Second chances are rare in sports. Unimaginable, especially in the shortest form of international cricket. Seldom is a poor performance overturned by sparks of brilliance to win matches. Rarely is an array of poor fielding displays — that continuously let opposition off the hook — followed by shattered stumps that pulls them right back. It simply belies all cricket ethos and sits against the norm.
But the Pakistan team was never the one to bow to ethos and adhere to norm. It seemed an eternity to wake them from the Bhurban conditioning camp and the many Selfridges’ trips. The load-shedding, it seemed, had tampered with the veins and an early exit loomed as the team took to the field in their first warm-up.
As the team progressed unconvincingly, temperament went astray with the bat in hand. Until Younis Khan, followed by Kamran Akmal, came of age. Accuracy seemed a lost art with the ball and overstepping was adopted as norm. Until Umar Gul treated opposition with swinging spaghetti. The fielding display went from poor to wretched. Until Shahid Afridi galloped towards long-on boundary, clutching onto his prize from the heavens.
And out of nowhere, against expectations and predictions, it all seemed to fall in place. Just like that. Younis had issued repeated reminders that Pakistan have always been slow starters and will pick up pace with each victory. Never had that statement been more aptly illustrated on the field as the men in green saved their best for the best, South Africa at Trent Bridge, in an attempt to appear in their second successive final. Pakistan’s route to the semi-final is as much courtesy a favourable draw as spurts of brilliance. Skipper Younis and Intikhab Alam, the team’s coach, shared plans that contradicted, and fouled any hopes the fans had of a decent performance by their idols. While Younis wanted stability at the top, Intikhab preferred aggression. Neither seemed to work and the experiments that the team management vociferously pointed out would lead to an improved performance landed flat, failing to make an impression.
Not so much the cornered tigers, but cornered nevertheless.
And out of nowhere, as Salman Butt was put out of his misery by the team management, Akmal repaid Younis’ trust and gamble in him. Shahzaib Hassan deposited a few in the stands but it looked as if the injury to all-rounder Yasir Arafat, and the subsequent arrival of Abdul Razzaq, brought with it a change of fortunes and a bag of miracles.
Gul seemed to realise he still had it in him to bowl fast and swing the ball. Young Aamir was the surprise packet while Saeed Ajmal left doubts about the legality of his action behind and continued to flux batsmen.
Afridi, first-ball slogs and rash stroke-play aside, remembered he has improved as a bowler of late. Then came his batting which was, indeed, a revelation with a renewed vigour to occupy the crease and accumulate runs for his team. And Akmal, as a wicket-keeper with no Danish Kaneria in the side, held onto catches and created world records.
Younis, who had up until the semis shouldered batting responsibilities, sat back concentrating and scripting the perfect plot. Tweaking Shakespeare, with mirth and laughter let the greatest prize come, hoped the captain.
The route to success, surprisingly, was smooth off the field as well. With Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in a different time-zone, the team rather became a damp squib as far as the sniffing paparazzi were concerned. No curfew-breaking clubbing nights, no training scuffles, no bat-fencing at team-mates, no blazing-up to speak of.
Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain who was sidelined for much of the tournament due to injury, did try and help matters by blurting out desperate excuses to justify the humiliation received at the hands of Umar Gul. To no avail, unfortunately as his ‘informal inquiry’ for the match referee to look into the state of the magic white ball was shooed away and buried forever.
There were also reports of a rift in the camp, as Abdul Qadir, post-resignation, decided to reveal all. But rifts have been omnipresent in the dressing room since time began and that, on most occasions, failed to affect the combined performance on the field. Beffiting, perhaps, was the presence of Shoaib Malik, who Qadir would have omitted from the squad had he been able to ‘do things his own way’, in the middle as the winning run was scored.
Younis on the eve of the tournament made it clear that he wanted to face India in the final and beat them this time. That changed as short balls grew tall on the Indian batsmen. He then wanted it to be South Africa but in the end, it did not really matter to him.
As the light training sessions failed to replicate the growing tension among fans, the players, especially the youngsters, had realised destiny was a tiger tamed.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper, June 26, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Players repaid the trust and confidence I reposed in them: Younis
It was a script that bellowed splendour as the victorious captain sat down to answer questions for one last time. Perhaps God had given Younis Khan a sneak preview on how the World Cup would curtail on the sun-drenched afternoon when the script was crafted, for he gave a look of a man who knew the ending even before the directors had started casting.
There was no fits of laughter, no continued references to his favourite word ‘fun’, the eyes were not popping out, he termed the sport cricket and not WWF and as he sat draped in the green flag, he wore a calm expression that merely said ‘I told you so’. And as the world stood dumbfounded by the revival that led to the final victory, Younis alluded to the confidence he had in his team from the start and how the win was not a complete surprise.
“Before the start of the tournament, I had labelled ourselves and West Indies as semi-finalists and people laughed at me when I said it,” Younis said. “Even when we failed to perform in the warm-up match, I had complete faith in my players and I knew that we have special something that would take us through.
“Everybody knows we are slow starters but my players knew we needed to win this tournament to lift our nation. It is indeed a huge achievement for us and I’m glad to have given this gift to our troubled nation.”
The win, as Younis pointed out, carried extra meaning as Pakistan had lost the last two finals played on this ground: World Cup 1999 and Natwest Series 2001, both against Australia. Pakistan also lost the inaugural World Twenty20 final against India and with survivors from each of those matches present in the squad, the captain’s plea not to succumb to pressure and apply the finishing touch was heard.
“I chatted to Razzaq and Afridi prior to the final and asked them to hold their nerves and apply the final touch. And I think it worked as Afridi batted sensibly — he even took singles and twos! — and the senior guys performed.’
As he talked of the senior players — adding his own name to the list repeatedly — Younis also took time out to remember Bob Woolmer, the former Pakistan coach who died following Pakistan’s early exist in World Cup 2007, and dedicated the win to the ‘father figure of the team who I owe this trophy and captaincy to’.
“He did well for the team whole incharge, especially me as an individual. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have been the captain of Pakistan so credit must go to him for our achievement. I can just see how happy he would’ve been had he been sitting here right next to me.”
Not forgetting the performing youngsters in the team, Younis sent out a plea to nations to resume playing in Pakistan. It will, according to Younis, not only provide a distraction for the terror-struck nation but will also promote the sport among the Pakistani youth.
“Everybody is following Twenty20 cricket and since we are the champions now, I request all the countries to come to Pakistan. The law and order situation is not good but that’s not our fault and we need international cricket in Pakistan to motivate youngsters, especially at school and college level and I believe this will help build new cricket structure in Pakistan.” While that plea is not the one to be answered in the foreseeable future, by lifting the trophy Younis not only ensured a temporary grin on the Pakistan faces, but also fulfilled his personal dream of following in the steps of Imran Khan as a world-cup winning captain but issued a warning that there exists a world outside Twenty20.
“Imran Khan was my hero and I had dreamt of lifting the World Cup and being remembered as a world-cup-winning captain after I leave the sport. Although it brings me a lot of pleasure to have accomplished that, we must perform well in the coming series and ensure all the hard work does not go to waste.
“I still believe Twenty20 is a fun game and a great entertainment factor and we came out emphatic winners [by eight wickets]. However, if we promote it too much then there will be no Test matches and therefore we must do something about this [Twenty20].”
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 23, 2009
There was no fits of laughter, no continued references to his favourite word ‘fun’, the eyes were not popping out, he termed the sport cricket and not WWF and as he sat draped in the green flag, he wore a calm expression that merely said ‘I told you so’. And as the world stood dumbfounded by the revival that led to the final victory, Younis alluded to the confidence he had in his team from the start and how the win was not a complete surprise.
“Before the start of the tournament, I had labelled ourselves and West Indies as semi-finalists and people laughed at me when I said it,” Younis said. “Even when we failed to perform in the warm-up match, I had complete faith in my players and I knew that we have special something that would take us through.
“Everybody knows we are slow starters but my players knew we needed to win this tournament to lift our nation. It is indeed a huge achievement for us and I’m glad to have given this gift to our troubled nation.”
The win, as Younis pointed out, carried extra meaning as Pakistan had lost the last two finals played on this ground: World Cup 1999 and Natwest Series 2001, both against Australia. Pakistan also lost the inaugural World Twenty20 final against India and with survivors from each of those matches present in the squad, the captain’s plea not to succumb to pressure and apply the finishing touch was heard.
“I chatted to Razzaq and Afridi prior to the final and asked them to hold their nerves and apply the final touch. And I think it worked as Afridi batted sensibly — he even took singles and twos! — and the senior guys performed.’
As he talked of the senior players — adding his own name to the list repeatedly — Younis also took time out to remember Bob Woolmer, the former Pakistan coach who died following Pakistan’s early exist in World Cup 2007, and dedicated the win to the ‘father figure of the team who I owe this trophy and captaincy to’.
“He did well for the team whole incharge, especially me as an individual. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have been the captain of Pakistan so credit must go to him for our achievement. I can just see how happy he would’ve been had he been sitting here right next to me.”
Not forgetting the performing youngsters in the team, Younis sent out a plea to nations to resume playing in Pakistan. It will, according to Younis, not only provide a distraction for the terror-struck nation but will also promote the sport among the Pakistani youth.
“Everybody is following Twenty20 cricket and since we are the champions now, I request all the countries to come to Pakistan. The law and order situation is not good but that’s not our fault and we need international cricket in Pakistan to motivate youngsters, especially at school and college level and I believe this will help build new cricket structure in Pakistan.” While that plea is not the one to be answered in the foreseeable future, by lifting the trophy Younis not only ensured a temporary grin on the Pakistan faces, but also fulfilled his personal dream of following in the steps of Imran Khan as a world-cup winning captain but issued a warning that there exists a world outside Twenty20.
“Imran Khan was my hero and I had dreamt of lifting the World Cup and being remembered as a world-cup-winning captain after I leave the sport. Although it brings me a lot of pleasure to have accomplished that, we must perform well in the coming series and ensure all the hard work does not go to waste.
“I still believe Twenty20 is a fun game and a great entertainment factor and we came out emphatic winners [by eight wickets]. However, if we promote it too much then there will be no Test matches and therefore we must do something about this [Twenty20].”
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 23, 2009
Writing cricket
Mihir Bose’s areas of expertise reach far and wide into accountancy, engineering, football, Bollywood and, surprisingly, Memons. Born in Kolkata in the year of the Partition but raised in Mumbai — the city he calls his hometown — Mihir, author of over 20 books and winner of many awards, shares his thoughts with Books & Authors on cricket, the history of the subcontinent, his desire to be a ‘great writer’ and becoming the first sports editor at the BBC.How did an interest in journalism and writing develop?
MB: Despite belonging to a business-minded family, I’d always wanted to be a writer even though my father thought there was no money in it. I was growing up in an independent India which was heavily influenced by Nehru, so it had to produce engineers and scientists. I came to England to become one too, but switched to accountancy since it would give me time to write a novel that would make me famous. It didn’t quite work out that way but I broke into journalism via commercial radio after qualifying as an accountant.
I went back to India a couple of times, worked as a stringer for the Sunday Times and even got commissioned to write a book on Keith Miller. However, there came a time when I decided that if I wanted to become a writer — and I couldn’t become one in India — I had to resign from my job as an accountant. By then, I had also gotten a contract on a biography on Subhas Chandra Bose, an Indian nationalist who was termed a traitor. That was that. I’ve never looked back and I’ve been a full-time writer since October 1978.
What problems did you face in England while pursuing your dream?
MB: Though I was very aware of my colour and race, it took me a long time to get used to standing out. I came from quite a well-off background, but suddenly found myself not only doing my own dishes but made aware that I was different. Despite that — and the fact that I felt India was imprisoning me — England was a liberating place for me.
It was the place where I thought of becoming a great writer and where I would go to Soho and proclaim my genius. However, I realised that nobody wants to know me and to them I had come from a poor country and had a terrible name. I got assaulted while reporting on football and was chased down a train by a gang of hooligans. Even with all that, England gave me opportunities and the world we live in is a western world, which I’m very happy to be a part of. I prefer living here and am quite comfortable as the country has been very good to me.
Why the interest in sports, especially cricket?
MB: I read a lot about cricket. I’ve loved it as a kid and my father would let me practice as a radio commentator in front of guests so I grew up living cricket. Though I went to the same school as Sunil Gavaskar, I never played the game that well and wasn’t encouraged either. Because of my interest, I have written three books on cricket, including the only history of Indian cricket, as well as Maidan View, which examines the influence of cricket on Indian society. I’ve never seen a distinction between sports and writing.
If you write about sports, you’re not writing about kindergarten, you’re writing about life.
What books and authors have managed to influence you?
MB: I wanted to be a writer like V.S. Naipaul or Graham Greene, people like that were my heroes. I also wanted to be like Neville Cardus, a cricket writer. I was also influenced by books like C.L.R. James’ Beyond the Boundary in which cricket is used to describe West Indian society. I’m also fascinated by biographies and history books. I believe they take a certain thing about society and use it to explain the society itself.
You mentioned your love for history. What is your take on the history of subcontinent and why there exist major gaps and discrepancies in the scripts?
MB: The history of the subcontinent motivates me as it is the history of my people. You pick up a book on the great events of the world and you’ll find that they are all western events. It’s a fact that conquerors write history and hence there is no mention of any battles of Panipat.
There’s a dearth of great biographies, especially ones written by locals. For instance, most of the biographies of Gandhi are by non-Indians, and the only well-known biography of Jinnah is written by an American professor. The subcontinent retreats into fiction because it doesn’t want to confront reality. We either love people or hate them. An assessment of Jinnah can’t take into account that he was the most unlikely Muslim who drank whiskey and ate pork. However, he was a great leader, in fact one of the greatest leaders of the subcontinent, the man who created a country.
There is a fear of recognising, it’s an irrelevant way of thinking. It shows a lack of maturity, an almost-adolescent behaviour that your heroes have got to be gods. This is saying that all you write about the great man is the speeches he delivered and great letters he wrote, but not the man who lived his life.
India and Pakistan are like two Siamese twins trying to separate themselves but not quite managing to. Pakistan needs to stop comparing itself to India and thinking that India can’t go ahead of them. Pakistan has a greatness that the Indians don’t have and that is not accepting defeat. In cricket, Pakistan won a Test in England in 1954. It took India 17 more years to match that.
What projects would like to do in the future?
I would like to write a couple of novels and a major book about the subcontinent, particularly about India. I’d also like to write a book tracing my father’s journey which started as a young man in a village in Ramchandrapur (West Bengal) who gave up his job to join the freedom struggle and moved to Mumbai.
I also want to write a biography of Gandhi and Jinnah, especially as I was brought up to hate Jinnah but have come to admire him as a politician. We need more books on the communities living in the subcontinent and how they are progressing.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in Books & Authors (DAWN newspaper) June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
We want to win World T20 for the nation: Younis
Skipper Younis Khan has made it crystal clear how badly Pakistan wants to win the World Twenty20 on Sunday with reasons ranging from the dearth of silveware in the last decade to his team getting labelled serious contenders in major tournaments once again. But most of all, he wants to win it for the terror-struck nation facing a bleak future.
Speaking after defeating tournament favourites South Africa in a pulsating semi-final at Trent Bridge, Younis lauded Shahid Afridi’s match-winning all-round performance but made sure the audience were reminded of the sufferings in Pakistan.
“The World Cup is everything for us,” Younis said. “I want to win it for the team, the nation and the millions suffering back at home, especially in the northern areas where I’m from. There are fights going on on a daily basis and I believe that winning the trophy will bring some smiles on their faces for a change.”
While the captain and team are unable to affect changes on the war-field, they ensured that they left the playing field at Trent Bridge with their best performance in the tournament so far, something Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, agreed with.
“Although we played great cricket throughout the tournament and today as well, credit must go to Pakistan as they played their best game of the tournament today,” Smith said. “Afridi had a great game with the bat and then the ball and he basically was the difference between the two sides.” We lost to a better team and that is something we’ll have to deal with.’
Afridi, consistent performer with the ball, repaid Younis’ trust and decision to promote him to number three. While he had shown glimpses of sensible batting, albeit in patches, as the tournament progressed, a significant contribution was surely missing.
He had told Dawn in an earlier interview how he was available, and prepared, to be promoted up the order to prove his worth with the bat. And although his aptly-timed first half-century in international cricket since January 2008 resembled one of a changed, and matured, cricketer, Afridi was adamant he was still as aggressive as ever.
“I was given a huge responsibility and told to play my natural game,’ Afridi said. “The captain really supported me and that’s always a benefit for any player. Playing aggressive cricket is my nature and I always enter the ground with the aim to win as I firmly believe it is my right to win and I have to fight for it.”
Credit must also go to the team effort, according to Afridi, as it was the self-belief in the playing eleven that got Pakistan through their toughest opponents thus-far. While marked improvements are constantly witnessed by the bowlers, Pakistan’s fielding — two dropped catches — and batting in the death overs — no boundaries in the last five overs — has become a cause for concern. Younis, with his customary light-hearted jokes and laughs, shrugged aside the concerns and said the plan for the final was simple: “Just go out there, do your best in all departments of the game and the cup is ours.”
Pakistan’s earlier experiments of juggling the batting line-up and playing elevens seemed to backfire at will, resulting in an inconsistent show on the tour. Keeping with his trend of parting with humorous and straight-forward remarks, Younis reckoned it was impossible for his side to be consistent. “We’re from Pakistan, nothing is stable there so how can we be stable,’ he said before adding that the slow-starters tag is something his team seems to carry into every series but it was the ‘momentum that we carry with every win that enables a strong performance in the following match’ was what mattered most.”
“It is important that we deliver the right thing at the right time and going into the final, I expect a strong performance from our match-winners namely Misbah-ul-Haq, Afridi, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal. South Africa is the toughest team in world cricket right now and now that we have beaten them, I believe we can go and win the cup.”
While Pakistan await the winner’s of the second semi-final that took place at The Oval last night, Jacque Kallis, the South African allrounder, must be ruing the barrage of short balls that faced Afridi’s wrath and, in turn, delivered a damning verdict on the outcome of the match, sealed with a kiss.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 20, 2009
Speaking after defeating tournament favourites South Africa in a pulsating semi-final at Trent Bridge, Younis lauded Shahid Afridi’s match-winning all-round performance but made sure the audience were reminded of the sufferings in Pakistan.
“The World Cup is everything for us,” Younis said. “I want to win it for the team, the nation and the millions suffering back at home, especially in the northern areas where I’m from. There are fights going on on a daily basis and I believe that winning the trophy will bring some smiles on their faces for a change.”
While the captain and team are unable to affect changes on the war-field, they ensured that they left the playing field at Trent Bridge with their best performance in the tournament so far, something Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, agreed with.
“Although we played great cricket throughout the tournament and today as well, credit must go to Pakistan as they played their best game of the tournament today,” Smith said. “Afridi had a great game with the bat and then the ball and he basically was the difference between the two sides.” We lost to a better team and that is something we’ll have to deal with.’
Afridi, consistent performer with the ball, repaid Younis’ trust and decision to promote him to number three. While he had shown glimpses of sensible batting, albeit in patches, as the tournament progressed, a significant contribution was surely missing.
He had told Dawn in an earlier interview how he was available, and prepared, to be promoted up the order to prove his worth with the bat. And although his aptly-timed first half-century in international cricket since January 2008 resembled one of a changed, and matured, cricketer, Afridi was adamant he was still as aggressive as ever.
“I was given a huge responsibility and told to play my natural game,’ Afridi said. “The captain really supported me and that’s always a benefit for any player. Playing aggressive cricket is my nature and I always enter the ground with the aim to win as I firmly believe it is my right to win and I have to fight for it.”
Credit must also go to the team effort, according to Afridi, as it was the self-belief in the playing eleven that got Pakistan through their toughest opponents thus-far. While marked improvements are constantly witnessed by the bowlers, Pakistan’s fielding — two dropped catches — and batting in the death overs — no boundaries in the last five overs — has become a cause for concern. Younis, with his customary light-hearted jokes and laughs, shrugged aside the concerns and said the plan for the final was simple: “Just go out there, do your best in all departments of the game and the cup is ours.”
Pakistan’s earlier experiments of juggling the batting line-up and playing elevens seemed to backfire at will, resulting in an inconsistent show on the tour. Keeping with his trend of parting with humorous and straight-forward remarks, Younis reckoned it was impossible for his side to be consistent. “We’re from Pakistan, nothing is stable there so how can we be stable,’ he said before adding that the slow-starters tag is something his team seems to carry into every series but it was the ‘momentum that we carry with every win that enables a strong performance in the following match’ was what mattered most.”
“It is important that we deliver the right thing at the right time and going into the final, I expect a strong performance from our match-winners namely Misbah-ul-Haq, Afridi, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal. South Africa is the toughest team in world cricket right now and now that we have beaten them, I believe we can go and win the cup.”
While Pakistan await the winner’s of the second semi-final that took place at The Oval last night, Jacque Kallis, the South African allrounder, must be ruing the barrage of short balls that faced Afridi’s wrath and, in turn, delivered a damning verdict on the outcome of the match, sealed with a kiss.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 20, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Razzaq, Shahzaib delighted with contributions in T20 wins
Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan all-rounder, has branded ICL as ‘low standard cricket’ and breathed a sigh of relief after quitting the ‘rebel’ league last month and being fast-tracked into the international side for the ICC World Twenty20.
Making his comeback for Pakistan against New Zealand at The Oval, Razzaq was handed the new ball, under pressure to perform straight away following a poor opening over. What followed seemed an effortless transition, after a two-year absence from international cricket, but even an impressive return of two for 17 failed to come up to the standards he had set himself.
“It wasn’t easy to get back into international cricket after a long absence,” Razzaq told Dawn. “This is the highest standards of cricket being played in the world and playing in ICL and its low standard cricket, it needs a great deal of mental adjustment. Even after the performance against New Zealand, I believe I still need another two to three weeks to get up to grips with international cricket.”
Fresh from topping the wicket-takers’ chart in Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20, Razzaq barely had 24 hours to adjust to conditions. While his team-mates took much longer to get acclimatised, the all-rounder started as if it was Lahore. His first ball almost capped off a memorable comeback if not for an inside edge off Aaron Redmond’s bat. However, he did not have to wait too long though for a lofted drive off Brendon Mccullum’s bat landed safely in the fielder’s hands and Pakistan were off to a great start.
Not surprised at being rewarded so early in his comeback match, Razzaq owed much to his spell with Surrey who have The Oval as their home ground. He also spent a season as Middlesex’s overseas player and thus the pitch and conditions were not alien to him. “I have played at this ground before and that helped me immensely. I was also able to provide input in the team meeting on the type of pitch, the outfield and the conditions and I think it helped me a great deal to have that background information.”
He also welcomed the inclusion of youngsters in the team, while commending a great effort by Mohammad Aamer and Shahzaib Hassan, but stressed the need for individual improvement in order to succeed at the highest level. “It’s basically a survival of the fittest. They [the youngsters] need to work hard on their fitness, get the experience and gradually, in about two to three months, they’ll constantly deliver the goods.”
Shahzaib, making his international debut in a must-win match for Pakistan, also showed no signs of nervousness with the bat or when questioned about his 27-ball 35.
Shahzaib was confident he had shone glimpses of the talent he possesses and will get more chances despite the opener failing to match his debut performance in the second match. “Although I scored against New Zealand, I wasn’t totally satisfied with my performance,’ Shahzaib told Dawn. ‘It was a chance for me to do well for myself and for my team and I was really thankful for the opportunity given. However, I’m sure I’ll get another chance to prove my worth and improve on what you saw on Saturday.”
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 17, 2009
Making his comeback for Pakistan against New Zealand at The Oval, Razzaq was handed the new ball, under pressure to perform straight away following a poor opening over. What followed seemed an effortless transition, after a two-year absence from international cricket, but even an impressive return of two for 17 failed to come up to the standards he had set himself.
“It wasn’t easy to get back into international cricket after a long absence,” Razzaq told Dawn. “This is the highest standards of cricket being played in the world and playing in ICL and its low standard cricket, it needs a great deal of mental adjustment. Even after the performance against New Zealand, I believe I still need another two to three weeks to get up to grips with international cricket.”
Fresh from topping the wicket-takers’ chart in Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20, Razzaq barely had 24 hours to adjust to conditions. While his team-mates took much longer to get acclimatised, the all-rounder started as if it was Lahore. His first ball almost capped off a memorable comeback if not for an inside edge off Aaron Redmond’s bat. However, he did not have to wait too long though for a lofted drive off Brendon Mccullum’s bat landed safely in the fielder’s hands and Pakistan were off to a great start.
Not surprised at being rewarded so early in his comeback match, Razzaq owed much to his spell with Surrey who have The Oval as their home ground. He also spent a season as Middlesex’s overseas player and thus the pitch and conditions were not alien to him. “I have played at this ground before and that helped me immensely. I was also able to provide input in the team meeting on the type of pitch, the outfield and the conditions and I think it helped me a great deal to have that background information.”
He also welcomed the inclusion of youngsters in the team, while commending a great effort by Mohammad Aamer and Shahzaib Hassan, but stressed the need for individual improvement in order to succeed at the highest level. “It’s basically a survival of the fittest. They [the youngsters] need to work hard on their fitness, get the experience and gradually, in about two to three months, they’ll constantly deliver the goods.”
Shahzaib, making his international debut in a must-win match for Pakistan, also showed no signs of nervousness with the bat or when questioned about his 27-ball 35.
Shahzaib was confident he had shone glimpses of the talent he possesses and will get more chances despite the opener failing to match his debut performance in the second match. “Although I scored against New Zealand, I wasn’t totally satisfied with my performance,’ Shahzaib told Dawn. ‘It was a chance for me to do well for myself and for my team and I was really thankful for the opportunity given. However, I’m sure I’ll get another chance to prove my worth and improve on what you saw on Saturday.”
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
We can’t afford to relax despite good show: Younis
Demons were buried convincingly. Worried faces breathed a sigh of relief. A repeat of the 2007 Jamaican debacle was too much to ask for from the Irish as a convincing 39-run win at The Oval confirmed Pakistan's place in the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20 2009.
Younis Khan, Pakistan's captain, had earlier asked his team to 'crush Ireland and march on'. Although the darker shade of green did not quite crush their opponents, Younis was adamant his side, who were hammered in the first two games at this ground, had what it takes to go all the way.
“We've always been slow starters,” Younis said at the post-match press conference. “It's not necessarily a good thing but what matters most is that we peak at the right time and carry forward the momentum that we have gained from the wins.”
Admitting his side fell short by twenty runs, Younis had complete trust in his bowlers – comprising three of the top six bowlers in this tournament – to carry Pakistan through.
“Opting to bat, I wanted to post at least 180 as it was a good batting pitch and the conditions were suitable for batting. However, despite the team falling short, I had complete faith in our bowlers and in the end, they kept my faith and, as you can see, we are through to the semis.”
Of the bowlers, Gul, once again, proved deadly with the ball. Younis, while complimenting his fast-bowler, was not pleased with New Zealand making an informal inquiry about the condition of the ball following their dismissal for 99.
“Reverse swing is an art, not cheating. Gul has a perfect action for reverse swing and he has pace so he doesn't need to get involved with cheating. Although we weren't really upset at the comments and inquiry, It's really disappointing to hear what happens. But then they got out really cheaply so maybe they inquired because of that.” Laughing off the Daniel Vettori's comments, Younis reminded all that Pakistan was surrounded by enough controversies and did not really need another one. “We need to forget these things and concentrate on cricket. That's what we do best.”
With Pakistan carrying the momentum, Younis shrugged aside signs of complacency as “bigger things and teams were to follow.” While Pakistan's passage through to the semi-finals has been confirmed, their position in the group will depend on the result of the New Zealand and Sri Lanka match taking place at Trent Bridge today and could see them up against South Africa in the last-four.
“We're through to the semi-final but we can't relax. The beauty of the Twenty20 format is such that it can change very quickly and you need to do the right things at the right time in order to come out on top. It's all about how you turn up on the day.”
Now that the team has acclimatised to the conditions, and have a chance to lift the trophy, Younis assured fans of his team's, and his, commitment on the field, promising a hundred per cent in all three departments of the game. “Although this game is good entertainment for the fans, with lots of boundaries being hit and bowlers like Gul hitting the stumps, I can assure everyone that we still take it very seriously. When we take the field for a match, we play with dedication and commitment that is expected, and asked of, by our fans.”
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 16, 2009
Younis Khan, Pakistan's captain, had earlier asked his team to 'crush Ireland and march on'. Although the darker shade of green did not quite crush their opponents, Younis was adamant his side, who were hammered in the first two games at this ground, had what it takes to go all the way.
“We've always been slow starters,” Younis said at the post-match press conference. “It's not necessarily a good thing but what matters most is that we peak at the right time and carry forward the momentum that we have gained from the wins.”
Admitting his side fell short by twenty runs, Younis had complete trust in his bowlers – comprising three of the top six bowlers in this tournament – to carry Pakistan through.
“Opting to bat, I wanted to post at least 180 as it was a good batting pitch and the conditions were suitable for batting. However, despite the team falling short, I had complete faith in our bowlers and in the end, they kept my faith and, as you can see, we are through to the semis.”
Of the bowlers, Gul, once again, proved deadly with the ball. Younis, while complimenting his fast-bowler, was not pleased with New Zealand making an informal inquiry about the condition of the ball following their dismissal for 99.
“Reverse swing is an art, not cheating. Gul has a perfect action for reverse swing and he has pace so he doesn't need to get involved with cheating. Although we weren't really upset at the comments and inquiry, It's really disappointing to hear what happens. But then they got out really cheaply so maybe they inquired because of that.” Laughing off the Daniel Vettori's comments, Younis reminded all that Pakistan was surrounded by enough controversies and did not really need another one. “We need to forget these things and concentrate on cricket. That's what we do best.”
With Pakistan carrying the momentum, Younis shrugged aside signs of complacency as “bigger things and teams were to follow.” While Pakistan's passage through to the semi-finals has been confirmed, their position in the group will depend on the result of the New Zealand and Sri Lanka match taking place at Trent Bridge today and could see them up against South Africa in the last-four.
“We're through to the semi-final but we can't relax. The beauty of the Twenty20 format is such that it can change very quickly and you need to do the right things at the right time in order to come out on top. It's all about how you turn up on the day.”
Now that the team has acclimatised to the conditions, and have a chance to lift the trophy, Younis assured fans of his team's, and his, commitment on the field, promising a hundred per cent in all three departments of the game. “Although this game is good entertainment for the fans, with lots of boundaries being hit and bowlers like Gul hitting the stumps, I can assure everyone that we still take it very seriously. When we take the field for a match, we play with dedication and commitment that is expected, and asked of, by our fans.”
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
We feel let down by Qadir’s comments: Intikhab
Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has brushed aside comments of ‘too much interference’ made by the former chief selector Abdul Qadir.
Sharing his disappointment at the timing of the comments – in the middle of Pakistan’s ICC World Twenty20 campaign – Intikhab told Dawn that the squad was selected in agreement with all parties concerned and it was shocking to hear Qadir’s comments given that he, himself, had agreed to the name beforehand.
“Comments regarding our interference is Qadir’s own opinion,” Intikhab said. “Whenever the team is selected, everybody, including the selectors, coach, and captain, and it is only then the piece of paper with everyone’s signatures if forwarded to the PCB chairman.”
“If he [Qadir] had issues with our interference or had problems with the selection, why did he sign those papers? He should’ve come out there and then and shared his thought instead of waiting until after tendering his resignation before making such statements,” quipped Intikhab.
Following his resignation last week, Qadir blamed Intikhab and Yawar Saeed, the team manager, for interference in selection matters, tendering his team of selectors as a ‘dummy committee’.
According to Qadir, he would have also stripped Younis Khan of the team’s captaincy in the Twenty20 format of the game while omitting Shoaib Malik, Younis’ predecessor as captain, from the side altogether for conspiring against the current captain.
Denying a rift in the current squad, Intikhab termed the allegations baseless and felt let down by the former chief selector making such statements when the team could do without them.
Meanwhile, Intikhab praised the stunning performance of Umar Gul and comeback guy Abdul Razzaq with the ball against New Zealand here on Saturday that won a key match for them in the Super Eights.
“He’s [Umar Gul] a fantastic bowler,” he said. “He’s disciplined, trains hard and is always thinking about his bowling. No wondered he achieved that feat [world record].”
Intikhab admitted Razzaq’s inclusion has strengthened the squad.
Highest wicket-taker in the recently-concluded domestic Twenty20 tournament, Razzaq shone with the bat too and scored the only century of the tournament. Judging by his performance on Saturday, he did not look short on confidence.
The coach said that Pakistan has hit form at the right moment.
“’It’s important to peak at the right time and this is what the team is doing right now,” he said. “Our batting clicked, our bowlers performed and our fielders took their catches. Special emphasis on Afridi’s brilliant catch and it’s moments like these that life the team’s moral on the field and turns players into match-winners.
“His [Afridi’s] batting was a bit of a concern prior to Saturday but it was due to circumstances [not many overs left in the innings] rather than anything else. He’s a match-winner and despite his lack of form with the bat, his bowling been brilliant as he’s shown how a leg-spinner can be so effective in Twenty20 cricket.”
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 15, 2009
Sharing his disappointment at the timing of the comments – in the middle of Pakistan’s ICC World Twenty20 campaign – Intikhab told Dawn that the squad was selected in agreement with all parties concerned and it was shocking to hear Qadir’s comments given that he, himself, had agreed to the name beforehand.
“Comments regarding our interference is Qadir’s own opinion,” Intikhab said. “Whenever the team is selected, everybody, including the selectors, coach, and captain, and it is only then the piece of paper with everyone’s signatures if forwarded to the PCB chairman.”
“If he [Qadir] had issues with our interference or had problems with the selection, why did he sign those papers? He should’ve come out there and then and shared his thought instead of waiting until after tendering his resignation before making such statements,” quipped Intikhab.
Following his resignation last week, Qadir blamed Intikhab and Yawar Saeed, the team manager, for interference in selection matters, tendering his team of selectors as a ‘dummy committee’.
According to Qadir, he would have also stripped Younis Khan of the team’s captaincy in the Twenty20 format of the game while omitting Shoaib Malik, Younis’ predecessor as captain, from the side altogether for conspiring against the current captain.
Denying a rift in the current squad, Intikhab termed the allegations baseless and felt let down by the former chief selector making such statements when the team could do without them.
Meanwhile, Intikhab praised the stunning performance of Umar Gul and comeback guy Abdul Razzaq with the ball against New Zealand here on Saturday that won a key match for them in the Super Eights.
“He’s [Umar Gul] a fantastic bowler,” he said. “He’s disciplined, trains hard and is always thinking about his bowling. No wondered he achieved that feat [world record].”
Intikhab admitted Razzaq’s inclusion has strengthened the squad.
Highest wicket-taker in the recently-concluded domestic Twenty20 tournament, Razzaq shone with the bat too and scored the only century of the tournament. Judging by his performance on Saturday, he did not look short on confidence.
The coach said that Pakistan has hit form at the right moment.
“’It’s important to peak at the right time and this is what the team is doing right now,” he said. “Our batting clicked, our bowlers performed and our fielders took their catches. Special emphasis on Afridi’s brilliant catch and it’s moments like these that life the team’s moral on the field and turns players into match-winners.
“His [Afridi’s] batting was a bit of a concern prior to Saturday but it was due to circumstances [not many overs left in the innings] rather than anything else. He’s a match-winner and despite his lack of form with the bat, his bowling been brilliant as he’s shown how a leg-spinner can be so effective in Twenty20 cricket.”
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 15, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Poor start spoiled our act: Younus
Pakistan captain Younus Khan blamed poor starts with both bat and ball as the main reason for his team’s loss to Sri Lanka in the Super Eights match here at Lord’s on Friday.Good starts, by the looks of things is what Pakistan is dearly missing, an absence of which throughout the tournament seems to worry the Pakistan camp as well.
‘We have the potential but our players seem to miss out on good starts, both while bowling and batting,’ Younus Khan, Pakistan’s captain, said after the 19-run loss.
‘In this match, for example, we had a poor first over by Sohail Tanvir who gave away 18 runs including a few extras. Then again with the bat we lost Salman Butt in the very first over. So obviously that is something we need to work on.’
The horrendous first over by Tanvir — labelled a match-winner by Younus — provided an ideal platform for Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillekaratne Dilshan to latch onto. They did so for the first nine overs and prior to Shahid Afridi’s timely intrusion, Sri Lanka looked oncourse for a healthy total.
‘I was quite happy to have restricted them for 150. At one point it looked as if they would easily reach 200. Our spinners once again put in a good performance and we looked comfortable chasing that target if not for the regular wickets we kept losing.’
Afridi, shining once again with the ball, took two for 23 while briefly overtaking Umer Gul as international Twenty20’s leading wicket-taker. As a bowler, he has been Pakistan’s saviour and go-to guy of late.
With the bat, however, he poses a huge worry. A first-ball slog today failed to help Pakistan’s cause but Younus refused to show much concern.
‘We have all seen Afridi in the past. All he needs is one innings to get back into form but unfortunately for us it didn’t come today.
However, he still is a very important member of the side and his contribution with the ball and in the field has been tremendous.’
‘Though our fielding wasn’t that bad today, we gave away too many runs where we should not have [extras]. In a match like this, where the total is in front of you, we needed to form partnerships, perhaps someone who could’ve batted for 20 overs. We failed to do that and hence lost,’ said Younus.
In the end, it was Sri Lanka’s commitment to the task at hand, and pin-point accuracy with the ball by Lasith Malinga, that has left Pakistan with lot of thinking before Saturday’s late match against New Zealand at The Oval.
Some eyes may be on Salman Butt’s performance at the top of the order and some, perhaps, will be on a late arrival into the team, Abdul Razzaq.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 13, 2009
Women’s World Twenty20: Sana and Co open campaign against SL today
The Pakistani and Sri Lankan governments should just declare Friday a public holiday. Not only are the two nations squaring up against each other in the men’s ICC World Twenty20, their women counterparts will also set off their World Cup campaign 170 miles away in Taunton, hoping to match proceedings at Lord’s.
Both women outfits go into the match having suffered back-to-back losses in the warm-ups against South Africa and West Indies. Sana Mir, Pakistan’s captain, however, is hoping the experience gained by throwing away a winning position in the losses will help the girls register a convincing win on Friday.
“Obviously victories in the warm-up matches would’ve boosted our confidence but the important thing is to realise what we did wrong and work hard on overcoming that when it matters the most,” Sana told Dawn on Thursday. “Our morale is still very high and the team’s looking forward to winning tomorrow’s match convincingly.”
While a win remains a possibility, a convincing margin looks far-fetched given Pakistan’s performance with the bat recently. Chasing 115 against West Indies in a rain-shortened match, Pakistan lost regular wickets and could only muster up 88 with only two players reaching double figures. Similarly, against South Africa, they crumbled from 43 for no loss to 90 allout, chasing a meagre 127 for victory. While restricting the opposition to low total seems no problem, batting, by the looks of things, remains a cause for concern.
“We have been poor with the bat but we have worked hard on it and know how to handle it well now. Our collapse against South Africa was very disappointing but we are getting used to conditions and our opponents well and working hard to overcome our lapses in concentration.”
While Pakistan women have yet to play their Sri Lankan counterparts in the shortest format of the game, the girls in green will take heart from the last time these two sides met: A group match in the Women’s World Cup that Pakistan won by 57 runs.
“We have been playing a lot over the last three years and although we’ve only won once, we have come close to beating them on numerous occasions. We will take our win against them in Australia into the match but we fully realise they will come back at us strongly as well with revenge in mind so we can’t solely rely on that win alone.”
The team, much like their male counterparts in the warm-up matches, have shuffled the batting order around, looking for the best eleven. While Sana himself came at number three against Sri Lanka, her demotion to number ten against West Indies was all part of the plan to try out as many players as possible.
“We have taken our time getting used to conditions and we’re finally there. We performed well in Ireland and we wanted to gauge our best eleven hence the shuffling batting order. It was only a temporary move and I’ll be seen in the middle order come tomorrow.”
As the team heads off to watch India play England, the two other sides in Pakistan’s group, Sana emphasised on the importance of learning from other teams and ensuring they know their opponents. It will all help when we are pitted against them in the days to come, according to Sana.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 12, 2009
Both women outfits go into the match having suffered back-to-back losses in the warm-ups against South Africa and West Indies. Sana Mir, Pakistan’s captain, however, is hoping the experience gained by throwing away a winning position in the losses will help the girls register a convincing win on Friday.
“Obviously victories in the warm-up matches would’ve boosted our confidence but the important thing is to realise what we did wrong and work hard on overcoming that when it matters the most,” Sana told Dawn on Thursday. “Our morale is still very high and the team’s looking forward to winning tomorrow’s match convincingly.”
While a win remains a possibility, a convincing margin looks far-fetched given Pakistan’s performance with the bat recently. Chasing 115 against West Indies in a rain-shortened match, Pakistan lost regular wickets and could only muster up 88 with only two players reaching double figures. Similarly, against South Africa, they crumbled from 43 for no loss to 90 allout, chasing a meagre 127 for victory. While restricting the opposition to low total seems no problem, batting, by the looks of things, remains a cause for concern.
“We have been poor with the bat but we have worked hard on it and know how to handle it well now. Our collapse against South Africa was very disappointing but we are getting used to conditions and our opponents well and working hard to overcome our lapses in concentration.”
While Pakistan women have yet to play their Sri Lankan counterparts in the shortest format of the game, the girls in green will take heart from the last time these two sides met: A group match in the Women’s World Cup that Pakistan won by 57 runs.
“We have been playing a lot over the last three years and although we’ve only won once, we have come close to beating them on numerous occasions. We will take our win against them in Australia into the match but we fully realise they will come back at us strongly as well with revenge in mind so we can’t solely rely on that win alone.”
The team, much like their male counterparts in the warm-up matches, have shuffled the batting order around, looking for the best eleven. While Sana himself came at number three against Sri Lanka, her demotion to number ten against West Indies was all part of the plan to try out as many players as possible.
“We have taken our time getting used to conditions and we’re finally there. We performed well in Ireland and we wanted to gauge our best eleven hence the shuffling batting order. It was only a temporary move and I’ll be seen in the middle order come tomorrow.”
As the team heads off to watch India play England, the two other sides in Pakistan’s group, Sana emphasised on the importance of learning from other teams and ensuring they know their opponents. It will all help when we are pitted against them in the days to come, according to Sana.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 12, 2009
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