Making sense of Pakistan’s new squads
The Pakistan Cricket Board press conference to announce the squad for the tour of Sri Lanka started well. Misbahul Haq stepped down as T20 captain, and Zaka Ashraf announced Mohammad Hafeez as the new T20 captain – well-played by the PCB in ensuring that Misbah ‘stepped down’ and was not pushed out. It is up to Hafeez now to demonstrate his leadership potential, which we all have heard of, and make that role of captain his very own. After this revelation came the announcement of the new squad. No wait – the new squads. The dream that PCB was contemplating regarding three different ...
Read Full PostVirat Kohli: A boy among giants?
He averages over 50 runs in ODIs, has 11 ODI centuries (10 of which have come in victories), averages over 65 in ODI wins and is only 23-years-old. Virat Kohli has not even completed four full years in international cricket. Yet, he already has achievements to boast about that some ODI greats haven’t even attained yet. Kohli has as many ODI centuries as Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, and Aravinda De Silva managed in their entire careers. In addition to this, he has scored more ODI centuries than Gautam Gambhir, Matthew Hayden, Inzamamul Haq, Kevin Pietersen, Javed Miandad and Dean Jones to name a few. One can’t ...
Read Full PostDid you buy Mohammad Amir’s story?
I want to. I really want to. I want to believe that Mohammad Amir is an innocent 18-year-old boy who was set up by his friend and captain – his fixer. But I can’t. There are a lot of things about Mohammad Amir’s interview that are bothering me. I feel like we are being told a story that is not true. I feel like we, Pakistani cricket fans, are being lied to… again. Since the interview aired, I’ve heard a wide variety of thoughts from the general public and Twitterati. One section feels sorry for the kid and believes that he was truly ...
Read Full PostGood riddance to Imran Farhat!
When Mohammad Ilyas announced his resignation following the series between Pakistan and England, I was a content man. Not because Mohammad Ilyas wasn’t going to be part of the PCB selection committee going forward, but because his resignation signaled the end of Imran Farhat’s career. It has been cause for suspicion that Farhat’s inclusion in Pakistan’s squads has been due to dear daddy-in-law, and with him no longer selecting the team now, Farhat was likely to be dropped. This was made official when Pakistan’s new chief selector, Iqbal Qasim, announced Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. I was doubly satisfied when not only Farhat, ...
Read Full PostWhy Younis Khan is king
The Pakistan – England Test series finally witnessed a century, and it came from none other than the most reliable batsmen out there – Younis Khan. I had been waiting for a Younis Khan century throughout the series and last week, he made it happen. Younis’ performance was most satisfying because I had been anticipating it for some time and to top it off, I was at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to witness it. I don’t remember a Test series that Pakistan has played that has not involved a match-winning or match-saving century by Younis. Calls to drop Younis from the Test squad prior ...
Read Full PostPak vs England: Fantastic stats for Team Green
It still hasn’t sunk in that Pakistan have not only won the second Test, but also won the series; if that is how I am feeling then I can’t even begin to imagine what the critics and doubters are going through right now. Believe it or not, Pakistan are up 2-0 and the prospects of a whitewash are truer than ever. Pakistani magic against low totals This was only the second time that Pakistan successfully defended a total below 150 in a Test match. The last time this happened was against New Zealand in 1993 when Wasim and Waqar took five wickets apiece and ...
Read Full PostTest cricket: Pakistan, five for five
With the third Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka ending in a draw, Pakistan managed to win yet another Test series under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq. This is now the fifth consecutive Test series that Pakistan has played under Misbah’s leadership. This is also the fifth consecutive Test series that Pakistan has not lost. That surely must be some sort of a record. When was the last time Pakistan played five Test series without losing even a single one? With draws against South Africa and the West Indies, and wins over Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe, Pakistan’s Test outfit is looking quite strong. These results ...
Read Full PostNo one does it like Afridi
I have followed Shahid Afridi’s performance for Hampshire in the Friends Life T20 Cup in England, and it seems like he has led the team to some impressive victories. First, a 5 wicket haul to destroy Gloucestershire and then a belligerent 29 off 17 and 3-10 to roll over Sussex and lead Hampshire to the top of the table. I don’t see why anyone would be surprised considering the number of match winning performances Afridi has come up with, in Pakistan colours. There are a number of people who have doubted Afridi’s abilities at the international level – many who never thought he was capable ...
Read Full PostPakistan vs Canada: Will cricket fans ever be satisfied?
“Drop Hafeez.” “Drop Ahmed Shehzad.” “Make Kamran Akmal open.” “No, replace Kamran Akmal and make Umar Akmal keep.” “Wahab Riaz should be in the team.” “Replace Rehman with Saeed Ajmal.” “Replace Umar Akmal with Asad Shafiq.” Is there any other request that Pakistani fans want fulfilled? It’s high time we stop acting like the selectors of the team and focus on celebrating its success stories. Seriously, have they not done enough to make us happy? Pakistan have played three matches this World Cup and have won all three! What more do we want? If we understand the game so well, we should also understand the age-old captaincy rule: never change ...
Read Full PostCricket: Most memorable moments of 2010
When you think of a year gone by, one surely thinks of the good, the bad, and the ugly. And, for a Pakistan cricket fan there were plenty of ugly cricket moments during 2010, which many have claimed has been the worst year ever in Pakistan cricket. For now, let’s forget about the bad and the ugly, and let’s just concentrate on the good. The good that we have witnessed on the cricket field. There have been plenty of moments to cherish in the year gone by, and here are my personal Top 10 performances from 2010. 10. Six on debut Pakistan has ...
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