Hi there,

I know you guys, girls and mac’s/pc’s will be thinking that I am here to bash Pakistan for it’s poor performance against New Zealand in Semi Final of ICC Champions Trophy 2009. I would think like that too.. but the truth is I don’t feel like bashing them because they lost a series, & no it’s not because of the win against India. So why don’t I feel like making fun of Afridi or Younis?

Why?

Sure, We played some poor strokes, some really badly executed shots, some shots that were only played because of a real fine delivery that made our batsmen jump like he just saw a truck full of ice-cream with his name on it & sure Afridi is as mature as my 11 year old nephew, I wasn’t disappointed too much because I wasn’t expecting a lot from him. If you expected him to carry Pakistan towards the win, please stop — he is a great player but he is not reliable. Sometimes he is dangerous – Sometimes he is a liability. He is like that and that’s why we love him. Younis Khan on other hand might be a good captain but as batsmen he has failed to do any real damage to the opposing team lately.

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One problem that I think I must mention here is that umpiring was really disappointing. The incorrect and untimely dismissal of Umar Akmal was the turning point for us.

BUT there were some real fine strokes as well, some that I dare say I never thought a player on 11^th number could execute so perfectly & who knew Muhammad Amir could be a sensible hitter in the tail-enders, someone that we lacked and needed from a long long time. Waseem & Waqar are I guess the last known tail-ender hitters of Pakistan but there hitting was not as sensible as Muhammad Amir’s last night performance. He was hitting all over the ground. It could be beginners luck but let’s give this guy some credit he was playing in immense pressure but kept himself calm and composed & he played really well.

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There is plenty to learn from this for our younger and newer cricketers & even more for our senior citizens I mean players.

As far as our bowling is concerned I don’t think they bowled really BAD. I mean seriously we gave away 18 extra runs. The first 3-4 dismissals were very timely and very important. Our downfall was when we failed to get more wickets & by dropping the catch of Vettori, Younis Khan just re-affirmed the statement that catches win matches. Our fielding was not world-class but at least our players were not  thinking about the laundry bill before making dives for blocking 2 or 3 runs.

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We must obviously work on reducing the extra’s we give away, need to be more attentive to avoid the fumbles like Vettori’s catch drop.

What we shouldn’t change and try to improve is the kind of team spirit we saw in T20 and Champions Trophy. Our players were playing together for the team. There were no scandals, no apparent fights or clashes. It was cricket as it should be.

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I think Pakistani’s played good, not great not awesome. But they played good & I support my team. I was happy when they won the T20 & I stood with them. I am happy that they played well in champion’s trophy, got to the semi final round & I cheered for them & I stand by them. I would like to know where you stand, you can tell me that in your comments of course

Please note: I couldn’t locate photo of Saeed Ajmal’s sweep so had to use the screen grab I did yesterday.
Disclaimer: All other photo’s are property of their respective owners.

-Salman

Related posts:

1. 6th September: Pakistan Defence Day
2. Who is the Best of Men? (IMHO)
3. The Final Destination (2009)
4. Dil Bole Hadippa