Calls for clemency as the kid is caught in the corruption

“They got their hooks into him as a baby, at a time when he would have had few confidants in the dressing room, few colleagues he could have gone to for guidance. These men, his team-mates, were meant to look after him; instead they corrupted him, blackened his soul and diminished his talent.

Look at Aamer’s no-ball. It is a joke. It is so exaggerated, so utterly out of keeping with his bowling performance on Friday that it attracted the attention of the television commentators.

Look at Asif’s. Barely over, a small misjudgement, hardly noticeable. To the naked eye, one man looks as if he knows what he is doing, the other hasn’t a clue. If the allegations are correct, both are cheating, but the older man appears better at it; one might even say more practised.” Martin Samuel – Daily Mail

“When I heard on Saturday night that Pakistan were involved in a match-fixing scandal, I immediately thought two things. The first was: I’m not massively surprised. The second was: please, don’t let it be Mohammad Aamer.When it turned out the lad was involved, it felt hugely disappointing. Mohammad Asif has got himself into scrapes before, but Aamer has been a breath of fresh air all summer. He’s revived the dying art of proper fast bowling and his future looked fantastic. Now it’s been tarnished. Lord’s felt a shallow place to be yesterday.” Nasser Hussain – Daily Mail

“the pain of witnessing a young boy of the most beguiling talent and apparently sunny nature making what might just prove to be his last strides in a theatre of sport he had come to command so brilliantly, so quickly.

Assuming that Aamer’s name goes up on the Lord’s honours board after his astonishing haul of five front-line English wickets, and the not inconsiderable scalp of Graeme Swann, last Friday, we can only hope there will be difficulty in explaining to some future generation of cricketers how it was that such talent was banished from the game at such an early age.” James Lawton – The Independent

“To see an 18-year old boy being dragged into the controversy is the worse part. He had the world, everyone was raving about the talent and praising him. It is such a sad moment in cricket.

Amir comes from a humble background. He is 18, with an impressionable mind, and if he has been keeping bad company, it’s possible he could have been drawn [into wrongdoing]. But if that’s the case, then the guys who got him in should be put behind bars because they’ve spoilt a grand career. They’ve infiltrated and spoilt a young mind, and it’s such a shocking state of affairs.” Ramiz Raja – Cricinfo

“I probably feel for him more than anyone because he’s only a young, naive and innocent young guy. Unfortunately he’s caught up with something.

Whether it’s in their culture I don’t know, I don’t know how deep it runs, but it’s unfortunate that someone of his skill has got tied up with something that is damaging to cricket and to the individuals. I found him to be a brilliant competitor on the field.” Shane Watson

“He should not be punished as an example to the rest, as everyone seems to suggest, rather he should be made aware of the issues, educated, rehabilitated and held up as an example of what can be achieved.

Amir’s rehabilitation should be at the heart of the cleansing of Pakistan cricket. The brilliant young bowler is not the cause of the problem but the most tragic consequence of it.” Michael Atherton – The Times

“It was impossible to take one’s eyes off Amir, but for reasons different than those of a couple of days ago, when he was utterly compelling as he glided in and made magic with the ball. Now you watched him walk in with the knowledge that every eye in the stands looked on in judgement. A wan smile tried to hide the storm that surely raged within as he tried to defend his mere wicket with a shadow looming over his honour. The heart ached for the bowler who had captivated us all year. Surely a boy so gifted couldn’t have let his soul be corrupted at such a tender age? It was a relief when Graeme Swann spun a ball past his bat and bowled him. Surely we’d see Amir bowl in a Test match again? The alternative is too depressing to contemplate.” Sambit Bal – Cricinfo Editor

“Yet we ought to understand part of what might drive a young precocious talent such as Amir to such involvement. Pakistan cricketers are poorly paid, with the riches of the subcontinent in India and a world away. Some, such as Amir, come from poor backgrounds. They are celebrated and feted, showered with gifts. Nice gifts might gain trust. A chance remark, a bit of team information, and the hook is in. Such things are not always about money for the player, for those involved in the vast illegal gambling syndicates of the subcontinent and Far East are uncompromisingly evil. Who knows the threats for non-cooperation?” Mike Selvey – The Guardian

“Perhaps the desire for smallish bans simply stems from a need to see Amir again. The thought that his career is over is far too heartbreaking to even consider. It is his involvement that has made this case so sickening and sad. We tend to reach for hyperbole at times like these, but Amir really is comparable with any 18-year-old bowler in the history of the game. And those who would easily dismiss him as a greedy deviant should recall his overwhelming joy at taking a Lord’s five-for on Friday, when he bent down to kiss the turf. The News of the World described it as “a kiss of betrayal”, but it wasn’t: it was the kiss of a kid who adores the game. He may have done something gravely wrong; if so, we must hope the ICC does not compound it with a hasty and excessive punishment.” Rob Smyth – The Guardian

“We must remember that we are judging these guys by the standards of our own country, when their situations are vastly different. The first time I met Mohammad Amir was when he was 16, coming to an Under-19s camp. He comes from a small village near the Swat valley and was delayed by three hours because the Taliban had closed the highway. That doesn’t happen in this country.

One thing that struck me about Amir was his constant smile, his zest for the game. That has not changed. I will never condone any form of fixing, but we should consider that a cricketer might not be thinking of personal gain but of getting money to buy a generator for his village because they don’t have electricity.” Geoff Lawson – The Age , Melbourne

“In the case of Amir, who is 18, it is terrible that a supremely talented youngster could be exposed to this. He is a delightful bowler with terrific skills. How sad it would be if it turns out his career is wrecked, but if anyone is involved in corruption he must be banned for life.” Jonathan Agnew – BBC Cricket

“I think one of the great sadnesses of all of this, and it’s a widely held view, is that a great young talent like Amir has been implicated in this one,” said Parry. “I think that’s what perhaps separates this from many other cases, because it suggests that the bad guys got to him before the good guys did.

But in terms of educating the players, it could be that they’ve (the ICC) not done enough. It would have to be a shock that a talent that has broken onto the scene so very, very quickly is at the centre of all this.

He’d have been enrolled in a cricket academy from a young age, and from the moment he shot to prominence with the international squad, you’d think that the Pakistan Cricket Board might have recognised a vulnerability and a need to put an arm around him. I can’t imagine it would have been that difficult to do, because when you read of the sums involved in betting in the Far East – with up to $500 million on a single game – the temptation is potentially there for relatively lowly paid cricketers. It’s beholden upon the authorities to step in and provide appropriate support systems.” Rick Parry – Cricinfo

“Only 18, and from an impoverished background, Amir would appear as much victim as perpetrator, a teenager whose head was easily turned.

If found guilty Amir, who was Pakistan’s Man of the Series, must be punished for his role, but he must not be crushed, despite those who think he should have known better. Morals are not limited to those with an education or experience. Amir might very well have been targeted precisely because he lacked both those things.

He was allegedly manipulated on two fronts; by the apparent loathsome fixer, promising riches beyond his means, and by the senior players also allegedly involved in the scam: Salman Butt, his captain, and Mohammad Asif, his new-ball partner.

He must be saved for another reason too, for cricket is not so well endowed it can afford to cast its prize assets on to the bonfire and hope others rise phoenix-like in their place. Amir is the youngest bowler in history to reach 50 Test wickets, so imagine how good he could be if he concentrated solely on getting batsmen out and not on the instructions needed to complete shady deals.” Derek Pringle – The Telegraph

The PCB needs to drop Salman Butt and the other three named players with immediate effect

It’s been suggested by some writers that the remainder of Pakistan’s tour should be stopped after Sunday’s match fixing allegations. Fixer Mazhar Majeed was taped telling  the undercover News of the World reporter that two of the upcoming ODIs against England had been marked out to be fixed. This has rightly raised doubts over the legitimacy of the contest between the two sides during the rest of the tour.

But as long as the players who the allegations were brought against are withdrawn from the squad, stopping the tour will serve no purpose. We must think of the Pakistan fans and the players in the squad that are completely innocent. We must think of the host nation and the losses they will suffer due to any abandonment.

The chances of the plans for the two matches that were to be fixed going ahead are pretty slim now. The issue has come to the world’s attention and any player would not even consider putting a foot wrong, pardon the pun, in the ODIs and Twenty20s to come. Should the PCB drop the suspected players – including Salman Butt who was refereed to as the ring leader – then the alleged plans to fix the two ODIs would have even less chance of going ahead. Though slight supporter suspicion will remain, the two points above would almost guarantee that the integrity of the contest in the remaining fixtures is maintained. Stopping the tour would be an overreaction and pretty pointless.

Yet for the good of the game, it is vitally important that the PCB take swift action in dropping the players. For the nation that has invited us to play, and for Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman who has been one of a very few who have gone out of their way to help Pakistan cricket in it’s hour of need, the PCB needs to act fast. There should be no problem in the PCB finding justification for withdrawing the players concerned as they are under police investigation. It does not matter whether withdrawing the players looks like they are admitting guilt, because the only way Pakistan can carry on playing with any sort of trust on this tour is by removing the named players from the touring party. Carrying on with them should not even be entertained as a possibility. Once the tour finishes, not only the players involved but also the complete set-up and administration needs to be looked at and cleared of corruption. But stopping the game right now is not the way to go. Whilst it is a good thing that these players are found out, it will only remain and end a good thing if those that do not deserve punishment are not punished along with the guilty.

At a time when the nation of Pakistan is suffering from horrendous flooding, the subject of match fixing seems relatively trivial. But just as life for the flood victims must go on, so must the cricket.

In footage which will send a shudder through Pakistan fans, Mazhar Majeed is seen telling the reporter exactly at which point Amir and Asif will bowl no-balls in the Lord’s Test.  Majeed tells the reporter that it will be the first ball of the third over and the last ball of the tenth, bowled by Amir and Asif respectively. Shockingly, this is exactly what happens and in the case of Amir, he no-balls half a foot over the crease. If it is proved that the video was filmed before the event then the evidence I’m afraid looks pretty damning. Majeed’s other promises to the reporter that turned out to be correct were another no-ball from Amir and a maiden over batted out by captain Salman Butt.

Crooked Majeed, went on to name Captain Salman Butt and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal as two other players he has on side. He bragged that he has links with Indian bookies, manages ten of the Pakstani players and works “very closely with the PCB” who he has been involved with for around seven years. He is also pictured posing for the camera with the News of the World reporter and none other than the Pakistan captain Salman Butt himself.

In more shocking footage, Majeed is filmed showing Wahab Riaz and Umar Amin the inside pocket of his jacket where he had stuffed £10,000 earlier paid to him by the undercover reporter. Majeed then hands over the jacket with the money inside to Wahab Riaz who casually slips it on.

And it may not be just the Test captain Butt who knows about what is going on. It does seem that ODI captain Shahid Afridi is also reluctantly in the know, though maybe not directly involved, as Majeed also promised that two of the upcoming ODIs will be thrown. When referring to Afridi he said: “A lot of the boys want to f*** up Afridi because he’s trying to f*** up things for them”. The reason Majeed gave for not fixing entire Test matches was “because we’re trying to win this game (the Oval Test) and the Lord’s game. Because we want Salman Butt as captain”. When pressed whether Butt was on-side, Majeed said: “Of course, of course”.

Majeed claimed that not may of the players are actually there to represent their country or for the love of the game: “You’ll find there’s only a few players who are genuine and who are actually here for the love of the game and there’s not many believe me. A lot of them are just looking for money, women and food”.

Pakistan fans the world over will be devastated and feeling a sense of betrayal and anger right now. If the allegations are proved, I’d be happy to see every one of the players, backroom staff and/or administrators connected banned for life from all cricket with maybe the exception of Amir. It would be heartbreaking if it is proved that young Amir was knowingly involved and on his own accord. A prodigious talent who has taken international cricket by storm, and recently made the shortlist for ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year, would have wasted such a promising career and disgraced himself, his family and his nation.

The fortunes of Yousuf and Malik seem to be going in opposite directions

Shoaib Malik’s exclusion for the last Test against England came as no surprise but his exclusion from this limited over squad is slightly more surprising. With Fawad Alam and Mohammed Hafeez coming back in, maybe Malik’s role would have been seen as being covered adequately enough. Hafeez’s inclusion also means that there is no place for Imran Farhat, who strangely enough, is probably more suited to the shorter form.

Most interestingly, Mohammed Yousuf has completed his come back by being named also. One would think that he’d only be used in the ODIs but I for one am certain he could do a job in the Twenty20 see-ball hit-ball form of the game. Younis Khan was overlooked because, according to captain Shahid Afridi, he has not sorted out his dispute with the PCB. In what seems a very unsympathetic and ruthless statement, Afridi said: “I asked the chairman PCB about the situation with Younis twice. But the clearance wasn’t given by the PCB. I did what I had to do”. Make of that what you will.

An inclusion that I am certainly in favour of was that of Azhar Ali. With the absence of Younis Khan, Azhar should go straight into the ODI side to bolster the middle-order batting line up. He has all the attributes: technique, temperament, talent, to become a permanent fixture in our ODI side for years to come as I am sure he will be in the Test side.

As expected, Shoaib Akhtar also retains his place from the squad that faced Australia in the Twenty20s earlier in the tour. With Wahab Riaz also included and Akhtar’s level of fitness considered, it will be interesting to see if Akhtar makes the ODI team. If he does, it may well be a straight battle between Umar Gul and Riaz for the final spot with the other two taken up by Asif and Aamer. We must not forget Gul’s deadliness in the shorter form and that Wahab has been quite expensive in this form in the past. Although, with Abdul Razzaq and Saeed Ajmal also in the squad, and considering the fact that Afridi will bowl himself, it will be interesting to see how many pacers are included in the attack from the five of Aamer, Asif, Gul, Akhtar and Riaz. Certainly that’s one area in which we’re spoilt for choice.

All in all, it looks a very exciting squad with plenty to work with for captain Shahid Afridi ahead of the World Cup:

Squad for the five ODIs and two Twenty20s:

Shahid Afridi (capt), Salman Butt, Shahzaib Hasan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Mohammed Aamer, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Wahab Riaz.

Reserves:

Sarfraz Ahmed, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Irfan, Abdur Rehman.

We did mention in a previous post that Yousuf’s return will not only have the obvious effect of adding runs to the scoreboard, but also have an influence on the opposition and the young Pakistan batting line up. Certainly, it was obvious from Azhar Ali’s body language, that he was delighted to be out there in the middle with Mohammed Yousuf, and it is no coincidence that it led to Azhar’s highest score of his young Test career.

Did someone call for Yousuf? Mohammed Yousuf's return coincided with Pakistan's first 300 plus total of the tour of England

Yousuf’s affect on the mindset of the opposition was obvious, with Strauss adopting defensive fields to him very early on  as it became clear that the tactics employed previously to the other Pakistani batsmen, were not going to work with Yousuf. Just his name on the team sheet would have put doubts in the minds of the English bowlers, as Swann later touched upon in an interview, that he had looked down the Pakistan line up and identified Yousuf as the prize wicket for his 100th Test victim. As it turned out, Swann did manage to get him, but more through a lapse in the great man’s judgement to a negative Ashley Giles type of round the wicket line from Swann, than through the guile of the bowler himself.

Many Younis Khan supporters suggest that Younis should also be brought back as he would have a similar affect, but just watching Yousuf play, it’s obvious that even from where Younis is, Yousuf is still a level or two above. Yousuf has not gained much support from the Pakistani contingent of writers on cricinfo, and it is sad that this kind of mentality still exists even amongst our fans. Most of this lack of support was due to their constant backing, which was sometimes blind, of Younis Khan. They’re sure to be eating a bit of humble pie after yesterday. Even those less affiliated with Pakistan cricket, like Andrew Miller on cricinfo, can appreciate what Mohammed Yousuf is, so it is a shame that some of ‘Pakistan’s own’  could not bring themselves to do so:

“But unlike his less experienced team-mates, who had clung on without pushing on at Edgbaston, Yousuf used every ball faced to gauge the pace of the wicket. By the time he reached a half-century for the 57th time in 89 Tests, he was right back at the top of his game, with Steven Finn leaking four fours in ten balls to the first true great he’s ever encountered.” Cricinfo’s Andrew Miller

It is obvious that Pakistan still need Mohammed Yousuf and not even Osman Samiuddin and Kamran Abbasi could deny that…well they could, but they shouldn’t. At 35 years of age, I hope Yousuf has a few more years left in him yet. A freak of nature, how he can be so uncoordinated in the field and so graceful and majestic with a bat in his hand, I don’t know. If there is a more absorbing batsman to watch in world cricket, I am yet to come across him.

Would an ODI batting approach make Pakistan a happier and more productive camp?

From what the Pakistan bowlers have shown, they are clearly capable of restricting England to an ODI total, provided the fielders hold on to the ctaches. And should the Pakistan batsmen set or chase an ODI total themselves – which they are capable of if they go back to what they know – then we may even see a contest between the two sides.

With the backs against the wall, having tried various options, it’s time to fight back with no fear. This does not mean they shoud bat carelessly, but be postive like they are in the shorter form of the game and look to set to a total of 230 to 300, which would give our much suffereing bowlers something to work with. There is simply no point in playing defensive, not scoring and blocking all the way to our batting demise. The Pakistan batsmen have been six down for less than 50 runs three times in a row now. Their attempt at playing anything resembling a Test innings is clearly not working. At the end of the day, there is no point in trying to be something they are quite clearly not. There is only one way to get out of it and that is to play the way they know and give their bowlers something to bowl at.

For all the analysis of what the Pakistan batsmen did wrong, the simple fact is that they are trying to do something they are not used to, or in some cases, simply not made to do, and that’s play a Test innings. Due to the security situation back home and not being able to play Tests for some time, maybe this was to be expected. It is now time to go back to what they are used to, and just accept that these shortcomings will not be addressed over a series or two, but will require time and a big change in mentality and technique from the next generation. Up until then, we will have to make-do and make-do with what we’re good at.

'We're not dumb, we batted rubbish so that we could lose the Test early to give our bowlers a rest'

If just for the sake of our bowlers, then the PCB must react to the current batting situation even if it means sending out a call for Mohammed Yousuf, Younis Khan and maybe even Misbah Ul-Haq. The argument that we should persist with the youngsters would be a fair one in any other situation, but we need to get these youngsters out of the cauldron they are in because this is not helping them or our bowlers.

The longest our batsmen have occupied the crease thus far in England has been 90 overs. With only Asif and Aamer of the bowlers showing any form, and Aamer being just 18, there is a worryingly huge workload placed on the bowlers, in particular the aforementioned two.

Kamran Akmal: The ‘wicket-keeper batsman’
The other thing exacerbating the situation is the dropped catches and general fielding. It is as if the bowlers have to get the opposition batsman out twice for every one dismissal. The chief culprit in this is Kamran Akmal. I stated in my last post that enough was enough, that since Kamran is making the same mistakes and not showing any improvement, then he has to be dropped. The argument that we select him because of what he gives with the bat is a false one. If you look at his contributions with the bat, then there is no reason why he should remain in the side in place of a good wicket-keeper who is not a batsmen because Akmal doesn’t look like much of a batsman either. In his seven Test innings in England, he has managed an average of just 14.58.

Disappointment all-round, as the ground fails to swallow up Kamran Akmal

Team for the next Test
Whilst it is drastic, this is the side I would go in with for the secnd Test against England and it looks like a much more competitive one to me: Butt, Hameed, Malik, Younis (or Misbah lower down), Yousuf, Azhar/Umar Akmal,  Zulqarnain, Asif, Aamer, Gul, Ajmal.

Listening to Salman Butt’s after-match interview, it did not seem as if changes were going to be made and it felt as though they were going to stick with the same line up. Butt backed the young batsmen and the wicket-keeper Akmal. His argument was that after losing similarly to Australia in the first Test, we came back strong. Yet, our batting was still poor in that game and we were lucky to win that one in the end, and should not forget that after making just 88 in the first innings, Australia still managed to get back in the game, with our bowlers having to hit the winning runs under pressure on what turned out to be the last day.

And if we do stick with the same side as Butt indicated, what happens when we lose the next one in a similarly embarrassing manner? Knowing the media and ex-cricketers back in Pakistan, our young batsmen will get overly criticised. Both the players (current and those that are called up) and the backroom staff, need to forget the clash of personality issues, forget the character issues, it’s time to be professional and come work for the country.

UPDATE:
Danish Kaneria has been dropped for the remainder of the series and is now available for Essex. Mohammed Yousuf has been called up into the squad for the remaining games against England. Both positive steps in my opinion.

Whilst overhead conditions were favourable to the English bowlers, it was a good track and for the Pakistani top five to make a combined score of just 40, some fault must lie with them. Nasser Hussain said in the break that when he was captain, batsmen did have the tendency to come back with a resigned attitude after being dismissed in swinging conditions, as if to say ‘ Oh well it’s swinging, there was nothing we could do’. Yet he went on to say that that should not be an excuse because that is the true test of the skill of the batsman, whether he can negotiate the movement or not. It’s obvious the skill of our batsmen was lacking.

Whilst there have been some encouraging performances here and there, it has to be said that our batsmen have so far failed on the whole. In the four innings we had against Australia, our highest innings total was just 289. For a Test match that is simply not good enough. So, what are our batsmen doing? What are they contributing to the team? If they are not making the runs, what is their purpose? Bangladesh had just finished playing against England in similar conditions and I would have to say that their batting line up looked much more composed and generally better than ours.

You have to feel for our bowlers, who after just around 50 overs, may well be out there bowling again if we fail to avoid the follow on. Let’s not forget that it is our bowlers that have scored almost half the total we have on the board right now anyway. The PCB should collect the wages of the batsmen by the end of the series and divide them up between the bowlers, because it is they who deserve it.

So, should we persist with the same batting line up and just be patient or should we send for Yousuf and Younis? Many of us had called for youngsters to be given a chance (Umar Amin and Azhar Ali), and we knew we’d have to be patient with the likes of Farhat, Malik and the Akmals, yet none of us expected them to be this bad. I think most fans expected better from this batting line up.

Most of the hype has been around Umar Akmal, yet so far he hasn’t even looked like anything special. Far too nervous and stuck in the crease, he seems to be there for the taking as soon as he gets in. As for his brother, well he will now be single-handedly responsible for losing Pakistan yet another Test as he did in Australia. Dropped catch, missed stumping, failed with the bat and was stupidly consulted for two reviews that he declined that would have gone our way.

Kamran Akmal needs to be dropped, to persist with him is just futile. He has had enough chances yet we are seeing the same mistakes, and that I’m afraid, is the bottom line.

Confident or plain stupid?

Collingwood was quoted as saying: “I don’t want to go overboard on ‘these guys are the best thing since sliced bread’ – or Wasim Akram, or this, that and the other”, he went on: “I think they have got a lot of talent. But to say they’re the number one bowling attack in the world I would say was over the mark. They have come up in conditions recently where it’s done a fair bit”.

It’s interesting because it comes at around the same time that the Pakistan captain said in an interview to cricinfo that he believes that in Mohammed Aamer and Mohammed Asif, he has the best pace pair in the world. Add Umar Gul to the mix, who as statistics prove, is the best bowler in Twenty20, the form which is harshest on bowlers, then it’s not such a bad pace attack.

“Without any doubt I can say that Aamer and Asif are the best pair in the world at the moment and Gul with the old ball is the most dangerous” Salman Butt.

I hope the Pakistan captain Salman Butt prints out Collingwood’s words and sticks them to the dressing room walls (with translation if required), because that will be his team-talk done for him. If I was an English batsman who had watched the manner in which our bowlers bamboozled the likes of Ricky Ponting, I wouldn’t exactly be over the moon hearing the comments Collingwood has publicly aired. But this cockiness is very much the way the new England team operates under Andy Flower, under whose stewardship the indiscipline of the English players seems to have multiplied. The reasons for it may well be that like many other sides, England are trying to follow the successful Australian blueprint on how to be the best in the world. Unfortunately, the Australians know how to do it and can back it up with actions, whereas the English over do it and don’t always back it up with actions.

With our bowling attack, we have all the required ingredients. It is time to cook up a meal, serve it to Collingwood and let him eat his words.

The victorious, young Pakistan squad with their backroom staff enjoy the moment

Though Pakistan did lose the wickets of all their front-line batsmen, it was fitting that it was two bowlers there at the crease scoring the last 5 runs to take Pakistan home. Throughout the two Tests, it was the bowling department that consistently outperformed that of the Australian’s and kept Pakistan in the race.

When one run was required and the Pakistan team gathered on the edge of the boundary, Shane Warne said on commentary that the Pakistan players will go berserk in their celebrations but it was nice to see that they didn’t. You wasn’t playing India Shane! Of course, it was later obvious why they had gathered there, and it was to present umpire Rudi Koertzen, who stood in his last Test, with a signed shirt as a souvenir. It was a touch of class by the team to think of Koertzen when they could be forgiven to have been thinking of only themselves so close to winning a Test having not beaten the Australians for 15 years in this form of the game.

The tour has so far been a clear success with Pakistan taking the Twenty20 series against Australia 2-0 and now drawing the more important Test series 1-1. Attention must quickly be switched to the Test next week against England now, as the games come thick and fast for Salman Butt’s men. It’s pleasing that the Pakistan fans can now have lots to look forward to.