2nd ODI - India v Pakistan

[Maranello]

Please post all comments in this thread.

India lead the 6 match series 1-0. Cricinfo preview here.

[workkey]

we should bring in danish for hafeez tommorrow and we also need afridi to bat right up at his old position as javed miandad has suggested in an interview....
i have also read that the temperature here is more higher then kochin so we may have some more injuries tommorrow, guessing why our board agreed to play day matches and why not night day-night matches in this time of the year

[Zainub]

I'm not a big fan of day and night matches to be honest, sometimes conditions can be very different for sides batting first and second, I'm not aware of local conditions in India, but dew is major factor in Pakistan, and often that means that too much emphasis is left on the toss, which isn't good for cricket. A better option would have been to play matches at cooler venues, towars the north. I admit though that given the financial attractions it would be illlogical to suggest d/n games should be abondoned altogether. And they've kind of viewer friendly too, for people who work, it's easier for them to attend such matches. I guess this just goes onto prove that there are pros and cons to everything.

Anyhow back to the actual subject, unfortunately for Hafeez, despite a fighting 40 odd in the last match, which by the way was our innings top score, and an important performance with the ball, he will get the chop, and he will get it in my books too. He gets picked cause he's an opener, if not that, a batsmen, but nearly always he bowls better than he bats, leaving question marks over what he was picked to do. Clearly to me he struggles at the international level with the bat and if picked he should be picked a specialist spinner. Because he simply isn't good enough with the bat.

But because Kaneria is much more of a threat then Hafeez he gets the nod ahead of him even though Hafeez is the better fielder. I just can't go on with this theory any longer that just coz he can bowl decently and fields well (but doesn't score) it makes him qualifiy ahead of someone else that would do either of those jobs, that is bat or bowl, with a sort of dicipline we expect of a specialist. I hate to use this term but so far in his career Hafeez has proved him self to be a bits and pieces cricketer. And I'm not a fan of these, not a big one at least (odd exceptions withstanding). Additionally I'm still convinced Afridi's best postion is down the order. Henceforth, after much dliberation my team shall be

Kamran Akmal
Salman Butt
Shoaib Malik ( coming to think of it, I was wondering if it would be a good idea if we can send him to open, b/c if we bowl first it will be a big ask to expect Akmal to bat well after keeping for 50 overs or where abouts in 45 C and 90% humiditiy and then come out and open the innings right after, I know a lot of people do that, but common, in 45 C, and when you only have 2 day gaps in between games, and 6 games in 16 days, but this should be tentative, we can decide the order once Inzi get's done with the toss)
Youhanna
Inzi
Razzaq
Afridi
Sami
Rana
Khan
Kaneria

PS: I hope we win the toss, fielding first and then batting in such conditions is a definate disadvantage, I so so hope we win the toss.

PPS: I have this minor confusion, any help will be appreciated

Originally Posted by bbc preview

More hot weather and high humidity is expected in Visakhapatnam - to the players it will feel like 99 degrees (37 centigrade).In the most recent of five past one-day internationals at the ground, Australia beat India in 2001 after batting first and amassing 338-4.

Originally Posted by cricinfo preview

The picturesque ACA-VCDA Stadium, located on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam, will host its first international game tomorrow when India defend their 1-0 lead against Pakistan before an estimated 26,000 spectators.

Aren't they talking about (supposedly) the same ground? Yet one claims 5 games have been played there before, and the other that tomorrow will be the first game there? Who is right, and who isn't?

[Orchid]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

PPS: I have this minor confusion, any help will be appreciated




Aren't they talking about (supposedly) the same ground? Yet one claims 5 games have been played there before, and the other that tomorrow will be the first game there? Who is right, and who isn't?

Hi there,
It looks like there are 6 cricket grounds in V'patanam. The record mentioned on the BBC preview is actually for Indira Priyadarshini Stadium (which has hosted 5 ODIs before) and this match is the first one for the ACA-VDCA stadium.
http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archiv...ountry_14.html

[Zainub]

Thank you so much Orchid. So it's the BCC that are confused, and consdering there are 6 ground in Vishakapatanam, I'm not surprised they were! Anyway, welcome to the board, I'm sure you'll have a good time

[vvvrulz]

Welcome Orchid.

Early exchanges, India win the toss and bat first, Sehwag in blistering form with 74 off only 40 balls, and the new keeper-batsman, promoted to no.3 brings up his maiden ODI century. India 229/3 after 33 overs.

[Leafy Seadragon]

VVV, is he a batsman who keeps or a true keeper-batsman? In either case, I hope its a sign of things to come for India (not that their batting needs further strengthening)

[Zainub]

summary of the match: (Very) Flat track, India wins toss (again) and bats first. Sehwag goes bizzerk (sp?) (again) and Dhoni gets his maiden one-day hundred (made 148), half century for Dravid as well, India end up with a massive total of 357.

Pakistan give fighting reply with 297 all out with about 6 overs to go, but in the end simply too many runs. Chief scorers for Pakistan, 80 odd for Abdul Razzaq (batting at 3) and 70 odd for Youhanna (of 40 odd balls). Match was once looking to head for a close finish but Inzi's run out for 16 just when he was starting to look very dangerous proved something of a major point in the match.

Nevertheless Pakistan are now 2-0 down and left with some work to do. Team changes need to be made. Mohammad Hafeez is increasing now a waste of space in our line up. Our fingers spinners are getting canned on these flat decks so Danish Kaneria will have to come into the equation as well. Plus, we need to figure out a way to counter the leg stump line bowled by Sachin, and other Indian part timers(such as Yuvraj Singh, who took 3 wickets today), with so many right handers in our team (10 to be precise) it proved to be a major problem to get those balls away. Shoaib Malik might also find him self under a bit of pressure after a couple of failures, especially if Younis Khan is fit again.

PS: Another failure for Ganguly with the bat, made just 8 before being clean bowled by Sami

PPS: Inzamam ul Haq has now equalled the world record for most run outs, I believe that is 36, he shares the rather dubious record with another ex team mate, the great Wasim Akram

PPPS: Inzi could find him self in trouble (again) with Chris Board, his reaction to his dismissal (shouted at Razzaq a couple of time "It was my call" and threw his bat away on the way to the pavillion) might not be in line with ICC regulations. Equipment abuse is not permitted as far as I can remember. Inzi would be lucky to get away with just a warning. I suspect a fine might be one the cards here, especially considering he's also the skipper of the side and the history he's had with Mr. Board.

Not often that I say this, but today I'm genuinely annoyed with our big man it was of no (or very little) mistake of Abdul Razzaq that he got out, yet he still shouted on him like it was all his mistake. Clearly there was no run there and his call was ill advised, Razzaq would have struggled to make his ground has he responded, and being the set batsmen (out of the two) his reaction in that scenario was the correct one. I can feel for Inzi cause he does get some stick for his running, but still that shouldn't have made him react in a manner in which he did. Everyone knows there are cameras around these days, so you have to be very careful indeed. Inzi could have got animated and took his frustration out on something else once he was inside the pavillion. Clearly this was an emotion driven respone. And being the skipper of the side, he should have done better.

[Zainub]

Originally Posted by Leafy Seadragon

VVV, is he a batsman who keeps or a true keeper-batsman? In either case, I hope its a sign of things to come for India (not that their batting needs further strengthening)

As far as I know he is a genuine keeper, a bit of dasher with the bat, has often batted in the top order before, I've personally seen him getting a hundred against Pakistan A as well. So he's proved him self to be a bit of thorn in neck, or is that pain?

[workkey]

i am also very dissappointed by inzi's behaviour when he got out..this thing really damages the team spirit..
it was all inzi's mistake and razzaq would have been run out as he was the one running to the danger end...this was not like a good leader..