Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

Ehsan bhai is b/w rock and hard place. I'll leave it upto him to select one :D

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

I am boycotting the match. :snooty:

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

oye kakke, bol kaun jeetega :D

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

be a man …do the right thing (russell peter’s style) :smiley:

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

yeah they don't.....any of the 5 teams from the top 6 that holds their nerve should be able to beat them...

India had an advantage but lost their nerves.... Pakistan should try to gain confidence while playing against minnow - that is the bottom line ...

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

Lets see what they do tomorrow…Keeping my fingers crossed :jhanda:

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

**No complacency for bullish Pakistan **

           Osman Samiuddin in Hambantota

February 21, 2011

At some level it probably suits Pakistan that the focus on them at these big dos is usually on the circus of controversy and scandal that travels with them. “Look here come Pakistan after the death of their coach, here come Pakistan after the spot-fixing brouhaha, here come Pakistan after the terror attacks, here come Pakistan with their 17th captain this month.” Generally, it tends to be overlooked - though probably not by their opponents - that they come with a hefty bounty of talent, capable of equally hefty things. It is why no right-minded, field-based discussion can ever ignore them.
This World Cup, for the first time since 1999, they bring genuinely fresh personnel, players waiting to make a name, not players living off their names. [ is in good form. We have Wahab Riaz, who we hope will do well. We have got a good blend, good spinners, fairly good fast bowlers. All that matters is that we click at the right time."
Over six months, significant ODI wins in three different countries has shown as much. What has worried Waqar has been an inability to finish off close games, or longer contests such as bilateral series. Eight of their 19 ODIs since Waqar took over last year have been close ones: of their 10 losses, three have been by 24 runs or less and two, by three wickets and four wickets that went to the last over. Of their eight wins, two have been by a wicket, one by two wickets and another by 23 runs; two bilateral series have needed a fifth, deciding game - which they’ve lost - and six-game series they won 3-2. Almost always, they are nearly there.
“It carried on for a while, when we played the Asia Cup, World Twenty20 and then even in England we came very, very close to the games but couldn’t finish it,” Waqar said. “Eventually we started finishing in New Zealand and yes, it is something which you can improve. Even I go out and learn something new from a youngster in cricket every day, so we are on a learning curve. We have learnt how to finish and make sure we don’t get to the situation in the first place where the game gets tight.”
Under normal circumstances Kenya should not provide too stern a challenge, but given Ireland and all that, understandably Waqar is wary. “Everyone knows this is an important tournament so every match is important, whether the opponents are Kenya or Australia. We will play as if we are playing against any big team. We will not take anything lightly and go out to win every match.”
Calling it a personal mission to undo miserable past World Cups would be overdoing it, but a good run here will mean something to Waqar. At his absolute peak in 1992, he had to pull out of the squad at the last minute in Australia with stress fractures of the back; he later greeted his team-mates, with a tear in his eye, at the airport in Lahore as they returned with the trophy. In 1996 he was hit for 40 runs in his last two overs of the quarter-final, swinging the match decisively in favour of India.
He was a peripheral member of the 1999 World Cup squad, playing in just one game - the loss to Bangladesh. In 2003, he was captain as Pakistan crashed out in the first round. “I don’t have any regrets, because 1992 was a glory for Pakistan cricket. I wasn’t part of that team but that does not matter. I have been part of several World Cups, this is different role I’ve got, different challenges and hopefully, if as a cricketer I didn’t succeed in the World Cup, this is my opportunity as a coach.”

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/502304.html](“http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/player/43543.html”)

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

GO KENYA GO… Pls uphold the pride of Ehsan Bhai… :slight_smile: :k:

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

^^prode....?

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

All Pakistan need is a clinical performance (cf. Australia v Zimbabwe) against Kenya. A decent score of 270 or 280 and a good performance with the ball and in the field w'd do. No point scoring 350+ against Kenya and then going phuss when it really matters. Even a loss against SLA on Saturday won't be bad so long as they put up a good show with both bat and ball

The important thing is to peak at the right time. Hence the games against NZ and Australia are more important IMO

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

Mended... :D

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

lol ....
:D

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

Well I had a choice between thuss and phuss. In the end thought phuss sounded less vulgar than thuss :D

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

^^more funny when you look at it this way..

**going phuss **new use of english - desi vernacular

my kids do the same since my wife and l speak in urdu at home and they learn in english only...so they speak urgish....I am drinking pani....

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

mein nay Kenya :hbk: par paisay lagay hain :slight_smile: Allah karay jeet jay :smiley:

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Keep your fingers crossed :@:

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

akalmand banda. :slight_smile:

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

I like the look of this pakistani team. Batting order is flexible and has a good symmetry in terms of attackers and grafters. And It does seem like that management has a plan B when it comes to batting order.

Come on Pakistan. Make a good start to the cup.

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

1 pe 10 :@:

:insh: Pakistan will win :jhanda:

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Re: Pakistan VS Kenya | 23rd FEB

Can Kenya challenge Pakistan?

   The Preview by Sriram Veera

February 22, 2011

February 23, Hambantota
Start time 14:30 local time (09:00 GMT)

http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/127400/127446.2.jpg

Big Picture

It’s not the exciting Umar Akmal, the marauding Shahid Afridi, the blaster Abdul Razzaq, or the volatile Shoaib Akthar who captures the essence of this Pakistan team but the back-from-the-dead Misbah-ul-Haq. He was never supposed to be here, back playing international cricket. He was plagued by form issues, was not growing any younger, and just when you thought he was history, Pakistan made him the Test captain. They said he will prove a bad investment, that he will roll up and surrender but what did he do? He kept scoring fifties, also sparkled in the ODIs against New Zealand and nearly became the ODI captain. In many ways, the Pakistan team is like him. Spot-fixing, aging stars, cocky youngsters and loss of good bowlers to controversies should have rendered them impotent, but they are the dark horse in this tournament. Pakistan showed in New Zealand that they like to play the game the 80’s way: Start steady, build during the middle overs and explode in the end. They have Misbah and Younis Khan to build, the Akmal brothers and the Afridi-Razzaq combination to finish in style but in Ahmed Shehzad they have unearthed someone who can provide them with a fiery start. The loss of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir might hurt their Test team but Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib and the canny spinners Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal have enough skill in them to keep their ODI bandwagon up and running in style.
For their part, Kenya are trying to breathe after the demolition under the hands of New Zealand. For what it’s worth, it could be the best thing that happened to them. Now they would know there is no point in trying to play a safe game and meander towards defeat. They were nervous in the first game, never dared to express themselves, and sunk without a trace. Even in that performance, there was evidence that they possess a few batsmen with some flair. Collins Obuya flirted, albeit briefly, with flamboyance, Steve Tikolo will be itching to script a memorable swan song, Alex Obanda is an attacking batsman and the young Seren Waters seems to possess the skill required to belong at this level. They beat Netherlands in a friendly in Dubai and lost a close game in a warm-up encounter in this tournament. You feel they are a much better team than the outfit that turned up against New Zealand. Can they shed their big-stage nerves?

Form guide
(Most recent first for the last five completed games)
Pakistan: LWWWL
Kenya: LWLWL

Pitch and conditions
It looks a typical subcontinental batting track and a run feast is expected.
Watch out for…
Seren Waters reminded one of Kane Williamson: Compact, technically correct and in this day and age, showed an almost old-fashioned preference to get completely behind the line of deliveries. His captain rates him as the batsman who has got the skill and the inclination to bat long. Ahmed Shehzad](http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/player/259410.html) provides the much-needed fire at the top order. He loves to loft straight and frequently uses the fierce mow over midwicket as his go-to shot under pressure. His 115 against New Zealand in the last series also showed that he was willing to be cautious against the moving ball, under conditions which demanded that, before counter-attacking his way out of trouble. If he can continue to show such judicious shot selections, he can help Pakistan launch solid starts.

Team news
Pakistan are keen on playing both Younis and Misbah in the XI but Afridi suggested that they might not be played at No.4 and 5 to ensure the run-rate doesn’t slacken. It’s also learnt that Shoaib Akhtar will be given a go despite concerns over his form.
Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmad Shahzad, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Younis Khan, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Misbah-ul-Haq, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Abdur Razzaq, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Shoaib Akhtar
Kenya captain Jimmy Kamande got hit on the side of the head by a ball in practice and there was some swelling, but he is expected to play tomorrow.
Kenya (probable) 1 Seren Waters, 2 Alex Obanda, 3 Collins Obuya, 4 Rakep Patel, 5 Steve Tikolo, 6 Maurice Ouma (wk), 7 Jimmy Kamande (capt), 8 Thomas Odoyo, 9 James Ngoche, 10 Shem Ngoche, 11 Nehemiah Odhiambo
Try picking the XIs for tomorrow’s game by playing Team Selector.

Stats and trivia

  • Pakistan and Kenya have faced each other five times with Pakistan winning all the encounters. Kenya have gone past 150 only once against Pakistan.
  • Afridi’s has 288 sixes, the record for most sixes in one-dayers. Sanath Jayasuriya is second with 270.
    Quotes
    “We don’t want Misbah and Younis batting together so that we can keep momentum and the scoreboard ticking.”

Shahid Afridi suggests Pakistan will be using a floating batting line-up to ensure the pace never slackens

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/502507.html