Young West Indies stun Pakistan

Match Report - Only T20I: West Indies v Pakistan, Gros Islet, April 21, 2011

First ever T20 match between these two sides produced a good game as new-look West Indies side toppled Pakistan to start the tour on a high. Seven players from both sides made their debuts. Pakistan went with a spin-heavy side, leaving the batting a thin look. This meant they had to rely on their top order to perform which it did not.

Darren Sammy won the toss and opted to bat first. Junaid Khan started his international career with an impressive over. Abdur Rehman, who started from the other end, had Andre Fletcher plumb in front on his first ball. Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo, the two young prodigies for the Windies, played exceptionally well and shared a 99-run partnership for the second wicket. Hundred was brought in the 13th over.

Simmons, in particular, was more aggressive, as he carted Junaid for a four and a six before Abdur Rehman was put over the sight screen. Bravo then joined the act, after getting two boundaries off Wahab; he pulled Afridi for a big six. Abdur Rehman was the man who broke the partnership by removing Bravo, bringing Pakistan back into the match. Bravo made 42 off 33 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes. Simmons was then run out by Wahab Riaz for an enterprising 65 (44b, 7x4, 2x6).

Loss of the set duo brought Pakistan back into the match. Spinners strangled the scoring rate, while Wahab’s angle troubled the batsmen. Mohammad Salman tasted his first success at international level when he stumped Samuels, returning from a two-year ban, for just 4 runs. Next he caught Sammy off Wahab to send Windies in disarray. They managed to reach 150 for 7 after 20 overs. Abdur, Ajmal and Wahab shared 2 wickets each, although Ajmal proved expensive.

In reply, Pakistan could not settle into the chase as they lost wickets regularly. Hafeez pulled Sammy straight to deep backward square-leg, while Ahmed Shehzad went trying one too many after hitting two lovely fours. Asad Shafiq played well and looked settled for a big knock as he hit a pugnacious six off Sammy on the back foot and then two cracking boundaries of Russell in the next over. At 49 in the 7th over, Devendra Bishoo changed the complexion of the match by getting Asad 25 (17b, 3x4, 1x6) and Misbah in two balls. Asad was deceived into playing a loopy shot, while Misbah was hit-wicket as he went too far after playing the shot to keep his foot from hitting the stumps.

From 49 for 4, it all depended on Afridi, but his woes with the bat continued. Umar Akmal, meanwhile, was fighting a lone battle, and despite losing partners regularly, he kept the hope alive for a while. When Rampaul removed Akmal for a run-a-ball 41, Pakistan still needed 41 in the last 4 overs with just 3 wickets remaining. Bishoo came back to remove Abdur Rehman and then Wahab was undone by Rampaul leaving the last pair of Ajmal and Junaid an uphill task of getting 27 off 10 balls. Ajmal made the proceedings interesting by getting 15 runs from the 19th over bowled by Rampaul, but Pakistan fell short by 7 runs in the end. Bishoo was sensational with 4 for 17, while Rampaul got 3 for 31.

West Indies were hungrier of the two sides on display and showed that their faith on young guns could produce results for them. Pakistan, on the other hand, have to think about their mental approach as well as team selection. The ODI series is next, and it is an important one as both sides are in a process of rebuilding. Pakistan, though, start as favorites.

Match Result: West Indies 150/7 (Simmons 65, Abdur Rehman 2/22) beat Pakistan 143/9 (Umar Akmal 41, Bishoo 4/17) by 7 runs

Man of the Match: D Bishoo (West Indies)
DISQUS...

Gilchrist’s men outplay Warne’s

Match Report – IPL4: Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals, Mohali, April 21, 2011

In a match dominated by the Aussie presence, Shaun Marsh outperformed his fellow countrymen to win the match for his franchise. Shane Warne decided to field first on flat deck fearing the dew factor, but his team crumbled under pressure of a huge chase. It was also a clash between Bollywood beauties, Shilpa Shetty and Priety Zinta.

Paul Valthaty and Adam Gilchrist provided Punjab a volcanic start. They put on 67 runs in just 4.1 over before Warne had Gilchrist mistimed one to go for 28 (16b, 4x4, 1x6). Valthaty continued his powerful hitting form till he became Warne’s 50th IPL victim for a quick 46 runs (31b, 4x4, 3x6). Shaun Marsh then took over the charge and played freely hitting the ball around the park. He embarrassed Warne by hitting 3 sixes in one of his overs by slog-sweeping him powerfully as Liz Hurley looked on from the stands.

Marsh was finally dismissed by Watson after he had made 71 off 42 balls with the help of 6 fours and 3 sixes. Royals came back well in the last 5 overs giving away just 26 runs, as Kings Eleven finished at 195 for 7. Shaun Tait had brilliant figures of 3 for 22.

Rahul Dravid and come-back boy Asnodkar were dismissed cheaply by Ryan Harris and Praveen Kumar respectively, jolting the chase from the outset. Watson started with 3 fours off an Harris over, but was undone by a lovely slower one from Kumar. When Piyush Chawla got Ross Taylor for a duck, the match was effectively over for the Royals. Although Stuart Binny and Menaria played good hands of 30-odd each, Royals could make only 147 for 7 in their 20 overs, losing the match by 48 runs.

Kings XI Punjab 197/7 (Marsh 71, Tait 3/22) beat Rajasthan Royals 147/7 (Menaria 34, Bhatt 2/20, Kumar 2/22) by 48 runs

Man of the match: SE Marsh (Kings XI Punjab)

Sri Lanka rejects BCCI's request to extend the stay of their players in the IPL

IPL4 News: Sri Lanka's move may irk BCCI

The Sri Lankan cricket board and government have decided to remain firm on their decision of calling back their players, playing in the IPL, by May 5. This decision may threaten to strain the relations between the two boards as BCCI, being the richest board, calls the shots in the regional cricket matters as well as in ICC.

SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket), earlier, had asked the players to return back to prepare for the upcoming tour to England. BCCI requested SLC to allow its players a lengthy stay, at-least till May 10.

Sri Lanka called all IPL players back in order to prepare for the full English tour which starts on May 10. Some eleven Sri Lankan players including Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and Tillakaratne Dilshan would have to cut short their lucrative IPL stints. Former captain Sangakkara had expressed hope that the matter would be settled amicably between the respective boards.

It was generally expected that SLC will accept BCCI's offer in order not to offend it as the former is under a serious financial deficit especially after the World Cup.But both the Minister of Sports Mahindanada Aluthgamage and the Cricket Board took the bold step of ignoring the Indian request.

Aluthgamage, Sri Lanka Cricket and the national selection committee has said: "Interests of Sri Lankan cricket is our priority and we would be sending a polite explanation on the decision to the Indians."

Zaheer Abbas suggests building a shared stadium on the Wagah border

Pakistan News: Brilliant 'Z' comes up with a brilliant idea

Former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas, renowned as 'Asian Bradman' and 'run-machine', has suggested to the authorities that a new stadium should be erected right in the center of Pak-India border at Wagah. The stadium should straddle the border in such a way that half of it lies on the Pakistani side while the other half on the Indian side.

The motive behind the suggestion is to to improve the strained relations between two countries and start cricketing ties halted since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. The Mohali semi-final between the two countries broke the ice as premiers from both sides watched the match sitting side by side.

Zaheer while talking to French news agency, AFP said: "Build a stadium at Wagah border so that there are no problems of India not coming to Pakistan, and Pakistan not going to India." He further elaborated: "Half of the portion should be in Pakistan and half should be in India so that fans don't need any visa. Pakistani fans should support their team from their side and Indians from their side and this example could also be followed in other sports."

"Sports of both the countries have suffered because of the politics, but people from both the sides want to see their teams playing - be it hockey, cricket or any other sport," Abbas said, who played 72 test matches for Pakistan.

Pakistan Cricket Board is in talks with BCCI to have a short ODI series played, probably at a neutral venue, but Abbas is against playing India on a neutral venue. "If Pakistan and India play at a neutral venue, how will people of both the countries get to watch Indo-Pak series? It should be in India or Pakistan," he said.

The suggestion is brilliant and thought provoking, but for those who listen and understand. The relations between the two hostile neighbors can only improve if they interact with each other frequently enough. And what is better than cricket to do that!

Cricket diplomacy has played a vital role in the relationship of both nations. Then why not built a symbol of 'cricket diplomacy and friendship' across the border? This project looks exciting and doable and needs attention from the respective cricket boards and governments.

Points shared as rain spoils the evening

Match Report – IPL4: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals, Bangalore, April 19, 2011

This match was important for both teams to keep themselves in the upper tier on the points table, but recurrent rain ensured both are left with enormous amount of work to do in the coming matches. Although Royals have moved up to the second place, they have played five matches while Challengers have only three points from same number of matches.

The day started with light drizzle cooling down the evening, only becoming lighter for a brief period, but then it rained heavily as the day progressed. The remote chance of playing a 5-over game vanished after umpires decided to call-off the match to ensure players’ safety, as the outfield was wet, despite the fact that rain had stopped late in the evening.

Daredevils win despite Yuvraj Singh’s all-round heroics

Match Report – IPL4: Pune Warriors v Delhi Daredevils, Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai, 17 April 2011

Delhi were the only team not to have a win under their belt so far in the competition, and they registered their first win by chasing down a mammoth total in style. Sehwag chose to bowl first, but the decision seemed to backfire until the last five overs of the match, when Venugopal Rao and Aaron Finch pulled off a stunning finish.

Delhi started with the spin of Rao, but Jesse Ryder hammered him for two massive sixes over long-on to collect 14 off the first over. After three quiet overs and the loss of Graeme Smith, Ryder hit Irfan Pathan for a four and a pulled six before he launched into Umesh Yadav for four successive fours. Hopes removed Manhas who was looking good, but Yuvraj Singh joined Ryder to take the assault to another level.

After completing 50 off just 24 balls, Ryder holed out off the bowling of Shahbaz Nadeem. He made a whirlwind 60 off 27 balls with 5 fours and as many sixes. Despite losing two more wickets at the other end, Yuvraj continued his calculated hitting and rounded off the innings perfectly with a top-edged four and three stunning hits for six in the last over bowled by Ashok Dinda. Pune ended with 187/5 and looked like on their way to third successive win at the break.

Warner and Sehwag provided their team perfect beginning by putting on 75 in 7 overs thanks to the former who was more enterprising of the two. After hitting Parnel for three fours in an over, he carted Alfonso Thomas for a four and two thumping sixes on consecutive deliveries. After Warner was run out for 46 (28b, 6×4,2×6), Sehwag was cleaned up by ecstatic Ryder for a 23-ball 37 laced with 6 fours.

Sehwag’s was a telling blow as Delhi panicked afterwards losing three quick wickets in the process. Yuvraj was the main destroyer, who removed Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha on successive balls. At 120 for 5 with 68 needed off the last six overs, Delhi were looking down the barrel. But Venugopal Rao and Aaron Finch brought them back with a match-winning stand of 47 runs in 4.1 overs. After Rao hit a six each of Yuvraj and Rahul Sharma, finch propelled his team into advantage by hitting Shrikant Wagh for back-to-back sixes in the 18th over.

With 21 off two overs, Yuvraj removed both Finch 25 (12b,1×4,2×6) and Rao 31 (20b,1×4,3×6) but not before the latter had collected a four and a six to bring the equation down to 8 from 6. James hopes hit Ryder for a six and four to finish off the match in style. It was a morale-boosting win for Delhi who were looking a shadow of themselves from the previous tournaments.

Result: Delhi 19o/7 (Warner 46, Yuvraj 4/29) beat Pune 187/5 (Yuvraj 66, Ryder 60, Nadeem 2/39) by 3 wickets

Man of the match: Yuvraj Singh (Pune Warriors)

West Indies selectors look beyond Gayle

West Indies News: No Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul in the team announced for the first two ODIs

West Indies Cricket Board has made a significant move by banking on youth as they announced the squad for first the two ODIs against Pakistan starting on April 22. Chris Gayle, the master blaster, has been dumped and there was no place also for Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sulieman Benn and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Chris Gayle was a leading voice among players who were at loggerheads with the board over issues of contracts and payments. He, on a number of occasions, had expressed his liking for commercial T20 cricket ahead of Tests. Chanderpaul and Sarwan failed to deliver in the World Cup while Benn was overshadowed by the performance of young Devendra Bishoo.

The board has set a policy that a player will be eligible for selection in a particular format if he participates in the domestic tournaments of the corresponding format. For the same reason, both Pollard and Dwayne Bravo were not picked for the Twenty20 game against Pakistan. Bravo, however, has been named in the ODI squad as he will skip the Test series, with permission, to play in the IPL.

Kieron Pollard too has been granted permission to feature in the IPL instead of the the ODIs against Pakistan. A WICB press release stated: "It was mutually determined that Pollard would be best served by being allowed to hone his T20 skills in the Indian Premier League, which will bring future benefit to West Indies cricket." "He will not play in the series against Pakistan, but remains committed to West Indies cricket and will be available for future selection to the West Indies team in all formats."

On the exclusion of the experienced trio, a West Indies Cricket Board press release said: "Consistent with the policy to expose young players, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan were not selected." "We have looked at a mix of players who will take us through the next five to ten years, and with this squad we have put together a youthful but exciting combination of exceptionally talented cricketers who we believe can win matches," WICB chairman of selectors Clyde Butts stated.

Marlon Samuels, after his ban has been lifted, has been drafted in while Anthony Martin, a legspinner from Antigua, is the only uncapped player named.

Darren Sammy will lead while Dwayne bravo has been named as his deputy.

Squad (first two ODIs): Darren Sammy (capt), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain), Darren Bravo, Devon Smith, Devendra Bishoo, Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach , Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Devon Thomas (wk).

Miandad declines batting role once again

Opinion: Team management and PCB could not persuade Miandad for a stint as batting coach

Shahid Afridi and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had personally requested Javed Miandad to become batting coach after Pakistan batsmen fared poorly in the just concluded World Cup. The response was heartening at first as Miandad indicated to take the offer after the end of West Indies tour. Team Manager Intikhab Alam has now confirmed that Miandad has turned down the role due to personal reasons.

No Pakistan batsman was able to score a century despite the fact that the World Cup was played on the batting-friendly tracks of Subcontinent. No one even registered his name in the top 20 run-scorers.

"The Pakistan team surely needs a batting coach and the board approached Miandad, but he unfortunately declined the offer because of personal reasons," Alam said. "But I am sure that he will help the players in the near future."

Batting has been a long-standing problem for Pakistan, but it has compounded after the retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq and disappearance of Mohammad Yousuf. Pakistan banked on experienced Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq but they failed to deliver. Younis was never a good limited overs batsman while Misbah lacked in the ability to rotate the strike efficiently enough.

Javed Miandad is arguably the best batsman Pakistan has produced. He has scored 8832 runs at 52.57 in tests, highest by any Pakistan batsman. Apart from being a fine batsman, he was a shrewd character often helping his captain Imran Khan during Pakistan's golden years of cricket. He knows the game inside out and has a unique way of coaching.

He has coached Pakistan team three times before, but each time he had to go prematurely due to differences either with the management or the players. He was often criticized to be over-indulgent in his coaching method and many players were reported to be annoyed by his approach.

Although during his tenures, Pakistan did reasonably well, but the fact that he did not go along well with certain players meant he left the team in doldrums each time he parted ways. Another problem with him is said to be his allegedly big ego, which many term as over-enthusiasm on his part as he used to demand from players what he was able to do himself. He was appointed director-general cricket of PCB in October 2008, but he has always asked for his experience to be utilized in a better way for Pakistan.

His decision has not gone well especially with Shahid Afridi, whose disappointment was echoed in his statement: "If he is not available, then the board can hire other batting greats that this country has produced, or even look at a foreign batting coach,". "Pakistan cricket has to move on and it is not as if we have produced just one great batsman in the past," he said. Miandad responded by saying that a team does not need five coaches and he wants a full-time job with full authority.

Despite declining the coaching job, Miandad could not resist himself as he visited the players' training session and gave batting tips to the batsmen. After all, cricket and love of the country run in his blood.

Rajasthan make two in two

Match Report – IPL4: Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils, Jaipur, April 12, 2011

Rajasthan Royals beat Delhi Daredevils by playing as a well-knit unit under their captain Fantastic, Shane Warne. Despite Venugopal Rao’s late onslaught, Royals restricted Daredevils to a manageable score through disciplined bowling, and then chased down the target comfortably in the penultimate over.

Shaun Tait removed the danger-man Sehwag in the first over and then made Finch his second victim to peg back Delhi at the start. Warne then rocked the middle order by taking two in three balls in his first over. David Warner who was going well for Delhi needed an able partner to resurrect the innings and he found that in Venugopal Rao.

Both added invaluable 83 runs in just over 10 overs to keep their team in the hunt. Rao was the aggressor of the two initially as he launched Botha for two sixes apart from caressing a few boundaries. Warner joined the act but departed after reaching his 50 for a 44-ball 54. Rao hit Trivedi for two back-to-back sixes before holing out to deep midwicket. He made a whirlwind 60 off 40 balls with 4 fours and same number of sixes. Delhi finished at 151 for 6. Warne took 2 for 17 while Tait gave away 40 runs for his two scalps.

Ashok Dinda removed Pauniker early but Dravid launched Irfan Pathan for 15 runs in one over with a stunning six over long-on and two fours. Johan Botha and Dravid took the score to 61 in the 8th over, when Dravid was caught behind off Ojha for 38 (31b, 6×4, 1×6). Rajasthan kept nibbling at the score despite losing two more wickets as Delhi bowlers were unable to apply enough pressure. Botha remained not out on 39 off 34 balls as they reached the target with 9 balls to spare.

With this win Rajasthan have won both their matches, while Delhi have lost two in two. They need to lift their batting and Sehwag has a lot to offer in that regard in the coming matches.

Rajasthan 152/4 (Botha 39*, M Morkel 1/11) beat Delhi 151/6 (Rao 60, Warne 2/17) by 6 wickets

Man of the match: Shane Warne (Rajasthan Royals)

Malinga too hot to handle for Delhi

Match Report – IPL4: Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians, Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, 10 April 2011

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag walked out in the middle on a pleasant afternoon, but unlike in the World Cup, they were not padded up to open rather they were there to toss as rival captains. Delhi opted to bat first after winning the toss, but were destroyed by Malinga, and Mumbai chased down the modest target without much fuss.

Sehwag carted Harbhajan, who opened the bowling, for a massive six on the fourth ball. The other explosive opener, David Warner was yorked magnificently by Malinga in the next over. Poor Unmukt Chand barely survived a ball before Malinga disturbed his furniture for another duck. Tendulkar then removed Sehwag through a direct hit to reduce Delhi to 27 for 3.

It was a body blow as despite good hands by Naman Ojha 29 (30b, 2×4, 1×6) and Venugopal Rao 26 (25b, 3×4), Delhi were bowled out for a paltry 95 in the 18th over. Malinga came back to rock the lower order too to finish with stunning figures of 5 for 13, four of them were bowled.

After Ashok Dinda opened with a tight over, Delhi showed their will to fight when Morne Morkel clean-bowled Davy Jacobs in the next. Tendulkar along with Ambati Rayudu took the score to 31 after he was dropped by Sehwag on 6. Rayudu was brilliantly run out by Warner with a direct hit for 14. This was all that Delhi could get as both Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma carried Mumbai home with more than 3 overs to spare. Tendulkar remained not out on 46 (50b, 3×4, 1×6) while Sharma made unbeaten 27 off 30 balls. Mumbai won comfortably by 8 wickets to start their campaign in style.

Mumbai 99/2 (Tendulkar 46*, Morkel 1/29) beat Delhi 95 (N Ojha 29, Malinga 5/13) by 8 wickets

Man of the match: Lasith Malinga

Pathan of Pakistan

A career in perspective: Boom Boom Afridi

Shahid Afridi epitomizes Pakistan cricket perfectly at the moment; talented, exciting, promising, yet disappointing. He is immensely talented but has not lived up to his potential over the years. He is a matchless character and an exciting phenomenon in the cricketing world. It is often said: “There can be only one Afridi.”

When he bats he does not use his brain. People say this is because he is a Pathan. But Imran Khan was a Pathan too. Younis Khan is another Pathan who plays with responsibility, unlike Afridi who seldom does.

Like most Pakistani cricket gems, Afridi too burst onto the scene out of nowhere. Another fact which makes him a special case is that no one, even he himself, knows whether he is a bowling all-rounder or a batsman who can bowl. He declares himself a mediocre player, but ask the opposition captains, they will say how he makes them look baffled most of the time.

He is not a classical leg-spinner; neither is he a proper batsman.

Afridi the bowler

Afridi is a leg spinner, but bowls with a mind of a fast bowler. He has a good leg-break which slips more than it turns. He can impart enough revolutions on the ball to give it a tweak so that he could deceive the batsman with drift in the air, especially when he is in good bowling form. His googly is not as lethal as, say, Mushtaq’s was, but it is an important weapon for him. The most lethal and wicket-taking delivery that he bowls is the flipper, which skids after pitching and like Anil Kumble’s lethal flipper, gets the batsman bowled or LBW as they are lured into a cut shot.

On top of all, he has a faster one which he bowls at 115-120 kph without changing his action, but running in slightly faster. He can bowl seem-up deliveries too with the same run-up at about 130 kph - Remember Greg Blewett - or even off spinners when he is in a mood to enjoy.

He has been labeled as a one-day bowler and he himself thinks on the same lines of late. This is not because he lacks wicket taking ability, but he lacks in temperament. He wants immediate results, like his batting, but in Test matches a spinner needs to be patient and expectant. You have to wait for success before you are on top of the conditions and the batsmen. He has bowled some good spells in tests and has a reasonable record.

Afridi the batsman

As a batsman he is either exiting as a Hollywood thriller or as horrible as a Lollywood action flop. He either jolts the opposition or breaks the hearts of his fans. Interestingly both captains, his own and the opposing team’s, are on their toes when Afridi is batting. And invariably, he makes one of them burst into jubilation and relief according to the outcome of his stay at the crease.

When he is in full flow, his batting is a joy to watch. He can murder any attack. He can overcome any situation. The conditions, the pitch and the type of bowling do not matter much if Afridi is on song. No boundary is large enough for him. Like a kid, he wants to take all the candies himself and then wants to eat them in one go. If he succeeds, he scripts fairy tales. If he fails, obituaries are written all over.

The way he bats, he doesn’t need any flaw in his batting technique to fail, he fails himself. On the other hand, he has many attributes in his batting which make him one of the most exiting and dangerous batsmen around. Afridi the batsman is matchless. He can play like a beast and do a Viv Richards like he did when he scored his first ever ODI century. He can bat like a roller-coaster ride and do a Sehwag - Chennai test match hundred. He can take responsibility too and lead his team to outstanding victories like Inzamam as in WorldT20 in England in 2009.

Afridi the Captain

Despite being one of the senior most players, Afridi has waited for his turn to captain Pakistan for a number of years. He longed for the job only to be handed over in 2009 after he had won Pakistan the World T20 with back-to-back man of the match awards in the semi-final and the final. He was given the reigns of the ODI team in 2010 before the Asia Cup. His record as the captain has been a mixed one, as he has not proved to be tactically astute captain. But to his credit he has managed to gel the players together and carried the team admirably out of the quagmire created by the spot-fixing saga and other controversies.

Afridi was appointed captain for all three formats in May 2010, after he showed his willingness to play Test cricket again. He captained Pakistan in the first Test at Lord's against Australia, but after failure with bat, he announced retirement from Tests again giving lack of temperament for Test cricket as the reason. It was an emotional decision which was widely criticized.

He led his team well to reach semi-final of World T20 in 2010 and after narrowly losing ODI series against England and South Africa, he won against New Zealand Down Under 3-2. No one gave Pakistan any hope in the 50-over World Cup which was held recently in the subcontinent, but Pakistan surprised all by first topping their group and then qualifying for the semi-final. Although they lost a winnable match to India at Mohali, Afridi and his men came back with their heads held high.

In the semi-final against India, he made a few blunders as first he was too defensive in the field and then he failed to take the batting powerplay at a suitable time which cost Pakistan the match. It is hoped that with induction of new blood and passage of time, Afridi will grow in confidence and will be able to form a good team capable of reaching at the top in the limited overs version of the game.

Afridi the persona

Wasim Akram says: “I’ve been saying this for more than 21 years to Afridi. He has to learn.” He was referring to the irresponsible shot Afridi played to get out against Australia in a WC game. You have to live with Afridi whatever he is. He cannot be taught, captained or tamed. But he thrives when given a responsibility. Now as a captain, he will do things according to his style and will invariably succeed without the pressure of persuasion.

He cannot control his nature. No one can. After the semi-final loss, he won Indian hearts by saying warm words, but just after a few days he could not resist himself and disappointed everyone by talking loosely. He has a child-like mind, but a heart of a lion. He does not hate any one, but he is a fierce competitor. Whatever he says, he means nothing. You got to love the man.

Glimpse at the career

Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi was born on March 1, 1980 in the tribal area of Khyber Agency. He moved to Karachi with his parents where he started playing his cricket. At the tender age of 16 years, he was summoned to Kenya during a four-nation tournament in 1996–97 as a leg spinner to replace the injured Mushtaq Ahmed. In his second match, he scored the fastest ever ODI century off just 37 balls with a record 11 sixes against Sri Lanka as he was asked to bat at number 3 as a pinch-hitter. He was also the youngest to score an ODI hundred at that time.

From that moment on, he was expected to bat in the same mode. He used to play according to the wishes of his fans. He was not able to restrain himself from playing aggressively, without trying to build an innings. As a result he never came out of the shadow of his very first knock at international level. This fact greatly affected his career as his bowling abilities were ignored, despite his below par performances with the bat.

After 66 ODIs, he was given test cap in Karachi against Australia in 1998 where he failed with the bat as opener, but took 5 wickets in the first innings. In his next tour in India in 1999, he stroked a breathtaking century in the first test at Chennai. With the passage of time, he improved his bowling and had good results in all forms of the game. His batting too flourished and he played good hands in both tests and ODIs.

Leicestershire gave him a contract in 2001 and he did reasonably well for them in county circuit. He scored his second test century in Sharjah when Pakistan played against West Indies on neutral venue. His tour to India again in 2005-6 was a successful one in which he did well in the third test match where he scored a fifty and took 5 wickets in series-drawing win in Bangalore. He dismissed Tendulkar in both innings of the match. He scored joint-second fastest hundred in ODIs in 45 balls at Kanpur to destroy Indian bowling to win the ODI series 4-2. After this game, the prefix ‘Boom Boom’ stuck to his name permanently.

Under Bob Woolmer, Afridi was at his peak in both tests and ODIs as he scored and took wickets during the tours to India, West Indies and against England. Afridi played ten Tests during the period from January 2005 to March 2006, averaging 47.44 with the bat including three centuries. He was banned for a Test match and two ODIs for damaging the pitch with his boots during second Test at Faisalabad. In April 2006, he announced temporary break from test cricket to give time to his family and boost his ODI career, but came back for a short while to play two Tests in England in July before disappearing again.

He missed Pakistan’s first two WC 2007 matches, as he was banned for 4 ODIs in a series prior to the world cup when he thrust his bat at a spectator who swore at him after he was dismissed. In the World T20, he was named the Man of the tournament due to his brilliant bowling efforts. He was not so successful in the inaugural edition of Indian Premier League in 2008, where he played for Deccan Chargers. He impressed in the next world T20 in England in 2009 and helped Pakistan win the title.

After being nominated for T20 captaincy, he also captained in the 5th ODI against Australia in the absence of Mohammad Yousuf on 31 January 2010. Afridi was banned from two Twenty20 internationals after being caught on camera biting into the ball during the match. It was embarrassment of sorts for him as well as his fans as being a captain his act was despicable and raised questions about his suitability as a captain. But he was appointed ODI captain for the Asia Cup in which he top-scored with two hundreds.

After his retirement from Test cricket in May 2010, he focused his energies to build a team for the World Cup 2011 where he led his team to semi-final exit against India. He failed with the bat, but bowled brilliantly becoming the joint leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps.

In 27 Test matches, he has scored over 1700 runs with a healthy average of 36.51 including 5 centuries, apart from taking 48 wickets at 35.60. His ODI record shows that he is better bowler than batsman. In 320 matches, he has scored 6667 runs at 23.64 with 6 hundreds and 31 fifties at a spectacular strike rate of 114. He has taken 313 wickets at 3.90. He is the first bowler to take 50 wickets in T20s.

Man on a mission

With him taking over as the skipper of Pakistan team, there is a hope for a new dawn in Pakistan cricket. Imran Khan has urged him to come out of Test retirement as well and take over the Test captaincy as there is no suitable candidate for the job in the near future. If he does that, he should be appointed long-term captain and given enough powers to put Pakistan cricket back on track. But if he restricts himself to limited overs form of the game only, he should be asked to continue till the next World Cup and build a strong team in the process.

Shahid Afridi is a unique character as he has suddenly become the voice of Pakistan cricket after 15 years of a fragile career typified by under-achievement. He can disappoint and fail Pakistan, but the signs are that he is the man to take Pakistan back to its past glory. Believe me Pakistan’s revival depends on his shoulders.

No Akmal and Abdul Razzaq in Pakistan's limited overs squad for the West Indies

Pakistan News: Squad for the west Indies announced

The Selection Committee has announced the squad for the limited overs version a day after it was originally scheduled. There were reports of differences between the captain and the members of the selection committee. The main contentious issues were the selection of Imran Farhat and Fawad Alam and the dropping of Ahmed Shehzad.

The struggling Kamran Akmal was dumped from both the ODI and T20 squads as expected, along with Abdul Razzaq who also failed to perform in the World Cup. Senior players like Umar Gul and Younis Khan have been rested while Misbah-ul-Haq has been retained.

Kamran's place has gone to Faisalabad's long-serving wicket-keeper Mohammad Salman, who has been preferred to Sarfraz Ahmed, probably due to his better credentials as a batsman.

Young under-19-fame all-rounder, Hammad Azam, has taken the place of Abdul Razzaq while Aizaz Bin Ilyas Cheema has been rewarded for his brilliant domestic performance as a medium-fast bowler. Ahmed Shehzad and Junaid Khan have been retained from the World Cup squad.

Young batting prodigy Usman Salahuddin has been drafted in after his impressive first-class level performance, where he impressed everyone with his form and technique.

The Test squad will be announced later. The tour starts on April 18 with a warm-up game, followed by the only Twenty20 on April 21 in St Lucia. The five-match ODI series will begin on April 23, and the Test series will start on May 12.

Squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq, Taufiq Umar, Ahmed Shahzad, Usman Salahuddin, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Tanvir Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Hammad Azam, and Mohammad Salman (wk)

Reserves: Rameez Raja (jnr), Sohail Khan, Sadaf Hussain, Asif Zakir, Zulifqar Babar

Update: Sadaf later replaced Cheema who was declared unfit by doctors

Please do not forget Shoaib Akhtar

End of a story of agony, underachievement and thrill

Although the ‘Rawalpindi express’ has run out of steam and the aeroplane is grounded forever, Shoaib Akhtar, the man is never going to be erased from our memories. He will remain in the minds and hearts of cricket lovers for a long time to come. He has given a lot to cricket and the nation. Now PCB has a duty to give something back to its son. But PCB as we all know can certainly do this – disregard and disrespect a national hero.

Shoaib Akhtar has announced his retirement from all forms of the game. His announcement, for his supporters and critics alike, has come at the right time, a rarity for a Pakistani cricketer of late. Remarkably and to his credit he is going as a speedster, though a huffing and puffing one, unlike many of the past fast bowling legends. Alas we would not be hearing his grunts on the field and watching the batsmen hop, evade or bowled will become a thing of past.

Just like his belated departure from the game, his arrival too was delayed in 1997. He was initially selected for Sahara Cup to be played in Canada in 1996 but was excluded from the squad amid reports of indiscipline. He was, at that time, the most talked about talent in Pakistani cricket circles. Hailing from Morgah, Rawalpindi, he played his early cricket in the streets of Pindi and Asghar Mall College. He used to play with tapped ball for different teams in Rawalpindi where he was spotted by one of the coaches as a shining talent.

The beginning

He was picked by Rawalpindi ‘B’ team and started his first class career in 1994-95. In the same season he also represented Pakistan International airlines. His first match against Rawalpindi ‘A’ did not provide him any opportunity in batting or bowling as second and 3rd days were washed out. In his first match against Karachi Whites, he went wicket less. Karachi Blues captain Munir-ul-Haq was his first first-class victim. In his first season he took 17 wickets at 32.82 with best figures of 6 for 69 against Lahore City.

He came to limelight in the season of 1996-97 in real sense when representing ADBP and Rawalpindi he was the second highest wicket-taker with 69 wickets at 23.66. He was selected for Pakistan ‘A’ which toured England in 1997 where he took 25 wickets at 29.88. After being ignored by selectors for Sahara Cup, he finally wore the green Pakistani cap in November, 1997 when he played his first test against the touring West Indies at Rawalpindi. Ian Bishop was his first test wicket who was clean-bowled.

Recognition

The world recognized Shoaib Akhtar as an express fast bowler during the tour to South Africa. At Kingsmead Durban in the second test, Shoaib destroyed South African batting line-up by taking 5 for 43. His 4 victims were bowled including Jacques Kallis and one was LBW. The delivery that bowled Kallis was a thunder bolt which left the batsman shell-shocked.

Rise

The highlight of his career arrived in India in Asian Test Championship. Eden Gardens, Calcutta saw Rawalpindi Express in full steam. He silenced a capacity crowd by taking wickets of Rahul Dravid ‘the Wall’ and little master Sachin Tendulkar on two consecutive deliveries. These are arguably the two best ever back to back deliveries in test cricket history. After clean-bowling Rahul Dravid with a perfect in-swinging yorker, he removed Sachin Tendulkar first ball with another toe-crusher. His 8 wickets in the match paved the way for Pakistan’s victory.

Shoaib went into the 1999 World Cup with huge reputation and expectation. He delivered some breathtaking spells during the tournament apart from an erratic over against South Africa in which Lance Klusener took 17 runs on the way to an important victory for South Africa. He destroyed New Zealand in the semi-final but did not have enough runs in the final to do any thing substantial for his team.

Called for throwing

He was signed by Nottinghamshire in 2000 but injuries did not allow him to represent his team. He also missed England’s Pakistan tour. Earlier during the tour Down Under, he was called for throwing by umpires Peter Willey and Darrell Hair and the match referee John Reid. He was later cleared by the ICC.

He was again called in New Zealand in 2001 but University of Western Australia cleared his action on the basis of "unique physical characteristics” as he had hyper-extended elbow joints. He broke the speed barrier of 100mph for the first time in the third ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, when he clocked 161kph.

Best Period

In May, 2002 he destroyed New Zealand with one of the fiercest spells of fast bowling. He took 6 for 11 in New Zealand’s capitulation for 73 after Pakistan had piled on the runs riding on Inzamam’s triple hundred in Lahore. Five of his victims were bowled. He took 6 wickets in an ODI too. Stephen Fleming was bowled with a delivery that cannoned into his stumps before the batsmen hardly brought his bat down. It was a lightening fast yorker bowled from around the wicket.

He almost won a test match at Colombo for Pakistan when he destroyed the cream of Australian batting with a stunning spell in the second innings. His all 5 wickets were taken without the help of any fielder. That spell was certainly Shoaib’s best and is comparable to the best of the best.

Ball-Tampering charges

He was among controversies again when allegations of ball-tampering were made against him in Zimbabwe in late 2002 but another injury sidelined him soon after. The year 2003 was again a mixed one for him as he had a spat with his captain Waqar Younis over his performance in the world Cup in 2003. He was dropped from the team for a while but on his return to the national side he was handed a ban for ball-tampering in a triangular series in Sri Lanka.

Indiscipline and Injuries

After controversially missing the first test due to injury, he helped Pakistan win against New Zealand at Wellington by taking 11 wickets in the match in December 2003. He was injured again before the ODI series. Later he disappointed his captain Inzamam in test series loss to India at home in 2004 so much so that he was accused by him of feigning injury but was later cleared on enquiry. At this point in time his career was limping and his future was uncertain once again. But on the tour to Australia he bowled a few magical spells although he failed to win Pakistan a test.

In the year 2005, the world saw another dimension of Shoaib when after a long injury lay-off, he destroyed England at home by taking 17 wickets in 2-0 test series win. This time he used his slower ones more effectively than his customary yorkers to bamboozle the batsmen. Next year was a difficult one for him as he missed most of the matches with a career-threatening knee injury.

Doping saga

Another low came in the Champions trophy in South Africa in 2006, when after being tested positive for Nandrolone along with Muhammad Asif, he was sent back and banned by the PCB only to be exonerated 3 months later. He was subsequently withdrawn from Pakistan’s world cup squad in 2007 amid speculations that he could again be caught in the dope tests. In the same years he was fined for breaching the PCB’s code of conduct and was later put on a six-week probationary period.

5-year Ban

He did not seem to learn any lesson as he was involved in a dressing-room fight with Asif and was sent home from World T-20 in South Africa in 2007. He was handed a harsh 13-match ban apart from heavy monetary fine and was also placed on two-year probationary and monitoring period. In 2008 his career looked like ending for good when he was suspended for 5-years by the PCB on breaching the code of conduct when he openly criticized Board’s decision to demote him in the new central contracts. Quite astonishingly the Appellate Tribunal decided to suspend his five-year ban for one month on his appeal. He was consequentially allowed to represent Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in 2008.

At loggerheads with PCB again

The change in PCB administration in late 2008 brought a change in Shoaib’s fortune as well when he was given the top category in he central contracts announced in 2009. But the patch up was short-lived. He suffered public ignominy when PCB publicly revealed that he was withdrawn from Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad because he suffered from genital warts. He was out of action any how after he under-went knee surgery in 2009.

After being overlooked for World T20 to be held in the Caribbean in 2010, he made a remarkable come-back in June 2010 for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. After mixed performances in ODI (as he refrained from test cricket) he was selected for the World Cup 2011, his last assignment.

Bidding Adieu

As we all know by now, Shoaib had made up his mind to call it quits after the world cup but for many the timing of his announcement was not right. He announced his retirement in the middle of the tournament when he could have waited for the assignment to finish. During the tournament his performance was a mixed one. We saw every bit of Shoaib in this tournament. He was at his best when he clean-bowled Mahela Jayawardene off a beauty. Then we saw him being clobbered all over by Ross Taylor in what proved to be his last match for Pakistan.

While announcing his retirement, Shoaib said: "Mentally, I wanted to continue, perhaps forever. But I must make way for the youngsters." "I am here only because of the love and affection of my fans. I want to thank them from the bottom of the heart," he added. Citing his reasons for the timing he said: "When I was going through my knee surgery for the fourth time, I made the decision to play in this World Cup for the Pakistan team and retire. Secondly, when the news broke that two of the Pakistani players are involved in such matters (Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir who were involved in spot-fixing and were banned from the game) I thought I should be able to concentrate and get back and help Pakistan.”

"Playing for my country was just a dream," he said. "I thought it would never come true. The first day when it was announced that I will play for Pakistan I did not believe that. There were Wasim (Akram) Waqar (Younis, the team's current coach) Imran (Khan) and Inzamam. There was a huge star on my shirt, and I wore that kit and slept in that kit. I did not take it out for three days."
When asked about his magic moments he said: "I have countless memories, but bowling with Waqar and Wasim, and bowling Sachin for a first ball duck and Dravid were the best moments. It was a dream.” Among players, he singled out Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara for admiration.

After representing Pakistan for 14 years, he ended up playing only 46 test matches in which he took 178 wickets at 25.69. It was a massive underachievement and a sad one too. He deserved 400 wickets at least but became a victim of injuries, indiscipline and care-free attitude. It was a great loss for Pakistan because he could have halted Pakistan’s downward slide in the international rankings had he played on a consistent basis. In ODIs he was more involved taking 247 scalps in 163 matches at just under 25.

A happy Send-off?

Shoaib Akhtar will be missed by Pakistan as they do not have a genuine fast bowler at present and there is no one on the horizon either. Sadly he could not play his last game for Pakistan but we can still give him a fitting farewell.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has a responsibility to acknowledge his services. He has played for Pakistan and brought laurels for the nation. His contract which was to end in June has been terminated by PCB on hearing his announcement as if they were waiting for it. This is not a good gesture at all. PCB should arrange a grand farewell function for the legend so that he could bid adieu in a graceful manner makinf fans feel proud of their hero. Giving him a farewell match will not be a bad idea, in fact it would erase the bitter memories of past when our heroes were humiliated and many bade farewell in tears. It will also set a happy precedent for the future and send a positive signal to our young stars.

It is time to respect our heroes and give them honor and credit which they deserve. Will PCB break the tradition and do something positive. Although there is little hope but one can always wish and pray.

A dark day for Associates

ICC News: 10 teams for next two World Cups

The next two editions of 50-over World Cup will be competed by only 10 teams. It was decided in a meeting of ICC's Executive Committee in Mumbai today. The 2015 event will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, and the 2019 World Cup will be played in England.

The next tournament will have top ten full members of ICC in action while from 2019 onwards the 10 teams will be decided through a qualification process, the details of which are still under deliberation. It may be that bottom two places would be decided through a preliminary competition. The tournaments after the 2019 edition will be based on a proposed relegation-promotion system under an expected ODI league system.

In order to minimize the impact of the decision and limit the expected 'damage' the ICC has decided to increase the number of teams for the World T20 to 16.But the Affiliates and Associates seem not to budge at all.

The reaction, so far, from the Associate members shows their unhappiness on the ICC decision. Cricket Ireland's chief, Warren Deutrom, reacted by saying: "It's nothing short of outrageous." He further said: ""And after such a terrific event, and the wonderful occasion of the final, where the sport was incredible and regarded in such glowing terms around the world, I'm afraid this is an absolute black day for the sport. It's a genuinely awful decision that has been reached."

Irish captain William Porterfield's too was furious. Porterfield told Press Association Sport: "It's an absolute disgrace and I don't know how they can even comprehend doing this. I don't know what else we had to do in the World Cup, we held our own against the full members, we beat England, we got the fastest ever hundred. For them to turn around and throw that back in our face a few weeks later is an absolute joke."

"We are currently ranked 10th, ahead of Zimbabwe, and there is no reason we can't move up another position, if not two, by the next World Cup. Instead, the door has been closed in our face. It is an embarrassment." He said. "This could mean the death of cricket in a lot of countries." Porterfield warned.

ICC is still to decide to the format but Haroon Lorgat, ICC's Chief Executive, has hinted that it may involve all teams playing each other in a round-robin league, like the most successful tournaments of all in 1992.

The latest development has not come as a surprise but the timing has been poor. Just when the world was basking in the glory of the sport, ICC had created an unnecessary fuss. The decision could have been deferred until a suitable time and it would have been better for the ICC to have consulted with the [parties affected, the Affiliates and the Associates.

The 10-team format may look more competitive but it contradicts ICC's campaign to globalize the game. A 12-team event would have been more suitable a better compromise.

ICC is fast growing into an organization which keeps earning money as its prime objective rather than developing and promoting the game itself. With only 10 teams, it would hardly be called a 'World' Cup.

Team India on top of the world

World Cup 2011 – Match Report: Final, India vs. Sri Lanka, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 2 April 2011

Hot favorites lived up to the expectations of a billion and a quarter by winning the world cup on home soil. This is the first time a host nation has done it. First time an Asian nation has lifted the coveted trophy on more than one occasion. And to win it for that man, Sachin Tendulkar was an icing on the cake for a nation who is mad for their idol, the man who had achieved every thing except the big prize. India has won in style and they deserved it.

Sreesanth replaced injured Ashish Nehra as India again ignored Ashwin. Sri Lanka made four changes due to Mathews’s injury. Mathews, Mendis, Herath and Chamara Silva all made way for Perera, Randiv, Kulasekara and Chamara Kapugedera. They were forced to do this huge shuffle to maintain the team balance. The match was supervised by world’s top two umpires, Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel.

There was drama and little controversy from the outset as toss had to be done twice. There was some misunderstanding over who won the toss as Sangakkara called Tails but Dhoni thought it was Heads. Ravi Shastri suggested match referee for a re-toss which they did without any more arguments. Sangakkara won the toss and happily opted to bat.

Sri Lanka started very slowly which was bizarre as both their openers had been in supreme form whole tournament. Ultra-defensive approach cost them as Upul Tharanga was undone by Zaheer Khan who had him smartly caught by Sehwag at first slip. He made just 2 runs off 20 balls. Zaheer’s first three overs were all maidens. Sangakkara arrived at the crease and looked to have a move on. Both he and Dilshan hit some lovely fours especially on erratic Sreesanth. Sri Lanka completed 50 in the 13th over.

Just when Dilshan (33 off 49 balls) looked set for a big knock, he was bowled by Harbhajan Singh when he tried a sweep shot but the ball hit his gloves and rolled on the stumps. Sri Lanka’s most experienced pair was on the crease as Mahela Jayawardene joined his captain at 60 for 2. Both played intelligently and put the innings on track. Jayawardene looked in sublime touch as he played the seamers and spinners alike with authority timing the ball crisply. At 100 for 2 after 24 overs, Sri Lanka were happily placed.

Yuvraj was again the ‘golden arm’ for India as he removed well-set Sangakkara for a 67-ball 48. He was pouched by Dhoni when he tried to cut Yuvraj who bowled a little wide and quicker. Thilan Samaraweera continued the tempo till he became Yuvraj’s second victim who trapped him LBW which was given out on review. Zaheer Khan returned to rock Sri Lanka by getting Kapugedera cheaply. They were in trouble at 182 in the 40th over with half of the side back in the hut.

At this stage Nuwan Kulasekara stepped up for his team and together with free-flowing Jayawardene he put on a valuable 66 runs in just over 8 overs. Batting powerplay was taken after 45 overs and yielded 63 runs as first these two and then Thisara Perera went for the kill. The 48th over cost 17 runs as Kulasekara hit Zaheer for a big six followed by Mahela who brought up his sublime hundred through back to back boundaries. Kula was run out after making 32 off 30 balls.

Mahela Jayawardene’s century was a classic master-piece which came off just 84 balls with 13 boundaries. He remained not out for 103 but Perera feasted on Zaheer who bowled the last over which went for 18. He hit him for 2 fours and a six on the last ball to round off the innings on a high as he made 22 runs in just 9 balls. Yuvraj was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 29 while Zaheer gave away 60 runs for his 2 wickets. Sri Lanka made a challenging 274 for 6 as an absorbing contest was expected by a full house at Wankhede Stadium at the half-way stage.

India relied heavily on their openers all tournament but Lasith Malinga stunned the jam-packed stadium by removing both Sehwag and home-boy, Sachin Tendulkar cheaply. In the very first over, Sehwag was trapped on the pads as he played a good-length delivery on the back-foot. Aleem Dar’s stunning tournament continued as his decision was upheld once again on the review. Sachin had made a fluent 18 runs with two scorching fours when he poked at an away swinger from Malinga. Sangakkara took the catch as the stadium went into pin-drop silence. It was the end of the World Cup for the little master.

Gambhir and Virat Kohli played solidly defying Sri Lanka for 15 and a half overs to bring life back into the crowd. They put together vital 83 runs for the 3rd wicket before Kohli was brilliantly caught by Dilshan off his own bowling. He made 35 off 49 balls with 4 fours. Kula earlier had dropped a tough catch at long off to reprieve Gambhir on 30. Captain cool MS Dhoni promoted himself ahead of in-form Yuvraj Singh to shepherd the innings. He took the responsibility, thrived and played a stunning captain’s knock.

Gambhir and Dhoni took the game away from Sri Lanka by sharing a match-winning stand of 109 runs in 118 balls. As Gambhir neared his hundred, Dhoni brought up his 50 off just 52 balls with 4 fours. It was a majestic innings as despite losing Gambhir, he continued unabated overseeing the chase with supreme control. Gambhir was bowled by Perera when he tried to slog him for glory, a stroke away from a world cup final hundred. He made a brilliant 97 in 122 balls including 9 fours. Sri Lanka smelled an outside chance as India still needed 52 runs off 52 balls.

But Yuvraj Singh made sure India coast towards the target without any scare. With World Cup in sights, Dhoni played a thumping cut off Perera that soared over point for six. He was running away with the match with ferocious shots as the target came close. Finally the crowd and whole of India erupted with joy as Dhoni blasted second ball of the penultimate over from Kula straight over long on for a massive six to bring up the win in style. He remained not out on a superb 91 off 79 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes.

India players and coaching staff charged on to the ground in celebration as they hugged each other. There were broad smiles and tears of joy as India made it possible in front of their fans. The crowd was ecstatic and the atmosphere was electric with fireworks all around. Players lifted Tendulkar on their shoulders as they had a victory lap in the ground. Dhoni who was also the man of the match, attributed this victory to the hard work and team unity while Yuvraj was named the man of the tournament.

ICC president Sharad Pawar handed the trophy to Dhoni who held it aloft with screams of joy from his players. There were tears in the eyes of Tendulkar as he finally had his dream fulfilled which had eluded him for 22 years. It was a sad end for Muralitharan who played his last game, what a champion he was for Sri Lanka. India were worthy of winning the title but Sri Lanka too should feel proud of playing second consecutive final. But this was a moment for the men in blue to cherish for the rest of their lives. The party had just begun.

Match Result: India 277 for 4 in 28.2 overs (Gambhir 97, Dhoni 91*; Malinga 2/42, Dilshan 1/27) beat Sri Lanka 274/6 (Jayawardene 103*, Sangakkara 48; Yuvraj 2/49, Zaheer 2/60) by 6 wickets to win the World Cup

Man of the match: M S Dhoni

Man of the tournament: Yuvraj Singh

No ‘Match-fixing’ please!

Amid suspicions and rumors of match-fixing, a petition has been filed

India has won the ‘mother of all finals’ in Mohali last night but the media frenzy does not seem to end any time soon. Pakistan were not favorites but the way they lost the match has raised many eye-brows. People who always smell rat have started murmuring about ‘possible’ match-fixing, while the cautious ones are waiting for the euphoria or dysphoria to settle down.

Every thing was going fine as fans from both countries were waiting anxiously for the match while media was blowing hot and cold until this happened. A well-known bookie Pardeep Agarwal was seen lurking in Indian dressing room during India vs Netherlands match and his presence sparked furor and buzz in the Indian media. Later an Indian tax commissioner Gupta ‘revealed’ through his ‘under-ground links’ that the semi-final was fixed and India were bound to lose that match as billions of rupees were changing hands in betting.

A day after India confirmed their clash with Pakistan after beating Australia in the quarterfinal; Indian Prime Minister invited his Pakistani counterpart to Mohali to watch the semi-final. After some deliberation, Pakistan accepted the offer of ‘peace’ and PM Gilani watched the match sitting beside Manmohan Singh.

This was supposed to be a ‘goodwill’ gesture to ease tensions between the two countries but some circles started doubting the intentions from the outset. They believed that the match was going to be fixed in favor of India and Pakistan will get some ‘strategic’ benefits in return. No one listened to these people, but after Pakistan’s loss they have started grumbling loudly.

Even as I went to my work-place people felt let-down by the ‘government’. I asked them instead of blaming players who played mind-boggling cricket, why are you pointing fingers to the high-ups. The replies were multi-faceted:

- Zardari and co have ‘sold’ the country like they did in Raymond Davis case.
- India bargained glory for concession with Pakistan. Now both India and Pakistan will resume talks and the tensions would ease up. Players had no choice but to obey for the sake of ‘national interest’.
- Bookies had manipulated at the highest level to earn billions.

And so on…

A minority also blamed a few players of following the dirty tactics of Asif, Amir and Salman Butt. They argued that they could have got earning of a life-time by throwing away just one match and still would be regarded as heroes for reaching the semi-finals as underdogs.

The suspicions were strengthened by a mysterious statement by Pakistani Interior minister Rehman Malik two days prior to the match. As both teams were practicing hard for the match under immense media focus, Rehman Malik stunned every one by issuing warning to Pakistan players to refrain from match fixing as they were under scrutiny. This statement was termed as ‘howler’ by former players and fans too were furious at the timing and language of the statement. Even Shahid Afridi termed it unfortunate. The doubters say it may have been issued as an eye-wash.

Zulqarnain Haider, Pakistan’s former wicket-keeper who had fled to London from UAE to seek asylum after allegedly being threatened by the bookmakers, jumped on the bandwagon. He accused a group of players including Akmal brothers of fixing the semi-final. "I am not surprised by the defeat because they are groups operating in the team and they don't allow any player to settle down unless he succumbs to them. The same thing happened to me," Haider said while talking to Dunya news channel from London after the match.

"No one is allowed to settle into the team unless they are supported by a group and that is what happened to me. Players are not allowed to settle into the team if they don't go along with a group. That is the reason why Kamran is still in the team despite poor performances. No other keeper would be retained in the team if he dropped the number of catches Kamran has dropped," he added. Zulqarnain said that his stand on fixing had been justified after the semi-final result.

The clamor did not end here. A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against some Pakistan players and some officials on charges of match-fixing in the ICC World Cup 2011 semi-final match against India. The petitioner claimed the match was fixed to create friendly ties between two nations at loggerheads. According to him, Afridi talked to Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan on the telephone before the match.

Lawyer Muhammad Azhar Siddique who filed the petition on behalf of Muhammad Irfan Mukhtar named Rehman Malik, Firdous Awan, the PCB chairman, Captain Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Karman Akmal and Pakistan's envoys to Britain, India and the UAE as parties to the matter.

Mukhtar opined Pakistan was "deeply hurt" by the defeat and a probe should be conducted by the FIA, NAB, Federal Board of Revenue and State Bank of Pakistan to determine the players’ contacts and details of their bank accounts. The petitioner claimed: "The way the Pakistan team surrendered the match to India is obvious that the match was fixed and for the realizing of which, even cricket diplomacy was initiated under a deep-rooted conspiracy wherein the role of two Pakistani ministers may also not been ruled out."

As a cricket fan and analyst, I request all concerned that please stop moaning about aimlessly. Pointing fingers is easy but proving something wrong is difficult. We should maintain composure and accept defeat at the hands of a superior side with grace.

Pakistan’s world cup ends as India march into final

World Cup 2011 – Match Report: 2nd Semi-Final, Pakistan v India, Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh, 30 March 2011

Despite much hype and excitement India were neutral’s favorites to win this high-intensity clash. India proved too strong for Pakistan who had already played beyond expectations in this tournament. But still this match provided every thing which an India-Pakistan clash promises, barring a last over nail-biting finish. Pakistan played with heart but in reality they should have actually won this match had they put some mind into their game.

India strangely left out Ashwin in favor of Ashish Nehra while Pakistan went into the game unchanged. Despite much talk about possibility of Shoaib’s inclusion Pakistan backed Wahab to do the job. Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first without hesitation. Tendulkar and Sehwag started cautiously but soon were on their way having judged the pace of the pitch. Sehwag took Umar Gul to cleaners in his second over and thumped him for 5 fours as Umar lost his line bowling on both sides of the wicket.

The uptight atmosphere suddenly changed as the crowd came to life. While Sehwag was going berserk, Tendulkar took time to play himself in. India raced to 50 in just 6.2 overs. Wahab Riaz was the man who halted Indian charge by trapping Sehwag LBW. He trudged off amid complete hush after making a quick-fire 38 off 25 balls with 9 fours. Gambhir joined Tendulkar but they could not keep the momentum going as Saeed Ajmal and Afridi squeezed them with tight bowling.

The crowd was buzzing when Tendulkar gave them a heart-in-the-mouth moment when he was given LBW to Ajmal. Quite astonishingly the hawk-eye showed the ball would have gone past the leg stump and crowd as well as Tendulkar came back to life. There was even more drama on the next ball as Ajmal deceived lunging Tendulkar and Kamran whipped the bails off in a flash. On umpire’s review it was too close to give as his foot had lifted just for a split second. Luck was on the side of Tendulkar who was not picking Ajmal at all.

Gambhir was playing uninhibited at the other end while Tendulkar continued to live a charmed life. First Misbah dropped him when he tried to pull Afridi and then Ajmal deceived him with a doosra which went for four off the outer edge through the vacant slip. India were comfortably placed at 100 for one in 15.2 overs. The 68-run partnership was broken by Hafeez when he was stumped by Kamran for a 32-ball 27.

Afridi’s patience was praiseworthy when Tendulkar was dropped again off his bowling. Younis was the culprit on this occasion as he failed to collect a forceful Tendulkar drive. In his next over, Tendulkar rubbed salt on Afridi’s wounds by caressing him for two lovely fours bringing up his 50 in the process which took 67 balls and included 7 hits to the boundary. The 100th international ton was surely on especially considering the generosity of Pakistan’s fielders.

India were running away with the game at the half-way stage with 141 on the board and Tendulkar well set. Pakistan needed something special to come back into it. The moment of magic was provided by Wahab Riaz. First he had Virat Kohli caught at backward point and then shattered Yuvraj Singh’s stumps with a reverse swinging low full toss. Two in two and Pakistan were suddenly ahead for the first time in the match. Amid shell-shocked Indian supporters, Dhoni survived the hat-trick ball.

Although Dhoni and Tendulkar were kept in check, absence of a slip continued to cost Pakistan dearly. Quite relentlessly Pakistan continued to drop Tendulkar and hence despite good bowling, the run rate hovered around five and a half. Kamran joined in the act when he gave Tendulkar another let-off by spoiling a tough edge. This was the third time Afridi could have had his man. The drama reached its comical heights when Umar Akmal gave Sachin his 4th life when he pulled Hafeez uppishly to midwicket.

Despite atrocious fielding display by Pakistan, the match hung in balance until Tendulkar was finally dismissed 15 short of hundred. Afridi had to do it himself as he took a low catch off the bowling of Ajmal. Tendulkar faced 115 balls and hit 11 fours. It was a lucky innings but it helped India post a decent total in the end. At 187 for 5 after 37 overs, Pakistan had their noses in front with last Indian batting pair on the crease.

Wahab came back to nip out a struggling Dhoni as India searched for some quick runs. Raina and Harbhajan took the batting powerplay after 44 overs. Gul came back but again proved disappointingly expensive. Ajmal deceived Harbhajan with a lovely doosra Wahab removed Zaheer to complete his first 5 wicket haul in ODIs. India scored 43 vital runs in the last powerplay thanks to Suresh Raina who remained not out on 36 off 39 balls.

Pakistan restricted India to 260 for 9 on a wicket which had slowed down ad helped spinners. It was a par score but Pakistan were more positive than India at the innings break. Apart from Wahab’s 5 for 46, Ajmal and Hafeez were among the wickets. Gul who was Pakistan’s spearhead all tournament, gave away 69 runs in his 8 overs.

Pakistan started off confidently as Hafeez and Kamran put on 44 runs in 9 overs without much fuss. There was no swing for the Indian seamers but Pakistan needed to take advantage of the new ball for a longer period as it was coming on to the bat nicely. After Kamran fell to Zaheer, Hafeez and Asad Shafiq carried Pakistan to 7o when a moment of indiscretion from Hafeez jolted Pakistan badly. For no apparent reason, Hafeez tried to play a scoop shot to Munaf Patel with both fine leg and third man on the boundary line. His attempt backfired miserably as the leading edged lobbed to Dhoni. He made 43 off 59 balls with 7 fours. This proved to be the turning point of the match as the in coming batsmen found it difficult to rotate the strike.

Asad was bowled by Yuvraj for 30 when he tried to cut a delivery which was too close. Yuvraj was again celebrating wildly when he removed Younis. It was a miserable innings by Younis who consumed 32 deliveries for his 13 runs. At 106 for 4 in the 26th over, the match was heading to a cliff-hanger. Umar Akmal played a few courageous strokes to lift Pakistan as the asking rate mounted steeply.

When Umar was cleaned up by Harbhajan through an arm ball, tensions mounted in the Pakistan camp. He played well for his 29 runs 924 balls, 1 four, 2 sixes) but Pakistan needed substantial contributions not cameos. Abdul Razzaq was promoted in order to increase the run rate but Pakistan missed the trick by not taking batting powerplay at the right time. Misbah was going at snail’s pace wasting too many deliveries. The asking rate approached 8 when Abdul Razzaq was bowled by Patel with a lovely leg cutter.

Shahid Afridi tried to blast away but fell to Harbhajan after contributing just 19 runs as Pakistan still did not take the batting powerplay. From 184 for 7 in the 42nd over, a miracle was needed to save Pakistan from elimination. Nehra came back to bowl a stunning over which culminated in the dismissal of Wahab Riaz. Pakistan needed 61 from the last 5 overs, the batting power play, but they had only 2 wickets left. The blunder to delay the powerplay cost Pakistan the match as Pakistan fell short by 29 runs with a ball to spare.

Misbah flashed in the end with a few fours and a six but still ended up needing 30 runs from the last over. He was the last man out caught by Kohli at log on off Zaheer for a 76-ball 56 (5 fours, 1 six). It was a useless innings in the end. All five Indian bowlers took 2 wickets each. As soon as Kohli took the last catch, wild celebrations erupted in the stadium and across India while shell-shocked Pakistan supporters watched in disbelief.

India continued their unbeaten run against Pakistan in the World Cups and made it five in five. Tendulkar who had played in all those matches was named man of the match. There was something more than cricket in this match as Pakistani premier watched the match alongside his Indian counterpart marking the beginning of new era in the relationship between two countries.

India has made to the final third time aver all where they will meet Sri Lanka in what looks to be another thrilling encounter at Mumbai. Pakistan will head home disappointed as they missed a golden opportunity but they should hold their heads high for what they gave on the cricket field after suffering from all that trauma off the field.

Match Result: India 260 for 9 (Tendulkar 85, Sehwag 36; Wahab 5/46) beat Pakistan 231 all out in 49.5 overs (Misbah 56, Hafeez 43; Nehra 2/30, Harbhajan 2/43) by 29 runs to qualify for the final

Man of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar