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cricket Indian
Premier League: Big money splashed for big-name players Will
the POA be able to save Pakistan sports? cricket Why
can't we take a leaf out of Australia's book? Of
Australia's depleting spin resources
cricket The cricketers, who would appear in the IPL, will be considered and treated as heroes by the PCB while the players in the ICL have already been declared as villains By Ghalib Mehmood Bajwa The game of cricket,
these days, is passing through a very crucial phase of its life. The
emergence of two Indian leagues -- the Indian Premier League (IPL) and
Indian Cricket League (ICL) and their hefty pay packages have changed
the priorities and planning of the world cricket stars. Now the love for
money has been prevailing throughout the Now one can see and feel visible change in the priorities of world cricket stars. Once there was a time when players did feel honoured greatly in representing their country and for that purpose they usually had to wait and struggle for years but now the attraction of money has changed the scenario altogether. There is a long queue of current and recently retired cricketing stars who are joining either of the leagues rapidly. Even many superstars including New Zealand's Shane Bond, Lou Vincent and Daryl Tuffey, Sri Lankan Marvan Atapattu, Upal Chandana, West Indian Wavell Hinds, Australian Jason Gillespie and South African Andrew Hall and Justin Kemp have preferred the Indian Cricket League over their respective national teams due to highly lucrative packages in India. The second edition of rebel Indian Twenty20 League (ICL) has already started at Panchkula, Chandigarh from March 9. This time as many as eight teams including a pure side from Pakistan 'Lahore Badshahs' are vying for top honours. Similarly, the Indian Premier League (IPL), the official version of the Twenty20 event, is scheduled to commence from April 18 at various prominent centres of India. This critical situation has really put the International Cricket Council (ICC) and almost all the cricket boards under immense pressure. The ICC has been asked by various quarters to create windows during the busy international schedule for the above-mentioned two Indian leagues. Various cricket boards including PCB have banned the players signed up with the rebel ICL from playing national and international cricket. Interestingly, the cricketers, who would appear in the IPL, would be considered and treated as heroes by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) while the players playing in the ICL, have already been declared as villains. Regardless of the PCB stance on the issue, several cricket critics have expressed their surprise on the strange treatment being meted out to Pakistan players representing ICL. "Both cricket leagues -- IPL and ICL are Indian and are being played in India and there is nothing at stake so why the ICL-playing cricketers are being treated by PCB in such a way," one critic voiced his concern. "Being the parent cricket institution in the country, the PCB should resolve the issue in such a way that is suitable and acceptable to all sides. Pakistan cricketers -- Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir and Taufeeq Umer, who have been a major factor in Pakistan's several victories both at home and abroad during the last decade, deserved gracious and fair conduct from the PCB high-ups," he added. It is pertinent to mention here that the above said cricketers were expecting a Mohammad Yousuf-like dealing from PCB, but unfortunately they failed to get a soft corner among PCB authorities and resultantly have been banned from representing their national team and playing domestic cricket as well. Remember, the PCB chief personally convinced Yousuf late last year to withdraw from ICL and advised him to sign with Indian Premier League. "Our national heroes really deserved guidance and lenience not vengeance from the PCB," the cricket analyst maintained. It is true that some of the players like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shabbir Ahmed, Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Mushtaq Ahmed have retired or passing through the twilight period of their respective careers but players like Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Taufeeq Umer and Riaz Afridi are quite young and they can still win many laurels for the country in future. "After banning such competent and match-winning cricketers, our national team cannot produce positive results especially against leading outfits of the world. There is no doubt that the above-said cricketers are of the same calibre that Yousuf enjoys. It is to be noted here that both Razzaq and Yousuf signed up with ICL in identical circumstances. They agreed to play for rebel league in frustration after being omitted from Twenty20 World Championship squad so why there is discrimination on the part of PCB," another cricket lover said. The players like Abdul Razzaq, Imran Nazir and Imran Farhat are not born every day. Who can forget Razzaq's match-winning and match-saving contributions at Hobart, Mohali and Karachi. Razzaq, who missed the 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007 because of a knee injury, has scored 1146 runs and took 100 wickets in 46 Tests. He made 4465 runs and took 240 wickets in 231 ODIs in a career that began in 1995. It is pertinent to mention here that Razzaq is only one of three Pakistan all-rounders who achieved a rare double of 1000 runs in Tests and ODIs and 100 plus wickets in both forms of the game. Imran Khan and Wasim Akram are the other two. Razzaq is also the youngest player in the world to take a Test hat-trick. He has the ability to hit out or graft for runs and this versatility has given him the experience of batting at every position. In the 1999-00 three-nation Carlton and United Series, he rose to fame when he was named man of the series for his all-round performance against world champions Australia and arch-rivals India. In a pool match against India at Hobart, Razzaq struck a magnificent half century and then took five wickets. In the same event, he hit Australia's premier fast bowler Glenn McGrath for five fours in an over. The lanky pacer shared a record partnership of 257 runs with Saleem Elahi against South Africa in 2002 at Port Elizabeth ODI. In 2003-04, he launched a rapid 89 off 40 balls against New Zealand at Wellington and won the label of 'best hitter' from rival captain Stephen Fleming. Razzaq also has won many matches for Pakistan with his bowling. His career-best figures are six wickets for 35 runs. He offered a memorable performance against Sri Lanka in 1999 at Sharjah when Pakistan team were bundled out for 196 runs but Razzaq took 5-31 to leave the match as a tie. During the 2005-06 Test series against India, Razzaq took nine wickets and hit 205 runs in the two Tests he played. The writer is a staffer at 'The News' Lahore ghalibmbajwa@hotmail.com
It doesn't get any bigger than this in T20 cricket when you have the likes of Andrew Symonds and the bowlers' worst nightmare Adam Gilchrist in your team By Muhammad Shahbaz Zahid April will see the start of a new cricketing era. Brainchild of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will kick off from the 18th of next month. With eight teams participating in the tournament, the IPL will be played over 59 matches and the 44-day extravaganza, as expected, will see the best players on the planet fight it out against each other. The BCCI, after nailing down the progress of the rebel league, the Indian Cricket League (ICL), has snapped up all the big names of the game -- players, coaches and officials all included -- and the authorised league promises to be a great hit. The backing of all international cricket boards and International Cricket Council (ICC) has also worked wonders for the IPL organisers and their stance against ICL has attracted star players towards their Twenty20 league. Having the financial backup as well as the broadcasting services at large, the IPL will have no shortage of firepower. The squads have almost been lined up with big money splashed all over. Let's peek into the IPL squads who are pencilled in to provide great entertainment and top-class cricket. BANGALORE: Though this squad contains only one of the top ten expensive players in the league, the team surely comprises some classy cricketers. The players who were bought by Bangalore in the auction ceremonies see former India captain Rahul Dravid in its line-up. Dravid was not auctioned but he is to lead his hometown side and will earn 15 percent more than the highest-paid player in his team. That means he will earn US$1.035 million, 15 percent more than what South Africa's star all-rounder Jacques Kallis will get. Other than the Proteas maestro, present India Test skipper Anil Kumble (US$500,000) is in the squad as is pacer Zaheer Khan (US$450,000), who is on a comeback trail from injury. Hard-hitting Australia batter Cameron White (US$500,000) will supply the sparks alongside South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher (US$450,000), who is one of the genuine hitters in the game. West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul (US$200,000), India's Wasim Jaffer (US$150,000) and Pakistan's T20 hero Misbah-ul-Haq (US$125,000) will provide the stability to the team. Kallis's international teammate Dale Steyn (US$325,000) will be ready to rattle up the opposition for Bangalore along side Aussie Nathan Bracken (US$325,000). Youngsters Ross Taylor (US$100,000) from New Zealand and Bangladesh's Abdur Razzak (US$50,000) complete up the strong formation. HYDERABAD: Hyderabad, my favourite team in the competition, have been touted to win the league and no doubt this could be the end result. And it doesn't get any bigger than this in T20 cricket when you have the likes of Andrew Symonds (US$1.35 million, the second most expensive IPL signing) and the bowlers' worst nightmare Adam Gilchrist (US$700,000) -- both Australians -- in your team. While you have the above batsmen in your team and an icing on the cake is needed, bring in Pakistan's very own Mr Shahid Afridi. That's what Hyderabad actually did when they brought in 'Boom Boom Afridi' for a hefty sum of US$675,000. For opposing teams, it got nasty when Herschelle Gibbs (US$575,000), the South Africa master blaster, and New Zealand's Scott Styris (US$175,000) were also included in the squad. Stylish India batsman VVS Laxman (US$375,000) and Sri Lanka's Chamara Silva (US$100,000) are also in the squad to provide the depth in batting. The bowling gets a Lanka effect with left-armers Chaminda Vaas (US$200,000) and Nuwan Zoysa leading from the front (US$110,000). India's RP Singh (US$875,000, the eighth most expensive signing), another left-arm pacer, and Rohit Sharma complete the line-up. KOLKATA: This franchise, named Kolkata Knight Riders last Tuesday, will be led by the Prince of Calcutta Sourav Ganguly (US$1.092 million). The Indian batsman, left out for the recent One-day International (ODI) series against Australia Down Under after taking part in the Test series, will be one of several showstoppers in the team. Young India paceman Ishant Sharma (US$950,000), who is the fourth most expensive player in the IPL, is also in the squad. The Kolkata team contains a few of the most dangerous batsmen in world cricket including Australia dangerman Ricky Ponting (US$400,000), West Indies skipper Chris Gayle (US$800,000, ninth most expensive signing) and Kiwi wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum (US$700,000). If that isn't enough, Ponting's Australia teammate David Hussey (US$625,000), Pakistan openers Mohammad Hafeez (US$100,000) and Salman Butt (US$100,000) and Zimbabwe's Tatenda Taibu (US$125,000) complete the strong batting unit. The bowling line-up is amongst the best as well with Pakistan pacers Shoaib Akhtar (US$425,000) and Umar Gul (US$150,000) promising to give their best. India duo of Ajit Agarkar (US$350,000) and Murali Kartik (US$425,000) fulfil the team numbers. The squad has got a strong backup from India actor Shah Rukh Khan who is the owner of the franchise. CHENNAI: This team is the one to watch for. Led by India's inspirational ODI and T20 captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chennai will be one of the favourites to win the inaugural IPL title. Dhoni ($1.5 million), the most expensive signing by any IPL franchise, will partner the likes of New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram (US$675,000), South Africa's Albie Morkel (US$675,000), hard-hitting Australia batsmen Matthew Hayden (US$375,000) and Michael Hussey (US$350,000) and former Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming (US$350,000). The bowling department has been boosted by the presence of Sri Lankan ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (US$600,000) and Proteas pacer Makhaya Ntini (US$200,000). Suresh Raina (US$650,000), Parthiv Patel (US$325,000) and Joginder Sharma (US$225,000) add up the Indian flavour to the squad. DELHI: This team presents one of the most stable outfits in the league. Led by explosive Indian openers Virender Sehwag (US$833,750) and Gautam Gambhir (US$725,000) along side all-rounders -- Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik (US$500,000) and his New Zealand counterpart Daniel Vettori (US$625,000) -- the Delhi team is pencilled in to give anyone a run for their money. Their batting has got more starpower with local boy Dinesh Karthik (US$525,000), South Africa's AB de Villiers (US$300,000) and Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan (US$250,000) also in the team. Delhi's bowling will be anchored by former Australian genius Glenn McGrath (US$350,000) who will be partnered by one of his biggest fans -- Pakistan's Mohammad Asif (US$650,000). Asif is known as the Pakistani McGrath in world cricket. Sri Lanka's Farveez Maharoof (US$225,000) will provide more stability to the squad as an all-rounder along side India's Manoj Tiwari (US$675,000) and Australia's Brett Geeves (US$50,000). JAIPUR: Jaipur is one squad which has more of a Pakistani-Muslim touch. Pakistan's Younis Khan (US$ 225,000), Kamran Akmal (US$150,000) and Sohail Tanvir (US$100,000) and India's Mohammad Kaif (US$675,000) and Yusuf Pathan ($475,000) complement the above statement. Australian interest is at large in the team as well with legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne (US$450,000), Justin Langer (US$200,000) and all-rounder Shane Watson (US$125,000) all present. South Africa captain Graeme Smith (US$475,000) is one of the high-profile signings Jaipur have made and will be accompanied by international teammate Morne Morkel (US$60,000). Munaf Patel (US$275,000) is amongst the bowling specialists in the squad and will get good support from England all-rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas (US$100,000). Mascarenhas was the first English player to be auctioned at the IPL after getting permission from his county (Hampshire). MOHALI: India's World Twenty20 heroes are on the cards of Mohali for the opening IPL season with Yuvraj Singh (US$1.064 million) and Irfan Pathan (US$925,000) sharing the limelight. Sri Lanka batting duo of Kumar Sangakkara (US$700,000) and Mahela Jayawardene (US$475,000) pose a major threat to other teams in the competition along side West Indian batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan (US$225,000). Mohali's bowling department is one of the most aggressive and pacy outfits in the IPL with Brett Lee (US$900,000), the Aussie spearhead, and India's Shanthakumaran Sreesanth (US$625,000) raring to go. New Zealand's Kyle Mills (US$150,000) is in top form as well and will partner Indians Piyush Chawla (US$400,000) and Romesh Powar (US$170,000) and Australians James Hopes (US$300,000) Luke Pomersbach (US$50,000) and Simon Katich (US$200,000) in the T20 official league. MUMBAI: Little Master Sachin Tendulkar (US$1.121 million), from India, will lead the Mumbai side which comprises of both the experienced and youth. And when it comes to experience, Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya (US$975,000) and South Africa's Shaun Pollock (US$550,000) have plenty to show off. Two other players from the victorious India T20 squad -- Harbhajan Singh (US$850,000) and Robin Uthappa (US$800,000) -- will again try to prove their worth after helping India win the recent CB ODI series against the world champions. T20 expert Loots Bosman (US$150,000) will accompany South Africa teammate Ashwell Prince (US$175,000) in the batting department while Lasith Malinga (US$350,000) and Dilhara Fernando (US$175,000) -- both from Sri Lanka -- are one of the modern day sporting stars in world cricket. Meanwhile, after the second day of auction last week all but two players from India's under-19 World Cup winning squad found takers, paying a fixed player fee of $30,000, with the franchises allowed to choose them on a 'draft' format. The IPL assures to provide plenty of entertainment and a lot of surprises. As promised, it has got hold of all the major names of the games who will strive to deliver the goods during the tournament. The IPL will also help international players to develop friendly relationships amongst themselves and make them forget their previous on-field incidents. Whatever happens in the IPL, one hopes it will be for the good of the game. The
writer is a staff member at 'The News' Karachi shehnu@gmail.com
We failed to find a single big win at the regional or international levels which could prove that all the investment bore fruit By Khurram Shahzad The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) recently re-elected all of its office bearers for another term of four years. That implies that President Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hasan, his secretary Abdul Khaliq Khan, Associate Secretary Col (retd) Mohammad Yahya and Treasurer Maj (retd) Mohammad Afzal will continue with their policies. With this re-election, the General will also remain head of the Pakistan Sports Trust (the body which provides funds to national federations) and his two subordinates Colonel Mohammad Yahya and Major Muhammad Afzal as its Director and Deputy Director Operations, respectively. This is something good for the country's sports, because these people have been running the affairs during the last four years and giving them another term will provide the maximum chance of implementing their policies. However an analysis of their performance during the last four years gives us a mixed conclusion of achievements and setbacks. When the General came in with his team, he was like a fresh breeze in the stagnant environment of Pakistan sports. The community expected a revolution in the department as the tall claims were dreamy and heartening. One expected that now the country will be filled with sports gymnasiums, playing fields and athletes will be jewelled with the international standard training and facilities to regain the lost glory. No doubt, this team did its best to come up to these expectations -- the Pakistan Sports Trust was created to fund the federations, equipment was provided to needy bodies and training courses were organised for players, coaches and officials. But, we failed to find a single big win at the regional or international levels which could prove that all the investment bore fruit. When this POA regime took over, Pakistan was good in world boxing, Asian hockey, international squash, South Asian volleyball and snooker. Today we are really bad in hockey even at the Asian level, so low in squash at any level, down in boxing in the maximum number of competitions and have slipped to third position in South Asian volleyball behind India and Sri Lanka. When the top management is sports friendly, generous, honest, hardworking and putting in all resources and passion -- what has hampered our players to show good results despite all these favourable steps? This is a big question mark which should be a point of concentration for Arif Hasan and his team. They should find a reasonable solution for this and implement it during next four years. Otherwise they would also be remembered among those, who used sports only for personal uplift. What one can identify is that POA has so far failed in keeping an eye over administrative affairs of the federations, especially, in the perspective of funds utilisation and players' facilities. There is no sports federation in the country which can show a good record of providing world class training and facilities to talented players. Instead, they have been spending millions of rupees on personal exposure. And if any of them has something for an eyewash that too failed on the ground because no Pakistani athlete could win a top international or regional competition in recent past. General Arif Hasan and his team should be courageous enough to start accountability of the national federations and work during the next four years for uplift of the country's sports. They have been the best financed and supported managers of Olympic sports of the country in recent history, if they fail in correcting the games' affairs. They may be remembered as the worst. So, this re-election is in fact a second life to their tall claims. They must use the coming next four years to correct the affairs of the national federations and use their influence as well as benefits to pressurise these bodies for the uplift of their respective sports. Why are we investing in people already into their thirties? With Lawson touting Kamran Hussain to replace Razzaq seems a case of wobbly perception By Dr Nauman Niaz I have never seen people so outraged. In every place, in every gathering, there is nothing but condemnation for what has happened. This is not cricket as the clairvoyant Director Media of the PCB would like us to believe. It is beyond that. People are angry and it is not because they support or dislike Dr Nasim Ashraf. They have had enough
of the strangulation of everything that was once sacred in this The conventional wisdom is that he will not be able to ride out this storm-political change in the country and new assemblies being constituted it looks as if Dr Nasim's days are numbered. Is this the beginning of the end for Dr Nasim? Through a combination of power, contacts, political influence, journalists (some on the payrolls, others beneficiaries etcetera) and inducements, the Dr Nasim run regime has been trying to take the sting out of the protests. The stain would forever remain against Dr Nasim's name but he is desperately striving to hang onto power. It is safe for the likeminded to say this because it is the most likely scenario. But, events have a curious way of making all the predictions wrong. If the new government can get over with their more serious issues and the critiques and remain as incensed as it is at the moment, stranger things may well happen. Dr Nasim's hold on cricket would depend on unstinting support of the powers that may be. They need to realise since October 2006 Pakistan cricket have had terrible body blows. And the present cricket regime by its ham handed actions has shown that nothing is sacred, whether the players, policies and rules. It's hapless spin doctoring with its simple credo of denial and incorrect analysis, has added insult to injury. Cricket is this nation's only serious diversion and our single important sporting activity (since hockey has lost its glitter) on the international stage. Our self-image is deeply tied to success or failure in it. The recent humiliating losses have hit us like a sledgehammer. The worst part is, of course, that at the moment, with Pakistan U-19 forfeiting their world title in Malaysia, all is doom and gloom. India won the tournament beating South Africa in the finals. Interestingly, BCCI appointed Dave Whatmore as their junior string's coach, the man who had been overlooked by the Dr Nasim run PCB. Whatmore was ignored, as it has been told because the Pakistan players didn't want him. He could share power and discipline his pupil unconditionally. On the contrary, Pakistan imported Geoff Lawson, with little coaching credentials to replace the slain Bob Woolmer. Lawson has turned out to be a huge disappointment. Almost a year in job, he hasn't been able to do anything worthwhile other than becoming a stooge of players and the management. What could happen to the team where the coach, captain and board's chairman/directors were all not cut for the jobs they were chosen to do? Regrettably, he could only brood and sulk, humiliate people here and there and also showed his attitude. Now complainingly he has written in his post Zimbabwe series report to the Chairman of the PCB that "he was not consulted for the selection of the 15 member squad". He has further stated that "the performance of Shahid Afridi will have to be very closely monitored before finalising the likely team members for World Cup 2011". In his report he has also hinted that "Kamran Hussain is a quality all rounder who could replace Abdul Razzaq in Pakistan cricket for the future". Why he wasn't consulted before selection shows a lack of communication or trust between him and the selectors. And in Shahid's case, it's only a matter of personal likes and dislikes since the fiery all-rounder, as reported has a tendency to stand up to authority. And with the World Cup still three years ahead, Afridi's candidature would mostly depend on mental/physical fitness, attitude and his ability to sustain as a utility all-rounder. With reference to Kamran Hussain, his comments look discriminatory. Born on May 9th, 1977 Kamran is almost 31. He is a capable all rounder. It's not only about the age -- Michael Hussey has come up munificently despite being well into his thirties. It's about the quality of fitness, that is often absent in our cricketers. By the time Pakistan plays in the World Cup 2011, he'll be 34. So why are we investing in people already into their thirties? With Lawson touting Kamran to replace Razzaq seems a case of wobbly perception. I have nothing against Mansoor Rana, Pakistan U-19s coach to Malaysia. In his time, he was a charming batsman, and a trifle unlucky not to be picked for Test matches. He was exceptional batting against high quality spinners. And now he has developed into a conscientious and a very able coach. But why did the PCB replace Aaqib Javed, another outstanding cricket mind? If one remembers correctly Aaqib had taken the Pakistan U-19s to two previous successive world titles. Why couldn't the PCB do their home-work properly -- it looks, they are simply inept. By itself, this may not have been enough, if the Nasim regime had not committed huge blunders in its dealings with cricket and non-cricket issues. It undermined the time-tested cricket traditions by transferring effective decision making powers to non-technocrats, already burdening the PCB offices in Lahore. It also meant that when things did not work out, there were no intermediate tiers. Decision making on relatively simply issues were being made at the highest level and if there was a deadlock, the only alternative was to revise the appointments, also their job descriptions. While most of the people working at the PCB may be well meaning and enthusiastic, they do not understand the ecology of Pakistan cricket-they have only emerged as small time brigands and petty power brokers. And these petty power brokers have done brilliantly during their tenures -- the arts flourish much like the brilliant colourful bougainvillea or the brilliant flowers that bloom, the heady wines and people who enjoy life and revel in cuisine that is memorable-where is cricket management. It may well have been a boon for these people handpicked by Dr Nasim Ashraf -- they have done everything the only missing link has been cricket. The PCB's working and perspective is unbelievably flawed and self-serving which I suppose is why it will neither raise any eyebrow nor be questioned. We are somewhere in the middle of its darkest hour, with speculation flowing faster than a black sewer of despair or indeed the greatly sanitised PCB version of how things have improved under the ever-glowing Dr Nasim Ashraf. Ironically, there are people who support the present regime regardless of the harm they have done to the solemnity and stature of cricket in Pakistan. These people have gone overboard, for trivial gains playing nursemaid to the PCB, creeping like leeches -- thus they also become part of those who have robbed cricket and its future organisation of its honour and dignity. This select group comprising of some overrated journalists and ex-players avoid criticism of the PCB, even the constructive one, giving false hopes to the existing directors and the chairman to stay insulated from irate critiques. Now another Joint Secretary from PID has been picked to work as Director Communications of the PCB. The belief is that the bad news will dissipate the tempers will cool down and before long another circus will hit us and a new wonder will capture everyone's imagination. Those who should be held responsible will got scot free-some will even find greater glory and perks. Accountability is a word that must be banned from cricket in Pakistan because it is the most useless item floating on top of the national sewer. The fact is that the team selection has been flawed, the officials not qualified enough. What great leap of administrative imagination will it require to ensure -- truly ensure -- that cricket is promoted in Pakistan. On recalls these happenings because it seems that grey matter is still something of a mystery item up there in Lahore and in terribly short supply. We all attack the cricket government of a lack of vision or commitment but they should be forgiven if they are unable to perform because it is clear they can't add two plus two without making a complete hash of it. What else can explain the much touted arrival of the corporate culture and a new constitution which threatens to lay bare the truth and blow into a billion smithereens all the murky events in cricket since October 2006? What the Nasim run PCB have achieved is the distinction of being the most inept and woeful exercise mounted in defence of a government that can't seem to recall if it is standing upside down or downside up. Banish the thought of putting together people at Lahore under the present set-up that might be incisive, intelligent or credible. Almost in entirety, there is no policy or decision that establishes that there is no line that separates truth from falsehood. While all men have a price, in Pakistan cricket there is a permanent loot sale on.
One thing which is not less than a wave of fresh air is that the chairman of PCB Dr Nasim Ashraf has spoken to former captain of the Pakistan team and one of the Sultans of Swing Waqar Younis to help the board By Muhammad Akram Chohan Pakistan cricket has been facing for quite some time now various problems, among them the most important ones being team discipline, a suitable opening pair, reliable and hard working wicket-keeper, a good spinner who could focus on cricket primarily and dependable physically fit strong fast bowlers. If we have a look at our middle order too, one thing which is dangerously alarming is the ages of our current middle order batsmen. The trio of Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan are all in their mid thirties and it is highly unlikely that all these players would be able to represent the country for a long enough period now. In this scenario it is not a very healthy sign that the back up players are not coming in any department of the game, and those who are available at present are not having the required potential and nerves to demonstrate at the highest level of the game. So the entire Pakistan team is under trial barring its middle order batting as captain Shoaib Malik is also part of the said department. Except the above mentioned quartet, there is no one in the team who can take his place in the team guaranteed because of the inconsistency in the performances of the remaining players. Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul are talented players but they are injury prone like their predecessor Shoaib Akhtar and their habit of continuously getting unfit on important junctures has indicated that in the coming days Pakistan cricket will have to face the tricky situation of not having sufficient force in the fast bowling department too. Shoaib Akhtar is down the hill and his recent statements have made more problems for him in the wake of his ouster from the centrally contracted players. Mohammad Sami and Shabbir Ahmed despite the fact that they have joined the rebel ICL League are also not in contention for national duty due to their recent poor showings at international level and suspect bowling action, respectively. Rao Iftikhar, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat are comparatively good for one-day cricket but their ability to perform in Test cricket is dubious, so considering all these facts it is the need of the hour that we should have four to five fast bowlers in our arsenal to have the killer punch. In this regard one thing which is not less than a wave of fresh air is that the chairman of PCB Dr Nasim Ashraf has spoken to former captain of the Pakistan team and one of the Sultans of Swing Waqar Younis to help the board in this connection. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis are our heroes and they had succeeded in filling the gap that occurred due to the retirement of legendary cricketer Imran Khan. Both of them had proved on numerous occasions that they are the best among the rest as a unit and defended even the lowest totals with their fearsome and hostile bowling in the past. If both of them are given this task of locating raw talent from the grass root level and they provid guidance to the emerging players, then those days are not very far away when we would be having a pace battery of which we could feel proud and there will be no drought of quality fast bowlers in our cricket fold. But it is very unfortunate that our former and recent players are very rarely on good terms with each other as leg pulling and fierce confrontations have played their part. They are less tolerant when in any circumstances they had to work with each other in the same set up and that too had ended on a bitter note. But in the current scenario one does hope that considering the troublesome period which Pakistan cricket is going through these days, they will be able to learn from their past mistakes and would work collectively for the sole purpose of retrieving the lost glory. Otherwise one can not deny the fact that in the coming days the affairs of Pakistan cricket will go from bad to worse. Our board chief is more interested in seeking the ACC presidentship as he is taking those steps through which he could succeed in obtaining the confidence of BCCI thus paving the way for him in becoming the continental cricket head smoothly. Dr Nasim Ashraf has realised that in the near future he will no longer remain the board chairman as the coming government appears to have quite a few contenders for the said post especially Senator Enver Baig. As far as our middle order batsmen are concerned, this should be done without further delay that we start preparations for the replacements of the seasoned campaigners otherwise we will have to go through the dicey situation where due to unavailability of talented back-up players we can become an outfit like the West Indies. In this connection we can follow the footsteps of the Australian Cricket Board as they very conveniently completed the phase of retirement of almost half of their team in almost two years. They already had bunch of backup players at their disposal for their future needs and the back up players very easily filled the gap. They are still the world best team despite losing the recently concluded one day series at the hands of the Indians. Their supremacy over other cricket playing nations has never been in danger despite the retirement of some of the biggest names in the history of the game. It has been said that the standard of Australian domestic cricket is so high that if any one performs in their domestic season, it becomes almost certain that he will perform in international cricket too. We should follow their strategy and way of working by strengthening our infrastructure of domestic cricket so we could produce the players of the calibre of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and other former greats to remain a force to reckon with in the world cricket community.
Of Australia's depleting spin resources Gone are the days of Australian 'dream cricket' created by the winning combination of variable spin with lethal pace, complemented by master batsmen and excellent fielders By Gul Nasreen 'Warne spins into history', 'Muralitharan spins a rare yarn', 'Harbhajan spins India to a fantastic win', 'Panesar spin creates dream cricket' and, last but not the least 'Kaneria spins a cunning web'. Such exciting
newspaper headlines reflect on the rare importance of a quality spin The fact that Australia reigned supreme in cricket for over a decade and achieved lofty ideals can be attributed to its unmatched spin attack to a certain extent. Their winning combination was perfect as Shane Warne together with the lethal speedsters used to get wickets for the country's team at most crucial junctures of the game. Warne used to serve as a warning to top players of the opponent teams. However, in the post-Shane Warne era, the Australian spin department is marked by a 'void', making the team vulnerable to shaky ends and ultimate defeats. Not only that Warne has parted ways with cricket, the irony of the situation is that his departure coincided with the exit of a number of top Aussie players from the team, rendering the team weaker. Gone are the days of Australian 'dream cricket' created by the winning combination of variable spin with lethal pace, complemented by master batsmen and excellent fielders. Their dwindling form in international and Test cricket verify the same. The way their top batsmen yielded to Indian spinners as also their spinners struggling against Indian batsmen indicate that spin is taking a toll on Australian cricket in both departments of the game. In fact, their spin department has landed into a deep crisis, so much so that Ricky Ponting has been utilising the services of part-time spinners to make for the vacuum. While Warne created a void with his departure from international cricket, the 37-year-old Brad Hogg's exit from international cricket last week seems to have virtually sealed the fate of spin attack for the once 'unbeatable' Australians. Obviously, with the veteran left-arm wrist-spinner Hogg's retirement from international cricket, the Australian spin department has gone out of symmetry. Hogg, who had debuted in 1996, appeared in 121 One-day Internationals and seven Test matches. He finished his career with 17 Test wickets at the modest average of 54.88. However, in one-day cricket, he has 154 wickets to his credit at the average of 26.73. Hogg was also part of Australia's two successful World Cup campaigns in 2003 and 2007 respectively. At the present, there are very few promising spinners around in Australia and those too need a lot of practice to come to terms with the requirement of the team whose form has been dwindling fast -- the latest example being Australia's defeat in the recently-concluded tri-series at the hands of India on home grounds and in front of its home crowds. After Hogg, Australia is left with the trio of Bryce McGain, Stuart MacGill and Dan Cullen. But they are not the ones to form a lethal spin triumvirate like the once famous Indian spin trio consisting of Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar. At present, there is not a single of the Aussie spinners in the footsteps of Shane -- the spin king. Again, none of Shane's 'understudiy' bowlers seem to have the guts to scale to a height Shane dared dreamt of.
WARNE AS A COACH "Great players don't make great coaches," the great Greg Chappell once said. The same can be applied in the case of the champion Warne, who does not seem to be on course of fitting in the new role. Though the 'Aussie spin ambassador', who has 708 wickets to his credit, has been working on the new crop of spinners, the question is whether he will be able to deliver from this very totally new platform. To deliver on the field is one thing; to get some delivered is a totally another one. There are number of instances of great players, who failed miserably as coaches. Secondly, the available stock of Australian spinners does not exhibit a very promising form. As such Warne's job to provide the team with a quality spinner seems rather difficult if not impossible. The Cricket Australia-contracted pair consisting of Cullen Bailey and Dan Cullen, the bowling of veteran leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, has been under Warne's study. Victorian leggie Bryce McGain, Western Australian finger spinner Aaron Heal and New South Wales chinaman Beau Casson are other spinners at the Aussies' disposal. Victorian Bryce McGain has reportedly done well at domestic level but then he is around 36 years of age and cannot go a long way in international cricket. Ricky Ponting's recent utterance that "he may have to use the part-time spin of Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke more often in the near future", further adds weight to the fact that Australia is unable to fill the void. Australia's scheduled tours of West Indies and India this year are to be viewed with greater interest in cricket loving countries as these assignments serve as a litmus test for their upcoming spinners, who are at present 'so so' in their form and approach to the game. Warne is hopeful of producing a potent spin attack from within the available crop of spinners, but it remains to be seen how he comes to terms with the 'depleting reserves' of Australian spin bowling. That he can produce a versatile spin bowling out of the available lot of so-called spinners will not be less than a miracle. There is no denying the fact that Shane knows the subtleties of spin bowling better. As such no one can question his smart 'spinning' brain, but the thing is there is a lot of difference in doing something and getting something done. It may be mentioned here that Shane has also been named as a captain-coach for the Jaipur's outfit in the upcoming Indian Premier League. His detractors say that his responsibility as captain-cum-coach of the Jaipur team will also affect rather coincide with his assignment as spin bowling coach of the Australian team at times.
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cricket world. And this temptation for money has pushed the love for
representing a country deep into the background.
country. What will happen next? I cannot see Dr Nasim resigning. The
protests will continue, by the critiques and elements of the public.
department in the ranks of any cricket team. In fact, when we look at
the sterling performance of world famed spinners, we always wonder how
important a role a spinner can play in the victory of a particular team.