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Mohammad Amir – What they’ve said
By Tabrez Janjua for Stani Army in Pakistan Cricket
227 Views
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
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September 2nd, 2010 at 7:29 am
Mohammad Amir ? What they?ve said…
I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog
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September 3rd, 2010 at 10:11 am
Nice article mate, so true how this young lad got into such a mess! Like one of commentators mentioned its because of the company he was in!
September 3rd, 2010 at 10:25 am
@Murtaza Moiz –
Thanks Murtaza
Yes, Salman Butt his captain had a big responsibility. That is why I think Butt’s alleged offence was the worst of the lot.
I’m not sure what the Pakistan High Commissioner is talking about. How do you set up someone to deliberately bowl a no ball? It will be interesting to see what they now come up with. I hope they have something concrete.
Can we expect the ICC to be as understanding as the writers above or will they use Amir to make and example of him? If it is non-cricketing people making the decision, then I fear for Amir.
September 3rd, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Ijaz Butt has destroyed what was achieved in the last four years in terms of new talent. He was playing a double game with the players, even though he knew that the players will get suspended he kept on insisting that they will be available for selection, which only indicates that he for some reason was obligated to protect the players, Mr Wajid a senior diplomat his statements show that the top level government officials also want to protect the players, the players will have no choice but to speak the truth and expose the real culprits.
It’s sad to see a player like Aamer in this mess but it was his own choice. Players who have been more talented and skilled than Aamer have done this in the past and earned humilation for the country for theiur personal gains and cheated their fans all over the world. No matter what the cost is this corruption should end. And the culprits should be brought to justice.
September 3rd, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Good article TJ. The whole thing just makes me sad. I fear the talents of Amir will never be fully know or seen and his potential will never be fulfilled as rightly the ICC will make an example of these guys.
September 4th, 2010 at 7:05 am
@Wasim –
To me it seems that Ijaz Butt is utterly stupid or he has not seen the video footage of Majeed when he is calling out which balls will be bowled as no-balls. How on earth can he come out, like the High Commissioner, and deny these allegations. Not even Salman Butt was so categorical in denial in the press conference himself. When Salman Butt was asked if he was guilty, if he did it, he simply paused and said lets wait for the investigation, these are just allegations. Then we have these two clowns completely denying anything happened. I would love to see how they can explain Amirs no-ball, and his and Butt’s subsequent body language and over-doing of the role play. They are just bringing more shame on the nation. If it gets them sacked, then its good I suppose.
I hope there are more talented players than Amir! So would you want to see him get a life ban? Would a life ban for Butt and Asif, with a sever reprimand for Amir not be enough do you think?
September 4th, 2010 at 7:08 am
@Cricket Balls –
Thanks CB. Yes, they are wonderful words from mostly non-Pakistan fans. To me, that was one of the most shameful things, that they have now tarnished the faith that even non-Pakistan supporters had in them.
Even if they let Amir off lightly, there will be this stigma attached to him, if not all his career, certainly most of it. Asif, for his past record, his sheer disregard for the rules of the game, and his demeanour during these events, should be banned for life if found guilty. He will be a massive loss still; his skill is undeniable. Butt should be dealt with harshly too. He was captain and had a responsibility especially to youngsters like Amir, to guide them. Instead, he led them astray. A life ban for him wouldn’t be a great loss.
September 4th, 2010 at 10:33 am
After playing 5 ODI matches, average cricket fans are actually writing off Khalid Latif who in one of the matches actually scored 64. The guy dispatches anything short with ease. He can bat extremely aggressively and adapt according to team requirements and match situations. Give him an extended opportunity to prove his exceptional ability.
September 4th, 2010 at 11:49 am
I was at Lords on the Friday and we could not understand why Amir was not bowling immediately after lunch. England were on he rack, one more wicket and the innings was as good as over, and yet Amir was being held back. It made no sense. Well now it does, because having agreed to bowl a no ball at set times, England had to still be batting at those times. So people talk about spot fixing or whatever, but this amounts to match fixing. It wasn’t just three no balls, those three no balls had to be contived within the context of the whole game. Broad’s and Trott’s innings have been devalued as a result. Should their names and Amir’s name be on the Honours Board at Lords as a result?
All the excuses can be made for Amir and his would be a huge loss to the game, but the game is nothing if stripped of its integrity. I’m afraid life bans are the only answer for all three unless it can be proved that Amir was in fear of his or his family’s life. If he is guilty, his continued denials should also be a factor in determining his punishment. Where is the remorse?
September 4th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
@Hammersfan –
Hello mate!
Yes, sometimes spot fixing could end up influencing the result of the game, even if it does not seem that way from the outset. The thought that it cannot is what makes it so appealing to the players who try it and hence so dangerous for the sport. They think they are doing nothing wrong and that it’s an easy way to earn a quick buck. As for Broad and Trott; Trott is fast becoming England’s best batsman but Broad….maybe this fixing thing has made many realise that he’s not really that good anyway
(I’m not his biggest fan…his or Daddy’s. I’m sure you know more about his Daddy than I do)
You make a good argument about the game’s integrity but do you not think everyone deserves a second chance, and especially an 18 year possibly under duress? Also, I know it doesn’t get much more serious than fixing, but there are plenty of other things that do the integrity of this game no favours at all. From small things like not walking when you’ve nicked it to ball tampering. Then we have to consider precedents. People like Warne and Waugh were let back into the fold as was the West Indies’ Marlon Samuels, who served a two year suspension. All things considered, would it be fair to ban Amir for life? Yes, it would be easy, but would it be right and fair?
I agree, there is hardly any remorse but once again, is this all down to him or is he being told to toe the line by not only captain now, but by captain, lawyers, the High Commissioner and the Chairman Ijaz Butt? Has it become even more difficult for the 18 year old to do the right thing? I was disgusted and embarrassed before, but Ijaz Butt’s stance has taken it to another level.
September 4th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
@Maaz,
There were some people on this forum (as well as PCB selectors) who were against the inclusion of Fawad Alam in the team, and guess what he does in the first innings….. slap on their faces with a match winning 90 something
September 4th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
@Maaaaaaaz –
I was surprised he was discarded too. He looked technically correct and clearly had abilty. He certainly looked a safer bet than Butt or Farhat at the time but these two managed to get back in (Same thing happened with Taufiq Umar). Maybe for their crookedness as much as for anything else probably.
September 4th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
@Asim –
Alam will definitely get to play now so let’s hope he does well against the undoubted ability of Swann and Anderson. We certainly need players to come through.
Although I wasn’t one of them – I would have Alam in the Test side – this tour game wasn’t much of a challenge, I mean, even Shahzaib got a hundred
On a separate point, Alam seems to have bulked up which is good. Should help his scoring ability
September 4th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Stani
My Views are the same as Hammersfan, this corruption should end it will end only if ICC takes the matter in it’s own hand because PCB will do it’s best to coverup the issue and embolden the players even more in future.
Don’t care for Aamir or Asif even though I know that both of them bowled the noballs in duress and on the instruction of Salman Butt.
These players if they are going to throw away matches the way they have been then their class becomes irrelevant.
As regards Fawad Alam and Shahzaib, it was just a side match if anybody remembers I supported Shahzaib a lot before the T20 WC and the Australian series but he failed miserably in both only scored in the warmup matches but still I think he has potential has all the shots to become a great player only if he controls his nerves.
Alam deserves to be in the test side but in Odi’s and T20 unless he bats higher we will be wasting a spot.
September 4th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Asim
http://www.cricinfo.com/countycricket2010/engine/current/match/435681.html
This match is the pitch where Fawad Alam and Shahzaib Hassan Khan scored their runs. This just gives you the indication of how flat and lifeless the track really is and therefore how easy it was to score runs. A knock is a knock but in the grand scheme of things a meaningless knock from Fadi.
TJ
I am disappointed that Kamran Akmal has been cleared from match fixing. Ironically many top Pakistani fans are disappointed naturally because it means that our keeper is really that genuinely rubbish, crap and pathetic because it means he really is that bad that he drops sitters etc and throws his wicket away far too frequently.
As much bad as this may sound, I think you know where I am coming from here
September 4th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
@Wasim –
I don’t know guys, I’m ready for Butt and Asif, however much talent the latter has, to be thrown out of cricket but not this kid. He needs to be rehabilitated. If we are to make an example of these guys then sacrificing Asif and Butt would be example enough in my opinion.
Don’t agree with him Wasim, he’ll only get a big head!
As for the PCB; I think Ijaz Butt is single handedly showing the world how inept he is and I am certain that recent discussions involving him, Giles Clarke and the ICC would have opened their eyes to how imbecilic he really is. I think the end of this PCB administration is coming and it wont need the banning of Amir for life for it to happen.
Yes, I also think Shahzaib will come good in the shorter form. My point was that he’s not the century type player so the fact that he did make one shows the type of bowlers he was facing and the quality of pitch.
September 4th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
@Maaaaaaaz –
I think he has been cleared in relation to these incidents but I’m sure he’ll get a visit from the police and ICC’s ACSU once investigations into Mazhar Majeed’s Sydney Test claims get under way. I can’t wait for that of course!
September 4th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
New revelations from yasir hameed now ….. Yawar Saeed (team manager) wakeup, how come players are allowed to talk to strangers, give interviews without the permission of team management ?!?! remember statements from Kamran Akmal after Sydney test ….. for god sake can someone fire Ijaz Butt and his team of jokers !!!!
As for Fawad and Shahzaib, I know it was a side match but still they played a long innings that shows their ability to play long innings (which is a pre-req for any test cricketer). But I agree with Wasim that Fawad will struggle in T20 and maybe Onedayers because the position he usually bats is not meant for him.
September 5th, 2010 at 7:27 am
@Asim –
Yawar Saeed, or Yasser Saeed as the News of the World called him (I hope their investigations are more accurate than that!), tries to be clever in front of the camera s but he hasn’t a clue what his players are up to. Yawar Saeed and Ijaz Butt are probably seen as old granddads by the players, people they can easily fool. It will be interesting to see how Waqar fits in all of this. I wonder what he knows.
Yes I agree, Fawad and Shahzaib did show a willingness to occupy the crease.
September 5th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Off topic on this thread i know, but, has anyone noticed the lack of a one certain Mr W. Akram.
Where is he?
September 5th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Pakistan could have scored 30 runs more if Fawad wasn’t in the team,
his innings was comical at best had no foot work was dancing all over the place in the crease had no balance and no idea of the gaps never allowed Umar Akmal to take charge of the innnings kept on wasting 3-4 deliveries per over and retaining the strike at the other end.
Before him Shahzaib the centurion of the first match was trying to hit every ball to hard either missing the line alltogether or mishitting it.
Pakistan should have played Hafeez instead of Fawad or one of the bowlers.
September 5th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
@Abz –
You mean we could do with his expertise?
Maybe he is disappointed that Amir really is much further ahead of where he was at 18. Not only was Amir quicker than him to 50 wickets, but also quicker than him to get embroiled in a match fixing scandal.
Or he could be genuinely disappointed that the young charge has overstepped the mark.
September 5th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
@Wasim –
I have been saying for time now Wasim, that Fawad should not play the shorter form. I cannot believe they look to select him for ODIs and Twenty20s but not Tests when it should be the other way around. Today his innings wasn’t poor, it was embarrassing. Same thing again and again. Moves forward then on to the back foot, loses balance and swings and misses. I think the English would have been better off not getting him out!
Shahzaib doesn’t really use his arms to fully swing the bat. It’s why he is always late on the ball. He was missing a lot too. Azhar would have been a better choice then either of the above two.
Definitely agree with you about Hafeez instead of Fawad. He is a much better bowler too and we could have used him on a good wicket for slower bowlers.
I don’t see the point of playing Wahab either. The batting line up was completely wrong with Razzaq not even getting in! We should play a extra batter and make up the overs with spin instead of Wahab. The we can really go at the opposition bowling. Opening the bowlig with Razzaq was also risky. New ball, power play, 78mph, not a good idea.
For the next Twenty20, I would go: Razzaq, Hafeez, Shahzaib, Akmal, Akmal, Afridi, Yousuf, Azhar, Akhtar, Ajmal, Gul.
Razzaq opened for Hampshire in the Twenty20 and it came off. With this long batting line up we can go hard a the top without worry yet we still have 24 overs in terms of bowling available. It’s a much better side.
September 5th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Yasir Hameed was grilled by Wajid Shamsul Hassan for his statement.
Wajid is an old member of PPP and is the same guy who took care of the 12 cartons full of evidence against Zardari’s swiss case, he is Zardari’s front man. Now it becomes clear who is really behind this whole match fixing drama.
September 5th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Stani
I completely agree with you but the question is that the wrong team combination, wrong bowling order, wrong batting order aren’t these the same tactics when Pakistan plays to lose.
Afridi is experienced enough in the format to know that he didn’t needed 6 bowlers. Wahab Riaz only wasted Omar Gul’s 2 overs.
If he played Wahab then why in the world Razzaq was given the first two overs doesn’t make any sense when I first looked at the team I thought they are playing Razzaq as a batsman and I was expecting him to bat at #3 or open but he didn’t bat at all because Fawad Alam wasted too many overs.
I have come to a point where I am seriously thinking of not watching Pakisan games anymore these guys are all corrupt.
September 6th, 2010 at 9:53 am
I wish I can teach few things to Waqar on how to coach the team, maybe because of the events in the last week they were not prepared but still if you are on the ground to play an international match then the role of the coach is to prepare the team for this game but unfortunately out team looked under prepared.
1. Team Selection: Why Hafeez was dropped and Wahab Riaz played this game is something that I was unable to understand when we expected wahab to bowl not more then 2 overs in the game, and also Hafeez bowled quite well in the side match too. In T20 we need to bat deep, our batting lineup should not finish at number 7.
2. None of our batsman had any clue on how Yardy bowls, nobody showed them any videos of his bowling and his shooters. (Lack of preparation).
3. Fielding, Fielding and Fielding, what is Ijaz Ahmed doing, his job was to be a fielding coach but our standard of fielding is getting lower and lower every game….. had Shoaib Akhtar taken that catch, we may have won the game quite easily….. england fielders saved 15-20 runs in the field whereas we gave 10-15 runs away ….. net difference of 20-30 runs …. this is huge for T20 game !!!
4. The wicket was quite slower and not good for stroke players …. it was a pitch where spinners should have bowled slower and slower but our offie Ajmal kept on firing deliveries ….. they should have learnt from Swann when he kept on slowing up his deliveries and got a good purchase from the wicket and nobody was able to time the ball …. Collingwood got out to a very bad delivery (no doubt) but that was slower and shorter making him mistime his pull.
5. Batting wasnt easy on this pitch, as all the stroke players struggled to play their shots ……. but we were lacking vision and were not sure about the target that we want to set ….. let the batsmen in the ground know about the revised target …. the way our batsmen were playing shots we wanted to score 160+ whatever it takes whereas on this pitch 140 would have been enough.
6. Kamran Akmal is short of confidence, send Razzaq in as an opener and Hafeez as one down and keep Akmal for the slogs in the end.
7. When Yousuf got out on the bowling of Swann, why Fawad Alam was sent …. knowing he is a left hander and Umer Akmal would have been a much better option specially he is a right hander and he has played him quite well in the last 4 tests, instead of having two new comers at the crease.
8. Swann is their best bowler so why go for big hits against him and throw your wicket away ?!?!? , take six singles and frustrate him … dont go for big shots and give him wickets.
9. If Fawad has to be part of the T20 team then his role should be to take singles each and every ball and rotate the strike and keep one end safe and let other batsmen go for big shots …. again reiterating every player in the team should have a role to play and it should be very clear to that person !!!
10. Did someone notice, England fielders have picked up the germs from Pakistani fielders and have been dropped quite a number of catches in the last few tests as well as this T20
11. While bowling to Yardy, keep a short midwicket in place.
12. If the pitch will be of same type in the second T20, our bowlers should bowl more cutters and our spinners should slow up their pace, most of the runs that English batsmen scored were using the pace of our bowlers.
Now where can I send my resume for Assistant coach job?
September 6th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
@Wasim –
Wow, is that a fact? I had no idea. I guess Zardari has his people in all the right places.
I feel your frustrations. Yesterday we had England in trouble despite our low target. And as Asim mentioned below, but for the dropped catch by Shoaib, we could have gone through their line up. They looked a much weaker batting line up than they had in their Tests. That game was ours for the taking.
I expect changes for the next one.
September 6th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
@Asim –
Whilst the English have video ipods and what not, we probably don’t even know the opposition player’s names.
Some good points. I’m not sure what our game preparation comprises of. Probably just an opposition team list with marks out of 10 on there
1) The line up was completely wrong.
2) I think the batsman that did have a clue, Abdul Razzaq, didn’t get to bat.
3) I thinks it’s a strange title for a guy who wasn’t so brilliant in the field himself. I’m not sure what he does either.
4) Yardy is not a big spinner but even he was getting turn when he slowed it down. Why our captain didn’t pick up on this (he came in to bat on the pitch so should have realised) and relayed it to Ajmal I’m not sure. Also, Yardy and Swann’s success should have made them think about bowling Fawad at least, since he was in the team.
5) This is where England’s clever planning lost us the game. We see it done in Australia too. What they did was put the boundary rope back. They know that when it comes to running for runs, they will beat us all day long. So, big outfield means lots of space to go for the 1s, 2s and 3s. They slowly took the game away using that tactic and our lot were none the wiser. Where our batsmen failed to recognise the pitch and tried to muscle the ball into next week, they picked up the singles in the spaces.
9) I think Fawad loses it when he needs to score fast so it’s best if he sticks to Tests. Then he can have all the time in the world to build his innings.
12) Yes, off/leg cutters would be a very good option on a pitch like that.
Hand me your c.v, I’ll put it in the pile right beneath mine
September 6th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
That’s Fawad Alam for you folks… a nothing player and never will be! All hype and public sympathy. So many better players than him. Selfishness and slow scoring is intolerable in T20. Shame on you Fawad!
He has never impressed me at all, sorry but there are many better players around who deserve to be in the team ahead of him. All hype! Lets hope he proves me wrong when he gets another chance but I feel he is overrated.
Honestly speaking in my cricket league there are so many like or better than him.
Hammad Azam or Mansoor Amjad and many more better players should be in the team in front of Fawad Alam. Will Fawad Alam prove me wrong tomorrow and shine?
I personally would like to see Hafeez play and him carry the drinks like he has done throughout his career bcoz he is not good enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 6th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
What did the spectator miss when he went to the toilet?
The entire Pakistani Innings.
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Where do Pakistani batsmen perform there best?
In Advertisements.
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When would Rana-Naveed have 100 runs against his name?
When he is bowling.
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What is the most proficient form of footwork displayed by Pakistani batsmen?
The walk back to the pavilion.
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How to increase the chances of Pakistani batsmen playing out the entire 50 overs?
Try giving them two overs to begin with, then try three and so on.
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What is the Pakistani version of a hat-trick?
3 runs in 3 balls
September 6th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
@Maaaaaaaz –
I think the Test game will suit him well as long as he bats down the order. He’s a good fielder and an effective batsmen when accumulating slowly so can be useful in that format.
Not a fan of Fawad then Maz?
September 6th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
@Abz – Some of those were terrible Abz. I can only assume you didn’t make them up yourself
September 7th, 2010 at 6:46 am
Stani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv7BX3aKRUc
Take a look at the above video.
Why Afridi is mad at Yasir Hameed, the guy either took money and gave a statement or he just made the statement out of bitterness. But nobody has said that Hameed is lying in his statements they are all upset why he made that statement and why he fell into that trap.
September 7th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
@ TJ
You assume correctly.
September 7th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
I only got halfway through reading that.
It’s too poignant, I simply can’t imagine him never playing again for Pakistan. I doubt it will happen, but who knows?
And now don’t say it’s the girls and ladies alone who feel sorry for him; see even you do and all those people whose comments you gave.
September 7th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
@Abz –
It did cross my mind that you were losing your touch but I thought better of it
September 7th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
@sunny –
Sunny, I did not know you were a lady, honest.