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?

Super 8's preview and predictions

India's out and it just got a bit more boring

Though, we all agree, they deserved to go, while Bangladesh thoroughly deserve it!

But still, one can be sad that the clash between India and Pakistan is not going to happen anymore. That was going to be one fun match. But there are still some epic games left. I am looking forward to Eng-Aus, NZ-Aus, and especially SL playing anyone. More on this in a few paragraphs.

Is the criticism on this World Cup's format justified?

I read some dude talking about how just 2 bad games in the first round was more than enough to kick a good side out of the World Cup. He concluded that such a format was not the right one for ensuring that the best teams play each other in the super 8's.

Well, that's retarded! This is the World Cup after all, teams should be playing their best and their hardest, and yes, 2 bad days SHOULD be enough to boot a good team. If they're good, then they should under-perform. Pakistan and India obviously didn't play well and were beaten by better sides on that day. So, I think the fellow's argument is a bit skewed and he is probably just hurt.

Bangladesh and Ireland's chances

Pretty much zilch to be honest, but Bangladesh have a shot for the semis. They have the capability of beating England, West Indies and New Zealand on their day. I hate predicting stuff, plus I am nowhere as good as this chap, so I'll just discuss match-ups and leave the predictions up to you.

My final four

No sooner than I said I don't do predictions, here I am telling you who I think the semi-finalists will be. I lie.

Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka.

Yes Sir. That's it. No England. No Ireland. No Bangladesh, and no West Indies. Well, maybe West Indies. It's either West Indies or New Zealand, I believe. But I'll probably change my prediction anyway by the time the semi-finals come around and I find out I was wrong. I'll subsequently edit this entry, announce that I was right in my predictions all along, and that I am the best.

Yeah. That's right. It's not so difficult to edit this blog entry. I have the password.

Who do I want as the WC champion?

Sri Lanka! Yup. I really like these guys. Been a big Lanka supporter for years now. I know you couldn't tell. But lets hope these plucky buggers can bring us the World Cup.

Australia continue the minnow bashing

Oh...apologies to all! Did I just call South Africa a minnow?

I amuse myself. Anyway Mathew Hayden just smashed the fastest ODI century in World Cup cricket. His 66 ball century is also the fastest hundred by an Australian. Bloody hell! Is it just me, or are way too many records being broken this WC?

I am not one for conspiracy theories, but its rather interesting how some bloggers pointed out that Pakistan seemed to play on the most seam-friendly tracks in the tournament. Agreed, that as professionals, those buggers need to be able to play on all surfaces. But knowing the Pakistani tendency to receive a bumjacking on bowled-friendly conditions, I wonder if the authorities thought about it. Seems like the West Indian group has the lowest scores of all the other groups.

I think I am going to copyright the term bumjacking.

Anyway back to the minnow bashing. Kallis just got Hayden out and Clarke walked in.

South Africa breaking records

The South African team plan before the game started was to get 350+ in 50 overs. The game got reduced to 40 a side, but they kept their word.

I'm sure we'll read about more records in the morning, but so far...

1. Most 6's in an ODI game (WC and standard)
   
2. Most 6's in an over
3. Fastest WC 50

Some others that will soon be announced...

1. Most amount of exercise given to the arms of the umpires, and the spectators diving out of the way
   
2. Most cricket balls lost in a game

Gibbs smashes 36 in an over!

Umm...Yeah. 6 sixers! Unbelievable. The Eng-NZ match had its lunch break, so I switched over to the SA-Netherlands game. Herchelle Gibbs just hit 36 runs in an over. That is just unbelievable. From Cricinfo...

29.6 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, He has done it! One-day record. No one has hit six sixes in a row. Gibbs stands alone in that zone. And the minnow bashing continues! Full and outside off and bludgeoned over long off
29.5 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Short in length, on the off stump line and Gibbs rocks back and swat-pulls it over wide long off. Simply amazing. What a batsman. This is pure violence!
29.4 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Wah Wah! Low full toss and guess where this went Yep. A slap slog and it went over deep midwicket! He is going to go for 6 sixes in this over!
29.3 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Carnage! Flatter one this time but it makes no difference to Gibbs. He just stands there and delivers. This one also has been sucked over long off
29.2 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Murder! Floated on the leg and middle stump line and Gibbs sends it soaring over long-off.
29.1 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Violence! Gibbs charged down the track and hoicked it over long on.

From hot to cold - flat pitch bullies Pakistan clobbered mercilessly

3 days ago, Pakistan creamed South African by 140 odd runs. A few days before that we had been whipped by 160 odd. And now this. Why the heck is this team so brittle one day and so killer the next? It's shocking. No wonder Pakistani cricket fans are considered to be nuts. We go through such emotional extremes throughout our supporting days. It's draining as hell!

Not going to take anything away from the South Africans. Ntini and Pollock were really impressive. The other chaps were decent too, but the Pakistan threw the match in the first 10 overs. Just how unplayable could they possibly be? Watching them play was frustrating. Even poor deliveries were blocked, they were completely on their back foot throughout and just too under confidant and wary. It was as if they had decided that they were going to lose match if they lost the toss. Yes the conditions were against them, but 8 runs in 10 overs? No way was the going that bad...

Afridi will make me eat my words..

...which I will gladly do in due time, but only after this series against South Africa is complete! Till then, I will stand by my position.

As my readers know I have continued my one-man campaign against Shahid Afridi for a quite a while now. Here, and here, here...and umm..also here. In fact, just look at my Afridi label.

So several people have already emailed or text-messaged me regarding my views on Afridi and they politely requested me to comment on this latest innings of his against South Africa.

Naturally, midway through this innings, one has to be very impressed. He made 77 runs of 35 balls with 5 four's and 6 sixes.

Brilliant innings obviously, but it was Afridi style innings. If he's around for 30 balls, he wrecks havoc. But does he stick around for more than 5 balls consistently? Naturally one can not expect this from him every single time, nor do I really expect him to. I am not saying he should score 20 runs every time, which I would be happy with. My reasons for his exclusion in the past have always been his lack of performance.

So lets see how this series pans out. I want Afridi to do well. But most of all, I want Pakistan to do well. I am still not convinced both can go hand in hand.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.