[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by funguy: *
I rather have bowlers who are not extra-talented but can bowl 5 out of 6 on the off-stump.
[/QUOTE]
Yep and bear in mind that these guys are still learning. Gul asked for a 7-2 offside field during his opening spell and i like a guy who is confident enough to back his ability to bowl off stump. he did it as well.
congrats young paki team !
Gul, hafeez and kaneria looked impressive :k:
Razzaq flurry sinks Zimbabwe](http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2003/APR/165391_CI_03APR2003.html)
Pakistan’s new-look side - with just four names in common with the team which played their last World Cup match - made an impressive start to their Sharjah Cup campaign, thrashing Zimbabwe by 68 runs. Riding on a dazzling, 53-ball 76 from Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan overcame a nervy start to post 278, and then allowed Zimbabwe just 210, ensuring that they took home the bonus point as well.
**There were plenty of plusses for Pakistan after their miserable run in South Africa. Younis Khan scored a measured 67, Umar Gul took two wickets in his first one-day international, Danish Kaneria and Mohammad Hafeez - another debutant - had impressive spells in the middle overs, and the entire team was sprightly in the field. But the star of the day - by some margin - was Razzaq. **
After Pakistan’s top order had made a meal of excellent batting conditions, Razzaq came in and treated the Zimbabwean attack with utter contempt, slamming seven sixes, six of which came in the last 12 balls. In fact, Heath Streak and his team had done an excellent job in the field after losing the toss - after 46 overs, Pakistan had managed just 209. Then, the sluice gates opened, as Zimbabwe’s bowlers kept serving up full-tosses, and Razzaq kept smashing them over long-on. Forty-seven came in the last two overs, by Douglas Hondo and Sean Ervine, and what had been a close contest went completely Pakistan’s way.
However, Rashid Latif hardly got the start he would have hoped for after winning the toss. Hafeez, opening the innings with Taufeeq Umar, began with an exquisite back-foot cover-drive off Heath Streak, then nicked one from the same bowler for 12 (32 for 1).
Then, three more wickets fell in a hurry - Naved Latif (3) was bowled through the gate, Taufeeq was bowled off an inside edge by Streak for a laborious 50-ball 16, and Yousuf Youhana was smartly snaffled by Tatenda Taibu (69 for 4).
Not for the first time, it was left to Pakistan’s lower middle order to engineer the revival. Younis was the protagonist, with two partnerships which laid the plat form and allowed Razzaq to launch the blistering onslaught at the end.
The 58-run stand with Latif came at a run a ball, and injected some much-needed momentum to the innings. Latif contributed 34, mixing swift running between wickets with splendid, innovative strokeplay. A fine piece of fielding by Travis Friend at fine ended that partnership, but Younis stitched together a useful 44-run stand with Razzaq, who was content to play second fiddle. By the time Younis left, Razzaq had a platform to tee off from.
Zimbabwe’s run-chase never took off, despite Doug Marillier’s enterprising 59, laced with clever paddles and cheeky reverse-sweeps. Craig Wishart, who opened the innings with him, chased a wide one and gave Gul his first international wicket (21 for 1). Gul snared Friend too - playing in this match as a specialist batsman - having him edge one to slip (47 for 2).
The early damage done, the spinners took over. Grant Flower, in his 200th one-day international, needed just 14 to reach 6000 ODI runs. He got 13 of those, then smashed a cover-drive off Kaneria which Mohammad Hafeez snaffled with a magnificent diving effort to his right (87 for 3). And when Marillier left, castled by a quicker one by Kaneria (104 for 4), the contest was all but over. Blignaut and Ervine livened up proceedings with entertaining cameos, which never threatened to alter the course of the match.
This match gave Zimbabwe their first taste of life after Andy Flower, and it was hardly a pleasant experience.
I was watching the match's coverage on SuperSports2, and this former South African fast bowler commented that if Umar Gul improved his action then he might just be able to bowl a little faster. He was very impressed with him overall.
I sort of agree with his assessment. Umar does have a strange bowling action, and perhaps a few weeks under strict guidance of Michael Holding or some other former West indian fast bowler will really help him. Your thoughts?
Congratulations to Pakistan for their great performance in the opening game of sharjah cup 2003. Pakistan batted very well but they should keep in mind about the mistake of the one down batsman. As far as i think, misbah-ul-haq should b played for naved latif… Muhammed Hafeez bowled very well and same with Umar Gul. Good captaincy by Rashid Latif and coaching by Javed Miandad. :k: Allround performance by them. Let’s hope for the best tomorrow against the big ones Srilanka. Remember that Chaminda Vaas is unfit so pakistan can score some runs:k:
Lets hope best for the pakistani’s:jhanda:…
tum sab loog Danish ko kyon bhool jatay ho 
ChthonicPowers,
His action could probably be smoothed out but he was getting the new ball to move off the seam which is unusual for Pakistani bowlers. He's not a speed bowler that's for sure. He was bowling around the same pace as Wasim and Waqar mid-130's kph, similar to McGgrath. He had the Zim batsmen struggling early on, that's for sure.
Danish bowled well.
Danish bowled very well.
Danish bowled extremely well. 
yeah thats better.. 
guysss.. learn somehting from ehsan bhia 
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Mr Xtreme: *
ChthonicPowers,
His action could probably be smoothed out but he was getting the new ball to move off the seam which is unusual for Pakistani bowlers. He's not a speed bowler that's for sure. He was bowling around the same pace as Wasim and Waqar mid-130's kph, similar to McGgrath. He had the Zim batsmen struggling early on, that's for sure.
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I was very impressed with his line and length. Shoaib Akhtar needs to watch this young fellow extensively and draw some inspiration. I think he could be Pakistan's answer to Glen Mcgrath. I hope that he receives proper guidance and training from a senior fast bowler so that he can avoid making mistakes that could prove fatal to his career.
Lets hope PCB realises the need to polish this gem.
oi, never mind ehsan bhai, I was the ONLY one to back Danish before the match.
Damn, they really should give me a job on the selection committee.
Yeah all he need is a little guidence from someone like Wasim or Waqar NOT Shoaib or even Aqib Javaid would be a good guidence too for him. I think he is in the making of PAK new found paceer. The rest will come with experience seems very promising all the best to him and PAK :k:
teaser yaar, i think he doesn't need so much guidance, he's realised early on that he's not going to blast batsmen out with sheer pace so he sticks to the basics. Put it in the right areas and bowl to your field. And having the ability to make the ball lift and seam is no handicap either. He looks a decent prospect I agree.
Xtreme u r 100% right but I was talking about the cruise missile guidence eh the deadly yorkers, some reverse swing and a slower bowl well maybe he may know all this it could be it was his first ODI u never know he might surprise us in the up coming matches :k: but I am very happy with his performance as the feelings are mutual with all other gupies here.
Yorkers, slower balls, I agree but reverse swing is a dying art in ODI's as the ball gets changed once it starts to reverse. Same thing happened today. That's why I was so happy to see a bowler who could make the ball do stuff without the ball being 30 overs old. In the future, that's going to be pretty crucial. I suggest bowlers like Shoaib need to learn from Gul, not vice-versa :)
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Mr Xtreme: *
Shoaib need to learn from Gul, not vice-versa
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ouch
Shobby I hope you're reading this. Sorry forgot you can't read.
Shoaib is a match-winner gone wrong. Unless he's prepared to adapt to new conditions he'll be history. Now that would be a shame to see a God-given talent go to waste but it does happen.
I did not forget. I ate danish in breakfast and plan on eating another for evening tea. I love the cheese danish most.
well shobby isn't the only matchwinner gone wrong.
Forget Afridi's temperament and faulty technique for a bit and just consider his incredible strength. If the guy chose to slog at 3 balls out of 6, he could still do well. He can hit the ball into places that others can only dream of. But he chooses to waste himself by lunging at every bowl.
Now that is talent gone down the drain.
The late, late show](http://www.wisden.com/records/wisden2020.asp?colid=44121617)
Last month, Sean Ervine was a willing accomplice in one of the most audacious late-innings onslaughts of the World Cup, as he and Heath Streak spanked New Zealand’s bowlers for 62 runs from their last three overs. Today, Ervine received his comeuppance … and some.
**In a breathless assault on Zimbabwe’s seamers, Abdul Razzaq – who had nudged 15 singles and a solitary boundary in his first 34 runs – suddenly opened his shoulders to crack 57 runs from his final 19 deliveries. Ervine was right in the thick of things. His final over went for 24 runs, including three sixes over long-on and a four through square leg. A distinctly iffy mid-220s total was instantly transformed.
Razzaq’s secret was the purity of his strokeplay. Seven of those 19 balls went for six - six of them over the head of long-on - with not a single run behind square. Douglas Hondo was dispatched for 19 runs in seven balls, Andy Blignaut for 14 in six, as the predictability of the Zimbabwean attack was laid bare. **
Blockhole deliveries are the standard requirement for the end of a one-day innings, but only seven balls were pitched right up to Razzaq … and these disappeared for 28 runs. The biggest problem, however, was the bowlers’ line. They persistently stuck to the corridor outside off stump (16 out of 19 balls), which enabled Razzaq to tee off to mighty effect – 53 runs and all of his boundaries came from these deliveries.
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