Friday 30 September 2011

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.





Sunday 25 September 2011

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.

Saturday 24 September 2011

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.
   

Monday 19 September 2011

Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka


Heres the schedule for the upcoming series of Pakistan vs Sri Lanka:


What did Pakistan get from this tour?

 After completing a clean sweep of Zimbabwe, Pakistan have now refreshed themselves after the world cup and are no ready to meet stiffer oppositon. This was the perfect series to get us ready for the big matches against Sri Lanka and England coming up. Pakistan turned out completely successful on this tour, even though they recieved a lot of criticism before it started. Experts such as Wasim Akram criticised against the non-inclusion of senior players such as Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz, they said that our attack would become really weak without them. The aim of this tour was to give youngsters a chance and try different combinations, how would that happen with them?
 Well, basically so far Misbah has now not lost a single series as captain and his team were able to put together a fitting farewell for Waqar Younis. But what exactly did Pakistan gain from this series? Lets have a look at certain players performances:

1) Mohammad Hafeez: A fairytale tour for him, he was just fantastic. He performed in all formats of the game, in batting with 1 test century, an odi century and 2 t20 half-centuries. In the bwoling department, he took 4 wickets in the test match at 15.25, only got 1 wicket in the ODI's but got 7 wickets in the t20i's, that too crucial breakthroughs. Just as people were demanding his exclusion from the team, he came out and performed with a bang! And i have to say, for the first time in years, Pakistan finally have a settled opening batsman. His contributions in this series were too good to be true, those 4 man of the match awards he recieved during the tour were well deserved.
 He has been able to set up good platforms for Pakistan with his batting and his spin has become really handy, he's almost a 10-overs bowler now. Now that Hafeez has performed against these minnows, its time for him to really prove himself against Sri Lanka next month.


2) Imran Farhat: After being brough back in the side again, i believe he's had a reasonably good comeback. Just played three ODI's at 56.00 which is impressive. He looked comfortable batting with Hafeez and looked like a good partner for him, a bit sloppy in the field though. I still dont think theres any reason for him to be dropped after this tour though. 
                                                    
3) Younis Khan: Pakistans most consistent batsman this tour, he truly showed his value for the team this tour. Performing in both the test match and ODI's also by being marked as Pakistans best fielder. He made a good solid knock in the test match and had two half-centuries in the ODI's at 86.00 with a good strike rate which is exceptional. I feel hes our best batsman at the moment and i dont know what our team would do without his experience and how he settles the middle order.


4) Aizaz Cheema: Surely a dream debut for him, even at the age of 32, hes shown he still has it in him to perform for his country. In fact, the way he performed, the question that arises is why didn't he get to debut earlier? He took 8 wicketes in the test match at 12.87 and 8 wickets in the 3 ODI's at 17.00. He has impressed highly and deserves a chance to carry on, as the only swing bowler Pakistan had on this tour, he was able to fill in the boots of the rested Umar Gul. Had he debuted earlier, i would have predicted a bright future for him, but at the age of 32, i dont know what to say, but he surely has the talent and skills for that.


5) Yasir Shah: After Afridis retirement, he had big boots of a leg spinner to fill. I think he performed reasonably and showed promise. After he gets some international exposure and maturity, he could surely become a much improved and effective performer. He bowled with good pace but his line and length was a bit shaky, he can work on that though. He may have been ordinary with the ball, but he was extremely impressive and effective in the field, he saved a lot of runs and took a few amazing catchers, good fielders is something Pakistan is in need of so he should keep up the good work in that field.
6) Sohail Tanvir: Hes had an impressive comeback to the side with both bat and bowl. He was able to provide the team with some hard hit boundaries at the end of the innings and gives much needed strength to our lower order. He bowled good line and lengths with good pace and swing but without much rewards. Even then, he showed promise and performed well enough under the absence of Gul and Riaz. At the age of 25, still got a lot of cricket left in him and has shown the skills to be a worthy performer, the upcoming series will be good tests for him.


7) Shoaib Malik: A very unconvincing comeback from his side and he surely could have performed better. Only being able to score 17 runs in 4 innings, he had the capability to score better. He didn't perform much with the ball either, only picked up one wicket the whole series. I expected a much better performance from him and won't be surprised if hes dropped after this tour, and at the age of 29, i dont know when or whether hell ever get another chance again. The only way he performed was by being sharp in the field. Besides, its time Pakistan used youngsters rather then seniors who dont even perform. 


 After testing this mixture of youngsters and seniors, i hope the PCB will select a good squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, a test for them surely.

Sunday 18 September 2011

Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe, 2nd T20I: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Harare, Sep 18, 2011 PREVIEW:

   If Pakistan win this match, they will have completed a white wash against Zimbabwe in all formats of the game. They have come out on top in all the previous matches, but yes they have been tested at times. Winning today would make it a fitting farewell for Waqar Younis who will lead this team for the last time today.
    Pakistan came into this tour with a mixture of youngsters and seniors with an aim to introduce new players and different combinations, and so far they have done that successfully.Aizaz Cheema has had a dream start in international cricket while Yasir Shah, Junaid Khan and Sohail Khan have all shown promise. Younis Khan and Sohail Tanvir made convincing comebacks, so has Imran Farhat, while Shoaib Malik might have some work to do. This has been an important tour for captain Misbah ul Haq too who would like to leave on a winning note.
 As for Zimbabwe, they would love to end today on a victorious note, on a tour in which they have been constantly punished by their opponent. They bowling has been impressive but its their batting and fielding which need a lot of work. Winning this match will not make much of a difference, the damage has already been done, but it will boost their confidence for another expected tough tour against New Zealand next month.
   The odds are mostly with Pakistan to win but in this format of the game, you never know what to expect.


SPOTLIGHT:

Rameez Raja, this could well be his last chance
to cement his spot.
 1) Rameez Raja of Pakistan was brought on this tour after spectacular performances in the Faysal Bank t20 tournament, but in the first match of the series he failed to impress. He came out to bat in a pressure situation when big runs were required and failed to perform. There is no doubt of the talent in him and of what hes capable of, but he has to show it by performing at the big stage to cement his spot. 
Charles Coventry, as in t20's teams tend to
collapse easily, he'll have a big responsibility
in the lower order.
2) Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe, still best remember for his 194 against Bangladesh, although so far he has failed to live up to the reputation he built of himself in that match. He was brought back to the t20 side after a poor form of runs in thr world cup, but in the last match he was the only Zimbabwean batsman to show a fight. He is a big hitter and has good temperament, its now that Zimbabwe really need him to deliver.


TEAM NEWS:
 Zimbabwe probably won't meddle with their playing 11 of the last match much, but they might bring in Prosper Utseya in as an attacking spinner.
:Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Cephas Zhuwao, 4 Hamilton Masakadza, 5 Brendan Taylor, 6 Charles Coventry, 7 Tatenda Taibu, 8 Elton Chigumbura, 9 Ray Price/Prosper Utseya, 10 Kyle Jarvis, 11 Chris Mpofu/Brian Vitori.


Pakistan might not even change their playing 11 at all, but they might want to bring in Junaid Khan for a match, so its possible Sohail Khan or Aizaz Cheema might not get a match.
Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Asad Shafiq, 3 Rameez Raja, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Sohail Tanvir, 8 Saeed Ajmal, 9 Sohail Khan/Junaid Khan, 10 Aizaz Cheema, 11 Yasir Shah


PITCH AND CONDITIONS: Harare has always been known to be a good batting pitch, but as we saw in the last match, there was a little something in there for the bowlers too since there was good bounce and movement. The outfield is quick and because its t20, boundaries should be plenty. So a big crowd could be expected for this match.


May the best team win!









Welcome to my cricket blog!

Hello everyone, well, this is my first post of my first ever cricket blog, so dont be too hard on me.
This blog is going to be all about cricket, i'll try to update it with any "important" news and even match schedules etc.
So, a lot has been going on in the cricket world recently so i'll highlight some of it here.


Proud England captain Andrew Strauss after his team beat
India and claimed number one position
in the test rankings.


  • England defeated India in the 4 match test series to take away their throne and claim the number one position in the test rankings.
  • Sachin Tendulkar failed to reach his 100th international century yet.
  • Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from one day internationals.
  • Shane Warne announced a comeback in the big bash league.
  • Australia defeated Sri Lanka in the first test in Galle, giving them a 1-0 lead.
  • Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe in the one off test match, with Mohammad Hafeez claiming man of the match with a superb allround performance.
  • Pakistan coach Waqar Younis announced that he would retire after the Zimbabwe tour, so Pakistan begin their search for a new coach.
Thats all for now, i'll update soon,