shoaib akhtar's international career is over... finally...

of late...there has been speculations as well as some straight talks on the career of rawalpindi express...

while imran khan wants him to be given another chance...his discovery...wasim akram was more forthcoming and declared that akhtar's international career is over...

but the final nail on shoaib's international career came from newly appointed pakistan's chief selector iqbal qasim...who said...

The door is not closed on Shoaib Akhtar, he can still play cricket for Pakistan in future. However what he needs to do is to prove his fitness in coming domestic games.

do i need to say more...? look...even shoaib is not amused...

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one defeat it took...

for malik to lash out akhtar openly in media...

its not that akhtar was bowling great in the previous match pak won against lanka...but one defeat and now newspaper are filled with malik having a go at akhtar...

its also not that akhtar is known very well for his team spirit or his commitment for full 50 overs...he has done it in past and will do it in future as well...when you select him in your team...its given that he will come with 'package'...take it or leave it...so whats new now...?

whatever be the justification or grudge of malik...i am against this very act of captain going in media over issues that can be sorted out in team meetings...if he don't want akhtar in team due to his commitment towards team or for his non-performances...fine with that...but what purpose it solves other than that he wants to wash his hands off from defeat...opposition team getting the whiff that not all is good in pak team and hence using it to their advantage in next match...and what about dressing room atmosphere or more appropriately team spirit...?

he has put undue pressure not only on akhtar (if at all he is selected for next match) but also on other players who will feel insecure about captain going in public if they do not perform to the required level...which can happen...

all in all this is certainly not the way to deal with issues...and it just enhanced my impression of malik that he still has long way to go as far as captaining a team goes...

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dead legacy...?

time to take fresh stance after labored century...

i read this news that pcb now has decided to include shoaib akhtar in domestic t20 tournament backtracking after issuing warning that he can not play without paying fine...

we have been hearing it since pcb slept fine on him...that he will have to pay...failing which he wont be selected...then somehow he gets selected...then again comes the news that he will have to...then something happens...he gets selected again...on...off...on...like a loop...

bored already? not if you are pcb...its their favorite time pass...

like first they issued threats that they will go for legal opinion against ca only to back track day later and then issued like...aussies are 'lily-livered cowards'...

go it?

then i read this

"I think it [India v Australia] has become bigger [than India v Pakistan] largely because of the competitiveness. All the series, from 2001 onwards, have been keenly fought and have been very close ones."

- Tendulkar

but what is the relation between these two news...you may ask...?

give me some time...

we all have been discussing this for some time now that india-pak series which had the potential of being the mother or father of all series (depending upon which way you look at it) is reduced to like any other series...

some say because of frequency of it happening some argue about lack of quality in competition and intensity...

but if frequency is the reason...then we have been playing with oz almost non stop lately...still its getting intense series by series...the hype can not be without substance...

coming to pak...countries don't think twice before rejecting series with them...

coz they don't fear backlash....
coz cricketing stature of pak is reduced to minnow status now...well almost...
coz pcb is not strong enough...
coz 'right kind of moolah' is not associated with it...

otherwise how can one explain oz playing in england while bomb exploded not too far from stadium...oz coming to india despite recent delhi bombing...(though i must say that am happy)...india can go to pak and play cricket effortlessly...without any fear...despite some of our cricketers been declared openly by terrorists in their hit list...

did i said 'right kind of moolah'...?

but ultimately the crux of the problem lies at pcb door...specially recent regime...

nobody takes them seriously now...infact they have successfully reduced pak cricket to laughing stock around world...they have damaged pak cricket totally and i am afraid...permanently...

i have followed pak cricket quite closely...and i feel that since inzamam took over as captain...pak cricket has gone downhill...and current regime only fueled the regression...

pak needed a strong captain but instead they chose inzamam...they mistook his cricketing powers as his leadership qualities...and result were there for all to see...

without invoking religion sentiments here...i would say he brought the dangerous mix of religion and cricket into scheme of things...those who were flexible to the routines were preferred more and those who were not almost left to fend for themselves...

when the circumstances demanded strong decisions...easy ways were found to sweep discontent under the carpet...failing to realize they were setting the time into a time bomb...

the handling of shoaib akhtar...yunis khan...are case in point...infact pcb still don't know how to deal with them...

this lead to insecurities in the team and when you are not confident...not secure about you future...the sport you play suffers...and suffered it did...which led to panic and in one of that weak moment yusuf decided to join hands with icl...

when the term of inzamam was coming near after disastrous world cup...pcb had the chance to reshape pak cricket...

but then another mistake was made and they chose malik as captain...

the discontent started to become more visible and loud...and malik inefficiencies...as batsmen...as bowler...and more importantly as captain..his refusal to assert himself...reluctance to lead from front....started to reflect on team...and its performances...

rest was taken care of by pcb...

now pak has not played test cricket since ages...will be lucky to see some odi action...and sincerely its not funny at all to see one major test playing nation getting reduced to this...

call me out dated...old fashioned...out of sink...but my cricketing life is being brought up on staple diet of india pak matches...the wait for series to start...the tension around it...the passion of encounters...the boiling of blood inside...the choking of throat...the skipping of heart beat...the mourning...the joy...the ecstasy...the same roller coaster ride of emotions...

i miss all of it...

but i am still not ready to handover that legacy to aussies...

i want to feel tension the same way...i want to see that sight again when lights of street were on but cricket in the stadium was played...without light...when javed miandad hit that last ball six...when shivlal yadav returned the favor by doing the same...and so many never fading memories...

i want all that and more...

but it will take lot of doing to put life back in ailing pak cricket...the mindset...the approach...the goals...the leadership...just about everything needs to change...

is still time left to salvage pride...can it happen...will we again see same old strong pak team the world feared? the same pak cricket who gave ball the art of swinging in reverse?

will i or rather we...be lucky again...?

or you have already moved on...without waiting...like many...

tell me...

update:
after going trough initial comments one thing which is coming out commonly is that i have pronounced pak as minnows of cricket world...

i never meant to say pak is reduced to minnow coz of their performances on field...

if you read the post again you will notice that i used word minnow attributed to the current stature of pcb...not performance of pak team...

anybody can have his say and get away with it...without caring a hoot...kinda sentiment that i used to depict pak cricket is reduced to almost minnow status...

i love pak cricket...they have given us wonderful talent and moments and i didn't meant it that way...and i believe that my current post reflects that...

i am sorry on my part for the lack of clarity in comment...

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Delhi own devils...

or what you would call it...

i thought somebody told 3d bats that they had to score 130 odd runs in 15 over itself...otherwise what could be the explanation of shots they all played?

best moment that sums up the situation came when Dhawan played ball back to dinda who throwed the ball back to him and there were some heated glances exchanged...dilshan sensing the mood of dhwan went up to him to calm him down and play according to the situation...but what happened next ball? he just swayed his bat across the line and got bowled...

mindless...like they all were...

i discussed with good friend Soulberry that KKR are leaving it too late to up the tempo and got away with DC the other day...and 3ds have to hit hard at this strategy of theirs...they did exactly the same and restricted KKR to almost walk away total...

perhaps then they decided to make the match more interesting and chase down the total in 15 overs itself...

but whatta come back by Shoaib!!

i think this T20 format will suit him more than anything coz he just have to bowl 4 overs of full throttle...and he did exactly the same...

but at the same time, more than his pace or accuracies of bowls...i think 3ds got intimidated by his presence and tried to out bowl him and thats where they lost the match...by playing some inexplicable shots...

which brings me down to the question which i wanted to ask for long but i think this is the best moment...

how can a captain rap his batters to play rash stroke or preferring their 'natural' play over team demand...when he repeatedly does the same?

i think in the answer of this is hidden the solution of 3ds problem...

what say?


PS: Was it only me who noticed that the captain who was looking to win the match appeared far more tensed than the captain who was loosing it...? infact sehwag was smiling like they were cruising to victory...

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