Something positive from the deserts

A draw against the number 2 test team is meant a lot more

Yesterday was the end of South Africa and Pakistan's tour to the United Arab Emirates which ended in a draw. But Pakistan played literally better in the longest format of the game. Although the pitches belted were taylor made for batters but still Pakistan managed to take wickets on those pitches too, and for the first time in many years, I saw a consistent batting performances from the green shirts, specially from Azhar Ali, who looked solid, although I must say he's limited in shots, but still he has the tendency to stay on the wicket, which is the main criteria in this format.

It must also be noted that after Sharjah, these were the two grounds in the UAE where a test match between two international sides were staged here. Although Sharjah Stadium not being used for now but still there is a chance that the stadium might get a chance to stage an international fixture, specially when Pakistan is a no-go area for international teams. As expected the pitches were similar to that of sub-continent but still slow turn and bounce was also visible there, and like Pakistani grounds, these grounds were haunted during the playing hours, it must be noticed that 3 big guns of South Asia, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka all engaged in their home games right now, with playing against South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies respectively and I have to admit that the crowd response was positive in Indian games, they've been engaged in giving incentives to the commercial parties like complementary enclosures and some more incentives on ground, have to give benefit of doubt to Sri Lanka as their grounds currently under construction, but must compliment Indian Board, for their management as they knew that their grounds must be under construction so they worked on the smaller grounds like Guwahati at others so that burden must not be fall on the big grounds like Mumbai specially when the future of Feroz Shah Kotla still undecided.

The reason I am diverting this to grounds because although Pakistan is forced to stage their future home games abroad, so by that time like South Africa when they were literally exiled from the international cricket, they improved their domestic structure, grounds and in 1991 they returned with a bang, but nothing of that sort I can see with PCB improving and upgrading their two big grounds atleast to cope with present time, and when their grounds are not loaded with much fixtures, so they should stage their domestic circuit to smaller grounds so that these grounds can be upgraded and plus smaller grounds can get the same attention like the big grounds of Karachi and Lahore.

Getting back to Pak RSA series, it was a positive for Pakistan, as they found some performances from their youngsters, like Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Tanvir Ahmed they could be a prospect for Pakistan in future. Although Kallis seams to be complaining about the condition of pitches, and was found saying that "The groundsman needs to ensure the game of Test cricket stays healthy and produces a good contest between bat and ball," Kallis said. "It didn't really live up [to expectations] and you can probably play another Test match straight away and not get a result. The pitch was really flat". I say that pitches were real flat but you're going to get similar sorta pitches in Indian Sub-Continent altogether whether its Premadasa, Chennei or Chittagong, you'll be finding the same pitches whatsoever, and plus in the Dubai test, it was a slow bounce and flat pitch but still the magical spell from Umar Gul on the second day of the match which reduced the Proteas under 400 when their overnight score was 311, so they're not allowed to complain on the pitches. Although Paul Harris has been a prospect for them and is a threat to opposing teams, but again thumbs up to Pakistan that they were able to save their test matches from Proteas, the number two ranked team, but being a cricket junkie, I wanted something in result, I must say South Africa looked a bit defensive as they should have showed some courage in giving Pakistan some more time to bat on instead of axing your ownself by playing half an hour on the next morning when their pace bowlers could have utilized the moisture on the pitch in a new morning.

But kudos to Pakistan team for showing a good show, but the next tour of New Zealand is a tough one, and as expected Amir and Asif wont be there.

Is it team or individual?

Younus Khan raises his bat after a match saving innings against the Proteas on the penultimate day of the Dubai Test

Like Express Tribune rightly mentioned, Younus Khan Returns and returns with a bang of course. His brilliant knock made me wonder what Pakistan COULD have achieved on their marathon tour of England earlier this year, had Younus been a part of the tour, which is not worth mentioning, things could have been slight better. Although I am not saying he's a God or something, but the mental toughness he possesses, could help the youngsters raising their game standard upto that mark. Specially when the team is only with one specialist batsman apart from the skipper Misbah ul Haq himself, as MoYo has been ruled out of the tour thanks to the injury, there should be damn pressure on the shoulders to lead from the front.

But the main point according to me is that, again what's life AFTER YOUNUS KHAN AND MOYO? Do we have specialist batsmen on the bench who could replace them as soon as they retire? Do they have a plan B or something who are of the standard of MoYo, YK and Abdul Razzaq, who could single handily wins us the match from the grasp of the defeat couple of nights ago in Abu Dhabi and some months ago at Lord's against the Home Team? Obviously not. Although I don't see a bleak future, but the talent should be shined and had to put under extreme conditions so that their mental toughness could be measured, as what I personally feel, the newer ones are vastly talented but the main problem is their mental toughness. Although some might not agree with me, ugly enough but Azhar Ali could improve and cement his position in the National Test side, as he has the caliber to stay on the wicket, although I must admit, he's limited in shots, but that thing suits him as he knows what are his limitations so he keeps inside his limitations, instead of some other players (don't wanna mention their names), who try to create sensation by hitting aerial shots, one or two times they could succeed but another time they would surely fail, as test cricket requires staying on the wicket, although there are hurdles like opposing team players sledging on you for diverting your attention. Being a student, its just like you're giving your examination with complete concentration, and suddenly your fellow pokes you just to ask for some hint or something, but it also results breaking of your concentration, that's what is mental toughness and you're required to be steadfast on your work instead of diverting your concentration.

Same thing showed by YK on the penultimate day, although Proteas did tried their best to divert his attention but he stood his ground, and that's the lesson should be learnt by the youngsters who want to improve their game. On the other hand, YK did showed to the PCB bosses, that he was the requirement of the Pakistani Middle Order and those who wanted YK to be included into the team were not wrong.

Cheers...

Can someone go THAT cheap?

Can someone go that deep into a cheapness?

Reports which are coming from London and from PCB clearly showing that the things were not as sever as Haider was portraying. Similarly if I put myself into Haider's shoes, I'd clearly headed to Karachi to be with my family, instead of flying to London and gathering media attention by saying that some people were behind me and they wanted to kill me blah blah blah.

Is he really that much a bigger star cast like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail and list goes un-ending? Is HE ON THAT STANDARD? What I personally feel now, this was just for gathering media attention and nothing else, already he has a Facebook presence aswell, and yeah speaking of Facebook, yesterday he wrote on his wall that NotW newspaper wanted to bribe him for giving them his interview but he refused it and gave it voluntarily. What else I can say about this gentleman, wanting the fame either by hook or by crook.

Such players are usually netted by the newspaper groups like NotW. Just to show his importance, Haider has now started to play such a melo-drama. Although I must say that cricket in today's era is clean and played with spirit of the game. But doing such things to gather international media attention is a thing to worry. I shouldn't be saying so but why only Haider got the threats, when 2 nights ago Razzaq played a gem of an inning in Abu Dhabi scoring a ton and winning the match, Razzaq didn't got any so why and how in the world a player who's literally young in international cricket starting to get threats? If he scored those match winning 19 odd runs, so nothing to brag about it, its a duty being a player of the national side to play for the country as much as he can...

And plus he calls Pakistan as his mother (as if we don't rate it), even then was that the right way, or the right way would be to play in the team and show the world how much dedicated person and a cricketer are you who can exert so much of a pressure on his shoulders. I am not defending the managers of the squad as they're too responsible for granting Haider his passport, just because he wanted to buy a mobile subscription sim card. What I've been hearing since couple of days, the thing was that the team management thought to drop Shafiq and Haider to replace with Umar Akmal and MoYo, so in retaliation he took such drastic step, and I am 110% sure that no one can't dare to take such a step with out a proper backing, he was backed up completely that's why he was confident enough to travel all the way from Dubai to London, that too when during those days when Dubai Airport is flooded with connecting flights for Hajj, so apart from the managerial collapse, one must note these aspects as well...

No offense

See! I told you

News which have been in rotation that NotW is wholly responsible for this mishap...

Don't wanna use idiomatic statements over here regarding the logo of a third class British Tabloid, WHICH AGAIN responsible to bring the name of Pakistan into dismay.

News which has been in rotation in Pakistani network is that again NotW has been behind all this, and like the way they trapped several Pakistani players in their own backyard, they tried to do the same again with Pakistani players and this time it was a rookie Haider, who fall into their sinister plan and now he is in their grab in the UK.

This is what making me into suspicions that why in the world he was getting so desperate to to get his passport and to leave for England as soon as possible, and if news are to believed true, A NotW NEWSPAPER REPORTER WAS ACCOMPANYING HAIDER IN THE EMIRATES AIRLINE! This NotW newspaper was all the way pleading that to ban Pakistan cricket when Pakistani team was touring England recently...

For a third class British tabloid, I can only call them, as the sick man's old dream. Apart from the assault from those third class tabloid, they're assaulting the team and the name of Pakistan because of our lenient management. Players are getting the punishment but what about the management? Before this fiasco, there was a managerial mishap in which 3 players including Haider were fined because of arriving late in the hotel after having some sight seeing around the city. What else I could say about managerial mishap!!!

Same old story with new characters

Some questions still in my mind why and how Haider was able to depart from Dubai to London, and no-one even dared to notice him

Whatever happened in Dubai yesterday is past, I was not hopeful of Pakistan winning their first bilateral series since their win against the West Indies in 2008 on the same deserts of Arabia they're playing with South Africa and that's why I was on work but I didn't took my phone's handsfree to keep me away from the commentary and because of it I wasn't able to know what literally happened to Pakistani team BEFORE THE START OF THE MATCH, was an unexpected shock which came from the person I wasn't expecting from, i.e. from Pakistan's rookie wicket keeper Zulqarnain Haider aka Haider.

If news reports are expected to be true, that it all started when the Pakistani players were penalized and fined on disciplinary grounds and fined the trio 500 Emirates Dirham just a day before the fifth and penultimate ODI against the Proteas, and the next day the so called management also gave him his passport with a British Visa and he flew suspiciously to London, saying he was targeted and was getting threats that's why he left in such fashion.

Whatever I know about multiple visas, they're usually granted on behalf of an organization and not on the individual basis, secondly after getting the passport how he was able to have a British Visa as soon as possible when its a process of days, so it means, either PCB or any other organization has used him for hiding their own blames. For god's sake, can't anyone see, how he was able to get his passport for buying of a new phone connection sim? If it were a tight management, than he'd not have got the passport without a proper investigation... and how in the world he gets a one month UK visa in a day, when sporting visas are canceled when a member of visiting team leaves and lands on the home soil, and plus he wasn't had a contract with an English county team, so having a British visa so easily DO making me create some doubts.

What I am taking, Haider was used by the PCB, to hide their own mishap, but still failed in it as to close one Pandora box, they opened another one, when the security officer and assistant manager early in the morning saw Haider leaving, what the hell were they doing freezed in that position? Wasn't it in the jurisdiction of these two gentlemen to inquire, look young man, where in the world are you leaving at this hour when we have a match in the noon? Couldn't had they ask it?

Taking strong actions doesn't mean that your mishaps would be grounded, even after the so called manufacture of latest code of conduct, they couldn't avoid in maintaining a strong conduct in a home series being played in the UAE. So what's the credibility of this so called Pakistan Cricket Board, they should call it Butt's Cricket Board...

Yousuf out, Younis in for national team

Yousuf out, Younis in for national team

LAHORE: Test Cricketer Muhammed Yousuf is not on cards to be included in national squad to play series against South Africa owing to injury, Geo News reported Wednesday.

Meantime, former captain of national cricket team, Muhammed Younis met Ijaz But, chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), raising the expectations that he would be included in the squad to be selected for South Africa series.

It should be mentioned here that Yousuf is not attending the training session for fitness problems.

Pakistan v South Africa in the UAE

It would be a treat watching these two sides compete against each other in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Pakistan cricket board confirmed schedule for their upcoming homeseries against South Africa in the UAE. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are selected as the venues where the series is going to be played. This is the first time that a complete series would be played in the deserts of UAE including test series. The schedule of the series is as below!

Itinerary
Oct 27	Only Twenty20	Abu Dhabi
Oct 29	1st ODI	Abu Dhabi
Oct 31	2nd ODI	Abu Dhabi
Nov 2	3rd ODI	Dubai
Nov 5	4th ODI	Dubai
Nov 8	5th ODI	Dubai
Nov 12-16	1st Test	Dubai
Nov 20-24	2nd Test	Abu Dhabi