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Cricketers shot in 'terror attack' on Sri Lankan team

pakcricket — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:10:48 GMT

Seven people including five policemen were killed and six Sri Lankan cricketers were injured in a shooting attack in Lahore.

Sri Lankan tour has been called off after the terrible incident. According to sources, unknown attackers opened fire on Sri Lankan cricket team bus near Liberty Market.

Intense trade of fire occurred between police and unknown attackers. CCPO Lahore Habibur Rehman said there were 12 attackers carrying rocket launchers; hand grenade, Kalashnikovs and Mousers who reportedly reached the site in rickshaws. Seven people including five cops were killed in the shooting.

Former cricket players have expressed their sadness over the incident and termed it a severe blow to Pakistan cricket. Despite several security warnings, it was Sri Lankan team who visited Pakistan. Now it seems that game of cricket will not add to our grounds for a longer period of time.

Dear readers, your comments are welcome – what implications could this incident have on Pakistan cricket? who could be behind this cowardly act?

Pakistan cricket finds a leader

pakcricket — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:36:38 GMT

Karachi's pitch may have killed the match but it has rejuvenated Younis Khan. His triple hundred will always be diminished by this docile track despite the pressure of chasing down a total of over 600. It shouldn't be. Much more illustrious Pakistan teams and batsmen have crumbled on as friendly surfaces. The pressure of the situation has been too great and their strength of character too weak. Indeed, which other Pakistan batsman has threatened to score a century?

Meanwhile, Younis has devoured this challenge with an innings that could earn him the highest ever score by a Pakistani. It would be well deserved. The new captaincy, a selection row, criticism of his leadership in the field, a score of over six hundred, and the bowling combination of Murali and Mendis have all made this innings a test of Younis' mental strength and character. He has passed with a flourish and an ever present smile.

His square drive to reach a century and reverse sweep to the triple hundred were typical Younis: classical yet innovative and fearless. The road to recovery for Pakistan cricket will be long and interrupted by failure. But Younis Khan has already shown that he is a man with the guts to lead Pakistan cricket out of the living hell of the past two years.

The curious case of Mohammad Yousuf

pakcricket — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:35:47 GMT

The Pakistan Cricket Board is inquiring again into the circumstances of the forfeited Test at The Oval in 2006. It is an inquiry without a clear purpose. The match is now recorded as a technical defeat but the result is an irrelevance.

Although it was a moment when Pakistan cricket fought its corner in the world of cricket politics, two consequences have caused immeasurable damage. First, the rift between Inzamam-ul Haq and Bob Woolmer became ever wider. Second, the controversy ushered in Naseem Ashraf's disastrous reign as head of Pakistan cricket.

It was also the year that Mohammad Yousuf claimed the record number of Test runs in a year. Yousuf batted beautifully. He was easy on the eye yet his mind was tough. He was unbeatable and unswerving in his commitment to score more runs. The best years of his career were upon us. But the plummeting trajectory of Pakistan cricket has claimed him as a major victim.

Yousuf has done himself few favours. He has harboured a thinly veiled grudge over the cricket board's failure to appoint him as captain. His decision to turn to the ICL was rash and career threatening. And now, it is hard to imagine that his decision to see out his ICL contract is driven by principle rather than self interest.

Nonetheless, Yousuf has just cause for complaint. The purge of religion from Pakistan's team identified him as its most obvious target, and Shoaib Malik failed to bind his senior colleagues--and most notably Yousuf--to his cause. Too quickly, Yousuf moved from being indispensable to being yesterday's man, when his form and ability merited a greater respect and expectation.

The greatest failing, however, is that the Pakistan Cricket Board, like all other international cricket boards, slavishly followed the BCCI's lead in condemning ICL cricketers to a career without recognition or international cricket. Hence, whether Yousuf has arrived at his position through laziness or greed, the central point is valid: Why should players be unable to hold ICL contracts and play international cricket?

If there is an inquiry that the PCB needs to conduct with urgency it is one that questions the legitimacy of the stance of its fellow cricket administrations. Indeed, Pakistan cricket has lost more current international cricketers than any nation to ICL. How long will this abuse of cricketers and their international careers be allowed to continue without a serious challenge? This may not have been Mohammad Yousuf's intention but it should become the cause that reunites Pakistan cricket and gives the new cricket board immediate credibility.

Time to pass the bat on..

pakcricket — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:08:06 GMT

They came, we saw, they conquered.

For all of us it was indeed like a midsummer night's dream when Ganguly and Dravid made the hallowed piece of turf at Lords their own, that June afternoon in 1996. In what may be branded an irony, while Ganguly's innings is widely remembered for his silken drives through the off side and the occassional pull, Dravid's will forver be etched in our mindsby the manner of his dismissal. On 95,he got A wafer thin edge of Lewis' bowling which was snapped up by Jack Russell and the umpire had enough doubts in his mind to have possibly given it not out. Dravid chose to walk. These would set the trend for the rest of their careers. Ganguly, ever majestic and royal, the maverick professor and Dravid the gentleman champion and a brilliant student of the game.

For a long time, the Professor would charge his wards up with inspirational words and when needed, inspirational deeds. He had come through a nasty system and he would not let his proteges suffer through the same. Time and again, he would come to the defence of one of the struggling junior members and support them through tough phase. We would be always thankful to him for showing us that India could win consistently and in varying conditions. Critics might say he was lucky to have all his players firing, but then credit should be given to him for getting the best out of them. And one of those who contributed in a great measure was Dravid himself.

In the 90s, Harsha Bhogle would refer to Sachin as India's 10/2 man. Dravid was the 2/1 man. Often coming in with an early wicket falling and the opposition fast bowler's tails up, he would hold them at bay and then settle down to score big. He's been criticized for batting too slow, but then he knew the value of staying at the wicket. He never once tried to match his more talented peers in the strokeplay, but instead complemented them like no one else ever did. The record number of century partnerships he was involved in stands testimony to that.

Their partnership as the captain and vice captain of the team saw the best stretch of results for the Indian team. We were transformed from a team of gentlemanly losers to pleasant champions.

As much as we would want them to play as long as possible, one of them has already chosen to call it time and the other's timing has deserted him for a while now. Thus a little romantic inside me wants them to retire together, much as they came on to the scene together. Indians would give anything to see them repeat that magical performance one last time.

Twenty 20 can refresh longer versions of cricket

pakcricket — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:52:52 GMT

Observers of the game have been worried about the growing importance of Twenty 20 and how it could adversely affect batting skills. But the format could add value to the game, writes Daryll Cullinan in Businessday.

A prime example was Duminy’s lap over the keeper’s head off Australian quickie Shaun Tait during the recent Twenty 20 series. It was one of the most amazing shots I have ever seen. The ball is going to new places in the field.
The new kids on the block have fresh minds and seem less paranoid about adapting between limited-overs cricket and Test cricket. Fifty-over cricket affected scoring rates in Test cricket for the better. Fielding also drastically improved and the need for athleticism, strength and power quickly became paramount. Can Twenty 20 take it even further, and is it affecting the game positively or negatively?

Bad decisions hurt Australia

pakcricket — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:50:59 GMT

Australian cricket is in a pickle. Fingers have been pointed at a wide range of suspects - management, selectors, coach, captain and senior players - and all of them are partly to blame, writes Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The board must take responsibility for complacent appointments made and uninspired decisions taken over the past 18 months. In success mistakes can be buried, but once things start to go wrong they stand out like a night fire. Errors can become entrenched, eating into the culture.
Consider the decisions taken on the coaching side. Although the team has been struggling, another two years have been added to Tim Nielsen's contract. Nielsen is a fine fellow but unproven at this level ...

Nor did it seem sensible to ask Greg Chappell to lead the high performance centre in Brisbane. Chappell has a sharp cricket brain, an abiding interest in the game and a way with youth, but he remains unproven as a constant coach.

Mind games

pakcricket — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:50:09 GMT

Is cricket played as much with the head as with bat and ball? Though essentially a physical pastime, David Foot in his blog on the Guardian website tries to reason why the game in particular has appealed so much to men of letters, the poets, those with sensitive, philosophical natures.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle loved the game's swaying statistics with one theory superseding another as entrenched batsmen were ground down and then outwitted. His friends believed that the capture of a wicket was to him as fulfilling as the villain's nadir in the final chapter.

Michael Vaughan is very bad at singing - well music in general really. By his own admission, he's an awful singer but it doesn't stop him from belting them out from time to time. It gets more interesting in The Five Minute Interview with John Matthew Hall in the Independent.

You know me as a cricketer but in truer life I'd have been...
A businessman. I'm always coming up with great ideas that I know would do really well.

Asif: Comeback on the Cards?

pakcricket — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:43:10 GMT

In Pakistani cricket fortunes rise and fall with the sun. While only a few days ago I wrote about the myriad challenges being faced by Mohammad Asif, it now appears that Ijaz Butt, PCB Chairman, has all but mandated that Asif will be making a comeback and soon.

Suddenly, a drug arrest in Dubai, is a “minor” incident. Only in Pakistan can the Chairman of the PCB wash away a problem like this, with a casual comment. Asif has many problems, and as a young man he needs to sort them out. Give the man some time. Plus, does he just walk back into the squad? Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Rao Iftikhar seem to be doing pretty well. Sohail Khan and Azhar Ali are knocking on the door. Does an unfit Asif who hasn’t played competitive cricket for a year have a place in the squad?

Is playing IPL a must..................... .?

pakcricket — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:36:11 GMT

IPL has come a big way in promoting the game of cricket or rather the 'instant cricket' in a very big way.

Many youngsters who would like to show-case their talents have welcomed this and have made most of the opportunity available to them.

However, it is necessary to take a careful look at the format of this 'limited-overs' game and see how far does to go to do justice to the young players to don the national colors and play at the highest level...viz the test match.

The obvious question that comes to the mind: is playing in IPL a 'must' to showcase the talent?

The logical answer that would come out is a big NO. The IPL games does not in any way project a player worthy of playing test matches.

These games hardly put to test the technicalities, temparament, approach, endurance, mindset etc required to play a five-day game (with no 'playing condition restrictions' that are applicable to the limited version of the game).

A champion in the IPL games would look pretty mediocre when he is 'in the middle' playing in the longer version. He may not even be able to read and adapt to the situtaion.

A glaring example could be the case of Rohit Sharma, who has been a 'run-away' success in T20 (and to some extent in ODIs) but hardly gets to play test matches. There could be a few more examples.

Similarly we can quote the examples of Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson etc who have shunned IPL but have made it big at the test level.

As such a young/budding cricketer who could be aspiring to play at the highest level, would definitely do a 'world of good' for himself, if he concentrates on the domestic games like Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup etc, and further his cause of representing Team India in the test matches.

However, if increasing the 'bank balance' is the only motto, then follow Lalit Modi's so-called brain-child.........!

The Future of Test Cricket

pakcricket — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:33:39 GMT

Now before I get started, this isn't another ramble about how Test cricket is/will be dead. I don't believe that. Whilst the hit and giggle stuff bring people into the game, I think that as people enjoy and understand the game more, Tests begin to have more of an appeal.

But thats another story for another day. What this post is about, following from breeno's post about Test status and a competition, is my thoughts on what the ICC must do to stop cricket getting stagnant. Now I must add that I have no experience in organising a global competition, so bare with me if I make any mistakes.1) Infrastructure.

As pointed out in a recent blog, what Bangladesh and many other developing cricketing nations are lacking is quality infrastructure and, following from that, experts. The growth of cricket in those countries has been slowed by boards not focusing on grass roots. What many of those countries need is a way of encouraging and nurturing talent, right from school age children. Australia, England and South Africa all have such programs. The opportunities are good because, compared to other countries, the facilities are brilliant.

2) Money spending.

What I believe has been happening with the spending of the ICC is that money has been given out, and as such it looks as though they are doing a lot, but really bugger all is being done. So instead of handouts, in consultation with the various boards, the ICC controls how the money gets spent. This way (hopefully!) the money stays out of pockets and gets spent on improving the standard of cricket. This policy obviously has more importance in countries like the Netherlands, Canada and Bangladesh, where small steps are being seen, and large jumps are, with the right attitude, just around the corner.

3) Competition.

Alright, who here is sick of 2 Test series'. How can they even be called a series? Once one match is won, the competiton pretty much dies. This I blame on the Future Tours Programme (FTP). This is a system where every Test nation must play 'X' number of matches home and away over 'X' number of years. With its expirty in 2012, a whole new competiton could be drawn up. This is where said Test championship and Tier system could, nay should, be introduced. It could consist of 3 Test series', with 5 for Ashes and India-Pakistan matches, played home and away (not consecutivly *shudder*). Wins, losses and draws would form a points system, in which the highest two scoring teams play a 3 match series, with the winning team getting the crown. Draws would be decided by whoever finished higher. The winner moves up a tier, confident that by being champions of their group, they have a good chance of having a solid crack at the next level. The team that places last moves down a rank. By the final being a best of 3, it isn't so much who is best on the day being named champions, which is hardly justice.

Well that is just a few of the things that could be done to halt, what I think, is a lack of forward movement in cricket. Oh, and ODI's and T20I's can be played in between the Tests, so as to continue to raise revenue and popularity. Please add anything you thought I missed