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.

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.

Can Rana Naveed save what he fucked up?

Can Rana Naveed stick around and partner Shoaib Malik for another 15 overs?

All he needs to do is rotate the strike for umm, 80 runs or so...

Will he be able to atone for his bullshit bowling earlier in the day?

Yeah, I doubt it myself...

Pakistan is 129/6 needing 113 off 77 balls at 8.8 rpo. Game over!

UPDATE 1

They don't show the score comparisons anymore. Remember the time when, every 5 or 10 overs, they would print out what the opposing team's score was, at that point in their innings...

Oh, I shouldn't blog. Every time I write something, somebody gets out and it makes me unhappy. Well. Rana is gone. Bowled Bravo.

On the brighter side, at least my update to this entry now has something to do with the title. In case, you don't follow. The answer is no. Rana did not save what he fucked up.

UPDATE 2

Pakistan is fighting till the last wicket. Shoaib Malik just made his 50. That's pretty respectable no matter how you look at it. Some key questions arise.

Why does Iftikhar Anjum look more comfortable on the crease than Younis Khan?
Does Kamran Akmal not look at the field placings before he plays his shots?
Does anyone else get immensely ticked off at Inzamam getting LBW so often? Can't he get bowled a few more times?

170/7 after 44 overs.

UPDATE 3

Now we need about 58 runs of 24 balls. 'Impossible isn't it' you ask? Well, we're reaching that gray area of uncertainty. I've accomplished this score many a time in Stick Cricket, and once or twice at ICC Cricket Captain 2005. But never at Brian Lara Cricket 2005.

What's my point?

It's simple. Video games suck because they present a skewed view of reality.

Ah - the curse of the blogger. Bravo gets another one. Anjum is out. Caught by Lara. I promise I won't blog again till the end of the this match! The hopes of Pakistan rest on my typing fingers.

Pakistan 108/4 versus West Indies

Pakistan needs a 134 runs to win at around 7 runs an over. Inzamam looks calm enough. Mohammad Yousuf just got out to a really nice delivery. He was totally set up for that one. I wish Yousuf had stayed till the 40th over or so. Lets see how this game pans out. West Indies definitely have the upper hand by a mile, but I don't think Pakistan are totally out of it just yet.

Shoaib Malik needs to play his natural game and accompany Inzi till the end. I hope we can make a match of it at least. I'd rather lose fighting than get all out for under a 150.

The crowd seems awesome though. It was interesting to see their reaction when MoYo got out. Perhaps there is a bit of respect/irritation that he broke Viv Richard's record a few month's back.

Our openers are shit as usual. Not much more to say till I write my verdict after the game is over.

Oh well. Inzamam just got out LBW. Maybe I'll be writing the verdict sooner than I expected...

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.

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.

Third Test - Pakistan vs. West Indies - What happened to the flat track?

I thought we were going to see a typical Karachi run-fest. Atleast we will definitely have a result now!

You can now also add slow pitches to the list of surfaces Pakistani players can't play on!

But I guess if this track is so difficult, then Pakistan have done well to graft out 257 on the first day. If it weren't for Mohammad Yousuf, we would be lost at sea.

Kamran Akmal just got bowled to a pretty straight delivery with the new ball. Looks like Pakistan may be bowling pretty soon.

Lara dominates...

I need the highlights of this innings!

I was fortunate enough to watch his first 100 runs. I didn't have to wait too long for him to make his century. He made it in only 73 deliveries. His aim was to make runs fast, and pull Kaneria off the attack...and wow - did he do that!

Even though I'm Pakistani, I loved watching him thrash us to all parts of the ground. I love cricket a lot more than I love Pakistan anyway (Well..not a lot more!) and it was great seeing him in action. A bit sadistic, no doubt, but Brian Lara transcends national boundaries. He is one of those players who are so flamboyant, yet calculated, in their approach to the game, that you have to turn around and admire their talent. There are always critics but one rarely hears a fan of cricket say they don't like Lara. You hear of people not liking Ponting for example a hell of a lot more.

I want him to get his double century this morning and I want him to grab us my the throat and shake us around a bit! He has the ability to make this game competitive and fun single-handedly. I was completely taken aback by this onslaught and never saw it coming. Naturally the game plan was to dominate one of two of our strike bowlers, and Brian Lara executed it with such style and poise.


I feel some strange attachment to him because he has been playing ever since I have been following cricket. Now that he in the twilight of his career, he has lost a lot of his speed and flamboyance but still remains so destructive. He has taken on the responsibility of rebuilding this West Indian side, and ushering in the new hands. His comments were interesting after this day's end of play.

"Bravo, Gayle and Ganga all batted well and fell just short of making a Test hundred which was unfortunate. I like to see the younger guys get hundreds as it is more important for them. That is the only sad point of the day."

Now, those are the words of a fellow who plays for the team and sticks around long enough to guide the underlings.

Upon saying that, another thought came to my mind. We're coming close to that time, when our generation's greatest cricketers will retire. The next couple of years will see Inzamam, Hayden, and Jayasuria, among the few that I can think of, play their last test matches. Seems strange to imagine cricket without them. Some of my fondest memories include these few players. Jayasuria whacking us all over the place in Singapore. Even Inzy had to bowl in that ODI. Inzi beating Bangladesh with only Mushy as his final partner. Well, there are many more and I am rambling...

As I conclude this post, Lara just cover drove Umar Gul for 3 runs and brought up his 200! Awesome! Now if only somebody would partner him on the other end and we can have a game on our hands!

Lara pulverizing Kaneria

This is incredible batting from Brian Lara.

I don't know where you are. But you need to put on your tv or get streaming video from the internet and tune in to Pakistan vs. West Indies.

He is on 92 runs from 63 balls. 12 fours and 5 massive sixers.

Awesome!

As I write this. Morton just got LBW to Umar Gul.

This game is fun!

Check out this over from Kaneria to Lara from cricinfo.

83.6
Danish Kaneria to Lara, FOUR, Boundary to end the over! full toss, Lara steps out and puts it away over the mid-wicket fielder
83.5
Danish
Kaneria to Lara, SIX, Hat-trick of sixes! length ball and Lara steps out yet again and this time straight over the sight-screen, this is even bigger than the previous one, Lara is on a roll and this is really a treat to watch
83.4
Danish Kaneria to Lara, SIX, One more and this is high- Lara charges down the track and lofts it away high over the long-on fence, this is a massive hit and Lara is on a high
83.3
Danish Kaneria to Lara, SIX, short ball outside leg stump, Lara rocks back and pulls it away high and over mid-wicket fence
83.2
Danish Kaneria to Lara, no run
83.1
Danish Kaneria to Lara, FOUR, flat on the stumps, Lara steps out and lofts it straight down the ground, one bounce into the fence

3rd morning: Lack of bowling depth will hurt Pakistan

It's never a good strategy to rely on just 3 wicket taking bowlers. Containing the Windies will not work. They have a 151 runs going into the 3rd day and will probably end up batting throughout today, unless Kaneria can get his act together. Kudos to Ganga and Gayle for fending off the Gul and Nazir with the new ball. Did we really think that Gul and Nazir could take 15 wickets again? I didn't!

I hope Pakistan will bowl a tight line this morning to put pressure on the batsmen while they are still fresh. If they don't get any wickets in the morning session, then we'll have to rely on Malik, Hafeez and Razzak to fill in the gaps and allow the frontline bowlers to rest.

In any case, I am hoping the tourists overnight score will be wake up call for the team selectors. Razzak has again been chosen for this test, did not score a lot. Wasted a ton of balls.

Why keep strike AND not score?

Speaking of which. One thing that always pisses me off is how Pakistani batsman, when runs are needed, never let the tailenders bat even though a run is being offered. I think is stupid strategy and it irritates me. Razzak hung around for almost a 100 balls yesterday and had nothing to show for it. Yet when he would play some shots all the way to the boundary, he would refuse to run, opting to play out the over and try to make a run in the 5th of 6th ball. This is plain silly and I don't know any other country that employs this nonsense. Runs are required. This was the first inning. No need to eat up deliveries. What was he thinking? Have faith in your tailenders, and see if you can keep the scoreboard ticking. If they get out, no big deal. Atleast you're keeping the game competitive and the runs coming.

New ball putting pressure on Pakistan on second morning

Inzamam just fell off a pretty good ball. He didn't play forward enough. Though I thought it was just a better ball rather than poor technique. It got the best of him. Inzy apparently even did some net practice this morning. To bad for us I guess. We didn't play aggressive enough on the first day and I feel we need runs on the board, if we're aiming to win this game. Our defensive mindset on the first day was quite defeatist. I certainly didn't think we had the upper hand after the first day.

Razzak, who I feel should not play this test match, is looking terrible. Taylor is making him look like a clown. There is absolutely no technique or anything to his style of batting.

This is amusing to watch. Malik has been getting runs, but he's been lucky. Sad how we can't play the seaming, swinging ball...Who wishes Asim Kamal was around? The good thing is that Windies are fielding badly and have already dropped two catches. If it weren't for these let-offs and their wayward bowling, we would probably be our turn to bowl soon.

Lets hope Razzak and Shoaib can last another 30 balls...

The Windies are missing out on a chance here. They just need to pitch it up and let our batsmen screw up. Jerome Taylor is bowling too short and Colleymore's line and length are off the radar this morning. I'm not saying I trust Malik and Razzak to last too much longer, but if the Windies don't start bowling properly, it could be the difference between 50 runs or a 150.

Pakistan vs West Indies: First Test begins tomorrow

Osman Samiuddin in his analysis and preview doesn't see anything exceptionally untoward about the pitch.

Much will depend on the pitch and though to the untrained eye it doesn't differ from the one that provided the January run-glut when India visited, both captains suggested spin might feature as the match progresses. Lara said, "There's something in it for both pace and spin. Kaneria, Omari Banks and Dave Mohammed might play a role as the pitch deteriorates."

I just hope Pakistan plays 4 specialist bowlers. There is no need for Razzak, Hafeez and Malik to play. Razzak should play, since he's a pacer and on slow pitches, he can be harder to score off, but Hafeez and Malik bring the same thing to the table. I have been arguing this point for the past few series. I hope the Pakistani team selection smartens up and chooses 4 specialist bowlers. Padding (no pun intended) up our batting order isn't going to do much good, unless we're aiming for a draw. Our middle order is capable enough to post big totals and we need to start relying on them to deliver.

For the past few test series we have been pumping in too many all-rounders in the test arena. A test match is the purest form of them game and needs specialist. Though all-rounders is our strength, i don't consider any of them 'test match winners'. ODI's, maybe. Malik, Razzak et all cannot score a solid hundred, nor will they get a 5 wicket haul. Nazir, Gul and Kaneria will play no matter what. I sincerely hope we give a test cap to Niazi or Rehman. I think Niazi should play. His left arm pace can provide variety. He seems like he could possibly be a match winner. He has a number of 5 wicket hauls under his belt. Kaneria can provide the bulk of the spin. Playing 4 pacemen (including Razzak) and a spinner is our best chance of trying to bowl the West Indies out.

West Indies warm-up game ends up in a pointless draw

Here is scorecard from the game. Nothing much came out of this game. The game should not have been just 2 days. The first test starts on Saturday and I am sure the Windies would have been hoping for some more match practice. England plays 3 warm-up games before the start of the Ashes. One can clearly see how much importance teams other than India, Australia and England give to their test match itenerary.

Quite sad, because I enjoy test matches a lot. So the only real positives from this game are Dwayne Bravo and Salman's Butt's century. The Windies have had a bit more match practice, I feel. They played all those qualifying games before the actual Champions Trophy started. Plus they made the final....

Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed bully the West Indies on a placid wicket

Here is the scorecard from the Patrons XI vs West Indies game. So Salman Butt is back in form? Well to be honest, he was never really out of form. He just does not have the ability to play the seaming ball. He does well against bowlers who give the ball some bounce. Recall the disastrous Australian tour, where he was the only Pakistani batsmen who did anything substantial.

So what does this century imply in terms of when he plays next in our "opening merry go round" scheme of things.

Not much I suppose. Yasir Hameed made 92, so he is a certainty for the first test match. Farhat has been in form so he will probably open with Hameed. Its good that Salman Butt is in form. Perhaps with someone in form waiting to get back into the side, Yasir and Farhat will try and cement their place? I don't know. Bob Woolmer has always striven for consistency in the opening slot, but the only consistency he can achieve now is the pool of players that rotate through this opening slot. We have Yasir Hameed, Salman Butt, Mohd. Hafeez, Malik, Farhat....even Akmal has opened the innings, though perhaps not in tests.

Anyway, good for Salman. He will probably be in the squad for the 3rd game if our openers fail in both test matches.

Contrary to what I thought, Mohammad Sami and Abdur Rehman are not in the playing XI. Shahid Nazir is though. Unless Nazir gives away 10 runs an over tomorrow, he will bowl alongside Umar Gul and Niazi in the first game. Rehman will probably sit that one out. Not a strong bowling lineup....but the best under the circumstances.

Tough warmup game in store for the Windies

The Patron's XI team taking on the Windies in their warm up game is pretty tough on paper. The batting, led by Asim Kamal, is experienced while the bowling is reasonable but not that hot; perhaps indicitive of the lack of bowling bench strength after the banning of Shoaib and Asif.

Discard Sami will surely be playing to make a point or two. Though I doubt he will have much of an impact, which is not what his number one supporter, Imran Khan, would like to hear.

From the PCB website...

1. Salman Butt
2. Yasir Hameed
3. Bazid Khan
4. Shahid Yousuf
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
6. Asim Kamal (Captain)
7. Sarfraz Ahmed (Wicketkeeper)
8. Abdur Rehman
9. Mohammad Sami
10. Akhtar Ayub
11. Najaf Shah
12. Shahid Nazir
13. Tahir Khan

I have limited information on some of these players, but its always interesting to follow the teams of these fringe players. Not only could some of them be our future, but it gives valuable match practice to our second best lineup against an international side. Bazid Khan, Shahid Yousuf, and Misbah-ul-Haq score quite heavily on the domestic scene. They have been around for a while now, and hopefully will remain in contention when Inzi and Mohammad Yousuf retire. They have been in the outskirts for a while now. I wonder how and why Faisal Iqbal got ahead of them?

Asim Kamal, being the captain, will play the game, though I feel he should have been in the Pakistan squad. So will Abdur Rehman, Yasir Hameed and Shahid Nazir. These 3 bowlers have been selected for the first two test matches and will be keen to cement their place, come the first test match.

It's a pretty tough unit and the Windies should have their hands full. I doubt there will be a result, as I am not really sure how a two day game works, but I will be keeping my eye on this game.

Pakistan squad for West Indies series lacking bowling depth

The PCB has announced the Pakistan squad for this month's series against the West Indies.

Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria, Samiullah Niazi, Yasir Hameed, Shahid Nazir, Faisal Iqbal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Shoaib Malik.

Notable Exceptions
Mohammad Sami and Rana Naveed are not in the squad. Perhaps not so surprising given their lackluster form in England and in the Champions trophy.

Shahid Afridi is not in the test squad. Hallelujah!

Salman Butt has been dropped again. Yasir Hameed is back in the thick of things and will probably be fighting for a place if Imran Farhat, Hafeez or Malik fail.

I am surprised at the exclusion of Asim Kamal. It would have been nice to have his steadying presence in the team. I assume the choice was between Faisal Iqbal and Asim and since Faisal has been in the squad recently, and has pretty much done nothing untoward, he has been the selection. I think he should be in the final lineup.

Openers
By selecting 3 specialist openers (Farhat, Hafeez, Hameed) and with the makeshift opener (Malik) around, it is clear that Pakistan has not settled into steady openers. Quite a sad dilemma, putting pressure on the Y's and Inzy.

Toothless and inexperienced bowling
Abdur Rehman, Danish Kaneria, Samiullah Niazi, Shahid Nazir, and Umar Gul are the only specialist bowlers in the squad. Rehman will again sit out this test series though his selection is interesting. He was chosen for the Sri Lanka series, and did not play a game. Depending on the ground, I assume they might go for 2 spinners and 2 pacemen, as they used to do when Saqlain and Mushtaq were playing.

In any case, bowling is definitely our weak point. Who would have thought Shahid Nazir and Umar Gul would be our new ball bowlers. Niazi might not get a game if we play 2 spinners. Razzak will be playing, so he will take the role of the 3rd seamer in those conditions.

Batting
The batting will be our strength. Y's are having an incredible couple of years. Inzi is due for some runs however.