathan". Cairns called him a beast!

As I walked away, the Australians finally entered the ballroom.

I caught a quick word with Shane Watson - "Rajasthan are looking forward to seeing you in South Africia". Watson had the biggest smile that I have ever seen as he said, "that's not too far now". That smile suggested that he couldn't wait to join Shane Warne.

Brett Lee was the last to walk in and I asked him if he was playing this Thursday, to which he replied, "I'm trying to". Not sure what that means.

I couldn't manage any pictures with the Aussies as they were soon hogged by the huge crowd. The Pakistanis had been there for an hour so it was easy to find time with them.

Watson, Lee, and Symonds were the major attractions for the Australians. Even the Pakistanis.

The Australian ambassador was also there with his wife and the couple spent their entire evening with Brett Lee.

The strangest thing about the evening was that the Pakistani and Australian players did not mingle at all. That was quite bizzare.

The entertainment was alright - a few circus acts and a couple of bollywood numbers by this Indian dance group, which Afridi and Shoaib really enjoyed. Don't think the Australians had any idea what that was all about. Maybe Lee did.

Dinner was great and as soon as it was served, the teams made a quick exit, while the people got busy eating.

Like before I got a quick peak at the Australian team bus, but thankfully I didn't scare anyone this time.

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Extraordinary Innings


Posted by Q at Sunday, March 29, 2009 Pitched (2)
Salman Butt, the Pakistan opener, smashed an unbeaten 92 off only 25 deliveries for National Bank of Pakistan in their RBS Cup match against Lahore Eagles.

Yes 25!

If he got to 100, it would have been faster than Shahid Afridi's, which came off 37 deliveries.

I've seen that Afridi innings. To imagine an innings more attacking than that one is nothing short of extraordinary.

What's really special about Butt's innings is that he unleashed 16 boundaries and 4 sixes in his innings of 92.

Thats 20 scoring shots for 88 runs!

He faced another 5 deliveries and scored another 4 runs, so he hardly had any non-scoring strokes in this belligerent innings.

At the receiving end was Usman Sarwar, who unfortunately was playing his first List A game.

After figures of 3-0-78-0, he must be wishing he hadn't.

The result?

NBP chased 122 in only 6 overs.

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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Malik's & Stallions' Dominance Continues...


Posted by Q at Thursday, December 18, 2008 Pitched (3)
If you thought 86 & 2-51 against the Leopards and 42 & 2-38 against the Panthers was a good effort from the Pakistan captain, then he topped everyone's expectations last night against the Bears with an unbeaten century and 2 wickets to lead the Punjab Stallions to their 3rd successive victory in the Pentangular One-Day Cup.

Batting first, the Bears set a target of of 284 with Saeed Bin Nasir, a prolific domestic player, top scoring with an unbeaten 97.

All the key batsmen - Misbah, Mohammad Hafeez, and Shoaib Khan - played handy knocks to help the Bears to a significant total.

Which was not enough for the Stallions though.

Malik and Salman Butt, batting at number 3 this time round, got together for a 130 run partnership for the 4th wicket to set up the Stallions' run chase.

Malik and Butt both scored at better than run a ball for their first 100s of the tournament.

Following their partnership, Kamran Akmal sealed victory after knocking 48 runs of 24 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes as the Stallions reached their target with 9 balls to spare.

Brief Scores:

Baluchsitan Bears 284-4 (Saeed Bin Nasir 97*, Mibsha 4, Hafeez 46, Malik 2-37) lost to Punjab Stallions 287-4 in 48.3 overs (Salman Butt 109, Shoaib Malik 108*, Akmal 48*) by 6 wickets.

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