Postponement of Bangladesh tour to hurt Pakistan cricket

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Yes the Pakistan cricket has come to a stage where even the postponement of the tour to Bangladesh is hurting. In normal circumstances it wouldn’t have mattered much but as things stand today it means more agony.

Pakistan have played so little international cricket of late that the upcoming tour of Bangladesh was being regarded as quite an event. It had assumed even greater significance after the home series against Sri Lanka had to be called off in tragic circumstances.

But as it turned out the cricket authorities in Bangladesh have expressed their inability to host the series against Pakistan in immediate future due to the security concerns in their country.

Pakistan were originally scheduled to play two Twenty20 internationals and five ODIs between March 10 and March 22. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had initially desired postponing the event for a few weeks but they finally made the announcement on March 17 ruling out the series indefinitely.

Although officially the tour has been postponed not cancelled and hints have been dropped by the BCB officials for the series to take place but Pakistan have reasons to feel disappointed because they desperately needed the Bangladesh series at this point of time.

Pakistan would not have netted any astronomical profits from the tour of Bangladesh. Neither would have their rankings improved much even if they had whitewashed the hosts. It was more about taking the field.

Pakistan are short of international cricket. They are desirous of play matches to keep the cricketers engaged in competitive games. The people in general in Pakistan are crazy about cricket that has more entertainment value than any other thing.

Obviously people in Pakistan have been saddened by the events that took place in the Sri Lankan series. The attack on the visiting cricketers was the last thing the Pakistanis wanted to see. Unfortunately the Sri Lankan cricketers came under fire and everybody forgot about the game for the time being.

The tour to Bangladesh would have been helpful in reviving the Pakistan cricket. Skipper Younis Khan has not minced words in stating that the indefinite postponement of the tour to Bangladesh will harm his team's growth in general and affect preparations for the ODI series against Australia next month in particular. 

"The decision has deprived us of some valuable cricket once again. It is a great setback especially when we needed practice for the Australia series. We had some newcomers in the team for Bangladesh whom we wanted to try out before that but now that the tour is off we have lost that opportunity and it is demoralising for a captain. Our team is unfortunately very short on cricket and if mishaps like this happen, our performance will decline in important series," Younis Khan was quoted as saying.

"We have suffered a lot from tour cancellations, mainly the India and Australia series, so we badly need cricket. I hope we get some good cricket later in the year," he hoped. 

Pakistan’s next assignment is to take on Australia in five ODIs and one Twenty20 International in Dubai and Abu Dhabi between April 22 and May 7. Then they have to undertake a tour of England to participate in the Twenty20 World Cup during the month of June. 

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Time difference could limit viewership of New Zealand-India Test series

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The time difference between New Zealand and India is such that the matches starting at the standard local time of 11 am in New Zealand means a 3.30 am start in India. 

The timings of the Twenty20 Internationals suited the Indian viewers and even the One-day Internationals were day-night affairs that allowed the cricket followers in India to watch them after having completed sound sleep overnight.

The situation is different for the Test series and the broadcasters, more than anyone else, are concerned about it. If the broadcasters had a say in these matters, they could have prompted day-night sessions of the Test matches too. 

Test cricket has its traditions and they are being followed even today. May be in future even the Test matches might start late in the afternoon and include a dinner break instead of the conventional lunch interval.

With nearly every major international venue having the facility of floodlights the possibilities of day-night Test matches in future could not be ruled out.

But for the time being there is an issue and the New Zealand board has reportedly declined an Indian broadcaster's request to start the Test in Hamilton at noon instead of the traditional 11 am.

According to the reports the Sony Entertainment Television, with the blessings of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), had approached the New Zealand Cricket with the request to alter the playing hours in order to maximise its viewership in India. 

The New Zealand Cricket had accommodated the request of the same broadcasters earlier this summer during the two-Test series against the West Indies that had started at the unusual time of midday.

But that was the peak of the summer and the days were longer in that part of the world. Now the natural light could fade in the closing session if the Test matches against India also start at midday.

The light has held well until 7 pm over the past couple of days in Hamilton but the weather forecast during the first couple of days indicated a cloud cover that could be one factor the New Zealand cricket authorities were not willing to take a chance.

The Seddon Park in Hamilton and the McLean Park in Napier, where the first and second Tests are to be held, are equipped with floodlights but there is no such facility available at the venue of the third and final Test to be held at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

The timings for the second and third Tests have not been announced yet but it’s going to be quite a tricky decision. If they are unwilling to incorporate changes in the playing hours of the first Test, it’s very unlikely that they would be in a position to do it later with the days becoming shorter.

It’s understandably a very difficult situation. Besides providing financial benefit to the broadcasters, the cricket lovers in the sub-continent will have the chance of watching more action live if the Test matches started an hour later than originally scheduled.

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India hold advantage over New Zealand going into Test series

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

After having come up with below-par performance in the preceding series of Twenty20 Internationals and One-day Internationals, will India continue obliging the New Zealanders in the Tests as well starting from March 18?

The Indians were the overwhelming favorites to dominate all the three versions of the game but their inability or to some extent unwillingness to complete the rout has kept their supporters guessing.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni appeared a bit apologetic to the fans having come from all parts of Auckland to the Eden Park to watch their icons in motion. But what they got in return was a shameful performance from the bunch of cricketers who have loads of talent and who are better than the best.

Looking at the two outfits for the Test series, there is hardly any comparison. While the Indians are on a high having performed exceptionally well, despite the odd below-par showing, of late the hosts have generally struggled.

Let me start with the batting department. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are considered to be the best opening pair in all forms of the game. Both of them like to attack but they are adequately skilled to make big hundreds.

The Indian middle-order is second to none in terms of experience and class. In Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh they have the depth and character. Add skipper Dhoni to this list and you have a group of seven batsmen all of whom can win the match on their own.

The New Zealanders have just too many newcomers in their folds who must be having the talents but lack in experience. Test cricket is one area where the bits and pieces cricketers are often exposed. It remains to be seen if the hosts do have some potentially fine Test batsmen.

Turning towards the area of bowling, for the first time in many years, India are in a possession of a new-ball attack that has been acclaimed as the best in the business. In Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan they have most potent fast bowlers who have been successful even on the flattest of tracks.

India may not have a world-class first change bowler in the present squad, as the selectors didn’t deem it to proper to pick Sreesanth or R P Singh for this particular tour, but they are well served in the spin department in the presence of Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra.

New Zealand can only match the tourists in the spin department because their skipper Daniel Vettori, a champion left-arm spinner, has had success against all teams particularly India.

It will be interesting to find out what kind of pitches would be there for the three-Test series. The New Zealanders may opt for green tops to unsettle India’s formidable batting line-up but they could land themselves land in greater trouble because the visitors are much more resourceful in the pace bowling department than before.

India would be the favorites on all kind of surfaces going into the Test series against this New Zealand side. That the Indians would like to dictate terms for considerable time or will they go about the business as softly as they did in both the T20Is and the fifth and final ODI remains to be seen.

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India’s typical self destruction at Auckland lifts New Zealand

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

India did exactly what was being feared. They surrendered in the fifth and final One-day International at the Eden Park, Auckland, almost in the same fashion as their predecessors used to do when least expected to be at the receiving end.

New Zealand, besides other less fancied oppositions, have been the beneficiaries whenever the Indians have opted to be in this mode and they benefited once more when Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men decided to emulate their predecessors.

India’s shocking display, after having dominated the earlier four ODIs, must have broken the hearts of the large number of their supporters who had gathered at the Eden Park in anticipation of another cracking performance from them.

The Eden Park in Auckland was presenting the look of Little India as there were more Indian supporters at the ground than the local ones. They had braved the weather for quite sometime and they were delighted when the match finally got underway.

But their happiness didn’t last long. Virender Sehwag treated them with a few of his trademark shots but all others, with the sole exception of Rohit Sharma, failed to deliver against a bowling attack that was short of confidence after the hammering it was subjected to in the earlier games.

The Indians have had the habit of obliging the non-entities and this time Jesse Ryder of all people was allowed to become the bowling hero for New Zealand. It must have stunned the followers of the game generally but there was hardly any element of surprise for those who have been familiar with the Indian cricket.

There was nothing in the pitch to cause an alarm for the champion Indian batsmen. The ball was doing a bit but that is quite usual on the New Zealand pitches. The form in which the Indian batsmen were in, all they needed was to get their eyes in and resume business.

 
It has been a common sight in Indian cricket over the years. They have passed the impression of throwing away matches against weaker oppositions. They have done it once more.

Even Dhoni’s men who are being compared with the great West Indian team of the 1980s for possessing enormous depth in every department of the game have failed to immunize themselves from this disease. They have been doing it less frequently than what one had seen in the past but they need to do away with this practice if they have to accomplish the goal of becoming the number one team in the world.

The movers and shakers of the Indian cricket, it seems, don’t feel hurt or concerned by the shocking results. By the look of things they don’t mind their team losing a few games once in a while.

What they fail to take into the account is the fact that the Indian cricket team has the biggest fan following in the world who feel down and shaken by the heartbreaking performance of their stars.

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Former world champion Yousuf not to feature in Snooker Nationals 2009

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
Mohammad Yousuf, a former world champion, will not be taking part in the NJI 34th National Snooker Championship 2009, to be held at the historic Karachi Gymkhana from March 16 to 21.

The President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, has confirmed that Yousuf was not considered for a wild card entry because he didn’t submit any such request in writing to take part in the upcoming National Championship.

“Yousuf was not an automatic qualifier for this year’s Nationals since he had lost his place in the top 16 last year. He could have re-entered the national circuit by playing the provincial cup that he didn’t do. We would have certainly considered his request for a wild card entry if he had approached us,” the PBSA President said.

“We have awarded wild card entries in the national ranking tournaments in the past as well to the leading cueists like Saleh Mohammad, Naveen Perwani and Farhan Mirza,” he added.

Alamgir Shaikh, having taken over the leadership of the PBSA only last year, clarified that the Association did not hold any grudge against Yousuf or any other cueist. 

Having won the national snooker title on the highest number of occasions, Yousuf will be missing the National Championship only for the second time in his long career.

The only Pakistani to have won the World Championship as well as the Asian Championship, Yousuf, acclaimed as a master craftsman, had last absented in 1999 when he had been banned for the whole year by the PBSA on disciplinary grounds. 

It was the same year when Saleh Mohammad had completed a grand slam by winning all the four national ranking tournaments.

Yousuf had bounced back in style and regained the national title after the layoff. He then went on to annex World Seniors Snooker title. It remains to be seen if he will make another comeback. 

Meanwhile the winner of the NJI 34th National Snooker Championship 2009 will be collecting a handsome purse of Rs 90,000 alongwith a glittering trophy. The details about the six-day event, being sponsored by the New Jubilee Insurance (NJI) having become the major sponsors for snooker events, were unveiled in a media briefing here at the Karachi Gymkhana on March 12.

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Younis optimistic about early return of international cricket in Pakistan

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Pakistan captain Younis Khan remains convinced that the international cricket will be returning to the country in not too distant future while urging all the stakeholders to play their part in a proactive manner.

“At the moment the foreign teams appear hesitant to play in Pakistan. Even the governing body of the game, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has some reservations on this issue. But this perception can change quickly and we could be having more action than before,” the skipper said in a one-to-one chat with this scribe just before leaving for Faisalabad to lead his employers Habib Bank Limited (HBL) in the One-day National Tournament.

“To make things happen we need a collective effort at all fronts. Our former cricket greats should visit the various Test playing nations to convince their movers and shakers to come to Pakistan where cricket is the passion of the masses,” he suggested.

 “We have to convince the international community that the attack on the visiting Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore was an odd incident and our nation was peaceful and cricket loving by nature. Our great cricketers and diplomats should join hands in lobbying for Pakistan at all fronts,” Younis, having moved to the top slot in the ICC Test rankings after his triple century in the recent home series against Sri Lanka, added.

He believed that the ICC has a positive outlook and their officials could be helpful in reviving international cricket in Pakistan.

“In every ICC meeting we are advised not to do anything that would send a negative image to the youngsters in particular. In the same spirit the ICC should be considerate towards Pakistan’s case as cricket is the passion of the youngsters in Pakistan who may take up other habits if they are not encouraged to pick up their bats and balls,” Younis pointed out. 

“The ICC should also take into account the fact that cricket is the unifying force and it’s a more than useful tool in promoting peace and harmony. The ICC should play its role in persuading its member countries to tour Pakistan,” he urged.

“If international cricket is not played in Pakistan for sometime it might have very negative affects on the youth of the country. The ICC and its member countries must help in saving our youth from going into unhealthy activities,” Younis said.  

“Pakistan has been one of the most active members of the ICC for a number of years. Our cricketers enjoy iconic status in many countries of the world. A friend in need is a friend indeed. It’s the time for the ICC to come to Pakistan’s rescue,” he pleaded. 

He did not mince words in stating that the attack on the Sri Lanka team on March 3 while proceeding to Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore, was a very unfortunate one.
“It was indeed the saddest day of our sports history. But things have to move forward and the show has to go on. The international cricket must return to Pakistan the sooner the better,” Younis concluded.

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Sehwag powers India to maiden ODI series victory in New Zealand

100th Article on this Blog

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

India managed to overcome the inconsistent weather and the unpredictable hosts at the Seddon Park in Hamilton to record their maiden win in a series of One-day Internationals in New Zealand.

As on so many occasions in the past, India had to keep an eye on the external factors besides controlling the game in the field. They had been defeated by the weather in the second game after having dictated terms in whatever cricket that could be played.

Well there’s no doubt in one’s mind about this Indian side being far too superior to the hosts, who continue making life more miserable for themselves by sticking to their policy of fielding uncapped players.

The current Indian outfit hardly has any faults therefore it’s extremely unlikely to be floored and that too by an inexperienced and unsettled combination like the New Zealanders have at the moment.

The Indians, after having been scared for a few moments in the previous ODI where they just lost the focus for no rhyme or reason while defending a mammoth total, didn’t commit that many mistakes and their victory march was only threatened by rains.

Virender Sehwag batted in the same manner as he has done throughout his career. This charismatic opener is mentally so strong that he’s not afraid of the reputation of the bowlers or the state of the pitch. He has only one word in his vocabulary. That is to dominate from the moment he sets his feet on the ground.

Sehwag is so immensely gifted that he rarely has to change the gears. If the ball lands in his zone he will go for it. His hand-eye coordination is exemplary and there is no more exciting sight in world cricket than watching him on song. He toys with the bowling literally every time he goes out with the bat in his hand.

No record appears out of his reach when he is on song. The New Zealanders can only hope that he himself would commit mistake early in his innings otherwise they should be prepared for another hammering in the field.

There is no element of surprise in watching him post India's fastest ODI hundred reaching the magical three figures off only 60 balls. If anybody has the capacity and the talent to break Shahid Afridi’s world record of fastest hundred it’s Sehwag.

His opening partner Gautam Gambhir also contributed his bit in the unbeaten double century stand that broke all hopes the hosts had of making a match of it even with the D/L system.

Earlier in the day New Zealand got off to a decent start once again through the opening pair of Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum but the rate of scoring dipped with the arrival of the spinners.

Yuvraj Singh and Yousuf Pathan offered little width to the batsmen who got frustrated and threw away their wickets. Harbhajan Singh was also very economical in his earlier overs and New Zealand had to take the batting powerplay earlier than anticipated to lift the tempo.

The move backfired as the pace duo of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma were bang on target and their wicket-taking abilities allowed India to gain control. It was a wonderful exhibition of quality fast bowling from both ends.

India, however, had to pay dearly for the let off to Peter McGlashan, who was dropped first ball by Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Ishant Sharma. He rode his luck as did Grant Elliott as they somehow gathered 95 runs off the last 10 overs. 

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New look Australia whip South Africa and West Indies finally clinch a Test series

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

March 10, 2009 will go down as one of the most dramatic days in the history of the game when as many as two Test series were decided. Having won the first Test comprehensively, the Australians pocketed the second game by even bigger margin at the Kingsmead, Durban, to reclaim the series before the third and final encounter. 

The story was different altogether at the Queens Park Oval in Port of Spain where the West Indies had to battle it out grimly to save the game against England that enabled them to retain the 1-0 lead and win a Test series for the first time in five years.

Starting from Durban, the pair of Jacques Kallis and A B de Villiers had given the South Africans some hope after grinding the Australian bowlers on the penultimate day of the match. The hosts had eight wickets in hand entering the final day and although the task of getting a further 302 to win the fixture looked extremely unlikely there were realistic hopes of them drawing the game that would have kept the series alive.

But the Australians exerted more pressure on the final morning and the South African batsmen succumbed. Skipper Ricky Ponting led from the front as he normally does and there was no escape route available to the hosts.

Ponting deserves the credit for having delivered with an inexperienced battalion at his disposal. He marshaled his troops so well and at no stage did the Australians lose intensity.

The Australians have proved the point that they have more than adequate bench strength to cover up for the seasoned guys some of whom have retired from the international cricket recently while the others are on the injury list.

The success of the youthful Australian side augurs very well for the future. The 20-year-old opener Philip Hughes has already made history. He has become the youngest batsmen to score two centuries in a Test match, having eclipsed the record of the great George Headley of the West Indies.

Continuing with the West Indies, they have continued to improve lately after having endured testing times in the not too distant past. The present lot has been showing more grit under the leadership of Chris Gayle and it were their fighting qualities that earned them a draw in the fifth and final Test.

The pitch had started to misbehave on the final afternoon and the England spin duo of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, as expected, caused untold problems for their batsmen. With James Anderson reversing the ball so craftily the home batsmen were kept on their toes all the time.

Wickets kept on falling at regular intervals to keep the match alive which was not called off until Fidel Edwards had safely negotiated the penultimate ball. It was Edwards again who didn’t wilt under pressure to save the day for his team, a fact duly acknowledged by his captain in the presentation ceremony.

Denesh Ramdin, having hit his maiden century in the previous game, batted so responsibly in the closing overs to steer his team to safety. He handled the pressure very well while scoring an unbeaten 17 off 87 deliveries.

Andrew Strauss might be asked a few questions about the timing of the declaration but he could not be criticized for the delay because he had to ensure a decent target. He would have been probed further had he set a smaller target and the West Indies achieved it. He led the side admirably in his first assignment as captain.

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