Cricinfo - Blogs - Pak Spin - Redemption comes cheap, anger comes quickly

Mr Abbasi,
Thanks for this new thread. This one has also been written with eloquence and reason as many of your past articles. I’m glad you agree Malik is an “intellectual lightweight”. Or maybe he became slightly uncomfortable/over-conscious in the company of the ravishing Nadia. I would too if she interviews me :)

I am crestfallen that although the PCB made the best choice as regards the captain, the selectors could have chosen a better squad for Abu Dhabi. A new beginning with the same old faces of failure? Hence I don’t believe this has been a positive start. Some players in the current squad should have definitely been rested. This is the time to experiment and commence the preparation for WC 2011.
The only reason I can think of why this squad was chosen is because the PCB has lost a lot of money and public interest in the game after the WC disaster and they did not want to send an inexperienced squad to UAE for fear of that team underperforming and PCB losing more money and public interest. Perhaps a remote possibility, but a possibility nevertheless.

Shoaib Malik is enthusiastic and he looks to be a proactive individual. I do believe he will be a thinking captain. What I am worried about is how much fighting spirit will he possess? I was disappointed watching his interview with Rameez Raja after he threw away that match when he stated something like his accountability is only to Allah and his family, after he was asked of the media/public reaction for his immature act (I do not of course remember his exact words but I think he said something akin to what I have stated). That is a dangerous path he is treading there.

Sri Lanka are of course without their (arguably) three most resourceful players- Murali, Vaas and Sangakarra. But that chucker Malinga is still there (I don’t care if his action is technically correct, an action is either dodgy or not i.e. either a bowler bends his arm to gain an unfair advantage or he does not) and Jayasuria will look forward to manhandling the likes of Sami. I wonder if we will see more of Sami after this series. He is improving but I think he has just lost his spark. As I have stated before Inzamam did interfere in his bowling, so with Inzi out of the way we might see the old Sami back, but it’s still a tough ask.

So it has not been the best of starts, but inevitably some lessons will be taught to the Pakistanis in this series. Whether the key actors in this new era learn from those lessons and mistakes is to be seen. And you know what, being the crazy Pakistani cricket fan I am, I wait obsessively and relentlessly to see Afridi smashing Malinga to all parts of the ground. I wait to see Salman Butt showing consistency. I wait to see Umar Gul’s yorkers and bouncers and Asif’s control of late swing. And you know what else, even if Butt and Nazir fail, Gul becomes injured, or Malik grows a beard, I will still wait for them to perform in the Twenty20 cup. Our passion and craze won’t end. These lousy, lethargic and loony cricketers can test us all they want, but our craze and madness will certainly keep testing them until the end of time.

i think it is a good decision that shoab malik announced as captin but only for one series i never understand this policy why they make captin like this they could have annouced for one or two years i hate PCB's fragile policy they never think strong they don't have courge actually they don't have self-confidance. I think that kind of decision keeps a player under-pressure to perform. I don't know why is PCB not learning from other Boards of the world

Well lets hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.I suppose that will lessen our dissapointment when things go wrong.

Professionalism for the Pakistan team is proving as elusive as the search of Atlantis for Archaeologists.

Most of the concepts concerning training, strategy,and mental application are nothing new.I would like to quote an example from a hundred years ago concerning the art of Fielding.

Frank Bettger in his book "how I raised myself from failure to success in sales".Speaking about the importance of "ENTHUSIASM" talks about his first career as a professional BaseBall Player he states How in 1907 as a young player he was fired for having a 'lazy attitude' the manager said."You act like a veteran who has been playing for twenty years why do you act like that if your not lazy?". Young Frank tried to plead his case by explaining "I get so nervous so scared that I want to hide my fear from the crowd ,and especially from other players on the team.Besides I hope by taking it easy I will get rid of my nervousness." However the manager Bert Conn was having none of it he promptly fired him with the parting advice "Put some life and ETHUSIASM in to your work".

Young Frank relegated to the lower leagues made a resolution no one would accuse him of ever being Lazy again.

In his first match for his new club he played like a man electrified. He states "I wouldnt have been surprised if I had dropped over with sunstroke the way I ran around the field. Three things happened:
1) My enthusiasm almost entirely overcame my fear.I played far better then I ever thought I was capable of playing.
2)My enthusiasm affected the other players on the team,and they too became enthusiastic.
3)I felt better during the game and after it was over then I had ever felt before.

Within 10 days Frank was back Playing for his former team he states"Nothing but the determination to act enthusiastic increased my income by 700% in 10 days".

Yet a hunred years on from the example I cited the Pakistan team is just now trying to grasp the importance of fielding.With guys like Abdul Razzaq and Kaneria acting like geriatrics in the field.

I would like to leave you with a quote from the greatest sportsman of them all.

"Champions are made from something deep inside them.A desire, a dream, and a vision.They have to have the skill and the will.But the WILL must always be stronger then the skill".
MUHAMMAD ALI.

As a banker, by redemption I understand exchanging a coupon, a trading stamp, or a similar document for a discount or at a premium and based on that, I wonder what kinda redemption are we expecting from the Tableeghi juniors? Are they going to pay & do the cricketing transactions for the nation or for their own pride, vanity and ego? Or for the benefit of the bookies? In that case what is the rate of redemption? Or should I say; "bhao kya hai?" Well, I do not wish to make my own post dry and boring like the profession of banking itself, so lemme cut my own crap for the benefit of others. ;-)

Kamran Abbassi - Sir, by adding the word new to any era does not really make it a new era. These are chips of the same block and there is nothing new about them, the same names, the same attitude, the same style, the same everything. I would say man its nothing more than a Déjà vu. I won't say that I feel like I've seen this team before, 'coz thats the way Retrofuturism works on our brains, hence the impression of having seen or experienced something before by adding accolades such as new or newness is not gonna make it new. And who was that who said on this blog, 'old wine in new bottle'? Doesn't matter who said, but its something like that.

And the reason there is no coach is because the poor coach is dead and people are yet to find out how he died. Can't they simply say, he died because his time was up instead of going around in circles and creating all sorts of rumours and speculations, he has been buried so lets bury the speculations too. And there is no biggy if there is no coach for a brief and uninteresting encounter in Abu Dhabi, and mind you it was not Sri Lanka but, Ireland defeated Pakistan in the WC, so there is no question of any anger or revenge, hence there is no redemption and no salvation. Its the $750K that has some redemption value for the PCB coffers or should I say PCB's Zambeel ?

Yes, the next two years would be tough for the Pakistan team and they should be prepared for a rocky road and a bumpy ride, there is no 4x4 SUV or a FJ Cruiser, they have to be on their own feet without a coach, on top of that they have to carry the extra baggage of two mediocre mules i.e., a captain and vice captain. For the rest of the players I am quoting Mustafa Zaidi's verse, which is very apt:

Inhi (not Inzi) patharaon pay chal kar agar aa sako tou aao
Meray ghar kay raastay may koi kahkashaan nahee hai.

That is how success is going to embrace them and, there is no short cut to success except for hard work................but with some brains!

What can be worse for a new captain than an ill-timed, ill-planned, purposeless exercise in futility arranged in match-fixing haven? But what does a wannabe care? He's been given the captaincy to keep his mouth shut and just play. Who gives a poop about crap like pride and purpose as long as you win a few and lose a few but keep things a bit even stevens so no eye brows are raised.

Redemption really does come cheap in this world where "lota" is such an accepted norm. From the president down to the cricket blogger, the lota artform requires immense talent in taking U-turns. Talk real big today, go back on it tomorrow like today never existed. Say what you, Mr. Abbasi... is it really that much fun this redemption-comes-cheap walla lota thingi?

Well the road to redemption is a long one,the first test on the road to redemption was selection and PCB has already failed to redeem itself on that.I see no reason to be optimistic as PCB is not moving in the right direction, Only two young players have been selected and already the news are they might not get a chance to play,this was a low profile series and PCB should have tried all the youngsters who have been performing well in the domestic arena,if we look at Srilanka they rested their three Key players and will test three young players,thats how you groom players by giving them experience at the internatinal level.

Nothing predicts behaviour like behaviour,based on the past behaviour I can foresee that the seniors will feast on a weak Srilankan side which is coming without four of its key players,and all the out of form mediocre players will cement their place in the team at least for another year.
Razzak,Afridi,kamran Akmal,Hafeez they all have been performing poorly Internationally but they are renowned for coming back into form against Asian teams in Asian conditions,these players should have been left out regardless of their performance in practice matches.
PCB and the players have shown they dont care
about anger from the fans and their actions suggest they have no intention of redemption, the attitude of Younis Khan is Prime example of that.
We are living Under dictatorship the PCB chairman
knows his buddy will not fire him,no matter how much he screws up,he is only answerable to one person and not the whole nation.
Under such circumstances the chances of redemption are remote,especially in the long run.

Ya, its sometimes really difficult to bite the tongue! I am also among the optimistics, and expect great from the young blood. World cricket history is has always seen great players from Pakistan but from last few years most of it has gone bad to administration side. Some blind un-deserved decisions, that have caused us to this stage of time. Now there was no optimum solution but re-engineering, so PCB now has really taken bold and most wanted stand. May they go along for longer period! Ameen.

A good reason that this cricket frenzied nation has been surviving various catastrophes--from politics to sports, to politics in sports-- is its never ending optimism.
Barely two months ago I had given up all hope re Pakistan cricket, yet couple of days before Pak-Sri series, I am all hopeful, optimistic and actually looking forward to the "new-look" team. This, despite knowing very well that apart from a change in captaincy (which is a very common phenomenon in Pak cricket)little has changed in fundamentals.
We continue to hope.

Cannot believe that the captaincy and vice captaincy of a national team can be reduced to such a cheap commodity. Gone are the days when these were honors to be earned and respected. How Pakistan Cricket has fallen! Now it is the process of exclusion rather than provenance that determines who wears the coveted cap. Next time a rookie makes a century on debut or takes five wickets he can entertain hopes of being the captain or at least vice captain by the end of the series. God help Pakistan Cricket!

Dear Kamran:
i think we have to give these guys enough time to gel together and perform. we should not be expecting them to perform very first day and will all the games they play. Its a long procedure and will take a lot of time. Aussies and Lankans are prime example of this process. If they win its good and if they looose we should be ok with it. Morover we should not get our expectaions too high even if they won against lanakans as they dissapoint us very shortly. Time, hard work is the key to sucess. we also need to give fair chance to youngsters and allow them to gel with team
Regards

Tariq

dude.... believe me...its not as complicated as you are making it sound like. Wats happening is pretty simple actually... Pakistan play their first match after a worldcup thrashing.. FULLSTOP!!!

Kamran,

I dont know why I read your comments when most of what you say turns out wrong especially when the writing was on the wall (world cup comments). I dont know how influential your comments are for selection in Pakistan, but they dont seem to work.

As for me I would have said that there should have been two Captains. Mohammad Yousuf for Tests and Shoaib Malik for One dayers. This way egos would have not been hurt. I dont think Yousuf has done that much wrong to be totally written off. Vice- Captain for this tour should have been with a bit more expereience, education and class. Why not Salman Butt? Why do we get all these gully boys as Captains and vice? These people represent us.

KAMRAN,I agree with what you say about redemption. Not only fans but also the PCB has to be patient as the pakistan team is in a moulding stage.The captain should be given all the encouragement, support so that he can freely lead the side with confidence.I always believe that nobody is indispensible.There is always some body better waiting in the wing.Who knows shoaib may prve the critics wrong .Let us give him some time to settlein.Talent search is need of the hour both for india & pakistan.We have plenty but efforts are missing in locating them.Favourtism,politics & other considerations blind their eyes in selecting right people.Indiscipline should be dealt with firmly however great a player is.Quality should be the criterea & not which region he belongs . If a team is selected on these lines Both india & pakistan would be world beaters.Australia is an example & the results are there to see.

Considering the fact its the Pakistani, people by now should be prone to unpredictability and vulnerablity. However, I have always stayed optimistic about the team since the optimism has brought us all the excitement and success in the past. However, its a bold step to have a young vice-captain who has shown temperament at the top level unlike other candidates whose performances have been in pataches, be it injury, form, pitches, opposition or mood! The last think you want to think with this optimism is if the same is gonna happen with the cricket team like the hockey and squash era. Another thing, do you gys believe that after the 2007 WC, the era or face of cricket has changed. I could'nt have thought of cricket without Lara, Warne, McGrath, Akram, Inzi & Co. the big match players i.e

I agree with you that it would be journey in to the unknown for Pakistani players. I wonder how long more Shoab would take to get back to normal? In acse Pakistan lose to reduced Sri Lankas they perhaps need more than face lifting.

Wishing all the best in furnace of Abu Dhabi for Pakis!

hi guys and girls its nadia here, from the nadia show, just want to wish pakistan cricket good luck for the forthcoming series.
from what i heard from shoaib malik, he is a very enthuastic about the series and pakistan cricket!

gud luck and bring back the trophy!

COME ON WE CAN DO THIS !!!!!!! STILL THINK YASIR ARAFAT SHOULD BE PLAYING THOUGH

Although only time will tell... I believe Shoaib will do an excellent job insha'Allah. We just need to be wary of knee-jerk reactions whilst he settles into his new job. Undoubtedly there will be peaks and troughs along the rocky road to consistency.

Now all we need is Dav Whatmore to become coach. He's presided over remarkable turnarounds in Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi cricketing fortunes, and therefore has experience of coaching sub-continental countries and bringing out the best in them.

What does everyone think of the Shoaib & Dav dream team?

After all cricket is a game & games are meant for some entertainment. And entertinment has nothing to do with the result. Empty stadiums tells you the real story. Spectators provide a color. Everyone would love to watch a game that provides entertainment. I just want some entertaining cricket from these players.

Why cricket in Abu Dhabi deserts in the summer?
Are the planning people NUTS?
I pity both Pakistani and Srilankan players for having to play in this time of the year?
If they have to play in a neutral venue why not somewhere in the Europe where atleast spring is starting?
Someone tell FTP guys to use their head before heading down in FTPing!

Shoaib Malik may well be an intellectual lightweight, but he possesses the enthusiasm and fighting spirit to rally the team and gain the support of the 'untouchable' seniors.

I think Shoaib has the cricketing brain to respond quickly and effectively to pressures on the field (unlike Inzi. He has been one of Pakistan's most consistent players over the last couple of years and has frequently rescued the team batting lower down the order.

His all-round cricketing ability should inspire the team and hopefully more focus will be placed on the builing mental toughness.

I dont care about his intellect. What I've had enough enough of is lightweight cricketing brains.

If we can harness mental toughness with raw cricketing talent, then we will be heading in the right direction.

All the best Shoaib....

Let's be patient with the new setup and give them chance to settle down. we cannot expect a dramatic turnaround. it will take a while. let's just hope that all indicator such as fielding, no balls etc. are positive from now onwards.

The new era begins with the appointment of a v.captain who is new to professional cricket, has a big question mark over the drug use (the issue with ICC and WADA has still not been resolved). Wouldn't the appointment of a more senior player as v.captain been a more positive approach as it would have helped our new captain and taken into confidence of the existing senior players (Who thinks players will be critical of their team-mates infront of camera's and in public?).

Dear Kamran , Wish your prophecy to be realised but have a naging feelings that UNLESS the two youppies " CAP & VP " keep their head Straight up and not burried under the So called "STARDOM" which have been bestowed upon them , its just might be that we are about to see the upward turn & swing to the greater heights of this team of track proven YOYOs. It the STARDOM gets better of them then be ready to bid farewell to the career of two talented youngmen . Let us have our fingers crossed for the rest of 2007 , hoping even if they fail in Abudhabi , PCB will give them chance enough to redeem their talents in at leaast 2 to 3 series in a row BEFORE discarding them if the failure persits on .........

Hello Kamran, Its sad but true...you are possibly the worst writer...there is no logic in what you write....seems like u write for the sake of writing it...

I saw a glance of Shoaib Malik on TV this morning and he appeared to have a beard. As they say nothing can prevent the inevitable. I wish luck to the Tableeghi Jamaat on their next Tableeghi destination, the “sinful” land of UAE. They have much work to do in that country. Insha-Allah.

On Nadia Khan’s show Malik defended the stance of blaming “kismet” for defeats. He just did not get the reason. This is highly regrettable. In fact Afridi and Malik speak in an identical fashion. They have learned so much from Inzi and have begun to speak like him, starting their sentences with “Nahin” and “Theek hai”. So will this new era also be an era of Tableegh? Inzi’s goal was to cleanse the framework of the team of the “western” lifestyles players adopt and cleanse it in such a way that we do not see “deviants” in the team in the future. Now Malik and Afridi will carry on the legacy. Possible next generation Tableeghi leaders are Kamran Akmal (still in the team), Mohammad Hafeez (failed opener), Mohammad Asif (has that potential “Tableeghi persona”) and Danish Kaneria (Hindu whose religious freedom is under threat). Rana Naved has already passed the Raiwind internship.

Whatever happened to CRICKETING PERFORMANCE? Why did we only see two new faces in the squad? Is that a move forward? Two members from the previous squad are not present (Younis and Inzi) so big deal we have two new players. We see one or two new players in every other squad! This is not “progress”. Reliance must not be placed on people like Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Sami and the incompetent openers anymore. Tableegh must be stopped. It is a danger to the success of Pakistani cricket.

Those who need an excuse to bash me should know that I follow the moderate Muslim’s lifestyle. I pray as regularly as possible, I have never had any girlfriend and I abstain from alcohol or un-halal commodities. But I don’t have a bushy beard, I don’t preach to the next available person and I don’t mix religion with my other activities. Hence you cannot state that I’m an Islamic deviant. I am aware Yousuf turned into a better player with his conversion. That could also however have been a psychological result of greater friendliness and acceptance by his teammates. When a captain, the individual in a position of authority and key decision-maker, makes preaching his topmost priority and reason for existence, that is wrong because he should not do that when he is doing anything to do with cricket, whether that is press interviews, training or playing in matches. Inzi can be the Chief Imam of Multan for all I care; he or other players should just not mix their personal religious beliefs with cricket.

Its too early to say anything; but fortunately we can't sink and deeper

Kamran Bhai. i do not really care if Shoaib Malik is not the "sharpest knife in the drawer" when it comes to his intellect - as long as he delivers on the field, than that is what counts. Obviously, in an ideal world, he will be supported by what passes as PCB infrastructure and he does not have to contend with the "in-fighting" that is synonomous with Pakistani cricket.....then again, maybe i am hoping for too much. Who knows, lets wait and see.

The next two years should be a rocky road, and I agree with you on the analysis that we should be patient in judgment. But all said and done, a cricket nation like us, we don't follow cricket with our minds, but with our hearts...so whenever we do bad, no matter what logic dictates, we'll be severely dissapointed. So once again I am hoping that Pakistan will do well in the blistering heat of the middle east (inspite, and not due to the match fixing that comes out of that region), under the guidence of a captain that somehow does not impress me. I mean Smith was a very young captain, but there was always something extra about him (game and personality), postive or negative. Shoaib just seems too timid to me!

all of our best wishes with shoib and his company we expected him a fighter and aggressive captain

starting it from the base once more!!! we r behind u...GO PAKISTAN GO!!!!!

For the next 2 years, we will see rebuilding of our team. I am not pinning any high hopes but throw my support to this new look team bubbling with youth. This support should come from all and we should be ready for both good and hard times without expecting too much from the team. Lets give them time to gel together and give us a disciplined display of cricket.
Good Luck to Shoaib Malik and his fellow team mates. This is the beginning of new era.

well i still tell you that shahid afridi would have been the best choice for captain,another disaster of team revolt ,underperforming is in the waiting.watch them start to loose aginst sril lanka.

I like your optimism but it seems like a dream that will perhaps remain a dream. I hope it does not turn out into a nightmare, meanwhile we will keep on dreaming.

Kamran,

This is not what Shoaib and Asif want to hear, when they face their first challenge. This is not what will give them confidence, when they need it most. This is not what will lift the spirits of Pakistan cricket team, when they are at their lowest ebb. This is not the right message to supporters of Pakistani cricket, who have heard nothing but depressing news from Pakistani cricket for a while now.

Whatever happened to optimism? Whatever happened to spirit to fight back? Whatever happened to tenacity and resolve to win at all cost?

Let us support Shoaib and Pakistani team 100%, and wish them all the best.

Asad Faizi

Patience is a virtue so lets give our boys all the support they need.

Mr. Abbasi.. you need to stop smoking whatever it is that makes you write all this... Please see a doctor!

Gentlemen, let's all fasten our seatbelts!!

Next few years will be one helluva ride. Whether the final destination we arrive at will be Successville or Failurefield with Captain Malik, no body knows, but I guess that's the excitement of Pakistan cricket.

They say 'What doesnt kill you makes you stronger'. Well in that case what we Paki fans have endured in the past 15 months has made us IRON MEN by now!! (Oval test, doping, Younis Khan in ICC champions trophy, WC fiasco, tragedy of Bob Woolmer). And the probability of crashing in Failurefield does not scare us ONE BIT !!

What pakistan lacked all those years since javed/zaheer/ is a worldclass middle order batsman. Who can play on each surface. And withstand the pressure of a major tournament

Good article. I think this new pakistani era will bring alot of positives and will dominate cricket like we did from late 80's to early 90's. good luck to shoaib malik and very happy with his deputy selection mohammad asif who i think is pakistans' future captain.

It is interesting that while taking the name of Shoaib Akhtar you say 'Presumed captain-in-waiting'. Well if you had heard Shoaib Akhtar's interview on Geo Super few weeks back he after every now and then said 'I am not interested in being the Captain of Pakistan Team'. The way he repeatedly said it lead me to believe that surely captaincy is on the mind of Shaoib Akhtar, that's y he says that he wants to be super fit before coming into the team. i believe this shoaib Malik experiment is going to be a temporary make shift one and in an year's time we may see another superstar of Pakistan team becoming the Captain.

i really do hope that something comes out of this.

Kamran,
Your last two lines sum up the current situation of Pakistan cricket and I feel exactly in the same way.
As for as the upcoming series in Abu Dhabi is concerned, I don't agree with your comparison of Pak-SL teams to Ind-BD. This Sri Lankan outfit is more proactive under Mahela-Moody combination than it was under Attapatu. Their approach has changed for good and I don't think they are coming in Abu Dhabi for a mere visit. Even without Murali & Vaas they are hard nutts to crack. As for as Pak team is concerned, our situation is diffrent from India. Their board has made sensible decisions and they know what they are doing. We have made mockery of our situation by running the performance evaluation circus and pathetic selections. We are not going to prove a point there, we are starting from scratch and thus should not expect more from our team at this stage.
Instead of cheap redemption and quick angry theory, We should adopt rational approach. Looking at the ground realities of our domestic structure and the system of upbringing the players, we should not expect consistent good performances against the quality teams. There would be some good odd results due to some individual brilliances but to get the consistency we need professional approach ACROSS THE BOARD in our cricket system.
Therefore if we can see the current cricket affairs with a realistic eye, we might avoid the high expectation temptation and consequently angre will not quickly for the good of us....

Kami Bhai "Pakistan team is afragile creature that carries the hopes & dreams of millions!!!
Now All Hopes centred to Young energetic Captain i.e. Shoiab Malik! kami Bhai may be you remember "i was the first one who give suggestion to make Shoaib as a Captain! because he is young with strong mind and he can accept the challenge! All we know how he made his place in the team with lots of struggle and when ever the task is given to him He showed his best! Insha Allah All Pakistani players now will start with new hopes, because we are waiting for a success of paki team! Shoaib, Asif, Yousaf, Razzaq, Afridi, Akhter and all other Players have the great opportunity to prove they are best & they can beat all other teams & Australians too!
Good Luck Pakistan!!

i guess paks gonna prove them selve this time--i bet pakistan fielding will improve-no doubt-batting i thing will be a bit fragile and bowling i guess will be gud--if batting works --i guess we will win--plz open with imran nazir and salman butt--hafeez down the order

News are comming that no new player will be given a chance even in a low profile series of abu-dhabi if true inizs era continues.

Whilst all that Kamran says might be 'intellectually' right, we should not overlook one plain ,simple fact of Pakistan Cricket or more correctly of following Pakistan Cricket. And that is HYPER-EXPECTATION. We always expect heart lifting performance from supposedly professional cricketers who do not , it seems, expect the same of themselves. So while it may be alright to talk about redeeming themselves what we really ought to do is to re-caliberate our own expectancy level from the current or any future pakistan team. Maybe it is our own insane, over-zealous following which is the real factor resulting in diminishing returns from our Boyz.

Perhaps it is time now to just ease off a little bit and let the whole thing take its natural course and then evaluate whether this team or its leader has what it takes to restore our 'Lost'pride and ground in world cricket.

I do not have high hopes from this team. I am glas Asif is back in the team but one thing i do not understand, Why is Shoib Akhtar out. Oh yes, he is unfit, that's what they say! Why cant we put the politics aside and pick one of the best bowlers in the world and help our chances.

Dear Kamran,

Yet again, another thought provoking and interesting blog. Having not been previously exposed to the persona of the much touted Shoaib Malik, I took your advice and watched the Nadia Khan interview. Prior to your mention of the chat show host, i had no idea the even show existed. I was also surprised at your comment of Mr Malik lacking slightly on the intellect side - this after all was a chap who had been singled out for leadership by the late, great Bob Woolmer (amongst others).

What presented itself on the show was a delinquent who acted like he was just given the sweets from the sweet shop. When asked why he had been given the captaincy, he reacted and said someone saw a dream. Right, thats the problem solved of a strong and confident leader then! Is this dude really going to the great captain that Pakistan soo desperately requires? I was much more impressed by Afridi on an earlier version of the show!

People should really watch them both and compare the personas of the incumbent and rival. I'm backing the rival, although I accept we should give Malik a chance to prove his worth.

Yes, you are correct Kamran.
I saw Nadia Khan’s interview and I was very disappointed to see Shoaib.

The way, Shoaib Malik gave answers were not representing any civilized nation.
How sad, he became Captain of our national cricket team?
Specially his proud PUNJABI blood tone was very bad and you can see how he thinks?

He should know he is representing PAKISTAN not a PUNJAB.
I am sorry for non-Punjabi cricketers who are waiting to representing Pakistan.
Most probably they need a long wait.

On one stage he also insults women.
I am a women and its hurts me a lot.

Under his leadership, I do not see any good future for our Cricket team.
Please remember we were unite as a nation we were unbeatable in Hockey.
Almost same attitude applied on Hockey and today we are behind Korea, Argentina, Malaysia etc.

We should learn from our defeat against Ireland & West Indies.
Unfortunately we are not willing to learn from our mistake.

Same team, same PCB officials, same attitude & NO MERIT.

Saima Khan
Islamabad

Yaar, is this cricket or gali ka match. A captain who is not even fit to be in the eleven of every match. No coach. Ad-hoc management. To Hell with pakistan cricket and their money grabbing everyone, from the president to the chokidar.

Agreed, In order to be successful for the future Pakistan need to get some of their stars from the under 19 teams of the past some valuable playing time and experience. The likes of Fawad Alam, Anwar Ali, Zulqarnain Haider etc. are sure to produce some big wins collectively.

I am agree with you Kamran.
I'd like to add some thing more in your analysis.

We also need to work on mental strenght of our players. Best thing to replace old players with weak mental strenght by young players with poistive attitude and strong mental strenght.

here what I mean by mental strenght,

Our few players always became unfit prior to play against strong opponents like SA or Australia or big event like World Cup & ICC tournament.

Before the last WC & Test & One Day series against South Africa several Pakistani players became unfit.

Specially, without playing any match against South Africa,
Abdul Razak & Shoaib Malik was not fully fit.
Abdul Razak missed the whole series & world cup.

Shoaib Malik missed test series against SA.

The only good thing that time was Abdul Razak announced his fitness problem prior to aboard.

From some time performance of some players like Abdul Razak, Kamran Akmal, Imran (F)/(N), Rana & Shoaib Malik (whole team) is not satisfactory.

Specially, tour outside the country most of our players are not performing well but also faces fitness problem.

If you see the past history of Abdul Razzak quite often he become unfit in big events or against strong team like Australia.

Last time when our cricket team visited to Australia, Abdul Razak found his sickness just before the match.
He woke up and found himself seriously unfit (with Asthma and Weakness).

He did not play against strong Australian team.

As soon as Pakistan cricket team came back to Pakistan,
he recovered from his sickness remarkably.

And become the part of national cricket team without any proper treatment.
Did he really a Sick?
Board should consider fitness and form of all players.
Especially, against good team like Australia, South Africa.

It looks mental level to take stress is not very strong.

Before select any player PCB should also consider fitness along with the form.
Otherwise player can be unfit before any crucial match.

I think PCB should work on their mental strength.

Regards,
Dawar
LA, USA

I think that i am not alone to think that shoaib has K-2 mountain to climbe. Shoaib not only has to rediscover the glory of pakistan cricket but also find new hights in his leadership and as a player. What he needs to concentrate on is to make sure that each and every player is hungry for success at all times and most of all lay out strategy for every player to go about demolishing any opposition without any remorse. Shoaib must also bring back the dignity of pakistan cricket in cricketing world. Shoaib has to emphasis on each player that they are playing for Pak team and they have to improve on all departments all the time especially fielding. Shoaib has our faith and we should give him some time to settle down in his new post. As long as shoaib keeps merit above politics of cricket in pakistan he will do just fine. May allah help him. Thanks

Even if Malik stumbles and does not win the upcoming series or matches, we should not worry too much. Let him start his journey. He has a strong opponent captain in the name of Mahela Jayawerdene, who at the moment is at the top of his captaincy and game. Lets back our captain and give him all the support we can in the start of his career as a National team's captain.

Yes! Pakistan can beat sri lanka only if they are full of confidence and vigor.

I wish the team good luck in their matches with Sri Lanka. I think it is a good opportunity for all new comers, by new comers i mean Shoib Malik in his role as captain , Mohammada Asif in his new role as Vice captain, and not least of all the new selection committee. The new selectors also have a point to prove . People like Salahudin have been selectors in the past with some experience. This is also a test for the new coach . The previous regime failed miserably to resolve the opening pairs issue , the team was subject to too many injuries etc. Let us see how the new comers perform . My prediction is that they will lose the series, and go back to the drawing board to make the necessary changes. I think in this instance a loss would be a good thing for Pakistan cricket because it will make the decision makers work harder to get the right combination going

I admire your optimism. Alas, it is unfounded. Random events happen; but if they were to occur with any regularity, they would cease to be random. And to expect this bunch of eleven cricketers to win against serious opposition with any regularity is asking for predictable randomness, an impossibility. That conclusion must surely be the outcome of your reasoning. But I admire your heart, and will shed a happy tear should you be proven right.

Salam & HIZ 2 all..
:) well how Kamran nd others are juz trying 2 make things complicated even dey know its very simple...Trying 2 put weight juz 2 justify S-Malik as a captain nd new era of pakistan team..
Nadia Khan wants Trophy back ??? which Trophy she is talkin about...Every one including Kamran nd Nadia iz thinkin of themself as Cricket Guru..
Nothing gona change Pak success rate under inzi iz very high as well it does't mean dat we r gud team against SA nd class of AUssis ..
nd this gona happen again .....

Saw the Nadia Khan interview on Youtube. She's hot and has a reallly nice voice...but she's gotten a tad chubby. Sorry, what were we talking about??

People may jump to conclusions simply stating that this Abu Dhabi matches will bring more anger than redempttion in case Pakistan loses. This is far from the truth. Shoaib Malick answered this question very intelliegently in a question from Nadia Khan stating that victory and defeat are important but the his main effort as a captain would be to do his best for the team to provide the leadership to make the players give their best . Therefore he stated emphatically that means are far more important than the results. So what we are expecting from this intellegent cricketer is provide the fighting spirit no matter what the result which he proved in his gallant innings aginst West Indies in 2007 world cup as well.Losing in 2007 world cup was one thing but the main problem was the lack of fight and the way the team lost in these two world cup matches, that has hurt cricket followers in the country. So, we expect a changed team that would be fighting unit, well led and a unified team that never gives up easily to the last ball of the match nothing less.Only a good leader can provide the impetus for changing the negative thinking that has crept in the Pakistani team lately.

Victory or defeat are important but the more important thing is the means by which you reach the goals. Losing or winning to Sri Lanka in this tournament is not the most important thing as has been projected by various writers. The main thing is as was pointed out very intelligently by Shoaib Malick in his interview with Nadia Khan he said that he expects to give his best shot for the team and no less, results will follow. So the encouragement to the team will be to build that fighting spirit that comes from good leadership.Defeat in world cup was not the main problem it was the method of defeat the disgrace of being beaten without a fight,,,that was disgusting.

It really feels good to see all the greats of this blog, the likes of Khansahab, Ashaq, Javed A. Khan of Montreal Canada, Euceph Ahmed, Wasim Saqib, etc., who have contributed in their own ways, and it seems that they were really looking forward to this new thread to vent their feelings. Great job guys, this blog is much more fun with your contributions. (though at times we miss Ms. Kiran for her gallantry).

Carry on the good works all, and let the PEACE prevail !!

Khansahab, your write-ups were really nice and I fully agree with all that you have said, specially, the feelings of us fans, I mean you were so true when you wrote that “And you know what else, even if Butt and Nazir fail, Gul becomes injured, or Malik grows a beard, I will still wait for them to perform in the Twenty20 cup. Our passion and craze won’t end. These lousy, lethargic and loony cricketers can test us all they want, but our craze and madness will certainly keep testing them until the end of time.”

We really love our team no matter what they do or not do 

I for one, will be in Abu Dhabi watching all the games.

Thanx for the new thread Mr,Kamran I`ve been waiting for it. Well rightly said that its a new step , a new beginning, may be the beginning of the era of pakistan,who knows.I think we as a nation are very eager in pinpointing the mistakes and the wrong deeds instead of jus giving the boys a slap at the back and to tell them to give it another shot.I had read some of the other comments on your blog and i am sorry to say that much of the guys are still pinpointing on various sections for eg:shoaib is not presenting any civilized nation, asif is not fit to do a vice captain role, players have no mental strength,what is all of this.I think we need players in the team who can play well not the intellectuals who can sit and say something in bloody civilized manner.When are we going to understand that whenever there is a new beginning there are some problems who everybody has to face.If the same team wins the series at Abu-dhabi then everyone would be praising them then why not now, why cant we start believing in then from now onwards why cant..I know the road is long and our team have to face several up and downs but atleast we as a nation should back them up and tell them that we are with them not to pinpoint them but to give them a hand when they fall down..what u guys think...........

I haven't seen the TV interviews of Shoaib Malik, Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar and I would like to see them when they are up on u-tube. Its a request from my side to my fellow bloggers to post the link here, if ever they find it and remember it. Thank you all in advance.

The Abu Dhabi farcical series is about to start and very soon we all shall be seeing Salinga Malinga in action. So, its better to talk about his action now instead of waiting till the Pak cookie crumbles under his pace and then people will say, hey you guys are whiners and finding an excuse after a defeat. Defeat or win is not that important, its the game that matters and it is the fighting spirit that is important rather than "tu chall mai aya" attitude, which the Pak team is so capable of doing it so often.

khansahab you have brought back the subject of Salinga Malinga's bowling action into this thread so whether you care if it is technically correct or not......I am taking it further. I think we need to discuss it and I do care about keeping the bowling actions clean. In the previous thread I think it was EMIRAN who wrote in support of Malinga's action and compared it not only with Jeff Thompson but, also with Waqar Younis.

I have also heard and read that Thompson and Malinga's action are similar and based on that I wrote in my previous post that the Australians will not touch Malinga because, of the similarity of bowling action with Jeff Thompson. To be very honest, until that time I was not sure, because its a long time and I may have seen Thompson's bowling, but I may not have paid much attention to it, to remember his action in that much detail, except for the fact that his action is a bit different from others and his arm is not closer to the head like most bowlers. Therefore, to make sure I got a few clips from u-tube on how Jeff Thompson used to bowl. Here he is in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8tFgtzeA2M

I have noticed that a big difference in the delivery of the ball and even the angle of the arm is different. No one can bowl or release the ball at 90 degrees angle all the time, but generally it is more or less between 85 to 90 degrees angle. Whereas, Thompson's arm action or the angle of his arm at the time of releasing the ball is close to 80 degrees. Now, take a look at Malinga's action by clicking on the link below and see the vast difference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7j0K_lmDDE

It is obvious that Malinga releases the ball almost at 45 degrees angle, which in my opinion is chucking. I have not seen any bowler whose bowling action is so low from the shoulder level at the time of releasing the ball. The run up, the jump or the stride is immaterial if the arm is not going above the shoulder level, therefore, it is a controversial delivery. Malinga b4 releasing the ball, first pulls his arm a little back and then brings it forward with a jerk and its a completely slanting action, in my opinion, if he brings his arm up to an angle of 80 degrees or more, then he may not be able to generate that much pace.

Below are a few more links of Malinga in action including his famous 4 wickets in 4 balls, I am copy pasting these links because, in one of the clips there is an ultra slow motion replay of Malinga's action which will give you a far better understanding of how his arm is jerked and how much low he keeps it below his shoulder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uqoT3J7yAo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvocnlHfcWE&mode=related&search=

There is no way Waqar Younis could be compared with Malinga. Waqar's action was absolutely clean like, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and even Mohammad Asif's. Shoaib Akhtar's action is also clean (generally) but, his faster one where he bends his wrist to generate more speed is a doubtful delivery and so is Shuan Tait's faster one. Among the spinners, Shahid Afridi's faster one, Murali's and Harbhajan's doosra are also questionable. Why do we see so many chuckers these days? Is it the speed that they are after? But, no one seems to be after Malcolm Speed, shouldn't someone chuck him out?

As for SM's intellectual capabilities, your comments remind me of what someone said about the political capabilities of Imran Khan - that he is very good in running a few yards and throwing a ball. I don't know who said it, but that person is not important unlike Imran Khan, who was very good in throwing a ball.
It's cricket; take it easy. If Malik wins a few series for Pakistan, I will consider him a highly valuable asset. I still don't care what he tells Nadia, as long as it is within the 'norms', that is. If he fails he will be remember as a regular skipper in a time that PCB likes to forget anyway. Anyone remembers Wasim Bari's skills as a leader of Pakistan team. I am sure most don't and that's the point.

Both Pakistan & India hit an all time low in their Cricketing History in the recent World Cup. Just consider Pakistan's predicament, finding a man to captian the side proved difficult and now no one is willing to be the coach. This situation was unimaginable six months back. Hope is good but the fans need to be realistic. If Pakistan is able to give fight to Sri Lanka, that will be a good result.
The average Indian (I am an Indian) & Pakistani fans do't really understand the game.They think that scoring a hundred is great. Whether that hundred was a selfish innings, whether it deprived the team of a win is generally ignored. That's precisely the reason a man like Tendulkar who is a statistical giant but has never performed against quality opposition and in crunch situations in the last 4 yours, is still a huge star.
The avegare fan talks about performance but doesn't really understand what that is. Even a 20 scored in nerve racking situation which leads to the team win is better than a double hundred scored in the mindless drawn game. Sometimes even the cricket officials fail to understand this and just point at the stats of the players.
I think this is something to do with our culture, we are not naturally team players.
Till we start understanding the dynamics of how a team works and to appreciate and credit real performance we will never reach the pinnacle of any team game.

@Khansaheb:
"But that chucker Malinga is still there (I don’t care if his action is technically correct, an action is either dodgy or not i.e. either a bowler bends his arm to gain an unfair advantage or he does not)"

I hope you follow the same standards when talking about Shoaib Akhtar. Or is it that in his case it's "natural hyperextension" and "he has been cleared by the ICC" etc.

We can only hope for the best. But let us as the fans of Pakistan cricket also enter a new era. Let us support the team through this rebuilding phase. Let us support the team as we would support a child through tough times. Let us not build unrealistic expectations and give the team time to rebuild. Let us feel for the team as one of our own. Lets look for all the positives in the months to come and be encouraging in defeat. And most of all let us rediscover the joy of watching the game and supporting our team.

Kamran Sahib,

You talk about CRICKET and cricket lover like Javed Bhai, Khansahab and others opine about TABLEEG. In my opinion this blog is getting more TABLEEGI rather than CRICKET.

Can anybody deny RELIGION in this world????

My fellow writers, Kamrab Sb's article is one of the best heart touching note which sums up "Pakistan cricket is a fragile creature that carries the hopes and dreams of millions around the globe......"

Poor Shoaib Malik has still to start his stint as Captain and we all have started criticized. I am not against criticism but a healthy one. It demoralizes the moral of the cricketer. Let them play cricket and enjoy them. We should be proud that after travelling so many countries, they are doing tableeg and not forgetting ALLAH. How come you deny the fact that ALLAH is everywhere ?? So, my sincere request is that we should all talke about cricket and not about TABLEEG.

In a short, I look forward some articles from Kamran Sahib on the ICC and the failure of this World Cup.

Well...a country where a uniformed general is a president and a ruthless dictator, and he still is so power hungary that he wants to be all powerful patron in chief of the cricketing affairs, what on the earth a sensible loving pakistani can expect.............Ah, just whisper or he would let loose the MQM on you! What a pitty!!

All the anger should be at PCB Management the reason may be that the PCB Adhoc committee has appointed an Adhoc captain? Shoaib Malick has been appointed on a series to series basis that indicates that PCB Management dont have confidence in their decisions. How can they appoint a captain series by series and then hold him accountable if he doesnot know that he will be a captain for one more series after the one that he is being appointed the leader? In Shoaib Malick's case he should have been appointed for at least two years or he should never had been appointed!!PCB should immedietly appoint Shoaib for two years before its too late...This seems very logical or otherwise PCB would be responsible for this wrong decision of they change a captain after every series and also considering if they are looking to the 5-10 year future horizon..and not to the present horizon which is series by series..basis.

Hi I am an avid reader of your blog Mr.Abbasi but ddo not really have the time to write entries of my own or read others'.However this time round I have read most of what has been written. I guess the talk of choosing a captain with a punjabi and i mean a really thaith punjabi accent and this not representing our country properly is a very unfair and unrealistic comment. Open your eyes, wake up do you guys have any idea what our country's literacy rate is. Half our country cannot read or write in english or in urdu, and you are saying that this guy with a punjabi accent doesnt reperesent our country fairly. This is a country where more than half the masses dont know what a crises this country is going through let alone give a shit about democracy. A lady here says Shoaib made a minor disrespectful comment about women.Smell the coffee lady here women are raped infront of a whole village with their own family's full cooperation. Its not about cricket or the board or the president.Its us we have to change the way we think. We can talk of uneducated cricketers but unless someone is brave enough to allow their children to pursue a career in sports this will be the norm.Talkin of salman butt he was 1 year senior to me in Lahore during A levels his grades were 2 Us and a D.No wonder he went in to cricket.And his intellectual ablility ends with his english.
Anyway enough of this stupid rant.Good luck Pakis and ill always support you as i am stupid enough to write a rant this long about which nobody will care and only a few if any will read

Where is Samiullah Niazi, the young up and coming fast bowler?

I have had the opportunity to watch Shoiab Malik bat - his bowling is - basically trundling.

The man Shaoib, knows his limits
and
my cricketing gut sense tells me
he will be a better captain of Pakistan than Inzi or Javed were.

Hey, he is a young, enthusiastic kid, so lets all support him.

Time Pakistan cricket, got a break from primma donna captians.

'What do they know of cricket,
.... ???'

Isnt it about time we started looking at the positives, rather than whine incessantly about one thing or the other all the time?

One big positive for me is that the PCB has broken from past tradition and appointed a young man at the helm who has leadership qualities and aggression (not to mention age on his side, normally associated with Captaincy. This move itself deserves some credit; after all I wonder how much you lot would've whined if lack-a-daisical Muhammad Yousaf or permanently unfit Shoaib Akhtar or unpredictable Afridi or lackluster Abdul Razzak had been made captain.

Now of course we choose to whine about Shoaib Malik and Muhammad Asif (both bold moves) becoming captain and vice captain just because they have been selected.

What are the options, I'd like to know? Some fools were even harping on about bringing in complete unknowns and installing them as Captain to have 'a new look'. Well .. hello? the unknowns are unknowns precisely because they arent good enough to play in the first 11, new look or not. Or maybe some armchair expert has spotted a talent in his muhalla while playing tape ball cricket on the road, and would like him to make an international debut?

"The next two years will be a rocky road and we should be patient in judgment—but sometimes it is too hard to bite your tongue"

Perhaps biting down really hard would do everyone a favour.

AOA

Mr. Khansahab it’s for you. You have to have better understanding of Islam. Islam teaches you how to live a life as being a Muslim. Islam gives you guide line how to live your life as a Muslim.
This blog is not for some one to talk about some ones personal matter and religion is personal matter of every one. You are here to discuss cricket not religion. And always do some research before starting writing about some thing so you have some clue about that.

ALLAH HAFIZ

To khansahab:

From some of your posts that I have read it looks like you prefer a clean shaven, non-tablighi, Western style, alocohol drinking looser rather then a bearded Islamic looser.

Don't you see a flaw in your own argument? What difference does it make if a person has beard or not. You want to blame something for the lack of team's performance so you jump on the easy PJ Mir bandwagon to blame their beards rather then blaming the obvious... their performance on the pitch.

I am no big fan of Inzi's captaincy but he said it best in a Geo interview when asked about PJ's comment that players were praying on the plane. Please ask PJ if there was a net practice on the plane that players left to pray.

While I agree that some players do go over the top to show their faith, I do not agree that religion is the cause of their demise or lack of it for that matter. It's their skill/will and performance on the pitch that will win them a match. More power to them if they also practice their faith on top of that.

khansahab, if Malinga is a chucker, then so is Shoaib Akhtar. If Shoabib is not a chucker, then neither is Malinga

Bakwas is Bakwas in Urdu or English

Let's give the boys in Green a Chance, I more than most was very upset and angry how pakistani performed during the ICC WCC, but what can I do as a mere mortal and spectator. Whether the failing were delibrate or Ireland got lucky?? well we'll never now. I still believe Shohib Mailk despite in his early/mid twenties could give the boost which at times under Inzi they lacked. Look at Grahem Smith for South Africa and Ricky Ponting for Australia, they fired up throughout a ODI or a test match. I just think Inzy lost the flare and passion sometime ago. Come on Shohib make the difference. I disagree with the vice captain as good as bowler Mohammed Asif is I would have like Shahid Afridi in that spot. He has served pakistani well if not with the bat at times, produces wickets and has that hunger for Pakistani to do well. Anyone who can hit a Six like Afridi has great mental strengh and power despite not being a Jacob Oram of New Zealand the Giant.

This feels like deja-vu. 4 years ago Pakistan was going to play Sri Lanka after our first round exit in the 2003 world cup in Sharjah (there was also a minnow in that tournament). 4 years later the venue is a few miles away, the captain has changed, and so have some players. But it is after another first round exit that we find ourselves hoping for something to change. I predict nothing will. I predict that we will again be in the same place 4 years from now.... unless we start listening to Imran and revamp our domestic structure.

Wisdom is polished through education and education is nothing our crickters know. PCB should develope not only playing cricketing skills but should think of converting academies to cricket schools. It's a gentelman's game and we need som personalities in it.

All the best to Shoaib Malik and Pakistan. By the way, Mr Abbasi, this article was one of your best--except for one small point...
See, it's not Shoaib Malik--who has not has so much opportunity--it's Kamran Abbasi who's always struck me as a bit of an intellectual lightweight. Ah, but we all love his column, don't we?
Cheers

KHANSAHAB has made a fair assesment of the team.I fully agree with him that sports & religion should not be mixed up. While everyone is entitled to their personal belief , it should be resticted to their room & not a public show.Any thing too much is bad & when you try to club it with your passion (here cricket) ,things look ugly unless you strike a right balance.We have now seen how things went wrong for pakistan & a team which was once capable of beating any team in the world was reduced to the ignominy of exiting in the first round itself in the WC.In the case of india though abve prolems are not there,their exit is on account of carrying confirmed failures (SOCALLED SENIORS),scheming by few,politics & more than all inconsistancy.Too many endorsements have turned their head off .despiote changes pakistan still carries the burden of confirmed failures(SENIORS).It is high time we look for youngsters both in india & pakistan.Let us lose with juniors rather than headlong seniors.

Redemption comes cheap, and so does shame.
This is a system run by morons, always blaming each other. It's a circus where every lota gets a chance to display his desperation in the form of "patriotism".
Cricket in Pakistan's become an A-grade joke thanks to the retarded system-- and yes the example is set from the very top.
See also: "The ad-hoc committee" BLAAAH!

When you've been set on fire, it's sort of better to rush towards the water and set the fire off instead of being optimistic and waiting for the fire to extinguish itself.
because really.. when it's gonna end-- everything's going to be ashes.