Shoaib Akhtar at his best

Lime, Spot or Floodlite???

Although he might be right in his assessments but still it might be a tactic to bring spotlight to an entangled Pakistani side. http://www.cricbeat.com/2011/02/pakistan-are-favourites-says-mahela.html   I was going through different cricketing blogs when Mahela Jayawerdena's article on his blog went through, where he said that Pakistan's also a contender for winning the Cricket World Cup. But being a cynical in nature person, I'd say that it's just a tactic to being Pakistan into spotlight, so that others would read them. Although they're already rated as the dark horses but being dark horses and being in spotlight and contender for the trophy are two different things. Why I am saying so? I feel that Pakistani cricket team would be less under pressure when no one's expecting from them. Plus his own Sri Lankan team would like to transfer the pressure from them to Pakistanis, as they're playing at their home and apart from having home advantage there can also be pressure along with, Pakistan on the other hand suppose to play all their pool games in Lanka, would be less in pressure. So I'll take it as a tactic instead of praising dark horses. Last but not the least Although Pakistan have a good record against the Lankan Lions, can't say of a World Cup game played in Lanka but overall, but this time Lankan team is looking to change that legacy as on paper they look more stable side than Pakistan, having home advantage too... Peace...

Creating loop-holes themselves

Appointing a penalized and banned cricketer as a cricket analyst...? What happened to the media guys? I don't know what the hell has happened to the guys at media, who constantly wobble about media ethics and this and that, and they've allowed a penalized player to be giving his opinion on a private Pakistani Television during the Cricket World Cup. What I say let them feel that they had committed mistake by letting them instead of giving them space on Television. Although he would be giving his professional opinions there but its also giving an impression that we don't care as a nation whether a person is good or not. Although I must admit he's a great player but he played those innings to bring fame for the country and this time, country has been defamed because of these trio's stupid act and in the mean time we're giving them space on TV. Why I am saying so? I am saying so because at the time when M. Azharuddin was barred from participating for the national cricket side, he was given contract doing the same job which SB doing, but the ICC that time act on time and such thing won't happened. But this time ICC has been taking half measures while punishing them initially and than giving a backdoor escaping en-route by being helpless when SB is going to be giving his opinions on cricket world cup matches on a Television channel which do not have a airing or broadcasting rights of Cricket World Cup 2011 matches. Atleast! They should stick to their words instead of acting like a empty spray bottle having few last drops of window cleaning fluid. Peace...

Boom Boom did it!

It must have looked well if this mistake of having two stars on a single crescent could had been avoided by using the impression of crescent with PCB's star. Pakistan's Official World Cup 2011 Kit   On a personal note, I've a so so rating with this current cricket team's kit for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Liked the innovative style of this kitting specially when for the first time, Pakistan also went for polling on PakPassion.net and BoomBoom Cricket (the official kit supplier for Pakistan Cricket), just like the way Indians and other cricket boards do, and one must acknowledge that fact Boom Boom is really doing its best to have some innovation, and promotion strategies, else when Slazenger or other kit manufacturers had the contract for manufacturing rights of kits for Pakistan, they didn't promote it for Pakistan team's fan whether it was 2007 ICC World T20 Kit, or 2009 ICC World T20 kit, they were not as promoted as this current kit is on sales in departmental stores atleast in Karachi. As a matter of fact right now when I am writing all this, I am wearing the practice kit which was on sale at a departmental store at N. Nazimabad, which has been a change else the approach previously was way too obscured. But the reason I am writing all this is not to overshadow the creative work by Boom Boom but to criticize the PCB authority who're thought to be the observing body for cricket control in Pakistan, made such a lag in selecting the design of current Pakistani kit, they should had selected this one, no doubt the colour combination they used is best and its representing the ideological colours of Pakistan with its star and crescent but my very first impression while watching that kit on Boom Boom Cricket website, I felt that they should had placed crescent in a manner that it should be placed in contact with the star of Pakistan Cricket Board, instead of creating another star to complete it. Every cricket board of the world tries to put their flag's symbol or national identity's impression on their national cricket team's clothing because its a nation's pride on which a nation is proud of. Australia usually places their 6 pointed stars' impression on their gears, India has their cricket board's "gol chakra" impression in their sides, under the sleeves. Sri Lanka has their Lion's impression usually in their front, so it ridiculous to even think how PCB allowed this design without having some slight modification to this gear. It must have looked well if instead of showing the whole crescent, they should have had used the impression of crescent along with the star of Pakistan Cricket Board to complete the crescent + star emblem. It must have looked much better than this one... Anyways it'd be rude of me if I not acknowledge Boom Boom's hard work for working day and night for manufacture of this brilliant kit, with respect to the input they got from Pakistan Cricket Board, as the gear manufacturer takes pride in manufacturing the official gear with the input from the home cricket board.

To have some, you've to lose some

The cricketing career for Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif has got an end, and similarly it won't be easy for Muhammad Amir to have a comeback after 5 years By the time I'm writing all this, since my last post, things still messed up for EG, Kolkata and their first match of the cricket world cup is shifted to Chinaswammy Stadium, Bangalore, but a similar sorta debacle came for Pakistan yesterday when the suspended Pakistani trio, Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Amir were penalized for 10, 7 and 5 years suspension respectively, which means that Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif's career has got an end, because a 10 year and 7 year suspension sentence means they can't participate in any kind of registered cricketing event for that time period. On a personal note, I favour this suspension, because literally as I conveyed the same message to my fellow colleagues in my working place and in my university that at least it showed us the points and aspects where we lagging, like disciplinary, managerial, controlling, planning etc (it seems I am studying the basis of managerial studies once), and the result of which is the Doha Verdict in which the trio was suspended. Although according to my standards, they were penalized leniently, else i was expecting and wanting them to be suspended for life including Muhammad Amir else it'll convey a negative message to the youngsters that they can get the benefit of doubt every time they commit something stupid. Secondly it also exposed our Cricket Board which wasn't supporting them at all. It meant that the board was also involved in it or at least knew about all this fishy stuff. Why am I saying like that? Flashbacking to Pakistan's tour to England where all this thing erupted, in the second test where Zulqarnain Haider saved Pakistan from a humiliating Inning Defeat margin, they (the PCB Management) couldn't control them and Haider was able to gather information about staying in London while having immunity, now he's utilizing those information and now blackmailing the PCB and Pakistani Government in security threats, as if he is a super star in Pakistan. I don't think he even close to Kamran Akmal's stature to be having life-threats. Blah Blah Blah Everyone knows the educational standard here in Pakistan, where Karachi and Lahore are having SOME educational institutes where emphasis on personal grooming is given, but those who belong to rural localities of Pakistan, don't have such privileges, minus Zulqarnain Haider from it, like we say in Urdu دیڑھ ہوشیار بننا. So its useless to even brag about it. What I feel? What I personally feel when you wear a green shirt with the word Pakistan embossed alongwith the PCB emblem, we should respect that instead of playing personal sinister games. Before having a comeback into Pakistan National Side, Muhammad Asif was already penalized for having drugs and had lifetime ban of entering into UAE because of it. No player is indispensable, at that time we should have start looking for young slot instead of having such a monopolistical influence of these players, if we had moved that way, things must have been on a track. Following are some of the extracts from the former Pakistani players on eve of this controversy. What they said? Iqbal Qasim believes the investigation has shown up the inefficiency in the Pakistan board. "To gain an honest system, and have unquestionable integrity, you have to lose something and players come and go - this will be a momentary loss for Pakistan cricket." Rashid Latif is confident that the verdict will be to the benefit of Pakistan cricket in the long run. "The ICC had decided to give punishments to the players because there was too much pressure on them to curb fixing. It's an important day for world cricket and very sad for Pakistan. Amir and Asif are a huge loss." Former PCB chief Arif Abbasi supports the tribunal's verdict. "Amir can still make a comeback because he has age on his side, but it is good for him to learn his lesson at this stage." Former ICC president Ehsan Mani believes Amir can serve his ban and return to the highest level. "The important things with any punishment for those sorts of things is that it sends a very strong message to people that might be tempted to do it in the future... that if you do it then your career is going to be substantially reduced if not completely destroyed." England captain Andrew Strauss agrees the punishments can serve as a deterrent