Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
http://www.pcboard.com.pk/Pakistan/Scorecards/misc/4/misc4533.html
Yes he is coming back in the team. Good to see him getting in rhythm.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Those are some good numbers 6-3-6-3 :k:, and so are Umar Gul’s though wicketless 5-3-6-0
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
^ nice to see shoaib back ...
there were two retired hurt in the ROP innings... who is doing that?
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
I am not sure if they were retired hurt or just retired to give other batsmen a chance.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Very impressive performance by Akhtar. Looks like he has gained him rythem back. Good for him and Pakistan :k:
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Why don't I see the "Barsati keeray" (BK) in this thread today who always come out whenever shoaib bowls a bad ball. Yar if not for him than just for being a Paksitani fan acknowledge his efforts because in the form of a fit and inform shoaib we have a sound bowling department.
And don't tell me that you didn't post because you are not interested in his performace in this particular match coz I can bet this thread to be full of BK's if shoaib had performed badly in this match.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Clive Lloyd once said, a player can lose form but class can never change. Shoaib is a class act (when clicking), its a pity he had to pay such a heavy price for his indiscretions. Great performance, should ring alarm bells for the English batting side.
This match had some exceptional performances, Malik, Yunus, Yuhana all have chipped in with some extremely valuable runs and that too just in time.
Our backup batsmen, Faisel Iqbal, Bazid Khan and Misbah ul Haq had a very good match with all three batsmen scoring. Another good news for Pakistan, we have players who are in form and eager to play.
Disappointments:
Inzi once again failed with the bat, more importantly, chose not to bat and get a chance to find his lost form. BIG Worry, he is our only class act batsman and carries Pakistani batting. Inzi has to find his form, pronto.
Salman Butt was not clicking, bad news cause we already have a serious problem with our opening batsmen. Malik may have scored a brilliant 177, but then again he has no feet movement and any swing...he will find it extremely difficult. Biggest asset of Malik is his fighting spirit, that has always been his greatest weapon. Lets hope he continues with his good nick.
Pakistan has once again decided to depend upon experience by selecting Mushtaq Ahmed, a tried and tested player, but ageing. Yuhana, Inzi, Mushtaq and Arshad Khan are average if not terrible fielders and that can be the deciding factor for two very much balanced sides.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
And they blame me for being pro-Shoaib! Many of the bandwagoners hate him for reasons not related to his performance; that is just idiotic and typical Pakistani behavior. If he performs well, he should be in the team. Otherwise, he should not be in the team. Such a simple concept.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
That is exactly what everyone says but some people say he should be in the team regardless of his behaviour, his commitment and everything else. That is simply not acceptable. I have said it before and will say it again “He is because of Pakistan and not the other way round”. The quicker he learns that the better it will be for him.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Everyone agrees with u Ehsan, our cricket superstars are because of Pakistan and not the other way around. No one advocates inclusion of a certain player regardless of their commitment and behavior. Problem arises when double standards are applied, favoritism supercedes professional standards and political expediency translates into exclusion and deliberate debasement.
Take the example of Inzi, being the captain and senior most player he should have been prepared for this home series, but then again his supporters are willing to ignore his indiscretions. His performance has been absolutely mediocre in the latest appearings, but we all realize the mans potential, talent and there is never a need to discuss his ability. Had this been SA, u very well know things wud haave been very different. A guy who has taken 144 test wickets is put on hold till the last moment for selection, what was the selection commitee waiting for?
Shoaib Malik threw a domestic match and nobody even bothered, Board officials included. Any other country like Australia or England and this guy wud have been history. You can complain about Akhters non-commitment but nothing about the unethical behaviour of Malik, board and his captain for supporting him?
Pakistan cricket is replete with sordid examples of players misconduct, unprofessional behavior yet players continued with their respective roles. So lets keep things in perspective and be fair in our assessments.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Ehsan bhai I guess you are talking about the same class of idiots who are anti shoaib even when they know that he is fit and inform. These “fans” think that they are above pakistan cricket and therefore don’t give a damn what is good for pakistan cricket and what is not. All the pro shoaib crowd here have always said that shoaib does have an attitude problem which always bring problems for him. But than there is a way to tackle this issue which is definitely not keeping him out of the side. There is definitely a way of keeping him in the side and at the same time keeping his behaviour and attitude in control and getting 100% committment from him.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
very well drafted…i do not agree with everything in your post but regardless, I liked your writing style. Keep posting.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
It is all very well to point the finger at everyone else and ignore the indiscpline by Shoaib. The problem with him is that while he does what probably every other player does once in a while, he does it all the time. He thinks he is bigger than the game, when the reality is that he is not half the player Akram, Waqar or Imran were. Yet they never behaved in such arrogant and silly way. He ditches Pakistan’s team when it needs him most. He suddenly becomes injured when things are not going Pakistan’s way, yet is seen jet skiing or spending his nights in discos. It is that what hurts Pakistani supporters. There is no place for such shenanigans in the Pakistan team.
Lastly yes lets keep things in perspective and see him for what he is… A brilliant bowler but one with an extremely arrogant manner and one who really does not care for Pakistan, only himself. I have followed Pakistan’s cricket team since the late 60’s and have never seen such indisciplined or arrogant player as him. To me Pakistan comes first and really I couldn’t care less for Shoaib if he is not committed to Pakistan’s cause, regardless of his talent.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Ehsan bhai the thing remains if one really cares about whats good for Pakistan then Akhtar needs to be in the side. There was a golden oppurtunity to beat Windies in the carribean (Test series) yet with Sami injured and Akhtar ignored we lacked the bowling to bowl them out twice. His exclusion may well have caused us our first ever test series victory in West Indies. How is that good for Pakistan ?
Akram, Waqar etc all partied as well the only difference is Akhtar seems to be a lot more media hungry and gives out some silly statements in the press. I can understand the frustration of PCB in that regard but then again they have overlooked a lot of crap before when other players are concerned. I mean why hold Akhtar to a different standard then others. Had Akhtar been crying and moaning about being dropped from the ICC XI and then later picked up and performed as badly as Inzimam did trust me people would be asking for his head. He would have been an insult to the game of cricket by crying and moaning to be included and then not being able to perform. Yet when Inzimam does it no one gives a damn. Reports of Inzimam not listening to Smith surfaced which might very well be true but no one even bothered with those reports, had it been Akhtar people would have wanted a full scale investigatino to prove him guilty and sideline such a player.
Inzimam and co. gets away with a lot of crap that if Shoaib does would get him in deep ****. Inzimam showed open dissagreement with the board on apoointment of Younis Khan as vice captain. Yet no one bothered telling him appointing captain and vice captain is the job of the board and he has no say so in that matter and is lucky in the first place he is the captain of the side.
Shoaib is to our bowling line up what Inzimam is to our batting. PCB, public and the cpatain himself should realize that and try to work out their differneces. Ego's will hurt but that doesnt mean take someone out who is crucial to our bowling line up.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
LM, I have the greatest regards for your comments but I have to disagree with your analysis here. If we had taken Shaoib to WI, looking at his previous record it was more than possible that he would have got "injured" and we would have been without his services as usual. I will not be convinced till he plays one whole series without getting injured and also performing in such a series. If he does I will be the first to applaud. Till than sorry, no argument cuts ice.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Anyway guys, back to the topic of Pakistan X1 and Rets of Pakistan match, it has ended in a draw, with Kamal getting chance to bat again and scored only 39 while Salman Butt remained unbeaten on 33 and Inzamam regained some form smacking 76 not out from 70 balls with 5 fours and 6 sixes. Arshan Khan got smacked for 28 runs in 1.5 overs, while Mushtaq Ahmed went wicketless in 11 overs costing 63 runs.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
I know it is off-topic but i dont want to open a new thread about Shoaib plus i have answers to some of those who have already posted on this topic under this thread.
I don’t know why is it so difficult for some guppies to understand the grounds based on which some other guppies including myself advocate exclusion of Shoaib from the national team. I mean come on, what are we debating about at the first place? We all want the best for Team Pakistan and we would all die to bring anyone on board who can bowl with full commitment and win us matches. Any difference in opinion upon this issue? Of-course not. So, if Shoaib is such a true match-winner, why the hell most of Pakistanis have problem with Shoaib? And YES, I really mean it when I say that most of Pakistanis do have problem with Shoaib because they do. The question to ponder is WHY is that? And of course you don’t need Newton’s IQ to answer the question. Like Ehsan bhai has stated at least million times in his posts that we have no problem with him but we hate his attitude. It is that simple. All we want from every player is to perform full-heartedly and feel the pain for Pakistani nation and then afterwards do whatever you want. Play hard and then party hard!!! It gets as simple as this. Trust me.
Now please don’t come and lecture us about folks being too harsh on Shoaib and being too relaxed about Inzi or other players. Don’t think we are bunch of naïve emotional souls who have nothing else to do but to blame someone after each defeat and therefore, we always pick on shoaib because he is an “arrogant superstar”. For your kind information, many of us have been watching cricket with a great passion for last 25 years and we have seen some real super-stars in the making. We have seem Imran at his peak when he took 40 wickets against India in 1982 and single-handedly blew off one of the biggest Indian superstars such as Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Amarnat, Vishwanath etc (just imagine shoaib’s attitude had he achieved such a feat). We have seen the wave of madness which swept whole Pakistan when Javed Miandad hit that magical innings and the last ball six at Sharja in 1986. The joy and craziness created by sultan of swing Wasim Akram by bowling those two miraculous deliveries in World Cup Final in 1992 is still unmatchable by any other bowler in Pakistan’s entire cricketing history. And in the end we have seen Waqar Younis era from 1989 to 1995 when he literally redefined the fast bowling by his toe crushing Yorkers and snake-like in-swinging balls match after match. Now, these were the “real super-stars” but none of them ever got carried away by their monumental efforts the way Mr. Akhtar does after some performances here and there. The point I am tying to make is that Pakistani public has witnessed enough cricket to make a judgment about a player’s character and level of commitment. Remind you all again, I am saying player’s level of commitment not his caliber.
In the end, we should ask ourselves, why the hell no one ever questions Rana Naeed Hassan or Mohammed Sami’s attitude or level of commitment. Why the hell an outsider such as Bob Wolmmer who has no personal animosity with Shoaib was also in favor of keeping him out of the team for sometime? And most importantly, how come team’s performance and level of commitment rose so high after honorable Mr. Akhtar was sent back home in VB Series in Australia and then team’s commitment just got better and better all the way to WI’s tour? If you don’t have an answer, just pay attention to Indian team’s performance after their own “Mr. Akhtar” was finally left out of the team. Of course there is an answer for those who want an answer, not for those who only want a debate!!!
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Shane Bond has been injured a lot as well does that mean he is not commited enough to play for NZ ? Someone's fitness should not be a criteria to judge his commitment to the team.
Ehsan Bhai since he was not taken to West Indies I guess we'd never know if he would have survived the whole tour or not without getting injured. Plus what exactly has changed since then and now that he is in the team now but was not when squad for West Indies was announced. Shoaib announced his fitness and willingness to play. They excluded him for the squad on the basis of his "attitude". After that Shoaib spent most of his time outside Pakistan so what exactly has been done about his attitude ? If a couple of small mettings were held between him and Inzimam during ICC (not so super) Series then why couldnt those meetings been arranged before the west indian tour so we could have picked the strongest possible squad.
I agree with Ehsab bahi on the count that he is not half the player of the caliber of Akram, Waqar or Imran but the fact also is he is the best we got at the moment and we need to utilize him for the betterment of the team.
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Yeah ask yourself why Bond’s level of commitment is not questioned despite his injuries and why shoiab’s is? Bhai sahib yahee to sariee batt ha…..why no one ever questioned Imran or waqar’s injuries? Because they had public trust which unfortunately Mr Akhtar does not and there is no one else to be blamed for that except shoaib himself. Such was the timing of his various injuries that now it has cast a shadow of doubt over his legitimate injuries too. That is the whole point.
Any there is a huge difference between the WI tour and current England tour. What are you talking about? The whole dynamics has changed in last 9 months. Pakistani team has learnt to survive without shoaib. Whether sohaib was out of the time for the Indian tour because of an injury or not, the fact of the matter is that the Team Pakistan not only survived this tough tour but actually put a great show. And for the WI tour, Shoaib was simply rejected. A great blow to his inflated ego…And frankly speaking, we had a pretty reasonable WI tour. We beat them comprehensively in ODIs and the test series was drawn. The first test which we lost was because of Inzi and Yoyo’s absence. So sir jee, a lot has changed in last 9 months. Shoiab knows really well that time is slipping out of his hands. Do you know that in the last few months, he has been sending several messages through private sources to Coach Woolmer that why is he ruining his career? huh…What I am trying to point out is that Shoaib is panicked and knows really damn well that Pakistani team has learnt to survive without him or at least the team management has the courage to kick his ass even when he is fit. There you go…That is why Shoaib Bhai jan is now running at his full speed in a trial match to prove his fitness…Run Shoaib Run before time run you over …run for your own sake if you cant run for Pakistan…but for God sake, do run at your full speed…finally
Re: Pakistan X1 vs Rest of Pakistan
Ditto ! Today we had Iftar of all our relatives at our place including my hardcore Chacha’s who hate Shoaib Akhtar. But even then we said one same thing, " Though none of us like him but the fact remains i.e. If he is going to play all the test matches with passion and ‘Lagan’, I am sure he will re-gain the support and respect that he has lost over the years. ".