Re: Very nice interview of Inzi
well this article was already posted today in a different thread, therefore I am merging the threads
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
Thank god someone finally said it. Someone from the media finally raising concerns and asking the same questions which crickets fans have been asking from England
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Have England been getting ahead of themselves?
Tackle Pakistan first, the Ashes later
*When a new player enters the England dressing-room - a near-weekly event this year - he is issued with certain things. Shirts, sweaters, caps, hats, a helmet, a busy schedule of practice and PR, endless branded training kit, and (surely) a manual containing the approved answers to every question he might be asked by the media. It’s a dream come true. They’ve got a lot of good players. He always gives 110 per cent. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a few nerves. Nobody drops catches on purpose. That’s just press talk. We mustn’t get ahead of ourselves. *
*Cliches have their uses and the one England need most right now is the last one. They HAVE been getting ahead of themselves. Ashes fever has set in way ahead of schedule. Michael Vaughan has already been ruled out, but hasn’t been stood down as captain, so in effect the captain has already been chosen for whenever Vaughan returns - which is bizarre, even for a captain as gifted as he is. No sooner had Vaughan’s bad news emerged from the ECB than Ashley Giles popped up to say he would be fit for the Ashes, as if anyone can tell when he hasn’t played for nine months. There are some foolish presumptions built into these pronouncements. *
*We the media are as much to blame as anyone. Except perhaps the fans. The Ashes has so much history - both ancient and modern, going back 124 years but never more gripping than last summer - that England fans tend to downplay Test series against other countries. Sport is unforgiving towards anyone who is not living in the moment, and look what has happened to England since the epic drama of 2005: two drawn series (one creditable, one careless), a sobering 2-0 defeat, and nothing but mediocrity in the one-day game. *
*The 2-0 defeat was at the hands of Pakistan, and here they are again, giving England what could be the perfect prelude to the Ashes - as long as they don’t see it that way. They have to treat it as a major contest in its own right. And it is: Pakistan are the only team not to have lost a Test series in England in the past decade. Up to 1987, Pakistan had never won a Test series in England; since then, they haven’t lost one. They have had some flaky moments elsewhere, but in England it is as if the steel instilled in them by Imran Khan and Javed Miandad has never left. *
*England’s sick list could have wrecked this series as a contest, but the injury gods have now decided to be more even-handed. If England are missing their superb old-ball attack of Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones, Pakistan are without a formidable new-ball one, Shoaib Akhtar and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. On paper, it looks like a run-fest. England’s batsmen have handled visiting seamers well for several years, so if they can see off Danish Kaneria, they should be good for a few 400s. *
*Pakistan’s top order is even stronger, with three batsmen in the top eight of the LG ratings - Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf. Inzy will be the prize trophy but the two Ys need to be separated early: over the past four years, their partnerships have averaged 106, which is more than Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting (85) or Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar (83). And England are seriously considering going in with attack consisting of an off-colour Steve Harmison, a rusty, stitched-up Matthew Hoggard and two rookies in Liam Plunkett and Monty Panesar. The human firework known as Shahid Afridi could find himself coming in at 400 for 4. *
*Behind Afridi come Kamran Akmal (if fit) and Abdul Razzaq, who look a bit more dangerous than their projected opposite numbers, Ian Bell, Geraint Jones and Plunkett. Bell is back on trial, Jones is right out of sorts, and both are neat right-handers who stay legside and keep the slips interested. Pakistan will have a third edge on the captaincy front, unless Andrew Strauss finds the instant authority that eluded him in the recent one-dayers. England are going to need those big scores. *
*Ideally, these will come from Marcus Trescothick and Kevin Pietersen, the only dashers left in a line-up shorn of Vaughan and Flintoff. Alastair Cook and Bell should make as many runs as the two missing captains, but they won’t get them nearly as fast, or with the same impact on the mood of the match. Just as in India, England may end up regarding a drawn series as a bit of a triumph. *
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/columns/content/current/story/253052.html
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
Brian Lara's influence must be patting him on his shoulder right this minute (read = drawn series as a victory).
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
Shoaib ruled out till the fourth Test
Shaharyar Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ruled out fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s comeback before the fourth Test at The Oval next month, saying that he still needs time to get match fit.
Shaharyar said that Shoaib is making rapid recovery from an ankle stress fracture but is still far from being fit enough to play international cricket. He also revealed that the team and Board officials were trying to get Shoaib to play some club games in England early next month for the sake of match practice ahead of any international comeback.
“We wanted Shoaib to play some matches in Pakistan but the problem is that there isn’t much cricket being played there at this time of the year”, he said. “Now we are trying to find some good matches for him here in England.”
Shoaib had earlier expressed plans to be fit in time for the second Test at Old Trafford from July 27. But Shaharyar made it clear that it was not a possibility. He even ruled out Shoaib’s chances of playing in the third Test at Headingley early in August saying that the best Shoaib can do is to feature in the final Test at The Oval and later in the five-match ODI series.
Shoaib last played for Pakistan in the Karachi Test against India in January this year. He has been out of action during the best part of the last five months after undergoing a twin knee surgery in Australia in February. He was named in a provisional Pakistan squad for England earlier this summer but was left out of the 16-man touring party after it was revealed that an earlier ankle fracture had not healed.
“Shoaib has been out of international cricket for quite some time and cannot just walk back in the squad”, Shaharyar added. "Such a step could be counter-productive so we would take our time before recalling him
SOURCE: http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/engvpak/content/current/story/253132.html
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
as Rainy would say, lo gayee bhens pani mai 
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
Now Malik is ruled out of first test.
Was he really making it to the final 11 ? hmmm…
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
^ bhai jaan where did you hear about Malik?
EDIT: OKay read it in other thread 
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
he is? need to replace him in fantasy t hing.
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
Assalam O Aalaikom Captain1 bhai,
How are you? Good to chat you after a long time. Seriously? Shoaib Malik has ruled out of test? Well, it is still not problem for our batting. We can experiment opening with Imran Farhat and Salman Butt again that worked successful before. I would prefer both as opening. They have worked their whole life time in opening. They are real openers. Shoaib Malik should have spot somewhere in 11 and we need him as he is the most consistent batsman. He can replace any opener batsman due to being out of form.
Pakistan Vs. Inglistan
Who's likely to win?
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
- Injury-hit Pakistan suffered a fresh blow when coach Bob Woolmer said opening batsman Shoaib Malik was doubtful for the entire Test series against England. Malik was omitted from the ongoing first Test at Lord’s with an elbow injury, which Pakistan had hoped an operation two months ago would cure.
But Woolmer, after the second day of the series here Friday, told reporters: “Shoaib Malik is doubtful for the whole series. His injury is not reacting to injections and he might not make it for the Tests.”
Malik hands Pakistan new injury headache (Dawn)
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
^ Great, now Butt Farhat know that they can get a pair every match and still be openers for the next one.
Re: Pakistan Vs. Inglistan
Re: Pakistan Vs. Inglistan
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
Looks like Bob Woolmar wants to keep the only English speaking players in the team so they can do interpreter job to the rest.
http://usa.cricinfo.com/engvpak/content/current/story/254060.html
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
LoL, yeah.
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
typical :rolleyes:
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
I wonder where did the thread "Pakistani players in county cricket" go?
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
^^ it got unsticked because now pakistani players are injured or playing for pak
Re: Pakistan in England 2006
I think it got deleted since it can be found nowhere 