Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan

Its been an exciting ten days in the world of Pakistani cricket. Sometimes I just hope for a quiet ten days, where all that happens is a few matches, where the performance is at par, we make a few comments about individual players’ roles in the team, and then we move on!

First, Pakistan teased us with winning the first ODI against Sri Lanka. The bowlers, and the batsmen, and even Shoaib Malik at that, teased us with what they were capable of. Exciting strokeplay, tight, incisive bowling and swift and deliberate captaincy. Yet, all that only lasted for the first match. Everything quickly devolved into the disaster which was the third ODI in Lahore, where we were suddenly all out in the 70s, one of Pakistan’s lowest scores of all time. How fitting that the Prime Minister had to be there to share in the sorrow of the team and its fans.

In Pakistani cricket fortunes rise and fall with the sun. While only a few days ago I wrote about the myriad challenges being faced by Mohammad Asif, it now appears that Ijaz Butt, PCB Chairman, has all but mandated that Asif will be making a comeback and soon.

Suddenly, a drug arrest in Dubai, is a “minor” incident. Only in Pakistan can the Chairman of the PCB wash away a problem like this, with a casual comment. Asif has many problems, and as a young man he needs to sort them out. Give the man some time. Plus, does he just walk back into the squad? Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Rao Iftikhar seem to be doing pretty well. Sohail Khan and Azhar Ali are knocking on the door. Does an unfit Asif who hasn’t played competitive cricket for a year have a place in the squad?

This article at Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan has been composed by Ahmer Karimuddin.

Mohammad Asif finds himself in quite a pickle. Since the IPL drugs issue, and the arrest in Dubai, he is really seen the lows of a sporting life. From being one of the most feared bowlers on the world scene, his stock has rapidly fallen.

Crossposted to ahmerazhar.blogspot.com
He finds himself out of a central contract with the PCB, an uncertain cricketing future until the IPL resolves his drugs issue, and no current cricket income. If this article is to be believed, he has lost his home, his car and is currently in dire financial straits.

It appears that the IPL has not paid Asif for his services with the Delhi Daredevils in the first iteration of the IPL. There is much speculation that due to his positive drug test, the Delhi Daredevils will choose not to pay him until the IPL board hears the case and makes a final recommendation.

On the day Geoff Lawson was supposed to arrive in Pakistan to take over the reins of the team, it seems that the entire enterprise of international Pakistani cricket is threatening to fall apart.

For the last few days, there has been a reasonable amount of drama, with Shoaib Akhtar and his fines, and then the supposed threat by Shoaib Malik and a few other players to not participate in the Twenty20 cup. While these have been fairly concerning, not much has made it into the media since the first rumours came out. Yet, todays news turns all of those shenanigans into minor brew hahas.

First came the news that Razzaq had announced his retirement from international cricket, due to his unhappiness over being dropped for the Twenty20 cup, followed very shortly by his signing a County Cricket contract. Then came the ICL announcement of the players signed to date, and within that list were Razzaq and Farhat, which we knew about before. Yet, the list also included Inzamam and Mohammad Yousuf.

In Urdu they say “Shehmurgh kai pair bhaday kai bhaday” (The peacock’s feet will always be ugly), and how well does our wonderful Nasim Ashraf typify this. Put him in a suit, let him fly first class to have pictures taken with the players, he’s game. Have him preen in front of the National Assembly or Senate, he’s game. Give press conferences, where all he accepts is applause? Sure he’ll do it. But actually carry through with a promise or a statement? God forbid somehow that happens! Sach hai, Khuda woh din na dikhaye jub Nasim Ashraf kuch kar dikhaye.

Pensions for ex-players? He’ll take the applause for making the announcement. But actually implement it? Too much work and responsibility. Take the plaudits for handing out cheques to 5 players? Sure he’ll take them. But too actually do the work to make sure those cheques can be honoured? No way. Isn’t giving someone cheques which cannot be cashed, actually cheque fraud? Isn’t that a crime? I think I will have to ask my brother the banker that.

This article at Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan has been composed by Ahmer Karimuddin.

I usually have limited this blog’s scope to Pakistani cricket, not because I don’t enjoy other cricket, but because I’m afraid that if I start writing about more stuff, it will take over my life and then my parents will disown me, my wife will leave me and my kids will refuse to recognize me!

Yet, I just could not pass this up. It really does appear that in 2007, no one in authority has to resign anymore no matter what they do! After Australia deservedly won a World Cup where they truly and totally dominated, the umpires lead by the match referee, Jeff Crowe totally screwed up everything with the ending of the match turning it into an absolute farce. Most of us rational folk would have to see it to believe it, and even then it looked like something out of one of Dante’s hells not reality. Yet, at the end of the day, Jeff Crowe has the gall to say that this is not something to resign over! For crying out loud! Nasim Ashraf doesn’t have to resign, Tony Blair doesn’t have to resign, Musharraf doesn’t have to resign, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Anthony Gonzales don’t have to resign, no one had to resign over the Oval fiasco and no one resigns anytime, anywhere! In cricket, the game and the players suffer all and in life, the people and their lives suffer all. It truly does look like all accountability has left our world, like Aslan left C.S. Lewis’ world. How absolutely preposterous.

This article at Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan has been composed by Ahmer Karimuddin.

Yes, Shoaib. We know that it was the knee injury not the nandrolone coursing through your veins that kept you out of the World Cup. Lets wonder why no one has repeated the test, despite the last six months. Hmm. Didn’t our Mr. Nasim Ashraf, president of PCB, say that it was going to happen “within the month”? Well, he being a nephrologist, should know about the excretion patterns and timings of steroids, and that is probably why the testing hasn’t been done. Someone want to correct me here?

This article at Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan has been composed by Ahmer Karimuddin.

This article at Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan has been composed by Ahmer Karimuddin.

Article from Dawn today. Rumours keep persisting that Younis Khan does not want to take the captaincy position because “he doesn’t see wide support in the cricket community for him to replace Inzamam.” While under seniority, Yousuf would be the next person for the job, but it appears, according to this report, that Shoaib Malik is under consideration. Previous reports have also brought forward Shahid Afridi as a potential candidate. While Shoaib Malik would be a brave and unorthodox choice, after Younis, Yousuf and Inzamam, he has truly become a cornerstone of the middle order, and his selection to the team is almost always a given. And while there has been much quesitoning about Younis’ place in the ODI squad, Shoaib Malik is a key fixture in both ODI and Test squads for Pakistan. While I am not sold in any way on Shoaib’s unproven leadership skills, his choice, if supported by the rest of the team has the ability to be an inspired and long-term choice.

This article at Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan has been composed by Ahmer Karimuddin.