Imran Farhat's father in law has declared war

Not really sure why Imran Farhat is complaining to his father in law about not making it into the team. That makes him even more a pussy than we thought him to be. Here is a picture of Farhat getting bowled and looking like a fool.

So apparently Farhat phoned the selectors asking them why he hasn't been included in the squad. Well, Farhat, you're not exactly a great player, plus you wear a bandana. And lastly, you make your daddy-in-law fight your battles for you.

The selectors have put him on probation for 6 months. Does this mean he can't play for the international team for 6 months? Let's hope so...

The Shahid Afridi dilemma

As the selectors are in the process of whittling down the World Cup team from 30 probables, the only chance Shahid Afridi had, was his selection for the ODI's against South Africa. Otherwise it would be too late and not enough match practice for him. And based on his horrendous performance in 2006, that could never have happened.

But lo and behold, he's back, and the selectors have made it pretty clear that he has been chosen primarily because of the pre-2006 years. It's a strange reason and poor selection on their part. Why on earth can't Pakistan just move on and live life without him? It doesn't make sense to me. Before the squad was announced, Wasim Bari, the chief selector said...

"It is a difficult decision, but I must say that if Afridi is recalled to the (one-day) squad it would be on the basis of his past performance," chief selector Wasim Bari told The News'.

And after the selection, Bari defended his decision but added that the pressure was well and truly on Afridi.

“Afridi has the talent and the experience and now has to perform. The onus is on him and he has to help himself now,” he said.

So, unfortunately, Afridi is back. Sadly, there is no doubt that Pakistan allowed him an extended run last year, gave him plenty of chances to get back into form, and to try and make a difference. When must this cycle end? This blogger had been calling for Afridi's exclusion from the ODI squad last year based on an average of 7.67 after 15 innings in 2006.

But has his form improved? That's the brighter side...

-In domestic cricket, Afridi hasn't done too badly, so maybe the break from international cricket has helped. In 5 first-class domestic games (9 innings), he scored 253 runs, at an average of 28 with a high score of a 100. He fared a lot better in the bowling department, getting 22 wickets at an average of 9.36.
-In 4 twenty20 games (only 2 innings though) he scored 52 runs, at an average of 26 with a high score of a 49. Again, he bowled well getting 22 wickets at an average of 9.87.

His domestic form is fine, and its a healthy allrounders average in both bowling and batting. However when he comes to ODI's in recent times, he's lost at sea. In the middle of December, he was recalled to face the West Indies, going opening and scoring a solitary run before getting bowled.

I feel Afridi may not be cut out for the international stage any longer. Firstly, I've never really liked his style of batting. It's too much drama, and too hit and miss for my taste. His unpredictability is actually quite predictable and international bowlers aren't scared of him anymore and know exactly how to get him out. He's pretty much become just a walking wicket waiting to be taken.

I'd much rather have reliability in that position, because we're potentially losing runs there. I agree that he is a match winner, but those innings are too few and far between. Is he really such a useful spinning allrounder? Wouldn't we rather have a specialist batsmen in his place, or perhaps a specialist spinner? Of course he chips in with 1 or 2 constantly, but so does Razzak. In fact Hafeez is a pretty decent spinner too. Why not have a better bowler, one who can take 5 wicket hauls, or a batsmen who can score 30's or 40's? His bowling on its own does not warrant selection and coupled with his batting, it makes him a weaker candidate. If he does score a quick 30 in the World Cup, do we honestly believe that he can sustain that form in every match? Or even a quarter of the games? Because that's why we're choosing him aren't we? His quickfire 30 in 10 balls...which, honestly, is quite unlikely to happen. For a player, revered by Pakistanis for being such a gambler, the odds of success in this South African series are squarely against him.

My argument is simple. We will most likely play Razzak, Shoaib Malik and Hafeez or atleast two of them in the World Cup along with 3 specialist bowlers. (3 from Asif, Shoaib, Rana, Gul, Rehman). Thus we have the ability to bowl those 50 overs easily amongst these guys. Instead of adding another allrounder to the squad, we'd be much better off playing an extra batsmen. Waseem Bari and Afridi's fans believe its his past that provides more than enough reason to play him in the World Cup. But I think its his past which is what's against him this time around. A player should be selected only if he's in good form. The past is not an satisfactory basis for his selection? As a result my Afridi supporting days are long over and done with.

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.

Not selecting Shoaib Akhtar is a mistake - though not too costly

The WADA appeal to reinstate the ban has been recently filed, and the dust is yet to settle on the doping scandal. The cricketing world isn't too happy with the let-off. I have made my opinion clear on this issue; both Shoaib and Asif shouldn't play till they are retested...

But since they are available for selection, and the ICC hasn't put its foot down, I feel the show much go on. I am as irritated as anyone, at the incompetence of the PCB in handling this case, but I realize that I need to look to the future now. The WADA appeal is ongoing and the ICC, rightly so, is not going to let this pass so easily. So instead of hating on the players, I will direct my frustration towards the PCB, who I feel made a mockery of the situation.

As far as the South African tour goes, not selecting Shoaib Akhtar is a bit of a folly. It's a bit strange that his fitness has been adjudged according to his performance in the domestic twenty20 tournament. I don't think playing well in 20 over cricket is an accurate measure of bowling form. Shoaib is a match-winner, he thrives in playing on the world stage. If he is going to get past this doping scandal, they might as well, bring him into action as early as possible. The bouncy, pacy South African wickets would be ideal for his style of bowling.

On the brighter side, the bowling is still pretty strong without him. Perhaps it will be advantageous for him to wait out the test matches and play the ODI's. After all, the next big tournament that Pakistan should be setting their eyes on is the World Cup.