Pakistan beats England 3-0 in Test Cricket in Dubai

Wow what a white wash...
Pakistan Cricket has come of age finally!
I have always maintained when Pakistan decides to win there is no team that can defeat them despite their batting weakness. If one thought that the first test was an aberration the second test  was certainly not. Here Pakistan was winning within 3 days and India down under getting a drubbing and conceding a clean sweep to Australia with some tests within three days. The last test no body thought can be won when there were all out in the first innings for 99. But then what a comeback! The clean sweep and a white wash of England was no aberration. Seems like Pakistan cricket has come of age finally. Rest later.

Why did Pakistan loose the semifinal?

When you make Himalayan Blunders no amount of prayers help...

What are those Himalayan Blunders? Let me be brief.

1. Not playing the most feared bowler in the world - Shoaib Akhtar. Umar Gul should have been dropped and Shoaib taken. Is there any match between these two bowlers? None. Shoaib is a class apart. He runs through the batting line up and when people avoid getting out to him they give wickets to others. In either case team benefits.
2. Umar Gul giving away too many runs - 69 runs in 8 overs without any wicket. Afridi gave him many sessions even in the end to have a wicket in his name but he only succeeded in conceding more runs to India. One wonders why Omer Gul is the most favourite with Shahid Khan Afridi at the expense of the team.
3. Bad field placement and hence leaking runs without a deep third man. Omar Gul was never bowling to the field. Over 20 runs were lost like that.
4. Very poor fielding at least 30 runs could have been saved.
5. Four catches were dropped of Tendulkar to the extent he was embarrassed. His luck was such that even after being given out the decisions were reversed thanks to the review.
6. Such abysmal batting. Hafeez had no business to be out so irresponsibly. Where was the need of a non-cricketing shot? He must be dropped as Kapil Dev was once dropped at his peak by Gavaskar for an irresponsible stroke.
7. Asad Shafeeq had no business to cut a straight ball from that arrogant Yuvraj.
8. There was no need to bring upon themselves the pressure which they brought upon themselves. Misbah while trying to save wickets consumed far too many runs.
9. Mohammed Yousuf was sorely missed in the middle and batting flopped miserably. What was Younis doing if he could not bat? And Afridi and A.Razzak? Why were they taken? I guess to bat.
10. Kamran Akmal continued to be as bad as possible behind the stumps.
11. What about power play? It should have been taken when the captain Afridi and vice captain were at the crease.

In short Pakistan could not have had a better chance to make it to the final and possibly the cup. This is too much and it has broken the hearts of millions around the world. Now we have to listen for the next four years that India has never lost to Pakistan in a world cup. Disgusting.

Stop corruption in Cricket...

Shame... Taking moral responsibility Ejaz Butt must resign immediately!

There is nothing to write about. Heads down with shame. Sorry, so long as corruption is accepted is society it will go on. The young boys and girls must get the message that corruption is not acceptable in any circumstance.

Getting banned for 5 years is no small thing. The careers are finished for good. What great talent gone. Butt the class opener and a good enough captain gone, the McGrath of Pakistan - Asif gone and a budding talent Amer gone too. But let this be a lesson for any future adventurers. I hope not only the Cricketing Community but the whole world is listening.

In the meanwhile some one has to take moral responsibility. And if Ejaz Butt has just a bit of conscience still left in him he will at least resign without asking even if he does not offer an apology to the nation. This will be good for the morale of the cricket squad for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/current/story/499614.html

Cograts on Pakistan beating Australia...

Finally a win after 15 years... keep it up!

We made it thank God. Rest later.

There can't be another easy chance...to beat Australia!

Salman Butt the only batsman who applied himself as a test batsman but lost concentration at Ponting's brilliant bowling change and tight defensive field for just a moment and was stumped by Tim Paine it was a pavilion parade then on. The pinnacle being Shahid Afridi's penchant for sixes as if he is playing a t20 match. All the players had to do was to stay at the crease runs would have followed as they had two and a half day to achieve the target. And with the wicket playing so easy the victory was there for the asking. But our guys except the one above did not desire for it I am sure.
When you play Tests like 20x20 what else do you expect...

This a classic case of opportunity squandered. Time to think and bring back the greats of Pakistan Cricket. Send an SOS call to Mohammed Yousuf, Younus Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Faisal. Now! With Shoaib Akhtar's genuine pace, Asif's nagging length a la McGrath, Mohammed Yousuf and Younis solidity in the middle and with a good captain there is no way we can loose.

When umpires start playing you can't win a low scoring game...

Judicial activism gives victory to New Zealand...

While not absolving Team Pakistan of the blame of not posting an imposing total on a batting track one can't stop feeling for the boys who got so many decisions not in their favor.

Umpires got active just like our judges and media that take sides instead of being neutral. With every wrong decision my thoughts would go to our judicial activism and the partisan approach of our so called anchors and journalists.

Well done New Zealand. Great job. You deserved to win. Pakistan fared far too badly in batting to deserve a win. But one can't help noticing the umpires. In the last over Pakistan was facing, the short umpire, pictured here, did not give two unplayable balls as wide. That could have changed the complexion completely.

Earlier Umar Akmal was given out wrongly while a minimum of four plumb LBW decisions went New Zealand's way. When you add up it looks like umpires had become players. In any case hearty congratulations to Daniel Vettori and his team in particular himself, Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott.

But lets see what went wrong? Don't forget top players are top players. We should swallow our pride and always field the best team available. Asif and Misbah ul Haq were sorely missed. Misbah would have surely helped us to reach or cross 300 and Asif done wonders with his nagging line and length la McGrath.

What was that cross bat player Imran Nazeer doing there and the erratic bowler Naved Ul Hasan who also after hitting a six got out most irresponsibly. And how long will the nation endure constant non-performance of Shahid Afridi. It is about time he is shown the door if he cannot correct his foot work and rush of blood.

When the team selection is bad don't expect divine intervention.

I would also like to see Shoaib Akhtar back in the team. The world has yet to produce a better speedster than him. The PCB was not big enough to manage such a big talent. It all started when they did not offer him The Central Contract.

Even a donkey could see we did not send the best team...

Shoaib Akhtar, Asif, Yousuf, Imran Nazir and the best are not playing... What result could you have?

I really pity the great batsman captain Younis Khan. He is heading a team that can never be rated as the best in Pakistan. He should have gone with the best team that Pakistan can have although his captaincy skills are also yet to be honed.

It is distressing to see the kind of selection committee and The Cricket Board we have. They could never manage the big players. They destroyed the world's best fast bowler. What business did  The PCB have of not giving the Central Contract to Shoaib Akhtar from where all the problem started. It is sad that no body talks of the root cause of the problems. If The Management is the best selection is on pure merit there is no way Pakistan will loose.

Our batting was pathetic and so was bowling. Fielding - the less we talk about is better. They could neither field nor throw the ball to the stumps. All the shots were hitting the fence and while we were batting all the shots were landing with the England fielders. That was the difference in field placements too.

Now let's hope Pakistan beat Nederlands with a wide enough margin of 50-60 runs to make it to the super eight. 

We can only pray and wish for miracles to happen.

Lets pray he goes past 400

Let's pray he goes past 400...
When he does that he would have atoned for the fieldset and bowling changes he made on day 1 and 2 that allowed The Srilankans to plunder runs and reach a formidable 644. Even disregarding the dropped catch of Misbah Ul Haq he should have ensured the opposition did not score so much however flat the pitch may be. The field set was bad as was the fielding. The bowling was less than mediocre. We missed Shoaib Akhtar dearly.

I hope he survives the first hour and Kamran Akmal gives him a stand till the end. We pray he does not get sentimental nor repeats the mistake of Imran Khan who had declared Javed Miandad at 289. My whole family is praying for Younus Khan to go past 400. May Allah grant our wish and prayers. Amen. Summa Ameen.