Stani Army

If you go by the ‘logic’ that has prevented the IPL franchises from signing Pakistan players, then Pakistan would have to be excluded from the 2011 World Cup too, due to be held in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. The 2011 fixtures were drawn up in such a way that Pakistan would play their group games in Sri Lanka, and would only have to play in India if

Lalit and his girls: The 'best' thing to happen to cricket since....football

they reach the final. But what if they do reach the final? Some would say that this is a big ‘what if’ but they’d be ignoring the recent big ‘what if’ which prevented Pakistan’s players from playing in IPLIII.

The reason given was that the franchises could not be certain of the availability of the Pakistani players. So what do they exactly mean by that? Well, the Pakistani players would have been free from international duty in that period so this cannot have been what was meant. May be the reason is the fear that half way through the tournament, something happens in one of the two countries which would strain diplomatic relationships and heighten civil tension, causing Pakistan to call back its players for fear of attack in India. A big ‘what if’ in my opinion.

The most tasteless part of this IPL snub was that the Pakistani players were given false hope and led along until the very last minute, literally. Why did the eight franchises request the eleven Pakistani players up for selection if their policy was not to pick players that were not certain of availability? Well it is clear that something happened inbetween the period that these players were requested by the franchises and the time of the auction, and this is the sinister side to this whole situation.

Read the rest of this entry »

As Pakistan clinched the Twenty20 World Cup, Lalit Modi’s business brain must have went into over drive about how he could use the Champions to make more money. Well Lalit, you and your honchos at the ICC should have been more fair on the Pakistanis shouldn’t you? First of all, let’s make it clear that the argument that it was the Pakistan government that prevented it’s cricketers from playing in the IPL, doesn’t hide the fact that they would have been banned by the IPL and/or the Indian government anyway. Anyone who thinks this would not have happened is just fooling themselves. In fact, the Pakistan government did the IPL a favour and Lalit must have breathed a sigh of relief.

The above view is strengthened by the fact that the IPL did nothing to try and reinstate the Pakistani players with their respective franchises when the tournament was moved to South Africa. Yes, it would have been difficult as the franchises had spent on other players and there was not much time. Yet no attempt to include them or even a suggestion was made. As for the time excuse, Modi was commended for organising a tournament in such a small space of time so that doesn’t hold much water.

Read the rest of this entry »

The possibility of the IPL moving offshore brings sadness and perhaps opportunity. Cricket is now so cowed by fear of terrorism that three South Asian nations have had key tournaments disrupted within weeks of the Lahore attacks. While a contest between Pakistan and Bangladesh would have struggled to set the pulse racing, the Indian Premier League managed to enthrall even the most skeptical of cricket fans. Much of that fascination was created by the passion of India’s cricket fans, the biggest losers if the tournament is relocated.

Read the rest of this entry »

The ban on the 19 Pakistani cricketers who participated in the ICL has been temporarily lifted by the Sind High Court, allowing the players to participate in domestic cricket. Whilst this was positive news for Pakistan’s ICL players, for those Pakistani players affiliated with the IPL, things were not so positive.

Read the rest of this entry »

It seems that this may well be the last series Shoaib Akhtar will participate in for Pakistan unless he undergoes some kind of radical change. Questions on his fitness and commitment have surfaced again after his last two poor performances against Sri Lanka. Here we have a look at who the possible candidates are to replace him.

Read the rest of this entry »

After a quite resounding win for the Indians over Pakistan in the tri-series in Mirpur Bangladesh, one can’t help wondering whether we are seeing the effects of the IPL on Indian cricket already. There is no doubt that the Indian youngsters playing for their respective franchises would have benefited from the top international players they played with and against. Another thing they would have benefited from is the experience of being asked to perform when it matters in real match situations in front of large crowds something which net sessions just cannot provide.

Read the rest of this entry »

The recent introduction of the money spinning Twenty20 Indian leagues has seen a number of players’ heads turn towards the subcontinent. Mouths watering and dollar signs in their eyes they seem to have forgotten what it means to represent their country.

The same, thankfully, cannot be said about some of the top English players who have recently come out in the media saying that they have no need to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Indian Cricket League (ICL) as they are already adequately taken care of by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). What this shows is that if a board takes care of its top players financially (and in other ways) then the players would in return repay their faith.

Read the rest of this entry »