South Africa Series UAE 2010 : SOME INTRESTING INFORMATION

Pakistan’s limited overs team left for the tour of United Arab Emirates where the team would be taking part in a five match One-Day-International series and two T20 matches against South Africa.

The series starts on the 26^th of this month with the opening T20 match at Abu Dhabi, the very next day the second and final T20 match would be played at the same venue.
The two teams would then lock horns in a five match 50 overs series, with the opening two matches at Abu Dhabi on 29^th and 31^st of October.
The third, fourth and fifth ODIs would be held at Dubai’s sports city on 2^nd, 5^th and 8^th November respectively.
Some members of the limited overs squad would stay back for the two test match series that starts at Dubai with the first test from the 14^th of November.
The second test match would be played at Abu Dhabi; Pakistan would be led by experienced middle-order batsman Misbah Ul Haq in the short series.
For the limited overs series the men in green are being led by the swashbuckling Shahid Afridi.
Under him, the Pakistan team looks strong on paper yet have a big battle in store against one of the most formidable teams in the world.
The last time the two teams met in a bi-lateral series was in 2007, when the South Africans travelled to Pakistan for an ODI and test match battle where the Proteas prevailed.
The ODI series was extremely entertaining with almost every match going down to the wire; the hosts were in control for most part and only lost the last match after a stunning collapse from a seemingly impregnable position at Lahore’s Qaddafi stadium.
However, this was the closest that they have come to toppling the Africans in a bi-lateral ODI series. Since South Africa’s readmission to international cricket in 1991, the Proteas have had the wood over Pakistan in tests and ODIs.
The Pakistanis lost the first ever ODI match between the two teams at the 1992 World Cup, a tournament that they eventually won  by staging one of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of the game.
After that defeat, they won the next seven ODI’s on the bounce against the Proteas in a run that started in South Africa in a three nation tournament that also involved the then might West Indians.
The South Africans then got the measure of Pakistan and started their own winning sequence against them; their sequence was much more comprehensive and bigger.
Form the four nation tournament staged in South Africa in 1995, the hosts won as many as 14 matches.
It took Pakistan five years to overcome that sequence when pace man Shoaib Akhtar produced a brilliant spell of reverse swing at lightening pace to send the Proteas packing for 101 in their 169 run chase for a win under the lights at Sharjah.
Shoaib Akhtar is part of the current Pakistan team and the Asians would be hoping for similar fireworks from the aging Rawalpindi Express who is at the end of a rollercoaster of a career that started 13 years ago.
Despite breaking the South African spell in 2000, the Pakistanis have struggled to win regularly against the Proteas and thus they would start out as favourites in the limited overs series.
Their batsmen have been in stunning form of late and smashed minnows Zimbabwe for 399 runs in the third and final ODI of the series on Friday.
A packed crowd is expected for the two T20 matches, while a decent turnout is guaranteed for the ODIs considering the interest of the South Asian expat community in the game they love the most.

I am not a 'rubber stamp' selector: Mohsin Khan

Pakistan's chief selector Mohsin Khan has dismissed talks that he is a 'rubber stamp' worker, who follows Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt's orders.
Mohsin also denied that former captain Younus Khan was not being selected due to Butt's insistence.
"I am no rubber stamp chief selector, but there are certain rules and laws of the board that I have to follow as I am their employee. The day I feel I can't follow these rules and laws, I will leave this post," the Daily Times quoted Mohsin, as saying.
When asked whether he was a 'dummy selector,' Mohsin replied: "I am not the Chairman of the PCB, I am Chairman of the selection committee and that has some rules through which you make a team. The final approval comes from the Chairman and this has been happening for a long time."
Mohsin has had to face charges of bias and non-consultative selection from the moment he was appointed in March.
Earlier, ODI captain Shahid Afridi and coach Waqar Younis had claimed that they were not consulted for selection of the squad for the forthcoming series against South Africa.
"I make it a point to give the selectors my input because I am the one who has to get the desired results from my team on the field," Afridi had said in a television interview.
"I wanted 2-3 players other than Sohail Tanvir in the side. I will meet PCB chairman Ijaz Butt to discuss this," he added.
In a recent hearing at the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Sports, Waqar had publicly expressed his unhappiness at not being consulted.

Shahzaib Hasan, a solution to Pakistan’s opening problem

Pakistan cricket team is struggling to find regular openers after the retirement of their star opening pair, Saeed Anwar and Aamer Sohail. In all, they have tried about 20 to 25 combinations, but none has worked for them on a consistent basis. 

For a start, openers are the most important members of a side, as they can provide their team with a solid start. In addition, they can also rough up the new ball and then, it is much easier to score for rest of the batsmen.

As we say that bowlers hunt in partnerships, so do the batsmen. A left and right handed opening combination can easily break the rhythm of opposition’s bowlers. If there is a compact and solid batsman, then he should be supported by attacking batsmen to unsettle the bowlers.
The necessary ingredients required to be an opening batsman in the modern era are, players ability to dominate the new ball attack and his mental strength to assess the conditions and situations.
Shahzaib Hasan has all the potential in the world to become a successful modern day opener. In his couple of domestic and international games, the dashing opener has shown signs of brutality and devastation with the willow in his hand.
Shahzaib Hasan was inducted into the Pakistani cricket team at a young age of 19, just like his many other illustrious countrymen. The Karachi opener’s selection in the national outfit was a result of his scintillating domestic performances.  In 2009, Hasan boasted on a great domestic season with Karachi blues. In seven One day domestic games, he scored 250 runs at a breathtaking strike rate of 96. Later on, he was selected for the national side to feature in the 2009’s ICC World cup in England
Furthermore, in Pakistan’s triumph at the twenty over world cup on English soil, Shahzaib did play his crucial part. In doing so, he only piled up mid-size scores, but him with his opening partner Kamran Akmal provided Pakistan with solid starts.  
Shahzaib was picked for the Asia cup 2010 in June to make his ODI debut. To everyone’s surprise, he didn’t look comfortable at all in the first match against Sri Lanka, adding just 11 runs to the total. Add to this, he got his 2^nd chance against Bangladesh on a flat track, where he scored a fifty in his blatant style.
As expected, he was picked for the England tour to play limited overs game, but only featured in game’s shortest version. In 8 matches, he scored 101 runs at an average of 12 with a best of 35.
As everyone expected of him, in the current Faysal bank T20 cup, the basher has been the top run-getter in the tournament. Overall, he has played 2 games, striking a massive tally of 177 runs at an average of 177 with a breathtaking strike rate of almost 179. In his pursuit for big runs, he has smashed a brutal century.
Moreover, in Karachi Dolphin’s first match against Hyderabad Hawks, the Dolphin’s opener shifted the momentum in favour of his team by hammering a magnificent 76 runs of 38 balls. His energetic performance with the bat helped his team to mountain a score of 195 runs on a flat track, which in the end proved to be a match winning total as they beat the Hawks by 20 runs. Resultantly, his blaze with the bat earned him the man-of-the-match award
Furthermore, the dashing Karachi opener carried his form to the 2^nd match. This time around, Lahore Eagles were at the receiving end as Hassan bludgeoned the white cherry all-around the park. In doing so, he recorded the first century of the ongoing trophy. As a result, his hundred guided his team to the highest team score of 243 runs in the history of the Faysal bank T20 matches.
In the recently concluded Semi-final match against Rawalpindi Rams, the Karachi basher scored a match winning 71 runs of 51 balls, while aiming a target of 210 runs, sailing his team’s ship to the shore of final against Lahore Lions.

Pakistan Cricket and Corruption

Cricket and corruption, in Pakistan, have been officially married since the early 90’s - when the likes of Wasim Akram and  Waqar Younis were accused of ball tampering for the first time in the history of cricket; an act that, until then was not considered illegal.

Then there was the drugs scandal on the West Indies tour, involving names of some of the most famous and biggest stars. After the 90’s, there have been various scandals linked with the Pakistani team.

Cricket in Pakistan is followed religiously; people watch it, talk about it, and until reality hits, half of the population dreams of becoming a pro in it. Generally such a nation reacts strongly and emotionally when the team loses or another scandal erupts, out of nowhere.

Whenever, the Pakistan side has lost, it has been accused of losing on purpose - an act commonly called “Match Fixing”. Ever since Pakistan won the World Cup, back in 1992, the team has never been able to brush aside the match fixing stigma.

One way or the other match fixing has always crept right back. In the 90’s the pros were considered to be the culprits and the common solution, presented was the ouster of the seniors.

Well, the veterans now have retired and yet again the team faces fresh match fixing allegations; this time involving the young lads, leaving experts of ICC’s anti-corruption unit dumb footed, and one is forced to ponder over the fact whether or not there are any honest players playing for Pakistan.

One has to dig deeper and wonder why the national heroes are willing to put their career, pride and honour at stake for a few thousand bucks.

Economics is said to play a role here; with Pakistan facing an economic crunch, what better excuse could the Pakistan Cricket Board come up with. PCB fired former Pakistan Coach Geoff Lawson, because the PCB felt filling Lawson’s piggy bank was getting too expensive for them. Lawson was being paid Rs14 million per annum. This would have made some sense if his successors were hired for a considerably lesser amount. However, the latter washired for Rs 11 million which saw the team’s success rate declining as well.

Unfortunately, the Cricket Board applies the same illogical policy on to players’ wages as well. Pakistani players are lowest paid in their league of teams. This is startling for a nation that holds the sport and its ambassadors in high esteem.

Any layman can understand the perils of a weak economy and a much depreciated local currency, but if Pakistan is to participate in global cricket, they cannot pay their team much less than what everyone else is paying.

Now for everyone who has ever dreamed of becoming an athlete, aside from glory and fame, the prize money and endorsements are a big motivation factor.

Most professional athletes globally come from middle class families, where they have struggled all their lives to make ends meet. The example of David Beckham born into a plumber’s home is right in front of us. Motivation for such guys is to make it to the national squad once, and then money will follow automatically.

When discussing corruption in sports we need to be realistic. Even if a player is at the top of his moral scale, when he watches a player of another team enjoying more perks and privileges, the urge to get-rich-soon will surely creep in them.

Cricket has evolved and it is time all teams evolve with it; let the players earn more money by joining different leagues such as the IPL. The more white money they earn, the better the chances are of stamping out corruption within the ranks of the players

Asif withdraws appeal against ICC suspension

"Mohammad Asif confirmed earlier today that he has withdrawn his challenge to the provisional suspension imposed on him on 2 September 2010 pending determination of the charges brought against him under the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code," the ICC said in a statement on Friday.
Asif, fellow pace bowler Amir and test captain Salman Butt were banned from playing by the International Cricket Council for allegedly agreeing to bowl pre-determined no balls in the fourth test against England in August.
Amir and Butt are still appealing their bans.
"Arrangements are now being made for the challenges being made by Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir against their provisional suspensions to be heard in Dubai on 30 and 31 October 2010," the ICC added in the statement.
British police are also investigating the spot-fixing allegations against the players who all deny any wrongdoing.