tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2012:/pakspin/110 2012-02-06T16:54:30Z Movable Type 3.34 tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2012:/pakspin//110.27329 2012-02-06T15:52:00Z 2012-02-06T16:54:30Z

Kamran Abbasi Younis Khan delivered a lesson in the lost art of playing spin bowling © Associated Press
Pakistan cricket lived a dream beyond its wildest imagination in the stadiums of Arabia. Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan worked a miracle to inflict a whitewash on the world’s top side, only the fifth occasion that a Pakistan team has achieved that landmark. England were expected to be formidable opponents, likely to expose Pakistan’s progress as superficial. England improved with the series but not enough to challenge Pakistan’s dominance. The rapid progress that Pakistan have made in the last 12 months was sealed with an English kiss. Determination and tenacity are trademarks of this new Pakistan, although there is no shortage of skill in the spin attack, the best in Asia, or the pace of Umar Gul, a threat with new ball and old. In Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, Pakistan have young batsmen of sound temperament, a trait often lacking in emerging Pakistani talent. At the helm, Misbah, the mild-mannered miser of Mianwali, has galvanised his troops in a fashion unseen since the days of Imran Khan. Mohsin Khan, a flashing blade in Imran’s team, has been just as sharp in his astute handling of Pakistan’s progress. In a series dominated by Pakistan’s spin bowlers and the DRS, batsmen have been befuddled, embarrassed, even shell shocked. This mysterious art of spin has left some of the world’s best players tortured wrecks; a mental monster devoured confidence and frazzled nerves. Indeed, both sides struggled at the crease; the batsman’s series we expected was a bowler’s paradise. In these unexpected circumstances, Younis Khan’s innings in the final Test might just be the performance of the contest.]]> Younis is a happy cricketer, a smile super-glued to his Pathan features. He treats success and failure with equal levity, as demonstrated by a jovial acceptance of his status as former captain. Beneath that pleasant exterior is a fearless man of dignity and deep principles. Fate has been unkind to Younis in his personal life; deaths and tribulations have visited regularly, offering perspective to any trifling punishments and banishments meted out by his erratic employer, the Pakistan Cricket Board. Younis has been an unassuming warrior, overshadowed by Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf, a third man in Pakistan’s great middle order of the last decade. Perhaps he struggled to create a career-defining moment despite a mighty record and a Twenty20 World Cup win to his credit? His batting style lacks the stubborn clout of Inzamam or the fluent grace of Yousuf. His love-hate relationship with the Pakistan captaincy alienated supporters, when Bob Woolmer groomed him to lead. But dignified patience is finally earning Younis the rewards his class deserves. Much of the series was a disappointing one considering Younis’s recent form, although failure would have been lost amid the wasteland of poor batting that both sides inhabited. Younis, however, rose above his peers, delivering a lesson in the lost art of playing spin bowling. His feet hurried like those of a tightrope walker balancing without nerve down every line the England bowlers chose to bowl, bat twirling in front of pad. He read turn from the bowler’s hand and watched it fizz from the pitch. He danced down the wicket, he swept and manoeuvred, but above all else he dominated. It was the innings of the series and Azhar was swept along beside him, urged to produce a career-defining knock of his own, learning from the master, imitating, supporting, and growing in stature. In a decade’s time, when Azhar reflects on his career, he will remember this partnership with Younis as the moment that an earnest youth won his international spurs. For the genius of Younis's innings wasn’t simply in its brilliant execution, it was also in the way that he inspired a Man-of-the-Match performance from Azhar, demoralised England’s bowlers and reminded their batsmen that mastering high-class spin is an art that is currently beyond them. A whitewash covers blemishes, and this Pakistan team is a few coats from perfection. Dominating in home conditions is a world away from global success. A vigilant cricket board will have observed that Pakistan didn’t convince at the top of the order and struggled to find a gear change until Younis broke free. The best international teams possess an accomplished wicketkeeper batsman and a bowling allrounder. Adnan Akmal didn’t do enough to win a long-term place and the second fast bowler was a passenger in each Test. For these reasons, Misbah’s Pakistan team isn’t the strongest the country has produced but it might just be the team that makes the most of its attributes; a whole greater than the sum of its parts, an example of the value of unity when a nation yearns to be one. These are critical days in the history of Pakistan, times of damaging uncertainty and grave insecurity, with politicians, soldiers and lawmen playing with people’s lives, a persecuted population looking for a way out. Out of this storm, Pakistan’s cricketers have done what politicians, soldiers and lawmen have failed to do: they have united a nation and shown that adversity is no barrier to the hopes and dreams of their embattled countrymen. A whitewash against England is satisfying enough but Pakistan’s success in cricket is a clarion call to a nation, a faithful testament to unity and discipline. Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2012:/pakspin//110.27186 2012-01-28T13:51:07Z 2012-01-28T15:29:15Z

Kamran Abbasi The series victory against England is a momentous triumph, earned through relentless grind and injected with magical spin bowling © AFP
The Abu Dhabi pitch was easing up, the heavy roller would flatten it further. Team Misbah had batted too Misbah-ly, going at a crawl when a thrash or two would have eased nerves. England bat deep and 145 was a trifling target for the world’s No. 1 Test team, which boasts some of the planet’s leading batsmen. Think again. Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan has a layer of ice smothering the fire in its veins, unlike any Pakistan team that has blown hot and cold before it. Forget rankings, Pakistan cricket and its supporters are feeling on top of the world. For a cricket nation exiled from its home, a home ravaged by conflict and political instability, a team decimated by controversy and skulduggery, this series victory is a momentous triumph, earned through relentless grind and magical spin bowling. Pakistan’s spinners have been irresistible in this series; running through England’s batting order in three innings out of four is an outstanding achievement, one that not many could have predicted. Today belonged to Abdur Rehman—he had just reward for many days of unwavering support of his spin partner, the poker-faced wizard Saeed Ajmal. Rehman doesn’t always extract turn, but he did here—at speed. England’s batsmen were trapped on the crease, bamboozled and beaten. Meanwhile Ajmal, almost silently, became the fastest Pakistan bowler to a hundred Test wickets. Hailing from the nation of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis, Ajmal’s record is as stunning as Pakistan’s success.]]> zindabad. Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2012:/pakspin//110.27050 2012-01-19T16:19:30Z 2012-01-21T08:51:17Z

Kamran Abbasi As Saeed Ajmal leapt with joy, so did the rest of Pakistan © AFP
Never in the field of cricket conflict have so many enjoyed a match played before so few. Pakistan's thumping victory in Dubai was accompanied by shrill cries of glory that echoed around a near-empty stadium, but it was also greeted with a torrent of exultant tweets and status updates that rang out around the world. This was the examination of Pakistan's progress that was anxiously awaited, a bout with the world's No.1 Test team, a tussle that might expose the illusion of Pakistan's cricketing resurrection. Instead, Misbah-ul-Haq's team moved their supporters a few steps closer to heavenly rapture. England were disappointing, a batting performance unworthy of their status. But Pakistan have also made Sri Lanka look miserable here, and perhaps there is more substance to this revival than could have been hoped for? With Saeed Ajmal in such mesmeric form and Misbah's leadership more impresive by the day, Pakistan are capable of turning their Middle East abode into as much of a fortress as Karachi once was. On this evidence, Pakistan can be a power again in Test cricket and the world game will be better for it.]]> doosra a legal delivery. A verdict on the legality of long sleeves is eagerly awaited. To his credit, Matt Prior made no fuss about Ajmal's bowling action, after hitting England's best score, exposing the miserable effort of his colleagues. England's batsmen were collectively poor, a sharp contrast to Pakistan's excellent team bowling effort, Umar Gul and Abdur Rehman playing crucial supporting roles on the final day. Where England were unreliable, Pakistan batted with solidity. They lacked a big innings that would have made England's task even tougher but it was a team batting display enriched by Adnan Akmal's pluckiness in the lower order. Pakistan's batsmen have replaced extravagence and brittleness with grit and consistency, and it is a formula that has allowed their match-winning bowlers to attack and Misbah to rule with an effortless and incisive calm. England are far from done in this series, as their second-day bowling underlined. But the first match after that shameful day at Lord's in 2010 was always going to carry a thrilling significance for players and spectators of both teams, Pakistan's in particular. Team Misbah's stylish victory has restated that precious ability of sport to cleanse sins and lift hearts. For its manner and its poignancy, Pakistan's ten-wicket triumph will rank among the greatest in its gripping cricket history. Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi ]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2012:/pakspin//110.26999 2012-01-16T15:01:04Z 2012-01-16T16:35:22Z

Kamran Abbasi The cricket in this series should be fascinating enough before the inevitable controversies interfere © AFP
When Pakistan play England, to paraphrase Coldplay, every series is a watershed. Confrontations are frequent, disagreements a ritual. Fifty years of competition have brought us a rivalry infused with socio-political significance. When the malodour of colonial rule began to evaporate, radicals nearer to home and neo-conservatives abroad blew another ill wind through the senses of these cricketing combatants. Both parties have periodically made pledges of mutual respect and bonhomie but the heat of battle tends to create heat, not light. Certain Pakistan cricketers brought disgrace to English shores in 2010, and that memory will be hard to shake as this series unravels. England arrive in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan’s exile home, with a stain on their domestic game courtesy of the recent spot-fixing verdict against Mervyn Westfield. As unfortunate as the Westfield case is, it serves to remind players and commentators that corruption in cricket is not a uniquely Pakistani problem, ironically helping to tone down the tension of this series. Indeed, a series that might have been previewed with dread has become a stimulus for enthusiasm. England are undisputed world champions, Pakistan a surprisingly close second in Test success in the last 12 months. In that period, England scored at the fastest run rate of all teams, while Pakistan bettered only Zimbabwe; forget Imran versus Botham and Wasim versus Atherton, welcome tortoise versus hare.]]> England’s status has yet to be challenged in Asian conditions, and the conditions in UAE approximate closely to those in Lahore and Karachi. Misbah-ul-Haq’s side has been strong in this environment, even without Saeed Ajmal’s teesra. The cricket in this series should be fascinating enough before the inevitable controversies interfere. Despite a successful year both teams face selection issues. Tim Bresnan’s injury means that England lose a little balance to their team, which makes the inclusion of a second spinner a bigger gamble. Pakistan’s success in UAE has been based on depth in quality spin-bowling, a lesson England would do well to heed. Pakistan’s current batsmen are generally less adept against spin than other Asian sides, and Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar will generate more panic than James Anderson and his fellow pacemen. England, though, might be reluctant to start the first Test with Anderson and Broad as their only fast bowlers. Pakistan’s strength remains with their bowlers, where Ajmal will pose the greatest threat to England’s formidable batting line up. With Umar Gul’s ability to reverse swing and Mohammad Hafeez’s back-up offspin, Pakistan’s attack has more depth in these conditions than England’s. Wahab Riaz, a player who adds some extra pace, batting potential, as well as needle to the contest, would be my choice to support Gul. Pakistan retain that precious ability to plunder wickets in sudden bursts, turning a match on its head. England will need to be wary of such moments. The key to the contest, however, might be scoring rate. Pakistan’s defensive approach has been born of necessity, and plays to the strengths of its batsmen, especially the senior pros Misbah and Younis Khan. The tactic has worked admirably thus far but Pakistan might have to risk a little to challenge England, the best team they have played in this new era. A need for speed argues for a recall for Umar Akmal, an attacking batsman capable of middle-order acceleration, probably in place of Asad Shafiq. If that change is made it will signal a subtle change in mindset in the Pakistan camp. The next few weeks are important for both countries; England determined to underline their number one status and Pakistan facing a stern examination of their revival. The series seems set to be hard fought, decided by a small margin. The result is a hard one to call, which adds to the anticipation, but ‘home’ advantage will give Pakistan an edge and Misbah’s tuk-tuk merchants have every chance of completing a tortoise-like crawl to victory. Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.26680 2011-12-22T20:19:22Z 2011-12-23T03:32:10Z

Kamran Abbasi Pakistan have played to their strengths (their bowling attack) and within their limitations (the pace of their batting) © AFP
Dissatisfied in defeat, no more content in victory, sports fans can be a miserable bunch. Shakib Al Hasan, a Bangladeshi no less, sits atop the world Test rankings for allrounders but fans and pundits call for his country to be demoted from the top tier of international cricket. Undefeated in a Test series in 2011, Pakistan are condemned for a slow, unadventurous version of cricket that renders any success hollow. Pakistan’s predicament is happier than Bangladesh’s, discussing the manner of victory always is. But Pakistan were only a heartbeat away from the plight of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, even West Indies, the strugglers in the swampy lowlands of international cricket. Only a heartbeat away, that is, until an unfamiliar attritional methodology took hold. Pakistan cricket needed a way out of the quagmire, by any means necessary, and the players found it. The rescue mission to help today’s weaker cricket nations swim belongs to the ICC—and it must be a mission of support and inclusion, not hectoring and threats of expulsion. A deeper challenge faces international cricket, a challenge to become a truly global sport with many participating nations, instead of a cartel bossed over by the superficial agendas of the cricket world’s most powerful nations. ]]> Power in cricket resides with the cricket boards that control the game’s revenues, then by those that control the media, and finally by those that boast the best teams. Possess all three and you rule the world. Under these circumstances Pakistan’s only route to influence lies in the ability of its players. If by 2030 Pakistan’s population reaches a projected 300 million and they live in peace—a distant dream, perhaps—will the dynamics of power change? For now, results are the only way to be taken seriously. On that count Misbah-ul-Haq’s team have over-delivered. Does it matter how they have done it? To my mind, it matters little. Pakistan cricket was a shipwreck waiting for a Viking burial. There was only one way to go and that was down to the depths of obscurity with the wailing of legends for a death song. Critics will argue that West Indies, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh don’t pose much threat. Sri Lanka are a spent force without Muttiah Muralitharan. But even such straightforward adversaries have confounded Pakistan’s best players for a decade or more. On the other hand, New Zealand are troubling Australia and South Africa are challenging for top spot; Pakistan have matched both in the last 15 months. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. These are early steps on the road to recovery. Pakistan have played to their strengths (their bowling attack) and within their limitations (the pace of their batting). Simply put, Pakistan have wicket-taking bowlers and defensive batsmen, a formula that has succeeded thus far. Asking this batting line-up to score at four an over would be suicidal. The answer is to integrate more adventurous blades, an opportunity missed with Umar Akmal's exclusion for the Bangladesh series. Long-term success in any top-level sport begins first with learning how not to lose. Pakistan’s great team of the 1980s boasted Mudassar Nazar as its opening batsman, the scorer of the slowest century in Test cricket. The next step is learning how to win from different positions. The final milestone is domination. Team Misbah are finishing stage one, and the England series will be a proper examination of their progress. This attritional fare might feel alien to us, but it sure beats perpetual humiliation. Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.26211 2011-11-21T14:33:43Z 2011-11-21T19:57:41Z

Kamran Abbasi The man, and his pose © AFP
Don’t bother looking at the umpire’s finger when Shahid Afridi takes a wicket, just watch the man himself. The instant Afridi strikes his star-man pose, fingers pointing to the heavens, cue pandemonium. Sharjah, scene of heroics from the revolutions of Javed Miandad’s bat and the bowling arms of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, has the boom of Mr Boom Boom to add to its legend. Afridi didn’t simply win the Man-of-the-Match award, he owned it. As Sharjah’s cricket public revived the thumping atmosphere of bygone days, Pakistan’s players rekindled some past attributes. Spirit, an ancient virtue, was in evidence as Sarfraz Ahmed and Saeed Ajmal supported Afridi to pose a total of opportunity. Later that same spirit surged through the Pakistan team as Sri Lanka crumbled, losing seven wickets in the space of 19 runs. Pakistan’s bowlers were once masters of defending a low total just as the lower order was accustomed to fighting for every run. Those skills seemed lost but are beginning to return. Here Afridi was an inspirational catalyst. First he coaxed his fellow batsmen to rally around him, as he produced one of those responsible efforts that leave you wondering why he doesn’t control himself more often, hitting through the line with effortless power. With the batting Powerplay and Ajmal for company, the moment seemed ripe for death or glory. Instead, Afridi worked the ball with good sense, rightfully trusting his partner, and launching himself when the ball merited it. This was an atypical Afridi assault, a sensible one, and it perplexed Sri Lanka. ]]> http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.26082 2011-11-11T10:16:19Z 2011-11-11T12:04:30Z

Kamran Abbasi Misbah-ul-Haq averages 80.81 since becoming Test captain © AFP
The question about Misbah-ul-Haq is why is there a question? Pakistan undefeated in a Test series since the shameful summer of 2010. Draws against South Africa and in the West Indies, away wins against New Zealand and Zimbabwe, and a ‘home’ success against Sri Lanka - a sequence of results that exceeds expectations. Misbah has the second-highest Test average for a captain after Don Bradman (minimum ten Tests). Why murmurings of discontent? Some people are never happy. Others are only happy if Pakistan play a certain way: an aggressive, entertaining form of cricket that Pakistan’s returning talisman, Shahid Afridi, has taken to an extreme. The best form of defence is attack, said Imran Khan, and the mentality of Pakistan cricket was transformed. Curiously, Misbah has resurrected the defensive outlook of Pakistan teams before Imran’s captaincy. It is a long step backwards and it feels unnatural. Pakistan turned down two borderline run chases in the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka. They batted slowly and set deep fields when they might have risked close-in fielders. In Sharjah, that defensive tack might have come unstuck had rain and bad light not intervened. ]]> http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi ]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.26075 2011-11-11T07:54:22Z 2011-11-11T08:20:12Z

Spot-fixing is already yesterday’s news but let’s not forget that three former international cricketers have been confined to English jails. The convictions of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir are no surprise, and their incarceration is nothing unexpected. Many...

Kamran Abbasi News of the World, whose own reputation is in the gutter. ]]> Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.25937 2011-11-01T15:23:49Z 2011-11-02T07:47:19Z

Kamran Abbasi Te issue is so complex and fault lines so many that a root and branch reform of Pakistan cricket and its governance is mandatory © Getty Images
Southwark Crown Court has a functional feel to it, hidden behind Tooley Street’s chic shops and restaurants. No marble steps or sweeping staircases to lead you to the scene of possibly the most momentous trial in the history of cricket; a quick bag search and body scan bring you straight to a lift that deposits you outside courtroom 4, a judge’s lair that damned three famous Pakistan cricketers. I didn’t know how I’d feel, a voyeur at the prosecution of Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif? There was no thrill at being party to historic events, only sadness, regret — how did we come to this? Butt, Asif, and Mohammad Amir, the third man, were young men of dreams, hopes, and ambitions; to serve their nation and delight their countrymen on fields of cricket that might seem prosaic to most but represent the struggle of millions. Those emotions remain with me after today’s verdicts. Butt and Asif face jail terms. Amir might too, depending on his lawyer’s ability to negotiate a reduced sentence in exchange for an admission of guilt. We will soon discover what will become of the men who confirmed the shameful indulgences of Pakistan cricket. ]]> Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.25902 2011-10-31T01:27:13Z 2011-10-31T04:02:04Z

Kamran Abbasi Azhar Ali is the rock Pakistan need at No.3 © AFP
Is any cricketer bigger than Pakistan? Imran Khan, the man who came closest, held a political rally yesterday in front of Pakistan’s monument to liberty, Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore. Up to 200,000 people came to listen to Imran urge his country to return to the ideals of its founders. Whether or not you agree with Imran’s political views, you could never accuse him of believing himself to be bigger than his country. At a time for noble deeds, some other Pakistan cricketers are awaiting the verdict of Southwark Crown Court in London. Their plight caricatures the ills of the cricketers who succeeded Imran as global ambassadors. If you could accuse any cricketers of considering themselves to be bigger than their country, it is the rogues who have tarnished the nation’s image while on ambassadorial duty. Against this conflicting backdrop Mohsin Khan, once known as the Eagle and now Pakistan’s locum coach, reminded his troops that ‘no matter how big a player you are, you aren’t bigger than Pakistan.’ Be honest, responsible, perform your duty, and deliver your best, urged the Eagle. To his delight, Pakistan’s performance in the second Test against Sri Lanka was true to those sentiments. Misbah-ul Haq’s team seized an early initiative in Dubai, built on it, and finished the job without undue drama; an old-fashioned Test victory unfamiliar to Pakistan’s modern cricket fans. ]]> http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi ]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.25794 2011-10-22T23:11:16Z 2011-10-23T03:28:54Z

Kamran Abbasi Misbah-ul-haq said he was satisfied with Pakistan's efforts in Abu Dhabi © AFP
Anybody in search of final day heroics was best advised to look away from the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan toiled in attack, Sri Lanka toiled in defence. The result wore down viewers, not least because Pakistan failed to take up a challenge created for the age of T20 cricket. Misbah-ul Haq, Pakistan’s captain, said he was satisfied with his team’s efforts, extracting positives not negatives from the performance. Ironically, it was his own negativity that ended up being scrutinised; first Mohali, now this. In fairness, Misbah has a point. Pakistan’s achievements in both first innings were impressive, especially Junaid Khan’s five wicket haul and Taufeeq Umar’s double hundred. Pakistan are troubled by the loss of Mohammad Amir; Junaid and Wahab Riaz are some solace. Pakistan have been troubled far longer by inconsistent openers; it is 19 years since a Pakistani opener, Amir Sohail, scored a double hundred.]]> http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi ]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.25658 2011-10-12T21:57:00Z 2011-10-13T10:46:18Z

Kamran Abbasi Butt’s reign of blunders demonstrates that Pakistan cricket is a resilient enterprise © Associated Press
Ijaz Butt is a miracle man. It was a miracle that he survived so long, and a greater miracle that Pakistan cricket survived him. One consolation from Butt’s reign of blunders is an appreciation that Pakistan cricket is a resilient enterprise, capable of withstanding any number of escapades at the precipice of destruction. Butt’s failed suicide mission has affirmed that Pakistan cricket’s demise will only come with the demise of the country. Under Butt’s half-seeing eye, each routine incident became a crisis, every disaster a calamity. Butt treated a national obsession with utter contempt, yet that obsession is so compulsive that it will endure thanks to the passion of players and supporters. When the Test series begins in Abu Dhabi next week, with one Butt gone and another Butt squirming in a London courtroom, Pakistan cricket will suck in the first breaths of a new life. Butt’s incompetence is surpassed only by his arrogance. The spot-fixing scandal shames Pakistan cricket each day, a potent testament to the failures of his cricket board, an organisation entirely incapable of handling any challenge. An attack on Sri Lanka’s cricketers on the doorstep of the PCB’s headquarters, isolation of Pakistan cricket and its cricketers, and a corruption crisis all demonstrated the failures of governance on Butt’s watch.]]> http://twitter.com/KamranAbbasi I asked Pakistan cricket fans to tweet me their verdicts on Ijaz Butt’s reign. Here is a selection of instant reactions: @ndorobo: Finally, Pak cricket can wake up and rise again. @passioncricket: Congratulations. At last, a dark era in Pakistan cricket has finished. @yasirshahid: So Butt is gone. This is the closest Pakistanis are going to get to their Tahrir Square moment. @mediagag: The night is darkest just before dawn. Really don’t think any night can be darker than Ijaz Butt. @saz69cent: There are people nominated for top PCB positions I wouldn't trust to park my car. @aatifnawaz: I'm gutted he's gone. My stand-up comedy career may well die with the end of his tenure. Here's to hilarious mis-management! @wittytweetspk TauqeerZia Was Better Than ShaharyarKhan WBT NaseemAshraf WBT IjazButt. I fear the day when we will long for Ijaz Butt! ]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.25448 2011-09-26T10:36:45Z 2011-09-26T21:12:50Z

Kamran Abbasi Every man, Shoaib Akhtar included, has a right to make a fool of himself, especially in his autobiography © Getty Images
You might not know there is a vogue for autobiographies by comedians. Indeed, you might not know Shoaib Akhtar as a comedian but, almost by accident, he has made the world laugh. Shoaib is a rare cricketer from his joint hyperextensions to his neuronal synapses. His career has been a journey of scandal interrupted by infrequent displays of brilliance. He is a captivating character on the field of play and an infuriating personality off it. He might even have been great had the fates and his own failings not wrecked his career trajectory. Perhaps that is the fiercest motivation behind his autobiography, ‘Controversially Yours’? A rare man damns his own deeds; far more palatable to damn the deeds of others. Shoaib prefers j’accuse to mea culpa. Shoaib has a point. A more professional cricket board and better team leadership might have guided him more wisely through the scandals that besieged him. The throwing controversy and how it was handled by international umpires and the ICC was not his fault, but much else was. When a man of Bob Woolmer’s consummate loyalty and patience despairs of you, you’d be sensible to look inwards for the source of your problems. ]]> badmashies. Capturing the world according to Shoaib is a worthy effort. He is a difficult man to pin down in a verbal joust. Ask him about Sachin and he’ll tell you about Brian Lara. He will mumble incoherently in English and end with no greater clarity in Urdu. He will use a torrent of words — many in common usage, some of his own invention — in an unpredictable order and manage to say nothing at all. Shoaib remains an entertainer, a legend in his mind’s eye—simply the best, better than the rest. He deserves respect for some of the incredible spells he produced during a tarnished career. He deserves sympathy for the way his cricket board and a succession of captains found it impossible to mentor him. But his career was left unfulfilled by dint of his own misdemeanours as much as, if not more than, by the malice of his enemies. One of the fascinations of human existence is that we might all experience the same events but we will interpret them in our own, possibly very different ways. That is the power of autobiography. It is one view, a chance at explaining how you saw it without fear or contrition, and Shoaib saw that the world was against him. He also saw an opportunity to grab the limelight, to diss and tell. In that moment of mad self-promotion, a moment that the media was happy to help sensationalise, the story of Shoaib Akhtar managed to overshadow the greater history of Imran Khan’s life in cricket and politics, and the lesser landmark of Waqar Younis coaching Pakistan to a whitewash over Zimbabwe in his farewell series. Unfortunately, Shoaib’s achievements take far fewer words to catalogue than his love of controversy. In autobiographies, there is usually no smoke without fire but the heat you feel from the blaze depends on how the central character has read the smoke signals. Shoaib saw an inferno. The marketing team for his publishing house did the rest. Every man, Shoaib Akhtar included, has a right to make a fool of himself, especially in his autobiography. Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi ]]> tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.24804 2011-08-16T14:13:26Z 2011-08-16T18:07:25Z

Kamran Abbasi Pakistan enjoyed an endless supply of quality bowlers. For India, it was batsmen © Getty Images
In a week famous for sixty-fourth anniversaries, India and Pakistan might wish to reflect on the fruits of those intervening years of toil on the cricket field. When midnight’s chimes created two nations in 1947 greater concerns about the division of land, people, infrastructure, and wealth preoccupied people’s minds than partition of cricketing abilities. Today, India stride the upper echelons of cricket both in running the game and performing on the field, despite this summer’s disappointing effort. Pakistan, meanwhile, are struggling to avoid outcast status and soon will do battle with Zimbabwe at the foot of the international table. These might turn out to be transitory positions but at the moment there is a hint of permanency about them. The 1947 distribution of cricketing talents has given rise to broad generalisations, which have to some degree held true. Pakistan has been blessed with fast bowlers of world class, from Fazal Mahmood, through Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis, to the cursed pair of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Amir. Even now, Pakistan’s young breed of Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan are offering hope that the line will continue.]]> India’s pacemen have been more sporadic and less dominant. Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, and Zaheer Khan have fought lone battles. Hypotheses for this disparity have been many: genetic differences, climate, even diet. None are satisfactory or barely plausible. Is there much difference between Delhi and Lahore? The migrations at partition will have made the region more homogenous not less. Indeed, Pakistan’s fast bowlers weren’t especially formidable before Imran Khan, who was greatly influenced and motivated by the speed sensations he encountered during World Series Cricket, the formidable Australian and West Indian pacemen of his era. They were Imran’s role models, driving him to higher speeds and achievement. In turn, Imran was the inspiration of the many Pakistani fast bowlers who followed, and soon he was joined by Wasim and Waqar who created their own legacies and legends. This role-model theory helps explain the different routes taken by cricketers of both nations. India has a regal history in batsmanship, from the masters of bygone days through Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Mohammad Azharuddin to today’s holy trinity of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Sachin Tendulkar. These batting riches are beyond the dreams of Pakistanis who have had to be satisfied with a disintegrating line of Hanif Mohommad, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul Haq, and Mohammad Yousuf, a heritage which ends in nothingness. While bowling is a natural skill that tolerates imitation, batting is more technical and it is not possible to simply rely on following your hero’s example. Success in batting requires advanced technique and a cricketing infrastructure to support the maturation of batsmen. A supportive infrastructure is dependent on the cricket board creating a stable environment for its players. It is here that the failings of Pakistan’s successive cricket boards have had the most damaging effect, and the explanation why batting has become a lost art in Pakistan cricket while fast bowlers emerge unhindered. The success of Indian cricket as an enterprise offers it an opportunity to overcome weaknesses in fast bowling if it chooses to invest in the development of wicket-taking Test fast bowlers rather than breeding run-stoppers for the Indian Premier League. As unlikely as that prospect might be, notwithstanding the way India’s bowling has been exposed on this tour of England, the plight of Pakistan’s batsmen appears far bleaker. Yet the joyous celebrations that marked Pakistan’s Independence Day were a reminder that hope can remain strong even in the face of near calamity. Indeed, the best international performance by a South Asian this summer has come from Pakistan’s Asad Rauf. Both Rauf and Aleem Dar have shown that excellence is achievable whatever the circumstances. Admittedly, ICC’s governance of the elite panel has helped nurture them away from the clutches of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Rauf and Dar have helped banish the ill-repute of Pakistani umpires, a reputation that was well earned, as it was too by umpires of the cricketing powers of Australia, England, and India. So, 64 years has brought us fearsome fast bowlers from Pakistan and wizardly batsmen from India. It has brought us innovative spin bowlers and disastrous fielders from both nations. But it has left us with serious challenges. What can Pakistan cricket, and its batsmen specifically, do to flourish again? Is survival even possible? What can India do to remedy its weakness in fast bowling, and what on earth has happened to Indian umpires? Do they still exist? Perhaps we are witnessing another fine example of Darwinian thinking? Indian batsmen and Pakistani fast bowlers, Indian administrators and Pakistani umpires, this is survival of the fittest. Follow me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/KamranAbbasi tag:blogs.espncricinfo.com,2011:/pakspin//110.24216 2011-07-08T09:33:23Z 2011-07-08T09:55:29Z

Kamran Abbasi Kumar Sangakkara was refreshingly forthright about the politicisation of cricket in Sri Lanka © Matt Bright
World Champions India dominating in the Caribbean, Pakistan cricketers shining in an English domestic tournament, Sri Lanka winning at the home of cricket, Bangladesh a full member of the ICC, all rosy in the garden of South Asian cricket? Rosy, that is, if you choose to turn your gaze from the weeds and parasites destroying this once thriving landscape. An alternative analysis paints a bleaker picture. India dominating but damaging international cricket, the fabric of Pakistan cricket disintegrating by the day, Sri Lanka in the grip of politically motivated decline, and the cricket of Bangladesh no further advanced than in the days before full member status. Worryingly, a gloomier verdict has been gathering momentum for years, and a fortnight of expedient words and some forthright wisdom has brought this important debate back to prominence. The cricketing powers of South Asia face fundamental challenges, as underlined by recent pronouncements by ICC officialdom and Kumar Sangakkara’s libero performance, with the decrepit governance of cricket in the region being the unifying theme. India’s cricket board, the BCCI, faces perhaps the greatest test of character. Having established itself as the power behind the ICC, the BCCI must demonstrate that it is capable of exercising power with responsibility. That responsibility includes the long-term global development of cricket and the welfare of its member cricket boards, a remit that extends far beyond short-term profiteering and promotion of cricket as a national vanity project. ]]> The power of the BCCI is such that criticism falls on deaf ears. What the BCCI wants, whether it is in relation to lucrative national Twenty20 tournaments or the use of technology to support umpiring decisions, is what the BCCI gets. Decisions are couched in diplomatic doublespeak and endorsed by a rubber-stamping majority on the ICC executive. Whether this judgment is harsh or fair will be proven by the outcomes of the ICC’s governance review and the initiative to depoliticise ICC’s member cricket boards. If in two years time the BCCI is strengthened or merely unaffected by any reforms, these initiatives will have been a sham exercise. Alternatively, were BCCI to emerge weaker and less dominant, favouring a more consensual decision-making process, world cricket would be strengthened. Power is a drug and the BCCI appears particularly intoxicated. Outside pressure is unlikely to offer detoxification. The onus is on Indians to speak up to reign in their own cricket board. Many do already, but those voices must be multiplied and amplified to divert the BCCI from its present hubristic course. A bitter irony accompanied ICC’s announcement that politics must be separated from cricket governance since the BCCI has played an astute political game to secure its pre-eminent position in world cricket. The damaging effects of political interference were underlined by Sangakkara’s Spirit of Cricket Lecture at Lord’s this week, and the disease of political interference is a pandemic that engulfs the whole South Asian region in every walk of life. Political interference and obsession with power isn’t unique to South Asia but it threatens the future and integrity of international cricket on a scale unrivalled by any other cricketing country or region. Sangakkara traces Sri Lanka’s cricket troubles back to the World Cup win in 1996. The passion and clarity of his delivery was refreshing for a modern cricketer, and he helped explain Sri Lanka’s failure to move on significantly from that victorious night in Lahore. A reasonable hypothesis is that as a new cricketing nation with a point to prove success was the primary motivation of all stakeholders in Sri Lankan cricket until that triumph filled people’s heads with thoughts of power, fame, and influence. The politics of power devoured the unity that is a prerequisite for success. Sangakkara’s robust critique was impressive for its willingness to reproach his countrymen for the sake of the integrity of cricket in his country. Indeed, Imran Khan delivered last year’s Spirit of Cricket Lecture and disappointed many of his countrymen by failing to speak up about the crisis that is engulfing the Pakistan Cricket Board. Perhaps Imran thought that any criticism would be old hat? Certainly, the report of the ICC Pakistan Task Team has offered no new insights or new solutions to Pakistan’s ills. But it is significant that the task team officially switched its focus to the integrity and governance of Pakistan cricket following the spot-fixing crisis; integrity and good governance first to stabilise Pakistan cricket, the issue of home fixtures a distant second. In polite diplomatic tones the task team is highly critical of the PCB and its governance of Pakistan cricket. The pot calling the kettle black perhaps but considering the change in the task team’s remit the recommendations are difficult to argue with since they are precisely what the PCB’s critics have been demanding. In short, the governance of the PCB and its administration of Pakistan cricket is an absolute shambles requiring root and branch reform. Anybody with any genuine affection for Pakistan cricket would agree with that conclusion. There is no mechanism for implementation of the task force’s recommendations, however. More troublesome still is that rather than the report being helpful since the PCB may not even pay lip service, Pakistan cricket is now set up for two unwelcome outcomes. The absence of a clear road map for the return of international cricket to Pakistan, understandable as it is given the current political climate and the bungling security record of the PCB, the task team has enshrined the policy of Pakistan’s home fixtures being played on neutral venues. Far from hastening tours to Pakistan, the task team has shifted them off the agenda. What’s more, the Pakistan Cricket Board has been officially placed on notice that its ruinous governance is a major contributor to the crises that have damaged and continue to threaten the integrity of international cricket. Instead of the beginning of a journey to rehabilitate Pakistan cricket, were the PCB to ignore the Pakistan Task Team, this might turn out to be the first step on the road to the expulsion of Pakistan from the ICC. 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