In The Daily Telegraph, Andrew Baker states that the reaction had the ball-tampering accusations been made against an English player would have been far less dramatic.

“Let us imagine that Sunday's alleged offence had been committed by an England player. This is not beyond the realms of possibility, as any Australian player from last summer's Ashes series might attest, and as the chortling former bowlers in the BBC's commentary box would confirm. Andrew Strauss would most likely have accepted the five-run penalty with a shrug and told his fielders to get on with it. Tony Blair would not have been contacted by mobile phone on his Caribbean holiday, images of Darrell Hair would not have burned on the streets of Stockwell, and ambassadors would have slept untroubled. Nobody, frankly, would have cared very much.”

Baker adds that the Pakistanis’ reaction is, nevertheless, understandable.

“It follows that for a Pakistani player to be accused of cheating, or condoning cheating, is not just a serious slur but a wearisomely familiar one. The response is passionate because it rejects the lazy lumping together of one people under one characteristic.”

In his article, Baker also refers to an editorial earlier this year in the Karachi-based News newspaper which is sure to ruffle many feathers. In it, broadcaster and foreign correspondent I Hassan, talking about a local festival, offers the following opinion:

"Regrettably, one has to say that our people cheat at every step in every walk of life. The concept of fair sport does not exist - be it getting a big contract or just a licence. Our people, unless vigilantly checked, will cheat. Even the fear of God does not prevent them from doing so."

Fazeer Mohammed believes that if the Pakistanis were really serious with all of the post-match comments about their country's honour being at stake, then they should not have returned to the field.

What is it about us former colonials that we feel compelled to measure ourselves by our one-time masters' yardstick of what constitutes civility and fair play? Giving up a Test match is as legitimate a protest as any other, especially if the degree of the perceived offence goes beyond issues of umpiring incompetence, or even bias. Those strident defenders of Victorian values, who will tut-tut and mutter disapprovingly about such behaviour being just not cricket, need to come to terms with the reality that this is only a game, and if it means being disrespected and insulted - as the Pakistanis claim - then it isn't a game worth playing.

For an outsider's account of the crisis, read Aakash Chopra's England diary in The Hindustan Times.

Even as I write, I am idly surfing the internet and hearing of mini-rallies and demonstrations around Pakistan in support of their beleaguered captain and team. I can see an outpouring of emotion on the British websites.

Why Hair's actions may just be enough to save his sport

Posted on 08/23/2006 in Pakistan in England

To blame Hair for not having the perfect response to an unprecedented event or to play down the seriousness of Inzamam’s behaviour is fatuous, says Martin Samuel in The Times.

As one of the ten best umpires in the world, we presume that he knows the difference between balls weathered by play and one that has been altered artificially. Ian Botham, Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton and the many others queueing up to argue that something is only true if it is captured for action replay have lost sight of the primary issue. No incontrovertible proof is required beyond the belief of the umpire that cheating has taken place. Everything else is chatter

.

Andrew Baker, writing in the Daily Telegraph, sees it as a clash of cultures.

Continue reading "Why Hair's actions may just be enough to save his sport"

August 22, 2006

No country is above the rules

Posted on 08/22/2006 in Pakistan in England

	© Getty Images

A lead editorial in The Age has slammed the conduct of Pakistan’s players in refusing to take to the field at The Oval on Sunday.

“No one is bigger than the game. Cricket if nothing else is a game built on rules, pages and pages of them. A player if feeling aggrieved about a ruling can sound off about it, but the game must go on. To withdraw from the contest is to abandon the principles of the game. It also achieves nothing in winning the contest against your opponent.”

The article goes on to slam remarks attributed to senior Pakistan officials that they would not play were Darrell Hair to be appointed to matches involving them in the future.

“Pakistan, in a burst of petulant indignation, said they would not play any more matches if Darrell Hair was the umpire. First, no team has the right, nor should it be able, to dictate who the ICC appoints to officiate a match. Pakistan say they have had "problems with Darrell Hair before". Last year Pakistan took umbrage at several Hair decisions, yet in 2003 Pakistan were the beneficiaries when decisions by the same man upset South Africa in a series against them. Pakistan are guilty of playing the man. Darrell Hair did not make up the rules, he just applied them as he saw right and proper to do (and we would argue this whatever his nationality).”

Did England trigger the ball row?

Posted on 08/22/2006 in Pakistan in England

	© The Daily Telegraph

Derek Pringle, the former England medium-pacer who's currently the chief cricket correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, says England could well have triggered the ball-tampering row. He writes that Duncan Fletcher, England's coach, had visited match referee Mike Procter before the start of Sunday's climactic play at The Oval.

A spokesman for the England and Wales Cricket Board, James Avery, admitted Fletcher spoke with Procter before play but denied he had made a 'specific complaint about the state of the ball'. Yet sources close to the team have revealed that Fletcher did play agent provocateur, a role that probably influenced Darrell Hair's decision to pull Pakistan up for ball-tampering in the 56th over of England's second innings.

Continue reading "Did England trigger the ball row?"

August 21, 2006

The Oval debacle

Posted on 08/21/2006 in Pakistan in England

	© The Daily Telegraph

The decision of Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove to award England victory at The Oval has created a massive reaction.

Ted Corbett, writing in The Hindu, tries to track where it all began:

The whole affair began, according to tales sweeping the Oval ground, when an England and Wales Cricket Board official went to the umpires' dressing room in the morning and asked them to watch out for ball tampering by the Pakistan players.

Geoffrey Boycott, writing in The Daily Telegraph describes the events as “farcical and reflected little credit on the England and Wales Cricket Board or the International Cricket Council”.

The ICC must be blind or stupid not to have realised that there is history between Darrell Hair, the umpire who accused them of changing the nature of the ball, and Pakistan. There were mutterings after the Headingley Test that Pakistan didn't like Hair's attitude.

Continue reading "The Oval debacle"

August 20, 2006

The Oval mourns dead rubber

Posted on 08/20/2006 in Pakistan in England

Mike Atherton, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, feels that there is only one consolation England can take from their insipid performance at The Oval. The fact that they've succumbed to the death-rubber syndrome.

August 19, 2006

Mentally out to lunch, on and off the field

Posted on 08/19/2006 in Pakistan in England

Even when they've been on the field in this match, England have remained mentally out to lunch. Quite what this means when it comes to choosing a captain for Australia remains to be seen, but England have been so flat here that it can't have done much to advance the case for Andrew Strauss, writes Martin Johnson in The Daily Telegraph.

Much more of this and the Australians will be downgrading their Ashes alert from critical to something a good deal less than severe. The commando camp they've set up in Queensland will have to be replaced by more traditional methods of preparing for the Poms. "Now then lads, we'll all meet up in the pub the day before the first Test, and drinking is strictly limited to 12 large tinnies per player."

Read Simon Barnes in The Times who says that England yesterday reminded him of the saddest, bravest, most pathetic sight in sport: that of the plucky British female figure skater who finishes a promising 23rd.

August 18, 2006

Fanaticism fails to cast its shadow at The Oval

Posted on 08/18/2006 in Pakistan in England

Simon Barnes finds sporting values to the fore despite supposed tensions at The Oval:

It was Pakistan’s day and if the England supporters were disappointed, they didn’t seek to assault the opposition in revenge. And across the country, as people watched on television or listened to the radio, the match was enjoyed in a way that was - almost certainly - cheerful, enthusiastic, appreciative and utterly without fanaticism.

Hardly a cakewalk as Pietersen flops

Posted on 08/18/2006 in Pakistan in England

The Daily Telegraph's Martin Johnson writes on Kevin Pietersen's dismissal at The Oval and casts a funny look at the rest of the happenings on the first day:

On a day when it was announced that Marston's Pedigree were the team's "official" beer, Pietersen's decision to dispense with any kind of initial reconnaisance made you wonder whether he'd also been appointed as the beer's official taster.

August 11, 2006

Fletcher - The Monty maniac

Posted on 08/11/2006 in Pakistan in England

	The genius of Monty © Getty Images

Fletcher is a fellow who by habit will look on a glass as half-empty rather than half-full and, since Panesar's elevation to the England side, it is the spinner's shortcomings with bat and in the field, rather than potential with the ball, that have occupied the coach's attention.

A brilliant performance...in the past week appears to have swayed the hangdog coach towards the view that he might just have a genius on his hands.

But can Panesar play Warne's role in England's four-man attack for the Ashes? Read Mike Selvey's piece in The Guardian for more.

August 9, 2006

The fielding won it

Posted on 08/09/2006 in Pakistan in England

There were many aspects to admire about England's victory over Pakistan at Headingley, but one of the most notable changes since earlier in the summer - especially the Lord's Test against Sri Lanka when they shelled nine catches - was the quality of the fielding. There were four run-outs (three from direct hits) and some fine catching. Steve James, in the Guardian, pinpoints this improvement as the key to England's series win.

England always want three wickets per Test courtesy of their fielding unit, so that group is in credit by one here; maybe two if you include Collingwood's stunning low catch at third slip to get rid of Umar Gul yesterday.

Simon Hughes takes a similar theme in The Daily Telegraph and says it helped to make up for the loss of Andrew Flintoff.

With England's attack being understrength, possessing a collection of fast, agile fielders with a deadly aim is the equivalent of having an extra bowler. Don't forget the catching either. Marcus Trescothick put in extra slip-catching practice yesterday morning, as usual wearing weightlifter mitts, and it was he who snaffled the first chance just before midday, a low catch off Matthew Hoggard which had taken an irritating time to materialise.

August 8, 2006

Monty: Sports Personality of the Year?

Posted on 08/08/2006 in Pakistan in England

	The Full Monty © Getty Images

Following another superb performance from Monty Panesar, William Hill, the bookmarkers, have slashed his odds to win the BBC's annual Sports Personality of the Year Award:

Monty Panesar has been slashed from 5/1 to 7/2 favourite with William Hill to win the BBC TV Sports Personality of the Year Award after his latest three wicket haul as England dismissed Pakistan to win the Test Match. Hills also make comic/swimmer David Walliams 7/2 joint favourite and then offer Steven Gerrard at 9/2 third favourite for the Award, and also offer 8/1 Jenson Button; 10/1 Ricky Hatton; 12/1 Joe Calzaghe; Dean Macey; 16/1 Andy Murray; 20/1 Kevin Pietersen; Colin Montgomerie.

Andrew Flintoff won it in 2005 following his heroics in the Ashes. Never before have two cricketers won the award in successive years.

Video of Inzamam tumbling over his stumps

Posted on 08/08/2006 in Pakistan in England

It was inevitable that the rather comical dismissal of Inzamam, in which he tumbled over his stumps flicking off the bails with his arm, would appear as a video on the internet somewhere. And it has. Worth a look.

August 7, 2006

England's tactical flaw show is exposed

Posted on 08/07/2006 in Pakistan in England

Pakistan have to bat last and could yet be beaten themselves, but their resilience and skill, aided by badly mistaken England tactics, have set up an intriguing last two days, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times.

Superbly though both [Younis and Yousuf] of them played, they were helped immeasurably by the dressing-room decision to abandon far too soon the old Headingley principle of bowling on a length around the line of off stump in sure and certain hope of eventual edges to normally positioned slips and gullies. The pitch, it is true, lost pace much more quickly than had seemed likely on Saturday, rather vindicating Inzamam’s judgment that the first day was the best for the fast bowlers. England, however, simply played into their opponents’ hands, first by trying to bounce them into submission, as to some extent they had on the bonier Old Trafford pitch, then by losing patience and attempting instead to bore them out.

Inzy is cricket's guilty pleasure; the ultimate schaudenfraude cricketer, says David Hopps in The Guardian.

Panesar beat an attempted sweep with a ball that not only spun back but seemed to give Inzy an electric shock. Then began the Inzy heptathlon. His first event was the shot putt as he lumbered round, virtually bent double, only for it to metamorphosise into the high jump as he tried to clear the stumps - a leap of 27 inches, nearly six feet below the world record - flicked off the bail with his glove and finished straddled and confused, as if looking for the landing mat.

August 6, 2006

Read should be given an extended run

Posted on 08/06/2006 in Pakistan in England

Are you a traditionalist or a moderniser?, asks Mike Atherton in The Sunday Telegraph. Do you believe a wicketkeeper is there to catch the ball, tidily and unobtrusively, or do you believe that he also has to score Test match centuries? Were you a Jack Russell or an Alec Stewart supporter? Your answers to these questions will depend on whether you believe Geraint Jones or Chris Read should walk out at the Gabba in three months' time.

While Read's selection was surprising to me in its timing - a Test match had just been won but the series not yet secured - it demonstrated absolutely where the selectors' priorities lie. By dropping Jones at a time when his keeping had improved immeasurably, the message is as clear to Read this time around as it was when he last felt the selectors' axe in the West Indies three years ago: runs are essential.

Marcus Trescothick had to abandon England's winter tour and is still looking for top form. But the man with the unlikely nickname tells Kevin Mitchell that it is just a question of time before he is back to his very best.

'You're never far away. You can just be one innings away from clicking back into form. That could be 30, then you're away. You might start with a hundred, who knows. It's a feeling, very much so with my game. I can feel when it's about to go. You start picking the ball up easily and early, your feet get in the right place, your head's still to watch it nicely, then you click. The concentration kicks in after that.'

August 5, 2006

Yorkshire resistant to Monty mania

Posted on 08/05/2006 in Pakistan in England

The general assumption after Monty Panesar's demolition job in the second Test at Old Trafford was that Headingley would be filled to the brim with local Asians eager to catch a glimpse of England's new hero. But, as Owen Slot reports in The Times, the influx has been nothing of the sort.

Like a certain village in Gaul with an Asterix against its name, the stands at Headingley Carnegie seem immune to any invasion. We may have had Pakistan in the field and a Monty and a Sajid in the England dressing-room, but out there in the crowd, multi-culturalism has yet to catch on

Is Read the real deal?

Posted on 08/05/2006 in Pakistan in England

	Chris Read made 38 in his first innings back in Test cricket © Getty Images

Although Kevin Pietersen took the headlines on the opening day at Headingley, one of more interesting passages of play came during the final session after he had retired hurt with cramp. It brought in Chris Read for his first Test inning since 2004. He played a few handsome shots, but also showed his nerves and Simon Hughes, in the Daily Telegraph, says his 38 raised as many questions as it answered.

His attempts to convert himself into a serious runmaker have been admirable, but, on yesterday's evidence, Read is still a jaunty short story rather than a more substantial tome. It is seven years since he made his Test debut, and the memory of him being bowled bobbing under a Chris Cairns slower ball, which prompted the newspaper headline, 'You Silly Ducker' hangs around like a dark cloud and refuses to budge.

However, in the Guardian, Lawrence Booth says that Read's 38 suggests he has the ability to succeed in Test cricket.

If the tension was getting to him, he did not let it show too much after his account-opening Chinese cut. There was a nervy cut at Nazir but shortly afterwards Read went on tiptoes to time the same bowler through the covers. It was mischievously tempting to see something of Jones in the stroke. Then, when Danish Kaneria dropped short he rocked back and cut him for four more. He was on his way.

Read was helped in his innings by Pakistan's use of their opening batsmen - Salman Butt and Taufeeq Umar - for six overs of part-time spin and Geoff Boycott, also in the Daily Telegraph, says it was one of the worst periods of bowling he has watched.

Shortly after Pietersen went off, having done all the hard work, Pakistan lost the plot altogether.
It was almost as if they said, 'We've been unlucky with the umpiring, we can't get these guys out, so we will just sit back and wait for the new ball'. Their two opening batsmen bowled absolute rubbish. It wouldn't have been decent bowling at me in the back garden when I was nine.

August 3, 2006

Glove rivals Read and Jones relying on continuity

Posted on 08/03/2006 in Pakistan in England

In selecting Chris Read ahead of Geraint Jones for tomorrow's third Test against Pakistan, England have given him his third, and probably final, chance to prove that he can become an international cricketer, writes Angus Fraser in The Independent.

The omission of Jones does not signify that his time with England has come to an end. Far from it. Jones is not the first England player to be given a timely kick up the backside by the selectors and he will not be the last.

Also read David Hopps's piece in The Guardian where he says Jones has not only handed over the wicketkeeping gloves to Read, but also the pressure.

Woolmer defends marble approach

Posted on 08/03/2006 in Pakistan in England

The tactic to practise batting against short-pitched bowling on a slab of marble is still a sound one and we shall continue to do so, writes Bob Woolmer in The Times.

It is a misconception that the best way to combat steep bounce is to get behind the line. One alternative method is to leave more balls outside off stump, and another, when attacking Harmison and others, is to play more “high shots” such as cutting over the slips, as John Edrich, Alan Knott and Tony Greig did on fast, bouncy surfaces in the 1970s, and hooking.

July 31, 2006

A timely reminder of who holds the Ashes

Posted on 07/31/2006 in Ashes

	© Getty Images

Martin Johnson, writing in The Daily Telegraph, says that England's win at Old Trafford was just what was needed to remind the Australians that, injuries permitting, this winter's Ashes might not be entirely one-sided:

"The Australians, in that endearingly smug way of theirs, have been so busy airbrushing history since last summer that half the population still think they hold the Ashes. Their opening batsman, Justin Langer, was recently floating the suggestion that his team had become so bored and complacent with constantly sticking it up the Poms that getting beaten was actually a brilliant idea."

Not content with only upsetting one country, Johnson then turns on Pakistan's batsmen, whose bravery he questions:

"Their coach's plan to get them ready for Harmison by pinging a cricket ball at a marble slab would have been better served by cutting a hole in the practice net in the general area of square leg in order to provide them with an escape route ...

"This is a team who congregate for five prayer meetings a day, and Harmison at full throttle on a bouncy pitch is certainly no impediment to acquiring religion."

July 30, 2006

Monty zoomer

Posted on 07/30/2006 in Pakistan in England

	© The Observer

England’s quick-time win at Old Trafford has reignited interest in the game among the general public – well, those who pay to receive Sky TV – and also pushed cricket onto many back pages ahead of football for the first time in 2006.

Even though Steve Harmison grabbed 11 wickets and the Man-of-the-Match award, it was Monty Panesar who grabbed the media attention.

Vic Marks, in The Observer, wrote that at last Panesar had cast off the label of being something of a comedy figure:

“Panesar has dominated in a manner that has embarrassed some pundits. One or two had advocated an all-seam attack for England. In the first innings Panesar was Harmison's ally and patently the second most important member of Andrew Strauss's attack. Yesterday he was the main man.”

Huw Turberville in The Sunday Telegraph said that Panesar was now assured of Ashes selection:

“England coach Duncan Fletcher has never appeared to be fully convinced of Panesar's abilities, expressing concern at his lack of batting and fielding skills. But surely this performance will have persuaded him the 24-year-old warrants a place in England's starting line-up for their Ashes defence this winter, even if Ashley Giles regains fitness.”

	© The Mail On Sunday

David Gower in The Sunday Times agreed, but added that it would not be easy going Down Under:

“His big challenge will come in Australia this winter where the pressure on the entire England team will rise to new levels and where the home crowds will be quick to seize on any signs of weakness. By the look of it, he has the capacity to cope with them but he will have to be wary of an Australian batting force that will be intent on making life as hard as possible for him.”

Jon Culley in The Independent noted that if BBC Sport were scratching their heads for a nominee for the Sports Personality of the Year after a fairly bleak year elsewhere, they now have a clear contender. He added:

”As a display of attacking spin bowling, yesterday's performance by the 24-year-old Northamptonshire player was as good as has been witnessed from anyone in an England shirt in decades.”

July 28, 2006

Harmison pitches in

Posted on 07/28/2006 in Pakistan in England

	© The Daily Telegraph

It was 50 years ago yesterday that a Test match started at Old Trafford that went down in history for the exploits of Jim Laker. What is forgotten these days is that but for Laker’s feat of taking 19 wickets, the match would be remembered for controversy over the pitch which the Australians bitterly complained was not fit for Test cricket. Half a century on, and little changes.

Yesterday, however, Steve Harmison blasted out Pakistan. While the pitch was poor, it was the fast bowling that grabbed the headlines.

Derek Pringle in The Daily Telegraph was blunt, arguing that “it was a gutless display by the visitors, with many of the later order backing away”.

But he also pointed out that while the pitch may not have been perfect, Harmison’s performance was, nevertheless, a great one.

“With his height and pace, Harmison can be a handful on most surfaces, but when given conditions that amplify his gifts he brings a fear factor that make batsmen do foolish things. Of his victims only Inzamam-ul-Haq was dismissed by a ball that did anything unexpected, in his case climbing sharply from a good length after hitting one of the many cracks pitting the surface of the pitch.”

In The Guardian, Mike Selvey was in no doubt that groundsman Peter Marron’s work was not good enough.

“The pitch did not quite play to order. It had promised pace, which it delivered, and ditto good carry. What should not have been evident yet was a nasty, if occasional, variation in bounce as the ball struck either side of the cracks, which, if the sun continues to bake the surface, will only get wider and more influential.”

Selvey was also critical of the Pakistan batsmen who, he wrote, “batted with questionable commitment and a negative mindset”.

	© The Mirror

In The Independent, Angus Fraser followed the same line:

“Harmison and England were aided by a fast, bouncy and slightly unpredictable pitch, and a woeful batting display from Pakistan. The venom of Harmison and the steep bounce he extracted from the helpful surface unsettled the tourists who showed minimal resistance.”

In Dawn, Kamran Abbasi pondered Inzamam’s decision to bat:

“Winning the toss turned into a nightmare for Inzamam-ul Haq. He is unlikely to see a quick end to the public debate about his decision to bat first on a hard, greenish track, under gloomy skies and a humid day. Forgive my meteorology but weren't those once known as ideal bowling conditions?”

He also had little time for the Pakistan batsmen:

“Most of these fair-weather youths have grown fat on the plunder of lifeless pitches. They have indeed pulled Pakistan out of some desperate situations but those rescue missions have been in conditions that have offered little for bowlers. Yesterday, a more testing examination questioned the quality of their defence. The same examination that is failed each time we tour Australia, and particularly at Perth. On this evidence we are no more ready.”

Mahmood's success leaves old allegiances as history

Posted on 07/28/2006 in Pakistan in England

Once upon a time, Shahid Mahmood might have cursed a scoreboard that showed Pakistan all out for 119, writes Richard Hobson in The Times . Yesterday, from high in the members’ area, he looked down with paternal approval. His allegiance is now firmly with England and Sajid, his son, had helped to dismiss one of the best batting teams in the world in less than two sessions.

The moment Panesar was tossed the ball yesterday, then, saw him under some pressure, says Jon Culley in The Independent. At 90 for 2, Pakistan had recovered from the latest failure of their top order. What is more, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, two parts of arguably the finest middle order in world cricket today, each looked well set. Yet Panesar was nerveless,

July 22, 2006

Flintoff injury scare rocks England

Posted on 07/22/2006 in Pakistan in England

	Flintoff might be spending a lot more time on the sidelines © Getty Images

England are dreading the catastrophic news that Andrew Flintoff might be unfit for the second Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford, or worse. Here's what the papers had to say.

Far from playing again this week, Flintoff must be fearing the possibility that an arthroscopy on the left ankle will now be advised to deal with the tiny fragments of bone or crystal shown by a scan on June 5, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times. Any operation would mean a further six weeks of rehabilitation, leaving the possibility of only two four-day games in September before final decisions are taken about his fitness to captain England in the Ashes series.

Angus Fraser says, in The Independent that the Ashes should be Flintoff's priority. "The first Test against Australia in Brisbane is now only four months away and it is this series that should dominate the thoughts of Flintoff's medical team when they meet today. If Flintoff's misses the second Test he has no chance of playing in the third at Headingley, which starts three days later. It would then appear pointless to rush him back for the fourth so it is the Ashes that should take centre stage."

"If Flintoff is out, England will almost certainly revert to the side that emerged from the first Test at Lord's with a tame draw," writes Andy Wilson in The Guardian. "There is one possibility of a change, however, and that would be to replace the underperforming all-rounder Liam Plunkett with the Lancashire fast bowler Sajid Mahmood."

According to Derek Pringle "Flintoff's absence, should the selectors decide to leave him out when they name the England squad tomorrow, would mean a reprieve not just for Andrew Strauss, as the stand-in captain for a stand-in, but also for Ian Bell, the man earmarked to be jettisoned despite making a hundred in the first Test."

July 19, 2006

England's bowlers under fire

Posted on 07/19/2006 in Pakistan in England

	Under fire: Hoggard and his colleagues © Martin Williamson

Pakistan’s bowling coach Waqar Younis has criticised England’s bowlers after their performance on the last day at Lord’s. In his column for The Daily Telegraph Younis said:

“The situation on the final day was crying out for the ball to be pitched up but instead our batsmen were given plenty of wayward, short-pitched bowling (by Liam Plunkett as well as Harmison). It was too easy for us to pick off the bad balls and Harmison has to think about his bowling a little bit more.”

Just for good measure, Younis went on to say:

“It is wickets that you have to take as a fast bowler - that is how you earn your living - but sometimes simply banging it in short is not enough. You have to use your brain as well as your brawn.”

Given that Pakistan conceded 824 runs in the match and failed to bowl England out either time, some on the England side might argue that Younis should be concentrating on sorting out his own problems before attacking the opposition.

July 18, 2006

The plight of Panesar

Posted on 07/18/2006 in Pakistan in England

	Panesar's foibles have endeared him to all in rapid times. But can he deliver? © Getty Images

'Steve Harmison is the key' was the word around Lord's and other homes of cricket when Pakistan came out to bat on the final morning of the first Test. But with 15-3-43-0 Harmison was not so much keyed in as he was clueless.

Steve James writes in The Guardian that

the quickie was expected to exploit any variable bounce, but he simply did not deliver. All the great bowlers have always attacked from the Pavilion end here. Qualms about his action meant Harmison spent much of this match operating from the Nursery end..

All eyes were then on Monty Panesar.

Continue reading "The plight of Panesar"

July 17, 2006

Strauss - From victim to villain in run-out drama

Posted on 07/17/2006 in Pakistan in England

	'A moment of madness' - Ian Bell is run out trying to get Andrew Strauss to his century © Getty Images

Lord's saw the beauty and the beast as Andrew Strauss' rush of blood proved his undoing, says David Hopps in the Guardian. Mark Nicholas calls it as a moment of madness. Read Martin Johnson's take on the subject here.

You could say that Bell was unlucky to be run out by a direct hit from Inzamam, which is cricket's equivalent to being killed by a falling meteor while out walking the dog on Dartmoor. If International Cricket Council regulations permitted, the Pakistani captain would employ a butler to do his fielding for him.

From supercharged leg-break to swish of the bat Afridi ensures there is never a dull moment, writes Lawrence Booth.

Continue reading "Strauss - From victim to villain in run-out drama"

July 16, 2006

'Run them out'

Posted on 07/16/2006 in Pakistan in England

	John Stern 'So the paradox is that Jones, picked for his batting, is becoming a sounder keeper and a less effective batsman. How far will the tables turn?' © Getty Images

Mike Atherton tries hard to find the problem area of Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq.

To get an insider's view on the weaknesses of Inzamam and Yousuf I asked Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan opening batsman and now commentator, how best to dismiss these two batsmen. He thought for a while and then said 'run them out'. The problem for England is that I'm sure he was being serious.

As England's bowlers toiled against a resilient Pakistan, Mike Brearley, in the Observer, blames climate change.

John Stern, writing in the Sunday Times, believes that Geraint Jones holds advantage over rival Chris Read.

Simon Wilde feels that in the absence of Andrew Flintoff, it is vital for Harmison to stand up and deliver.

Harmison hasn’t always been big on responsibility. At school, he was inclined to go missing from class and in his early days as an England cricketer didn’t always do the management’s bidding. It’s no coincidence that he really doesn’t like bowling at Lord’s. He says it’s not just the slope that makes him feel uncomfortable, it’s the whole place. And why should he feel at home at a place so redolent of authority? The great feature of his annus mirabilis of 2004 was that he did lead from the front on a regular basis, from his astonishing demolition job in Jamaica to his surgical excision of the same West Indies side at The Oval. Unfortunately, he found the view from the top of the world rankings vertigo-inducing and he has been slipping towards earth ever since.

Andrew Strauss asserts the England team are far from a spent force.

July 15, 2006

Smiling assassin Kaneria kills off Jones

Posted on 07/15/2006 in Pakistan in England

	Paul Collingwood symbolises the rise of Durham © Getty Images

Geraint Jones, England's under-pressure wicketkeeper, only kept the Pakistani leg spinner at bay for 20 balls, reports David Hopps in The Guardian.

Rick Broadbent, of the Times, is also not impressed with Jones.

His 18 improved on his averages in his last two Test series and also helped him to a world record. Jones has now gone longer than anyone else, 45 Test innings, without getting a duck. ... Alas, that just shows how numbers can get in the way. The truth was that his main achievement on a lustrous Lord’s day was to press Chris Read’s case for inclusion in the team.

Paul Collingwood marks the rise of Durham with a flourish, writes Simon Hughes.

Continue reading "Smiling assassin Kaneria kills off Jones"

July 14, 2006

A question of nationality

Posted on 07/14/2006 in Pakistan in England

As Pakistan's tour of England gets underway, the thousands of immigrant Pakistanis face a dilemma of which team to support - their country of origin or their adopted country. Jack Shencker of The Guardian spoke to a few immigrants, who had some interesting things to say.

"I would normally support Pakistan, not just because they are the underdog in terms of technology and resources but also because both the players and the country want it more"

Five dropped chances by Pakistan on the opening day threw Bob Woolmer's theory of IPS (Ideal Performance State) into The Thames. David Hopps digs deep into the murky world of sporting acronyms with an original slant. Read on in The Guardian.

Please try to concentrate, otherwise you may well be dismissed as GROLI, which happens to mean Guardian Readers Of Limited Intellect, as if such a thing could possibly exist.

July 13, 2006

Injuries, more injuries and now the real thing...

Posted on 07/13/2006 in Pakistan in England

A three-day match against Leicestershire, a one-day bash in Scotland, a four-day fixture against England A at Canterbury and a Twenty20 slog, irrelevant to the longer form of the game, has been the sum total of our preparation before the first Test, which starts today, writes Bob Woolmer in The Times ahead of Pakistan's first Test against England at Lord's.

I am expecting a dogfight, not least because positive results are normally obtained on three of the four Test grounds we are playing on, namely Lord’s, Headingley and the Oval...

Pakistan’s preparation going into the first Test of the tour can hardly be described as satisfactory, as their suspect batting has had little exposure to front-line English bowlers, writes Asif Iqbal in The Khaleej Times. He adds that for Danish Kaneria to succeed,he needs the weight of runs to bowl at so the onus is on the batsmen to perform.

With so many injuries and the batting having had limited exposure on this tour so far, I would expect Pakistan to approach the Lords Test with a great deal of caution.

July 12, 2006

Hoggard's adventures in the oxygen chamber

Posted on 07/12/2006 in Pakistan in England

Matthew Hoggard has been spending time in an oxygen chamber to speed up his recovery from a hand injury. It wasn't the most exciting experience but he hopes it will help him play against Pakistan at Lord's. Read about Hoggard's time in the chamber in The Times.

My ears usually pop shortly after going in, but then the effect is the same as taking a dive 14 metres under water. It’s basically like taking a dry dive. I haven’t dived properly before. I’ve always liked the idea of it, but I’ve actually been pretty scared. Unsurprisingly, it’s not quite as scary doing it without any water, but one bright spot of this recuperation process is that I think I may have conquered my fear of diving. So next time I have a holiday, I think I may be heading underwater.

The tape ball's role in Pakistan cricket

Posted on 07/12/2006 in Pakistan in England

"Non first-class cricket in Pakistan has been played with a tape ball in every galli (lane) and rural field for 20 years," writes Osman Samiuddin in The Guardian. "Parallel to this period has been an assembly line of fast bowlers, able to extract reverse swing almost on demand."

Until Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones last summer, old cricket balls were mostly useful in Pakistani hands. Explanations for reverse swing came within quotation marks, accompanied by winks and nods - "working hard on the ball" or "rough outfields help" mostly meant "show me a finger nail/bottle top and I'll show you a collapse". Last summer reverse swing became a science. Vindicated Pakistanis blustered. They might also have pondered the role of the tape ball - a tennis ball covered with electrical tape.

July 11, 2006

A gripping season

Posted on 07/11/2006 in Pakistan in England

It will be a pleasure to return to the majesty of Test cricket after the frenzy of the football, writes Mike Marqusee in The Hindu.

While kids in England were watching football on the telly, their counterparts in Pakistan were bowling and batting in whatever space they could find and with whatever implements came to hand. As in India, the route from the streets to the stadiums is circuitous and littered with obstacles and injustices. But in Pakistan it tends often to be a shorter leap, and more of the elan of street cricket — the hustle, the improvisatory spirit — survives in the Pakistani game. Combine that with sophistication of technique and discipline, and you have a cricket team that's both competitive and entertaining.

Inzy is back, slow but sure of success

Posted on 07/11/2006 in Pakistan in England

Inzamam-ul-Haq tells Donald McRae, of the Guardian, he is confident of repeating his success from last winter on his final tour of England.

..it is reassuring to hear that Inzamam is not about to resume the misguided diet which almost ruined his career in 2003. "I never do that again," he promises while patting his stomach gently. "Just before the World Cup I work harder than I ever did. I lose a lot of weight - 17 kilograms!" He shudders. "Can you believe it? It was too much. I didn't score any runs without those 17 kilograms. And that's when I got dropped from the Test team. It hurt me so much that I say I'm not willing to play again. But after three months I realise that I'm only 33 and have many years ahead of me. So I decide to come back.

July 9, 2006

The instinctiveness of Pakistan

Posted on 07/09/2006 in Pakistan in England

Putting England’s endless injury list to one side for a moment, Mike Atherton concentrates on the Pakistan side and their abundance of talent and flair in today's Sunday Telegraph.

It is always a treat to watch Pakistan play because their players bring an instinctiveness that is increasingly hard to find in a modern game dominated by a uniformity of coaching methods. This is because the game in Pakistan is still largely unstructured, because their players learn to play the game by playing tape ball on any patch of scrub land that can be found.

If that wasn’t a daunting enough prospect for England to contend with, he sounds a further warning of the support Pakistan will receive.

That particular tour [in England, 2001] was played to a backdrop of race riots in Oldham, Burnley and other northern industrial towns. The issue of identity and race is a more complex one than simply a case of being either 'one of us' or 'one of them' and little that has happened in the intervening years suggests that Pakistan will not enjoy the same level of support that they enjoyed then. England's players should brace themselves for a fierce time on and, especially at Headingley and Old Trafford, off the field.

July 8, 2006

Monty the man for Fredless England

Posted on 07/08/2006 in Pakistan in England

It's been three years and 32 Tests since Andrew Flintoff last missed a Test for England, and it has shown in the remarkable run of performances the team has put together in that time. But, on Thursday morning at Lord's, his team-mates will have to look elsewhere for inspiration. Mike Selvey, writing in The Guardian, suggests that the man who was widely lampooned for his early-season performances, Monty Panesar, could well provide the X-factor.

June 25, 2006

Powerful Pakistan have few weaknesses

Posted on 06/25/2006 in Pakistan in England

As Pakistan arrive in England for a heavy summer of cricket, Scyld Berry warns that the hosts will be up against tough and talented opponents.