With all due respect I think Rana is over hyped and nowhere near as good ro effective as the other three. Rana just had a good day.
now lets not get into Rashid/Moin and Butt type arguments of past. :)
Rana has always been an excellent swing bowler. He has a tendency to lose his line and length though, but today's spell shows he has overcame this shortcoming. He is especially good against left handers. On top of it all, he's a genuine all-rounder, and can score some very quick runs.
Re: Champions Trophy - Pakistan v Australia - Sep. 30, 09
Just an interesting fact:
Remember how Asif use to cry about his services to Pakistan and how he has bowled "THA T Eight, THA T Eight" (38/38) overs for Pakistan in an inning, guess what? The magic ball today that he produced to dismiss Cameron White (one just like he dismissed Laxman in Khi test) was his "THA T Eight" ball (38th)
is that all? You couldn’t find anything else to make fun of Pakistan team
Whats next? You will start making fun of Pakistan team whenever someone misses a ball? Itni desperation?
The last I remember you posted after Pakistan Windies match and then went inside the hole. Hey let me give you a tip. Pakistan couldn’t post 325 + in the India Pakistam game. Lets make fun of that.
First of all, I don't think the pitch is as easy-paced as Kamran Akmal made it look earlier. It got a bit sluggish and the ball was holding up. Even when batsmen were set they didn't look set - Wasim Akram was around here and he was saying that it isn't an easy pitch for runscoring. Also, of course, the Australians were very disciplined with their bowling from start to finish.
I have just finished watching H/L of Australia's innings and it seems that Pakistan could have won this game. Afridi dropped a sitter and there were a couple of ridiculous misfields. The body language was very relaxed, the players almost seemed bored and disinterested in the game in the middle overs. The same intensity that they displayed against India was distinctly missing. Some might say it's understandable (as we had already qualified for SF) but as a professional side you should try and win every game.
And even when they were batting it was like they were having net practice. Granted that conditions (overcast) were very different today and the pitch was not suitable for strokemaking but there was no real urgency or desire to steal singles/twos or nudge/place the ball into gaps (as Yousuf did so beautifully against India) either. Pakistan were only 100 after 27 overs!
I hope we do not come to regret this slackness after the SF against NZ. As per CT ruling in case of the game(s) being washed out or abandoned, the team(s) that topped their respective groups (Australia and NZ) will progress to the final