Monday, December 27, 2010

Pak VS NZ 1st T20I

Shoaib Akhtar
     Scott Styris uppercut his second ball for six, but was undone soon after by Shoaib, attempting an ugly slog across the line to an indipper that pegged back leg stump. Shoiab had another, and the aeroplane was on show for the third time in three overs, but although there were breakthroughs, Guptill's fireworks at the other end boosted the score to 55 in five overs.

Pak VS NZ 1st T20I

Martin Guptil
   Martin Guptill
  Guptill began with gusto as he flayed Abdul Razzaq for 15 in his first over with two commanding strikes and a tickle down to fine leg, before hoisting Shoaib Akhtar for a giant six over square-leg. The pace of the Auckland pitch showed up three balls later as Jesse Ryder's thick edge off Shoaib flew at shoulder height to slip, almost at the edge of the circle. Guptill continued to make merry despite the loss, hitting Shoaib for another six on the leg-side before the bowler struck again, this time to remove debutant Dean Brownlie for five.

Pak VS NZ 1st T20I

Southee's five help New Zealand end losing streak

   Tim Southee
  The youngsters shone for New Zealand as they defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the first Twenty20 at Eden Park. Tim Southee ripped the heart out of the Pakistan line-up with a brutal spell of five for 18 in four overs, and Martin Guptill's fearless half-century ensured the chase went smoothly for the hosts. The visitors had rocketed to 58 for 1 in 5.5 overs before Southee struck five times in nine deliveries to derail the middle order, using his height and pace to torment the batsmen on the quick, hard surface, and throwing in the odd slower ball to keep them guessing. Guptill then attacked the Pakistan bowling with style and chutzpah, to get his team off to a rapid start, and continued to attack throughout his innings, despite the fall of wickets at the other end.


Pak VS NZ 1st T20I

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Pak T20I Update

Shahid Afridi
(With Shahid Afridi, a truly spectacular innings is always around the corner)

      Pakistan run into another team that is dealing with problems. Compared to the murkiness surrounding Pakistan's cricket - spot-fixing investigations, an inefficient and politically incorrect board, a disappearing wicketkeeper - New Zealand's winless woefulness may seem like a trifle.

     Yet, their recent travails in the subcontinent - where they failed to win any of their last 11 one-dayers and three Tests, spread across each of the three World Cup hosting countries - have left their tournament preparations in disarray, with very little time for new coach John Wright to turn things around.
This series - on spongy, seaming tracks and small grounds - against a Pakistan team in its current state, presents New Zealand with less than ideal preparation for the big event, but it gives them a good shot at ending the slump.

     Pakistan don't have the luxury of picking and choosing their venues anymore. Security concerns have prevented them from playing at home. This is Pakistan's second visit to New Zealand in a year, a frequency rarely seen from Asian teams.

     They begin this tour at the Eden Park in Auckland, the venue that hosted the first ever Twenty20 international, almost six years ago. A lot has changed since that hit-and-giggle encounter, in which Australia and New Zealand sported retro costumes and outmoded facial hair. Three World Twenty20s have come and gone since, with Pakistan making the semi-finals on each occasion and winning the tournament once. This is the format they have always threatened to make their own; so despite their current four-match losing streak and all the other distractions, they come into the series with a dangerous reputation.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Pakistanis T20 update

Bates destroys Pakistanis in tour opener

 (Abdul Razzaq couldn't script a recovery for Pakistan as they slumped to 91 all out)

Auckland 92 for 5 (Guptill 28*, Ajmal 2-20) beat Pakistanis 91 all out (Umar Akmal 25, Bates 4-11) by five wickets...

      Pakistan's tour of New Zealand got off to a poor start after they lost their twelve-a-side Twenty20 match to Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. The hosts won with 40 balls to spare, easily chasing down the target of 92 after Pakistan were bowled out in 17.4 overs.

     The Pakistanis were put in to bat and were in immediate trouble, sinking to 7 for 3 inside the third over. Left-arm seamer Michael Bates did the early damage, getting Mohammad Hafeez out caught and bowled off the fourth ball of the match. Two balls later he got Ahmed Shehzad to nick to Lou Vincent and be dismissed for a duck. In Bates' next over he got rid of the big fish - the captain Shahid Afridi, for 1. Afridi tried to pull Bates, but only got it as far as square leg, where Anaru Kitchen took a sharp catch.

     Pakistan never recovered from that rocky start. Umar Akmal provided them with a silver lining, showing some signs of form to get to 25 - Pakistan's top score of the innings. Left-arm spinner Roneel Hira dismissed Younis Khan for 18 and then Umar in his next over, and Fawad Alam was run out for 0 in between, to leave the visitors reeling at 52 for 6. Umar was trying to power Hira through the off side off the back foot, but missed the ball and was bowled. Abdul Razzaq wasn't able to pull off a recovery and fell to offspinner Bhupinder Singh for 16. Bates came back into the attack and dismissed Wahab Riaz to finish with figures of 4 for 11 in three overs.

     Auckland opener Colin de Grandhomme was in a hurry to knock off the required runs and raced to 20 off 12 before he was caught at gully by Shehzad off Shoaib Akhtar. Martin Guptill, the only member of the Auckland side who is in New Zealand's squad for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, played the sheet-anchor role, and batted through the innings, making 28. Shoaib managed another wicket, bowling Lou Vincent, but was expensive, going at 7.75 in his four overs.

     Saeed Ajmal did a good job of drying up the runs, giving away 20 in his four overs, and picked up the wickets of Anaru Kitchen and Colin Munro. Gareth Hopkins, who was dropped from New Zealand's squad for the Twenty20 and Test series against Pakistan, made only 8 before falling to Wahab Riaz. But Auckland were always comfortable, and reached their target with plenty of overs to spare, helped by the 17 extras conceded by Pakistan's bowlers.

     Pakistan will have two days to recover before the first Twenty20 match of the three-match series against New Zealand, in Auckland, on December 26.

 

 

Salman Butt

Butt's plea for delay in ICC hearing rejected

      Salman Butt
Salman Butt's request for a postponement in the ICC tribunal's hearing into the spot-fixing case has been rejected. Michael Beloff QC, the ICC's code of conduct commissioner and a member of the three-man tribunal to hear the charges against Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, made the decision during a lengthy teleconference with Butt's lawyers on Wednesday.

     "Mr Beloff, the Chairman of the ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal, following a lengthy telephone hearing and having received written submissions, has ruled that Mr Butt's application is denied and as such, the full hearing will take place as scheduled from 6-11 January 2011 in Doha, Qatar," an ICC release said.

     Butt's legal representatives was aiming for a postponement of the hearings to a date after the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had dealt with the case. Independent of the ICC, the Scotland Yard is pursuing its own case against the trio in the UK and has handed over evidence to the CPS.

     The CPS is to determine whether the case is strong enough to warrant a criminal prosecution on charges of a conspiracy to defraud, but since receiving two files of evidence from Scotland Yard - in September and November - no decision has been reached.

     In the early days of the case, the PCB repeatedly expressed concern over the two separate investigations being pursued against the players and asked for one to be completed before the other was taken up. But the board has since withdrawn support for the trio.

     Yasin Patel, a London-based barrister, will handle both the ICC and Scotland Yard cases for Butt. Asif and Amir had not asked for a postponement, though Shahid Karim, who represents Amir, while confident of his client's prospects, said he would have preferred an independent tribunal instead of the three-man panel set up by the ICC for the hearings in Doha.

     Apart from Beloff, that panel includes Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa and Sharad Rao of Kenya.

Domestic Cricket

Big wins for Karachi Blues and NBP

 Rumman Raees, Akbar-ur-Rehman
      Karachi Blues notched up their first win of the tournament, beating Islamabad by 121 runs at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. The hosts were set a target of 210 but capitulated against a collective bowling effort from Karachi. Seamers Rumman Raees and Akbar-ur-Rehman grabbed three wickets each, and were supported by Tabish Khan and Adeel Malik who shared four wickets. Islamabad kept losing wickets without any strong resistance to show for, and the opening partnership of 22 was their highest. They folded for 89 and are now tied with nine points with Karachi, who are just one spot below on the table at 11th place. 

      National Bank of Pakistan cruised to their third win of the tournament, beating Water and Power Development Authority by nine wickets at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. NBP had gained a lead of 161 in the first innings and had WAPDA on the back foot at the end of the third day, having reduced them to 93 for 4. Mohammad Talha starred for NBP on the final day, finishing with figures of 6 for 53 and the only significant resistance his team met was from Umair Asif, who made 58. Wasim Khan, the seamer, supported Talha, chipping with three wickets and WAPDA could only muster 224 in their second attempt. NBP knocked off their target of 64 in just 5.5 overs. WAPDA, at the end of the round, find themselves at the fifth place on the table, still one spot ahead of NBP.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

No Facebook and Twitter

PCB bars players from using Facebook and Twitter

Zulkarnain Haider

(Zulqarnain Haider's actions have prompted the PCB to introduce more checks)

      The PCB has barred its contracted players from using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter during series in the aftermath of the Zulqarnain Haider controversy. The Pakistan wicketkeeper fled the UAE, where his team was involved in a series against South Africa, to seek asylum in the UK last month and, though largely untraceable, kept the public informed of his news through updates on his Facebook page. 

      "The measure is for the players' safety. They are prone to danger if the wrong person gets access to their information, whereabouts and so on," team manager Intikhab Alam was quoted as saying by Pakistan's Express Tribune. "Therefore, the PCB has finalised the policy and banned the use of all social networking websites during ongoing series, while also advising them to keep their activity minimum when they are not playing."

     The PCB said the measure had been incorporated in its revised code of conduct for players. "There is a clause in their contracts which states clearly that they can't use these social network sites or discuss cricket issues while under contract. It is for their own good, so that they don't get entangled into controversies."

     The board also threatened legal action against those putting up fake accounts of players on social networking websites. "There are many accounts that are not operated by the players," the PCB's legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said. "Fake ones operated by other people are a hazard. These people are liable to face charges of cyber crime and fraud. So my advice to them is to be careful, otherwise they can be prosecuted."

     Concern over the use of such websites by players has not been confined to the PCB. Kevin Pietersen's outburst on Twitter over his exclusion from the limited-overs side in August resulted in the ECB introducing specific regulations for micro-blogging. And Allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas was banned by the ECB for two weeks following his foul-mouthed messages against national selector Geoff Miller.

 

Cricket


                                                           Abdul Qadir

Abdul Qadir: "I just feel in Pakistan cricket, where there are so many disputes and controversies, a players association can play a very productive and positive role." 

     The death of 38-year-old first-class cricketer Aamer Bashir, after a long-running battle against cancer, has led to a call from former Pakistan players Ramiz Raja, Rashid Latif and Abdul Qadir for the establishment of a players association in the country.

     "I think the way, and the conditions in which Aamer Bashir passed away are sad and there are many other players facing similar financial problems," Ramiz told PTI. "The formation of the players association will mean they can work for the welfare of players from one common platform."
Leading cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan and Basit Ali worked hard to ensure Bashir received proper medical treatment, in addition to monetary assistance from the board. Ramiz asked for a more organised set-up to help such cricketers, and made it clear that forming a players association did not mean the players wanted to confront the board's authority. 

     "It should not be viewed that way [as a threat to the board]," he said. "If we have a proper association it can work for the welfare of players and also educate them on how to handle things and behave while playing for Pakistan." 

     "When you are fighting with a terminal illness having financial issues plays a big role in only worsening the disease," Latif, who had campaigned to raise funds for Bashir, said. Latif also noted that the board had opposed earlier efforts to set up a players body, a point that Qadir agreed with.

     "Even if the board does not give us permission we can easily go to court and get permission because I think it is the right of cricketers to have a representative body in the country it is long overdue," Qadir said. "I just feel in Pakistan cricket, where there are so many disputes and controversies, a players association can play a very productive and positive role."

Domestic Cricket

Pakistan domestic players ask for regional contracts

      Pakistan's domestic players who are currently representing city cricket associations in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy have asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to resume the regional central contracts system, in order to ensure their livelihood through the off season. 

      This year's QEA Trophy features 22 teams - 13 departmental and nine regional - divided into two leagues. During former PCB chairman Nasim Ahsraf's reign, players in the regional sides were given central contracts, a practice that has been done away with in recent years, along with a reduction in the match fees. 

     "The top players from the associations leave their regional sides in order to play for departments so how can you expect the regions to maintain their level of performances every year?" asked a president of one of the leading associations. "The standard of associations can only be gauged if there are different leagues for associations and departments. You cannot expect a region to defeat departmental sides in every match. There is a big difference of quality." 

     The earlier contracts system had three categories, with the top level getting Rs 20,000 ($ 233) per month, and the next grades earning Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively. The monetary motivation, according to Karachi Blues player Tabish Nawab, encouraged players to pursue cricket in Pakistan instead of looking for more lucrative options abroad. 

      "There has been a trend in Pakistan that most of our cricketers aim to play just five matches anyhow, in order to be eligible to play in Britain," Nawab told the News. "Subconsciously, they neglect the main priority of performing well to represent the country. The feeling of nationalism dies once money becomes the first priority. 

     "While the players are abroad they have to do job five days a week, and the remaining two days they have to play for their respective clubs. Thus their fitness level does not remain the same and players get injured. Cricket has become a profession and the board needs to understand that there is a dire need to invest in the game for domestic players as well. In today's world money has become a necessity. In such lowly pay structure, you cannot expect that a player can have top quality cricket gear, a healthy diet to maintain his fitness at the same time. We need to end the financial uncertainty surrounding our players so that they only think about cricket which will eventually help Pakistan."

Sohail Tanvir

 Sohail Tanvir
    Sohail Tanvir took six wickets to bowl Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited to an innings victory over Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited.

     Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited's Sohail Tanvir was the other bowler to take six wickets in their thrashing of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited by an innings at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Once Tanvir and his new-ball partner Mohammad Khalil had reduced SNGPL to 32 for 5 in their follow-on effort, there was no hope for them. Yasir Arafat (53) and Adil Raza (47) delayed the inevitable with an 84-run seventh-wicket partnership, but Tanvir was around. He bowled Arafat, Iftikhar Anjum did the same to Raza, and SNGPL soon caved in for 147. Raza Ali Dar (81) had stuck around in the morning but the trio of Tanvir, Anjum and Khalil were too much for SNGPL, who fell 20 short of avoiding the follow-on. 

Mohammad Amir

 Mohammad Amir

Amir's lawyer would have preferred independent tribunal

Shahid Karim, Mohammad Amir's lawyer, has said he would have preferred an independent tribunal to adjudicate on the charges against his client over the spot-fixing controversy, instead of the three-man panel set up by the ICC. Amir, along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, has been provisionally suspended by the ICC for their alleged involvement in the controversy, and the final hearings are scheduled to be held over six days in Doha from January 6-11.

"Looking at the case from a legalistic point of view, from the point of view of the case being presented to an independent and unbiased tribunal, then I think he has a fair chance of coming out clean," Karim told PakPassion.net. "However the situation is an odd one. Ideally we would have liked the tribunal to be completely independent of the ICC, but at this point in time I have to have full faith in the tribunal."
The ICC's three-man tribunal includes Michael Beloff QC, Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa and Sharad Rao of Kenya. Beloff, the ICC code of conduct commissioner, had chaired the hearings into the appeals of Amir and Butt against their suspensions in Dubai, and had upheld the ICC's decision. Subsequently, the PCB revoked the central contracts of the players.
Beloff's prior participation in the hearings drew objection from Karim. "We raised a slight objection to Michael Beloff QC chairing the hearing in Doha, as he had heard the case in the provisional hearing, but he chose not to remove himself," Karim said. "However, my training as a lawyer requires me to have full faith in the forthcoming tribunal and I should expect a fair hearing.
"Although the members of the three-man tribunal are already part of the anti-corruption commission which is a permanent body in the code of the ICC and are nominated by the ICC, and the tribunal members have been picked out of those members, I still think that I have faith in their independence and impartiality."
Karim was confident of a verdict in favour of Amir, claiming there were certain mitigating circumstances in his case. "One of the mitigating factors is age and the other mitigating factor is Amir's previously unblemished record," he said. "Emotionally he is drained, he's been affected badly by it, but he's coping as best he can and above all he is very confident that he will come out of this clean."
And in the event of an unfavourable verdict for Amir, Karim said he would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. "If the hearing does not go our way we plan to take the matter further. The next stage of the process would be to go to the Court of Arbitration of Sport in Lausanne. It is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport and would be completely independent and divorced of the ICC."
Meanwhile, Butt's lawyers have asked the ICC for a postponement of the hearings to prepare their reply.

 

Friday, December 17, 2010

Saeed Anwar

 Saeed Anwar
 Majestic timing and placement were Saeed Anwar's hallmarks. He was an opener capable of electrifying starts in all cricket through graceful strokeplay rather than brute force. He loved driving through the off side with minimal footwork. He annihilated any bowler offering width outside off stump although he too regularly guided the ball straight into the hands of fourth slip or gully.
 Saeed Anwar
He first came to prominence as a one-day player but soon achieved equal success in Test cricket. Anwar's fielding was weak, he was injury prone, and his footwork became less assured as his career drew to a close. Opting to take a break from the game after the death of his daughter in August 2001, he was a lesser force when he came back, though he still managed a hundred against India in the 2003 World Cup. His batting prowess on the wane, Anwar finally announced his retirement just before Pakistan's home series against Bangladesh. He held the record for the highest ODI score till Sachin Tendulkar upstaged him, and on his day he was one of the most gracefully compelling players on the international stage.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in Pakistan

 The famous heroine of “Salt” and UNCHR Goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie has been greatly moved by the devastating floods in Pakistan and she has decided to get into action to help the victims and visit Pakistan soon.




 Lets join this group to support her efforts to help our country , its a Payback time folks
 American movie star Angelina Jolie met flood victims in northwestern Pakistan and appealed to the international community to provide aid needed to help the country recover from its worst natural disaster.
 The flow of aid money has stalled in recent days, and officials expressed hope the two-day visit by Jolie – who serves as a "goodwill ambassador" for the U.N.'s refugee agency – will convince foreign countries and individuals to open their wallets.
 "I am very moved by them and I hope that I am able to, today and tomorrow, be able to do something to help bring attention to the situation for all of the people in need in Pakistan," Jolie told reporters after visiting a refugee camp in the Jalozai area.
 The 35-year-old actress said Tuesday she met with many people whose lives have been devastated by the floods, including mothers who lost their children and an elderly Pakistani couple who feared they would never be able to rebuild the home they lost.
 She toured the area wearing a long black robe and a black headscarf adorned with a thin red stripe – the kind of conservative clothing worn by many Muslim women in Pakistan.
 The floods began in the northwest at the end of July after extremely heavy monsoon rains and slowly surged south along the Indus River, swallowing up hundreds of villages and towns and killing more than 1,700 people. Another 17 million have been affected by the floods, and many will need emergency assistance to survive.
 The United Nations issued an appeal for $460 million in emergency funds on Aug. 11, but only $294 million, or 64 percent, has been received so far, and donations have more or less dried up in recent days.
 "We need more ... well-known figures who can keep the spotlight and focus because people tend to forget internationally," said Chhibber, who is also the U.N. development agency's regional director for Asia. He spoke to reporters during a visit to Islamabad.
 "I have hardly the words that somebody would do that to somebody's religious book," Jolie told reporters in Islamabad after visiting refugees camps in northwestern Pakistan – one of the areas of the country hit hardest by the floods
 The issue has not gotten much attention in Pakistan, where officials and residents have been trying to cope with the devastation caused by floods that first hit the country at the end of July following extremely heavy monsoon rains. The floodwaters have killed more than 1,700 people and have affected over 18 million others.
 "I was shocked especially by how high the floodwaters went," said Jolie, who wore a long dress and covered her hair with a black scarf in keeping with local Muslim custom. "In some of the people's houses, it was nine feet (three meters) high."
 U.N. officials have expressed hope that Jolie's visit would help spark the fundraising campaign to help Pakistan, which has stalled in recent days. The U.N. issued an appeal for $460 million in emergency funds on Aug. 11, but only $294 million, or 64 percent, has been received so far even though it is one of the worst natural disasters in recent years.
 "There's lots of speculation about why this one has not gotten the attention it deserves," Jolie said. "Even all of the wonderful coverage ... is not getting the response that usually it's able to get."





 Ajay Chhibber, a U.N. assistant secretary general, said he hopes Jolie's visit will have "a very big impact" on the inflow of aid money and will keep people focused on the crisis.
 Angelina Jolie is in Pakistan, where she has met with the Prime Minister in her role as UNHCR ambassador. On Wednesday she spoke with CNN's Sanjay Gupta via satellite about the flood victims and how she deals with the tragedy she sees.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Shaheed Major Aziz Bhatti

   Major Raja Aziz Bhatti
  Major Raja Aziz Bhatti (1928 - September 10, 1965) was a Pakistan Army's Staff officer who received Pakistan's highest award for valor. He was born in Hong Kong in 1928. He moved to Pakistan before it became independent in 1947, living in the village of Ladian, in the district of Gujrat. There he enlisted with the newly formed Pakistani Army and was commissioned to the Punjab Regiment in 1950.
    
     On 6 September 1965, as a Company Commander in the Burki area of the Lahore sector, Major Raja Aziz Bhatti choose to stay with his forward platoon under incessant artillery and tank attacks for five days and nights in the defence of the strategic BRB Canal. Throughout, undaunted by constant fire from enemy small arms, tanks and artillery. He was reorganizing his company and directing the gunners to shell the enemy positions. In order to watch every move of the enemy, he had to place himself in an elevated position, where he was exposed to Indian fury. He led his men from the front under constant attack from Indian Artillery batteries. Although he tried to counter every Indian offensive in his area, he was hit by an enemy tank shell in the chest while watching the enemy's moves, and embraced martyrdom on 11 September 1965.
A day before his Shahadat (Martyrdom), the commanding officer had sent to him word that since he had been fighting untiringly for the last five days and nights, he should take a little rest and that another officer was being sent to replace him. Major Aziz, who was filled with a battle spirit and the will for martyrdom replied, "Do not recall me. I don't want to go back. I will shed the last drop of my blood in the defence of my dear homeland".

He is buried at his village in Ladian in the Gujrat district.
     
     Each year, Major Bhatti is honoured in Pakistan on 6 September, also known as Defence Day of Pakistan. Major Raja Aziz Bhatti was awarded the Nishan-e-Haider, the nation's highest military award for gallantry for the exemplary courage he displayed till his Martyrdom.

     

Monday, December 13, 2010

Waqar Younus

      Waqar Younus
The man who really put the reverse into swing. Waqar Younis bucked the 1980s trend of pitching fast and short by pitching fast and full. Not an obvious recipe for success until you factor in prodigious late inswing, which was designed to smash into the base of leg stump or the batsman's toes. In his youth, he was one of the fastest ever. Waqar's surging run was a glorious sight - and an incredible strain on his body. His method of aiming for the stumps rather than the batsman earned him the best strike rate of any bowler with over 200 Test wickets. It could have been better: back injuries cut short his prime, but determination has always resurrected him, although he was easily pushed over the line that divides aggression and intimidation.
Waqar Younus   
  He looked to have been put out to pasture by the end of 2000, but before long he had been appointed captain for the 2001 tour to England. Initial results suggested that this was an inspired move, but in October 2002 he was at the helm as Pakistan crumbled to 59 and 53 all out against Australia in Sharjah. He managed to retain the job for the World Cup, but a disastrous tournament - Pakistan beat only Holland and Namibia - meant an unceremonious exit. Unable to force his way back into a side building for the future, he announced his retirement in April 2004.
    Waqar Younus
  As a batsman, lusty blows were his staple, but Waqar batted with the air of a man who thinks he could have done better.
 Waqar Younus
The next stage of his career began in March 2006 when he was appointed as Pakistan's bowling coach, and he has also been a regular in the commentary box.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Wasim Akram

                      Wasim Akram
                                        In a nutshell:-
     Perhaps the best left-arm fast bowler of all time, Wasim Akram could make the ball walk and talk like no one else did. An explosive, exciting genius who could change the game with the bat as well.
                                               Wasim Akram
   A stunning match-winner:-
     Over a 19-year international career, he took wickets all over the world, in Tests and ODIs, with a consistency that was mind-boggling

Wasim Akram

                                                     Wasim Akram
     Left-arm explorer:-
     A triumph of the imagination, he broadened the scope of what could be done in his art with talent and hard work, and left fast bowling unrecognisable from what it was before him

Wasim Akram

                                                                Wasim Akram
   Profile:-
A dream cricketer. At his best Wasim Akram plays like most of us would wish to. He has complete mastery over swing and seam, and sometimes moves the ball both ways in one delivery. All this comes at high speed from a quick, ball-concealing action, and is backed up by the threat of a dangerous bouncer or deceptive slower delivery. Akram is rated by many as the best left-arm fast bowler of all time, and his career record certainly bears that out - along with the high regard of his contemporaries. He hit like a kicking horse, but batsmanship was one skill in which Akram underachieved, despite a monumental 257 against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura in 1996-97. He was the natural successor to Imran Khan as Pakistan's leader and captain, but the match-fixing controversies of the 1990s harmed him, blunting his edge and dimming his lustre. Though he reached the 500-wicket landmark in ODIs in the 2003 World Cup, he was among the eight players dumped after Pakistan's miserable performance. He retired shortly after, following a brief spell with Hampshire.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Shahid Afridi

                                                              Afridi  
 Of Shahid Afridi it can safely be said that cricket never has and never will see another like him. To say he is an allrounder is to say Albert Einstein was a scientist; it tells a criminally bare story.

                                             Shahid Afridi    
For a start, the slant of his all-round skills only became clear ten years into his career; he is a leg-spinning allrounder. Variety is his calling and as well as a traditional leg-break, he has two googlies, a conventional offie and a lethal faster one, though this is increasingly rare. All come with the threat of considerable, late drift. He fairly hustles through overs, which in limited-over formats is a weapon in itself and the package is dangerous.
                                                     Afridi     
But forever associated with him will be his madcap batting, the prospect of which is a crowd-puller the world over. He is a compulsive basher, literally unable to control his urges to slog every ball that comes his way, and not much of it is classical. Often spectacular results are at hand; he owns, for example, two of the fastest ODI hundreds, including the fastest one ever in his first innings ever at the age of 16. His career strike rates are nearly unmatched. But mostly, anywhere in the order, consistency has been missing.
                                                              Afridi    
  Despite a healthy Test career, he gave up on the format in 2006, pre-empting men such as Andrew Flintoff, to maximise fully a limited-overs career.
                                                      Shahid Afridi
Twenty20 is something he could've been made for and he is probably the most lethal player of the format, having been player of the tournament for the inaugural edition of the World Twenty20 in 2007 and led Pakistan to the title two years later with matchwinning all-round hands in the semi and final.
                                                        Shahid Afridi 
 Maturity has often threatened to gatecrash his career and leadership is a just reward, but it will not change much in a truly unique career.