Well in this world cup, there have hardly been games that can be watched keeping our fingers crossed if not for a game or two. One game that I can cite here would be the game between India and England at Bangalore and the one between England and Ireland on the same venue. Despite India piling up 339 runs on the board aided with century from Sachin Tendulkar and a half century from Yuvraj Singh, the match ended in a tie with England also being unable to make it theirs. And regarding the match between Ireland and England, a score of 320+ was not sufficient to keep Ireland from winning.
This is not totally due to the games involving the non-test playing nations alone and instead, even the match between England and South Africa happened to be a viewers' nightmare with South Africa coming so close and leaving things to England to finish their task. Now, there has been some excitement from the world cup with just 4 overs of the game changing the game totally. One cannot even figure out how on earth someone could smash 92 runs from 4 overs with every ball fetching close to 4 runs. Had it not been for these four overs, even a 4 an over average would have been tough.
A tougher thing to figure out was how could Pakistan drop the catch of the same player who towards the end of the New Zealand innings be equally devastating as calm he was in the beginning? One has to recall the way Pakistan dropped the easy catch of Sachin Tendulkar in the league match against India (obviously) in the 2003 world cup. Had it not been for Sachin Tendulkar, the match would have gone the Pakistani way with Ganguly going out for a duck and with Yuvraj Singh not being as fit as he is this time with half centuries in four games.
Even in the game against Sri Lanka, Sangakkara was put down repeatedly and though Pakistan eventually won, the margin of victory was just ten runs which should have been a warning to the Pakistani fieldsmen to improve upon the same. Finally, they paid a price for their first ever defeat in this world cup when they surrendered to New Zealand. The lone fifty from the Pakistani innings came from the blades of the number 8 batsman Abdul Razzaq who scored 62 runs along with a partnership of 68 runs for the 8th wicket. That was all the Pakistanis could manage.
Showing posts with label Shahid Afridi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shahid Afridi. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Sri Lanka could not cash on drop catches
Well despite there being so many drop catches by Pakistan against Sri Lanka, it is a point to wander about by the Sri Lankans who are one of the favorites to at least make it to the semi-finals of the tournament. Having dropped uncountable number of catches against the co-hosts of this world cup, ending up on the winning should be on one side enjoyed to the fullest extent and on the other side worry about their fielding. Pakistan have always been poor fielders especially in crunch games like the world cup knock-outs though this is not one such game for the Pakistanis.
On the other hand as well, for Sri Lanka, being unable to make use of the opponents' poor fielding definitely needs a re-thinking when they are set to face Australia in the days to come. One need not remind me writing earlier about Sri Lanka's chances to beat Australia with their spin potent and Australia's lack of will power. I have to re0thing upon that since the day Australia beat New Zealand a couple of days back in a one sided encounter at Ahmedabad. And, even Sri Lanka's chances look slim after their debacle against Pakistan and so would be Pakistan with their opposition-friendly fielding.
One only can think about the reduction in the power of the Australian team that is found touring this world cup but, hardly anybody is able to sense the caliber of the teams which are set to face Australia-be it Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Of course, New Zealand is a matter of the past. Or else, Canada, Kenya and Zimbabwe can only be a last minute hope for any team which can at least make it to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Coming to the game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, this was Sri Lanka's fifth defeat to Pakistan in world cups.
Scorecard reflects the team work that the Pakistani team got right when four of their top and middle order batsmen able to contribute along with a little bit from Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi. In the beginning, it looked as though the Pakistani total would go past 300+ and no credit to the Sri Lank bowlers when it was the Pakistani batsmen who made fools out of themselves. Afridi's caliber is seen in the area which he rarely concentrates and seems to fail in that area where he is expected to do a killing. Or else, a dashing batsman is seen scalping 4 wickets something which frontline bowlers couldn't manage.
On the other hand as well, for Sri Lanka, being unable to make use of the opponents' poor fielding definitely needs a re-thinking when they are set to face Australia in the days to come. One need not remind me writing earlier about Sri Lanka's chances to beat Australia with their spin potent and Australia's lack of will power. I have to re0thing upon that since the day Australia beat New Zealand a couple of days back in a one sided encounter at Ahmedabad. And, even Sri Lanka's chances look slim after their debacle against Pakistan and so would be Pakistan with their opposition-friendly fielding.
One only can think about the reduction in the power of the Australian team that is found touring this world cup but, hardly anybody is able to sense the caliber of the teams which are set to face Australia-be it Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Of course, New Zealand is a matter of the past. Or else, Canada, Kenya and Zimbabwe can only be a last minute hope for any team which can at least make it to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Coming to the game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, this was Sri Lanka's fifth defeat to Pakistan in world cups.
Scorecard reflects the team work that the Pakistani team got right when four of their top and middle order batsmen able to contribute along with a little bit from Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi. In the beginning, it looked as though the Pakistani total would go past 300+ and no credit to the Sri Lank bowlers when it was the Pakistani batsmen who made fools out of themselves. Afridi's caliber is seen in the area which he rarely concentrates and seems to fail in that area where he is expected to do a killing. Or else, a dashing batsman is seen scalping 4 wickets something which frontline bowlers couldn't manage.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
An apple pie for Pakistan
Well, this is one such match where either all players gear up to show their talent and prove a point or else make a mess of them by underestimating the opposition. Earlier in the tournament, England and India went through all sorts of struggle in their games against Holland and Bangladesh respectively and on the other hand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka defeated Canada and Kenya by a margin in excess of 200 runs respectively. In such games, every player wants to make his name to the record books no matter what their performance has to say in serious games like Australia.
Pakistan is yet to win a game against India in world cups and have now beaten Kenya by 205 runs. In the previous world cup at West Indies, though India failed to make it to the super-eight stage, they made headlines to have scored the highest team total in world cups and the highest margin of victory in one day internationals when they scored 413 runs against Bermuda and won the match by 257 runs surpassing the 398 set by Sri Lanka in 1996 against Kenya and the 256 run win of Australia over Namibia in 2003. Of course, had Pakistan lost yesterday, it would have made headlines.
There were four batsmen from Pakistan who notched up half centuries and a bowler who took five wickets. This was the second time Shahid Afridi has taken a 5 wicket haul against Kenya when he had figures of 5/11 in the ICC champions trophy 2004. If not for some initial hiccups, things went on very smoothly for Pakistan when the middle order took decent charge of the Pakistani innings. Confusion lied in giving the man of the match award when there were four Pakistani batsmen who had scored half centuries and Shahid Afridi who had returned with figures of 5/16.
Even well known bowlers like Zaheer Khan and James Anderson cannot boast of a bowling figure as good as this. Afridi gave away runs at just less than 3 runs an over when he bowled 6 overs. Despite his experience in international cricket Sachin Tendulkar rarely comes out with such a splendid performance with the ball though he has so far had two five wicket hauls. So, as you might have already guessed by now, my man of the match is no one but Shahid Afridi. However, it is not a matter of concern who was awarded the man of the match when there was such a good team work.
Pakistan is yet to win a game against India in world cups and have now beaten Kenya by 205 runs. In the previous world cup at West Indies, though India failed to make it to the super-eight stage, they made headlines to have scored the highest team total in world cups and the highest margin of victory in one day internationals when they scored 413 runs against Bermuda and won the match by 257 runs surpassing the 398 set by Sri Lanka in 1996 against Kenya and the 256 run win of Australia over Namibia in 2003. Of course, had Pakistan lost yesterday, it would have made headlines.
There were four batsmen from Pakistan who notched up half centuries and a bowler who took five wickets. This was the second time Shahid Afridi has taken a 5 wicket haul against Kenya when he had figures of 5/11 in the ICC champions trophy 2004. If not for some initial hiccups, things went on very smoothly for Pakistan when the middle order took decent charge of the Pakistani innings. Confusion lied in giving the man of the match award when there were four Pakistani batsmen who had scored half centuries and Shahid Afridi who had returned with figures of 5/16.
Even well known bowlers like Zaheer Khan and James Anderson cannot boast of a bowling figure as good as this. Afridi gave away runs at just less than 3 runs an over when he bowled 6 overs. Despite his experience in international cricket Sachin Tendulkar rarely comes out with such a splendid performance with the ball though he has so far had two five wicket hauls. So, as you might have already guessed by now, my man of the match is no one but Shahid Afridi. However, it is not a matter of concern who was awarded the man of the match when there was such a good team work.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Pakistan Totally Outplayed
What can anyone say about the Pakistan team which toured Australia and lost each and every encounter if faced? Pakistan were on the verge of victory on three occasions in the 3 tests, 5 one dayers and the only T20 game that was played yesterday at Melbourne. In the second test played at Sydney, Pakistani bowlers did well to contain the Aussie batsmen by bowling them all out for a score of 127, that in turn set many records for Pakistan. That was followed by Pakistan piling up 333 runs on the board, which was as good a follow on by a team batting first. But, the end result is that Pakistan lost the match by 36 runs.
Then, in the 1st one dayer at Brisbane, Pakistan did well to put up a decent score of 274 on board and eventually, out of bad luck lost the game and took honors after the Aussie batsmen went till the last over to win the game by 5 wickets. Then, in the 3rd ODI, though the Pakistani batsmen lost control in the initial stages of their chase of 286, there was an 85 run 5th wicket partnership between Fawad Alam and Umer Akmal, that restored hopes of a Pakistani win until the tail-enders viz Rana Naved and Shahid Afridi made a mess by just slogging irresponsibly.
Then comes the fifth one day match held at Perth, where still Pakistani batsmen made a mess of their game by losing all their wickets for a partly total of 212. But, that was not all until the Aussie batsmen had trouble chasing the same partly total. The Australian batsmen lost wickets at regular intervals, with the pressure balancing more on the Aussie batsmen than on the Pakistani bowlers. But, eventually, the result was that Pakistan had still lost by 2 wickets. Another blow to the Pakistan team was the suspension of Shahid Afridi for tasting the ball on the field.
Finally, in the T20 game held at Melbourne, Pakistan did everything to take home a win by first bowling the Aussie batsmen for 127 and then start the run chase the way it was supposed to be. Still, the final result of the game was no different. In defending a modest total of 127, even a 1 run victory is worth an innings win in case that can happen. The only thing that the Pakistani players can boast of is that they lost 1 wicket less than what the Aussie team could manage. Finally, needless to be said, the Pakistan team was totally outplayed, the reasons regarding the same being hardly of any weight.
Then, in the 1st one dayer at Brisbane, Pakistan did well to put up a decent score of 274 on board and eventually, out of bad luck lost the game and took honors after the Aussie batsmen went till the last over to win the game by 5 wickets. Then, in the 3rd ODI, though the Pakistani batsmen lost control in the initial stages of their chase of 286, there was an 85 run 5th wicket partnership between Fawad Alam and Umer Akmal, that restored hopes of a Pakistani win until the tail-enders viz Rana Naved and Shahid Afridi made a mess by just slogging irresponsibly.
Then comes the fifth one day match held at Perth, where still Pakistani batsmen made a mess of their game by losing all their wickets for a partly total of 212. But, that was not all until the Aussie batsmen had trouble chasing the same partly total. The Australian batsmen lost wickets at regular intervals, with the pressure balancing more on the Aussie batsmen than on the Pakistani bowlers. But, eventually, the result was that Pakistan had still lost by 2 wickets. Another blow to the Pakistan team was the suspension of Shahid Afridi for tasting the ball on the field.
Finally, in the T20 game held at Melbourne, Pakistan did everything to take home a win by first bowling the Aussie batsmen for 127 and then start the run chase the way it was supposed to be. Still, the final result of the game was no different. In defending a modest total of 127, even a 1 run victory is worth an innings win in case that can happen. The only thing that the Pakistani players can boast of is that they lost 1 wicket less than what the Aussie team could manage. Finally, needless to be said, the Pakistan team was totally outplayed, the reasons regarding the same being hardly of any weight.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Denying the open truth
Well the stand in Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi has been banned for two T20 games following his action which Afridi says was trying to taste the ball whether it is sweet. May be, had the ball not been sweet enough, he would have ordered some sugar or honey to suit his taste. Anyways, jokes apart, was this the opportunity that Shahid Afridi was looking forward to when he was made the captain of the one day side in the absence of Mohammed Yousuf? I wish Pakistan had named Afridi the skipper since the first ODI so that he could have helped his bowlers in swinging the ball by taking the wrong route.
And moreover, if one goes through the videos where Afridi is found biting the ball, he could be clearly seen doing that and the fun is that he comes out sating that he did nothing wrong despite being proved guilty by the entire would who were watching the match- some on television and few others in the stands. There was no need for anyone to do such a kind of act on the field which would draw only criticism and nothing else from the world of cricket. Pakistan had already lost the series when they had lost the 3rd one dayer and this would have been just another one for Pak.
This does not mean that Afridi or such actions by anyone would be justified no matter at what time it came. There have been many cases of ball tampering even in the past and as far as Pakistan is considered, they have a much more share compared to that from the rest of the world. The names that can be heard regarding Pakistan's history in ball tampering include some of the greats like Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akthar. The latter having a much more share than anyone else. No matter that there were few others like Dravid, Sachin and Atherton who have also been charged with ball tampering.
Other serious offences include sledging, doping and match fixing which have been rare case compared to ball tampering. I remember the way Harbhajan Singh initially denied charges on him saying that he was not accusing Symonds of anything. So was the case with Gautam Gambhir when he hit Shahid Afridi and denied charges saying that it was accidental. There was Mohammed Asif who denies charges of doping against him when blood tests and urine tests show the opposite of what Asif claims. However, it is difficult to charge someone for match fixing with hardly any evidence being available which is clear from the fact that the last such issue was somewhere a decade back.
And moreover, if one goes through the videos where Afridi is found biting the ball, he could be clearly seen doing that and the fun is that he comes out sating that he did nothing wrong despite being proved guilty by the entire would who were watching the match- some on television and few others in the stands. There was no need for anyone to do such a kind of act on the field which would draw only criticism and nothing else from the world of cricket. Pakistan had already lost the series when they had lost the 3rd one dayer and this would have been just another one for Pak.
This does not mean that Afridi or such actions by anyone would be justified no matter at what time it came. There have been many cases of ball tampering even in the past and as far as Pakistan is considered, they have a much more share compared to that from the rest of the world. The names that can be heard regarding Pakistan's history in ball tampering include some of the greats like Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akthar. The latter having a much more share than anyone else. No matter that there were few others like Dravid, Sachin and Atherton who have also been charged with ball tampering.
Other serious offences include sledging, doping and match fixing which have been rare case compared to ball tampering. I remember the way Harbhajan Singh initially denied charges on him saying that he was not accusing Symonds of anything. So was the case with Gautam Gambhir when he hit Shahid Afridi and denied charges saying that it was accidental. There was Mohammed Asif who denies charges of doping against him when blood tests and urine tests show the opposite of what Asif claims. However, it is difficult to charge someone for match fixing with hardly any evidence being available which is clear from the fact that the last such issue was somewhere a decade back.
Monday, 22 June 2009
Reasons For Sri Lanka To Smile As Well
No one, after being unbeaten until then would be happy after losing a match when it really mattered. No one on earth would continue smiling after losing to a team against which it had won in its previous encounter. Pakistan in this tournament had lost matches against England and Sri Lanka prior to lifting the trophy. And Sri Lanka, needless to be said had won all of its earlier matches with some worth mentioning teams being West Indies (twice), Australia, Pakistan and New Zeland. However, Sri Lanka's win over minnows Ireland can never be counted as a victory not only for Ireland's inexperience but due to the fact that it was a close encounter when Sri Lanka should have gone in for a clean sweep.
And on the other hand, the wins that Pakistan have tasted are worth rejoicing. They had a clean sweep against New Zealand & Ireland and a close encounter with South Africa. But, that close win against South Africa was also as good as a clean sweep, when most of the odds had opted for South Africa to advance further and more so because that was a semi finals of a world cup. Not to mention, it was a clean sweep for Pakistan yesterday as well in the finals of the world T20. In the earlier game between the 2 teams, it was all because of the start given to Sri Lanka by their openers that they ended victorious. Sri Lanka had scored 80 runs in the first 8 overs, with the final score reading 150.
Sri Lanka were never in the game from the beginning. At one stage of the match, it was as though Sri Lanka would not even be able to put on 100 runs on the board after the scoreboard read 26/3 at the end of the fourth over. The highest run getter of the tournament Tilakeratne Dilshan was out for a duck and so was Jehan Mubarak. On the other hand, Pakistanlost their first wicket at a score of 48 (a score when Sri Lanka had lost 3 wickets as said earlier). Nonetheless, Pakistan never ever showed any signs of pressure at any moment in the match. All the four batsmen who made it to the crease did what best they could do.
Despite losing the tournament, Sri Lankan captain should feel a little bit satisfied that his team never lost out on his face. They put up a decent total of 138 and lost only 6 wickets after at one stage being at 70/6 at the end of the 13th over. Meaning 68 runs in the last 7 overs at a run rate of just less than 10 an over. Perhaps! Some initial contribution from either Dilshan, Mubarak and Jayasuriya would have made the finals more challenging. And one more thing that Sangakkara should be proud about is that he has taken his team unbeaten to the finals of the world cup just few months after taking over from Jayawardane as the Sri Lankan captain. Finally, Dilshan was handed the man of the series award should add another feather to Sri Lanka's cap.
And on the other hand, the wins that Pakistan have tasted are worth rejoicing. They had a clean sweep against New Zealand & Ireland and a close encounter with South Africa. But, that close win against South Africa was also as good as a clean sweep, when most of the odds had opted for South Africa to advance further and more so because that was a semi finals of a world cup. Not to mention, it was a clean sweep for Pakistan yesterday as well in the finals of the world T20. In the earlier game between the 2 teams, it was all because of the start given to Sri Lanka by their openers that they ended victorious. Sri Lanka had scored 80 runs in the first 8 overs, with the final score reading 150.
Sri Lanka were never in the game from the beginning. At one stage of the match, it was as though Sri Lanka would not even be able to put on 100 runs on the board after the scoreboard read 26/3 at the end of the fourth over. The highest run getter of the tournament Tilakeratne Dilshan was out for a duck and so was Jehan Mubarak. On the other hand, Pakistanlost their first wicket at a score of 48 (a score when Sri Lanka had lost 3 wickets as said earlier). Nonetheless, Pakistan never ever showed any signs of pressure at any moment in the match. All the four batsmen who made it to the crease did what best they could do.
Despite losing the tournament, Sri Lankan captain should feel a little bit satisfied that his team never lost out on his face. They put up a decent total of 138 and lost only 6 wickets after at one stage being at 70/6 at the end of the 13th over. Meaning 68 runs in the last 7 overs at a run rate of just less than 10 an over. Perhaps! Some initial contribution from either Dilshan, Mubarak and Jayasuriya would have made the finals more challenging. And one more thing that Sangakkara should be proud about is that he has taken his team unbeaten to the finals of the world cup just few months after taking over from Jayawardane as the Sri Lankan captain. Finally, Dilshan was handed the man of the series award should add another feather to Sri Lanka's cap.
Friday, 19 June 2009
South Africa's Loss Not A Big Issue
Well most of the viewers of the first T20 final of the ongoing T20 world cup between South Africa and Pakistan would be cursing the South African players for getting eliminated yet again from a mega event after being unbeaten until then in the tournament. However, if one would ask me regarding the same, I say that there was nothing official in the South Africa's defeat over Pakistan. The T20 format of the game itself is like that. This is no test or an one day international match for anyone to expect something like this. Nothing can be taken for granted in this game's format.
South Africa have never been the favourites of the T20 world cup. Not even after the wins against say West Indies, New Zealand or even India for that matter was convincing in this tournament. The win against the West Indies saw the West Indies' batting dominated only by one batsman who scored 77. It was a 1 run win for the Proteas against New Zealand. Agreed that a win is a win irrespective of the margin of the same whatsoever. The only convincing victory for South Africa was against England where the Proteas could breathe easy after their 7 wicket win. They never faced either Australia, Sri Lanka or Pakistan to prove their myth in this world cup.
Rather than taking conclusions from their previous losses at crucial stages of any ICC sponsored mega events, it would be better for one to take into consideration the way the South Africans have played their game off late and where they stand in the T20 ratings. They were placed well below Australia, India and England in the latest T20 ratings. On the other hand, Pakistan played better cricket comparitively if not for their losses against Sri Lanka and England. The game of cricket is not only about winning or losing but the way the players show their class in the game. And when it came to class, the Pakistan were way ahead of South Africa.
It would not be right to say that the Proteas got carried away after their success until then. Despite losing to England and Sri Lanka back to back, Pakistan never let the opposition cut loose and pulled a one sided victory from Ireland and New Zealand. Both the teams were no where in the picture when Umar Gul sent devastating spells and Shahid Afridi got the ball to turn. There was Gibbs, De Villiars and Morkel who could have done the job for the Proteas which was not the case. And what sort of a team is South Africa who could not contain a part time bowler like Afridi? It was the losses against England & Sri Lanka that made Pakistan wake up from sleep and the victories for South Africa to only remain temperory favourites.
I think that South Africa did deserve to lose and Pakistan to advance to the finals for the second time in a T20 world cup.
South Africa have never been the favourites of the T20 world cup. Not even after the wins against say West Indies, New Zealand or even India for that matter was convincing in this tournament. The win against the West Indies saw the West Indies' batting dominated only by one batsman who scored 77. It was a 1 run win for the Proteas against New Zealand. Agreed that a win is a win irrespective of the margin of the same whatsoever. The only convincing victory for South Africa was against England where the Proteas could breathe easy after their 7 wicket win. They never faced either Australia, Sri Lanka or Pakistan to prove their myth in this world cup.
Rather than taking conclusions from their previous losses at crucial stages of any ICC sponsored mega events, it would be better for one to take into consideration the way the South Africans have played their game off late and where they stand in the T20 ratings. They were placed well below Australia, India and England in the latest T20 ratings. On the other hand, Pakistan played better cricket comparitively if not for their losses against Sri Lanka and England. The game of cricket is not only about winning or losing but the way the players show their class in the game. And when it came to class, the Pakistan were way ahead of South Africa.
It would not be right to say that the Proteas got carried away after their success until then. Despite losing to England and Sri Lanka back to back, Pakistan never let the opposition cut loose and pulled a one sided victory from Ireland and New Zealand. Both the teams were no where in the picture when Umar Gul sent devastating spells and Shahid Afridi got the ball to turn. There was Gibbs, De Villiars and Morkel who could have done the job for the Proteas which was not the case. And what sort of a team is South Africa who could not contain a part time bowler like Afridi? It was the losses against England & Sri Lanka that made Pakistan wake up from sleep and the victories for South Africa to only remain temperory favourites.
I think that South Africa did deserve to lose and Pakistan to advance to the finals for the second time in a T20 world cup.
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