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cricket Inzamam-ul-Haq
was a wrong choice as captain: PJ Mir cricket AA
few unanswered questions prior to World Twenty20 Potential
superstars of inaugural Twenty20 event
What actually happened in Johannesburg and who was the actual culprit will come to the fore in a few days, but the Board needs to set an example now By Imran Farooqi Pakistan have again run
into serious trouble -- as has become a tradition these days -- Since Shoaib Akhtar is an integral part of almost all problems that continue to afflict Pakistan with amazing regularity, it is no coincidence that he was again at the centre of the fresh controversy that rocked Pakistan cricket this week. Shoaib appears set for a flight back home following an altercation with fellow paceman Mohammad Asif during a practice session in Johannesburg. The clash ended with Shoaib hitting his partner with a bat and injuring him. On its part the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken the right step by asking him to leave South Africa immediately. But as is his habit the pacer is not likely to reach Pakistan directly, maybe spending a few days in Dubai or London to let the dust settle down a bit! This is not the first time Shoaib's actions have rubbed Pakistan cricket the wrong way. His record, be it related to fitness or discipline, has remained disgusting for the entire course of his career, and the latest episode has again raised questions regarding his commitment to the team and himself. More than the player it is the country that has suffered because of his irresponsible behaviour. The Board has spent millions of rupees on his development and defence in the chucking and doping rows, and yet in return has only earned criticism. The Board has always come to his rescue regardless of the fact he was right or wrong. The latest example is the withdrawal of a fine of Rs 300,000 imposed by the disciplinary committee of the PCB for pulling out of the Karachi leg of the national training camp last month without bothering to inform the team management. On numerous occasions in past, Shoaib has conducted himself in an absolutely unprofessional manner and has gotten away with it. The PCB bosses always claim that nobody is bigger than the game, and anybody thinking so will be dealt with accordingly. If it is the case, why the Board acts differently when it comes to Shoaib? For how long will we keep compromising on discipline? What the Board needs to understand is the fact that his presence in the squad generates more trouble than his absence does. What actually happened in Johannesburg and who was the actual culprit will come to the fore in a few days, but the Board needs to set an example now. There has to be a limit for everything, and in all probability Shoaib has overstepped the line on countless occasions. It's time the Board tells him in clear terms that enough is enough, he's no longer wanted in the dressing room and will never be able to represent the country. Pakistan won't be poorer without Shoaib, who anyway plays very little or no cricket for the national team these days. But the likely scenario is that as per routine the Board will set up an inquiry panel to investigate the cause behind the incident, and the panel would suggest a fine or some other sort of punishment for one or both parties involved, and Shoaib will again be free to further tarnish Pakistan's already tainted image. Pakistan cricket has already suffered a great deal, and his absence would not make much of a difference. There are several young, promising fast bowlers knocking at the door, who can replace Shoaib and will be equally effective and useful for Pakistan. With this unfortunate event, Pakistan's preparations for the World Cup have received a psychological setback A few games played in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi did provide some much-needed practice to the players, but the quality of the opposition that comprised Bangladesh, Kenya, and Uganda was not supposed to give the side a tough time anyway, and that is exactly what happened. The team won all three games with ease. Although the victories must have raised their confidence in their abilities, the real battle lies ahead when the event kicks off from Tuesday (September 11). As expected the batsmen did not face any problems in conditions that were tailor-made for them and scored runs freely. All the batsmen who are expected to figure in the tournament got some useful runs and it was nice to see Younis Khan carrying his English County Championship form into the event and playing some solid, sensible knocks. Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt, and Imran Nazir, too, produced fine innings, and one hopes they maintain their good run in South Africa, where conditions are likely to be far more different as well as difficult as compared to what they encountered at the Nairobi Gymkhana ground. Pakistan's entire batting line-up consists of aggressive stroke-players, who are 'well-known' for their tendency to throw away the initiative quite easily. The Twenty20 format suits their style, but a little caution in their approach can make a hell of a difference. They are young, but with vast experience of 50-over games and can turn things around on their own. The only disappointing and worrying aspect was the performance of the pacers. Pakistan's main weapon Mohammad Asif did not impress with his efforts, which were limited to just four overs a game. Without quick wickets early on Pakistan, and for that matter any team, cannot hope to win games on a consistent basis. With very little or no time available to stage a recovery process, Twenty20 cricket has almost no room for errors. Unfortunately, Asif had looked off-color during the practice games played prior to the team's departure. In Kenya, too, he did not fire and struggled to find his line and length. He will be seen in action after a long time, and will be under the scanner. He did not play in the World Cup and now has a chance to regain his lost touch and confidence and redeem himself following the infamous doping scandal. With two teams qualifying from every group, the two Asian outfits are certain to make the Super-Eight stage barring a repeat of the last World Cup fiasco where both countries ended the first round biting the dust. The tournament is new coach Geoff Lawson's first assignment. The outcome of this event will set the tone for future. He'll be eager to start off on a positive note. Let us keep our fingers crossed and see how Pakistan perform under him.
'PCB took a bold step by appointing young Shoaib Malik as captain. Definitely it is a visionary approach keeping the 2011 World Cup in sight' By Ghalib Mehmood Bajwa There was nothing
objectionable in speedster Shoaib Akhtar's attitude
throughout his PJ Mir, who played in Pakistan's first two matches in the inaugural 1975 Cricket World Cup, said that though Inzamam-ul-Haq was a great batsman in any form of cricket and he demonstrated his potential throughout the world but frankly he was not a good skipper. "A captain has to deal with different players of different natures so he must be very clever, watchful and tactful," PJ Mir said. "There have been captains like Imran Khan, Ian Chappell, AH Kardar, Clive Lloyd and Mike Brearley, who all had many difficult and strange natured players under them but they controlled those players very tactfully," he added. To another question about the functioning of present PCB body, PJ Mir, whose two uncles Jalil Mir and Saleem Mir were first-class cricketers, said that PCB Chief Dr Nasim Ashraf is a man with a mission and one can observe that he is taking right steps for the cause of Pakistan cricket. "In view of his tremendous handling of PCB even in crisis, Dr Nasim deserved to be given a fair run," PJ Mir resolved. Mir also called upon provincial cricket bodies to support PCB in its constructive policies. To another question regarding future of Pakistan cricket, PJ Mir, who scored a classic 71 runs in Pakistan's 60th Independence Day festival match at Datchet Cricket ground, said that the future of Pakistan cricket is bright. "PCB took a bold step
by appointing young Shoaib Malik as captain. Definitely it is a When asked to narrate the story of his sudden emergence after 32 years in World Cup 2007 as media manager, PJ Mir, who played the last of his three ODIs at Sahiwal against England in 1977, disclosed that he was also a member of the 1979 World Cup squad but unfortunately could not get a single match except some practice games. "Actually PCB Chief Dr Nasim Ashraf was looking for an individual who could handle international media skillfully in the World Cup 2007 and with the Grace of God I managed to do so in the testing situations in the Carribean especially after the death of coach Bob Woolmer," he informed. To a query regarding the sudden U-turn in coach Bob Woolmer's death investigations, PJ Mir stressed that they were confident of Bob's natural death from the very beginning but a wrong pathologist report misguided the whole probe. "Bob was a natural coach and his demise is a great loss to world cricket," he paid tributes to late coach. "We had very friendly relationship with him throughout the tournament. Even some of our boys had emotional attachment with him," he further said. PJ Mir said that anyone who is good motivator could be a good coach, Mir was commenting on Geoff Lawson's appointment as Pakistan coach ahead of senior coach Dav Whatmore. "Lawson could prove to be a good coach because in top level cricket, players need motivation and encouragement not basic coaching," he explained. Regarding the omission of star batsman Mohammad Yousuf and leading all-rounder Abdul Razzaq from the Twenty20 World Cup, PJ Mir supported the PCB decision saying that both senior players, especially Yousuf, are misfit at least in Twenty20 side citing their fading reflexes and complacent fielding. "Razzaq could have been selected due to his whirlwind batting potential but our selectors are in a better position to make a decision regarding any player." When asked to give a perfect formula to beat overwhelming Australia, PJ Mir said that a couple of sides including Pakistan do have the same potential as the Aussies had but they are behind in professionalism and mental toughness. "Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Indian teams have the ability to end Australian domination but only after infusing these two qualities in their teams," Mir commented. He named Viv Richards (WI), Dennis Lillee (Aus), Ian Chappell (Aus) and Mike Brearly (Eng) as his favourite batsman, bowler and captains. While commenting on some senior players' statements, PJ Mir, without mentioning any senior player's name, said that our seniors had great respect and services to their credit and our young generation is looking for an inspiration from them. "Our stars should encourage newcomers in their respective fields instead of meaningless criticism," he added. Regarding his early playing career, Mir said that he was a middle-order batsman and fast-medium opening or first-change bowler. "I made my debut for Lahore aged 17 and after a good season for Pakistan Universities in 1974-75 I was picked in the national side as an all-rounder," he continued. Thereafter Mir continued to play with success for Lahore, and had two brief spells in county cricket in England. After the World Cup in 1975 he joined Derbyshire and in 1979 was on the books at Glamorgan. Replying to a query regarding his future plans, soft spoken PJ said, "Though I'm enjoying my electronic media job, it would be a great honour for me if I could give PCB any kind of assistance or advice in future." The
writer is a staff member at 'The News' in Lahore, currently holidaying in
England ghalibmbajwa@hotmail.com Pakistan Cricket Board: Cricket divided within! There seems no progressive thinking, no logical implementation of plans and the word 'credibility' seems to have no place in their daily practices By Dr Nauman Niaz The discourses which stress
that cricket was a register of Pakistan's moral worth stems Since 1999, with Ad hoc committees taking their share of governance, the defence of sportsmanship and cricket's moral value, and the ways in which the rhetoric of this draws parallels between the game, its management and politics, demonstrates, at least to the disappointment of critiques, that those enjoying power can't be trusted to exercise influence for general good. Of course, recent developments in Pakistan, with the management in shambles and top players defecting to the ICL, it has been a sham; largely humbug, and cricket is merely a game surrounded by much hypocrisy. The PCB in order to avoid players defecting to the ICL has now decided to give a signing bonus of US$100,000 to the ones placed in category A of the central contract and US$50,000 to that in category B. This is really a dangerous trend. One of way of assessing the whole problem is the fact that PCB is getting skeptical about top cricketers using their power-base. This also, to some extent exemplifies that instead of curtailing the menace of player-power, due to insensate decisions, now a dangerous precedence is being set. Tomorrow, we may well see another indispensable player standing up to authority; the board being timid and stars sprouting as monarchs? Contradictions; one of the PCB officials was quoted in a local newspaper saying that 'gone are the days when a player used to earn a place in the team just on the basis of his seniority or on his past performance'. On the other hand, the PCB is quoted to have made contacts with Imran Farhat and showing a tendency to revert back to Mohammad Yousuf. Why can't PCB stick to what it says; it's all about consistency in decision making. Lord Mancroft, the politician described cricket in his biography ëBees in Some Bonnets (1979) as 'a game which the English, not being a spiritual people, have invented in order to give themselves some conception of eternity'. The present PCB, exclusively the directors are either too spiritual or they have already started treading alleyways to destruction. There seems no progressive thinking, no logical implementation of plans and the word 'credibility' seems to have no place in their daily practices. One envies Dr Nasim Ashraf, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board for being tolerant with his working-staff. The Directors at the PCB doesn't need to get into reading 'A Cultural and Social History of the Inter-War Years', by Jack Williams but surely, it's time they realise that cricket management must become a serious contribution to the modern sociology of sport. Regrettably, the board set-up in Lahore, minus their Chairman who has other jobs to look after including the massive NCHD, shows how the implementation of policies, reverse-gear effects, retraction of decisions and inadequate media handling reflect, more clearly than any other sport, cricket deeply divided by within the board hierarchies, and strangely enough disunited by a widespread denunciation of them at all levels. On August 25th Chief Operating Officer of the PCB with Mudassar Nazar, Director NCA and Ali Zia GM NCA left for Australia on an all paid trip (first class travelling, five-star luxury stay and a handful of daily allowance US$300 per day). The main purpose of a twelve day tour is to have a view on how the department of biomechanics works since the PCB, over-ambitiously have decided to establish one at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Is it a question of one too many bowlers in the country having cockeyed actions? Is it really? Or do we have a large number of quality bowlers left in a stagnant first-class set-up? Think about this. The way your body moves through the bowling action affects how fast and straight you bowl. And the better it does it, the faster and straighter you can become. So advanced biomechanics are about two things: body position and muscle stretch and contraction. Understanding the detail has not been easy. When you get things right, you improve. When you know how to get them right, you'll improve faster. That's why people like Mudassar Nazar put a great deal of emphasis on self-awareness for the bowler. It's a clever combination of the learning preferences (kinaesthetic, visual and auditory). One believes one needs to feel improvements (kinaesthetic) and see how to do it (visual), rather than be told about it (auditory). Traditional coaching tends to be heavily auditory with a coach standing at the end of a net shouting at his pupil. Advanced biomechanics therefore offers something new. It offers you the chance to know what you're doing, how to improve and a method for putting things right. What could be better than that? Can it help spin bowlers? The great news is it can. When you have correct biomechanics you help with getting extra revolutions on the ball. The revolutions increase spin, bounce and can influence swerve in the air. Plus of course it makes sense to work in straight lines to achieve accuracy. Some bowlers have actions that make it difficult for them to increase spin. Others do not have a consistent action to allow the ball to land in the same place six balls in a row. The principles of biomechanics therefore apply to all bowlers. And slow bowlers can learn much by understanding these principles. Not least by helping with quicker balls, slower balls, and being able to disguise the flight of the ball with their action. It's another set of skills to give any spin bowler the edge. Ironically, we also know Pakistan cricket is not only about bowling. We need to develop batting resource we need to develop the right aptitude, the psyche and sports management culture. Such steps basing on precedence seem like adding drag to the financial liabilities. The outcome of such experiments may well prove too expensive. PCB must have taken measures to put its house in order instead of getting into the finer aspects of mechanical and scientific development. To understand the imprudent images of cricket and how far the PCB have failed to conform to them is to understand the basic wrongs with Dr Nasim's selection of people now working in the prized slots. Dr Nasim, imperatively a very intelligent man, as he came into power seemed committed to be tightly focused, well-entrenched and adept at putting cricket into a broader cultural framework. Now almost ten months in office, it seems that his team (Directors etcetera) has developed whimsical approaches, and their structure of authority in cricket indicates much about attitudes underlying the exercise of power. One morning Mohammad Yousuf and Imran Farhat are the villains defecting to the ICL the next minute, the PCB comes up with plans to persuade them to neglect their contractual obligations with the league, preferring their country and team. One moment they are censored and threatened to be banned, on the other their value is being determined. The deeper we explore the more mystifying it gets; negation, two-facedness, inanity and sometimes reality, merrily going for a dip jointly in a culvert, where nothing is truth or a cock-and-bull story. Management aside, we must know sign of a good cricket captain is the ability to spring a surprise. On that basis Shoaib Malik who leads a depleted Pakistan without Mohammad Yousuf and to some extent Abdul Razzaq may not turn out as a good leader to the end. Nobody saw Yousuf's reaction coming. One must say, that nobody had taken the Pakistan public quite as much by surprise since Rashid Latif and Basit Ali quit suddenly in 1995-96. Shoaib Malik, who took over as Pakistan's captain when Inzamam-ul-Haq left the post after the World Cup earlier this year, now would be inheriting the role in Tests as South Africa tours Pakistan in September/October. The captaincy didn't come at a good time for Malik. With Inzamam being affronted still there were senior and stronger people like Mohammad Youuf, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Abdul Razzaq. The inheritance is a bad one. Pakistan is not in the same class as South Africa or Australia, but nor is anybody else. The batting is unstable and still Yousuf, its best batsman, was left out because of fears that his presence might disrupt team chemistry (about power-share etcetera) as conjectured. There are people saying that it was Malik who wanted Yousuf and Razzaq to be sidelined as reported in some sections of the press. If true, he must have convinced the selectors to give him an even-playing field. This clean-cut decision may well have seen Yousafís final service to Pakistan cricket except that he agrees to PCB's proposal and their recent change of heart. On the contrary, without team's batting linchpin Yousaf, Malik becomes a kind of captain that one didn't want him to be. Sidelining Yousaf and even Razzaq, intentional, coincidental or according to the need and demands, Malik should have known that few Pakistan captains end their reigns entirely happily (AH Kardar and Imran Khan being the only two examples). Some are sacked, while others are worn down by the position. The classic departure was that of Javed Burki, overwhelmed by the job in 1962. Inzamam-ul-Haq quit only for someone from the PCB to kindly tell the press that he would have been axed anyway. Captains are a sitting target for the viciousness of the Pakistan press and for a Greek chorus of their predecessors, whose vociferousness as critics is generally in inverse proportion to their competence in the job. After Inzamam, Pakistan cricket entered a new phase; a phase without superstars barring Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar. Yousuf had been coerced into to an unwanted defection while Akhtar's fitness has mostly been a suspect. In an environment ridden by intrigue, power-play, poor governance and unpredictability, Malik needs to become a pathfinder. He is a young Pakistan captain-two earlier naÔve and adolescent captains, Javed Burki and Javed Miandad were unsuccessful (Miandad in his later stints improved more due to his weight as a top batsman rather than captaincy alone). One must also say, historically Imran provided commonsense and Wasim Akram intelligence, only Saleem Malik offered both. Shoaib Malik when took over it was thought that at 25, he had both qualities, intelligence and commonsense. He also has the imagination that Waqar Younis lacked and the aggression often missing in Inzamam, whose intriguing intelligence sometimes predisposed him to fatalism. If there will be criticism that would be of his tendency to micromanage in the field, with constant changes as likely to unsettle his bowlers as opposing batsmen, and the insensitive handling of a talented fast bowler, Mohammad Asif. Time has come that Malik needs to rise in adversity. He isn't being helped by a thoroughly confused management. He needs to outweigh the problems by his qualities, and evolve a hugely productive partnership with coach Geoffrey Lawson, like Nasser Hussain forged with Duncan Fletcher. This is the moment for Malik to handle Pakistan cricket's unremitting crises, notably bad selection decisions and disputes within. He must also be ready for shamefully being let down by the officials or between the lines, by his players. Malik needs to let nobody down. He needs to learn from Inzamam. Inzamam's irony was that he left Pakistan team, perennially prone to low self-esteem, and not feeling better about itself. Pakistan cricket seems in a huge grouchy fit. AA few unanswered questions prior to World Twenty20 Mr Chairman only himself can clarify this ambiguity that the offer was not because of the fear that some big guns were getting attracted by the mouth-watering ICL offer By Muhammad Asif Khan The Twenty20 World Cup is just around the corner and it's needless now to debate about the outfit as it would be of no use. Many believe that Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq should have been selected but since its history now therefore it should not debated any further. Yes, the news of compensating or awarding those players who had refused to join the Indian Cricket League did raise a few eyebrows and rightly so. Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board said that players from players in the category A would now receive US$100,000 each, category B US$50,000 and there will be US$25,000 for each player in category C. Nasim Ashraf said "we have taken this measure to admire their gesture of signing the contracts with the PCB and to prefer playing for Pakistan". On the one hand he tried to entice players to avoid the ICL but on the other hand he himself said that "These cash awards are not a temptation for the players to prevent them from joining ICL as the PCB does not recognise such a series". Now, Mr Chairman only himself can clarify this ambiguity that the offer was not because of the fear that some big guns were getting attracted by the mouth-watering ICL offer. He also has to explain a news item that the disciplinary charges and penalties against Shoaib Akhtar were dropped after the speedster reportedly threatened to join the ICL. The Pakistan Cricket Board fined Shoaib approximately $5000 and docked points from his central contract after he left the Karachi training camp without informing the management. Shoaib subsequently appealed against the punishment and eventually the PCB appeal committee upheld his plea. Did Shoaib actually threaten to join the ICL? If not, then why any action had not been taken against him. Shoaib did say that he had informed Captain Shoaib Malik, but Mr Malik was not the camp commandant, Shoaib Akhtar should have informed someone from the management. Dropping the charge against Shoaib Akhtar clearly suggests that something was surely fishy, and only the PCB can clear up the smoke. I would also like to stress upon the new and strange ideology of the board of linking the ICL with players' feeling for the country. It's not at all a matter of patriotism because some senior players did ask for compensation and PCB responded by doing the same. As far as the ICL is concerned it is not a threat to the PCB, but yes it is a threat to the Board of Control for cricket in India (BCCI) because they would likely to loose a lot of advertisements, hence there fear is understandable but, why the PCB is reacting in this fashion, is indeed a mystery. I see only one reason why the PCB is showing tenacity, because since the BCCI is the richest cricket board in the world and is so powerful that even the ICC has to bow to BCCI at certain times, therefore our cricket board wants to remain with BCCI, although the Indian cricket board has its own issues with the ICL. The Board of Control for Cricket in India is reportedly planning to float a rival league of its own and a person most likely to head it will be Sunil Gavaskar. The BCCIís league is tipped to be called the Professional Cricket League (PCL), which will follow the same format as the Premier Hockey League and teams playing in it, would be a blend of members of the Indian national cricket team, upcoming Indian domestic players as well as some international cricket stars. The game format followed will be 20:20. This is quite clear that the BCCI is only striving to get the huge sponsorship intact; hence the PCB should also not get itself involved in an unwarranted debate with our own players and find an amicable way out of the situation. Whatever the reason may be but honestly speaking, barring players from playing the ICL is unjust when the ICL president Kapil Dev has himself said that the league would engage the players for 45 days in a year and they would be released if required by their national side. What is the issue then? The PCB says that the ICC does not recognise the ICL, but the cricket league in Bangladesh is also not a recognised one, therefore making an issue out of the ICL saga is only damaging the Pakistan cricket affairs. Let's suppose a young 20 year old Pakistani player is offered to play for the ICL (Kapil Dev said that in the future they would offer young players too) then would the PCB ban the youngster for life? In the end I would like to touch upon another development which will probably harm the cricket affairs as the PCB I guess opened up another front by sending a legal notice to Imran Farhat. What would happen if he does not want to play for Pakistan? Let him do whatever he wants to as by getting involved in legal battle only the image of the Pakistan cricket will be tarnished as the dirty laundry would surely come out in public. The
writer is a freelance contributor mak374@hotmail.com Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke; can you choose one out of this bunch safely? By Syed Ahsan Ali The bizarre, frenzied but
fascinating version of Twenty20 cricket will unleash itself Teams and spectators will all look at certain players to spark hopes with their exhibitions to hit the winning ropes. Players with all-round abilities to change the game either with the bowling, batting or fielding in a wink of an eye are priceless in this smart format of the game. Here we try to pick players, who can create havoc on centre-stage, not on the basis of their reputations but on their current run of form. Let's begin it with the most experienced T20 side -- England. Leading from the front: Heart said, pick Kevin Pietersen. No, no definitely not after his recent slump against India where he has been looking all at sea against somewhat a mediocre bowling attack India possessed. Then who else? Who else than Freddie Flintoff. He can bat, bowl and take some pulsating catches in the field. But is he 100 per cent fit for such demanding form of the game? Definitely not. Mind and his recent performances clearly say that it has to be England skipper Paul Collingwood. He is one player who looks a grafter but mark my words he can turn into a serious hitter if he gets in early. His slog-sweep, breath-taking running between the wickets and improvisation skills are enough to slot him on top of the tree. He is more in a mould of Moin Khan just because of his cheekiness. He can also bolster bowling with his innocuous looking deceptive military-pace stuff. As a fielder if he is not better than Ricky Ponting then he is certainly at par with the Aussie captain which can be an asset in this form. Let's wait and see how far he can drag England in South Africa extravaganza. As good as ever: Choose one from six or five real match-winners. Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke; can you choose one out of this bunch safely? I bet it would be difficult. But I am taking a risk of picking Gilchrist ahead of all others mainly because he is an opener with an unmatched ability to take the game away from the opposition in five, six overs. He has a very good fitness level and supreme temperament to stay at the crease for 20 overs while bringing his entire repertoire and panache into play without looking for any respite or cushion. The reason for picking him ahead of Hayden is his added-valued wicket-keeping where he can win a lot more points by taking catches and stumping. Lot more responsibilities: Exclusion of Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq from the squad for the T20 format shifts lot more responsibilities to Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan in the middle-order. Especially Afridi has to bring all his experience and skills to post big scores on the board in South Africa. The massive hitter's very recent show in Kenya suggests he is in touch which often makes situation for the oppositions haywire. His penetrative leg-spin will also play a key role in preventing opponents in their strides. The T20 is a tailor-made version for the likes of Afridi who prefers strategy of hit out or hold out in almost all other forms of the game as well. Bigger hitters with abilities to hit them long, hard and straight are gold in this form of the game, and Afridi has all of these features. If Afridi bent on staying on the crease for any reasonable length of time which is unlike the gallant Pathan, then things can swirl in Pakistan's favour lot more easily. His position in the batting order will also set the tone for Pakistan innings. Batting in the lower-middle order will not allow him enough time to stamp his authority on scoring rate. Old is gold: Mahela Jayawardene finds new touch in his batting. Kumara Sangakkara becomes one of the finest batsmen around. But when it comes to grabbing an initiative with belligerent hitting Sanath Jayasuriya has an unchallenged ascendance over all his team-mates and contemporaries. His onslaught right from the word go has been making all and sundry clueless for the last many years. This time he again will be the focal-point for any kind of adventurism coming from this Asian side. His show-stopping hitting powers along with precious left-arm spin are enough to win matches single handedly regardless of form of the game. It has to be cricket only. Charismatic swashbuckler: Long locks of his to go with the swagger he possesses set an alarm bells in the minds of all bowlers. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one fine exponent of using all his brawns and brains in dying stages of the game to shoot moderate scores to colossal heights. However, he is not all about slam-bang; he has an excellent temperament to deal tense situations subtly as well. His instincts to judge the demands of the situation make him one of the most reliable options to amass victories in the Indian camp. It would be a new experience for him to lead his country in a mega event where his leadership skills would also be scrutinised. As hard as a rock: Chris Gayle's failings in the 2007 World Cup were not enough to leave him out of this list. He is still capable to create a magic in his usual style on the field either with the bat or ball. There is hardly fiercer hitter in international arena than Gayle when he comes to the party which he often does. He can take the air out of the balloon of even the best in the business within few moments. The West Indies dearly want him to hit the accelerator instantly to create an impact. Silky touch with sharp eye: Herschelle Gibbs still hasn't fulfilled the promise which he possesses. He is a far better batsman than what he has shown to the world. His silky wrists to go with hawk-like eye to judge the length even before bowler delivers it makes him once in a lifetime kind of character. Fantastic show of hitting six sixes in an over in the 2007 World Cup was just a glimpse of what he can do with the willow in his hands especially in a tournament where license to kill is an obligation to have in the kit-bag. His leopard-like fielding skills saves 15 to 20 runs per innings which would be enough to turn the game upside down. What these sterling performers would do with this chance to become a star in an inaugural tournament of its kind would be exposed in the next few weeks. Let's pray that it would not turn out as tasteless as the 2007 World Cup was, for the sake of spectators.
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soon after reaching South Africa for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup. Come a
major tournament and we tend to jump into some sort of controversy that
causes embarrassment not only to the team, but earns a bad name for the
entire nation as well.
career, it was his captain's duty to handle him and use him sensibly, this
was stated by former Pakistan international and media manager Pervez Jamil
Mir, who is popularly known as PJ Mir, said this while exclusively talking to
'The News on Sunday' (TNS) last Friday at Datchet Cricket ground, Slough,
London.
visionary approach keeping 2011 World Cup in sight. After some time one can
observe positive results of this positive step," Mir expressed his hope.
primarily from the teams of the 1980s and 1990s. Indeed the rhetoric of
sportsmanship, with its exaltation of selflessness, loyalty and putting the
welfare of the team before oneself, can be seen as very much related to the
assumptions which provide evidence of the sides which represented the country
in the 1950s and 1960s; there were players and managements who exercised
discipline, social and political authority.
utterly with all of its hullabaloo in the next couple of days when all top
teams fighting their way out to seize the first ever Twenty20 World
Championship crown.