Indian tour of Pak

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[QUOTE]
Originally posted by bao bihari: *
*Originally posted by #let uz chat#as ameneded by bao bihari, in italics.. ;

** My ODI team **

1} Imran Nazir
2} Yasir Hameed
3} Yousef Youhana
4} Inzamam-ul-Haq {c}
5} Abdul Razzaq
6} Shahid Afridi
7} Moin Khan {wk}
8} Saqlain Mushtaq
9} Shoaib Akhtar
10} *umer gul/azhar mehmood *
11} Mohammed Sami

** My TEST team **

1} Taufeeq Umar
2} Yasir Hameed
3} Yousef Youhana
4} Inzamam-ul-Haq {c}
5} Misbah-ul-Haq
6} Abdul Razzaq
7} Moin Khan {wk}
8} Saqlain Mushtaq / Danish Kaneria
9} Shoaib Akhtar
10} Shabbir Ahmed...* if cleared by ICC*
11} Mohammed Sami
[/QUOTE]

*

bao azhar mehmood isn't picked in the odi squad, check pakistans training squad for more details. *

*

& re ur shabbir ahmed query, ICC regulations detail a two-stage process for bowlers reported for suspect actions and Shabbir is now under stage one.

That means he will work with a human movement specialist from an ICC panel {which is daryll foster i think who worked with shoaibi in the past}. A detailed report will then be compiled by the PCB and submitted to the ICC. *Only if he is reported again could he face a 12-month ban from international cricket. *

^ simply meaning he can continue to play *

442

I think they should have persisted with Rohan. I have nothing against Kaif ,only thing is that he has not played any siginifcant cricket for last 1-2 month due to his injury.
Over all good team selection.Indian will miss Agarkar who bowled very well in Australia.
Powar is good with bat too so he will give some depth in batting.

443

A good squad named by the Indian selectors. There was no reason for Rohan's exclusion as he didn't perform badly in the VB series. India will definetly miss Agarkar, who has turned into a good bowler recently, and also Harbhajan and Kumble. The batting as always looks good, but there is still weakpoints in bowling. The only strike bowler in this squad is Zaheer Khan. And Murli Krathik is selected? Can someone tell me what he did in the VB series that got him selected for this series? As far as I remember, he is a horrible bowler!

444

india have chosen a very well-thought out team. they opted for the extra fast bowler, given the band-aid nature of their other pacers. they went with an extra keeper to relieve their star batsman and to not be left with a rookie keeping for them. they threw in a few newbies to keep the wild card factor alive.

The batting was always going to be their strength but they've chosen a pretty decent team. not having kumble and harbajhan is huge though. this series will be decided by the bowlers of india; if they can come through then india will win, if they can't then their batsmen's efforts will be wasted. i still think their bowling is a little light.

445

I am so glad Gavaskar was not chosen - mediocre player.I liked what I saw of Amit Bhandari in Australia. Agarkar will be missed. The rest of the team is expected. What an excruciating wait for the 14th. The whole of india will come to a grinding halt.

446

*(http://www.jang-group.com/thenews/mar2004-daily/02-03-2004/sports/s6.htm)

I’m a different bowler since
World Cup game against India: Shoaib

By Waheed Khan

KARACHI: Shoaib Akhtar, the man who is tipped to make the difference between the Pakistan and Indian sides in the coming series, believes he is a much improved and more focussed bowler since the World Cup game against India last year at the Centurion in South Africa.

The 28-year old fast bowler who has had a colorful career of 29 Tests and 98 One-day Internationals for his total tally of 276 wickets said he was looking forward to renewing his contest against the Indian batting line-up.

“The way I look at the series, it is going to be a contest between their strong and experienced batting line-up and our bowling attack. If our batsmen put some runs on the board it will be a terrific contest because myself, Muhammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed have started to work well as a pace unit,” he said in an interview.

Shoaib known as the “Rawalpindi Express” for his extreme pace which has seen him cross the 100mph mark twice in his career said he had a lot of respect for the Indian batting line-up. “They have done extremely well in Australia. But I think in Pakistan it would be a different game and new contest. They have to prove themselves once again they are the best,” he added.

Talking about his experience in last year’s World Cup game when he went for 72 runs in 10 overs with Sachin Tendulkar blasting 98 off 75 balls, Shoaib believed that experience helped him improve as a bowler.

“I have improved a lot since then. I have worked harder on my fitness. I am more consistent. That match is over and you have now look forward to this series,” he said.

Shoaib said Tendulkar had proved himself to be one of the best batsman in the world. “No one can dispute that but in the coming series while the media may like to bill it as a Shoaib vs Tendulkar battle, I think it is about how our bowling fares against their entire batting line-up. It is not just about one batsman. They have all played well in Australia.”

Tendulkar has said that Shoaib is an attacking bowler and makes the game exciting and it is not easy to bat against the pace he generates.

Shoaib who has bowled Pakistan to convincing wins in his last three test against Bangladesh, South Africa and New Zealand believed that the coming series was also the perfect platform to promote more friendship between the two countries.

“I am not averse to having a good time or being friendly with them (Indian players) outside the field. I think we can use this series to send out a clear message we can be friends. And we as a nation have to show the world anyone can come and play in Pakistan without any security concerns or worries.”

Shoaib’s match figures in his last three Tests have been 10 for 80 against Bangladesh at Peshawar (August 2003), 6 for 98 versus South Africa at Lahore (October 2003) and 11-78 against New Zealand at Wellington (December 2003).

No wonder former Pakistan great’s Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Muhammad have said he would be the main difference between the two sides in the coming series.

But Shoaib believed that if Pakistan wanted to win the series it would have to play as a unit. “I am there for the team. And obviously I want to perform and get wickets. But it would be a mistake to just depend on me. If we play as a team we will win. Cricket is a different game every day. We have to start from scratch, they have to start from scratch once again,” he said.

Shoaib said he was excited about the series as after Australia he considered India the team he enjoyed the most bowling against.

“I cannot forget that experience in 1999 at Calcutta. It was something out of this world. After that match (clean bowling Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar on successive balls) I gained in confidence as a bowler. And after last year’s match I think I have matured as a bowler.”

“They (the Indians) could have performed well in Australia, but it is a new game and new series. They have to prove themselves all over again,” Shoaib, who is undergoing vigorous training at the probables camp in Lahore said.

He had no doubt that if Pakistan played like a team it would win the series.*

447

nice to see Waqar the great pass the torch on.

Tour will breed new stars

Ex-Pakistan captain Waqar Younis says the historic series against India is a chance for Pakistan’s young players to become megastars. Waqar, sacked as skipper after last year’s World Cup and left out of the squad to face India, says the whole country will be gripped by the tour. “It’s a dream come true for the boys because this means such a lot to the country,” he told BBC World Service. “It is a chance for them to make a name for themselves, to become a big hero.”

Waqar said he expected both sets of players to give their all in the series, which starts on 13 March with a one-day match in Karachi. “Pakistan and India always had this competition in sport. They compete very, very highly against each other in all sports, not just cricket,” he said. “That is why the players always give more than 100%.”

The two countries have met at neutral venues over the past few years. But India’s tour of Pakistan will be the first time either country has played in the other in 14 years.

“Cricket in this part of the world is followed like a religion so we are all looking forward to it, it is so hyped up here,” said the 32-year-old Waqar. “I have never seen the whole country standing for cricket so much as at this moment. So we hope it will be bringing a lot of good to the relationship between the two countries.”

Waqar admitted the Indians appeared to have the upper hand going into the series after their recent fine performances in Australia. “But it is very difficult to predict anything until the series starts,” he said. "India played very well against Australia but this series will be high pressured. It will not be easy for either side. It will be more than a physical game it will be a battle of nerves.

The series takes place against a backdrop of much-improved Indo-Pakistan relations, but was only given the go-ahead by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee after security delegations carried out inspections at various grounds. The Pakistan Cricket Board agreed to an Indian request not to schedule Tests in Karachi and Peshawar, which will only stage one-day internationals.

India have never won a series on Pakistani soil.

448

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by karina: *
I liked what I saw of Amit Bhandari in Australia.

[/QUOTE]

Any pace bowler looks good in Perth. Even subrator banerjee did pretty well in Perth.

449

inshallah they never will :jhanda:

450

The inclusion of Parthiv Patel is great news( for Pakistan i.e. ). The guy missed no fewer than 14 chances in 3 tests in Australia. If it was not for his efforts behind the stumps(or the lack of it), India would have won the Test series.

451

Interesting team selection by India,,, it is good for us they are bringing Kaif, he is coming of a nice long lay off and Gavaskar looked good against the Aussies.
As for our squad, i think most people are in agreement with the basic guys on the team
But here is a good question....
Do you play Afridi or Shaoib Malik? Is Saqi on the ODI team or Shabbir Ahmed? Does Imran Nazir oper in teh ODI's with Yassir at 3rd?
Finally, Miandad mentioned that he plans to throw a new bowler at India, I wonder who it will be Zahid Saeed, Muhammad Irshad, Rao Iftakhar,,,,,,,,

452

I am surprised by Rohans exclusion, i thought he amde a decent start to his international career, anyways good enough team and i must say Pakistan are in for a really tough battle. Indians batting is strong and Irfan and Zaheer make a nice combination upfront. Allah khair karay...

453

I am not too impressed with the Indian bowling line up. Without Kumble, Agarkar and Harbajhan they are going to struggle even against a fragile batting line up like ours. Zaheer has been out of action for sometime, Nehra is ok and Pathan is inexperienced. If we can't bat against this bowling line up then really there is not much hope for us.

454

We Indies mustn't lose hope in Powar and Karthik. I've been reading about Powar, and seems he dragged mumbai out of the woods many times with his bowling and batting. He's an offie. And Karthik may have failed in Aus but he was the bowler who troubled NZ and Aus in India. Spin will definitely play a part in Pakistan.

My feeling is the teams are equal. We have a weaker bowling attack but Pakistan's batting can be fragile. Pak has an awesome bowling lineup but our batsmen (on a good day) can play anyone with seeming ease. So I, at least, a m convinced that other factors will come into play. Like field setting, catching, fielding, cool heads.

The biggest weakness both teams face are unsteady openers in odi's, that's why I'm damn glad saed anwar is not playing.

455

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by karina: *

that's why I'm damn glad saed anwar is not playing.
[/QUOTE]

*

plz u r urged to write the name of the legend with respect and a touch of care, its saeed anwar! *

456

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by saby: *
I am surprised by Rohans exclusion, i thought he amde a decent start to his international career..
[/QUOTE]

Hemang Badani played way too well in the VB series to be dropped. Kaif is tried and tested (although not too consistent) in crunch situations - a factor the indian unit lacks when compared to pakistan.

As decent as his intl. start was, Gavaskar was still a relatively 'meek' batsman, and had to be the logical choice for the cut.

457

India’s cricketers excited about Pakistan tour: Dravid](http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/040303/323/enk21.html)

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India’s cricket team is eagerly waiting for the Pakistan tour to begin next week, vice-captain Rahul Dravid said while brushing aside any security fears.

“I think enough has been said and done about the security bit, it’s now time to think about the cricket,” Dravid told reporters during a sponsors’ function on Wednesay to unveil the trophy at stake for the Test and one-day series.

“The players are as excited about the tour as the fans are. Many in the team have not played in Pakistan at all. It should be a great experience.”

Sourav Ganguly’s Team India leave next Wednesday for their first full tour of Pakistan in almost 15 years, comprising five one-day internationals followed by three Tests.

India’s champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar is the only current player on either side to have experienced an India-Pakistan Test on Pakistani soil, having made his international debut there on the last tour in 1989.

Dravid said the upcoming 40-day tour will present a new challenge.

“It will be a test of skill and nerves for both teams. Neither India and Pakistan will want to take it easy and that should provide some engrossing cricket all through.”

India, who have never won a Test match in Pakistan in 20 attempts, were capable of breaking the jinx this time, Dravid said.

“The fact that we played some good, intense cricket in Australia will work to our advantage in Pakistan,” he said. “We want to take the intensity on to the Pakistan series.”

India drew the Test series against the world champions 1-1, but were swept aside 2-0 in the best-of-three one-day finals.

Dravid admitted the scheduling of the tour, where the one-dayers will be played before the Tests, was a blessing for the Indians who have been hit by injuries to key bowlers.

While off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been ruled out for the entire tour, spearheads Anil Kumble and Ajit Agarkar are expected to be available for the Tests after being sidelined for the one-day series.

“Actually I am quite pleased the one-days are being played first because this will give our bowlers time to be ready for the Tests,” Dravid said.

“We have a strong batting line-up and if we can put up a big score in the one-dayers there is no reason why we cannot win the series.”

Ganguly heads the batting depth that includes one-day cricket’s leading run-maker Tendulkar, the dependable duo of Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman and the swashbuckling Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.

The Indians open the tour with a warm-up match at Lahore on March 11 before the series begins with the first one-dayer in Karachi on March 13.

The remaining games will be played in Rawalpindi (March 16), Peshawar (March 19) and Lahore (March 21 and 24).

The Test series, for which the Indian team will be named later, will be played at Multan (March 28-April 1), Lahore (April 5-9) amd Rawalpindi (April 13-17).

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[thumb=E]dravid_edited1326_9265787.JPG[/thumb]

The ‘Samsung Cup’ which will be given to the winning team.

Former Sri Lankan captain Ranjan Madugalle will oversee the upcoming Pakistan-India series as chief referee for the International Cricket Council, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced.

Wasim urges Pakistan to excel in series against India](Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands.)

LAHORE (AFP) - Former cricket great Wasim Akram told his fellow Pakistani players to enjoy and excel in the upcoming “pressure” series against India during a motivational talk.

“Playing against India means pressure and I have told the players to enjoy the pressure and try to excel in it by striving for a victory,” Wasim told AFP Wednesday after his visit to Pakistan’s tune up camp for the Indian series.

India land in the city on March 10 to play five one-day games and three Tests until April 17, their first tour of Pakistan since 1989-90.

The 37-year-old Wasim, regarded as the greatest left arm pacer with a world record of 502 one-day and 414 Test wickets, stayed for three hours and delivered a special lecture to players on how to handle the pressure of playing against India.

He gave useful tips to fast bowlers Shaoib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami - on whom Pakistan will heavily rely to outpoint India.

“Pakistan’s young crop of players is maturing very fast and they will give a tough fight to the Indian team. I foresee a tough series between the two countries,” said Wasim, who led Pakistan to their last tour of India in 1998-99.

“I tried to pass the ways to develop mental toughness which I was told by my seniors Imran Khan and Javed Miandad in my younger days,” said Wasim, who retired from international cricket in May last year.

Former captain and Wasim’s mentor Khan also visited the camp on Sunday.

“India has quality batsmen but their bowling is inexperienced,” said Wasim, who recently commentated during India’s tour of Australia.

India announced their 15-man squad for the one-day series on Monday while Pakistan will announce their team for the first two matches on Friday.

The first one-day is scheduled for Karachi on March 13.

The remaining limited overs internationals will be played in Rawalpindi (March 16, day-night), Peshawar (March 19) and Lahore (March 21 and 23, both day-night).

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq and coach Javed Miandad requested pep talks by Khan and Wasim ahead of their series against India.

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Afridi, Younis may return to Pakistan ranks for India series

Afridi, Younis may return to Pakistan ranks for India series

By Waheed Khan

KARACHI: All-rounder Shahid Afridi appears to have convinced the national selectors and the Pakistan team management that it is time for another comeback for him in the one-day series against India after spending over a year on the sidelines.

‘The News’ has gathered that the national selectors including Chairman Wasim Bari and members Iqbal Qasim and Ehteshamuddin during their recent visit to Lahore have more or less finalized a shortlist of players after watching the camp proceedings and a practice match.

“The selectors held discussions with coach Javed Miandad and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq on the possible team combinations for the one-day series and the indications are clear that Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan are going to make the playing eleven for the first two games against India,” a well informed source said.

“Basically the selectors and the team management have been very impressed with Shahid’s changed attitude towards the game and the fact that he is taking his training and batting very seriously. There is also a feeling that he is a must in the one-day squad to clear the problem about having a sixth bowler,” the source said.

According to him the selectors were basically very much in favour of having Afridi, Younis and Shoaib Malik in the team also because of their outstanding fielding abilities."

He said that the team for the first two games was final but there was debate on the selection of experienced off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and there could be a tie between him and all-rounder Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan.

“While the playing eleven for the first two games has been finalized there is some debate remaining on Saqlain’s selection,” the source said.

According to him neither the chief selector nor the team captain and coach were satisfied with the attitude of the off-spinner in the camp and have noted that he is not as motivated as the other players.

“To make matters worse Saqlain was not available for one full day in the camp when the selectors were there and no one appeared to know where he had gone,” the source disclosed.

According to him the selectors were still divided over Saqlain’s selection because they had in mind that he had a good record against India and because of his past performances even though they feel he has lost some of his bite in his bowling.

“There is also a feeling among the selectors and the team management that in the presence of Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi, who have the added advantage of being good batsmen and outstanding fielders, Saqlain can only replace a specialist bowler in the playing eleven and at the moment Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Sami and Shabbir Ahmed are all certain selections.” “So it is a case of a tie between Saqlain and the inexperienced Rana Naveed who bats competently in the middle-order and is an effective pacer,” he said.

Even former chief selector Aamer Sohail was pretty critical about the attitude of Saqlain, in a television programme on Tuesday night, pointed out that his recent performances were not very good and that there was always a time for change.

“However, I can say this for certain Saqlain is not ruled out completely as yet as atleast two of the selectors are very vocal in their support for his selection because of his past performances,” the source said. The probable playing eleven for the first ODI in Karachi: Shahid Afridi, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed.

The remaining three members of the 14-member squad which would be announced on Friday for the first two matches should be selected from amongst Imran Farhat, Naved Latif, Saqlain Mushtaq and Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan.

The selectors have said they will announce a 14-member squad from amongst the 22 probables training in the camp.

460

Although I support Afridi’s inclusion in the Pakistani squad, I would not make the mistake of sending him as an opener. We had a good opening pair, Yaasir and Imran. Although Imran has struggled in domestic cricket recently, I think he should have played against India. Secondly, Afridi hasn’t played international Cricket in over a year now, and sending him to open in a such an important series and wanting him to peform right away would be a very hard thing to achieve. Afridi should have replaced someone like Shoiab Malik down the order, who hasn’t playing well since the NZ series. Then again, this report is from Jang…so I hope its wrong :bummer: