PCB hands over lead-tainted equipment to the Chinese*

*I'm just kidding about the equipment being lead-tainted. Just letting my readers know that I'm up with the times, and I read other stuff too.

So this is nuts. Not only do the Chinese have over a billion people. But now they have over a million Rupees of Pakistani cricket equipment. I wonder what they sent?

Cricket equipments to the tune of Rs 1.2 million were formally handed over by Pakistan Cricket Board to Chinese Cricket Association (CCA) in Beijing recently.

As per an APP report, the equipments were sent by PCB as a symbol of good will gesture and for the promotion of cricket in China.

The APP mentioned that while presenting the equipments, General Secretary of Multi ball game Administration Liu Rong Yao, Director External Affairs Terry, Director Cricket Development Committee, Z Y Jiang and national coach of CCA Rashid Khan were also present.

APP reported that a senior official of the Chinese Cricket Association (CCA) has lauded the Pakistan Cricket Board for sending these equipments which will enhance Sino-Pak relations in the field of sports and also help harness the skill of the young Chinese cricketers.

So the official of the 'Multi ball game Administration' was present as well. Hmm. I wonder what that's all about

Should cricket's administrators be ex-cricketers or dentists?

Doesn't ex-cricketer sounds too much like ex-con...if you say it really fast, and with an accent?

Anyway, I feel we all must recognize that cricketers themselves know more about the game and its demands than do working professionals. In my previous post about Kallis, I vented about how board leadership must have had experience in cricket. Atheist over at LeftArmChinaMan feels otherwise.

Now I realize that ex-cons, I mean ex-cricketers, are sullen bunch. They're know-it-all bastards, with something to say about everything. They're always ready to say a choice thing or two about Murali's arm, or Vaughan's knee. Point is, they make themselves heard even though we don't really like that much.

Naturally I would want leadership that communicates well with players. While I feel that not every ex-cricketer has a role to play in administration, surely there must be a few here and there, that know how to build bridges (metaphorically), and understand where players are coming from. It just seems that there is no much bad blood between the boards and their players, that something needs to change. I'm sick of boards telling the players what do, disciplining them for fickle reasons, fining them for supporting their teammates in public. They should serve the game and serve the players and quit ruling with an iron fist.

Good for Imran Farhat - Balls to the PCB

So Imran Farhat has just become the first Pakistani player to sign for the ICL. The PCB has subsequently cancelled whatever contract he had with them, and will probably ban him from ever playing in Pakistan.

Excellent! I love it when the Pakistan cricket board gets needled. I just hope Asim Kamal, Yousuf and Razzaq all sign with the ICL. Fuck the PCB and their high and mighty ways. It's bloody immature of them to ban a player for protecting his future. If someone else is paying for his services, then either you should counter the offer, or shut the fuck up. Besides, Farhat wasn't exactly playing well for Pakistan. It might have done him good to play in the ICL, improve his game, and make himself available for national selection.

And just what is the big deal about the ICL? I think it'll be fun! Well that, and I love anything or anyone who pisses off the cricketing boards around the world.

Dang! Kallis actually wants to play

Jacques Kallis is a strange fellow. I respect the dude, but doesn't he seem like he never wants to play cricket? He seems to treat it like a job, reluctantly bowling when asked to with a scowl. Well, I'm wrong. He's threatening to retire from South African cricket because the board has dropped him from the twenty20 world cup.

I don't think he should retire. That's a bit childish on his part, but he's right in thinking, "What the fuck?"

He's such a great allrounder. The twenty20 SA squad could certainly use one experienced player. It's only 20 over cricket. He'll bowl 4 overs a game max. How exhausted could he get?

Constant struggle between cricketing boards and players

Save for Australia, it seems that almost every national cricket board tussles with its players continuously.

The PCB is constantly fining Shoaib Akhtar, while someone or the other is bitching about the PCB leadership. Most recently Razzaq cussed out the board on some television show and will probably be censured. One wonder who the hell selected the board? Obviously there must be something wrong with the leadership, otherwise everyone wouldn't be pissed off. In Pakistan, the embattled president chooses one of his cronies to head the cricket board; Mr. Ashraf being the crony. But do these chaps have anything to do with cricket? Mr. Ashraf is a doctor by profession, his predecessor was a soldier. In India, the board presidents have included politicians and lawyers.

Shouldn't cricketing boards be run by ex-cricketers for the cricketers? Don't they have a right to vote and select the new board. Things need to change! The West Indian team, it seems has been fighting with their board for so long, I pretty much ignore the news coming out of their camp. Players in general, it is no secret, do not like their respective boards. However, the fans aren't big enthusiasts either. I pretty much slam the PCB on every page of my blog.

Rather than representing the rights of the players and improving the game, their agenda is self serving and financially motivated. It's a sad state of affairs when no one respects the decisions of the governing bodies of our cherished sport.

So why can't you play cricket today?

Majid Haq's reasons for not playing Ireland this coming week were hilarious. I guess this is how it has to be when teams don't play professional and international cricket. Cricketers need to rely on other sources of income. The quote is from Cricinfo.

"My dad runs a takeaway in Paisley and I have to help out this weekend because my mum and brother are both away in Pakistan, one of our chefs is unavailable and our delivery driver has gone to jail for three weeks."
Well, that's one reason (or two) to make yourself unavailable for Scotland. With a few players withdrawing from the Ireland match, Majid Haq's excuse was the most bizarre

Twenty20 squads have no room for test players...

...unless of course you're Ricky Ponting, or some other batsman of that calibre. And I agree with this sentiment. In order to succeed in Twenty20 cricket, squads need to be picked that include young, aggressive batsmen that have experience in the twenty over format. England, recently picked their team and included only their 20 over specialists. It is pointless to include test players or even ODI middle order batsmen. I disagree with the idea that a good batsman is a good batsman over the course of 100 overs, 50 overs, or 5 overs. Not true at all.

I'd much rather have Shahid Afridi bat for 12 balls, then Mohammad Yousuf bat for those 12 balls in the shortest format of the game. England plays the most twenty20 games in the world today, and have selected players that have the most experience. Regardless of how good an international star is, or his career statistics, this format of the game is best suited to strokemakers and bashers.

The Pakistani squad for the Twenty20 WC just got selected and Mohd. Yousuf wasn't included. I think its a great squad! Osman Samiuddin over at Cricinfo was more than a bit peeved at this decision however. He writes...

From this they took a not inconsiderable leap and concluded - on what basis is still not clear - that Misbah-ul-Haq (ostensibly the replacement) might do the job better than Yousuf has been doing over the last year. Perhaps Misbah's impressive domestic Twenty20 average (just under 50) got him the nod over a man with over 14,000 international runs, 35 international hundreds and just off a patch so purple, popstar Prince would have been jealous.

Needless to say, that's convincing enough for me. Misbah has average of 50 in this version of the game, has played dozens more games and is reputed to be the most sold batsman in Pakistan's domestic scene. Yousuf is not cut out for 20 over cricket. We don't need someone who has a strike-rate of 100. We need batsmen with S.R's over 150 or 200. And Misbah has a shot at international cricket way too long ago. That really can't be reason enough to discount his ability. That was years ago and only a few games. Give the guy a chance!

As far as Razzak being knocked out. Well, this was a decision that finally makes sense. Pakistan cricket should be about winning games using the best players at our disposal. Why should stars of yesteryear be selected purely on the weight of their statistics. That's unfair to the current players, unprofessional and undeniably stupid. Fawad has his ODI shot and admittedly bungled it. Big deal. It was only one game. This kid has had such a tremendous year in domestic cricket that he deserves few more shots at the top level.

In any case, Twenty20 is any ones game on any one's day. Zimbabwe have as good a shot at winning this World Cup as do South Africa. Selection in this format is much less of a gamble than it is in test cricket. It's meant to be a fun format, for the crowds, so why bother getting worked up about selections? Just choose great fielders, accurate bowlers and aggressive batsmen. That's it. And if predictions are anything to live by, I feel that the Twenty20 cup will save the game and give it that breath of fresh air that it so desperately needs.

Guess who's back?....back again!

Nope, It's not Slim Shady. It's me!

So what gives? Where in the world did I disappear to? Well, to be frank, the amnesia after a dull world cup, coupled with Woolmer's death, and the usual crap state of affairs in Pakistani cricket were certainly not inspiring events. But more importantly, I needed to prioritize my work towards the end of June, as I needed to get my research back on track. (I'm a graduate student). Sigh...

However, being a cricket blogger, I like blame. As a result, most of the blame for sucking up my cricket time this summer lies squarely on the fluffy shoulders of the newest rascal in my apartment. Let me introduce you to Oscar. Doesn't he look pretty guilty as well?I knew getting a puppy would be tough, but had no idea it would be this hard. But with persistence and patience, he's come a long way. We are both are getting along just fine after a tumultuous and rocky initial period, where we were trying to figure each other out. I think I am just about ready to restart writing about cricket. Here's another picture for you to shoot darts at.

Cricket = Action = Art

Just a heads up on this new blog by Marty D, a fellow enthusiast from New Zealand. He shot me an email a while back to exchange links. Real cool stuff on his blog. He photoshops pictures that most of us have seen here and there and he adds all these effects to them. Neat stuff. Take a look! Naturally, no serious picture based cricketing blog would be complete without participating in King Cricket's Rob Key campaign. Here is Marty's apt contribution...

Forgettable debut for Fawad Alam

Do I feel bad for him or what? Golden duck against Fernando and did not bowl a single ball. Poor chap. Rehman, another left arm spinner, had reasonable figures today, as did Hafeez. When Asif was being spanked all across the park, why did Malik not bowl Fawad Alam?

I had a feeling his debut wouldn't be that far off, especially since Razzaq didn't do anything useful in the 2nd game. By having won the series already, Pakistan could afford 2 debuts this morning. I have no clue about Fawad Alam, but from what I read on Ahmer's blog and in the news, he seems like he might be pretty cool.

However, in terms of utility players, unless and until Afridi, Razzaq, Hafeez retire, Fawad is still some ways off. Sadly he had his chance to bat and to prove himself, but a surprise full toss did him in on the first ball he faced.

Does this mean his time is up? I doubt it.

I think he'll be back, but I don't think he's ready for a permanent place in the playing XI just yet. I have no clue how he bowls, and he seems to be bringing the same thing to the table as the other allrounders on our squad. Sadly, there is no denying that a fighting debut 50 from him today might have made his place on Pakistan's next 15 member squad a certainty. Too bad for him.

A decline in modeling standards?

No offence to Ms. Sayle, I am sure she's a great gal, but modelling isn't really her thing. While glancing through Cricinfo's pictures database, I came across a picture of Alastair Cook posing to raise money for a charity. Perfectly honorable! But the picture description reads

"How's that? Alastair Cook poses with model Emma Sayle for a sports calendar to raise funds for the CHASE Ben Hollioake Fund, Chelmsford, Essex, May 10, 2007"

Here is the picture..This chick is a model? Hmm, lets ignore the yellow color for now, but what is that pouch around her, you know..? Plus she is holding the bat the wrong way. Anyway, I'm not hating on you, Ms. Sayle. Just suggesting an alternate lifestyle...and career.

Alastair Cook, on the other hand, never ceases to disappoint us...

Cricket at the crossroads

A couple of weeks ago, we had a few lengthy discussions about why it is that we found this World Cup boring. It must be understood that we are a pair of die-hard fans who grew up on the game; fans whose earliest cricket-watching memories are those of Imran Khan lifting the coveted trophy in 1992. So if we are left horribly unsatisfied by the sport’s premier event, then how can we expect the Scots and the Dutchmen of the world to chance upon the tournament on TV and suddenly start giving a shit about the sport?

Is it even possible to spread the game of cricket?

Therein lies the strange vicious cycle-esque dilemma. Imagine, for a moment, that the ICC isn’t a money-grubbing pack of wolves, and then ponder its dilemma about the nature of the game itself. Should it try to spread the game to all corners of the world that are even remotely interested, or should it maintain cricket’s status as a strange exclusive club of 9 or 10 countries and leave it at that?

Here’s the catch. The more countries the ICC tries to include, the more boring the World Cup, and the more frustrated people like us get. And the fewer countries it includes, the more it alienates the rest of the world.

Where does this leave ODI cricket?

ODI cricket is at a funny stage in its life. A stage at which it needs to decide its identity once and for all. If it is to stick around, then countries need to be granted ODI status the same way they are given test status, otherwise it is just making it more painful for the rest of us. Besides, just because these teams are in the World Cup doesn’t mean their countries are watching. Take a survey of Canadians and ask them if they even know about their 3 Cricket World Cup appearances. Then ask them how proudly they all watched their team get knocked out in the first round of their only FIFA World Cup. For that matter, Pakistan has won four Hockey World Cups and I’ve never seen a single hockey match from start to finish.

So the way to win these countries over is not to invite them to a boring party, but to leave them at the window looking in on a proverbial bash and trying desperately to get fake IDs. Cricket is an unusually technical game, and the closest it has ever come to being accessible to the casual viewer is twenty20. And let's face it, twenty20 is the only form of the sport that is likely to spread to countries that don’t currently play the game.

Can twenty20 be cricket's savior?

The immense popularity of 20-over-a-side cricket is still a bit disconcerting to the traditionalists amongst us, but its appeal is understandable. It offers sustained excitement and a shorter game that one can actually watch without taking a day off from work. Most importantly however, the shorter time-span makes the game a great leveler. It is way easier for a minnow to win a shorter game against an established team. So if minnows want to play, they should play twenty20s and leave ODIs to the big boys.

Does this mean the rise of the twenty20 and the death of the ODI as we know it? Well, if it does, then so be it. Everything must evolve. As the World Cup and also Cricinfo’s recent list showed, fewer and fewer ODIs are close games these days. As far as tactics go, there isn't a whole lot of mystery left. Teams know how to win from a winning position, so that a 7-hour game is often decided in the first 45 minutes. And if this trend continues, then what’s the point? This is not something we can even blame on the ICC or the television companies, as we have become so wont to do these days.

The ICC is usually blamed incessantly for packing in tournaments close together, but it's interesting to note that nobody is complaining about the twenty20 World Cup which is to be held in South Africa at the end of this year. That's because the cricketing community is yearning for change, excitement, and something to look forward to. Perhaps we are quietly confident, after the series of disappointments that the ODI World Cup became, that the shorter version will be the explosive revival our sport desperately needs.

Cricket needs to either change as rapidly as the world around it - with increased globalization, shorter attention spans, and less leisure time to watch sports - or else stubbornly refuse to ever change and stay put firmly where it is. This slow crawl into the 21st century is neither here nor there, and it’s leaving us all frustrated.

Co-authored by Billu @ www.billu.net

OmarLovesCricket is back

Hey fans! Yes, I'm talking to the 3 of you still reading my blog! Omar Loves Cricket is now back on the reg-u-lar. Sorry for the delay and the lapse folks. Being busy at work was the primary reason. Allow me to list the other reasons exactly why I didn't publish over the past month.

1. Work. Yes, Work, meetings, project deadlines
2. Boring bloody world cup. Not much excitement, right?
3. I started playing World of Warcraft again. I am a Tauren warrior. Don't hate.
   
4. Family was visiting from here and there
5. That's about it, really

See you guys on the blogosphere!

Omar @ OmarLovesCricket

Imran Farhat's father in law has declared war

Not really sure why Imran Farhat is complaining to his father in law about not making it into the team. That makes him even more a pussy than we thought him to be. Here is a picture of Farhat getting bowled and looking like a fool.

So apparently Farhat phoned the selectors asking them why he hasn't been included in the squad. Well, Farhat, you're not exactly a great player, plus you wear a bandana. And lastly, you make your daddy-in-law fight your battles for you.

The selectors have put him on probation for 6 months. Does this mean he can't play for the international team for 6 months? Let's hope so...

Cricket Hall of Fame?

Didn't even know a cricket hall of fame existed. I also didn't know that it's in Hartford, Connecticut. How odd? Here is the email I got regarding Mushtaq Mohammad's induction ceremony.

On September 22, 2007 Mushtaq Mohammed will be one to the International cricket players to be inducted into the International Cricket Hall of Fame located in Hartford, CT.

He has graciously accepted his nomination and will be present at the ceremonies. Ceremony will be held at the Hartford Downtown Marriott.

A table of ten is rated at $600.00 and a single ticket is $70.00. All of our inductees receive a hall of fame ring valued at $1000.00, the person or people who sponsor the ring will have the honor of presenting that ring to Mr. Mohammed.

Alrighty, the website says its an open bar too. Sweet!

The international inductees have a lot of West Indians on the list. Maybe I'm ignorant, but I have no clue who the local inductees are. Are they the local Hartford Connecticut stars? Not sure...

Too many allrounders in Pakistan squad for Abu Dhabi series

One would have thought thing might have changed with a new selection committee, new captain, and new goals for the PCB after the disastrous World Cup. But seems like they are continuing the trend of pumping the side full of allrounders. Since Inzamam and Younis Khan are not in the ODI squad, the logical strategy would be to search far and wide for some authentic middle order batsmen. I liked the 31 member camp before this squad was selected. It seemed like they were on the right path. There were plenty of specialist batsmen in that unit.

Why in the world do we require 8 chaps to bowl in every team that goes on to the field? This squad has no less than 10 bowlers, 5 of which are specialist!

Bowlers: Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Najaf Shah.

Allrounders: Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq

Batsmen: Yasir Hameed, Salman Butt, Imran Nazir,Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal (?)

We have no batsmen
Out of the remaining members, Imran Nazir also bowls a bit, which I suppose counts for something, because he can't bat too well. Salman Butt is back the squad. It is his turn after all, while Mohammad Yousuf is the only guy on the team who can actually bat. Akmal is no batsmen. On a side note, I hope they don't make him open. Even I am better than him against a seaming ball. In fact, this should be a sub-heading.

Please don't make Akmal open
Not much more to say about this. He sucks.

I feel bad for Yasir Hameed
He went to South Africa just before the WC in the squad. Now he gets selected for the next tour right after the World Cup. Yet he wasn't good enough for the WC. He must be cursing the PCB...as am I. Fucking douchebags!

Fawad Alam makes the squad. Will he make the team though?
Ahmer should be pleased as hell about this selection. It was deserving, it would seem, from the mountain of runs he has scored on the domestic circuit. I wish it was in place of Razzak though, rather than alongside him. They bring the same thing to the table. I doubt they will both play.

Pakistan Cricket Board refuses Richard Branson's Virgin Airlines sponsorship

Billionaire Virgin Business Group boss, Richard Branson has offered to sponsor the Pakistan cricket team, currently reeling after a string of tournament defeats....

However, the embattled Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has politely refused the generous multi-million-pound offer by the cricket-mad magnate. As one harassed Board official snapped: "We can't have VIRGIN written on our shirts, when we're getting fucked in every match!"

Congratulations Australia - Finally it's over!

Australia were clinical throughout this tournament and they bludgeoned the Lankan bowlers in the final as well. Too bad the weather didn't allow for a complete game, but at least the winner was obvious towards the end. Playing in complete darkness for the last 10 overs was the stupidest thing I've ever seen. This WC has been the worst that I've witnessed.

I guess we'll find out over the next few days about what really went on between the umpires, Ponting and and Jayawardene, but for now, it's all about Australia. They rocked the entire time, they won convincingly and thoroughly deserve the accolades.

Somehow, or the other, the rest of the World needs to figure out just how to beat these bastards...

World Cup 2007 final - Sri Lanka vs. Australia

1300 GMT
Too bad Vaas is being pummeled around a bit. Usually he's the conservative one. This does jar Jayawardene's plans a bit. Also there is no movement on the wicket or in the air. A bit surprising. 46/0 after 10 overs. Australia looking good right now, but this is their lowest 10 over score to date in this World Cup.


1305GMT
Great. Fernando just got smacked by Gichrist for 16 runs. He dropped a really difficult chance too. At least they have Hayden quiet for the time being. Bring on Murali. Oh wait. Murali's on. Cool. Someone out there is listening to me!

Bring me ice cream!

Hmm...that didn't work out as well.

Decent first over from Murali.

1330GMT
God damn Gilchrist. 112/0 after 17 and the 2nd power play is left. This is awful. I think 270 is what they are aiming for. 240+ is difficult to get. Atherton is right. In the shorter form of the game, Australia hold the advantage. They have the big power hitters. Sri Lanka have just Jayasuria and Tharanga compared to Gilchrist, Hayden, Ponting, Symonds, and Watson. And as I write this, Gilchrist smashes another 6. This is carnage...

1507GMT
281/4 is the final score. I guess Sri Lanka did well to restrict the Aussie to under 300. At one point, one assumed a score of 320 was possible. What was interesting is that they scored at 7.5 runs/over throughout their innings. Though the desire was there, there wasn't an acceleration at the end to 9 or 10 runs an over. Anyway, I think Australia have batted Sri Lanka out of this game. I just Jayasuria can get them close.

1631GMT
couldn't. Okay. The Sri Lanka are 100/1 needing 8.16 runs/over. Could this be the game? Can this be the partnership. Sangakarra and Jayasuria are waking up. The last 5 overs have yielded 54 runs. The pitch feels the same to me, but it was strange how Bracken was swinging the ball while Vaaspowerplay is over. These guys need to stay at the wicket and keep getting a boundary every couple of overs. Or someone just needs to go berserk. I volunteer Jayasuria.

This is looking like a great game! The crowd is electric. Wow. This is what was missing throughout the cup. And this is what a Caribbean crowd is supposed to sound like! It's not too late for this crappy tournament to end on a high.

Dammit. It's drizzling.

Oh, and Red Sox - Yankees. Top of the 2nd. Game still tied.

Retarded Dishnetwork Rap video

Oh my God. Here is the video. This song is terrible.


Hahaha. This is fucking hilarious. Check out that thug at the back carrying a cricket bat! haha