The Shahid Afridi dilemma

As the selectors are in the process of whittling down the World Cup team from 30 probables, the only chance Shahid Afridi had, was his selection for the ODI's against South Africa. Otherwise it would be too late and not enough match practice for him. And based on his horrendous performance in 2006, that could never have happened.

But lo and behold, he's back, and the selectors have made it pretty clear that he has been chosen primarily because of the pre-2006 years. It's a strange reason and poor selection on their part. Why on earth can't Pakistan just move on and live life without him? It doesn't make sense to me. Before the squad was announced, Wasim Bari, the chief selector said...

"It is a difficult decision, but I must say that if Afridi is recalled to the (one-day) squad it would be on the basis of his past performance," chief selector Wasim Bari told The News'.

And after the selection, Bari defended his decision but added that the pressure was well and truly on Afridi.

“Afridi has the talent and the experience and now has to perform. The onus is on him and he has to help himself now,” he said.

So, unfortunately, Afridi is back. Sadly, there is no doubt that Pakistan allowed him an extended run last year, gave him plenty of chances to get back into form, and to try and make a difference. When must this cycle end? This blogger had been calling for Afridi's exclusion from the ODI squad last year based on an average of 7.67 after 15 innings in 2006.

But has his form improved? That's the brighter side...

-In domestic cricket, Afridi hasn't done too badly, so maybe the break from international cricket has helped. In 5 first-class domestic games (9 innings), he scored 253 runs, at an average of 28 with a high score of a 100. He fared a lot better in the bowling department, getting 22 wickets at an average of 9.36.
-In 4 twenty20 games (only 2 innings though) he scored 52 runs, at an average of 26 with a high score of a 49. Again, he bowled well getting 22 wickets at an average of 9.87.

His domestic form is fine, and its a healthy allrounders average in both bowling and batting. However when he comes to ODI's in recent times, he's lost at sea. In the middle of December, he was recalled to face the West Indies, going opening and scoring a solitary run before getting bowled.

I feel Afridi may not be cut out for the international stage any longer. Firstly, I've never really liked his style of batting. It's too much drama, and too hit and miss for my taste. His unpredictability is actually quite predictable and international bowlers aren't scared of him anymore and know exactly how to get him out. He's pretty much become just a walking wicket waiting to be taken.

I'd much rather have reliability in that position, because we're potentially losing runs there. I agree that he is a match winner, but those innings are too few and far between. Is he really such a useful spinning allrounder? Wouldn't we rather have a specialist batsmen in his place, or perhaps a specialist spinner? Of course he chips in with 1 or 2 constantly, but so does Razzak. In fact Hafeez is a pretty decent spinner too. Why not have a better bowler, one who can take 5 wicket hauls, or a batsmen who can score 30's or 40's? His bowling on its own does not warrant selection and coupled with his batting, it makes him a weaker candidate. If he does score a quick 30 in the World Cup, do we honestly believe that he can sustain that form in every match? Or even a quarter of the games? Because that's why we're choosing him aren't we? His quickfire 30 in 10 balls...which, honestly, is quite unlikely to happen. For a player, revered by Pakistanis for being such a gambler, the odds of success in this South African series are squarely against him.

My argument is simple. We will most likely play Razzak, Shoaib Malik and Hafeez or atleast two of them in the World Cup along with 3 specialist bowlers. (3 from Asif, Shoaib, Rana, Gul, Rehman). Thus we have the ability to bowl those 50 overs easily amongst these guys. Instead of adding another allrounder to the squad, we'd be much better off playing an extra batsmen. Waseem Bari and Afridi's fans believe its his past that provides more than enough reason to play him in the World Cup. But I think its his past which is what's against him this time around. A player should be selected only if he's in good form. The past is not an satisfactory basis for his selection? As a result my Afridi supporting days are long over and done with.

Team Physio: Shoaib Akhtar's injury exagerated

Thanks to the reference of fellow blogger, Dawn is reporting that Shoaib's injury was not that serious, and it was probably his indiscipline that got him sent back, as many suspected....

Pakistan cricket team physio, Grant Compton on Saturday said the hamstring injury to fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is not of serious nature and is, in fact, quite manageable at this stage.

"The hamstring is of 'A' grade nature which is not serious," Compton, who started the rehabilitation of the Rwalpindi-born pacer at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) on Saturday, told reporters.

He added that he has examined the hamstring and has decided to ask Shoaib to start light exercises right away.

Shoaib himself, though, was reluctant to speak to the press but took four laps of the sprawling Gaddafi Stadium before stepping into the NCA gym for some light exercises for about 25 minutes.

It was quite obvious from the way Shoaib undertook his running and exercises on Saturday that it was more the act of indiscipline – his tiff with coach Bob Woolmer in the second Test - than his fitness that prompted the team management to send him back.

Shoaib, however, dismissing any such rumours said he was now fit and his main target was the World Cup which is scheduled to be held in the West Indies in March-April. The controversial fast bowler appeared fairly anxious about the reports filtering in from South Africa about his behaviour and dispelled the impression that his injury in the second Test was not a genuine thing.

Asked if he would play the final of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Silver League for Islamabad, Shoaib said he would definitely consider the option.

Ludicrous call for Pakistan's expulsion from World Cup

Amongst other complaints, respected columnist Ian Wooldridge in the Daily Mail calls for Pakistan's removal from the World Cup in light of the controversial drug appeals for Shoaib and Asif.

Cricket's World Cup opens next month in the West Indies. I may just be alone in anticipating its start with a violent political explosion — a demand for the expulsion of Pakistan.

If you recall, two of Pakistan's most volatile fast bowlers were found guilty of drug abuse in October. Shoaib Akhtar was banned for two years, Mohammad Asif for one.

Both appealed. Their appeals were heard by Pakistan's Cricket Board without external influence. Both were exonerated. Both were immediately chosen to play again. Don't tell me this is going to pass unnoticed.

Well, this is never going to happen, but Mr. Wooldrige's frustration does not go unnoticed by this blogger. We understand that the cricket world is unhappy and frustrated with the lack of transparency which followed the PCB's drug scandal. We feel you....and we have written countless posts slamming the PCB's handling of the situation.

However, one must realize that the process is not in Pakistan's hands anymore. And furthermore, this matter is certainly not closed as Mr. Wooldridge accurately notes. The appeal is being reviewed by WADA and they have the authority to recommend the banning of players to the ICC. Additionally, the Pakistani players will be retested later next months, according to the PCB.

If anything, the players should be banned, not the whole bloody country.

Hard fought series goes South Africa's way

South Africa won the final test match yesterday, thus wrapping up an exciting test series. Pakistan gave them a good fight till the last ball was bowled. In a series where wickets fell frequently, it was South Africa's superior batting resilience that set them ahead of their opponent.

Prince, especially, has emerged as an effective scrapper, and has blossomed into a legitimate late middle-order batsmen. His style and success in this series, probably makes Pakistan regret in hindsight, to not give Asim Kamal a game. Both Kamal and Prince batsmen are quite similar in their approach; uncomplicated, yet technically sound players, who put a price on their wicket.

As far as the big guns go, Pakistan's celebrated middle order, showed up to the party in patches, but were unable to forge big partnerships with each other. Some observations...

1) Shoaib Akhtar was sorely missed. Too much has already been said about this! Read my thoughts, Billu.net's frustration, Teeth Maestro's reservations, and Billu.net's counterpoints.

2) Mohammad Asif was overbowled. 125 overs in 3 test matches at an average of nearly 21 overs an innings is ridiculous. Compare this to the Sami, Nazir, Rana who averaged 10-12 overs per innings each. Hopefully Asif is strong enough to battle South Africa again in the ODI series. This is too much pressure on him so early on in his career. I certainly hope he doesn't suffer a physical breakdown. But as much I hate seeing him bowl so excessively, he looked like the only one who could get a wicket. Maybe Inzamam was too hasty in treating Sami and Nazir like stock bowlers. Perhaps they deserved longer spells. I had argued along similar lines before when questioning the under use of Sajid Mahmood during the Ashes. How can bowlers improve if one doesn't bowl them? We might as well have played just Asif and Kaneria as the only bowlers, and played 2 extra batsmen, as is suggested by one of my blogging colleagues.

3) Asim Kamal should have played. Yasir Hameed, his likely replacement, was useless. Asim is the sort of fellow who can play with the tail, can rotate the strike, eat up deliveries. We saw how South Africa won their games. They waited till Asif stopped bowling, and squeezed runs out of the rest of our bowlers. However they had to be patient and focussed while tackling Asif. (Incidentally, I believe Kallis vs. Asif during this series is going to go down as one of the best battles between ball and bat in recent history) Asim Kamal would have done for us what Prince did for South Africa.

4) On the whole, Pakistan proved themselves to be a bit tougher against the shorter ball, though in all honesty, the pitches weren't that bouncy. Pakistan didn't capitulate as they did against Harmisson in England last summer. They attacked constantly, especially in the first test when they were trying to set the tone for the series.

On the whole, Pakistan should regret not beating South Africa in this series. This was the closest series between these two sides in recent times, mainly because South Africa's batting is not where it used to be. It was disappointing that the batting failed us (2nd innings in the 3rd test) when we needed it the most. The level of quality between the 2 sides was close mainly due to Mohammad Asif on one hand, and Ntini on the other. Both these bowlers stood out amongst their supporting cast. Ntini , in the end, had better and more reliable partners to work with and was not as overworked.

Its never fun to lose, but Pakistan will probably be pleased that some elements in their side are coming together really well. I hate games in which Pakistan plays pathetically, and though I'm a little angry some of the strategic decisions that Pakistan made, I am impressed that we were able to challenge the Proteas. With reinforcements for the ODI series strengthening their side, they can momentarily move past the test matches and look forward to the ODI's, in which they're traditionally a lot better in.

cross-posted at Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan

No way Bob's gonna stay!

That's right! After the World Cup is over, there is no way Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer will renew his contract and stay on. He deserves a longer post of course, which will eventually be written when he actually leaves. No point jumping the gun! But with all this talk in the media about his future, with Giles and Alan Donald adding their voice, I thought I'd let my readers know that this Pakistani fan does not expect Woolmer to return.

Though I sincerely hope Pakistan tries their utmost to re-employ his services. Its impressive that in a country of ever-changing democracies, military takeovers, and no real consistency whatsoever, Woolmer is going to work through the extent of his contract.

It will be sad, as I like Woolmer a lot. He brought with him amongst other ideas, his love for allrounders, and transformed Shoaib Malik, being one example amongst many, from a off-break bowler to a one-down batsman. He loved allrounders so much, it deserves another post or two in the future.

Woolmer helped Pakistan to away test victories against India, Sri Lanka, and now South Africa. (Note: I said test victories, not series victories) Maybe the best is yet to come. Pakistan has a solid chance of beating South Africa in the third test, and two months later is Woolmer's final mission, the World Cup. Naturally he is focused on the task at hand, but with all the controversies and the ups and downs that Pakistani cricket provides, I wouldn't be surprised if Woolmer opts to go elsewhere. His role has been quite influential and no matter what, we're thankful for it.

So it turned to be a mini tribute in the end anyway...

Pakistani style closure to Shoaib-Woolmer argument

I'm done talking about Shoaib for atleast a week so just a short post to announce that Shoaib has been fined by the PCB for his spat with Woolmer. Allegedly Woolmer had questioned Shoaib's commitment to the team. Shoaib got pissed, an argument ensued, Inzi intervened, Shoaib went home, life goes on....

There is some speculation about how the injury was staged, though I'm inclined to believe that this is not the case, and it is truly a hamstring tear. Hopefully Shoaib will up and running in time for the World Cup. From cricinfo...

Shoaib Akhtar has been fined by Pakistan's team management in South Africa for his role in a televised spat with Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, during the second Test at Port Elizabeth, as details of what actually transpired emerge.

A PCB official confirmed to Cricinfo that Talat Ali, Pakistan's manager, had fined Shoaib an undisclosed amount - US$2500 according to unconfirmed reports - and the matter was likely to be investigated further. "He has been fined for that incident and we will look into the matter further. The chairman is there in South Africa so they will discuss the issue," he said.

The incident occurred on the second morning of the Test, TV cameras capturing pictures of a clearly incensed Shoaib having a heated discussion with Woolmer. Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, was seen to placate matters shortly after.

Woolmer told Cricinfo that there was an argument, but refused to go into further details about the nature of the incident. "Shoaib and I did have a disagreement. It got heated as well, which was unfortunate and maybe could have been handled better," he said.

Why is it Pakistani style you may ask? Well, we still don't know the details as usual and we will probably never know till Woolmer writes another book. The PCB have fined Shoaib, Shoaib probably doesn't care too much and will have learned no lesson. So, everything has been brushed under the carpet for now. We can just move on and forget about it, atleast till the next incident occurs, which may not be too far away in the future...

Shoaib Akhtar setup the win over South Africa

Much has been made about Shoaib Akhtar's alleged confrontation with Woolmer on the morning of the second day. The attention is justified, since the stability of the team affects its morale, and obviously, all of us have a vested interest in it. I am waiting to hear more on Shoaib's injury, and about his spat with Woolmer, but I admit I was a bit too quick in assuming something shady might be going on. It's quite possible that there is a cover-up, although its equally likely, that Shoaib's hamstring injury is the result of him not playing enough cricket, and thus not being up to the required fitness level. However, in light of Pakistan's exciting victory over South Africa, I feel too much attention is being given to Shoaib's disciplinary issues, rather than his role in this game. And I just wanted to give credit where I think its due.

It was a sweet victory, extremely satisfying, and well earned with several outstanding performances. Mohammad Asif, Sami and Kaneria deserve a lot of credit for bowling out South Africa within 350 runs in the second innings. Inzamam's century in the first innings playing with just the tail, proved to be match winning, bringing him the 'Man of the Match' award, though in my opinion, deserved it. Akmal and Younis played their part and brought Pakistan home in the end. Shoaib Akhtar's role, however, was significant and relatively speaking, Pakistan didn't win the test match on the 4th day as much as South Africa lost it on the 1st day. And that was due to Shoaib's influence.

Shoaib, like Ganguly with India, arouses extreme passions. You either love him or hate him. There are many amongst us, who are frustrated by his arrogance and lack of discipline. However, his value to the Pakistan team cannot be underestimated. He's done it before and yet again, he was the difference between the two sides in this game. He wasn't in the best of form and it was obvious to see he wasn't that fit. But he bowled intelligently and he blew out South Africa's top order. It was his 11 overs that resulted in their poor first innings total, and as a result set up the Pakistani win. South Africa were under pressure from the word go, and they will be overjoyed to see him injured. Now they can really afford to rest both Ntini and Pollock. They would have not done so if Shoaib was playing the 3rd game. The only other person they have to worry about is Mohammad Asif, and if they play him carefully, they can score off the rest. Shoaib's absence, once again, will be disappointing for his fans and pleasing to his critics, but it will definitely be missed when we battle South Africa again in the third and final test match of this series.

cross-posted at cricket.bloggers.pk

Video of Shoaib Akhtar pushing Woolmer is not recent

For those amongst you who can't understand Urdu, it doesn't matter, because the compere is claiming this occured recently. However, this video was taken at a practice session in Pakistan sometime last year. I am not too sure when, but its being sent around as if this incident occurred during the South Africa tour. This can't be true because not only is the video a couple of months old, but you can see kids watching the team practice in Shalwar Kameez (the traditional dress in Pakistan). I'm guessing it was probably during England's tour.

Either way, its coach or no coach its extremely rude of Shoaib to be shoving Woolmer. I have defended Shoaib's actions in the past, and even I am losing patience. Plus, I want to get to the bottom of this latest incident between Woolmer and Shoaib that occurred on the morning of the 2nd days play against South African during the 2nd test.

Spare a thought for the Pakistani bowlers

In Shoaib's absence, it was always going to be difficult to bowl South Africa out with just 3 specialist bowlers, Mohammad Asif, Kaneria and Mohd. Sami. Pakistan usually plays the allrounder, Abdul Razzak, but since he's been injured, the team management have opted to play 4 strike bowlers and an extra batsmen in this series. This is always a bit risky, in case one of the bowlers gets injured, as in the case of Shoaib. I believe this has even happened before, last year with Shoaib as well I believe.

Anyway, what an splendid performance! A glance at the number of overs indicates the incredible amount of effort that they put in. They had to shoulder the added burden and they did so effectively. Hats off to Kaneria, Sami and Asif.

Here is the Pakistani bowling scorecard from the second innings of the second test match against South Africa. Swiped from Cricinfo...

	Bowling	O											M									R				W								Econ
	Mohammad Asif	38											16									76				5								2.00	(2nb)
	Mohammad Sami	29											5									90				1								3.10	(4nb)
	Danish Kaneria	51.2											14									105				4								2.04
	Imran Farhat	7											0									20				0								2.85
	Mohammad Hafeez	8											0									32				0								4.00

Shoaib - Woolmer spat to be investigated

I'm just following up on the argument between Woolmer and Shoaib on the morning of the 2nd day of the 2nd test match against South Africa. Details are starting to emerge. From Dawn.com...

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has refused to comment on a reported exchange of hot words between paceman Shoaib Akhtar and coach Bob Woolmer prior to the start of the second day’s play of the second Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

A PCB spokesman, however, confirmed that team manager Talat Ali will be holding a hearing after the day's play to find out the truth and the board will only issue a statement after that.

The spokesman added that Talat, a former Test opener, had summoned both Shoaib and Woolmer for the hearing. Leading TV channels of the country also reported the incident.

Neil Manthrop in the Sunday Telegraph believes the tiff probably has to do with Shoaib's sudden injury...

As well as the day finished for the tourists, it started horribly with a row between Shoaib and coach Bob Woolmer, once the fast bowler had ruled himself out of the rest of the Test with a hamstring strain. Fingers were pointed and chests were jabbed as Woolmer reminded Shoaib of his duty to be genuinely fit before declaring himself to be so.

Well...Let's wait and see what happens.

Shoaib's sudden hamstring injury - Perhaps there is more than meets the eye

Shoaib batted fine. Didn't seem to be in pain at all. And suddenly there is a hamstring injury? Where did that come from? The lack of information from the Pakistan camp is suspicious. Only time will tell what's going on, but it all seems a bit shady to me.

There was a dressing room argument in the morning of the 2nd day of the 2nd test match against South Africa. What was that all about? Sky Sports showed us the live feed, and it looked Shoaib was angrily 'talking' to Woolmer. Soon afterwards, they showed Inzamam trying to settle things down and a crowd of Pakistani players were hanging out. Obviously something went down today, but does it have anything to do with Shoaib not bowling anymore? Shoaib did come out and bat about a half an hour after the 'argument' after the fall of Sami. I tried to look for some telltale signs of perhaps a tiff, but he seemed to be focussed on the job at hand and was also communicating reasonably with Inzi...

I don't know...

I tried to look for the youtube video but its still too early.

Kamran Akmal's dad shot by bandits

Holy crap! Kamran Akmal's dad was mugged and shot in their hometown of Lahore. Here is the story as reported by DailyIndia.com

Muhammad Akmal Siddique, the father of Pakistan's wicket-keeper-batsman Kamran Akmal was roughed up by some assailants last night near Factory Area on Sheikhupura Road, in Lahore. They reportedly shot at and injured Siddique before fleeing the area.

Some armed men held up Siddique outside the Data Darbar and drove him towards Sheikhupura Road. As he put up resistance, the gangsters shot at and injured him and drove away with the vehicle, besides taking away cash in thousands and cell phone, the Dawn reported.

Deserted on the road, the injured was then taken to the Mayo Hospital where he was admitted.

Thankfully he is alive and well according to the media reports.

Ughh..Fucking lawlessness....

What a sweet innings from Inzamam!

Inzamam herded the tail and managed the strike rotation to perfection. A 130 runs were scored for the last 4 wickets, with Inzi scoring 92 of them with the bat. I had predicted that the tail would probably collapse, but what a pleasant surprise. Pakistan's tail has certainly been putting a price on their wicket in the first 2 tests of this series.

Inzi added 31 with Sami, 18 with Shoaib, and 7 with Kaneria. However the best was yet to come and he accumulated an invaluable 74 with the last man, Mohammad Asif, who played just 29 deliveries, in their 1.5 hour partnership! That is ...just wow! It could turn out be the difference between the sides. Naturally the pressure of the 141 run lead that Pakistan eventually scraped together was even more useful in the light that they are playing a bowler short.

This could turn out to be the defining innings of the match. And if Inzi doesn't get a century on this tour, his last in SA, he needn't be too upset. It may be a 92 in the history books, but to all those who watched it, it was worth a hell of a lot more.

In one day, out the next - Shoaib injured again...

Seems like the Vaughan syndrome has caught on to Shoaib Akhtar. After such a fantastic bowling performance in the first innings on his comeback, Shoaib tore his hamstring somewhere along the way and according to reports, can't bowl again.

A source close to the team told Cricinfo that Shoaib "had found a problem with his hamstring and it is likely that he will not bowl again in the second innings. A scan will be arranged to examine the nature of the injury, but it is almost definite he will not bowl again."

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Pakistan really needed him in the second innings against SA. Though they did well, picking up 3 wickets, Asif, Sami and especially Kaneria will be heavily overworked - and that's not a good thing at all especially with the world cup around the corner. Remember, Pakistan isn't even playing an allrounder in this game. (unless you count Hafeez ofcourse).

Just as the boy who cried wolf, I bet some people will never fully trust the authenticity of his medical ailments. This is because allegations have surfaced in the past about him faking injuries, opting out of crucial games, and then proceeding to paint the town red with his pals the very next night. Though such is the life of Shoaib Akhtar. He will be forever tainted with controversies, fitness issues, and even bad luck, so no single week goes by without him being in the spotlight. I just hope its a niggle and nothing serious. People may not like him and his attitude, but one can't dispute his importance to this side.

Pakistan squander advantage

Ahh! We had the game! The late wickets of Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal have brought South Africa back into the game. Though Inzamam is probably going to come in tomorrow morning, its unlikely that he will be able to rotate the strike and pad a lot of runs onto the lead. Maybe another 50 at most. Younis got out to a great delivery, so I can't yell at him for that, but Akmal threw his wicket away. Well - on the bight side, at least his attacking cameo got us past the lead.

Mohammad Yousuf was looking really good. He got out to a pretty good ball. One could say that the LBW decision was a bit iffy, and the ball might have gone over the bails, but hawk-eye indicated it would have probably clipped the top of the stumps. He was solid though and that's a good sign. In the second innings, when the pace has died down a bit, I'm pretty confidant that he can get his opportunity to get his 6th century in 6 tests. (or is it 5? I even lost count!)

I didn't get a chance to watch our bowling, but talking about comebacks. Shoaib Akhtar must have been on fire. I'll try and get the highlights later, but for now the scorecard will suffice. Nice to see Sami get back in the wickets, though we all know, that is probably short lived. I am surprised they didn't select Shahid Nazir, however. I would have thought he would be rated higher than Sami. Worked out in the first inning, though it may not in the second, when the pitch has slowed down. Sami might just be pedestrian then and completely toothless.

Kaneria also got a few wickets in the first innings. Finally some luck for him. On the whole, Pakistan should have batted more carefully. The top order was too unsure of themselves. Anyone could have predicted that it was only a matter of time before South Africa got our openers. Pakistan may have the lead and 4 wickets in hand, but the South African would be the ones who go to sleep a lot happier tonight. They counterattacked effectively and a few wickets in the morning tomorrow, and they will probably get a chance to bat. The pitch didn't seem to slow down all that much towards the end of the day, so there might be something in it for the Pakistani bowlers, should they have to bowl sometime in the afternoon tomorrow. Not a bad day's play, quite exciting for both sides, but in the end it was Pakistan lost their grip on the situation.

The PCB reeks of double standards

Its interesting how Pakistan will play Mohammad Yousuf without a seconds thought but Shoaib Akhtar was sidelined from the first test match for 'fitness' reasons and lack of match practice. MoYo has not played any cricket since December. One could argue that he needs to play a couple of first class games prior to this. Mohammad Asif played exactly the same amount as Shoaib, yet he played the first test match too.

My argument is simple. Why these double standards? Its plain to see that there is something about Shoaib that management does not like. And they keep making excuses to sideline him. I agree that match fitness is crucial, then why don't those exact rules apply to other players? Inzi is far from fit, and was short of form, yet they persisted with him.

Shoaib is a proven match winner. The term match winner is thrown about a lot, so I'll explain what I mean. Shoaib has the ability to change the course of a game in a single spell. He has the ability to take 10 wickets. Of course he may not take any and might have an ordinary game, but when you have someone like him on the squad, who you know will cause problems for the opposition, why play around with his career, and the outcome of the game. Support the guy and give him the same treatment you give everyone else.

It was a stupid mistake to keep Shoaib Akhtar back in Pakistan playing with Rawalpindi. That cost us the first test match. The difference between the South African side and ours was that only 1 of our bowlers was decent enough to get a wicket. Umar Gul's injury or not, by flying Akhtar over on the first flight to South Africa, the selectors looked like complete idiots.

Once again, the PCB and the selectors have shown themselves to be a bunch of clowns, who don't have the best interests of the national team in their minds when they make their decisions. They claim the higher moral ground and speak against the arrogance of players and officials. Their dealings with Waqar, Mushtaq, Younis Khan, the ECB, all come to mind. Yet they are the biggest culprits of all. Their pompousness is ridiculous. They are there to advance the sport, serve the players and serve the nation. I feel like they're completely submerged in this gossipy world of 'he said, she said' type accusations and age old grudges against people who talk back against them. I agree that Shoaib think he's a real something something, but this comes with the territory. He IS a big shot. That's how he is supposed to act. He's our star bowler. I may not want to hang out with the guy and have tea with him, but I certainly want him to be wearing my country's colors and getting wickets.

People get fired, or get criticised, all the time around the world. Its not always acrimonious. Its not always mudslinging for days afterwards. The desi emotion driven bureaucracy at the helm of the PCB must be replaced by a professionals, who have a board in charge, so its not a dictatorship, some smart administrators with clear goals in mind.

Strauss probably better choice for captain than Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff had finally regained some form after a terrible Ashes campaign and England finally won a game. Things were going just dandy...Vaughan was back...and there was some rumors flying around about the uncertainty of the vice-captaincy. Now Vaughan is gone again and the selectors have made Flintoff captain once again.

How unsettling it must be for the English side. Not only are the low on confidence, but their specialist captain just crumbled away (again) and they're back to square one it seems. Strauss did well against Pakistan and Sri Lanka as captain on home soil. He should have been retained. Perhaps the responsibility rests better on his shoulders than on Flintoff's.

There is no doubt that Flintoff is a most important member of the English side. He fulfill 2 very important duties already, and the burden of captaincy rests once again on his shoulders. Obviously he will say he is ready to take it on. Who wouldn't? Plus Flintoff doesn't seem like the sort to shirk away.

What are the selectors thinking? Did they not watch the Ashes like we did? Why not admit one's mistakes and realize that, though he is a natural leader within team, and may very well be the future captain, he is too important a member of this side, to young and too inexperienced to juggle everything all at once.

Hmm...Can Vaughan captain from the dressing room? Make it baseball style management...Uhh..No! Sorry I even said that.

Michael Vaughan plagued by bad luck

Vaughan unlucky streak continues. After a couple of decent games, where he looked confidant, he's now done in by a hamstring tear. In hindsight, the English selectors should not have been so eager to bring him back into the thick of things, without achieving a 100% fitness. Whether this latest injury is due to his overall lack of fitness or just a freak accident is debatable. But by risking to play him without significant first class games or a completely clean bill of health, the English selectors may have compromised his career.

I also think its quite unfair, especially to those who are actually scoring runs back in England, to bring in a fellow, who hasn't played much cricket at all, and make him captain once again. Its unprofessional and the state of England's international squad needs a revival fast. The world cup is around the corner. Though one might argue, a sound thrashing by even the minnows of cricket, in that tournament would be a sufficient wake up call.

Fanie de Villiers calls Pakistani fans worst in the world

The Citizen.co.za quotes Fanie de Villers claiming that Pakistani cricket fans are the worst in the word, in light of the disturbing events of crowd trouble occurring in the first test match. Sections of the crowd abused Ntini and Gibbs and supposedly threw flags at the players(?). The fans were ejected, and Gibbs was heard on the microphone cursing at then, resulting in a 2 match ban.

Former fast bowling great Fanie de Villiers told The Citizen he too had been a victim of Pakistan spectators during his playing days.“More should be done to support South African players,” said De Villiers. He also pointed out that Pakistan players had tested positive for steroids and were still allowed to play by their country, in reference to the recent case involving Pakistan fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif.

De Villiers said one of his final games before retiring from international cricket was against Pakistan in Durban, where a group of supporters verbally abused Jacques Kallis while he was signing autographs on the boundary. “This kind of thing forces people out of the game,” he said. “They (Pakistan supporters) are absolutely the worst in the world.” He called on South African fans to stand up and support Gibbs, saying the incident involving the middle-order batsman had been blown out of proportion. Several spectators at the first Test had come forward since the event to express disgust at the behaviour of certain sections of the crowd. Some said they had seen Pakistan supporters making ape-like noises, which probably led to Gibbs’s “animal” comments.

Well, Fanie does have a point. It was unruly behaviour, uncalled for, and the guilty parties should be arrested. There are bad elements in Pakistani crowds, but why generalize? The Aussie crowds are notorious for their sledging. Indian crowds have lost control and have stopped entire games before. (Recall India vs. Sri Lanka in the World Cup 96). South Asian crowds in general, are more impassioned about their enthusiasm, but the only thing that differs from their Australia counterparts is their mode of of expression. I know problems exist, but I wouldn't call it the worst group of fans in the world. If anything, they might be the most energetic.

Secondly, the fans in South Africa who caused this trouble may not even be Pakistani. India and England were the last 2 teams to visit Pakistan. Ask them how they were received. The English-bred Pakistani supporters and the South African-bred Pakistani supporters certainly don't reflect the actions of the the spectators in Pakistan over the past few years. Things have been worse, and they are changing for the better. The Indian, English, and West Indian teams that have recently toured the country, have been impressed by the hospitality of its citizens. Fanie' reckless remarks are just adding fuel to the fire.

Punish the fans who caused the racket and ban them. We don't need their kind around us. But by the same reasoning, ban the Aussie fans who shout obsceneties at Monty etc. End of story.

The article continues its bias by pointing out other incidents of Pakistani crowd trouble to support its thesis...

Pakistan cricket supporters are no strangers to controversy, with several instances in the past where they have been accused of misbehaviour. Calls have been made in the past on the Pakistan cricket authorities to control their supporters. During a game between Pakistan and Australia at Trent Bridge in Britain in 2001, Australian captain Steve Waugh was furious at Pakistan supporters who threw fireworks onto the pitch. “They tried their best. But you cannot control idiots, can you?" stated Waugh after the game, referring to the security staff’s inability to control and keep the spectators from invading the field. A few days before the incident, Pakistan supporters had invaded the pitch at Headingley, knocking down a steward and injuring him in their rampage.

Video of Gibbs Cursing Pakistanis

Here is the video, where through the stump microphone, you can clearly hear Herschelle Gibbs cursing. His action resulted in a 2 test ban for Gibbs. Gibbs father is understandably ticked off, at what he feels are double standards of the ICC. He cites the abuse hurled at the South Africans during their tour to Australia.

This issue of stump microphones has even come up. The secretary of the South African Cricket Association and the Mickey Arthur, the coach, both have reservations about the microphone.

"Gibbs says he has not made any racist remarks nor has he been racist to any one and therefore he has not transgressed any rule of the ICC regarding racism," Tony Irish, secretary of the South African Cricketers Association, said. Irish added that the association was also concerned about the negative effects of stump microphones, as far as the privacy of players is concerned.

No doubt Gibbs was provoked. But he was just pissed. I don't think he was being racist. Calling someone people 'f***ing Pakistanis' is just cursing at them. They are Pakistanis after all. Nothing racist about calling them that. (Unless of course you want to get into the nitty gritty of it all, where calling someone 'Paki' is offensive, especially in the UK!)

The ICC should perhaps be a bit clear about the racism aspect of their accusations. If anything, he should be banned for aggression, and lack of spirit or self control, or cursing at people or at a country, or whatever else players usually get banend for when they go on a tirade.

That being said, I read somewhere that he thought the spectators provoking him should belong in a zoo. Is that really racist? Though we may not hear the entire story either. Perhaps the Gibbs told the ICC more that we hear in this video? Either way, he has appealed and will probably end up playing in this next game.

In this ultra sensitive era, things always seem to get blown out of proportion. People have to be clear about what they mean. One can't say this or that for the fear of being politically incorrect. Most of it is well-founded and understandable, but exceptions such as this incident arise. The people who should have been banned (and probably have been) are the rowdy people in the crowd. We have no room in our sport for hooligans. Gibbs apologized for his lack on control, and I suspect he is trying to get the ICC to recognize that though he was angry, and perhaps deserves some punishment, it shouldn't be because he said something racist. I have to agree with him. The label of 'racist' needs to be removed from the ICC's accusations.

Saeed Anwar shaves past WG Grace in latest poll standings

An exciting poll comes to an end. 64 people voted in this fortnights poll, making it the most popular poll on this site thus far, breaking the previous record of 30 people. Give yourselves a hand! Admittedly, most of the numbers were probably me trying to rack up hits from various computers. Nevertheless, I present the results of this fortnights poll question: Who has the longest beard?

Selection		Votes
W. G. Grace	27%	17
Mohd. Yousuf	9%	6
Hashim Amla	14%	9
Saeed Anwar	50%	32
64 votes total

So Saeed Anwar, according to popular opinion has the longest beard. Mohammad Yousuf, a relatively recent addition to the the bearded club, scored the highest number of run in a calendar year last year in an unrelated fact. Hashim Amla, quite controversially beats Yousuf in the poll. Hashim, who is currently doing quite well in the 1st test in South Africa, has no comment on this issue. I actually thought WG Grace's beard was the longest in those pictures....Anyway, keep an eye out for the next poll soon!

Test 1, Day 1: South Africa wrest advantage from Pakistan

I watched the match from the afternoon session onwards. From the scorecard, it was obvious that the morning session had belonged to the South Africans. The 3 quick wickets in the evening session also brought back to the advantage to their end. South African have the upper hand right now.

Some observations from the first day's play...

1) I enjoyed Younis and Yasir's aggressive nature in the afternoon. It was a pleasant change against hostile bowling for once. It's too bad that they didn't get to their hundreds, but their approach was justified. They needed to keep the scoreboard ticking and target the bowlers. The plan quite obviously was to send a message to the South Africans that chin music won't intimidate the Pakistanis.

2) Faisal Iqbal is going from bad to worse. Younis and Yasir pulling and hooking as set batsmen was understandable, but Faisal looked shaky at best. Too bad Asim Kamal didn't get selected.

3 ) Ntini is tireless. What a player! He uses the crease so effectively. Kallis was a bit like Sami usually is. 1 great ball per over, and the rest are useless.

4) Nel wasn't such a moron. I guess I like him a bit more today. He is a competitive spirit I agree. But does he really have to do so much drama?

5) Tomorrows session is the difference between 270 all out and 350 plus. Inzy has the technique, but Kamran Akmal needs to stop swishing outside the off stump.

6) The pitch wasn't as demonic as was I expected. I was a bit surprised by our decision to bat first. Probably so that Kaneria gets a chance on a 4th or 5th day pitch in defending a total.

7) Inzi was so relaxed while playing. I realized that's usually the case, but he seemed really confidant. He was certainly enjoying the challenge. Though the new ball did give him some trouble. He's definitely out of the slump that he was in last season.

Tough test ahead for Pakistan as South Africa favorites

Pakistan were never favorites to begin with. And with Yousuf not playing, our batting looks a lot weaker. Though they've had a good couple of years, Pakistan is horrible playing in the Southern hemisphere. Australia whipped us 3 years ago and I have a feeling South Africa will beat us, though not too emphatically, as the hosts themselves are searching for answers.

From the bowling aspect, Umar Gul is out for the first test match (if not 6 months?), which means Rana, MohammadAsif and Shahid Nazir will play. Kaneria is a definite inclusion against all teams not South Asian. Thus we will go with a 3 pronged pace attack, a leg spinner and Mohd. Hafeez will provide the all-rounding option. He got a couple of wickets against Rest of South Africa and he is an adequate spinner, if not better,in Shoaib Malik's absence.

The team management will probably play Faisal Iqbal. Though Asim Kamal should be playing, he wasn't included in the practice game, so he lacks match practice. Yasir Hameed, who has made a strong comeback against the Windies should be in the running.

Overall the batting is weak, and very brittle. Inzamam and Younis may be good players, but they aren't great because of their inability to conquer South African and Australian pitches. Younis Khan averages 19.75 in SA, while Inzamam averages 27.44. Not too impressive at all.

The batting will let us down again. India may have lost the series 2-1, but they are technically better players than Pakistan. I don't expect this current team to pick up playing bounce and seam overnight. Harmisson demolished us in England where we lost 3-0. McGrath was overpowering in Australia where we lost 3-0. What makes anyone think a slab of marble during net practice is going to change anything?

Criticism on Dravid unwarranted

From Cricinfo.com...

Bhupinder Singh Sr, the North Zone representative in India's selection committee, has come down hard on Rahul Dravid, saying that his "mind was not on the game" during India's recent tour against South Africa.

This was only the second time in his career that Dravid had gone thorough a three-Test series without managing a half-century, ending with a poor average of 20.83. "I just feel that Dravid's mind was not on the game," Bhupinder told Mid-Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid. "Maybe the poor form of the top order was affecting his confidence. We all know what he is capable of and lack of runs from his bat definitely wasn't helping our cause.

"Dravid is like a bedrock on which our batting revolves. He looked a far cry from the kind of batsmanship we are used to seeing from him. In fact, the whole batting department was a big disappointment."

Former India allrounder Roger Binny was also disappointed with Dravid's efforts. "Rahul has been one of our batting mainstays over the years," he told the same paper. "I have never seen him struggle like he did in South Africa. He seemed to get himself into a rut. In our playing days, we had Sunil Gavaskar, who would go on to play a long innings once he is well settled. Ditto for Dravid. If he gets his eye in, he's difficult to get rid off. But he was really struggling in South Africa."

What nonsense! Agreed, the batting on the whole, was exposed by the South African bowlers, but it wasn't easy going for the South African batsmen either. All 3 games resulted in 3 outcomes, and the bowlers on both sides caused the most damage and held the upper hand throughout most of the sessions.

It was a tough series. They battled hard, won their first test match in South Africa, and that on its own is a remarkable achievement. India, or any other team, can't be expected to win every single test match they ever play. It's a sport, and the team that wins sessions wins the test match, and South Africa dominated several sessions in the 2nd and 3rd test match.

Its a bit silly to blame the best batsman in the side for his not scoring like he usually does. An average is an average after all. He will sometimes score higher, sometimes lower. He will get bowled on 0 once in a while. Dravid has time and again, rescued India and been the team anchor for the past few years. He had a bad series, and he will surely pull out of it. Everyone is entitled to an off series.

I'm also not too impressed with how the Indian selectors are communicating their skewed views through the media. Its irresponsible. Secondly, how is their advice constructive? Shall they rest Dravid for the next few series? Lets him contemplate life and his batting? Everyone knows it was the entire team's batting in the end that made the difference. It was on South African tracks away from home. Those are tough series and poor performance during it can't be the basis for criticism for someone of Dravid's calibre. It has to be a string of performances. If anything, Sehwag and Tendulkar's roles need to be re-evaluated.

Shoaib returns to the fold - PCB proves itself to be incompetent

Shoaib Akhtar is now back in the scheme of things. He is being sent as a cover for Umar Gul. From what I have heard, Gul's injury is not that serious. At worst, he will miss the first test match. Sami, Rana and Nazir seem fit, and will probably play the first test. I doubt Shoaib will play in the first game. Firstly he probably just arrived from the flight, and secondly he is being sent as a cover, so the selectors probably feel Sami, Rana and Nazir are better than Shoaib at this point in time.

What's amusing is the PCB's sudden change of opinion. Previously they claimed...

Iqbal Qasim, a member of the selection committee, told Cricinfo, "Shoaib has been left out because we felt his full match fitness hasn't yet returned after the break he has had from the game."

Less than a week later, according to PCB.com.pk...

"Akhtar has proved his fitness in the first class match and on the team management demand for a replacement, Akhtar and Shabbir Ahmed's names were considered and Akhtar was a more suitable choice," Bari said.

What a joke! If all it took was 1 practice match to regain 'fitness', why couldn't Shoaib have played the rest of South Africa team in their first tour match? Its not like Sami or Rana actually did anything useful in that game. As a matter of fact, we threw everything but the kitchen sink at them. 7 of our bowlers bowled and we barely got a 100 run lead against a 2nd string South African batting lineup.

And while we are on the subject, just what in the world encompasses a fitness test?

Just like the KingCricket blog has its Top 10, I need to implement my bottom 10. The confused clowns at the helm of the PCB would highlight my list.

Waqar resigns: Mudslinging continues

A new year begins, but Pakistani cricket is back to its old ways. Seems like the PCB and their staff didn't make a resolution to try and get along better and avoid meaningless tiffs through the media.

Pakistan is starting this year with the acrimonious departure of their bowling coach, Waqar Younis. He resigned after learning that his coaching assignment for the South African tour was limited to only the test matches. Just as I had predicted, he wasn't too ecstatic with the board's decision and subsequently resigned. He explained his position through the media. From SkySports.com...

"I am disappointed that they wanted me for only the Test series on the South Africa tour, which is mistreatment," Waqar told AFP. "Respect is something that the PCB needs to learn. I am a bowling coach and not a clerk. The improvement in Pakistan bowlers is there to be seen. I took time out from my family commitments to help youngsters, but it is better to quit when you don't get the respect," Younis added.

The PCB media release in retort is even more interesting. Who would have ever thought that a professional organization would feel the need to explain its moral position on arrogant players? From PCB.com.pk...

Pakistan Cricket Board, on Sunday evening issued a rejoinder on the resignation of Waqar Younis, through its Director Cricket Operations Salim Altaf. The statement said, "PCB’s bowling coach Waqar Younis reached Lahore on Saturday evening after an un-authorized absence of 12 days and thought that his presence with the team should have been ensured during the ODI series in South Africa and not just the Test matches. Whereas it is the prerogative of the board in consultation with the team management that which official has to be with the team and for how long. This decision is taken purely in the larger interest of Pakistan Cricket and team's requirement. The management feels that Waqar has very little contribution in the past as far as the shorter version of the game is concerned."

It was also stated that "PCB treats all its contractual staff/consultants as professionals but regrets to mention that Waqar has failed to behave in a professional manner and has clearly violated the discipline and breached the contract which evidently documents management's discretion to send him or not on a foreign tour with the team."

Waqar intimated the board on Saturday evening about his decision to quit in a burst of anger and the board only respected his decision by accepting the same although it had full commitment to honor the contract till it expired after the end of World Cup in April 2007.

Reiterating in the end, the statement said that PCB respects all its employees, players and consultants but would not tolerate indiscipline and arrogance.

Waqar's outburst doesn't seem unwarranted under the circumstances. The PCB should have done more to communicate with him and explain their position. This is just another instance of their terrible personnel management skills, and at the end of the day, whether its about respect or arrogance, it is Pakistan cricket that suffers.

What Pakistan can learn from the Indian South African tour

I watched India battle South Africa with great interest, as Pakistan plays them later this week. some things came to mind as I watched or read about India's performance against the Proteas.

1. Most importantly, South Africa can be beaten in their own backyard. India overcame the odds. Though Pakistan has already beaten South Africa in South Africa once before, the overall balance of power lies heavily in favor of the South Africans. Pakistan have beaten South Africa just twice and lost 5 test matches. As far as ODI's go, Pakistan has beaten them 13 times and lost 29 times. South Africa has always been a really tough team for Pakistan to overcome. But Pakistan should have faith in the news that their neighboring country has managed a victory.
   
2. 3 test matches and 3 results. So they will bowl us out. Thus Pakistan needs to charge at them early on. There is no point playing stock bowlers or all rounders. Without Razzak, there is no one else who could possibly take wickets. Malik is more a batsmen then a bowler. Asif, Gul and Rana need to emulate Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan's performance.
   
3. Play 6 specialist batsmen. Pollock and Ntini WILL bowl us out. Generally speaking, the IND-SA series was low scoring. Prince playing at number 5 or 6 turned out to be the biggest difference between the sides with his late order mustering of the tail. Asim Kamal, on our end, is the sort of player who puts a price on his wicket and gets these kinds of runs. He must play.
   
4. The openers really need to dig in. The opening partners ships in the Ind-SA series set the tempo for the innings. And they need time to adjust to the conditions. India's faith in Jaffer paid off. Pakistan shouldn't rotate the openers, but should strive to keep the consistency at the top of the order.
   
5. No one will underestimate Ntini and Pollock, but Steyn and Nel are a handful too. Attack Nel especially. I just don't like him.
6. The Kallis and Pollock factor. A factor because they will cause a selection dilemma for Pakistan. Their presence gives South Africa 5 genuine bowling options. So should Pakistan choose 6 batsmen or 5 bowlers? India bowled out South Africa convincingly only in the first test. This might persuade the selectors to perhaps insert an all-rounder instead of a batsmen. Though I believe Asif, Rana, Gul, and Kaneria, at this point in time are better bowlers than Khan, Sreesanth and Kumble on bouncy wickets. I believe it'll be a good choice to have faith in these 4, go with 6 batsmen, and bowl Hafeez if necessary.
   
7. South Africa bat deep. Boucher and Pollock are no tailenders. They put up several important partnerships against India. Pakistan need to make sure they have the bowling firepower to blow these guys out. I never thought I'd say this, but we really miss Razzak right now. His 1 or 2 wickets and 15 overs per inning are very crucial as they allow the front-line bowlers to rest.
   

The bounce will hurt Pakistan and I expect all 3 tests to have results and Ntini and Pollock to have a bunch of wickets. But we have in Bob Woolmer, a South African with an intimate knowledge of the country. Its his country and he knows what to expect from the pitches. He's done a great job for Pakistan already, but if he muster together a series victory here, it would probably rank as his best. It'll be interesting to see if Mohammad Yousuf can continue his run.

I'm a bit skeptical that Pakistan will pull of an outright victory. I feel that South African bowling surpasses our resources. Nevertheless, I'm still of the opinion that this will be very close series in my opinion based as Pakistan's batting is better as of late.

WADA decision in 4 months

From Cricinfo...

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said on Thursday it was likely to rule on the World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal against the lifting of bans on Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif within four months. "In accordance with the code of sports-related arbitration, the Arbitral Panel to be appointed will issue directions regarding the arbitration procedure in due course," the court said in a statement.

"As a general rule, the CAS delivers its decisions within four months from the filing of the appeal," the statement issued from Lausanne, Switzerland said. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) last month filed an appeal with the court against a decision by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Anti-Doping Appeals Committee. "In the decision against which the appeal has been filed, the PCB Anti-Doping Appeals Committee set aside a previous decision ... in which one-year and two-year periods of ineligibility were imposed on Mr. Mohammad Asif and Mr. Shoaib Akhtar respectively," the court's statement said.

A four month ruling in the Court of Sports Arbitration means both Shoaib and Asif are eligible to play in the World Cup. Assuming of course there are no 'fitness issues'...

It's good news for Pakistan. This will surely be Shoaib's last World Cup. I doubt he can bowl till he's 36 or 37.

I believe the scandal will die down. At least the process is not hurried, and its a lot more organized and transparent. And someone of repute is now in charge. The PCB should take notes and see how a real sports governing body operates.

Though an important lesson to be learned from all this is that the ICC and its member nations need some clear doping regulations and guidelines.

Dear England, you depress me...

You showed no fight.

I'll be honest, I knew you would lose the Ashes, but I didn't think you would get rolled over so emphatically. Your victory last year will now be looked upon as just an anomaly. I am disappointed that did not play up to your full potential. I guess I'm more disillusioned (and impressed) by how ruthlessly the Aussies are playing now. Even with aging players, they continue to dominate this game. Last year's victory was a glimpse of perhaps a new era. That Australia were, in fact, beatable, that they have weaknesses just like all of us. There were indications that perhaps the world order of cricket might have changed slightly against their favor.

Not quite so...Their incredible run until this series, their planning, their desire to reclaim what should have been theirs was insurmountable. They were more aggressive and they knew how to get it. They tried new strategies, new field placings, new sledges....yet you were were stuck in glorious 2005 series. And lost or drew series after series in between.

So many mistakes. Where could I start? Playing both Giles and Jones was foolish. Choosing Flintoff as captain was foolish. Leaving out Panesar was dumb. Ignoring Mahmood was just silly. How can a bowler get into his stride, if you're not going to bowl him. He's the fastest of the lot. Give him first change and 20 overs an inning. And your batting was too defensive. While Australia scored at 4.5 runs an over, you would score at 2.5 runs. The best defense is offense. Lets not even talk about field placings. I have no clue what Flintoff must have been thinking when he placed his men.

Hope you recover soon. Sorry for the curtness in advance.

Sincerely

Pakistan test squad for South African tour

The 17 member test squad for the South African tour has been announced. The only real surprise being Shoaib Akhtar's exclusion. No other stand out selections. Salman Butt is still out, though he was included the 25 probables.

Keeping
Zulqarnain Haider has been included. If Akmal fails, perhaps Haider could get a game. Akmal was not impressive with the gloves this year, so I am definitely in favor of this move. .

From PCB.com.pk...

1. Imran Farhat
2. Mohammad Hafeez
3. Younis Khan (Vice Captain)
4. Mohammad Yousuf
5. Inzamam-ul-Haq (Captain)
6. Faisal Iqbal
7. Kamran Akmal (Wicketkeeper)
8. Danish Kaneria
9. Umar Gul
10. Mohammad Sami
11. Mohammad Asif
12. Shahid Nazir
13. Yasir Hameed
14. Asim Kamal
15. Naved-ul-Hasan
16. Shoaib Malik
17. Zulqarnain Haider (Wicketkeeper)

If Shoaib Akhtar would have been included, it would probably have been in Sami's place. All in all, I think its a great squad. The weak links are the openers, and the keeper. The number 6 spot will most probably go to Asmi Kamal or Faisal Iqbal, though depending on the pitch and the bowlers performance, Shoaib Malik might play in the 2nd test.

Pacemen
So which 3 bowlers would you play from Rana, Asif, Gul and Nazir? Interesting right? Gul and Asif are definitely going to play. The choice is between Nazir and Rana. To be honest, either one would work, though I would go for Nazir based on the past 12 months.

Openers
The selectors have decided to go for a bit of consistency with the opening slot. Farhat and Hafeez will most probably be opening again. Though I don't want Farhat to play. I'd like to see Yasir Hameed and Mohd. Hafeez open the batting.

Number 6
I would play Asim Kamal over Faisal in the first test. If our bowlers get 20 wickets, then I would stick with a batsman for that position. And if the bowlers need an extra hand (Hafeez can bowl too), I would probably select Shoaib Malik, though only if need be.

Not selecting Shoaib Akhtar is a mistake - though not too costly

The WADA appeal to reinstate the ban has been recently filed, and the dust is yet to settle on the doping scandal. The cricketing world isn't too happy with the let-off. I have made my opinion clear on this issue; both Shoaib and Asif shouldn't play till they are retested...

But since they are available for selection, and the ICC hasn't put its foot down, I feel the show much go on. I am as irritated as anyone, at the incompetence of the PCB in handling this case, but I realize that I need to look to the future now. The WADA appeal is ongoing and the ICC, rightly so, is not going to let this pass so easily. So instead of hating on the players, I will direct my frustration towards the PCB, who I feel made a mockery of the situation.

As far as the South African tour goes, not selecting Shoaib Akhtar is a bit of a folly. It's a bit strange that his fitness has been adjudged according to his performance in the domestic twenty20 tournament. I don't think playing well in 20 over cricket is an accurate measure of bowling form. Shoaib is a match-winner, he thrives in playing on the world stage. If he is going to get past this doping scandal, they might as well, bring him into action as early as possible. The bouncy, pacy South African wickets would be ideal for his style of bowling.

On the brighter side, the bowling is still pretty strong without him. Perhaps it will be advantageous for him to wait out the test matches and play the ODI's. After all, the next big tournament that Pakistan should be setting their eyes on is the World Cup.

Mushtaq back as 'Assistant Coach'

From TheNews.com.pk...

Less than three months after sacking him, Dr Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has reappointed Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan leg-spinner, as assistant coach for the tour to South Africa, set to begin from Tuesday (tomorrow).

Mushtaq had been removed from the post hours before the Pakistan team left for the Champions Trophy in October, one of Ashraf’s first moves upon taking over the chairmanship of the board.

At the time, he was deemed as “irrelevant staff” by Ashraf, though speculation centred around a combination of his close friendship with Inzamam-ul-Haq and his implication in Justice Qayyum’s report on match-fixing.

But at a press conference in Lahore, Ashraf said Mushtaq was capable of serving the team. “Mushtaq has impressed me a lot with his cricketing knowledge and I think he can be a better choice for the South African tour,” he said.

Mushtaq is expected to remain with the team through the whole tour, while Waqar Younis, the bowling coach, will return home after the Tests.

Nothing exceptionally newsworthy about this announcement except for the fact that it shows how disorganised and fickle the PCB really is. Mushtaq was fired from his position a few months ago, and now he's back again! What happened to him being hurt and angry? I don't know if the board has any real long term plans and strategies. It all seems a bit idiotic.

And what is the point of having a bowling coach for just the tests? According to reports, the PCB has made arrangements for Waqar to return after the test series is complete. What's the point? Are they getting cheaper airfares by having him take an earlier flight? The ODI format may be shorter, but I'm sure his presence can only help our squad. It can't possibly harm them can it? I doubt Waqar is not going to be too happy about this. Judging by how Pakistan usually operates, this is probably just a scheme to irk Waqar and remove him from the coaching staff. Naeem Ashraf, so far, is quite the instigator.

Personnel management at the PCB has always been atrocious. Cronies make their way to the top, and these guys pull up their nearest and dearest. It's about time that Pakistan had professionals in charge of their cricketing infrastructure rather than ex-cricketers, generals and Musharraf's poker buddies.