The reported decision by the Deccan Chargers to get Pakistan’s Abdul Razzaq as replacement for an injured player in the third installment of the Indian Premier League would be widely hailed. Commentators, who were distraught when the redoubtable Pakistani players were not picked during the bidding process, would be happy that sanity has prevailed.

However, given the immediate reactions that followed the bidding process about ten days ago, if his selection reports are correct, Razzaq may have to face bouncers far more difficult to dodge than the ones he faces on the playing field. Most of Pakistan saw the move then as an insult to Pakistan, with their government too joining in. It seemed this act was a bigger provocation for stumping relationship between the two nations than anything else over the past several years.

  Scores of commentators on TV and Print in Pakistan, accused India of deliberately humiliating Pakistan (they uniformly dubbed it as a snub to Pakistan and not players from Pakistan) and whipped up emotions among the general public, which, though had its own take. The common man felt it was wrong on their players part, who they worship, to be available as a commodity for Indian money. For them, this aspect was even more humiliating than the fact that they were not picked. They were hurt that money power was more important for them than their nation’s pride.

  My advice to all Pakistani fans would be to be fair to their players. Whether it is Razzaq or Shahid Afridi or Sohail Tanvir, all of who were hoping to be the first choice of franchisees, if they agree to play still, it would be for the love of the game and never for money. Just like the Indian players, Pakistani players know that they have become famous due to the game, and it is only their love for the game that makes them desperate to play, not money.

  In fact, in this regard, players are no different from politicians who want to become ministers of important ministries, not to make money or to enjoy the trappings of power that comes with it, but because they really want to serve the nation .As I had argued in a piece in May last (Only the selfless lobby for ministership), why else would they lobby to head a department or a ministry when in every area the ministries look after, the situation is grave. Any weakling would shy away from such arduous responsibilities, but not these bravehearts, possessed by the desire Read more...

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Geoff Boycott’s commentary: The man with one of the best nicknames going around - GLY - was on fire during the second one-dayer in Abu Dhabi. Tony Greig reported back to Boycs that he had been doing some research into the one-day career of Son of Rodney, and Redmond’s average and strike rate were commensurate with that of Boycott. A slight pause then an outraged Boycott retorted: “I’m a better blinking player than ‘im.” Greig took that on the chin and replied: “That’s what I wanted you to say.” To which Boycott ended the conversation: “Well you’re dead right too.” Wonderful stuff from the obstinate barnacle known as the Greatest Living Yorkshireman.

The Pakistani fans’ penchant for dressing up: They don’t have many fancy dress shops in Abu Dhabi (unlike Headingley and Wellington, for example) so the fans are like the Macgyvers of dress-up: they just make do with whatever they can find. Cardboard, scissors, coloured pens, sheets, office paper, stuffed toys and they are away.

Half-time entertainment: Both the at-game entertainment, and the Sky coverage were spot on. At the game, punters were treated to a kids’ cricket match. Perfect - all the marketing bollocks in the world can’t hide the fact that people at a cricket game like seeing cricket played. Little kids running each other out, dropping catches, bursting into tears, and smashing the ball to all parts of the oval is a sure-fire recipe for success. Meanwhile, back in the lounge, it was The Crowd Goes Wild or as we call it The Mull Show. Sometimes, Sky does some weird things here and puts on drag racing, plane flying, waterskiing or some other non-sport drivel that doesn’t even have a ball involved. TCGW is a much more appropriate and less sleep-inducing option.

Brendon McCullum: His mighty 131 from 129 balls was a brilliant innings, reminiscent of the Nathan Astle method of compiling a one-day hundred. Ends a sequence of scores of 1, 18, 26, 41, 0, 43, 36, 33, 2, 0, 71, 77, 2, 14, 3, 44, 46, 48, 17, 0 and 21 so far this year. I don’t subscribe to the view of Craig Cumming that eight failures is OK if he wins us one or two games out Read more…

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So, the team that did not have any member playing for the IPL has finally emerged champion for the ICC T20 World Championship. I am hardly one to suggest a conspiracy theory against the IPL but I wonder if more should be read into this coincidence.

Am I happy that Pakistan has won? Honestly, I would have preferred to see Sri Lanka win since I always believed that they looked a more complete side. On the day of the final, I must say, Pakistan deserved to win since they played better.

For every ball that Shahid Afridi blasted outside the ground in the last two matches sending Pakistani supporters delirious with joy, the skill of Tilakratne Dilshan in finding the boundries was winning hearts around the world. He may have missed out in the final but still ended as the player of the tournament. Read more…

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The only time the word ‘consistency’ and Pakistan cricket can be referred in the same sentence is when one is alluding to inconsistency! Add that fact to a format that is as unpredictable as Sachin Tendulkar’s next injury, and political upheavals back home that has disallowed the team from too much exposure to the sport, the expectancy from the team to perform well would have gone down like a sky-diver trying another of his manoeuvre.

But Shahid Afridi’s rediscovery of his batting prowess, and his christening of being the best spinner in the country today, along with a trace of an easy draw and a perennial South African habit of embracing the art of choking at the most inopportune of moments has taken the team to their second successive finals of the ICC World T20. Ironically, two consecutive efforts in the finals of this format smack of anything but inconsistency, an ample proof of the fact the tag of favourites is only on the paper in this format; nothing more.

To be fair to the Proteas, it was only incidental that the match was a knock-out one. Against them was a team which looked to have got up from the right enough side of the bed, and to everyone’s surprise had had all their star performers do their act with aplomb. So, while Afridi finally managed to discover the difference between the willow and the handle of his bat, Umar Gul kept firing the white cherry in those areas from where the batsmen find it most difficult to launch their missiles. Saeed Ajmal may have been hauled up in front of the match referee but he continues to make life miserable for his batting counterparts at the other end as most willow-wielders have failed to distinguish between the variety of deliveries he possesses in his armory. Read more…

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Pakistan produced a clinical performance to qualify for a second consecutive World Twenty20 semi-final. Tougher challenges lie ahead but Younis Khan will be pleased to have avoided a potential banana skin.

As with other minnows who do not play regular international cricket, Ireland’s bowlers posed more of a challenge than their batsmen. Boyd Rankin, in particular, troubled Pakistan with his pace and bounce.

Nonetheless, a solid if unspectacular performance ensured that Pakistan posted a total that was way beyond Ireland. Kamran Akmal was the backbone of the effort, with Shahzaib Hasan, Shahid Afridi, and Abdul Razzaq playing handy cameos.

Still, there should be some disappointment that Pakistan failed to post a bigger total. The current batting approach is short of ingenuity and invention, which is something of a surprise from a Pakistani team. Read more…

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Smooth sailing and T20 cricket do not go hand in hand. Otherwise, New Zealand would not have been handed out a drubbing by a side which looked like they lacked any intent or interest in remaining back in the tournament. But change in personnel – or should I say, a shuffle of a single player – and all of a sudden, Pakistan looked like the team of the early 1990s, whilst playing India at Sharjah; unbeatable, and with the ability to turn any position into a match-winning one.

Abdul Razzaq’s self-ouster to the Indian Cricket League was a trifle surprising. In all probabilities, I daresay that Razzaq has been Pakistan’s most reliable all-rounders since the time of the great Imran Khan, and the reason for his snub to Pakistani cricket had been his axe before the ICC World T20 of 2007. While it would be easy to be critical about the selector’s decision to do away with this cricketer, it must also be said that Pakistan did manage to get to the finals of that tournament, effectively lending the impression that they could perform even without the presence of a player of his stature who had begun to fail more consistently.

Thankfully, sanity has prevailed – or probably the reasons are monetary again – and Razzaq’s back to the international fold, allowing Pakistan a great depth in their side. Razzaq’s all-round capabilities, his ability to bowl in most conditions, bat with a straight-batted stone-walling on certain occasions, while banishing bowlers away to different areas of the grounds on others, make him one of the more vaunted players around, and the hope now is that the PCB knows what it should be doing with someone as precious as him. Read more…

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