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Never too
old Their
Ashes, our dust!
Four transfer rumours
everyone's talking about
Back to base
A dream contest
Never too old Players like Misbah, Ajmal and now Zulfiqar Babar have proved that when it comes to class, age doesn't matter By Sohaib Alvi Pakistan has
long been notorious for throwing in half baked teenagers into cricket.
The pundits sitting in England would be appalled that boys who should be
qualifying for their school XI in England were donning their national
caps. There was also this suspicion that ages were being manipulated, a
practice common in Pakistani cricket at the time. Perhaps that was a
period where parents would cut a year or two off the age at birth as it
would delay retirement age. There didn't appear
any reason; it was inconceivable that parents would be planning so early
for their son making a mark in cricket. When it came to first
generation cricketing family, yes, there was this firm desire, almost a
given that the son would carry on the father's name. Often elder
brothers would play a role, like Wazir and Hanif did for Mushtaq and
Sadiq, in which case ages could be altered much after birth in order to
lengthen their careers or to give more years to play in Under13 to Under
21/23 teams. This would allow also for a greater ability, both mentally
and physically, to play the established competition. I remember a foreign
journalist in 1990 asking me with amusement at Waqar Younis being 19,
with a full moustache and good build. I replied that in our side of the
world, hair came quicker on the face as against the Caucasian, where a
stubble would start appearing past 20. It was logic he couldn't deny but
his smirk was proof that it was discarded while still in transit.
Even in India
Sivramakrishnan (who now commentates) and Sachin Tendulkar were under 17
when they donned their national cap. I saw them close up on their
initial tours in 1982 and 1989 respectively, and yes they did look the
age, especially the former. The late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Javed
Miandad were captaining the national side at an age where an Englishman
would be playing for a permanent place in county cricket. There were the odd
younger men in England or Australia who would be given a debut or
authority very early on, like John Inverarity became captain in his
early twenties. But it was rare and normally the man would come in
around mid 20's after having shown his mettle in first-class cricket
over a few seasons and in most cases having to wait till after college
to start his proper cricket. Mushtaq Mohammad was
for several years the youngest to play Test cricket until Pakistan
played Hassan Raza also below 15. Nasim-ul Ghani and Shahid Afridi are
another who come to mind for Pakistan, entering around 16. Besides them
several players from our country have come in below the age of 20, like
Majid Khan in the sixties. As such players who
are above thirty have rarely made their entry into international cricket
for Pakistan. This had in fact become totally unimaginable in the '80s
and '90s when players of the calibre of Salim Malik, Wasim Akram, Waqar
Younis, Aqib Javed, Mushtaq Ahmed, Inzamam were established players
within a couple of years of their first day in international cricket.
This was also because Imran wanted younger and fitter cricketers with
enthusiasm and energy. There was this aberration in the seventies when
Javed Miandad came in at near 18 to play the 1975 World Cup, making his
Test Debut a year later with 163 against New Zealand. But not many were
inducted at such an age in that decade. Javed was entering
Test cricket for Pakistan when a world legend like Colin Cowdrey was
making a return for England at the age of 41. Amazingly he had been
rushed to Australia in early '75, to bolster the England batting line up
that had been put to knife by the ferocious pace and bounce of Lilly and
Thompson. David Lloyd, now a commentator, had had his forehead pierced
and John Edrich, till then a regular in the England team, and also
approaching his forties as well, was had his ribs broken. The English sent a
similar SOS for the next two years, by bringing in men like Brian Close,
who had played his last Test a few years back. He was brought in at age
45 to face Holding and Roberts in the summer of '76. English batsmen were
being hit all over once again, and Close had been renowned as one of the
gutsy cricketers ever. Half bald, he would stand within hand shaking
distance at short leg (there were no helmets or shin pads worn for that
position at the time) and he continued to put young blood to shame for
standing there against some of the hardest hitting batsmen like Gordon
Greenidge, Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd. In batting, his torso
would be red in several parts when he returned after a 1-2 hour vigil,
but not once would he double up in pain in the middle. A Yorkshireman to
the core, he would never visibly show any pain in front of the
opposition. He in fact opened in a Test that summer with the 39 year
Edrich! It was grueling two hours they endured and both stepped down
that summer but the message had been passed to the young men. Australia had their
own grey man, probably the oldest cricketer recalled to Test cricket
ever, but that was in extraordinary circumstances. The entire Australian
team had packed off to play in the Packer circus, and so the selectors
had no choice but to ask 41 year old Bobby Simpson to captain the side.
Simpson had retired ten years earlier. The idea was to nourish and
mentor the men who were literally second tier quality. Pakistanis at the time
would be most amused at forty year olds, still playing for England. Yes,
Although Amir Elahi is recorded as the oldest to play for Pakistan when
in his forties, but that was another time, when Pakistan was born and
they needed established cricketers from before partition. However, the Pakistan
side after some time has seen the average age going up, and players
literally establishing themselves in the side on the wrong side of 30.
Misbah is an obvious example as is Saeed Ajmal. Both are the lynchpins
of the side over the last two years and Ajmal deserves the finest
accolades for making his mark so soon in a young man's world. Mohammad
Irfan too has made his name after 31 all within a year or so. Saeed Ajmal reminds me
of another off spinner, Mohammad Nazir (popularly known as Nazir
Junior), who played his second Test after a gap of some 12 years. And
yet he was magnificent against the West Indies in that home series. He
had the best batsman in the world at the time, Viv Richards, tied down
during his spells, and if I remember correctly, took his wicket four or
five times in the series. He was amazingly good, and once again the
followers wondered where had been all these years. Well, he was a
regular for Pakistan railways throughout the '70s. But being a simple
man did not fit in with the professionals of that decade who had a
different profile. Some whose place he could have taken, like Intikhab
Alam, had become too big to drop in the first part of the '70s and the
selectors were looking to groom younger spinners like Iqbal Qasim and
Abdul Qadir. Now one wonders about
the future of Zulfiqar Babar, who has shown that he has always been good
enough to bowl to the best. Man of the series in his debut series at the
age of 34, he has challenged Abdul Rehman and the young Raza Hasan.
They say time will
tell, but in this case I suppose age will tell. Sohaib121@gmail.com
Their
Ashes, our dust! Cricket is no
more the game played by gentleman from England, in fact it is played by
all, in every part of the world. That's good for the game but not for
the English press which still considers itself as 'princely' over
others. Why else would they raise objections about the legality of a
couple of one-day matches played between Pakistan and the West Indies,
and yet praise the Ashes series in their own backyard which had more
suspicious moments, if you come to think of it for the sake of argument. The Agar Connection! When Ashton Agar made
his Test debut for Australia, not many even Down Under knew about him.
He was selected mainly to trouble Kevin Pietersen, so when KP was
dismissed before the newcomer's introduction, many thought that the move
backfired for the Aussie selectors. Yet the youngsters proved his
selection correct by scoring 98 valuable runs, breaking the world record
for the last wicket partnership and bringing Australia back into the
match after they had lost 9 wickets for just 117 runs. Had there been a
Pakistani in place of Agar, things would have been different, as he
(rather than the bowlers) would have been accused of spot-fixing, his
past would have been brought into question and his future made uneasy by
the press as well as by the always-eager Pakistani board which would
have considered him guilty without thinking twice. It's a good thing that
the English media has not labeled accusations at Zulfiqar Babar who
managed to hit a six off the last ball of his debut T20 match,
considering he was playing as a specialist bowler and had taken 3
wickets in his 4 overs. He is a Pakistani and according to some
newspapers printed in the United Kingdom, a Pakistani can hardly play
fair, that too on debut! A Finn Red Line! During the first Ashes
Test, after Australia were 9 down and required nearly 80 more runs to
win the match, English captain Alistair cook decided to give James
Anderson the rest he deserved. He brought on Steven Finn into the attack
who was taken apart by the Australian vice-captain Brad Haddin. Finn
went for 24 runs in his 2 overs (in a Test match!) and that was termed
as 'magic of Ashes' rather than a reckless decision by Alistair Cook.
How could the 'English' captain be reckless? That's something only the
Pakistani skipper can be, right? It was his fault alone that Wahab Riaz
went for 14 many runs in his final over -- as if Jason Holder knew where
the ball would be delivered. It was Misbah's doomed captaincy that he
didn't have close-in fielders for the late-order batsmen, because an
'English' captain would have thought of that. Ashton Agar, remember? The Toss That Cost The
Match! He came, he saw and he
decided that winning the toss and electing to bat will be better for his
team. That's Pakistani captain Misbah ul Haq for you in the second one-dayer
of the Pakistan-West Indies series. Surprisingly, Pakistan lost the
match and Misbah ul Haq, when asked, confirmed that the rain after the
toss changed the condition of the wicket as well as the ground and had
he known that rain would come down, he would have batted first. Nothing sinister in
that! But for those who want to find something suspicious, there is
always something bad even in things with best intentions. Why did they
not question Alistair Cook's decision to NOT enforce the follow on
against Australia in the second Test of the Ashes series, when it was
evident that had he done so, Australia wouldn't have survived past the
next day! The answer lies with his English upbringing because they can
take bold decisions, and our decisions can't be bold as our intentions
are 'always doubtful'! A wicket-keeper who is
not a wicket-keeper! Yes, Umar Akmal did
miss the straightforward throw from Junaid Khan that could have changed
the result of the third one day match between Pakistan and the West
Indies. But one must remember that Umar Akmal was a makeshift
wicket-keeper who has never kept wickets regularly for 3 consecutive
matches at the domestic level, let alone in international matches. In situations like
that of the last matches, even the best wicket-keepers in the world
would panic. He missed the ball that came his way, and the match ended
in a tie. It could have happened to any wicket-keeper in the world, and
Umar Akmal should be forgiven. After all, he is an Akmal! Unpredictable to the
core! Even the biggest fans
of Pakistan and West Indies would not argue the fact that both the teams
are the most unpredictable sides in the world. They are world beaters
one day and can lose to the worst of teams on the other. They lose more matches
when least expected, and win more when they are most expected to lose.
That's how things go in the Caribbean and in Pakistan, and not many
would deny that. In such a scenario,
the allegations of British press dent their own credibility rather than
hurt the already-unpredictable nature of Pakistan or the West Indies
cricket team. These two teams may have produced bad eggs like Marlon
Samuels, Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Saleem Malik, but the Viv
Richards, Clive Lloyds, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan and many others are
far more in number than those who have brought the game into disrepute. omair78@gmail.com
Four
transfer rumours everyone's talking about We're smack in
the middle of that time of the year when football club managers are seen
running all over the place with shopping bags in their hands, hankering
after the players that they'd want - the bigger the club, the bigger
their bag and the bigger the players that they target. So fittingly
we've decided to give you a foretaste of the four most scrumptious deals
that are under discussion as this piece is being scribed. If the deals
go ahead, they'd be some of the biggest transfers in European football. Gareth Bale to Real
Madrid After losing out on
Neymar, who picked Barcelona over Real owing to his desire of playing
with a certain Lionel Messi, Madrid need a marquee signing to pacify
their fans. If you could single out the biggest name in world football
after Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, it would have to be Bale.
Hence, Madrid being keen on signing the Welshman shouldn't be that big a
surprise, but the price tag being touted is very much so. Numbers as high as 105
million pounds, which would shatter the world record 80 million that
Madrid paid for Ronaldo in 2009, are being peddled, which showcase
Madrid's desperation to sign Bale. British tabloid Daily Star claims
that this desperation is owing to the fact that Ronaldo might be off to
United after his persistent refusal to sign a new contract. Even so, it
looks like being a case of Madrid pitting Bale and Ronaldo against
Barca's Messi and Neymar. How Bale fits in the system at Madrid,
however, remains to be seen. Even though the word is that Carlo
Ancelloti is working on playing Ronaldo up front with Bale hogging the
left wing. The Portuguese might not be best pleased about leaving his
preferred position to accommodate another star, though. Luis Suarez to Arsenal After Arsenal's
initial bid of around 35 million pounds was rejected by Liverpool with
the statement that bids only in access of 40 million would be
considered, the Gunners returned with a bid of 40-million-and-one
pounds. While that was a little cheeky, and duly got on Liverpool's
nerves, the transfer is shrouded by controversy regardless of the
cheekiness, thanks of course to the player under question. Suarez is as renowned
for this footballing brilliance as he is for other antics, which involve
diving, racism, cannibalism among other things. Arsenal fans are adamant
that they don't need the Uruguayan's theatrics to mar their team, while
it's the contrary that's true. Arsenal do need a bad guy in the mould of
Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira who can do the dirty stuff to complement
all the footballing pleasantries that the Gunners put on display. While,
Suarez will cause controversy, he also brings with him a winning
mentality, alien to Arsenal for nearly a decade. Yes, he might be the
ultimate bad guy in English football, but Arsenal are in desperate need
of one, right now. He might be the difference between Arsenal's
barren spell and that elusive first piece of silverware since
2005. Cesc Fabregas to
Manchester United By the time you read
this, Manchester United might have made their third bid for Fabregas,
which should be somewhere around the 40-million-pound mark. Fabregas
joining Manchester United makes a lot of footballing sense, the only
question marks being his dream of success at his native club in
Catalonia and the backlash of Arsenal fans who still venerate him as one
of theirs. Fabregas would be the
missing link that would fill the void in United's midfield. A midfield
trio of Fabregas, Michael Carrick and a "destroyer" -- maybe
even Phil Jones -- would definitely be among the topmost central
midfields in Europe. David Moyes has had a
tough time conjuring his first big name signing for the club. Fabregas
would be a massive catch, both in terms of making a statement in the
transfer market and boosting United's credentials of a multi-pronged
quest for silverware. Wayne Rooney to
Chelsea Why Rooney is being
deemed surplus to requirement at Old Trafford makes a lot of sense, why
Chelsea might want to splash 40 million on him, doesn't. Rooney's
situation at Manchester United smacks of Victorian irony. In 2010 he
handed in a transfer request because he thought United weren't managing
to attract players that would help the club match his ambitions. Fast
forward two-and-a-half years, and Rooney is said to have handed in a
transfer request to Sir Alex Ferguson because he wasn't getting as much
game time and wasn't the centre of attention any longer owing to the
purchase of the top class players that he had demanded. It looks increasingly
likely that United's preferred player to play behind Robin Van Persie
would be Shinji Kagawa and hence, Rooney's future is obviously in
doldrums. However, if there is one man that can resurrect the English
striker's career, it's definitely Jose Mourinho. If he can help Rooney
return to something bordering on world class, both Mourinho and Chelsea
might be looking for a couple of trophy laden years with Rooney. And of
course, it goes without saying, that watching their former talisman help
Chelsea become the dominant force in English football would be a bitter
pill to swallow for Manchester United. khulduneshahid@gmail.com
Back to base This piece
must begin on a sad note. In the passing away of Munir Hussain we have
been deprived of an icon, one of the pioneers of Urdu cricket commentary
and a versatile multi-faceted personality of innumerable qualities and
talents. Besides being a
commentator he was a top notch film and sports journalist as well as
capable administrator and organiser of cricket events. He was a past master
at public relations, lobbying and fund raising. Personally I have lost a
friend of long standing. His death has left a void which will never be
filled. May Allah grant his soul a place in paradise and give his family
the courage, strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. Now on to less morose
matters. Pakistan cricket has at last shown signs of resurgence. The
team has defeated the West Indians in both the ODI and the Twenty20
series; they deserve accolades which should be wholeheartedly extended
to them. There were good performances, especially by the debutants
Zulfiqar Babar (man of the series), Umar Amin, and Haris Sohail. There are over fifty
things in life that improve with age. (If you want details please feel
free to write and I shall be happy to provide a list!). Misbah-ul-Haq is
one of the few sportspersons who has improved with age since he made his
debut for Pakistan about a decade ago. The Misbah mishandled earlier by
the then selectors has now emerged as a more mature cricketer, a
well-rounded personality and a dignified, unflappable, cool, composed
and calm leader. Pakistan have at long
last won two series. Congratulations to them and also to the much
maligned selectors Iqbal Qasim and company, to the equally maligned team
management and the wrongfully criticised those who manage the affairs of
the PCB. Misbah, to use a
cliche, led from the front and almost single-handedly steered Pakistan
to the series victory. In five outings he notched up four half
centuries. He was deservedly declared the Man of the Series. By the way
he averages 44.40 in this format with a strike rate of 73.38. It will be
interesting to compare this with Mohammad Hafeez who averages 27.23 with
a strike rate of 69.91, and who in this series averaged a little above
28 with a strike rate of 68. Hafeez also went wicket-less in the series.
The two have played 127 and 126 matches, respectively. Misbah has also been
drafted into the Caribbean Premier League's St. Lucia Team (Zouks) as
replacement for Australian Luke Pomersbach. Misbah also captains
Faisalabad in the domestic Twenty20. PCB selectors: take note. The rest
is silence as facts speak volumes. It is said that there
is no substitute for class and no shortcut to experience and Shahid
Afridi is a living example of this as we saw in the opening match of the
ODI contests and the Twenty20s. Ahmad Shehzad seems to
have come of age and Haris Sohail showed glimpses of flair and style.
Umar Akmal has the talent but needs counseling on responsibility. Nasir Jamshed requires
considerable improvement in his temperament and fielding. These
youngsters along with Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Umar Amin, Hammad Azam
will form the batting nucleus of the future batting line up. Add to these a couple
of specialist (no stop gaps) keepers, plus the present battery of pace
bowlers and a couple of spinners to be in tandem with Raza Hassan and
Zulfiqar Babar, an overhauled fielding set up and the line-up should be
adequate. To the authorities:
please give these players a decent lease; do not chop and change
unnecessarily. More work is to be
done now that the tours of Zimbabwe and Singapore; and the
"home" series against South Africa and Sri Lanka are scheduled
from after Eid to November ñ or are they? This leads us to the
legal position of the interim set up of the PCB. Their Lordships of the
Islamabad High Court have pronounced judgment that the stop gap chief of
the Board should be restricted only to the holding of elections for the
Chairman and the Board of Governors. This means that Najam Sethi may not
make any appointments or terminate the services of any official, and
also cannot enter into contracts on behalf of the PCB. This means the
appointment of Moin Khan as Chief Selector is void. Does this mean that
the resignation of Iqbal Qasim could not and should not have been
accepted? As expected, and one
wonders why it took so long, the PCB has decided to go into appeal. Why
did not the interim Chairman take advice from the very competent firm of
legal advisors of the PCB before taking decisions which were overturned?
The selection part is of immediate necessity and should be pleaded as
such before the Honorable Court. But it would be unfair for an interim
set up to sign a long term agreement and saddle the elected
representatives with it. There could be a
series-to-series arrangement to be negotiated by the seasoned Ehsan Mani
and others. (I understand that Radio/ Internet/Telecos Broadcasting
Rights for UAE "home" series have already been sold.) The ugly head of
"fixing" has again been raised by some UK tabloid in
connection with the series in the West Indies. The WICB, ECB and ICC at
the moment apparently do not seem to have any problems but the PCB have
given a knee-jerk reaction. What was the necessity to panic? Some
observers are of the view that they should have waited till more details
were available. Meanwhile the Indians,
undeterred by what goes around them, are struggling with their own IPL
"fixings" and court orders. They, instead of minding their own
business, are reportedly unhappy at the appointment of Haroon Lorgat as
CEO of Cricket South Africa. The DRS debate also
rages on, particularly because of the differing equipment provided for
the Ashes and the West Indies vs. Pakistan series. It is correctly
argued that technology assistance must be uniformly provided. One question must be
asked of the authorities. Why did they schedule a semi-final of a
premium domestic tournament at timings which clashed with the all
important ODI between Pakistan and the West Indies. Is the fans'
appetite sickening and about to die? Without going into details or
debate I submit that the schedule and timings of the Ramazan cricket
should be revisited. It is always sheer
delight and almost ecstatic pleasure to be back home, and particularly
so in Ramazan and other times of religious importance. The atmosphere is
tremendous. And of course there is cricket from around the world --
India vs Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka vs South Africa, and the Ashes -- and our
own Twenty20 Ramazan cricket. Then there is the 18th edition of the
Ramazan Night Tournament started, sponsored, funded and organised by the
late Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, who is sorely missed by anyone connected with
the game. One can watch live
cricket up to the early hours of the morning; have Sehri, say "Fajr"
prayers; and then -- no, not rest or go to sleep -- but research and
write pieces for the TNS. chishty.mujahid@yahoo.co.uk
A dream
contest Cricket is
truly a fascinating sport, somewhat like life, you never know what will
happen next. The variables in the game like the pitch, the overhead
conditions, the type of balls, the shape of the bat, the competence of
the umpire, the physical and mental state of a player and the rather
inexplicable 'form' phenomenon (which sees you rise to the absolute peak
one day only to plummet to the lowest of all lows the next) combine to
create compelling viewing. No wonder just like
life, they often quip about cricket being "a great leveler"
and this can be gauged by the rich history of the game which has swung
like a pendulum in favour of both the batsmen and the bowlers. The early days of Test
cricket were dominated by bowlers because of uncovered pitches, a rather
non-existent protective gear, no restriction on bouncers, back-foot no
ball rule and no fielding restrictions. The early days are
long gone by and in the last two decades or so the batsmen have
dominated the game like never before; and the advent of T20 cricket with
the ever advancing protective gear has seen a plethora of runs. The fact remains that
we have been offered a surfeit of both bat and ball dominated cricket
matches over the years and all kinds of shocking results and upsets have
only enhanced the reputation that cricket is indeed a game of glorious
uncertainties. So why not have some
fun? Why not pit the best international bowlers against the best present
day batsmen? A bowlers' eleven versus a batsmen eleven. Such a Test match
might turn into a sordid affair while a T20 is too short to make a
judgment on; hence the best possible scenario is to have a 50-overs
match. I am suggesting teams
that have the best batting and bowling talent currently playing
international cricket. We can also slot in some recently retired greats
of the game who have been slogging it out in the Indian Premier League,
none other than the greatest ODI batsman of all time Sachin Tendulkar. Surely we are talking
about specialists here hence there wouldn't be any place for all-rounders.
The irony is that the batsmen eleven would miss out on someone like
Jacques Kallis regarded amongst the top willow wielders in the present
era. An ideal venue for
such an extravaganza would be Kolkata's Eden Gardens (simply the most
electrifying atmosphere in the world of cricket). There shouldn't be a
need to tweak in with the present day ODI rules, two new balls, the
power plays and the absurd ruling of minimum five players inside the 30
yard circle should stay too, allowing players to approach the match as
an official ODI with all relevant rules and conditions in play. The ODI limit for
bowlers is ten overs which should stay, this means that some of the
bowlers in the bowlers eleven might not get a chance to roll their arm
just like the possibility of batsmen especially the lower order missing
out on batting. At the same time the
limits in place will test the leadership and strategizing skills of the
two captains to the fullest. So here are the two
elevens. The teams are in batting order: Batsmen: – Chris Gayle – David Warner – Sachin Tendulkar – Hashim Amla – Kevin Pietersen – Virat Kohli – AB de Villiers
(wicket-Keeper) – Mahela Jayawardene
(captain) – Brendon McCullum – Eoin Morgan – Umar Akmal Each team has the
luxury of having one world class wicket-keeper batsman with the batsmen
team having the services of South African mainstay AB de Villiers
(readers can suggest if this makes the contest better or tilts the
advantage towards one team) Opening the innings
are two of the most feared hard hitters in the modern game. Chris Gayle
can send the ball from one stadium to another with consummate ease while
the stocky David Warner is the best Australian batting talent to have
emerged of late. His big hitting capabilities are now known the world
over with his demolition of India in the Perth Test a couple of years
ago a true testament of his prowess. The two can send the best in the
world for a leather-hunt. Sachin doesn't need
accolades anymore and his ODI achievements will simply stay unmatched as
long as the format exists. The bearded wonder
from South Africa Hashim Amla has astounded all his critics with his
consistent run in the 50 overs format where he is averaging a staggering
57 runs per innings having amassed 11 hundreds in a mere 68 appearances!
If these stats aren't mind blowing enough the Durban-born has been
decimating bowlers, striking at 91 runs per 100 balls. Kevin Pietersen is
easily England's best batsman across all formats at present; he has
imposed himself in the ODI arena too with an average of more than 41
runs per innings and a tally of 9 hundreds in the format. Virat Kohli's ODI
achievements have made him the leading Indian batsman post Tendulkar.
Fifteen hundreds in 111 appearances at an average a shade under 50 is
enough proof of his stature. AB de Villiers will
easily walk into an ODI world eleven on the mere strength of his batting
alone. In the batsman's eleven he has a minimal role to play with the
bat in the presence of some of the greats of the game assembled around
him. Of course, with the
batting eleven it is impossible to slot everyone in the top and middle
order, it is a given that the likes of Mahela Jayewardene, Eoin Morgan
and Brendon McCullum would never be slotted in as tail-enders, but it is
an eleven for the batsmen, and someone has to make the sacrifice. (A
three-match series will provide an option of rotating the order in each
match.) Pakistan has been
struggling with the bat for a long time now and it is only to have
representation from all major ODI teams that we have Umar Akmal (in my
book the best Pakistani limited overs talent at present). The batsmen's eleven
has three players who have often rolled their arms over in ODI cricket
with Gayle and Tendulkar having tasted considerable success too. The duo would have to
be at their best with the ball with Virat Kohli, David Warner, Kevin
Pietersen chipping in as support acts. Bowlers: – Mitchell Starc – Ravichandran
Ashwin – MS Dhoni (captain
and wicket-keeper) – Daniel Vettori – Graeme Swann – Dale Steyn – James Pattinson – Saeed Ajmal – Ravi Rampaul – Lasith Malinga – Junaid Khan The bowlers eleven
consist of a total of six fast bowlers and four spinners and the attack
looks well rounded in the presence of Junaid Khan and Mitchell Starc,
two left arm pacers with impressive starts to their ODI careers. Ashwin is almost as
good as an all-rounder and has a sound batting technique; much of the
burden of scoring runs for the bowlers will be on him hence he has been
placed at the top of the order. He is also arguably the best Indian
bowler in the format for the last two years, collecting a tally of 66
wickets in 48 games. Captain cool MS Dhoni
has been slotted in at number three; he would be the linchpin and with
mediocre batting talent around him would need to play one of his famed
defiant innings. While one can argue
that Daniel Vettori qualifies as an all-rounder the fact is that he has
had meagre returns in the 50 over format and averages less than 18 runs
per innings hence he finds his place in the team. His presence ensures
that all the major teams are represented in the bowlers' team too. At
the same time there are no two opinions on his utility as an ODI bowler
with 282 scalps in his kitty. Graeme Swann has made
a big impact as an ODI bowler; the 34-year-old has snared an impressive
tally of 101 wickets in 76 matches. Dale Steyn's selection
is a no-brainer. The South African's opening burst at the likes of
Gayle, Warner and Tendulkar is a mouth watering prospect. Pattinson is a serious
bowling talent who can unsettle the very best with his pace and typical
Australian aggressive attitude. Saeed Ajmal has been
the leading ODI bowler for some time now. The Pakistani's doosra has
spelt doom for many who have tried to launch him into the stands. The line-up is
bolstered by the presence of Ravi Rampaul, the West Indian workhorse who
has made rapid strides of late. For the last two seasons he has remained
the spearhead of his team, at least in the shorter varieties. Lasith Malinga is
another class act Dhoni can call upon. His swinging yorkers and control
has made him arguably the best death bowler in international cricket at
present. The contest looks
fascinating on paper. One feels that even under batting-friendly
conditions the bowlers are likely to win. The reason is that the batsmen
would be in for a tough haul with the ball in their hands while all
bowlers have ample experience of batting in pressure situations and
cricket history is full of spellbinding defying acts by bowlers stealing
win from the jaws of defeat with bats in their hands. Similarly, batsmen
have often done a commendable job with the ball prizing out important
scalps at crucial junctures, changing the course of a match. Bring it
on! emmadhameed@hotmail.com
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