Another miracle earns Pakistan Asiad hockey gold

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Who would have imagined of the Pakistan hockey team winning the gold medal in the Asian Games in Guangzhou after they had finished last among the 12 participating outfits in the World Cup in New Delhi earlier this year?

There were cries from every nook and corner of the country to bring the ‘culprits’ to book who had caused the humiliation to Pakistan hockey at the international level. A battery of former greats launched a nation-wide campaign to get rid of the personnel whom they considered responsible for the debacle.

As has been customary during the last couple of years in particular, the concept of check and balance is on the way to extinction in this part of the world and those enjoying the political clout have virtually been declared above the law.

If Ijaz Butt could be allowed to continue heading the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) despite his repeated failures and with so many corruption charges mainly because he’s the brother-in-law of an influential Federal Minister there seemed no logic why Qasim Zia or Asif Bajwa would have been removed from the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for they had their own trusted connections in the corridors of power.

The former Olympians had spearheaded a full fledged movement to oust the PHF bosses but all their efforts failed. Instead of taking them to task and quizzing them, the government officials gave a stronger vote of confidence to the persons who had brought about the disaster.

Qasim Zia and Asif Bajwa, like Ijaz Butt in cricket, were granted the lincence to kill it hockey. They were publicly told to run the affairs according to their whims and to ignore the criticism from all quarters.

Under these circumstances it would have come as no surprise if Pakistan finished last in the Asian Games as well. There would have been no inquiry and no questions asked. Nobody would have bothered to criticize them or to raise any concern because all their energies were consumed earlier.

But as the luck would have it, Pakistan have won the gold medal. They had previously done it seven times but on each occasion they were one of the favourites to lift the title. This is the first time that they have claimed first position when even their entry in the semifinals was not guaranteed.

That’s how the Pakistan sports has been moving of late. They need miracles and they keep getting it somehow. When the Nature comes into play obviously everything else takes a backseat.

It’s quite incredible to say the least how Pakistan have managed to lift the hockey crown at Guangzhou. To have overpowered the in-form teams like South Korea and Malaysia in the knockout games was amazing.

Many people would have written them off when they lost to India in their league matches. But they were taught the lesson once more that it’s never advisable to write off Pakistan until they are actually out of it.

Specialist drag-flicker Sohail Abbas and veteran sriker Rehan Butt scored the goals in the final against Malaysia, who had to settle for silver in their maiden appearance in the title clash after winning the bronze medal six times.

The Malaysians couldn’t play to their potential in the final and Amin Rahim, whose two late goals floored India in the semifinals, faltered in all three penalty corners his team earned

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Birthday boy Siddle sizzles with a hat-trick to kickstart Ashes

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Normally I don’t like to comment during the course of a Test match but the spectacular feat of Peter Siddle on the opening day of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba in Brisbane on November 25 has prompted me to do a piece without waiting for the game to finish.

Obviously it’s not the first-ever hat-trick to be achieved in a cricket field or in the international arena but it’s quite unique in more than one way. Siddle must have received numerous messages and greetings before the start of the Test match not only because he was returning to the national team after nearly a year but also because it was getting underway on his 26th birthday.

The Australian selectors had taken a calculated risk by inducting him in the playing eleven at the expense of Doug Bollinger who had been the country’s leading wicket-taker of the year in Test matches.

Siddle did not waste any time in returning the compliments. He celebrated the recall as well as the birthday with a hat-trick and career-best figures. He produced a couple of amazing spells to devastate the England batting line-up.

It was a wonderful exhibition of aggressive fast bowling and he richly deserved the hat-trick, which was first by an Australian since Glenn McGrath did it in 2000-01.

The magical moments came in his 12th over as he brought the crowd at the Gabba to life by dismissing Aliastar Cook, Matt Prior and Stuart Broad on the third, fourth and fifth balls respectively to complete a magnificent hat-trick.

Cook, who was hanging there in the middle since the start of the innings, was plucked by Shane Watson at first slip while the next one whistled between Prior's bat and pad. Broad was undone by a toe-crushing yorker that caught him plumb in front.

There was a little of drama and the celebrations had to be halted briefly as the Broad challenged the verdict of umpire Aleem Dar. The action replays confirmed that the on-field umpire had indeed made the correct decision.

"I'd like to say it was the plan but I was looking to hit the top of off. To get him on the full with a bit of shape was a dream ball. I'll definitely remember it for a long time. To see the finger go up quickly was very pleasing," Siddle was quoted as saying.

"Then all the boys came charging in and Stuart was still in, so I sort of thought he'd call for the review. When you hit them on the full you're pretty confident," the charged up speed merchant stated.

"I don't want to be mean to parents and friends who have given me presents over all the years, but this is definitely going to be one of the best birthday presents that I'm ever going to get. It's an amazing feeling," Siddle added.

His six-wicket haul on the opening day of the first Test has provided Australia the best possible start in their pursuit for regaining the Ashes. Skipper Ricky Ponting could not have desired a better performance from his returning spearhead.

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Intikhab considers UAE series against South Africa a great success

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Although Pakistan could only draw the Test series, after having narrowly lost the ODI series, against South Africa, manager Intikhab Alam very rightly described the just concluded tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a success story for his team.

“I think Misbah-ul-Haq led the team from the front. The boys showed fierce determination to perform under intense pressure which augurs well for the future,” he told APP Sports Correspondent, Ehsan Qureshi, in an interview ahead of their departure to Lahore on November 25.

“It was very heartening that the Pakistan team put up a fighting show against formidable South African placed second in the ICC Test ranking. Overall it was an impressive show by our boys,” he commented.

“Coming from behind and drawing both the Test matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi was creditable performance. It was an outstanding show under intense pressure,” he reckoned.

Pakistan surprised even their own supporters by having managed to draw both the Test matches after nightmarish starts. The fancied South Africans were unable to either of the two games despite being the firm favourites.

“The fighting performance against South Africa in ODIs and Test matches are great boost for the team ahead of their tour to New Zealand,” former Pakistan Captain Intikhab Alam, who replaced Yawar Saeed as Manager, observed.

He said it was good performance by the team in absence suspended pace duo of Muhammad Aamir and Muhammad Asif and opener Salman Butt.

“Team members showed responsibility and good conduct on and off the field. Misbah led the side well and also proved himself with the bat,” Intikhab added.

He said there was lot of talk criticism on the appointment of Misbah as the captain of the Test team but he fully proved himself worthy of the position.

“The atmosphere in the dressing room remained friendly and congenial and coach Waqar Younis alongwith the support staff played their role admirably,” he said.

Commenting on the pitches prepared for Test matches, tracks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were more suited for batting but added there was some good performances by Pakistani and South African bowlers on those pitches.

“I think ODI as well as Test series were interesting and absorbing and there was great tussle between the bat and the ball throughout the tour,” he remarked.

Intikhab Alam credited youngsters like Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, debutant pace bowler Tanvir Ahmed and all-rounder Abdur Rehman. “These guys put in their best and impressed everyone with their outstanding performances. Among the seniors Younis Khan, Umer Gul also fared well,” he said.

Commenting on the areas of concern for his team, he did not mince words in stating that fielding and top level fitness needed to be focussed ahead of the upcoming tour of New Zealand.

To a question about wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider deserting the team on the morning of the fifth ODI in Dubai, he said that he had prepared a report and will be submitting to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Ijaz Butt, shortly.

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Dhoni’s confession merits probe

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

"I think we played to 60% of our potential, whatever the reasons were. We have the potential to play much better."

This is the confession the Indian skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, made during the media briefing at Nagpur after the conclusion of the third and final Test against New Zealand on the afternoon of November 23.

Obviously he didn’t elaborate for how could he have that authority where the Board is all powerful and the cricketers cannot be expected to cross limits.

I think this is just the tip of iceberg. He must have been under enormous because he was the leader of the top ranked Test team of the world which couldn’t beat one of the lowest ranked sides in two successive games.

There was no comparison between the two sides and as I have emphasized in my write-ups on this particular series India should have won all the three matches comprehensively. There was no way Daniel Vettori’s young and inexperienced outfit could have come to terms with the most potent and balanced Indian team of all time.

It was really childish of Dhoni to have blamed the pitches of Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. The fact of the matter appeared that his team didn’t have the desire to win those two matches. They could have easily wrapped up the issue in the same manner as they did at Nagpur.

It’s much better that he has admitted now that his team didn’t play to its potential in the earlier two Tests. It’s closer to reality. He could not have said further. It’s for the others to find out the reasons why Team India was not allowed to give its best.

Who’re the people responsible for the poor show of the Indians in two successive Test matches? Doesn’t it amount to playing around with the emotions of the people who follow the game so enthusiastically in anticipation of glories?

Can the Indian cricketers choose not to play to their potential on their own? A cricket board which ousted a man as powerful as Lalit Modi cannot be expected to be taken for a ride by the players.

I don’t think the International Cricket Council (ICC) would have the courage to take up this matter although the matter could fall in the purview of its Anti-Corruption Unit if taken seriously.

But how can the ICC be expected to move when their commercial interests are linked to each and every cricket board. They can only protect the boards because they are their constituent bodies.

I have a feeling that Dhoni’s confession merits proble. Some agency or authority, not under the influence of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), could take up the matter and find out who are the people behind this.

The affairs of the Indian Premier League (IPL) had come on the front pages of the eminent newspapers. I think this matter is much more grave in nature because the national team is involved. I hope someone looks into it for cleaning the sport.

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Tendulkar’s yet another super failure

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

There’s indeed something special about a man named Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. When he’s good he’s better than the best. Conversely when he’s not good he fares worse than the worst.

When he’s on song he appears to be the greatest-ever batsman but when he’s not in a mood to be among the runs he looks uglier than the traditional tail-enders who used to be there just for fun.

He has proved it on innumerable occasions that he’s second to none when it comes to taking on the greatest of bowlers. But the same man remains vulnerable to the friendliest of bowlers who are themselves scared of having a go at him.

Isn’t it strange that he’s equal to the task more often than not while coming to task with the champion bowlers and yet behaves like a novice when confronting the lesser mortals? This has been his story for a very long time now.

Statistically he’s the best batsman to be produced by his country. But how many matches has he won for India during an international career having crossed two decades now. He has scored in heaps but his performance in helping his team has not been as phenomenal.

Primarily because of his records, that are unlikely to be broken in the foreseeable future, he’s compared to the likes of the incomparable Don Bradman. I wonder if the Australian genius had so many failures as Tendulkar and that too against inconsequential bowling attacks.

Tendulkar has had this chronic problem of failing against the weaker opponents that do raise many questions just like he’s often found wanting when India need him to fire. The matter gets closed because of the human factor.

He’s no doubt a human being and it’s indeed next to impossible to score consistently over a long period of time. But what fails to satisfy many people is the bitter reality of his repeated failures against weak opponents with the just concluded home series against New Zealand being the latest example.

The form in which Tendulkar was in for the past many months, having blasted centuries after centuries at his sweet will it had seemed very likely that he would complete his half-century of centuries in the very first outing against the Black Caps, possessing a toothless bowling attack.

He was expected to do it in the first Test at Ahmedabad. Centuries by Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid had demoralized the New Zealanders on the opening day and the stage was set for Tendulkar to accomplish the feat without any fuss the following day.

The big crowd having gathered there in anticipation of the historic moment was disappointed when he got himself out against the run of play on the second morning. He got the opportunity to make up but he let it go again in the second innings. Then it was the turn of the holiday crowd at Hyderabad to watch in dismay yet another Tendulkar failure in the second Test.

Came the third and final Test and Tendulkar was in complete control before throwing it away once more. The whole series went by and he couldn’t score even a single century despite being in what people though was the form of his lifetime.

Tendulkar continued his love with the debutants. After having gifted his wicket to Ujesh Ranchod, Ruwan Kalpage, Mark Ealham, Neil Johnson, Jacob Oram, Monty Panesar, Cameron White, Peter Siddle and Peter George he let Andy Mc Kay celebrate at Nagpur.

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India finally in top gear at Nagpur to control damage

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Not surprisingly India performed the damage control act by winning the third and final Test against New Zealand at Nagpur after having given below par performance in the previous two Tests to keep the series alive.

There was always an element of ‘shock’ as well as ‘suspicion’ over the fate of the previous two Tests in which the hosts had looked like obliging the Black Caps with draws.

Obviously the New Zealanders were not the only ones ‘obliged’ with the unlikely result of the first couple of Test matches at Ahmedabad and Hyderabad where the hosts were reluctant to emerge victorious.

As we saw over three days and a bit at Nagpur the Black Caps had neither the firepower nor the resources to come to terms with the mighty Indian side, that has been flying high for the past couple of years.

India had to play below par or under-perform in those games to let New Zealand, fresh from a bashing in Bangladesh, come close because there was a huge gulf between the two teams and a draw was as good as a massive win for the visitors.

New Zealand would not have dreamt of drawing the first two Tests in India but courtesy some rather familiar ‘unseen’ factors the unlikeliest of results were witnessed in those games.

India didn’t seem to have the plan to repeat Ahmedabad and Hyderabad at Nagpur and the entire world saw what has happened there. Even the absence of their champion fast bowler, Zaheer Khan, didn’t make a difference.

India could have lost quite a few ranking points even at being top of the ladder if they let New Zealand draw at Nagpur too. I think this could have been the most likely factor that prompted the hosts to play the game the way they should have played in the last two Tests as well.

India won the third Test by a margin of an innings and 198 runs. They could have easily registered innings victories in the last two Tests as well, had they desired so.

The inexperienced New Zealand side was at their mercy from day one of the series. There could not have been a better opportunity to whitewash the Black Caps who had come to India with no hopes of challenging the home side.

As someone had remarked at the start of the series it was to be a mismatch. It should have been that way throughout the series but the Indians, not unexpectedly, chose to do things that looked ‘strange’ to the masses only.

Those having followed and covered India’s matches over the years did know that there would be some drama during the New Zealand which the home side was not going to be interested in winning as convincingly as was being anticipated.

Not many experts would disagree that India could have blasted New Zealand inside three days in each of the three Tests. That would not have only enthralled the spectators but also helped in preparing for the upcoming tougher assignments with greater confidence. They would have certainly been in a better frame of mind having done it three times rather than once.

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Do Indian cricket authorities care for glory, rankings etc?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had introduced the rankings in order to keep the interest alive in dead rubber games. It was also considered a measure to prevent match fixing as there seemed greater chance for such matches to be ‘fixed.’ Also the ranking points served as incentives for the fancied teams while taking on lesser mortals.

But all such incentives and precautionary measures aimed at controlling the evil prove meaningless if money becomes the sole criterion and things like the national interest and glories for country are pushed to a side.

Look at the latest example. The Indians are the top ranked side in Test cricket, a position they have thoroughly deserved after performing consistently against the other high flying nations. They are blessed with the most potent side in world cricket at the moment and they have come good against the toughest of rivals.

But India have had a big problem throughout the last couple of decades. They have not been at their best while taking on those sides found wanting elsewhere. They have a history of coming up with below par performances against teams like New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Kenya.

People thought that they would do away with this old habit while taking on New Zealand in the current Test and ODI series with the ranking points at stake and India aiming to consolidate at the top of the tree.

Such thoughts have remained mere thoughts and the Indians have continued to show complete disrespect for their position. More than anything they are playing with the emotions of their own people. It remains to be seen for how long the cricket enthusiasts in India will tolerate this exercise.

It has been reported that India would be losing ranking points irrespective of the result of third and final Test at Nagpur starting on November 20. They can control damage by winning the game in which case they will lose only one point. A draw will cost them four points while a defeat, which can never be ruled out when they are in such generous mood, will deprive them of six points.

Batting has been India’s forte in the recent past and their batsmen have plundered the most lethal of bowling attacks rather ruthlessly on all types of pitches. Will you believe it that all their premier batsmen, with the sole exception of Virender Sehwag, are struggling at home against the friendliest of bowling attacks?

Wasn’t it a pity that the cricket fans of Ahmedabad and Hyderabad were denied the pleasure of watching Sachin Tendulkar at his best? Who would believe that the New Zealand bowlers would tie him down this much before scalping him cheaply against the heaviest of odds not once but three times in a row?

It’s very difficult to say if Tendulkar would indeed be allowed to reach the much-awaited 50th Test century at Nagpur or the plan is to defer it further. We will know it over the next few days.

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How many more presents for New Zealanders in India?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The New Zealanders be been feeling delighted to be in India at the moment. They must be feeling over the moon with their exploits because they could not even have thought in their distant dreams of coming up with this kind of performance.

What was being branded as a mismatch before the start of the series, not surprisingly, has become quite a contest now and the fate hinges entirely on the outcome of the third and final Test. Cricket we all know is a funny game but not everyone knows how far the Indians could do in enlivening proceedings out of a dead game.

This is certainly not for the first time. The Indians have had this tendency of obliging the underdogs, more so in their own den. No wonder the teams like New Zealand and Zimbabwe are the major beneficiaries when India are the overwhelming favourites in a home series in particular.

I think it’s just a matter of the history repeating itself here. At least I won’t be surprised if New Zealand go on to clinch the Test series and then also claim the series of five One-day Internationals that follows. In fact it looks quite likely now that the New Zealanders would be allowed to compete in each and every game of the tour.

The Indians have done it so many times against New Zealand previously, having let them dominate and win from position of nowhere.

The Indians, fresh from a resounding 2-0 win over Australia in the Test series, were being expected to blank the Black Caps, who had been whitewashed at the hands of Bangladesh in the ODI series just a few weeks ago.

But look at the Indians how they have controlled the series against New Zealand, a totally disjointed and depressed side at the start of the tour. It needed quite an effort and sacrifice on part of the hosts to let the New Zealanders come at par with them.

What happened in the first Test at Ahmedabad was nothing short of disgrace to cricket. India had to work extremely hard to get bowled out for less than 500 in the first innings after having got to 300 for the loss of just one wicket. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina had to fail in order to ensure a smaller total than anticipated.

The Indian bowlers had to work even harder to facilitate the inexperienced New Zealand batsmen post a much higher total than their capabilities. Then we witnessed the sight of the mighty Indian batting order to collapse to 15 for 5 against a bowler who never looked threatening or devastating.

In the second Test at Hyderabad the hosts were found to be even more generous than the first game. The New Zealand opener, Tim McIntosh, having bagged a pair in the first Test came very close to scoring a century in each innings while the flashy wicketkeeper, Brendom McCullum, was gifted with his maiden double century.

What next India? Should we see the remaining New Zealanders returning their career best performance in the third and final Test or will we get a break for a change.

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