ya allah khair... i remmber the world cup defeat to india. i didnt recover from it for a whole week... i pray to allah that pakistan wins the series warna i dont think i am gona recover for a month or 2.. might effect my exams even :( .
wasay anyone goign edgbaston.... i am getting tickets on 1st of april :p .
Shabbir is very important to Pakistan’s plans, so this is a big blow. I don’t want to see Umar Gul in the team.
Shabbir doubtful starter for Karachi one-dayer
By our correspondent
KARACHI: The Pakistan team management is worried about an injury to fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed which appeared minor in nature at first but is now starting to bother him a lot more and makes him a doubtful starter for the first One-day International on Saturday in Karachi.
Pakistan manager Haroon Rasheed said after the Pakistan team had played a practice game at the National Stadium comfortably beating a combined eleven by 79 runs, that Shabbir’s injury was being monitored closely.
“He is not feeling very good at the moment and is uncomfortable although he played today,” he said.
The tall and lanky pacer cut the little finger of his left hand during the national camp training in Lahore and got two stiches but the injury has not healed as yet. “We have to see how he feels about playing. But I think we should know by Thursday what is going to be his position for the first one-dayer,” the Pakistan manager said.
The Pakistan team had a good workout in the practice match scoring a total of 285 in 45 overs with Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana and skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq hitting good half centuries and Younis Khan also getting valuable batting practice.
But the form of seasoned off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq would have really disappointed Inzamam as playing for the combined eleven he went for 62 runs in his nine overs. 
Saqlain, who has a very impressive record against India in particular, has been struggling for form for the last seven months having played just one Test and a single one-dayer in this period.
Shahid Afridi, however, after failing with the bat managed to snare 2 for 53 from nine overs.
Haroon said that fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Sami, Shabbir, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan had all been given short spells of five and six overs each because the basic idea was to allow them to get into match form and stretch themselves out a bit.
“And we are satisfied with the way they bowled. With the one-dayer just two days away I think this match was ideal practice for all our players,” Haroon said.
looks like all our big guns are doing well. Saqi really looks out of form though. Whatever happened to him? He went from being the world’s best offspinner to being a nobody.
Pakistan XI easily win Karachi’s warm-up
By our correspondent
KARACHI: The Pakistan XI, composed of players chosen to play against India in the first two matches of the forthcoming five-match One-day International series starting from Saturday, beat a select Pakistan Cricket Board (XI), here in a practice match at the National Stadium on Wednesday, quite comfortably by a 79-run margin.
**Opener Yasir Hameed (87), vice-captain Yousuf Youhana (62) and skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq (52) all hit half-centuries as the Pakistan XI rattled up a score of 285 for five in the allotted 45 overs, after having opted to bat first. Yasir required 94 balls for his runs while hitting six fours and two sixes.
Youhana’s 62 came off 79 deliveries with seven boundaries and Inzamam banged a 46-ball 52 that included six fours and a six. Moin Khan hammered an unbeaten 17 off a mere 10 balls while hitting two fours and a six.**
Fourteen players got the chance either to bat or bowl for the PCB XI. Imran Farhat, Misbah-ul-Haq and Saqlain Mushtaq of the national side were loaned to them. The PCB XI were restricted to 206 for seven in their 45 overs, with Salman Butt top-scoring with 44, that came off 56 balls and included five fours.
Misbah and Multan’s skipper Aamer Bashir chipped in worthy scores in the 30s, but chasing 286 runs for a win proved to be a tall order for the PCB XI. The match was played in front of empty stands due to security reasons.
Good to see Big guns firing.
Lets see what Indians do on their ractice match tomorrow.
**
India face stiff test in warm-up match
**
Anand Vasu
The Indian team rarely has the luxury of a practice match before a one-day series. Frantic preparations were underway at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on the eve of their fixture against a strong Pakistan A side. The outfield was a lush green, in contrast to the dusty surrounds of the stadium. Pakistan Cricket Board officials scampered back and forth, sorting out last-minute glitches and preparations.
Pakistan A have named a strong team for the match, testing out several players on the fringes of the senior team. Taufeeq Umar leads the side and will open the batting with Imran Nazir, the explosive batsman who once replaced Shahid Afridi in the Pakistan team. Faisal Iqbal - Javed Miandad's nephew - and Bazid Khan strengthen the middle order. The Pakistan A bowling line-up is equally strong, with Umer Gul and Zahid Saeed sharing the new ball with Junaid Zia.
The Indian team will use the match as an opportunity to Test out the match-readiness of Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Mohammad Kaif. While Nehra has been in and out of the team with various niggles, Zaheer has not played since the third Test against Australia at Melbourne, and Kaif since the TVS Cup tri-series in India. The think-tank may also use the opportunity to see how Ramesh Powar, the only new face in the squad, fares in a pressure situation.
The focus of the media at Sourav Ganguly's press conference was largely on the Indian team's hyped-up arrival. However, Ganguly was asked if lack of practice matches were a concern. "I don't think so," he replied. "The conditions here in Pakistan are similar to those in India and when we play one-day series at home we never play practice matches.
"We played a practice game back home and have another tomorrow," he added. "That's good enough to get started for the one-day series." This comes on the back of a three-day preparatory camp in Kolkata, where the full Indian team, minus Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra who were away playing the Duleep Trophy final, trained under the watchful eyes of John Wright, Andrew Leipus and Greg King.
Teams
India XI (from) Sourav Ganguly (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Hemang Badani, Murali Kartik, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar, L Balaji and Ashish Nehra.
Pakistan A (from) Taufeeq Umar (capt), Imran Nazir, Faisal Iqbal, Bazid Khan, Naman Ullah, Kamran Akmal (wk), Yasir Arafat, Junaid Zia, Umer Gul, Zahid Saeed, Mohammad Khaleel, Azhar Zaidi and Qaiser Abbas.
ooe ma, I'm so nervous. the match starts in a few hours i believe? It's pretty important to put up a good show, but I hope none of our players get injured during this match...what an anti-climax!
Looking at today's match between India and Pakistan A side, I think that both Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq should be dropped to make way for Taufeeq and Imran Nazir. Taufeeq is a big run scorer and has a rock solid temperament while Nazir has always had the ability to thrash the best attacks if that's what's needed.
In comparison, Younis and Misbah are ordinairy bats who don't shine in any area and have not come off when given the opportunities recently.
^^ misbah has performed really good vs australia i think he shud be given a chance, if he doesnt perform than they shud drop him
I just saw pics posted above, does PCB have just one neck-tie? Looks like most of the players used one same tie for the pics.
Looking at the scorecard of Pakistan A and India match, India should drop Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Balaji and Murali, and let Tendulkar, Ganguly, Sehwag be their main stream bowlers :)
I have no clue why PCB is so reluctant in giving chances to Taufeeq in ODIs, anyone have any idea why?
Pakistan A performed well today:k:
inshAllah we will win:jhanda:
Taufeeq stars in Indian drubbing](http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/MAR/090931_PAKIND2003-04_11MAR2004.html)
Anand Vasu in Lahore
March 11, 2004
Pakistan A 336 for 4 (Taufeeq 104, Nazir 65, Faisal 50*) beat Indians 335 for 6 (Dravid 92*, Tendulkar 76, Sehwag 75) by six wickets with four overs to spare
The feel-good factor of India’s start to their tour evaporated quickly as Pakistan A’s young batsmen launched a murderous assault on the hapless Indian bowlers, achieving a stiff target of 336 with ridiculous ease. Taufeeq Umar, who boasts a Test average of 46 over 19 matches, hammered 104 (89 balls, 13 fours, 2 sixes), and along with Imran Nazir (65, 32 balls, 9 fours, 2 sixes) gave Pakistan A the kind of start that made it possible for them to achieve victory with six wickets and four overs to spare. :k: :jhanda:
Just after the 20-over mark of their innings Pakistan’s run rate dropped sharply to 10 an over. That people even noticed this was a reflection on Pakistan’s domination. Zaheer Khan’s return to international cricket began in the worst possible manner – his first over went for 17 runs. But, that figure was left in the shade later in the innings, when Irfan Pathan and Murali Kartik were left dazed and confused. Pathan went for 24 while Kartik’s first over read: 4, 4 byes, 4, 4, 1, 6. It was just that sort of a day. The Pakistan A batsmen came out with a clear plan: they would not let the bowlers settle. The introduction of each new bowler into the attack was greeted with great relish.
Sourav Ganguly rotated the bowling as well as he could and tinkered with the odd field setting but there was simply no stemming the onslaught. At the end of 10 overs Pakistan A were 136 for no loss and by 20 overs they had reached 199 for 1 :D, as Umar settled in for the long haul while Imran went hell-for-leather.
The opening stand was worth 127 from just 8.3 overs and virtually settled the matter in favour of Pakistan A. Imran was fooled by a clever slower ball from Zaheer, and lost his stumps attempting a big shot (127 for 1). At this stage the Indians were pumped up and had a whiff of a chance of getting back into the game.
Naumanullah, tall and strong, walked confidently out to the middle and made sure that the fall of one wicket did not herald another. He contented himself with working the ball into the gaps and picked off the easy runs on offer. The bowlers had wilted and the fielding was anything but sharp. His 35 from 45 balls pushed the score on to 220 before the next wicket fell. By this stage, the Indians had been shut out of the match. Faisal Iqbal applied the finishing touches. He simply toyed with the bowling for his unbeaten 50. He batted with total freedom and rubbed salt into India’s wounds with two sixes and a four.
The bowling analyses did not make for happy reading – Zaheer went for 78 from nine overs, Lakshmipathy Balaji for 60 from 6, while Pathan conceded 49 for five. They all lacked the discipline needed to succeed on a good batting pitch, and strayed too often onto the pads. They were full when they needed to be just short of a length and provided the batsmen with the chance to hit through the line.
But, it was not all bad for the Indians. It was merely a familiar story. The bowlers struggled while the batsmen succeeded gloriously – every top-order batsman save Ganguly made runs. Virender Sehwag was his usual carefree self. He smote the bowling to all parts, including a trademark uppercut six over third man, making 75 off 68 balls. Sachin Tendulkar was excessively watchful to start with, and he appeared more keen to get a feel of the ball in the middle of the bat than to dominate the bowling. Eventually he played a few gems, but in all it was an innings that lacked fluency. He too, however, ended with a substantial score – 76 from 82 balls.
The real gem of the Indian innings, however, came from Rahul Dravid. He came to the wicket with the team scoring at a hectic pace, and settled down to a quiet half-century. After that, though, he opened his shoulders to play some fine flicks, pulls and cuts in a 69-ball 92. India managed 335, but it turned out to be woefully inadequate.
I would be damm pissed if the name Afridi shows up in the playing XI
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Sharaabi: *
I would be damm pissed if the name Afridi shows up in the playing XI
[/QUOTE]
hahaha, well why do you think his name is in the 15 players in the first place?? Rest assured he will be playing atleast first two matches!
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Captain1: *
I have no clue why PCB is so reluctant in giving chances to Taufeeq in ODIs, anyone have any idea why?
[/QUOTE]
Thats why...
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by saby: *
Imran Farhat has played better than taufeeq in whatever oppurunities he got. Dont forget the four century stands with Yasir in five matches. But its good to have backup such as Taufeeq.
[/QUOTE]
AND
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by saby: *
It doesnt make a good reading...
Batting 17 17 1 426 81* 26.62 56.87 0 3
S/R of 56.87 and Average of 26 are his biggest enemies...
Yes he played brilliantly today but i m afriad when he is gonna play a one day match, he is gonna score like a snail pace, like he use to.
[/QUOTE]
If Afridi plays ahead of Taufeeq or Nazir Saturday he is down to open according to Inzimam. If he hands the opposition the customary early wicket he's going to have to bowl damn well otherwise the selection comittee will have some questions to answer...
Saby, Imran Farhat scored his major runs in recent NZ's visit to Pakistan when Taufeeq was already dropped from ODIs. If he was given chances in Pakistan's flatter pitches he could've scored too. Out of 5 matches in Pakistan's visit to NZ Imran Farhat scored only one good knock of 87, others were 24, 17, 16 and 8.
Keep in mind that NZ team visited Pakistan was like NZ B team and Imran Farhat scored better (also flatter pitches). When Pak visited NZ, their team was better and pitches were not as flat, and he score only one decent knock.
I am not as anti-Imran Farhat as I am pro-Taufeeq.
Ever heard of word UNIFORM?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Captain1: *
I just saw pics posted above, does PCB have just one neck-tie? Looks like most of the players used one same tie for the pics.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Decent 6Chora: *
Ever heard of word UNIFORM?
[/QUOTE]
so Yasir Hameed has not been given uniform yet?
well its just that his picture has not been taken after getting into the national team. Its just once in a year or so that whole team had their pictures taken in National Color. Wait for a year more and check it back :)
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Captain1: *
so Yasir Hameed has not been given uniform yet?
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Captain1: *
Saby, Imran Farhat scored his major runs in recent NZ's visit to Pakistan when Taufeeq was already dropped from ODIs. If he was given chances in Pakistan's flatter pitches he could've scored too.
[/QUOTE]
And Taufeeq today scored his runs on a green pitch???
And to say he was not given chances on flatter pitches? He was played in sharjah and he hasnt shone apart from one innings against Zimbabwe. I like Taufeeq a lot, i think he has the potential and i would love to be proved wrong if he is given a chance in ODI's but for the moment, Imran and Yasir are doing a marvellous job.