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.

Congratulations Australia - Finally it's over!

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

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

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

World Cup 2007 final - Sri Lanka vs. Australia

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


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

Bring me ice cream!

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

Decent first over from Murali.

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

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

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

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

Dammit. It's drizzling.

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

Sri Lanka has my support, but Australia holds my bet

Comparing the Aussies and the Lankans isn't terribly hard. Both are two very different teams.

Sri Lanka has a more varied bowling attack. Yet their 4th specialist bowler is the weak link. Australia on the other hand have 4 bowlers, who on the whole, may be a bit more one-dimensional, as compared to the Lankans, but are more effective. Both teams utilize their all-rounders for the 5th bowling option, so they are pretty much even out there.

The glaring difference is the middle order. Sri Lanka's middle order, is nowhere close to Clarke, Hussey and Symonds. Their is an over reliance on Jayasuria, Tharanga, Sangakarra and Jayawardene.

Though I really want Sri Lanka to win, I feel this over-reliance on the top order will be their downfall. But it can't be helped now. I was thinking maybe giving Attapattu a game earlier might strengthen the batting, but its too late for that now. If I were Sri Lanka, I would bat first, because I don't think their batsman can withstand a pressure of a chase against the Australians. Their strength is their bowling, and Jayawardene knows how to utilize his bowlers to apply the pressure and get 10 wickets.

It's going to be tough. The Australians play a brutal game. Sri Lanka is the one team that has looked close to beating the Aussies in this cup. I certainly hope that happens on Saturday...

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.

India on its way out

Bloody hell. Yuvraj just got run out as I was starting to blog about this game. And now Dhoni is out...to a straighter one. Agarkar just walked out.

My goodness. India is on its way out of the WC. This is fucking unbelievable. A WC without India or Pakistan....

It was totally Yuvraj's call. Dravid should have run. Dhoni was plum. Sehwag got out to a freaking good delivery. India have been outplayed thus far. I didn't see how Ganguly, Uthappa and Sachin got out...

I'll watch the replays...

UPDATE 1

India 157-7
Dravid just spanked Malinga for 17 runs. From cricinfo

36.6	Malinga to Dravid, 1 run, fullish, driven to mid-off, the bat-face shut a bit and hence he didn't get power or timing. He was aiming to drive it straight.
36.5	Malinga to Dravid, FOUR, oh ho! Another one. Smashed through backward point. Short and outside off stump, Dravid leans back and cuts it past point.
36.4	Malinga to Dravid, FOUR, brings up his fifty in style. A fierce flick behind square. Full and on the legs, he leant forward and flicked it in the air. Three fours in this over. Dravid is carrying on the fight and the Indian hopes.
36.3	Malinga to Dravid, FOUR, Full and well outside off stump, slashed away to third man. It takes a bit of outside edge and runs to the boundary. Dravid is on 49.
36.2	Malinga to Dravid, no run, on the off stump line, pushed to cover
36.1	Malinga to Dravid, FOUR, full and just outside off stump, Dravid cuts it late, ala Arjuna Ranatunga. Delectable late cut.

OH!! It's over! Dravid just got out...He had no choice. He had to speed up the run chase....

The way life should be...

Zimbabwe 14/3 after Pakistan posted 349...

and Bangladesh 31/4 after Sri Lanka posted 318.

That's what we're used to. Some sort of normalcy restored in world cricket over the past few games. Though I have to say, I am all for the minnows playing and beating the test nations. It's great for cricket.

Malinga rocks!

I like this guy. He bowls full tosses and gets people bowled! He's quite the town of the town in New Zealand these days. He just wrecked their top order and got a 5 wicket haul in the first inning of the second test. They're definitely finding him too hard to read and have no clue what hit them.

That's awesome.

What I don't like is all the excuses the New Zealanders are making. Apparently the umpires black trousers are distracting their vision when he bowls! I heard the commentators say something about how the umpire gets in the way.

You know what? Stop making excuses. If you're getting bowled on full tosses, there is something wrong with your technique and footwork. As soon as anyone comes up with a unique action, people start complaining about how its not cricket and all that nonsense. I even read a couple of forums where these fools were accusing Malinga of chucking!

What rubbish! Malinga is cool, has a fun haircut and is aggressive (bowls either at the batsman's head or their feet!). His action is slingy, and not a chuck and all this make him an exciting player to watch.

Muralitharan's runout

Charlie Austin's bulletin from CricInfo...

...Sangakkara glanced a single to bring up his century.

But as Sangakkara started to raise his hands aloft in celebration, Muralitharan had a brainstorm, tapping his bat into the crease and then leaving it again to congratulate Sangakkara while the ball was still live. Brian Jerling, the square leg umpire, motioned to Muralitharan that over had not been called, but it was too late and Brendon McCullum whipped off the bails. Muralitharan may justifiably claim that the dismissal was not within the spirit of the game, but it was within the letter of the law and, for a cricketer of his immense experience, it was a moment of unpardonable madness.

Now lets be honest here. It was unsportsman-like of New Zealand. Screw the letter of the law. In situations like these, the entire world is willing to shove the 'letter'. Murali was clearly not running the second run and had already made his ground. I was shocked to see it unfold on tv. And after you make your ground, you're bloody safe. Its common sense, after all. It was the end of the over and the leg umpire was already walking towards to the crease. Sangakarra had just made such an important century, shuffling around with the tail and it was plain to see the New Zealanders were desperate to get the last wicket.

The umpire had no choice but to give it out. He has to follow the rules. There is no fault there but if he had let it pass, it wouldn't be such an issue either.

New Zealand should not have appealed. McCullum is a bastard.

So much for the Asian teams...

From a Pakistani point of view, not much to say except its amusing that none of the semi-finalists are from the Subcontinent. This aspect of the story has been covered often enough this past week. Barry Richards pretty much sums it up...

"These are delightful pitches the curators have made. I would give them all medals because they've brought the zip back into the One-day game. All batters, but especially those from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, have failed in this acid test of technique and temperament. I've enjoyed watching them flinch in bowler-friendly conditions. Their inability to adjust has been shocking."

The semi's should be very interesting though. I think South Africa has a chance of beating Australia....

Pakistan beats Sri Lanka in a thriller!

What a game! Pakistan really needed this. I had the game on video, but I thought the commentary on cricinfo was great. I usually keep both running. Osman Samiuddin, Charlie Austin , and Siddhartha Vaidyanathan wrote some great commentaries on the game, while the bulletin by Dileep Premachandran basically said that this was the best game thus far in the series. All articles echo the same general theme, that this Pakistani side really needed this victory, and they achieved it, not emphatically, but more importantly, dramatically. Obviously, winning this first game was really important if Pakistan is to make a run for the finals. Sri Lanka were a dangerous side. I had predicted we would lose, but I am glad no ones listens to me!
It's also nice to see cricket writers rooting for a Pakistan team that really has been through a lot these past few months.

Some thoughts about the game that stood out for me...

Jayawardene's captaincy
Was anyone else impressed with his field placing? I thought some of the position were unique and quit interesting. Jayasuria was position next to the runner on the off side for a bit. He put himself as a slip whenever a new batsman would come. In contrast, though our bowlers kept in tight, Younis was nowhere near this innovative with the field. Jayawardene also had point and backward point for an over! Thats so strange....but pretty cool. He's also so passionate on the field.

Pitch
The pitch seemed good. The batsman got out to some careless shots. There wasn't much spin in it either. Thank goodness Murali had a wet ball to deal with. Why are all the games at night? This dew factor really does make batting first the easier option if you dont have to many spinners on the side.

Crowd
What an awesome crowd! Were we in Jaipur, India? I thought their support was magnificent. I've always thought Indian crowds were pretty biased, but in the absence of the home nation, I guess they really did support Pakistan after all the controversies and ups and downs.

Afridi
What in the world was he doing. He had no clue how to play Murali. i think he should be dropped til he recovers some sort of form. But will he dropped for the next game though? i doubt it. We won this game, so they will stick to the same side.

Pakistani middle order
Definitely seemed very weak without Inzy in the lineup. After Younis Khan's dismissal, a lot of the onus and leadership went to Yousuf. I think Faisal should play in the next game as he is the next best thing to Inzi. Plus, he has the propensity to play a steady, yet big innings. He is a proper middle order batsman and our middle order is weak. Malik, Razzak, Farhat and Hafeez sorta clicked today, but their techniques against spin and the moving ball are still weak. We need someone with a better temperament to substitute one of them. But which one?

Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan: Pakistan's team

Choosing 11 players from 12 certainly is not a very difficult. With Asif and Shoaib enjoying the flight back home, Iftikhar Anjum and Umar Gul are sure to play the entire tournament. Gul has been in good form, but I hope combined with Rana, these guys can get some wickets. So which guy is not going to play? What is even more amusing is the guy who will not play has to be the 12th man. So no one will get the day off. I think my team for tomorrow's game will have Mohd. Hafeez as sitting out. They will probably send Afridi, Razzak or Akmal one down to protect the middle order, in case we lose a wicket within the first 10 overs.

My lineup for tomorrow:

Shoaib Malik
Imran Farhat
Younis Khan (captain)
Mohammad Yousuf (vice-captain)
Faisal Iqbal
Shahid Afridi
Abdul Razzaq
Kamran Akmal (wicketkeeper)
Naved-ul-Hasan
Umar Gul
Iftikhar Anjum

Who's going to win?

Sri Lanka will. The pitch will be spinner friendly, judging by these opening encounters. Pakistan isn't playing any specialist spinners. Maharoof is in hot form. Jawardene and Sangakarra are going through a purple patch. The batsman on paper seem to match up but without the opening bowling venom of Asif and Shoaib, Pakistan does not have the ability to strike early with the new ball.