Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Australian cricket fans want changes after Ashes loss:
Dump the captain, fire the coach, demanded the detractors. And make the selectors pay for obvious bad choices.
Australia's Ashes loss to England in the fifth cricket Test wore heavily on the psyche of many Australians on Monday, as it will for the next 18 months until the teams meet again Down Under.
As it was, most Australians were sleeping overnight Sunday when the end came. It was 2:48 a.m. local time Monday on the east coast when Michael Hussey was finally out to complete a 197-run defeat at The Oval in London, sealing England's 2-1 win in the five-match series.
Ricky Ponting now has the dubious distinction of being only the second Australian captain - and the first since Billy Murdoch more than a century ago (1884 and 1890) - to lose the Ashes twice in England.
It didn't help that his runout - and that of his vice-captain Michael Clarke within the space of six balls - was the beginning of the end of any chance Australia had of achieving a record fourth-innings chase of 546 runs or batting through to force a draw at The Oval.
After a comprehensive victory in the fourth Test to square the series at 1-1, after wasting the chance to open with a victory at Cardiff in the first Test, Australia was favoured to win or least hold on for a draw in the last match to retain the Ashes. In two overcast sessions, the entire series turned, and England had the upper hand from the second of five days.
Peter Roebuck, a veteran cricket writer for the Sydney Morning Herald and a strident Ponting critic in the past, supported the Australian skipper.
"Ponting will not be evicted, nor is he likely to step aside," Roebuck wrote. "Although the inside edges are a worry, he confirmed his batting skills in Cardiff and Headingley. And it is rare for an Australian captain to be allowed to keep playing once he has stood down."
"Is Andrew Hilditch too conservative a chairman? How many hats should selector, tour group leader and commentator Merv Hughes be able to wear?" Conn wrote.
Former Australia Test all-rounder Tom Moody also criticized the selectors, saying their decision to leave out spinner Nathan Hauritz in the deciding Test was "horribly wrong."
"To not pick a genuine spinner in that situation is inexcusable," said Moody, who is coach of Western Australia state and a former Sri Lanka national team coach.
"The side will be doing a review of their own performances, coaching staff will be doing the same, selectors will be doing the same and we'll all sit back and see what we could've done better," Hilditch said.
"Hank," of the Sydney suburb of Freshwater, wrote on the Daily Telegraph's Web site that coach Tim Nielsen should be fired.
"Ever since he took the reins this side has gone from unbeatable to laughable," he said. "Also Ponting to stand down as captain is something that must be considered. The burden of the captaincy is affecting his game."
The 34-year-old Ponting is among the leading batsmen of all time, with 38 Test centuries and 11,345 runs at an average of 55.88. But his success rate has plummeted as captain in the wake of the retirements of some of the game's modern greats, including legspinner Shane Warne and paceman Glenn McGrath.
Ponting's record in 61 matches as captain is 39 victories, 11 losses and 11 draws.
He responded to the 2005 Ashes loss with a sharp focus on his batting and was voted the International Cricket Council's player of the year in 2006 and 2007, when Australia won back the Ashes 5-0. Australian selectors are now hoping he rebounds from this in similar fashion, dragging a relatively inexperienced lineup back up the Test cricket pecking order with him.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said calls for Ponting's sacking were unfair, and defended the lack of a spinner in the final match.
"Ricky's had a very, very good series," Sutherland said. "He's been under incredible pressure ... I thought the dignity and poise that he showed in defeat was something that all Australians should be very proud of.
"We've lost the game by 200 runs which is a pretty significant defeat and having a spinner in the side wouldn't have helped us in the first innings when we were bowled out for 160 and effectively lost the game."
Monday, August 10, 2009
Cricket pays well so why should we fix matches: Younus Khan
Pakistan captain Younus Khan rejected allegations from a former cricketer that some of his teammates could be involved in match-fixing.
"If one gets up to Rs 900,000 for a single match, then why would he want to earn money through illegal means?" he asked.
Younus added if former players kept making such accusations against the players, no one would bother to come forward in future.
Former Pakistan Test spinner Abdul Qadir alleged that there could be some match-fixers in the Pakistan team. "A player will think who cares. If we inform the management we are still accused of match fixing and if we don't we are still under suspicion," Younus said.
"I am just an intermediate but I am earning a lot from cricket. So why should I bother to get involved in corruption. Cricket is paying well now," he added.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Chaminda Vaas to retire from test cricket
Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas will retire from test cricket after the third and final match against Pakistan, the fast bowler announced on Sunday.
The 35-year-old had been recalled to the squad earlier in the week after being overlooked for the first two tests, a move that prompted speculation he would be given a farewell match after Sri Lanka took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
The third test against Pakistan starts on Monday.
"I have decided to retire from test cricket after this test match," Vaas said after Sri Lanka's final practice session.
Vaas, who took 354 wickets in 110 tests in a career spanning 15 years, is expected to replace spinner Ajantha Mendis in the final game to be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara paid tribute to Vaas after the announcement.
"Vaas is a true champion and probably the only Sri Lankan fast bowler who can be called a true legend of the game," he said.
"No matter who replaces Vaasy in the bowling attack they will take years and years to reach the standards he has set -- and maybe they never will.
"He has got a great part to play in our one-day set-up until the World Cup in 2011 and maybe beyond it as long as he is fit," he added.
The 35-year-old had been recalled to the squad earlier in the week after being overlooked for the first two tests, a move that prompted speculation he would be given a farewell match after Sri Lanka took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
The third test against Pakistan starts on Monday.
"I have decided to retire from test cricket after this test match," Vaas said after Sri Lanka's final practice session.
Vaas, who took 354 wickets in 110 tests in a career spanning 15 years, is expected to replace spinner Ajantha Mendis in the final game to be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara paid tribute to Vaas after the announcement.
"Vaas is a true champion and probably the only Sri Lankan fast bowler who can be called a true legend of the game," he said.
"No matter who replaces Vaasy in the bowling attack they will take years and years to reach the standards he has set -- and maybe they never will.
"He has got a great part to play in our one-day set-up until the World Cup in 2011 and maybe beyond it as long as he is fit," he added.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Cricket without India means big financial loss for PCB
Shoaib targeting Sri Lanka one-day series
Shoaib Akhtar, who missed the ICC World Twenty20 due to a skin infection, is eyeing a return to international cricket in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka which starts at the end of this month.
"It was a heartbreak missing out on Pakistan's World T20 success, but that's in the past now and I want to play the one-day series against Sri Lanka," Shoaib told AFP. "I have attained full fitness and have been gaining rhythm in bowling. I hope to stage a comeback in the one-day series against Sri Lanka, if I am selected."
Shoaib last represented Pakistan in the five-match ODI series against Australia two months ago. He had just recovered from a knee injury which kept him out of Pakistan's scheduled tour of Bangladesh in March, subsequently postponed due to security concerns. The ODI series in Sri Lanka will begin on July 30, after the conclusion of the three-match Test series which Pakistan currently trail 1-0.
Shoaib, 33, has not been a regular member of the Pakistan side of late due to disciplinary issues and injury. He was involved in a tussle with the PCB after reportedly criticising the board publicly for not awarding him a central contract. Subsequently, upon his return to international cricket, he was dropped after a poor ODI series against Sri Lanka and again under-performed ag ainst Australia, taking three wickets with an average of over 50.
"It was a heartbreak missing out on Pakistan's World T20 success, but that's in the past now and I want to play the one-day series against Sri Lanka," Shoaib told AFP. "I have attained full fitness and have been gaining rhythm in bowling. I hope to stage a comeback in the one-day series against Sri Lanka, if I am selected."
Shoaib last represented Pakistan in the five-match ODI series against Australia two months ago. He had just recovered from a knee injury which kept him out of Pakistan's scheduled tour of Bangladesh in March, subsequently postponed due to security concerns. The ODI series in Sri Lanka will begin on July 30, after the conclusion of the three-match Test series which Pakistan currently trail 1-0.
Shoaib, 33, has not been a regular member of the Pakistan side of late due to disciplinary issues and injury. He was involved in a tussle with the PCB after reportedly criticising the board publicly for not awarding him a central contract. Subsequently, upon his return to international cricket, he was dropped after a poor ODI series against Sri Lanka and again under-performed ag ainst Australia, taking three wickets with an average of over 50.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Graeme Smith the best of 2008
Graeme Smith’s summer of success has come to a fitting conclusion in the middle of winter.
South Africa’s cricket captain was last night named cricketer of the year in Cricket South Africa’s annual awards.
Smith, who captained the Proteas to their first Test series win against Australia Down Under, was also named Test player of the year.
Other major winners were AB de Villiers (ODI player) and JP Duminy (Twenty20 player and players’ player).
The awards came after a year of achievements in all forms of the game, and in some categories the rivalry was intense, none more so than for newcomer of the year, where the leading contenders were Roelof van der Merwe, Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Left-arm spinner Van der Merwe emerged a narrow winner.
There were five finalists for the Cricketer of the Year compared with the usual three.
The awards covered the period from the tour of England last year up to the end of the home series against Australia and did not include the recent World Twenty20.
The chief executive of CSA, Gerald Majola, said the awards marked a “golden era” for South African cricket.
“It is most fitting that the SA cricketer of the year award goes to Graeme Smith, who led the Proteas to their best season ever,” he said.
Smith had an outstanding year both as leader and player. He led the Proteas’ Test squad to away Test victories over both England and Australia — something that had never been achieved before — in the space of six months.
Injury ruled him out of the ODI series in Australia, which South Africa also won.
He was the leading run-scorer in Test cricket in 2008, becoming the first South African to score more than 1600 runs in a 12-month period. He also played one of the memorable Test innings of all time, when his unbeaten 154 in the fourth innings at Edgbaston clinched the series against England.
It was one of the top 10 scores of all time in a successful run chase. His century at Perth also laid the foundation for the Proteas’ epic 414-run chase in the first Test in Australia.
It is significant that these two victories are two of South Africa’s four highest successful run chases of all time, the 414 being only three runs shy of the world record.
De Villiers averaged 63 in Australia (strike rate 87) and 60 at home (strike rate 95). He also confirmed his reputation as the best fielder in world cricket.
Duminy played two innings of genius in the T20 matches in Australia.
He finished the summer with a career average of 31 and a strike rate of 133, which was only beaten by Albie Morkel (139) and Van der Merwe (160).
South Africa’s cricket captain was last night named cricketer of the year in Cricket South Africa’s annual awards.
Smith, who captained the Proteas to their first Test series win against Australia Down Under, was also named Test player of the year.
Other major winners were AB de Villiers (ODI player) and JP Duminy (Twenty20 player and players’ player).
The awards came after a year of achievements in all forms of the game, and in some categories the rivalry was intense, none more so than for newcomer of the year, where the leading contenders were Roelof van der Merwe, Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Left-arm spinner Van der Merwe emerged a narrow winner.
There were five finalists for the Cricketer of the Year compared with the usual three.
The awards covered the period from the tour of England last year up to the end of the home series against Australia and did not include the recent World Twenty20.
The chief executive of CSA, Gerald Majola, said the awards marked a “golden era” for South African cricket.
“It is most fitting that the SA cricketer of the year award goes to Graeme Smith, who led the Proteas to their best season ever,” he said.
Smith had an outstanding year both as leader and player. He led the Proteas’ Test squad to away Test victories over both England and Australia — something that had never been achieved before — in the space of six months.
Injury ruled him out of the ODI series in Australia, which South Africa also won.
He was the leading run-scorer in Test cricket in 2008, becoming the first South African to score more than 1600 runs in a 12-month period. He also played one of the memorable Test innings of all time, when his unbeaten 154 in the fourth innings at Edgbaston clinched the series against England.
It was one of the top 10 scores of all time in a successful run chase. His century at Perth also laid the foundation for the Proteas’ epic 414-run chase in the first Test in Australia.
It is significant that these two victories are two of South Africa’s four highest successful run chases of all time, the 414 being only three runs shy of the world record.
De Villiers averaged 63 in Australia (strike rate 87) and 60 at home (strike rate 95). He also confirmed his reputation as the best fielder in world cricket.
Duminy played two innings of genius in the T20 matches in Australia.
He finished the summer with a career average of 31 and a strike rate of 133, which was only beaten by Albie Morkel (139) and Van der Merwe (160).
Monday, June 29, 2009
Vaughan set to retire
Former England captain Michael Vaughan is set to announce his retirement from cricket on Tuesday.
The Yorkshire batsman's future has been the subject of speculation ever since he was left out of England's Ashes training squad last week.
British newspaper reports said on Sunday his retirement was imminent and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) subsequently announced the 34-year-old Vaughan would hold a press conference at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
England are due to play Warwickshire in an Ashes warm-up match there on Wednesday.
It was at Edgbaston that Vaughan led England to a nailbiting two-run win over Australia four years ago.
It was a victory that helped England to a 2-1 Test series win over their oldest rivals and a first Ashes campaign victory since 1986/87.
That series was the high point of Vaughan's time in charge of England, with a persistent knee injury leaving him on the sidelines for months at a time.
Unsurprisingly, his form as a batsman - which had seen touch the realms of greatness during the 2002/03 tour of Australia - also began to decline.
He resigned the England captaincy in tears in August last year after the home series against South Africa was lost and has not played for England since.
Vaughan, England's most successful Test captain in terms of overall wins, with 26 victories, 11 defeats and 14 draws in his five-year spell in charge, vowed to force his way back into the team through sheer weight of runs.
But never the most prolific of run-getters in county cricket, he has managed just 147 runs in seven County Championship innings this season for Yorkshire.
Meanwhile any hopes Vaughan had of regaining a place in England's side have been blunted by the emergence of Ravi Bopara, who this year has scored hundreds in three successive Tests against the West Indies, at No 3.
There had been speculation that Vaughan might make an announcement about his future following Yorkshire's Twenty20 Cup match against Derbyshire at Headingley on Sunday.
But his position is complicated by the fact that Vaughan is on an ECB central contract.
Amidst all the talk about Vaughan's future, Yorkshire left him out if their side in a bid to avoid any distractions as they looked to secure a place in the top division of the new domestic P20 competition which starts next season.
As a result Vaughan, who met with Yorkshire officials on Sunday, may now have played his final game of cricket at senior level if, as has been reported, his retirement announcement takes immediate effect.
Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan said: "Michael is employed by the ECB so he is unable to comment until after he has spoken to them and formalised the situation.
"As far as the club is concerned today is an important match for us and we can't have any disruption or lack of focus on what needs to be achieved on the field.
"Both Michael and the club felt it was in both of our interests for him not to play.
"The plan was for him to play but given the news we discussed the situation and felt all the hype and speculation going on wouldn't have been in the team's interests."
The Yorkshire batsman's future has been the subject of speculation ever since he was left out of England's Ashes training squad last week.
British newspaper reports said on Sunday his retirement was imminent and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) subsequently announced the 34-year-old Vaughan would hold a press conference at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
England are due to play Warwickshire in an Ashes warm-up match there on Wednesday.
It was at Edgbaston that Vaughan led England to a nailbiting two-run win over Australia four years ago.
It was a victory that helped England to a 2-1 Test series win over their oldest rivals and a first Ashes campaign victory since 1986/87.
That series was the high point of Vaughan's time in charge of England, with a persistent knee injury leaving him on the sidelines for months at a time.
Unsurprisingly, his form as a batsman - which had seen touch the realms of greatness during the 2002/03 tour of Australia - also began to decline.
He resigned the England captaincy in tears in August last year after the home series against South Africa was lost and has not played for England since.
Vaughan, England's most successful Test captain in terms of overall wins, with 26 victories, 11 defeats and 14 draws in his five-year spell in charge, vowed to force his way back into the team through sheer weight of runs.
But never the most prolific of run-getters in county cricket, he has managed just 147 runs in seven County Championship innings this season for Yorkshire.
Meanwhile any hopes Vaughan had of regaining a place in England's side have been blunted by the emergence of Ravi Bopara, who this year has scored hundreds in three successive Tests against the West Indies, at No 3.
There had been speculation that Vaughan might make an announcement about his future following Yorkshire's Twenty20 Cup match against Derbyshire at Headingley on Sunday.
But his position is complicated by the fact that Vaughan is on an ECB central contract.
Amidst all the talk about Vaughan's future, Yorkshire left him out if their side in a bid to avoid any distractions as they looked to secure a place in the top division of the new domestic P20 competition which starts next season.
As a result Vaughan, who met with Yorkshire officials on Sunday, may now have played his final game of cricket at senior level if, as has been reported, his retirement announcement takes immediate effect.
Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan said: "Michael is employed by the ECB so he is unable to comment until after he has spoken to them and formalised the situation.
"As far as the club is concerned today is an important match for us and we can't have any disruption or lack of focus on what needs to be achieved on the field.
"Both Michael and the club felt it was in both of our interests for him not to play.
"The plan was for him to play but given the news we discussed the situation and felt all the hype and speculation going on wouldn't have been in the team's interests."
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Maximum security for the Pakistan cricket team in Sri Lanka
Colombo: Sri Lanka Cricket officials have taken measures to provide maximum security for the Pakistani national cricket team who reached the country last night.
The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed that the Pakistani team will receive best ever security arrangements in the country.
According to the SLC, a security battalion comprising 100 hired military personnel has already been deployed to safeguard the visiting Pakistani cricket team. Military security has been hired by the SLC to safeguard the visitors also.
A convoy of seven security vehicles would escort the Pakistani team from the hotels to the stadiums during the whole series.
Pakistan team is only playing four matches out side the Colombo, one Test match in Galle and three one-day matches in Dambulla. All other matches will be played in Colombo.
The first three-day warm up match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka X1 team is to begin tomorrow at the Colts grounds in Colombo.
The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed that the Pakistani team will receive best ever security arrangements in the country.
According to the SLC, a security battalion comprising 100 hired military personnel has already been deployed to safeguard the visiting Pakistani cricket team. Military security has been hired by the SLC to safeguard the visitors also.
A convoy of seven security vehicles would escort the Pakistani team from the hotels to the stadiums during the whole series.
Pakistan team is only playing four matches out side the Colombo, one Test match in Galle and three one-day matches in Dambulla. All other matches will be played in Colombo.
The first three-day warm up match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka X1 team is to begin tomorrow at the Colts grounds in Colombo.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Glorious Twenty20 World Cup victory delights the nation
Pakistan’s glorious victory in the Twenty20 World Cup has turned the gloom prevailing in the country into a wave of happiness and joy. The people celebrated the victory on Sunday with all the thunder produced by singing, dancing, drum beating and other forms of high tone music all over Pakistan. The cricket enthusiasts thronged the roads in groups of hundreds and thousands chanting slogans in praise of the team. They waved the Pakistan flags, play-cards and posters with players’ photographs. The unprecedented level of illuminations and fire-works spread so much of glitter and shine in the atmosphere that the night almost turned into day.
The morning engulfed the atmosphere in an unprecedented media hype in which the daily newspapers were found studded with glamorous headlines highlighting the team’s splendid performance and attractive action photographs of the players. The pages were full of messages of felicitations starting from the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan down to other prominent figures of the country, the former cricketers and all those who loved the game in their right earnest. Same was for the television channels which entertained the viewers with glimpses of the match with pictures of the players, their interviews, news strips carrying the cricket lovers’ messages of congratulations and other items of interest. One of the TV channels deserved bouquets for hoisting giant size TV screens all over the city of Lahore for the general public to watch the match outdoors. Above all, there was a spate of cash prizes for the players announced by various leaders and institutions starting from the country’s top brass downwards. I think the team fully deserved all this.
Winning the Twenty20 World Cup is the second biggest honour brought to the country by our cricket team after the World Cup 1992 clinched by Imran Khan and his boys. Since the media was not very advanced in those days, we really do not remember the extent of projection given to the event. The peoples’ enthusiasm and its projection that we have witnessed now will, however, remain in the annals of Pakistan cricket for all times to come. The final phase of the show of peoples’ love for the team and their jubilations for the victory was, however, marred by the authorities who became over-cautious about the players’ security. Thousands of cricket fans went to the airport to have a glimpse of their heroes and to give them an exhibition of the nation’s overwhelming feelings of joy and happiness over the historical triumph, but they were highly disappointed to find that the team had been carried away ‘from the back door’.
Coming to the championship itself, the well known ‘unpredictability factor’ attached to the game of cricket started proving its credibility from the very start. Even without Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Glen McGrath and other stalwarts, the Australian team was not so weak to be eliminated in the preliminary round. The feelings of shock, sorrow and grief suffered by the cricket lovers Down Under can be well imagined. The Australian nation would never have expected the long time ‘rulers of world cricket’ to return home so quick. Same was for the defending champions India who had a very balanced side with most of the players performing consistently well and the hosts England who enjoyed fully the traditional advantages of home grounds, pitches and the crowd.
After the Aussies ouster, South Africa enjoyed the top position by remaining undefeated till the semi-finals. Otherwise too they appeared to be a pretty strong outfit, ‘favourites to win’ on all counts. Pitched against them it was a pretty tough challenge for the Pakistan who had not performed brilliantly in the preceding contests, but the lady luck played its part in Pakistan’s victory. Batting first Pakistan scored 149 runs only, giving South Africa an easy target of 150 runs to win. Pakistan’s bowling strength proved its reputation by playing havoc with the ball. They kept the opponents under pressure to such an extent that the ‘media favourites’ were snubbed down to a paltry score of 142 for 5 wickets, conceding Pakistan a victory by 7 runs. Surprisingly, our bowlers maintained such a superb accuracy that even with five wickets in hand the Proteas could not open up to hit the target. With an exciting cum entertaining 51, Shahid Afridi was the hero of the match.
After such a sparkling victory, the world media turned its focus towards Pakistan team declaring it the ‘favourites to win’. By defeating the top team of the tournament, Pakistan mustered tremendous courage and confidence with their morale sky high to face Sri Lanka in the finals. The battery of our speedsters did wonders again by demolishing the Islanders top order by claiming the first 4 wickets for a petty 32 runs. With only Kumar Sangakkara (64*) holding the fort, they managed a total of 138 for the loss of 6 wickets. With a magnificent haul of 3 for 20 Abdul Razzaq (the so called rebel) was the chief wrecker of Sri Lanka’s innings. With the batting having gained its full momentum, Pakistan achieved the target with the loss of only two wickets. With a sparkling 54 not out Shahid Afridi again emerged as the hero of this grand victory.
The very fact that our team lost to India in the finals of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup and have now emerged as winners of the second World Cup clearly proves that Pakistan have the talent and ability to defeat any team of the world in this brand of cricket. It is only the matter of maintaining proper mental balance, keeping their wits about good fielding and utilising their resources to the full extent. Good strategy, proper match planning and leading from the front by the skipper will be the additional assets.
The morning engulfed the atmosphere in an unprecedented media hype in which the daily newspapers were found studded with glamorous headlines highlighting the team’s splendid performance and attractive action photographs of the players. The pages were full of messages of felicitations starting from the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan down to other prominent figures of the country, the former cricketers and all those who loved the game in their right earnest. Same was for the television channels which entertained the viewers with glimpses of the match with pictures of the players, their interviews, news strips carrying the cricket lovers’ messages of congratulations and other items of interest. One of the TV channels deserved bouquets for hoisting giant size TV screens all over the city of Lahore for the general public to watch the match outdoors. Above all, there was a spate of cash prizes for the players announced by various leaders and institutions starting from the country’s top brass downwards. I think the team fully deserved all this.
Winning the Twenty20 World Cup is the second biggest honour brought to the country by our cricket team after the World Cup 1992 clinched by Imran Khan and his boys. Since the media was not very advanced in those days, we really do not remember the extent of projection given to the event. The peoples’ enthusiasm and its projection that we have witnessed now will, however, remain in the annals of Pakistan cricket for all times to come. The final phase of the show of peoples’ love for the team and their jubilations for the victory was, however, marred by the authorities who became over-cautious about the players’ security. Thousands of cricket fans went to the airport to have a glimpse of their heroes and to give them an exhibition of the nation’s overwhelming feelings of joy and happiness over the historical triumph, but they were highly disappointed to find that the team had been carried away ‘from the back door’.
Coming to the championship itself, the well known ‘unpredictability factor’ attached to the game of cricket started proving its credibility from the very start. Even without Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Glen McGrath and other stalwarts, the Australian team was not so weak to be eliminated in the preliminary round. The feelings of shock, sorrow and grief suffered by the cricket lovers Down Under can be well imagined. The Australian nation would never have expected the long time ‘rulers of world cricket’ to return home so quick. Same was for the defending champions India who had a very balanced side with most of the players performing consistently well and the hosts England who enjoyed fully the traditional advantages of home grounds, pitches and the crowd.
After the Aussies ouster, South Africa enjoyed the top position by remaining undefeated till the semi-finals. Otherwise too they appeared to be a pretty strong outfit, ‘favourites to win’ on all counts. Pitched against them it was a pretty tough challenge for the Pakistan who had not performed brilliantly in the preceding contests, but the lady luck played its part in Pakistan’s victory. Batting first Pakistan scored 149 runs only, giving South Africa an easy target of 150 runs to win. Pakistan’s bowling strength proved its reputation by playing havoc with the ball. They kept the opponents under pressure to such an extent that the ‘media favourites’ were snubbed down to a paltry score of 142 for 5 wickets, conceding Pakistan a victory by 7 runs. Surprisingly, our bowlers maintained such a superb accuracy that even with five wickets in hand the Proteas could not open up to hit the target. With an exciting cum entertaining 51, Shahid Afridi was the hero of the match.
After such a sparkling victory, the world media turned its focus towards Pakistan team declaring it the ‘favourites to win’. By defeating the top team of the tournament, Pakistan mustered tremendous courage and confidence with their morale sky high to face Sri Lanka in the finals. The battery of our speedsters did wonders again by demolishing the Islanders top order by claiming the first 4 wickets for a petty 32 runs. With only Kumar Sangakkara (64*) holding the fort, they managed a total of 138 for the loss of 6 wickets. With a magnificent haul of 3 for 20 Abdul Razzaq (the so called rebel) was the chief wrecker of Sri Lanka’s innings. With the batting having gained its full momentum, Pakistan achieved the target with the loss of only two wickets. With a sparkling 54 not out Shahid Afridi again emerged as the hero of this grand victory.
The very fact that our team lost to India in the finals of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup and have now emerged as winners of the second World Cup clearly proves that Pakistan have the talent and ability to defeat any team of the world in this brand of cricket. It is only the matter of maintaining proper mental balance, keeping their wits about good fielding and utilising their resources to the full extent. Good strategy, proper match planning and leading from the front by the skipper will be the additional assets.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Younus Khan retires from T20 after world final win
Pakistan captain Younus Khan announced his retirement from T20 internationals after leading his side to victory in the 2009 Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka at Lord's here on Sunday.
"This is my last Twenty20 game (for Pakistan), so I am retiring from T20 internationals," Younus said after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
"I am now 34, I am old for this kind of cricket. The good thing is we have a couple of good youngsters like Shahzaib (Hasan) and Ahmad Shahzad."
However, gifted batsman Younus - who has appeared in 60 Tests and 186 one-day internationals - is set to continue his international career in the longer formats of the game.
"This is my last Twenty20 game (for Pakistan), so I am retiring from T20 internationals," Younus said after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
"I am now 34, I am old for this kind of cricket. The good thing is we have a couple of good youngsters like Shahzaib (Hasan) and Ahmad Shahzad."
However, gifted batsman Younus - who has appeared in 60 Tests and 186 one-day internationals - is set to continue his international career in the longer formats of the game.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
ICL is low standard cricket, says Razzaq
Back in the national side after snapping ties with the ICL, Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq said he had a torrid time adjusting to mainstream cricket after playing in the "low standard" rebel League.
"It wasn't easy getting back into international cricket after a long absence. This is the highest standards of cricket being played in the world and playing in the ICL and its low standards of cricket, it needs a great deal of mental adjustment," Razzaq told the 'Dawn' newspaper in London.
Razzaq made a successful comeback to the Pakistan side taking two wickets after he rushed to England as a replacement for injured pacer Yasir Arafat.
However, the all-rounder is not satisfied with his performance and said he had set high standards for himself and blamed the ICL for making things difficult.
Razzaq said he had breathed a sigh of relief after quitting the ICL last month.
Razzaq, Mohammad Yousuf, Rana Naved and Imran Nazir have all quit the ICL and the PCB has already got clearance from the ICC to draft back the first three into the national team.
Yousuf and Naved are expected to join Razzaq in the national team for the coming tour of Sri Lanka from June 27. "I think I still need two to three weeks to get up to the standards of international cricket," Razzaq said.
His comments about the ICL would come as a surprise since he was the first Pakistani player to join the rebel league in 2007 after he was dropped from the Pakistan team for the first T20 World Cup in South Africa.
"It wasn't easy getting back into international cricket after a long absence. This is the highest standards of cricket being played in the world and playing in the ICL and its low standards of cricket, it needs a great deal of mental adjustment," Razzaq told the 'Dawn' newspaper in London.
Razzaq made a successful comeback to the Pakistan side taking two wickets after he rushed to England as a replacement for injured pacer Yasir Arafat.
However, the all-rounder is not satisfied with his performance and said he had set high standards for himself and blamed the ICL for making things difficult.
Razzaq said he had breathed a sigh of relief after quitting the ICL last month.
Razzaq, Mohammad Yousuf, Rana Naved and Imran Nazir have all quit the ICL and the PCB has already got clearance from the ICC to draft back the first three into the national team.
Yousuf and Naved are expected to join Razzaq in the national team for the coming tour of Sri Lanka from June 27. "I think I still need two to three weeks to get up to the standards of international cricket," Razzaq said.
His comments about the ICL would come as a surprise since he was the first Pakistani player to join the rebel league in 2007 after he was dropped from the Pakistan team for the first T20 World Cup in South Africa.
PAK Vs SA
Just this very minute in the T20 World Cup being played in Nottingham, the Pakistan (149-4) team has beaten South Africa (142-5) by 7 runs to reach the Finals of the Twenty-20 World Cup. Congratulations Pakistan.I believe everyone who comes to this blog has already got the match details so I don’t need to delve on what happened when, except to say that Pakistan played superbly and they are now in the finals. Shahid Afridi has been declared as man of the match for his all round performance.
Pakistan will face either Sri Lanka or West Indies in the finals on Sunday.
Pakistan will face either Sri Lanka or West Indies in the finals on Sunday.
Monday, June 15, 2009
T20 exit: Dhoni apologises to Indian fans, promises to fire again
Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni apologised to the nation for his champion team's early ouster from the T20 World Cup and admitted sending Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Yuvraj Singh in their Super 8 match against England was a mistake. "We are more disappointed (than you) and we respect the emotions of our fans and the country. We gave our best and we say that with an open heart, we have nothing to hide. But the next Twenty20 world cup is coming again in nine months and we would have an opportunity of proving ourselves," said a dejected Dhoni after India's heart-breaking three-run loss at Lord's last night. Dhoni sent Jadeja ahead of Yuvraj and himself but the young all-rounder consumed 35 balls for his 25 in the middle overs to put pressure on his batting partners which ultimately led to India losing the match by three runs to crash out of the tournament. "Sometimes you don't know what would happen. We thought Jadeja could stabilise the innings as well as go after the bowling. He did try but somehow he always found the fielders. It was unfortunate it didn't work for us. We needed somebody to play percentage cricket at that stage." Dhoni, however, defended his decision to include Jadeja in the playing eleven in place of Pragyan Ojha, as well as his opting to field after winning the toss. "We were looking at a combination in which our batting could be lengthened. We need lower order bats to contribute. Ojha may be a better bowler but Jadeja is an excellent fielder and both bat and bowl well. It also encourages us to include an extra fast bowler," he said. "As for fielding first, we realised that under lights the wicket became better for batting."
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Pakistan cricket chief selector Qadir resigns
Abdul Qadir has resigned as Pakistan's chief selector following the defeat by England in the Twenty20 World Cup.
"He just handed in his resignation to the chairman who accepted it," Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Salim Altaf told Reuters. "We don't know the reasons behind his decision."
Qadir, a former leg spinner who played 67 tests and 104 one-day internationals, was brought in as chief selector last November. Pakistan lost by 48 runs to England on Sunday.
"He just handed in his resignation to the chairman who accepted it," Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Salim Altaf told Reuters. "We don't know the reasons behind his decision."
Qadir, a former leg spinner who played 67 tests and 104 one-day internationals, was brought in as chief selector last November. Pakistan lost by 48 runs to England on Sunday.
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