A little prayer for the Pakistan cricket team

           
After being trashed and slashed by local and international media any team would have been in low spirits.
I don’t know about PCB and its support to our match winning bowlers like Mohammad Aamir. I cannot predict whether or not the ICC will lift the ban from our star players before the World Cup. But it seems now that after a short – unbearable – break, our players are gaining back their confidence.
May team Pakistan win this ODI series versus a strong and full of confidence competitor, South Africa.  Only our support will motivate and encourage these players. I have always supported team Pakistan and will not comment on why ICC will sustain the ban on players accused of spot-fixing.
Our players have enormous potential. If only all of them could perform at the same time will they be able to realize what excellent professional cricketers they are – then let the experts critique them for their performance.
It is amazing how the crowd reacts when Shahid Afridi comes out in the field to bat. No matter how he handles his bat or throws a shot the his fans never get tired of cheering for him. No doubt he has worked hard but his confidence speaks of the support he gets from his homeland.
I hope our team gets back on track asap! I pray that they bring home the big cup!

Pakistan take on Proteas in fourth ODI today

If it is Friday it has to be Pakistan. This is the slogan that Pakistan supporters used to shout during the Sharjah Cricket Stadium international matches. Very often Pakistan had emerged triumphant on a Friday, backed by the vociferous support from their fans. Will history repeat in Dubai Sports City International Cricket Stadium on Friday (today) and help Pakistan level the series against South Africa? The last two matches ended in nail-biting finishes transforming the series into a keenly fought one for the Cool & Cool Cup. South Africa are ahead 2-1 but with a packed stadium expected to back Pakistan it will be a tough task for them.

“The victory in the second one-day match and the close finish here has given us the confidence. If we can play with a positive mind, we can win the fourth match,” remarked Shahid Afridi, the captain of the Pakistan team. “It is important to play positive cricket and we know if we play good cricket we can beat them,” added Afridi. He feels that had his top order batsmen played a bit more positively then his team could have avoided the two-run defeat in the third one-day match. Johan Botha, who captained South Africa in the absence of injured Graeme Smith, is hoping to win the fourth Aone-day match and bag the series. “If we win the series will be ours,” he said admitting that his team was under pressure in both matches. “We have got a young team and we will keep learning as we go on. Bowling in the dead has always been a challenge but our fielding in all the three games has been excellent.” Afridi admitted that it was fielding that made the difference in the third match. “We dropped crucial catches and we need to be as good as the South Africans in fielding,” he said.

Fear: All the three one-day matches are being played on the same wicket and both captains have expressed fear on how the wicket may behave. “It will be very difficult to play three games on the same track. There are chances that the ball may keep low and it could be a small total game,” said Afridi. Botha too said: “The wicket is not going to be easier as it is going to be same strip for all three one-dayers and that is going to be interesting.” All eyes will be on the inform Hashim Amla, the hero of their third one-day match with an unbeaten 119 runs. He is 14 runs short of his 1,000 runs in calendar year and Pakistan will be keen to pick his wicket early. Afridi wants his bowlers to bowl tightly. He openly admitted that he is unhappy with his spinner Saeed Ajmal’s bowling. agencies

BOOM BOOM AFRIDI