Should the PCB ban Afridi?

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by greg

You can't ban him from the rest of the match,that would be as ludicrous as Afridi's actions.

You are right. However, what we need is an apology from Afridi in the next day or few, and then a swift one Test ban and a hefty fine by the ICC so he does not play the Third Test. A ban for a few ODIs on top of the one Test might also be a good idea, though anything longer than that for a first offence would be too strong.

Originally Posted by greg

I hope this game is a draw now so neither side can moan about any incident that has gone on .

hmm maybe - though I hope that Pakistan win, but the win is not due to any controversy, but derived from cricketing prowess, as the lead so far in this Test and the first Test win has been. Despite suffereing from some apparently poor umpiring (the dismissals of Inzi and Yousaf, the two best batsmen), Pakistan still ended up with a decent score. Similarly, all the dismissals so far have been to the seamers, with the pitch vandalism not impacting it in any way.

[Maranello]

As well as the decisions and the blast that briefly disrupted play on an incident-filled day, umpires also spoke to Inzamam about some players running onto the pitch during the disruption in an effort, allegedly, to scuff up the pitch. From television replays, Shahid Afridi appeared to have been the culprit but Inzamam refused to elaborate. "The umpires told me about it but I didn't see who had done it. I don't know much about it so I can't comment on that further."

The identity was seemingly confirmed at the end of the day when it was announced that Afridi is to appear at a hearing with the match referee this evening.

As per cricinfo

[Zainub]

On the evidence of the last 2 days, Pakistan have been on top all the way, and they have been the better team on these two days, I would hate to see us lose from this position regardless of what Afridi did. I would hope England aren't kidding them selves about how they have played today, there has been a lot of controversy and drama today, but when the cricket managed to keep the attention on it self, England will poor, and if they don't improve tomorrow they would not deserve a draw IMHO.

I just think Afridi needs a strong, strong punishment, I think he will get one, from where and by whom is not of significance to me. But it is, that he should be made to learn a lesson.

[Occasional Fan]

Originally Posted by Zainub

When the cricket managed to keep the attention on it self, England were poor.

This is a very valid point, and one which we might have lost sight of! Maybe worth raising as a possible discussion point in the match thread!

[greg]

Pakistan have been as much on top of this game for the first 2 days as England were in Multan.Don't see a big turnaround happening here but then again i didn't in Multan either.

[Zainub]

Thank God some one has noticed.

Also Rachael, your constant criticism of the pitch is a bit bewildering for me. The pitches may be flat but they produced a hell of lot of entertainment. Go ask the crowd in Faisalabad and they wouldn't complain one second.

[Zainub]

Originally Posted by greg

Pakistan have been as much on top of this game for the first 2 days as England were in Multan.Don't see a big turnaround happening here but then again i didn't in Multan either.

I did say if England didn't improve, they wouldn't deserve a draw (or a result other then loss), if they do however, then of course anything is possible. And it would be credit to them.

[Maranello]

The pitch is fine - 13 wickets in the first two days, carry on at that rate, we will have 20 by Day 3, and we can easily have more than 10 each on the last two days - that's a result!

[Occasional Fan]

Something else that I heard on the World Service yesterday, which was a pleasant surprise, is that the ground was packed. This is pretty unusual for test matches in Pakistan, isn't it? Good to hear, though, as it might delay or even prevent the demise of the five-day game in that part of the world.

[Maranello]

Indeed it was OF, more than three-quarters full on Day 1, and a very good crowd on Day 2 too. Very satisfying to see.