Can you be the next Pakistani opener?

Position Available: Opener for the Pakistan cricket team (National Squad) - temporary position

Position Requirements

No experience required.

Age - Must be young. Under 25, with minimum domestic or international exposure.

Preference for candidates from "warring tribal areas."

Required to score 100 on debut
...and 50 every 20th game thereafter.

Cover drives must be spectacular
...no other shots required
...the worse your pull shot, the better your chances
...proper technique is severely frowned upon

Must flash aggressively at every 3rd delivery well outside the off stump
...contact with delivery optional

Must get out on every 5th such aggressive flash
...contact with delivery not optional

Bandana wearers encouraged to apply.

Must have the diving agility of a cheetah
...but the catching ability of a snail

Must be able to bowl legspin or off break
...however, not required to take wickets (please see note)

Note: In the event that a wicket is taken, or if said player does in fact have wicket taking abilities, the PCB and team management cannot be held responsible for the consequences. The ICC will suspend said player for one of the following reasons:

a) Throwing
b) Match-fixing
c) Match-fixing and throwing
d) Bringing the game into disrepute
e) Bringing yourself into disrepute
f) Bringing iguanas into disrepute
g) Bringing koala bears into disrepute
h) Bringing antique furniture into disrepute
i) Not bringing anything to repute whatsoever
j) All of the above

Complicated numerical nomenclature will be supplied for every law created/cited in the process of having said player banned for just enough games till he/she is completely demoralized and out of form.

Terms and conditions

Short term contract only, 1-1.5 tours
Must be willing to travel extensively, across continents, on a moment's notice

co-authored by billu.net
cross-posted at billu.net and cricket.bloggers.pk

Kaneria's selection a bunch of balls

Why the fuck has Danish Kaneria been selected into the World Cup squad over Abdur Rehman? Agreed, a spinner probably wouldn't have played anyway, but his selection has come out of the blue.

Rehman played just 1 ODI in 2007. He was up and coming and was very impressive against the West Indies. Yes, he gave 27 runs in 2 overs against the South Africans, but every one of our bowlers got bumjacked in that game. There was NO reason to drop him.

This is just stupid. Why are we taking players who we think may be good but have hardly played the format. Kaneria has not even been a part of our ODI squad in this South African series...or the West Indies...Or part of the maybe 10 series before that!

He played 1 ODI in 2006 (0 wickets), and 5 ODI's in 2005 (3 wickets). I think we've all established that we need an attacking or a restrictive spinner in ODI's. Kaneria is nowhere near that requirement. The reason he is our sole test spinner is because he has become a stock bowler. He needs at least 30 overs to take his 5 wickets plus he always gives away about a 100+ runs. Read my blogging colleagues post on Kaneria for older, yet still quite apt opinion on Kaneria.

One would assume that players who have fucking played the ODI format in the last 6 months at least should be in the running, right?. Kaneria has played 16 ODI's in his life with an average of 49.17. So he gets a wicket every 50 runs. Okay....A lot better than Rana Naveed these days, but still! I am not discounting the fact that he may not be a great ODI spinner. 16 ODI's, though its plenty of matches, it wasn't a consistent enough run. What irks me is how suddenly everyone who has played an ODI can suddenly come into the picture. The PCB is evidently panicking now. I would wait a couple of days before Wasim Akram gets a recall. Hell, I wouldn't mind since I am sure he's better than Iftikhar Rao and Rana Naveed at the moment. Anyway I'm digressing...

Rehman's average in his early days is a shade under 20 (which is brilliant), including an amazing series against the Windies back home. I saw him play and I am really disappointed for him.

We have no choice when it comes to our pacemen, but if anything, go for consistency in squad selection for the spinners. We used to have a brilliant spin attack in ODI's and were really successfully then. On many occasions, both Saqlain and Mushtaq would play the same ODI's. Saqlain was, in fact, one of the fastest bowlers to ever get to a 100 ODI wickets. Those were great days! Why is Pakistan so fucking scared to play specialist spinners? Now that our fast bowlers are losing their limbs and muscles left right and center, the PCB should been bold and the team management should have had a change of strategy. Instead of playing shitty fast bowlers who are not in form, play a couple of spinners, who ARE in form. Rehman should have been in this ODI squad. This is bullshit. The PCB better have some reasons for this, but I am sure the don't. Choots...

Cross-posted at Cricket.Bloggers.Pk

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