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mushtaq-ahmed
Mushtaq to work with England spinners
By Mark Tilley last year, at the start of January, 1 Comment »
Mushtaq Ahmed has been given clearance to coach England’s spinners this summer. After six years playing for Sussex and plenty of domestic success, Mushtaq will bring a wealth of experience to the table and England fans will be desperately hoping he can coax out that missing magic from Monty Panesar.
Certainly, his expertise could and should be massively felt by England’s array of slow bowlers. Adil Rashid, the Yorkshire leg-spinning prodigy, could benefit greatly from the wily Pakistani. Rashid has been included in England’s Test squad for the tour of the West Indies, although it isn’t expected that he’ll be pushing for a starting place. Pundits and former players are desperate for Rashid not to be rushed and, although the experience with the squad shouldn’t do him any harm, surely the arrival of Mushtaq as spin coach will do Rashid the greater benefit.
Rashid is third in line for the premier England spinners role. Panesar currently holds that role and he will most definately be collaring Mushtaq for all the advice he can possibly give. Panesar’s lack of development in the recent year or so is an ongoing concern for the England management and with Graeme Swann impressing in India combined with Rashid’s continual development, Panesar must be nervously looking over his shoulder, fearing for his place.
Let’s hope the Mushy magic will rub off on Monty and the rest of England’s spinning hopefuls.
1 Comment »The Indian dimension
By Emma 2 years ago, mid-March, 1 Comment »
It has been somewhat of a double whammy for county cricket, and not one that could have been predicted by the end of last season. As Sussex were celebrating their second consecutive Championship victory in September, the only possible concern Chris Adams and co. could have had about their international berth would be which player to keep. Now, thanks to the incomprehensible forelock-tugging and deference that boards around the world are giving to a Test nation that only woke up to Twenty20 when they won the World Championship, having already let a private enterprise set up in the format they had snubbed, Mushtaq Ahmed may well have worn a Sharks shirt for the last time. But with only a month to go until the season starts, the nearest to clarity I’ve seen for clubs on the ICL is Andrew McGlashan’s list over at Cricinfo. The medley of pre-stance Kolpaks, post-stance Kolpaks, UK nationals, EU nationals and Internationals requiring NOCs has left a bit of a muddle.
So what does this spell? Well, at some point, there is going to be a lawsuit. Maybe more than one. I’m not going to pretend to know anything about the legal situation, but the PCA and their international equivalents will have been getting legal advice since the ECB’s statement last week. What will be most interesting will be who ends up suing who. Well, interesting for a law student. None of it is in the interest of English cricket.
As if a whole swath of maybe-banned-maybe-nots wasn’t enough, the sheer salaries and brevity of commitment being offered by the IPL are easily more of an attraction to top class internationals than six months drudgery in some of England’s colder climes. Shaun Pollock, for a while linked with Warwickshire, was only interested in playing the Twenty20s. Of the many Antipodean retirements of the last few months, how many are headed here? This of course is leaving aside the possibility that English players wont up sticks and move to Bangalore. When players with as little international exposure as car-park call up Luke Pomersbach are being offered $50,000 for a few games graft, surely some of the international fringe must be eyeing their bank balances with jealousy.
Considering the outcry over the last few seasons at the invasion of international players, the new position seems far more worrying. With a dearth of players available to fill the overseas slots, there will be a widening in the gap between the ‘rich’ counties and those without the cash to compete for what names are available. To think that some time last year Ricky Ponting was bemoaning the grind of international cricket, and voicing concerns that too much of the shortest format was being played. Ironically, the ICL should have had little impact on English cricket in terms of timing, while the IPL runs in direct conflict with parts of the season. It is impossible to know what the long-term impacts are going to be. In the meantime, coaches around the country will be filling in team sheets in pencil.
1 Comment »Dampened Competition
By Emma 4 years ago, mid-September, 1 Comment »
While there are potentially two more days of contest left in the Championship race, Nottinghamshire’s first innings collapse to Sussex has left Lancashire’s claims very weak indeed. Of course, any team with Mushtaq Ahmed in form – not to mention a superb cameo from Rana Naved – is bound to find themselves in good stead, but I can’t help but feel for Lancashire. Many suggested that this would be their season, and for good reason; despite injuries, their attack has fired consistently and their batsmen have been impressive.
Where they may consider themselves unfortunate is the sheer amount of rain-affected matches they have played. Six of Lancashire’s draws were washouts where they had looked strong, with eight games drawn in total. Sussex, in comparison, have had five. Most recently, having been on a level peg until very recently, Lancashire have had two games they dominated lost to the weather. Sussex, meanwhile, managed to scrape together a win and a draw against Kent and Hampshire respectively.
Such are the quirks of the domestic game in this country, especially considering many Championship games are pushed to the extremes of the season to leave the prime weather to the money-earners of Twenty20 and Pro40. As it is, the red rose looks set to finish in second place for the 5th time since the ‘98 season. The last time they finished there, of course, was in 2003 – Sussex’s first, and for the moment only, Championship title. Not a piece of history Mark Chilton will be very happy to repeat.
1 Comment »Hove is where it’s at
By Will 4 years ago, mid-April, 8 Comments »
Just got back from my first press conference at Hove (Sussex for the uninitiated, compassless among you). It was bloody cool. A bit of a shambles, if I’m honest, and the press girl there admitted as much (“It’s usually a lot better organised”) but it was relaxed and I managed to speak to Mushtaq Ahmed, who was both interesting and very intelligent. He had some interesting stuff to say about Pakistan, religion, spin and other stuff. What a legend. I wanted to scream out “Bowling mushy!” but managed to restrain myself. Of particular coolness was when a photographer barged his way into our chat and said “quick ‘ead ‘n shoulders musha would you?” Now, apart from mispronouncing his nickname – a cardinal sin – he was downright rude, and Mushy retorted with “Not now, I’m speaking to Cricinfo” which rather put the little weezle-snapper in his place, not to mention wake me up to the fact that I actually work for Cricinfo. It’s all very bizarre.
Another geezer wasn’t at all impressed at my employers, and rather looked down his roman nose at me as if to say “pah. Cricinfo. PAH. Bunch of johnny come latelies.” I’m sure it won’t be the last time that happens but it’s nevertheless surprising that CI produces that response.
I was one of only two written “journos” there, that I noticed. There were four radio people (four! Surely there can’t be more than one radio station in Hove?) and a couple of TV people. Annoyed that I didn’t get to speak to more players, one of whom was particularly elusive; after his photo shoot, he sprinted into the pavillion never to be seen again! Ah well, twas a good learning experience (nail them, in other words, when you can).
Before getting there, I managed to get lost, and sought help from an elderly gentleman who, with a red jumper, looked like one of those people from Butlins. He looked fairly respectable and knowledgeable (doesn’t that always go through your head when you’re asking for directions? “He won’t know where xyz is. Look at him, he’s a wreck”). Anyway, he then proceeded to eff and blind like a good ‘un.
“Fackin ‘ell, you want the cricket graaaand? You’re miles out mate, fackin miles.”
“Oh bugger. I thought I’d gone wrong, yeah. I was heading down to the sea”
“The sea? You’ll end up in fackin France and you wouldn’t want that.”
I didn’t bother mentioning that the sea was probably a hypothermic 4c, nor the fact that I would rather stick pins in my eyes than try and swim 20 miles across the English Channel. The cheery old fella was useful enough and I found the ground in good time. I wasn’t fackin miles out, actually.
Now preparing for the county season which begins tomorrow. We have a whole mass of previews going up, so keep your minces peeled on Friday. Am off to Lord’s hopefully tomorrow, and almost certainly on Saturday, so will bore you with photos and thoughts on MCC v Nottinghamshire.
Ta Scott for keeping the blog fresh and tasty,
8 Comments »The talent that lies within
By Will 5 years ago, mid-November, 4 Comments »
I can’t remember who said it, but it was during Pakistan’s tour of England in 1996 when I heard the following uttered: “Pakistan are the most talented team in the world, and contain the richest abundance of natural talent anywhere in the world.” Something alone those lines, anyway.
It’s one of those sayings which sticks with you (and follows you, although hopefully not in the next few weeks!), and I’ve yet to find someone who can justify it, or qualify it. Yet something tells me it’s probably true, which leads me to ask: how and why aren’t Pakistan regarded as a serious world-beating threat? Why, if they have such rich seams of talent, are they so inconsistent and volatile? Why can’t Inzamam run between the wickets, and why has their fielding always been so crap?
In that 1996 tour, I saw players like Inzy, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis – and the spin twins of Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed (bowling Mushy). Actually, wrong tour Will – Saqlain didn’t play a Test, my mistake. Anyway, it’s understandable that a team can struggle to compete when they lose such greats as Wasim and Waqar (just look at the West Indies. Although their problems run deeper, and I don’t even begin to understand them) but a country that can produce such natural talent ought to succeed more than they have been.
The BBC went some way to explaining the problems a few weeks ago:
Bob Woolmer has at his disposal a wealth of talent: prolific middle-order batsmen Younis Khan, Inzamam and Mohammad Yousuf; a brilliant young leg-spinner in Danish Kaneria; and bowlers of searing pace in Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami.
Shoaib can be devastating – when he’s fit and the mood suits him
But getting all of those fit and mentally tuned in to perform in all three Tests will be Woolmer’s big challenge – quite often one department has fired, only to be let down by the other parts of the team.
Shoaib is a curious one. He has the ability, and bendy arm, to kill most batsmen if he so chooses. But he comes across as lazy, arrogant, unfit and superior to the game. He’ll play if he wants, when he wants.
Even when Wasim and Waqar were squashing batsmen’s toes at will, the question as to “which team will turn up?” hovered over the Pakistan team, and I don’t think it’s lifted to this day. Which side will turn up against England?
4 Comments »Bowling Mushy!!
By Will 5 years ago, at the end of September, 46 Comments »
Enthusiastic cries of support from wicketkeepers are one of the game’s great joys, and usually have me doubled over in laughter. I always used to crack up listening to Alec Stewart: “Oooh! I like that, Crofty! Oh yes, liking it Crofty son.” And this summer we’ve been treated to Gilchrist stating the bleeding obvious with “Baaaaaa-rrrr-ling Shaaaanne” (like he needs confirmation).
But the best has to be when Mushtaq Ahmed was in his pomp, whatever that really means, and Latif would shout, repeatedly, “Bowling mushy mushy, booowwwlingg.” Actually that has me thinking; I remember on previous Pakistan tours hearing “Shabash shabash” shouted by the ‘keeper. What does it mean? “Well done” or “well bowled” or something?
Anyway, back to Mushy. I see he hit 90 today – yes, 90! My boss was there, and wrote about it here. Couple of days ago, Inzamam hinted at a possible recall for Mushtaq which is utterly brilliant news. Always enjoyed watching Mushy bowl, and always surprised me how he actually managed to spin the ball…quite an odd action.
So, we might once again get to hear “Bowling Mushy!” On that note – Shabash.
46 Comments »