Second Test slips from Australia's grasp

Australia snatched at the second Test one last time at the Wanderers yesterday, then watched it slip forever from its grasp.
Just before lunch, South Africa was 3/90 in its second innings, a lead of merely 60. This was because of a combination of the sort of impetuous batting that has characterised the series - as if both teams were trying to fit three matches into two - and inspired mini-spells from Australia's two least experienced bowlers, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.





Each in his own way worked over a senior and vastly more seasoned opponent. Cummins softened Jacques Kallis in the course of two maiden overs, after which Kallis played a most un-Kallis-like dash and was caught at slip. Previously, Cummins had disposed of Jacques Rudolph, who top-edged an ambitous pull.
Meantime, Lyon tethered South African captain Graeme Smith with two maiden overs. Impatiently, Smith made room to cut Lyon for four, but when he tried to repeat the shot, he succeeded only in sending a gentle catch to backward point. So did five Tests worth of bowling put it over 238 worth of batting. Test cricketers around the world have forgotten the art of hastening slowly; it is either one thing or the other.
Visions of victory danced before Australia's eyes. But over the next three hours, Hashan Amla and AB deVilliers brought them back down to earth, sharing a partnership of 139, halted only when the light dimmed and a thunderstorm swept in, ending the day's play. 3/229 overnight, South Africa leads by 199. No team has made more than 294 to win in the fourth innings on this ground.
Quickly, the truth about Australia's attack was exposed. Without Ryan Harris and Shane Watson, it is threadbare. On Thursday, 18-year-old Pat Cummins joined it for the first time. Today, he led it. For the future, that is exciting. For now, it imposed an impossible burden.
There is pace and there is pace. Mostly, Cummins bowled at the same speed as Mitch Johnson and Peter Siddle, hovering at 140kmh. But Cummins looked threatening in a way the other two did not. Johnson bowled this day off an experimental shortened run, an unusual manoeuvre in the middle of a Test match, puzzling the South Africans, but not imperilling them.
He lost no pace, and gained a little control, but still scarcely moved the ball. Nor did Siddle. For both, there are implications when the team for the first Test against New Zealand in a fortnight is picked. It is uncertain that hamstrung Watson will be available. ''I am going to get a scan done after this Test to see the extent but hopefully it wont be a real significant one that (will) put me out for a little while,'' he said. ''When I've done hamstrings in the past, its taken a little bit of time to build up my work before I can begin bowling again. So, hopefully, it wont be too long.''
Yesterday, Cummins caused the ball to tail in and away, not as lavishly as did Dale Steyn, but enough to concentrate the batsmen's minds. Unlike in the first innings, he used the short ball as an effective deterrent. Admirably, he sustained his effort, not something for which 18-year-olds generally are known, physically or mentally, unless it is at schoolies'. The day was breathlessly hot, and captain Michael Clarke, mindful not to ruin in the long term him, bowled him in short spells.
Clarke's next best hope was his imagination in trying to mock up the illusion of a replete attack. He made whirlwind changes, using himself, Mike Hussey and as failing light became an issue, even Ricky Ponting. He experimented with field settings, some meant to seduce, others to harass. He remained spirited.
But Amla and deVilliers are not the type to be budged by mere subterfuge. Amla is not a batsman who depends on presence. Rather he carries himself as if he hopes no-one has noticed he is in, so that he can just get on with making runs. Australia could not help but know: he has 223 runs alread in this micro-series, with power to add tomorrow.
deVilliers is orthodox, busy and assertive. Between them, they won this day not feats of derring-do, but through qualities rarely displayed in this series: concentration, patience and restraint. It made for even-paced cricket and fewer fireworks than a Saturday crowd with a boisterous disposition not unlike the MCG's in the 1980s might have liked, but they were also glad of the absence of wickets. Siddle and Johnson were, of course, re-baptised as wankers.
Australia had only half chances. Cummins might have caught and bowled deVilliers from a thumping drive immediately after lunch. Later, deVilliers was almost run out. Cummins also had Amla technically lbw. His appeal was rejected, Clarke referred it and technology showed that the ball notionally was clipping the stumps, but by such a fine margin that it made no determination. Thus, the standing umpire's decision stood.
''Hopefully we can get a few early wickets in the morning to be able to try and keep the run chase down as low as we possibly can,'' said Watson. ''There's no doubt it's going to be a big challenge no matter what.''

Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka Highlights Of 3rd ODI Pakistan Batting 2011

Pak blind team beat India in first T20

LAHORE - Pakistan blind cricket team scored thumping 71-run victory over visiting Indian side in the first Twenty20 match here at the Bagh-e-Jinnah cricket ground on Friday to go one up in the series.
The second match will be played at the same venue today (Saturday).
Put into bat first, Pakistan side scored 202 runs for the loss of nine wickets but the target was revised to 214 as the Indian team faced a penalty of 12 runs for slow over rate. The highlight of Pak innings was a superb knock of 89 runs from man of the match M Jamil including four fours for the entertainment of a big gathering which generously praised the performance and skills of blind cricketers. Masood Jan (46) and M Zafar (16) also played well.
Indian captain Shakhar took three wickets while four of Pak players were run out.
Indian team could manage to score just 142 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the allotted quota of overs with major contribution from Parkash 75 as four of their batsmen were run out due to superb fielding display on part of Pakistan blind cricketers.
Muhammad Jamil was declared man of the match. Manager PCB Domestic Shafiq Papa gave away the prizes to the players.

Wasim Akram Career's Best Bowling

Cricket: Mentor backs banned Pakistani Amir

After earning himself a career-threatening, five-year ban and a prison sentence for match fixing, disgraced Pakistani paceman Mohammad Amir has at least one supporter who believes he can return to international cricket.

The 19-year-old Amir, along with team captain Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were sentenced to jail in London earlier this month on corruption charges for spot-fixing by bowling predetermined no-balls in a test against England last year.

But despite the massive setback to a once promising cricketing future, Asif's mentor Asif Bajwa is right behind his student.

Bajwa, a former domestic cricket wicketkeeper, was the man who honed the skills of promising youngsters at his academy from 2003-2007, around the time he brought in the talented Amir from a small village outside Rawalpindi.

"I want to see him playing for Pakistan again and I am confident he will make a comeback," he said.

The International Cricket Council had already said that it would not reduce the suspension of five years, but the big question is whether a convicted cricketer would ever be considered by the Pakistan Cricket Board?

There's no doubt Amir was rated as the next Wasim Akram the legendary Pakistan left-arm fast bowler before those two dreaded deliveries he chose to bowl at Lords in London last year.

Amir was reportedly paid just 1,500 British pounds for his efforts, discounting greed as his motive and leading many to speculate the youngster was pressure but Butt to become involved in the scandal.

The then captain's pressure on Amir could easily be gauged from the fact that when coach Waqar Younis had asked Amir "what the hell" he was doing bowling a huge front foot no-ball, Butt was quick to respond that it was his order.

Amir, who became the youngest player to take 50 wickets in just 14 test matches, he was neither spared by the game's governing body nor judge Jeremy Cooke was impressed with the acceptance of fast bowler's guilty plead.

While their families and friends continue to protests the crickets' innocence, the sentiment of fans on the streets of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad Pakistan's three largest cities was unanimous in the belief that they got a deserved punishment.

"It's a shame," says Hamza Sultan, an Islamabad high school student. "I don't care whether we lose Amir, Asif or Butt, the bottom line is that our cricket should be cleaned from this menace of fixing."

Cricket writer Abdul Majid Bhatti, who works in Pakistan's leading media company, Jang Group of Publications, also said there should be no opening for the trio.

"On moral grounds these three should not return to international cricket," Bhatti told The AP. "In the past we have suffered a lot because we didn't take any action against any player.

"Now it's the right time to send a strong message and move on," he added. "I have no doubt that we will get lots of Amirs and Asifs in the near future. ... You just wait and see in two year's time we will have at least three more."

While the international careers of Butt and Asif seem to be over, there appears to be some sympathy for Amir.

Pakistan great Imran Khan says he has not seen such a talented cricketer and it was sad for Pakistan to lose such a promising player.

Pakistan cricket is no stranger to scandal, with cricketers detected taking banned steroids and being fined for throwing bats at each other in dressing rooms.

Former captain Salim Malik and Ataur Rehman were banned for life by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000. However, Malik got his ban overturned by a civil court in 2009.

Well known cricketers like Akram, Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed were fined by Qayyum for not cooperating with a cricket commission.

Whether Bajwa's protege makes a comeback after five years only time will tell.