Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
poor afridi? chch
he bowled his heart out and when it comes to bat, he threw his brain out...
And those who got brain couldnt even do anything
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
And those who got brain couldnt even do anything
maybe because it only needs one brainless to spoil the game... and we had Afridi as you suggested....
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
i think Misbah should continue 1-2 years but for ODIs and Intl. T20s he is just the right guy … remains to be seen what happens when Afridi comes in … coz then i see all phaddeys cropping up again
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
Badhayee ho!
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
^ Thanks
This statement might fall flat in the next few series but the best thing **about the current test side is that there are **very few Egos ... just my personal observation
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
A good win but not a great one IMO. Overall I would rate this 6/10
Bowling: conceding 400+ against Zimbabwe in the first innings was a pathetic effort with the ball. If you cannot beat teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh with your second/third string bowling attacks then you know you have serious problems on the bowling front. Aizaz Cheema in particular was impressive, age should not be a bar for selection ... if a 32 year old has a big heart, can move the ball (both new and old) both ways, he deserves to play for Pakistan. Should have played Yasir Shah ahead of Sohail. Bowling can be improved a tad bit but the new guys esp. Cheema really did do well in the second innings so credit to them and Ajmal.
Batting: Hafeez' renaissance is awesome. Batting is still not upto the mark, should have done better than losing 3 wickets when chasing a small total of 88 runs. Had the target been 175-200, I dread to think what would have happened.
I know it's test cricket but the Tuk-Tuk Middle Order (Azhar, Younis and Misbah) was painstakingly slow on day 3 (241 runs in 90 overs!!). Younis was uncharacteristically slow. I have never seen him this bogged down especially when you have another slow snail in Azhar Ali who may be solid but having him, Younis and of course Misbah in a team will not work against stronger opposition.
It is not about hitting 4s and 6s or even about stickability, but as a batsman you gotta be able to find gaps in the field and run well between the wickets and keep the scoreboard moving. Asad Shafiq, did not play here, but he has the same difficulty with rotating the strike!!
Fielding: Catching again was poor. Good keeping by Adnan (much better than Kamran Akmal)
Pakistan has not lost a series since the spot-fixing controversy (against South Africa, NZ and Zimbabwe) in June/July last year. All of them were were very short series though. Sterner tests await us against England and Sri Lanka
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
What a 4th day we had. :) Well played.
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
A good win but not a great one IMO. Overall I would rate this 6/10
Batting: Hafeez' renaissance is awesome. Batting is still not upto the mark, should have done better than losing 3 wickets when chasing a small total of 88 runs. Had the target been 175-200, I dread to think what would have happened.
I know it's test cricket but the Tuk-Tuk Middle Order (Azhar, Younis and Misbah) was painstakingly slow on day 3 (241 runs in 90 overs!!). Younis was uncharacteristically slow. I have never seen him this bogged down especially when you have another slow snail in Azhar Ali who may be solid but having him, Younis and of course Misbah in a team will not work against stronger opposition.
I would disagree with Hafeez's "renaissance". He has been dropped in every innings he has scored a 100 in, and he hasnt scored any big runs against top quality attacks, such as England, Australia, South Africa etc. Either he gets out cheaply, or he gives a chance or two early on, gets dropped, then goes on to score his usual 30's,40's, and the occasional 50. Even the maiden 100 came after being dropped.
So, while hes not a bad option at the moment, I dont see him being the reliable opener the team needs. Any opener who gives chances again and again to the opposition, will fail as soon as he comes up against better teams.
With regard to Younis, he hasnt done anything of note in over 2 years. Even on the best of days, he was a decent player but nowhere near the class of players like Saeed Anwar, Inzamam Ul Haq and Mohammad Yousuf.
It would be best to spit these guys up, for example, open with Taufiq and Hafeez or Farhat, Azhar at 3, umar akmal at 4, younis at 5, misbah at 6, etc. Having Azhar,Younis and Misbah bat in sequence will never help the run rate.
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
Agreed. Umar Akmal needs to bat higher. Hafeez needs to be more consistent for sure but atleast he looks to be positive and attacking with the bat and has now started converting those 20s and 30s into bigger scores. Overall I w'd say he has not had a bad last 10-12 months
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
People talk about how crucial number 3 or number 4 is. But we forget how crucial number 6 position is for us. Because our tail is kinda long and number 6 is often required to bat with the tail and hence rally them to form little partnerships and shepherd them. Umar Akmal is fine where is he now. When we get another person who can bat aggressively with the tail, Umar should stay at 6.
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
When was last time Umar Akmal did something good in Tests? 
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
well he did well against windies.... But still not up the level that is expected off him.
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
Thanks Uncle 
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
^ You are welcome, Waleed!
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
Looking forward to the ODI Series
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
Farhat starts the series just the right way (for himself that is) 
Gone for a 2 ball Duck/Anda
Pakistan 1/1 after 2.1 Overs
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
Malik went for 2 so both players staging a comeback have failed .... going by this Sohail Tanvir should get ready to be spanked all over the Park :D
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
Why do they select him every now and then? His record is pathetic. I think we should all stage a sit-in in front of the PCB headquarter and demand that the public be told what criteria is used for selecting players? Is it their recent domestic stats, international stats or any other benchmark? Hadd ho gai hai ab to. We should demand the removal of officials involved in unmerited selections.
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
Why do they select him every now and then? His record is pathetic. I think we should all stage a sit-in in front of the PCB headquarter and demand that the public be told what criteria is used for selecting players? Is it their recent domestic stats, international stats or any other benchmark? Hadd ho gai hai ab to. We should demand the removal of officials involved in unmerited selections.
Because it is duty of FIL to make sure his Son in law gets compensation every now and then... that is why imran farhat is selected...
as for shoaib, he have some strong political connections...
Re: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2011
209/6 off 44.2 overs.