Just a day after the PCB axed a couple of players from the national team, with some the remaining players given a year bans and finally by imposing a hefty fine on the remaining players, the very same PCB has selected the world T20 probables. With the decision to drop and impose fines on so many players itself being a joke, one can imagine the reason behind judging which player should be given a life ban and which player should be just let off with a fine. There were 2 players namely Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan who were axed from the team permanently.
However, I remember Mohammed Yousuf becoming the number one batsman in test cricket less than a year back which he hardly deserved. That was a time when the entire Pakistan team had made a comeback after having a year in 2008 where Pakistan didn't play a single test match. And then, just one performance was enough to see him top the rankings. And then, coming to the squad for the world T20, both Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan were aged 35 and, their service to the Pakistan can be expected to be limited. And, moreover Younis Khan had quit T20 cricket and a ban on him can in no way trouble anyone.
And, if at all there has to be someone who can be thought of as a certainity in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming world T20 would be Shahid Afridi for the lone reason that he can swing the ball though baseless and irresponsible. Much to one's surprise, Shahid Afridi was awarded the man of the series in the inaugural edition of the T20 world cup and then in 2009 was the man of the match on two consecutive and important occasions- in the semi finals and the finals of the tournament. And now, the PCB once again suspects his capabilities as captain.
One has to wonder that someone who has not been able to be a responsible player despite playing for a decade is being made a captain. Perhaps! it is too far that one fine day the PCB might even rope in Afridi as a coach of the Pakistan team. It was the Akmal brothers who were responsible for the loss to Australia in the second test at Sydney when Kamran Akmal dropped three catches which helped Australia win the match from nowhere. And, it was the run out of Salman Butt that spiolt Pakistan's party in one of the games. But, all four have been included in the T20 squad. Rana Naved and Asif were pretty decent with the ball, with the latter being devastative when he took 4 Aussie wickets to restrict Australia to 127 at Sydney.
So, it would not be wrong to say that the PCB has given harsh punishments for players who deserved lesser punishments and the players who were seriously irresponsible were let of with a year bans and also with a fine which today's cricketers can earn in a short period of time. May be the PCB is waiting for the T20 world cup to get over so that the remaining players can be given harsher punishments.
Showing posts with label Mohammed Yusuf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mohammed Yusuf. Show all posts
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
A life-time ban would have been ideal for Afridi
One has to indeed appreciate the guts of the Pakistani so-called all rounder Shahid Afridi for first changing the conditions of the ball without the consent of the on field umpires and then that too in front of the whole crowd, some in front of the television sets and others in the stadium. I wonder as to how come someone can do the same and expect to get away as though he was nothing but innocent? Or, was the deed what Afridi did was a mistake like it was the case with Dravid way back in the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2003-04 in the Adelaide test?
On the other hand, Afridi's creative reason for the same must also be gioven a pat on the back. Shahid Afridi wants the whole world to believe that he was trying to smell the ball-I wonder as though it was a perfume and that only Afridi had discovered it! Oh! What a scientist we have lost due to cricket! But, how come teeth marks appear on the ball when someone tries to smell the same? Really confusing! How come anyone can deny a thing that he has done in front of the entire world? Finally, Afridi had no other choice and had to plead guilty and accept whatever came through.
When Afridi accepts his mistake, he justifies the same by saying that he was trying to help out his bowlers win the fifth one dayer at Perth. May be, had Afridi been in place of Mohammed Yousuf, the deed would have taken place 5 matches earlier or some 8 days prior to this. If the ball tempering episode an be recalled, India's disciplined batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were fined 50% and 75% of their match fees during the pool match against Zimbabwe in the VB series 2004 and at Port Elizabeth respectively. One can also recall the famous Oval test where Inzamam's team never turned up to take to the field, which is still a mystery.
If the punishment that Shahid Afridi has been given is considered, the ICC is just giving someone a formal punishment. This is not some offence that has happened so far as given in the law books of cricket though the article 2.2.9 of the ICC code of conduct has been cited relating Afridi's offence. When banning players, the ICC gives options like one test or 5 ODIs. But, that should not be the case in T20 cricket whatsoever. Afridi denies what he had done in front of the entire world as mentioned above, which can never be tolerated. Something atleast like the one given to Warne in the 2003 WC (where Shane Warne was given a year ban) can be justified. A ban of one or two matches can affect a player in no way. A life time ban would be ideal.
On the other hand, Afridi's creative reason for the same must also be gioven a pat on the back. Shahid Afridi wants the whole world to believe that he was trying to smell the ball-I wonder as though it was a perfume and that only Afridi had discovered it! Oh! What a scientist we have lost due to cricket! But, how come teeth marks appear on the ball when someone tries to smell the same? Really confusing! How come anyone can deny a thing that he has done in front of the entire world? Finally, Afridi had no other choice and had to plead guilty and accept whatever came through.
When Afridi accepts his mistake, he justifies the same by saying that he was trying to help out his bowlers win the fifth one dayer at Perth. May be, had Afridi been in place of Mohammed Yousuf, the deed would have taken place 5 matches earlier or some 8 days prior to this. If the ball tempering episode an be recalled, India's disciplined batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were fined 50% and 75% of their match fees during the pool match against Zimbabwe in the VB series 2004 and at Port Elizabeth respectively. One can also recall the famous Oval test where Inzamam's team never turned up to take to the field, which is still a mystery.
If the punishment that Shahid Afridi has been given is considered, the ICC is just giving someone a formal punishment. This is not some offence that has happened so far as given in the law books of cricket though the article 2.2.9 of the ICC code of conduct has been cited relating Afridi's offence. When banning players, the ICC gives options like one test or 5 ODIs. But, that should not be the case in T20 cricket whatsoever. Afridi denies what he had done in front of the entire world as mentioned above, which can never be tolerated. Something atleast like the one given to Warne in the 2003 WC (where Shane Warne was given a year ban) can be justified. A ban of one or two matches can affect a player in no way. A life time ban would be ideal.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Pakistan has got used to defeats
It is too late for anyone to highlight the 4th ODI loss by Pakistan at the hands of Australia for, the loss would have been well anticipated by everyone including the Pakistan team. But, one would have hardly expected the Pakistan team to hand over the match to a 3 match old Ryan Harris who took yet another 5 wicket haul, that was his second out of three games and a consecutive one against Pakistan. May be this bowling record is the first of its kind by any bowler to take 2 consecutive 5 wicket hauls in his maiden three ODIs.
It was a slow and steady approach by the Australian batsmen which made them post a total of 277 on the board after being at 190 at the end of the 40th over losing 6 wickets. This is what the Australian batsmen have been found doing not only in the past three ODIs but also ever since they took to top the international cricket. However, coming back to the 4th ODI at Perth, it looks like the Pakistanis have got used to the defeats especially against Australia. Neither was there any drop catches by the Pakistani fieldsmen nor any sort of ridiculous bowling.
However, the result was indeed ridiculous needless to be said. There was news that Mitchell Johnson-who was rested for the first three ODIs would be making it to the Perth ODI, which actually didn't happen. But, despite the absence of his experience and pace bowling, Australia got what they wanted. I just cannot realize what was going on in the minds of the Pakistani batsmen when they lost all their wickets for a score less than200 150, after they had scored 127 in the second one dayer. One can imagine the caliber of the Pakistani bowlers when Nathan Hauritz could send the ball over the ropes for four times en-route to his maiden half century.
It was the same approach by Mohammed Yousuf when he bowled just 5 bowlers. One thing that is to be noticed is that Afridi, who is considered more of a batsman is made to bowl 10 overs in all four ODIs. Added to that is the fact that he was one of the two Pakistani bowlers who bowled an over maiden and returned with an economy of 4.4 which was just 0.2 rpo more than the most economical bowler Mohammed Asif. Also, the other side of the coin is that he was one of the two Pakistani players who hit sixes. One would be sick of seeing the scorecard that highlights the tail-enders' astonishing strike rates and lack of huge scores and partnerships.
With no improvement since the beginning of the ODI test series, it looks like the Pakistani captain just wants to wind up his career as captain, after a report suggests that Yousuf might be sacked at Pakistani captain after the ODI series against Australia.
It was a slow and steady approach by the Australian batsmen which made them post a total of 277 on the board after being at 190 at the end of the 40th over losing 6 wickets. This is what the Australian batsmen have been found doing not only in the past three ODIs but also ever since they took to top the international cricket. However, coming back to the 4th ODI at Perth, it looks like the Pakistanis have got used to the defeats especially against Australia. Neither was there any drop catches by the Pakistani fieldsmen nor any sort of ridiculous bowling.
However, the result was indeed ridiculous needless to be said. There was news that Mitchell Johnson-who was rested for the first three ODIs would be making it to the Perth ODI, which actually didn't happen. But, despite the absence of his experience and pace bowling, Australia got what they wanted. I just cannot realize what was going on in the minds of the Pakistani batsmen when they lost all their wickets for a score less than
It was the same approach by Mohammed Yousuf when he bowled just 5 bowlers. One thing that is to be noticed is that Afridi, who is considered more of a batsman is made to bowl 10 overs in all four ODIs. Added to that is the fact that he was one of the two Pakistani bowlers who bowled an over maiden and returned with an economy of 4.4 which was just 0.2 rpo more than the most economical bowler Mohammed Asif. Also, the other side of the coin is that he was one of the two Pakistani players who hit sixes. One would be sick of seeing the scorecard that highlights the tail-enders' astonishing strike rates and lack of huge scores and partnerships.
With no improvement since the beginning of the ODI test series, it looks like the Pakistani captain just wants to wind up his career as captain, after a report suggests that Yousuf might be sacked at Pakistani captain after the ODI series against Australia.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
When tail-enders take no responsibility...
When an Aussie bowler who made an ODI debut at the age of 30+ and in his second one dayer picks up his first 5 wicket haul against a team who have a history of winning a world cup and making it to the finals of another, one has to indeed question whether Pakistan are indeed interested in playing serious cricket be it the one day or test cricket. If one goes through the scorecard of yesterday's third one day international between Australia and Pakistan, the Pakistani captain did the same mistake that he was found doing in the first ODI.
This time at Adelaide as well, Mohammed Yousuf went in for just five bowlers who bowled their full quota of 10 overs each. May be, had the ICC not imposed any such rules regarding the number of overs a bowler can bowl in an ODI match, Yousuf would have even gone in for just one or two bowlers to bowl the entire 50 overs. The other side of the coin is also that the Pakistan side had hardly any bowler who could give the main bowlers a break and step in as a part time bowler. Such is the destiny of today's Pakistan cricket.
If the recent past is given a close look at, chasing a total of even 300+ is not considered a difficult task. May be this doesn't hold good as far as Australia is considered. At the end of the day, anyone can come out with a reason regarding their team's loss. And how much weight that reason can be given becomes a different issue altogether. Compared to the previous ODIs, Pakistan have been putting a better performance each time they faced the Aussies. They bought the Aussies close to 50 overs in the first ODI while chasing 275. And in the 2nd, they utilized an extra bowler though they ultimately got out for 127.
Now, in the 3rd, Pakistan despite losing 4 quick wickets for 60 runs put up an 85 run partnership that could have well been converted to a winning total of 287. Some irresponsible shots from the blades of Shahid Afridi and Naved-Ul-Hasan have to be dealt with seriously if this is not happen once again. It looks like the PCB has failed in handling Afridi, who has the power to make it big but is allowed to play reckless shots, which are at most of the times irresponsible. Such shots can make only a gully cricketer and not an international. It is no more than a black mark on Afridi for playing such shots.
A 19 year old Umar Akmal along with Fawad Alam were found playing decent cricket compared to what Afridi & Naved played. Tail end batting is assumed by the Pakistani players to just give an entertainment to the crowd and nothing else. It is the performance of these tail enders who make a difference between a victory and a defeat. Pakistan have to learn from the Aussies who had a last ball victory in the ICC Champions Trophy which was made possible by tail enders Brett Lee & Nathan Hauritz who put up a 19 run partnership and also stood for 20 balls without taking unwanted risks like the ones taken by Afridi & Naved.
This time at Adelaide as well, Mohammed Yousuf went in for just five bowlers who bowled their full quota of 10 overs each. May be, had the ICC not imposed any such rules regarding the number of overs a bowler can bowl in an ODI match, Yousuf would have even gone in for just one or two bowlers to bowl the entire 50 overs. The other side of the coin is also that the Pakistan side had hardly any bowler who could give the main bowlers a break and step in as a part time bowler. Such is the destiny of today's Pakistan cricket.
If the recent past is given a close look at, chasing a total of even 300+ is not considered a difficult task. May be this doesn't hold good as far as Australia is considered. At the end of the day, anyone can come out with a reason regarding their team's loss. And how much weight that reason can be given becomes a different issue altogether. Compared to the previous ODIs, Pakistan have been putting a better performance each time they faced the Aussies. They bought the Aussies close to 50 overs in the first ODI while chasing 275. And in the 2nd, they utilized an extra bowler though they ultimately got out for 127.
Now, in the 3rd, Pakistan despite losing 4 quick wickets for 60 runs put up an 85 run partnership that could have well been converted to a winning total of 287. Some irresponsible shots from the blades of Shahid Afridi and Naved-Ul-Hasan have to be dealt with seriously if this is not happen once again. It looks like the PCB has failed in handling Afridi, who has the power to make it big but is allowed to play reckless shots, which are at most of the times irresponsible. Such shots can make only a gully cricketer and not an international. It is no more than a black mark on Afridi for playing such shots.
A 19 year old Umar Akmal along with Fawad Alam were found playing decent cricket compared to what Afridi & Naved played. Tail end batting is assumed by the Pakistani players to just give an entertainment to the crowd and nothing else. It is the performance of these tail enders who make a difference between a victory and a defeat. Pakistan have to learn from the Aussies who had a last ball victory in the ICC Champions Trophy which was made possible by tail enders Brett Lee & Nathan Hauritz who put up a 19 run partnership and also stood for 20 balls without taking unwanted risks like the ones taken by Afridi & Naved.
Monday, January 25, 2010
2nd match, Sydney and 127 all out!
Well it is at present needless to be said regarding the 140 run crushing defeat that Pakistan was handed in the second one dayer of the first phase of the Commonwealth bank series 2010 by Australia. However, one aspect to be noted from the match is that Pakistan was bundled out for 127, the total which a couple of weeks back was Australia's at the same venue in the first innings of the second test. However, unlike in the second test match, the winners were not the ones who were bundled out for 127. In the 2nd test, it was Australia who were first bundled out for 127 and finally went on to win the match by 36 runs.
But, this time in the second one day international, it was Pakistan who were bundled out for 127 but the only difference being that they had to end up on the losing side. Perhaps! There was no second innings like in a test match for the Pakistanis to make a comeback. However, one has to wonder as to what on earth made the Pakistani captain Mohammed Yousuf to opt to bowl on a surface that would deteriorate gradually as the match progressed? Another tragedy that was personally invited by Mohammed Yousuf was the timing when he declared the bowling powerplay.
Yousuf went in for the bowling power play as soon as the first powerplay, that is mandatory during the first 10 overs, when he introduced the bowling powerplay in the 11th over itself. That was the time when the Aussie openers were in full bloom without losing a single wicket. This was the favor that Mohammed Yousuf did to his opposition which paved the way for 100 run 1st wicket partnership. The partnership lasted for exactly 100 runs, after which Watson got out. From then onwards, batting was difficult indeed, which was evident from the way the rest of the Aussie batsmen played.
One point that Yousuf has found to have learnt from the first ODI is that, this time he made use of all the bowlers that were available to him. Meaning six bowlers were used, out of which Shoaib Malik (who had not bowled in the first ODI) was made to bowl 4 overs. Otherwise, the Pakistani approach was hardly any different from the first ODI. However, the pitch never seemed to trouble the batsmen in the initial stages of the Aussie innings, when there was a 100 run 1st wicket partnership as mentioned above. And even afterwards, there was Cameron White who scored yet another half century (55 from 58 balls).
Added to that was the superb catches taken by Ponting & White in the slips to get rid of Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik respectively. But, with just 3 out of the 11 Pakistani players scoring above 10, their defeat can be no exception. Rather than playing slowly and steadily, someone like Naved-Ul-Hasan going to smash every ball during his 22 ball 27 that included 2 sixes can never be justified whatsoever. When a defeat was already on the cards, a face saving innings from Naced would have helped matters.
But, this time in the second one day international, it was Pakistan who were bundled out for 127 but the only difference being that they had to end up on the losing side. Perhaps! There was no second innings like in a test match for the Pakistanis to make a comeback. However, one has to wonder as to what on earth made the Pakistani captain Mohammed Yousuf to opt to bowl on a surface that would deteriorate gradually as the match progressed? Another tragedy that was personally invited by Mohammed Yousuf was the timing when he declared the bowling powerplay.
Yousuf went in for the bowling power play as soon as the first powerplay, that is mandatory during the first 10 overs, when he introduced the bowling powerplay in the 11th over itself. That was the time when the Aussie openers were in full bloom without losing a single wicket. This was the favor that Mohammed Yousuf did to his opposition which paved the way for 100 run 1st wicket partnership. The partnership lasted for exactly 100 runs, after which Watson got out. From then onwards, batting was difficult indeed, which was evident from the way the rest of the Aussie batsmen played.
One point that Yousuf has found to have learnt from the first ODI is that, this time he made use of all the bowlers that were available to him. Meaning six bowlers were used, out of which Shoaib Malik (who had not bowled in the first ODI) was made to bowl 4 overs. Otherwise, the Pakistani approach was hardly any different from the first ODI. However, the pitch never seemed to trouble the batsmen in the initial stages of the Aussie innings, when there was a 100 run 1st wicket partnership as mentioned above. And even afterwards, there was Cameron White who scored yet another half century (55 from 58 balls).
Added to that was the superb catches taken by Ponting & White in the slips to get rid of Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik respectively. But, with just 3 out of the 11 Pakistani players scoring above 10, their defeat can be no exception. Rather than playing slowly and steadily, someone like Naved-Ul-Hasan going to smash every ball during his 22 ball 27 that included 2 sixes can never be justified whatsoever. When a defeat was already on the cards, a face saving innings from Naced would have helped matters.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Pakistani Approach
Wins and losses are a part and parcel of the game of cricket and neither Pakistan nor Australia are exceptions. However, despite playing cricket since decades altogether, some unusual decisions by any team for that matter would raise a question as to how come any captain could afford to do that. Things cannot be taken for granted that, following a particular strategy would ensure a win in a particular match against a particular team. For, the strategies of the opposition are also unknown either. But, stupid decisions can never be forgiven no matter what. And this is what Pakistan was found doing in the first ODI against Australia.
Effort definitely lied in the Pakistani batting when they put up a decent score of 274 on the board. And so did their initial start with the ball by taking 2 quick wickets of Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh. But, then onwards, it was the same Pakistani bowlers who gave away everything to the Australian batsmen, added to that being the fact that the fieldsmen never supported their bowlers whatsoever. So was the Pakistani captain Mohammed Yousuf who showed no signs in improving the same. Pakistan is a bit strong in ODI cricket compared to their test cricket which can never be disputed.
Or is it that the Pakistani test team is weak compared to their ODI? Anyway, that being a different issue, coming to the game between Australia and Pakistan, the scorecard reveals that the Pakistan captain bowled just five bowlers, who were entitled to bowl 10 overs each. Barring Mohammed Aamer, the remaining four Pakistani bowlers bowled their full quota of 10 overs. To what extent was the decision of Mohammed Yousuf justified? Also, the team consisted of just the five bowlers along with Shoaib Malik who never bowled. This is the way the Pakistani captain selects the playing eleven and also makes partly use of them.
A similar approach by the Pakistani captain Mohammed Yousuf was seen in the third test at Hobart, which needless to be said Pakistan lost convincingly. Even there, Mohammed Yousuf had gone in without key players like Kamran Akmal and others. Still, that was hardly mentioned by anyone. Forget it! Then, the match had another wonder when, Shane Watson takes 4 wickets and gets out for a score of 5. Shane Watson is made to open the innings and he fails. On the other hand, Watson is a part time bowler and ends up becoming the most successful bowler of the match. May be this is the only highlight of the match.
Effort definitely lied in the Pakistani batting when they put up a decent score of 274 on the board. And so did their initial start with the ball by taking 2 quick wickets of Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh. But, then onwards, it was the same Pakistani bowlers who gave away everything to the Australian batsmen, added to that being the fact that the fieldsmen never supported their bowlers whatsoever. So was the Pakistani captain Mohammed Yousuf who showed no signs in improving the same. Pakistan is a bit strong in ODI cricket compared to their test cricket which can never be disputed.
Or is it that the Pakistani test team is weak compared to their ODI? Anyway, that being a different issue, coming to the game between Australia and Pakistan, the scorecard reveals that the Pakistan captain bowled just five bowlers, who were entitled to bowl 10 overs each. Barring Mohammed Aamer, the remaining four Pakistani bowlers bowled their full quota of 10 overs. To what extent was the decision of Mohammed Yousuf justified? Also, the team consisted of just the five bowlers along with Shoaib Malik who never bowled. This is the way the Pakistani captain selects the playing eleven and also makes partly use of them.
A similar approach by the Pakistani captain Mohammed Yousuf was seen in the third test at Hobart, which needless to be said Pakistan lost convincingly. Even there, Mohammed Yousuf had gone in without key players like Kamran Akmal and others. Still, that was hardly mentioned by anyone. Forget it! Then, the match had another wonder when, Shane Watson takes 4 wickets and gets out for a score of 5. Shane Watson is made to open the innings and he fails. On the other hand, Watson is a part time bowler and ends up becoming the most successful bowler of the match. May be this is the only highlight of the match.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Test Cricket Not Secure For Pakistan Outside as well
This was one last thing that the Pakistan captain captain Mohammed Yusuf would have ever thought about. A loss despite bowling the opposition all out for 127 in their first innings! A loss despite chasing a modest total of 176 on board! This can never get worse anymore for Pakistan cricket. One would have expected the Pakistan team to return playing test cricket with a bang. But, they have redefined what losing means to the entire world after their stunning loss to Australia in the 2nd test at Sydney by 36 runs. Had it been Bangladesh or Zimbabwe, even those nations would have snatched a win from Australia after being in such a comfortable situation.
I remember Zimbabwe beating Australia in the league stages of the inaugural world T20 held at South Africa in 2007 by chasing 139 runs in the penultimate ball of their innings. Many a times, Pakistan in the past have been found to escape from the jaws of defeat despite being in a horrible situation. One such instance would be the first test when Inzamam's men toured India at Mohali, where Pakistan were bowled out on day 1 for a score of 312 and India in reply put forward 516 runs on the board with a lead of 204 runs which is needless to be said whatsoever.
When all thought that an innings win was on the cards for India, Asif Kamal & Kamran Akmal step in to spoil India's party by batting until the beginning of day 5 to see that the match is drawn. According to me, the blame game should start with the Pakistani bowlers allowing Mike Hussey to score a magnificent hundred that saw the total boost by an additional 95 runs for the remaining two wickets on day 4. Isn't this too costly for any team for the two wickets they are supposed to take? The ninth wicket partnership lasted for as long as 44.4 overs and bought up an additional 123 runs between Hussey & Siddle. I wonder as to how can any responsible team allow such a room!
Australia did each and everything they could do to get back to the game and the Pakistani players gave them the support they needed. If one goes through the scorecard of the test, it is evident that Pakistan went wrong in every department of the game. They lost 9 wickets on day 2 when they were expected to spend time in the middle. This was followed by the 9th wicket partnership that is highlighted above. Then, when they were expected to chase a modest of totals of 176 with almost 2 days & 10 wickets in hand, they made a mess by losing all their wickets even before a duration of a day was over. Added to that was Hauritz' 5 wicket haul against a team that plays spin better comparatively.
With these facts in front, I wish even Pakistan should think against touring any nation to play a test like other teams are found doing regarding Pakistan.
I remember Zimbabwe beating Australia in the league stages of the inaugural world T20 held at South Africa in 2007 by chasing 139 runs in the penultimate ball of their innings. Many a times, Pakistan in the past have been found to escape from the jaws of defeat despite being in a horrible situation. One such instance would be the first test when Inzamam's men toured India at Mohali, where Pakistan were bowled out on day 1 for a score of 312 and India in reply put forward 516 runs on the board with a lead of 204 runs which is needless to be said whatsoever.
When all thought that an innings win was on the cards for India, Asif Kamal & Kamran Akmal step in to spoil India's party by batting until the beginning of day 5 to see that the match is drawn. According to me, the blame game should start with the Pakistani bowlers allowing Mike Hussey to score a magnificent hundred that saw the total boost by an additional 95 runs for the remaining two wickets on day 4. Isn't this too costly for any team for the two wickets they are supposed to take? The ninth wicket partnership lasted for as long as 44.4 overs and bought up an additional 123 runs between Hussey & Siddle. I wonder as to how can any responsible team allow such a room!
Australia did each and everything they could do to get back to the game and the Pakistani players gave them the support they needed. If one goes through the scorecard of the test, it is evident that Pakistan went wrong in every department of the game. They lost 9 wickets on day 2 when they were expected to spend time in the middle. This was followed by the 9th wicket partnership that is highlighted above. Then, when they were expected to chase a modest of totals of 176 with almost 2 days & 10 wickets in hand, they made a mess by losing all their wickets even before a duration of a day was over. Added to that was Hauritz' 5 wicket haul against a team that plays spin better comparatively.
With these facts in front, I wish even Pakistan should think against touring any nation to play a test like other teams are found doing regarding Pakistan.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
A Bad 2nd day after the worst 1st day at Sydney
As my earlier post reveals, there is neither Steve Bucknor nor Mark Benson who can help the Aussies at Sydney this time in the ongoing second test against Pakistan. And most of the mess that could have been possible was done on day one itself by the Aussie batsmen. Neither were the Pakistani pacemen viz Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Sami were at their all time bowling best nor were the Aussies so bad to lose all their 10 wickets for a partly score of 127. Even the West Indies team that had played Bangladesh and lost as well didn't fare so badly.
Not only because it was Bangladesh they were playing against but also in the ICC Champions Trophy, they made life tough for Pakistan by claiming 5 wickets en route their successful run chase with just above 150 on the board. At the end of the day's play, Pakistan finished at 331-9 and the lead of 200+ need not be highlighted specially whatsoever. The Aussie bowling which have won their team a lot of matches in the past was found giving room like anything. Or else how would some 20 year old Umar Akmal smash 5 boundaries in 7 balls from the moment he gets on to the field with his bat?
And on the other hand, even the Pakistani batsmen were not found playing a truly professional test cricket on the second day. Similar to the Aussies, even the Pakistani batsmen lost all their 10 wickets on a single day itself. The only difference being that the Pakistani batsmen had piled up 204 runs more than the Australian batsmen could do on day 1. Each and every Pakistani batsmen was found approaching the Aussie bowlers with an attacking style as compared to a more responsible one that makes test cricket great to watch. Hardly any Pakistani batsmen could spend time on the crease which is quintessential in test cricket.
I now can guess what Mohammed Yusuf meant a week back after his team lost the first test at Melbourne. Yusuf had blamed the T20 cricket to be responsible for his team's debacle in the first test when he said that "T20 will finish Pakistan cricket". Pakistani batsmen are found approaching the test cricket similar to the way T20 cricket is approached. And this has been the way the Pakistani batsmen were found playing in the past too. The best example for this would be the so called dashing batsmen-Shahid Afridi who has a batting average like a tail end batsmen and a strike rate which can raise eye brows. A little bit of planning by the Pakistani players would have ensured them an innings win.
At the end, it would not be wrong to say that it is an Aussie loss than a Pakistani gain. Thats all for today. Do come back for more tomorrow.
Not only because it was Bangladesh they were playing against but also in the ICC Champions Trophy, they made life tough for Pakistan by claiming 5 wickets en route their successful run chase with just above 150 on the board. At the end of the day's play, Pakistan finished at 331-9 and the lead of 200+ need not be highlighted specially whatsoever. The Aussie bowling which have won their team a lot of matches in the past was found giving room like anything. Or else how would some 20 year old Umar Akmal smash 5 boundaries in 7 balls from the moment he gets on to the field with his bat?
And on the other hand, even the Pakistani batsmen were not found playing a truly professional test cricket on the second day. Similar to the Aussies, even the Pakistani batsmen lost all their 10 wickets on a single day itself. The only difference being that the Pakistani batsmen had piled up 204 runs more than the Australian batsmen could do on day 1. Each and every Pakistani batsmen was found approaching the Aussie bowlers with an attacking style as compared to a more responsible one that makes test cricket great to watch. Hardly any Pakistani batsmen could spend time on the crease which is quintessential in test cricket.
I now can guess what Mohammed Yusuf meant a week back after his team lost the first test at Melbourne. Yusuf had blamed the T20 cricket to be responsible for his team's debacle in the first test when he said that "T20 will finish Pakistan cricket". Pakistani batsmen are found approaching the test cricket similar to the way T20 cricket is approached. And this has been the way the Pakistani batsmen were found playing in the past too. The best example for this would be the so called dashing batsmen-Shahid Afridi who has a batting average like a tail end batsmen and a strike rate which can raise eye brows. A little bit of planning by the Pakistani players would have ensured them an innings win.
At the end, it would not be wrong to say that it is an Aussie loss than a Pakistani gain. Thats all for today. Do come back for more tomorrow.
Friday, January 1, 2010
A Creative Mohammed Yusuf
Well this is one such dialogue that every cricket captain in the world is found to say once his team is found to be defeated. And the Pakistani captain-Mohammed Yusuf is no exception. However, his statement is another unique one for, his target is not the pitch, the opposition, the players of his team, absence of key players out of the lot many reasons that we have been coming across. Such creative reasons indeed deserves a pat on the back no matter what. The Pakistani captain Mohammed Yusuf blames the T20 format of the game for his team's test debacle against Australia.
This was a couple of days after Pakistan lost the first test to Australia at Melbourne by 170 runs.And this should according to me be no surprise because, hardly has any team beaten Australia in Australia. The most recent defeat that Australia suffered at home was against South Africa last year when the Proteas made it theirs 2-1. And before that, it was way back in 1992 that Australia lost a home test series against West Indies that was somewhere 16 years prior to the loss that was suffered at the hands of the Proteas. And one has to wonder as to how come the Pakistan captain starts blaming!
The fact is also that Pakistan has hardly played any tests be it at home or outside the same. The most recent test series that Pakistan played was against New Zealand that was leveled-thanks to the rain that hit the third test match in which New Zealand held an upper hand at Napier when the New Zealand team was set a target of 208 runs and the Kiwis had made it to 90-0 before the play was called off. And before that, Pakistan played a test series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka (obviously) which Sri Lanka won 2-0. Oops! Pakistan have played a decent number of test matches in 2009 as compared to none in 2008.
However, if statistics are given a closer look at, Pakistan have played more number of test matches compared to T20 cricket. All T20 cricket that Pakistan played was the T20 world cup. If not for that mega event, the remaining T20 games stand as follows: 1 games each against Sri Lanka and Australia at UAE and 2 games against New Zealand. All of which Pakistan won rather convincingly. I guess that Mohammed Yusuf has mistaken his team's T20 success to be the reason for his team's test debacle. According to Mohammed Yusuf, a team that can outplay other teams in one format of the game cannot do so in other formats it looks like. This can be called as "Stupidity at its peak".
This was a couple of days after Pakistan lost the first test to Australia at Melbourne by 170 runs.And this should according to me be no surprise because, hardly has any team beaten Australia in Australia. The most recent defeat that Australia suffered at home was against South Africa last year when the Proteas made it theirs 2-1. And before that, it was way back in 1992 that Australia lost a home test series against West Indies that was somewhere 16 years prior to the loss that was suffered at the hands of the Proteas. And one has to wonder as to how come the Pakistan captain starts blaming!
The fact is also that Pakistan has hardly played any tests be it at home or outside the same. The most recent test series that Pakistan played was against New Zealand that was leveled-thanks to the rain that hit the third test match in which New Zealand held an upper hand at Napier when the New Zealand team was set a target of 208 runs and the Kiwis had made it to 90-0 before the play was called off. And before that, Pakistan played a test series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka (obviously) which Sri Lanka won 2-0. Oops! Pakistan have played a decent number of test matches in 2009 as compared to none in 2008.
However, if statistics are given a closer look at, Pakistan have played more number of test matches compared to T20 cricket. All T20 cricket that Pakistan played was the T20 world cup. If not for that mega event, the remaining T20 games stand as follows: 1 games each against Sri Lanka and Australia at UAE and 2 games against New Zealand. All of which Pakistan won rather convincingly. I guess that Mohammed Yusuf has mistaken his team's T20 success to be the reason for his team's test debacle. According to Mohammed Yusuf, a team that can outplay other teams in one format of the game cannot do so in other formats it looks like. This can be called as "Stupidity at its peak".
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