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Pakistan Cricket: Why Shahid Afridi Retired?

2010-07-19T22:47:00.001+05:00

Pakistan Cricket has got another bad blow…They lost their first test against

Australia

at Lord’s by 152 runs. But the real blow was that their newly appointed captain Shahid Afridi has announced retirement from Test Cricket, allowing Salman Butt to lead Pakistan Cricket team in the rest of test matches

Pakistan

team is set to play against Aussies and

England

Well, this is unfortunate for Pakistan Cricket. Whenever it seems that Pakistan team is showing some signs of improvement, another blow controversy them.

Pakistan

won the 2-match T20 cricket series against

Australia

. Their supporters and critics have started to call it a new beginning for Pakistani Cricket team. They started off well in the Lord’s test; especially their bowling has been excellent. But their weak point was inexperienced and inconsistent batting line-up. And that’s what cost them the match. They were bowled out for a mere 148 in the first innings.

Although they started off well in 2^nd innings chasing 420, Pakistan got a good start, thanks to Salman Butt. They looked focused until Salman Butt was stumped off the bowling of North. And after that, the

Pakistan

batsmen looked like they were playing a practice match. Coming in, slogging, and getting out cheaply. No one looked like playing a test match.

And just after this defeat, Shahid Afridi came out and announced his retirement from Test cricket.

All this was very sad. I think Afridi led the side quite well. Pakistani Cricket team played reasonably good cricket except their poor batting performance, which was very much expected. But, I think, the abrupt announcement of Shahid Afridi’s retirement was the biggest drawback.

Yes, Afridi was never a test cricketer. But he has accepted the test captaincy. He should not have accepted the responsibility if he was not sure about his place in the Test XI. All this has sent a message of chaos and uncertainty, which the Pakistani team wanted to get rid of.

All this shows how Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is handling the cricket affairs of

Pakistan

. I must say, PCB chairman Mr. Ejaz Butt is the most incompetent chairman in the history of PCB, or even in the cricket world. This man has only brought crises after crises in

Pakistan

cricket. From the attack on Sri Lankan team to the pathetic series in

Australia

Pakistan

cricket had to pay (and is still paying) the price of the hasty, short-sighted and dishonest decisions from Ejaz Butt. He is such a mis-fit in PCB that without his exit from PCB, I don’t see any improvement in Pakistan Cricket team.

Anyways, I wish a good luck to Salman Butt and his men and hope that his team performs well against Aussies and

England

Your Turn Now: Do you think Shahid Afridi has done the right thing by taking Retirement from Test? Is Salman Butt a good choice as Captain? Will the

Pakistan

team perform well now? Or Anything Else…Tell in Your COMMENTS!

Can Pakistan Cricket Team beat Australia at Lords?

2010-07-14T11:35:00.002+05:00

Pakistan cricket team is set to play their first Cricket Test against Australian Cricket team at the Lords from 13^th July. This is the first ‘Away’ Test series of Pakistan Cricket team. Pakistani team will play 2 Tests in this series against the Aussies.

Pakistan Cricket is in a recovery phase. The trauma that started from their Australian tour earlier this year in which Pakistani cricket team lost literally every match of series. And the controversies that hit Pakistan Cricket were destructive.

However, Pakistan team has a new captain, S hahid Afridi, the boom boom. Afridi has shown that team spirit and unity can change the whole scenario. The Pakistani team that looked like minnows, has now turned into a cornered tiger. They have already beating Australia in the 2 T20 matches. Yes, the T20 is a lot more different than the Test cricket but victory is a victory at the end of the day.

So, can Pakistan Cricket team win the Test Series? Well, it’s a very tricky question. Let’s analyze the two teams.

Australia Cricket team has wonderful depth in batting. They have a long list of Test Cricket specialist combined with great hitters like Mike Hussey. However, the bowling lineup misses the great names like Shane Warne, McGrath, Fleming etc. Australia does have some good fast bowlers but the spin area is really what Aussies must be looking to improve.

Pakistan Cricket team has a better bowling attack as compared to Aussies. Seamers like Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Amir, and Umer Gul can destroy any batting lineup. Danish Kaneria and the skipper Shahid Afridi have enough skills to create problems for Australian batsmen.

If Pakistan Cricket team included players like Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan, I would have certainly given Pakistan a slight edge. But in the current situation, Pakistan team lacks experience batsmen in their camp. The batting lineup is full of inexperienced batsmen, Umer Amin and Azhar are set to make a debut at Lords. England conditions have always been difficult for Asian batsmen, especially Pakistanis. However, this is also a great chance for these youngsters to secure a permanent place in the team.

That’s really interesting: Australia has great depth in Batting but they lack the variation in bowling attack. Whereas Pakistan team has excellent depth in their bowling but they miss the same in their batting lineup.

So, I think Australian Cricket team has a better chance to beat Pakistan team in this test series. However, with the kind of bowling attack Pakistan has, they also have a fair chance to turn the game in their favor.

Your Turn Now: What do you think? Who will win the test series: Pakistan or Australia? Is Australia still unbeatable? Can Pakistan beat Australia? Or Anything Else…Tell in your COMMENTS!

Day/Night Test: The Only Way To Survive for Test Cricket?

2010-07-06T11:09:00.001+05:00

Cricket needs change! Ever since the first Cricket Test match played between England & Australian Cricket teams, in 1877, Cricket has gone through many changes. And now, most critics believe that some rigorous changes need to be made to the Test Cricket in order to keep it alive!

Test Cricket is the purest form of the game. Cricket, widely considered as World’s 2^nd most famous sport, has gone through different forms of transformation in the last 133 years. From 8-ball over to 6-ball over, from white uniform to colored team kit, from Red ball to White ball, and from 5-day cricket to 1-day cricket and now the 20-over cricket and so on.

The most recent change that everyone is talking about is the Day/Night Test. The proposed idea is said to be important in terms of avoiding the death of Test Cricket. Most of the heavy weights have supported this idea. Former Australian captain Steve Waugh, and the Indian Cricket legend, Rahul Dravid, have also supported the D/N Test Cricket idea, so as Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan Cricket team skipper.

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has also backed this idea of Day/Night Test matches. MCC is widely considered as the Conservative Guardians of Cricket tradition. In recently held meeting of MCC, it was agreed upon that the Day/Night Test matches were the only way to salvage the longest version of the game. The MCC has also raised concerns about the percentage of the audience who see Test Matches in India, which is only 11% of the total Indian audience watching all formats of the sport.

As proposed, the Day/Night Test matches will be played with

Pink Ball, instead of White or the traditional Red ball. This ball will be easily sighted by the batsmen under the floodlights as compared to the Red Ball.

Well, in my opinion, the Day/Night Test matches should be initiated, at least on experimental basis. As expected, this will create more interests among the audience, because it’s a big change after all.

But what is more important to me is that what sort of pitches is used for Test Matches. Pitches must be sporting so that they encourage a balance between ball and bat. Of course, pitches are important for all forms of the game. But since we are always going to have a result in ODIs and T20 Cricket, which is not the case with Test Cricket, we must ensure that the especially the Test matches should be played on good supporting pitches.

Cricket, especially the Test cricket is really facing a few problems. ICC should take some solid steps to make sure that the Test Cricket does not lose its audience. The proposed Day/Night Test might be an option in this regard!

Your Turn Now: What do you think? Is Test Cricket really in danger? Should ICC allow Day/Night Test Matches? Is Pink Ball a good alternative to Red one? Or Anything Else…Tell in your COMMENTS!

ICC: India Rules Cricket Australia Out?

2010-07-01T22:43:00.004+05:00

Australian Cricket is continuously under pressure. First the Australian cricket team has lost its consistency. And now, the Cricket Australia, Australian cricket board, seems to have started losing its influence on World Cricket affairs.

John Howard, the former Prime Minister of Australia, has been rejected for the post of Vice President of ICC, in the Executive meeting of the Cricket’s governing body held in Singapore on Tuesday. John was the candidate nominated by Australia & New Zealand, but only England (apart from the nominators) voted in favor of his run for the Vice Presidency. A vast majority, featuring the Cricket boards of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and West Indies voted against John Howard. Cricket analysts fear that this development has raised the concerns of division of World Cricket in 2 parts: “White” & “Non-White nations”!

John Howard is not a new name in Cricket World. As Australian Premiere, he has raised voice against different issues related to Cricket. Especially, Howard has severely criticized Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. He has also invited anger from Sri Lanka for supporting ban on Muttiah Muralitharan for his ‘illegal’ arm action.

In the same meeting of ICC board members, India’s Sharad Pawar has taken up the responsibility as the President of ICC. Pawar was former chairman of BCCI, the Indian Cricket Board.

Now ICC has asked Australia & New Zealand Cricket boards to nominate someone else for this post.

To me, John Howard’s rejection is not a big issue. But what is more significant is that the ICC Executive Board has divided into 2 blocs. If you look at the past

of Mr. Howard, you will find that he does not have any prior experience of administrating a Cricket board, or institute. Neither has he had any experience in the field of Cricket in any other role. Although he loves Cricket, but this does not qualify him to be the Vice President of Cricket’s governing body!

But, I don’t think this division in Cricket world is a co-incidence. Historically, on all key issues ICC has been clearly divided into these 2 blocs: The Whites & Blacks! It’s a bitter reality.

Interestingly, earlier, the ‘White’ bloc dominated the Cricket World, thanks to the dominating position of England and Australia in Cricket. But now things are changing. Cricket Powerhouse has shifted from White nations to Black nations. First, the ICC Headquarters was shifted from Lord’s to Dubai. Then, the money-generation ability of BCCI has ensured that the Indian Cricket Board’s position is much more dominant than ever. And the other Cricketing nations, especially Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, normally take a joint stance along with India on key issues.

So, we can see that Cricket Powerhouse has largely shifted from the ‘White Nations’ bloc to the ‘Non-White Nations’ or the ‘Asian’ bloc.

Your Turn Now: What do you think? Is John Howard’s Rejection is justified? Should he be elected? Are ICC members really divided into 2 Blocs? Is Australian or the White Nations’ Dominance Ending on World Cricket Affairs? Or Anything Else…Tell in Your COMMENTS!

Cricket Regime: Who Will Replace Australia?

2010-06-29T11:25:00.001+05:00

Australia Cricket team has long ruled the Cricket World. In almost every Cricket World Cup, Australian Cricket team has played as favorites. They still hold the Cricket World Champions title. But, will they be able to continue their regime on Cricket World? Let’s look into it in some details!

Australia has been known as the “Unbeatable” team in world of Cricket for the most of 2000-2010 decade. They have been on No.1 spot of the ICC Team Rankings in both Tests & ODIs. Aussies team has been termed as the synonymous to “Consistency”. They got habitual of winning in every game, every tournament, and every country and under all sorts of conditions!

But for the last year or so, Australian Cricket team seems to have been losing the grip on this Consistency. They lost their Top spot in Test Rankings to India. Australia is not even ranked No.2 in ICC Test Rankings. They have 3^rd Spot after South Africa in Tests. On the other hands, although they are on No.1 in ICC ODI rankings but they are not far away from South Africa & India at No.2 and No.3 respectively.

England lost the T20 World Cup-2010 final earlier this year to England. And now they are touring England for ODIs and the Ashes. Aussies have already lost their first 3 ODIs to England out. This means the 5-match ODI series is already won by the hosts, England.

Australia is also scheduled to play 2 Tests and 2 T20 matches against Pakistan in England. It will be great test for both Aussies and Pakistani Cricket team.

So, which Cricket team do you think has the potential to take the place of Australian Cricket Team?

South Africa, India, or…! Guess? ? ?

Yes, its England. Whatever you might think or say? But I can see that current England team is in a perfect shape to replace Australia and rule the World of Cricket! Mind you, beating Australia in a World T20 Final (that too quite comprehensively) and then in 3 consecutive ODI matches, is not a child’s play!

So, my votes are with England Cricket team. What’s your choice?

Your Turn Now: What do you think: Is it really the end of Aussies regime in Cricket World? Is England the right candidate to replace Aussies? Or South Africa Or India? Or Anything Else…Tell in Your COMMENTS!

Worst Ever Pakistan Cricket Team For England?

2010-06-25T12:13:00.001+05:00

Well, Pakistan Cricket Board has done it again! Pakistani Cricket team is due to tour England from the next week where Pakistan Cricket Team is going to play against the hosts, England, and the World Champions Australia.

What Pakistan Cricket Board has done this time is not new though. The one-man show continues to run in PCB. Mr. Ejazz Butt, the king of Pakistan Cricket, is absolutely free to make decisions. It only happens in Pakistan Cricket, that the Chairman of Cricket Board announces the team in the Press Conference with the Chief Selector sitting beside him during Asia Cup-2010!

As expected, the Pakistani Cricket Team announced for England tour has raised many eye-brows. The Pakistani Cricket team includes names like Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat, and Kamran Akmal and excluding Younis Khan, Asim Kamal, Abdul Rahman and Sarfaraz Ahmed.

The most unfortunate news is that Pakistani Cricket team’s

Captain, Shahid Afridi & the chief selector Mohisin Khan, both wanted to include Younis Khan for the England tour in Pakistani team but the great Ejazz Butt did not give “Clearance” for it. So, one lesson for all the Pakistani Cricket players: if you want to be in the team, you don’t need to perform well, or win the World T20 Cup for your team, all you need to do is maintain healthy relationships with the Pakistan Cricket Board officials, especially, His Excellency Mr. Ejazz Butt.

Tell me, does Pakistan team need Shoaib Malik? This man has spoiled the environment of Pakistan Cricket team, involved in match-fixing, grouping, indiscipline and what not…but because he has some good ties with some high-level government officials/politicians, Shoaib Malik has been immediately included in the team, ever since his ban was lifted.

And Kamran Akmal, the wicket keeper of Pakistan’s cricket team, has been selected consistently, despite his dismal performance with the gloves. I admire his batting performance, but the poor show behind the stumps has greater impact than good batting for Pakistan Cricket team.

Imran Farhat has been included in the team, despite his inconsistency and habit of getting out cheaply. It has been learnt that Imran Farhat’s Father-in-law Mohammed Ilyas is a national Cricket selector, so this justifies his selection. Oh come on!

And Khurram Manzoor, who played a brave innings of 80 against Aussies in the last test match, has been ignored. Sorry Khurram, you don’t qualify according to the criteria for selection in Pakistan Cricket Squad as I just mentioned above.

Another unfortunate exclusion is that of Asim Kamal. In absence of experienced batsmen in the Pakistani team, the left-hander would have been very handy especially in Test matches with his great temperament and patience, which most of the Pakistani batsmen lack.

So, this was our analysis of the Pakistan Cricket team’s selection dilemma. Still we hope Pakistani Cricket team can achieve all the success in this tour!

Your Turn Now: What do you think about the selection of Pakistani Cricket team for England tour? Which players should have been selected? What’s Ejaz Butt’s role in it? Or Anything Else…Tell in Your COMMENTS!

Pakistan Cricket Team: Crisis Or Bad Luck!

2010-06-21T23:55:00.002+05:00

Now, I feel sorry for Pakistan Cricket team. Yes, they lack consistency, but their recent record in Cricket does not realistically highlight the quality cricket they have been playing.

It all started from the ICC Champions Trophy in 2009. Pakistan, the-then T20 World Champions, played against

New Zealand

in the Semi-finals. Pakistan Cricket Team played well, the game was very close, but

New Zealand

managed to hold their nerves and won the match.

Then Pakistani Cricket team toured

New Zealand

in the end of 2009. Pakistani team was winning the first test but eventually lost to the Kiwis by 32 runs on the last day. Pakistan Cricket team comprehensively won the 2^nd Cricket Test by 141 runs but the final match was without result. The series was drawn 1-1.

Just before the end of

New Zealand

tour, Pakistani

Cricket team’s captain Younis Khan announced his unavailability for Pakistan Cricket team for the Australian tour. Pakistani Cricket team then flew to Australia led by Mohammed Yousaf, for what turned out to be the worst ever tour of Pakistani team.

Australia

won the 1^st test quite easily. However, the most controversial match was the Sydney test. Pak team was winning the match but on the last day,

Pakistan

lost the match by 36 runs. Thanks to some pathetic wicket keeping from Kamran Akmal and some equally pathetic batting from Pakistani batsmen.

I think this defeat in Sydney has had great repercussions on Pakistan Cricket team. Not only Pak team lost the 3^rd test, but also defeated comprehensively in all 5 ODIs and a maiden T20 match in

Australia

. Mohammed Yousaf gave up his captaincy after humiliated defeat in 5 ODIs. Shahid Afridi led the team in the T20 match. During which, the captain was shown on TV camera, biting the ball to temper it. Afridi was banned for 2 T20 matches.

Pakistan Cricket has been in turmoil ever since the Sydney Test defeat. However, one thing needs to be mentioned here.

Pakistan

performance in the ODIs against Aussies was not very poor. In some matches they played well, but just could not achieve a victory. In the T20 match again, Pak team fought hard. The match was close, but the victory was still far away from Team

Pakistan

Pakistan Cricket team then played in the World T20 earlier this year. They were the defending champions. As usual their start of the tournament was not good. In Super-8 round they started getting some momentum. Against

England

, they were very close to win the match, but Peterson’s heroic came in the way!

Pakistan

lost the match.

However,

Pakistan

team managed to qualify for the Semi-finals of World T20.

Pakistan

played against

Australia

. It was a close match.

Pakistan

was winning the match until last 3 overs. But then the magic of Mike Hussey ruined

Pakistan

’s hard-work.

Pakistan

was beaten again.

This leads us to the Asia Cup-2010.

Pakistan

played their first match against

Sri Lanka

. Pak team was chasing 242. Afridi’s heroic innings of 109 almost took

Pakistan

home. But then, Muralitharan got him out. As soon as Afridi departed,

Pakistan

lost the remaining wickets and they lost the match by just 23 runs.

Pakistani Cricket team played their 2^nd match against their arch-rival, India. We had already predicted in our preview of the match, that

India

had a little edge over

Pakistan

in the match. But we also predicted that this India Vs Pakistan Match is bound to be close.

That’s what exactly happened.

Pakistan

scored 267.

India

started well. However, in the middle of the innings, they tumbled.

Pakistan

capitalized on the situation. They bowled well. But, the result was not different for

Pakistan

. Harbhajan Singh stroke the winning 6 for

India

on the 2^nd last delivery of the match.

Pakistan

lost the match, also the opportunity to qualify for the finals.

So, what went wrong for

Pakistan

I think the disastrous tour of

Australia

is still taking its toll. Pakistan Cricket has been facing some serious problems since then. Some senior players were banned. Videos leaked showing evident that

Pakistan

players were dangerously involved in grouping and some players taking oath to snatch captaincy from Younis.

I think all this is still having great impact on Pakistan Cricket team’s performance.

We have criticized

Pakistan

cricket players and Pakistan Cricket Board in our articles. But I think Pakistani team is now giving their hard work. Let’s hope if things become better for them in

England

tour!

Your Turn Now! What do you think is the reason of continuous defeats of Pakistan Cricket team? How

Pakistan

can change this? How do you see India Vs Pakistan Match? Or Anything Else…Tell in your COMMENTS!

Asia Cup-2010: India Vs Pakistan Cricket History

2010-06-17T22:33:00.003+05:00

Cricket claims to be the world’s 2^nd most popular sport in the world after Soccer. Although debatable, but when it comes to South Asia, Cricket is by far the most popular sport here.

South Asia is the power house of Cricket. And the most powerful cricket board, BCCI, the Indian Cricket Board, is also a part of South Asia. Over the years, South Asia has contributed a lot towards the game of Cricket. First, India and Pakistan produced legendary cricket stars like Sunil Gavaskar, Zaheer Abbas, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Majid Khan…and the list goes on and on.

Then, Cricket spread its roots to the neighboring countries of these two arch-rivals. Sri Lanka started showing some great talent. And now Bangladesh is emerging as the 4^th strongest team of Asia.

But the Cricket in South Asia is mainly dominated by India and Pakistan. And when these 2 teams (India vs Pakistan) are up against each other, you are bound to get excited. No matter what the event is, no matter what the Cricket Ranking of each of these teams, no matter which era it is, when there is match featuring India vs Pakistan, the whole Cricket world expects a fascinating clash.

The history of India vs Pakistan Cricket is very volatile. More often than not, the two teams avoided playing Cricket against each other due to the several political tensions.

India Vs Pakistan History

Since 1978, there have been a total 118 ODI Cricket matches featuring India vs Pakistan. Out of which

Pakistan Cricket Team managed to win 69 games; India remained victorious on 45 occasions; while 4 encounters did not produce any results. Last time the world saw a Pakistan vs India clash in ODIs was in 2009 during the ICC Champions Trophy match in Centurion, South Africa. Pakistan Cricket team won that match by 54 runs.

And now on Saturday June 19, there is another Pakistan vs India ODI match in Sri Lanka where the Asia Cup-2010 is in progress. Pakistan Cricket team has lost its first match to Sri Lanka in a close contest by 16 runs. On the other hand, the Indian Cricket team has won its first match quite convincingly against the weakest team in the tournament, Bangladesh, by 6 wickets.

India Vs Pakistan: Who is Favorite This Time

So, who is favorite for this Pakistan vs India clash? As mentioned above, in an India-Pakistan cricket match, it’s always difficult to predict the winner. All we expect for sure is competitive performances from both the teams. However, if you look at both the teams, the Indian Cricket Team looks a better side on paper. With plenty of experienced players, India appears to be somewhat stronger.

On the other hand, Pakistan Cricket team is not in the best of shapes. Although they played well against Sri Lanka in the opener, but it was the skipper Shahid Afridi’s heroic innings of 109 that took the match so close. Other than Shahid Afridi, only Abdul Razzak played with responsibility. And in the bowling department, Shoaib Akhter was the only impressive bowler with 3 wickets. Therefore, Pakistan has to play as a team. All the players need to perform, if they want to win this Asia Cup-2010.

So, to me, Team India has a slight edge over Pakistan in this upcoming India v/s Pakistan clash. However, the only thing we can be sure of is a close match and some brilliant performances from both sides.

Your Turn Now: What do you think – Who will Win this India v/s Pakistan Match? India or Pakistan? Who is Your Favorite and why? Who can win Asia Cup-2010? Or Anything Else…Tell in your COMMENTS!

Asia Cup-2010: History & Future!

2010-06-15T00:20:00.001+05:00

Asia, not only the largest Continent on Earth but it’s the biggest region when it comes to the craze for Cricket. Asia is really the power house of Cricket. Nations like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and now Bangladesh have contributed a plenty to the Cricket world.

Asia Cup is a tournament that features all these 4 teams in ODIs. The tournament was first played in 1984 in Sharjah, UAE organized by ACCA, the Asian Cricket Council. However, this tournament has not been held regularly due to the unfavorable political and Cricket affairs between different Asian nations, especially between India and Pakistan.

A total of 8 editions of Asia Cup Cricket Tournament have been held. India and Sri Lanka have been victorious 4 times each. The first Asia Cup was won by India in 1984. However, in 1986, Sri Lanka managed to become the Asian Champions. In 1988, team India regained the title.

Indian cricket team managed to defend the title in 1990-91. Then in 1993, the Asia Cup was scheduled to be held in Pakistan but due to political tensions, it was not held. In 1995, once again India cricket team managed to successfully defend the title. In 1997, Sri Lankan team came up as victorious.

Pakistan Cricket team could only win the Asia Cup Cricket Tournament in year 2000, held in Bangladesh. There was again a gap of 4 years when the Asian rivals locked horns again in 2004. This time, Sri Lanka reclaimed the title.

The last time Asia Cup was held in 2008, when Pakistan was hosting the event for the first time. Sri Lanka cricket team again managed to win the title when they beat India in the Final.

Now, the 9^th edition of the Asia Cup Cricket tournament is going to be held from June 15, in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.

It’s not easy to figure out the favorites for the Asia Cup-2010. Not because all teams are evenly good, but because the performance of these teams have not been impressive in the recent times. Let’s have a look at each team:

Team

India

Indian cricket team is struggling with
form and consistency. India had to quit T20 World Cup-2010 in the super-8 round. Then, the team, consisted of youngsters, was comprehensively beaten by both Sri Lanka and the minnows Zimbabwe in the recently held Tri-nation cup. However, with the seniors back in the squad, MS Dhoni –led Indian Cricket team is expected to do a lot better in the Asia Cup-2010.

Team

Pakistan

Pakistan is also struggling with unity and professionalism. The disastrous tour of Australia is still taking its toll on Pakistan team. Led by Shahid Afridi, Pakistan Cricket team has managed to get to the Semi-finals of the T20 World Cup-2010 but the overall performance in the mega event was not satisfactory.

The biggest problem of Pakistan team is the lack of unity. Filled with controversies varying from match-fixing to grouping, Pakistan team needs to get out of this very difficult phase. Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has already mentioned that Pakistan cricket is in its worst phase in the last 3 decades. However, led by Shahid Afridi, and powered by Mohammed Asif and speedster Shoaib Akhter, Pakistan team is expected to gain some respect in this Asia Cup tournament.

Team

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, the hosts, is also not in the best of shapes. Although they managed to reach the semi-finals of T20 World Cup-2010, but the way they played in the Semi-finals and the rest of the tournament, most of the people believed they did not deserve to be in the final four. Then, in the Tri-nation series held in Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka could not outplay Zimbabwe and the relatively young Indian side. Tillakaratne Dilshan-led side managed to won the tri-nation cup, but they have to play a lot better cricket to win the Asia Cup-2010.

Team

Bangladesh

The Bengal tigers have always been struggling against the big teams. Ever since Bangladesh got test status in 2000, the South-Asian team has not been able to achieve a major victory against any big team. So, I don’t think one should expect a lot for this team. However, players like Tamim Iqbal and the captain Shakib Al Hasan can provide some great individual performances.

Well, this is our analysis of the teams playing the Asia Cup Cricket Tournament-2010. Hope you enjoyed it. If not, then it’s your turn now!

Your Turn Now! Which team is your favorite in the Asia Cup-2010? Do you think India can win the Asia Cup? Is this tournament a starting point for World Cup-2011? Or Anything Else…Tell in your COMMENTS!

Can Cricket Compete With Football?

2010-06-10T22:32:00.005+05:00

The biggest sport event on Earth, the FIFA World Cup-2010 is about to begin. Being held in

South Africa

, this will be the 19^th edition of the World’s most popular global event. FIFA World Cup is truly the biggest sports event when it comes to the craze, popularity and devotion. Even the Olympic Games cannot compete with the excitement and craziness that a FIFA world cup ignites. Soccer world cup is such a big event that people (like me) who normally do not follow football, are bound to take interest in the game!

Football or Soccer is the planets’ most popular game. Soccer has the world’s largest fan following on Earth. It’s fast, it’s exciting and it’s highly competitive. People are crazy about Football.

FIFA, the Federation of International Football Association, is the worlds’ most influential and powerful sport governing body.

So, why I opted to write on Soccer World Cup-2010? Actually, I got the feeling that I should write something about the comparison between Cricket & Soccer, or ICC & FIFA, for that matter.

Soccer is said to have a Chinese origin, where it was discovered by the English and is now the most followed sport in 93 countries with a two-billion population.

FIFA has 208 member nations. The English Premier League (EPL) and the Champions League are the most popular football leagues. Soccer also has the largest base of diehard fans, players and professional leagues in the world’s largest economy, Europe.

As mentioned above, the FIFA World Cup is the biggest and most lucrative sporting event in the world. The 2006 tournament, involving 64 matches, 32 nations and television coverage in 214 countries, had a cumulative television audience of 26 billion people. According to another report, the final between

Italy

and

France

was watched by 700 million viewers.

Well, everybody knows Soccer or Football is the world’s most popular sport. But which sport comes 2^nd, it is highly debatable. The popularity level is measured in terms of total estimated followers/fans for a particular sport. The most recent records as

appeared on Sportingo website say Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, thanks to the 1.5 billion population of Indian subcontinent. Due to the heavy population in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and

Sri Lanka

, the number of people following Cricket is largest after Football or Soccer. The same report says that Cricket is among the top three most popular sports in

Australia

England

South Africa

Kenya

Zimbabwe

New Zealand

Afghanistan

and

Mauritius

The International Cricket Council, ICC, is the ruling body of Cricket. It has 10 Test playing nations and 104 member countries. According to the report, the ICC World Cup is the world’s 2^nd largest single sporting event, drawing a cumulative television audience of five billion. The Indian Cricket Board, BCCI is the world’s richest sporting organization, with a valuation in excess of $2 billion.

However, we must mention that this is highly debatable, whether Cricket is the 2^ndmost popular sport in the world.

Why Soccer beats all the other sports in popularity? More clearly, why Soccer is much more popular than Cricket?

I know it’s a very interesting comparison. This is what we will be discussing in our next post…!

Your Turn Now: Tell us in Your Opinion Why Football is the Most Popular Sport in the World? Why Football is much more popular than Cricket? Do You Think Cricket is Truly the World’s Second Most Popular Sport? Do You Think FIFA is More Powerful and Effective Than ICC? Or Anything Else…Tell in Your COMMENTS!

Why Team India Thrown Out?

2010-06-09T11:35:00.001+05:00

What we predicted has happened. Indian Cricket team has been thrown out of the Tri-series in Zimbabwe, quite convincingly. The host Zimbabwe has beaten India twice in a week to remove Team India’s chances of playing final of the series.

So, what went wrong with Indian team? As we have already discussed in our previous post, the selection of team India was the main cause of the team’s dismal show. The team comprised of all youngsters with no big names. The most shocking decision was to exclude the skipper, MS Dhoni. The selection was pathetic.

However, I support the idea behind the selection, to give chance to the youngsters ahead of Asia Cup-2010. But the way this idea was executed, was absolutely unacceptable. You just cannot afford the risk of playing all the young 11, without any experience, and most importantly, under a very inexperience captain.

I also feel sorry for the youngsters who played in the tri-series. They were put under enormous pressure, with inexperience captain, and without any experience players to learn from. This might just ruin the future of these young Indian players.

This decision of excluding all the big names has backfired. India has lost the 2^nd position in the ODIs and has moved to the

3^rd spot. More importantly, Team India has lost the winning momentum which they have been maintaining for the last few months. Apart from T20 world cup-2010, Indian team’s performance has been exceptional.

Now, it will be difficult for the team India to get onto the track of victory again. Only time will tell, how the MS Dhoni men will be able to cop up with the challenges ahead.

The next big event for India is the Asia Cup-2010, starting from June 15 in Sri Lanka. The tournament features all the Test playing Asian teams including, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Team India has also announced the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup. Not surprisingly, Yuvraj Singh has been dropped from the squad. Yousaf Pathan also could not make it into the 15-men team. Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has also been rested for the Asia Cup, which is unfortunate.

The Indian team for Asia Cup-2010 includes: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, R. Ashwin, Saurabh Tiwary.

Your Turn Now: How do you see the Team India’s demotion to 3^rd Spot in ODIs? Do you think the decision of dropping Yuvraj Singh is justified? Should Sachin Tendulkar have been selected for the Asia Cup? Or Anything Else…Tell in your COMMENTS!

Does Pakistan Need Shoaib Malik?

2010-06-05T00:14:00.002+05:00

Well it’s disappointing. The Pakistan Cricket Board has once again taken a U-turn on their decisions. After banning and fining almost all the top players of the Pakistan team, PCB has now decided to take some steps back on the issue. PCB has lifted the ban from Shoaib Malik and halved the fine of Rs.3 Million. The fines on Umer Akmal and Kamran Akmal have also been relaxed.

However, the PCB has not taken any decisions on
the former skippers Mohammed Yousaf and Younis Khan. Both these players have been banned from playing international cricket for an indefinite period. Yousaf has already announced retirement due to the PCB treatment towards him. Younis Khan has filed an appeal against the ban to the appellate tribunal of PCB. Another player, Rana Naveed-ul-Hassan is facing a one-year ban and fine.

There are numerous flaws in PCB decisions. First of all, player like Shaoib Malik has been included in the team for Asia Cup. The role of Shoaib in Pakistan's humiliating defeat in Australian tour is not a secret now. The leaked tape has enough evidence in which Shahid Afridi has said that Shoaib Malik has been a bad influence on the team and he has been violating discipline and not supporting the captain decisions.

As the reports say, I get the feeling that Shaoib Malik has been included in the team due to heavy pressure PCB was facing from a member of National Assembly who belongs to the Sialkot. The charisma of the pressure was so powerful that the appeal filed by Malik against his ban was accepted after just a couple of hearings. While all the other appeals are still under enquiry.

This is a shame. Some people even say that Shoaib Malik has been included in the team just because he has married an Indian tennis Star, Sania Mirza.

Pakistan Cricket Board has been ridiculing cricket ever since Mr. Ejazz Butt has taken the charge of the Board. This all seems to be a drama: After the humiliating tour of Australia and New Zealand, PCB formed a committee to probe the defeat. The committee announced Ban, Fines on different players. And now all these fines and bans have been lifted.

I regret players like Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan have been made to suffer the most. I believe the ban on both these players were unjustified. These players might not have performed well but they did not pose negative influence on the team.

It’s ridiculous to select Malik again despite his past behavior. Who will guarantee that he will not use the same tactics to create groups/lobbies in the team? Or he will not underperform intentionally to put pressure on captain? Or he will not be involved in indiscipline issues?

No accountability! This is the most dangerous disease that can eat up the whole system. And Pakistan Cricket Board has long been suffered from this disease. There is no accountability whatsoever on part of the PCB chairman or other top authorities. They will get paid heavily, ruin the cricket of Pakistan, politicize the game in the country, go on unnecessary international trips on PCB account, and when the President feels the chairman has had enough benefits, he will ask him to resign. Then the chairman will just move out the PCB, without any accountability! That’s what has been happening…and I am afraid that’s what will continue to happen…! God Bless Pakistan Cricket!

Your Turn Now! How do you see the PCB decision to lift ban from Shoaib Malik? Do you think Shoaib Malik should be in the team? Will he continue to pose bad influence on team? Or he will be a changed man this time? Or anything else….Tell in Your COMMENTS!

Young Team: Toothless India...!

2010-06-01T16:29:00.002+05:00

The Indian Cricket team is playing the Tri-series in Zimbabwe. This series also features the hosts, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. But the most surprising news is the team India selection for this series.

Senior Indian Cricketers have been rested for this triangular cricket series in Zimbabwe, Suresh Raina is leading the young Indian team in the series.

I support the Indian selector’s decision to include youngsters in the national team, but what amazed me was the exclusion of almost all the cream of the senior cricketers. I have not seen such a clean sweep of senior players from Indian cricketers for a while. The team does not include players like Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh and most amazingly, the captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The idea was to give opportunity to a host of youngsters for their impressive performances in the domestic circuit. Players like R. Ashwin, Pankaj Singh, Umesh Yadav, Ashok Dinda, Vinay Kumar and Naman Ojha have been awarded for their good performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Murali Vijay is another youngster who will make his ODI debut. Virat Kohli is the vice-captain while Rohit Sharma and Pragyan Ojha make a comeback in the ODI side.

Besides the Tri-series, ending June 09, India will also play two Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe. Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla will play only in the two Twenty20s.

Now, there are a few issues I want to discuss here. First, the Indian team should not

be made empty of all the experienced players. Its good to add youngsters but without any senior players, the team seems to be toothless. If some senior players were also selected for this series, the youngsters would have felt much more confident, plus they would have a better opportunity to learn from their seniors.

Secondly, a number of players have been selected on the basis of their performance in IPL. I have been saying that performance in IPL should not be taken as a criterion for ODIs, Tests or even T20 International games. IPL is a domestic tournament and it has a lot of politics and glamour involved. Also, the issues like match-fixing surround the tournament. So, to me IPL is not a good criterion to select players for international games especially for ODIs and Test.

Team India has lost the first ODI against Zimbabwe but they did manage to win the 2^nd game against Sri Lanka. But to me, the current Sri Lankan team is too weak to test the Indian team strengths.

Your Turn Now: What do you say, Is this the right decision to completely throw out the senior players for this series? Do you think this young Indian side seems to be Toothless? Do you think IPL should be taken as a criterion for selection in International games? Or Anything Else…Tell in your COMMENTS.

Pakistan Team for Asia Cup, England: Something Missing?

2010-05-29T00:47:00.001+05:00

I am astonished by the way Pakistan Cricket Board is running the Cricket affairs. PCB has taken back a number of decisions which they made haphazardly. Recently, PCB has announced a 35-member probable Pakistan Cricket squad for Asia Cup and the England Tour.

Shahdi Afridi has been given the charge of Captaincy in all the 3 formats of the game. Many people question his captaincy in the Tests when he has not played the longest form of the game for the last 4 years. However, I think with the limited options PCB has, Afridi may the ideal candidate for the job.

And if you appoint Afridi as Captain in ODIs and T20, then who will lead the side in Test?

You may take different names but do you think in the current situation of the team, when all the senior players are fighting with each other, how the team will focus on their game? They will again involve in in-fighting, grouping, and politics.

So, I don’t have any problem with Afridi leading the Test side. Moreover, Afridi is a utility player. He can deliver in different forms, batting, bowling fielding and most importantly, he has the attitude and the aggressiveness which a captain needs to lead a side like

Pakistan

Although, I would have supported Younis Khan as a captain but unfortunately it is an open secret that senior players have formed a group and they will not support Younis.

Some people are also mentioning Salman Butt as potential test captain. But I think except Afridi and Younis Khan, there is no one in the team who has the potential to lead the side. Salman Butt lacks consistency in batting and most of the times his inclusion in the side is doubtful.

Instead of Salman Butt, I think Kamran Akmal is a better option as captain. But Akmal has a couple of problems. First of all, his performance as wicket keeper is not impressive, in fact sometimes it’s pathetic. Secondly, Kamran is a controversial figure as his name has been mentioned for more than once in Match-Fixing row. His indiscipline is also a problem for him.So Afridi leading the side in all 3 formats is justifiable.

I appreciate the two decisions that selection committee has made: First, the inclusion of Younis Khan and secondly the exclusion of Misbah ul Haq. Its good that Misbah-ul-Haq has been dropped at last. He has been ‘consistently not performing’. Now I know what he will do: He will play the domestic cricket, smash centuries against the young, inexperienced bowlers, and would say “See, I can perform, I need my place back in the national side”. This is ridiculous. I don’t think

Pakistan

team needs him anymore.

The most controversial decision to me was that of selection of Shoaib Malik. According to the Leaked Video of the PCB Probing Committee, almost all the senior players and team management have criticized Shoaib Malik for his negative role, indiscipline, grouping, politics, ill-manner, and non-supporting attitude towards captain. Still, PCB has decided to include him into the side. Shoaib has a bad influence on the team, but PCB chairman has already said, he was under pressure to lift the ban from Shaob Malik. So, I think it’s clear why Shoaib has been included in the team.

Another controversial selection is that of Shoaib Akhter. But I believe if Shaoib Akhter is fit, he is an asset for Pakistan Cricket. But it all depends on how fit he is and how disciplined will he remain? Only time will tell.

So, this is our analysis on the selection of the

Pakistan

squad for Asia Cup as well as

England

tour.

Your Turn Now: What you think about the

Pakistan

team selection for Asia Cup & England Tour? Should Afridi lead

Pakistan

in Test Matches? Should the banned players be included in the team? Or Anything Else, Tell in Your COMMENTS!

A New Beginning for England Cricket, Is it?

2010-05-26T00:23:00.003+05:00

England, the Father of Cricket, has finally won an ICC title. The T20 World Cup-2010 played in Caribbean, has brought a new milestone for the English Cricket.

I am a big fan of English Cricket, they have produced a number of legendary players from Alec Bedser to Ian Botham all are Cricket Greats. But this is always shocking to know that England had never won an ICC title before this World T20.

England has been ruling the international cricket from the start. They got to the Finals of Cricket World Cup, in 1979, 1987, and 1992. In 1979, West Indies thrashed England. In 1987 Australia managed to overcome them and in 1992, the Imran Khan-led Pakistan team snatched the final from England. English Cricket team also managed to reach the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004, but West Indies did not allow them to win the trophy.

Was it only ‘bad luck’ that didn’t allow England to win the ICC title before this T20 World Cup-2010? Well, I don’t think so. I believe a lot has to do with the ability of English players to take pressure in the important games. You can label them as ‘Chokers’ too, like the South Africans.

But that’s a history now. I think the way English team played in the 3^rd T20 World Cup, was phenomenal. It’s great to see that the Fathers of Cricket has been able to take their share from the World Cricket.

So, what makes this English Side superior than the previous ones?

One of the differences between the previous English teams and the current one is that they have a mixed bag. The ability of English Cricket to absorb all sorts of players from all sorts of backgrounds is admirable. For instance, English cricket has been served by South African players, including Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, as well as Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior, cricketers from that heritage.

Paul Collingwood, the captain of the victorious side, should be given all marks for his leadership. He has the ability to lead from the front. Collingwood has led the team extremely well and whenever his side needed him, he delivered. Kevin Peterson was the other great difference between England and other sides. Michael Lumb, Trott, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan and Kieswetter, also showed their competence.

I think the most important factor in this English side is their confidence and positive attitude. They have the power to see into the eyes of competitors. It’s been a while to see such a fearless and well-drilled English side.

I believe English cricket has achieved a major milestone. Although it’s a T20 tournament, but one must appreciate the way these English players have performed as a team. Throughout the tournament they were focused, consistent and gave their 100 percent.

Let’s hope, this is the new beginning for England in the world of Cricket. But they have to prove this. Especially the next couple of months are important. England has to play the Ashes as well as a home series against Pakistan. Let’s see how the T20 World Champs play the test cricket!

Your Turn Now: What do you say about England’s performance in T20 World cup? What difference do you see in England team of today to that of previous teams? Do you think it’s a new beginning for English Cricket? OR Anything Else…Tell in your COMMENTS!

Pak V Aus: Was Sydney Test Fixed? ICC Investigates!

2010-05-23T00:45:00.002+05:00

Well again the Pandora Box of Match-Fixing in Pakistan Cricket has been opened. I feel very sorry to see Pakistani cricketers been accused of match-fixing. This is not new though. We have already talked about Match-Fixing phenomenon right after the Australian tour of Pakistan Cricket team in the previous post.

So what’s new then? Actually a video is being shown on different news channels and on the web in which Pakistani Cricketers are shown expressing their views in front of the Probing Committee of Pakistan Cricket Board, which was formed to investigate the worst ever tour of Pakistan team to Australia. In this video, team management raised their concerns about the possible involvement of some players in Match-Fixing during the Austrlia-New Zealand tour of the

Pakistan

team.

In the same video, players like Shahid Afridi and Mohammed Yousaf, who captained the side during the tour have criticized Shoaib Malik for his back-biting, negative behavior, indiscipline and politics. Now these are some serious allegations. But I am surprised that such a player has only got a ban of 1 year and a 20 million rupee fine. And players like Mohammed Yousaf and Younis Khan have been banned for indefinite period, although they were not charge with such severe allegations.

I always wonder, why these ‘great’ heroes of Pakistan Cricket, sell their

national pride for a small sum of money. The Match-Fixing is a monster which has swallowed the pride of Pakistan Cricket; it has brought shame, disrespect and humiliation to the Pakistan Cricket and disappointment for the Die-hard lovers of Pakistan Cricket.

In one of my earlier posts, I had strongly supported the bans, fines on Pakistan Cricket. But at that time, it was not clear that one of the reasons behind these penalties were Match-Fixing. I can’t understand why the hell in this world only Pakistan Cricket players are accused of Match-Fixing. Why Pakistan Cricket heroes sell their identity, their pride, the love of their fans for earning a few dollars? Are they morally dead?

The top names coming up as match-fixers include that of: Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naveed ul Hassan.

Shaoib Malik has always been controversial, ever since he plotted a pre-planned defeat in the First National Twenty20 championship in

Pakistan

, when he was leading Sialkot Stallions team, saying that he wanted to take revenge from another team by not allowing that team to qualify for the Semi-finals.

I admire Kamran Akmal as a batsman, but his wicket keeping has been pathetic. And the way he kept the wicket in Sydney Test in

Australia

, it generated lots of controversies.

However, the funniest thing is that the three players of Pakistan Cricket team who are reportedly involved in the Match-Fixing, have only received a ban for 1 year (Shoaib Malik & Rana Naveed ul Hassan) and Rs.3 Million (Kamran Akmal). Whereas Younis Khan and Mohammed Yousaf were handed Indefinite Ban although they are not involved in match-fixing. Why is that so? Only Pakistan Cricket Board can tell!

I am happy that Indian cricketers are not involved in Match-Fixing although, they are earning much more than Pakistani cricketers and Cricket is much more Commercialized in India than in Pakistan. I don't know why Pakistani Cricketers are always said to have involved in Match-Fixing?

Finally, I strongly believe that ICC should wake up and intervene into this matter. I don’t think PCB has the courage and sincerity to look into this matter. ICC must take these allegations seriously and ensure that the culprits in

Pakistan

team are given a life-time ban.

Your Turn Now: Should ICC Handle the match-fixing issue? Is Shoaib Malik a Bad Man of

Pakistan

Cricket? Should he get a life-ban? Which of the Pakistani Cricket Players do you think are involved in Match-Fixing? Or Anything Else…Tell in Your COMMENTS!

T20 World Cup-2010: A Cricket Failure?

2010-05-18T00:42:00.002+05:00

The World T20 Cup-2010 has come to end with a historical win of England. Yes, England the land where Cricket was born. But it is shocking for most of the people that this is the first ever ICC title for England in the history of Cricket.

I personally believe England truly deserved to win this title. They have been far much superior than any other team in this tournament. Even Australia had seen some ups and downs. Especially the Semi-final against Pakistan has been termed as the Match of the Tournament. Where Michael Hussy took simply demolished the Pakistan bowling to take his team into the finals.

Many people asked whether Pakistan deserved a place in the Semi-finals. But the way Pakistan played in the Semi-final against Australia all these mouths are shut now. Pakistan was the first team in the World T20 Cup-2010 that troubled Australia. And Pakistan always won the match, had Hussy not showed his powerful display of batting.

The most disappointing efforts came from

India. The champions of the First T20 World Cup, Team India could not deliver good cricket except against South Africa in their group match. India lost all 3 matches of the Super-8 round by showing poor cricket.

After humiliating exit of team India from World T20, questions have been raised whether the Indian Premiere League (IPL) has made positive impact on Indian Cricket or Negative?

South Africa confirmed their label as “Chokers” in this World Cup. Started off nicely but when it mattered most, they couldn’t deliver. Another disappointing end was faced by New Zealand. The Kiwi team looked very promising but just could not pull things up to reach Semi-Final stages.

I was most disappointed by the performance of Sri Lanka. They were one of my favorites to start off, but their performance has been very dismal. Although they qualified for Semis but were beaten very convincingly by England.

Overall, this year T20 World Cup was a good one. Although there were no Upsets, the competition was interesting and it attracted a lot of eyes.

To me the best match of the Tournament was the 2^nd Semi-Final between Pakistan and Australia. Both the teams played extremely well. The difference between the two teams was Michael Hussy.

Your Turn Now! Which One is Your Match of the Tournament? Are you Happy with results of the T20 World Cup-2010? Do you think England deserved the victory? Do you think T20 Cricket will Flourish at the Cost of Test Cricket? Or Anything Else…Tell in Your COMMENTS!

T20 World Cup-2010: India Out, Blame IPL

2010-05-14T11:15:00.001+05:00

Yes, the negative effects of IPL on Indian Cricket have started to come out. Team India has been thrown out of the ICC T20 World Cup-2010, being played in West Indies. India could not win a single match in the Super-8 round of the World T20 Cup and hence could not qualify for the semi-finals of the mega event.

India Cricket team has been performing outstandingly: Ranked No.1 in Test cricket and No.2 in ODIs. India also has the privilege of winning the first ever T20 World Cup back in 2008. So, what IPL has to do with the exit of Team India in the previous two T20 World Cup tournaments? Let’s try to find!

The biggest factor behind this failure is Indian Premiere League (IPL). Yes, it’s true. Indian Premiere League has taken its toll. The 45 day long cricket league has not only cricket, it included late night parties, hectic travel, extra pressure from franchise owners and a lot of money. Of course, players love all this. They enjoyed every bit of these activities and didn’t bother to keep an eye on their fitness to play the T20 World Cup-2010.

Yes, there are other international players who have played IPL but only Team India has

all its players playing almost all the matches of the IPL.

The Indian players were so tired that they didn’t even play a practice match before World Cup as Dhoni said that IPL has provided a good practice for T20 World Cup.

Listen Dhoni, Indian Premiere League only gives you money. It does not provide you with practice. You cannot compare IPL cricket with International Cricket. In IPL you have domestic cricket, mediocre bowlers, batting friendly pitches and small stadiums.

Another impact that IPL has made on Indian players are the pressure of Franchise owners. It has been reported that franchise owners kept on pressurizing the players to perform well. As a result, when these players got back to the national side, they went into a sort of comfort zone, without the pressure of franchise owners.

Certainly, Indian players were exhausted because of the long schedule of IPL. You can seen their body language, they were no way near of winning a match except their group match against South Africa. God knows what will happen next year when IPL will get even longer with addition of 2 more teams and 94 games in total means the IPL-2011 will take about 51 days to complete.

Secondly, Indian players were too much used to of playing the “Domestic Cricket” in IPL. They thought the same tactics and experience will benefit them in World Cup, needless to say, not to be though.

I think time has come when BCCI should take things seriously. BCCI must understand that it is not a body for earning profit. BCCI stands of Board for Cricket Control in India. But BCCI seems to be doing everything except controlling cricket. Come out of IPL-blindness and see what is happening in Indian Cricket!

Your Turn Now: Do You think IPL has to do something with Team India early exit from World Cup? Should IPL be banned? What should BCCI do to improve Cricket Team performance? Was the team selection correct? Or Anything Else… Tell in your COMMENTS!

T20 World Cup-2010: Miracle in Cricket?

2010-05-11T15:26:00.002+05:00

Miracles do happen. This can be proved by what happened to Pakistan Cricket team in ICC T20 World Cup-2010 when they eventually booked their seat for the Semi-Final of T20 World Cup-2010.

Pakistan had lost their first 2 matches of Super-8 round. They were almost out of the Semi-Final race. And then we saw that miracle. Pakistan won their last Super-8 match and then on the same day, England beat New Zealand to take Pakistan to the Semi-Finals of T20 World Cup-2010.

Pakistan team is highly fortunate and the other two teams left out of mega tournament were a lot unlucky, especially South Africa who have been labeled ‘Chokers’ due to their habit of losing the important matches.

South Africa were looking very impressive except their defeat to India in the first round. However, they lost important match against England in the Super-8 round and then they were beaten by Pakistan in the final match.

New Zealand, on the other hand also lacks
consistency, just like Pakistan. Their bowling was not bad but their batting consistency is questionable.

Nevertheless, it’s a history now. Pakistan has qualified for the Semi-Finals and South Africa and New Zealand will have to go back home. Pakistan is to play Australia in the Semi-Finals. Shahid Afridi-men have to play extra-ordinary cricket to beat Australia, who have become top favorites for this world cup.

Now what? Pakistan, Australia, and England have qualified for the Semis. The decision is to be made about the 4^th semi-finalists. It can be either West Indies or India. Sri Lanka also have enough hopes to qualify for the semis. However, all will be decided today. If India beat Sri Lanka and Aussies beat Windies, there is a good chance for India to qualify for final 4. India are in the same position as Pakistan were last night.

So, keep your eyes on these two matches.

Your Turn Now: Do you think India can qualify for Semis? Does Pakistan deserve to be in the Semi finals? Which 4^th team will qualify for semis? Or anything else…Share in your COMMENTS!

Can Pakistan Play T20 World Cup Semi Final?

2010-05-09T01:37:00.004+05:00

Sluggish - The least one can say about the performance of Pakistan Cricket Team in the match against England. And after losing a close match to New Zealand, people can only hope Pakistan qualifies for the Semi-finals of the T20 World Cup-2010.

Pakistan were playing the first match of their Super-8 round in the ICC T20 World Cup-2010, being played in West Indies. Pakistan batted first and could only score 147 despite a start. As usual, the poor batting forms of all the batsmen stopped Pakistan from getting a higher score.

In response, Pakistan Fielding was just good enough to help England achieve the target. Not only the batting failed for Pakistan, the bowling was also terrible. And fielding… well don’t ask me.

Saeed Ajmal was truly the hero for England. This man
dropped 3 simple catches all at Mid Off. But he was not the only one to do the honors: Abdul Razzak and Kamran Akmal also received the credit to ensure victory for England. And Shahid Afridi, the hero of World T20 Cup-2009, has done all the efforts to become ZERO.

I wonder what happens to a person when he becomes the captain of Pakistan Cricket team. The captaincy of Shahid Afridi was pathetic. He had no idea whatsoever about where the game is heading and what he should do. He never replaced Saeed Ajmal with any other fielder at Mid Off. And when Saeed Ajmal got the wicket in his first over, Afridi replaced him with Hafeez.

Wait a minute! Mohammed Hafeez is the most unwanted man in the Pakistan Cricket team in T20 World Cup-2010. I don’t know why he is being given so importance. Afridi has even given him the first over of the match. What the hell is going on in Pakistan Cricket team? What specialty does Hafeez possess? Why is he given so much weight? Pakistan team also lacks the team spirit.

Talk about Pakistan performance against New Zealand: The story is not much different. Pakistan lost the match by 1 run. You might say, being defeated only by 1 run is not a bad performance. But, actually, Pakistan could have won the match quite concivently had they played sensibly. Especially, had they batted with simple common sense. A target of 134 was the meager one on that pitch. But hats-off to the Pakistani batsmen who never tried to win the match, except for Salman Butt. And I must say Abdul Rahman really made the difference with his left arm spin bowling.

What now? The chances of Pakistan qualifying for the Semi-Finals of T20 World Cup-2010 are very thin. Only if England beat South Africa, and Pakistan beat South Africa, only then Pakistan might have some chance. Overall, Pakistan team performance in T20 World Cup-2010 was below par and at not a single moment, they looked like playing like a defending champions. Match-Fixing controversy has again started to come up. God bless Pakistan Cricket!

Your Turn Now: What do you think Pakistan should do to qualify for the Semi-Finals? What should Afridi Do? Should Hafeez be in the team? Or anything else… Tell in your COMMENTS!

ICC T20 World Cup-2010: An India-Pakistan Comparison

2010-05-03T17:40:00.001+05:00

In Twenty20 Cricket you will find two strongest teams: Pakistan and India. India was the champion of the first T20 World Cup in 2008, while Pakistan was the champion in the 2^nd T20 World Cup in 2009. And this is the third edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup-2010. All eyes are again on these two teams, who will win, who will lose in T20 World Cup-2010? India and Pakistan have played both group matches in the ICC T20 World Cup-2010. I thought it’s a good time to compare the performance of both these teams in T20 World Cup-2010 so far.

India and Pakistan are archrivals and when these two play, it’s not easy to sit calmly in front of the TV set, especially, if you are an Indian or a Pakistani. India, Pakistan Cricket rivalry has been adding beauty to the game ever since they played each other for the first time. Especially, their record in Twenty20 World Cup has been outstanding against each other.

India and Pakistan, both have started T20 World Cup-2010 as favorites. However, India has

shown that IPL fatigue has not made any adverse affects on their performance in the T20 World Cup-2010. India has won their first match against the minnows Afghanistan quite convincingly with 7 wickets. In the 2^nd match in Twenty20 World Cup-2010, India managed to steal a relatively closer match against South Africa. India won this match with 15 runs, thanks to a belligerent century from Suresh Raina. MS Dhoni has also been phenomenal with his captaincy in T20 World Cup-2010.

Talk of Pakistan, the Defending Champions in the T20 World Cup-2010. Well, it has not been a different start of the tournament for the green shirts, as they did in the last T20 World Cup in England, which they won eventually. They lost their warm-up to Zimbabwe. Then, in the first match of T20 World Cup-2010, they were able to contain the Bangladeshi batsmen to win by 21 runs. And in the next match, they lost to Australia by 34 runs, somewhat convincingly. Pakistan has to play much better if they want to keep their chances alive in T20 World Cup-2010.

Now what? India has already qualified for the Super-8 round of the Twenty20 World Cup-2010 by winning both of their group matches. Pakistan, is not yet sure whether they have a seat in Super-8 round of the T20 World Cup-2010 or not? This is because if Bangladesh beats Australia, Pakistan may have to book a ticket for Karachi this week.

But this is surely not the end of the exciting T20 World Cup-2010. Pakistan has the capacity to boost their game just when it really matters. Believe me it’s not over yet for Pakistan. However, they have problems: Lack of experience, Batsman not in forms, bowlers not consistent, fielding not as par, Afridi has not been able to use flexible tactics etc. Still, Pakistan is a team that is totally unpredictable. So watch out for them in T20 World Cup-2010!

As far as India is concerned, they have started their Campaign in T20 World Cup-2010 in an ideal fashion. However, T20 is a totally unpredictable format of cricket. So Dhoni-11 needs to be on their toes all the time in the next round of T20 World Cup-2010.

Your Turn Now: Will Pakistan Qualify for Super-8 round of T20 World Cup-2010? Who will win the T20 World Cup-2010, India, Pakistan or other Team? Who is a Better Captain: Shahid Afridi or M.S. Dhoni? Tell us in your COMMENTS!

ICC T20 World Cup: Who is Favorite?

2010-04-30T12:20:00.003+05:00

Twenty20 (T20) Cricket seems to have overshadowed the International Cricket. After 42-day extravaganza of IPL, Twenty20 World Cup (T20 World Cup-2010) is going to start from April 30.

This year will see the third edition of T20 World Cup. The inaugural T20 World Cup was won by India in 2008 when they beat archrival Pakistan in the Final. The second Twenty20 World Cup was won by Pakistan, beating Sri Lanka in the Final. This year T20 World Cup will be played in West Indies.

The question everyone is asking now is who will win the Twenty20 World Cup-2010. The answer, of course, is not easy!

Pakistan has the best record in Twenty20 World Cup, they are the only team to reach the final of the first two T20 World Cup tournaments, could only won the last T20 World Cup in 2009. Pakistan also has the best winning ratio in Twenty20 World Cup with 22 wins, 7 losses and 1 no-result. However, Pakistan team for Twenty20 World Cup-2010 misses key senior players due to injuries/bans. Shahid Afridi, the skipper, is sure to make his team fight hard to win Twenty20 World Cup-2010.

Another favorite of T20 World Cup-2010 is India. India also has the privilege

to win the First T20 World Cup in 2008. For third T20 World Cup, team India is still favorites despite the unavailability of the master batter Virendar Sehwag.

MS Dhoni, the proud Chennai captain (that won IPL-2010) is not too optimistic about T20 World Cup. Some critics believe IPL will not help India in Twenty20 World Cup. In fact, IPL fatigue might create problems for Team India in T20 World Cup-2010. India will have to work hard to win T20 World Cup-2010.

To me, another favorite for Twenty20 World Cup-2010 is Sri Lanka, another South Asian team. SL is the only third team to reach the final of T20 World Cup so far. Sangakara-led SL is always a favorite for the T20 World Cup. A mixture of experience and young legs, SL has all the rights to lift the trophy of T20 World Cup-2010.

The records suggest the South Asian teams have dominant power in the T20 World Cup. Luckily for them, the wicket and conditions in third T20 World Cup in WI will support them too. It is widely believed that Spin bowling will play a crucial role in the Twenty20 World Cup.

With every passing day, Twenty20 cricket is getting bigger. This year’s Twenty20 World Cup is also bigger and more challenging. Keeping in mind the format of Twenty20 Cricket, its next to impossible to predict the winners. Therefore, it is highly believed that most of the teams will fancy their chances to lift the Twenty20 World Cup trophy.

My favorite teams are: Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.

Which are your Favorite teams in Twenty20 World Cup-2010? Tell in your COMMENTS!

IPL: Is Sachin Tendulkar a Great Captain

2010-04-26T11:48:00.001+05:00

The little master Sachin Tendulkar has always made great impact on cricket. Sachin Tendulkar has registered a new addition to his never-ending record of achievements. Sachin Tendlukar leads Mumbai Indians (MI) into the Final of Indian Premiere League-2010 (IPL-2010).

Sachin Tendulkar has given a lot to the world of Cricket. From his stylish batting style to his brilliant batting techniques, Sachin Tendulkar has set highest standards for himself and his fans. Sachin Tendulkar has now added new dimensions to his success story as a captain of Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010). Under Sachin Tendulkar’s leadership, Mumbai Indians was the first team to book a seat in the finals of the Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010). Great Work Sachin Tendulkar!

Sachin Tendulkar has broken so many records and set up dozens of new

records in the world of Cricket. Sachin Tenlkuar has the highest number of runs in Test and ODIs, most centuries in ODIs, and the highest individual score in ODIs also belong to Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin Tendulkar has been truly phenomenal.

Sachin Tendulkar has just entered into his 37^th year, but this man is getting more classy with every passing day. The master batsman, Sachin Tendulkar is disregarding age factor and the myth that T20 cricket runs on young legs. Tendulkar has proved his invincibility in the IPL and T20. With 542 runs and counting, Sachin Tendulkar is now the leading run-getter in IPL-2010.

Sachin Tendulkar has been watchful, improviser and belligerent attacker. At a strike rate of 130 plus, Sachin Tendulkar is virtually ruling IPL-2010.

The IPL-2010 has also showcased Tendulkar as an inspiring leader. Under Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians have stuck admirably well as a unit. Sachin Tendulkar has been backing his star players despite some of them having taken time to fire. Take Pollard as an example, Sachin Tendulkar kept saying that he always had faith in him, and finally Pollard made impact against Delhi Daredevils.

Now that Chennai Super Kings has beaten Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians in the final of IPL-2010. Unfortunately, Sachin Tendulkar could not lift the winning trophy. Nevertheless, Sachin Tendulkar has shown that class and experience rules whether it’s Test, ODIs, or T20.

Sachin Tendulkar has shown no interest in representing India in World T20. But Sachin Tendulkar has shown that good cricket can prevail even in IPL! People also ask why Sachin Tendulkar failed as captain of Indian national team. However, I believe that being a captain in T20, especially IPL, and leading your national team in ODIs, or tests are two totally different things.

Your Turn Now: What do you have to say about Sachin Tendulkar form? Do you think Sachin should be included in the Indian T20 squad? Has Sachin Tendulkar led Mumbai Indians well? Do you think Dhoni is a better captain than Sachin? Or anything else….Tell in Your COMMENTS!

Corruption Controversy: Latest IPL Crisis!

2010-04-21T11:18:00.001+05:00

Here we go! Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010) has met with controversies ever since it started the third season (IPL-2010) this year. The latest controversies associated with Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010) include the element of corruption in the Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010), involvement of Lalit Modi, the commissioner IPL, in Money Laundering, Match-Fixing, Tax Evasion, and the involvement of Underworld money in IPL. One can ask: Where is Cricket in IPL?

Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010) has been in the news ever since its start in 2008 (IPL-1). Most of the analysts have blindidly praised Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010). However, some of them (including me) have also raised voices about the negatives of Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010).

This year’s edition of Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010) was controversial ever since the Pakistani players were denied for selection by any franchise of IPL. Then, Cricketers from Australia, New Zealand, and England raised concerns about the security in Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010). These concerns turned out to be legitimate when there were 3 bomb explosions outside the stadium in Bangalore, just before an IPL match last week. The semi-finals of IPL shifted from Bangalore to Mumbai after this. IPL security was again questioned.

Another IPL controversy broke out when

it was discovered that a female friend of Shashi Tharoor, India’s junior foreign minister, had received $15 million in "sweat equity" shares as part of the deal that won the rights of the Cochin team for the next edition of Indian Premiere League (IPL-2011).

Lalit Modi, the commissioner of Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010) is facing the charges from Income Tax Department for IPL tax evasion, money laundering, match-fixing in IPL and various illegalities in IPL financial dealings.

Modi was the proudest man and has been given the credit for the success of Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010) a few weeks back. However, Indian Media reports suggest that BCCI is set to remove Lalit Modi as IPL commissioner by the end of this week.

That’s not all for IPL! On Monday, India's finance minister announced an investigation of the funding and sources behind the IPL’s top cricket teams, suggesting that more bombshells might hit IPL. It is also widely believed that the elements of Underworld in India are investing a lot of money in the Indian Premiere League (IPL).

What else? IPL is also under scrutiny of ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). Unit’s chairman, Paul Condon last week told the ICC Executive Board meeting in Dubai that the Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010), with its millions of dollars offers and lack of policing, was open to corrupting influences. Condon warned that “the IPL brings with it the biggest threat in terms of corruption in the game”.

To ACSU, the hype and publicity of IPL have attracted a host of fans and, inevitably, illegal bookmakers – where they exist, the potential for corruption remains. IPL is highly vulnerable to Corruption!

I have been mentioning both the Positives & Negatives of Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010). I have also raised voice for the increased control of ICC on Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010). I had also said that sooner or later, ICC will have to act against IPL, and the sooner it is done, the better it will be for Cricket. You just can’t allow a private league (IPL) to involve all the cricket stars, offering millions of dollars, without any policing or control. If ICC does not do anything, as usual, to have some control over IPL, Cricket will suffer by large from IPL.

Your Turn Now: What’s your thoughts on IPL’s Corruption Controversy? Do you think Modi is involved in Corruption, Match-Fixing, Tax Evasions etc.? Do you think IPL is funded by the Underworld Money? Do you think ICC should have some control over IPL? Or anything else…Tell in Your COMMENTS!

KKR’s Cricket: Shahrukh Khan quits IPL?

2010-04-17T12:27:00.006+05:00

By: Sana Khan

Well it’s so sad! The king of bollywood, Shahrukh Khan’s team Kolkatta Knight Riders (KKR) lost in the third edition of Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010). With this disappointing stuff from KKR in IPL-3, the question arises whether King Khan, Shahrukh Khan will give up his IPL campaign and quit IPL forever?

Not an easy question to answer guys! Shahrukh Khan has always been a symbol of success. Shahrukh Khan has faced the storms to attain his goals. Shahrukh Khan is known for his struggle, persistent hard work and achievements. Shahrukh Khan never gave up! But now…What Shahrukh Khan is thinking? Will the Bollywood No.1, Shah Rukh Khan give up?

Shahrukh Khan is very passionate about Cricket. And when Indian Premiere league (IPL) was launched, Shahrukh Khan was among the first Bollywood greats who participated in the auction for IPL teams. Indian Premiere League-3 (IPL-2010) moving towards semifinal phase, with Mumbai Indians has come up as the strongest contender for Indian Premiere League-3 (IPL-2010). Kolkatta Knight Riders (KKR) of which Bollywood King, Shahrukh Khan (SRK) is a co-owner, has been ruled out of the semifinals of IPL-2010 (IPL-3). Shahrukh Khan’s passion has earned him pain…Shahrukh Khan’s excitement has brought him frustration!

Third edition of Indian Premiere League (IPL-2010) has brought some

good news for KKR and Shah Rukh Khan. Shahrukh’s KKR has done much better as compared to its performance in the previous editions of Indian Premiere League: IPL-2009, and IPL-2008. Shahrukh Khan’s boys have been in the race of Semifinals of IPL-2010 until they lost a crucial match to Chennai Super Kings by 9 wickets. Nevertheless, Shah Rukh Khan must be disappointed with this result.

Shahrukh Khan’s team, led by Saurav Ganguly, has started off IPL-3 (IPL-2010) well when they won their first match in IPL-2010, giving Shahrukh Khan great hopes. Bollywood King, Shahrukh Khan was so excited with KKR’s performance that in a post-match party, Shahrukh Khan even offered to dance naked if his team won the IPL-2010.

Shahrukh Khan has accepted the moral responsibility of poor run of KKR in IPL-2010. Shahrukh Khan was open enough to say sorry to all his fans and sponsors (Nokia and XXX Drink). King Khan, Shahrukh Khan was not hopeful of any better performance from KKR in the next edition of IPL (IPL-2011).

Shah Rukh Khan was so disappointed that he said he might well be quitting IPL altogether.

Shahrukh Khan, despite all his disappointment, praised the KKR players for their efforts. Shahrukh Khan vowed that he wants to come out of this phase with the support of his family and fans. Shahrukh Khan is likely to pay all the attention now onwards to his upcoming movie “Ra 1” in which he is playing a role of superhero for the first time in his career. Shahrukh Khan must be willing to compensate the defeat of KKR in IPL-2010, with his superhero acts in “Ra 1”… All the Best King Khan!

Your Turn Now: Should Shahrukh Khan quit IPL? Should Shahrukh Khan be held responsible for KKR’s poor show? Should Shahrukh Khan buy another team in IPL? Or anything else…Say in your COMMENTS!