all i gotta say is...given India's vast resources (one billion people, billion dollar GDP, education, technology), they should dominate cricket yet they lose to the likes of NZ, SA, AUS and of course, PAK.
seeing how upset the indian fans already are, this series can't start soon enough, boy will this be fun!
2condly indians r proven losers rememebr when pak were about to beat india the shiv sena group/party dug up the pitch in india but that only delayed the inevitable 
Lads cool down, lets stick to the topic and keep it on track.
‘Any player not giving 200 per cent will not be considered’](http://www.jang-group.com/thenews/feb2004-daily/24-02-2004/sports/s7.htm)
‘Any player not giving 200 per cent will not be considered’
By Waheed Khan
KARACHI: Pakistan coach Javed Miandad has said that any player not giving 200 per cent or individually not working hard enough on his fielding would have no place in the Pakistan team in the home series against India.
He told ‘The News’ in an interview from Lahore that he wanted the players to lay stress on two main areas in the national training camp that begins from Tuesday in Lahore for the India series.
“The players need to individually work on their fielding drills. Secondly our bowlers must give extra time to reduce their habit of giving away too many no-balls or wides. We will ask the selection committee not to consider any such player in future who is not willing to work hard himself in these two areas.”
“It is no use having a player who scores 50 and concedes 50 in the field. It is better to have an average batsman but who is an outstanding fielder,” Miandad warned.
He also made it clear there was no need for a fielding trainer in the Pakistan team.
“The sort of fielding drills we put the boys through it is both practical and theoretical. And I take care to get involved myself in these drills all the time. There is nothing much more anyone can do as far as our fielding drills are concerned. It is just that the boys now have to take individual interest and work hard on their fielding,” he noted.
He pointed out that in One-day and test cricket these days fielding had assumed very important proportions.
“Cricket is played in the mind and heart. If any player is not willing to work hard or takes things easy. There is nothing any coach can do for him. I am there for the players but they have to work hard themselves also.”
“Nowadays cricket is all about adjusting to the given environment, conditions and situation. A professional player must learn to adjust accordingly.” The long serving coach also promised that there would be no bad blood between the two teams when Pakistan and India meet in the ice breaking test and One-day series next month. “We all know how important this series is to future relations between the two countries and the impact it would have on the ongoing peace process. We will ensure there is no sort of bad blood in the series and it is played in the best spirit of the game,” he insisted.
Promising an incident free series against the Indians he described it as crucial to future relations between the two countries.
“We also know how important this series is to the people. I don’t think we will have any security or crowd problems because the people are keenly looking forward to this series and want it to be held without any incidents.”
The Indian team tours Pakistan from 10th March to play five One-day Internationals and three tests, their first full Test tour of Pakistan since 1989. Miandad who has featured in many campaigns against arch rivals India and was the coach on Pakistan’s last tour of India in 1999 felt there would a lot of responsibility on the players and officials in this series to show the world that Indo-Pak series can held purely as a cricket series and peacefully.
But the former test captain was not willing to term India as the favourites for the series as done by other former players.
“No it would be an even contest. Because while India is a good team they have only started establishing themselves in the last two years. Their batting is mature but their bowling is limited.” He pointed out that the Indian bowlers were still learning and were not unplayable. I think our bowlers are match winners and that gives us the edge in this series.
Miandad also felt that while India had played well in Australia but the end result was they couldn’t achieve anything in the sense they drew the Test series and lost the one-day triangular. “We won the Test series in New Zealand but lost the ODIs. But personally I think nowadays the past is past and you can’t judge any team on the basis of its previous series.”
Miandad who hails from the Southern port city of Karachi where India has refused to play a test match and where only a one-dayer has been scheduled on 13th March said he regretted there was no test in his hometown.
“But I think the people of Karachi are getting a chance to give out a clear message to the world that the preconceived notions about the security situation in Karachi are not right.”
I think the first person who needs to read this article should be the captain Inzamam himself. He definetly needs to put a lot more effort in his fielding than he does…he is the captain and should the lead the team by example.
I never realized that posting Miandad's interview would create so much fuss among us. However, I found his remarks so interesting and intriguing that I could not resist sharing them with you guys. Especially his remarks about irfan pathan were hilarious. What an attack on Indian’s incapability to produce a world-class fast bowler for so long.
Well on a serious note, I saw irfan bowling against aussies in the fourth test match and i was impressed. He was much better than Nehra. He has a much better action than nehra with a great ability to swing the ball in both directions. He does ball out swinger really well, which is an automatic in swinger for a left-handed. The ball on which he got his man Gilchrist in the fourth test match was a real gem and indicates the true potential of the young lad. Given that paksitan has quite a few left-handed batsmen in its team, irfan could be a potential danger man.But irfan is very young and upcoming series is a big one.It may make him or break him. so we have to see how he performs...And trust me when miandad says that there are many irfan's in our mohallas, he is not that wrong. As of now, irfan is only good enough to be compared with some of very mediocre left-handed fast bolwers that pakistan produced in last 15 years such as saleem jaffer, waseem haider and azeem hafeez. Forget wasim akram and waqar younis and shoaib....Irfan has to work very hard to prove himself and to shut-up mindad.
One department India should definitely look into is its bowling department. In last one year, Aussies managed to score almost 350 runs in a 50 over match at least 3 times....Now 350 is a big score and no other international team has allowed its opponents to score 350 runs so frequently... and for that matter not even Zimbabwe or Bangladesh... Now You may have a different view but after seeing Tendulkar’s batting in all four test matches, I have to agree with saeed anwar’s latest statement to some extent that he is a spent force. Please do not think that I am making a biased statement. During a serious discussion I try to be as impartial as possible. Even, his double century in the last test match was not even close to his own standards. I saw almost each and every ball of his innings and one cud easily feel that the little master is missing his famous rhythm. The timing was off and in comparison to laksman and dravid's innings, his innigs was very very ordinary. May be he needs a break?
On the contrary, Pakistan should make sure that its batting should not collapse as it always does during the crucial matches....Too bad that our leader is so dumb and dull. I still can not believe that he decided to leave the field at the end of the fourth day of second test match against NZ when he had a choice of finishing up the game by scoring almost 32 runs in 8 overs.... and every one knew that there could be rain next day.. That shows his profile as a captain........it indicates that he is a person of below-average intellect....he is slow in field, lethargic in his actions and dumb in his tactics...too bad we do not have anyone else who can lead us from the front for this important series...Pakistan bowling is strong but shoaib is too fragile. He plays in one match and then he has to take rest for next 5 matches. sami looks like a charsiee and i have no idea from where he generates that pace.Fitness will be a kep problem for pakis.anyway lets hope for the best and lets enjoy the series. WELCOME INDIA....WELCOME TO THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON THIS PLANET NAME PAKISTAN.........i am sure indiand players would love pakistan so much that many of them will apply for its citzenship.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ChthonicPowers: *
Dignified silence my ass. Miandad just canned your team with his usual verbal jabs and you want to keep a "dignified silence"? Admit it, he's good at it. You may like to call it "dignified silence" but I suspect a large majority here would take it as an assault that left you mind-numbingly embarassingly dumb.
[/QUOTE]
Well I would say it is highly immature on his part to stoop to making such comments..but then again it is Miandad-the-jabbermouth, nothing better can be expected of him. He talks about the aussie series and trashing recieved in finals, does he have a better record than that against the current aussie team to boast about..?Help me out here ppl, I haven't been in close touch lately.. so, did the Pakistani team trash the aussies in a series recently?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by karina: *
I can't understand why Irfan can't bowl yorkers anymore. HE bowled a few at the start but by the time the odi's rolled around he was only trying to swing it.
[/QUOTE]
He seemed a good enough bowler untill a certain Mr. Akram decided to hand out some bowling tips.
a polite reminder lest things get out of hand again:
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ehsan: *
Lads cool down, lets stick to the topic and keep it on track.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by sambrialian: *
a polite reminder lest things get out of hand again:
[/QUOTE]
just a quick question about our new moderator....is he a south indian...his id sounds like a south indian name.....like m. subramaniyam etc....
Indian vice-captain Dravid dismisses security fears in Pakistan](http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/040224/323/emt7x.html)
BANGALORE, India (AFP) - Indian vice-captian Rahul Dravid dimissed security concerns during next month’s tour of Pakistan, saying there was nothing to fear.
“I do not think there is anything to fear,” Dravid, nicknamed the “Wall” for his classical batting style, told reporters here on Tuesday.
“We are going to go out there and do our best like anywhere else. We gave our best in Australia and we will try our best in Pakistan,” he said.
India declined to play Test matches at Karachi and Peshawar on their first full tour of Pakistan in almost 15 years. Both cities will, however, hold one-day internationals.
The southern city of Karachi has a history of ethnic violence and bomb blasts, while Peshawar is close to Pakistan’s volatile border with Afghanistan.
India said the decision not to play Tests at Karachi and Peshawar followed a directive from the federal home ministry to keep the touring team’s stay in these two cities as short as possible.
The tour will begin on March 10 and India will start with five one-dayers followed by three Test matches at Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi.
Dravid said there was no additional pressure on his team.
“It is just like any other game. We toured Australia … and we will give our best now,” Dravid said.
"We have done well in Australia but we must remember that we did not win the Test series and only drew it. We did not win the one-day series either.
“So, we still have some work to do and some areas to work on and catch up on.”
India drew the Test series 1-1 against the world champions, but lost both the one-day finals to the hosts.
Yeah, I like the way RD put it in the above article - simple and non-aggressive. It’s another series…we’ll do our best…we have a lot of work to do…
Now if only our bowlers can get fit in time. Zaheer mere aka, kaka, boomshakalaka, pls glue your hamstrings in place for a month!
I swear you are so funny, Some1. So it was all a PCB conspiracy…
Well RD is class act not only on field but also in his conduct off the field.He belongs to an educated family and knows basic decency of respecting players at this level.
Akram ko khuuch naa kehna, :nono3: your Phataan is presently training with Mr. Lellee , 
Old friend of Miandad !! 
.. So blame it on the cook, boy ohhh boy I can’t wait any longer to kick some butts 
ohh yes, by the way, I’m new on the board so no heart feelings to any one. 
What is the lineup going to look like? I guess the biggest question is whose going to be the top2 batsmen. their are a lot of different possibilities with Afridi, Nazir, Farhat, Hameed and Umar. Who is going to be the middle order batsmen? Younis Khan or the pathetic Saleem Elahi?
I think Pakistan should look at benching Shoaib Malik for a couple of games.
Taufeeq Umar will probalby get some PT. Imran Farhat shouldn't get much playing time, i think the other players are better than him, Hameed, Afridi, Nazir.
‘Impeccable player-conduct to be seen in India series’](Daily Jang: Urdu News - Latest Breaking News update Pakistan - jang.com.pk)
By our correspondent
KARACHI: Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has promised high quality on the field conduct from his players in the coming series against India.
Inzamam said on Tuesday that he had given a clear cut message to his players that no misconduct would be tolerated in the series and they should exhibit top quality conduct on the field.
“I don’t want any misconduct or verbal exchanges as we need to play the game as it should be played. After all, this is just a game of cricket and nothing more. Billions of people will be watching us on television and I think it is a great opportunity for us to prove to the world that we are a sporting nation and play the game in true spirit,” he said.
The Pakistan cricket team’s training camp for the forthcoming home series against India began at the Gaddafi Stadium and National Cricket Academy in Lahore on Tuesday.
Out of the 22 invited players, 16 reported on the opening day while Shabbir Ahmed is in Australia and Saleem Elahi, Imran Farhat, Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq and Taufeeq Umar are playing in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy first-class match for Lahore Region.
In the morning session, the boys had a two-hour session at the Gaddafi Stadium during which they had physical training and fielding sessions. In the afternoon at the National Cricket Academy, the probables had nets and use of the gymnasium.
Inzamam further said: "It was great to be back amongst the team-mates. The boys are geared up for the big series and look eager to perform in what is being billed as ‘Mother of all Series’.
"As far as cricket is concerned, we are determined to play positively. We have a good record against India (in Tests) and if we manage to keep our season’s momentum going, I think we can extend our sequence of victories. But then again, it’s just a game of cricket in which there will be a winner and a loser. The bottom line is how you approach and play the game and my clear instruction to the boys is to give their best shot, capitalize on the opportunities and hope for the best. No match is finished until the last ball is bowled.
"I am delighted that the Indian team is coming after 15 years and now onwards, there will be regular exchange of tours. I firmly believe that more we will play against each other, the better we will get.
“India has got great batters and we respect them. But at the same time, we know that they (Indian batsmen) have great respect for our bowlers. So, it is going to be a keenly contested series. Anyone performing better on that particular day, will help his team dominate the match.”
Former captain Imran Khan, in the meantime, will have a pep-talk and brain storming session with the Pakistan cricket on Sunday at 1000 hours.
Imran captained Pakistan team on a successful 1987 tour to India and was also the captain of the Pakistan team when it last played a full home series against India 15 years ago.
Inzamam was delighted with the news. “There is no greater motivator than Imran who can pass on his invaluable experience of playing and performing against India. I am sure that Imran’s session with the team will have tremendous effect on the approach and focus of the players.”
Wasim Akram and Fazal Mahmood have also confirmed their availability to spend time with the Pakistan cricket team.
PCB’s online ticket sales for India series commence
By our correspondent
KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday, for the first time in its history, started online ticket sales for the forthcoming home series against India and immediately received encouraging response from global cricket fans.
But the Board made it clear on its website to non-Pakistanis that the purchase of tickets online did not mean that a visa will be made available although Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat on Monday had indicated that Indians purchasing tickets for the matches would be entitled to a visa.
However, the PCB said that purchasers intending to travel to Pakistan must consult with the nearest Pakistan Embassy/consulate/travel agent regarding visa requirements.
The PCB also made it clear that the personal data submitted during purchase of tickets will be shared by the PCB and can also be passed to law enforcement authorities for security checks.
It also made it clear that an individual can reserve upto 10 tickets per match on his credit card.
The PCB has kept rates of 14 to 8 pounds (1400 to 850 Pakistani rupees) and 20 to 15 pounds (2000 to 1500 rupees) for the Test matches.
The tickets will remain available till the allotted quota of tickets for online sale is sold-out. The tickets are available on the following sites:
**http://pcbtickets.cricket.org
The PCB also announced that the reserved tickets can be collected from a designated booth at the respective ground between three days before or on the day of the match.
The buyers have been advised to present order confirmations and a copy of ID card while collecting tickets from the booths.
The main points of the terms and conditions for the purchase of tickets online reads:
Ticket reservations are strictly non-refundable and non-transferable under any circumstances.
Purchasers can not gain admission to the enclosures with just order confirmations.
Order confirmations will be checked at the designated venue, and match tickets will be issued at that ground on presenation of credit card and ID (such as a passport or other ID) at this point.
Orders in excess of 10 tickets for a single match per credit card or customer will not be accepted.
Probables gear up for epic battles](http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/FEB/077255_PAKIND2003-04_25FEB2004.html)
With the logistical preliminaries finally out of the way, the sense of relief in Pakistan is palpable. Cricket-speak makes its much-awaited debut in the build-up to the Pakistan-India series, swiftly replacing matters diplomatic and political.
And as it turns out, there is much on the minds of the Pakistani think-tank. The scheduling of the one-dayers before the Tests has forced the hand of Wasim Bari, the chief selector, compelling him to call up Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi and Salim Elahi into the training camp. The recall of the first two has been on the cards: Bari had specifically watched Afridi play recently in Karachi, and Nazir, whose recent form made Afridi look pedestrian, had already been in his plans.
“They have been called up keeping the one-dayers in mind. Their fielding and Afridi’s bowling also provide extra value,” said Bari, speaking to Wisden Cricinfo. With the nature of the changes, there was a concern that the squad may have been too opener-heavy, but Bari and his fellow selectors do not consider Afridi to be an opener. “We want him to come in lower down the order and bowl a few overs as well. We have, for once, a good situation with our openers. Taufeeq Umar and Imran Farhat in the Tests, and Farhat and Yasir Hameed in the one-dayers, have proved successful and we don’t want to destabilise that.”
The trio who made way can consider themselves unlucky, especially Asim Kamal, who made 99 on his Test debut against South Africa and has been in good form at domestic level as well. He has been earmarked for the longer version of the game, and will be in line for a recall once the pyjamas and white balls are tucked away. Bazid Khan and Faisal Iqbal, son and nephew respectively of illustrious former batsmen (Majid Khan and Javed Miandad), have suffered a drastic simultaneous dip in domestic form recently, and the future, despite Bari’s insistence that the door is stil open for all players, is uncertain for them.
Partly this will be because of coach Miandad’s belief in continuity. “An idea of a team for both forms is already there,” he said. “We don’t want to disrupt things too much, because we had a successful tour of New Zealand, where the team, despite the team’s loss in the one-dayers, played fairly well.”
Inzamam-ul-Haq, the captain, will also be reluctant to tinker, partly because, along with Miandad, he has enhanced the sense of unity and purpose built up within the team by Rashid Latif. Miandad, unsurprisingly, is upbeat. “The team spirit amongst the boys is excellent. Confidence is high as well and maybe that isn’t the case with the Indian team after what happened in the VB Series finals.”
But there remains work to be done at the camp. Bari and Miandad have identified several areas that need to be improved. Fielding, perennially a concern, has improved visibly with the presence of younger players such as Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Sami. But it still remains a long way off, collectively, from what it should be. Miandad, one of the better Pakistani fielders to step on a cricket field, has highlighted practising run-outs as a key drill. Other basic skills, including running between the wickets - conspicuous in Pakistani teams only through its apathy - will also be practised diligently.
The situation with no-balls is little better, and attitudes of Pakistani bowlers to it, if not apathetic, have dangled between indifference and a dangerous ignorance. In part, the problem lies in their attacking nature. When Imran told Wasim Akram not to worry about wides and no-balls during the 1992 World Cup and instead concentrate on taking wickets, he didn’t just lay down a path to ultimate triumph, he put forth an ideology for most Pakistani bowlers since. If Akram suffered from any cricket affliction, it was his inclination to overstep the line, and that trait has been passed on to bowlers as different as Sami, Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq.
Ironically, Imran’s discipline ensured he never suffered from the problem himself, and his presence in the camp will help. His pupil, Akram, will also be there to talk to the team about bowling, particularly at the death, which is another area the coach and captain are keen to work on.
With the left-armers Zahid Saeed and Mohammad Khalil also at the camp to provide the batting with a simulation of what they can expect from India’s pace attack, the preparation camp promises to be unusually intense and thorough. Miandad has already thrown down the gauntlet: “Any player not giving 200%,” he has said, “will not be considered.” Given that he knows a thing or two about the pressures of playing India, the players will do well to take heed.
The official logo:
[thumb=E]series1326_4398380.JPG[/thumb]
The official logo of the upcoming Pakistan vs India cricket series. Tickets for next month's historic cricket series between Pakistan and India have gone on sale on the Internet for the first time - and online officials reported an overwhelming response.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by sambrialian: *
Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has promised high quality on the field conduct from his players in the coming series against India.
[/QUOTE]
I hate Inzi. Yehi tau aik moqa hauta hay when our players get to sledge in Urdu. And reading their lips on TV is so much fun. Inzi aaloo khud tau sledging kerni nahee aati, doosrauN kau tau karnay dau. I love seeing Shahid Afridi and Azhar Mahmood get on the verbal onslaught.