Pakistan should play ALL their "home" matches in England. Test, ODI, 20/20. Even a warmup 20/20 match with SA brought out more fans than every day of the ill fated series against SL. Even Karachi and Lahore cannot sell out. The time has come to realize that even Pakistanis do not want to see Pakistan play cricket at home. The diaspora in Britain however, will move heaven and earth to see and cheer Pakistan. That is a fact, a national abroad is always more nationalistic than the citizens in their own country. It's human nature.

T20 cricket is deeply rooted in our national cricket if someone remembers RAMZAN cricket.But the credit is taken by the cricket pundits.Unless they supported the idea,no one dared to talk about it. T20 cricket is going to damage the real cricket in the name of evolution.The extent of this damage, we will be able to judge from the next generation of cricketers.It seems that there will be no cricket greats at all. It will really be a one ball game, which can not judge the talent/capability of a player & one ball cannot prove you to be a cricketer.We can take the example of Afridi or may be Imran Nazir, Can we call them cricket greats ? Inspite of the fact that they have recorded some of the out standing innings in cricket.Then again it will be these so called Pundits of cricket,who will try to repair & rectify the damage done to the game of cricket.

It indeed is a wonderful feeling to see an indo pak match and see the fans enjoying the cricket with great passion and respect for each other. The administrators of the cricket should imagine what loss it will cause if any one of these teams will kept away form international cricket. The administrators should make every effort to keep the competitive cricket and the passion alive in Pakistan in these trouble times. It really provides a different flair to the world of cricket.

Nice piece Kamran. Very good to hear that fans were largely enjoying the match and exchanging good-humored digs. A good example for all on how sports should be enjoyed and supported.

Here's to hoping India and Pakistan both make it to the knockout stage! Cheers.

Good read. As for the match, I'm struggling to remember the last time the 2 teams played without several twists in the tale. (Although the 1st innings was full of ups and downs.)

On the players, Rohit Sharma is looking so classy! (At least he has benefited from the IPL!)

For Pakistan, I thought Younis Khan had a poor match as captain - don't know why he brought Tanvir on so late, and gave so many overs to Arafat. On the positive side, the young pacer Amir looks a very good prospect...good pace - looked 90mph or above to me. (But I wonder if he's really 17? As HB commented on air - India and Pak often claim quite "exotic" ages :)

According to me, India Pakistan matches defnitely beats the hype of Aus- England. The fans make it such a great occasion and for the camraderie one should have scene Younis practice with Gambhirs Bat at the end of the game. The cricketers and the fans have shown the world what it should be. Hope the Politicians are Listening to.

aww!! such a boring article...you need to realize that fights are fun and they are a symbol of freedom

It was such a heart warming occasion after so much hostility, I believe India totally out played Pakistan and looked way superior outfit, Rohit is the best young batsman around by miles, I dont know why Raina or Yusuf pathan is preferred over him. Younis's captaincy was totally in experiment mode I hope it was planned to test out different options, otherwise things will go worse. Amir should retain his place and Fawad Alam should be given place instead of Arafat because of his superior batting skills.

Ha Ha, my o my! After the last piece this is a downer! lol. Some of the bloggers be them from India or Pakistan appeared fit to explode as the old hatreds surfaced. I could very much picture them with eyes bulging wide, nostrils flaring, teeth bared and menace in their eyes. Every once in a while something pops up which really brings out the best of the hatred in between the residents of these two countries, which to me is nothing short of a fun filled drama. Me and my friend Ranjeet has often discussed that these sentiment will die down once the reins of our two countries are taken over by those who were born and educated in the eighties and were effectively removed from the time of partition and its aftermath by at least 25 years. I hope that in another twenty years we will have grown tolerant enough to reminisce about our animosities politely and considering it a thing of past move on.

Let's blame India, BCCI, Lalit Modi, IPL for this too! :)

As a die hard Pakistani I'm perfectly fine with not getting along with Indian fans before, during and after the game. Man U fans don’t like Barca fans and there is no hiding the fact that Indians don’t like Pakistanis. I think its time Pakistanis stop trying to act as brotherly neighbors with Indians and be truthful about the rivalry that exists. Nothing wrong with that.. May the better team win!

It goes to show that if politicians and politics stayed away and allowed cricketers and cricket lovers to do what they like best - enjoy watching two good teams play, the world would be a better place.

I may be a little naive saying this, but sport (especially cricket) has the best chance of making the world a better place.
Siva from Singapore

I think Younis is letting the side down. He looks like, he can't change his decision. Even I thought he should not give Arafat second over but he did. He is not very sharp, which whole nation wants to see, he is lacking in quick decision.
Sad for country as there is no other option at this time.

You'r right Kamran and it makes it obvious that people don't want politics to be involved in sports. They just want to see a healthy competition between two cricket mad nations. Said that I wonder YOUNIS KHANs leadership tactics. He has no inovative sense in using his bowlers in a T20 concept. Fast bowlers have to carry the first 5 to 6 overs for him no matter if they are hammered around. Why dont they understand that its going to be spiners tournament. AND Fauwad Alam is the best option instead of the third fast bowler. Aamer should accompany Umar Gul and then Afridi, Ajmal, Shoib and Fauwad should make the rest whilw facing western teams. Fauwad will then also add some batting to out of form batting line up. Younis should be kept waiting in batting line up unless First 3 wickets fall faster than you would like them to. Afridi should be tried to open or to end with.

I was wondering , why Fawad was not given a chance to play in warmup games . he played brilliantly in previous T20I games (Usually he was sent no. 8 or 9 for whatever reason) ,RBC cup and domestic first class. Younis khan and intikhab alam must answer this!!! ...What will be required for him to get atleast one game in middle order. By the way he is a batting allrounder. He deserves to come earlier in innings. i am just afriad they are going to discard him forever, God forbids, if he fails only in one game ..

i was also wondering why they did not let fawad alam play in any warmup games. He did good in domestic T20 and first class.. Younis khan and intikhab Alam must answer !! . He is a batting allrounder so send him in middle order not in 8th or 9th position..

I totally agree with you kamran. The atmosphere was electrifying and i was literally gob smacked when i entered the stadium. My only concern is that fans specially the indian fans (no offence) should controll their drinking limits on the ground. I am not against them having fun but you know what happens some of them get so drunk that they start using abusing language. Which is a shame. I wanted to bring this point into attention as one small incident did happen in the stands which you might not be aware of. An indian fan became a bit offensive to the pakistani team. That resulted in some aggression from the Pak supporters. But the sit came under control. My point this could have been worse.

Rest india played outstanding cricket. I hope both the teams play each other in the final again. Best wishes.

Well then. I was there at the match, right on the boundary, in stand 16. I appreciate Mr Abbasi's article and his optimism, but I must have my say on the matter. RE: "If there was a greater pleasure than seeing India and Pakistan competing on a cricket pitch then this healthy and good humoured rivalry was it"
Right.
I guess you missed the drunk Pakistani supporter telling the Indian fans to 'sit down' when they were celebrating a wicket, and how he was then taunted by a stand full of Indian's with the chant of 'shut up, sit down' and how he reacted by almost starting a fight with six Indian's who taunted like Monkeys but did not move forward to accept his invitation for a fight and gladly cheered as he was escorted out of the ground by Police. Or how a drunk Indian man of respectable demeanour (at least before he became drunk) shouted 'Easy, easy, easy, easy' in my face before being verbally reprimanded by his friend. These were two of MANY incidents. Which match were you at?!...

The whole fun of Indo-Pak cricket is in the rivalry and the hatred that exists between these two countries...Neither team wants to lose to the other...
You take that out and the games are just like any other lame country-country encounters....Don't judge Indians and Pakistanis on the wannabe English desis...judge them on the streets of Lahore and Mumbai...Trust me there's no love there.....

The chap in Harrogate carrying the Indian flag was a Pakistani and tried to get some 'unity' going that day. He was set upon by Pakistani fans, beaten badly but he survived.

Good one Kamran

From what we witnessed in the match against India is that it wont be a bad idea to shift all our upcoming matches to england. Dubai is an amazing place but lets face it. our cricket will not develop one iota if we keep on playing on the dead tracks of UAE. As far as Crowd support is concerned we have a better chance in england rather that the UAE where Pakistani Expats are mainly concerned about making money and probably dont have time to constantly follow cricket teams.

I saw the same comradeship between Indians and Pakistanis at a hockey international in Delhi 5 years ago - running around the ground together like brothers with Pakistani and Indian Flags - one of the most beautiful sights I have seen - Let Peace reign :-)Well done India and Pakistan sportlovers.

Indian Fans make the world cup exciting...but I have to say England as host nation for Twenty20 JUST DOES NOT WORK!!! Look how boring the atmosphere is...not like South Africa or IPL in India...just no excitement!! No loud music when there is a 4/6, not enough hot cheer leaders....just soooooooo dull!!
Only the India-Pakistan matches will be exciting due to the Indian/Paskistani fans.... no more Twenty20 world cup here unless the crowd are give prozac shots....they seem like theyre at a test match or funeral!!! get some life into you people!!!

It was an interesting match one must say, and the ambiance was not of a WarmUp but a regular and to be precise was looked like a Semis or Grand Finale, Keep up the Indo Pakistan essence mates.

""Posted by: Sdon at June 5, 2009 2:08 PM

Let's blame India, BCCI, Lalit Modi, IPL for this too! :)""

if you insist!!

India vs Pakistan matches have been like this for a while now which is why it is such a shame to see the nonsensical antics off the field.

For the match itself, Younis was definately in experimentation mode though I think he should have taken the game a little more seriously on the basis alone of it being played against India.

Mohammed Aamer - quite an intriguing talent. we need him to open the bowling. Could he bridge the gap that was created by Asif's drug issues.

Umar Gul - lets hope this was an off game....

Saeed Ajmal - good stuff though didn't look as penetrating as he did agaisnt Aus.

Ahmad Shahzad - wow..5 hours of some scintillating stuff. give this boy some experience and he could be huge.

Rohit Sharma - again WOW! devastating.

I am concerened by the inability of the Pakistani bowlers to even cause problems for the Indians. They recovered with the bat but the way the Indians played, I don't even think another 30 or so runs would have been enough.

Its true there was love every where...I met a very cute Indian chick and we hooked up later!...even though my team lost, i won :-)

Pakistan need these changes:

1) YK needs to be "sharp" in making decisions while in the field - how to use bowlers effectively in particular.
2) The lefty Fawd Alam must be in the side. He can bowl, bat and field - all good.
3) I do not see Butt and Arfat positions in the side. One of the senior players (Malk, YK, Afridi) needs to open the inning.
4) Less extras. No "No" balls please!

Umar Gul: our best fast bowler. He bowls excellent yorkers and is great in all forms of cricket.

Sohail Tanvir: drop him for now. He has been out of form since the SL ODIs. Let him find form in domestic cricket then return.

Mohammad Aamer: bowled real well against India. Wasim Akram praises this guy alot and along with Amhed Shahzad is very good young player.

Most dispicable,disgraced,unspeakable show was put up the Pakistan team .Not on one accasion I fely they will win.Horrible fielding .We have more of Pre-madonas then real lover of the game who wan to make their fans & country proud.
Basically the whole country is in a state of chaos .It was politically now the sports,totally destroyed .We are not a healthy nation at all.Cricket use to be our pride with Hockey both sports are in gutters.Unbelivable .The beauty of the game is that they don't show remorse at all,don't feel sorry at all even by the body langauge .They do as if we are obligated to see them playing .No Sir not at all.I would rather see Indian Team being a Pakistani.I hope they lose to Holland & would be out of T-20 misery.They gonna win world cup Oh my God asking a rooster to lay an egg.
Thanks U Kamran Bhai .If U wan to edit go ahead

good game and good spirit. I strongly believe that between the two countries, borders should be made irrelevant. It should be done in a gradual fashion....but surely it would do hell lot of good to people on both sides.
We have lived together as one country before, sure we can do at least this much!!!

I invite the comments of Gurus of Cricket worldwide to comment after taking into account the performance of Pakistan Cricket Team under T20 World Cup and not long their misearable performance in Test series against Sri Lanka. Was it internal politics within Pakistan Team and the Management or careless batting of the team. What measures are required to kill permanenetly such politics. I feel the only way is to kickout those who think they are too big for their shoes and give chance to new bloods/faces as proven by Fawad Alam and Aamir. I am sure there are lot knocking at the door to give their best. Last but not least reduce the quantum of remuneration given and reduce too many cooks unnecessary passengers accompanying the team,who are not doing anything but politicising the players. Thanks