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« Previous EntriesWill we ever see Shoaib’s like again?
By Will 1 month ago, 9 Comments »
Shoaib Akhtar has been banned for five years for continued disciplinary problems, the most telling of which happened last September when he hit his team-mate, Mohammad Asif, with a bat. I’m all for individuality, but Shoaib continued to push the boundaries of what is acceptable; of what is normal behaviour. It probably brings to an end one the most chequered of international careers, pitted with controversy, illegality and downright stupidity. He’s been nothing if not an entertainer. Will we ever see his like again?
Your favourite Shoaib moments welcome.
9 Comments »The new Afridi
By Will 3 months ago, No Comments; be the first!
Maybe in 10 years, anyway. Great shot found on Flickr.
K a i r o s - Away in Pakland.
Changing nations
By Jonathan Liew 4 months ago, 9 Comments »
According to Scyld Berry in the Sunday Telegraph, England’s best hope of winning the Ashes in 2009 is to play two spinners and prepare some turning pitches.
It’s a seductive idea, but who on earth do you have as the second spinner? Graeme Swann? Adil Rashid? Gary whatsisface from Lancashire? Or England’s very own Greg Rusedski?
I was at Lord’s in about 1998 when Saqlain Mushtaq took a hat-trick against Middlesex. He’s top drawer, and certainly turns the ball more than Gareth Batty. But somehow the thought of Saqlain in an England shirt seems wrong - a little like seeing your mum in a catsuit. Of course, he’s legally resident and pays taxes and all that. And these days, the country of your birth can be shaken off like an itchy cardigan, and frequently has been. But the difference with the likes of Hussain, Pietersen and Shah is that they never stepped out to play a World Cup final for their home country. Saqlain is, to everybody but the ECB and the Home Office, a Pakistan player. Whatever he does in an England shirt won’t change that.
I’d be interested to hear the thoughts of any Australians reading about Kepler Wessels, a similar case, who’s a little bit before my time. Was he welcomed into the fold as a class player, or did his appearance in a baggy green smack of opportunism?
9 Comments »India v Pakistan, 1st Test, Delhi, 4th day
By Will last year, at the end of November, 1 Comment »
The fourth day from Delhi and we have a cracker on our hands. Pakistan lead by 167 with five second-innings wickets remaining. Ripper. Here’s the scorecard.
1 Comment »One-innings thrash at Delhi
By Will last year, at the end of November, 1 Comment »
The first Test between India and Pakistan is turning into a bit of a thriller, in case you hadn’t noticed. Pakistan limited India’s lead to just 45 and Salman Butt and Mohammad Yousuf have both raced out of the blocks. But no - Yousuf has gone! Well well, this really is interesting now. Pakistan lead by 104…
1 Comment »Another five-run penalty
By Will last year, mid-October, No Comments; be the first!
Nice observation from Jagadish:
No Comments »One of Inzamam’s first acts on returning to the Pakistan team for his farewell test was to accidentally palm the ball onto the helmet behind Kamran Akmal, thereby costing Pakistan five runs.
38.4 Mohammad Asif to Prince, no run, outside off, and he gets the edge at last, falls short of Inzamam at slip, Akmal may have reached that if he had dived, the ball comes off Inzamam’s hand, rolls away and into the helmet, 5 penalty runs given
The significance of this is that it was a rather uneventful act in comparison to the last time he/his team were involved in an act which cost five runs.
Delicious irony and coincidence, considering this happened just one day before Darrell Hair withdrew his allegations of racial discrimination by the ICC.
Famous by nickname
By Will last year, mid-October, 3 Comments »
Everyone in cricket knows who Inzi is. He’s big and cumbersome, like a sleepy giant, yet with a sharpened wit. He’s a throwback to the pre-tracksuit era but, when he chooses, he is quick of feet. He is a potato, aloo and rarely - if ever - hated by anyone. He clumps drives rather than strokes them and yet, for such a big batsman, he is lightning quick to sweep the spinners. He’s just a great big legend and his illustrious career, not without controversy or incident, is over.
What are your favourite memories of Inzamam?
3 Comments »Like a pair of naughty schoolboys
By Jonathan Liew last year, mid-October, 9 Comments »
Trying to prove in a court of law that the governing body of cricket is racist is an ambitious aim, and it may well be that Darrell Hair’s surrender stems from a realisation that he was going to lose, and lose expensively. It also appears that he hasn’t managed to cut a deal with the ICC, and is thus probably destined to spend the rest of his life umpiring club cricket and shopping at Primark.
I can’t think of a single incident in the last decade which has split cricket more evenly. Both sides’ arguments make eminent sense. Yes, Hair was simply applying the laws of the game, yes, the Asian lobby probably do wield too much power and yes, the ICC should have offered him more support. But equally validly, Hair was a pompous, posturing fool that day, there was no firm evidence of ball-tampering and trying to blackmail your employers for $500,000, let alone labelling them racist, is just plain daft.
Mercifully, then, it appears to be all over. It’s not really for me to apportion blame to one side or the other – although you should feel free below – but in this ugly display of playground mudslinging, neither party has exactly covered itself in glory and you can’t help thinking that surely, surely, the world of cricket can do better than this. Hair and the ICC have behaved like a pair of name-calling schoolboys. And as your teacher always told you: “It doesn’t matter who started it. You shouldn’t have reacted.â€
9 Comments »Cricket in Barcelona?
By Will last year, mid-October, No Comments; be the first!
Well, of a sort. The Pakistan community in Raval, Barcelona, playing it on a zebra crossing.
Pakistan struggling against the odds, and Mark Boucher’s record
By Scott last year, at the start of October, 1 Comment »
Pakistan have their work cut out to get something out of the First Test against South Africa. The Proteas scored 450, on the back of a big hundred by Jacques Kallis, who certainly would have had a point to prove to the selectors who left him out of the Twenty20 team. Then the rather unlikely sight of a South African spinner on top, Paul Harris taking 5 for 73. That left Pakistan all out for 291, and it could have been even less if it wasn’t for some stout lower order batting. Now South Africa in their second dig are 76 for 3, and the lead is already beyond 200. (scorecard)
The other notable feat of the Test is that South Africa’s keeper, Mark Boucher, has passed Ian Healy’s record for the most dismissals in Tests. He’s a worthy holder of the record, a fine gloveman who has mastered his craft. The one disappointment in his career would have to be that South Africa have not really produced a spin bowler worthy of his talents. On the rare occasion that I’ve seen him up to the stumps, he’s certainly looked the goods though and it is notable that in Pakistan’s innings he did get two stumpings. There’s nothing wrong with his abilities at what is the ultimate test of a keeper’s skills. (stats)
1 Comment »Ye Gods! A Test match is happening!
By Scott last year, at the start of October, 7 Comments »
We don’t get a lot of South Africans or Pakistanis in these here parts, but there IS a Test match going on as we speak- South Africa, batting first, are 104 for 1, with Gibbs on 50 - Smith out for 42.
Ahh. White clothes and a red ball. God is in his heaven and all is right with the world, et cetera!
Meanwhile, England play Sri Lanka in a Fifty/50 tonight, and Australia play India tomorrow. But who cares? Tests are the best!
7 Comments »ICC World Twenty20 Final: India v Pakistan
By Scott last year, at the end of September, 6 Comments »
So, the final is upon us, and it is the dream one for the ICC- India vs Pakistan. The success of both teams in this tournament will do more then anything to popularise this form of the game. There’s no doubt we shall be seeing a lot more of it in the years to come- a fact that must engender mixed feelings in the players as well as more traditionally minded fans.
Both India and Pakistan have made it to the final thanks largely to the efforts of some of their less heralded players; the new format has given a new lease of life to some fringe players too. The final will add the weight of expectations to the players, which I hope will not dampen the freedom with which they play.
I saw the group game that took place in Durban between the two sides, that ended in a tie, with India winning the subsequent bowl-out. I think the final will not be quite as close but at this stage, I cannot pick a winner. Although given that it is being played at Johannesburg, traditionally favouring the chasing side, the toss might be as crucial a factor as anything else.
Keep an eye on Cricinfo’s scorecard, and leave your thoughts on the match in the comments below.
6 Comments »Twenty20 video highlights: Pakistan v New Zealand
By Will last year, at the end of September, 1 Comment »
Highlights of the first semi-final between Pakistan and New Zealand.
Part one
Part two
1 Comment »World Twenty20 semi-finals
By Will last year, mid-September, 13 Comments »
So, the semis are upon us. I’m hoping to at least catch some of today’s games, either on radio or a pub TV, and I’m gunning for the Pakistanis. As my colleague Osman says, this game really is suited to them. Why? Well, partly due to their experience in the format: tape-ball cricket.
The number of overs isn’t important; matches last from five to 25 overs. There are few rules but the basic ethos of these games, the hustle and the bustle of it, the short, sharp intensity of putting one over the boys from the next lane or mohalla because, well, that’s just what men do, is something Twenty20 comes close to capturing.
Runs are not scored but nicked. A little tap, run; fielder about to throw, steal the second; often the only boundaries are straight because of the narrowness of the field, so running becomes an art in itself. Pakistan’s batting successes against Sri Lanka and Australia were built on cheeky running first and boundary-hitting second.
They face New Zealand in the first match (scorecard), followed by Australia and India (scorecard) later in the day. So keep an eye on the scorecards and offer your thoughts as the matches unfold.
13 Comments »Video of India’s bowl-out against Pakistan
By Will last year, mid-September, 2 Comments »
For those who missed it, like me, here’s the video of India’s bowl-out in the World Twenty20 against Pakistan. Cricinfo’s comms is useful too.
2 Comments » « Previous Entries