Selection dilemma before WC: Why has Kaneria been sidelined?
Right now, what is needed is that the selectors, instead of playing hide and seek with the talented lot of available crop of cricketers for the World Cup utilise them in the biggest cricketing extravaganza in the Caribbean islands
By Gul Nasreen
Strange are the ways of Pakistan cricket. Those at the helm of affairs take unexpected and 'uncalled for' decisions and then mock their own acts by taking counter decisions in an equal stranger way. Just imagine, cricket's mega event the World Cup is just weeks away while the Pakistan camp still faces the selection dilemma and are seemingly uncertain on the decisions in this regard.

Things will get better: But when?
We have a highly efficient, motivated well paid brigade of physiotherapists, trainers and doctors in our hierarchy of cricket board, but we have not played a single series last year with the services of our full and fighting fit bowling battery
By Syed Ahsan Ali
Nationally, we use one tag term with utmost frequency to cover all of our blemishes and tardiness in picking up things -- "Things will get better".

cricket

Which 15 players can do the job for Pakistan?

The Aussies' dominance cannot be attributed to their talent only. They have a mechanism in place which acts like a filter and ensures only the best get a chance of passing through it and making it to the top

By Imran Farooqi

Desperation sometimes leads to strange reactions; reactions that are easy to make, but difficult to understand, and even more difficult to substantiate. More often than not these responses lack sense and cause more harm than good. Rather than addressing the core issue they tend to create more trouble that is even harder to control.

Pakistan's cricket team's tour to South Africa has exposed some serious problems that should have come to the fore and dealt with accordingly a lot earlier. Ill-planning, that has long been the hallmark of Pakistan cricket, has already done, and will continue to do, an awful lot of damage to the sport here. And there seems to be no let-up in near future as well.

The way players were sent to and recalled from South Africa speaks a lot about the calibre of those who are at the helm. Those associated with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are supposed to work for developing the game in this country. Unfortunately, most of them are there just for nothing and are more inclined towards achieving their 'personal' goals.

Pakistan's performance against all teams may not be below par during the last 10 years, but it is a distressing fact that in the same period they have not been able to throw a serious challenge to two very good Test and one-day outfits, i.e. Australia and South Africa. To measure one's success one needs a benchmark for making a fair judgment. In cricket Australia is the benchmark. The last decade -- during which they won whatever there was to be won -- rightly belongs to them.

The Aussies' dominance cannot be attributed to their talent only. They have a mechanism in place which acts like a filter and ensures only the best get a chance of passing through it and making it to the top. They firmly believe in quality, not quantity. And that's why they do not play too many first-class games during their domestic season. Yet the number of world-class competitors they keep throwing on to a cricket field is simply awesome.

Australia have just six state sides, and all teams play first-class matches on home-and-away basis against each other, which comes to around a dozen matches per season. For the Aussie selectors these games are enough to give them a fair idea about the upcoming players' true potential. Once identified, the selected youngsters are picked for specialised training in order to equip them for the tough terrain that lies ahead. In Pakistan players get training after joining the national squad!

Cricket Australia's bosses aren't very famous names, yet the service they are rendering for the development of the sport in their country is nothing but exemplary. Here, we have all sorts of bureaucrats and generals fighting for PCB's top job. These people not only lack knowledge of the game, but are also ill-equipped to occupy such an important and prestigious seat. Once into the job they pick men of their choice for performing sensitive tasks, and then the only thing that flourishes is chaos, utter chaos.

When Pakistan had left for South Africa last month, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Shabbir Ahmed were not considered for reasons relating to lack of fitness and form. But as soon as Pakistan lost the first Test, Shoaib and Gul were on their way to South Africa to bolster the helpless attack. Shoaib did play in the second game -- which Pakistan managed to win following a great fightback by their middle-order and some wonderful bowling from Mohammad Asif and Danish Kaneria -- but broke down in the second innings after sending down a couple of overs.

Gul, meanwhile, failed to prove his fitness, and returned to Pakistan along with Shoaib. Now the question is: what was the point in sending half-fit bowlers to take on a strong side like South Africa in the first place? With the World Cup just round the corner was the risk worth taking? Didn't we have fit and deserving young pacers available in the country to support the weakened attack? More importantly, when have Pakistan done well in South Africa during the last 10 years? Even stronger teams from Pakistan, and for that matter from the sub-continent as well, have struggled there. Did it make sense to send unfit and out of practice players to South Africa and expect a dramatic turn-around in fortunes?

To add to the confusion, Shabbir, who had hardly played any cricket after completing his ban, joined the team before the commencement of the limited-over stage of the tour only to return after breaking down during the Twenty20 game.

The story does not end here. After taking a terrible beating at the hands of the hosts in the first one-dayer, Azhar Mahmood and Rao Iftikhar Anjum were asked to pack their bags and join the squad in South Africa. To do what, nobody knows. Pakistan had all their players fit and available for selection for the remaining four one-dayers, so who were these two supposed to be going to replace? Maybe those who were not performing!

Is this the way professionals run an organisation? Unfortunately we are a nation which does not learn from its mistakes. And this scenario is not likely to change in the coming days. Like the 2003 World Cup, this year's edition, too, could turn out to be a nightmare. We will continue to compete with, and do well against, sides like India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and West Indies. But against stronger teams we'll always struggle. Unless we have honest and thorough professionals managing the affairs of the PCB, we'll not have a team that will enjoy as much success overseas as they do at home.

Selection dilemma before WC: Why has Kaneria been sidelined?

Strange are the ways of Pakistan cricket. Those at the helm of affairs take unexpected and 'uncalled for' decisions and then mock their own acts by taking counter decisions in an equal stranger way. Just imagine, cricket's mega event the World Cup is just weeks away while the Pakistan camp still faces the selection dilemma and are seemingly uncertain on the decisions in this regard.

The quality leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who has been in consistent good form for the last many series and has also delivered the goods in Test matches in South Africa, was unexpectedly dropped from the squad for the all-important five-match ODI series against the Proteas and now the dejected man is back home.

Pakistan cricket team's skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq though has hinted at the possibility of including the Karachi boy in the final 15-man squad for the prestigious World Cup starting next month in the West Indies.

The fact that PCB is facing a selection dilemma before the World Cup is quite evident form the Kaneria instance. The tour to South Africa has been viewed as a preparatory stage for Pakistan for the quadrennial competition in March. As such, those at the helm of affairs should have focused on giving as much practice and exposure as possible to the players whom they deem fit for making the WC squad. No 'unexpected' changes and experimentations were called for in the squad for the ODIs despite the 2-1 loss in the Test rubber as the basic aim was to prepare the out-fit for the mega event on the fast tracks in the away event. However, it did not happen and changes were made in the ODI squad for the sake of change.

Secondly, the squad for the ODI series was announced when the team was locked in the all-important third and final Test after the series was a 1-1 draw. The axe fell on Danish Kaneria despite his good form and he looked very dejected and disappointed after being overlooked for the ongoing One-day International series.

It may be mentioned here that Kaneria, who took 15 wickets in the recently concluded Test series against South Africa, could have finished with 20 to 25 wickets with a bit of luck and fielding support. The boy really worked very hard on fielding and his batting apart from his bowling but it all went in vain. His performance has been consistent from the tour of England, home series against West Indies and now on the ongoing South African tour. But despite his good form, Kaneria was ignored for the ODIs because the so-called all rounders were preferred over the specialised bowler.

Justifying the decision of neglecting Kaneria in the limited-overs series, Inzamam was quoted to have said that the team already had four spinners in the shape of all-rounders Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez and Abdul Rehman saying with these players present in the squad there was hardly a place left for Kaneria.

Now this is something, which is not only tantamount to injustice but sounds ridiculous. The matter of the fact is that in recent years, the selectors and the cricket Big Brothers have focused on 'all-rounder mainly' approach and have been attaching less importance to specialised batsmen and bowlers. But specialisation does matter a lot in professionalism. It's the specialised approach that has an impact on the result of the matches.

Except for a few exceptional all-roundres all over the cricket playing world, it's mainly the specialised bowlers and batsmen as also the wicket-keepers, who have turned up as match winners for their countries. We are living in an age of specialisation and the same applies to cricket. A jack-of-all-trades is a master of none. And, master players really make a difference.

The irony is that devoid of Kaneria, the team has not come up with the much needed improved performance in the ongoing one-dayers to avoid further embarrassment during the tour. South Africa defeated Pakistan in the Test series 2-1 and handed a big ten-wicket defeat in the Twenty20 international before winning the first one-dayer with a massive margin at Centurion.

Spin bowling has grabbed added attention in recent years all through cricket playing nations, owning to the mystery and variation surrounding this genre of bowling. On the contrary, it been ironically been attached little importance in Pakistan despite the fact it is rich in spin talent and has a legacy of the spin art.

It may be due to the damn-care attitude of the so-called selectors, who are themselves not the masters of their own fields. Just look at the example of Sri Lanka's Muralitharan and Australian Shane Warne, who are by no means less successful than the world's great fast bowlers.

Right now, what is needed is that the selectors, instead of playing hide and seek with the talented lot of available crop of cricketers for the World Cup should utilise them in the biggest cricketing extravaganza in the Caribbean islands. Performance and current form and approach to the game should be made a touchstone for criteria of selection and not the 'so so' all-round performance and past records. Because what use is such an all-rounders, if they cannot deliver the goods when the team needs them. For the mega event, specialisation needs to be given preference over the 'so so' all-rounders.

In view of his current form, Kaneria can be a tormentor for the batsmen in the World Cup. He is very much capable of bowling long spells and taking wickets under pressure and his perseverance and mastery over the bowling tricks really pays off as he basically concentrate on taking wickets. The 26-year-old says that he has ambitions of emulating the feats of Pakistan's legendary leg-spinner, Abdul Qadir, and Australian great Shane Warne.

Kaneria has now taken 198 wickets in 46 Test matches since his debut against the touring English side in 2000. His first two Tests fetched him only four wickets and it was only against Bangladesh that he showed his wicket taking prowess, grabbing 35 in three matches with a career best of 7-77 at Chittagong in 2001. But wickets against Test cricket's minnows were ridiculed and it was only last year that his international standing rose after a match-winning five wickets haul against South Africa. His mastery over the bounce and turn has also come to the fore in the recently concluded away Test series against the Proteas.

On reaching Karachi from South Africa he said that he was badly hurt and disappointed after he was not retained in the team for the ODI series despite his fine performance with the ball in the Test series. His supporters also felt bad and wondered as to why he was not selected. But the lad has not lost hope of making the final World Cup line-up.

His supporters wish he could make the Pakistan squad for the ICC World Cup as he looks at the mega event as his next destination during which he will be able to match his skills against world class spinners.

The most striking thing about Kaneria is what an analyst said, "he is permanently enthusiastic and he doesn't easily tire, mentally or physically. Every ball he sends down, you sense, he wants and expects a wicket, and if it doesn't come, then there is always the next ball."

We have a highly efficient, motivated well paid brigade of physiotherapists, trainers and doctors in our hierarchy of cricket board, but we have not played a single series last year with the services of our full and fighting fit bowling battery

By Syed Ahsan Ali

Nationally, we use one tag term with utmost frequency to cover all of our blemishes and tardiness in picking up things -- "Things will get better".

We have been hearing this word since our national independence. Like all other areas of our national structure, the apparently satisfying expression is used with frivolity when it comes to cricket management. After farcical happenings and shambolic state of affairs, we say it with ease, grace and shrugged off gesture of shoulders, "Things will get better".

A national hero, with 373 Test wickets and 416 One-day International scalps under his belt, was axed as the national bowling coach with utmost disdain without any proper and understandable reason.

After vociferous pleas from all corners, a reason was released that we do not need Waqar Younis for the shorter version of the game. After some hullabaloo, everyone slept over the issue habitually. The next 50-over game Pakistan played our bowlers were hammered for 392. Rana, Sami, Asif, Razzaq -- all were mauled as if they were club bowlers operating against international batsmen.

Pakistan gave away 31 extras on the day with 16 wides and 9 no balls with philanthropic generosity. This dismal exhibition of fast bowlers gave ample evidence of the fact that we definitely need a bowling coach; whereas we were in need of an assistant coach who used to be a leg-spinner when we incidentally do not possess any specialist spinner in our one-day line-up presently.

When we ask highly professional cricket administration whether this is the way to behave with any former superstar, they say, "Things will get better".

It must be an incident that we have highly efficient, motivated well paid brigade of physiotherapists, trainers and doctors in our hierarchy of cricket board, but we have not played single series last year with services of our full and fighting fit bowling battery.

Pakistan played 12 Tests in 2006, when Asif played 5 of those Tests, Rana one, Mohammad Sami played four, Shoaib Akhtar three and only Umar Gul played nine.

These are the five names that always stay in contention for their places in the team, but we see their names more often on the injury list than in the playing eleven. Who is responsible for this pathetic medical failure which looms on future of Pakistan cricket as vulture? This is the only bowling attack in the world which can decimate any side even in ODI cricket, but for that we need the bowlers to remain fit which seems little too far-fetched in the current situation. But when you ask the men sitting in cosy drawing rooms of cricket academy these questions, they reply, "Things will get better".

Dr Nasim Ashraf's management like all the other cricket managements hit the bumpy road of Pakistan cricket with a firm promise of preparing the PCB constitution by January 31, 2007. It was a nice way to get started. But it wasn't nice to be still waiting for that piece of document well after the decided date for any cricket lover in Pakistan.

He made another promise that discipline will be the last thing to be compromised. After that, we witnessed the Shoaib-Woolmer episode where they caught on lens in disgusting images, and Shoaib proved scapegoat once more. Discipline gone out of the window. Discipline once again surfaced when Shoaib refused to wear sponsor's logo on the shirt in the Twenty20 Cup. Shoaib was fined for the incident and got away as all our superstars tend to do. When we ask whether there is any solution to prevent this behaviour of our players, they say, "Things will get better".

We are just a few weeks away from the 2007 World Cup. The world is getting ready for the mega-event in a big way with every passing moment, but we still do not know our best eleven for the opening game in the World Cup against the West Indies. Thanks to injuries, experimentation and mind-boggling selection policies.

Ironically, we started preparations for this tournament immediately after our embarrassing exit from the 2003 World Cup. It could be the longest, toughest and scariest build-up of any team to any major tournament in the history of the game.

Openers Nazir, Hafeez, Akmal, Farhat, Afridi are in the limelight. What we need to do is to narrow this list to two or three. What else. Nothing. Everything is finalised. Or one more thing which we can do is to try different opening pairs in every World Cup match. This will show our depth in talent.

People talk a lot about wicket-keeping issues, but our wicket-keeper is world-class, just his catching form is a little dicey these days, but our coaching staff will sort that out in time. Brigade of fast bowlers needs a little overhauling here and there. Fine tuning will iron out everything. Extras, death bowling and control over new ball are not issues that can halt our march to Barbados. Another hair-rising issue is the form of our all-rounders. Both Afridi and Razzaq look out of sorts in both forms of the game. Is there enough time left to address that issue as well? All in all, only the middle-order batting looks geared up for the monumental event. But when we pose these questions to people who know more cricket than all veteran cricketers, they say, "Things will get better".

Things will get better, but when? Nobody knows. It seems that we are in a perennial wait for that to happen. A lifetime appears short for things to get better in Pakistan cricket.