Blind support for Afridi will only encourage bad behaviour

Fans of Shahid Afridi are beginning to portray him as a hero, someone that has sacrificed himself to get rid of the big problem in Pakistan cricket today, Mr Ijaz Butt the chairman. The question is, was Afridi really motivated by getting rid of Butt or has it always been about Afridi and his bitterness over being removed as ODI captain?

When Afridi was removed as captain, Butt stated that he had good reasons to do so and would reveal them in due course. It seems now, from statements made by coach Waqar Younis and manager Intikhab Alam that the reasons were to do with Afridi’s attitude and behaviour both on and off the field. Afridi responded to his sacking  as captain by announcing his conditional retirement, the condition being that the current Pakistan board be removed. His reason for retiring was that he had been humiliated by them. Losing the captaincy for reasons not made public is hardly a humiliation. Supporters of Afridi should remember that it was in fact just him losing the captaincy and that he wasn’t banned from playing and representing his country, and was in fact in the squad for the two ODIs against Ireland. Afridi chose to abandon his country on his own accord. It is why his later excuse that he’d play under any captain doesn’t quite wash.

Of course he did not quit immediately after being stripped of the leadership. He chose to sit out the Irish games using the reason that his father was ill. The problem was that he then turned up a few days later in England, ready to take up his county stint with Hampshire. In Afridi’s head his plan seemed to be going well, that is until the PCB decided to suspend his contract and revoke his No-Objection Certificate (NOC) after he announced his retirement on television with a few scathing remarks towards the board and coach. The revoking of the NOC caused Afridi to run home to Pakistan with his tail between his legs begging for it to be reauthorised. As soon as his NOC was revoked, all of a sudden he was ready to admit breaking the code of conduct and was keen to participate in any other action from the board, whereas before, he couldn’t care less.

A trouble free, unified and happy squad after winning the series in Ireland

Yet where was Afridi’s voice objecting to the PCB and Ijaz Butt whilst he still had his NOC? It seemed whilst Afridi was able to go and play for Hampshire, he had no concern for Pakistan cricket and who was at the helm. Take away his NOC and all of a sudden it’s ‘Afridi retired as a matter of principle against an unfair board’. His words on his return to Pakistan, where he said he had come back for his NOC, say it all. He was picked in the side, not banned from playing and quit himself just because the captaincy was taken away. He did not do it for Pakistan cricket, he did it for himself. It’s the same reason he bats selfishly without a care, and the same reason why he quit the Test captaincy mid-series. He is a loose cannon that needs to be controlled.

Is it possible that through the dislike of Butt, people have lost sight of Afridi’s misdemeanours? Is everything Ijaz Butt does just wrong? Though I am no fan of Ijaz Butt, if we take into the account statements made by Waqar and Intikhab, removing Afridi as captain was the right thing to do for the team. When Afridi did not have the power of captaincy, when he was not the center of attention, he quit serving his country and ran off to County Cricket to earn his money. When the board revoked his NOC, Afridi came crawling back all concerned.

The one good thing that may come out of this is that we may finally see Ijaz Butt removed as PCB chairman. If that were to happen though, it may send a signal to players that every time they disagree with something they can just throw their toys out of the pram and get their way like Afridi. The solution is that if Butt is removed, Afridi must be disciplined severely for the manner in which he went about things. There were clearly other ways of being heard if his sole intention was to get Butt removed for the good of Pakistan cricket.

Misbah Ul-Haq - A man the whole of Pakistan should get behind and be proud of

In captain Misbah Ul-Haq, Pakistan now have the kind of man they have long needed to lead them. Described by Geoff Lawson as having “the best cricket brain and intellect in Pakistan cricket”, Misbah should have been playing for and leading his country a very long time ago. Yet what is perplexing is the amount of criticism he has received recently.

Misbah’s calmness in personality is something that is seen in his batting. It’s been a signature of Misbah to start off slow before accelerating, which has resulted in getting Pakistan out of some big holes in the past. Of course, the danger is that if he falls early in such an innings, he is then open to criticism for playing too slow.

Much of his recent criticism stems from such an innings in the World Cup Semi-Final against India where he was not able to go on and take Pakistan to victory. To criticise him so much for one unsuccessful innings is absurd, and indirectly absolves those batsmen who failed not only in that game but throughout the tournament, a tournament in which Misbah finished as Pakistan’s leading scorer.

It’s fine to criticise but this criticism should be fair. To say that he is match fixing or has some other sinister motive for playing such an innings is unfair, and if weighed up against every good thing that Misbah is, stands out like a sore thumb because it cannot be a correct allegation.

Many may criticise him for using this method of batting but you could say it has developed out of necessity rather than choice, with him having to all too often come in to rescue a batting line up that has collapsed before him. Starting off and getting in is the only sensible way to go about rebuilding things in such circumstances, and Misbah is a sensible man.

“He has a statesman-like demeanour which so many Pakistan captains have lacked and he handles adversity analytically not emotionally. He knows how to get the best out of players and he is a winner, note his outstanding domestic record as a leader.” Geoff Lawson on Misbah Ul-Haq, October 2010

Then there’s the criticism and pure hatred Misbah receives from the Afridi fanatics. It is not Misbah’s fault Afridi has been sacked as captain. That is no reason to hate anyone, particularly your own player and captain.

Serene characters like Misbah are few and far between in Pakistan cricket. We’ve seen the hot-headedness from Younis Khan, Ijaz Butt and Shahid Afridi in recent times and the chaos created by the match-fixers Salman Butt, Mohammeds Asif and Amir. Misbah is a man with such wide ranging qualities (also holds a MBA in business management) that he could easily take up the coaching role or a board position once he retires form playing – something I hope he does. This man should be backed to the hilt.

Whilst he may not be the greatest cricketer in the world, he is not the worst, and as a man and a leader is exactly what Pakistan cricket has needed for a while, especially now.

Shoaib Akhtar - The ultimate fast bowler

Today came the much expected announcement that Shoaib Akhtar would be retiring from cricket at the end of the World Cup. Before the tournament in the sub-continent, we mentioned on Stani Army that should Shoaib play any significant role in Pakistan’s campaign, it may lead him to decide to call it a day and go out of the game on a relative high. Today Shoaib took the step and made the emotional announcement to a packed media room.

Whilst it would be easy to concentrate on Shaoib’s run-ins with the law, it would be unfair to do so at this moment. Since early 2010, you could see a contriteness and maturity come over him, but sadly, it had only now come when his body was gone. Despite all his misdemeanors, he still provided cricket fans with box office entertainment and brought undescribable joy to millions of Pakistan fans. When he played, he was the envy of every supporter of every opposition team Pakistan faced, yet at the same time, was respected by these same opposition supporters for his unrivalled brilliance.

Not only did he have exceptional pace, but he also exhibited cricketing intelligence that made him stand out from the other out-and-out fast bowlers of his era. Like the design of the modern sports car, even when standing still Shoaib looked fast. With a long and aggressive run up, the Rawalpindi express charging in at full pelt was a sight to behold, as he made the best batsmen in the world look like tail-enders. Cricket is generally known to be a batsmen’s game, yet when Shoaib was bowling, it was a bowlers game.

Two of his most memorable feats were his bowled dismissals of India’s Rahul Dravid and the great Sachin Tendulkar in successive deliveries, and his record of the fastest ball ever bowled.

The two deliveries to Dravid and Tendulkar came in a Test match at a packed Eden Gardens in 1999. Here is the footage, as first Dravid’s stumps are shattered, and then Tendulkar walks in to have his middle stump uprooted to pin drop silence. It was the first time Akhtar had ever bowled to Tendulkar, and he sent the master on his way with a golden duck. Watch the footage, listen to the commentary, and feel the joy in Akhtar’s reaction and cry. Many Pakistan fans would say that had he achieved nothing else in the remainder of his career, that in itself would have been enough.

The second of the two balls that silenced 100,000 Indian spectators at Eden garden, 1999

The second memorable moment was when he bowled the fastest delivery ever recorded, to England’s Nick Knight, in a World Cup game in 2002. Clocked at 100.2 mph (161.3kmph), he beat his previous questioned record of 100 mph (161 kmph), to settle the debate once and for all. No doubt it also provided the highlight to Knight’s ordinary international career, as he will be telling his grandchildren for time to come, that he faced the fastest ball ever bowled and survived, not only walking away with his wicket, but also with his body fully intact. Even at this tournament, with fast bowlers like Shaun Tait, Brett Lee, Lasith Malinga and Kemar Roach on show, it is Shoaib who has managed to steal the show by bowling the fastest ball of the current World Cup in the match against Sri Lanka, recorded at 98 mph (159 kmph).

For what he brought to the game, you could debate whether or not Shoaib can be considered a great. But in my view, had he stayed on the straight and narrow, there would be no argument about not just whether he was great, but whether or not he was the greatest fast bowler to have ever lived. But still, even if his statistics (which are pretty good) and his achievements may not show it, to every Pakistan fan he is a great, and someone that cricket should still celebrate. Shoaib brought a lot to the game and fast bowling will never be spoken about without the mention of his name.

The irony is that Shoaib’s announcement comes on the same day as we saw another potentially unfulfilled Pakistani talent – the man ready made to step into Akhtar’s shoes – Mohammed Amir, in court here in London, over match-fixing allegations. Yet let’s concentrate on the positives of this announcement. What a boost for Pakistan’s World Cup hopes. If Shoaib and his team mates ever needed another reason to go all the way, Shoaib has just provided it.

Some quotes from Shoaib’s press conference:

“I’m focusing on the match against Australia. If I don’t play I will make sure every guy gets my help and if nothing else then I will carry water onto the field.”

“The first day, when I got announced for Pakistan, I did not believe that someone like me could play for this greatest team ever,”

“The best moment was when I got the first kit for my first Test and I had a huge star on my chest. I wore that kit and I slept in it and I couldn’t believe I would wake up in it. I did not take it off for three days.”

The best batsman he bowled against?

“I wouldn’t say I enjoyed bowling against them but they are my very top of the favourites. Inzamam is there. I loved bowling against [Adam] Gilchrist, I loved to hate him but he was very tough. Ricky Ponting was another great. This guy not only played, but he won matches, he had so much ability. I really wish to see him play for another few years for Australia. Then my favourite, Brian Lara, who was so elegant I lost myself in his elegance. I only bowled three balls to him, and they were my favourite three balls, but I felt very sad when I hit him and he had to leave the ground. But these are the players I really, really enjoyed bowling against. I wish I could, but it’s my good luck that I never bowled to that guy Viv Richards. That is my good luck.”

Free bets free bet placed in favour of Pakistan progressing beyond the group stage would have been scarce beforehand given their previous record at the tournament, but given their performances so far, they may now be backed to go all the way.

Pakistan sealed their passage through to the quarter finals with a seven wicket win over Zimbabwe earlier in the week with a game to spare, but the former fast bowler has moved to quell the excitement, and insists the team are not looking beyond their final group game against Australia on Saturday.

“Right now we are thinking of only Australia,” he said. “If you win that game, then your morale will be such that you won’t worry about any team you play.”

Australia will provide a stern test for Pakistan, and are currently unbeaten at the World Cup since the 1999 tournament, a sequence stretching back 34 games. While Pakistan have guaranteed their qualification from the group they could still finish anywhere in the top four which would mean a more difficult quarter final tie, and Waqar is wary of letting the standard of cricket drop.

You have an option (whereby) you could play the No. 4 team (from  group B) whose morale will be down,” Waqar said.

“But momentum is very important and necessary. Australia are such a big team, world champions, and they haven’t lost for ages. That is an opportunity. If you beat them, you leave a mark. You can look at the next matches and teams will think twice about playing against you.”

The form book suggests Pakistan will struggle against the powerful Australians having lost nine of their last eleven meetings in the shorter form of the game, and Ricky Ponting’s side have been installed as firm free bet favourites.

By Pete South, guest poster.

The offending tweet on Premachandran's twitter page, was carried on the Cricinfo site via their 'World Cup on Twitter' feed

For some reason, the Indian writers on Cricinfo have a strange fascination with Pakistan cricket. In the past it’s been the likes of Sidarth Monga and Samit Chopra, and this time it was Dileep Premachandran on his twitter feed. Premachandran writes for Cricinfo and should be well aware of his position. He also knows full well that his comments are going onto the main site so the excuse that it’s his personal twitter page doesn’t quite wash.

Not very professional for the largest cricket website out there to be publishing personal insults directed at players by their writers.

Akmal was dope tested before the World Cup. Unfortunately they tested for the wrong kind of dope

Pakistan’s unbeaten record at the World up came to an end with an almighty crash today, as they were put to the sword by Ross Taylor.

In all honesty, Pakistan followers would have known that there was a performance like this just around the corner, and on closer inspection, this unbeaten run wasn’t as special as it was being made out to be anyway. Two of the three victories came against minnows, in games that were not as comfortable as they should have been. The only real decent victory was against Sri Lanka, and one good game is no winning run. Certainly this false sense of things going well may be the reason why they have failed to make the necessary changes in team personnel.

Chief architect in today’s defeat was wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal who dropped three catches – two off Ross Taylor, when he was on 0 and 4 respectively. Taylor went on to make an unbeaten 131, helping New Zealand make 102 runs off the final 5 overs.

Many of those that have called for Kamran to be axed must be banging their heads against a wall right now. Had he been a South American footballer, his mistakes would have seen him go into hiding in fear of his life. The captain and coach need to take the decision and take the gloves of Kamran for the rest of the tournament, even if they still play him as a batsman or, they should drop him outright. As a friend of mine once said, maybe it’s time to drop Kamran just so he knows how the ball feels.

The other two concerns are over the places of the opening pair and that of Abdul Razzaq. The ‘winning run’ has masked the failling of Ahmad Shahzad and Mohammad Hafeez at the top. Apart from Hafeez’s 32 against Sri Lanka, the two have failed to pass 13 runs in all of the other innings of the four games played. Asad Sahfiq needs to be brought in for one of these two.

The main criticism about Razzaq’s place has been his poor bowling. Today he was brought on near the end when Shoaib Akhtar was removed after being plundered for runs. Razzaq duly did worse. It was a crazy and desperate decision by captain Afridi, to bring Razzaq on in place of Akhtar, merely replacing Akhtar’s pace for Razzaq’s lack of and making things easier for Taylor. If Razzaq is used solely as a batsman in the side, Pakistan have to make scape for their other pacer in the squad, Wahab Riaz.

Both Akmal and Razzaq have kept their place in the sides of the recent past because of the argument over their batting. Yet despite this, neither of them make up in their batting for what they give away in mistakes behind the stumps, in Akmal’s case, and giving away cheap runs when bowling in Razzaq’s.

Pakistan have a lot of thinking to do in regards  team selection if they hope to challenge the big guns in the knock-out stages of the tournament. It may well be too late now for the replacements to come in and make an impact, as the faith placed in some of the under-performing players begins to catch up with the team.

The ICC - Different rules for different teams

It has been reported that the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU) may be investigating Australia’s World Cup game against Zimbabwe after the Australians got off to a uncharacteristically slow start to their innings. When supposedly pressed on the matter, cricinfo reports that the “ICC said it did not comment on any ACSU matter, including whether or not a match had been investigated”. Really?

Back in September you may remember how there was a second round of allegations that followed the News of the World sting, that the Pakistan team were match-fixing. This time it was the Sun Newspaper, which had apparently handed over evidence to ACSU. The ICC’s response then was to go public on the matter, telling the media that Pakistan were being investigated by ACSU again, and remarkably, this was even before informing the PCB itself. So why the double standards? Why the hush-hush when it comes to the Australians but the indiscreet nonchalance when it came to the Pakistanis? Let’s remember, the Pakistan team, which did not include the suspended trio of Asif, Amir and Butt, were found completely innocent of the allegations in the end, despite having to cope with a trial by media due to the ICC’s blunder.

In defence of the Australians, teams are allowed to play slow as long as the intention is pure and it is a tactic employed to win the game. But whether there was something sinister in it or not is a separate issue, it is the ICC’s double standards that is the point of discussion here.

Will Pakistan raise issue with the ICC? I doubt it. They clearly have a inferiority complex and thus will continue to be treated as inferior by the governing body and their officials.

On a side note; what has happened to Ijaz Butt? England, who Pakistan have just had a highly charged series with, and India, Pakistan’s arch rivals, have just played out a tie in a World Cup match. Added to this, Shane Warne, previously linked to match fixing, actually predicted a tie. Am I the only one who is amazed that Ijaz Butt has managed to keep his mouth shut and has not questioned the result?!

So who is the alternative option to replace Razzaq as Akhter’s opening bowling partner? Since Umar Gul has established himself as an old ball master, using him to open may see him become ineffective up front, and will also mean he has less overs to do what he’s good at nearer the end of the innings, the period where he is Pakistan’s main pace option. That leaves Wahab Riaz, the man that did not make the side for the first game against Kenya. To get Wahab in, someone has to obviously make way out of the side, but who?

Selected ahead of Wahab against Kenya was left arm spinner Abdur Rehman. Rehman is someone I’m a big fan of and his performance against Kenya was very encouraging. Would I drop him for the sake of getting Wahab in to open with Akhter? I think losing Rehman would be too big a blow. Whilst also being an accomplished batsman, his left arm spin brings something different to the side and he will be difficult to play on the sub-continent tracks.

Pakistan cannot open their bowling against Sri Lanka like they did against Kenya. They need to make a big call, somebody needs to make way. Personally, I would relegate Razzaq to bench for Wahab. Our batting line up is relatively deep already and with Razzaq coming in low down the order, he hardly gets enough time in the middle anyway, like against Kenya when he came in in the 49th over. The good thing  is that the loss of Razzaq’s batting ability would be covered somewhat by both Rehman’s and Wahab’s ability to hold the bat.

My team for the next game: Hafeez, Shehzad, Akmal, Younis, Misbah, U.Akmal, Afridi, Rehman, Wahab, Gul, Akhter.

Earlier in the week Afridi promised to do all he could to bring the World Cup trophy home after Pakistan were banned from hosting the tournament alongside India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh following the terrorist attacks of 2009, and he looked to make good on his promise with an impressive bowling performance.

Bigfreebet will have installed Pakistan as clear favourites, but their opponents were poorer than expected and sent down a joint record number of wide balls, unenviably matching the 37 the West Indies bowled in the 1991 tournament.

The Kenyans had begun the game well, and restricted a Pakistan batting attack looking to take advantage of their lesser opponents. Two wickets down with just 12 runs on the board, Kenya looked to replicate the success of the Netherlands against England yesterday by putting pressure on their esteemed opponents.

But the Pakistan middle-order came good as they accelerated through the innings, moving from 129-3 off 28 overs to an imposing 317-7; a figure which always looked out of Kenya’s reach.

Umar Akmal’s pacey innings of 71 from 52 balls lead the way, while Kamran Akmal (55), Younus Khan (50) and Misbah-ul-Haq (65) provided ample support in posting a large score for Kenya to chase.

Kenya completed a miserable day all round as their response failed to get off the ground. Jimmy Kamande’s side lost their last seven wickets for just 39 runs as they fell apart in the face of an aggressive Pakistan bowling unit, led by Afridi.

All-rounder Collins Obuya provided some resistance with a 58-ball innings of 47, one of only four to reach a double figures.

Pakistan will now move on to face Sri Lanka, who also won their opening game at a canter, on Saturday in Colombo. Big free bet will have trouble separating the two closely matched teams as they look to establish themselves as the dominant force in Group A.

By Thomas Rooney

Will Ehsan Mani be the next Chairman of the PCB?

It was being reported on ARY News tonight that President Asif Ali Zardari had summoned Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar to a meeting to discuss the role of Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt. Mukhtar, who is the brother in law of Ijaz Butt, is the current Defence Minister of Pakistan. It is believed that it was decided that Butt would be removed from his role as Chairman with three names as possible replacements already being mentioned. They are; Ehsan Mani, Tufail Shaikh and Pir Aftab Gilani.

Many of us would be familiar with the name Ehsan Mani as he has previously held the role of ICC President from 2003 until 2006. Before that, he worked in an advisory capacity for the PCB, representing them at the ICC, after which he went on to hold the position of Chairman of the ICC’s Finance and Marketing Committee with his background in accounting. He is known to be an ambitious man, well adept with the politics of the game. He has previously been outspoken when it has come to issues concerning India, hence many would feel that should he be chosen, he would worsen an already poor relationship with the most powerful board in cricket. Others however, would feel that as someone who stands up for Pakistan cricket and who has extensive administrative experience in the game, he is exactly what Pakistan cricket is crying out for.

Speaking about the recent spot fixing scandal, Mani views were: “The allegations have painted Pakistan cricket in a bad light and we need to take swift action to clear the situation, but I don’t think there’s any fear that teams will boycott us. Lack of action or any cover up will damage Pakistan cricket badly.”

“Had I been dealing with the matter I would have suspended all the players under investigation until the inquiry is completed,”

“Match fixing allegations have been hurting Pakistan  cricket and the latest saga is a poor reflection on the Board which has failed to deal with the matter as they have failed to control the players”.

It does seem that he could just be the perfect man to clear up the mess that Pakistan cricket currently finds itself in.

ARY who broke the news, interviewed ex-Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali for his views on the three possible candidates and Ali said that he preferred the choice of Tufail Shaikh. His reasons were that Shaikh has an understanding of both the domestic and the international game, and is well respected by the public. He also said that unlike Mani who is in ‘India’s bad books’, Shaikh’s appointment as Chairman would go down much better across the border in India.

I can’t admit to knowing much about the other two candidates Tufail Shaikh and Pir Aftab Gilani. Shaikh is apparently an ex-cricketer, veteran of the Hanif Mohammad era, and Gilani is the current Federal Minister of Culture, with a Masters in Science and Agriculture. Shaikh’s diplomatic and administrative experience is unknown, yet this will obviously not be such a problem for Gilani, who conversely, will fall short on his lack of cricketing background. It does seem that Ehsan Mani would cover both these prerequisites and be the most suitable candidate for the job. It remains to be seen who Asif Ali Zardari opts for, yet whoever it is, he cannot be worse than the outgoing Ijaz Butt, surely?