Topic: T-20 Series Loss

Description: After a nail biting finish in the third and final T-20 match between Pakistan and England, the loss of the series fell in Pakistan’s lot. After the high of the Test series whitewash, the ODI and now the T-20 series loss are quite a step down.

Where does Pakistan cricket go from here?

Do we need radical changes or a mere rearrangement?

Language: Urdu

Zaka Ashraf vowed to make the stadium central to the training and grooming of cricketers from not only Islamabad, but adjoining regions such as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. – File photo by Reuters

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to build an international cricket stadium and an academy in Islamabad.

PCB, on Monday, was allotted 35 acres of land by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for the establishment of a stadium in the Shakarparian area of the capital, a press release said.

Both bodies signed a memorandum of understanding, in the presence of PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf, CDA Chairman Farkhand Iqbal and Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Task Force for Islamabad Faisal Sakhi Butt.

“The international cricket stadium will be an added feature in the capital’s modern development,” Butt said.

The stadium and the academy will be geared towards providing better training facilities to the locals.

“This region has a great talent for cricket and by establishing an academy, we will aim to nurture and polish that talent,” Ashraf told reporters.

Ashraf vowed to make the stadium central to the training and grooming of cricketers from not only Islamabad, but adjoining regions such as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the agreement, CDA will receive a revenue share of 30 per cent from every national and international match, while the remaining 70 per cent will go to the PCB.

Currently, there are no PCB-owned cricket stadiums or academies in the capital. The Diamond Club Ground is used by the regional team (Federal Areas) during domestic tournaments. Rawalpindi, however, is home to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, which has hosted eight Test matches and 23 one-day internationals.

A year prior to the 2010 AfCON, Sri Lanka had decided to tour Pakistan. Their motivation had been the same as the teams visiting Cabinda: they were trying to show that normalcy existed in these lands.

On 3rd March 2009 the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore, leading to the deaths of seven Pakistanis. On 8th January 2010, the bus carrying the Togo national football team was attacked in Cabinda which led to the death of three people – including the assistant coach of the team. For decades, regimes throughout the world had used sport to provide an illusion of something which wasn’t there. Now, it seemed, it was time for the terrorists to make sure that didn’t happen. The push from all sides in the importance of sport had meant that sportspeople had become an automatic target for publicity for the latest of monstrous deeds.

Over the past five years Pakistan has seen the deaths of thousands of its citizens and army men. Despite a reduction in the violence (of the terrorism kind) in the past few months, there have still been a number of attacks in the 2012 alone. It is with this as context that one questions the ideas that Zaka Ashraf is proposing.

I was watching the Serie A highlights a week or so back, and noticed that all the matches had a minute’s silence for the death of a soldier in Afghanistan. It felt a little odd. Then I realised that perhaps, to the Italians, the deaths of their countrymen were not mere statistics and numbers from which they had to ‘move on’ at any given opportunity. Maybe they weren’t as blasé for the sake of showing ‘resilience.’

But I digress; this is supposed to be about sports.

Surely, the proposals for international teams and players to tour Pakistan should come when we have reached a semblance of normalcy and peace. Instead we have decided to assume our existing state as normalcy. What do we have to gain from a tour? An improvement in the image of the country? For the sake of what? A probable attack and the loss of lives for guests of this country? We are told that they’ll be provided maximum security: this, a country which couldn’t protect its most popular leader and the governor of the largest province (in addition to many other parliamentarians and mere plebs whose lives apparently count for less) in the past five years alone. The reluctance of many to visit Pakistan may have something to do with how much they value their lives – rather than a vast conspiracy by the BCCI.

Or I could be completely wrong.

If you had a headache, and you were given several pills – one of which contained cyanide – how willing would you be to take that? The PCB looks quite keen.

What else could we do then?

Well, these last three years should have been taken up as an opportunity by the PCB to reform the local game. Domestic cricket had nothing to rival it during this time. We could have used this time to finally have a consistent and reasonable calendar, and teams. What we have now are tournaments which have city and department teams (QeA Trophy and the National OD Cup), those which have provincial teams (Pentangular) and those which have city-based franchises (the T20 tournaments), spread seemingly randomly over the cricket season. How hard is it to combine it all, really? Why not have a merger of HBL and Karachi Dolphins, for example, to compete in all formats of the game. The Dolphins have an ever-increasing fan-base, the Karachi City Cricket Association can provide the structure, and HBL can be the commercial backer. And with no international cricket on these shores, this is something which could take off. Instead what we have done in the past three years is increase the number of T20s. Oh, how original.

Now, the Pakistan Premier League is being proposed. The blind copying by many cricket boards of the IPL is quite staggering. How long before we have ten domestic T20 Premier Leagues, mercenaries dotting the globe for their latest hits and giggles, and another round of forgettable and meaningless cricket – to them, at least.

How about being innovative for once? Or even if we are copying, why not cast the net a little further? Rather than several domestic leagues, why don’t Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even Afghanistan join forces for one big ‘Asian Premier League’ (and I know that the politics of it mean it would face much resistance). After all, it works in rugby union – where SupeRugby has five regional franchises from each of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand who contest a supremely popular tournament, and have done so for 16 years now. Sure, you have the same problem with international players reluctant to host Pakistan, but this can be solved by having the tournament, alternatively, in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, for now. And when the situation in AfPak (coining a new term here) is more stable, we can have a tournament which has the ability to last the long haul. And it would have a bigger market (the word most favourite of an administrator) than any of the domestic leagues, which would mean more money. And that is all that matters to cricket boards, isn’t it?

Instead we are going to continue being conservative, let the domestic game rot, and continue to plead for international teams to visit us, so that we can go back to the old days. After all, that will solve everything.

The writer is a sports nerd, and does not believe that opinions other than his own are valid. He can be found presenting his opinions as fact on his blog and twitter.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

Saeed Ajmal grabbed a career-best 7-55 to topple England’s batting in their first innings on the opening day of the Dubai Test. -Photo by AFP

LONDON: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was tested in 2009 in Australia and we have used the same methods for many bowlers across the world, says Dr Paul Hurrion, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Head Biomechanics Analyst.

“The process is very robust. We use a big enough sports hall so the bowler can make his typical run-up and bowl a full-length delivery. It is important to replicate what it is like in the middle as best we can,” Dr Hurrion said.

Possessing a variety of deliveries in his rich armoury, Saeed grabbed a career-best 7-55 to topple England’s batting in their first innings on the opening day of the first Test at Dubai on Tuesday.

The magnificent effort by Saeed, however, drew suspicions over his ‘doosra’, a delivery an off-spinner turns like a leg-break, mainly from former England Test fast bowler Bob Willis. But the ICC official elucidated in technical terms the scientific procedure, which he described was the best available option presently, to test a bowler’s action, implying the same was employed before clearing Saeed’s action in 2009.

“There are stumps to aim at but no batsman and we use synchronised footage of the player bowling in a match to check that they are not just going through the motions or altering their style. They have to replicate the speed of a delivery from a match, the deviation and the revolutions of the ball,” the ICC official added.

“When being tested, the bowler is topless and has reflective markers all over his bowling arm, so the 3D, high-speed cameras can film him from every angle. On TV, what you see is an optical illusion because the pictures are only 2D so the angle you see is often very different from the reality.

“We then check if the arm is bent more than the permitted 15 degrees, which we decided was appropriate as anything under that would be hard to see with the naked eye,” the official explained.

“Of course, until technology is good enough to have X-ray cameras from the boundary at a live game we can’t ever be 100 per cent sure that our testing is perfect. I’m sure in 10 years’ time there will be the technology to test as the game is happening,” Dr Hurrion remarked.—Agencies

The attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus on March 9, 2009, killed eight people and injured seven Sri Lankan players as well as their assistant coach, leading to the suspension of all international cricket in Pakistan. —File photo

HAMBANTOTA: Pakistan’s cricketing isolation could end in October if Sri Lanka, who were targeted in a deadly terror attack in Lahore two years ago, agree to tour the troubled country.

Sri Lankan officials said Wednesday they were in talks with the International Cricket Council’s Pakistan Task Team (PTT) to explore the possibilities.

“We are still discussing the option with the ICC and with all the other board members,” said Sri Lanka Cricket chairman Somachandra de Silva.

“There are still some security concerns in Pakistan but if things improve, and Pakistan is a brotherly nation, we can consider it – all depends on the ICC’s clearance,” De Silva said.

Sri Lanka are scheduled to tour Pakistan in October this year under the Future Tests Programme.

According to reports in the Pakistani media, the governments of both countries are already in talks to hold the series in Pakistan.

The attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus on March 9, 2009, killed eight people and injured seven Sri Lankan players as well as their assistant coach, leading to the suspension of all international cricket in Pakistan.

Barely a month later, the ICC stripped Pakistan of its share of World Cup matches, forcing the team to play all their Group A matches in Sri Lanka, co-hosts with India and Bangladesh.

The suspension also meant Pakistan have been forced to play their home series in the United Arab Emirates, England and New Zealand for the last two years.

The ICC formed the Pakistan Task Team (PTT) with England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke to find ways of reviving international cricket in Pakistan and to help improve the disciplinary situation.

Even before the Lahore attacks, Pakistan was a no-go area for international teams because of security fears sparked in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the United States which sparked a “war against terror” in and around the country.

Australia have not toured Pakistan since 1998, forcing Pakistan to play their home series in Sri Lanka and Sharjah in 2002 and in England last year.

Pakistan was also stripped of the right to host the 2008 Champions Trophy after Australia, South Africa and England refused to tour, forcing the ICC to move the tournament to South Africa, held in 2009.

Meanwhile, De Silva said he hoped Hambantota will become a major cricket venue in Sri Lanka.

“It was only Colombo for the last two decades, but with Hambantota coming up for the World Cup matches we have brought cricket to the poor people and we will develop this,” said the 68-year-old former Sri Lanka international.

De Silva said the stadium – which became one-day cricket’s 177th venue when Sri Lanka played Canada on Sunday – will also host a Test against Australia.

“We have decided to stage a Test in Hambantota against Australia when they tour in July this year and also one or two one-dayers in the same series. There is an option of staging World Twenty20 matches next year,” said De Silva.

Sri Lanka will host the fourth edition of World Twenty20 next year.

As I predicted final four, I would like to predict top performers too. May be there are some signals coming from my sixth sense, but believe me I am seriously predicting good performances from following players.

Batting

• MS Dhoni
• Younus Khan
• Jacques Kallis

Bowling

• Sohail Tanveer
• Bret Lee
• Harbajan Singh

Master Blasters (Maximum Boundaries)

• Abdul Razzak
• Virender Sehwag
• Grame Smith

Lowest Scores of the tournament

• Canada
• Bangladesh
• New Zealand

Highest Scores of the tournament

• West Indies
• Australia
• India

Fair Playing teams

• England
• Bangladesh
• Zimbabwe

Fastest Balls of the Tournament

• Shoaib Akhter
• Bret Lee

More predictions are coming so stay tuned.

Consoling the Pakistan Side

On the second day of a five-day test match between England and Pakistan, picture yourself as a young bowler, just out of your teens and already being anticipated as the next Wasim Akram. You represent a country that’s flooded by pain and suffering of natural disaster, plus the torment of an unnatural flood of arms, and terrorism. To top it off your home turf is off limits because of lacking security and you’re playing cricket on a foreign ground; in a country who ruled you in colonial grip for over 200 years, a tinge that might linger 63 years later.

The stage is set. The batting lineup has already let you down, and your bowling is expected to carry the team to a respectable outcome. But the angels above have arranged for ideal weather conditions and a pitch perfect for your deadly pace. The Gods are giving Pakistan an opportunity for redemption.

You take to the pitch and imagine sending a fierce, fast, reverse swinging bowling onslaught on the opponent. They’ve already overtaken your score yesterday, so you’re aiming to contain them, preserving the scant runs your side managed, and bowl the opposition out as soon as possible. You take a run up. Jogging 20 yards toward the batsman; you release the ball and he is confounded. You feel a rush of excitement. Batsman nicks it, sending the ball aloft for the simplest of catches. Your excitement steadily intensifies and you think to yourself; the Gods are on my side. You watch the ball elevate into the sky, higher, and higher and slowly descend. The Gods have arranged for it fall directly in front of first slip, and you eye your teammate’s hand intently. The ball falls directly into his palms and you feel relieved; this is the one job you can count on first slip to do. He also happens to be a top order batsman who should be longing to save face and take this crucial wicket to make up for his less than sufficient run rate. You take into account the team has already let three catches go, optimism pervades and you think, “we definitely have this one”.

Pakistan another Drop Catch in Cricket vs England - August 2010

Every millisecond feels like miles as the ball falls into first slips hands. Fielders jump in victory and the crowd cheers but simultaneously, first slip drops the ball as it falls dead into the still green grass.

For a second maybe no body saw it, but the bowler is crestfallen. Excitement deflated. With a tear that never fell, he looks at the young man at slip. Slip stares back at him and with words he can’t muster, the bowler bravely smiles. His heart is racing with a million emotions but zero time to reflect on any of them, the bowler desperately focuses. His brain wants to let something out to his teammate, on his team who didn’t score enough runs, and dropping no less than 4 catches squandering opportunities the Gods laid out in this match.

As he turns and looks around at the crowd, he attempts to recuperate energy but his mind can’t help but settle in on the millions of Pakistanis suffering from floods, the war on terror, political volatility and economic insecurity and he knows that Cricket is what Pakistanis look to for hope.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I got up and made myself tea. Even thousands of miles away from England, even farther away from Pakistan, I didn’t want to face the complexities of what that bowler might have felt. So I raise my hands in prayer to whoever controls the world around us and say please, give Pakistan a break.

It reminds me of Earnest Borgnine in the Poseidon Adventure when he looks up to God in the middle of disaster and cries: “What more do you want of us? We’ve come all this way on our own no help from you. We did ask you to fight for us but damn it, don’t fight against us!”

Give Pakistan a break. I urge everyone who reads this article that as the brave bowler took strength to smile, recuperate and move forward, if you do nothing else, donate to the flood victims. Pakistan needs hope right now, and every contribution, big or small, will go a long way for those in need.

OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE  ::::

Oxfam America

Relief International

Unicef

Edhi Foundation

Hashoo Foundation

Pakistan Warms up for the Asia Cup India Match - June 2010

Well, it’s that time again. An India vs. Pakistan ODI match will be underway in a few moments. And there’s nothing like India-Pakistan cricket. For better or worse, it’s THE epic rivalry; it get’s catty, intense, fans are insanely polarized. It’s basically crickets equivalent to the NHL’s Crosby / Ovechkin rivalry. For my non-sports readers, it’s akin to team Aniston vs team Angelina. (for the record: I’m team Ovechkin and Angelina respectively)

But whether you’re a Pakistan or India fan, both teams are somewhat evenly matched at this time with Pakistan having more depth and raw talent, and India with firm composure, more consistent experience and better record in recent history. So it’s likely going to be a nail biter, winding down to the final over to determine a winner.

So, what’s it going to take for the men in green? Here’s what’s swimming around my head before the game:

Afridi: Stay the same. Awesome performance in the last game as skipper. In typical Afridi character he lived up to the “boom boom” title and strong character we expect from him. With 110 off of 75 it was his natural game catapulted to great heights with leadership and consistency. Good news is he has a tendency to excel against India. Let’s hope that form is maintained.

Salman Butt: Hold your wicket yo. He usually does, but it’s not always certain, yet crucial that he does so today. The Indian bowling attack looks mediocre, but don’t underestimate their pace bowling. Zaheer Khan is in the attack and Nehra could do harm too.

Abdur Razzaq: My favorite All rounder must be the Danger Man today. What does that mean? It means if we need it, you make 14 runs an over. No questions asked. Oh, and when we need those key maiden overs in the last hour of their lineup, keep up the bowling defense.

Kamran Akmal: Please no butterfingers. This is a world class game and an epic rivalry, no room for drop catches. Also, be quicker on the stumpings. Be a solid bat; a clutch hitter picking up the run rate consistently as a lower order batsman and even more so if you’re pushed up the order.

Mohammad Aamer: Come in strong and shut down Sehwag. Perhaps cut him some slack early on, get him into a slogging mindset then throw on pressure with an ultra slow ball. Sehwag’s bat is so fast that this is bound to be confusing to his game.

Shahzaib Hasan: Damn rookie stop playing like it’s a test match.

Shoaib Akhtar: Watch the extras, nuff said. If The Rawalpindi express does this, there’s no stopping him.

Shoaib Malik: Be at the top of your game, back form a honeymoon we need to see classic Malik in your best form. Picking off Harbhajan smashing off a couple sixes, fielding like a beast, and with accurate off spin.

Umar Akmal: Run with raw talent. You’ve got the youth, energy and can hold your wicket with a solid strike rate. Pick up the occasional boundary and stay consistent.

Prediction :::: the game changer will be either Shoaib  Malik or Shoab Akhtar. They’re comback kids and can steal matches for Pakistan. They’ve done it in classic form in the past, and i want to see them do it again tonight.

Let the games begin !

Having won the ICC T20 World cup in 2009, the current state of Pakistan Cricket board and its team is really bad. Pakistan in recent times has been marred by various controversies and terror attacks which had adversely affected the state of Cricket in Pakistan. Citing few is the change of its captains in the last year itself from Shoib Malik to Younis Khan, then to Mohammad Yousuf which again has raised some doubts after the recent Australian tour where Pakistan lost all the matches including 3 tests, 5 One-day matches and one T20, leading to 0-9 whitewash. Then resigning of its chief selector, dropping its Coach (Intikhab Alam) after the Australian series had done nothing good to improve the state of affairs. The poor state of domestic cricket infrastructure, bureaucracy is also contributing to its current state. As a result of all this, Pakistan has now being ranked 7th in test and ODI rankings both.

In my opinion, Pakistan Cricket Board should first list down the problems that it is facing and then try to find out the solutions of it. Problems regarding generating revenue (as PCB is on the verge of bankruptcy because of all the cancelled tours) or improving the infrastructure should be given prime importance. The attack on the SriLankan team last year has removed any last hopes for a home-series in near future. Even ICC stripped Pakistan of 2011 world-cup matches because of safety & security concerns. Few steps that can be taken are off shoring all the matches (may be to Dubai, or even US) which will boost the cricket sentiment & invigorate the sport itself. The Board do need to take some long term plans to revitalize Cricket in the country as there will be no international Cricket in near future, therefore the board need to focus on improving the present infrastructure of the domestic Cricket. Also Getting Pakistan players to play in domestic tournaments in their country would be another good way to keep their cricket system alive. This will also motivate youngsters to take this game as a career.

As i sign off.. i would like to leave some issues in the open for your contemplation as it will encourage discussion …. and will be a feature of all my future posts:

Whether ICC should help the board (financially or by some other means) to solve some of the above problems or not…..??

What steps should PCB take to improve the present state of condition..??

Whether Other Countries should step-in to resolve some matters or not…??

Test matches will disappear from cricket by the year 2020, and ironically, because of 20Twenty. After Pakistan’s frustrating loss against Australia today, batsman Mohammad Yousuf warns that Twenty20 cricket will ruin Pakistan’s game. He says:

“Because of Twenty20 cricket no player knows how to stay at the wicket anymore. Until players do not play with discipline and play ball to ball and leave balls they are supposed to we will struggle in ODIs, let alone Tests. If you are going to slog all the time what is the point? It is necessary that Pakistanis, the media, the board, the fans realise that we play as little Twenty20 as possible.”

Mohammad Yousuf is asking everyone to limit Twenty20 cricket at a time when it’s popularity is on the rise, Pakistan is the reigning World Champion and undoubtedly has the best players the game has seen (Afridi, Razzaq, Ajmal, Gul). He’s basically making a case for conservative cricket: or getting back to the basics of Test.

In Test’s even if you’re pitched a full toss at above average speed and there’s no one at long on or square leg, the skilled batsman refrains from smashing it out of the park.

Reason being the risk of getting out supersedes the worth of a six. However, that kind of discipline is the exact antithesis of 20Twenty cricket where you are required to play each ball as if it’s a potential six. But having the sense to resist potential sixers is but one part of the batting discipline needed in traditional cricket. It’s an overall psychological discipline where batsman must with extreme patience and consistency just hold one’s wicket. To do that, over after over for 5 days, knowing that the match could wind up in just a draw requires an extreme endurance that few batsman posses. In fact some of the best batsmen in the game who have mastered this don’t even play ODI’s anymore, like Rahul Dravid. Case in point, most teams don’t have players who specialize in Test, Dravid is actually a rare case. Mohammad Yousuf could then be on the right track: are players losing an edge in Test, and perhaps even skill by playing 20Twenty cricket?

20Twenty is the American equivalent of Home Run Derby: the game simply requires batsman to smash anything and everything out of the park. 8th man down must carry at least a 100% strike rate to give a team the depth required to be competitive in the game.

It’s less about psychological discipline, discerning batting or even batting skills for that matter. Because if the aim is to slog, you can take a whack at just about anything pitched your way. It requires a lot of power and little else. Anyone with training and enough arm strength to smack the ball around can be fairly successful. There aren’t rewards for consistency, patience or discipline. In fact, those qualities are counter productive in 20Twenty. In Tests you score runs by first discerning which balls are safe, whether that be after 5 or 50 overs, and then you nudge, or direct the ball into anticipated gaps.

It’s a whole different ball game, as they say in the States. So is Mohammad Yousuf correct in calling for a limit to 20Twenty? The conventional part of me who tends to resist change says yes. But the more spontaneous, forward thinking side of me says, hey, if that’s the natural progression of the game and Tests are inevitably obsolete, bring on a few more Shahid Afridi’s !

‘Younis Khan has requested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a break from international cricket and hence will skip the Test series against New Zealand. Mohammad Yousuf has been named captain and Kamran Akmal as his deputy,’ a short press release of the PCB said on Wednesday.

Surprisingly, Yousuf, 35, has been appointed as captain after being dropped for the series-deciding One-day International against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi just two days ago. The classical batsman has played 82 Tests and 278 one-dayers so far.

When contacted, PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt avoided giving comment on the new development.

‘The PCB has issued a press release and that is enough,’ Ijaz replied abruptly from Abu Dhabi when contacted by Dawn.

Asked the press release was not indicating if Younis would be available for the forthcoming tour of Australia, the PCB chief added: ‘It will be seen later; presently the press release is enough.’

Pakistan will fly from the UAE on Sunday to play three Tests in New Zealand. The first Test starts in Dunedin on Nov 24.

Later talking to reporters, the board’s Chief Operating Officer Wasim Bari also avoided giving complete answers to questions, adding that the stakeholders sitting in Abu Dhabi were consulted before taking the decision.

Reacting to the news reports on groupings within the team playing a role in the captaincy change, Bari said he would not make any comment on those.

Like Ijaz, it seemed Bari was also not sure about Younis’ availability for the Australia tour, to start from Dec 19.

Younis was named the captain to replace Shoaib Malik at a difficult time earlier this year as Pakistan lost the limited-overs series to Sri Lanka at home, when the hosts surrendered the last game of the three-match series by a huge margin of 234 runs in Lahore, collapsing to 75 all out.

Though Younis embarked upon the leadership journey with a glorious triple century (313) against Sri Lanka in the opening Test in Karachi, he could not maintain his performance, resulting in player-power turning against him to make life difficult for the middle-order batsman, aged 31.

However, winning the World Twenty20 title in England in June was a considerable achievement Pakistan made under Younis’ captaincy. The memorable triumph at Lord’s received a grand welcome in the country.

But before winning the mega event, the team had lost a one-day series 2-3 against Australia in the United Arab Emirates during April-May.

Pakistan also failed to overcome Sri Lanka in their backyard in Test and One-day International series and though the Younis-guided squad fared pretty well in the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa in September-October, they lost the all-important semi-final against New Zealand.

Younis, with 63 Tests under his belt, stunned everyone by offering to resign from captaincy during a hearing at the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Sports, while protesting match-fixing allegations against his team after the loss at the hands of New Zealand in the semi-final.

After the PCB chief refused to accept the resignation, Younis made some demands to lead the side again, some of which were accepted.

But after coming back as skipper, it looks like Younis could not get due support from his players, the dismal manner Pakistan lost the series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi being a significant sign of it.

Agencies add: ‘Yes, Younis has asked for a rest so we have appointed Yousuf as captain for the three-Test tour,’ Ijaz said. ‘It has nothing to do with the defeat against New Zealand [in Abu Dhabi].’

The PCB chief added he had no objection to Younis asking for rest. ‘We did appoint Younis as captain until the 2011 World Cup, subject to his performance and fitness, but we have no objection to him asking for a rest, and I don’t think it’s turmoil in Pakistan cricket.’

Pakistan lead the three-match series 1-0 after their convincing 138-run win in the first match here on Tuesday.

“It would be great if we win the second match and with it the series, and that would be our first series win for one year,” said Younus. “It is important that we keep the winning momentum.”

Under Younus Pakistan have this year lost against Australia and Sri Lanka (away). Their last one-day series win was against the West Indies, a 3-0 victory in Abu Dhabi in November last year.

Since then Pakistan lost a home series to Sri Lanka in January — which led to Younus taking over as captain from Shoaib Malik.

“The victory in the first match (against New Zealand) looked easy but after the first 10 overs we were in trouble,” said Younus of Tuedsay’s poor start, in which Pakistan lost two wickets, including his own, with no runs on the board.

Opener Khalid Latif (64) added 57 for the third wicket with Mohammad Yousuf (30) and 101 for the fifth with Shahid Afridi (70) before Kamran Akmal punished New Zealand with a quick-fire, 43-ball 67 to help Pakistan reach 287-9 in 50 overs.

In reply, New Zealand were out for a paltry 149.

“We realise that we have to win this (second) game,” said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, whose bowlers conceded 107 runs in the last 10 overs of the first match.

“If we manage to restrict them to 230-240 it would be great,” said Vettori, who praised Pakistan’s spin duo of Afridi and Saeed Ajmal.

“Afridi has got to another level as a bowler and the partnership he is forming with Ajmal is the real key to Pakistan’s success,” said Vettori.

“We played Ajmal in the Champions Trophy and know we can handle him.”

Pacemen Kyle Mills and James Franklin — who both missed the first match because of injuries — practised with the team on Thursday and Vettori hoped they would be available for selection.

The third match will also be played here on Monday before the two teams move to Dubai for two Twenty20 internationals, on November 12 and 13.

{Source: AFP}

Even if peace talks are stalled between India and Pakistan, warming relations are on the cards for South Asian’s this week. With India’s chances of surviving the ICC Champions Trophy contingent to a Pakistan win on Wednesday against Australia, Dhoni and company will be watching closely in hopes for a victory for the men in green. So what’s it going to take:

• Strong Opening:
  • Imran Nazir can’t be hasty. He has a tendency to get carried away after an early four, or six. Overconfidence can be a hinderance. And he can’t rely on hopes of weak fielding as he might have done in previous matches. He should play his natural game, hit a few boundaries overt time, but keep on guard.
  • Kamran Akmal has fair potential, even if he’s not my top choice for opener because of a lacking consistency. Key for him is simply: “don’t get out”. Allow Nazir to handle hiking up a solid run rate and understand that if his partner does get out, skilled batsman such as Malik and Afridi are behind him. Plus it’s well known that Pakistan can generate 100+ runs with middle/tail end batsman if need be. So Akmal should refrain from taking leadership, hold his wicket and play big shots if given safe opportunities to do so.
• Discipline:
  • Umar Gul must be more careful. With a 9.16 economy in the India match, and zero wickets, he needs to step it up. Gul has to take charge as Pakistan’s most experienced opening bowler with this squad.  There’s no such thing as negligible extras when playing against the Aussies, it’s just too costly.
• Wicket Taking:
  • When Australia loses a wicket, they face opposition with equal or even greater confidence than before. Their batting doesn’t falter, it goes up a notch. So what Pakistan needs to do is ensure a constant aggressiveness in bowling. Keeping an Aussie run rate down in the first five overs is critical. If you give the Aussies a chance to consistently gain confidence from the onset, they’ll run with it and it’ll be hard to chase/contain from there.
• Fielding:
  • Shahid Afirdi & Shoaib Malik are the top fieldsmen. But it’s going to take a concerted effort on the entire Pakistan side to avoid weak fielding that  can wind up expensive in the end. The Australian concept seems to be that when a fielder drops a catch off their hit, they punish bowlers by hitting one out of the park, as if to consider the misfielding an opportunity for a bonus hit, or a free wicket of sorts. It’s an aggressive strategy underscoring the importance of fielding against this team.

The game plan for Pakistan ultimately is: Cautious Intensity. No extras, keep the Aussie run rate down, maintain wickets and the runs will come. Besides, Pakistan’s already secured their seat in the Semi Finals. A safe victory is really all we ask for. Well, in the case of the Indian squad, given that their survival is reliant on both a Pakistan win and an astronomical run rate against the West Indies in their next match, they might be hoping Pakistan get a little more than just a “safe” victory  

Excited about Pakistan’s victory in todays ODI vs. India at the ICC Champions Trophy, i looked for YouTube highlights of previous India Pakistan matches hoping to relive thrilling performances of batsmen trembling at Akram/Younis yorkers or some record breaking Tendulkar/Sehwag innings. But I was unable to find a consolidated reel of South Asian highlights as such. It seems all content pertaining to Indian and Pakistani Cricket are elaborately produced showcases of either country triumphing over the other, or amusing clips revealing serious sledging between both teams over the years. And that’s understandable, it’s a competitive sport and fans create videos for the teams they support.

But something is changing. I don’t think fans are looking at these videos the same way as years past. Sambit Bal wrote a nice precursor to today’s match describing the epic India Pakistan rivalry as something far more profound than just another sporting competition. He says cricket in South Asia “has always been close to the national identity”. Quite astutely, he describes how it’s then used: “sometimes as a salve, sometimes a weapon; it has enabled bonding and it has divide; at times it has been a bridge, at others a vehicle for ugly chauvinism; and governments have used it as both a handshake as well as a show of fists”. And therein lies the dilemma.

India Pakistan matches are tremendously exciting, wrought with raw enthusiasm and incredible anticipation, but wind up raising stakes far higher than are normal or necessary. Bal says cricket is close to South Asian “national identity”, and in conversations I’ve heard matches described as akin to “war” or “religion”. That’s just going too far.

To inextricably tie these matches to one’s identity or religious affiliation let alone actual combat is absurd, but fortunately, a phenomenon that’s shrinking. Less and less are India Pakistan matches carrying the same weight for masses and even players. Bal explains that because matches between the countries have increased since 2004, an

“overkill took away the anticipation and intensity. But from a larger perspective, it also took away the heat and emotional charge, and that was not a bad thing at all. Since they were always playing, wins and losses no longer felt like life and death. It felt somewhat dull, but it also felt sane.”

Ahhhh, it felt sane. Now that’s a great way to put it. Cricket shouldn’t be a tool or driving force of nationality, politics let alone international relations. That’s a recipe for perpetual division, which is the last thing South Asia, or the world for that matter needs right now. So even if India Pakistan matches are seeing diminished anticipation, at least it shifts our focus toward the game itself rather than political, social and religious issues which ought to be unrelated. Because a heightened concentration on the game of cricket can finally allow us to debate what’s truly interesting. Like how Pakistan is the only team capable of winning a match in the last ten over’s by scoring 100+ runs while India is the only team who can do that in the first ten

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Of all the magnificent cricketers on display, it is Shahid Afridi, the mavericks’ maverick, who has epitomised what this wonderful tournament has been about. Has anyone, in any sport, ever radiated more unalloyed, exuberant joy at success, not just for himself but on behalf of his team-mates and his nation? Afridi is not for the purist but the romantic. He swashes and buckles and the Pakistani people idolise him for it. Once, in a Test match against England in Faisalabad, he belted his way in a flurry of sixes to within eight of a remarkable first-innings century. When next the time came to bat, the ground was packed. In the minutes after Andrew Flintoff removed his off stump first ball, the stadium drained of spectators as if a giant plughole had been unblocked. That is charisma.

Afridi epitomised Pakistan’s achievement in raising themselves from a ramshackle start to gather unstoppable momentum so even as fine and versatile a side as Sri Lanka had no answer. They were led excellently by Younus Khan, a man who understands the difference between stick and carrot, cajoling his side away from intensity and towards enjoyment of the moment. Be grateful to be playing, he seemed to say, we are the lucky ones. Let us play for those less fortunate.

The response in Pakistan will be enormous, for the game has deep roots there. Perhaps this win will serve to sustain them, inspire the next generation which is queueing in vast numbers to take part. Geoff Lawson, their former coach, tells of an initiative for under-16s, Hunt for Heroes, run by the former Test player Haroon Rashid and set up in all the big centres such as Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, to find the next generation. For the opening day in Karachi, they anticipated 100 applicants at most: 6,000 turned up and the area around the venue was gridlocked. It was the same countrywide. All they want now is the opportunity. Younus pleads for international tours to Pakistan.

“It is not our fault,” he says, and he is right. But he knows, in the light of what happened in Lahore on that March day this year, that it is not feasible in the foreseeable future to resume tours. Now it is the duty of the International Cricket Council and its member countries to ensure the profile of Pakistan cricket is maintained. Specifically, the England and Wales Cricket Board can take the lead by offering fine neutral venues during our summer, not just to the benefit of Pakistan cricket but to that of those Pakistanis who have made their homes here.

If neither the men’s nor the women’s final produced the spectacle that would have been hoped for, then that is often the way. But the tournament has been a triumph from the opening ceremony with the comedian doing a wonderful impression of an upper-class twit (what do you mean, Duke of Kent?), to the celebrations after the close. Running the men’s and women’s tournaments in parallel was inspirational and should be repeated at all major ICC events. The whole thing was succinct, beautifully encapsulated in a timescale that has left us wanting more. That, all governing bodies take note, is how it should be. The joys of cricket have been brought to a fresh audience as well as converting many agnostics or sheer atheists to the format.

There have been spectacular matches, none more so than the run chase masterminded on Friday by Claire Taylor and Beth Morgan for England women. But Pakistan’s triumph over South Africa was a seminal moment, Sri Lanka’s embarrassment of Australia instructive, and West Indies’ defeat of India exhilarating. Individually the skills shown render as Neanderthal those of even two years ago.

In a format that was once regarded as a one-sided slugathon, it is the bowlers, hamstrung at every turn by legislation – wides, bouncer and fielding restrictions, susceptible to daft bats and short boundaries, free hits, limited overs, no throwing the ball in on the bounce to scuff it, no waving your arms around to distract the batsman – have still found the wherewithal to fool, bamboozle and generally dominate the game.

Artists such as Ajantha Mendis, Umar Gul and Afridi have set new benchmarks. With the bat Tillakaratne Dilshan was deemed man of the tournament but others left their mark, among them the mighty Chris Gayle, clinical, cerebral Kumar Sangakkara, and Jacques Kallis, whose more prosaic skills served South Africa so well. Then there was the fielding, with catching beyond belief and such athleticism.

If we want one image beyond that of Afridi in his pomp to sustain us until the next tournament (too early actually, in the Caribbean next spring) then it is of Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka, defying gravity to turn six runs into three.

Of all the magnificent cricketers on display, it is Shahid Afridi, the mavericks’ maverick, who has epitomised what this wonderful tournament has been about. Has anyone, in any sport, ever radiated more unalloyed, exuberant joy at success, not just for himself but on behalf of his team-mates and his nation? Afridi is not for the purist but the romantic. He swashes and buckles and the Pakistani people idolise him for it. Once, in a Test match against England in Faisalabad, he belted his way in a flurry of sixes to within eight of a remarkable first-innings century. When next the time came to bat, the ground was packed. In the minutes after Andrew Flintoff removed his off stump first ball, the stadium drained of spectators as if a giant plughole had been unblocked. That is charisma.

Afridi epitomised Pakistan’s achievement in raising themselves from a ramshackle start to gather unstoppable momentum so even as fine and versatile a side as Sri Lanka had no answer. They were led excellently by Younus Khan, a man who understands the difference between stick and carrot, cajoling his side away from intensity and towards enjoyment of the moment. Be grateful to be playing, he seemed to say, we are the lucky ones. Let us play for those less fortunate.

The response in Pakistan will be enormous, for the game has deep roots there. Perhaps this win will serve to sustain them, inspire the next generation which is queueing in vast numbers to take part. Geoff Lawson, their former coach, tells of an initiative for under-16s, Hunt for Heroes, run by the former Test player Haroon Rashid and set up in all the big centres such as Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, to find the next generation. For the opening day in Karachi, they anticipated 100 applicants at most: 6,000 turned up and the area around the venue was gridlocked. It was the same countrywide. All they want now is the opportunity. Younus pleads for international tours to Pakistan.

“It is not our fault,” he says, and he is right. But he knows, in the light of what happened in Lahore on that March day this year, that it is not feasible in the foreseeable future to resume tours. Now it is the duty of the International Cricket Council and its member countries to ensure the profile of Pakistan cricket is maintained. Specifically, the England and Wales Cricket Board can take the lead by offering fine neutral venues during our summer, not just to the benefit of Pakistan cricket but to that of those Pakistanis who have made their homes here.

If neither the men’s nor the women’s final produced the spectacle that would have been hoped for, then that is often the way. But the tournament has been a triumph from the opening ceremony with the comedian doing a wonderful impression of an upper-class twit (what do you mean, Duke of Kent?), to the celebrations after the close. Running the men’s and women’s tournaments in parallel was inspirational and should be repeated at all major ICC events. The whole thing was succinct, beautifully encapsulated in a timescale that has left us wanting more. That, all governing bodies take note, is how it should be. The joys of cricket have been brought to a fresh audience as well as converting many agnostics or sheer atheists to the format.

There have been spectacular matches, none more so than the run chase masterminded on Friday by Claire Taylor and Beth Morgan for England women. But Pakistan’s triumph over South Africa was a seminal moment, Sri Lanka’s embarrassment of Australia instructive, and West Indies’ defeat of India exhilarating. Individually the skills shown render as Neanderthal those of even two years ago.

In a format that was once regarded as a one-sided slugathon, it is the bowlers, hamstrung at every turn by legislation – wides, bouncer and fielding restrictions, susceptible to daft bats and short boundaries, free hits, limited overs, no throwing the ball in on the bounce to scuff it, no waving your arms around to distract the batsman – have still found the wherewithal to fool, bamboozle and generally dominate the game.

Artists such as Ajantha Mendis, Umar Gul and Afridi have set new benchmarks. With the bat Tillakaratne Dilshan was deemed man of the tournament but others left their mark, among them the mighty Chris Gayle, clinical, cerebral Kumar Sangakkara, and Jacques Kallis, whose more prosaic skills served South Africa so well. Then there was the fielding, with catching beyond belief and such athleticism.

If we want one image beyond that of Afridi in his pomp to sustain us until the next tournament (too early actually, in the Caribbean next spring) then it is of Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka, defying gravity to turn six runs into three.