A Proud Day For Afghanistan Cricket

It was a momentous occasion for Afghanistan with their first official ODI against a major team at their unofficial home of Sharjah on a Friday evening under lights which is a local holiday in the United Arab Emirates. As always it was jam packed in Sharjah. It was an electrifying atmosphere as expected. Afghanistan’s skipper won the toss and didn’t hesitate to bat first. Pakistan on the other hand played their full strength team with 3 front line bowlers and Umar Akmal keeping wicket. Wahab Riaz was playing his first international for the men in green since May when he played in the St Kitts test match in the Caribbean tour.

Pakistan bowled out the Afghanistan side in the 190s as Shahid Afridi picked up his 8th 5 wicket haul and 6th MOM in the last 12 months for Pakistan. Pakistan cruised to victory in clinical and professional style with Younis Khan scoring an unbeaten 70 at over a run a ball whereas Captain Misbah made an unbeaten 40 to guide his side over the line by a 7 wicket margin. Earlier Imran Farhat made his 4th ODI half century in his last 10 innings since making his comeback in the team. Pakistan will be taking on England in the 1st of 4 one day matches on Monday from Abu Dhabi. Pakistan have won all of their last 14 internationals and this was their 7th ODI win in a row.

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…..

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.

Cheema's Dream Debut

Aizaz Cheema's bowling in match (8 wickets for 103 runs) are second best figures by a Pakistan bowler on his Test debut. Cheema replaced Mohammad Sami, who took 8 wickets for 106 runs against New Zealand in 2001, at number two.

Best figures by a Pakistan bowler are 11 wickets for 130 runs by Mohammad Zahid against New Zealand at Rawalpindi in 1996. And last Pakistan bowler to take 8 wickets on his Test debut was Abdur Rehman against South Africa in 2007.

Can Pakistan Make It 4-1?

What drama was witnessed. Unbelievable stuff. What a game changing moment from Dwayne Bravo to give the Barbados spectators something to celebrate about on a rain intervened May Day which was a national holiday in the region.

Excellent awareness to the situation & brilliant execution in dispatching the rank log hop from the touring skipper into the stands.

The reaction & emotions in the West Indies camp showed how much relief this consolation victory meant to them through Ottis Gibson & Darren Sammy who were very alert, animated & successfully got the message across to the batsmen in the middle.

The West Indies have an opportunity to restore some further respectability by winning on Thursday in Guyana which will conclude the series at 3-2 & considering they won the sole Twenty20 international played in St Lucia on the 21st of April it will be a pretty good showing from their perspective with the inexperience they have, recent results they have had as well as the internal problems they have faced.

However, as far as the tourists are concerned not winning the series at least 4-1 will be termed as a “failure” as they were firm favourites to win the series rather clinically, the in-form momentum they carried as well as their superior position on the ICC ODI rankings system.

Thursday concludes the LO leg of the tour. So far all 4 wins in the series have been registered by the chasing side.

Pakistan have an opportunity to win their 400th ODI which will be a significant land mark. They also have an opportunity to win 4 matches during a single ODI series in the West Indies which they have not achieved during any previous tours to the Caribbean. The first one day international played in Guyana was between West Indies & Pakistan in 1988 which West Indies won. The other time these two teams met in Guyana the result was a tie in 1993.

Avoid dead rubber complacency. Time to get the job done and dusted.

Pakistan Start With a Bang!

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/engine/current/match/433563.html

Pakistan started their World Cup Campaign with a bang today by defeating Kenya by an overwhelming margin of 205 runs. It was a clinical all round performance with some record breaking performances as Pakistan eased their ways to a comfortable victory. Pakistan will want to use this victory as an opportunity to set up their tournament where they have gained that victorious tone which they can build on and carry through in the fixtures which proceed. This could be the start of what plans out to be a successful and memorable tournament for Afridi's side. The captain himself bowled magnificently and claimed some remarkable figures during a breath taking spell of leg spin bowling where he concluded with 8-3-5-16. He demonstrated a great degree of skill and uniqueness which absolutely puzzled the Kenyans as they faltered in quick succession against the brilliance of the Pakistani skipper. They struggled to combat his sharp drift, variations and dip he was getting which was always going to be a challenge for them to combat and counter, especially if he was on the money.

Earlier Pakistan amassed 317 having won the toss, despite the early losses of the openers with the score line at 12-2 after just 7 overs. Kamran Akmal played a good hand in re-building the innings and getting Pakistan on track with his 9th half century, Younis set the platform with the help of his class and experience to bring up his first half century in a World Cup encounter whereas Misbah played an important hand in accumulation and carrying the good work through in his first World Cup appearance, Mr consistent did not fail to live up to our expectations and continued his magnificent purple patch of form. However, it was Umar Akmal who stood out and played with freedom, intent, aggression and energy once the foundations had been laid and the situation was ideal for him to do what he does best! He notched up 71 off just 52 deliveries. The Kenyan bowlers were sloppy and undisciplined which helped the Pakistani cause with 46 extras contributing to the overall total.

On the whole, it was a perfect outcome and a victory which should be celebrated and applauded appreciably. The manner in which they went about their business and produced the goods is the area which should be looked at and not the strength or depth of the opposition. Moreover, in the previous WCs where Pakistan faced humiliation in the preliminary stages, they lost their opening fixture so perhaps this change is a refreshing spark of better things to follow?

2011 World Cup Pakistan Player Portrait Day!

Photo Shots of the Squad members displayed below




The young rockstar :) - AHMED SHEHZAD

The one and only! He has a burning ambition to win the WC and retire with a legacy. He has been prioritising and focussing on this since his comeback in the side in June at the Asia Cup. Probably will retire after it finishes. We have heard from himself that he hopes to be clocking up 95mph during this tournament!!! Best Wishes Shabby.....

The Official Kit Launch 08/02/11

http://boomboomcricket.com/ good job indeed! Impressive design. Personally am considering purchasing them.

Afridi To Lead Pakistan

04/02/11: Pakistan's WC Jersey was revealed too.




Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi is named as Pakistan's 2011 World Cup Captain. That is that. Misbah will be the vice captain. Both have key roles and responsibilities and will need to work together to get the best out of the team. Good luck Pakistan! =D

The good news is that although Afridi is officially named captain, in the PCB media report they have indicated Misbah has a lot of authority in the team when it comes to selection, on field assistance and genuine leadership responsibility. Along with the back room staff like Waqar Younis and Inti, these 4 together have a big role to play in commanding and organising the side professionally on and off the pitch.

Team Unity and Spirit

Yeah the run out in the last game from Misbah demonstrated that. Afridi immediately went to him. Everyone was playing with spirit and vision. Misbah still is the better captain, but it's understandable why they don't want to change at this stage with the results and increasing commercial pressure!

My WC Starting Line Up
Shehzad
Hafeez
Umar (WK)
Younis
Misbah (VC)
Afridi (C)
Razzaq
Wahab
Gul
Ajmal
Akhtar

Official PCB Media Release
Official PCB Media Release:
Captain, Team Management and Tour Selection Committee for World Cup

Lahore February 4, 2011: Pakistan Cricket Board announces Shahid Afridi as captain of Pakistan Team for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Misbah ul Haq has been announced as Vice Captain for the event.

Commenting on the decision Chairman PCB said “I had detailed discussions with team management and players in New Zealand regarding captain and vice captain and am pleased to state that everyone fully endorsed these decisions”.

The Team Management will comprise of:

- Mr. Intikhab Alam Manager
- Waqar Younis Coach
- Aaqib Javed Bowling Consultant
- Shahid Aslam Assistant Team Manager
- Dr. Faisal Hayat Physio
- Saboor Ahmed Trainer
- Muhammad Talha Ejaz Analyst
- Muhammad Akhtar Masseur
- Wasim Ahmed Team Security Manager


Following will be the Tour Selection Committee:

- Manager (Chairman)
- Coach (Member)
- Captain (Member)
- Vice Captain (Member)

PCB Media Department

Quote Of The Day

"It doesn't make a difference whether Misbah leads the side or I lead the side because we both are playing for our country" - Shahid Afridi reiterates the unity in the Pakistani ranks. {Cricinfo}

Pakistan's World Cup Song By Ali Zafar

Pakistan on The Brink of an ODI Series Win....!

Another visit to Hamilton for Pakistan. Their 3rd of the tour.


PK have not won an ODI series in New Zealand since 1994. Perfect opportunity to do so beckons today and on Saturday too at Auckland if things today do not go according to plan at Hamilton for the 5th ODI for whatever reasons. Can we expect New Zealand to successfully bounce back and keep proceedings alive? Can we afford to take the series to an all to play for decider considering our “chokers tag” record in these encounters, especially in the last 6 years or so where we have failed miserably to win them? PK have not won an ODI series since November 2008 where they managed to successfully whitewash the West Indies on home soil in the UAE. It’s about time they do so NOW, will be bitterly disappointing if they are unable to do so. More significantly, the Greens are showing spirit, building momentum, discovering their strengths, executing their plans and showing much needed important signs of form which could and should put them in good stead for the forthcoming World Cup Spectacle which commences on the 19th of February. Fingers crossed things can only run smoothly from here on in and we can consolidate on these back to back wins! Go Greens!

A Proud Misbah Fan! - Maaz

Pakistan's key batsmen they will be banking on in the World Cup! YK and Misbah can form a formidable partnership and set an excellent platform. An area where Pakistan can excel.

Over the past weeks I have been praising, hyping and backing Misbah’s inclusion and usefulness in the ODI team on various platforms. I have been emphasising how good he can be and the key role he can play with mind, presence and bat. During the process I have received endless criticism, intimidation and to some extent a large degree of abusiveness, mostly due to individual favouritism and reading too much into past records pessimistically. However, even then I left the ignorance a side, stood by my views and considered the bigger picture. Today Misbah has successfully silenced all his doubters, critics, haters and jealous Afridi-ites. What an asset he can be. What a player he can be. What a magnificent Michael Bevan like knock we witness from him today. This is the Ul Haq I know. Misbah, take a bow!!! You definitely deserve to be in the ODI team for sure, even more than others and you deserve the captaincy too more than Afridi. I have been saying this repeatedly and will continue to reinforce. The Pakistani supporters fully need to acknowledge, appreciate and back Misbah if they haven’t already due to various reasons, some unreasonable logic mostly, it is rather foolish and unjustifiable if you still hold the same views now! He is a given ASSET and always can be in whatever format he plays in! The way some of his own fans de-grade his capabilities is bitterly disappointing. His stupendous form in his international cricket comeback continues.


I know many people on this page who own Misbah Ul Haq a written apology! He is a top class player, experience presence and cool headed character to have in the dressing room. He can give you consistency, responsibility and stability which he has demonstrated on numerous occasions, especially in the recent times. Ideally I am still very much hopeful he is named as WC captain too. Misbah Ul Haq Niazi...way to go...what a player!

http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-pakistan-2010/engine/current/match/473926.html

Look guys. The captain will be announced on Friday and then the issue will be resolved. Both are capable leaders and different in their own ways, but Misbah is definitely the better one when it comes to professionalism, tactics, innovations, organisation, composure, calmness, mental toughness etc. Hence, ideally I think we will be able to make significant progress and play more consistently under him. Let's wait for the decision, this is my view and many past legends are also the same in regards to this thinking. Whoever ends up leading we will fully support them, but at the moment there is still uncertainty due to incompetence of Ijaz Butt.