Cricinfo - Blogs - Pak Spin - Misbah and the curse of the ul-Haqs

It was unfortunate to see Younis playing recklessly again in this match. I was also unhappy with Yousuf’s performance. Yousuf at times appears too unfocused and complacent on the crease and gets out. Imagine the many more runs he would have garnered if he were a more focused batsman. I have stated for a long time now that Younis is inconsistent and non committal. After Inzi’s departure the middle order has been considerably weakened and perhaps this is where Misbah can help. I don’t think Butt’s good form this series should be celebrated because his performance against India has always been praiseworthy. Do we honestly expect him to perform the same against Australia in the upcoming series?

A huge problem with the Pakistani team is complacency which results in inconsistency. I spoke about this recently and was unfortunately misread by some regular bloggers. We talk about so many issues such as PCB, lack of accountability, regionalism, nepotism etc etc but why do we forgo the most obvious and undisputable reason? The players don’t want to give their 100%. Shoaib Akhtar is a senior player and whenever he is match fit he takes wickets. However the reason why he is always taking wickets is because he keeps in and out of the team which is why he is always raring to go whenever he gets a rare opportunity to perform. With players like Younis, Afridi and Akmal (and to a lesser extent, Yousuf) who are automatic selections (Afridi being an automatic selection in ODI’s), there is a commitment problem. Yousuf is a brilliant batsman and his record speaks for itself and I am not putting him in the same position as the other three; however he does suffer from lack of focus on a few occasions. Pakistan traditionally has faced problems with opening but the current debacle we are facing with Younis and Afridi who are middle order batsmen, is more worrying. Owing to underperforming openers and an inconsistent wicketkeeper Pakistan are already facing problems as it is and Younis’s lack of commitment does not help.

Masbah has shown plenty of character since his inclusion in the T20 Cup but I don’t think we should forget his dismal performance against South Africa, who are a quality opposition. I am not convinced yet whether to include Masbah in the same category as Inzamam and Yousaf who have performed remarkably against almost all oppositions (with the exception of South Africa and Australia) or whether to include him in the category of Younas, Butt and Afridi who only demonstrate world class batting performances against India. I do hope Misbah can show us he can play quality oppositions like AUS and SA. I mentioned after the T20 Cup that if Misbah can perform well against SA and India he should be made vice captain but as stated earlier I was disappointed with his batting against SA.

Sohail Tanvir is very talented and if he works on his accuracy he can become the next Wasim Akram. Sami could not pick up wickets or contain the batsmen as expected. The match is not out of Pakistan’s hands but whether they can give India a lead of 300 (so that a psychological advantage can be exploited, as 250 can be chased) should be the decisive question.

KHANSAHAB
owner of new and exciting cricket blog PAKCRIC (www.pakcric786.blogspot.com)

If Misbah makes a century tommorrow then Pakistan is certain to win

Would have loved if some more insight would have been provided about misbah.. enigmatic personality.. i have to say..on field atleast.

i wonder why you are giving your articles only when pakistan is doing well. you dont have time to write when pakistan fared badly. this is not good journalism. you have to tell the mistakes of pakistan players. so that u can be a nuetral writer.

Is it just me or is the non-stop appealing by the Indian bowlers bordering on the ‘ridiculous?’ I can’t even recall the number of times Zaheer Khan and Kumble vociferously appealed for a leg before decision when the ball had pitched outside the leg-stump. At times, they appealed when the ball hadn’t even hit the pad!
And then to see them shake their heads in disbelief? Sheesh. I guess the likes of Ramaswamy have certainly distorted their definition of an lbw decision. I hope Billy Doctrove, doesn’t succumb to the pressure that has been exerted on him by these outlandish shouts. As it is, he’s already made a couple of poor decisions that have gone against Pakistan. Not only are these ludicrous appeals annoying but also, unsporting and against the spirit with which this series has been played.

As for Misbah, the guy has character. I’ll say that… He is all passion and heart! I hope he gets a big one on the fourth day (even though a 70-80, in the prevailing circumstances, will suffice) InshAllah. As it is, the poor guy deserves it. These are the real heroes of our country. People that realize what it means to play for Pakistan; people that always give their best. Irrespective of the results, it is the ‘effort’ that we the fans always need to see. And frankly, that’s evident every time Misbah walks to the middle.
Also, it was disappointing to see Yousuf and Younis throw their wickets away, that too at a crucial juncture of the game. Even though, ‘some’ would assert that by the ‘law of averages’, they were bound to fail against India. I just think If either of them had played a big innings, India would have found it very difficult to crawl back into the picture! Anyhow, let's now hope for the best.

Misbah looks the goods, his innings in the 20-20 final was sensational.

Kamran, you have a knack for saying too much too soon. I have seen this when you praise Afridi, when you praised Shoaib's captaincy the other day. However dont take me wrong, I would want Misbah to prosper and grow and yes I do see seeds of this last-man-standing in some of his fighting innings, however, he has achieved too little to be brought under this additional pressure of playing and rescuing the team the way Inzy did thoughout his career. I also beleive that Misbah is the best number 6 we have had since sometime now. I however, think he should come ahead of Shoaib, who is more of a finisher. I can see the toll of heavy batting workload of a number 5 on Shoaib.

Misbah's performance is a smack in the face of selectors who have been ignoring him for years.

Misbah is probably the best player to come for Pakistan in the past few years. Surely he has played and performed much better than the likes of Faisal Iqbal, Imran Nazir, Yasir Hameed. Irrespective of their positions that is.

He single handedly led Pakistan to the finals of the 20/20 world cup. Im sure he has loads to offer as he is unphased by the locale, opposition, and dire circumstances of the team mostly. He stays calms and puts in all his effort.

Which is always a pleasureful site to see.

Yes Butt has shown great control & authority.he has often scored in starting matches of test series but has not been able 2 continue ,hope not the case this time.
Hameeds problem is that he throws his good starts
rather then making his hard work count.
Kaneria also has shown control & is nt offering 2many hit me deliveries as he often does when out of form.
Misbah has been man of crises.He also has earned great respect world wide which takes too much time but not in his case.

Must I say, Abbasi Sahab, that your posts have been missing the masala of late that has sort of been your hallmark on this blog. What exactly is it that we're supposed to write in response to this chaff you've thrown our way? Shower praises on technically defecient players because they've played one or two relatively better innings? It takes much more than a lucky knock to become a modern star even by the low standards of India and Pakistan. The only reason why this test has become interesting is because both teams are evenly lacking in quality and overly compensating in dishing out celebrity/star status to their players. It's amazing how both these teams make better quality teams seem no less than Goliath. Batting collapses - a thing of the past for Australia and South Africa - are well and alive in India and Pakistan.

By the way, the little knowledge that I have about leg-spin tells me that leggies usually have many variations of straighter deliveries in their armory with the top-spinner topping the list. The flipper, zooter, and the back-spinner are all relatively straight deliveries. The one new addition you describe in Kaneria's arsenal seems simply to be a case of a bad execution of an ordinary leg-spin ball that doesn't turn. What say you?

Interesting Topic..

Misbah so far showed complete potential to replace Inzi. But the thing worrying me is that coming so down the order, Is Misbah inheriting a belief that he cant bat 1down or 2down, just like Inzi?? Dont you think playing at this order can damage his confidence to bat up the order??!!

All credit is due to Misbah. He was bought back in the squad and he has started to perform. I just wanted to say that most Pakistani fans including myself should be expecting this. At the age off 33, a cricketer who has come back on the international scene, they should be scoring runs, a perfect example is Michael Hussey. At that age you be hungry to score runs and you be more mature. I'd also prefer if they bring back Asim Kamal. Also Razzaq shoukd be back in ODI's

Pakistan need to drop Sami because he cant take wickets and Misbah is a great player who needs to stop making stupid mistakes after he has played so well.. the Pakistan team is going in the right direction

I was wondering what the Pak Spin bloggers will have to do to see this blog moving? Sing wake up lyrics for Mr. Abbassi or shake up Pak Spin? But, I am glad he woke up on time and he has dedicated this thread to Misbah ul Haq which he so rightly deserves for his continuous form and excellent performance. Yesterday, Mr. Abbassi's neighbour, counterpart, fellow avatar of the blog which is not so white has dedicated an exclusive thread on VVS 57 n.o. and on YV's exclusion and he did not mention a single word about Misbah's heroics. Whereas, Mr Abbassi in this thread has praised Dhoni and VVS too, which proves once again that Pakistani's are more, liberal, broadminded also more hospitable towards their guests but, others are not and thats a shame.

Now, before coming to the point about Misbah's performance, the imperative need of the hour is to address the middle order issue which is so vulnerable and frugal at the moment, with both Y's getting out cheaply, they have done it again in the second innings. Although in the first innings Butt and Malik did everything possible to add more miseries to the top and middle order by contributing the binary numeral system "0 and 1" and giving Kumble the advantage. But, Butt rectified his follies and cleaned his slate by scoring 67 in the second innings. And, Malik continued his great form (except for Jaipur) and again crumbled under the burden of his mediocre captaincy. If by any remote chance Pakistan wins this match, it will not be because of him but, he will sure be very happy to crown the victory or vice versa, on his own thick head. Like he talked about his form after winning at Jaipur, he said, "Yes, my form is back and I happy." Now he is filling the blanks in that form which he got after 4 ODI innings, his two test innings are worth 0, 11, still stuck with the binary numerics!

His decision to bat first after winning the toss on a misty, foggy, smoggy morning of New Delhi was under scrutiny at home, especially the team was reportedly relying heavily on their fast bowlers, it was expected to bat first and make better use of them when the conditions were right. And Lawson responded with a ridiculous manner with his ludicrous logic. He said, "the reason for Pakistan's batting collapse was due to successive limited-overs tournaments played by his team in the recent months. The boys have been in the one-day cricket mode for a while now. And when you play Test matches, it's pretty difficult to shift the tempo." Ref. daily DAWN of Nov. 23, 2007.

We have heard similar statements after the T20i WC when they failed in Pakistan against SA, now the same lame excuse is being aired which not acceptable. Especially if one sees Misbah carrying his form in all forms of the game why is it not possible for others? The way he batted on day-1 with such grit and determination and even Sami giving him the support is commendable. It is an example for the big guns to see how one can bat on a pitch which is uneven, sometimes bouncy and sometimes flat and is behaving like a *itch. They should dig in for a while and then try to play shots instead of displaying some wayward batting with needless strokes. Perhaps it is because of the fact that they are assured of their place in the test matches because of their past performance. Whereas, Misbah has come a long way and he has to hold his place under his teeth, for him its a matter of survival. So, it proves my point that the only way you'll get them to perform well is to hold their feet to the fire. By performing under pressure Misbah is confirming that despite his age, he is the fittest of all. And wouldn't be wrong to say that, presently he is the best of all.

It is a shame that Misbah got out in that bizarre fashion and he is getting into that mould of Inzamam ul-haq for getting out in bizarre fashion. Every time he finds a new way to get out and feel bad after that. Anyways, he is batting in a different mode in the second innings and the way he hit Harbhajan for two sixes in that over were very impressive. A few more sixes from Misbah would have frozen Harbhajan completely. I am sure it must have taken Harbhajan down the memory lane when Shahid Afridi smashed him for huge sixes in that over last year in Faislabad or, was it Lahore? Since then Harbhajan was dropped from the test squad and he is playing in this test match after almost 20 months.

Its a shame that Sami despite his speed, energy, determination and athleticism is unable to take wickets. In fact he is the most expensive bowler so far. With Gul not recovering in time, they are talking about replacing him with Rao Ifti. Actually, he shall be replacing Sami. Afridi's presence in the team would have made a big difference especially on a pitch which is now favouring the spinners, his bouncy leg spin bowling and handy batting would have made all the difference. Even among the Delhi crowd he was missed, as people were carrying posters in his support.

Although, the so-called Rawalpindi Express got two wickets, but is currently unimpressive and imprecise (reportedly in shipshape by his trainer) appears very mediocre. He says he is giving his 100%? May be it is true from his point of view, but what he is today is only a shadow of his past and in terms of numerics he is hardly 70% of what he used to be. He bowled for a maximum of 4 to 5 overs in a row and then we saw him huffing and puffing inhalers. He was seen bullying Kamran Akmal for giving away 4 wides. Actually the ball was so wide down the leg side and at 140 kph it zoomed past Akmal despite his diving on his left he couldn't get a hand to it. To me it appears that Akhtar is NOT enjoying cricket anymore, he is wincing, flinching, frowning, taunting, getting upset on a misfield and mind you this is his controlled aggression and i.e., because he is on probation! Imagine how he would have reacted if he was not on probation? The only time he is seen smiling is when he picks up a wicket and going round in that cheesy, sleazy airplane "isshtyle" which is so childish.

Au contraire, Zaheer Khan and Munna Bhai Patel were seen bowling unchanged for 8 to 10 overs each. That is what you need in a test match, you keep bowling and keep that pressure momentum going as long as you can to achieve the result. You cannot walk away after bowling 4 overs, come on this is not a 50 over match or a twenty20. I was very impressed by Tanvir's bowling especially the way he clean bowled Ganguly and Dravid. Also, the good thing about Tanvir is, his seriousness, there is no nonsense sort of attitude or expression that he carries, even when he clean bowled Dravid and Ganguly he did not ridicule them through his body language like others do, namely Nel, SreeSanth and even Kumble. The later carries that holier than cow attitude but, whenever he takes a wicket he tells the batsman not only to go .... off but much more than that. Click on the link below to see how he is reacting after taking Kamran Akmal's wicket in the first innings.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/7106849.stm

One could easily guess if Pakistan can make 260 odd runs then they can win this match. If Kamran Akmal can plays with some sense then suddenly he will become hero at this blog.

You are absolutely right Kamran Sahab. This game is developing into something we might end up talking about for next few series. Misbah can be labeled as a late developer at the international level, although he has a big reputation in the domestic circuit. The most impressive thing about him is taking the responsibility . . . he has shown that feeling within himself in this game that if he won't do it, no one else will do it. I think players like Yaseer Hamid and Salman Butt still needs to show that responsibility. Both of them have been playing since 2003 and they both have below average track record.

Cool, calm and collected. Misbah had the bigest shoes of all to fill and he seems to be relishing the task. We need a repeat of his 1st innings and inshallah we will have a great chance of a famous victory.

Yes the dheli test is reaching an intresting climax.
Pakistan will aim a lead 0f 300 minimum and Misbah holds the key for doing so . The bowlers have benen very imressive . We have sohail tanvir who had an excellent debut , mohammed sami and danish kaneria have made good come backs . It was pleasing to see kaneria is turning and looping the ball more and picking up his wickets at a better strike rate and average and he will hace a key role to play in the fourth innings.
COME ON PAKISTAN LETS WIN THIS TEST CHUCK DE PAKISTAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pakistan have 100-150 runs more to have a shot at winning this Test match in my opinion. Let's see if Misbah can lead them there, or get out in a tragi-comic fashion (like in the 1st innings or doing the T20 scoop-shot).

What I dont understand is how either side are young or vibrant? I think it would be fairer to call them sides full of experienced players who are finally realising their potential. With the exception of Tanvir there really aren't any new faces.

Kamran :

Again an excellent article.
While I would like to give credit to him for sticking around , have to say he could have played a little faster. He was bunting too much. One other thing I noticed was that Sami perhaps is the most technically sound batsman in the team and he is a tail ender.

The question I have is does Shoaib Malik even belong in the test 11.

His batting is pathetic. 2 and 12.
He did not bowl out of fear of giving away runs.

Please the team this agony get him out we need a batsman ..a genuine batsman ..not this leftover .

Regards

Nasir

the determination to go through all the nitty and gritty that the young man has shown in this short time is remarkable. hopefully, he grows into someone who can finish the job and lay to rest the ghosts of the final in his own head. the cricket world needs such finishers.

Not only Mukul Kesavan has showered lot of praises and accolades in favour of VVS Laxman, even Ramiz Raja wrote: "VVS Laxman was classy but, was unfortunately stranded at the other end when Kaneria was picking up all those wickets. India's tail disappointed as no one stayed on to help Laxman." The point people are missing here is, Laxman who was 57 not out added only 15 more runs to his overnight total and all those runs came in singles. Besides, he never made any attempt to protect his weaker compatriots, the singles he took were not on the 5th or 6th ball of the over but on the very first ball of the over.

Instead of blaming the tail-enders for not supporting him, he should be blamed for his own short comings. Because, him being the senior player and a recognized batsman, he should have taken the lead role like Misbah did on the first day by protecting Sami and he faced most of the balls with a dead bat. Bruce Yardley said, initially he found it extremely frustrating and boring to see Misbah scoring so slow at a strike rate of 34. But, he added that, now you come to realize that Misbah's innings is very useful and could be a turning point of the match.

In my opinion, what Misbah did in the first innings, Laxman should have also done that and protected his tail-enders, instead he showed confidence in them and they got out. Instead of gaining a meager 45 runs lead he should have aimed for a lead of 100 plus runs. To me it appeared that Laxman wanted to remain not-out only to make a point to his captain and the selectors that he was stranded and ran out of partners. He succeeded in getting their attention and also of the likes of Mukul and Raja felt the same way, but the point to see is, whether it his innings or, Misbah's gritty innings would become the match winning innings?

Now, Misbah's second innings is in total contrast to his first innings, he seems to have realized that even if he stays there through out the 4th day it won't be that important as scoring runs. If Pakistan can take a lead of 300 runs and the wicket favouring spinners, Kaneria should be able to bowl freely with attacking field position. This is why even in test matches you need big hitters in the late middle order who come very handy in the second innings like this. This is what I wrote in my recent post in the previous thread citing the example of Bangalore test in 2005. You cannot bring in Afridi or Razzaq to do this job here, it is all left for Misbah, Akmal and Tanvir or, may be Shoaib Akhtar should play the way he played in SA during the 2003 WC against England his career best 43 with 5 sixes. That kinda batting will tilt the balance in Pakistan's favour otherwise there is lot of time for the Indian batsmen to go for runs. Although the history of Feroze Shah Kotla ground confirms that scoring 200 runs in the 4th innings is next to impossible. But, history is always re-written, altered and changed. So anything is possible.

Indeed he is turning out to be a fascinating prospect despite the fact that nobody could ever fill the void created by Inzi but there's no doubt in my mind that Misbah's yet another "ul-haq" destined to become yet another a gem of a player & a match winner for Pakistan.

I am just amazed to hear you refer to Kaneria as a "young prospect"

I agree that Misbah has done a fascinating job in the middle order, especially after both Younis and Yousuf collapsed. He has done himself a whole world of good. I had always thought that we would struggle after Inzi but Misbah has done well to show that he can bat and he deserves a place in the team.

Tanvir has done a good job. Came out of nowhere into the twenty20 but did very well there and is a good replacement for Asif, Gul, or Akthar.

As for Butt, he should be happy with himself. I have personally been frustrated with the opener's performances over the past few years, but for this series, I have enjoyed as one of the two openers have gone on to a make a fifty.

Misbah, a match saver? YES. A match Winner NO. This guy is one of the most talented Pakistani batsmen i have ever seen. I mean he has this amazing ability of switching modes from being aggressive when needed and extremely cautious, when needed. Also usually in every innings he switches gears between those 2 modes rather successfully...but having said that, even in the 20/20 Misbah showed not once but twice, tht he can bring you to the brink of victory, almost single handedly...but cannot complete the job....he isnt a finisher, and thats the only thing that sets him apart from Inzamam....Inzamam was a true match winner, because he was a darn good finisher...If and only if, Misbah develops the ability to finish his job, i think he has what it takes to be one of the finest batsmen in world cricket....

www.pakcric786.blogspot.com - You are too critical of M.Yusuf and Younis. This is the first time in ages that someone other than these two (and Inzi) have contributed with the bat. So lay off these two and learn to appreciate because when they score a century you will be praising them, when they don't, your critical of them

Misbah...A gem of a batsman late in the order, after a long time, we can say after Mohammed Yousuf we have some batsman who can show his mattle in any circumstances, Best of luck, Misbah

It's funny Kamran, how it took performance(S) for people to give kudos to Misbah-ul-Haq, I still can't forget how everyone was after him when he replaced M. Yousuf in Twenty20.

I think Pakistan and critics really kept Misbah in the shadows for too long. I think critics like you were at fault too, sorry for saying this, but that's how it is.

A majority of the juvenile delinquents on this blog have asked me this question, whether I have any knolege of cricket or, have I ever played cricket in my life? And since when did I start watching cricket? And they have advised me to stay away from this blog becois this is a serias site and u do not to comment in site like pak spin, whih is a place for good cricketing brain people. Wow @ good cricketing brain curry! LOL, this is the best part of Pak Spin and "I am enjoy vary mach" So, I would like to say, "Thankoo vary Mach."

At times I get this feeling that I am a square peg in a round hole. I wonder if this phrase would get into the thick heads of those dimwit dolts who love to blab here because, most of them appear to be kabaddi and kho kho players and with their pseudo pay&do-ism they randomly hit the key-board in Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe fashion and make their posts fly. My advise to them is, take a hike, go fly a kite or play kabaddi, kho kho or "in-joy" dangal kushti.

For those who do not know: The Asian Kabaddi Federation was founded under the chairmanship of Sharad Pawar, the current Chairman of the BCCI . So, there is some commonality here. ;-)

Finally we have solved the middle order problem .
We have Misbah and Sami. They got temperament , technique and balls.They ain't chokers like Shoaib Malik and the likes.

Salman

Some of the cooments are childish and appalingly simplistic. This Misbah guy failed pathetically against the SA team.

This was a simple low bounce track anyone except for the superstars of Pak could play on this track.

He ain't a test batsman ..maybe 20/20 type .

So all of those over excited folks out there use ur HEAD a bit ..might help..this Ul Haq train ain't goin' far.....

Give it a rest ...paesanos.

I certainly agree with the fact that Misbah is a very good prospect for pakistani team but unfortunately, we have bought him in to the team way too late despite he is plysically fit to play for another 3-4years. He has been scoring heavily in the first class and undoubtedly has the confidence to play Internation cricket. If one analyse, Misbah does not get out by pressure but gets out because of his own silly mistakes, like in the first innings. However, I think he can overcome this problem if he plays his nature game aswell as playing on merit, he surely can prove to be an excellent middle order batsmen. Perhaps, he can come up another number so that he can get plenty of time to play calm and collectively rather than rushing his innings, both in ODI's and test matches.

I thought the curse of the 'ul-Haqs' meant the stupid run-outs.

He is from Mianwali..and i too.
I can't believe how people says that he is late in international cricket. If you live here u will now how misbah has won an impossible battle. There is no no structure of any cricket. the best club is MCC(Mianwali Cricket Club) and they play on Cement pitch. can you believe it.
I have given trial for Grade II on same pitch. and being a spinner, when i bowls on that pitch and people hit me 4 sixes, i rures my luck, and offcourse, cement pitch.
I think Misbah has done well.
PROUD TO BE A MIANWALIANS......................

Misbah - A true figther! He is our man in Delhi test!!!

I cant beleive what I have watching. Pakistan have just pressed the self-distruction button. Misbah and Sami were going along on well at 247-7 then I think the team got some brainwave idea and instructions from their "astute" captain that Pakistan should change into Keystone Cops. Throwing wickets away when the team needed to bat as long as possible.

This is sheer lunacy. Fire Lawson and Malik. We have got a bunch of nincompoops representing our country. This was another example of irresponsible batting by the team. Shame on Malik and co, another case of comedy of errors. What is it about Pakistan? they wheeling out all these jokers. Well all I can say about Pakistan, not a smart team. I suggest Malik and Lawson to put on your thinking hats for the next test. I signing off I have had enough of this stupidity dont think I will be bothering to watch India make mincemeat out of Shoabib and co.

No One can replace the Inzi

misbah is a good prospect for the team , working hard and lets see what he does .. i still wouldnt agree on salman butt , he is always good on flat pitches and thats not our long term solution , we dont need players like that , yasir hameed is far better player than mr butt but unfortunately he doesnt have punjab cricket boards support on his back , plus i have no idea why they have kamran akmal still on the team , thats our great cricket board , all punjab punjab no pakistan , great board infact no wonder we dun perform upto the potential , sarfraz ahmad after performing real good still wasnt given chance because he is from karachi and if the reason was given that its imp game and he cant take the pressure than u gotta be kiddin me cuz kamran akmal aint good either because his batting has been pathetic for a while plus his keeping as we all know is pathetic too but Punjab Cricket Board is great !!! thats all i can say !

yeah truley said misbah is one of the best players among pakistani players playing in the team recently.
He has the temprament class all the things in one basket.
The thing which he is missing that he is not a good finisher....but with the passage of time he will get the experience....
Hoping that he will serve pakistan next 5 years ....

Perhaps Misbah's addition has soothed the nerves of the two Y's. They feel they can afford to fail and there is a definite lack of application from them. Yousuf and Younis were too watchful in the ODI and now they are playing too many shots. The poor guy always finds himself in a crisis and so far has not been able to express himself as a batsman. He needs some one at the other end to do that. Others feel if one end is blocked by him they can play as recklessly as they like. What is most worrying is the role and performance of Malik himself. He should know better if he is a batsman or an allrounder in the side.

Sialkhotian:

Where is this town/village "sialkhotian" of which you are a proud resident may be it is in the tribal areas because the maximum number of khotis in Pakistan are only found over there and it is still the most reliable and prime means of transportation in that area. whenever we see a TV clip about the tribal areas all we see is a khoti and a proud Pathan riding over it. when you return from your latest excursion trip on your mediaeval Ferrari please do enlighten us more about your hometown.

Javed:

If you are thinking that I am writing by the name of "Valeem & saleem" then you are mistaken, he must be a new member of your exclusive fan club.

When I criticized Younis Khan and Afridi in one of my post in the previous thread I was expecting a "LAL PEELA" response from you and you didn't disappointed me at all, such has been your love and affection for your "Girayeens".

Your statement that I am trying to defend Malik blindly is just an argument for the sake of argument and is “NAT” true as I have been heavily criticizing Malik for all the mistakes he has been making and in my last post I clearly stated that " Malik deserves all the criticism but is he the sole reason for our defeat in the ODI series? Absolutely not.

You have a wrong perception that my criticism of Younis and Afridi is an indirect way of defending Malik, I have been criticizing Malik like everybody else but it seems that no one can criticize Afrdi and Younis on this blog without offending you, can you please explain that, after a disappointing performance by Afridi all you say is that "he is such an Akhroat" and then after a few posts you start building his reputation back with the help of old statistics and by mentioning his handful performances.

My criticism of Younis and Afridi is a way of expressing my disappointment and frustration and I have the right to do that, since the last four seasons Pakistan has played 42 ODIS and have won only 17 and Younis has contributed in only five matches out of 17 by scoring 2 100's and 3 50's he has scored 4 more 50's in the matches we lost do you think that this performance reflects his stature and class? His performance since Malik took over the captaincy has declined even further, for me there are no “sacred cows” in the team, these players are paid well and are hired to do a job and if they show lack of application and intensity then we have every right to criticize them.

I never supported Butt when he was not in form and I have not written a single word in his praise so far as I think it is too early to shower praises on him. Malik's personal performance in this series has been disappointing so far but I would say it again that several other key players also failed to do their jobs he is not solely responsible for the lost series. Younis Khan and Yousuf again let the team and their captain down by not delivering. A captain can't do anything if he is leading a group of unprofessional and selfish players.

In the current test match Younis and Yousuf again failed and proved me right, this sudden drop in form in key match is beyond my comprehension. India is inching towards the victory in this test, only a miracle can save Pakistan from losing now, Pakistan again failed to further consolidate their Position by losing quick wickets and I can’t believe that our batsmen can’t even handle a bowler like Ganguly anymore.

By the time this post appears Pakistan would be one down in this three test series.The causes are simple.No space scientist needed.The selection of three players from the constituency of Chief Selector,with no performance to back their inclusion.Onfield 'exploits' of two;Sami and Kaneria, speak louder than these words.Team virtually played with two bowlers.Add to this our star batsmen other than Ul Haq, and the keeper and you have the perfect recipe for such disasters.One is tired of expressing one's dismay on dismal spectacles of our cricket team with such repetition.Our management's problem is that it feels strangely satisfied with freak displays and wins that don't matter in the context of a series.A genuine attainment will always have consistency.On the current tour The Captain took decisions that helped the opponent rather than his team.Why does his form fluctuate that too on batting tracks?
Mr.Abbasi you need to scrutinise this undulating show of this team.One of the commentators is well versed with the mindtrip of chief selector and this gentleman is no ordinary person.The only time new players appeared on the scene was when this commentator was the chief selector.We need such people.

Kamran, I find your blogs interesting and they also provoke sensible discussion among most of the readers. My suggestion to you for improving this blogspace would be to filter comments from third rate bloggers like Javed blah blah montreal who irritate others with their long, shitty, non-sensical and racial stuff. These are quite unbecoming for which is otherwise a wonderful blogl. Thanks.
Thanks again for

I have been reading Pak spin for quite some time and never actually bothered to get into conflict with anyone.I dont like getting personnel with my comments, but Mr.Jaidee.A.Khan, Montrel,Combodia's comments about Kumble has prompted me in writing this post.I hope Mr.Abassi will let this post publish as Jaidee.a.khan seems to be the only guy on this blog who is allowed to flame others using whatever language he thinks is effective.Now for Jaidee.a.khan

You not only seem to have any cricketing knowledge but your recent comments about Kumble shows that you dont even understand what is happening in the cricket field.Maybe you should watch your mouth(in this case your hand)carefully before making comments about players.Kumble pointed his finger towards his team-mates in joy not at akmal for your clarification.I dont understand what made you think he made comments at batsmen who got out. Nobody else seems to hear them. I dont know if you have some ESP and read words from Kumble's brain.But i havent seen him utter any non-sense at Akmal or any other Pakistani batsmen unlike your Akmal who always utters non-sense standing behind stumps for no reason at all while dropping chances which his bowlers work hard to make.Also i feel that you have some inferiority complex as try to intimidate others who have made their point in opposition to your argument. You try to make them look fools by pointing out their faults like their bad english etc. while not responding to their main claim. Also i hope that your comment about Afridi being a better batman than Tendulkar because the tries to slog every ball he sees(rather every ball he does'nt sees) and gets out for very cheap scores consistently while the latter does not slog every ball andgot 6 90's in this season.I hope all these comments are just jokes or you might actually be a hopeless person with very selective memory only remembering instances rather than situations.You tring to use that photo of Kuble pointing his finger at his teammates high-lights the heights of your problem.

Hope you can get well soon.(try someone good to cure you.Not someone like youself)

At the end of the 4th day of the Delhi test, the writing is on the wall, loud and clear. Advantage Kumble, courtesy Malak Saab. A mere formality is left to complete the last rites of the first test match. Not even a "marry-kill" could turn this defeat into a victory or even a draw, there are no signs of any cloud in the sky. So, Malik should not be looking up at the gates of heaven to expect any mercy shower. Instead he should be proud that he is in the making of history by losing a test series against India, in India. Well, this is just the beginning and the India - Pak test series have not been won with big margins like 3-0, so this could very well be 1-0. Anyways, I was looking at the poor and pathetic expressions on Malik's face and you'll see more, also hear a few more pathetic words tomorrow i.e., when he will be asked a few questions to comment on this defeat. And the so-called baby, or a "young captain" would be seen rambling, stammering and stuttering once again!

Wasim Saqib says: "A captain can't do anything if he is leading a group of unprofessional and selfish players." Wasim, haven't you heard of this? "Jaisaa Rajaa - Vaisee Prajaa," it means the leader is the representative of his population. By that analogy Malik is the most selfish of all the players, right? Which is so obvious from his team selection and his total submission to "His Mighty Show Actor" Also, Malik is using his captaincy privilege card to his advantage by not bowling in the test match, only for the fear of getting smashed and whacked all over the park. This is the worst example of a selfishly coward attitude, in other words it is called - Tendulkarism.

It is important to note that whenever the team wins, it is due to the concerted efforts of the team. But, it is only the captain who is invariably crowned for the victory. Therefore, he should also be prepared to get the flak and criticism in case of a defeat. A captain has to lead his side from the front and not stay behind the back of his fast bowler. No matter how much people have ridiculed Inzamam for "His Alooness" or for his bringing religion in to the dressing room, he has lead his team from the front and by example that he is a true leader, and he not only scored runs but, match winning runs. The records confirm that his batting average improved after he became the captain. Whereas Malik's averages are nose diving in all forms and in all departments of the game. Thats the difference between men and boys. Malik, owing to his looks can easily be the captain of U-19 team.

Even bad is his team selection choice which is so biased and based on favouritism, nepotism, jingoism or Sialkotism whatever! And the worst of all is his lazy, lethargic on-field attitude. The surprising thing is, unlike Inzamam, he is very quick on his feet, he is one of the best athletes in the team i.e., in terms of running between the wickets or while fielding. But, as a captain when he is moving his Butt around, he appears like a slob and walks slower than Inzamam. The later was a poker faced cool cucumber and, Malik is like a open comic book, a cry baby. And Malik's dressing room diplomacy is creating more fractions and divisions in the team instead of gelling the team together which again is a very bad example and a negative quality in his leadership.

I wouldn't blame him, I would blame the selectors for their choice and to spoil a player who is lacking in self-esteem and self-image, who wasn't ready for this job and they have placed a heavy burden on his poor little shoulders. And now he is being mothered from the backseat or led and driven by the Big Bully Actor strangely enough his name is missing from Wasim Saqib's list of unprofessional and selfish players. He is like the proverbial rotten fish in the pond. Since his return after the ban, he started playing more politics and less cricket and for sure he is using Malik to his own advantage.

First, he managed to keep Asif away from the team, reportedly Asif refused to join the team if Akhtar is included in the team. The selectors believed in the old horse and bet their 2 cents on him. Then he conveniently got rid of Afridi through his dirty politics. He takes a couple of wickets and starts his drama bazi. His already inflated ego gets puffed up even more after he takes a couple of wickets, if that is not enough then he uses a inhaler to pump up something more in it. His body language tells everything, the way he frowns, winces and flinches, the way he claps not to encourage but, to taunt at the, wicketkeeper fielders and even bullies them for a misfield whereas, he can bowl an extremely wide ball or misfield a straightforward ball or even give away 5 runs by way of a needless overthrow, and he won't even raise his hand or express any remorse, regret or a gesture to apologize for that. It seems like he has got a carte blanch from the captain or has he mesmerized Malik?

One might argue that Actor is the only successful bowler who got all the 3 wickets in the second innings. Yes, that's true but he couldn't win or even save the match. And it is also true and very obvious that since the morning of the 4th day, the pitch was favouring the fast bowlers and not the spinners, which was also very obvious from the way Zaheer Khan bowled magnificently and even the mediocre Ganguly was able to get two wickets in one over. Kumble, Kaneria and Harbhjan all struggled and didn't get a single wicket on the 4th day. Ian Bishop said, some bowlers are more luckier than others (he was referring to Sami's bowling when the score was 36 and he trapped Dravid plumb in front of the wicket, only to find "Arun Lal's Doctor Billy" not thinking it as plumb! Whereas, replays confirmed he was plumb lbw) In any case I am not defending Sami, he has time and again failed to get wickets. The only way he can prove his worth is by taking wickets at international level.

Talking of Malik's Jaipur innings which came too little, too late i.e, after the series were lost, in response to that one of the daily Urdu newspapers in Pakistan wrote this lyrics for Malik:

Kee mairay Qatl kay baad uss nay jafa say taoba ... in other words, sub kuch lutaa kay hosh may aye to kya kiya?

Before that innings his performance was zero and after that it is the same. And the Punjabi proverb, jithay dee khoti uthay aan khaloti is very apt, befitting and precise for him. He is back to his original form after one innings. LOL at Wasim Saqib's indirect fiqray baazi on Pathan's and tribal area in response to Sialkhotian's comments. Wasim, why do you have to direct your comments towards the tribal area or towards the Pathans, WHY? Since you already have, now let me respond and enlighten you with the facts. Aren't you aware of the fact that, "Darraay may sab maal imported hota hai? " The khotas that you see on the TV are also imported from Punjab, that is why you see a proud Pathan riding on it. Khocha, this is not a pun, it is a fact. Here is a big grin for you. :-)

Gosh. Whats wrong with with this Javed A Khan, not from Pakistan, but from Montreal Canada, guy. He is so full of himself, for god sake its a comment section of a blog!!! And he calls calls his comments posts!
Well sure one can see his juvenile attempts to turn himself into a minor virtual celebrity by writing 500 word comments, but please this is getting really annoying, he needs to get a life!!

I feel MISBAH SHOULD OPEN if not atleast come one before Younis,so that instead of Yasir we can play Fizal Iqbal,likke Misbah,ASIM KAMAL'S TALENT IS ALSO GETTING WASTED

I am writing this at the end of the 4th. day in the present test match;you are jumping to conclusions Mr.Abbasi.Misbah threw away the match when he was well set to repeat the brave rearguard with Sami from the first innings.It was the worst shot to play in the situation.Looks like pressure got the better of him.BUT he IS very gifted playing all bowlers especially the nemesis Kumble with relative ease.I hope Pakistan keep Sami for the remaining tests because he seems to bowl like a demon and deserved at least 3 wickets today.You have not for a moment commented on Afridi's omission from the test side;that was a bad blunder by the selectors because the Indians are always petrified of him and Tendulakar and Ganguly in particular have been suspect against his bowling.A very stupid decison this.I am beside myself.

Javed Khan,
Your arguments are so lame and you are arguing for the sake of it. If anyone has an inflated ego who can't tolerate being reasoned with, it is you. You don't understand consistency, you don't understand meritocracy and neither do you understand captaincy. You are completely lacking substance and you can't make up your mind whom to blame.

Journalism should be about substance, not style.

All those who are criticising Malik as a captain and JAVED A KHAN being most vocal, do they really have an alternative yet? Not really! Younus probably most deserving was offered twice but did not accept so where do the Board go. As far as Yousaf is concerned wasn’t he once described by someone "meeker than Malik" and not quite a captaincy material? And I do agree here. As far as Afridi is concerned, he would have been most controversial due to his indifferent performances. After the ODI series against India, he himself said selectors’ decision was justified for not being named in the test squad. So, other than those three mentioned there are really no other names to suggest for a captain.

I do believe however that captain should be supported as these are early days. Even Inzamam has made a statement that Malik is doing a good job and should be persevered with.

JAVED A KHAN, your assertion that the Actor had a hand in Afridi’s and Asif’s ouster seems a bit far fetched. Why then some different medical opinions are coming out in the news about his elbow injury and he is even contemplating going to Australia for another opinion? Surly, it cant be all a show.

A big disappointment is that a section of the Delhi crowd continuously shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and authorities took no action. Younus Khan expressed disappointment and mentioned “it doesn’t happen in Pakistan. Our crowds have invariably cheered India too whenever they’ve played there recently and that’s how it should be”.

I do not understand how Mr Javed A Khan could criticize Shoaib Akhtar after toiling manfully and probably producing the best two deliveries of the tour so far.I had earlier commented that watching Pak fast bowling vs the proficient Indian batting would be a thrilling contest , and indeed today it proved to be so.Everytime Shoaib thudded in to bowl to Tendulkar and Ganguly after that superb Dravid dismissal , the tension was palpable.Despite still not being fully fit , he gave it his everything. How many semi fit bowlers could run in , bowl at 150+ kmph and get the bowl to reverse swing? That he exudes an aggressive personality or makes some mistakes in the field should not be misconstrued as "acting" or "ego".Had it not been for his early inroads in the first innings , Pakistan would have been looking down at an innings defeat.I also object to Javed A Khan's repeated alluring of Indian batsmen as "selfish".If indeed the Indian batsmen(Laxman and Tendulkar) had batted selfishly in the ODI series and in this test match, would India be winning?Fact of the matter is both Laxman and Tendulkar are fantastic team men , besides being gifted with the bat.His earlier post that Laxman should have shielded the tail and he is selfish because he did not do so is preposterous to say the least.The Indian tail has been doing pretty well in the series in South Africa and England, and Kumble , Zaheer and Harbhajan are no mugs with the bat.Shielding your tailenders when you know they are quite capable of scoring a 20-30 does not make sense , and only slows down the scoring rate and generally makes for bad viewing.Pakistan need not feel discouraged
and should take heart from the fact that they dismissed the much vaunted Indian batting line up in the first innings for less than 300 , and also that the relative newcomer Misbah played two superb innings , not to forget the return of the Rawalpindi Express. Indians have some worries , particularly Dinesh Karthik who after a couple of
gutsy knocks in England has looked totally out of sorts with the bat at the international stage.With batsmen like Yuvraj , Gambhir and Sehwag waiting in the wings , the latter two being openers , I wont be surprised if he is dropped. There is a question mark on Patel's place in the side too , he has neither been fast or accurate , barring a couple of good spells. Pakistan really need Gul or Asif to get up and running , sometimes it feels that there is no one to complement Akhtar at the other end.Also maybe including Afridi in the lineup wont be such a bad idea , he is a much improved bowler now , and would definitely get more purchase out of the pitches in the Test matches than he did in the ODI's.Also Afridi would be handy in the lower order and an ideal foil to someone like Misbah at the other end.I dont think Pakistan has many aggressive batsmen in their lineup like Dhoni and Ganguly right now.

Parveen or naik parveen, whatever, thanks for your judicious comments about me and my cricket knowledge and experience. I had earlier confessed that I don't have any cricketing "knolege" nor any cricketing brain.

But, to substantiate my claim about how sober and what a thorough gentleman your hero Anil Kumble is, I am quoting below a clip and a link from cricinfo. It dates back to April 06, 2004 .

After Pakistan having lost the first test at Multan, it was the second day of the second test match which us in progress in Lahore. Inzamam was on 88 and then he smashed three fours of the bowling of Kumble to bring his 100 and that frustrated the later so much, and the action he took was deplorable. I won't use my words to describe it but, I will quote here from cricinfo with a link to substantiate my claim: Quote: In the final minutes of the day's play, Kumble had two other huge appeals for leg before against Inzamam turned down by (umpire) Steve Bucknor, and his frustration - Inzamam had to be calmed down after Kumble nearly brained him with an unnecessary throw back to the keeper. Unquote. For more details, click the link.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/134193.html

I have watched that match live on TV and it was so appalling to see Kumble's throwing the ball with such force and with so much anguist at Inzamam, which missed his ear by a few centimeters. Although Inzamam was standing in his crease when he threw the ball and he did not even made any attempt to take a run. Inzi was very upset at this unnecessary outrage from Kumble. In my opinion, if it was any other player, he would have lost his cool. But, Inzamam walked down to him and talked to him and then gave Kumble a pat on his shoulder suggesting him to calm down. Actually, Kumble should have raised his hand as an apology but, he didn't. After the end of the day's proceedings at the press conference when Inzamam was asked about the tiff with Anil Kumble, he responded by saying," it was nothing special really. We just had a little chat and things are okay between us now." That is Inzamam's greatness and that is why I have a lot of respect for Inzamam and not for your hero. And btw, barbie how many more nicks do you use to rig this blog and prove your point to make it look like its a majority view? Like pkr or parveen kumari rotu and cricket lover!

I have noticed that whenever or whoever speaks anything against the Indian players the Indian lobby on this blog vehemently attacks that blogger at personal level. Whatever you may call him give the devil his due for speaking the truth, I am talking about Javed Khan and his comments. One hundred percent I agree with him on his view about Anil Kumble and when I read that I was expecting that some Indian blokes will not only try to defend kumble but will also attack Javed personally. The blogger called "cricket lover's" in his own words describes, 'Javed blah blah montreal who irritate others with their long, shitty, non-sensical and racial stuff.' I have never seen any racial comment from him in fact your own comments are shitty and nonsensical and there is nothing in it except criticizing him personally. At least he writes about cricket and if they are long and boring who asks you to read them? Or do you get a medal for writing a short essay? So come on dude you get a life and no one stops you from worshiping and idolizing your Kumbles and tendulkars you may carry on doing that. But keep your intelligent views on the other blog which is so wonderful and so full of matured manure.

Javed Ali Khan ...like your commentary.

Very objective and thoughtful indeed. So there is fan here for you.

Now and then ..tell us ...how come you have the time to write these long posts ?

Are u on unemployment dude ?

What is your favourite dish ..mine is Nehari ?

Regards

Mike

Our team consists of a bunch of loosers !!! I am terribly angry at Shoaib Malik for his pathetic captaincy, pathetic batting going down and down. I am angry at Misbah for gifting his wicket in golden platter to Indians, when its worth the most, I am angry at teaam management for continuining with the loser Kamran Akmal. I am angry at Yousuf and Younus for their casual approach, I am mad at Muhammad Sami for not bowling the way he is supposed to, I am mad at Kaneria for failing to deliver when it matters most.....bloody bunch of losers - hell bent on making my day bad...Why cant our batsmen bat with purpose ????? what has happened to our bowlers wicket taking abilities ? why are they acting like cannon fodder to Indian batsmen ? what the **** is lawson doing ? is he telling the players anything ? do these players need an interpreter ?

Javed Khan,
I agree with you on Malik. It was poor captaincy thruout the match again, he doesn't have any tactics at all.
Apart from that, it was wasn't the bowling's fault. We might say that India comfortably chased it and the bowling was toothless, but I thought the pitch became better and better for batting. Bowlers gave their 100 percent. Balls didn't keep low and some of the shots played by Pakistani batsmen were unexplainable. Two major culprits were Akmal and Malik (They gave so many wickets to Ganguly!).
And if we look at it, this was bound to happen sooner or later. The two Y's won't play in every match and when they don't play, Pakistan doesn't get close to a substantial total. This is the fundamental weakness and now that Inzamam is gone, we are are 1/3rd of the team short. In other words, Younis, Yousof, and Inzamam comprised the whole batting team. Butt has come in form, but what Pakistan lacks is a solid Middle order batsmen (two in fact) like Asim Kamal and Inzamam. This is really the result of bad selections such as persisting with bits and pieces players like Malik. India, Australia both have 6,7 very good batsmen. Pakistan has two and they didn't play in this particular match and that is why we lost.

I think Javed A Khan from Montral Canada has unhealthy fascination for Shahid Afridi. Since, Afridi has been dropped from the test team, his behavior on the blog has become almost psychotic. Someone should take him to the shrink !

I have been reading blogs lately and I notice that on the Indian side, people make arguments based on data or facts; while, on our side, people like Javed Khan spit nonsensical comments throughout. I hope Kamran sahib will filter his rants as he does not make any sense any more.

i think pakistan team feels that all they have to do is try to make this a competetive series and that winning or loosing dosent matter.Malik actually believed that it was a close one day series as well and they thought that by wining the last one dayer they have actually won the series that is the kind of mindset mr malik is in.Can someone tell them that winning a dead game means nothing.I think unless and until there is accountibility there cannot be any positive results.I mean as long as we have people like Akmal,Sami,and to an extent Kaneria in the team we should not expect anything gud from this team.The board president thinks he is not responsible the selectors feel they are not responsible the captain feels he is not responsible my question is who is responsible for these kind of performances.There is this attitude within the pakistan cricket setup that india pakistan is very high pressure series and u cannot give youngsters a chance{i am assuming for the fear of loosing}so what they are doing instead is trying the same loosers over and over again and the results are there for everyone to see.I would say that half this team wont evan get selected for the bangladesh team but they are regulars for the pakistan team.If we are destined to loose can some people other than the tried and tested loosers be the reason for that.For gods sake can we try some new players who have been doin good in the domestic and under 19 cricket.If we can win the under 19 world cup twicw in a row we must have some talent there.

Pakistan cricket lacks a true leadership, good coach and corporate governess.
We should not blame these innocents players for their failures it is the system which is failing.

I don't think Shoaib Malik deserve to have a permanent place in Pakistan Team he is not a good batsman nor a handy bowler. Further he doen't have experience nor a mind to handle a professional team.

Pakistan should give chance to Faisal iqbal instead of Misbah a proven choker....

If Shoaib Malik can regularly bowl and bat he may have a place in Pakistan team. Evidently Shoaib Malik so far didn't aggression and intelligence expected from him being young captain. If he remains defensive then he will not be contributing to this young team development.

one of the comments said Chuck de pakistan. He meant it as chak de , but it was funny, considering shoaib A. doesn't really meet the 17 deg requirement...

There is no word to describe Misbah other than "choker". A bit harsh on someone who has top scored in the match, but Misbah repeatedly gets Pakistan in match-winning positions and then self-destructs. This is not to say he should be dropped, just that one should not expect him to finish matches like the other Haq. And it is not just Misbah who chokes - all the "young guns", including Butt, Yasser, Akmal and Malik, do the same, except none of them ever get us near pole positions.

I have to say this is one of the worst Pakistan teams I have seen in a long time (The Packer era hosted the worst). Without the 2 Y's and Akhtar this would be a team without a hope in hell.

It is amusing to find people praising the opening pair of Butt and Hameed (4 innings with 1 score over 50!). Butt will surely perish on faster, bouncier wickets and against better pacemen than India's tearway pop-gun attack that includes "brown-lightning", "Bengali Express" (take your pick) Saurav Ganguly!

At this point in time Pakistan cannot play on fast wickets, bouncy wickets, seaming wickets, slow wickets, turning wickets, home or away. To describe this predicament as pathetic would be an understatement.

Just as well we host Zimbabwe next. The slime that is the PCB must be hoping and praying Pakistan does not choke playing a rabble of club cricketers from Africa.

Misbah is so talented but he is cursed with giving away his wicket as many of the pakistani do.There so strong down the gound but always seem to play stupid shotss that is not needed and they get themselff out.

Misbah is so good but the selecters made a huge mistake by not bring him up at his prime age.now he only has few years lef in him.Another pakistani talented cricketer wasted!!!

What a fantastic victory for India, a margin of 6 wickets showing the differnce of class between the 2 teams.
The win was a contribution from each memebers unlike the pakistani team pl ayers who seemed more interested in
their own records.Kumble captaincy was outstanding. He literally fooled Misbah (the choker) into hitting a new ball
in air by offering Ganguly the new ball midway.Dhoni backhand runout knoocked out the Pakistani resistance.
What a comical tragedy that such a famed bowling lineup could not knock more that 4 Indian wickets.
The strokes played by the Indians were exotoc whereas the Pakistani players including Malik got out to childish strokes. Despite having the benifits of phoren coach ,Pakistan were outplayed. This just shows the vast differnce of talent between the 2 teams.Perhaps the Pakis dont know that Foriegn coach is useful only if one understands English becasue communication is important.
The comments from Montreal Javed seem to be in such bad taste but one cant blame him.He keeps on singing imaginary praises and tries to justify how his team is better only to be faced with defeat after deafeat. One is likely to get frustrated and so his comments display his agony. Afterall loosing in T20 twice ,ODI Series and now first test against India must have had a mentally damaging effect on him. Besides lack of proper EI from Quebec Govt,Emergency and so many other depressing factors do make a person react like this Javed from Manttreal is currently reacting.Please Javed Bhai get a hold on yourself and comestart accepting facts of life like India is better now in T20,ODI and Tests as proved .Will do u lot of good;)

Wow I guess Inferiority Complex has got to Javed Khan from montreal because his comments reek of some one feeling low in esteem and confidence. As some one said ,one cant blame him becasue T20 loss, ODI loss and now staring at Test loss against the superb Indian team can cause mental agony to Pakis in Montreal. ;);0LOLLOLOLOLO. Get a wife buddy, you might spend less time on weekends alone in your room in front of computer trying to grab attention on blogs( u seem to be even unsuccesfull at that as is evident from how many people seem to be bored by your comments).

what i want t say here and most people will agree with me that malik does not deserve to be in pakistan test squad.he is incapable of handling pressure.he is less experienced.in my opinion its good to have new test captain like aussies did during steve waugh time.
we have lost delhi test not becuase india played well its our team who played awful shots even lawson was disgusted with poor shot selection.if these idiots cant follow coach advice they dont deserve to be in pak national team.one more thing i would like to add plzzzzzzz kick kamran akmal out of this team last one days and in this test he has contributed in pakistan defeat.i don think so danish is match winning boowler like saqlain and mushi.we need match winner danish can dismiss low order batsmen.i hope selectors will start searching for new and talented leg or off spiner who can win matches for pakistan.

The first test match is almost over only a formality is left, our ace batsmen Younus, Yousuf and Malik failed in both innings but somehow only the failure of the later is being highlighted by Javed A khan similarly Sami and Kineria failed completely in the second innings but he is criticizing Shoaib Akhtar the only bowler who took wickets in second innings, I am amazed at his brightness, but we can't expect any fairness or sense from somebody who blindly supports a player like Afraidi who is a born loser and he considers him to be one of the greatest player ever produced, he is not willing to accept the simple fact that the team is losing because the senior players are not giving their 100% may be somebody needs to explain to him that a team consists of eleven players and they are all responsible for the execution of their role and if some players fail to deliver consistently then they have to share the burden of loss you cannot just blame everything on the captain.

Javed have you ever heard of the quote "No worse fate can befall a man than to be surrounded by traitor souls”. Malik's biggest weakness has been that he was not able to identify the backstabbing nature of Afridi and the treachery of Younis Khan and the selfishness of Yousuf. He has completely failed to extract any meaningful performances out of these three and has been unable to show them the stick, although the 2 y’s have been scoring on and off but their scores mostly were insignificant for the team as either they were scored at an agonizingly slow pace or they were scored when victory was highly improbable, whenever the other batsmen scored they faltered and whenever the rest of the team failed one of these two scored a big innings This is nothing new in Pakistan cricket in fact it has been a tradition that due to jealousy or for the sake of leg pulling senior players do not co-operate with their captain and ultimately the captain has to step down.

Javed asked me to compare the statistics of Shoaib with Afridi, in the SA series Malik averaged 36.8 and Afridi averaged a mere 18, in the test matches Afridi never played but Malik averaged 41.33.In the Indian Odi series Malik averaged 31.88 and Afridi averaged a mere 24.33 in T/20 WC Malik’s average is 35.28 and Afridi’s average is 17.57 even though Afridi has not averaged more than 25 in any format of cricket in recent tournaments but Javed still thinks that his poor performance does not affect Pakistan and his efforts and commitment should not be scrutinized .Here I just want to sing a Kishore Kumar song as it reflects Javed’s affection for Afridi “Piyar diwana hota he mastana hota he”.Afraidi although performed well with the ball T20 WC but failed against India maybe he forgot to use his Pappu looks.

If there is an actor in Pakistan team it is Afraidi he does not play for the team he only plays for the crowd, he makes big promises before every series and always fails to deliver and after every series in which he fails he immediately starts apologizing in the media and vows to make amends in the following series which never happens, on top of his miserable performances he instigated the spat between Asif and Shoaib in an effort to create divisions in the team and he was pretty successful in achieving his goal. He has no future and I think the selectors and the management should seriously look into his performances and should dump him forever. I seriously believe that there is no other player in the world besides him who has been able to extend his career so far even though when he is holding such a pathetic record and who has been consistently failing to fulfil his responsibility in the team, no other team in the world would have persisted with him after such an erratic record.

Javed I know derray mein sab imported hota he but they are quite self sufficient in Naswar, charas, Ak’s and Khotas, in fact they export/sell their khotis elsewhere because it seems they have no use for them as they are only interested in the Khotas. Lol