Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Dani will garner a greatest record in this series..... I predict
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Sami told Indus News yesterday that his injury is NOT a serious one and he will be fully fit in 2-3 days and will be certainly available for first test.
Well today's dawn tells a different story:
Sami to **miss** first test
LAHORE, Nov 1: Medium-pacer Mohammad Sami will miss the first Test against England in Multan due to groin injury. Sami felt the pain during the four-day trials match at the Qadhafi Stadium held last week and also missed the Twenty20 match at the same venue on Sunday.
Sami’s fitness problem compounds Pakistan camp’s worries after all-rounder Abdul Razzaq pulled out due to injury problems ahead of the important series.
Razzaq has been advised three weeks rest after pain in his elbow and has initially been ruled out of the first two Test but it is feared he will not be available for the entire Test series.
Now with the availability of injury-prone Shoaib Akhtar and Shabbir Ahmed, whose bowling action will be watched by the ICC umpires and referees, the Pakistan pace attack has become less formidable.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Now, let's hope they include Gul in the squad and go in the first TEST with this lineup:
Butt
Malik
Younis
Inzi
Yousaf
Afridi
Rana
Akhtar
Gul/Shabbir
Kaneria
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
^^ Yasir Arafat is the likely candidate but I hope they included GUL he is more of a line and length bowler with good strike rate which is always an asset and pai how come you missed out both Raza and Kamal 
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Well if it wasn’t for our PCB’s ultra play-it-safe-no-risk policy and the what-us-win-surely you jest attitude, I would be happy too. But the reason I am not is that those two players will be replaced by the likes of arshad and mushtaq. While Irshad, Arafat, Gul rot their years away. Then by the time they hit 30-35, they will get a call from PCB. That’s the favorite age for comebacks these days.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
I was under the impression that it was common practice to have 11 players in a team.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Read on jang website that razzaq has been ruled out for the test series due to his elbow problem. I hope he recovers before the ODI's when he will be needed most.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
I thought you would understand that it was just a typing mistake, you can’t play without a keeper, ca you???
Akmal is the 11th player:p
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Don’t get your hopes high for Yasir Arafat, he is NOT test material but i would love to be proved WRONG. He is a medium pacer(he hates to be called a medium pacer and claimed that he clocks around 88 MPH), lacks the killer blow, just relies on favourable conditions and bit of swing. He can be ODI super sub at best.
Acrobi ji, i would love to have Hasan Raza in the team but the only way he can play is by replacing Afridi (highly unlikely) or if we decide to go with 2 fast bowlers and Kaneria.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Mista_Mysterious!
Point of Yasir Arafat given - taken :elmo: he has to cross great wall of Pakistani all rounders (Afridi, Malik, Razzaq is injuie already and Rana Naveed yes he is an all-rounder; just not given enough faith])
but You will see atleast two of 'em (Afridi, Kamal and H. Raza) wait and see its only 9 days away
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Hi all, I just joined this forum. Just wondering if anyone of you will be sharing live feed of the upcoming series. These days I’m in Malaysia, and they are not showing the series on payTV here 
Thanks.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Fielding tactics concern Woolmer
Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, questioned Michael Vaughan’s controversial fielding tactics, saying he would seek clear guidelines from Test officials.
“We would like the ICC (International Cricket Council) match referee and umpires to give a clear definition of how the relevant law is to be read after what happened in Pindi,” Woolmer told AFP.
Woolmer was referring to Vaughan’s ploy of moving while the ball is being bowled, during his team’s opening tour match against the Patron’s XI at Rawalpindi last week. Vaughan, on several occasions, was seen running from slip to leg-slip while the ball was in mid-flight.
England won the three-day side match by 52 runs and are currently playing their second side match, their last outing before the first Test against Pakistan starts at Multan on November 12.
The tactic contravenes cricket Law 41, which states: “Any significant movement by any fielder after the ball comes into play and before the ball reaches the striker is unfair. In the event of such unfair movement, either umpire shall call and signal dead ball.”
Vaughan defended the tactic, saying it was a smart move. “I thought it was quite smart,” said Vaughan after the tour opener last week. I moved very fast, as soon as the ball had been released. If a player is going to sweep, it is an option - we’ll see if we use it in the Test matches."
Woolmer wants more clarity before the Test series starts. “I can understand the principle behind the ploy by Vaughan but we have to be clear on whether the law allows such things and that should be clear before the Tests.”
Woolmer, who played 19 Tests for England, said the series should be played in the proper spirit and any controversies should be avoided. Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, has defended Vaughan’s tactics, insisting that a fielder is entitled to anticipate where a shot is likely to go and act accordingly.
Roshan Mahanama, the former Sri Lankan batsman, will supervise the three-match Test series and Woolmer said he hoped he would clarify the situation before the series starts.
SOURCE: http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/224311.html
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Good for him, but why did he recover so soon? 
Sami cleared for first Test
Cricinfo staff
November 6, 2005
Pakistan have received a timely boost ahead of their preparations for the first Test against England in Multan with the news that Mohammad Sami has been passed fit to play.
Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, confirmed to Reuters that Sami would be available for the Test, starting from 12 November. “Sami is clear to play the Test, which is good for us as we will be without Abdul Razzaq.” An elbow injury resulted in Razzaq being ruled out of the first Test and he has been advised by doctors to rest for ten days.
Reports last week suggested Sami was doubtful for the match after picking up a groin injury during a practice match in Lahore, but the niggle did not turn out to be as serious as expected.
The news that he is fit will be a relief for Pakistan’s management as it is likely to result in their preferred first-choice new ball attack - Sami and Shoaib Akhtar - being picked for the match. The two last appeared together for Pakistan in the Melbourne Test against Australia in December last year; they have rarely had a prolonged run together due, mainly, to injury problems to either player.
Sami has not appeared for Pakistan since the India tour early this year, since when he has been sidelined with a heel injury. And although he has flattered to deceive for much of his international career - he has 58 Test wickets in 21 matches at 47 runs per wicket - his performances on the flat tracks of India suggested he might be coming to terms with the demands of international cricket. He has already taken a Test and ODI hat-trick in his short career.
The news also allows Pakistan, for the first time in a couple of years, the luxury of choosing from a fully fit crop of fast bowlers. Despite picking three specialist spinners in their squad for the first Test, the fact that England have struggled so far against seam bowling is unlikely to have gone unnoticed by the team management. Pakistan have picked Shoaib Akhtar, Shabbir Ahmed, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Sami in the squad.
Pakistan also considered picking other fast bowlers for the squad. Umar Gul, despite returning from a career-threatening back injury and looking impressive, was overlooked eventually while others who have impressed, such as Mohammad Asif and Najaf Shah, were also said to be in the running.
Woolmer also said that Pakistan’s preparations for the Tests were on target and that both teams would go into the series with high spirits. “People may have made England favourites for the first Test, but as far as I am concerned both sides start with an equal chance of doing well.”
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
According to Woolmer, Mohammad Asif has improved beyond recognition since his debut in Australia last year (and Woolmer is supposed to have said this BEFORE the current Pakistan A game in Lahore in which Asif took 10 wickets). I think the guy deserves a chance again.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Asif was the better of new bowlers in Aussie tour, and instead PCB sent Mohammed Khalil to tour India.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Insha'allah Sami will be injured again on the eve of the 1st test.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
On Bob Woolmer's site he pointed out that Sami's injury was never very threatning and it was just sensationalised by the media. Anyway I dont know why people want him injured. We do need him in this series unless ofcourse people think Sahbbir is a better bowler then Sami.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
**^ **I'd rather see us play with 11 players who contribute then 10.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
Shabbir's only problem has been his action. Other than that he is much better bowler than Sami. Woolmer andPCB definitely has worked alot on shabir's action so that he could get the required clearance before Pak England series. I am sure they have plans for shabbir for this series. Personally I would prefer shabbir over sami.
Re: Pakistan V England/ Pakistani squad announced.
I would take Sami anyday. He has the knack of producing wicket taking deliveries out of nowhere. Shabbir can sometimes get into a monotonous rut, especially with little assistance from the pitch.