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No strategy, no execution
By Tabrez Janjua for Stani Army in Pakistan Cricket
74 Views
No Shahid, it's not your fingers that are the problem, it's your brain
Pakistan have come full circle. From being the best team in international Twenty20 to looking like an amateur, disjointed club side as they surrendered to defeat in their second Twenty20 against a well drilled England. Bowled out for 89, their lowest Twenty20 total yet, Pakistan continued with their batting woes that were so evident in the recent Tests. The wrong team selection and lack of planning and execution in addition to the batting troubles, means the upcoming five match ODI series doesn’t look as if it will be much of a contest.
Whilst they added Mohammad Hafeez to the team, persisting with Fawad Alam meant that the team selection was still wrong. Fawad’s shot on dismissal showed that he had learnt nothing from two days ago. No balance, no technique, simply awful. Since they aren’t bowling Fawad, they could have gone in with Azhar Ali, a proper batsman, with the added benefit of him getting a sighter of the white ball before he is thrust into the in the ODIs, first of which is this Friday.
Today, much hinged on captain Shaihd Afridi’s innings as he came in with Pakistan three down for 20, with plenty of overs left (16) to recover and set a decent target. Yet Afridi failed to recognise the importance of his wicket and played an utterly foolish shot. The look on coach Waqar Younis’ face on Afridi’s dismissal said it all. You cannot be a captain of an international side and play as carelessly as that. It’s becoming more and more evident that he will not be the one to lead Pakistan cricket out of this mess on the field. I wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves the One Day fold as abruptly and selfishly as he did the Test one.
The thing that most irritated me about Afridi today was his response to one of Ian Ward’s questions after the game. Ward asked: “What do you say to those Pakistani supporters who are so disappointed because it means so much to them?”, Afridi replied: “They are supporters so they should support us”. Really Shahid? What reason have you given for us to support you recently? We have some of the most loyal fans in cricket who have suffered a lot of heartbreak that such a unpredictable side on the pitch, and inept board off it, gives, yet that is his view on us? Even today, when an embarrassing defeat was a certainty, the Pakistan fans in the crowd, on this wet windy day, many of them fasting, could still be heard shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. Yes it’s our job to support Shahid, but when will you start doing your job?
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September 8th, 2010 at 10:15 am
Comeon Stani, you dont have to be that disappointed, what did you expect from them …. after watching both the games all of us can easily see that the team is lacking focus mainly because so many things have happened around the team in the last 10 days, and the squad available for selection is not perfect either.
I am quite sure they need to bring Younis back in the team as a captain and he will definitely lift the morale of the team. This is what ex-coach Pybus had to say about him:
“(Younis Khan is) a straight guy, and if there were any shenanigans going on, he wouldn’t tolerate that,”
Very simple we need this sort of person to lead the team from now onwards !!!
This team will stutter for awhile because the squad has lost some key players and its not a balanced squad any more …. they need time to recover and will definitely bounce back …. have patience
September 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am
I gave up watching after UA was out. Was just pathetic, 11 Stevie Wonders would have done a better job.
And i did catch SA’s remark, ‘they should support us’…yeh ok mate, how about you actually thinking about the situation you find yourselves in, on and off the field, and responding in an appropriate manner that would make us proud to support you.
Shahid bhai, support is EARNED, not DEMANDED.
Oh, btw guys, can you refrain from slagging off Fawad Alam, he is a dead ringer for my cousin so i cant be having no shenanigans thank you..the useless no good t*at.
September 8th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
On a side note guys, I have to say I have never seen Afridi more down then at that press conference. He looked a broken man, and that after 2 T20s, albeit ones in which we happened to play like utter amateurs. Its a scary state our cricket is in right now, and I’m afraid to say I don’t see any improvement soon.
On a side note, let’s give all our support to Aisam-ul-Haq! Guy has reached the Mixed doubles final in the US Open, and has his men’s double semi-final today!
September 8th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
@Asim –
Asim, what have you been smoking and did you save me some?
They made Bresnan man of the match with figures of 3 for 10 off his 3.4 overs. I could never have my expectations that low…Bresnan Asim!
I agree a lot has happened but from what I have been seeing, Afridi has been loving it. In his mind when Butt and his crew got caught, Afridi must have smiled and thought ‘You idiots!’. From the practice footage and general demeanour, Afridi has seemed to me that a weight has been lifted off his shoulders because he doesn’t have to worry about having three bent guys in his squad. Remember in school when your school mates do something wrong and although you’re tempted yourself, you resist? Then they get caught and you think ‘shame’. That’s how Afridi has been….well proud of himself.
As for the selection the squad is a poor one but they still have not made the best of it. They have selected the wrong team in both matches. The team for the first game was a joke. They have to make the right selection decisions for the match ahead. Look at England, they leave out Anderson who has been their best bowler in recent Tests.
I changed my mind, you haven’t smoked anything, I think you’ve put money on us losing the ODI series 5-0 and just don’t want me putting money on it too
September 8th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
@Abz –
Hahah,leave Stevie alone.
That explains it then. Can you tell your cousin to release Fawad from captivity, give him his clothes and equipment back so he can come and play some cricket. Because quite frankly Abz, your cousin isn’t doing a very good job at the moment.
Yes, sometimes I feel like giving up watching too but I don’t because then I wont know whose behind to whip.
Shahid bhai has responded to your comment Abz: “No Abz bhai, support is not earned, money is earned”. Wonderful.
September 8th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
@Fauzan –
Boy, he must have got a right spanking in the dressing room.
He looked a broken man Fauzan because he showed everyone yesterday that he cannot lead us. He talked everything up before the game and then they came out and played like that. Did you see Waqar’s face on Afridi’s dismissal?
The scary thing is that this was supposed to be the format we were good in. Sorry state of affairs indeed.
I saw Aisam play at Wimbledon a few years back but then he seemed to disappear from the singles. I’m surprised Pakistan haven’t produced more decent Tennis players with the natural talent God has blessed them with….then again, maybe they’re too used to tennis balls being taped. Who knows, we may get some from the Malik household although I wouldn’t bet on them playing for us rather than India.
September 8th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
i wonder what revelations await us this Sunday :O
September 8th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Did he really say that? It isn’t as if the Pakistanis have taken an oath at birth to support this team! I think they are going to lose me with this continuously rubbish behaviour on and off the field.
I attribute much of the cause of the loss to the latest saga going on though.
September 8th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
TJ
Shocking performance! What a waste of an evening, such an epic disappointment.
If Shahzaib Hassan Khan, is the best opener we have I am seriously concerned about the standard of our first class cricket and future as a whole. He can be useful and effective but majority of the time he is an epic embarrassment.
Fawad, the most hyped up and overrated one shot wondered well he had another opportunity to prove his worth yesterday but failed and yet our fans are reluctant to criticise him. I really do not know what is special about him that he has such a huge fan base. Odd patches of brilliance in the past were good but more often that not he performs poorly. He can’t handle pace and was worked over easily by Shane Bond in NZ, can’t play good off spin either so how good is he really? Its beyond me! A nothing player! He has been carrying the drinks for a reason, and it’s all these brainless fans who sing his praise like he is the next “Lara” or “Miandad”.
Hafeez played accordingly. He had no other option to bat like that if wickets were falling around him and if he was looking to re-build the innings for the team. The difference in the first T20 was that we had wickets in hand but yet Fawad was not accelerating and instead pinch blocking. Yet our fans are still backing Fawad. What is special about him?
September 8th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Wasim, any ideas as to why Fawad has so many supporters? Is it because he is from Karachi and people want proportional representation in our national side?
I criticised him elsewhere on the net and someone accused me of disliking him because he was not a “Punjabi!” How lame and meaningless is that? I just genuinely don’t rate his cricketing ability and feel he is a fluke of a player. Additionally, I am unbiased in my views.
September 8th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
@Abz –
You’re not enjoying this are you? Popcorn at the ready? I reckon they’ll reveal that Asif is in fact a woman and he’s been on HRT. That explains the 78mph bowling (no offence Sunny). Poor Veena Malik. I wonder what she’ll do when she finds out. Although in her recent interview she did show a remarkably wide jaw so maybe she herself is in fact a he? Poor Asif….or should I say Asifa?
When is that pile of trash paper published anyway because they usually reveal something on the eve of a a game for major effect. They did this last time with idiotic Hameed. Our next game is Friday so can we expect something tomorrow? Waqar did look a bit jittery
News of the World actually referred to Yawar Saeed as Yasser Saeed! It shows you how stupid the Pakistanis were to be stung by these nincompoops!
September 8th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
@sunny –
If they lose you it’s all over. Hold on a minute, are you not a Saffa rather than a Stani anyway? Honestly Sunny, you’re always where the action is.
September 8th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
@Maaaaaaaz –
At least the game finished early so we could catch the England football game too Maz. I think someone has told Shahzaib not to worry and just play. Afridi probably because he does like him. But you can’t do this to a youngster who has as many flaws as Shahzaib does. He needs to use innings to improve himself. Him and Afridi play very wastefully similar in terms of approach.
People criticised Misbah but he would have been so useful in these two games. The thing with Fawad is he cannot score at a pace. This is why we cannot keep him in in the shorter form. Even in ODIs his strike rate is just 71. That is far too low. It means should he bat the whole 50 overs, he would only make 213 as a total in an ODI. He loses the very little technique he has and thus his effectiveness, when he tries to play fast. Being of a slight build doesn’t help him. But he should recognise his imitations and play within them. This is what people like Michael Yardy do and look how useful they can be. Instead, with his personal deal with BoomBoom, he tries to be a superstar.
I agree, Hafeez had to play like that. Unfortunately it didn’t end up working out but there is no doubt he had to start like that. Only if Mr captain had realised and done the same thing much earlier.
September 9th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
@Stani
Did not take long did it lol – Riaz is going to be questioned by the police & KA is being doo dood (thats investigated btw) by ICC for match fixing at the World T20.
Riaz must be the ‘fourth’ cricketer they were on about last week. Wonder who the Sri Lankan might be?
September 9th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
@Abz –
Sri Lankan? That must be Akmal then
I think something must have come up in the interviews with the other three for them to now want to speak to Wahab. If they just wanted to speak to him about the money in the blazer then they would have done so originally with the other three.
Butt’s opening an ice-cream parlour!
September 9th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I want Afridi to do well, I like him ball eating aside. But he does seem to be showing us over and over again that he’s not really up to being captain, doesn’t he? He is enthusiastic, if nothing else. Also, it can’t be easy having to do all the talking to the press with so much going on in Pakistani cricket in the background.
89 is not a very nice number, is it?
September 10th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Maz
The people you mentioned about know nothing about cricket.
September 10th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Mohamad Irfan is getting spanked as I predicted, Im sick of all the pundits who just form their opinion based on newspapers.
The guy had no movement all he does is bowl short and straight no angles no movement, he was still a work in progress.
September 10th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Eid Mubarak everyone.
September 10th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
@Wasim –
You’re right about Irfan Wasim, either too short or too full. He has some way to go. Hopefully he’ll come good.
Eid Mubarak Wasim
September 10th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
@Sid –
Nothing wrong with that number Sid. If someone told you that’s the number you’ll live to would you complain? That’s greedy Sid.
September 10th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
89…isnt that the number that comes just before 88?
eid mubarak
September 10th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
@Abz –
Are you counting down Abz? You’d still be wrong though, it’s 88.9.
September 11th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Just before 88? huh?
And yes, Stani. You know I’m greedy … I have it from a psychic that I won’t like past 55, so 89 won’t be an issue for me.
September 11th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
@stani
i was waiting for someone to ask if i was counting up or down lol. Since when did the decimal come into it? :O
September 11th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Much better performance in the last game ….. I guess Fawad Alam silenced some of his critics with his batting and fielding … a person with an average of 40+ in the onedayers cant be that bad …. he came when the asking rate was almost 8 runs per over and he played run a ball and learnt from his earlier mistakes and played Swann much better then other left handers who kept getting out to him throughout the test series (Salman Butt and Imran Farhat who couldnt survive one over of Swann).
I guess this was more of a batting wicket and there was no swing or seam movement available as bowlers like Anderson and Broad were unable to swing or seam the ball so probably we are being very critical of Irfan ….. but I guess he improved in his second spell and I think he can bowl good yorkers so probably a good bowler in the death (probably better then Umer Gul) …. the biggest disappointment was Umer Gul …. he was really inconsistent and bowled length deliveries at the end …. which was a shocker for a bowler who is so much used to bowling at death in T20 matches.
Shoaib Akhtar was pretty good in the first spell and Asad Shafiq’s debut was quite impressive as well …. as he looks like one who can definitely field well and a decent batsman in the middle order but looks like he is a batsman who can score singles, doubles and maybe 4′s but definitely not a big shot player so not an option for T20 but a good selection for tests and onedayers.
Eid Mubarak to everyone and mubarak to all Pakistanis on the performance of Aisam ul haq … made all of us proud … and his speech after the game was brilliant too …. really made us proud, a really good sports ambassador from Pakistan
September 12th, 2010 at 6:58 am
I’m a very, very complicated person Stani. Dutch and Stani by blood, but Saffa at heart.
And what do you mean I’m always where the action is? In what adrenaline-filled movie trailer have you seen me?
September 12th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
@Sid –
The psychic’s wrong Sid, It’s 54.
September 12th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
@Abz –
It’s all about decimals Abz….otherwise Bradman would have a 100 average and Sid would still be going on about it now.
September 12th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
@Asim –
I’m not sure what has happened to Gul although he was a bit better today. It seems his performance drops when he’s not the main man. Akhtar still shows his class although he looks very close to breaking down again. It shows you how good he is that other bowlers can bowl in the 90s but not look half as dangerous as him.
Did Asaim win then? I did hear he lost in the mixed final.
September 12th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
@sunny –
Errrr, Mrs Doubtfire!
September 12th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Are you suggesting that I haven’t gone on about Bradman enough? I’d better remedy that poste haste.
September 13th, 2010 at 12:24 am
@Sid –
Who’s Bradman?
September 13th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Do you want me to cause you immense pain, Stani?
September 13th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
@Sid –
Will it be followed by some pleasure like last time
September 13th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
We have won 1 in the 10 ODIs we have played this year to date and that win being against Bangladesh too, losing has become such an inevitability and regularity.
I totally agree with Wasim that Asad Safiq is miles
better then Fawad Alam, he has played impressively and confidently so far and has a wider range of shots, good hand eye co-ordination and can genuinely become a gem for Pakistan in the middle order. I hope he gets a go against SA in UAE in test cricket too.
Fawad Alam may succeed in ODI cricket occasionally but is a limited player in terms of shots, consistency and talent. Our fans need to understand this. He is much lower then Shoaib Malik too in terms of class and effectiveness.
Going Friday then TJ? Hopefully your presence will improve the outcome! Enjoy yourself, will you be wearing the “Stani Army” shirts? Why not?
Hafeez played well. He is a useful off break bowler and athletic fielder too and is a must in order to balance the side. But he must convert these starts he is getting into bigger scores, this has been something which has continuously happened in his in and out career, after batting well he fails to go on.
I was disappointed with what I saw with Irfan I must say. But I guess he was not at his best either. Now they have a few days to call up Yasir Arafat or someone like that otherwise we will have the same line up for the next match, most probably speaking.
Gul needs to take more responsibility with the ball. I never really rated him as an ODI bowler of such. He is a match winner in T20 and can be brilliant in patches in the 5 day format but in ODI cricket he struggles and probably will continue to do so.
Our captain is a firm leader and true entertainer on his day but ultimately he is a brainless character and some of his thinking so far has been highly questionable.
September 14th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
@Maaaaaaaz –
We’ve got a dilemma Maz. We were ready to go, had bought the tickets too but have to change plans due to a cousin’s wedding. We still have 6 tickets if you’re interested or know of anyone that wants to buy them. Get in touch if you do.