Australia v Pakistan: build-up

[Rachael]

Great post!

[Zainub]

This isn't as bad a performance as to make some one cry, or is it? I don't think so. Any one who has followed our cricket will now that we have played far, far more poorly than this. This is just a tour game anyway.

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by Realcharm

RC, welcome to the forum Very good to see you here bhai, hope you enjoy reading the posts (though from your first post, it seems not!)

Take care

[Beny]

Hayden tells Shoiab: 'Here's the chin so do you're best'.
Shoaib declares Hayden as his bunny.

One of these two are going to be in hospital at this rate.

[Zainub]

This is getting exciting Beny, really.

Last time Shoaib sent some one to a hospital - fractured Gary Kirsten's cheek bone I think - we won the test match.

[Maranello]

He also sent Lara during ICCCT

[Zainub]

I was talking about test matches though, but you're right, that was preety painful as well.

Still reckon Kirtsen one was more serious. I remeber his face when he came to bat in the 2nd innings much to everyone's surprise and even mustered a decent score I think, it was swollen like a big fat ugly potato all red and looking very dodgy. Yet he came out to bat and try and help his team's cause, it was bravery in the face of adversity, typical of Kirsten, and he was lauded was that in the Pakistani press, after a series of allegation casted by Smith about our security levels Kirsten won a lot of hearts and minds by that display. I have a lot of respect for him.

[Maranello]

Yes but Kirsten did jump about a bit before he was hit, I think he was scared even before he was hit - had lost the fight in his mind. But was a truly nasty blow, very painful.

Speaking of battling with adversity, this Kirsten stuff does not even come close to Salim Malik's heroics against a 4-strong West Indian fast bowling attack in 1986 (Faisalabad) - the pack consistted of Marshall, Patterson, Gray and Walsh, and they were seriously aggressive and physically dangerous. All four aimed for the batsmen's throat or head, and did not bother much with this namby pamby line and length stuff. Walsh was a proper fast bowler in those days, not the has-been he was during the twilight years of his career. There were more batsmen retired hurt in that series than I have ever seen before or since.

Salim batted for a long time with a broken right hand wrist, holding the bat with one hand, and was involved in a 10th wicket stand with Wasim Akram that led to a memorable Pakistan win - scorecard here, was a truly memorable match for many many reasons. Actaully among my earliest cricket memories; there are only two or three that I remember distinctly before that, the Australasia cup final of April 1986 being the main one. The one series immediately after this West Indies one, was when Pakistan went to India in Jan 1987. Now that is still fresh in the memory due to the historic and unforgettable series win, as well as the cracking ODIs.

[Maranello]

Match scorecard for those who would like to re-acquaint themselves with a cracking series.

Or in ZR's case, acquaint themselves for the first time - this Test was almost ten months before you were born ZR.

[Zainub]

Thanks for that M. Must have been tough for our boys back then. Wasim was man of the match I notice. I'm not sure of what to make of Malik though, understand he must have stuck it out well in the face of the awsome West Indian attack to bat with a seious injury like that, but generallY he's just been on of those players I've had alternate bouts of love and hatered for; a conflict which has persisted in me and which to date I have never managed to resolve. To be honest I have lost a bit fo respect for him since those match fixing allegation have been uncovered.

Continuing on the subject of batting in the face of adversity, Ten Sports is doing a airing a fabulous series of documenteries these day, titled India Ten Best Batsmen, yesterday they did a documentary on Mohinder Amarnath, the opening batsmen who a/c to Sunil Gavaskar was and still is the best Indian batsmen against fast bowling, unquote "he flirted with greatness without ever achieving it". Sherry and the others were all full praise for his determination, they spoke of 3 of his innings in the Carribean where he made 80 odd, 90 odd and than a 100, and that was after he'd come back from Pakistan scoring a 100 against a Pakistan fast bowling attack led by Imran Khan. It was intriguing to watch. I'll always regret I didn't have a chance to see all these great players in their prime, both batsmen and bowlers.