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.

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.

I miss the India-Pakistan Sharjah games

Yes, I know its completely besides the point, but its my party and I'll cry if I want to.

I loved watching those killer games on TV. Seemed like Sharjah was the perfect avenue, home ground to neither side, and electric crowds, though it seemed like there was always more Pakistani support. Indian fans though must have loved those epic ODI battles too. Remember all those banners that fans used to put up? "Hey Pakistan, It's not Friday anymore.." and so on! Stuff like that?
Too bad gambling and match fixing took Sharjah completely off the cricketing radar. I really hope we can start playing there again. Did you know that that stadium at Sharjah has hosted the most ODI's in the world? I think I'm right. I could double check, but that would involve me doing work. Can somebody double check for me? I will give you an awesome gift.

Plus, this way I can also see if people are still reading my blog!

Anyway, I haven't written in a while, but that's mainly because I have been a bit disillusioned by cricket in general. The loss of our coach, the issues of throwing matches surfacing again, and the plague of crowd trouble in India and Pakistan is disturbing. But rather than be docile and depressed about it, I want to enter into a healthy debate with my readers and will be addressing these issues over the next few days.

Irish spank Pakistanis - St. Patrick's Day massacre

Agreed. Massacre is too strong a word to be associated with such a fun holiday. Anyway, who cares...Pakistan is out of the WC and readers of this blog might think I am going to crawl under my shell, whine and point fingers. Not so my furry friends! Omar Loves Cricket and this blogger had actually predicted, in not so many words though, an early exit for Pakistan from the World Cup. So in my own creepy, pessimistic way, I had prepared for the worst. (What I actually claimed was that Pakistan would be one of the teams that a minnow would upset. I did think we would make the super 8's at least!) On the brighter side, I can focus my attention on all the other teams playing in the World Cup and give an impartial opinion on their progress.

Well, what better timing for Ireland that St. Patrick's day. How cute! Since I don't particularly want to delve on what went wrong right about now, I shall tell you about things that made me happy today. Fear not though, I will be scathing in my criticism of the Pakistani batting line up when I write a thorough analysis in the afternoon tomorrow. I need the night to tone down my response and perhaps make it articulate and eloquent. Tall order.

So random fun story of the day: I was on my way back from NYC after watching the Irish bumjack Pakistan, when I was about to get off at my train station when someone calls my name. Turns out, it was old friend from college. He was on his way to Philadelphia and I haven't seen him in a few years. How bloody random is that?! He is Pakistani too, but has no clue whatsoever about cricket or anything, so I was more than happy (eager and persuasive rather...) to pull him off the train and catch up over a drink. Quite refreshing to forget about the loss, and to reconnect with a friend.

Feel free to post your thoughts and comments on Pakistan's early departure...

Postmortem: Pakistan vs West Indies - Blame the batting, not Rana

Depressing game for Pakistani fans but an exciting victory for the West Indians. Again, I wouldn't be so ticked off if Pakistan had played better. A good game means both sides go back feeling pleased at the performance. But we had the game, and threw it away. The glaring holes in our squad are really beginning to come through. I knew the warm up games over Canada and South Africa didn't mean much and seems like we changed our strategy once again. We are missing Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar like no other.

It's easy for everyone to blame Rana Naveed for the loss. But he was just a part of it, and several players were to blame. So lets not Rana bash excessively and exclusively. Lets also put our bowling aside for a moment, and talk about the selection for the moment.

Though selecting Kaneria might have seemed like a stroke of genius to some, I am not convinced that he should even be part of the squad. I made my reservations to his inclusion quite clear in the past, but have since, been resigned to the fact, that what is done, is done. He is in the squad, will probably play till Afridi is back, and that's the world cup for him. A useless selection.

Kamran Abassi touched upon the second point with regards to this squad. If any of the batsmen gets injured, who the hell will take their place? Yasir Arafat? So weak...

Now Pakistan tried something new today and they must be given credit for it. They chose 4 specialist bowlers, including a spinner, and put faith in their batsmen. It is a good strategy and a sound one. Agreed, 2 of the bowlers were pretty crappy today, but the fact of the matter is, 240 was not unreachable. The batsmen are the ones who should be the ones scoring the bloody runs. Regardless of the bowling, the pitch was still good enough for 240 and they screwed it up.

We ALREADY know our bowling is weak. Which is why we bowl first. Our batting is SUPPOSED to be our strong point. Who was truly shocked that Rana and Kaneria got whipped? Not me. However, I was surprised that the meager pressure of a mere 240 runs completely fingered Nazir, Hafeez and Younis. I can understand a good delivery bamboozling them, and some tight bowling frustrating them. But I have no sympathy for retarded shots. Which brings us to...

Batting

Imran Nazir's time is up. I have joked about the rotation policy in the past, but this dude is a fucking idiot. He is far worse than Imran Farhat, and that is pretty insulting. Someone needs to bumjack him in the dressing room, so he can get injured, so that we can complain and whine to the ICC and send for Salman Butt. We could even help him fake an injury. It's been done before and I am sure there is an SOP lying there somewhere with the manager.

I can't complain about Hafeez. He did as well as he could, but the bugger needs to calm down and take it easy. He needs to stay for 10 overs at least, get his usual 49 runs and then bloody get out. What is the point of having openers who don't even get a bit of the shine off the new ball? What is wrong with the openers? Are they all on crack? Can they only slash and swing?

Our great one-down batsmen, Younis Khan, gets the most blame. Even more than Rana actually. What in the world was he doing? Did you see that shot? What the fuck? Ahh! I was okay with him being in the squad for a while, but dude, after this world cup is over, omarlovescricket is continuing its campaign to get rid of YK from the ODI team.

Yousuf got out to a frigging good delivery. What can one do? Inzi was unlucky with the decision. I think it was going over the wicket. Fuck what Hawkeye says!

Akmal is a choot. I hope Billu.net writes something up about this. I was about to throw my coffee into the aquarium when I saw him get out first ball.

Bowling

Rana is just about as good (or bad) as anyone else who can replace him. My argument is as follows. Can Sami, or Arafat, or even Azhar do a better job than Rana? I think the only advantage is that Arafat and Azhar can bat. Replacing Rana is not going to do the trick. Rana is out of form, but his potential as a bowler is far greater than the rest of them. I think Sami is decent, but even he is very expensive. Apart from Umar Gul, our bowling is bloody toothless in this World Cup, and we must remain resigned to the fact that Rana may just be as good as any other clown on the squad. We have no other choice people!

One could pad up the batting by selecting Arafat or Azhar, but that doesn't improve the bowling at all. Plus it releases the pressure on the batting. The top 6 batsman need to know that one of them HAS to score a bloody 70 or higher. They need to know that after Akmal (arguably before), there is no one else who can bat. Having a batting lineup stretching up till Mars is not the way we will win our games. We have to develop our bowling, give our specialist bowlers a chance to get into their rhythm, and lay the responsibility of scoring runs on the top order.

This squad is pretty weak and the gaps in our strategy are becoming a lot more apparent. Don't be too surprised if we're upset in the next couple of games.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

My Pakistan starting test and ODI XI

After soundly defeating the West Indies, Pakistan have a nice problem on their hands. Many good players for a few spots. With Shoaib and Asif returning, it calls for some intense rethinking. Kamran Abbasi, in his blog, recently called on fans to suggest their teams. So here I present my teams for both formats, assuming Shoaib and Asif play. Comments welcome!

ODI starting XI

1. Kamran Akmal (k)
2. Mohd. Hafeez
   
3. Yasir Hameed
4. Younis Khan
   
5. Inzamam ul Haq (c)
   
6. Mohd. Yousuf
7. Abdul Razzak
8. Abdur Rehman
9. Shoaib Akhtar
10. Umar Gul
11. Mohd. Asif

ODI Notes:

• If Akmal develops his technique and plays as an opener permanently, he solves 2 problems. Firstly, the opener gap, and secondly he allows for the specialist spinner, rather than the allrounder to play.
• Rehman, the specialist left arm spinner, is a must in my ideal ODI XI. He is attacking and restrictive. Agreed, his debut was impressive, and he will eventually have his bad days, but on the whole, he will be really useful.
  
• It's really important for both my squads to have at least 4 wicket-taking bowlers. Having a spinner just jazzes it up a bit.
• Razzak over Shoaib Malik? Just because of recent form. Both are great timers. In fact, I chose Mohd. Hafeez over Malik just because of this reason. I feel Malik is better option than both Hafeez and Razzak, though he isn't in form.
  
• Why Younis? You might have read my tirades in the past over Younis Khan. But I have to select around him. There is no way he won't play.
  

Test starting XI

1. Mohd. Hafeez
   
2. Yasir Hameed
3. Younis Khan
   
4. Inzamam ul Haq (c)
   
5. Mohd. Yousuf
6. Asim Kamal
7. Kamran Akmal (k)
8. Shoaib Akhtar
9. Umar Gul
10. Danish Kaneria
    
11. Mohd. Asif

Test Notes

• Playing Asim Kamal is the big thing here. I think he will be really useful down the order. this guy has an uncomplicated technique. He won't be bothered to much by the bounce that Ntini and Pollock will throw at him. He has mustered together the tail in the past to score his runs. An ideal 4-down.
  
• Kaneria will play no matter how much I like Rehman. I chose Hafeez as the allrounding opener, since he is in form.
  

Probables for Pakistan's tour of South Africa announced

25 probables have been named for the Pakistan tour of South Africa. No real surprises here.

I doubt all 4 openers would be making the trip, but they might as well, since the selectors like rotating them. I hope Farhat doesn't accompany the squad though. He may have scraped together a few runs against the West Indies, but there was nothing attractive about his game play. If he doesn't get selected, Salman Butt will probably take his place. Salman did well against Australia on their bouncy wickets 2 years back. Hameed is probably going to go, though with Inzi, MoYo and Younis returning, he will either be the opener or won't play. The middle order has no space for him in either format. I am in favor of putting Hameed as an opener. I think he's a lot better than Farhat, and has the capability to score big. Farhat seems to lose focus once he crosses 50. Though, as I have mentioned before, Pakistan has chosen so many openers in the past few years, that I have numbed myself to any choice. Just choose 2 and lets get on with it.

Zulqarnain Haider has been named and invited to the training camp. There is no doubt that he probably being conditioned to take over Kamran's position after Akmal retires or isn't in favor anymore. I think its great that the selectors are thinking ahead and also giving this young lad the opportunity to train with the senior players and get some exposure to Woolmer and the coaching staff. Secondly it might spur Akmal to concentrate more. After a dismal English summer with both the gloves and the bat, a little heat and pressure on him won't do him any harm.

Asim Kamal and Faisal Iqbal are the middle order additions. One of them should definitely play in the test matches. My vote is for Asim as he did well against South Africa on his debut, is a compact player and, more importantly puts a price on his wicket. Faisal is talented and I'd like to see him in the ODI's.

The problem with the pacemen is that now we have a lot of choice. In Shoaib and Asif's absence, Umar Gul, Nazir, Rana have really shown that they aren't just fill-in-the-gap bowlers, but genuine wicket taking pacemen. Gul, in particular, has been a persoanl favorite of mine, since he bowled Laxman in Lahore, 2 years back. He is a shoe-in for both formats.

From PCB.com.pk...
Openers

Imran Farhat
Mohammad Hafeez
Yasir Hameed
Salman Butt

Middle Order
Younis Khan
Mohammad Yousuf
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Faisal Iqbal
Asim Kamal

Allrounders
Abdul Razzaq
Shahid Afridi
Shoaib Malik
Yasir Arafat

Spinners
Danish Kaneria
Abdur Rehman

Pace bowlers
Shoaib Akhtar
Mohammad Asif
Shahid Nazir
Naved-ul-Hasan
Umar Gul
Mohammad Sami
Iftikhar Anjum
Shabbir Ahmed

Keepers
Kamran Akmal
Zulqarnain Haider

4th ODI Team selection

Pakistan are 45/3 after 15 overs.

Afridi has failed as usual. He got bowled to an outswinger. He should not have been in the squad. He should not have been in the team. He should not be in our World Cup plans....yet we stick with him. In case you're wondering how I can back up my claims for his withdrawal...wonder no more. Browse these charts at your own perusal.

Imran Farhat made a streaky 13. He swung and missed for 36 deliveries. Most of my friends hate Farhat. I am indifferent and have numbed up to him now.

The ball is swinging a bit. Its a bit bouncy out there. When your established middle order is not playing for any reason, the selectors should have thought about middle order order batsmen as replacements. Regurgitating these allrounders and openers is so futile. There is dull sense of 'been there, done that' when I see the squad. The 5 people who came out to bat are all openers. I would give anything to trade them in for any 3 middle order batsmen on Pakistani domestic scene....

Pakistan are 47/4 after 17 overs. Shoaib Malik just played across the line and was caught plum chilling out in front of the wicket. Can I get no respite? I'm trying to write a blog post here. Just need 5 overs with no wickets falling.

Why are Umar Gul and Abdur Rehman not playing this game? I hope they're sick with the flu or something because I can't think of any reason why they shouldn't play. Umar Gul might need a rest, but Rehman was awesome for the first 2 ODI's. He was restrictive and attacking with incredible control.

All in all, I am not happy

Life without Younis, Yousuf, Inzamam...

With a 2-0 lead, we should be thanking our lucky stars that the series can't be lost! Tomorrows game, though not inconsequential, is going to be quite amusing, and unpredictable from Pakistan's point of view. If Razzak is made captain, it will be due to his seniority and nothing else. He hasn't exactly got the leadership credentials. Shoaib Malik, who has captained his domestic team in many games, would probably be my choice.

I have some concerns, however, about tomorrow's game against the West Indies. Not only is there no clearly defined leader left in the camp, but there are characters on the team that are louder than most. Afridi, if he plays, is not one to keep his opinions to himself. He has 200+ games, and quite rightly so, considers himself as a senior player. In fact, Afridi probably has the most leadership qualities that one desires in a captain....yet he is barely making this squad.

Cricket, more than other sports, needs a captain that everyone can turn to. I just hope the game doesn't turn out to be a free for all. Then again, its only 1 game. But I like to worry...

Anyway...

Regardless of captaincy, pressure will be on the batsmen to perform. There will come a time when Younis, Yousuf and Inzi will not longer be playing, and these fellows will have to start shouldering the burden. This is as good a time as any to see how good the Pakistani batting bench strength is.

Shoaib Akhtar probably not too happy with this photo

This picture cracks me up! A bunch of the cricket blogs I frequent have put it up, so I didn't feel the need to. I thought it would be best if I forwarded you to my friend's blog who titled it adequately, and then tied it in to his post! Check it out!

Afridi recalled for the 4th ODI against West Indies

Mohammad Yousuf's wife is sick, Younis Khan's brother passed away, and Inzamam's injured finger may not heal in time. Pakistan's enviable middle order might be absent for the 4th ODI game. In order to cover for this, the selectors have send in Faisal Iqbal and Shahid Afridi. I can understand Iqbal. He is a steady batsman, with sound technique and he did well for us in England.

Why in the world is Afridi back? Will he really aid the team in any possible way? The selectors are nuts. I am sure there are a bunch of middle order batsmen out there in Pakistan, any of whom would be a better choice.

On the bright side, he seems to be in form. From CricInfo...

Afridi was dropped after the Champions Trophy, the first time in two years for anything other than an injury or suspension. But he has struck a rich vein of form in domestic cricket for Habib Bank and lies third in the bowling averages after five games with 22 wickets at an average of under ten. And despite starting poorly with the bat, he has just hit a 91-ball hundred in the ongoing game against WAPDA, whose attack includes Mushtaq Ahmed and Shabbir Ahmed. He scored a fifty in a low-scoring first-innings total and also picked up three wickets.

I'm still not convinced...

Debutant Abdur Rehman impressive

I couldn't even find a picture of Abdur Rehman on CricInfo or the internet, but one thing is for sure, he was quite impressive on his debut against the Windies. He has a lot of control and more importantly, he bowled to his field. Inzamam understandably kept his long-off and long-on fielders near the ropes. It was the middle overs, and as a spinner was making his debut, there was no telling how nervous he might be or if the Windies would attack him. Safe bet in the end.

Turns out Rehman did well, and in hindsight Inzi should have probably brought in the men to mid on and mid off, to attack the batsmen more. Rehman gives the ball a quick whirl, has enough loop and is a very attacking left arm bowler. Very similar to Panesar in my opinion. He played with a packed off-side field and bowled on off and just outside off so that those fielders would come into play. The right handers found him troubling. Samuels, for one thing, kept misreading his turn and was eventually out to one that brought Younis Khan at first slip into action. The ball rose up on him while Samuels drove towards cover.

Dwayne Smith was LBW to a perfect arm-ball. Still too early to say, but I like what I see so far. It would be interesting to see if he can be continue to be wicket-taking and containing at the same time. 2-20 on debut is something he would probably be very happy with. I'd like to see him play the rest of the games as well. He may be a really good candidate for our World Cup plans. If all goes well, there is the chance that Pakistan may return to those successful days in the 90's when we played specialist spinners in ODI's (Saqlain and Mushtaq). I'd be up for that and Rehman could very well be our man.

Pakistan just barely edges past West Indies in second ODI

Pakistan won the game by two wickets but your resident pessimist wasn't too ecstatic about the outcome. These close games, though usually quite fun to watch, are quite of the indicative of the downward slide in the fortunes of our ODI team. There was nothing encouraging about how we struggled to chase 152. It's evident that cracks still remain in our ODI unit and not much is improving. For one thing, is anyone else even wondering why we're playing so many all-rounders? We played 3 yesterday. Razzak, Malik, and Hafeez...

There are some positives. So Afridi is out. Good. And we played 4 specialist bowlers. Better! But then in Yousuf's absence, we continue to play our bits an pieces players on pitches that have something to offer. Have we not learned our lessons in England and during the Champions Trophy?

Needless to say, I am not too satisfied with this strategy. It may work while we play on our soil (though these latest pitches seem a bit odd), but its definitely going to backfire on South African pitches. Do we realize who we are going to be coming up against? Ntini, Pollock, Nel and company just completed their white-wash of India. SA are going to bounce us out till we cry.

Now I'm satisfied with any 2 out of Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Imran Farhat for the opening slot. They're decent players, but we can all safely agree, that they're not the most technically sound batsmen. Hafeez and Farhat seem to have temporarily secured their opening slot for the time being, but Malik has not been too convincing of late. He has to shoulder the responsibility of a middle order batsmen, which he is clearly not...plus he's not really performing well of late. Yasir Hameed is in the squad. Let him have a game.

Malik, however, should be in our WC plans, as he IS a good batsmen and has done well for Pakistan in the one-down position. That position for the time being though, has been occupied by our VC, Younis Khan. I think he should be left out for the next game. I understand that he was probably Mohd. Yousuf's replacement, but shouldn't one replace a middle order batsmen with someone similar?

So the point being, we played with 7 guys yesterday who can bowl and bat, when I feel we should probably have replaced one of them at least with a specialist batsmen. Faisal Iqbal, Yasir Hameed are names that come to mind.