While this blog will mostly be about cricket, and that too Pakistan's exploits, there will be the odd smattering of politically and socially driven postings. I am a Muslim, Pakistani-Canadian, Colorectal Surgeon. That is my frame of reference. I make no claims to lack of bias.
I can't even pretend that I'm happy that Azhar Mahmood is replacing Shabbir Ahmed in South Africa. In the past, I've made many comments about Azhar Mahmood's place in the squad, and lets just say I don't think he has one. He isn't even in the thirty probables for the World Cup, and there are bowlers like Samiullah Niazi and Rao Iftikhar, and even Yasir Arafat, a fairly accomplished all-rounder in his own right. There is also Fawad Alam who is flirting with a call-up over the past few months. Could someone please explain, why Azhar Mahmood.
I'm not sure where this is coming from, because I'm reading it for the first time, but in this summary of the Twenty20 Cup in Pakistan, the staff at Cricinfo is saying that there are whispers that Azhar Mahmood is being considered for the upcoming World Cup. Now, while the reasons for dropping him may never really be clear, he has been out of the squad for atleast the past four years with a token ODI appearance here and there. Further, even on the England tour, with bowling resources substantially hampered due to injury, he was not recalled despite a great deal of familiarity with the conditions and the English Players (having played at Surrey the last many years). So I'm not sure where these whispers are coming from. Azhar Mahmood, in his columns for the BBC has often commented that he will be making a comeback "soon", whatever that means. Lets also not forget that this is the same Azhar Mahmood, who Javed Miandad accused of being involved with match fixing in the Qayyum commission.
All in all, I would be quiet surprised to see Azhar Mehmood in Pakistani green at the World Cup.
Ooohhhh!! Poor little Azy Wazzy is upset that he has been left out of the squad for the South African tour and the upcoming World Cup. I think if anyone has a problem, it should be Yasir Arafat or even Fawad Alam. Azhar Mahmood has an ODI bowling average of over 38, and a batting average below 23. He thinks he has a shot here?!
Yes, I have not been a fan of Azhar Mahmood's. And yes, I now think he belongs in the squad, and yes I know that sounds like a major waffle on my part. Yet, that seems to be the logical choice to make, as also in the opinion of the Daily Times. They also talk a little bit about Rana Naved's all-rounding credentials, and I didn't know this, but he has actually scored 3 centuries in county cricket. I am surprised!
Interesting thoughts from Woolmer. He appears willing to experiment for the upcoming matches against Ireland and Zimbabwe, in both the opening formats and also the lineup. I think a telling remark is the desire to have eight batsmen and six bowlers in the squad. The squad that played WI on the 13th had 7 batsmen, and 6 bowlers so not as versatile a squad as Woolmer now wants to have.
I must say, these comments sound pretty wishy-washy, "Maybe Imran Nazir will continue to open, maybe Kamran Akmal could open and Hafeez will drop down," Woolmer told reporters. "When Afridi comes back maybe he will open.At this stage one would hope that the batting lineup, which was supposed to be a strength of the side would be on firmer ground, yet that is obviously not the case.
As I have stated in earlier posts, the issue revolves around what happens with Azhar Mahmood/Yasir Arafat and Danish Kaneria and their role in the squad. The batting lineup is thin enough that Imran Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez cannot be dropped willy-nilly at this point in the game. Getting Kamran Akmal to open is a thought, as he has gotten all of his ODI 100s and 50s from the opening spot. I like OH's suggestion to maybe whack Imran Nazir and send him back to Pakistan as injured, and bring back Yasir Hameed to maybe give Pakistan some more options from the batting side.
Kamran Akmal & Mohammad Hafeez to start, with Yousuf, Inzamam and Younis, in that order, gives Pakistan a lot more authority and versatility in the top order, further I just think Hafeez is a lot more reliable than Nazir. After the top 5, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi should be at 6 & 7 in whatever order, with Azhar Mahmood or Yasir Arafat at 8. The bowling can be rounded out with Gul, Rao and Naved or Sami. Keep Sami as far away as possible from this squad, and I really don't see any room for Danish in this squad.
Alas. It was the start of the World Cup, Pakistan had been facing adversity for the last few months, and as they took the field against the West Indies, my hopes were high. My mind was lofted in heights thinking about how the team was going to come through and defy all expectations and show themselves as the team we all know in our hearts for them to be. Yet, to be a fan of Pakistani cricket is to set yourself up to be taken to the pinnacle of faith and hope, and then to be left stranded with no way to get down!
The number of things that one can find fault with are legion. Why was the tail so horribly long, when all-rounders like Azhar Mahmood and Yasir Arafat were taken to address that issue? Why did Yousuf and Inzamam play at 3 and 4 in the warm-ups, and revert to their old positions when the match started? When Pakistan were bowling, why did the fast bowlers bowl almost 30 overs on the trot before the spinners were brought in, leaving the spinners to be annihilated in the last 20 overs?
These aren't just questions for second guessing, but each of these decisions had a direct effect on the outcome of the game. When Shoaib Malik was left at the crease, with Kamran Akmal the only batsmen of any calibre left, wouldn't it have helped to have a bat at #8 or 9? If Yousuf or Inzy had batted higher up the order, wouldn't that have given the innings a stability which Younis, Hafeez and Nazir could not provide it? Would it not have helped if Umar Gul or Rana Naved or Iftikhar had more overs left to bowl at the death, to further restrict the WI score?
Lets be honest. The bowling was supposed to be the weakness. It wasn't. To restrict a batting side to a score of 240 odd is an accomplishment in today's ODIs. An inability to reach such a target speaks to nothing except a certain inability to apply themselves on a wicket that was only getting easier to bat on. Almost every batsman fell to an ill-advised shot, placed in an unsuitable location. Yet, despite all of this negativity, Pakistan, as they always are, were one innings away from pulling this particular rabbit of a hat. If this doesn't speak to this teams ability, then I don't know what does.
It wasn't all negatives though. Yousuf and Inzamam displayed consistency. Shoaib Malik displayed his class again, and one just hopes he learns over time to marshal the tail in a more dominating and effective way. And Iftikhar, wow. I now know why Woolmer has been a fan of his for such a long time. Effective bowling, stellar control. I think his selection for every match in this tournament is a lead pipe cinch.
Lets hope the matches against Ireland and Zimbabwe aren't made as exciting as only Pakistan can make such matches against sub-standard opposition.
Ending Thoughts:
1. Isn't it a great story that the WI won the opening match of the first World Cup in the West Indies, in Jamaica? This will truly give the rest of the World Cup, specially when the WI play some great atmosphere.
2. I think Pakistan's performance in the field made it absolutely clear why Danish Kaneria has not played more ODIs. Would the Kaneria fans like to speak to that please? I can't wait to see Afridi back in the squad.
3. What happened to those awesomely hot uniforms the guys were wearing in practice? Where is the yellow sash across the bottom? What happened!
In an earlier post, I had commented about the silliness of not letting any of the players speak in English at press conferences. From reports from the most recent press conference at the World Cup, it does appear that if no one else, Inzamam specifically is enjoying this new policy, as he appears to have an ease about him in Urdu, which he lacks in English. (picture copyright AFP)
ZR at Sundries and cricket.bloggers.pk has made comments about the potential positive aspects of only having the players speak in Urdu to international media, with the ever present, ebullient PJ Mir to do the honours of reinterpreting and translating all their comments. While I would agree with my fellow blogger about the necessity of having this kind of setup for players who don't speak English or aren't comfortable with it, but for the majority of players this ignores some very significant facts. Most of our players have spent a lot of time toiling in the leagues of England and Ireland honing their skills, and a large number of them even play county cricket. On top of that, the players have had an English speaking coach for years now and English speaking physios for even longer. Inzamam is perhaps one of the few players in the side who hasn't played in English leagues or county cricket. Younis Khan has played for Nottinghamshire and will now captain Yorkshire; I don't think his English could be a concern. Azhar Mahmood and Yasir Arafat play more county cricket than Pakistani domestic cricket. Umar Gul, Rana Naved, Mohammad Yousuf, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi have all participated frequently on the county circuit, while Kamran Akmal has played a whole bunch of club cricket all over the UK and Ireland. So, apart from Inzamam who else needs a translator then? Somehow the facts seem to outweigh the perceived intent of this new decision by the powers-that-be.
So, the reserves have also been named. Salman Butt, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Sami, Shahid Nazir and Zulqarnain Haider (wk) round out the reserves. I've just got to wonder, wouldn't Yasir Hameed been better suited for this than Salman Butt? He can open, bat lower down the order and in fact has shown reasonable facility in both those tasks. Salman Butt can only open, and its not like his batting performances have set the international cricket circuit on fire. Another questionable decision by our wonderful selectors.
It was a good week away for me, but not one it appears for Pakistani Cricket. The two losses to South Africa, more like capitulations or decimations rather than losses, the continuing saga of Shoaib Akhtar's injury or recovery along with the ever present drama of our medical board, the consistently inconsistent selection policy and then there is Shahid Afridi. Each of these four distinct soap operas on their own may be enough to break down a team's resolve, and if recovered from would have spoken highly of a team's mental strength. Yet, on the eve of the World Cup, all four of these crises coming together is truly no more than a catastrophe for the squad.
Kamran Abbasi at PakSpin (with far greater authority than I) and I, in previous posts, have spoken about the shenanigans which are continuing at the Medical Board of the PCB, and it really doesn't seem that these shenanigans are threatening to stop at any point soon. Shoaib Akhtar, was first judged almost fit upon return from South Africa, and then we were all informed, not by the PCB, but by Shoaib himself, that his knee is injured. Next thing we know, without any work or due diligence by the PCB, Shoaib Akhtar is on a plane to London to get his knee examined. We have the selectors hoping to pick a squad for the World Cup, which is less than a month away, and yet, there is no sense of whether Umar Gul, Shabbir Ahmed or Shoaib Akhtar are going to be ready or able to participate in the World Cup which lasts almost 6 weeks. You would have thought that some lessons would have learnt from the five week tour of South Africa, where at various points, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Inzamam, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul and Mohammad Sami were all injured. Yet, it appears that the selectors have learnt none of these lessons in the squad that they've picked for the World Cup.
The selectors seem to have been smoking something really good. OH, a fellow blogger, has responded quiet vehemently to the selections for the World Cup, and truly rightfully so. The selection of Danish Kaneria just does not make sense. For the past two years he has been kept out of the squad, and even Abdur Rehman, a talented young spinner, has repeatedly been preferred to him. Now, when it comes to the greatest stage of cricket, suddenly here is Kaneria to bowl at this level. With what preparation, what track record has he been brought back? If he was going to play, or if the thought was he could, why wasn't he trialled in the ODI series against South Africa? On top of that, the selectors have chosen to persist with Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul despite no certainty that they will even be able to play even one game. Plus, why take Abdur Rehman to South Africa, if he had no chance to play in the World Cup, and for that matter why have Azhar Mahmood show up, if he wasn't going to play in South Africa. Wonderfully consistent inconsistency.
Given that talking about Shahid Afridi almost always makes me laugh, I'll talk about the ridiculous losses to South Africa over the past week. Surely, even an U-19 squad or a B team squad could have played at almost the same calibre as Pakistan did in the last two ODIs. This is not the way one of the top squads in cricket is supposed to play in the last two matches before the World Cup. If these is any kind of precursor to the performance in the World Cup, I may as well cancel my plans to watch any of Pakistan's matches because I sure as heck won't be laughing or happy about any of their performances. There was no batting, bowling or fielding performance worth getting excited about or even to be content with. There was just nothing.
And, as always, there is Shahid Afridi. There was the stunning performance in the second ODI (video here),
which truly served notice to all that yes, Shahid is back. I must say, I felt a little proud of myself for wanting Afridi back in the squad. But alas.
Afridi's decision to try to use his bat on a fan (video here) after being dismissed in the first ODI, resulted in him getting a four match suspension from the ICC.
So, not only was he gone from the last two matches of the series against South Africa, but also for the first two matches in the World Cup. Afridi's comments on landing in Karachi (video here), were ALMOST comical, specially given the fact that this is the guy who just a year ago was trying to destroy a pitch, and almost didn't even get recalled for this series or the World Cup. Shahid is truly a heartbreaker.
All in all, nothing has happened in the past two weeks which raises any optimism for the upcoming World Cup. This squad really has to try to come together and find some inner resolve to be able to get through the next two months, as the World Cup in the West Indies is truly going to test this squad's resolve. One can only hope that any failure by this squad, will not be laid squarely on Woolmer and Inzamam, but the PCB's higher ups are also held responsible in some way for this. Each and every one of these problems isn't necessarily related to the team or to individual players, but speaks to an overall absence of professionalism in the entire setup, which leeches down to individual players and interferes with their performances and how they conduct themselves on the field. This is not professional cricket we are seeing, this is gilli danda.
Pakistan had a match againstCanada, more noticeable for some decisions and non-decisions rather than the quality of the match. Pakistan won, albeit unspectacularly, but I'd like to focus on some interesting, and almost strange choices made during the match.
The decision to open with Younis Khan is bit of a strange one. I know many, almost jokingly, have said that Younis Khan ends ups opening the innings anyhow, so we might as well let him bat as an opener. I'm not sure if this is just an experiment or a fairly blunt statement that the openers selected have no hope in high heaven of doing anything reasonable, so Pakistan's only option is to slot in the steady Younis Khan with the explosive Imran Nazir and hope that this works. While I understand the temptation to try to address long-term problems with a short-term mindset, this is an un-natural solution. I would much rather see Mohammad Hafeez play in that number 2 slot, with Yousuf and Inzamam at 3 & 4, like they were in this match. No. 5 is a natural position for Younis Khan in one-dayers as he has the ability to build an innings almost invisibly through some canny shot placements and smooth running between the wickets.
The other interesting decision, was to let Naved open the bowling, despite the almost plethora of statistics that show that he couldn't bowl his mother-in-law out with the new ball, but with the old-ball he is almost a magician. I think a more natural opening duo is Umar Gul and Iftikhar Anjum, under the circumstances, with Rana Naved the old ball and death bowler, who can also hit the ball somewhat lustily. I haven't made any decisions yet about the rest of the squad, and the match against South Africa in a few days will perhaps give a better indication of what the starting XI is going to be against the West Indies.
If Pakistan stick with Imran Nazir, Younis Khan, Inzamam, Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal and Umar Gul as the can't miss, that leaves five spots. If one concedes that Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi are going to play, then Pakistan will have to add Rana Naved and Rao Iftikhar as the pace options to round out the playing XI. Azhar Mahmood could play if Nazir or Hafeez are left out, or perhaps even Naved. I just don't see any room for Danish in this setup, unless Pakistan do something unorthodox with the opening situation and slot in Shoaib Malik or Shahid Afridi in that position like they have in the past. Difficult decisions to be made here.
6. Naved-ul-Hasan 27. Shahid Afridi 30. Shoaib Malik 31. Mohammad Sami (He actually rose to this level) 35. Shoaib Akhtar (recovering from a major fall off) 39. Shabbir Ahmed 41. Abdul Razzaq 76. Mohammad Hafeez (Who is to say when he'll get another chance) 80. Arshad Khan 86. Azhar Mahmood (When was the last time he played for Pakistan) 88. Danish Kaneria 94. Iftikhar Anjum
