Stani Army

The stupidity of Shahid Afridi’s actions was profound, there is no question. As if the two whitewashes hadn’t caused us fans enough embarrassment, Afridi had to compound it by taking a bite out of the ball with as much subtlety as that spectator’s tackle on Khalid Latif. By the way, everyone’s talking about security in Pakistan, what happened here Cricket Australia?

Captains take a bite. Maybe there was something wrong with the Australian food?

Afridi was being touted for captain in the Test and ODI formats and I would not have minded. He made a good case with his recent performances and showed signs of maturity but his actions here have got me wondering if he really has matured. Yes, every team probably does it Shahid, but I doubt they use their teeth and make it so blatantly obvious. He may as well have gone up to umpire Asoka De Silva and asked to use his dentures. And when quizzed on Pakistani television

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Asked to suggest an extra fast bowler to accompany the squad for the Test series against Australia, Mohammad Sami would not have been the first name I would have thought of. Though a perennial underachiever, Sami has many of the attributes to be successful at what he does. With a decent build, raw pace, repeatable, uncomplicated action, and fire in the belly, he really should have had more Test wickets to his name.

Last chance for a talent unfulfilled

So why Sami and not anyone from our contracted players? We have Rana Naved, though not an out and out pace bowler, he has many strings to his bow. Rana is quite expensive though and this is probably the reason why he has never been favoured in Tests. Then there’s Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat, both of whom can bat a bit and would have added strength to an already fragile batting line up.

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Well that doesn’t quite do this absorbing encounter justice. Even at the half way point Pakistan looked the likely losers after scraping to a total of 205 for 6. With the Australian innings starting off well, Indian fans all over the world who were watching the Pakistan match must have started to turn their TV sets off as Australia cruised to 140 for 2. News must have got through to MS Dhoni in the Indian game who in a strange move, whipped off his wicket keeping gloves and brought himself onto to bowl. Though he did take a wicket, he cost his side boundaries which at the time seemed insignificant. But then came the superb Pakistan fight back and Australia found themselves in trouble at 187 for 8. All of a sudden there was hope for India.

The chief protagonists in the fight back for Pakistan were Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Asif and Rana Naved who bowled maidens in both the 45th and 47th overs of the Australian innings. This meant that not only had the Aussies have to worry about wickets but also the number of balls remaining.

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It’s just been announced that Pakistan will play five ODIs and a Twenty20 against Australia in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Can somebody ask Cricket Australia about what Sri Lanka are currently doing in Pakistan?

A Test series will follow sometime this year although PCB Chairman has already hinted at the fact that it will not take place in Pakistan by suggesting England as a replacement venue. They may as well just book it now. 

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It has been announced that Australia has not cancelled but postponed its tour of Pakistan. What’s the difference I hear you ask? well my guess is as good as yours. In my previous post I raised the issue how the boards and players had done the situation no favours by bringing it out in the open but it did at the very least give us a view of just how the two boards operate.

Cricket should be something totally separated from politics yet in Pakistan this is hardly ever the case and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can take most of the blame for this. How do you separate the game from politics when the Patron of your board is the current President? This has led to the current situation in which Pakistan cricket continues to be linked with terror and the current security situation all over the world. Now when the PCB’s Chairman Dr Ashraf insists that the postponement of this tour will have no affect on future cricket in Pakistan he is just kidding himself. The Asia Cup takes place at the end of June and I’m sure that the nations involved would seriously ask themselves that if it’s not safe enough for the leading test nation then is it safe enough for us.

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With the Chairmen of the two boards of Australia and Pakistan set to hold talks later this week, it looks like Australia’s cancellation of its tour to Pakistan will finally be confirmed. It would be surprising if the two sides agree to proceed with a shortened version of the tour as this doesn’t really change anything as it would still mean that the Aussies are spending a considerable period of time (30 days) in a country they obviously don’t want to be in.

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Lying in my bed, I was wondering what the difference was in the fact that South Africa, Australia-A and Zimbabwe had toured Pakistan in the current political climate without a hitch yet it looks increasingly likely that the Australian first team are going to decline.

Although not yet official, with the messages that have been fed to the media in dribs and drabs from both Cricket Australia and the Australian players over the last few weeks, the cancellation of their tour looks odds-on.

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