Both teams are finding form, fit players and tasting the sweetness of victory as the series levels in a balance. The stage at Rawalpindi is set for a star to shine. Sachin can’t be kept quite for long and Shoaib found his ryhthm on the fourth morning of the second. Ganguly is eager to make his comeback and Inzi has only one way to erase the memories of Multan. Win the match, win the series, win the hearts of Pakistani fans.
Regardless of the result… it doesn’t matter if Sachin scores or Shoaib shines, the fact remains that the Samjhota Express had left Islamabad for Dehli a couple of fortnights ago.
Allah khair karay. I opened the thread for first match, we lost horribly , now you opened it, lets see what we get : praying:
I didn’t watch/follow 2nd test at all, and Allah :swt: blessed us with victory. I ain’t following/watching 3rd match either, may Allah :swt: bless us with victory again :insha:
Someone put this stuff in 2nd test’s thread, I think it belongs to this thread.
Pakistan duo miss finale
Pakistan will be without wicket-keeper Moin Khan and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq for the deciding third Test against India next week.
The pair missed the second Test, which Pakistan won by nine wickets, and have failed to recover from injury.
Moin is suffering from a groin problem and Razzaq has a back strain.
A Pakistan spokesman said: “Moin and Razzaq have not recovered and will not be able to play the final Test. Their replacements will be named on Friday.”
call me a pessimist but they had to win after losing 3 games in a row. Only the next test match will decide if they can maintain what they have learned and achieved from the 2nd test match. The Pakistani team has been so Highly Inconsistent that I won't be surprised if they totally screw up the 3rd game.
There is no point in disturbing a winning combination.
6 specialist batsmen (with atleast 4 of them in spanking form), 3 specialist pacemen (2 nuts and 1 line & length guy), 1 specialist leg spinner who lets the ball talk and 1 specialist wicketkeeper who is vying for gymnastics gold medal.... you can't ask for a more balanced team anyway.
I think Indians will finally drop Chopra to promote Yuvraj and make place for the Bengali Tiger... even though the Tiger is suspect against rising deliveries and Shoaib will be rearing to Pathanize the Indian skipper. No other change is realistically expected in Indian team either.
For Pak the big worry would be the expected return to form of Tendulkar and Dravid. Both failed to score in Lahore... and batsmen of such class rarely can be suppressed too long. Not sure about Laxman. He has never really fired in this series except in one ODI. I would hope Pak bowlers have him figured out. They should also work to sort out Sehwag. The dude is piling runs like there is no tomorrow. And that is not a good sign.
I am not entirely comfortable with Pak's opening duo. Taufeeq is clearly suffering from anxiety. Imran should be in a better frame of mind after his century in Lahore. Miandad should spend some time one-to-one with Yasir Hameed and sort out his problem. He is a class player but is clearly struggling against Balaji and Pathan. Inzi and Yoyo are dependable as ever and Asim Kamal is a new find to shepherd the lower middle order. Hopefully he is not a one-hit wonder and will deliver again in Pindi.
As in Lahore... the key will be our bowling. All the best.
I can't decide whether to go in with Umar Gul or Shabbir, especially if the pitch is helpful for the seamers. We know Umar was terrific in Multan but Shabbir can be just as deadly on these sort of conditions. I just can't get the ball that bowled Laxman in Peshawar out of my head.
Should we play shabbir or umar is going to be the big question, i guess. Should we drop Kaneria to go in with an all pace attack. I'd hate to be in inzi's shoes on 13th.
Re: 3rd Test - India @ Pakistan in Rawalpindi - April 13-17
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by funguy: *
Both teams are finding form, fit players and tasting the sweetness of victory as the series levels in a balance. The stage at Rawalpindi is set for a star to shine. Sachin can't be kept quite for long and Shoaib found his ryhthm on the fourth morning of the second. Ganguly is eager to make his comeback and Inzi has only one way to erase the memories of Multan. Win the match, win the series, win the hearts of Pakistani fans.
Regardless of the result... it doesn't matter if Sachin scores or Shoaib shines, the fact remains that the Samjhota Express had left Islamabad for Dehli a couple of fortnights ago.
So, ladies and gentlemen...play ball!
[/QUOTE]
FG: fun-minus-Fazool-plus guy....Bhai zindagi main or koi kaam nahee hai???
(Dil jalta hai aaj ke Pakistani Nasal ku yewn Barbaad hotta dekh kaar...Roozana--bila-nagha jaab taak aik hazar msg na post kaar du tumhain Sakoon nahee ata)
After losing the ODI.. we better win the test series.. seem like its gonna be fun to watch.. and i hope we will win.. excited to see ganguly... but one thing i dont about this match is.. it starts with when ma skools are open.. i cant afford to stay up all night.. ahh.. that just sucks.. anywayz.. Good luck pakistan...
—x------
Thats good news captain1 , perhaps you like to have a one way ticket to no where land to bless Pakistan cricket team with your absence.
Ohh boy wud’nt it be fun w o u
ahem and the pitch.
[/QUOTE]
I don't think pitch or the toss is that big a deal. The pitch is the same for both teams. The one whose bowlers bowl with discipline will have the upper hand. If the bounce is consistent and the ball rises nicely, Pak may find going a bit easier. As I have said time and again, Pak is not capable to prepare fast and bouncy pitches, and despite its supposed green top, Lahore proved it again. Also, for a test match, with both evenly balanced teams, the toss is really not that critical. Its how they perform in each session that makes a difference. Looking at results in Multan and Lahore prove that as well.
Raindance: Thank you for the offer, but I managed the last test fairly well so I think I can do the same for next match and you take that one way ride otherwise I’ll to think about watching/following the match
Faisal: “If the bounce is consistent and the ball rises nicely, Pak may find going a bit easier.”, so you admit that it is one factor in our bowling’s performance. You watched our bowlers in Lahore’s ODIs, then the 1st test match that when wicket is not helping them, they usually don’t help themselves either by wayward bowling.
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Captain1 (nice nick and nag for future) I grow hair on my nails by yr threat of staying during the 3rd test. Crowd luvs a scapgoat specialy the Captain
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
I don't think pitch or the toss is that big a deal. The pitch is the same for both teams. The one whose bowlers bowl with discipline will have the upper hand. If the bounce is consistent and the ball rises nicely, Pak may find going a bit easier. As I have said time and again, Pak is not capable to prepare fast and bouncy pitches, and despite its supposed green top, Lahore proved it again. Also, for a test match, with both evenly balanced teams, the toss is really not that critical. Its how they perform in each session that makes a difference. Looking at results in Multan and Lahore prove that as well.
[/QUOTE]
----x-----
Right on Faisal,
I recall a comment from Greg Ch from the WC match between SA and Pakistan when he said that Waqar and Akram might not get to much help from the wicket it self but the nagative factor would the "closeness of the Stadia" meaning Stadia stalls are too high and breeze/wind factor
might not help for swing bowling. It also will be xtremlet hot in that statdium. Bottom line is Shoaib has to be accurate to get some help but Pathan might not get too much swing. Slow pacers will be thrashedabout.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ChthonicPowers: *
I can't decide whether to go in with Umar Gul or Shabbir, especially if the pitch is helpful for the seamers. We know Umar was terrific in Multan but Shabbir can be just as deadly on these sort of conditions. I just can't get the ball that bowled Laxman in Peshawar out of my head.
Should we play shabbir or umar is going to be the big question, i guess. Should we drop Kaneria to go in with an all pace attack. I'd hate to be in inzi's shoes on 13th.
[/QUOTE]
Funnily enough i was wondering the same thing myself. Shoaib, Sami, Shabbir and gul are a mighty tasty looking seam attack and all four of them have their strengths. Shabbir is more effective with the old ball than Gul, but Gul hits the right channels more and seems stronger mentally - not to mention can produce some unplayable delivieries himself to boot. Kaneria provides the variety and spin option which can work when other avenues fail though. I'd stick with the winning combination we had today though.
, now you opened it, lets see what we get : praying:
