Highest win/loss ratio in cricket history with a qualification of 10 matches

This includes matches against India, Australia and South Africa..cant argue with the records...

Lower ranked sides BUT Shoaib Malik led Pak to the 3rd highest consecutive ODI win tally of 12 in 07/08 and got plenty of credit. He was up against the likes of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe for 5 each in that and that too on home soil, but here we had a far more inexperienced side bowling wise and were playing all games on neutral or away territory which adds weight to the argument. Many records come against minnows, such is nature. How clinical we are against them is what matters. This record is about as good as it gets. We’d have been expected to lose at least 3 or 4 more games than just the 1.

‎4 against Zimbabwe AWAY
2 against Ireland AWAY
2 against West Indies
2 against New Zealand
2 against South Africa
1 against Australia (before he was full time captain)
1 against India (before he was full time captain)
Fewer losses, stability in the camp, more consistency

When I got Yuvraj Singh out in the semi final for a first ball duck it was a joyous moment. I was arguing with Shahid Afridi the ball before he came in about what ball to bowl. Shahid bhai wanted me to bowl a lengthy delivery and aim for the edge, but my heart was saying to bowl a Yorker. MISBAH was standing next to me and urged Shahid to let me go for the Yorker because of Yuvraj’s high bat lift. I knocked over Yuvraj with exactly that first up!” – Wahab Riaz

Fewer losses, stability in the camp, more consistency

Superb record and start to his captaincy

Tougher challenges lie ahead but for now let’s take a moment to give him the credit he deserves

He has a higher win/loss ratio than SKW who Imran Khan considered as one of the best tacticians in the game

He always was an ideal captain or born leader...always possessed captaincy material characteristics in the domestic circuit...always went about his business in an organised and systematic manner...Handled adversity analytically not emotionally...Had a statesmen like demeanour..ability to assess situations and make advanced considerate decisions of how to approach the game and consider the wider picture as opposed to simply employing the basic or obvious elements..was strategically strong & had depth understanding on the various technical aspects as well as the ability to guide fellow teammates and pass on suggestions..thrived with added responsibility…Unfortunately this is not always picked up by the fan base due to his understated and calm flowing personality..he’s not an in your face character who gets the limelight and attention..but he has a heck of a cricketing brain..not something u always tend to associate with Pakistan players..he is a rare breed…

This record is about as good as it gets

Couldn’t ask for much better or more……

Give me solid consistency, greater professionalism and a  trouble free environment over unpredictable aggressiveness combined with flair & excitement but continuous dramas to haunt and disturb the camp time and time again…..

1st ODI Reaction

Phew! Avoided an upset there….Pakistan win their 15th out of 22 ODIs this year… Misbah maintains a 100% LOI clean record after 5 matches..Hopefully will be 9 by the end of the tour..Next match comes on Sunday in Harare...in fact the remaining 4 matches of the tour will be played there… impressive performance from the debutants (Adnan and Aizaz).. Not the comeback which neither Farhat or Malik would have wished for..Back to back 50s for YKs in one day internationals..he was superb today and deservedly MOM.. Ran aggressively between the wickets, rotated the strike, played some delightful controlled cricketing shots…Ideally I would not have him in the ODI set up anymore..BUT if he is batting at number 3 & in general I am not one who would mind his inclusion in this format...he is a class act...Misbah now has 8 50s in 18 ODI innings this year with an average of above 60...Umar was decent at best today, played a useful hand and engaged in an important partnership with the captain after Malik was strangled down the leg side by some brilliance from TT..However failed to accelerate during the latter stages of the innings…fielding on the whole was sloppy today..Ajmal and Junaid were far from their best...Cheema is the leading wicket taker on his ODI debut as well as his test debut..got 3 big wickets of set batsmen at crucial stages in the game with his variations…he has really made a positive impact on this tour in the absence of Gul and Wahab...Razzaq and Afridi were missed in the last 10 overs...Misbah really should have gone on and batted the distance..Nonetheless Adnan played a decent hand in his first ODI cap...didn’t hit many boundaries but rotated the strike pretty well...Sohail Tanvir had a good day out in all departments in his comeback having missed out in the WC and on the WI tour..Credit to Zimbabwe for giving us a good run & tight game... Taylor did a top job and led from the front...Hopefully from a PCT fans perspective it will be the closest they happen to come to us on the whole tour...I’d like to see Yasir Shah get a chance in the next 4 games..Perhaps rest Ajmal when the series is secured..Perhaps Sohail Khan instead of Junaid in the next game..RR will get a go I’m sure in the 20/20s..Would like to see Azhar or Asad instead of Farhat at the top by a mile..

ODI Series Starts Tomorrow

Preferred Line Up

Mohammad Hafeez
Asad Shafiq/Azhar Ali
Younis Khan (realistically he will play)
Misbah ul Haq
Shoaib Malik
Umar Akmal
Adnan Akmal (WK)
Sohail Tanvir
Sohail Khan (I think he will be better in LOIs)
Saeed Ajmal
Junaid Khan
12th man: Yasir Shah

Pakistan have won 14/20 ODIs this year. Out of the 14 wins 9 have come chasing. Misbah has been a key player in these successful run chases with 3 50s* and a run a ball 43* as well as a 32 and another not out all in the wins batting 2nd. He has got 2 series winning MOMs this year both from chasing in the 2nd innings. Hafeez and Misbah are the two leading run getters for Pakistan in ODIs this year with an average of 37 and 61 respectively. The leading ODI wicket takers for Pakistan this year are Shahid Afridi and Wahab Riaz with 27 wickets in 18 matches and 23 wickets in 12 matches respectively. Both of these bowlers are absent on this tour due to retirement and rest. Nonetheless Saeed Ajmal is here standing at 21 wickets with 10 matches this year. Misbah ul Haq is yet to lose an LOI as captain. Pakistan have won 9/12 batting 2nd whereas 5/8 batting first this year so far…….. 3/0 whitewash on the cards potentially if Pakistan’s overall record against the Zimbabweans is anything to go by? There will be a 2 day break in between each ODI and then 2 T20s with a day gap in between.

Most Successful Test Year Since 2006

Pakistan has won their 3rd test this year by a comprehensive margin. The last time they won 3 tests in a year was in 2006. Seems ages back. Turning out to be a good year for Pakistan test side. May they keep it up against Sri Lanka next month. They have only lost 1 out of their last 6 test series & won 2 test series this year outside Asia. Things are shaping up nicely for Misbah Ul Haq who remains with an undefeated test series record as leader after 4 series captaining the nation in the whites. He has won 2 test series and drawn 2. Only lost 1 in 7 tests as captain and that too by a narrow margin.

He took over captaincy when Pakistan’s test status was being questioned after the spot fixing scandal and they were downplayed as a test side with all the poor results. He has got the results, made record breaking performances with the bat & kept the camp well focussed and trouble free. Imran Khan also rates and backs him as one of the best players and presences in the team after the 2007 WC debacle.

First time since 2005 that Pakistan have won back to back tests.

After 7 tests as captain Misbah averages 88.

Big season ahead in the UAE to follow.

Pakistan have won 3/5 tests this year with victory margins as large as 10 wickets, 196 runs and now by 7 wickets today even after conceding 412 and inserting the home side into bat on a flat bed.

Misbah vs Bradman!

Pakistan Captain Misbah ul Haq has the highest % of 50+ scores by a captain who has had at least 10 innings. Misbah has scored 50s or more in 75% of his test innings since taking over the reins. That’s 8 half centuries and a century in 12 innings. Cannot argue with the stats. This is phenomenal. Don Bradman is next in line with a 55% 50+ record as captain.

Reply on fb: but he still is not a match winner in shorter versions of the game.....Inzi could accelerate at will and as required.....but he is far too cautious than he should be.....he has either a full block mode, or absolute slog mode.....he needs to pick up the balance between the two...for a smooth flowing innings..!

My reply: Urwa, interesting thoughts. Misbah has had an unbeaten stay at the crease on 17 occasions in ODIs and the team has won on 16 of those. He has scored 8 50s in the 2nd innings and on 6 attempts carried the bat with a 50+* and got the team over the line. 2 of them have been this year where he has been awarded MOM as well. His ODI SR is very well respectable & his average is exceptional. He averages 50 in the 2nd innings and had 12 unbeaten stays with the team winning each time. 75% of his ODI 50s have appeared during wins. Ultimately you should be judged in test cricket which is pinnacle of the game & many of these attributes also come in handy in ODI cricket as these players are more complete material with an advanced mindset and wider range of attributes. You need stability, a responsible and dependable operator and that extra professional element in ODIs too rather than having hit and miss players from 1 to 11.

Super Over Exhibitions on Finals Day Decides the Course of the Day at Edgbaston 2011

The amount of major 20/20 games which are going down to the wire i.e. super over nowadays is getting unbelievably crazy. I can name at least 4 domestic SFs or finals this year which have been determined by a 1 over slog fest just at the top of my head. Personally, I prefer to see a super over ahead of a bowl out and feel the idea works well to settle a tie, but as we saw yesterday in rain affected shortened duck worth Lewis games sides are usually neck or neck right to the end and therefore a tie is always a chance. Should duckworth lewis be applied in such a short version of the game? Remember the England/WI pool game incident during the 2010 WT20 where WI won chasing not much inside a 6 over slot having been outplayed for the first half and even the opposition captain acknowledged England were hard done by. Perhaps duck worth lewis is too much of unfair interference in 20/20, especially in pressure games when so much hard work and dedication goes into reaching the latter stages of the tournament. You’d expect something fairer and squarer surely? I don’t buy into the fact that there is no better alternative, the game requires flexibility.

Nevertheless, congratulations to Leicestershire.

2003=Surrey
2004=Leicestershire
2005=Somerset
2006=Leicestershire
2007=Kent
2008=Middlesex
2009=Sussex
2010=Hampshire
2011= Leicestershire

Abdul Razzaq = Best T20 Player in the World

1) T20 WC win with Pakistan 2009

2) ICL win with underdogs Hyderabad Heroes 2008

3) Domestic T20 with Sialkot Stallions 2010

4) Domestic T20 with Lahore Lions 2010 (straight after he transferred)

5) T20 win Hampshire 2010

6) T20 win Leicestershire 2011 (straight after he transferred)

What a player!

2011 ICC Test Team Of The Year & ICC Awards Nominations

Short-lists of nominees (in alphabetical order)
*
Individual Awards
*
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year

Hashim Amla (SA)
Alastair Cook (Eng)
Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)
Jonathan Trott (Eng)
*
ICC Test Player of the Year

James Anderson (Eng)
Alastair Cook (Eng)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Jonathan Trott (Eng)
*
ICC ODI Player of the Year

Hashim Amla (SA)
Gautam Gambhir (Ind)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
Shane Watson (Aus)
*
ICC Emerging Player of the Year

Azhar Ali (Pak)
Devendra Bishoo (WI)
Darren Bravo (WI)
Wahab Riaz (Pak)
*
ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year

Ryan ten Doeschate (Ned)
Hamid Hassan (Afg)
Kevin O’Brien (Ire)
Paul Stirling (Ire)
*
ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year

Tim Bresnan (Eng) – 3-10-3-4 v Pakistan, Cardiff, 7 September 2010

JP Duminy (SA) – 96 not out (54b, 10x4, 4x6) v Zimbabwe, Kimberley, 10 October 2010

Tim Southee (NZ) – 4-1-18-5 v Pakistan, Auckland, 26 December 2010

Shane Watson (Aus) – 59 (31b, 6x4, 3x6) v England, Adelaide, 12 January 2011
*
ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year

Charlotte Edwards (Eng)
Lydia Greenway (Eng)
Shelley Nitschke (Aus)
Stafanie Taylor (WI)
*
David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year

Aleem Dar
Steve Davis
Ian Gould
Simon Taufel
*
ICC Spirit of Cricket

MS Dhoni (Ind) – for his recall of Ian Bell during the second Test match between England and India at Trent Bridge, July/August 2011

Jacques Kallis (SA) – for twice during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 walking after clarifying with the opposition fielder if they had caught the ball cleanly
*
LG People’s Choice Award

Hashim Amla (SA)
MS Dhoni (Ind)
Chris Gayle (WI)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
Jonathan Trott (Eng)

New Coach Required

Waqar hands in his resignation. Zimbabwe tour will be his last. Although Waqar may not have been the greatest tactician in the world, no doubt he gave the team the stability it required in tough times. He did have somewhat of a dispute with Afridi on selection matters which led to his retirement; however in his job description he was a member of the selection panel so therefore cannot really be blamed. Best of luck to Vicky in his future plans.


This year under him Pakistan's record was: Played 25: won 16, lost 8, drawn 1


He took over the position after the winless and disastrous tour of Australia where as many as 4 players received indefinite bans. During his time in charge Pakistan reached the semi finals of the 2010 T20 WC and 2011 50 over WC. 2010 was arguably the worst year which had hit Pakistan Cricket and Waqar overcame the problems such as the spot fixing scandal, Zulqarnanin run away fiasco and incompetent chairmanship.


Waqar has medical and family issues and therefore his decision should be respected and rightly accepted. He currently resides with his kids and family in Sydney.


Waqar was no doubt a champion bowler and great servant for Pakistan Cricket. He claimed as many as 789 international scalps in his illustrious career. His services and hard work always deserves to be remembered and appreciated.


Sources are suggesting Mushtaq Ahmed has expressed an interest in coaching.

For those of you who are unaware, Mushtaq has been part of the England set up and taken the team to new heights where they won the T20 World Championship, only lost 2 out of their last 10 tests against Australia and reached the all important world number 1 spot on the ICC test rankings. He was one of Imran's cornered tigers during the 1992 triumph at the MCG on 25th March 1992. He generally is a character and comedian who tends to get on well with players. Moreover, Pakistan have been relying on spin as a key area of strength in the absence of Amir and Asif which is the area the former Pakistan and Sussex legspinner who was renowned for his vicious spinning googly will specialise in.

Foreign coaches like during the golden Bob Woolmer days or Geoff Lawson for that matter will be an option that could be looked into, however under the current climate that is unrealistic and unlikely.

Tour Schedule

A Big Test For Canada!

Exactly One Month Today Afridi/Misbah will walk out for the toss at this very venue for the 2011 CWC Final! 6 games away from getting there NOW! The count down is beginning to heat up and it feels so damn good. This could be 1992 re-lived! We wish PCT every success. The nation needs it for countless reasons.



So Far

Warm Ups

Beat Bangladesh by 89 runs

Lost to England by 67 runs


Group Stages

Beat Kenya by 205 runs

Beat Sri Lanka by 11 runs


A month today the World Cup Final will be contested at the Wankhede Stadium. This platform could potentially be absolutely buzzing with excitement, national fever & proud followers? The thought already is adrenaline pumping!

However, there is still a long way to go for the men in green and the pressure, intensity & toughness will increase as the 49 match tournament progresses. Hence, they must maintain consistency and set their sights on reaching the quarter final stages undefeated which will put them in an excellent position to go all the way and lift the silverware at the end of it all and also make their routes and chances significantly easier if we consider alternative instances they may well have found themselves in.

Early signs are certainly promising nonetheless and with hope they can only build on this and get even better and better as there are areas where standards can be raised i.e. opening slot, fielding, new ball dilemma, utilizing Razzaq properly in the batting department so he can define his role in this side and so forth.

Although Pak have won both their games so far, legendary World Cup winners like Wasim Akram and Imran Khan have voiced some concerns which are perfectly reasonable and have been stressed by many desirable writers too. Pak still seem to be very conservative, mindful, unwilling to think outside the ordinary, inflexible to take initiative and play more aggressively and send a bold intent about their belief, strategy and really using their full strength team combination to maximum effectiveness. This includes not playing an extra front line seamer, promote Razzaq in a more meaningful impact position and selecting a left arm darter ahead of an unorthodox world class offie. However, with Rehman’s and Misbah’s absences tomorrow, this should open the doors and give the management more to think about as many key names are warming the bench!

Tomorrow they take on Canada from the Premadasa. An opportunity to carry through the momentum forward. A chance to execute their plans once more in a convincing manner. A chance to check out others and experiment with the best possible combinations and strategies. Considering the woefulness of Canada so far in the tournament, a one sided affair is inevitable.




Can Afridi do it?

Leading World Cup Wicket Takers in all tournaments so far. So far Afridi has figures of 18-3-50-9 in 2011. Can he get the record for the most wickets in a WC tournament? If this start is anything to go by, not much can stop him from achieving it. Predict where the Pakistani skipper will conclude on once this tournament concludes? I reckon 24!

1975 Gary Gilmour 11
1979 Mike Hendrick 10
1983 Roger Biny 18
1987 Craig McDermott 18
1992 Wasim Akram 18
1996 Anil Kumble 15
1999 Shane Warne 20
2003 Chaminda Vaas 23
2007 Glenn McGrath 26

Rana in Big Bash 2010/11

The excellence, skill and expertise of Rana. When he gets it right, he can be deadly. In the shortest version of the great game, he is a world class performer and established match winner. He is someone I have always liked and rated personally. Enjoy the footage. There are some unplayable deliveries on view.

Domestic One Day Division 1 Tournament Final

It will be NBP vs HBL in the Faysal Bank Domestic One Day Tournament Division 1 Final on Tuesday. Imran Farhat from HBL has been the stand out performer so far during this competition with 476 runs at an average of 95. Young emerging fast bowler from NBP Mohammad Talha is currently the leading wicket taker with 19 scalps in 6 games at an average of just 12. Both in form players will be participating in the final on Tuesday which will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. Hasan Raza will be captaining HBL whereas Fawad Alam will be captaining NBP. Should be a good contest and good luck to both sides.

Ties Set To Resume?

Pakistan and India are in talks to play a short series in England this summer. Both teams have the willingness to go ahead with the idea, but the final decision lies in the hands of the government. Hopefully this idea goes ahead for all our cricket lovers. There is no bigger limited overs contest in world cricket than a clash between Pakistan and India.