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Monday, February 28, 2011

Pakistan need to rally around Younus and Misbah: Akram

Praising Misbah-ul-Haq and Younus Khan for playing the role of senior players to perfection in the match against Sri Lanka, fast bowling great Wasim Akram said the Pakistan team need to rally around the experienced duo if they are to do well further in the World Cup.

Younis and Misbah struck half-centuries to help Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 11 runs in their second group match on Saturday.

"It really heartens me to see the senior boys doing their jobs. Younus is an intelligent man and so is Misbah. Both have played a lot of ODIs and if Pakistan have to roll on, then this pair has to hold the innings together, every day.

"They did this against the Lankans and the way they kept the scoreboard ticking, underlined their pots of experience. The entire team has to rally around Misbah and Younus. They are the elder statesmen of a team that has a lot of raw but extremely talented youngsters. Afridi must give the seniors their space and respect they deserve," Akram wrote in his column for espnstar.com.

The highest wicket taker for Pakistan in One-day cricket, Akram also praised Shahid Afridi for good captaincy.

"Afridi is showing signs of maturity. His decision to bring back Akhtar when Mahela Jayawardene was batting was a top move. In my book, Akhtar cleaning up Jayawardene with a gem of ball that nipped back was the turning point of the match. For, if Jayawardene survived, Sri Lanka would have had a great chance to chase and win," he wrote.

However, Akram was not happy with performance of stumper Kamran Akmal and paceman Umar Gul.

"Kamran Akmal's wicket-keeping was very shabby and that denied the young spinner Abdur Rehman a couple of much-needed wickets. Surely, the team management will be speaking to Akmal. These errors can prove costly in big games."

"Pakistan's strike bowler Umar Gul has been disappointing. He is not showing his experience and Gul did not vary his pace for once at Premadasa. Gul's poor showing so far may open the door for Wahab Riaz," he felt.

Pakistan take on minnows Canada on March 3 in their next Group A match.

Unity gives Pakistan edge over others


There were many complaints that the first six matches featured five games of a test team against an associate team, with the one exception being the outright favourites India against a team who would struggle to make the quarter finals in Bangladesh, which in itself was a mismatch.



Shahid Afridi. Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES

We saw such horrible mismatches as Kenya being bowled out for 69 and New Zealand getting the runs without even losing a wicket inside nine overs. Netherlands at least made it fairly close against England in something of an upset.


And then, even when we did have two test teams, New Zealand crumbled against Australia and West Indies never looked likely against South Africa. It wasn’t until match nine, when Bangladesh faced easily the best associate team in Ireland that we saw the first classic match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Still some complained about it, as these were two teams who would be fighting for the final spot in the quarter finals, alongside West Indies and perhaps England.


Still they wanted that first classic encounter against two top teams. And this match did not disappoint.


Shahid Afridi with MoTM trophy. Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES

Pakistan started off very un-Pakistan like by batting quickly early on. Ahmed Shehzad fell early but then Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal lifted the run rate. This is Hafeez with the appalling ODI strike rate of 63.68, one of the worst in the world for top order batsmen, and he was batting at better than a run a ball. And Sri Lanka were shell-shocked. But then, in typical Pakistan fashion, they imploded.


Kamran Akmal called for the run and ran to his heart’s content at what was an easy single but Hafeez didn’t even look or listen. Hafeez ended up as the one who was run out, and deservedly so. The scorecard read run out (Herath/Jayawardene/†Sangakkara/Muralitharan) and that pretty much summed it up. It was a mix up of who ran him out as well.


After that, Pakistan seemed to capitulate as Kamran Akmal didn’t last much longer and in spite of Shahid Afridi’s promise that Younus Khan and Misbah ul Haq would never bat together as they batted too slow and in this case they did. And they held it together very well. Then, in very unlike Younus and Misbah fashion, they were scoring at close to a run a ball.


Enter Murali, who suffocated the run rate and Herath did a pretty good job too. They weren’t getting out though and one felt that with Afridi and Razzaq to come Pakistan would explode. It was a bit of a surprise really that when Younus Khan finally did fall that Umar Akmal came in not Afridi or Razzaq. Umar Akmal didn’t do much and by the time that Afridi and Razzaq came in there were hardly any overs left.


United Pakistan team. Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES


The Sri Lankan bowling line up, Herath and Murali aside, had looked impotent, though Perera did manage to get two wickets, but while going at almost seven runs per over. Relying on two all-rounders to bowl 10 overs each didn’t look too sensible and with Kulasakera being the main bowler they really didn’t look too threatening.


But yet Pakistan didn’t kick on. They should have got 300+ and, with how they have batted at the end in matches past, 320-330 or so would not have been a surprise. But to Sri Lanka’s credit they restricted them to just 277. It was a lot better than it had looked through most of the innings. The question was whether Sri Lanka’s batsmen could reel it in.


Sri Lanka batted slowly at first, which is very unlike them. No wickets fell but they were quickly falling behind the run rate. But then, as the opening partnership grew, the run rate grew with it and it was looking like Sri Lanka would win the match. Then Mohammad Hafeez, who isn’t exactly highly regarded as a off spin bowler, took a crucial wicket, breaking the opening partnership right at the stage where they were about to take the game away from Pakistan. Afridi took the catch and it felt like it was a match changing dismissal.

Happy Pakistan team. Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES



Not long later, Afridi then clean bowled Dilshan and suddenly Sri Lanka were on the ropes. Of course, Jayawardene and Sangakkara, two big hitting yet solid batsmen, were coming in, and then don’t forget their big strikers Mathews and especially Perera, who were yet to come.


But Jayawardene didn’t last long and was clean bowled by Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar. Jayawardene was so shocked that he even turned around to make sure that the stumps were really rattled. Pakistan were well on top and it was hard to imagine Sri Lanka coming back.


Samaraweera is in the squad to shore up the middle order, more of a plodder than a striker, and his main role is to rescue the side when they get into this kind of situation. But such was Sri Lanka’s plight that even he couldn’t do anything. He was made to look like a bunny as Kamran Akmal took the first of the two stumpings of the innings, this one off Shahid Afridi, and Afridi had his second wicket of the match.


Silva is a player who many feel shouldn’t be in the squad but who else is there to replace him? Nobody really. Jayasuriya many felt should have played just so that this major hole is the squad wouldn’t be exposed, and Silva just didn’t seem to know what he was doing. He blocked well as the required run rate rose from nearly six to up around eight and nine.


At one stage Silva had scored 13 off 44 deliveries, an appalling record when chasing 277 and when Sri Lanka was already behind on the run rate. Sangakkara was left with far too much to do and while he himself had a good strike rate Silva was just chewing up too many dot balls and handing the game to Pakistan.

Then Sangakkara fell, then Mathews had a brief fruitful period and then Perera smashed it but was there all too briefly and suddenly Silva was there batting with the tail. It looked all over but suddenly this guy who had broken the Sri Lankan record for most deliveries in a world cup without scoring a boundary started to bat with more freedom.

Shahid Afridi & Kumar Sangakarra. Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES


Suddenly, when all seemed lost, he looked like he might just be able to lead Sri Lanka to victory. He was being viewed a bit differently. But just as Silva was started to look good, Rehman took his only wicket and Kamran Akmal had his second stumping, an appalling effort from Silva as he was way down his crease off a wide. 57 off 78 and he had given his wicket away so cheaply, so foolishly. And it looked all but over.


But nobody told tail-ender Kulasekera that. Facing more than 10 runs per over and only tailenders left, Kulasekera batted like a top order batsman, hitting powerful 4s and one monster six. What was worse that Pakistan had run out of bowlers. Their three premier bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Rehman had bowled out and now we were left with the expensive Umar Gul or the two who didn’t penetrate in Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Hafeez. Who would bowl? Could Sri Lanka capitalise and yet win it?


Hafeez was the bowler and bowled fairly tightly but Kulasekera hit six off the last ball and now there were 18 left from the last over. A tough ask, made worse by Herath being on strike. It became 18 off 5, 17 off 4, then 13 off 3. And then, crucially, what looked like a wide down the leg side was given as a dot ball.


A wide would have made it an encouraging 12 off 3 but instead it was an impossible 13 off 2. A tie was still possible and the very next ball Kulasekera tried to do exactly that as he smashed what looked for all the world like a towering six. Yet it fell just short, and Umar Akmal hung on to a difficult catch, not the least because of the pressure surrounding it. The last ball didn’t matter as Murali walked through for a leg bye and Pakistan had won by 11 runs.


90% of the match Pakistan was ahead but at the end of the day the margin was just 11 runs. It was close. Sri Lanka had rested Lasith Malinga and a minor surprise was the exclusion of Ajantha Mendis. Sri Lanka’s bowling, bar Murali and Herath, had been somewhat impotent, so that may have made all the difference. But really, for most of the chase, the match was lost by Silva. He did salvage it somewhat towards the end, but it just felt like he had lost it.


Pakistan were actually underdogs for this match, as Sri Lanka is as much as 2nd-4th favourites  (depending on who you ask) while most have Pakistan as 5th-6th, some saying that they have an outside chance for the cup but others saying that they are not in the race.


Yet missing so many players from suspensions of various kinds almost seemed to unify them and this is a team fighting with the most unity and the most spirit that we have seen since 1992 under Imran Khan, the side who captured the world cup. Pakistan might not be the best team around and probably isn’t as good a team as Sri Lanka either, but they seemed to be the most unified team. And that may be enough to win them this title.


This was a classic match, especially for Pakistan fans and I think should give real belief that Pakistan can win the world cup.

Hurt Pakistan to make rivals suffer, says Akhtar

Maverick paceman Shoaib Akhtar on Monday said Pakistan were hurting from the cricket corruption scandal, but his rejuvenated team will take their frustrations out on their World Cup rivals.

Test captain Salman Butt and seamers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were banned for corruption barely two weeks before the World Cup which depleted Pakistan's bowling options.

But Akhtar said the loss of the trio has helped unite the squad.

"We are a hurt side so we are here to hurt others. It's better that it happened to us because every time a controversy happens it gathers us together and what better situation than before a World Cup," Akhtar said.

Pakistan, rated as dark horses in the most open World Cup in its 36-year history, inflicted a narrow 11-run defeat over co-hosts Sri Lanka in their last match after seeing off Kenya by 205 runs.

Akhtar, 35, admitted he was missing Aamer - banned for five years - and Asif - banned for seven - but said others have stepped up.

"Obviously without Aamer and Asif we have suffered badly, they were the best with the new ball, it's unfortunate what happened to them. Had they been with us it would have been the most lethal bowling attack," said Akhtar.

"But the way (Umar) Gul and (Abdul) Razzaq have been bowling, the way (Wahab) Riaz is bowling, we can still do a much better job as we have variety in our attack."

Akhtar hoped Pakistan - who next face Canada in Colombo on March 3 - will not get complacent after beating Sri Lanka.

"We have to move on and we shouldn't get complacent with the new ball because if we get two or three early wickets then that could be the turning point," said Akhtar, whose 14-year career has been dotted with bans, a failed dope test and fitness problems.

He and Asif failed drugs tests in 2006 and were banned for two years and one year respectively, both of which which were lifted on appeal.

Fitness problems forced him to miss the 2007 World Cup while he was fined 3.4 million rupees ($27,000), and banned for 13 ODIs, after he hit Asif with a bat, two days before the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa.

Akhtar said he was happy to play his part in the Sri Lanka win, taking the all-important wicket of in-form Mahela Jayawardene to finish with 2/42.

"I am happy that I got a wicket at a time when it was needed," said Akhtar. "It was very important for us to stage a comeback and it was good that we did and proved people who termed Sri Lanka as favourites wrong."

Afridi urges colleagues to show more improvement

Under normal circumstances, Shahid Afridi would have been elated over the fact that his under-rated team has begun the World Cup with two impressive wins including an 11-run victory over co-hosts Sri Lanka.

But the Pakistan captain is not in the mood to celebrate those wins.

Afridi has set his sights on the World Cup crown and says that he will not settle for anything else. And to achieve that goal, he wants the best from his players.

Pakistan did play impressively against the Sri Lankans but there were times when they produced some really shoddy stuff. Kamran Akmal was erratic behind the stumps while the way Abdur Rehman floored Chamara Silva at a crucial point in the Sri Lankan innings really disappointed Afridi.

“If they continue playing like that then they will be heading back to Pakistan soon,” warned Afridi. “These days, you can’t expect to win matches by fielding poorly. We will have to improve in that department of the game and we have to do it fast.”

Pakistan have seldom been a good fielding side but their performance had improved during the successful tour of New Zealand just before the World Cup. But it has dipped again pretty alarmingly.

“It is certainly a cause for concern,” Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan manager told ‘The News’ on Sunday. “In the next team meeting this issue is going to be on the top of our agenda. We will sit down with the boys and tell them that they will have to do better,” said the former Pakistan captain.

Intikhab said that Pakistan have a four-day break before they take on Canada on March 3, adding that the team will work harder in their training sessions to come up with a better fielding display in the rest of their World Cup matches.

Meanwhile, Afridi is pleased with the fact that his team’s senior players have responded positively to his call for an improved performance.

Vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq and former captain Younis Khan have hit back-to-back fifties against Kenya and Sri Lanka while fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar bowled well on Saturday night and picked up two key wickets.

“It’s very important for us to get the best from the senior players,” said Afridi. “They had to take responsibility and thankfully they did which is great for Pakistan.”

Afridi was all praise for Misbah and Younis. “Misbah and Younis are the backbone of my team,” he said. “They are playing really well and giving us the sort of stability we need.”

The captain was also pleased with his own performance after he followed his five-wicket haul against Kenya with 4-34 against Sri Lanka to pick the man-of-the-match award.

“I’ve always said that the captain’s personal performance is vital for his team,” said Afridi who on Saturday became only the second allrounder in history after Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya to cross 6000 runs and 300 wickets in One-day Internationals. With nine wickets from two matches, Afridi is currently the highest wicket-taker of World Cup 2011.

if we field like this, we will return home soon: Afridi‎

If Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi had chosen to play professional poker, he would have been a disaster. The quintessential Pathan finds it difficult to mask his emotions. He will openly rebuke fielders when something goes wrong. If there is something inspirational that a player does, he will pat their backsides. When in the mood, he will even plant a kiss on the cheek.

So, despite what he described as a 'very big win' against Sri Lanka on Saturday, Afridi found it difficult to hide his disgust thanks to Pakistan's shambolic fielding performance.

"If we field like this, we will reach Pakistan a lot before than what we have planned. The road will only get tougher from here and if we don't improve our fielding and don't reduce the mistakes while bowling (Pakistan conceded 29 extras), I don't think we can progress far," he stated bluntly.

He also clarified that the fielding of the team by and large has improved. "Our fielding has been improving since the New Zealand tour, but I don't know why in this match we dropped catches and failed to accept the run-out chances that we created."

For the record Pakistan spilt three catches, fluffed a stumping and missed at least five run-outs.

Despite that, Afridi was like a live-wire on the field, egging teammates on, talking with the bowlers and chalking up plan after plan.

Never one to relax or get distracted while fielding, the skipper was disappointed that his boys switched off after having Sri Lanka on the mat at 96 for 4.

"Yes, my boys relaxed because the game was 80% in our favour. It shouldn't happen though," he stressed matter-of-factly.

Apart from leading the Pakistan team to a heady and morale-boosting triumph, there was a personal high too for Afridi.

He became just the third Pakistani after Wasim Akram and current Pakistani coach Waqar Younis to notch up 300 ODI wickets. The skipper is also just the second man in world cricket after Sanath Jayasuriya to complete the double of 300 wickets and 4000 runs.

The flamboyant cricketer who hails from Peshawar, but has chosen to make Karachi his home has a new role in the team now.

Earlier, his fastish leg-spin was used more as a part-time option. Afridi's responsibility was just to go out there and throw the kitchen sink at the ball.

Over the last three years, since the inaugural World T20 in South Africa, he has increasingly become a bowler and a mighty good one at that. He doesn't even bat for a long time in the nets.

The combative cricketer was nick-named 'Boom Boom' Afridi for his destructive hitting abilities. Does that batsman still exist?
On Saturday, as he walked in, there was a cheer from even the most biased Sri Lankan supporter as he knew with Afridi there, entertainment was guaranteed. But the Pakistani skipper faced just 11 balls for his 16. The verdict was clear.
The crowds are missing 'Boom Boom' and want him back. "I'm missing him too," Afridi said in jest before clarifying, "But I would rather concentrate on my bowling."

Bowlers would want to celebrate on hearing that, but before they start to uncork the bubbly, they better remember the semifinals and final of the ICC World T20 in Nottingham and Lord's in June 2009.

On those two days, against South Africa and Sri Lanka, Boom Boom, briefly popped up to say hello and crashed the party of the two teams.

TEAM AFRIDI


Shahid Afridi's unique club, awesome numbers and a hypothetical Garry Sobers.


Who says that Pakistan Cricket is dead and burried? It can never be till the oomph of an Afridi is present in it. Pakistan's humdinger in Colombo truly belonged to Shahid Afridi, who has been a real epic. Colombo of yesterday was like Columbia Pictures dying to have best hero for their movie; as it turned out, it was Shahid Afridi who rocked the formidable batting line-up with his pictorial bowling. After Pakistanis the photographers of Colombo enjoyed his bowling the most, his every gesture on-field was meant to be top-notch photo in every news. 

This man's stats are mostly discussed due to his power-hitting but this time numbers are with his bowling too. 

Shahid Afridi joins the unique club.
6000 runs and 300 wickets; its the club about which a cricketer can only dream-off, this is real triumph of an all-rounder's career. Shahid Afridi became the first Pakistani and only second player in world - after Sanath Jaysuria- to have 300 wickets and 6000 runs in ODI career. 

Unorthodox Afridi joins Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.
After his fastest century in 1996, who could have a slender thought of Afridi being the bowler to join Wasim(502) and Waqar(416) in leading wicket takers of Pakistan? Shahid Afridi(301 wickets) today is 3rd leading wicket-taker from Pakistan in ODIs. He is also now 11th leading wicket-taker from all over world in ODIs, and just 15 more wickets will make take him in top-ten leading wicket takers.

4th leading spinner in terms of wickets.
Shahid Afridi, with 301 wickets, now stands as 4th leading wicket taker in ODIs as a spinner. Muralitharan(522), Anil Kumble(337) and Sanath Jayasuria(322) are ahead of him. 

     King of Colombo savours his reign! 

3rd Most man of the match awards for Pakistan.

Shahid Afridi with his all-round performance has even surpassed Wasim, Waqar, Miandad, Yousuf here. With 23 Man of the match awards; Afridi has 3rd most man of the match awards from Pakistan. Only Inzamam-ul-Haq(24) and Saeed Anwar(28) are ahead of him.

Power-hitter as a batsman.

3 out of 6 fastest centuries in ODIs belong to Shahid Afridi. 6 out of 12 fastest fifties belong to him, and only player to score fifty of 18 balls twice in his career. 288 Sixes in ODI career makes him leading six-hitter in ODIs whereas 366 sixes makes him leading six-hitter in all formats(including Tests, ODIs & T20s). 6606 career runs more than run-a-ball are being scored by Shahid Afridi, and he has best strike rate(113) in World among players who have at least 1000 runs.

Hypothetical stats make Shahid Afridi a Garry Sobers of ODIs.

Though there are some reports of his retirement after WC'11 but with his current age(31), he can at least play for another spell of 4 years. If he manages to play 4 years with same form then Afridi can amazingly become Garry Sobers of ODI Cricket or even better than him. Currently he has 6606 runs and 301 wickets, If we give him 2000 runs and 100 wickets in next 4 years then he is as followed: 

- Can be the only player to have 400 wickets and 8000+ odd runs in ODIs

- Can be the only second spinner, after Muralitharan, to have 400 ODI wickets. Moreover, Just 37 more wickets will make him second leading wicket taker among spinners.

- Most man of the match awards by a Pakistani; he just needs 6 more awards.

- 400 international sixes? Yes, he can be the first and probably last one to do so in history of Cricket.

- 8000+ runs with more than run-a-ball? 

Shahid Afridi or Kapil Dev? 

Kapil Dev might have been the best bowler produced by India, undoubtedly there is no comparison between these two, but Shahid Afridi has snatched a rare feat of Kapil Dev. Shahid Afridi has the best bowling figures by a captain in World Cup. Afridi's 5 for 16, against Kenya at Hambantota, were the best bowling figuers by a captain in 10 World Cups. 

Leading wicket-taker in World Cup?

We have heard names of Wasim Akram, Shane Warne, Chaminda Vass, Geoff Allot, Glen McGrath as leading wicket takers in World Cup. Who knows after WC'11 we might have Afridi's name too, in just 2 matches of on-going World Cup, he has 9 wickets so far. 

A deceptive delivery from Afridi's wrist was a conundrum for Samaraweera; that was his 299th wicket.  


http://www.cricbeat.com/2011/02/shahid-afridis-unique-club-awesome.html
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