Allright, since there is not much action going on in the ODI XI debate, I am bravely going to pen down my best test eleven since 1992. And, offcourse no surprises, it has a shade over 60% of aussies in it (all 7 played at one time).
Test XI since 1992:
Matthew Hayden
Justin Langer
Ricky Ponting
Brian Lara
Steve Waugh (C)
Adam Gilchrist
Shane Warne
Wasim Akram
Curtly Ambrose
Muttiah Muralitharan
Glenn McGrath
So, what do you all think?
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
My ODI 11
Now that the WC is over and there is nothing much happening in Pakistan cricket, I have decided to write about a more general topic. This is perhaps a more debatable topic and almost every reader will have a difference of opinion. This is my best one day 11 since the time I started following cricket (1992). I did watch a few games before then and have seen a few on tape, but I have stuck to choosing among the players whom I have followed for most of their careers. Hence no Imran Khan, no Viv Richards. Also, in the batting line up I have chosen players in the position they have played most of their careers in. So, I had to make some tough choices and could not include both Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting in this team. Finally, some other individuals have been left out because they have not played enough games (eg Kevin P Michael Hussey and Shane Bond)So, here it is:
Dada's One Day XI since 1992:
Sachin Tendulkar
Adam Gilchrist
Brian Lara
Aravinda DeSilva
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Michael Bevan
Wasim Akram
Curtly Ambrose
Saqlain Mustaq
Waqar Younis
Glen McGrath
Dada's One Day XI since 1992:
Sachin Tendulkar
Adam Gilchrist
Brian Lara
Aravinda DeSilva
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Michael Bevan
Wasim Akram
Curtly Ambrose
Saqlain Mustaq
Waqar Younis
Glen McGrath
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Lions - The King of the Jungle.
Since 1996 the world cup final has been an Australia versus an Asian sub continent team affair, and the only time Australia was not clearly the heavy favorites was in 1999. Ironically that was the easiest win, with the other win against India also not too bothersome for Australia.
Australia is on a hat trick now, and if they are able to do it, it will be the first time any team would have achieved that. The West Indies were denied of their hat trick after winning the 75 and 79 world cups by yet another sub continent team, India. No other team (other than the ones listed above) has won two consecutive world cups.
In 1996 Sri Lanka relied on their batting with Jayasuria and Kalu in punishing mood and the master Aravinda at the top of his game. This time around they are more of a bowling team. Over all the Sri Lankan side is very balanced right now and they are an ideal team to give Australia a run for their money. Australia has excellent batsmen, most of them very good at playing pace bowling. They are also pretty good players of spin, but Murali is more than just a spinner; he is a magician.
The final will be a game of nerves, a battle of wits and strategy, and a clash between the geniuses of cricket. Australia has an advantage of having players on their roster who have featured in multiple world cup finals before, however Sri Lanka is not a team which will become victim of stage fright. South Africa, because of their history of being chokers and the other sub continent teams because of the immense pressure they play under due to the expectations of millions of die hard fans, are prone to crumble under pressure. With Sri Lanka this is not true. They have this ‘great to be here’, ‘nothing to loose’ attitude which holds the key to their chances in Saturday’s final. Australia will not find it easy to scare or bully the Sri Lankans as they have so frequently done with other teams in the past.
A battle of wits and strategy: The Sri Lankans had a clear cut strategy in 1996. Hit any thing loose, hit any thing not good, and for some players it was hit anything that is white and round. No holding back. Australia lately has played with a similar strategy and with the power hitters and the depth in their batting, it has proven to be very useful and rewarding. Sri Lanka, today, however has a different strategy. Pile a decent total (200 +) against any team, or 250+ against Australia and choke the other team in the middle overs. Jayasuria with his brisk left armers and Murali with his mesmerizing varieties and prodigious turn together become a deadly combo. With the experience of Vaas and the awkwardness that Malinga adds to the bowling department it is very likely that a target of 250 may be enough for the Sri Lankans to defend. The Australian strategy will be to bat first and put their stronger discipline (batting) under least pressure. This way they will be able to score freely and will look to get to a score around 300. The Sri Lankans will find it tough to chase that target against the pace of Tait, the guile of Bracken and the swan song performance of the impeccable McGrath.
A clash of geniuses: Australia will be looking at their veteran McGrath to do what he does best one last time – run through the top order in his first spell. Sri Lanka will be hoping that Jayasuria does what he knows best and gives them a flying start which will put the Aussies on the back foot In the Australian innings Murali’s overs will be the most crucial. If Vaas is able to give them a good start with two or more Australian batsmen back in the pavilion, it will be very hard to stop Murali from wrapping it up. Jayasuria and McGrath will be playing their last games, Murali and Ponting probably will have another shot at the world cup, but surely no one will leave things for the future.
What the script writers have written, we will have to wait and see.
A note about the pitch: The pitch which will be used in the finals will be one which Ricky won’t mind playing on. It is one of the bouncier and faster tracks of the world cup.
In the end, remember, if what they said about cricket is still true, there is only one worthy champions. Besides, it is time the Lions roared again.
Australia is on a hat trick now, and if they are able to do it, it will be the first time any team would have achieved that. The West Indies were denied of their hat trick after winning the 75 and 79 world cups by yet another sub continent team, India. No other team (other than the ones listed above) has won two consecutive world cups.
In 1996 Sri Lanka relied on their batting with Jayasuria and Kalu in punishing mood and the master Aravinda at the top of his game. This time around they are more of a bowling team. Over all the Sri Lankan side is very balanced right now and they are an ideal team to give Australia a run for their money. Australia has excellent batsmen, most of them very good at playing pace bowling. They are also pretty good players of spin, but Murali is more than just a spinner; he is a magician.
The final will be a game of nerves, a battle of wits and strategy, and a clash between the geniuses of cricket. Australia has an advantage of having players on their roster who have featured in multiple world cup finals before, however Sri Lanka is not a team which will become victim of stage fright. South Africa, because of their history of being chokers and the other sub continent teams because of the immense pressure they play under due to the expectations of millions of die hard fans, are prone to crumble under pressure. With Sri Lanka this is not true. They have this ‘great to be here’, ‘nothing to loose’ attitude which holds the key to their chances in Saturday’s final. Australia will not find it easy to scare or bully the Sri Lankans as they have so frequently done with other teams in the past.
A battle of wits and strategy: The Sri Lankans had a clear cut strategy in 1996. Hit any thing loose, hit any thing not good, and for some players it was hit anything that is white and round. No holding back. Australia lately has played with a similar strategy and with the power hitters and the depth in their batting, it has proven to be very useful and rewarding. Sri Lanka, today, however has a different strategy. Pile a decent total (200 +) against any team, or 250+ against Australia and choke the other team in the middle overs. Jayasuria with his brisk left armers and Murali with his mesmerizing varieties and prodigious turn together become a deadly combo. With the experience of Vaas and the awkwardness that Malinga adds to the bowling department it is very likely that a target of 250 may be enough for the Sri Lankans to defend. The Australian strategy will be to bat first and put their stronger discipline (batting) under least pressure. This way they will be able to score freely and will look to get to a score around 300. The Sri Lankans will find it tough to chase that target against the pace of Tait, the guile of Bracken and the swan song performance of the impeccable McGrath.
A clash of geniuses: Australia will be looking at their veteran McGrath to do what he does best one last time – run through the top order in his first spell. Sri Lanka will be hoping that Jayasuria does what he knows best and gives them a flying start which will put the Aussies on the back foot In the Australian innings Murali’s overs will be the most crucial. If Vaas is able to give them a good start with two or more Australian batsmen back in the pavilion, it will be very hard to stop Murali from wrapping it up. Jayasuria and McGrath will be playing their last games, Murali and Ponting probably will have another shot at the world cup, but surely no one will leave things for the future.
What the script writers have written, we will have to wait and see.
A note about the pitch: The pitch which will be used in the finals will be one which Ricky won’t mind playing on. It is one of the bouncier and faster tracks of the world cup.
In the end, remember, if what they said about cricket is still true, there is only one worthy champions. Besides, it is time the Lions roared again.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
SA vs Australia – who will be runner’s up?
Will Australia feature in their fourth consecutive world cup final? Or does SA have a surprise in store for them?
The last time the Aussies did not win the World Cup was in 1996 when they lost to Arjuna Ranatunga’s side. Australia had beaten the West Indies in the semi-finals courtesy Dr Warne, mean while Sri Lanka’s semifinal had to come to an unexpected end when the crowd at Eden gardens (Calcutta) could not accept an Indian defeat and started the most disgraceful riot in the history of this game.
Australia has a tough opponent in SA tomorrow. South Africa will be looking to take revenge for all the mis fortunes that they had to suffer either in Australia (1992) or by the hands of Australia (1999). Currently it seems that the only way to defeat the rampaging baggy greens is by putting them in first and trying to restrict them for a total lesser than 350. Without a worth while spin option in the South African ranks restricting the Aussies for 350 is a tall ask. The South African bowling is one that suites the stroke playing Australian batsmen. The big wicket will be that of the Australian captain Ricky Ponting. The first 10 overs of the Australian innings will be extremely crucial, and if the South Africans manage to get 3 wickets by then, we will have a good game. If they fail in doing so, Australia will post a huge target which will require a lot of luck to chase.
In the South African batting, the openers have the key to success. With Smith and AB both in blistering mood even a target of 350 against a commendable Australian bowling attack will not be a daunting task. South Africa has the experience and level headedness of Kallis to follow and the very dangerous Gibbs and Boucher, who can take apart any bowler on their day, to capitalize on a brisk and healthy start their skipper and AB can give them.
Tomorrow’s game has all the ingredients in it to be the highest scoring game of the tournament. It is a McGrath vs Pollock battle in the bowling department, and most likely the Australian genius will come on top. On the batting side of things, the performances of both captains will be extremely crucial. Can Greame Smith produce the innings of his life and take SA to their first ever World Cup final, or will Ponting, who averages only 21.5 in the 6 semi finals he has played in his career, do justice to his stats and make sure the Aussies feature in yet another World Cup final?
Most likely on Saturday, we will have a rematch of the 1996 finals. The Australians, for once, will be the team seeking revenge. I will not rule out a possibility of a nail biter semifinal triumph and the silver medal berth for the Australians just like in 1996. Time will tell!
The last time the Aussies did not win the World Cup was in 1996 when they lost to Arjuna Ranatunga’s side. Australia had beaten the West Indies in the semi-finals courtesy Dr Warne, mean while Sri Lanka’s semifinal had to come to an unexpected end when the crowd at Eden gardens (Calcutta) could not accept an Indian defeat and started the most disgraceful riot in the history of this game.
Australia has a tough opponent in SA tomorrow. South Africa will be looking to take revenge for all the mis fortunes that they had to suffer either in Australia (1992) or by the hands of Australia (1999). Currently it seems that the only way to defeat the rampaging baggy greens is by putting them in first and trying to restrict them for a total lesser than 350. Without a worth while spin option in the South African ranks restricting the Aussies for 350 is a tall ask. The South African bowling is one that suites the stroke playing Australian batsmen. The big wicket will be that of the Australian captain Ricky Ponting. The first 10 overs of the Australian innings will be extremely crucial, and if the South Africans manage to get 3 wickets by then, we will have a good game. If they fail in doing so, Australia will post a huge target which will require a lot of luck to chase.
In the South African batting, the openers have the key to success. With Smith and AB both in blistering mood even a target of 350 against a commendable Australian bowling attack will not be a daunting task. South Africa has the experience and level headedness of Kallis to follow and the very dangerous Gibbs and Boucher, who can take apart any bowler on their day, to capitalize on a brisk and healthy start their skipper and AB can give them.
Tomorrow’s game has all the ingredients in it to be the highest scoring game of the tournament. It is a McGrath vs Pollock battle in the bowling department, and most likely the Australian genius will come on top. On the batting side of things, the performances of both captains will be extremely crucial. Can Greame Smith produce the innings of his life and take SA to their first ever World Cup final, or will Ponting, who averages only 21.5 in the 6 semi finals he has played in his career, do justice to his stats and make sure the Aussies feature in yet another World Cup final?
Most likely on Saturday, we will have a rematch of the 1996 finals. The Australians, for once, will be the team seeking revenge. I will not rule out a possibility of a nail biter semifinal triumph and the silver medal berth for the Australians just like in 1996. Time will tell!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Prince of Port-of-Spain, The Champion of Cricket.
Brian Charles Lara’s decision of quitting from the ODI format of the game must have brought sadness to all the cricket lovers around the globe. The left hander played for 17 years entertaining crowds from different countries while he amassed 10,354 runs at 40.60 with 19 hundreds and 63 half-centuries. In the period he played cricket there was no other individual who played with more flair, class and style. Lara was also recently named the best batsman of his generation by an elite panel which included John Wright, Ian Chappell, Tony Greig and Ravi Shastri.
By taking this decision Lara proved that it is not only his elegant batting that makes him unique, but also his attitude and selflessness that separates him from the rest of the pack. After a couple of disappointing series Lara was quick to identify that his “game is over” and decided to step back and create room for a younger, hungrier and by far a lesser talented West Indian to make a break in to the team, just like how he did 17 years ago.
To this day any team playing against a depleted West Indies would know that the game is not over till the master is at the crease. Even today the name of Brian Charles Lara would terrorize a bowler and the captain of the opposition. This decision of his would be a relief to most of the teams as they know that the only man who could single handedly change the entire complexion of the game while leaving the opposition helplessly struck in awe has decided to leave the arena.
I am a Pakistani fan, and that is natural because I come from that part of the world. I am also a Brain Lara fan, which is also natural because I love this game. Any cricket follower irrespective of his/her origin loves to watch Lara play. Such is the class of this man. And just like how Lara would walk any time he knew he has knicked the ball, he exits the scene with highest grace.
PS: We may be lucky and get a couple more Lara games. This is also a correction to my previous posting about the chances of WI, ENG and BD going through. If SA looses their games against England and NZ; WI wins both their games with good run rate, WI still could make it.
By taking this decision Lara proved that it is not only his elegant batting that makes him unique, but also his attitude and selflessness that separates him from the rest of the pack. After a couple of disappointing series Lara was quick to identify that his “game is over” and decided to step back and create room for a younger, hungrier and by far a lesser talented West Indian to make a break in to the team, just like how he did 17 years ago.
To this day any team playing against a depleted West Indies would know that the game is not over till the master is at the crease. Even today the name of Brian Charles Lara would terrorize a bowler and the captain of the opposition. This decision of his would be a relief to most of the teams as they know that the only man who could single handedly change the entire complexion of the game while leaving the opposition helplessly struck in awe has decided to leave the arena.
I am a Pakistani fan, and that is natural because I come from that part of the world. I am also a Brain Lara fan, which is also natural because I love this game. Any cricket follower irrespective of his/her origin loves to watch Lara play. Such is the class of this man. And just like how Lara would walk any time he knew he has knicked the ball, he exits the scene with highest grace.
PS: We may be lucky and get a couple more Lara games. This is also a correction to my previous posting about the chances of WI, ENG and BD going through. If SA looses their games against England and NZ; WI wins both their games with good run rate, WI still could make it.
Monday, April 9, 2007
The next 'Cornered Tigers' please stand up.
The 2007 cricket world cup has finally gained some attention. All the pundits who thought that with the minnows making it through to the super 8’s the world cup had become very predictable, try guessing this now: who will be the semi finalists? Who will win the WC?
Barring any more shock defeats from Ireland and not treating Bangladesh as a lesser talented team, the top three slots are pretty much taken. Australia, New Zealand and SriLanka are almost guaranteed to make it to the semi finals. The NZ vs SRL game will probably be only a drill for the semi final match up they will have on the 24th of April. Who will Australia face in its semi final match, is the interesting question.
The spot is pretty much up for grabs for all the other 4 teams (except Ireland). After Bangladesh’s victory on Saturday, a lot of supporters of different countries would have had a big smile on their faces. Moreover, the ICC top ranks also would have finally had a moment of relief.
The teams which win world cups are those who step up their game when it matters most. A Team which has a crunch game some where around the middle of the world cup and comes out on top, is the team to look out for. Other than the occasions where a team has dominated the entire world cup (West Indies (75, 79), Sri Lanka 1996, Australia 2003) it is the late birds that lift the trophy. After a poor start to the WC in 1992, elimination was staring right in the face of Pakistan when they went out to play Australia in their do or die league game. Imran’s Tigers won that game and went on to win the next 4 to become world champions. In 1999, Australia had a disastrous start to their World Cup campaign till they faced West Indies, and for the first time in that tournament Glenn Mcgrath was given the new cherry. West Indies were bowled out for a paltry 110 and there was no looking back for the baggy green boys. They have won 22 straight WC games since then.
This time, there are four such teams which have the opportunity to prove this theory right again. For England, Bangladesh and the West Indies, there is no room for error left. South Africa can afford another defeat and still be in contention for the fourth semi final spot. For WI, England or Bangladesh to come through, not only will they have to win all their games, but also hope that South Africa looses to at least any of the other three teams (WI,ENG,NZ) too.
The one team Australia would not want to face in the Semi Finals will be the host nation. With three knock out wins, lady luck (as SA would need to loose to some other team), a playing legend and the Caribbean calypso bands behind them, Australia’s world cup streak may just come to an end.
Irrespective of which ever team makes it to the semi finals, and whether they go on to win the world cup from there on, Bangladesh’s win on Saturday has for all practical purposes served as the opening ceremony of the 2007 cricket world cup.
Four teams, one spot. Game on! Thank you Tigers!
Barring any more shock defeats from Ireland and not treating Bangladesh as a lesser talented team, the top three slots are pretty much taken. Australia, New Zealand and SriLanka are almost guaranteed to make it to the semi finals. The NZ vs SRL game will probably be only a drill for the semi final match up they will have on the 24th of April. Who will Australia face in its semi final match, is the interesting question.
The spot is pretty much up for grabs for all the other 4 teams (except Ireland). After Bangladesh’s victory on Saturday, a lot of supporters of different countries would have had a big smile on their faces. Moreover, the ICC top ranks also would have finally had a moment of relief.
The teams which win world cups are those who step up their game when it matters most. A Team which has a crunch game some where around the middle of the world cup and comes out on top, is the team to look out for. Other than the occasions where a team has dominated the entire world cup (West Indies (75, 79), Sri Lanka 1996, Australia 2003) it is the late birds that lift the trophy. After a poor start to the WC in 1992, elimination was staring right in the face of Pakistan when they went out to play Australia in their do or die league game. Imran’s Tigers won that game and went on to win the next 4 to become world champions. In 1999, Australia had a disastrous start to their World Cup campaign till they faced West Indies, and for the first time in that tournament Glenn Mcgrath was given the new cherry. West Indies were bowled out for a paltry 110 and there was no looking back for the baggy green boys. They have won 22 straight WC games since then.
This time, there are four such teams which have the opportunity to prove this theory right again. For England, Bangladesh and the West Indies, there is no room for error left. South Africa can afford another defeat and still be in contention for the fourth semi final spot. For WI, England or Bangladesh to come through, not only will they have to win all their games, but also hope that South Africa looses to at least any of the other three teams (WI,ENG,NZ) too.
The one team Australia would not want to face in the Semi Finals will be the host nation. With three knock out wins, lady luck (as SA would need to loose to some other team), a playing legend and the Caribbean calypso bands behind them, Australia’s world cup streak may just come to an end.
Irrespective of which ever team makes it to the semi finals, and whether they go on to win the world cup from there on, Bangladesh’s win on Saturday has for all practical purposes served as the opening ceremony of the 2007 cricket world cup.
Four teams, one spot. Game on! Thank you Tigers!
Friday, April 6, 2007
Sri Lanka – why it is every one’s favorite
The 1996 world cup, held in subcontinent saw Srilanka becoming a giant in the world of cricket. Not only did they win the world cup, but they won all their games. The brilliance of Aravinda, the merciless slashes and short jabs of Jayasuria and the calmness of skipper Arjuna Ranatunga made Sri Lanka the best in the business.
In 1996, Pakistan got knocked out in the quarter finals and I remember distinctly that most of the Pakistani supporters wanted Sri Lanka to lift the trophy. Srilanka played with a nothing to loose attitude. In doing so they managed to completely revolutionize one day cricket, with every other team going after the bowling in the first 15 overs. They won hearts because of their superior cricket, their innovative entertainment methods and their extremely sporting spirit, all of which culminated in them also winning the world cup.
The SriLankans are a gifted team, and no matter what the situation is they always have a fight in store with a perfectly competitive yet very sporting attitude. Unlike the Australians you will never find a Sri Lankan sledging. When was the last time Murali was spotted with a frown, or Jayasuria was seen cursing a player from the opposition? If cricket is still a gentleman’s game today, then there is only one team which deserves to be champions of this game. Go Sri Lanka.
In 1996, Pakistan got knocked out in the quarter finals and I remember distinctly that most of the Pakistani supporters wanted Sri Lanka to lift the trophy. Srilanka played with a nothing to loose attitude. In doing so they managed to completely revolutionize one day cricket, with every other team going after the bowling in the first 15 overs. They won hearts because of their superior cricket, their innovative entertainment methods and their extremely sporting spirit, all of which culminated in them also winning the world cup.
The SriLankans are a gifted team, and no matter what the situation is they always have a fight in store with a perfectly competitive yet very sporting attitude. Unlike the Australians you will never find a Sri Lankan sledging. When was the last time Murali was spotted with a frown, or Jayasuria was seen cursing a player from the opposition? If cricket is still a gentleman’s game today, then there is only one team which deserves to be champions of this game. Go Sri Lanka.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Inzamam – a winner with a loosing attitude.
Leading from the front is a phrase we all hear time and again when we talk about leadership. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s most prolific run getter in ODIs, had been facing the firing squad for quite some time before he finally decided to call it quits. Inzamam’s biggest criticism has been his failure to lead by example while captaining the Pakistani team.
You will hear people giving examples of how the other captains have batted so bravely for their country and in doing so have led from the front. Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Stephen Flemming, Greame Smith are few names that come to mind when we think about captains. Here is a break down of how the other captains have performed while leading their team in an ODI.
Games avg 100s 50s
120 36.50 5 18 - B.Lara
73 37.75 6 12 - S.Tendulkar
211 32.66 6 37 - S.Flemming
142 44.31 15 31 - R.Ponting
86 39.36 6 20 - G.Smith
54 29.79 0 10 - M.Vaughan
89 44.34 2 19 - I.Huq
65 42.43 2 22 - R.Dravid
It is truly amazing to see that Inzamam-ul-Haq’s average of 44.34 puts him at the top of the list. The only other person who bats at number 5 – when the pressure is high, Brian Lara, is way behind Inzamam.
So, why is Inzamam blamed for not being able to lead from the front? There are a couple of reasons why a batting genius like Inzamam has accrued so much criticism as a captain.
Firstly, if we dig deeper in his career we will see a tendency to fail at the highest level. His world cup performances have not been any where close to his potential. A competition like the world cup is where the greats triumph. Inzamam’s batting average of 44 is even higher than king Viv’s batting average (39) as captain of West Indies, but it is his failure in the finals and world cups that has kept his name from being taken in the same breath as Viv Richards’. Inzamam averages a shade under 24 in 35 world cup games and his average of 32 in all finals is below par. For comparison purposes, Richards’ average is 63 in 23 world cup games and 53 in the 24 finals he batted in.
Secondly, Inzi’s decision to demote him self in the batting order is perceived by most as an act of cowardice. The reason Inzamam is criticized so much in spite of his batting average as captain, is because of his mentality. He preferred to bat at number 5 with the tail enders/pinch hitters and took it upon him to give support to Afridi and Razzak from one end. It is this approach that led to most of the finger pointing, and ultimately his down fall. A person of Inzamam’s class should have batted at number 3 or 4 and in doing so faced the maximum number of balls.
Inzamam’s average at different positions as captain:
pos Ings Avg 100s 50s
4th 27 49.69 2 6
5th 43 45.24 0 13
6th 8 22.57 0 0
We can clearly see the improvement in the average when inzamam decided to go out in the middle earlier than his usual number 5. Not only did he score more runs, but batting at that position he was able to bring more stability to the ever so vulnerable Pakistan middle order. Inzamam scored two centuries as captain and both of them came when he batted at number 4.
The over-all stats will dis-prove that Inzamam did not lead by example. However, in Inzi’s case, the issue of leading from the front was quite a literal one. Had he batted a spot or two higher, not only would Pakistan have had a better win ratio, but PCB may not have been looking for another captain just yet.
You will hear people giving examples of how the other captains have batted so bravely for their country and in doing so have led from the front. Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Stephen Flemming, Greame Smith are few names that come to mind when we think about captains. Here is a break down of how the other captains have performed while leading their team in an ODI.
Games avg 100s 50s
120 36.50 5 18 - B.Lara
73 37.75 6 12 - S.Tendulkar
211 32.66 6 37 - S.Flemming
142 44.31 15 31 - R.Ponting
86 39.36 6 20 - G.Smith
54 29.79 0 10 - M.Vaughan
89 44.34 2 19 - I.Huq
65 42.43 2 22 - R.Dravid
It is truly amazing to see that Inzamam-ul-Haq’s average of 44.34 puts him at the top of the list. The only other person who bats at number 5 – when the pressure is high, Brian Lara, is way behind Inzamam.
So, why is Inzamam blamed for not being able to lead from the front? There are a couple of reasons why a batting genius like Inzamam has accrued so much criticism as a captain.
Firstly, if we dig deeper in his career we will see a tendency to fail at the highest level. His world cup performances have not been any where close to his potential. A competition like the world cup is where the greats triumph. Inzamam’s batting average of 44 is even higher than king Viv’s batting average (39) as captain of West Indies, but it is his failure in the finals and world cups that has kept his name from being taken in the same breath as Viv Richards’. Inzamam averages a shade under 24 in 35 world cup games and his average of 32 in all finals is below par. For comparison purposes, Richards’ average is 63 in 23 world cup games and 53 in the 24 finals he batted in.
Secondly, Inzi’s decision to demote him self in the batting order is perceived by most as an act of cowardice. The reason Inzamam is criticized so much in spite of his batting average as captain, is because of his mentality. He preferred to bat at number 5 with the tail enders/pinch hitters and took it upon him to give support to Afridi and Razzak from one end. It is this approach that led to most of the finger pointing, and ultimately his down fall. A person of Inzamam’s class should have batted at number 3 or 4 and in doing so faced the maximum number of balls.
Inzamam’s average at different positions as captain:
pos Ings Avg 100s 50s
4th 27 49.69 2 6
5th 43 45.24 0 13
6th 8 22.57 0 0
We can clearly see the improvement in the average when inzamam decided to go out in the middle earlier than his usual number 5. Not only did he score more runs, but batting at that position he was able to bring more stability to the ever so vulnerable Pakistan middle order. Inzamam scored two centuries as captain and both of them came when he batted at number 4.
The over-all stats will dis-prove that Inzamam did not lead by example. However, in Inzi’s case, the issue of leading from the front was quite a literal one. Had he batted a spot or two higher, not only would Pakistan have had a better win ratio, but PCB may not have been looking for another captain just yet.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Sami - a failure
I am a great admirer of Imran Khan. His achievements are un paralleled and he has done for the nation some extremely important things by bringing the World Cup to Pakistan in 1992 and then by building a cancer hospital for the under privileged.
A couple of days back I was seeing Imran give an interview and I must say that I hate to dis agree with him on two accounts. His support for Sami seems to escape my logic and his backing for Yunis khan is also extremely shocking. I have already written about Yunis twice in my previous postings, so I will give that subject a little rest and focus mainly on Sami. Mohammad Sami has had a miserable test career and some how he is still very much liked by the great Khan. Imran said that Sami reminds him of Malcolm Marshall. That comparison makes absolutely no sense at all. The later, a world class bowler who terrorized all the greats of his era and the former whose average (47) is close to Inzamam’s batting average are in reality a league apart. Mohammad Sami has pace and may even be able to skid the ball, but I think Inzamam got it all right when he said in a show aired on a Pakistani channel that “Sami does not have the art of taking wickets”. Has Pakistan bowling standards become this low that a person who does not know “where to bowl to a batsman” (another quote from Inzamam) gets repeatedly selected in the side? Malcolm Marshall was able to bag the Man of the series award six times in his career. Please remember that this was during the times of Sir Viv, Holding, Garner and others. Sami has been man of the match only once so far!
Mohammad Sami is a huge failure and in sticking with Sami, Pakistan has once again shown very little application in the area of team selection.
Sami’s Test Career:
Matches: 30
Avg : 47.87
Marshall:
Matches: 81
Avg : 20.94
Pakistan has suffered most by the doings of their own selectors, and Sami is a prime example of such a failure. Will PCB rectify this problem? Will Sami still be in the Pakistani side? Will we see Yunis tossing the coin in the next series? Will Pakistan play regular openers? Has PCB learnt it’s lesson? Like always, we can only pray.
A couple of days back I was seeing Imran give an interview and I must say that I hate to dis agree with him on two accounts. His support for Sami seems to escape my logic and his backing for Yunis khan is also extremely shocking. I have already written about Yunis twice in my previous postings, so I will give that subject a little rest and focus mainly on Sami. Mohammad Sami has had a miserable test career and some how he is still very much liked by the great Khan. Imran said that Sami reminds him of Malcolm Marshall. That comparison makes absolutely no sense at all. The later, a world class bowler who terrorized all the greats of his era and the former whose average (47) is close to Inzamam’s batting average are in reality a league apart. Mohammad Sami has pace and may even be able to skid the ball, but I think Inzamam got it all right when he said in a show aired on a Pakistani channel that “Sami does not have the art of taking wickets”. Has Pakistan bowling standards become this low that a person who does not know “where to bowl to a batsman” (another quote from Inzamam) gets repeatedly selected in the side? Malcolm Marshall was able to bag the Man of the series award six times in his career. Please remember that this was during the times of Sir Viv, Holding, Garner and others. Sami has been man of the match only once so far!
Mohammad Sami is a huge failure and in sticking with Sami, Pakistan has once again shown very little application in the area of team selection.
Sami’s Test Career:
Matches: 30
Avg : 47.87
Marshall:
Matches: 81
Avg : 20.94
Pakistan has suffered most by the doings of their own selectors, and Sami is a prime example of such a failure. Will PCB rectify this problem? Will Sami still be in the Pakistani side? Will we see Yunis tossing the coin in the next series? Will Pakistan play regular openers? Has PCB learnt it’s lesson? Like always, we can only pray.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Pakistan's new captain
Pakistan once again was shown the exit door of the world cup very early in the tournament. In fact this time, Pakistan had the honor of being the very first team to be eliminated from the world cup. As usual a dismal world cup performance will be followed by a “re vamp” of the entire team, the cricket board and the selection committee.
As a starter Inzamam has already retired from ODIs and has relinquished captaincy from the test side. This will leave a huge void in the batting order and the cricket chiefs of Pakistan will also have to look for a new captain. In my mind this is a decision that needs to be properly thought out. There seems to be huge lobby, mainly in the form of the great Imran Khan, to appoint Younis Khan as Pakistan’s next in charge. Younis has had a good career in Test cricket, but his ODI performance has been extremely ordinary. Younis Khan, some may argue, does not even merit a place in the ODI side. Furthermore, he has scored only 84 runs in the 6 outings he has had as captain. Moreover, in pressure situations Younis Khan has proved to be a complete disaster for Pakistan batting at number 3. Imran khan correctly points out that it is always easier to prevent a collapse rather than rescuing the team out of a collapse. That has been Inzamam’s biggest criticism through out his reign as captain, since he decided to demote him self in the batting order. Imran khan’s point is that the captain should play up front in the line up and lead the team by his example. In Inzamam’s case this was not happening. He was batting at number 5 and by the time he got to the crease Pakistan was usually already on the back foot. But, every body had hope in Inzamam. They knew that Inzi could rescue Pakistan out of the shackles that they had tangled themselves in to.
In Younis, Pakistan will have a captain who will go up the order and bat at number three, granted. But, the idea is not to bat at that position, in fact it is to lead by example. How can one expect a person who averages in the mid 20’s as 1 down against test playing nations in a career spanning 150+ games to lead from the front? What kind of example can you expect him to set? If he continues to play as he has in his career this far, we will soon realize that it is better to have a captain who bats at number 5 and tries to salvage an innings rather than a captain who bats at number three and can neither prevent a collapse nor try to come out of one.
Pakistan XI after the WC:
Yasir Hameed
Imran Nazir
Shoaib Malik (captain)
Mohammad Yousuf
Asim Kamal
Abdul Razzak
Shahid Afridi
Zulqarnain
Rao Iftikhar
Muhammad Asif
Shoaib Akhtar
Salman Butt (12th man).
Asim kamal, only if they want to look among the experienced players, other wise a new talent (Fawad Alam) could also be tested.
As a starter Inzamam has already retired from ODIs and has relinquished captaincy from the test side. This will leave a huge void in the batting order and the cricket chiefs of Pakistan will also have to look for a new captain. In my mind this is a decision that needs to be properly thought out. There seems to be huge lobby, mainly in the form of the great Imran Khan, to appoint Younis Khan as Pakistan’s next in charge. Younis has had a good career in Test cricket, but his ODI performance has been extremely ordinary. Younis Khan, some may argue, does not even merit a place in the ODI side. Furthermore, he has scored only 84 runs in the 6 outings he has had as captain. Moreover, in pressure situations Younis Khan has proved to be a complete disaster for Pakistan batting at number 3. Imran khan correctly points out that it is always easier to prevent a collapse rather than rescuing the team out of a collapse. That has been Inzamam’s biggest criticism through out his reign as captain, since he decided to demote him self in the batting order. Imran khan’s point is that the captain should play up front in the line up and lead the team by his example. In Inzamam’s case this was not happening. He was batting at number 5 and by the time he got to the crease Pakistan was usually already on the back foot. But, every body had hope in Inzamam. They knew that Inzi could rescue Pakistan out of the shackles that they had tangled themselves in to.
In Younis, Pakistan will have a captain who will go up the order and bat at number three, granted. But, the idea is not to bat at that position, in fact it is to lead by example. How can one expect a person who averages in the mid 20’s as 1 down against test playing nations in a career spanning 150+ games to lead from the front? What kind of example can you expect him to set? If he continues to play as he has in his career this far, we will soon realize that it is better to have a captain who bats at number 5 and tries to salvage an innings rather than a captain who bats at number three and can neither prevent a collapse nor try to come out of one.
Pakistan XI after the WC:
Yasir Hameed
Imran Nazir
Shoaib Malik (captain)
Mohammad Yousuf
Asim Kamal
Abdul Razzak
Shahid Afridi
Zulqarnain
Rao Iftikhar
Muhammad Asif
Shoaib Akhtar
Salman Butt (12th man).
Asim kamal, only if they want to look among the experienced players, other wise a new talent (Fawad Alam) could also be tested.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Younis Khan's Postion in the One Day Team for the World Cup
Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006
I have compiled some interesting stats concerning the dreaded number 3 position and it's candidates. I think, it is very clear who the better choice is for our country. I know we may have different favorite players, but I surely hope that we have one favorite team, and a favorite out come of any game (Pakistan wins). With all due respect to the players and their supporters, I would like you all to look at these and decide for your self.Please tell me, as an ardent lover of Pakistani cricket, why Mr X should not replace Mr Yonis as 1 down?
Mr X:
overall 127 112 13 3243 143 118 115 32.75 5 19 8
3rd position 31 31 1 1216 143 118 95 40.53 2 9 1
Against the other (7) test playing nations : 32.98
In Wi (host for WC) : 3 2 0 64 51 13 - 32.00 0 1 0
Yunis khan:overall 143 138 18 3796 144 101 90 31.63 2 25 12
3rd position 38 38 3 917 101 73 71* 26.20 1 7 3
Against the other (7) test playing nations : 26.13
In Wi (host for WC) : 9 9 0 190 48 40 31 21.11 0 0 0
Stats spanning more than 100 games quite often reflect actual performances. People who look at history as lessons make better choices today. We all say Pakistani batting has problems. Good. To solve a problem one needs to realize there is a problem, identify what it is and then the solving part becomes just a matter of time. Has PCB identified the correct problem?
My Pakistan 11 (ODI):
Salman Butt
Yasir Hameed
Mr X
Yousuf
Inzamam
Afridi
Razzak
Kamran
Shoaib
Umar
Asif
And offcourse this will not happen as Pakistan will not replace Mr Yonis, cannot break the trend we own: ijaz/yonis/some joker, etc!
Ps: No points for guessing who Mr X is :)
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