You can always bet that Pakistan cricket will never be short of controversies. The rumpus created by Younis Khan’s decision to abdicate the reins of leadership for the sake of ‘taking time off from the sport’ is simply too hard to digest at a juncture when the national team is embarking upon an assignment which is going to be a tough test of its character in the coming months.

It’s unfortunate that Younis, who otherwise is one of the most decent sportsmen with no malice towards anyone, has to give in to the player-power politics that has been one of the reasons why Pakistan cricket is notorious for its inconsistency and unpredictability.

Critics, of course for the time being, are going to have a field day until the dust settles over the latest controversy.

Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, in an abrupt statement on Wednesday announced Mohammad Yousuf as the successor to Younis for the New Zealand Tests.

He also remarked that the cricket board had no objection to Younis asking to be rested from the New Zealand tour.

But the PCB chief was unwilling to admit that Pakistan cricket, not for the first time, is facing serious crisis.

The revolt against captaincy has happened on several occasions in the past and the current scenario appears to be no different as like in the past there appears to be no strict team management to curb this disruptiveness.

Javed Miandad had to relinquish the job shortly after the Australian tour in 1981-82 when almost the entire squad, instigated by Majid Khan and vice-captain Zaheer Abbas, went Read more…

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How many times has Sachin Tendulkar played second fiddle to his emotions on the cricket field? How many times has he allowed his anger to sneak into your sitting room during the course of a match? Probably never.

On Thursday night, in front of a packed stadium in Hyderabad, however, he showed that he was human too: after diving forward to catch Cameron White, off the last ball of Australia's innings, he slammed the ball into the ground and walked away in a huff.

Instantly, you knew that somebody was going to be at the receiving end that night; that something special was cooking in his ageing willow. But then, Australia had already amassed 350 runs; a victory looked beyond reach, so you turned towards Sehwag for redemption.

As expected, the maverick played a cameo and perished even as hope flickered in the stands; Tendulkar shook his head, almost imperceptibly, and continued his vigil; four overs earlier, he had already expressed his state of mind.

He clips Hilfenhaus for three runs to go past 17,000 runs but there is no sign of joy or achievement; as the stadium roars in salutation, he merely takes guard for the next delivery. It was a monk-like Tendulkar, oblivious to the celebration and noise around him: he was on a bigger mission, a higher goal.

Two deliveries later, he makes room and lofts Hilfenhaus for a boundary: he hadn't played this shot in a long time. Maybe, in the deeper recesses of his non-thinking mind, the pressure had lifted, the smoke had cleared up; or maybe, he was just spurred on by a familiar 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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