Pakistan's Batting

[vvvrulz]

Imran is already in the team.....

[Zainub]

Following their record breaking loss to Australia in Perth, the Pakistan natinal team and its think tank have taken a massive stick in the national press, left, right and centre. Everyone from Javed Minadad to Aqib Javed and Imran Khan, to the PCB Chairman Shahrayar Khan him self, and a barrage of journalists have taken the attack to the team, and criticised heavily its performance, with pressure being in particular mounted on the coach Bob Woolmer.



Yesterday a few supporters did a protest in front of the Karachi Press Club burning effigies of the captain, vice-captain, coach and chief selector. They demanded the team to be called back to prevent further disgraces from occuring and claimed their performance was a black day in the history of the sport in this country. Read more on that story here

Bob Woolmer, our English coach, and his support staff continued to get the treatment too as the Dawn did in depth report on the details of his contract that was until being disclosed to the Senate Standing Committee on Sports yesterday was kept confedential from the national press. The report reveals the privilleges Woolmer, our trianer Murray Stevenson and physio Darryn Lifson, both South Africans receive, and how Woolmer in particular was in line to recieve a "cash bonanza" even if he got sacked a/c to his contract. Read more on that story here

This week's Swinging Drives too had no let offs for Pakistan as Omar Kureishi took a clean swipe at Inzamam's "uninspired" captaincy and the ineptness of Pakistan's batting. Bob Woolmer too got the stick as he was asdivsed to keep a check on his media statements and concentrate more on his actual job i.e. coaching. He called the defeat "shamefull" and described Younus Khan and Abdul Razzaq's shots in the 1st innings as "temporary insanity". Read the full column here

Originally Posted by Omar Kureishi on the performance as a whole

....disappointment is not a word I would use to describe Pakistan's capitulation at Perth. Shameful would be more appropriate. Pakistan was a rudderless ship being tossed about in a turbulent sea. There was no leadership at any level, neither on the field nor in the dressing room. It was, as if, it was every man for himself. The cricket public in Pakistan is very angry and want heads to roll. But that has never been an answer to a collective failure. Pakistan cricket has been on the slide for a long time and wins against India in ODIs and a Test win against Sri Lanka at home are the only entries in black in the ledger. It is galling to be put in the same bracket as Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Someone has to accept responsibility for this dismal state of affairs.

Originally Posted by Omar Kureishi on Inzi's leadership

...... the captain should have asked his two strike bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami for one final burst to break up the partnership [b/w Langer and Gilchrist] just as Imran Khan had done in the 1992 World Cup final when he had tossed the ball to Wasim Akram when a dangerous looking partnership was developing between Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother. This was inspired captaincy. Inzamam, on the other hand, showed no imagination and allowed the partnership to flourish and Australia to get back in the game. Australia took over and the early in-roads made by Pakistan's bowlers ended up as only a moment of fleeting glory.

Originally Posted by Omar Kureishi on Pakistan's batting

What is one to say of Pakistan's batting? How does one describe the shots played by Yunus Khan and Abdul Razzak? The Australian commentators called it "brain explosions". In a court of law I would have pleaded temporary insanity. These were senior players and should not only have been reprimanded but also fined for gross irresponsibility. Inzamam was nursing a bad back and if they were any doubts about his full fitness, he should not have played. His body-language was hardly a source for inspiration for his team. He looked down in the dumps and his stay at the wicket in both innings was less than his walk to the wicket. Yousaf Youhana was clueless in the first innings and the second innings, he flashed his bat,was dropped and nicked a few runs. He didn't seem to be in the game and his dismissal must have come to him like a friend.

Originally Posted by Omar Kureishi on Woolmer

In all this Bob Woolmer's daily comments only add salt to the wounds and the PCB should stop him from making any statements. He is the coach of the team and that is what he should be doing-coaching the team and he should be told in no uncertain terms that his place at the table is not at the head of it. He had no business to have got involved in drawing up the central contracts for the players. He got involved in a slanging-match with Javed Miandad and though Miandad may have started it, Woolmer led with the chin and Miandad had every right to have a go at him with both barrels. Unfortunately, this has opened up once again the controversy about a foreign coach. I doubt that Pakistan's performance at Perth would have been any better if it had had a Pakistani coach. The players lack mental toughness and are not focused enough. Over and above all this, they are being rewarded with big-money central contracts, gain without pain. The team will have to pick itself up and it must put Perth out of its mind. I don't know if there is anyone in the team-management who has the leadership qualities to rally the players. The Australians will show no mercy and there will be no complacency. It is up to the Pakistan team to try and erase the memory of a really shocking performance and I trust that the players are suitably ashamed.

And as if to add insult to injury, Dawn also reported on the "timely reminders" Taufeeq Umar (Lahore Whites) and Moin Khan (Karachi Whites) gave to the national selectors with definat half centuries against Rawalpindi and Faislabad respectively on the opening day of the latest round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches. At the Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore Taufeeq Umar scored 71 off 93 of his team's score of 283-8 against a formidable Pindi attack compirising Azhar Mahmood, Rao Iftikhar, Najaf Shah and Yasir Arafat. Moin Khan, on the other hand, top scored with 54 playing the lone hand as KW collapsed to 164 all out at the National Stadium, Karachi in the face of the pace trio of Shahid Nazir, Sami Niazi and Ahmed Hayat. By stumps Faislabad had replied with 93-3 in 30 overs. In other matches Hasan Raza scored an unbeaten 115 against Quetta, his 2nd hundred of the season, as Karachi Blues took the honors at UBL Sports Comlex Grounds finishing with 266-3 by stumps. In the only other match of QT yesteday former Pakistan off spinner Arshad Khan put Peshawar in command of the proceedings at the Arbab Niaz Stadium against Lahore Blues, taking 5-62 as homeside collapsed to 196 all out against an attack also boasting of former Pakistan player Fazle Akbar and an up and coming fast bowler Waqar Ahmed. Peshawar had replied with 36-1 by stumps.

And to give it the final touch, there was large sized cartoon on the Backpages of Inzi being battered and bruised, with holes in his whole body and bat, having no clue of what to do, with a pitch and shattered stumps in the background.

Things never change, do they? I'm compelled to believe one humiliating loss at the WACA is not the end of the world, but the press does everything to make the massess think other wise....burning effigies, what far? Give me break some one! This is just a game for Godness sakes! And there are other much more important things to protest about. I wonder if we will ever stop being the blatant ignorant sentimentalist we sometimes prove ourselves to be...may be never, perhaps only if pigs can fly. Thankfully, none of our players read newspapers, not when they are on tour anyway.

[Rachael]

ROFLOL - this set of articles has mademy day. How can a coach achieve anything with a press like that to contend with?

[Zainub]

I don't know how Rachael, I guess, being patient is the only way.

I wish people realise Woolmer doesn't have a magic stick that turns everything he touches to gold, all great ahievements take time. Bob Simspson took 5 years to make Aus no 1, Duncun Feltcher 4 to make England no 2, and yet we expect Woolmer to change things in 6 months, in which period we have only played 3 tests. This is mind-boggling.

I'm just hoping Woolmer can take all this. And some how keep his focus on trying to lift the team.

[Shaka]

The press is the press. To be honest I Have seen similar stuff in English tabloids when things are going wrong...in fact much worse if we take the football press into account!

The burning effigies is a load of BS to be honest. There are always going to be a handful of nutters in that country, no doubt they spend most most of their pocket money on fireworks and cheap street food which makes them ill. Someone should give them a job.

You have to feel sorry for the PCB, it's a thankless task. I remember when Junaid Zia was picked for a couple of ODI's there was hell on because his father was the Chairman of the PCB, Gen. Tauqir Zia. The storm that blew up over charges of nepotism was amazing. It might have been understandable, except the guy had been man of the series in an U-19 tour of SL (I think) and he didn't look a bad bowler at all!

[Zainub]

"The press is the press"...I guess is the only thing you can say.

Couldn't have agreed with you more, from the looks of things, those people looked like angry political party workers who might have lost their existing jobs because Asif Zardari got arrested (again) or other people who might not have anything better to do!!! I'd give them a job alright, that of shutting up. This is your perfect example of exploitation of free speech, going over board, and over reacting.

I have my full sympathies for Junaid Zia too, I'd seen him before bowling for us in A-sides, and bat a bit as well, he didn't look a slouch, fairly promising for my money. Still does to be honest, with more or less consistent performances in the domestic competition/s here. We were only playing Bangladesh at that stage if I'm correct, and Aamir Sohail, chief selector at that time, had already said he was going to use that series as testing pad for all the fringe players. But the press leaped on it like it was the ugliest, cardinal sin ever to have been committed. Totally daft.

[Shaka]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

"The press is the press"...I guess is the only thing you can say.

those people looked like angry political party workers who might have lost their existing jobs because Asif Zardari got arrested (again) or other people who might not have anything better to do!!! I'd give them a job alright, that of shutting up. This is your perfect example of exploitation of free speech, going over board, and over reacting.

You raise a good point there Zainub, why do these people get away with such anti-social behaviour? They should be arrested and spend time in the cooler for such numb-headed agitation. I am not really sure why people get away with this sort of thing in India and Pakistan especially. It's not like there's not enough police in the country, maybe they should be put to some use and round up these hooligans.

[Zainub]

In this case Shaka, I don't think the police could have done anything, as I told you, they're just exploiting their right of freedom of speech, which is not something the police can arrest you for unless you're causing serious trouble in doing so. I'm not a lawyer, but I don't think what happened yesterday was legally an offence, I mean there was no voilence as such, no one was hurt, not that I have read any reports about it, this was something on the lines of a peaceful protest, (althought the the burning of effigies some what contradicts the peacful bit) but I'm sure it must have created a traffic jam on the Sarwar Shaheed Road, which is already preety busy and hectic rod in it self....why don't the police do anything about it? Hmm....if I answer that I could land in trouble....does the police in this country really ever do anything on time? ....but to be fair to them in this case, if it was all about police there would be no hooligans in footy too, there is no shortage of police in Europe either...but we see what happens time and again.

At least we can be glad that it's only a small minority of the people who are such losers.

[vvvrulz]

Its all good and well to bag them, but these guys don't really mean it.
Similar things happened during India's tour to New Zealand, and once they turned over their fortunes in the world cup, suddenly everyone was back on the band wagon. Pakistan shouldn't let it get to their heads.

[King Aragorn]

According to Woolmer, Pakistani players are very sensitive towards such criticism. What they need now is confidence in their abilities..."positive thinking" as Chappell has also said. Going out with a negative attitude - 'we're going to get beaten whatever happens' type of attitude will certainly not help. If they don't believe in themselves, in being capable of beaten the Aussies, they certainly will not be able to do so.

Woolmer also said in his recent update that the boys have said they can deal with this situation themselves. i hope they do. Mental toughness is must in international cricket - and especially when playing the Aussies who keep bringing up your weak points.