pathetic :smack2:
afridi at different batting positions:
- 276 runs in 16 innings at avergae of 17.25 (HS 83)
- 2754 runs in 107 innings at average of 25.98 (HS 109)
- 405 runs in 13 innings at average of 33.75 (HS 102)
- 0 runs in 1 innings at average of 0 (HS 0)
- 127 runs in 7 innings at average of 25.4 (HS 45)
- 124 runs in 8 innings at average of 17.71 (HS 40)
- 74 runs in 7 innings at average of 14.8 (HS 37)
- 98 runs in 10 innings at average of 9.8 (HS 29)
- 29 runs in 2 innings at average of 14.5 (HS 26)
so there…
afridi has performed reasonably only at the top level…
he always failed at the lower order…
its razzler type of batting that suits the last ten overs…
^ At the top order take out his innings against minnows and you will have a different story altogether.
Ehsan bhai he has played only once against Holland, handful of games against Zimbabwe and Kenya, most of his forties, fifties and hundreds have come against Indians, Lankans and Kiwis and they are not minnows at all. Though i m not a big fan of him anymore but when he fires, you are sure of winning a match !! But thats a big 'when'
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ehsan: *
^ At the top order take out his innings against minnows and you will have a different story altogether.
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i aint supporting him....
but at the lower order, minnows or no minnows, he's a failure....
so if u have him in the team, u better make him play the new ball....
and yes, his style of batting is well suited for close field play....
I think Imran Farhat is good for the first 15 over game with yasir handling other hand with reasonable striking.
Shahid will be useful at No. 5
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by yaasir: *
Shabbir didn't "fix" his action in 7-10 days. Daryl Foster and other had a close look at his action and said there wasnt anything wrong with his action.
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Yaar..that is Sardesai's (and my) whole point.
When a bowler (Shabbir/Akhtar) is under observation for chucking, he will not bowl flat out. These guys tend to chuck only when they try to put in extra-effort on the pace.
Seems like Shahid Afridi role would be to play a back-up anchore role to the Pace attack. In case of any lapse in the attack shahid could be given the role to “slow” things down a bit and in the process take wickets bcz of his non consistant veriation. He can be reliable in his 10 over allocation and then good with bat too. (Good joker to play when needed) + his fielding has improved tremendsley. Over all Good body language.
Must have, 
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India never experienced having pace attack of this megnitude. 
Pace of Shoaib/shabir/Bret Lee is not exactly a stroll to “Subzee Mundee” .. To throw down this pace you need “Short Burst” not flat out, as you say. (Flat out does not apply to Pakistani Bowlers. They’r beyond this old technique.
Baccha this is a new era of sports. even India is on the roll to some extent. watch Pakistan closely and you shall have yr answer. watch and learn. Have a steak on me 
The Circus Comes to Town
THERE is this age-old, popular Punjabi saying, Lahore Lahore aye, meaning that Lahore is unique and beyond description. And anyone who has lived in this city for a while will happily vouch that the adage could not be truer. Lahore, indeed, is unique and what makes it so, above all, is the convivial spontaneity of its denizens.
Their relaxed mien, happy spirit and joie de vivre rubs off on one and all. When the Indian team led by Saurav Ganguly flies into Lahore, the last remnants of spring will still be in the air. And this is the time of year when Lahorites are at their sparkling best. Most of the Indian players are household names in this country, which is no different to India in its frenzied passion for cricket. And the only thing that may deprive the Indian cricketers from experiencing the natural warmth and spontaneous welcome of the Lahorites could be the water-tight security.
Talking exclusively to The Sunday Express from Karachi — where he was tying up the last loose ends before India flies in to the only Pakistani megapolis for the first of the five One-day Internationals — Sohail Ahmed Khan (formerly a captain in the Pakistan Army, and now a Senior Superintendent of Police, who heads the Interior Ministry’s security contingent in charge of the Indian team throughout its 30-odd days on Pakistani soil) says he will leave nothing to chance.
‘‘The security will be flawless and professional in the extreme; it will cater for all aspects and eventualities,’’ he says. At the same time he insists that his forces will maintain a balance. ‘‘We will not overdo it; after all, we have to take care of the comfort of the visitors as well.’’
Zakir Khan, the former Pakistan Test cricketer who currently heads the PCB’s Cricket Operations — the department responsible for everything relating to international teams and tours, from logistics to lodgings, from security to facilitation — has said that he expects a crowd at the airport and also at the warm-up game at the Gaddafi Stadium. Though Zakir did not divulge the details, the PCB and the city administration has organised a warm welcome for the Indian team as well.
The anticipation levels at Lahore, indeed, around the whole of Pakistan, are exceptionally high. Lahore, especially the old walled city and the mohallahs, are a place where people gather at street corners, small cafes and dhabas. Normally, they talk about everything under the sun, mostly politics, and mostly in a light-hearted manner, liberally laced with choice Punjabi swear words. These days cricket fever is at such a high pitch that the conversation is exclusively limited to the Indian tour and what is likely to happen during the rubber. The speculation is mostly centred on whether pace ace Shoaib Akhtar will last the series, and if he does what impact he will have.
Everybody is scrambling for a few tickets for the last of the two One-day Internationals (of five) that take place here. And there are thousands who make a round or three everyday of the Gaddafi Stadium — it also serves as the headquarters of Pakistan cricket, and here the lights are burning bright in all offices till very late in the night — to inquire about when the tickets will go on sale.
Such is their enthusiasm to stand in a queue to ensure entry for themselves that PCB chairman Shaharyar M Khan himself had to address a press conference on Friday to announce that tickets at each venue would go on sale a week before a particular match.
For the first time ever, the PCB offered tickets online, and these have been mostly snapped up by the Indians. News and pictures from across the border about people thronging the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi were being received with interest here.
Lahore is expecting something like 10,000 visitors, and Shaharyar Khan, a former career diplomat who retired as Pakistan’s foreign secretary, says that the Board, through the Pakistan government, has ensured the establishment of a visa kiosk at the Wagah border. Anyone holding a valid ticket will be able to cross over to this side and watch the matches.
The Gaddafi Stadium is counted as one of the most modern and pretty cricket venues in the world. When it was spruced up for the 1996 World Cup final, its outer wall and main entrance were redesigned in a majestic red-brick Mughal style. The lush green outfield, a quality pitch, the lights and electronic scoreboard, expansive seating areas, the Gaddafi Stadium has it all. And for the matches against India, it’s likely to get a full, boisterous house.
Lahore has never been a happy hunting ground for the Indians. The last time an India took the field here in 1997 with Sachin Tendulkar leading it, it was hammered to all parts of the ground by Ijaz Ahmed in one of the most destructive innings in limited-overs history. Before that, in 1978, after another revival of ties between the two nations after a hiatus spanning 17 years, the hosts had won the second Test here with Zaheer Abbas’ supremely elegant double hundred swiftly bringing the curtain down on India’s famed quartet of spinners, ensuring a great win for Pakistan. The last Test between Pakistan and India on this venue was during the 1989-90 series — a high-scoring draw in which Sanjay Manjrekar and Shoaib Mohammad scored double centuries, and Javed Miandad made the occasion memorable for himself and cricket historians by knocking another hundred against India in his 100th Test.
Both Miandad and Manjrekar will be here at the Gaddafi Stadium when the two teams meet each other in three encounters, the former as Pakistan coach and the later as a commentator on satellite television.
Coming back to the talk of the town: the perceptive Lahorites are saying that even at its weakest, Pakistan is good enough to prevail over India. As a case in point, they mention the 1987 series in India when the Pakistan squad was not packed with big names yet it won the Test and one-day rubber, the latter with an overwhelming 5-1 margin. Saurav Ganguly and his charges are most welcome here, but they should not expect it will be extend to the middle by the Pakistani cricketers, or by their unforgiving followers.
(The writer is Sports Editor of The Nation, Lahore)
LA LAHORE
A 2000-year old traditional city, Lahore has also developed a contemporary profile over the years without tampering with its original innocence. The city is at its most delightful towards the end of February, when cultural activities peak with the spring and Basant festivals, but the fragrance of that period creates a heady atmosphere for weeks afterwards.
Lahore is a city of contrasts with the old-worldly values and narrow lanes of the walled city at one end and the wide roads with teeming traffic comparable with most modern cities at the other. The old Lahore offers traditional food and hospitality at its best, while its modern profile presents five-star life comparable with the capitals of the world.
But common strains unite the two Lahores. Late nights are common to both sides. Both Lahores also boast of a large number of gardens, historical and newly laid, and a love for flowers that imparts not just permanent fragrance to the atmosphere but adds colour to the surroundings too.
Indeed, Lahore may have more florists than any other major urban centre in this part of the world. The city is encircled by flower growers who bring fresh flowers every day into the city. Beautifully appointed, colourful kiosks of florists dot the city and add a dreamlike quality to local life.
— Agha Akbar
http://www.expressindia.com/cricket/fulliestory.php?content_id=42484
Will the real Saqlain please stand up?
OMAR KUREISHI
Pakistan has announced its squad for the first two ODIs. I had it right except in respect of Saqlain Mushtaq. But he was an afterthought and was added to the squad. Weighed in the balance, it was felt that the squad was short on experience.
Saqlain has been in poor form but whenever cricket’s experts all over the world get down to talk about spin bowling, the name of Saqlain Mushtaq crops up and, more often than not, he is mentioned in the present tense as the world’s best off-spinner along with Sri Lanka’s Muralitharan.
Saqlain has had a rough ride with the selectors and those who, in the past, constituted the think-tank. I have heard it said that he had an ‘‘attitude’’ problem, whatever that means.
Opinion was divided over whether he was an attacking bowler meant to take wickets or a containing bowler supposed to keep one end bottled up. When he failed to take wickets, one school of thought felt vindicated. When he gave away too many runs, the other had their worst fears confirmed. I would imagine that this left Saqlain confused as to what his role was.
The outcome was that he ceased to be an automatic selection and has been in and out of the team. He was a member of Pakistan’s squad for the World Cup 1996 but did not play in the crucial quarter-final against India at Bangalore. Similarly, he was in the World Cup 2003 squad but inexplicably was dropped for the crunch match against India and many feel, including this writer, that it was the mother of all errors. To play a vital match without your best spinner was mind-boggling.
To put it politely, he has had a chequered career though Surrey, the English county he plays for in the English summer think the world of him and keep renewing his contract. He is the inventor of the dusra, the ball that spins away from leg to off, and has to his credit a Test century made against New Zealand.
Wasim Bari, the chairman of the selection committee, believes that while Saqlain may not play in the first ODI, his presence in the squad will be helpful, keep him engaged and motivated and hungry for the Test matches.
So absorbed are we with India’s tour that not much attention was paid to the Under-19 World Cup that was played in Bangladesh and the Pakistan’s team progress created only ripples and not much excitement. Until it suddenly dawned on us that Pakistan had reached the final. And then came the news that Pakistan had won and were the Under-19 world champions! I don’t think we have quite appreciated the enormity of the achievement even now.
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has sent a congratulatory message and considers the win a good omen for the forthcoming series against India.
In his message, he gently chides the senior team and says that they should gain inspiration from the outstanding performance of the youngsters.
This is reversing our culture, where we are exhorted to learn from the elders. But it’s not bad advice. The Pakistan team will need inspiration from whatever source that provides it. So too will the Indians for the two teams are so evenly matched that something ’extra’ will be needed to separate them.
The Under-19 cricketers have taken their first step on a long road. Many hurdles lie ahead, many rough and dusty patches and indeed many heart-breaks. Some will fall by the wayside, others will get diverted by detours, the pursuit of different ambitions. But a few will make it.
Playing cricket at the highest level is a career, a full-time job and it needs unfaltering dedication and most of all hard work. It augurs well for Pakistan cricket that it has such a strong base.
**I don’t know how it will fit with the stringent security that will be in place but it won’t be a bad idea if the Under-19 team is paraded and does a lap of honour before the start of the first ODI in Karachi. The best way to reward them is to make them feel special. Senior players of both teams will also get the message that the torch can easily be passed to a new generation. **
http://www.expressindia.com/cricket/fulliestory.php?content_id=42496
Brilliant idea. I hope Mr. Chairman, PCB is reading and taking note. :k:
Brilliant idea. I hope Mr. Chairman, PCB is reading and taking note. :k:
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It would be so fitting and right thing to do on the national level 
Good Idea :k:
Pakistan-India match ticket sales suspended after police, mob clash](Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands.)
KARACHI (AFP) - Pakistan’s cricket board was forced to suspend the first day of sales of tickets for next week’s historic Pakistan-India one-day match here after thousands of fans caused mayhem at sales booths, some clashing with police.
A large crowd gathered Sunday outside the National Stadium, the only outlet for the tickets for the March 13 game in this southern city, but the mayhem and clashes meant the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had to close the sales booths.
The PCB said Sunday it would resume the ticket sales on Monday after increasing the number of outlets for the tickets.
“We will resume the ticket sale from Monday and in an orderly manner by increasing the number of booths and will have outlets other than the National Stadium,” PCB chief executive Ramiz Raja said.
“We have only 20,000 tickets for sale after 20 percent have already been sold on the Internet and in a city of 140 million people such minor incidents take place due to overdemand,” Raja said.
Frustrated fans who gathered at the stadium Sunday threw stones at police who retaliated with batons.
Several people received minor injuries but no one was seriously hurt, witnesses said. The main gate of the stadium had to be closed.
“We started the ticket sale in a normal manner but there was too much crowd in and outside the stadium,” said an official from the firm handling the sales.
Earlier in the day staff had to wait for several hours before they could enter the stadium because the three sales booths, with eight windows, were so crowded.
Witnesses criticized the PCB for only selling the tickets at the stadium, saying one outlet was not enough to handle the large number of people seeking entry to the game.
The PCB has previously sold tickets through various outlets, including banks.
India opens their 39-day tour with the first of five one-day matches here on March 13 on their first tour of Pakistan in 15 years.
Tickets cost between 100 and 1,500 rupees (two to 26 dollars) and the stadium has a capacity of 33,000.
what? Drop the person who single handedly destroyed new zealand’s bowling? I m no fan of his laid back attitude but that Guy is a must in onedayers.
great idea :k:
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by smooth_guy: *
I think Imran Farhat is good for the first 15 over game with yasir handling other hand with reasonable striking.
Shahid will be useful at No. 5
[/QUOTE]
i dont think they shud change the openers, they shud stick to yasir/farhat
I agree.
His bowling may have gone down the drain but he has taken over the mantle of the biggest hitter from Lance Klusener. And I think, at least in the ODIs, his phenomenal hitting might prove to be the difference between the two sides. This is more so the case when you consider that he causes the most damage in the last ten overs, so he might be able to expose the lack of experience in the Indian bowling at least in bowling at the death.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by sambrialian: *
I agree.
His bowling may have gone down the drain but he has taken over the mantle of the biggest hitter from Lance Klusener. And I think, at least in the ODIs, his phenomenal hitting might prove to be the difference between the two sides. This is more so the case when you consider that he causes the most damage in the last ten overs, so he might be able to expose the lack of experience in the Indian bowling at least in bowling at the death.
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I agree with the most dangeruos hitter thing. To add to that, He bowled well within himself in New zealand. He is not a wicket taking bowler once he was but he still can compelte 6-7 overs with odd wicket. And it would take a lot of dare to drop him now!!
yeah, saby bhai. I don't think Razzler is going to be dropped any time soon.
But one guy who I think is on the borderline is Imran Farhat. Apart from a couple of good knocks, he was irresponsible for the most time in NZ. And some more non-peformances from him will mean a banishment to the quagmire that is our domestic cricket.