Yes I agree, Pakistans top-order has to do something, because it makes it uneasy watching for Pakistani fans!


In actual fact Pakistan batting makes it uneasy watching for Pakistani fans! But you do not understand how happy I am that the team has performed at this tournament!


Tears of happiness are coming out my eyes as I type this!This is what we want to see from our team!
Shoaib Malik, the Sialkot captain - what a man. This is our great captain for the future!


I have to say that Afridi should not be at the top of the batting order, I think he should come in between Younis and Malik, here he can still have enough overs to make an quick impact!


The top-order in fact have to sort it out for themselves. Imran Nazir - we all know that he has potential as we know when he first come on the scene when the Sharjah Cup was going on, and I never thought I would be saying this but Hafeez if he can just have a bit more self control I can see him making some quick runs as well!


The other thing I have to say is Afridi should be the vice-captain instead of Salman Butt cause what contribution has Salman Butt made to the team?


Misbah - well played brother, you have delighted us all! Shoaib Akhtar, are you watching? We have done this without you! Come on Pakistan!

Mr. Kamran Abbassi the caption of this new thread should have been: Fantastic end to a gripping drama. Wow, what a match! Congratulations to Pakistan and most importantly. Congratulations to Misbah-ul Haq. He finally silenced all his critics today and, I am one of them. To be very honest like the majority, I wasn't also happy with his inclusion in the team as Mohammad Yousuf's replacement. But, now I have to give him the due that he deserves.


The reasons for skepticism were: 1.His past performance at international level was abysmal. 2.His age 33, which was under microscope and many criticized that he is too old for this format of the game. 3. He replaced Mohammad Yousuf, who is not only is a year younger than him but, he is an icon and a national hero and he took it as an insult and opted out from the national team and joined the ICL. Perhaps this added pressure must be the reason to bring out the best of Misbah-ul-Haq in this tournament so far.


His performance against India was good but, not good enough to win a match. Against Sri Lanka it was too short to judge it as a good one. But this was fantastic. Also, the best and the longest six of the tournament (111 meters) coming from his willow is a big surprise, we have seen him hitting sixes but, not a "Huge Nelson" coming out from his bat and that too at the right time was indeed a shockingly pleasant sight.


It wasn't that we were not aware of Misbah's domestic performance in twenty20 but, it was his performance at the international level that has always been questioned by many and he was in and out of the team in test and ODI's that raised too many eyebrows. But, I am really happy for him and wish him all the best for his future endeavours which may not be as long as his six owing to his age. I don't think I need any sarcasm from any of the bloggers here because of my earlier skepticism about his inclusion in this team. I would like to see Pakistan win and whoever plays good deserves the credit and the praise.


It is also very good to see Malik getting in another big partnership with a back to back fifty, he came into form at the right time and really played an anchor role and set a good example of leading from the front rather than being a spectator skipper. But, the question is how many times you expect to see a repeat performance from the same players? What's wrong with the openers and the top order? They are constantly putting the middle under under tremendous pressure. If Pakistan has to win the cup, they have three more matches to play. It is time for the other batsmen to contribute and relieve the pressure from those who are performing consistently.


The bowlers also did a fantastic job today. Tanvir's razmataz dazzled once again. He sent back the three most dangerous left handers in good time i.e., Hayden, Gilchrist and Hussey. Afridi's second over was the best I have ever seen from him, it was against the two best batsmen in the world Ponting and Symonds. His first three dot balls to Ponting placed him under tremendous pressure, he almost got him stumped on the 4th ball but, the benefit of doubt went in his favour. On the 5th ball Ponting got frustrated and jumped out a few meters out of his crease and missed. But, Kamran Akmal also missed a dolly stumping chance. But, then he clean bowled the dangerous man Symonds with a beauty. Asif and Gul also bowled intelligently in the end and saved at least 20 valuable runs. Hafeez was also intelligent enough in exploiting the weakness of the injured Ricky Ponting who pulled his hamstring earlier and Hafiz forced him to stretch his legs further by making him play on the front foot which was very difficult for him that resulted in shattering his stumps. Over all it was a good team effort barring the Pak openers.


After the match Ian Chappell was praising Pakistan's cool heads and the way they batted and he mentioned about Pakistan's past performance in Australia when on most occasions they used to start well but a couple of quick wickets used to create sudden panic and they used to loose the match most of the time. He quoted, one of the Australian newspapers headlines after one of the defeats as: "Its Panicistan Again."

For a while I thought it will be depressing outcome..
The great thing is that Pakistani team is not getting nervous and it is actually competing under tough situations, situations that are rather invited than imposed. I wish Mohammed Yousuf was opening with Imran Farhat. At their worst, they would have done a better job than the nervous Salman Butt (not sure why he is the vice-captain) and the blundering Nazir.


Pakistan should drop Imran Nazir in favour of an allrounder like Yasser Arafat and change the batting order as following. Akmal, Hafeez, Butt, Afridi, Shoaib, Misbah, Yasser, Imran, Asif, Gul. At least Yasser has scored more runs and shown more spirit that our esteemed opener(s).

Quite right Kamran Abbasi, Misbah the unflappable and I would add that he has been the most dependable in every match. In the match against Sri Lanka sending Akmal ahead of him was plain silly.


I can only repeat what I said in the earlier thread: All those who had been criticising “Uncle” Misbah should now eat their words. He has been the most consistent batsman so far. I also mentioned (a) selectors should be lauded for this courageous move as they almost always get criticised and (b) age such as his shouldn’t be a barrier; only form should matter and (c) Mo Yo has done no favour to himself by joining ICL.


Isn’t it refreshing and natural to see Shoaib Malik and the award winners, when they come at the presentation ceremony, talking about cricket than getting distracted by making non-cricketing utterances. I think on this one the cricket board should get credit.

Cool, calm and collected effort from Misbah & Malik. Good bowling performance complimented by calculated batting performance. Good morale boosting victory but still there is room for improvement like shot selection from Imran Nazir and the brave move of dropping Salman Butt is the need of the hour!!

Well done Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik. I would comment here that do not compare Misbah with Mohammad Yousuf. Yousuf is Yousuf and Misbah is Misbah

Misbah was under pressure even before the start of the T20 and this blog was one of his major critics. So its good to see him again on this blog but with a totally different mood. We should appreciate the guys who bring honour for us (its a totally a different story whether we like them or not). And down the line Sohail also did the same by performing on the field.
Last but not least we don't forget to hail Malik too!


P.S. We are comparing Misbah with Majid Khan & Inzimam-ul-Haq after watching him on the field. And when we were criticizing him nobody mentioned his batting but only age factor. So in future we should refrain ourselves from criticizing someone on the basis of non-cricketing issues.

Misbah has been a revelation and has probably exceeded everyone’s expectations.
I supported his selection over Yousuf’s because I knew he was preferred on accounts of his recent domestic form and superior fielding to Yousuf. I am happy for him and I think he will be a regular international player for a while now. I was amazed at his command over English since the standard Pakistani player is not fluent in English at all. Does anyone know how Misbah developed this command over the language?


Pakistan can celebrate after this victory because Australia became charged after the defeat to Zimbabwe and most commentators were of the view that they would prevail in this contest. However I am reminded of the World Cup of 1999 where Pakistan beat Australia in the preliminary matches but suffered ignominious defeat in the final.
Can Pakistan control their nerves in the semi-finals and (possibly) the final?


Sohail Tanvir is impressive and certainly seems to have an edge with his uncanny bowling action and quick release of the ball. He is a left hander and creates an angle so that is an added advantage. It is too early to make comparisons with Wasim Akram but if he can maintain a hard working ethic he is destined for great achievements.


Some bloggers have reservations with Malik’s captaincy and although I admire him greatly as a batsman, he needs to be less rigid in his approach. He needs to realise that Butt and Nazir need to be dropped now and Fawad Alam needs to be played for the next two matches at least so that a fair assessment of his performance can be made. I would let Akmal and Afridi open in the next match. Fawad needs to bat in Afridi’s position for now, or he can be promoted to no 3 with Hafeez batting in Afridi’s position (since Hafeez has not been doing well as either opener or no 3). I would include Arafat in place of Akmal. Akmal is never a bad choice for opener because his batting performance is usually better or same as any standard opener, so he will not be a liability. He makes too many mistakes as a keeper; today he missed a crucial stumping chance of Ponting. It wasn’t too costly for Pakistan as Ponting was dismissed soon after but that is no excuse.


Malik likes electing to bowl following winning the toss but I think he should refrain from that in the future unless the conditions demand it. Malik feels comfortable himself working towards a target and planning his innings and although he is good at it he needs to realise that his success rate will never be 100%.


Pakistan is not a mentally strong side and unless a solid opening combination is discovered they will normally lose their top-order wickets early when chasing, hence putting too much pressure on the middle order. Malik, Misbah and Younis will not strike gold in every match and Malik needs to realise that. In one of my earlier posts I commented that for this sole reason, if Malik wins the toss he should always elect to bat first in this tournament. Players like Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal, Afridi and Butt are more likely to score big when not under the pressure of chasing.

Your right Mr. Abbasi, the first 6 overs is absolutely crying for the likes of Afridi. What is the harm in trying him for the opening slot? Its not like the current openers are providing a stable foundation anyway. His only job would be to capitalize on the fielding restrictions and a quick 30 is all that is really required.

You are quite right in saying that Pakistan fans are enjoying the sweetness of this success over mighty Australia regardless of the importance of the tournament in international cricket (I'm literally whooping). Also, I like the way this team looks more like a team and less like individuals playing just for the sake of it. As to the performances of Sohail Tanvir and Misbah-ul-Haq, I'd say they were spot on as were the rest of the team's with a few exceptions... I do wish these performances will continue in the future bringing loads of consistency and success for the Pakistan team...

I think I was the only one in one of your recent blogs who praised the selection committee, especially Salahuddin. I also agreed with the benching of Mohammad Yousuf as he is not fit for this format of the game. People criticized the PCB and selection committee on every opportunity they get. Here is why this shouldn’t happen; they provide a chance for deserving domestic players to show how hungry they are to compete and make their selection just, but at the end it’s up to the players to make the most of the opportunity.


I’ve seen countless players have been given chances and few prevailed. One example is Hasan Raza, this guy might be one of the best our domestic cricket has produced but he couldn’t cash in, the reason I think of is, he could not stand the pressure at international level. If you look at the current crop of the players, majority of them took full advantage of the chances they were given and performed well in their early matches. So a player no matter how good a performer at the domestic level can still turned out to be a bust. That’s the reality of this business. Cricket boards and coaches get too much blame and too much credit for the team’s performance. Coach can prepare an outstanding plan to cope with a team but it’s the player who ultimately execute it and that’s where games are won and lost.


Misbah shut a lot of mouths here on this blog. Remember ‘Uncle Misbah’? I do worry about the opening problem but I think Pak should continue with Imran Nazir and Hafeez. Salman Butt needs to be replaced with Arafat. I don’t see it happening though. At the end Pak won a battle and not the war so there is plenty of work ahead. Australia and South Africa are still favoured but Pak is getting red hot so there will be some nail biting contests ahead. I’m thinking which team will get Afridi medicine. I can see a volcano is about to erupt. Good Luck Pakistan.

Well done Pakistan! Wonderful consecutive wins against SL and AUS. To be honest majority of us did not expect these wins but they rose at the right time. At least a much better performance after the silly bowl-out game against India! However I’d say that openers have not yet justified their selection so far!


Yes, Misbah has fully justified his selection in the team and shut the mouth of his critics after playing very crucial role at the time of crisis in two important wins so far. After these unexpected wins expectations have become higher and now we can dream of something really big. Pakistan won their first World CUP of 1992 in the Holy month of Ramadan and I have a feeling that they can win another major tournament in this blessed month inshallah, where millions of people in Pakistan and around the world pray for Pakistan’s success.


Sohail Tanveer has been a surprise package for team Pakistan and Shoaib Akhter’s exit has been a blessing in disguise. It is too early to predict the future of this boy as he has to go miles and prove his mettle and learn so much from his seniors. But Pak seems to develop a triangle of Asif, Gul and Tanvir now which looks very rosy so far. He has a different bowling action and as he is playing for the first time in an international tournament, batsmen of other teams are having difficulty to read him and he has been a headache for even the star batsmen like Sehwag, Jayasuriya, Hayden, Gilchrist etc


I had hopes that at least in this game our openers will fire but as usual they have been disappointing and first 3 wickets have been falling without giving any remarkable total to the middle order. Thanks to the timely innings of Younas, Malik and Misbah who not only consolidated the innings in the previous games by supporting the sunken ship but also pulled victory for Pakistan.


Afridi has been good with ball and yes he should come up the order. Twenty 20 format is designed for players like Afridi and Nazir as the current openers have been pathetic so Malik should either try him as an opener or send him at No.5 He should be given at least 8-9 overs to ‘do or die’ with his batting. If he has to throw his wicket in the end of the game while we hardly have 3-4 overs then why not try him up the order. The chances are that if he succeeds then he can easily change the complexion of a game in no time.


Also performance of Butt has been pathetic and I don’t know what does he think when he’s on the crease. We do not see any of his skills, technique or prolific runs and he is taking more balls to score runs that is against the format of Twenty20. He is low in confidence and I have started to think that he does not even deserve a permanent place in the X1 based on his performance. Afridi is still a much better candidate to take the responsibility either as a Captain or Vice Captain. Afridi has the personality, passion and he proves it by his performance. His bowling has become his strength now and if he scores quick runs that are a bonus. I think Afridi has made his place at least in ODI’s and with some calmness and sensible approach he can learn to perform in Tests as well.


Over all Pakistan has performed well in the last 2 games and outclassed SL and Aus in all the departments. Pakistan is the only team that can challenge mighty AUS because their bowling is not any lesser than Aussies. All they need is consistent performance and professionalism.


After losing the match Aus as usual never gave credit to Pakistan rather they spoke of their own mistakes which cost them. If beaten by other teams they never give them any credit or praise , no matter how good the other teams play!


I would be happier if Pakistan plays the final against them and outclass them once again! But it is also noted that Pakistan seems to become complacent after consecutive wins so watch them against Bangladesh. Although they have already qualified for the semi-final but to boost their confidence they should not lose the rhythm now and continue the win. They are actually two games away from the Twenty20 Cup. This is also the perfect time to try Fawad Alam in game against Bangladesh and drop Nazir and Butt. Both Butt and Nazir should have some much needed rest now. If they can not even perform in a shorter version of game after playing so many tests and ODIs then when would they?


Apart from that Gul, Asif, Tanvir, Afridi have been spot on. However they have been smacked and seem off colour on few occasions and they need to do more channel bowling according to field.


P.S Sohail Tanvir needs to work harder on his fielding and catching. His drop catch of Jayasuriya could have cost Pak had he not taken the wicket in his first bowl!
Good Luck team Pakistan, all our prayers and best wishes are with you. Make me a proud Pakistani!

Hey Kamran,


I was waiting and wondering when are you going to write about this wonder [Misbah-ul-Haq]! Although there was a lot said about his inclusion to the squad that must have weighed on him like a ton of bricks. But kudos to him that he shrugged it off and impressed more and more in every opportunity he got. I say this without any prejudice that if he is ready to wrestle his spot from anybody in the team in the manner displayed then more power to him,I am on his side.


Let's talk about a few expected failure such as our top-order. Butt and Nazir are both a failure should both be axed, but realistically speaking one of them has to go. I would drop Butt.Fawad should be drafted back in to the side. Malik should open with Imran, Afridi should be promoted to number three followed by Younis, Misbah Hafeez and Fawad.


Now about Sohail Tanvir. I had pointed out earlier that he does things in a different way and the result of it is the inclusion of Tanvir's which I predicted might happen. Another bet I am ready to make is that had it been any other coach, Tanvir may not have played.


As Sambit Bul so succinctly put it,Pakistan has played in a very un-Pakistani manner and outbowled, out batted and best of all out fielded Australia. Congratulation to the team.

Kamran, It's time to eat humble pie!


"Yousuf's replacement is Misbah-ul Haq, a player who often promises much in domestic cricket but fails to look the part on the international arena. As my colleague, Osman Samiuddin suggested, if a new batsman was required it should have been a new hope not an old has-been." (August 7, 2007 Twenty20 selection: Reasons unknown? Posted by Kamran Abbasi at on 08/07/2007 in New age)

I stand corrected about Misbah. I was one of the hordes of people who blamed him as a replacement for Yousuf. But for two days in a row now, Misbah has shown the poise that the top-order Pakistani players are lacking despite having played in the in the international scene for so long. Its his time to shine and to prove the critics wrong and he has. In a big way! Also on Tanvir, Pakistan has always done well with a left-arm in the attack. In hindsight, Shoaib's antics and eventual departure was a blessing in disguise.

Despite all the top order batting vows Pakistan managed to beat the favorites Australia, Shoaib Malik and Misbah again proved their class. Shoaib Malik so far is doing an excellent job as a captain although he is being branded as stubborn for not sending Afridi earlier I don't think such a move will have any impact if Afridi is going to do more or less the same what Imran Nazir is doing and it might hurt the team psychologically if we lose Afridi early. Statistically so far the more conventional or technically correct batsmen have been more successful in the tournament.

All the bowlers performed well again, Sohail Tanvir did it again for Pakistan his selection clearly shows that there is no dearth of talented players in Pakistan only the selectors have to be fair and should select the team without any pressure or prejudice.

Misbah may not be young any more but he is still quite fit and probably he is the only player on the the team who is honest about his age.

Pakistan will qualify for semi finals as Shoaib Malik promised before the tournament they can win it all only if they some how figure out a way to overcome their top order batting vows and maintain consistency in their bowling.

Pakistan should give Fawad Alam a chance in the game against Bangladesh.

Well.....I must admit I was among one of those who criticized having Misbah in the team. Although I was not in favour of having Yousef in the team either but Misbah was not a young blood at 30 so I thought any young lad could have been a better choice

But I was wrong. Misbah has been doing a wonderful job so far. Australian can say whatever they want that they have not taken this format of the game seriously……... this is not the right spirit as far as Australia is concerned….but we all know Australian are bad looser. Australia must accept they were outclassed by a better team in every department of the game including fielding.....can you believe Pakistan out-fielded Australians !!!

Nevertheless, being unpredictable is the inherent nature of Pakistan team. Don’t be surprised if Bangladesh hammers Pakistan in the next match.

Right on the money Kamran. I want to ask everyone, who questioned the captaincy of Shoaib Malik and the inclusion of Misbah, just one thing, What say you now? You know what the problem is Kamran? We Pakistanis are too judgemental. We have no faith in anything. For once, I plead, let the selectors do their job and have faith in them.


Yousuf was rightly axed from Twenty20 because this is not his cup of tea. He is not the same guy who used to score 30, 40 runs in ODIs before anyone could notice. He has matured in the Test arena and is still a handy option for one-dayers or should I now say 50/50 version. But there is no way he can cope with the fast paced slam bang format of 20/20.

This guy, Misbah, has a formidable track record in domestic T20 and hence deserved a place in this tournament. I seriously admired Yousuf for whatever he had done so far for Pakistan Cricket. But he lost all my respect for him by his recent actions.


Again, coming back to a lot of people in this blog bashing Malik. Well, do you people know anything about perseverance? Give the guy some space to conjure his own way of leading. And he has earned a lot of credit from the game's pros, the Chappells and co., regarding his captaincy in this tournament. That doesnt make him a perfect captain at all. He has his shortcomings and being stubborn is one of them. It could be better in some cases but not in this tournament. Although he is handicapped by the selection of top order players he has, but he can atleast shuffle it up a little just for the sake of experiment.

As these bunch(Salman, Nazir, Hafeez) are continuous failures, Afridi and Akmal need to be promoted at the top and Nazir should be kept for slog overs. Salman should be rested until he finds his form, and Fawad should be brought in in his place.


Captaincy is not an easy task folks. Everyone can come up with their own ideas. But put yourself in Malik's shoes and you'll understand what it means to lead a mercurial bunch of players .

About Misbah: I think we forget that he may have found favor with selectors based on his performance in the domestic 20s cricket. It is good to see that with his solid and consistent performances, Pakistan may actually have done better than they would with Mohammad Yousaf. But who knows. All points considered, while Misbah has certainly justified his selection, the selectors have not justified their omission of Yousaf.

The point about sending Afridi up the order is moot, at the very least. I am diappointed with repeated failures of Nazir and Butt But I would not at this stage disturb a very well settled middle order. It would be foolish to tinker with a batting order that is winning us big matches. But next time the selectors sit together, they would not have found a short term solution for Inzamam's absence.

About Bangladesh: Pak cricketeres will do well to take seriously this unpredictable team that boasts of some really big hitters and tricky bowlers. I would say that Malik should play with all the bench strength he can muster. I would not mind if he replaces either nazir or Salman for this match. But no changes in the batting order please!

Finally a word about Sohail Tanvir. I am so happy that he clicked. Please, Sohail, we need you to keep doing well. The guy you replaced is bad news. The team would be better off without him.

Can't we simply open with Hafeez and Yousin Khan - they have to be in the on the second over anyway. Sympathies for Salman Butt but its just not happening him and we should give others a chance in a not so important game against Bangladesh.

Kamran Bhai. You are right. Misbah was ignored in past due to selectors wrong selection. Now it is time Misbah should be in team at least till next World Cup.

Congratulation to all Pakistan team for reaching the semi-final. Tomorrow Pakistan should give rest to Asif, Hafeez, Afridi and Umar Gul and play Anjum,Yasir Arafat, Abdur Rehman and Fawad Alam.


Good luck to pakistan

I don't know if Afridi is scared or what, its T20 for the god sake, not a single worth while inning but he is compensating it with the bowl. Hats off to Shoaib Malik, Misbah is just awesome and well the wrong footer might have put a right foot in Pakistani Team.
Lastly, the openers need a Red Bull before the game, so, they can wake up! I don't have better suggestion than that.

For once the selectors have made a decent selection. Calling Misbah-ul-Haq a Twenty20 specialist and overlooking a world class batsman like Mohammad Yousuf was a big gamble but the guy has shown that in this format of the game, he is the man for the job. However, the top order is fragile and I still feel that the selectors got it wrong by not taking Yousuf.

Nazir just doesn't quite get it - you can't hit every ball out the ground and Butt is a little bit out of his depth. If you replace one of them with Yousuf to add stability and get Afridi to open or Akmal to open that would have been a well balanced line up of controlled aggression followed by stability.

For the semis they need to utilise Afridi early if in a run chase or or 14 overs to go for a late surge if batting first. I would drop Butt and bring back Arafat as he is a clean striker of the ball. So far the form batsmen are Younis, Malik, Misbah and so Afridi or Akmal should open rather than Nazir who is gifting his wicket or Butt who isn't cut out for this format. As for Tanvir, if he ups his pace then he is the future Akram! Good luck boys you've played well and don't lose focus.

A victory over Australia is always special. Is it possible that Pakistan is about to get a real batsman in Misbah (who has batted superbly in this tournament so far)? And a real bowler in Tanvir? Maybe there is a bit of hope for Pakistan Cricket. Shoaib Malik's batting and poise-- excellent!

Misbah is real gem and so Sohail Tanveer
They both will be very beneficial for Pakistan Team near in future not only in any 20/20 matches but in ODI and test matches as well so i think misbah can play vital role in next world cup and sohail tanveer asif and gul .. these 3 bowlers will be great asset for Pakistan.

Kamran one must admit that less than two weeks ago even the most celebrated pundits of the game were not expecting the Pakistan Cricketers to be in the final four of 20/20 World Cup. With the dramatic exit of Shoaib Akhtar, sent home due to in disciplinary conduct, many commentators felt that Pakistan's last hope left with him. On the contrary, Shoaib's departure now seems like a blessing in disguise - it sent the fortunes of the team soaring to new heights, changed the complexion of the dressing room, and turned the younger players in to a tight knit fraternity.

While the Pakistan opening batsmen have yet to make any significant contributions, their middle order is scoring the most prolific and valuable runs, and literally carrying the team. Among them Misbah-ul Haq, Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik have are noteworthy.

Afridi and Hafeez have yet to contribute substantially with the bat, though both players have bowled well.

Asif and Umar Gul as expected did well. The surprise package has been Tanvir Sohail. He has shown unusual maturity at this level. His sterling performance has justified the selection of younger players in the team.

Misbah-ul Haq without the star power of Mohammad Yusuf, raised a controversy when he was selected in place of Yusuf. Misbah has become a star, by his consistent performance under pressure situations in the tournament. He has silenced the opposition teams and his critics alike. In this most limited format of the game, Misbah has batted very responsibly and his shot selection has been impeccable. One now wonders why the Pakistan selectors did not give him more opportunities in the longer versions of the game of Cricket. Misbah may be peaking late in his career, has shown the destructive ability of Majid Khan to put the best bowling attack offered by the opposition in to submission and the patience of Inzy to graft and hold anchor at the other end of the crease.

Finally, we must applaud the current selectors who have incurred our wrath for their questionable selection of the teams in the past. Whether the current Pakistan team can qualify for the finals in the 20/20 World Cup remains to be seen, but the selectors can be proud of Misbah and the team which has risen up to the challenge of the sport.

Kamran,
Isn't it strange that just about a month ago, in your blog entry title "Twenty20 selection: Reasons unknown?", you called Misbah a old has-been? Eating your own words now, aren't you?

We do have a widespread speculation and criticism towards the PCB selection, but I must agree with them on this. Pakistan seem to have found the right combination for Twenty20, and it proved better than the best last night. the fact that we out-fielded Australia, on top of out-batting, out bowling, and out-witting them was a fresh start after the eight year gloom that started at Lords in 1999. We could all see which team was the better one in every aspect of the game. Misbah-ul Haq has more or less guaranteed himself a long ODI career. Remember a man with the same surname in world Cup 1992? They all start here. Pakistan will be facing either South Africa or New Zealand in the semi-final and they are the sides to beat in this tournament.Good Luck Pakistan.

Sweet also is this victory in a bigger picture - the World Cup, the doping, Bob Woolmer, Shoaib Akhtar hitting Asif and being sent home. Pakistan cricket seemed to be falling in a bottomless pit.

I think (or hope at least) we have rescued ourselves out of the pit. Akhtar hasnt been least missed in the tournament so far. Yousuf's utterly senseless replacement is making sense (though I am sure Yousuf himself would have done well)... and we are doing fine without needing heavy contributions from Afridi (though I still advocate he goes up the order)... and though we haven't solved our top-order problem, other areas are covering up... and best of all, we are actually fielding well and playing disciplined.

Though my worst fear is that Pakistan has some history of doing well in the early stages of a tournament and then faltering towards the end. I think Salman Butt needs to be removed... he may be good in ODIs, but he isn't T20 material. Fawad Alam should play instead. Afridi should play at what's currently Butt's spot and Alam should play at Afridi's (of course I am ignoring the complications of removing vice captain)

Totally agree with Kamran...Misbah looks like the emerging star, his temperament, calmness just showed his maturity though he is not young...on the other hand which grabbed my attention the most was Sohail Tanvir...his bowling was different and consistent and according to Mahela after the Lanka match he said that Sohail's action was hard to pick up...it reminds me of Malinga when he newly came he was unique and still is in his own style...though these two new players have brought some hope into the Pakistan attack after the incident of Yusuf but if Sohail Tanvir made it through to the official XI i wouldnt cry over Shoaib's absence every now and then when he lets us down...

I was totally against dropping Yousuf for Misbah, but boy oh boy he has proved me wrong in 4 straight matches.

As for Sohail Tanvir...hope he doesn't fade away like Sami. He looks too good to be true. Bangladesh match is the one game where we have to give a chance to Fawad Alam.

Hope to see some apologies from you and your readers for criticising the selectors for choosing Misbah over Yousuf, they obviously knew what they were doing (for a change!) - the guy is really good.

Very sensible approach by Pakistanis in a match against Australians, no great risks taken by both Misbah and Malik, hats off to them, and also to all bowlers restricting Aussies under 170.

Great feat achieved we need such performance in the future quite frequently

Misbah Ul Haq seems to be the find of the tournament. I fail to understand how he could have been ignored by the Pakistan board till date. I don't think the PCB should be given credit for his good show in the tournament. Pakistan are playing great, well thought out games currently. If they take is same mindset on to the one-dayers and tests they will become a very difficult team to beat. The middle order has batted with uncommon common-sense and good knowledge of the situation with out resorting to mindless slogging and risk taking. Only if the top order improves.

As an Indian I never thought I would be writing this about a Pakistani team, but kudos, if India fail to qualify then my full support is for Pakistan.

Misbah has shown he can bat, keep his cool and hit everywhere. Bravo!

Can anyone please tell me what happened to openers of Pakistan ? Are they there just to test the technique and adaptability of middle order batsman? Afridi should bat at no.3, he is not playing more than 10 balls anyway and neither are our openers, at least with him we have a chance of doing something different.

Indeed the class Misbah has shown speaks for itself, and he has silenced his critics of his selection to the national XI in this Twenty20 World Cup. However, there is no way one can justify him being a replacement for the Best Test Batsman of the previous year, who broke the world record of collecting highest test runs in a 12-month period with some distance.


Of course, he could have been easily considered as replacement for Salman Butt (somehow he finds himself as vice-captain), Imran Nazir (who has just one innings in the last World Cup), and others who are not considered worthy to get inside the XI yet.

Good job Misbah, poor job selectors for not selecting Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq..

This victory is a momentous one for Pakistan..in the wake of the sordid World Cup, Bob Woolmer, doping scandals. Good to see this young team outclass the best in the world...and two days in a row.
As an Indian supporter,of course one will always hope India beats Pakistan.But this victory is terrific for Pakistan Cricket and of immense value.They are too talented a side to be shamed by losing to Ireland and losing themselves in treachery and intrigue.


All the best,Pakistan,Good luck to go all the way.And Misbah - what a man.Just when you thought a cool headed Pakistani batsman was non existent,here comes this guy out of nowhere.spectacular...keep it up.

Kamran, I wish you could write about the twenty20 tournaments oraganized in the month Ramadan since 70's in Nazimabad, Karachi. Don't you think we have long history of T20 games?


One more wish if you write on the topic "Twenty20 selection: Reasons known now". Just kidding.

It's Afridi all the way. Didn't I tell you guys that Afridi will be the key for Pakistan. B y the way what's Salman Butt doing in the team? Imran Nazir and Butt should be shown the door. Its right time for PCB to find alternate for these.

Congrats Pakistan, wonderful display of cricket that. Lets hope it's the start of a new era.Your being a bit harsh on Shahid aren't you. Surely eight overs is enough to crack a ton for him.

If I remember correctly, wasn't it Inzamam who had been adamantly blocking Misbah's entry in Pakistan XI. I saw a talk show last year where Inzi was the guest. When asked that why Misbah had not been considered for Pak XI, considering the fact that he had been scoring heavily in the domestic circuit, Inzi showed complete unawareness of the fact, claiming that he was not aware of any such stats associated with Misbah. I wonder whay Inzi had to say to this one now.

Instantly, anyone can be a hero or a zero in this T20 format. I still believe that this format is like Russian roulette. You don't know what you are going to get. If that's the attraction so be it.


Congratulations to Pakistan for getting in to the semi-finals by beating the Goliath - Australia.

The selectors have been spot on by rightly identifying Misbah and Sohail Tanvir amidst all the criticism. Hope our press take a bow.

Good job Misbah and Malik but opening disaster has to be sorted out before semi-finals and we have a chance to do it against Bangladesh. Salman Butt - I am sorry to say you are not good enough to be in the side and how long we will carry him picking just because he is vice-captain. He has proved to be a liablity for the team and he alongwith Imran are just not good enough to be a part of this side.


I would suggest to open with Younis and Hafeez and drop Imran and Butt and in the late middle order we can play Fawad Alam and Yasir. It will give more strength to late middle-order and will bring more variety in bowling attack. So far we are playing with five bowlers and if one of the bowlers have bad day in coming matches we have the choice. I wish Pakistan win the title.

When Misbah first played for Pakistan, I thought he was a good player but as Pakistani selectors do with debutants, he was not given a good run after a few average performances.


About top-order, I was arguing for same but then my wife said possibly Afridi and Malik would not survive Lee and Clark in first few overs so this strategy is working well for them. May be not the best of cricketing thing to do but it is ending well for them.

A good win for Pakistan after so many days. The win was even more welcome if one considers the current political despondency. Misbah has proved his detractors wrong, though he has continue to perform, especially in the longer versions of the game. Shoaib Akhtar's removal has proved blessing in disguise for Pakistan in the form of Sohail Tanvir.

It's absolutely a surprise package. I mean Sohail Tanweer, where he has been?

I believe a player of Yousuf's calibre can adjust to any form of cricket. Misbah may have deserved his place but Yousuf should not have been dropped.
Oh, and Abdul Razzaq was born for such form of cricket. What is he doing on the sidelines?. This was a good opportunity for him to get his form back before the critical season ahead.


Salman Butt is showing form for 50-over cricket; not for twenty20. He should not have been made vice-captain nor selected for this tournament.


Lets not forget about Naveed Latif. the man is a renowned master blaster in the Pakistani Twenty20 tournaments. He should've been preferred over Imran Nazir or Salman Butt

I say good job selectors, if most of the Pakistani fans had been allowed to pick this team they would have chosen Yousuf and Razzaq instead of Misbah and Pakistan would be on the first flight home because they would've had the worst fielding team out there! The selectors realized that fielding would be very important and that's why these guys were chosen, they impressed in all aspects including fielding.


Sohail Tanvir looks like the find of the tournament so far, thank god Akhtar's not there disrupting things as usual!

We have such a remarkable player in the form of Misbah, but the entry of the player is very very late as he is 33. We need him as a permanent member of the team. Allah bless him. Sohail Tanvir is also a special find for the team. Allah bless him too & also the Pakistani team

I am the firm supporter of Shoaib Malik and he has been doing a wonderful job. Some of our fellow writers may be saying that he is stu born. The captain should stick to his planning. He is doing right thing by preserving his fire power - Shahid Afridi. We should appreciate that he is winning the game without any batting contribution of Afridi. It is a good sign. Selection must be on the basis of form.


Misbah was saying while interviewing that his experience in this format of game is paying and he is right. He is the most prolific scorer in the domestic Twenty20 and honestly he deserved the place. Yousuf and Razzak must have been selected since our first 3 batsmen are not doing anything. If Yousuf and Razzaq were there.


At least Hafeez and Malik himself has opened the innings that would have been much stronger team than this, still they are winning. If they are able to sort out the problem of opening, this team will be unbeatable. One thing which is noticeable is, Umar Gul has been grooming very well and his speed is also increasing and he is our one of the best weapon. Malik should be appreciated that he is using him in a very crucial phase of the game and it is working for him. It is also good that the captain is leading from the front. I hope he is going to lift this Twenty20 Cup. May Allah bless him.

First we were criticizing Misbah's selection, then he proved us wrong. Then now Salman Butt is not performing well, he should be dropped. If he performs well in the next match, everyone will say he proved us wrong. Same the case with Imran Nazir. Give them a chance. Butt has had starts, he has just failed to convert them. He will eventually, and dropping the vice-captain might again create inconsistency.


If they are winning, let them win before making changes all the time. Batting order can be shuffled, but I guess having Afridi in the late order gives the other batsmen a mental boost, that even if they take some time settling in they know that Afridi can hit enough to compensate it. If Afridi falls early then not only our players will come under pressure, but the opposition will also become mentally strong knowing that the most dangerous batsman is in the pavilion.


I think this is the theory behind his late-order position, plus we don't have the likes of Razzaq (who used to offer the same late surge) in the ranks.

Quite right Kamran Abbasi, Misbah the unflappable and I would add that he has been the most dependable in every match. In the match against Sri Lanka, sending Akmal ahead of him was silly.


I can only repeat what I said in the earlier thread: All those who had been criticisingMisbah should now eat their words. He has been the most consistent batsman so far. I also mentioned (a) selectors should be lauded for this courageous move as they almost always get criticised and (b) age such as his shouldn’t be a barrier; only form should matter and (c) Mohammad Yousuf has done no favour to himself by joining ICL.


Isn’t it refreshing and natural to see Shoaib Malik and the award winners, when they come at the presentation ceremony, talking about cricket than getting distracted by making non-cricketing utterances. I think on this one the cricket board should get credit.

Yes it's a sweet win, but really I think the unpredictability of this format complements Pakistan's unpredictability. We just have to wait and see how the tournament goes. South Africans at home will be tough to beat in either semis or the final! I hope we win though.

Misbah ul Haq is considered to be a best batsman in the current Pakistan domestic cricket. He has been in and out the team but now I can smell that he would become the permanent member of Pak cricket team. I wish him all the best for the rest of his career.


It‘s time to either shuffle the top order or give both the opener break. Afridi and Hafeez can be considered for this position. Younis Khan can do the wicketkeeping job reasonably so why doesn’t he get the glove. Fawad Alam is most likely to play in the last match. We have to keep the momentum up and play with the same spirit. Our team always considers to be a unpredictable so lets put the finger cross and hope for the last evening performance again and again.

Pakistan's performance has been incredible in this tournament. I remember Tony Greig's comments a few days ago, in which he was not giving Pakistan any chance against Sri Lanka and Australia.


Just for clarity, if you check the link http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283307.html.
The match against India is treated as tie and not a victory for India. This gives Pakistan the win percentage of 81%, which is the highest in Twenty20 Internationals. Also, Pakistan now has the highest undefeated streak of 6 matches in Twenty20 Internationals. Http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283106.html


I must take my words back regarding Misbah. He is a gem of a player. His performance has been outstanding. Shoaib Malik also deserves praise as he batted Pakistan out of trouble twice in the last two days.


I have never seen a Pakistani outfit outplaying the Aussies like that. Sohail's opening spell, Afridi's wicket-maiden, Younis' fielding, the last 3 overs by the pacers gave away only 16 runs. After that the superb batting display by Malik and Misbah...everything was just perfect.


However, the top-order is non-existent. We have seen them fail four times in four innings. I back Afridi to open while the fielding restrictions are still there. I am a big supporter of Salman Butt, but I don't know if he should be in the Twenty20 side. But at least he is trying to improve. Imran Nazir's performance has been simply mindless.

Well awesome work it was a team effort but Misbah - what a star ,actually he got selected several times for different tours but never made it to the final XI,why he wasn't selected who knows. I should say give openers chance - you never know if somehow Pakistan can win in the semi-finals and the top-order contributes in lifting the Cup.


Coming back to Misbah's selection over Yousuf, i would say in 50-over format with Younis ,these three can be a deadly combo. Misbah has the potential to replace Inzamam. Not selecting Razzaq was a mistake and I am hoping that PCB doesn't regret that later in the tournament. Bravo Misbah, Malik, Afridi, Gul, Sohail and everyone else keep it up.

Well done Pakistan. A clinical finish against both Sri Lanka and Australia. Pakistan outdid them in all the areas especially fielding. Remarkable transformation & with the current form they deserve the World
Twenty.


Misbah is a revelation and we owe him an apology for calling him old. Mr.Kamran I wonder why he was /is not part of one day team? His batting is not fluke & all his shots were authentic. He is the Jayasuriya of Pakistan. I do not know how many more talented are languishing without an opportunity. Yett opening is a concern as you have pointed out. Pakistan should not become complacent and carry on the good form. Well played Pakistan.

First of all I would like to congratulate the Pakistani team and the fans on the great consecutive successes posted by the team.


Now i want to comment on the analysis done by Ian Chappel "'Pakistan and India are likely to disappoint'
September 7, 2007 . According to Chappel "Pakistan will make the final eight but that won't be a great achievement since they have lowly Scotland in their group and they will fall well short of a semi-final berth"


Ian Chappell please comment now????

Why does Misbah's temperament and stroke play come as a surprise? He has by far been the best if not one of the best batsman in domestic cricket over the last six years at least. He has in the past been included in the team as a tourist while other less deserving players got the go ahead. I'm happy for Misbah he deserves all that is to come to him.

Misbah is a very good player. He can play both very aggressively and also good strokes. he is the ideal replacement for Inzamam-ul-Haq.But I still think Afridi should be sent up the order where he can play without any pressure, instead of sending him so low when they lose wickets and need real hammering to win where he will go for every ball and can get out easily.

Hats off Misbah and Shoaib (Malik). The other Shoaib needs to be banned for life!


Misbah had never been given proper chance at this level to prove his worth. Now that the selectors have shown faith in him; he has done wonders to Pakistan. But still I can't believe he is a replacement for mighty Yousaf although he was at total ease while batting against Australia and that proves he is a class act! His innings was special as he never slogged; he played proper cricket shots. I have always admired the aggressive approach of Shoaib Malik towards the game. But he is proving to be one aggressive captain as well; it is a refreshing change indeed as we are not used to witness aggressive captains in Pakistan cricket.


I think we should open with Hafeez and Akmal; Hafeez can play with a straight bat at least which Butt and Nazir can't. Akmal has a variety of shots and he can also be useful at top of the order; he has centuries to his name in ODIs while opening the batting. I would love to see Shahid Afridi batting higher up the order; they need to formulate a more effective batting order so that the in-form players bat higher up the order and consume more overs. Pakistan are the favorites to win the World Twenty20 if they sort out their opening problems.

I agree on the heroics of Misbah yet I still do not think that its the brilliance of our selectors Kamran! For starters dropping Yousuf is still not justified. The way our batting is collapsing there is enough room for him in the team. Secondly, if Sohail Tanveer in their opinion was so brilliant he should've been selected in the first place. Thirdly, making Salman Butt the vice-captain is a wrong choice especially when his place in the side is doubtful.


If Misbah was selected for his past performance in Twenty20, why Fawad Alam is sitting on benches, when he was the player of the final in the domestic Twenty20 cup. He opened the innings in Twenty20 and can be a good replacement of Butt for he too is a left hander and is a good spinning option as well.


In the celebrations of victory we must not forget that all is yet not perfect and we must right our wrongs soon before the other teams plan on our glaring weaknesses. As for the team, I credit the men who have risen to the occasion instead of the selectors who chose them. I have all my doubts that Misbah was preferred on Yousuf. It was rather a case of Yousuf being dropped first and then they looked for the next best option. the reasons for his dropping is yet not known.

This was awsome, I am so happy, if Zimbabwe can win, Pakistan can also win. Who cares if people say this is a mickey mouse tournment, we don't.

Moostaq.

Firstly, congratulations to the PCB - credit where credit is due,have another,larger, slice of humble pie Kamran!


However,the great performances of Tanvir/Misbah could not have been foreseen by the PCB and so I think it is important too analyse why we are suddenly winning:

1)Leaving out players such as Yousuf,Inzamam, Shoaib

2)Tactical masterstrokes from the captain such as keeping Gul until the 14th over.

3)The fitness training camps prior to the tournament, as epitomised by the resurgence of Umar Gul.

4)This format not only suits Pakistani temperament but also crucially allows mistakes, such as the failure of the top order in every match.

5)The variation of our bowling attack as epitomised by Tanvir and Afridi.

6) Last years tour to S.Africa is still fresh in the minds of players and crucial players are used to the infrastructure and feel of the country, as well as the pitches.

7) Lets not forget the team is still going through the honeymoon period of Geoff Lawson and the players are keen to impress/cement their position for future tours.

8)Finally, I would say - why change the order if we are winning? Keep Afridi lower down because of the psychological impact it has on the opposition. Give Fawad Alam a go against Bangladesh and I am interested to see how Tanvir bats; If I can make two predictions - Afridi to take the most wickets in the tournament and to be vice-captain for the South Africa tour.

We have been talking a lot about Pakistan performance in T20 WC and everyone I came across has really praised captaincy of Shoaib Malik..


Not using Umar Gul in the initial overs and brining him at the end is an extremely innovative and clever thinking by the young captain. Not only this, his own batting has shown immense maturity. The way he is using other bowlers and all shrewd field placing is really commendable. Although Imran Nazir is failing in every match but I fully in favour of keeping him in the playing eleven.


This team is doing great….. I would love to see Australia not making the last four and hope India can also join the semi-finals.

Pakistans recent performances have made many of us die hard fans extremely happy, and given us realistic hope that we might actually go all the way this time. However, before we get too excited, we need to take into consideration, Pakistans unpredictability factor.


For some odd reason this tournament reminds me a bit of the 1999 World Cup played in England where we had a few new surprise packages. Shoaib Akhtar made a big name for himself in that WC and it seems like the man replacing him (Sohail Tanvir) is doing the same here. Also in that tournament Pakistan lost to India but then beat the Aussies. They lost to Bangladesh after beating the Aussies though and lets hope there is no similar upset here. Also in that tournament Pakistan played against New Zealand in the semis and the other two teams were Australia and SA. Seems like these will be the final four over here as well.


Anyway like the others I must add that I am extremely impressed with Misbah's contribution (Though I still wish he had finished things off against India). Lets hope there are a couple of changes in the line up against Bangladesh and Fawad Alam must be given a chance. He was one of the stars in the last domestic T20 competition and either Imran or Salman need to be rested. Perhaps testing Abdur Rehman might also not be a bad idea considering how well the spinners have done so far. Best of luck to Pakistan.

A few random points:

1. Has Sohail Tanvir effectively ended Shoaib Akhtars career?

2. Salman Butt won't be dropped as he's the vice-captain. But he or Nazir have to be dropped.

3. I hope Misbah isn't discarded after the T20 cup. You never know with our selectors.

4. How cool is it that we've got this far without Yousuf, Shoaib and any telling batting contributions by Afridi.

Go Pakistan !

simple dilemma for Pakistan. The way I see it for the Bangladesh game - drop Butt and draft Fawad Alam. To have the extra bowling edge, open with Butt and Akmal and bring in Fawad further down for some stability. What have Pakistan got to loose? If this opening pair fails, at least they have another bowling option.

I would encourage everyone to read this artical in the Daily Dawn. It is a great tribute to Pakistan's resurgence.
http://www.dawn.com.pk/2007/09/19/top18.htm

Salman Butt has been forced on Pakistan Team by the Selectors. He has been made Vice Captain and hence traditionally not to be dropped from side. He drags the run-rate down and then gets out. Pakistan should open instead with Fawad Alam - he can't be any worse.

Misbah has proved himself and Mr. Kamran and Mr. Osman Samiuddin, you will have to watch the players before writing anything about them. Now I would like to warn people who are discounting Butt. Please let him play, it is not easy to bat under opening conditions in Safrica. People are saying that Malik should open.. What a ridiculous thought !!! Our ideas are the best recipe to get an inform batsman completely out of form... Inzimam did this when the opening pair was not working and inform players also got out of form e.g. Malik, Akmal during Inzi days. Australia has not excluded Gilchrist because he is not scoring. Salman played a few excellent cover drives which show that he is in good nick and it is just a matter of time. Please let the team settle for god's sake trust cricketers, captains and selectors because they know their jobs and they have proved it in case of Misbah and let them prove it in case of Salman too.

Pakistan has proved wrong many including me....But thats what the nature of this team ever since "Unpredictible"...Just when you write them off they do something of this nature...Beating Lanka after they had no where to go after 33-3 in seven overs was a task surely well done...beating australia that too while chasing was a Herculian task & must be admired by one and all...But in the brightness of celebrations I still feel somewhere worried that a big failure specifically through batting is just round the corner as we have a history of being complacent ever so early...Long way to go still for pakistan...hope they do well.

Well done Misbah, Malik & Sohail.
Everybody (all commentators & experts) is asking one question: what Salman Butt is doing in this tournament? It seems nobody has the answer.

an UL HAQ rocked the cricketing world in 1992 world cup and now we have another UL HAQ making a difference in the 2007 T20 world cup... HOW COOL IS THAT

Delighted as i am over Pakistan's and in particular Malik,Misbah and Tanvir's form,lets not get carried away and wait on how things develop.Afridi batting down is a mystery but his bowling has been surprisingly effective.This has been a team effort and i am praying that the solidarity is lasting.We shall not compare players so quickly;Mohd.Yousaf is our best test batsman and there is no one with touching distance of him save perhaps Younis.And don't forget the real examination of a cricketer is Test cricket not this 90 minutes wallop.

I have to say it was like watching Brazil play football yesterday. The batting by the two M's was poetry in motion and proved you can play normal cricket shot and score at 9/10 an over. The overall look and feel of the time seems to be good and the rather large and grey cloud that used to be always hanging over our team has moved on. Good luck to them and I wish this new found spirit they have gained carries on into other formats of the game. Well done the young new Captain!!

Cast your mind back to autumn 2002. A tri-series in Nairobi,Kenya. The three teams were Pakistan, Australia and Kenya. Waqar Younis was the Pakistan captain.
It was a turbulent time for Pak cricket, like many since and before. Lots of injuries, in-fighting, power struggles, a string of disappointing defeats (Pakistan were hammered in another tri-series just prior to this involving Sri Lanka and South Africa), Pakistan cricket was in familiar territory.
The tri-series was being played in Kenya because of security concerns in Pakistan (it was the ODI leg of the Aussie tour). Pakistan were shambolic- loosing easily to Australia in the round-robin stage and struggling to beat Kenya. However, there was a middle order batsman who was only roped in as a replacement for a regular. I remember very clearly that the batsman showed supreme confidence and in his still young stay at the crease charged down to loft Shane Warne straight back over his head for six. He scored a fifty against the mighty aussies and also played a good hand in one of the group games along with Waqar (an unlikely batting partnership - I know) when Pakistan was humiliated by being dismissed for 117 (it would have been a lot worse if he and Waqar hadn't stuck around). I can remember watching the tournament and literally pulling my hair out but was refreshed by the performance of this particular middle order batsman.....his name - Misbah Ul-Haq.
During that time he was batting with the same degree of confidence and assurity that he has shown in the Twenty20 tournament (albeit he was slightly less effective).
From there he was picked for the test series against Australia that would again be played away from home due to the Aussie refusal to play in Pakistan as their very prescence would have been a danger to themselves (funny how the Ashes still went ahead in 2005).
Keeping in line with the absolute shambolic tendencies of Pakistani cricket - half the team including all the so called stars declared themselves unavailable for the test series - due to injuries, family problems, being tired etc. As a result.....Misban along with several other new kids on the block was picked to face up to the might of the Australians under most trying conditions in Colombo and Sharjah. Apart from the first match - Pakiatan were blown away by the on field supremacy of the opposition. Misbah's performance in those three matches was nothing to write home about and effectively ended his run in the side as the superstars returned for the next series against "Zimbabwe".
Does it really seem fair - to have a player with relatively little experience to be thrown at the deep end against the best side in the world because the most experienced players decided to stay at home and not face up to the toughest challenge in cricket - a test series in Australia. Does it seem fair that the same stars return on their own terms for a series against one of the weakest teams in the world? If the so called stars would have played in the test series against Australia - Misbah would have been in the squad but might have not got a game. If our stars were sensible and faithful to the cause they could have opted for a rest during the Zimbabwe series and that would have allowed some of the inexperienced to showcase their credentials. Misbah could have played, gained in confidence and possibly been in the frame for some time to come.
It seems like what happened five years ago (the chain of events) have deprived Pakistan of what could have been a perfect back-up player for the middle order backbone over the last few years. He could have played many more games stepping in - incase of injuries to either Inzamam, Yousaf or Younis Khan. He could have stepped up when they needed a rest. He could have stepped up when they were suspended. He could have simply played a lot more games and being 33 would have had a lot more experience at this level.
Again it just seems to me that a perfectly good middle order batsman with a cool a head as I have ever seen was once again treated in a manner that only the PCB can treat its players.
I just hope now that he could possibly be a regular for the next few years. I think that judging by this outing he should be a definite for the South African series in October.
The bowling has been great so far – Shoaib Akhtar being sent home has been a blessing in disguise. Asif, Gul and Tanvir form a very potent attack. The middle over bowling has been particularly effective. The opening slot still remains a problem…….the amount of times that we all have said and heard this……..well……..
To end – A brilliant couple of weeks for Pakistan cricket. Well done.

We have to give due credit to the Chief Selector Salahuddin for including Misbah in the squad. I stated earlier that this selection committee is one of the fairest the country has ever witnessed. The only problem I have with them is their obsession with Butt and Nazir. But this is more because there is an entrenched requirement for these so called “specialist openers” embedded in the minds of most Pakistanis. Many people have blamed this committee for regionalism and bias but the truth is that two out of the three committee members do not have roots in Punjab. As regards why Asim Kamal and Mohammad Sami were excluded, the former was not deemed fit enough to play in the tournament and the latter was suffering from an infection the time the squad was being decided.
The committee was very fair to give Fawad Alam a chance to perform in this tournament because of his brilliant batting and bowling in the ABN AMRO Twenty20 Cup. However he has not been played in a single match thus far by the captain although three players (Hafeez, Butt, Nazir) are out of batting form. The selection committee has no powers over the playing XI in any given match. The team management has restricted powers and it is the captain who is in complete control over the playing XI.
For those who were blaming the Selection Committee for including Misbah and excluding Yousuf and Razzaq, I have stated this before but will state it again- as per the new rules of selection, the selectors will consult the captain before any selection decision is made and as far as Yousuf’s exclusion is concerned that was done due to Malik’s recommendation, as reported by a leading Pakistani newspaper. An example of the selectors acting on the approval of the captain is the inclusion of Abdur Rehman who is a close friend of Malik although Rehman is not amongst the top spinners in Pakistan. If that is not so, what was the point of including Rehman when you have a better List A and Twenty20 bowler in Fawad (considering both bowling average and strike rate!)?

I was the one who really was not in favour for Misbah before the WorldCup commenced, but now Misbah has proved me(i guess many others) wrong by his strokeplay. But he needs to continue on the same line for the next matches especially semi-final and hopefully final.

Rgearding the batting order, i think Afridi and Misbah should be promoted atleast 2 numbers up the order than their current number, may be dropping Imran Nazir to No.6 and Salman Butt out of the team and bringing in Yasir Irafat. Because that will add another batting/bowling option to the balance of the team.

Good Luck to Pakistan for the rest of the Twenty20 Worldcup.

I will attribute this win only to Ramadan Prayers of Pakistani Fans….. and if anything else, it is job well done by a few individual players, not a full fledged collective team efforts.

I don’t want to sound pessimistic at this time of celebration but in spite of two good, no great, wins our worries remain with a flop top order, useless vice captain, weak fielding, motionless and uninvolved couch etc.

Salman Butt and Imran Nazir have totally failed with the bat, and are neither blowers nor superb fielders. They should both be dropped for at least Bangladesh match, and we should try something new with Afridi brought as opener and Abdul Rahman and Yasser Arafaat to be included in the playing eleven. (This will be better to try new strategies; otherwise, we all will be cursing Butt and Nazir after loosing semis or final).

Any guesses why Shoiab Malik is not bowling? Is it because he is concentrating too much on his batting and captaincy?

WELL WELL WELL:

Pakistan in Semis!!! It is a very hard pill to sollow all around the world. Since 1999, there is one question in evrybodys mind, who will beat aussie? The answer always is Pakistan provided they play hot.
This one 20 game was a prime example. I would also like to appologise for my crticism of Misbah on his inclusion. He prooved me wrong as well as 99% of the Nation. He is a star in the making. I think he has mature a lot playing domestic and league cricket and can be comapred to Aussies school of thought. Hats off too him and i hope he can keep up the good work.
Openers: There is nothing much we can talk about them but i will definitely drop Salman Butt. Imran is a good fielder and haiz balls. Fawad alam or Yasir arfat can replace Butt coz he is not suited for the game. First he use a lot of balls and then gave his wicket away. At least imran gave his wicket away by playing some shots.
I also think that departure of Shoaib akhter was very good for the team as he is a bad influence on Youngsters and should be banned from playing for Pakistan. Sohail Tanveer has long way to go but so far so good.
Malik is playing like a point to proof and hope he can continue. Afridi well he has imroved alot and will bring good results.

How many of you here have played cricket at ANY level,leave alone international cricket.it's very easy to bash Nazir now that he's not scoring..when anyone of you can go out there and hit the likes of Clark and Malinga then please come here and post all your 'professional' comments! Untill then shut up and let Malik handle his team!

Pakistan still needs shoaib Akhtar. It will be good to get him back as soon as possible. Pakistan won the 92 world cup without Waqar Younis, but at that time it didnt mean that we dont need him. Again we got the similar case. Hopefully things will be sorted soon and we would see him again Inshallah.

WELL HATS OFF TO MISBAH N MALIK !!!!both did good .both were calm n playin wonderful strokes.tanvir is a good bowler..he has talent n wonderful line lenght ...well i was hoping that why not try fawad alam the famous star of 20/20 against bangladesh ...that poor guy must be givin a chance!!i want to see pak lift the trophy !!!

Please, please get rid of Salman Butt.He wastes so many balls and does not know what an attacking shot is. But then he is he vice captain, why?

First of ALL Aslaam E Lekum to All Brothers and Sisters and fellow Pakistan Fans and Ramzaan Mubarak to All. A special salaam to Kamran Bhai.
I think a big well done to the boys in South Africa they really have played superbly since being there even in the warm ups they looked great.
The difference between watching the pakistan last night and watching them a few months ago there is a huge difference in the way they have played, the fielding catching and bowling and batting the all round performance has been superb and really has made us Pakistanis who live in England very happy and proud.
What a tournamwnt for Misbah sensational, really great and for our new captian, he has played so well in the last 2 games, we knew Pakistan are the wrolds best we just needed to get all these things together, and I think the introduction of Geoff Lawson has totally changed the whole outlook of the team, Also a quick big up for Sohail Tanveer what a bowler, done so well getting rid of jayasuria and Hayden was fantastic, brilliant.
Pakistan can win this tourmanent, inshallah we will.
The only thing to change would be the batting order, it should be Nazir, Afridi, Younis, Malik, Mibah, Butt as we nned to have our best players at the top as 20 overs is short time to get the best in and let them have a go, Afridi needs a chance at the top as we need to get off to a good start.
Long live Pakistan inshallah we will win the world cup
Allah Hafiz
Imran