Steve Davis should be retired from ICC elite panel

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Contrary to what some people might think, for some strange reasons, the Indian cricketers remain more consistently at the receiving end than their contemporaries when it comes to the ICC rulings, be it a match referee or an umpire.

What umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor had done in the Sydney Test between Australia and India in 2008 to bring the game to disrepute was something unprecedented and unheard of.

What match referee Mike Denness had done in the South Africa-India series in 2001 jeopardized the future of the game as the two countries were forced to engage into an ‘unofficial’ Test match after so much of controversies.

In both the above incidents the team to be victimized was common. Not surprisingly the Indians were hard done by the ICC officials on both occasions.

Smaller or minor injustices do keep occurring once in a while and nearly every team gets affected but when it comes to something major or monumental we have the Indians to face the music.

Something similar happened on the fifth and final day of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad on November 8 when the Australia umpire, Steve Davis, committed ‘blunders’ on successive deliveries to create history of sorts.

I am not sure if the idea was to oblige the New Zealand captain, Daniel Vettori, or it was meant to hurt the Indian duo of VVS Laxman and Zaheer Khan, Davis really made a mess of it on both occasions and it must leave a question mark about his future as an ICC umpire.

If Davis is unable to locate or hear those big inside edges then I am afraid he should not be standing in even a club match because it’s against the rules of the game to declare a batsman leg-before wicket if he hits the ball first.

What Davis was trying to do? Was he attempting to bring the match back to life as Laxman and Harbhajan Singh were in the process of saving it for India? By ruling Laxman and Zaheer out on successive deliveries, when neither of them could have been out, he certainly opened up the contest.

A minimum of 40 overs were still to be bowled with India 254 ahead when Davis made those two horrible decisions on successive deliveries of the 90th over of the innings by which time none of the New Zealand bowlers was threatening enough.

Davis provided the breakthrough to New Zealand and denied a thoroughly deserved century to Laxman. It was a big inside edge and the batsman was well and truly shocked. Zaheer couldn’t believe his luck either as the Australian umpire showed his power by another wrong call.

Harbhajan, who was at the non-striker’s end when Davis was on fire, also had a few words with the beneficiary, Vettori, who only smiled back.

Harbhajan was on the verge of completing his first Test hundred when Davis was striking those telling blows and he showed his distrust for the umpire by opting to clear the field instead of becoming his third victim of the day.

readmore »»

ICC desires to keep Pakistan cricket afloat despite everything

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

International cricket has become a booming industry and the people running the show take it as pure business rather than anything else. There is hardly any element of patriotism or any other thing than business interest in the minds of the game’s administrators.

Cricket, by the look of things, is no more a gentleman’s game. Neither could one sense any feeling of pride among the cricketers while playing for the country. It’s all about money now.

No wonders the movers and shakers of the International Cricket Council (ICC) also work on their own agenda and they have a set of priorities that may not satisfy or thrill the cricket enthusiasts in different corners of the world.

The role of the ICC towards the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also very clear. It’s not out of any passion or inclination towards them but it’s just due to necessity that the governing body of the game is not going to harm or hurt the interests of the Pakistan cricket.

It’s in their own interest that the ICC desires to keep the Pakistan cricket afloat despite all the issues of management or the lack of it. The ICC will do everything in its right to keep Pakistan going because they are not going to lose one of the biggest markets.

Obviously Pakistan is a big enough market and it would not be in the interests of the ICC to shrink their territory at a time when they are looking towards expansion and what they call globalization of the sport.

The ICC functionaries are well and truly aware of the fact that Pakistan is one country that has massive cricket following and the broadcasters as well as the advertisers need it in a big way.

In this context and the actions and inactions of the ICC are understandable. The ICC does give the impression that they are keeping a close eye on the affairs of Pakistan whereas they are least interested about what’s going on in this part of the world.

For public consumption or to fulfill some of their requirements they continue issuing a memo or two to the PCB which everybody knows is nothing more than an eyewash. The ICC is neither sympathetic to the cause of Pakistan nor do they oppose it. Their only concern is the Pakistan market which they get to promote and please their broadcasting partners.

Quite a funny statement came from the ICC the other day when their Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, was quoted to have certified that the PCB was showing a determination to protect the integrity of cricket.

He made the observation after the ICC’s Pakistan Task Team (PTT, headed by the ECB Chairman, Giles Clarke, met by teleconference on November 7 to receive an update on the progress being made by the Pakistan Cricket Board to ensure integrity of cricket.

‘The PCB has clearly recognized that it is imperative to protect the integrity of cricket and we are indeed impressed by the progress reported. Their willingness to play such an active role on the integrity issue is vital to the future of international cricket. They have shown a clear determination to tackle their challenges. The ICC Task Team is mindful of those challenges and is committed to supporting the PCB,” Haroon Lorgat added.

readmore »»

Further glories for Sri Lanka, miseries for Australia

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Starting from the English summer, the Australian cricket continues to sink further and the much-dreaded string of failure has extended at home. More alarmingly the spate of defeats continues unabated and there’s no respite even at their all-time favourites venues like the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

The two historic grounds, having witnessed the home team conquer the most fancied of opponents over the years, were the venue of the debacle of the Aussies lately. They were beaten narrowly by Sri Lanka in the first One-day International at the MCG while the margin of defeat was a bit more concerning in the following ODI at the SCG where the series was settled with a game remaining.

The present generation in Australia is not accustomed to watching their cricket get humiliated for so long. They have grown up in the days when Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting inflicted wounds on one opposition after other, with the possible exception of India, in an era when no team dared taking them on.

Ponting is very much around even today but he has neither the form nor the fitness to worry the opponents. His successor Michael Clarke hasn’t had the best of starts to his captaincy career and the think-tank in Australia has every reason to get concerned and chalk out different plans to arrest the decline.

It had all started with a poor series against Pakistan in England about six months ago. Having dominated a much stronger Pakistan outfit at home when they won all nine international games against them, they got derailed against all odds while facing a depleted side.

Whether the Australians were guilty of under-estimating Pakistan completely or they went into the games casually there was certainly an element of shock in their below-par performance in England.

After losing the plot in both the Twenty20 Internationals, in which they failed to chase modest targets despite having being crowned as the world champions in the fastest version of the game only a few months back, they let down their supporters by their horrible performance in both the Test matches that followed.

In a country where the seam bowlers do the business in the early part of the summer, the Australians had to look to their part-time bowlers for bowling Pakistan out. They escaped defeat in the first Test but were humiliated in the second Test to have the series leveled that they were expected to win comfortably.

What has followed since then has obviously been less surprising. Their struggling side was taken care of by the formidable Indians at home and now another powerful side, Sri Lanka, has availed the opportunity of settling scores with them.

Unfortunately from the Sri Lankan point of view it’s just a mini-tour. The form they are in they would have desired staying much longer in Australia to improve their record in this particular country.

Kumar Sangakkara’s men, high on confidence, have wrapped up the ODI series after having pocketed the one-off T20I. Now they should be looking forward to return from Australia undefeated by winning the third and final ODI, It will come as no surprise if they do it.

readmore »»

Mathews, Malinga extend Australia’s losing streak

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It was not very long ago when the Australians were busy in thrashing one opponent after another in nearly every format of the game. They were slow starters to some extent in the latest version, Twenty20 Internationals, but their overall dominance in international cricket was legendary.

Well now it’s the other way round for the Aussies. Their losing streak has been extending and there’s very little to suggest if it will stop. The manner in which they lost the first One-day International against Sri Lanka at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on November 3 their think-tank must have got worried and they need to do something to arrest the decline.

Australia appeared to be in total control when they had reduced the visitors to 107 for eight while defending a total of 239. Little idea they had that the game would be snatched from such a commanding position.

The world record ninth wicket stand between Angelo Matthews and Lasith Malinga thrilled the huge number of Sri Lankan supporters at the MCG but it shattered the Aussies, already running short of confidence due to string of defeats.

Mathews and Malinga eclipsed the long standing record of Kapil Dev and Syed Kirmani who had rescued India from a similarly precarious position in the game against Zimbabwe during the 1983 World Cup.

Comparing the two huge ninth wicket stands, the one between Mathews and Malinga was more unlikely. While both Kapil Dev and Kirmani were recognized batsmen they also were pitted against an inexperienced team which was yet to be allotted the full membership of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

No disrespect meant to the accomplishment of Kapil Dev and Kirmani but they had put together what indeed had turned out to be the match winning partnership while batting first.

The situation was comparatively more tense when Malinga, a fast bowler not possessing batting credentials, walked in to join Mathews, a promising all-rounder but nowhere near to the class of the great Kapil Dev yet

It was incredible how Mathews and Malinga turned it around against the Aussies at the MCG, the venue of many of their historic conquests. The Sri Lankans have had very poor record in Australia before the start of the current tour and one thought they had run out of steam once more when the two got together.

Their 132-run partnership was not broken until the scores had been tied and Australia’s chances of winning the game had been blown away. Malinga, having blasted his maiden ODI half-century, was short of the crease when attempting what would have been the winning run.

It was Sri Lanka’s good luck that a man as vastly experienced as Muttiah Muralitharan, no rabbit with the bat, walked in at number 11 and he completed the job in style with the assured Mathews at the other end.

The Sri Lankan victory overshadowed the impressive international debut of left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty who claimed four wickets to bring Australia back in the game after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene had threatened to make it a one-sided contest.

Australia’s innings was rocked by Thisara Perera whose five-wicket haul limited the hosts to 239 despite the recovery led by the ever-dependable Michael Hussey who remained undefeated with 71 containing just one boundary and as many as 50 singles.

readmore »»

South Africa narrowly survive another miracle

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

While other teams dream about bringing about a miracle once in a blue moon Pakistan’s cricketers have been brought up watching such upsets as being part and parcel of their usual business.

Take it positively or otherwise the fact remains that Pakistan could never be ruled out of the game until they are finally beaten. Abdul Razzaq was the architect of a win in the most unlikely of circumstances in the second One-day International against South Africa in Abu Dhabi.

South Africa, despite having been blown out by Razzaq the other night, must have reckoned that the match was in their grab when they dismissed the danger man with Pakistan still needing 76 runs in the last eight overs with only four wickets standing in the third ODI in Dubai.

South Africa held all the cards in their pocket at this stage, in their bid to defend the total of 228. Their bowlers had been on target and there was not much to complain either from the fielders.

The boundaries had dried up and the task of getting nearly 10 runs every over with not much batting resources left it needed yet another miraculous onslaught to alter the course of the proceedings.

I had written while analyzing the second ODI that when Pakistan get on the rampage every other thing takes back seat. I had pointed out that it was Abdul Razzaq who caused the damage to South Africa but it could have been Shoaib Akhtar too in the similar role.

Well it was not Shoaib Akhtar but it was the unlikely duo of Fawad Alam and Wahab Riaz who cut South Africa to size to very nearly pull off yet another incredible win. Both of them stunned everyone with their heroics.

South Africa, who bowled and fielded terribly in the final phase of the game when they actually needed to seal the fate with just normal game, came perilously close to losing yet another tie which they had in their bag all the time.

The sloppy work of the South Africans, who are known otherwise for their brilliance in the field, didn’t cost them the game but it must have provided them enough shock to keep them unsettled for sometime.

The South African batsmen, with the sole exception of Hashim Amla, were found wanting in conditions that were not all that demanding. The dismissal of A B de Villiers courtesy a rank bad decision by third umpire, Zamir Haider, didn’t help their cause either.

The International Cricket Council (ICC), which is headquartered in Dubai where the match was taking place, should do away with the policy of ‘risking’ home umpires in One-day Internationals because obviously such decisions create a bad feeling among the affected team.

Amla held the South African innings together with another masterful century, his fifth of the year in the ODIs. It’s quite amazing how he has improved him game over the last couple of years.

readmore »»

Call it a miracle or a fluke that’s how Pakistan cricket lives

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Never rule Pakistan out of any contest has been a famous saying. You are never sure when the Nature will collaborate with them to achieve the impossible. We have seen it so many times when they have performed wonders in the unlikeliest of circumstances.

The latest episode was witnessed in the second One-day International between Pakistan and South Africa in Abu Dhabi on October 31 with Abdul Razzaq being the catalyst of bringing about another miracle.

I had mentioned in my write-up on October 30 that unless and until something very dramatic happens or the external factors come into play in a big way, South Africa should be winning the remaining four ODIs and both the Test matches that follow without much botheration.

There was not even the remotest possibility of Pakistan winning the game when they had lost their top five batsmen with many more runs required at a very demanding asking rate. That’s why the majority of the cricket enthusiasts back home had either switched off their television sets or changed the channel to watch something that had an element of entertainment or fun in it.

It was only when they woke up in the morning they learnt about the miracle having taken place in the desert with Abdul Razzaq having blasted a kind of century that would have made even the likes of Don Bradman and Viv Richards proud.

That’s the beauty of Pakistan cricket. You never know when any of their batter will turn the master blaster of the century. It was Abdul Razzaq’s night. It could have belonged to anyone else too. I would not have been surprised even if Shoaib Akhtar played that kind of cameo having come at number eleven.

I think it was exactly a year ago at the same venue when Daniel Vettori and his team had narrowly survived an even bigger embarrassment when the last pair of Mohammad Aamer and Saeed Ajmal had turned it around with a huge partnership.

Vettori, I suppose, would remember that night for a long time. Known and respected for bowling the tightest of line and length that keeps even the most fluent of batsmen guessing, the champion left-arm spinner was whacked for a couple of sixes in an over by Aamer of all people.

The one-wicket victory has opened Pakistan’s account in the series but it’s not expected to cause much discomfort or anxiety in the South African camp. Having suffered similar fate against the same opponents a few times in the past as well they must have known that there’s no point in taking Pakistan for granted irrespective of their form, fitness or anything.

While the South Africans would be looking to prevent another miracle during the course of the ongoing series Pakistan would be hoping for the repeat of such an act a few more times which obviously seems unlikely but cannot be ruled out entirely.

readmore »»

Sri Lanka off to a winning start in Australia

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Sri Lankans haven’t had particularly pleasing memories of their past tours of Australia. They have been at the receiving end more often than not and it was an odd country where they had not been able to come good despite so much promise.

Things appear different now with the once impregnable Australians having become vulnerable now and the Sri Lankans having made advancements in world cricket with the discovery of a few most talented youngsters.

It has become evident in the very first encounter between the two sides that it’s a different ball game now. Watching the Sri Lankans dominate the hosts at the WACA in Perth on October 31 was an unusual sight but not totally unexpected.

Sri Lanka looked the more formidable of the two combatants but more importantly they were able to translate their supremacy into a massive win in the one-off Twenty20 International.

Sri Lanka were in total control of the proceedings from the outset and they didn’t allow the Aussies to stage a forceful comeback as they had earlier this year in their clash in the Caribbean during the ICC World T20.

The only period when the Australians threatened to pull it back was when Brad Haddin and Steve Smith were putting together a big partnership but their dismissal in one Suraj Randiv over prevented an onslaught in the death overs.

The Sri Lankan bowling remained hostile yet accurate. Speedster Lasith Malinga was guilty of spraying a few wides down the leg side but that hardly mattered in the final count. The fast bowling was terrific and the spin duo of Randiv and that man Mutiah Muralitharan was spot on.

Australia, having slumped to 43 for five in the 11th over, did give themselves a sniff by recovering to 133 for eight in the allotted 20 overs. Getting 90 runs off the last 10 overs was quite an accomplishment but the damage had been done in the first half of their innings.

The Sri Lankan fielding was top class and it played a key role in the limited the hosts. The running catch Dilhara Fernando took to get rid of the threatening Michael Clarke represented the improved skills of the visitors. It was a spectacular one-handed catch that stunned the spectators.

With the bowlers and the fielders having done the job, the task was made easier for their batsmen and they latched on the opportunity. The target of 134 was unlikely to tease the visitors and they did get it very comfortably indeed.

Such a marvelous start should inspire the Sri Lankans in the upcoming ODI series and they should have greater confidence now after having overpowered the hosts so decisively in the T20 game. I think Sri Lanka have their best chance to beat Australia in Australia.

The Sri Lankans, the form in which they are in, must be regretting having just three ODIs besides the one T20 during the tour. The Australians need to lift their game to be in the better frame of mind for upcoming Ashes battle.

readmore »»

South Africa on course of whitewashing Pakistan

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

I incline to agree with the observations of the former South African coach, Mickey Arthur, that Pakistan, being at an absolute low, stand no chance whatsoever of coming to terms with the Proteas in the ongoing series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

South Africa, after having overwhelmed Pakistan in both the Twenty20 Internationals, cruised to a most comfortable victory in the first of the five One-day Internationals at Abu Dhabi on October 29.

Unless and until something very dramatic happens or the external factors come into play in a big way, South Africa should be winning the remaining four ODIs and both the Test matches that follow without much botheration.

“I can't see us having any trouble beating them. Our real test will come when we play against India at home at the end of the year," Aurthur, now coach of Western Australia after he resigned from the Proteas job in January, said while mentioning the problems surrounding the Pakistan team at the moment.

I don’t think anybody will argue with Arthur at this stage. The momentum is with South Africa and they have a balanced and strong outfit for every format of the game while Pakistan find themselves in an exactly the opposite situation.

Thanks to Ijaz Butt and his cronies, Pakistan have had problems in finding a regular captain besides fielding a settled team for the last couple of years. Far too many changes with total disregard to merit have pushed the Pakistan cricket to a corner from where they can only dip further.

If we talk purely in terms of cricket, there’s a huge gap between the two teams. The South African outfit is not only super-fit and agile but they seem to be playing with purpose. They have a goal in their mind and they are executing their plans accordingly.

The World Cup, less than six months away, is very much in their minds and they are doing their best to raise the level of their game. They have had the problem of choking in the big tournaments in the past and I am sure they would be working overtime to overcome this chronic weakness of theirs.

The South African youngsters have come to the party in a big way which augurs well for the future of their cricket. The young guns will certainly keep the veterans on their toes and there will be pressure on the seasoned campaigners to perform consistently or be replaced.

The performance of Jacques Kallis, returning to the side after a layoff, would delight their team management and his all-round expertise would be immensely helpful to their cause. It’s quite extraordinary how Hashim Amla has transformed his game, having become a dasher top of the order.

A B de Villiers, as he showed in the first ODI, has no problems in keeping the scoreboard moving as will while Graeme Smith and J P Duminy also have also hit form without wasting time.

The pace of Morne Morkel can frighten the best of batsmen and he’s going to be a major threat for Pakistan. With another genuine fast bowler in Dale Steyn raring to go at the other end it can only mean further trouble for their opponents.

readmore »»