"I don't mind that I have not been shortlisted for any of the awards. I will try even harder next year and try to win the award next year Insha'Allah"

Saeed Ajmal's reaction at not being shortlisted for any of the ICC Awards that he was initially nominated for was probably the calmest reaction among former Pakistan cricketers and Pakistan cricket supporters. The news that Ajmal was no longer a nominee for any of the ICC Awards came as a shock to every Pakistan cricket fan that I know.

So are we Pakistani fans cribbing for no reason or are we justified for feeling that Saeed Ajmal was unfairly treated.

Firstly, lets take a look at the shortlist of nominees for three of the Awards:

ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year: MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Lasith Malinga, Kumar Sangakkara

ICC Test Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla, Michael Clarke, Vernon Philander, Kumar Sangakkara

ICC Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla, Michael Clarke, Vernon Philander, Kumar Sangakkara

All great cricketers no doubt!

What do you think the criteria is behind selecting these cricketers as the shortlisted nominees for these awards?

The awards are for the period between 5th August 2011 and 4th August 2012. Lets take a look at who achieved what during this period in ODIs and Tests.

ODI PERFORMANCES

Batsmen

Typically I show the leading 10 run scorers whenever I write about leading batsmen in a series or a year, and so on. Here I had to increase the list further to highlight Dhoni's performance considering he's one of the nominees for the ODI Award.


Yes, Dhoni has been nominated for the ODI Cricketer of the Year award even though he was not among the 10 leading run scorers during the year.

So what criteria do you think was used for shortlisting Kohli, Sangakkara, and Dhoni among the batsmen for the ODI Award?

From what it seems to me, they went for the two leading run scorers (Kohli and Sangakkara) and the one with the highest average (Dhoni).

Don't you think that maybe Dilshan should have made the cut instead of Dhoni? Dhoni's average is significantly bloated because of his not outs, which account for 50% of the 22 innings that he played during the stated period.

Bowlers

The choice of Lasith Malinga among the shortlist of nominees for the ODI Cricketer of the Year Award seems more straight forward - he is miles ahead of any other bowler in terms of number of wickets taken during the stated period.




TEST PERFORMANCES

Batsmen

Now you can see a pattern emerging among the choices made for the shortlisted nominees. For the 3 batsmen chosen, i.e. Sangakkara, Clarke, and Amla, the choices are of the two leading run scorers and the one with the highest average during the stated period.

Exactly the way it was done for the ODIs, as shown above.


But does it make sense? what makes Hashim Amla more deserving than Mohammad Hafeez? Or for that matter Shivnarine Chanderpaul? (Please don't read this as a comparison between the class of these batsmen. After all the nominations have been made based on these performances and not on how good a batsman is technically or how good he looks while executing those cover drives)

Bowlers

Now this is where it gets really confusing. While the same sort of criteria seems to have been used for selecting 3 batsmen as the nominees for the ODI and Test Awards, this is not the case for bowlers.


Saeed Ajmal is the leading wicket taker in tests during the stated period, just like Malinga was for ODIs. But, while Malinga was nominated for the ODI Cricketer of the Year Award, Ajmal has been ignored for the Test Player of the Year Award.

Why?

The bowler nominated for the test award, Vernon Philander, has no doubt had a phenomenal year. No one even comes close to his average and strike rate, however he is not the leading wicket taker.

Moreover, if the leading average or strike rate were the criteria for selecting the nominee from bowlers, then it should have been Sunil Narine or Steven Finn who should have been nominated for the ODI Cricketer of the Year Award, and not Malinga.

Whereas, if wickets was the criteria, then it definitely should have been Saeed Ajmal who should have been nominated for the Test Cricketer of the Year Award. Don't forget that those performances also include match winning performances in each of the three tests that Pakistan beat the world number 1 test team in.

How can this be ignored? Seriously!

We are not done yet. There is the final category, the Cricketer of the Year Award, wherein Ajmal has also been unfairly excluded.

CRICKET PERFORMANCES

Batsmen

The same 3 batsmen that were nominated for the test award, have been nominated for the Cricketer of the Year Award, but this time the same criteria, i.e. two leading run scorers and one with the highest average was not used.


These are performances of batsmen across all formats (Tests, ODIs, and T20s) during the stated period, and it really makes me wonder why Kohli and Dilshan were ignored from being nominated. Look at how far down the pecking order Amla is, and this time he does not even have the best batting average.

Bowlers

Now this is where the real shocker comes.


Just take a look at what Saeed Ajmal has achieved across all formats of cricket during the stated period.

Take a look at it again.

No bowler even comes close to that performance.

A hundred and twenty wickets in tests, ODIs, and T20s; 40 wickets more than the next bowler on the list; and you do not get nominated for the the Cricketer of the Year Award.

WHY!?

Now do you really think that Pakistan fans are cribbing for no reason at all? How can anyone explain the exclusion of Saeed Ajmal from the shortlist of nominees?

I really do not think that there is any logical explanation to this. None whatsoever.

Over on Dawn today, Mazher Arshad discusses the true worth of Mohammad Hafeez. He basically says that like Shahid Afridi, Hafeez should realize that he is primarily a bowler and move down the order in ODIs where his 30s and 40s will be more useful. He also talks of his batting averages against stronger teams, in difficult conditions, and during this year, all of which are in the low to mid 20s.

There is a valid point there no doubt. If it were any other opening batsman, he would have been dropped already. The fact that Mohammad Hafeez bowls and bowls well (he is currently ranked number 1 in ODIs and number 10 in T20s in the ICC bowler rankings) is what is keeping him in the side.

But does this dip in batting form really warrant a push down the order?

This same topic resulted in a long and endless debate on Twitter earlier today, where I continued to support Hafeez as the opener, while several others argued that he should not be opening for Pakistan.

Here is why I think that Mohammad Hafeez should continue opening for Pakistan.

1. Better Now than Before

Hafeez started his cricket career for Pakistan in 2003 following the retirement of Saeed Anwar. Since then, he has played 105 ODIs and averages just under 27.00 with the bat. Anyone with that kind of average should not even be in the top 6 of an ODI team, let alone open the innings.

But Hafeez's case is different.

His career can be broken down into 4 distinct phases, corresponding to the initial phase and the 3 comebacks that he has made since then after being dropped.

Here's a comparison of his performance in each of these 4 phases.



It is unfair to talk about Hafeez's average and only mention that he averages in the mid 20s. His 4th coming as an opener for Pakistan, which is his current phase, has been the best phase of his career. That is also why he has remained as Pakistan's number 1 choice for opener for 2 years now.

Compare his batting performance in his first 48 ODIs, played between 2003 and 2006 to his performance in the last 57 ODIs, played over the last two years, and you will see the drastic improvement in his batting ability / form.

Hafeez has doubled his ODI runs tally, and has scored his ODI runs at almost double the average, in the last two years.

You can't drop a Pakistani opener, or push him down the order, based on these numbers.

2. He is Better than the Rest

Almost everyone in Pakistan is ready to talk about problems, but very few people actually stop and think about the solution. The same way, many people have been calling for Hafeez to be dropped or pushed down the order, without suggesting who will open instead of him in ODIs.

Mazhar Arshad suggested Kamran Akmal or Azhar Ali, which are suitable alternatives, however those calling for Hafeez to be dropped need to think about who the replacement will be.

Here's a look at the performance of batsmen who have opened for Pakistan since 2003.



Only Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed have performed better than Hafeez has in the last two years for Pakistan, and we all know why neither of them is in the team.

Even though Kamran seems like a suitable replacement as opener, his record is also not that great at the top of the order. None of those figures are what they should be for a top quality international opener.

And just for the record, Aamer Sohail, whom many consider to be one of the best openers to play for Pakistan, averaged only 31.86 in 156 ODIs and scored a total of 5 ODI centuries in his entire career.

Mohammad Hafeez is a better opener than all the names discussed above, barring Salman Butt.

3. For the Sake of Continuity

For the last two years Mohammad Hafeez has opened for Pakistan in every single test, ODI, and T20 that they have played. Yes. Every. Single. One.

When was the last time we had that?

In a country that produces mediocre openers, and one that has had an endless opening problem since the retirement of Saeed Anwar, I doubt you can find someone who can manage to open for Pakistan on a consistent basis across all 3 formats the way Hafeez has done.

He averages 41+ in tests, 33+ in ODIs, and 22+ in T20s during this two year period.

I highly doubt that Pakistan can find someone as consistent as him at the top of the order.

Hafeez has managed to eradicate a constant opening problem that Pakistan had, and has managed to forge a healthy partnership with Taufeeq in tests and Nasir in ODIs, both of which need more continuity and support to flourish further.

Dropping him down the order will do no good.

Dropping him is out of the question. How do you drop the world's best ODI bowler?

Let Mohammad Hafeez open in peace!

I think that no other ODI (barring Australia vs Afghanistan of course) in the history of the game has ever been scheduled to start as late as 6pm local time in any part of the world. This has got to be some sort of history making moment.

HISTORY IS WITH AUSTRALIA
The last time Pakistan beat Australia in an ODI series, Waqar Younis was captain, Wasim Akram used to take the new ball, Inzamam & Shoaib Akhtar were Pakistan's most reliable assets, and there was no chance that a catch would be missed behind the stumps!

It was 10 years ago.

It was 2002.

Shahid Afridi is the only survivor among both teams from that series. The rest of the Pakistan squad have no idea what it feels like to win a series against Australia. On the flip side, none of the Aussies know what it feels like to lose a series to Pakistan.

Will this series be any different?

BELOW PAR RECENT FORM
Both Pakistan and Australia have had a torrid time in ODIs lately, despite winning the Asia Cup and CB series respectively.

Both teams have lost to England 4-0. Pakistan lost their series to Sri Lanka 3-1, while Australia drew their series against the West Indies 2-2.

Australia are not what they used to be, and for the first time in about a decade are not the top ranked ODI side. While Pakistan have tasted more success in tests and T20s than in ODIs, where they have struggled to find the perfectly balanced playing XI.

DIFFERENT STRATEGIES
Dave Whatmore has said that Pakistan will be relying on their spinners, which comes as no surprise. With bowlers like Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, and Mohammad Hafeez any team will happily rely on spin. Even on a green top with perfect conditions for swing bowling.

Pakistan's spin trio will surely trouble the Australians relatively inexperienced batting line up. Warner isn't the best player of spin, while Wade, Bailey, and Maxwell will find it challenging to face up to Ajmal, Afridi, and Hafeez.

Michael Clarke and the Hussey brothers are key for Australia and will need to be at the top of their game.

Interestingly enough, Australia is going to rely heavily on their pace attack of Johnson, Starc, and Pattinson. The trio found good purchase from the pitch in the game against Afghanistan, and Pakistan is known to struggle against top quality swing bowling.

TEAM COMPOSITION
Australia as per normal practice have already announced their playing XI. Pakistan, on the other hand, have some thinking to do.

They have struggled to strike the right balance in ODIs for some time now. The absence of an allrounder like Abdul Razzaq has resulted in Pakistan always playing either a batsman short or a bowler short.

The return of  Kamran Akmal, who can bat better than most keepers, and Shoaib Malik, who is a slightly useful bowler, might fix this problem. But I wish I did not have to see the day when Akmal Sr. and Malik would be considered as solutions to anything in this world.

Nasir Jamshed will most likely fit right back into the opening slot after missing the series against Sri Lanka. While Azhar Ali, who opened successfully in Nasir's absence, will probably fill the number 3 position, which he has done so with great success in test cricket.

Asad Shafiq will be unlucky to miss out as Shoaib Malik is likely to play to give that balance to the team, unless Misbah & Whatmore give Shafiq a chance in place of Umar Akmal. That would be a grave mistake though in my opinion.

Junaid Khan and Sohail Tanvir look like the 2 pacers that Pakistan will go in to the game with. I hope that Anwar Ali gets at least 1 game during the series.

Pakistan XI (Likely): Nasir, Hafeez, Azhar, Misbah, Umar, Malik, Kamran, Afridi, Tanvir, Ajmal, Junaid.

PREDICTION
I believe this series is Pakistan's best chance to reverse the tide against Australia. Two games in Sharjah, One on a Friday, I say it calls for a 3-0 clean sweep!

Australia is vulnerable. More than they have been in recent years. They seem to be struggling to cope with the heat. The batting looks inexperienced. The bowling looks very raw.

Pakistan can strike hard. And should.

The most popular question that comes up in discussions regarding Pakistan cricket is:

"Yaar what happened to that U19 bowler who swung it miles and got 5 wickets against India in the final? Why don't the selectors select him?"

I wonder what the next most popular question will be considering that the 6-year long wait of Anwar Ali fans is over.

The U19 wonder kid, who is now 24, will finally get a chance to show the world what he is (or not) capable of doing in Pakistan colors.

Here's hoping to Anwar Ali getting at least 1 ODI in the upcoming series against Australia.

It was a Pakistan vs Australia series in 2009 that was the launch pad for the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The ground was showcased to the world with that series 3 years ago, and its life will come a full circle when it hosts Pakistan and Australia again in a 3 match T20 series starting 5th September.


But before that, Pakistan and Australia take part in a 3 match ODI series that starts in two days in a stadium that is slowly making its way back to the international arena - Sharjah!

I grew up watching matches at the Sharjah stadium; it is the first cricket ground that I ever witnessed a match in; Pakistan has won a number of famous ODIs at the ground. So naturally it holds a special place in my heart.

Sharjah returned to the international scene after almost 8 years near the end of 2011 when it hosted an ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

England refused to play there, but the Australians don't have a problem and will be playing 2 of the 3 ODIs in Sharjah. Just not the one on Friday.

Cricket fans of the 80s and 90s would know that Sharjah, Friday, and Pakistan share a special bond that not many teams are fond of.



Just speaking of Sharjah brings back so many awesome memories for the Pakistan cricket fan.

It all started with the six that Javed Miandad hit off the final delivery of the match against India to win the game for Pakistan. Chetan Sharma might have done a lot in his career and his life, but he will always be remembered for bowling that full toss that Miandad dispatched over mid wicket.

Wasim Akram managed all bowled hatricks against the West Indies and against Australia.

Aqib Javed took an all LBW hatrick against India.

Waqar Younis uprooted Ian Bishop's middle stump off the final delivery of the match when West Indies needed 1 to tie and 2 to win the match.

Abdul Razzaq picked up 5 wickets as the last 8 Sri Lankan wickets fell for less than 20 runs resulting in Pakistan tieing a match that they should have lost.

Basit Ali smashed 5 sixes against the West Indies including a couple of Curtley Ambrose in a batting display that I had never witnessed against the Windies bowling attack of the early 90s.

Saeed Anwar scored 3 consecutive centuries, which at the time was a record held by only 1 other person (Zaheer Abbas) besides Anwar. Since then Gibbs and AB have both knocked 3 consecutive tons in ODIs.

Inzamam Ul Haq and Aamir Sohail were involved in a mammoth 200+ run partnership against New Zealand. Pakistan scored 330 odd and each of the batsmen got scores in the 130s.

I believe that majority of Pakistan's nerve wrecking ODI victories have come in Sharjah. It is almost as if there some magic force at the ground that always ensures that Pakistan comes back from no where to win a game that they looked like losing all along!

Nothing proves that more than the 4th ODI against Sri Lanka in the series played last year. International cricket returned to Sharjah after 8 years and once again Pakistan came out of no where to win the match.

This time it was Shahid Afridi doing the magic as Sri Lanka lost their last 7 wickets for 19 runs and got bowled out for 174. They were chasing 201 and were 155-3 in the 38th over before Afridi scalped the first of his 5 wickets!

International cricket resumes in Sharjah again on Tuesday as Pakistan take on Australia in the 1st match of the ODI series. The teams will also play the 3rd and final ODI of the series there on 3rd September.

Time for some Sharjah Magic!

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It has not even been a year since Zaka Ashraf took over the reigns of the PCB from Ijaz Butt, and yet he has achieved more than his predecessor did in 3 years.

The way Zaka Ashraf's term has been so far, he is among the most successful PCB Chairmans yet. Not many former Chairmen of the PCB can claim to have accomplished what Zaka Ashraf has managed to in his short time at the top job.

The best part about the role Zaka Ashraf has played thus far is that he has remained in the background. There has not been the Nasim Ashraf type jumping around at cricket grounds, nor has there been the Ijaz Butt type nonsensical statements or claims in front of the media.

He has quietly gone about his job off the field and let the selectors, team management, and players do theirs without any interference.

Here's a list of accomplishments for Pakistan on and off the field during the 9 months that Zaka Ashraf has been PCB Chairman:

1. 3-0 clean sweep of the world's number 1 test team, England.

2. Won the Asia Cup after 12 years.

3. Reached number 4 in the test rankings.

4. Negotiated a tour to India, which is planned for December. If it goes ahead it will be the first bilateral series between the two teams in 5 years.

5. Planned the Pakistan Premier League, which is expected to launch before the end of this year.

6. Increased player salaries.

7. Pakistan became the first country to get a sponsorship for DRS during the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE.

Besides all this, the one thing that really got me startled and made me wonder how good the regime under Zaka Ashraf is, was the early announcement of the Pakistan squad for the World T20. Early being an understatement.

The World T20 does not get underway till mid September. The ICC deadline for submitting the 15-man squads is 18th August, while the deadline for submitting the list of 30 probables was 18th July.

The PCB, working in fast forward mode, released the list of 30 probables a week before the 18th July deadline, and then announced the 15-man squad a whole month before the deadline.

This has never happened before in the history of Pakistan cricket. Not in my lifetime at least.

The PCB has always announced the squads on the deadline, and at times even requested extensions to the deadlines.

So this announcement of the squad for the World T20 really came as a pleasant surprise.

For some people it was such a shock that there was a discussion over whether the PCB had misunderstood the deadlines and thought the 15-man squad was to be submitted by 18th July! Such has been the incompetence of the PCB in the past.

But this announcement is really a master stroke.

It is a no brainer that the squads for the T20 series against Australia and the World T20 had to be the same considering the series against Australia is sandwiched between the 18th August deadline and the World T20.

So that is not the reason for announcing the squad so early. Announcing it on 18th August, like in the past, would have accomplished the same objective of having the same squads. Moreover, the ODI series against Australia precedes the T20s and the squad for that has not been announced.

I believe that what this really does is leave no room for any speculation whatsoever. Stories of Afridi wanting the captaincy are always doing the rounds. The Pakistan media always cook up some captaincy controversy whether it is between Misbah and Hafeez or Afridi and Misbah.

With the captaincy sealed and the squad announced the media can't really speculate about anything and the team can be left to focus on the task of winning the World T20.

It can only be good.

I would like to believe that was the reason. I would like to believe that the PCB wanted to give the 15 men part of the World T20 squad a good 2 months to get mentally and physically prepared for the event without any uncertainty. I would like to believe that the PCB wanted to ensure that all focus is on the 15 men who have been entrusted with the task to bring T20 glory back to Pakistan.

If all these were in fact the reasons behind the early announcement then kudos to Zaka Ashraf and his team for taking a turn for the good. The PCB has suddenly started to look like a professional organization.

A professional board set up, a stable set of players, a team on the rise in the test rankings, no captaincy squabbles - beware world, a Pakistan team with no off-field issues can be the most dangerous opponent on this planet.

When the ICC made the annual adjustments to its test team rankings to reflect recent form a couple of days ago, the Pakistani fans were in for a pleasant surprise. Pakistan was ranked at number 4, which is the highest ranking it has achieved in 5 years.

Pakistan has been the most successful test team over the past 18 months - they have won more matches than any other team, they have not lost any of their last 7 test series, and they command the best win:loss ratio among all test teams during this period.


I believe that Azhar Ali has played an extremely important role in this success story.


Misbah's leadership, Saeed Ajmal, Waqar Younis, Mohsin Khan, and several other factors have been mentioned as factors behind Pakistan's recent success. True that it has been a team effort, but given Azhar's performance during this period, it is time for the world to take notice of a batsman who has the potential to become one of the best over the next decade.


STOOD OUT IN A TOUGH DEBUT
Two years ago in a test match against Australia at Lord's, a 25 year old batsman from Lahore made his debut for Pakistan.


A debut against Australia (even though they were not the top test team in 2010) is never easy. It gets even more difficult when it is in foreign conditions. It makes it tougher when the debutant is asked to take responsibility at the crucial number 3 position. And to top it all, it was a debut at the home of cricket - Lord's.


I don't think we can even begin to imagine what would have gone through the mind of Azhar Ali when he walked out to face his first delivery in a test match. Pressure, nerves, jitters were all bound to be there.


What we all witnessed was a composed batsman, who in only his second test innings was involved in a century partnership for the second wicket. Azhar's debut test yielded 16 and 42, with the latter being a part of a 102 run stand with Salman Butt.


Back then, not many would have thought that Pakistan had unearthed a batsman who will be Pakistan's best for the next two years.


ALWAYS THERE & THE BEST UNDER MISBAH
Pakistan has played 23 tests (including the current second test against Sri Lanka) since that Lord's test against Australia and Azhar Ali has featured in all 23 of those tests. He is the only player who has played all 23 tests for Pakistan in this period, and naturally he is also the leading run scorer in those 23 tests.




Consistency in selection has been the key driver of Pakistan's success in test matches under Misbah. The selectors and team management have stuck to a combination for a prolonged period and it has worked wonders. 


Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar recently became the first opening pair for Pakistan to play in 15 consecutive test matches. What makes this even better is that in the 16 test matches that Misbah has captained Pakistan, the team has had the same top order - Hafeez, Taufeeq, and Azhar - who are also the only three players who have featured in all the 16 tests with Misbah in charge.


No prizes for guessing the batsman who has been the leading run scorer for Pakistan in the 16 tests captained by Misbah.




Remember that Azhar Ali made his debut in a test captained by Shahid Afridi and played another 5 under Salman Butt before he played one under Misbah. It is never easy for a new player to settle into a team with so much inconsistency, however, Azhar Ali has managed to not only survive but prosper at a time when Pakistan cricket was coming out of its worst phase ever.


INVOLVEMENT IN BIG PARTNERSHIPS
Azhar Ali was not an instant hit with the fans and there has been a lot of criticism surrounding him. He bats too slow, he is too boring to watch, he doesn't convert his starts were (and are) some of the common phrases used when a discussion involving Azhar Ali takes place.


His strike rate in tests is 39.5, which has got to be one of the lowest, if not the lowest, for any test batsman with over 1,500 runs. He had 10 half centuries to his credit, including two scores in the 90s and two in the 70s, before he scored his first test century. Considering this, the critics have not been unfair. He is too slow.


However, at the end of the day, it worked (and works) for Pakistan. Azhar's resistance at the crease, time spent at the wicket, patience, and perseverance translated into partnerships for Pakistan and always ensured that one end remained safe.


You could call it Misbah's "tuk tuk" approach, but fact of the matter is that it is Azhar Ali who has truly mastered this approach, which has resulted in him being involved in as many as 9 century partnerships and 19 fifty partnerships in his 42 test innings. And we all know how crucial partnerships are for building good totals.




With respect to not being able to convert starts, it is something that Azhar has been able to overcome with time. Where he scored 10 half centuries in his first 14 tests, he has scored 3 centuries and 3 fifties in his next 9 tests, which also include two 150 plus knocks.


SCORES AGAINST EVERYONE
Azhar has not only scored in Asian conditions, but in all conditions that he has played in including England and New Zealand. He has not only scored against Asian teams but against all the opposition that he has come up against including Australia and England. Azhar averages above 33 and has at least one fifty plus score against all teams that he has come up against.




EVEN A GOOD ODI BATSMAN
Considering the dogged approach that Azhar plays with, there were obvious doubts about his capability as an ODI player. But even in this space, Azhar has proved all his doubters wrong. He has had a remarkable start to his ODI career and averages almost 44 in the 9 ODIs that he has played. He has notched up scores of 58, 96, and 81* as an opener in ODIs and looks set to flourish in the limited overs format as well.


POTENTIAL TO BECOME ONE OF THE BEST
There is no doubt in my mind that Azhar Ali is the best batsman to come out of Pakistan in the last decade. Younis Khan made his test debut in 2000 and no batsman since then has made the kind of impact Azhar has made for Pakistan. There is also no doubt in my mind that Azhar is here to stay and will go on to become the main stay of Pakistan's batting line up over the next decade.


He has displayed the potential to become one of the Pakistan greats and be known along side the likes of Javed Miandad, Inzamam Ul Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, and Younis Khan.


Yes it is early days just yet and there is a long road ahead, but the kind of composure that Azhar has demonstrated over the past two years is a good indication of what he can achieve in the years to come.


He has made the number 3 position in tests his very own, he has played during the biggest scandal to hit Pakistan cricket and come out of it, and he has quickly learnt how to make it count when he gets a good start.


Azhar Ali is the rock that keeps Pakistan's batting together and he has the ability to shine in this role for a long time to come.

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.

Everyone knows that Sri Lanka's test bowling attack has struggled since the retirement of Muralitharan. Sri Lanka is still in search for a bowling attack that can consistently pick up 20 wickets and win them test matches.


Kanishka Balachandran over at Cricinfo talks about the promise that has been shown by Nuwan Kulasekara as Sri Lanka's pace spearhead for test matches. 


Kulasekara has been a sure starter in ODIs for a long time now, however his test appearances have not been as regular. He did well in the 1st test against Pakistan, but I have my doubts about whether he truly can be the bowler to fill the gaps in a bowling unit that has struggled in recent times.


Doing well against Pakistan is not anything new for Kulasekara.


His record suggests that he was probably born to do well against Pakistan.

It is as if his sole purpose in life is to torment Pakistan batsmen.

In 5 test matches against Pakistan, Kulasekara has 25 wickets at an average of 16.4 !

That is 25 of his 31 test wickets.

How can a bowler who has only 6 wickets in 8 tests matches have 25 wickets in 5 matches against one opposition?

Beats me really.

Even his record against Pakistan in ODIs (22 wickets at 27.00) is decidedly superior to his overall ODI record (bowling average of 34).

Kulasekara has the third best bowling average in the history of test cricket against Pakistan! He may be good, but we really make him look like the best.



So when it comes to Pakistan, sure Nuwan Kulasekara is the answer to all of Sri Lanka's bowling woes. But for all other teams, Sri Lanka will definitely have to to dig deeper and find those match winners to replace the threat that used to be posed by Muttiah Muralitharan.

Younis Khan is the first Pakistan batsman to score over 1,000 runs in 4th innings of tests. He also has the the best average among all test batsmen that have scored over 1,000 4th innings test runs, and the second best 4th innings average ever (only Bradman's is higher). #TheRealKingKhan

The last time I wrote about Younis Khan was 4 months ago when he had just knocked up a century against England in Dubai. It was a fantastic innings, and right after that I wrote a post titled "Why Younis Khan is King".

In that post, I highlighted how well (rather better) Younis Khan compares with the batsmen who are popularly referred to as the 'modern greats' of the test arena. What I didn't touch upon in that post was the area where Younis Khan really does reign supreme - The 4th Innings of a Test Match!

Thanks to Mahela Jayawardena's mind boggling decision to not enforce the follow on, Younis Khan got another opportunity to show the world what he is capable of in the 4th innings of a test.

Even though he didn't save the test match for Pakistan (which was never really on the cards given the amount of runs and overs we were up against), Younis Khan did play a splendid knock and in the process became the first ever Pakistan batsman (and 21st overall) to cross 1,000 4th innings test runs.

Achievement?

Definitely.

But there is a bigger achievement.

Younis Khan has the best average among all the test batsmen that have scored over a 1,000 4th innings runs.


Unfortunately Younis fell 13 runs short of his 21st test century today against Sri Lanka, but had he got there he would have become the first ever batsman to score 5 centuries in the 4th innings of a test.

Yes the first ever! Younis currently has 4 4th innings tons and stands level with Sunil Gavaskar, Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

He truly is the King of the 4th Innings!

Well, not really. I'd simply say he's the King. Be it the 1st innings or the 4th innings, Younis Khan is the real KING KHAN!

If only Pakistan played more test matches...

The past year, 2011, was one of the best cricketing years in the history of Pakistan in terms of team results. Even though there were no outstanding individual performances, as Pakistan is used to, nor were there earth shattering results, but Pakistan won more games than they lost in all formats of the game, and even ended the year with the best win:loss ratio in ODIs among all teams.

It is a norm with Pakistan fans to call for a head or two of a player after a couple of failures. We have no patience at all with our cricketers. Or for that matter anyone from politicians to entertainers to sports players.

My recent twitter feed has been overflowing with people calling for Younis Khan to be axed from the ODI team. General discussions on online cricket forums and facebook are revolving around the same "drop Younis Khan" topic.


Is it really time for him to go?

With a test average of 52.44 and 20 centuries, Younis Khan is one of the best test cricketers of his time. One of the all time Pakistani greats, and arguably the best test number 3 our country has produced.

But when you look at his ODI record, it leaves a lot to be desired. An average of 32.33 and only 6 hundreds is not a record of a good ODI batsman who has batted at number 3 for most, if not all, of his ODI career.

Typically, any ODI team's top 3 batsmen are the ones that are expected to play long innings and make big hundreds. On that front, Younis Khan has failed more often than not.

I believe that the difference of 20 runs between his test and ODI average is probably one of the biggest difference between averages across formats for batsmen.

Besides this below par overall ODI record, Younis has had a lean patch of late as well, which has also led to increased calls for his axing from the shorter version of the game.

He scored his last ODI century almost 4 years ago in an ODI against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi. His last 15 ODI innings have produced only two scores above 50, which includes one against Afghanistan - that 70* is also his highest score in his last 15 ODIs.

Does Younis Khan deserve a place in Pakistan's ODI XI with players like Asad Shafiq (sitting on the bench), Azhar Ali (cementing his position in the ODI squad) and Nasir Jamshed (who will eventually return from injury) having built strong cases for a place in the team?



Probably not.

When Jamshed returns from injury, he will in all likelihood slot back into the opening position with Hafeez. Plus it will be difficult to drop Azhar Ali after his innings of 96 against Sri Lanka and his overall impressive start in ODIs (averaging almost 40 in his first 6 innings with two fifties).

Then, it would be difficult to keep Younis Khan in the team. Definitely more difficult than it is now, as Asad Shafiq, who is the potential replacement if Younis is axed right now, doesn't have a much better ODI record (averages under 30 in 29 ODIs) than Younis himself.

The calls to include Shafiq might be justified given that he is a promising cricketer and has a potentially bright future, but he is not as solid as Azhar Ali is, nor as flamboyant as Umar Akmal. His inclusion in the team will make the batting line up even more weaker than it is now I feel.

Just a few days ago I thought that Younis Khan still had it in him to continue in ODIs, but after giving it some thought and considering his value to the test team, I believe it is time for him to move on. It may even prolong his test career, which will truly benefit Pakistan.

Plus it is also better for Pakistan to transition now with him retiring from ODIs while Misbah carries on for some more time, instead of both the seniors exiting the format at the same time leaving a gaping hole in the middle order.

I hope the team management / selectors are also thinking on the same lines and someone is having this discussion with Younis.

He deserves a fitting finale and farewell, and not an axe similar to what majority of Pakistan's retired cricketers got in their careers.

This ODI series against Sri Lanka should be his last I think.

Do it Younis, do it before they axe you!

With the T20 series shared between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, all eyes are now on the ODI series that begins on 7th June.