My review of the 2nd test between South Africa and Sri Lanka.

 It was an incredible test match for Sri Lanka, Dilshan winning his first match as captain and against one of the best teams around! And comprehensively too! No doubt that this result was not expected after the first test match. This match just proved how much runs on the board matter, if you get them, victory will be closer then if you dont. For Sri Lanka, it was just the matter of some players stepping up. South Africa has a superb bowling attack, but Sangakarra, Samaraweera, and the debutant Chandimal showed that runs can be scored against them. Its just the matter of patience and temperament. Shots can be taken as calculated risks.
 For Sri Lanka, kudos to them, it was a team effort! Indirectly each player contributed to the victory, but no doubt the ones who really deserve recognition for this win are Sangakarra, Samaraweera, Herath, Chandimal and Welegedera. The bowling overall was fantastic!
One mention is for Jayawardene, he badly needs to find form. An impact player he is, but has lost his consistency. He can play super innings, but seems to not have it in him anymore. But i believe he does, and its just the matter of one good innings, to bring back the old Mahela that is a joy to watch.
 While South Africa...they have themselves to blame. I picked up one moment in the game which i believe lost them the match, the dropped catch of Sangakarra in the second innings when he hadnt even scored 10 runs. It was a dropped catch by Boucher, which now we see, cost them a lot. South Africa will hopefully have Vernon Philander fit for the next match, who will really boost their bowling attack. I think they should go with four fast bowlers since Tahir's not really able to make an impact right now. With five fast bowlers (kallis too) South Africa can be on the attack for long periods.
South Africa need to work on their batting, Rudolph and Smith both have gotten starts and havent been able to convert them. Prince and Boucher both also need to make runs if they want to survive the axe. Prince does have form behind him, but hes not showing any this series. Him and Boucher both are capable of quick runs, and need to play to their potential. Hashim Amla looks in good form, which is needed in a number three. Sure luck wasn't with him when he got involved in a stupid mix-up with Prince in the second innings when he was looking in good touch, he still needs to convert his starts this series.
 Kallis..he simply needs to find batting form. We all know what an impact player he can be, well he has to show it again. Rather unexpected from a man as consistent as him to get a pair in his 145th match! He shouldn't let this affect his confidence and needs to come back strongly for the sake of his team.
While AB, he is looking in great form, and i believe it is him that has really saved his team from total collapses this series. All i can say is "keep it up" to him :)
Dale Steyn deserves a mention too, he has been batting rather well for a tailender and looks like he can be useful when needed.

 So, simple as this, South Africa need to put this shocker behind and come back strongly next match. They play up to their potential then Sri Lanka got no chance!

The Sri Lankan players celebrate their maiden win against
South Africa, big moment for them!

A look at the Pakistani test squad for England.

Pakistan squad

• Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman.

 This is the test squad for Pakistan versus England in UAE. Most if not the whole squad was probably predictable, most of the squad chooses itself. The only question is, will this squad be strong enough to beat, or atleast give some tough competition to a number 1 ranked England side?

 Here is the England Squad:  Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn, Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar, Steven Davies.

 There are no questions for this squads, just pure class and talent. No doubt on anyone of them, except for Bopara maybe.

 Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, all are great bowlers, simple great. Or should i say, awesome.

Everyone knows the problems the swing bowlers caused for the Pakistani batsmen the last tour. Pakistan will have to be extra careful and must have much better technique then last time. No doubt we are now an improved line-up but a collapse is always possible. Plus lucky for Pakistan, the tracks in UAE are more spin then seam friendly. Each one of these bowlers is lethal, and Pakisan can not afford under-estimating any of them.

 Englands batting...wheeewwww...Cook, Pieterson and Trott, in my opinion the main men. Our bowlers consist of Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez. All of there are class bowlers, but i still believe taking 20 English wickets will NOT be an easy job. I believe Umar Gul will really have to not only take the responsibilty of leading the attack, but OWNING IT. If the fast bowlers take a few wickets, thn the spinners cando the rest of the damage.

Will be a tough task for Misbah. He'll be hoping the team
continues their incredible winning form.

My key players in the Pakistani squad:

1) Azhar Ali, with his rock solid technique, he should be the man who provides the base to the line up which has a tendency to collapses. 

2) Mohammad Hafeez, his all-round abilities will be required against the strong English side. Plus, some quick runs at the top would be good to put the opposition under pressure.

3) Younis Khan, his experience and runs will be extremely helpful for Pakistan. Not to forget his exceptional fielding.

4) Umar gul, his experience will be needed. He'll have to lead the bowling attack by example. No doubt will have to step up this series, for his performance will be crucial for the team.

5) Saeed Ajmal, has had an incredible 2011. Would be a great achievement for him to take a lot of wickets against this top England side. Pakistan will need him for that.

6) Umar Akmal, my favouriteeee. So glad hes been recalled! Hes just what the batting line-up needs, an aggressive player that can be called on when quick runs are needed. He will have to step up and play long innings, this is the perfect series for him to prove himself.

 

 This will be an interesting an intriguing series, I CAN NOT WAIT FOR IT TO START.

My prediction for the series is unbiased:

2 england- 1 Pakistan.

England will be a tough team to beat, so Pakistan will really have to step up and play exceptionally.

Goooo team misbaahhhhhh!

:D

"Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them- a desire, a dream, a vision. -Mohammad Ali.

2011 is ALMOST OVER :')

 Except for that one dreaded day, 30th March, this year has been a DREAM RUN, and i am extremely proud of the Pakistani team. They have performed consistently, aggressively and played to their strengths. The best part, not losing a single series in this entire year! A single series! And consider this after all the team went through last year! What an improvement, and of course, what an achievement!
 I'm sure everyone knows all that happened this year, all the teams we beat, so i'm just going to highlight my top performances this year, what we can take from this year, what we can still improve, and what we have to look forward to!
 Woah! I have so many pictures saved in my computer of this year in which the team is celebrating with the trophy! I'm going to keep them safe, so that i can always remember this memorable year.
 Now, one can easily argue that Pakistan has easily been successful due to us playing not too strong sides this year, most of them minnows. That all the sides we played, they may have test status but are not much of a competition. I cant disagree with them, but we have shown a lot of signs of improvement this year, which show we are upto the task for next year!! We have performed consistently, and our bowling has been simply superb. One great sign is how there have been very few batting collapses on our part this year! Our fielding has also improved considerably by each series! We are holding on to our catches, and for once, we have shown signs of a united team that works together and supports each team member. We are performing under the cool captaincy of Misbah Ul Haq, there is no doubt of how much credit goes to him. He has played a huge part in the uprising of this team.
 In every match that we win, its amazing how one person or the other steps up on an important occasion. This year, since we have won a lot, there have been some very spectacular performances! Here are my top 5:


ALL ODIS!


1) I bet ANYONE can guess this! No doubt who gets this spot, right? Boom boom of course!! This spot goes for the AMAZING performance he set up at Sharjah! Very unfortunate for the Sri Lankans eh? His 75 runs were crucial since we were looking on the verge of not even crossing 150, but thanks to him we set a target of 200.

Looking forward to more of this!

And then, Sanga and Mahela were cruising their team to victory, but then boom boom got one to sneak in and hit sangas leg stump! After he was gone, all went one by one, and before we knew it, the match was ours. Which was TOTALLY unexpected, but with boom boom in the team, now us Pak fans have to get ready to expect anything!

2) Wahab riaz! His 5-wicket haul in Mohali...sure this match hold sad memories...but his performance gives us something to be cheery about. In the match our spin bowlers were no use due to Indias immunity towards them, and Umar Gul being thrashed around the park, this guy stepped up to the plate and did just what the doctor ordered. Not to forget getting sehwag's wicket who was looking ever dangerous.

Wahabbb! Where art thou?

3) Mohammad Hafeez for his performance against the West indies in the world cup quarter final. A wonderful opening spell and a greaaat innings. 

Professor! Tusi chagayeee.

4) Umar Akmal's 91 against Sri Lanka in the 2nd odi against Sri Lanka, had he made 9 more runs and not let his aggressiveness take over him, this would have been incredible He had taken Pak on the brink of victory! Luck had been with him till his innings finished. It was a great performance under pressure and proved to the selectors he deserves a place in the team. (Note to selectors, TEST CALLUP)

No doubt, an essential part of Pak's future. Will he
be able to step up to the plate?

5) Ahmed Shahzad's 115 against New Zealand. Many would disagree with this choice i bet, but i personally loved this innings. He hit the ball well and the only guy in the lineup who actually contributed to the final score much. If it werent for this knock, Pak would have no doubt lost this series.

Should be called up again? Or no?

Credit has to be given overall to the whole team for performing throughout the year. Ajmal, Hafeez and Afridi have been superb this year, and amazing together.
Misbah, Hafeez and Akmal have been my best batsmen throughout the year.
Gul has been good with the ball. Not very wicket-taking towards the end, but has kept things tight. He deserves a lot of credit for keeping our fast bowling department in good control after the departure of the two A's.
 We have to take in all the confidence we got this year, and use it against the mighty British. Like misbah said :England is the world's best Test team, but on current form we can beat any team." Agreed.

Next year, a lot of challenges await such as the series against England, the Asia cup and also the t20 world cup in Sri Lanka. If our team stays in this form, i bet our tasks will be a whole lot easier. Here are the points i beleive our team has to watch out on.


1) Batting collapses. Of course. We may be batting well, but are still prone to these. Specially considering our last series against England, and this time theres no Razzaq to take us home. Our batsmen will have to be really careful agaisnt the British swing, and should always be ready to step up to the plate. Our bowlers cant be there to save the match all the time. Afridis return in form will help this a lot, but i still await Misbahs maiden odi ton. Younis will be key here. Although, Sarfaraz Ahmed, the wicketkeeper in Odi's has to fire. He has a great first class average and has shown what hes capable of. He just has to show it in the international level, against England would be a great time.


2) Opening partnership. It has improved now, but still needs a lot of work. Hafeez has been superb, so has Taufeeq for tests, but they havent really made much runs together. Both of them have made a lot of runs, but have been seperated from each other pretty early. A good opening partnership is just what a team needs to put the opponent under pressure.

In odi's, i personally believe Hafeez deserves a new partner, Farhat just wont be good enough for Anderson, Bresnan and Broad. A new opener should be called up, Ahmed shahzad perhaps? Awais Zia? Sharjeel Khan? No Akmal though, please. 

3) Seamers: Our spin bowlers have been fantastic, Rehman, Ajmal, Hafeez, Afridi, simply outstanding. And with Hasan Raza due to join them in future, just woah. But i believe now that we depend too much on them, and when they wont be able to step up, our bowling will be in trouble. Gul, Cheema, Tanvir and Junaid have been our main seamers at the end of the year, all have been good, but not very wicket taking. We will need all of them in fine form if we're gonna get 20 British wickets, and of course attack the spin immune indian line up in the Asia Cup.

4) FIELDING. Our fielding may have improved considerably, but we are still very immune to dropping matches. We really have to be careful, since 30th march will always be there to haunt us.

An incredible year this has been, us Pak fans will remember it for long. We, have risen again, and are upto the major tasks ahead of us.

So just two words to all the fellows out there.

Watch. Out.

  

BOOOMM BOOOOMM!

This guy is THE BEST. A NATURAL MATCHWINNER. 
I'm still trying to get over the excitement that pakistan actuallyy wonnn!!!

 

All thanks to LALAAA!
His best performance ever! 
Heres what happened, Pakistan were on the verge of a total batting collapse. But boom boom came to the crease and made 75 of 65 balls, helping us to reach 200, which seemed way out of reach before. Ajmal contributed by sticking around and making runs too.
Thennn, while bowling, cheema was expensive but got tharanga and dilshan early. After that the spinners kept it tight, but mahela and sanga were easily making a few runs and werent under pressure because the required run rate was not much. It looked like the game was all sri lankas because this partnership looked like it was just what sri lanka needed for victory. 
We were on the verge of a loss, till the man with a knee injury came into bowl. He took the wicket of sangakarra, and along with saeed ajmal dismissed the tail to keep sri lanka 26 runs short of the target which was just 201!! AND afridi was on a at trick too, AND while dismissing the tail, HE TOOK A FIVER!
NOW BOOM BOOM IS THE ONLY MAN IN HISTORY TO HAVE MADE A FIFTY AND A FIVER TWICE!
BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
PAKISTAN WON!!! EVEN THOUGH WE MADE JUST 200 RUNSS!
ALL THANKS TO LALAS SUPERB MATCHWINNING PERFORMANCE!
(I still cant believe i almost went to sleep when sanga and mahela were batting)
What a match for when cricket returns to sharjah, eh!?
Nowww, we have won the series :')
Pakistan may have won, but there are still a lot of matters to address.
Batting woes, we need a stronger middle order. And openers who know how to rotate the strike, have good temperament and DONT THROW THEIR WICKET AWAY REGULARLY.
Perhaps, umar akmal should come in between misbah and younis?
And misbaaahh, youre lucky youre the captain and we won. Otherwise critics would be all over you. The way your wicket as fallen the last two matches is just unacceptable. YOU HAVE TO SET AN EXAMPLE. Okay, one time running yourself out, bad luck, fine, but a second time? didnt you learn anything from the last match?
Andddd, should shoaib malik be given another go? Or razzaq? i wish there was a way to go with both :( maybe if umar akmal could wicketkeep...
lastly. WHERE IS JUNAID KHAN!? I will be very dissapointed if he is not given a go in the last one dayer. He impresses in the tests, and yet you persist to keep him out of the action? 
And for sri lanka, keep up the batting collapses mate, we might need them for the next match. ;p


So now, afridi as put a sock in all his critics mouths. Waqar younis was right, afridi should let his cricket do the talking, I am immensely proud of this man and his superb performance under pressure. At a time when pakistan cricket needs all the inspiration it can get, he is delivering.
Keep it up, lala. 
We love you!

4th ODI: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Sharjah - Match Summary:

Result : Pakistan won by 26 runs

Man Of The Match : Shahid Afridi (PAK)

Pakistan 200 (49.3 ov)

Shahid Afridi 75 (65)
Mohammad Hafeez 27 (51)
Saeed Ajmal 20 (37)

CRD Fernando 10-3-26-3
BMAJ Mendis 9-0-40-2
S Prasanna 10-1-55-2

Sri Lanka 174 (45.2 ov)

KC Sangakkara 58 (103)
DPMD Jayawardene 55 (87)
WU Tharanga 16 (13)

Shahid Afridi 9.2-0-35-5
Saeed Ajmal 9-1-29-2
Aizaz Cheema 8-0-48-2

Swannys ashes video diary!!

 Here all of the parts of swannys ashes video diary for all those cricket lovers who havent seen this. These are incrediblyyy funny and always make me feel better when i watch them! This guy is a genius!!

Peter Roebuck-death on 12th November 2011.

 He died yesterday, i didnt know him personally but i loved reading his articles. There is no doubt that cricket has lost a great, someone whose opinions were widely regarded. I would like to share the tribute here for Peter Roebuck that was posted on cricinfo:

Tributes for the cricket writer and former Somerset captain Peter Roebuck, who has died in South Africa, aged 55

"RIP Mr Roebuck. Mentor. Maestro. Mate. Thanks for your guidance and friendship. So very sad." - Alex Brown, director of sport, Daily Telegraph and former sports editor of the Sydney Morning Herald

"A magnificent analyst and writer on the game." -Mark Scott, managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

"'Nobody cut to the chase more succinctly and nobody saw how the game was and where it was heading better than Peter Roebuck ... [his] incisiveness and the way he delivered was the blueprint for our cricket commentary." - Kerry O'Keeffe, former Australia spinner and ABC cricket commentator

"Devastated. My dear friend and one of the greatest cricket writers ever Peter Roebuck passes away. He was meant to write about cricket in the manner Sachin Tendulkar was born to play it." - Harsha Bhogle, Indian commentator and writer

"He bought particular insight to his commentary based on his lengthy experience as a first-class cricketer and captain, and combined that with a singular flair for the written and spoken word. He spoke his mind frankly and while one didn't necessarily always have to agree, you always respected what he had to say." - James Sutherland, Cricket Australia, chief executive officer

"Peter was not only an extremely gifted cricket writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, he was also one of Australia's most popular cricket commentators for the ABC." - Greg Hywood, CEO of Fairfax media

"We are saddened and shocked at this news. Peter was one of the finest cricket writers of his generation. His reporting and commentary were always fair, balanced, and insightful." - Peter Fray, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald

"I don't think anyone in cricket writing had a voice like Peter's when he arrived on the scene in the early 1980s. You only have to contrast the way we wrote about cricket in the 1970s to the way we write it now - Peter has been responsible I think for a lot of those developments." - Gideon Haigh, cricket historian and writer

"RIP Peter Roebuck. I didn't agree with everything you wrote about cricket but f*** I loved the way you wrote it..." - Wil Anderson, Australian comedian

"Shocked to hear the sad news from Cape Town, RIP Peter Roebuck a great cricketing mind." - Tom Moody, former Australia allrounder

"Cricket has lost one hell of an intellect and a bloke who cared deeply about the game. I always read Peter Roebuck with complete admiration." - Lawrence Booth, editor of the Wisden Almanack

"Shocking and sad news about Peter Roebuck. One of the two or three best writers on cricket in the world," -John Stern, former editor of The Wisden Cricketer

"My God. Just heard about Peter Roebuck. Loved working with him. Incisive. Erudite. Funny." - Jonathan Agnew, BBC cricket correspondent and former England bowler

"Very sad news: Peter Roebuck, former Somerset batsman and one of the finest sportswriters around, has died at the age of 55." - Phillippe Auclair, sports journalist and author of Cantona: The Rebel Who Would Be King

"Peter taught me so. He took the time to share his thoughts on the game he loved so much. A wordsmith of the highest quality." - Peter Walsh, ABC broadcaster

"We love an opinion, whether we agree or not. We've just lost a great polariser." - Iain O'Brien, former New Zealand bowler

"Peter was caustic, opinionated, brilliant & funny, a man who could make you laugh, get pissed off or say, 'why couldn't I put it that way?'" - Kadambari Murali-Wade, editor-in-chief, Sports Illustrated India

"Can't believe that Peter Roebuck is no more...met him a couple of times and read him a million times. One of my favourite cricket writers. R.I.P." - Aakash Chopra, former India batsman

"Very, very depressed. A friend and one of the world's greatest cricket writers Peter Roebuck is no more. Roebuck was a cricket intellectual. He always saw the game 'beyond the boundary' which made his writing so special." - Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief, IBN network

Spotfixing.

This is for all those who want to know about the spotfixing case going on nowadays :)

Third test-Pak vs. Sri Lanka. Pak clutch series!

 The third and last test of the series ends in a draw, but so what? Pakistan still win the series! (1-0) This was an exciting gane, which would have surely ended in a result if it hadnt rained during the whole first session (rain in Sharjah, i know right?). This was the first match in which victory for Pakistan looked unlikely. Mainly because our bowleers were not able to take quick wickets, allowing batsmen like Dilshan, Paranavitana and Sangakarra to score high. Heres a summary and a few facts:

• Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 1-0.
• Even though Pakistan clutch the series, Pakistan still retains its 5th place ranking and Sri Lanka its 6th place ranking.
• Sangakarra got the award for most sixes in the series. (Ridiculous award to be given in test cricket in my opinion)
• Sangakarra got the man of the match and good performance award.
• Saeed Ajmal and Sangakarra got a shared man of the series award, good decision in my opinion.
• Sangakarra the highest run-scorer of the series making 516 runs at an average of 85.
• Ajmal is the highest wicket taker with 18 wickets at 28.77.
• Sri Lanka continue their run of series losses after the retirement of the previous greats.
• Misbah continues his great captaincy form by not losing a single series yet.

 There are positives and negatives for both teams from this series. Lets start with positives.
Pakistan

• The return of Umar Guls form.
• Junaid Khan picking up wickets against a world class team, surely one for the future.
•  Azhar Ali will have gained confidence after his century.
• Pakistan finally has two settled openers.

Sri Lanka

• One word, Sangakarra, that says it all.
• Welegederas bowling. Amazing.

Negatives

Pakistan

• Fielding. Pakistan has to improve their standards of fielding and catching. Catches win matches, a lesson we have had to learn the hard way, but will not want to again.
• The batting has overall been good, with centuries each match. That shows improvement and we need that so that our usual collapses dont take place.
• Asad Shafiq may just be youngster, but there are high expectations from him. He really has to work on his technique.
• I personally feel Pakistan should have atleast one batsman in the squad who can be there to pick up the run rate when needed. We have none. We need atleast one to be able to attack the opponents.
• Pakistan should be taking risks sometimes. Its okay to play defensive so that you dont lose, but taking risks is necessary if a team wants to win.

Sri Lanka

• All the batsmen not performing. In each of their innings, it always been one or two whove made all the runs. Mahela hasnt been in good form at all and a lot more is expected from a player of his class and experience.
• The bowling. It is a generally good line up but they need a leader, or a strike bowler who can be depended on to take wickets.
• Their fitness. I personally feel the general fitness of the Sri Lankans is not good. They have to work on that.

 So overall Pakistan played good cricket, they were a bit defensive at times but the captaincy was good otherwise. If Sangakarra hadnt stood in their way, a whitewash was definite. I really enjoyed watching this series, the competition was good, not as intense as i had expected earlier though. As good as both these teams played, theres no doubt that theyre both better in the shortest formats, so looking forward to those!

Kudos to both teams :)

Pak vs india-1999 tour. Documentary, inside Pak dressing room, MUST SEE!!!

Junaid Khan-5 wickets.

 And just to think his place in the side was questioned instead of Wahabs!! He has bowled great this series so far, exremely impressive at just 21!! Had the fielders not let him down, he would have eased to a ten wicket haul. Here are his 5 wickets in the first innings of the Sri Lanka test:

Pak vs Sri Lanka: 1st test. Review.

 What do i say for the result of this match? I'm just speechless. The match has been drawn, even though Pakistan was in a dominating position the first three days. They slipped the match out of their hands, literally.
 1st day: Pakistan was right on top this day! The position they had gained was truly dominating. Misbah won the toss and chose to field first on a batting track and was highly criticised for that, till the match started. Sri Lanka all out for 197! Each bowler except for Hafeez contributing, and young 21-year old pace bowler Junaid Khan higly impressed with a 5 wicket haul. We grabbed every opportunity we got and totally flattened the opposition on a batting track. The bowlers all bowled the right areas and lengths, courtesy to the Sri Lankan batsman too, for playing bad shots. By the end of this day, everyone was pleased with Pakistans efforts, and dissapointed with Sri Lanka's.
 2nd day: Pakistan on top again. Pak: 259/1. Hafeez out on 73, while Azhar Ali and Taufeeq Umar had a good partnership going.  Taufeeq had already reached three figures and Azhar had made a fifty. Sri Lanka only got one breakthrough in the ninety overs bowled that day, so credit to the Pakistani batsman for spending time patiently in the middle.
 3rd day: Well done Taufeeq! Reaching a double century! Nothing but praise for this guy. This was the first double century by a Pakistani opener since 1992. He played a patient and well constructed innings, extremely impressive. Shafiq made an unbeated 26 from 94 balls, i have to admit, i expected much better then him. Especially when Pakistan was looking to push the pedal and make some quick runs. He went totally in shell and hardly played his natural game, plus there was lack of technique. He really has got a lot to learn and i think the coaches will have to work on him.

 So, the end of this day Pakistan were 511-6 dec. Great right?
We declared and got to bowl at Sri Lanka for a few overs. Umar Gul; trapped opener Paranavtina first ball LBW. The rest of the day Sri Lanka easily got 43-1 but mainly because luck was with them.
 4th and 5th day day: And then it all fell apart.. Drop, drop, drop and drop! Pakistan dropped 5 chances. 5! Hafeez and Younis messed up big time. Our bowlers bowled beautifully, no doubt about that. It was the butterfingers in the team that lost us the match. Hafeez dropped two consecutive edges from Junaid Khan...both sitters. I bet if the fielding had been good, Junaid would have eased to ten wickets. Basically, thanks to all the missed opportunities by the fielders, Sri Lanka reached 483 with Kumar Sangakarra making a big double hundred and prasanna jayawardene finding form with a 120. Both of them would have not gotten that far had the slip fielders been able to hold on to the ball. We had set a huge lead on them, but Sri Lanka overcame that and put us a lead of 170. We got the target of 170 in 21 overs, and we turned it down. We didnt even try even though it was possible. Had we sen Shafiq to open instead of Taufeeq or something like that. But we hardly tried!! I think that was too defensive of Misbah, as a captain, you have got to take risks sometimes. If Pakistan had lost a few early wickets, then we could have gave up the chase, but we didnt even try.
Result: A really dissapointing draw even though victory was in our hands at the beginning. At the end of the match, all the confidence and the upper hand is with Sri Lanka now.
 Pakistan has GOT TO improve their fielding, letting go of opportunities can easily change the course of test matches. Our bowlers are great, but our fielders have to back them up effectively. We have a lot of positives to take from this match, such as Junaid Khans bowling and Taufeeqs batting, but the negatives can easily outshine those. We have a lot to work on.
 So the series is 0-0 at the moment, the next match begins on Wednesday, and inshallah, victory will be ours.

Both Sangakarra and Taufeeq reached great double hundreds, but
Sanga's was more impressive as thats what saved Sri Lnka from losing.

Zaka Ashraf, can he make the difference needed?

 Last week an announcement was made, the announcement that every  Pakistani cricket fan had been waiting for. Ijaz Butt is now no longer chairman of PCB!!! That is probably the best thing that happened to Pakistan cricket since hes arrived (other than the t20 world cup, of course). Maybe for once, PCB will actually be in peace. Zardari has come to his senses and and not prolonged butts tenure. So, the new man in is Zaka Ashraf who is the president of the ZTBL bank. I'm ecstatic that Ijaz Butt has finally left the PCB, but i'm a bit worried about this new man. He has come from a business background, so i guess that means he might be better then handling issues better then Butt. But the thing is, Ashraf had absolutely nothing to do with sports before he was appointed chairman. He has a totally agricultural background and had nothing at all to do with cricket. So wouldn't it have been better to have chosen someone with some experience? Such as Zaheer Abbas who had also applied for the job? Ashraf is a great businessman, but considering that he has no cricket background, him becoming the chairman, the person who makes and influences all the decisions made for Pakistan cricket....is kinda bizarre.

  I have a feeling that Zardari may have shown a bit of favouritism when choosing Ashraf as chairman. If so, i cant wait for Zardari to leave too. Although, Ashraf has shown a lot of interest in being chairman and has made a lot of positive statements so far. He really hopes that he becomes a good chairman. Ashraf has been appointed at a crucial time, we are still in a rebuilding phase and are about to have a series with one of the major teams in test cricket. Plus the spot fixing trials are coming up too. So will this guy, Ashraf be able to do what Butt hadnt been able to do? Find the balance needed? Can he have a tenure which wont be as sparked as controversies like Butts?
 There is one thing that is confusing me though, PCB has stated that Ashraf cant be the chairman till hes not the chairman of the ZTBL bank, and just last month, Zardari had extended his ZTBL bank chairman tenure for another month. So what is this going on? Is the Pakistan cricket board chairmanless at the moment? Or is Zardari just playing games?
 I'd just like to remind Zardari that cricket...is this countrys passion, our honour lies in cricket. Cricket is the one thing that usually brings this country together. We have the talent to do well and make our country proud. So this matter should be taken seriously, because it will affect the future a lot.

MI vs. RCB. CLT20 FINAL PREVIEW.

This is it! After 2 weeks of brilliant and exciting cricket, this is what it comes down too, Mumbai Indians versus the Royal Challenger Bangalore in the final. So now no matter what, the new champion is going to be an indian team, this is an indian final now, a repeat of the indian premier league semi-final.
 In less than 24 hours, there will be a new champion. Both teams have match winners included, but the way the teams have changed a lot since the indian premier league, its going to be a hard guess for this encounter. Mumbai have lost a lot of players since the indian premier league, theyre hardly the same team they were back then. Rcb still going good, thanks to their top three batsman, but losing Luke Pomersbach and Zaheer Khan are turning to be big blows because theyre bowling has turned out to be just horrible this season. While Mumbais batting has been a bit of a worry this tournament, but with rcbs bowling it may not be that bad.
This will be really interesting contest because so far, Bangalore has won their last two games chasing 200+ on a great batting track. Chasing has always been really hard in Chennai, as bangalore saw in the IPL final. So, if Vettori wins the toss he will most probably bat first and RCB will try their best to put up a huge score. The thing is, will RCB's poor bowling be abloe to defend it?
 And, if Mumbai bat first, RCB's poor bowoling might let them go to a huge score. In both scenarios, the odds are totally with Mumbai. Especially because then new ball is going to be in lethal Malingas hands, Gayle and Dilshan will have to be extremely careful against him. Considering how his yorkers seem to be getting more and more accurate, and his match winning abilities even stronger.
For me, the main contest in this match will be Gayle, Dilshan and Kohli vs Malinga. All four of them have been brilliant throughout the tournament and are no doubt the key players in their teams. 
 Both captains, Harbhajan for Mumbai and Vettori for Bangalore have a tough job ahead of them as players but even more as captains. I think captaincy is a hard job in t20 cricket since its hard to decide which bowlers to go in for their spells, field placements etc. Vettori and Harbhajan have been succesful and non-successful in their bowling changes this tournament. Itll be interesting how both go about this match.
 There have been such thrilling encounters this whole tournament, its hard to know what to expect from the final, but im sure its going to be as exciting as any final should be.
  Prediction: Mumbai.
  Support: Bangalore.

GO AAR CEE BBEEE!!

Pakistan test squad for Sri Lnka announced.

Squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Wahab Raiz, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan

Standby players: Tanvir Ahmed, Mohammad Talha, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah.

Thats the squad for Sri Lanka in the UAE. It looks like a pretty balanced squad, i feel that the bowling may be just a bit weak. I think Hafeez and Farhat should be used to open, and not taufeeq because he hasnt exactly impressed me nowadays and the other two are good enough. The bowling may be weak because Wahab still hasnt established himself as a test bowler yet and i am hoping that Umar Gul has rediscovered his test form. Aizaz Cheema highly impressed in Zimbabwe so a lot is expected from him, and also of Saeed Ajmal, who has the capibility to bamboozle any batsman.

 I think that Adnan Akmal has been clean behind the stumps so far but to me, his batting has not impressed at all, he has batted like a tail ender, he really has to come up with a good innings if he wants to cement his top, otherwise Sarfaraz Ahmad wont mind a call up. 

 Before, i felt that it was harsh to have dropped Umar Akmal considering how he wasnt really able to perform the Zimbabwe test due to bad luck. But later Mohsin Khan made a statement that they had asked Umar has been asked to work on his batting for longer innings, i totally agree with that statement. He may have reached a century on debut but hasnt impressed much after that.

   I support Shoaib Maliks inclusion in the squad and believe that he and Asad Shafiq both should get a fair chance to impress.

Key players: Hafeez, Younis, Ajmal, Gul.

:) Shoaib Malik has a half chance of being included in the squad against sri lanka, i think he should. Here is a video to remind you of one of his greatest innings and of what hes capable of.

Pakistan coach-foreign or local?

 The PCB three man commitee consisting of Zaheer Abass, Intikhab Alam and Naushad Ali, have said that they got thirty seven applicants for the job of head coach, nine foreign and twenty five local coaches applied for the job. Out of all of them, the committe has shortlisted five names for the position. Intikhab Alam has disclosed that the five names include both foreign and local coaches. Since Pakistan leave for Sri Lanka on October 15, the team will most probably have a temporary coach for the tour.

                     

Aaqib Javed is one of the most likely coaches for Pakistan.

  It is good to know that foreign coaches applied for the job, because i hadnt been expecting any to apply because of the security issue here, and also because before PCB had claimed that foreign coaches were accepting to coach Pakistan but only in foreign countries. 
  I'm not trying to pass any judgements here, because obviously each coach has his own abilities, but personally i feel Pakistan should go with a foreign coach. That is because firstly local coaches here have been criticised before for having their personal favourites or some sort of lobby. Plus we need someone who can handle media and criticism, that is because Waqar Younis faced a tough time as coach due to the spot fixing issues, God forbid something like that happen in the future, but just in case it does, the team needs someone strong and capable. 
 Another thing i have noticed about local coaches is that they believe they deserve a lot of respect while coaching here, they prefer to have their own way going around.
 Considering how Pakistan cricket can easily be sparked by controversies, i believe we should have a coach who already has a international experience. 
 Although, one advantage of a local coach is that the team would probably feel more comfortable around him then a foreign coach and that he would already know how the PCB works, because it didnt work the way other cricket boards do.
 I just hope in the end, PCB ends up choosing the right coach in a way that will affect Pakistan cricket very positively, especially for the long run.

What was Shoaib thinking?

 Shoaib Akhtar released his book " controversially yours" last week, he released it in India and was set to have a book launch in Mumbai next week, but Mumbai cancelled it. They have given no specific reason why they did that but its pretty much obvious why. That is because of the sort of remarks Shoaib wrote in his book, which brings me too, what was Shoaib thinking? Was he even thinking while he wrote the book? Or did he write that stuff just to get publicity and money?
 Honestly, he was a great bowler, a legend, no doubt about that. But after this, he may have just lost all his reputation. The respect that world had for him has really sunken. Who would respect someone who doesnt respect others?

Does Shoaib have no respect for what the
little master has achieved in his career?

Some notable things Shoaib said in his book are:

• Dravid and Tendulkar are not match winners, they didnt even know how to close a game.
• Wasim was against me, he was trying to destroy my career. He told the PCB he would play in the same team in which i was included.
• I have ball tampered lots of times, everyone does that, it should be made legal.
• Shahrukh Khan and Lalit Modi cheated on me in the Ipl, i never should have trusted them. Shahrukh took good care of me during the tournament but i still havent recieved my money.
• I was offered 3 million dollars for match fixing during the 1999 world cup.
• Before i bowled my first ball to Tendulkar, i asked whether he knew who i was, he said he didnt. I said to him, now you will. And surely after i bowled my first ball, he did. His bat didnt even touch the ball and his middle stump was rocked back.

   Just the first point, the one about Dravid and Tendulkar, has sparked so many controversies. Very few people in this world have agreed with what Shoaib said, the rest have all gone against him. Any one who follows cricket knows that Tendulkar and Dravid are legends, and natural match winners, their statistics prove that. Tendulkar himself said that it was above his dignity to make any remarks about the book. A protest was held in suburban Dahisar in India against Akhtar for his comments on Tendulkar, protestors carried Shoaibs posters on donkeys.

 Wasim Akram said that Shoaib doesnt even qualify to make such comments about Sachin, i agree. Wasim even said that he doesnt know what Shoaib meant when he said Wasim tried to destroy his career.

 Shoaib has his own opinion, and he wrote that in the book, i understand that, but those opinions are honestly outrageous and Shoaib should have been aware of what the reactions to what he wrote would be. He probably has a very high image of himself, the world did too, but for now, that has been shattered.

Zardari and Afridi, no results?

 Last week, Asif Ali Zardari held a meeting and dinner in which many big people of Pakistan came, this was to plan and organise a fundraiser for the floods in Pakistan. Shahid Afridi was also invited to that event and before the day of the dinner, he had said that he would talk to Asif Zardari about his comeback. 
 The dinner reached no results, and as some news channels said, that was because Ijaz Butt was there the whole time.

 Even though Afridi may not be coming out of retirement soon, his message is clear, he wants to make a comeback. Considering that Waqar and Ijaz Butt both will have left the PCB outfit by the next few weeks, that'll just motivate him to come back even more. He has said that he is hungry to play Pakistan cricket.
 The question that comes in my mind is, how desperate can one get? He retired after slamming the PCB officials, coach and claimed he could not work with those people. But now, if some of them go, you're going to comeback this easily? Wheres the dignity?
 I personally feel Shahid Afridi shouldn't come out of retirement, the Pakistani team is doing perfectly fine so far without him and with Misbah as captain. Plus once you're already 31 years and 208 days, you can't except too much cricket from a person. We dont need Afridi also because in this year so far, his batting was proving to be useless for the team, he may have raised his game in the world cup and too 21 wickets with his legspin, but Pakistan has already found another quality legspinner, Yasir Shah. Yasir may not have the experience or the variety of Afridi, but he can improve, and its not like he hasnt impressed so far.
 So even if Afridi does make a comeback, i hope PCB will be smart enough to not include him in any squad unless its absolutely necessary.

Will England have the Australian dominance?

 Now that England have whitewashed India, expectations are extremely high from them. The way they are performing, everyone is comparing them to the previous Australians. So, the question is simple, will England have the previous Australian dominance? They have the batsman and the bowlers to do it, they have the talent and the commitment. They work together as a team and theres healthy competition between all the players. England has the experienced players and the youngsters, all ready to perform. They have outstanding captains for all formats of the game, and they have an inspiring coach too.
 At the moment, the England teams confidence is at a high, with their only failure this year being the 2011 world cup, other then that theyve had an outstanding year so far, the ashes victory obviously the higlight. Here are all the players i believe will be a huge key for Englands future:

1) Alastair Cook: No doubt that he will be a major key for England in Odi's and test matches. At the age of 25, he is already a major part of Englands test side. Having played 72 tests, at the average of 49.72 and a high score of 294, that should itself give a good enough idea of what a great test batsman he is. His temperament is just unquestionable, his technique to always try to face off the new ball and then score runs has proved really helpful for him.
 He is the Odi captain at the moment, making an Odi comeback after the cricket world cup. In his first two innings as captain, he faced a lot of criticism which was that he cant keep up the strike rate in this format, he was able to prove them wrong soon enough.
 He was in superb form in the ashes series, which was when his batting mattered most. Considering that Andrew Strauss is already 34 years old and not been in great form lately, Alastair will be handed the test captaincy soon, and its then that he will matter most to his team. 

2)  Eoin Morgan:  He plays an important part in Englands Odi and T20 side, his test spot may still be under question. He has outstanding talent though, and theres no doubt about what hes capable for. A test average of 36.35 surely needs some improvement, but having played only 13 matches, he does deserve some more more to try and cement his test spot.. Getting vice captaincy even after not being in the team for a very long time, to me, is a pretty big thing. That shows how much the England selectors have faith in him and of what their expectations from him are. An incredible fielder too, he is.

 I personally believe hes a game changer and a match winner, with the ability to play some outrageous shots. He has performed in pressure situtations too. He will be the key for a future invincible England batting line up.

3) Ravi Bopara: Making a comeback to the England side this summer, for me he has impressed enough to have settled his place for now. So far hes been suited for all three formats in the game, but i personally believe hes not the t20 type, he hasnt got the aggression of a t20 batsman in him. To me he will be a crucial part for England in odis and tests, his being there settles the batting line up and Ravi is someone who takes responsibilty and is more often than not, able to produce an innings that counts.

 He may not be called an all rounder, but i personally believe his medium pace can be pretty helpful to England, its always useful to have that one extra bowler who can bowl a few overs and take a few wickets, or perhaps someone there to bowl straight and take the pace of the ball. His medium pace will be good for England on slow tracks.

 There are really high expectations from him, and he is no doubt capable of reaching those expectations and performing when it matters. He will be an important part of Englands batting and bowling.

4) Steven finn: Just 22 years of age and a height of 6'7, theres no doubt about what can be achieved by this man. He has good line and length, can bowl the 90 mph mark and has a knack of taking wickets. Hes got 50 text wickets in just 12 matches with an impressive average of 26.92 and a best bowled match of 9/187, outstanding! He is already part of Englands main bowling attack, and considering that hes just 22 right now he can and must have bright future while playing for England.

In my view, these are the key players for Englands future for the next four-five years, good performances from them are crucial for England.