Pakistan - New Asian Champion
Saturday, March 24, 2012
posted @ 1:28 PM,
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You and Others Didn't Drop The Catch, Its World Cup 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Labels: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, India, Pakistan, Younis Khan
posted @ 10:04 AM,
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There is a Storm Coming and Its Color is Green
Monday, March 28, 2011
The semi final of the world cup between the Pakistan and Indian Cricket team shall take place on 30 March 2011 in Mohali, India.
Considering the excitement and euphoria that surround the Indo-Pak cricket match, the Northern Regional Committee invites you to come and witness the great semifinal faceoff in the history of cricket with fellow members at ICAP House Lahore on Wednesday 30th March 2011 at 1:00 pm on big screen.
The high-energy and high-emotion India-Pakistan semifinal encounter in Mohali shall offer a great spectacle of fine cricket. The emotions will definitely run high during the match which is being termed as mother of all battles and you wont like to miss such a great event.
Labels: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, India, Pakistan
posted @ 5:53 PM,
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India Geared for Pakistan Battle
Friday, March 25, 2011
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his team was ready to take on bitter rivals Pakistan after surviving a high-pressure game against Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals.Chasing a target of 261, Dhoni's men appeared to be in trouble at 187-5 in the 38th over but Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina carried the team to a five-wicket win with 14 balls to spare at the packed Sardar Patel Stadium.
"We needed 70-odd runs and our last batting pair was at the crease," said Dhoni. "It basically meant if we played 50 overs with Yuvraj and Raina, we would make it."There was pressure but more than the technical or skill part, it was about managing the pressure." With India running into Pakistan in the last-four, Dhoni said the pressure will only go up by several notches on his team.
India v Pakistan in semi-finals it doesn't get better. A World Cup hosted by the sub-continental nations and India and Pakistan making it to the semis. There will be more pressure on the Indian side and it will be from outside. People will say 'win the semis, we don't care about the final'. "But the reality is every game is the same for us irrespective of whether it is Australia or Pakistan. It is a big part and parcel of the game in India. It is a tough job but Indian cricketers have been managing this quite well."
Dhoni said the team opted to go for Raina ahead of the dropped Yusuf Pathan because he was technically more sound. "Yusuf at number seven was going for runs, but Raina is technically more sound and we were keen on batting 50 overs. That's why we went with Raina, but we know Yusuf can be really dangerous." Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who made 104, credited Yuvraj and Raina for the win.
"We needed more wickets in the middle of the innings," he said. "With 15 overs to go, it was touch and go, but Yuvraj and Raina played really well. It's disappointing to bow out, we are a better team than we have played." Yuvraj, named man of the match for the fourth time in the tournament, said he concentrated on playing the balls on merit rather than go for flashy shots. When Dhoni got out, I knew we still had Raina to come, and thought if we can add 40 odd runs it would be good," said the burly left-hander.
I was hitting the ball down the ground. I was batting on instinct. I knew that I have to stay till the end and win the match for the country. I have gone through a tough year, but coming into the World Cup, getting that 50 against England, it was good. "As for today's game, 260 was a good score, Ponting batted outstandingly but we chased well."
Labels: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, India, Pakistan
posted @ 10:50 AM,
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The Future of Australia - Pakistani Born Usman Khawaja
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Usman Khawaja showed in his poised Test initiation against England on Monday that he could play a leading role in the revival of Australia’s cricket fortunes.
Pakistan-born Khawaja, the first Muslim to play for his adopted country, captivated a nation downcast by its national team’s Ashes downfall with his accomplished knock of 37 in the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Far from being intimidated by the occasion, Khawaja, 24, whipped six runs off his first two deliveries and defied the English attack for two hours and 95 balls to star for the transitional Australian team.
“I'd like to play cricket, especially for Australia, as long as possible but I'm taking Ricky Ponting's spot, who is probably the greatest Australian batsman bar Don Bradman, so I'm just enjoying this Test match right now and trying to savour everything I can.”
Labels: Australia, Pakistan, Usman Khawaja
posted @ 11:08 AM,
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Misbah named Test captain, Shahid remains ODI, T20 skipper
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Test cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq has been named the new Test Captain of Pakistan, while Shahid Afridi would lead One-day and T20 teams, Geo News reported Friday.
Earlier on Thursday PCB in a surprise move had announced the captain-less squad against South Africa, which had given rise to the suspicion that Afridi being replaced by Misbah.
National selectors came out with quite a few surprises on Thursday, recalling senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq and once again overlooking former captain Shoaib Malik for the limited-overs series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.
Kamran Akmal was replaced with Zulqarnain Haider, while former captain Younis Khan was ignored once again.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) added another twist to the story when it decided against naming the captain even though it had earlier earmarked experienced all-rounder Shahid Afridi to continue as skipper till World Cup 2011.
Afidi, who has been leading Pakistan in ODIs and Twenty20s since this year’s ICC World Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean, has been included in the 15-man touring party.
Misbah’s stunning return and a delay in naming the captain has raised quite a few eyebrows. According to media report, during a marathon meeting with national selectors in Lahore on Thursday, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt declared that the team’s captain will be named later.
It is reported that one of the prime reasons why Misbah has been recalled is because he could lead Pakistan if Butt agrees to sack Afridi as captain. However, a top official has insisted that Misbah’s recall is based purely on cricketing merit. Mohsin Hasan Khan, Pakistan’s chief selector, defended the decision to recall Misbah, who last played a One-day International in September 2009.
“We needed a senior batsman in the team,” Mohsin told. “Due to the unavailability of Salman Butt, there weren’t many experienced batters in the side,” he added. Salman Butt together with fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last month after being accused of accepting bribes from match-fixers during the Lord’s Test against England.
But why was Misbah, who is already 36 and was discarded as a spent force almost a year ago, preferred over younger and fitter batters like Faisal Iqbal, Aamer Sajjad, Khurram Manzoor and Taufeeq Umar — all prolific run-getters on the domestic circuit last season.”
“Misbah was really successful in the Pentangular Cup,” said Mohsin. But Misbah played just two matches in the Pentangular Cup, scoring 176 runs. The Mianwali-based batsman, however, top scored in the National One-day Cup with 490 runs at 163.33.
There was no room for the experienced Younis Khan in the team. Mohsin said that the PCB is yet to clear Younis for national duty. “We didn’t get any clearance as far as Younis is concerned.” Mohsin, a former Pakistan Test opener, said that Shoaib Malik will have to prove his form before earning a recall.
“He needs to come back in form. There was a lot of discussion about him but in the end we decided to give him more time to win back a place in the team.”
Mohsin said that Kamran Akmal, who recently underwent an appendicitis operation in Lahore, can regain his place in the team once he attains full fitness. “We have dropped him because of health reasons,” he said adding that the selectors want to groom wicketkeepers like Zulqarnain Haider and Sarfraz Ahmed.
“We are trying to make an all-round combination of youth and experience which is why Zulqarnain and Sarfraz will be given ample chances.” Zulqarnain has replaced Akmal as the team’s stumper for the limited-overs series against South Africa, while Sarfraz has been included in the Pakistan ‘A’ squad for the tour of West Indies getting underway from November 3.
Meanwhile, Imran Farhat has been recalled to the ODI squad at the expense of big-hitting opener Shahzaib Hasan. Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul will lead the pace attack in the absence of Asif and Amir. Veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and rookie fast bowler Tanveer Ahmed complete the pace quartet.
But it will be there spin quartet that is likely to trouble South Africa on pitches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which are expected to assist spinners. Pakistan have included two specialist spinner — Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman — in the squad. With Afridi and Muhammad Hafeez, also in the squad, they will have ample spin options during the series, which will kick off with a Twenty20 International in Abu Dhabi on October 26. “We have some really good spinners and I’m sure they will do well in UAE,” said Mohsin.
Pakistan squad: Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Tanveer Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider
posted @ 11:56 AM,
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India cheers wildly for Pakistan
Thursday, October 7, 2010
When teams entered the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony Sunday in New Delhi, the biggest cheer of the night – after India – was reserved for Pakistan.
As sustained applause rang out across the stadium, with much of the 50,000-strong audience on their feet, at least a few spectators on both sides of the border wondered: Could this be a sign that it's time to end the conflict that has plagued relations since the birth of both countries, for once and for all?
"It was a spontaneous cheer that no one expected, and shows that a bond exists," says Suhasini Haidar, anchor and deputy foreign editor with India's CNN subsidiary, CNN-IBN.
Many stumbling blocks remain in their volatile bilateral relationship, not least of all the recent admission by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that Pakistani authorities trained militants to fight in India in the disputed Kashmir region. Still, athletes and sports spectators alike have recently spoken of goodwill during the Commonwealth Games highlighting a possible reason to step toward a new, improved relationship.
"Whenever I have come here, people have showered me with love and support. Playing here is like playing at home for me," Pakistani tennis player Aqeel Khan told a local newsagency on Monday.
His teammate Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi is perhaps Pakistan’s strongest medal hope, after reaching the final of the US Open tennis men's doubles this year. In an indication of just how positive cross-border ties can yield results, Mr. Qureshi's partner at the September tournament in New York was India's Rohan Bopanna.
"People seem to think that bad relations at a government level means bad relations across the board," says Ms. Haidar, the news anchor. "But as someone who travels often to Pakistan and lives here, it's not something I see translating on the ground. In fact it's quite the opposite."
Tensions run deep
However, Suba Chandran, the deputy director of Delhi's Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, is somewhat more cynical. He points out that the same goodwill was shown a few years ago in Karachi during a cricket match between India and Pakistan, when local spectators gave the Indian team a standing ovation after its win.
Labels: Commonwealth Games, India, Pakistan
posted @ 9:22 AM,
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ODIs System Needs To Be Reviewed - Afridi
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi has called for the introduction of a system to review umpire decisions in one-day matches, saying that one wrong decision can decide the outcome.
The International Cricket Council introduced the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) on a trial basis in Tests in June 2008, allowing teams to challenge on-field umpire decisions and refer them to a television umpire.
Teams have two opportunities per innings to contest an on-field decision, but the most contentious issue with the system is that hosts have to pay for the technology costs – unacceptable to several countries.
But Afridi said UDRS should be implemented in one-day matches to eliminate umpiring errors.
“I think the referral system is a must in one-day matches,” Afridi told Geo television after his team’s 121-run loss against England in the fifth and final one-day at Southampton, England on Wednesday.
During that match, opener Kamran Akmal’s controversial leg-before decision from English umpire Ian Gould derailed Pakistan’s run-chase of 257.
The television replays showed Kamran edged the ball onto his pads.
England took the series 3-2.
“One decision can change the whole match, some leg-befores... and I am not talking of this match only, also in previous matches, and if such things (wrong umpiring decisions) happen then it changes the whole match,” said Afridi.
England captain Andrew Strauss was given not out by West Indian umpire Billy Doctrove, despite a strong appeal by bowler Umar Gul and wicketkeeper Kamran. Strauss, then 38, went on to make 126 as England, replying to Pakistan’s 294 for eight, finished on 295 for six.
Labels: Afridi, England Tour, Pakistan
posted @ 1:28 PM,
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Is Pakistan cricket down in the dumps
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Just before he took the Pakistan team to Sri Lanka and then England this summer, I had a detailed chat with Shahid Afridi in Karachi.
It was June and though the 2011 World Cup was still almost nine months away, Pakistan's cricket captain was more interested in talking about the quadrennial spectacle than anything else. He almost sounded obsessed with the idea of leading Pakistan to the World Cup crown almost 20 years after the great Imran Khan achieved that feat in Australia.
A few months and a series of controversies later, Afridi is still optimistic of Pakistan's World Cup chances though the captain doesn't sound as convincing as he did in June.
It's hardly surprising.
Pakistan cricket is going through its worst phase at the moment. Many of the country's leading cricketers are suspected of having links with match-fixers. Corruption allegations have tainted Pakistan's cricket team to the extent that several former cricketing great Ian Botham is calling for a ban. Such is the intensity of the charges against Pakistan that there are even fears that the 1992 world champions might not even take part in next year's World Cup.
Three of Pakistan's players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — remain suspended as investigations continue into allegations of corruption against them. Asif and Aamer have been accused of bowling deliberate no balls on the orders of match fixers. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is also investigating claims that Pakistani players were involved in 'spot fixing' during their third One-day International against England at The Oval earlier this month.
As if all of it wasn't enough, Pakistan's cricket chiefs have engaged themselves in a bitter row with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following Ijaz Butt's insane comments about the England team throwing The Oval one-dayer for huge sums of money. ECB has demanded a public apology from the PCB chief but sources in the Board say that Butt is in no mood to say sorry.
There aren't many positive reports emitting from the Pakistan team either. The squad is back home after completing its acrimonious tour of England where Pakistan lost the four-Test series 1-3, Twenty20 International series 0-2 and finally the One-day International series 2-3.
During the best part of the tour, even if you put aside the so-called 'spot fixing scandal', there weren't many happy stories as far as the team is concerned.
Afridi, who came out of Test exile to lead Pakistan in their first Test against Australia at Lord's last July, made a shocking announcement that he was quitting Test cricket again after playing just one match.
Later, when Pakistan were hit by a bombshell that came in the form of an expose by News Of The World, sources close to Afridi claimed that the all-rounder was forced to retire because he wasn't happy with the fact that some of his players were allowed by the team management to openly mix with several 'suspicious' characters. One of those characters was Mazhar Majeed, the British business at the center of the 'spot fixing' scandal.
Pakistan went on to win their next Test against Australia - their first Test win against the Aussies in 15 years. The triumph was hailed as a turning point for Pakistan cricket as many thought that under Salman Butt, the team was destined for more glory.
Sadly, things began to fall apart after that series-leveling triumph at Headingley.
Pakistan were crushed by England in the first two Tests at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston where the visitors batted like novices and gave more proof that they were easily the worst fielding side among all Test nations.
Pakistan dropped the controversial Kamran Akmal for his awful catching and poor batting after Trent Bridge and instead fielded debutant Zulqarnain Haider as their wicket-keeper at Edgbaston. The lanky stumper made a fighting 88 in the second innings but was sent back home ahead of the third Test at The Oval because of a finger injury.
Well-placed sources in the team had revealed that the injury wasn't a serious one and that Zulqarnain could have played at The Oval. But there was no such luck for the youngster and Kamran Akmal was brought back to keep the wickets for Pakistan.
Conflicting reports continuously came out of the Pakistan camp during the tour regarding relations between the players and their coaches.
While sources claimed that the team officials and some of the senior players were not even on talking terms, Afridi - Pakistan's one-day captain - kept insisting that he was at the helm of a completely 'united' team.
The players and team coaches, according to the sources, also developed bitter differences on the issue of fielding practice during the tour.
While Ijaz Ahmed, the man who was entrusted with the responsibility of bringing about an improvement in the team's fielding standards insisted on marathon training sessions, many of the players believed such sessions did more harm than good.
"Sometime we are so stiff after those long sessions just before a game that the idea of fielding in the match used to make us really uneasy," one of the team members, who requested anonymity, told The News on Sunday.
Among the senior players there was this suspicion that Ijaz and company were against their presence in the team. The players feared that the extensive fielding sessions were aimed at ruining their fitness so that they could be kicked out of the team.
"Some of us (senior players) were convinced that the coaches want to get rid of us so that they can have their favorites in the team. It wasn't a good feeling at all," said another Pakistan player.
It wasn't just the players and officials who were not really getting along during the tour. The players, too, had their differences.
"The players began to suspect each other after the (spot fixing) scandal," said a source. "If there was any unity in the team, it was pretty much gone after those three players were named in the scandal," he added.
In nutshell, Pakistan cricket is down in the dumps at the moment.
So, is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Sadly, with a man like Ijaz Butt at the helm of our cricket affairs, one can't be optimistic about anything.
What Pakistan cricket needs is a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief with a vision, somebody who can build bridges with the rest of cricketing world. Someone who can form a competent team, which can first carry out damage control and then rebuild Pakistan's credibility as a respected Test-playing country. It won't be easy but it's not impossible.
For the moment, as long as Ijaz Butt is in charge, such a turn-around is quite unlikely. You can't expect a man, with a sizeable contribution to the current mess, to suddenly change overnight and carry out this mammoth task. He has to go otherwise Pakistan cricket will become a lost cause.
posted @ 11:56 AM,
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Pakistan cricket: great rivalries and bust ups
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The evolution of Pakistan cricket teams has triggered a rather queer phenomenon: the notorious squabbling within the Pakistan team has turned itself into the kind of personal rivalries between players that have actually helped them perform in the most stunning manner (both in victory and defeat). It is as if to perform at their best, Pakistani cricketers have had to challenge each another first.
Each time Pakistan plays, the question is, will they swallow the opposition, or combust into flames?
Raja vs. Raja
Late Wasim Raja – elder brother of Rameez Raja – was perhaps the most enigmatic cricketer of the 1970s and early 1980s.
In his book, ‘An All-Round View,’ Imran Khan describes Raja to be one of most gifted stroke makers he had ever seen, but someone who never thought he needed any practice – a carefree trait that did not go down well with Raja’s captains. They all described him as a loner who could not bond well with the team.
Raja bloomed under Muhstaq Muhammad’s captaincy, but not without incidence. Dropped from the team (for being irresponsible) during the 1976 home series against New Zealand, Raja was picked (on skipper Mushtaq’s insistence) in the 18-member squad that toured Australia and West indies during the 1976-77 season.
Pakistan drew the series 1-1 against the Aussies, but Raja did not figure in the final IX, despite scoring a hard-hitting century in a side game. Expecting to be picked for the third test, he was ignored.
In his autobiography, ‘Inside Out,’ Mushtaq writes that he was tempted to select Raja, but since Pakistan were 1-0 down in the series, he wanted a more responsible batsman in the side. Then Mushtaq goes on to describe how badly Raja took the decision.
Raja, in a ‘drunken rage,’ smashed a mirror to bits in his hotel room, and then stumbled across the hotel lobby, accusing the team manager, Shujauddin, of favouritism.
Raja was finally selected (in place of an injured Zaheer) on the West Indian leg of the tour. In a closely fought contest, Pakistan went down 2-1, and ironically, Raja topped the batting averages, scoring more than 500 runs in five tests, with a century and five fifties.
Famous West Indian commentator, Tony Cozier, described Raja’s batting on that tour as ‘breathtaking.’
A future Pakistani Test player, who was then a young member of the touring squad, remembered Raja’s batting (and antics) fondly: ‘He was a law unto himself,’ he told this writer in 1997. ‘Five down for 130 odd, and Raja would come in and hit Joel Garner for a straight six, first ball.’
He also affectionately remembered how Raja, while waiting for his turn to bat (during the second Test on the same tour), slipped out, bumped into a few West Indian fans of his outside the stadium, gleefully shared with them a smoking pipe brimming with ganja, came back, padded up and went on to score a most prodigious fifty!
Javed Miandad in his book, A Cutting Edge, described Raja as one of the hardest-hitting batsmen. But he also thought Raja was his own greatest enemy.
After having a great tour of India in 1979, (where during one side game in Amritsar, he mischievously threaten to grab the groin of an approaching fan), Raja once again became a frustrating in-out case, finally bidding farewell to cricket in 1985.
Sadly, he died at the age of 55 in 2004.
_______________________________
Mushtaq Muhammad vs. Asif Iqbal
Whenever there is talk of great Pakistani cricket captains, three names spontaneously spring to mind: Imran Khan, A H. Kardar and Mushtaq Muhammad.
It was under Mushtaq that a bunch of individualistic talents became a world-beating side. With Mushtaq at the helm, Pakistan managed to beat New Zealand and India, as well the 1970s’ mighty Australian and West Indian sides.
Highly competitive, Mushtaq is also remembered as the captain who had a habit of taking struggling players to hotel bars and discussing their form over a glass of beer. It was also under him that Pakistanis attempted to match the Aussies’ knack for ‘effective sledging,’ and he turned Miandad and Sarfraz Nawaz into sledging machines!
It was Mushtaq’s good luck that his long-time vice-captain, Asif Iqbal, was also one of his best friends. But as Mushtaq explains in his autobiography, after captaining Pakistan for four years (1976-79), he was suddenly replaced due to ‘Asif’s intrigues. He blamed Asif (and Majid Khan) for ‘stabbing him in the back,’ by telling the selectors that he was ‘over the hill.’
Mushtaq was all set to continue as skipper for the 1979 series against India, when he was asked to retire by the selectors. Asif became the new captain, leading Pakistan across the turbulent series that Pakistan lost, 2-0.
Humiliated, Asif decided to retire after the disastrous tour, and Mushtaq was asked to return as captain. He declined, and instead suggested the board make Miandad the new captain, and which it did (in 1980).
________________________________
Imran Khan vs. Sarfraz Nawaz
Along with the Wasim-Waqar bowling pair, the Imran-Sarfraz bowling duo is considered to be the best Pakistan cricket has produced.
But unlike Wasim and Waqar, Sarfraz and Imran were also considered to be bosom buddies, and on tours the dashing, ‘playboy’ Imran, and the hard-drinking and boisterous Sarfraz were a regular feature at assorted night clubs. It is said that it was Sarfraz who taught the art of reverse swing to Imran.
The long friendship lasted till 1994 – until Imran Khan began planning to join politics, and refused to welcome the then Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, when she made a trip to his charity hospital. A long-time supporter of Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Sarfraz had joined the party in 1988.
But what really broke the camel’s back for Nawaz was when Imran (after going through his post-retirement born-again-Muslim routine), started using populist Islamic symbolism and rhetoric. Nawaz went public with his outrage, calling Imran ‘a hypocrite’, saying that a former ‘playboy’ had no right to preach morals. Imran retaliated by calling Nawaz a ‘mad man’ and a ghoonda (scoundrel).
The severe brick baiting between the two has continued unabated.
____________________________________
Javed Miandad vs. Imran Khan
Miandad and Imran are perhaps the two most popular set of cricketers produced by Pakistan. Both served the team together for almost 20 years.
According to a 1996 interview of former Pakistan opener, Mudassar Nazar, Imran and Javed had a ‘classic love-hate relationship’ – a fact that becomes obvious when their assessment of this relationship in their respective autobiographies starts reading like a soggy soap opera! Within a space of a single chapter, Imran in his book, ‘Imran,’ both praises and criticizes Miandad in equal measure. Miandad does the same in his own book, and string after string of sentences showering liberal praise as well as attacks on one another.
Both became friends while playing for Somerset in England in the mid-1970s, where they also shared a flat. However, the friendship began to fall apart after a 23-year-old Miandad replaced Asif Iqbal as captain in 1980.
In 1981, ten players revolted against Miandad’s captaincy and refused to play under him. Miandad blamed Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas as being the ‘ring leaders’ of the revolt. In his book Miandad suggests that the revolt only became successful when the ‘ring leaders’ convinced Imran to join them. Miandad felt ‘like being stabbed in the back.’
Interestingly, after Miandad stepped down, he told the board that he will not play under either Majid or Zaheer, but will be more than glad to play under Imran. In 1986, Miandad became Imran’s vice-captain.
Some of the most successful ODI and Test cricket by Pakistan was played through the Imran-Miandad ‘think tank,’ an example of which was seen during the fourth Test against England (in England) in 1987.
In an attempt to halt England’s run chase, one side of the wicket was marshaled by captain Imran, while the other side was being maneuvered by his vice-captain, Miandad. The game was saved and Pakistan won the series.
The re-established friendship between the two broke down again when (after Imran’s retirement in 1992), Miandad (as captain) accused Imran of trying to divide the team and get the board to make Wasim Akram captain.
Imran denied the accusation, but in 1993, Miandad stepped down and Akram did become the new skipper.
Miandad retired from cricket in 1996, and has since rekindled his friendship with Imran.
____________________________
Imran Khan vs. Qasim Umar/Yunus Ahmed
Qasim Umar was a dashing young talent who emerged on the scene in the early 1980s. However, by 1988 he was out, banned by the cricket board.
After a 1986 Australian tour, Umar stunned the media by declaring that Imran and his team were ‘junkies.’ He claimed that most of the players (including Imran) smoked cannabis (hashish) and were involved in prostitution. Umar’s timing couldn’t have been worse. The Pakistan team was on a high (pun not intended), and popularly being led by Imran and his vice-captain, Miandad.
In 1987, after an Indian tour, Yunus Ahmed – who’d been brought out of retirement (by Imran) to play against India – repeated Umar’s accusations, claiming that Imran and his team were ‘drunkards’ and smoked dope.
Ahmed, was banned as well.
Qasim Umar today is a member of the Tableeghi Jamat (Islamic evangelists).
______________________
Wasim vs. Waqar
Easily one of the most destructive fast bowling pairs to grace international cricket, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younus were never buddies. According to their own admission, each tried to outdo the other, but of course, it was the team that benefited from this intense rivalry.
Ironically, it was Akram and Waqar who (supposedly on Imran’s instigation), rebelled against Miandad’s captaincy in 1993. Consequently, Akram was named captain, and Waqar became vice-captain.
But the arrangement did not last long. Akram, after being arrested along with a few other Pakistani players, for smoking dope on a Caribbean beach, was disgraced, and Waqar eventually led a players’ revolt against him in 1994.
Akram returned as skipper twice (1996; 1998-99), but his relationship with Waqar remained strained, until both finally reconciled during Waqar’s captaincy (2001-2002).
____________________________
Inzamam-ul Haq vs. Shoaib Akhtar
Inzamam-ul Haq is ranked up there with greats like Miandad and rightly so. But in spite of captaining Pakistan for three years (2004-2007), he was constantly criticised for being ‘lethargic’ and too defensive.
Some of his critics also point at his born-again religiosity in which he tried to unite the team on the basis of a particular brand of evangelical Islam (tableeghi).
He regularly allowed certain celebrity-turned-preachers into the dressing room. As he went about changing the team’s culture – blaming alcohol, partying and drugs as the main culprits of the team’s problems – he failed on two major counts.
First of all he alienated some players who did not agree with his brand of religion (mainly Abdul Razzaq, Yunus Khan and Shoaib Akhtar); secondly, the ‘Islamisation’ of the team did absolutely nothing to curb the kind of reckless greed that has seen many players fall pray to shady bookies.
Maverick tear-away fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, became the most prominent victim of Inzi’s religious dabbling. A throwback of the ‘wild’ Pakistani cricketers of yore, Shoaib constantly squabbled with Inzamam, calling him a hypocrite for dragging religion into sport.
According to cricket journalist, Osman Sammiuddin, Shoaib sometimes openly rebelled against and mocked Inzi’s ‘Raiwind regime.’ Shoaib refused to give up his love of late night partying, saying that it was his personal matter. Then, during a series against England (in 2005), he kept calling Inzamam in the middle of the night, sarcastically asking him to get ready for prayers!
Shoaib remained an outsider in Inzimam’s team, and the tableeghis who became a regular fixture in the dressing room, avoided him like the plague.
‘They found him to be mocking and rude, and stayed clear of him,’ Osman said.
Shoaib lamented that had he been playing under Imran, he would have achieved a lot more as a bowler. Instead, alienated by Inzi and the team’s overt religious fervor, Shoaib stumbled from one controversy to another.
Nadeem F. Paracha is a cultural critic and senior columnist for Dawn Newspaper and Dawn.com.
posted @ 12:03 PM,
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Conspiracy to defraud Pakistani cricket
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
International Cricket Council (ICC) has been accused of defrauding Pakistan cricket by Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairperson Ijaz Butt. The PCB believes that the “august cricket bodies”, and media from fellow cricketing nations have not been fair to Pakistan and its cricket in recent times. Butt’s prepared statement was read out on ESPNcricinfo and repeatedly telecasted on Pakistani television channels. These thinly-veiled attacks on the ICC, some cricket boards and the media have occurred since the Council launched their investigation against the English players after their suspicious of losing to the Pakistani visiting team.
Meanwhile, the three Pakistani cricketers including test skipper, Salman Butt, and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have appealed against their suspension ordered by the ICC, based on the controversial involvement with match-fixers in the recent Test series against England.
Butt say’s, “This is not a conspiracy to defraud bookies but a conspiracy to defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket," also adding. "We have taken it in hand to start our own investigations. We will shortly reveal the names of the people, the parties and the bodies involved in this sinister conspiracy and we also reserve the right to sue them for damages. There is loud and clear talk in bookie circles that some English players have taken enormous amounts of money to lose the match [the third ODI]. No wonder there was such a collapse".
When a reporter asked, whether the PCB had any proof to support their allegations on ICC or England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) or any other English player, PCB chairman replied with a question: “ Did you ask the other people who made allegations against our players whether they had any proof or not? What did they say? We have thought about this properly and we have positive proofs here before us just they say they have also”.
On the contrary, ICC spokesperson claims that they tried to contact Butt all through Friday but his phone was not responding. Talking to ESPNcricinfo, ICC officials also stated that once the press release was finished regarding the official investigation on England’s performance at the Oval one-dayer, they came to know about Butt’s meeting with ICC chief executive Haroon Lograt in Dubai.
However, there are no indications regarding the matter that the ICC officials were trying to contact PCB chairman, and to top it all, even the team manager and One-day international (ODI) skipper got to know about the investigation of England’s team through the media and reporters. Keeping in mind, that PCB chairman Butt was in New Delhi, India, trying to meet-up with the President of ICC Sharad Pawar. On the other hand, the ECB held a meeting as soon as the outburst happened, as it gives life to the new match-fixing scandals and has urged ICC for clarification, of the information the Council is holding against them.
Meanwhile, PCB chairperson might well have put the final nail in the coffin towards ICC. PCB during the current chairperson Butt’s tenure has consistently clashed with the ICC. From the 2009 attacks on the Sri Lankan touring team to Pakistan, to the threats from PCB to take legal action on ICC as Pakistan was removed as a venue from the 2011 World Cup due to security concerns on other international boards and the current match-fixing scandals, which has resulted in such harsh exchange of statements between the two.
The PCB ensures that the cricket board itself would lead an investigation to get answers regarding the ongoing spot-fixing scandals. Meanwhile, the ICC is doing its utmost to bring an end to these controversies as it is ruining the spirit of the game. These allegations and scandals can easily help cricket lovers around the world to lose interest in the global game of cricket. It is only time, which will bring out the truth, as cricket experts are hoping that this issue between ICC and PCB is resolved with utmost urgency for the integrity of the game.
However, the current match-fixing allegations on the English team based on their performance against the Pakistani team in the 3rd ODI is under severe scrutiny, as ECB is trying to get the information the ICC is holding against them. All cricket fans and viewers around the world should hope for the best, as the World Cup 2011 is round the corner and this must be the last thing international cricket needs.
Labels: Pakistan
posted @ 12:19 PM,
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Pakistan Cricket Will Tour New Zealand before World Cup 2011
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
After a long time this year just 6 month before Cricket World Cup 2011, Pakistan has playing plenty of cricket now in England and then later against South Africa in Abu Dhabi and now a new schedule announced for Pakistan in month of December and January 2010/2011 in New Zealand against the black cats. The Pakistan cricket tour of New Zealand specially the one day will help Pakistan to prepare them for the World Cup 2011, which will be just after the 14 days of the New Zealand.
Pakistan will play 2 Test matches, 6 One day and three Twenty20 matches against the host country. Earlier there were three Test matches but after mutual benefits both board decided to cut one Test match from the Schedule and increase the number of one Day international, which will also help both teams in coming weeks World Cup 2011 right after the tour.
Pakistan tour of New Zealand will end on 5th February 2011 and the 2011 Cricket World Cup will start from February 19 to April 2nd, which will be co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The Tour Will Start with the 3 Twenty20 Matches in last week of December and two Test matches in January and at last the 6 one day matches series. [Via]
Labels: New Zealand, Pakistan
posted @ 2:31 PM,
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Need for reforms in the cricket administration
Thursday, August 19, 2010
By Rizwan Ali
ISLAMABAD — Age, merit and credentials seem to matter little when it comes to determining who will run cricket in Pakistan.
It's the prerogative of the president of Pakistan to appoint anyone he decides is qualified to run the Pakistan Cricket Board. A relationship with the president, then, is a key criteria.
It was no surprise after Asif Ali Zardari took over as president in 2008 that within a month he replaced Nasim Ashraf as head of the PCB with the man of his choice — 70-year-old Ijaz Butt.
Butt, who played eight Tests for Pakistan, also happens to be the brother-in-law of the country's defence minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar from the ruling Pakistan People Party.
That kind of appointment certainly wasn't unprecedented. The three previous heads of the PCB — Ashraf, Sheheryar Khan and Tauqir Zia — were also hand-picked by the then president General Pervez Musharraf.
The previous three chairmen had promised to implement a new constitution and streamline the cricket board's affairs, but all were replaced before it could be achieved.
Butt has been no different. In almost two years since his appointment, the drafting of the constitution has continued, but a completion date remains unclear.
With no clear set of rules at the highest administrative level, it's little wonder that the Pakistan cricket team is inconsistent in international competition. The talent is undoubtedly there.
"On paper, Pakistan still has a team full of talent, yet because it has been handled and managed so badly, it has been completely unsettled," explains Osman Samiuddin, Pakistan editor for the popular global cricket website cricinfo.com.
It was back in the 1960s when the president's direct appointment of the country's cricket board was first introduced.
"Cricket needed money and patronage from the state to run itself," Samiuddin said. "That need is no longer there as the sport makes enough money comfortably to run, yet the system remains in place in Pakistan."
During Butt's tenure, Pakistan has lost 19 limited-overs internationals and won 12. In the test arena, Pakistan briefly celebrated its first test win against Australia in 15 years last month in England — at its home-away-from-home for that series — while it also beat New Zealand in a Test last year.
But during that time, there have been nine Test defeats and four drawn Tests — including a 3-0 series whitewash in Australia that resulted in senior players being banned from the national team.
Parliamentary committees of both lower and upper houses have frequently summoned the top PCB officials for explanations about the inconsistencies and also requested Butt to step down, but it looks as though the PCB head has enough backing from the president — at least for the time being.
Iqbal Mohammad Ali, chairman of the lower house's standing committee on sports, last month wrote a letter to the president condemning several of Butt's decisions. Ali's main suggestion for change was that an age limit of 65 be introduced for the head of any sports federation.
Something needs to be done to restore Pakistan's cricket credibility.
Evidence of the abundant natural talent has come in the shortest form of the game: Pakistan won the World Twenty20 in England last year. But T20, while increasingly popular with the masses and the sponsors, is still yet to take hold among cricket purists.
Under Butt's lead, the Pakistan captaincy has been a problem issue in all three forms of the game.
He has handed the captaincy to Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi and now Salman Butt, but the team — it seems — is still looking for the right man to match the hopes of 170 million people of Pakistan.
In patches, Pakistani players are a threat to any international team, but as a team it is far from matching the likes of Australia, India, Sri Lanka or South Africa.
"There is no stability whatsoever," says Samiuddin. "They (PCB) have not supported any captain they have themselves appointed, thus overseeing a remarkable four changes in leadership in just over a year."
Off the field controversies are so badly managed by the PCB that after its own appointed inquiry committee first fined and banned seven cricketers after the winless tour of Australia, an arbitrator slashed the fines and lifted bans.
The ambush on the Sri Lanka cricket team's bus at Lahore, in which six police and a van driver were killed and several Sri Lankan players and officials were injured in March last year, was a major setback for Pakistan.
Pakistan was subsequently stripped of its status as co-host for the 2011 World Cup — which is now being staged in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Foreign teams have made Pakistan a no-go zone, although the ICC is planning on sending an invitational World XI to get tours started again.
Despite all the scrutiny from abroad and the ramifications on Pakistan as a sports host, a review of the attack on Sri Lanka's team bus at Lahore was finally sent to the sport's world governing body this month. That came after several prompts from the ICC.
"In the broader sense, the whole situation of the ongoing militancy in the country is out of PCB's hands," Samiuddin said. "But by not being able to do the basic requisite, such as provide a report into the attack pointing out who went wrong where, they have ensured that no international board has any confidence in their ability to run cricket.
"Consequently, when and if the security situation in Pakistan improves, this board will struggle to convince others to tour simply because it has killed its own credibility."
Vocal former Test cricketers constantly appear on talk shows and criticize Butt whenever the team does badly in international matches, but it seems very few have the answer to this key question: Who is the right man to head the PCB?
Cricket analyst Zakir Hussain Syed thinks the great Imran Khan is the right man, but since Khan is more inclined toward establishing himself in Pakistan's politics, it seems outside of his current interest.
Syed suggests Ehsan Mani or Dr. Zafar Altaf, a former chief selector, as possible candidates.
Mani, a former ICC president, has recently shown interest, but he also wanted to bring in his own administration.
However, Syed says that whoever replaces Butt should be given a fixed timeframe to streamline the PCB affairs, including the constitution and forming a general council in which representatives of cricket associations from all over the country should be allowed to elect the PCB chairman.
Recently, Imran Khan suggested in a television interview that a panel of cricketing experts — in which he was willing to sit — should interview interested candidates for the post of PCB chairman.
"One should know the vision of the candidate beforehand, how would he take forward Pakistan cricket," Khan said.
The former Pakistan captain suggested his cousin, former test captain Majid Khan.
Pakistan trails 2-0 in a four-test series against England, undoubtedly a result of the constant chopping and changing. Every negative result adds pressure on Butt to reform the structure of the PCB.
With another tough, three-Test series against South Africa planned in October in the United Arab Emirates, it is unlikely that the team will be settled under new captain Salman Butt.
Samiuddin has not lost hope, despite the outward appearance that Pakistan seems to be struggling like West Indies and Bangladesh in the five-day format or in turmoil like Zimbabwe.
"Superficially the results may look the same, but the reality is different," he said. "In West Indies, youngsters are moving toward other, more lucrative sports, like basketball, and interest in cricket itself is declining.
"In Zimbabwe, the political compulsions were of a unique nature and that required a different restructuring altogether. In Pakistan, cricket's popularity remains mostly unaffected — it is still the sport most kids want to play."
So Samiuddin remains confident of improvement.
"The team, if selected on merit, can actually be representative of a pretty robust system still capable of producing talent capable of succeeding on the world stage."
posted @ 10:48 AM,
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End of an era?
Monday, August 16, 2010
Test cricket is universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of the game, a real test of a team’s ability; however, Pakistan has been guilty of not according enough respect to Test cricket over the past two decades or so. A look at Pakistan’s performances suggests that the victory graph has slowly but surely come down over the years as Pakistan has lost its last Test series against all major opposition.
Pakistan’s Test cricket over the past quarter of a century can easily be classified into three distinct phases; the first one from late 1985 when Zaheer Abbas was deposed as captain of the team to early 1993 when Javed Miandad suffered the same fate. The second phase from mid 1993 when Wasim Akram took over the reins to the beginning of 2003 culminating in the ouster of Waqar Younis from the hot seat. The third and the last one can be classified from mid 2003 to date.
The ‘golden era’ saw Pakistan winning Test series against almost all the big teams i.e. the West Indies, England, Australia and India and losing only one.
Pakistan’s success remained an impressive 54 per cent during the second phase but that number would have been on the wrong side of 50 had Pakistan not played against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe – teams that had not got Test status during the first phase in question. The team lost a Test series to England at home for the first time in 39 years; it could manage only two victories against Australia as opposed to nine losses in 15 Test matches. Pakistan lost a Test series against Sri Lanka for the first time ever and also became the first team to have lost a Test match and a Test series to Zimbabwe.
The last phase has seen Pakistan’s success slip further down to 46 per cent and that includes three straight wins against Bangladesh. Pakistan has lost more matches than it has won against majority of the big teams like England, India, South Africa and Sri Lanka and has been unable to even draw a Test match against Australia – let alone winning it – till last month’s Headingly Test. The team lost a home series against India for the first time in history and established a new world record of 13 successive losses against a single team i.e. Australia.
Leadership during the first phase was completely dominated by two individuals namely Javed Miandad and Imran Khan with the latter being the regular captain and Miandad taking over whenever required. Imran Khan’s captaincy never came under threat despite him losing a number of important one-day international (ODI) contests such as the World Series Cup in Australia in 1988-89 and 1989-90 plus the 1987 World Cup. Pakistan’s tied Test series against the West Indies in West Indies in 1987-88 was celebrated in the country even though the team was thrashed 5-0 during the ODIs. Similarly, Pakistan’s 1-0 victory during the 1987 English summer was also cherished despite the team coming second best in the ODI series.
The next phase saw captaincy change hands among seven players including Wasim Akram, Saleem Malik, Rameez Raja, Rashid Latif, Aamer Sohail, Saeed Anwar and Moin Khan. The captaincy during the last phase has rotated between Rashid Latif, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi and Salman Butt.
It is an accepted fact that a captain can only extract the best out of his team by leading from the front. Hence, it is easy to determine one of the main reasons for Pakistan’s wonderful show during the first phase in question. Imran Khan and Javed Miandad were easily the team’s best players and led the bowling and batting departments of the team with distinction.
Interesting statistics that signify the number of new caps awarded to youngsters by the selectors. Only 19 players were able to make their Test debuts during the Imran-Miandad tenure; this number rose to an astonishing 51 during the next phase. For a team to become a fighting unit over a sustained period of time, it is necessary that the players are provided enough chances to play together and develop a certain amount of rapport among themselves. This also helps them in getting tuned to the finer aspects of the game such as running between the wickets as they can only improve their communication by spending time together in the middle. It is quite clear from the above numbers that the team was not allowed to settle down during this middle phase and hence results deteriorated. The trend appears to have continued in the current phase as well as 28 Test caps have so far been distributed among youngsters. Out of these 28 players, as many as 15 have been dumped without being provided the chance to play even five Tests.
Either the players are being picked without having their credentials properly judged or the selectors are impatient with these youngsters. It seems that selectors prefer flamboyance, flair and youth over grit, determination and experience. It is evident that there are serious problems with the team’s existing batting lineup; reasons for which are not difficult to determine. Proven performers at first-class level such as Aamer Sajjad and Asad Shafiq have failed to find spots in the squad; players who have shown that they are prepared to work hard at the Test level despite limitations in technique such as Fawad Alam and Khurram Manzoor have been axed. No serious effort was made to bring back world-class batsman Mohammad Yousuf, till it became clear that the English bowling attack will expose the limitations of the existing lot; but the seasoned Younis Khan continues to be ignored.
Bowling outside the current pace trio of Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul looks thin; still, experienced bowlers with hundreds of wickets at the first-class level such as Abdur Rauf and Yasir Arafat are constantly being overlooked for Test matches; a ‘home’ Test series against South Africa has been scheduled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) while Pakistan’s premier bowler and most potent weapon in Test cricket, Mohammad Asif cannot travel to the desert state. Also, preference of Saeed Ajmal over Abdur Rehman and of Kamran Akmal over the likes of Sarfraz Ahmed and Zulqarnain Haider suggest that heroics in shorter format of the game influence Test team selection.
The team’s downfall in Test cricket has not been complemented by its ODI performances. Even in the T20 format, Pakistan has been extremely impressive having remained the World Champion once and ending up as runner-up on another occasion in addition to getting the better of Australia on multiple occasions indicating the team’s fascination with the shorter format of the game even at the expense of losing out on Test glory. Today, Australia is considered the world’s best team not because it has won three World Cups on the trot but for its continued domination in the longest format of the game. Via
posted @ 9:22 AM,
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Would Zulqarnain's Inning Help Pakistan to Win The Match?
Monday, August 9, 2010
Debutant Zulqarnain Haider kept England at bay with a superb 88 as Pakistan at last restored some pride in the second Test at Edgbaston on Sunday. Pakistan at the third day’s close, were 291 for nine, a lead of 112, and with an outside chance of pulling off what would be an astounding victory.
They would have been in an even better position, but England off-spinner Graeme Swann removed Zulqarnain shortly before stumps on his way to a Test-best haul of six wickets for 60 runs in 36 overs -- 20 of them maidens. Pakistan had been dismissed for just 72 -- their lowest total against England - in the first innings, a woeful performance which made Sunday’s fightback even more astonishing.
Zulqarnain and Saeed Ajmal put on 115 for the eighth wicket, with the recalled off-spinner making exactly 50 to give him Test-bests with both bat and ball this match after he took five for 82 in England’s first innings 251. Ajmal fell shortly before the close caught at slip by Paul Collingwood to end a gutsy 79-ball innings featuring seven fours Zulqarnain, who but for the Decision Review System (DRS) would have been out for a king pair, fell when he miscued a drive off Swann to England captain Andrew Strauss at mid-off.
The 24-year-old batted for four-and-a-half hours, facing 200 balls and struck 15 boundaries. At the close, Swann had surpassed his previous best of five for 54 against South Africa at Durban in 2009 and taken five or more wickets eight times in his 22 Tests. Umar Gul, batting with a runner after suffering a hamstring injury on Saturday, was nine not out, having smashed the last ball of the day from paceman Stuart Broad for four,and Mohammad Asif 13 not out.
Zulqarnain, in for the dropped Kamran Akmal, had come in at 82 for five. At that stage, Pakistan needing 97 more runs just to avoid an innings defeat that would have left them 2-0 down in this four-match series after their crushing 354-run reverse in the first Test at Trent Bridge last week.
Zulqarnain received sound support from fast bowler Mohammad Aamer (16), who again demonstrated an excellent defensive technique, in a seventh-wicket stand of 52 spanning more than two hours.
England saw off Aamer in the fourth over with the new ball when Broad had him caught at first slip by Strauss. Zulqarnain went to fifty when he clipped fast bowler Steven Finn through midwicket for a boundary that also meant England would have to bat again as Pakistan finally erased a first innings deficit of 179.
Labels: England Tour, Pakistan, Zulqarnain
posted @ 11:04 AM,
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Ehsan Mani Blame PCB for International Isolation
Monday, July 5, 2010
Ehsan ManiAt the moment Pakistanis is not conducting any international cricket. Pakistan is facing problems of terrorism and after the attacks on Sri Lankan team ICC took the World Cup 2010 hosting from Pakistan. Pakistan Cricket Board is not doing any positive efforts to regain its international hosting said Mr Ehsan Mani, former Pakistani ICC president.
Ehsan Mani said that PCB is not taking any initiative to start cricket back in Pakistan. Pakistan’s Home series are conducting in other countries. Pakistan home series against Australia is conducting in England. Ehsan Mani said that after the Lahore attacks Pakistan Cricket Board showed no interest to save cricket in Pakistan.
He said that no reports on attack have been sent to ICC by Pakistan Cricket Board. He added that ICC had intimated PCB many times to send reports on the attack but there is no report submitted by PCB in reply. He said the report from PCB is very important for regaining of international hosting in Pakistan. The report can play important role in making members to agree on regaining of cricket in Pakistan.
Due to less efforts Pakistan has lost its chance of hosting world cup 2011 along with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
posted @ 11:00 AM,
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The Squads
Thursday, June 24, 2010
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, Ravichandran Ashwin, Saurabh Tiwary.
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Salman Butt (vice-capt), Imran Farhat, Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman.
Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Muttiah Muralitharan (vice-capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Farveez Maharoof, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Chanaka Welegedara, Lasith Malinga, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Thilina Kandamby.
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Jahurul Islam, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Ashraful, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Syed Rasel, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Suhrawadi Shuvo.
Labels: Asia Cup, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Players, Squads, Sri Lanka, Teams
posted @ 4:19 PM,
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Pakistan Out of Asia Cup
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sri Lanka: Harbhajan Singh smashed the penultimate ball from Mohammad Aamer for a six as India knocked Pakistan out of the Asia Cup with a three-wicket win on Saturday.
Harbhajan’s last-gasp shot over the midwicket fence helped India past Pakistan’s 267 with one ball to spare in a heart-stopping finish at the Rangiri stadium in Dambulla.
India scored 52 runs in the last five overs after the sixth wicket had fallen at 219, with Suresh Raina making 34 off 27 balls and Harbhajan an unbeaten 15 off 11.
The exciting victory lifted both India and hosts Sri Lanka into the June 24 final with two wins each and rendered the last two league matches inconsequential.
Pakistan and Bangladesh, who have yet to win a game, play each other on Monday, while India and Sri Lanka clash on Tuesday in a dress rehearsal for the final.
Barely 2,000 Sri Lankan fans were on hand to watch a rare clash between the arch-rivals, only their second one-day encounter in the past two years.
Opener Gautam Gambhir hit 83 off 97 balls and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chipped in with 57 during a third-wicket stand of 97 which lifted India to 180-2 in the 36th over.
But Gambhir’s dismissal at that stage, bowled by Saeed Ajmal, triggered a middle-order collapse which saw four wickets fall for the addition of 39 runs.
Dhoni was bowled by Shoaib Malik and Rohit Sharma was trapped leg-before by Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, before Ajmal removed Ravindra Jadeja to make it 219-6 in the 46th over.
Raina and Harbhajan then stepped in to lead a brilliant recovery and crush a valiant Pakistan side’s hopes of staying alive in the tournament.
For Pakistan, opener Salman Butt top-scored with 74 and Kamran Akmal hit 51 off 41 balls after Afridi won the toss and elected to bat in the day-night international.
Labels: Asia Cup, India, Pakistan
posted @ 10:52 AM,
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India v Pakistan 2010 Asia Cup
Sunday, June 20, 2010
India v Pakistan 2010 Asia Cup Match Updates, Schedules, Teams Squad, Stats, Pitch And Condition Saturday, June 19, 2010
Pakistan are known to be dangerously volatile when put in a do-or-die situation, as is the situation now after they lost their first match to Sri Lanka. Shahid Afridi has already shown the sign of return to form after a 75 ball 109 runs knock against Sri Lanka. With batsmen like Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal and Shoiab Malik in their rank they can expect to beat India of everything go as per their plan.
India on the other hand needs to short out their bowling which was punished badly by the Bangladesh openers in their first game. Their batsman Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also needs to put some runs on the board to put less pressure on M.S.Dhoni in the middle order.
With both teams raring to go on each other after nine months it would be an intense battle in the middle.
After long nine months wait the much awaited game of the Asia Cup 2010 finally arrived. It will be intense battle when arch-rivals India and Pakistan take on each other in the fourth game of Asia Cup 2001 at Rangiri Dambulla international stadium.
Pakistan must win this game to stay in the contention for the Asia Cup final after having lost their first game against Sri Lanka despite of superb batting display by their captain Shahid Afridi.
Pakistan after loosing their first game needs to short out their batting department specifically the out-of-depth youngsters at the top. With the return of Shoaib Akhtar their bowling department looks sharp and in shape which will test the top and middle order Indian batsmen.
Last time when these two team mates, Pakistan came out as winner in the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa. Where Shoiab Mallik scored a brilliant century for his team and Pakistan needs such type of performance again from someone to beat India in such a high pressure battle.
Watch out for
Virendra Sehwag: He has just scored 11 runs in his first outing after returning from shoulder injury but he has earn the confidence needed for international games by picking up four crucial wickets. So in any department he will be the key man for India.
Shahid Afridi: His century was in vane, when his team lost the game by rare margin of 16 runs. However his record against India is outstanding and he will try to repeat one of his past performances to keep his team hopes alive in 2010 Asia Cup.
Pitch & Condition
At Rangiri Dambulla international stadium, as we have seen in last three games batting under light is not as easy as it is during the day time. So toss will once again play a crucial part in the fate of the game against India and Pakistan. Team winning the toss would like to bat first and put somewhere around 260 runs on the board.
Teams
India is likely to go into the game with Same XI as Pakistan unless there is some injury concern for any players.
Likely Playing XI for both Teams (Match is Schedule to begin at 14:30 PM India Time)
India Squad: Virender Sehwag, Gautham Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (Captain/WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra.
Pakistan Squad: Salman Butt, Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Amin, Shahid Afridi (Captain), Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal(WK), Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer.
Stats
India and Pakistan have played eight times in the Asia cup with India managing to win three while loosing four to Pakistan.
Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt has phenomenal record against India with both batsmen scored their most of the centuries against arch-rivals India.
Labels: Asia Cup, India, Pakistan
posted @ 5:29 PM,
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ICC World Cup 2011 and Pakistan’s Security Situation
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Despite perennial concerns over security issues on the Asian subcontinent, it was selected to host the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. The four Asian Test-playing nations- Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka- are scheduled to host matches in that tournament. The recent terror attack against the Sri Lankan team and ICC officials in Pakistan has left the short term future of Pakistan in doubt.
No longer can it be said that terrorists in Asia do not attack sportsmen. Sri Lanka and India have had terrorist strikes in recent time. However, the 2009 terrorist attacks in Pakistan advanced the fears of cricket playing nations significantly. If the security officials in Pakistan could not protect one team in a bilateral series, how can they host multiple teams at the same time?
Also, the attacks in Pakistan affect the other hosting nations as well. Proximity and recurrent conflict would result in the fear of contagion as far as terrorist activity goes. The ICC is likely to review the ability of Asia to host the 2011 World Cup as a result. Given that India is such a major force in world cricket, it is not going to be an easy decision for the ICC. However, safety is a critical concern and is likely to have more weight than India’s economic considerations.
2008 Champions Trophy was shifted from Pakistan because of security concerns. These security concerns existed long before the attacks against the Sri Lankan cricket team in a bilateral series. Extending this logic, it is clear the chance of the tournament even being held in Asia may be under threat.
The integrity of a World Cup event involving Pakistan as a host may also be heavily compromised. In the 1996 World Cup, the West Indies and Australia forfeited matches played in Sri Lanka because of fear of attack. In the 2003 World Cup, New Zealand forfeited a match played in Nairobi for the sake of safety.
The forfeitures had limited impact on the 1996 World Cup. However, New Zealand’s 2003 forfeiture ensured that Kenya scraped through the group stage with bonus points. Kenya went on to reach the semi-finals on the back of that forfeiture- a result that ultimately undermined the quality of the tournament. The ICC is likely to factor this into the hosting conundrum, especially with the ‘old establishment’ (England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) having security fears.
The forfeitures had limited impact on the 1996 World Cup. However, New Zealand’s 2003 forfeiture ensured that Kenya scraped through the group stage with bonus points. Kenya went on to reach the semi-finals on the back of that forfeiture- a result that ultimately undermined the quality of the tournament. The ICC is likely to factor this into the hosting conundrum, especially with the ‘old establishment’ (England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) having security fears.
The attack against the Sri Lankan team has put Asia’s hosting of the 2011 World Cup in serious jeopardy. One of the ramifications of that attack is that cricketers are no longer safe in Pakistan. Even Asian cricketers are not safe. With the 2009 edition of the IPL being moved to South Africa and Bangladesh not hosting any teams in the short term – it seems unlikely that the third-largest sporting even will be hosted on the Asian subcontinent. There are still two years left, but the deep scars left by the 2009 assault of Sri Lanka’s cricketers will be difficult to ignore.
Author: Andre V
Labels: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Security, Sri Lanka
posted @ 11:12 AM,
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