Miscellaneous!

Can we expect that he’ll be leaving soon

Pakistan would be the only cricketing nation who knows the art of being in the news all the time for unnecessary reasons! Now see this old man who should start spending time at the mosque, and he should more concentrate on taking care of his grandsons and daughters, instead of TAKING GREAT CARE OF PAKISTANI CRICKET!

Already standing committee on affairs of sporting activities not happy with their performance, as in Pakistan he’s nicked name as Mr. U-turner, and unlike expected off him that being a seasoned campaigner of Lahore City Cricket Association aka LCCA, he was expected to present and implement in plans for the improvement of cricket in Pakistan, and that too on the honorary basis, but this old man has been a liability more than anything, literally spending too much on foreign trips, 150 US$ per day expenditure of his on daily basis, on the places where he isn’t needed!

That’s where we can see why Naseem Ashraf was better than this joker who has bring nothing to Pakistan cricket except humiliation! on the other hand no future planning, no expenditure controlling steps nothing of any sort taken by him, stadiums land are being captured or owned by someone else under their presence, what does this convey! because of their mismanagement, Lahore attacks were held else it could had avoided! Deterioration of relations with fellow neighbours on cricketing grounds, just give me a single name who’s supposed to be a friend to Pakistan cricket board these days, couples of years ago we had good relations with India and Sri Lanka both and Bangladesh were also improving but by time 2009-10, everything is in vein and nothing of any sort with them.

And now after this, icing on the cake, changing skippers of the sides like one changes his pajamas too often, since 2009 we had skippers from Shoaib Malik, Younus Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik again, Shahid Afridi and now Salman Butt. Is this a gali muhalla ki cricket team! even in that cricket we have skipper for a long time compared to our national side!

Huge loss indeed

Mohammad Yousuf has been a prolific run scorer in Pakistani middle order averaging more than 60 in last five and the half years time

After seeing what this cricket board has done with the formidable heavy weight middle order of Pakistan cricket team, I think we don’t need foes to destroy us as these three middle-order positions for Pakistan have been among the world’s best, and even more successful than the more acclaimed middle orders of Australia and India, They average 51.85, which is next only to Sri Lanka’s 55.15, and their tally of 31 centuries in 40 Tests means that, on average, there is one centurion among Pakistan’s Nos. 3, 4 and 5 in three out of four Tests!

Team-wise middle-order stats (Nos. 3-5) in Tests since 2005

Team	No. of players	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Sri Lanka	13	45	11,582	55.15	36/ 44
Pakistan	17	40	10,579	51.85	31/ 45
Australia	14	60	14,112	51.50	44/ 64
South Africa	13	59	12,703	47.22	41/ 54
India	14	55	11,797	45.72	33/ 60
England	16	70	14,754	42.88	41/ 61
West Indies	22	50	10,216	41.02	29/ 48
New Zealand	22	42	7802	36.97	14/ 41
Bangladesh	17	34	4452	22.59	3/ 24
Zimbabwe	8	8	941	20.02	0/ 6

Not surprisingly, all three of Pakistan’s heavyweights find a place among the world’s best middle-order batsmen since 2005. Younis and Yousuf have similar averages, of just over 60, while Inzamam isn’t far behind with 57.40. Sri Lanka’s two jewels lead the way, but India and England go completely unrepresented in the top 12. India’s best during this period has been Sachin Tendulkar (average 51.10), while Kevin Pietersen has topped for England with an average of 49.91.

Best middle-order batsmen (Nos. 3-5) in Tests since 2005 (Qualification: 1500 runs)

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Kumar Sangakkara	43	4103	62.16	14/ 14
Mahela Jayawardene	45	4333	61.90	15/ 13
Younis Khan	32	3273	60.61	10/ 11
Mohammad Yousuf	33	3364	60.07	12/ 11
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	46	3531	57.88	10/ 21
Inzamam-ul-Haq	20	1550	57.40	5/ 8
Ricky Ponting	60	5480	57.08	19/ 25
Jacques Kallis	55	4627	55.74	17/ 19
Thilan Samaraweera	33	2500	55.55	7/ 15
Brian Lara	19	1859	53.11	8/ 2
Michael Clarke	47	3468	51.76	11/ 15
Michael Hussey	47	3467	51.74	10/ 18

The partnership stats for the middle-order wickets tell a similar story: Sri Lanka lead the way with an average of 55.23, while Pakistan follow at 51.17. That average means Pakistan’s three middle-order wickets put together about 153 runs; in the first innings of the Lord’s Test, those three wickets only managed 38.

Team-wise partnership stats for wickets 3-5 in Tests since 2005

Team	Innings	Runs	Average stand	100/ 50 p’ships
Sri Lanka	224	11,875	55.23	41/ 38
Pakistan	217	10,695	51.17	31/ 48
India	278	12,718	47.81	35/ 55
Australia	296	13,483	46.81	36/ 58
South Africa	299	13,279	46.75	33/ 56
England	361	15,569	44.73	46/ 61
West Indies	271	10,859	40.97	28/ 49
New Zealand	219	7736	36.49	16/ 31
Zimbabwe	48	1185	24.68	1/ 8
Bangladesh	199	4455	22.50	4/ 24

When Younis and Yousuf got together, they were more prolific than any other middle-order pair, averaging more than 100 runs per completed partnership. In the 24 innings they batted together, they added at least 50 runs on 15 occasions, and went on to a century stand seven times. The Indian bowling attack was clearly their favourite: in nine innings against them, the pair added a whopping 1372 runs and averaged 171.50, with six century stands. They’re the only Pakistan pair in the top eight, though; Australia and Sri Lanka have two representatives each.

Best pairs for wickets 3-5 in Tests since 2005 (Qual: 1000 runs)

Pair	Innings	Runs	Average stand	100/ 50 p’ships
Mohammad Yousuf-Younis Khan	24	2358	107.18	7/ 8
Michael Clarke-Marcus North	13	1026	78.92	5/ 0
AB de Villiers-Jacques Kallis	28	1967	78.68	9/ 5
Mahela Jayawardene-Thilan Samaraweera	26	1808	72.32	8/ 2
Michael Clarke-Ricky Ponting	16	1082	72.13	3/ 3
Mahela Jayawardene-Kumar Sangakkara	43	2839	66.02	6/ 13
Sourav Ganguly-Sachin Tendulkar	19	1175	61.84	4/ 5
Paul Collingwood-Kevin Pietersen	40	2404	61.64	8/ 9

While Pakistan’s strength over the last five-and-a-half years has been their batsmen at positions three to five, their opening combinations and their No. 6 batsmen have hardly kept pace. At No. 6, Pakistan’s batting average is an ordinary 32.04, and only West Indies, New Zealand and Bangladesh have done worse. Pakistan have tried 11 batsmen at that position, but most of them have struggled. Shoaib Malik’s 19 innings have fetched only one century, and an average of 34, while Faisal Iqbal’s 10 innings brought him meager returns of 184 runs.

Team-wise stats of No. 6 batsmen in Tests since 2005

Team	No. of players	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
India	9	55	3323	45.52	6/ 23
Sri Lanka	10	45	2745	44.27	6/ 12
South Africa	12	59	3307	39.36	5/ 18
Australia	13	60	3316	38.11	8/ 18
England	11	70	3886	38.09	11/ 21
Zimbabwe	4	8	490	35.00	1/ 2
Pakistan	11	40	2083	32.04	4/ 11
West Indies	15	50	2517	29.96	2/ 14
New Zealand	15	42	1845	28.82	4/ 4
Bangladesh	9	34	1496	24.12	2/ 4

Post Script: Stats and Excerpt taken from Cricinfo.com

Are you nuts!!!

Lawson wants Shoaib Malik to be the test skipper! http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan-v-australia-2010/content/story/467875.html

Mr. Politician as he (Shoaib Malik) is known in Pakistan, was once again recommended by the former coach, Geoffrey Frances Lawson for the test team which is playing in England against Aussies and later against England, and with due respect our former coach wants Malik to head Pakistan in remaining 5 test matches being played in England! Is he nuts? How can he be obvious choice when his own position in the current team isn’t confirm! The last full series we played under him was against India in India in 2007 and how pathetic we played there, stats and reports clearly show, giving Indians a chance to have added advantage on Pakistan in recent years!

The way he created all those plots, only on having doubts on some of the players he was against and the kinda game he played than especially after the champions trophy 2009 in South Africa, the ODI and T20 series played in the UAE and the test series concluded in the New Zealand clearly shows he’s not a team man when he refused to take crease just because of the green top, are such players taken with the team? I know he has some other good advantages but apart from that, being a team player matters the most, which I don’t think he’s! He’s still playing for his position in the current Pakistan outfit!

After the inquiry committee video leaked on Pakistani television, it was clearly visible that Malik was the person behind all these bunch of a long drama serial, shrink into a mini one thanks to pathetic performance in Australia where we weren’t able to bag one win, so how can he be an automatic choice over Salman Butt! Bring back Younus and Yousuf as individual players as Pakistan dearly needs the services of those, such strong middle order can’t be made in matter of months but it requires hard work of years of which our cricket management want to scamper that and want to have pie in return!

Even an intermediate level student works much harder than these current so called Pakistan Cricket Board Management!

Why Younis Khan?

Another bouncer to Younis from PCB by not including him [for sure] for Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad to be played in Sri Lanka!

The header says it, Why Younis Khan! He has played for the country and just for the sake of saving the team from more disturbance, he was gutsy enough to left captaincy and the team, else do we [Pakistan Cricket History] have such a role model in recent past who himself left the captaincy? Every captain that was changed in recent, was sacked, not resigned! Now Shahid Afridi has been appointed the skipper of Pakistan Team touring Sri Lanka for Asia Cup including the hosts, Sri Lanka, India and Bengal Tigers Bangladesh, and later Pakistan is going to play a tough tour in English Summer against Aussies and later against England, altogether 6 test matches with 2 against Aussies and 4 against England and it would be a testing tour for Pakistan and many of Pakistani players would be having there debut as test players in England including sensational Umar Akmal, Muhammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal to name some, and in this scenario you [Pakistan Cricket Board a.k.a. P.C.B.] are constantly ignoring players like Younis Khan and Muhammad Yousuf, because everyone who’ll read my this article will surely agree with me whether he’s an Indian, Sri Lankan or a Bangladeshi, that experience counts, for playing in England else you’d be bulldozed, remember Aussies lose their last two consecutive Ashes in England!

So why PCB being so idiot, instead working on 2 Y’s return to Pakistan test squad touring England for a “Home-series” against Aussies, they rather made themselves happy by inclusion of a termite named Shoaib Malik, after his inclusion what assurances do we have specially Shoaib Malik will never, ever plot such Star Plus drama again in the Pakistan team? I am quite sure that would happen in near future because the manager currently with Pakistani team is wholly responsible for what happened post-Australia tour, supporting group-making against Younis Khan, taking oath on Holy Quran [just think of it, how disgusting, for staging a plot taking support of a Holy Book, how shameful of these disgusting people], the plot was made by the manager and Malik capitalized on it, as he mentions Younis Khan responsible for taking off captaincy cap from him, according to the leaked video of the inquiry committee mentions [I have doubts on the stature of that inquiry committee too as it was based on the Board’s members other than Wasim Akram being the outsider, who didn’t participate because of his international assignments]. So how can you say that the inquiry committee findings were credible? Its simply looking like the case that Pakistan Cricket Board wanted to hide their ill-management and stupid-ness by blaming their faults to the players.

Instead of scrutinizing the players’, why can’t they scrutinize the management and helm of affairs of Pakistan Cricket Board, which has already been a laughing stock in International Cricket with no credibility, like it was once. People like Malik can only be “tamed” under strict management, unlike the current management where they are assured that they’re not questionable and even if they found guilty, they’ll [the PCB] lift it with the help of their own made appellate tribunal, which would not have its own credibility. If they were credible enough, they should have opted for Younis’ and Yousuf’s return, but they have adjourned Younis’ appeal till 5th June, 2010 and team for Asia cup to be announced of 3rd so Younis is definitely going to miss the Asia Cup, does a sensible Cricket Board acts like that? [I want answers from Indians, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis to have their view points on this issue too]

And as far as Younis’s concern I’d back him to carry on this court hearing, heard PCB had tried bribing him that if he [Younis Khan] withdraw his cases, they’d lift his ban, completely bullshit, in my case I personally feel bribing in such a manner would be the last thing in my head, if PCB didn’t help, than he should proceed to supreme court of justice, that’s where PCB current management is going to have sweats on their foreheads for sure. Go Younis!

Credibility of this appellate tribunal

What is PCB doing? After tonight’s episode, what credibility of Pakistan Cricket Board is in the International Arena?

I doubt this one person appellate tribunal hearing where the only person conducting these hearings is a relative to Mr. Ijaz Butt. Right now when I am writing this blog, in news headlines Ijaz Butt is clearly saying that it was he who did all this mess, what can you [the media personnel who asked this question] do, I’ve the authority to do each and everything.

What the hell is it? He has made Pakistani cricket a laughing stock! Already cricket in Pakistan is a mere dream and now just because of false credibility of our head of the board, such things are happening, no credibility of our cricket team internationally. Injecting the same players which were responsible for what happened in Australia tour! you must be kidding. If yes than Allah is the savior to Pakistani team, because team is not going to play as a team in presence of Malik specially, as he already been rated as termite and giving second chance to termite can be injurious.

Already he has proved how lethal he [Shoaib Malik] can be when it comes to create a Star Plus sorta situation in the team! We say country comes first, he say I come first- country goto hell, literally its what I felt especially the way he got out in Abu Dhabi against Kiwis, thanks to Aamer and Ajmal that they played a face-saving innings, than test series in New Zealand and Australia is no different. On the other hand, PCB’s unconditional support to Shoaib Malik is without any clue! Even stats do not support him and his bowling in recent past has shown how good a bowler is he, isn’t able to perform well with the bat as well. World T20 2009 in England and 128 against India at Centurion are only worth mentioning innings he played in recent past, two worth mentioning innings in 1.5 years time is not enough for what is wobbled as the finest all-rounder Pakistan ever had.

Even PCB while working so hard to get rid of ban from Malik if they had worked a little more, we could had Mohammad Yousuf [as a batsman] but instead our Cricket Board had emphasized more on Malik on expense of a master blaster Mohammad Yousuf [although I again admit I am not a fan of his captaincy], and players like Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan are born once in a while, and irony of fate, we first humiliate them and later defused them like toilet paper! Is that a way proud nations honour their heroes with inclusion of termites? A question to be answered by US [not Uncle Sam, but we the common people]

Wedding Gift with love from PCB

Shoaib Malik got wedding gift from PCB in shape of a ban lift from PCB’s arranged appellate tribunal

Right now when I am writing this, 11.16 AM Pakistan Standard Time, its been a breaking news in news circuits in Pakistan that former skipper Pakistan Cricket Team Shoaib Malik, on whom PCB imposed ban due to misconduct and creating anarchy in the team, during the disastrous Aussie tour 2009-2010, have been uplifted by the PCB arranged 1 member appellate tribunal. Some saying its a wedding gift to Shoaib Malik from PCB, and this gift is worth mentioning compared to those which he got on his wedding day. I personally don’t like him that much and those who call him as termite are quite justified as he was responsible for having a complete Star Plus show in Pakistan Cricket Team, resulting in disunity.

Even in the video, which was leaked earlier on a Private Sports Channel in Pakistan, show a member of the six-member committee using the word ‘termite’ for Malik after being told by some of the fellow cricketers and coaches Intikhab Alam and Aqib Javed that the former captain was the only person to be blamed for the lack of team spirit in the team.

After such background of a certain player, how can such player can have his ban uplifted? On a personal note I have reservations on the proceedings of this so called appellate tribunal hearing and doubt its hearing. Some channels even criticizing that Justice Irfan Qadir, who is taking their [banned players] hearings, is Samdhi to Mr. Ijaz Butt, clearly violating the basic rules of modern management.

The more justified ban uplift was of Younis Khan who’s still having his hearing to be done. I personally feel he was the victim, flashing back to the time when Kiwis played ODI series against Pakistan in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, since than this whole Star Plus started. Even on the leaked video, one can easily understand that it was Shoaib Malik who blamed Younis Khan for captaincy take-over from him [Shoaib Malik], and disunity started from here, and like a termite plotted his plans, getting several players on his side, took oath on Holy Quran, against Younis Khan thanks to whole hearted support from our current team Manager Mr. Yawar Saeed, who himself has been a controversial character in Pakistan Cricket and has been a childhood friend to our beloved Mr. BUTT HEAD a.k.a. Ijaz Butt, another clear violation of modern management. I narrate my personal experience at a time when I was doing internship at another branch of the same bank my father works as internal auditor, and at that time my father had to visit my branch for auditing purposes, but he didn’t came as I was in that branch, instead he being the Manager – Internal Audit, sent his colleagues to the branch. Ok. Should I give example from a cricketing point-of-view, in 2003 Mr. Tauqir Zia the former chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board just resigned because his own son had to play in the domestic and for Pakistan, even in his later interviews he clearly mentioned that he didn’t wanted people to raise fingers that he utilized his power and seat to inject his son into the team.

Similarly, Shoaib Malik is also having some political and powerful support that’s why after having violated the PCB’s terms, he’s still being injected into the team and being called as the need of the time when team is touring to a tough English summer series. Complete bull-shit, there are several other players, know not as much experience but it can be overcome by giving some chances.

Time to create some backup!

What is life for Pakistan Cricket after them? Are we working for a backup plan who’d replace them after they retire?

Although now clouds have been shed from the captaincy of upcoming series’ in Sri Lanka and England, but have we thought of a backup plan, for life after Afridis, Younis’, Yousufs, Maliks, Shoaib Akhtars etc?

Why we’re wasting talent like Asim Kamal? Instead of trying in their later matches in New Zealand and Australia just after the World T20 triumph in England, they emphasized on a player who was instead of attending Pakistan’s domestic matches which were on those days, went on to play a private league in Bangladesh, where according to stats mention, he was the high scorer! but did that thing helped Pakistan in New Zealand and Australia when it needed most? Afridi was also in Australia but he did played his part like the first ODI innings which he played and than the captaincy at the fifth and final ODI where Pakistan had almost won against Aussies. But did Misbah played his part? His inclusion in the team was just on the basis of his lucky year 2007 performance.

Like some analysts said, selecting players on reputation has paid the price in this World T20 played in West Indies, Pakistan also paid the price in this regards. If there was any other deserving player in place of Misbah it would have paid like the inclusion of Abdul Rehman following an injury to Yasir Arafat.

What I am saying instead of selecting team on players’ past performance why not selecting them on the basis of their performances in domestic circuit? It might good to listen but we have to improve our domestic circuit standard, with comparison to Australian Shield. It has been a norm that a player emerges from our domestic taking handful wickets or scoring tons of scores but when the real arena for performance matters, they fail!

Asim Kamal had promise in his performance why isn’t he be giving chances I don’t know, but wanna know!

Hit me hard!

Yesterday after listening to Younis Khan’s allegations that he was banned without giving him a chance to clarify his position on his indefinite ban imposed by the PCB claiming he was one of the responsible person for creating anarchy in the team during the disastrous tour of down-under 2009-2010.

I am curious to know that after the ODI leg of concluded test series in New Zealand, which was played in Dubai, Younis Khan had resigned as the leader of the team and in place of him, Muhammad Yousuf was made the skipper of the side for New Zealand and Australia tour, and he (Younis Khan) was only available for the 5 ODI series against the Aussies, so how can he be responsible when things were starting to topsy turvy just at the eve of test series played in New Zealand where he was not available neither as captain nor as a player.

It was the responsibility of team management to prevent this situation as soon as possible, and because it was the failure of management more than the players, PCB instead of punishing and fining heavily to the players (they should have punished the players) they should have emphasized more on managerial disturbance during the tour.

But Irony of Fate, the manager of that team who created all this controversy was one of the seated members of the inquiry committee headed by Wasim Bari, C.O.O. of Pakistan Cricket Board a.k.a. Paindoo Cricket Board.

Younis Khan also mentioned that Shoaib Malik created all the drama, as Malik thought that Khan created such results to dump him (Malik) as a captain, and that’s where differences emerged, and he tried to convey the message to PCB but in return he was gifted with an indefinite ban.

In the end our parliamentarians should have acted sensibly and people like Jamshed Dasti who have been criticizing Khan of match fixing allegations, I personally ask him, is he saying all these crap on the basis of solid reasons, proves or justifications or these allegations are also like his fake BA degree in Islamic Studies? It has literally ruined Younis Khan’s crystal clear career. Although Khan would be having attitude problem but it doesn’t matter the most when he plays for the team and scores for the team, at the end of the day this is what really matters.

A termite indeed

PCB must look options other than Shoaib Malik himself

As some analysts clearly mentioned Shoaib Malik, that he’s a termite and is responsible for disunity in the team, I don’t know why he’s persist with, we all know he already had confessed on the National TV (PTV) that he had fixed a domestic match playing for Sialkot region, still there have been support FOR him, I think people running Pakistan Cricket Board are nuts.

When he could fix a Pakistan’s domestic tournament match, so how can you be so sure that he would not do the same in the broader arena? If he’s a team-man so why he opted to sit out on a green top against Kiwis, pre-Aussie tour- no answer!

He also knows that he’s invincible and no backup program or plan is underway that’s why he’s using his powers, else like some analysts said in a newspaper article regarding his family background and history and than his expenditures in his Valima, I don’t wanna go that far because that’s his own life but yeah wanna raise this issue that at the time of his birth, his father had to take loan for further expenditures, so how was he able to generate so much amount that even by born billionaires can’t even think of! Plus he has been more pro-Indian (I am not biased), like he’s always willing to goto India or play in India, I know it’s a big market but country comes first, he was the first person to show disappointment when Pakistani Government didn’t allow any of the Pakistani players to participate in IPL2 which was later staged in South Africa in 2009.

The only reason to tackle such things is that we should make a system and backup plans so that if one player is created, 3 players are behind him and while 3 are behind further 3 should be under process at NCA where instead of utilizing it for cricketing activities is being used for appellate tribunal hearings and fact findings for disastrous tour of Australia. Is that the purpose we built NCA?

As far as Mr. Malik is concern, PCB should show its power regarding his own place in the team, he might be an spectacular make-shift player but he’s not above the law (read Andrew Symonds), he was a good player but was not above the game according to Cricket Australia and they punished him because he didn’t attend the practice session when Bangladesh toured Australia but instead was found fishing although he was told by CA. Can’t we take something similar like that! What PCB has taken decision regarding Malik, they should had to take that decision quite earlier when he refused to return when he was asked! Taking tough decisions after the concluded tour is nothing important but brings more disgrace.

Don’t know but its my gutsy feeling that by the time they would leave the seats, the interest level of this game in Pakistan I believe would deteriorate for sure, the way everyone in the PCB is exploiting their own seats and status, without any check and balance.

Latif, city government join hands for Karachi Champions League

Latif, city government join hands for Karachi Champions League

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