Happy New Year 2011

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Time flies. 2010 has receded into history before we could realize that all 365 days of the year have gone. Another year in our lives has lapsed.

2011 has dawned. The celebrations and festivities continue unabated all over the world. For one moment all the miseries and shortcomings are forgotten.

Well we start each and every year with hope, both individually as well as collectively. We have to be optimistic about the year to come. We have to move on despite all the problems and uncertainties surrounding us. As they say the show must go on.

The start of the year is considered to be the time to reassess ourselves and our plans. Ideally we need to pause just for a while to seek confirmation if we are moving in the right direction.

Not much could change in a new year. It can only be the extension of the year gone by. It’s for us to identify our mistakes and try not to repeat them. Wiser people learn from the follies of the others but I believe learning from one’s own mistake is much better than not taking a lesson at all.

So the life goes on. The sporting action continues after the break of just a few days and there will be plenty to talk and write about for the analysts, commentators and anchorpersons.

Let me wish all of you a very happy new year. It has been real pleasure writing on this blog and the feedback has been encouraging. It’s great to be read and followed in different corners of the world.s

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Black Caps lose plot so quickly yet again

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

I don’t know what the New Zealanders were trying to prove in the third and final Twenty20 International against Pakistan at the AMI Stadium in Christchurch on December 30.

With the series already in their bag with resounding victories in the first couple of games all they needed was to get the basics right and complete a whitewash against their demoralized opponents.

Well experimentation does make sense if you face an embarrassment of riches like the Australians used to have a few years and the Indians have it today but doing it with marginal resources at one’s disposal is beyond imagination.

The New Zealand think-tank was also guilty of having taken Pakistan lightly on account of their performance in the previous two games. It’s never advisable to take Pakistan for granted even if they are fielding schoolboys.

New Zealand provided the opening to Pakistan and the result was a 103-run defeat for the home side which is quite shameful in any form of the game and more so in a Twenty20 contest.

John Wright, who had such a successful tenure as the coach of the Indian team, was also to be blamed for making what I would describe as senseless changes in the winning combination.

The Black Caps have had the history of distributing the prestigious ‘cap’ rather generously and that’s one of the reasons they have had to struggle in the international arena despite having plenty of talented guys in their possession.

Whether it was a blooper on part of their selectors or was it the ‘strategy’ of the team management they misfired in Christchurch and this may well prove to be yet another costly lapse.

While Pakistan have been famous for bringing about miracles with the thinnest of resources the New Zealanders have been infamous for losing the plot much too quickly and it remains to be seen if the home side would regroup before the Test matches and the One-day Internationals to follow.

Wright could also consider the debacle at the AMI Stadium as a wakeup call and there’s a possibility that he would refrain from making such an adventure at least against the unpredictable Pakistan side.

New Zealand have had terrible record in the recent past and they can’t afford any sort of experimentation with the World Cup just round the corner. Will they continue taking the chances to make the life even more miserable for themselves or will they rise to the occasion remains to be seen.

From the Pakistan’s point of view they would like their hosts to be more generous in providing them the opportunities. No matter how inexperienced or under-prepared they may be it’s never wise to write them off.

The fate of the Test series as well as the one-dayers would depend a lot on the pitches and weather as well. If the surfaces remain conducive to swing bowling it could be difficult for the visitors to dominate while it would be a different story altogether if the tracks are kept flat or grassless purposely.

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Has Ponting played his last Test?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

2010 has been a nightmarish year for Ricky Ponting and the end could not have been more traumatic. For all practical purposes he seems to have played his last Test match. It will be a miracle if he stages a comeback.

The Australians are not due to play their next series, following the Ashes, until August and there’s very little hope, if any, of the selectors persisting with him either as captain or even as an ordinary member of the side.

In many ways his injury has made the task easier for the Australian selectors who could have even gone on to the extent of dropping Ponting for the fifth and final Test against England in Sydney starting on January 2.

There’s a probability that Ponting might opt to call it a day after the conclusion of the Ashes. I think that it will make sense for him to announce his retirement instead of waiting to be axed.

He has had a distinguished career and indeed it will be a pity if he’s dropped from the side he led with distinction for so long. He cannot lose sight of the fact, however, that everyone has to quit one day.

He cannot be held entirely responsible for the dip in the fortune of his team during the past six months or so but his own batting form has deserted him that should be enough to convince his mind to hang his boot after a very long outing in the international arena.

Ponting has not been able to recover from the mistake he made of batting first after winning the toss in the second Test against Pakistan earlier this year in England. Whether it was over-confidence or a tactical blunder it has cost him his career I reckon.

He has been let down by his teammates, particularly his premier performers, who have had an extended lean patch. Take the example of Mitchell Johnson and Michael Clarke who have been struggling to regain their top form.

Ponting had to play far too well himself to cover up the follies of his colleagues. Unfortunately runs dried from his own blade and it was asking for too much from the ordinary mortals like Simon Katich and Shane Watson to carry the team on their shoulders.

Australia still have quite a few outstanding cricketers, both young and experienced, but they cannot be compared with the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Mattew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist all of whom retired during Ponting’s tenure as captain.
The record of Ponting of being the most successful Australian captain of all time, with 48 victories in 77 Tests, is likely to stand for a very long period. It’s hard to imagine anybody coming close to this mark.

Ponting has been a part of the Australian team in 99 Test victories which is another record unlikely to be bettered in future. He would have dearly liked to complete the century but its chances look negligible now.

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Laxman, Zaheer script the most famous of all recent conquests

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Although it would be unfair not to pass on the credit to the entire Indian cricket team for having brought off a spectacular victory over South Africa in the second Test at Kingsmead, Durban, to level the three-match series, at least two people came out with standout performance to script what must be the most famous of all their recent conquests.

VVS Laxman was very rightly adjudged Man of the Match for having topscored in India’s both innings. On a pitch where nobody else from either side could reach a half-century he very nearly scored a century of his own in the second outing.

Zaheer Khan, who had missed the first Test due to injury, returned with a bang to spearhead the attack that had lacked both venom as well as purpose. His terrific bowling lifted the morale and performance of the team which resulted in one of the greatest-ever comeback victory by any team in cricket history.

I don’t know if many people gave the Indians much chance of squaring the series in Durban after having been mauled in the first Test. But they proved themselves against the heaviest of odds to register a comprehensive 87-run win the low scoring game.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, we all know, cannot do much to change his luck with the coin. Hail the brave man for making it up with his courage and never say die approach. Any ordinary mortal would have been heartbroken after losing yet another crucial toss on a bowl first pitch. But he knew his men had the mental toughness to overcome such obstacles.

Isn’t it truly remarkable that India managed to pull off victory in the Durban Test even after being inserted by the home captain in the most teasing of conditions for batsmen? I tell you no other side in the world could have even come close to getting 200 with the ball seaming and bouncing so much on the first day.

The Indians showed that they have learned their lessons very quickly and their positive approach kept them ahead of the game. The first innings total of 205 was below par for the formidable batting line-up that they possesses but it still represented a fighting score and there was some cushion for their bowlers.

The Indian bowling attack, as expected, looked much more potent with the return of Zaheer and the South Africans were found wanting in application. The substantial first innings lead was always going to play a decisive role until the visitors were bundled out for a very low total in their second innings.

Virender Sehwag got India off to a flying start with his trademark attacking shots but the loss of four quick wickets opened up the game. It needed a brilliant knock from Laxman to put India back on top and they were the favourites when the target they set crossed the magical figure of 300.

The South Africans started their chase aggressively but the loss of Graeme Smith opened up the floodgates and with Harbhajan Singh extracting turn and bounce batting was never going to be easy.

The hosts were tested by the pace trio of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Shantikumaran Sreesanth on the responsive pitch and the match ended with over a day to spare.

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John Wright off to winning start as New Zealand coach

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Having been whitewashed on the tours of Bangladesh and India only a few months ago, New Zealand have got off to a flying start in their home season under their new coach John Wright, who has had a big reputation.

Registering back to back victories in the Twenty20 Internationals against the unpredictable Pakistanis, the Black Caps have gained an unassailable lead in the three-match series which is already being talked about as quite an accomplishment from a team so low in confidence.

The appointment of Wright as coach was bound to make a difference for the New Zealanders and we have already found it out in the first couple of games when even a depleted side of their has won both the matches quite convincingly.

If New Zealand continue their winning streak and pocket the third and final T20I as well it would be a unique whitewash by a team which itself had suffered similar humiliation in the earlier two series.

Bangladesh and India had humbled New Zealand in nine consecutive limited overs games, all of them being One-day Internationals. I think it doesn’t matter much for them even if their conquest has come in the shortest format of the game.

The win-starved New Zealanders needed something under their belt to regain confidence that could take them to the World Cup to be held in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka only a couple of months later.

They have to take on Pakistan in a series of six ODIs after the two Tests that follow the T20Is. In normal circumstances New Zealand would have preferred playing ODIs straight after the T20 games instead of squeezing a Test series but I think this has been done to give the hosts the much needed practice of 50-overs game on the dates closest to the World Cup.

There were indications that the New Zealand cricket administrators were shaken by the debacle of their team in Bangladesh and India. Well if it served as a wake-up call and prompted them to turn to Wright then this could well prove to be a blessing in disguise for their cause.

I don’t know why did they take so long to get hold of the man who was very much there with them. Wright was the person who turned it around for India and taught them the art of winning matches away from the comfort of home.

Wright’s role as a coach in building the India team of today is phenomenal. The former New Zealand captain made a perfect combination with Sourav Ganguly and they put India on the road to glory.

The cool headed Wright instilled the confidence which was somehow missing even in the star-studded Indian line-up. He was accorded the respect he deserved and together they made things happen.

Now the New Zealand cricket needed him to lift the morale of a demoralized outfit. It has only been weeks when he was handed over the charge and the results have come instantly. This is a belated move but nevertheless one in the right direction and as they say better late than never.

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Pakistan to play snooker series in Iran

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Pakistan will be engaged in a bilateral snooker series against the neighbouring Iran on an annual basis with the inaugural event to be held in Tehran early next year.

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), disclosed that the decision regarding the launch of the Pakistan-Iran Test series was taken in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the recently concluded IBSF World Snooker Championship 2010 in Damascus, Syria.

“The Iranian officials came up with the idea of initiating a Test series that could be held annually on reciprocal basis. It was agreed that Tehran would be the venue of the inaugural Test series Pakistan and Iran in February next while the Iranians will be paying a return visit in 2012,” the PBSA President revealed.

It may be recalled that the PBSA had launched a Test series against in 2003 that was known initially as the Peace Cup. Two more editions of the Indo-Pak series were held during the next couple of years but it has not been staged for the past five years now.

Alamgir Shaikh, who also attended the Annual General Meeting of the IBSF in Damascus, disclosed that the venues of the next two editions of the World Snooker Championship were finalized after some deliberations.

“Bahrain has been chosen as the host of the World Championship next year while Egypt will be playing host to the mega event the following year,” he said.

“It was also decided in the IBSF meeting that Thailand would be hosting the World 6-Reds Championship during the month of February 2011 besides organizing the World Team Snooker Championship in July 2011,” the PBSA President added.

Meanwhile he expressed his disappointment with the failure of the country’s top three cueists in the knockout games of the World Snooker Championship 2010, staged at the Al-Faiha Sports City in Damascus.

The PBSA President, who returned to Karachi with the trio of Mohammad Sajjad, Sohail Shahzad and Imran Shahzad, did not mince words in stating that he expected better performance from his cueists in the knockout games.

“Yes I am perturbed with the outcome. All of them had performed exceptionally well in the league matches and we were hoping for at least one of them to go the distance. Imran had started even the knockout round with a bang but he was overwhelmed in the pre-quarter-finals,” the PBSA President remarked.

“Imran couldn’t play to his potential in the pre-quarters, getting outplayed at the hands of the vastly experienced Alex Borg. Debutant Sohail was unlucky to be knocked out because his opponent, Noppadol Sangnil, got away with a couple of freakish shots that proved decisive in what had become a very absorbing contest,” Alamgir Shaikh recalled.

“The straight-frame loss of our main hope and top ranked cueist, Sajjad, to Dechawat Poomjaeng was very disturbing for us. A cueist of the caliber of Sajjad, having done well at the international stage in the past, was certainly expected to come up with much better performance,” he conceded.

The PBSA President agreed that Pakistan’s young and promising cueists have had problems in overcoming the pressures of knockout games.

“It’s true to some extent because it has happened in the past as well when our cueists have failed to deliver in the knockout games after having dominated their rivals in the earlier rounds. They need to bring about improvement in their temperament besides learning the tact of the trade,” Alamgir Shaikh reckoned.

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Tendulkar’s 50th century comes three Tests too late

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

I don’t think there was any real cause to celebrate when Sachin Tendulkar brought up his 50th Test century at the Super Sport Park in Centurion on December 19 except that he had reached the landmark.

India needed much more than just a token hundred from Tendulkar to change the course of the game in which they had been humiliated on the first three days. The damage control exercise demanded at least a double century from him but as we have witnessed so many times he failed to deliver.

What’s more important a personal landmark or glory for the team? Cricket is a team game therefore the greatness should be measured by the contribution to the cause of the team rather than the loads of runs or the heaps of wicket that don’t serve the purpose.

Getting to 50 centuries in Test cricket is no doubt a huge accomplishment. Nobody has done it before and neither anyone might be able to do it in the near future.

With the number of Test matches getting reduced with the advent of the popularity of the limited overs game it seems very unlikely that anybody would be able to get an opportunity to play so many Test matches in the years to come.

Tendulkar has been around for over two decades, having made his Test debut in November 1989. With the frequency of limited overs games on the rise the career span of cricketers is shrinking and it could be next to impossible for a starter to think in terms of surviving there in the international arena for so long.

Tendulkar’s record of the highest number of Test centuries is certain to stand for a very long time. The kind of form he has been in during the current year he can still get many more hundreds unless of course the external factors come into play.

Talking about the outside factors wasn’t it a pity that Tendulkar wasn’t able to reach this milestone in India when he had as many as three Test matches to do it against the struggling New Zealanders.

Well not many people would disgaree that Tendulkar could have got a hundred against if he so desired even by batting left-handed because the New Zealand bowling attack had no penetrative skills on the surfaces where Harbhajan Singh was able to play long innings without the slightest of discomfort.

Tendulkar was in the middle of a purple patch and there was no team in the world that could have stopped him from reaching a century in those conditions. His soft dismissals were totally against the run of play.

He batted with in his usual fluent style in both the innings of the Centurion Test but neither of his knock was big enough to take the fight to the South African camp.

It’s amazing that he made no effort to avoid an innings defeat on the final morning. His tactics of exposing the tail-enders to the genuinely quick bowlers was mind boggling to say the least. He was expected to play both ends which he didn’t for reasons best known to him.

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Hussey, Johnson present sweetest birthday gift to skipper Ponting

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Although it was the six-wicket haul by Ryan Harris that helped Australia in wrapping up the third Test at the WACA Ground in Perth within an hour on the fourth morning it was the sensational performance of Mike Hussey and Mitchell Johnson that had turned it around for the hosts from a precarious position on the first day.

How often can one expect a team to win a Test match by 267 runs after having been reduced to 69 for five in the first innings after being put into bat. The momentum was with England and they were more likely to claim an unassialble 2-0 lead rather than Australia squaring the matters before the last two games.

That’s sometimes the beauty of the game when a couple of individuals rise to the occasion to cover up for the follies of their teammates. Nobody was surprised with yet another magnificent performance from Hussey for he’s regained his devastating form and there’s no stopping him when he gets on top.

But the home supporters must have been pleasantly surprised by the feat of Johnson, who was actually making a comeback in the side after having been dropped for the previous game because of his inconsistency for the past many months.

It’s quite incredible how Johnson rose to the occasion. His half-century down the order was instrumental in reviving Australia but more importantly, as it turned out, he carried the confidence to his bowling that gladdened the heart of his skipper.

Johnson struck just when England appeared to be extending their dominance with the bat and it was his terrific spell of left-arm fast bowling that brought his team right back in the game. Australia didn’t surrender the initiative after getting a substantial first innings lead in the context of the game.

With the pitch still good for batting and England having scored heavily in the past couple of games, Australia had to set a big enough target to challenge opponents and it was ensured by yet another mercurial century by Hussey.

The momentum had shifted by the time England started their chase for 391 on the third evening. Unlike the first two Tests when the Australian bowlers had struggled putting balls in the right areas they were able to exert the pressure that made the difference in the end.

Not many people would have backed England to win the game although South Africa had successfully chased down an even bigger total at this ground just a few years ago. It became obvious very quicky that the pressure had gone to the head of the visiting batsmen and they were unable to handle it.

The top half was blown on the third evening and there was not much hope from the lower order as the innings resumed on the fourth day. Harris produced another probing spell of fast bowling to help his team complete the much needed win within 50minues.

Ponting, even with a broken finger, could not have expected a bigger gift on his 36th birthday and he acknowledged in there.

“There's no better birthday present than that, to bounce back like this. To get 270 on the board on that first day was probably the difference in the end, and then Johnson's spell on day two was probably one of the all-time greatest spells in Ashes history. I'm a bit sore today, I wanted more than anything to be able to go out there and field, but I had to err on the side of caution. Another knock on the finger could have been disastrous. I think I'm a really good chance of playing the Boxing Day Test," Ponting, at last a victorious captain, remarked.

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