World Cup final 1992-Pakistan

World Cup final 1992

Inzamam-ul-Haq

Full name: Inzamam-ul-Haq

Born: March 3, 1970, Multan, Punjab
Current age: 39 years 242 days
Major teams: Pakistan, Asia XI, Faisalabad, ICC World XI, ICL Pakistan XI, Lahore Badshahs, Multan, National Bank of Pakistan, Rawalpindi, United Bank Limited, Yorkshire

Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Slow left-arm orthodox
Profile

Inzamam-ul-Haq is a symbiosis of strength and subtlety. Power is no surprise, but sublime touch is remarkable for a man of his bulk. He loathes exercise and often looks a passenger in the field, but with a willow between his palms he is suddenly galvanised. He plays shots all round the wicket, is especially strong off his legs, and unleashes ferocious pulls and lofted drives. Imran Khan rates him the best batsman in the world against pace. Early on he is vulnerable playing across his front pad or groping outside off stump. He uses his feet well to the spinners, although this aggression can be his undoing. Inzi keeps a cool head in a crisis and has succeeded Javed Miandad as Pakistan's premier batsman, but his hapless running between wickets is legendary and most dangerous for his partners. There were no such problems against New Zealand at a boiling Lahore in 2001-02, when Inzamam belted 329, the second-highest Test score by a Pakistani and the tenth-highest by anyone. However, he was then dogged by poor form, scoring just 16 runs in Pakistan's ill-fated World Cup campaign in 2003. He was dropped from the team briefly, but then roared back to form, scoring a magnificent unbeaten 138 and guiding Pakistan to a thrilling one-wicket win against Bangladesh at Multan. He was rewarded with the captaincy of the team, and despite leading them to victory in the Test series in New Zealand, question-marks about his leadership qualities surfaced when Pakistan were beaten in both the Test series and the one-dayers against India. But the selectors persevered with him and this bore results when he took a team thin on bowling resources to India and drew the Test series with a rousing performance in the final Test, Inzamam's 100th. After scoring a magnificent 184, Inzamam led the team astutely on a tense final day and took Pakistan to victory. Since that day, Inzamam has gone from strength to strength as captain and premier batsman. By scoring a hundred against West Indies in June 2005, he kept up a remarkable record of matchwinning centuries, amongt the best of modern-day batsmen. A magnificent year ended with Inzamam leading his team to triumph over Ashes-winning England; personally the series was arguably his best ever. He never failed to make a fifty, scored twin centuries at Faisalabad for the first time, going past Miandad as Pakistan's leading century-maker and joining him as only the second Pakistani with 8000 Test runs. As captain, he never looked more a leader, uniting a young, inexperienced team and turning them, once again, into a force to matter globally. The turn of the year brought contemplation; he missed the Test victory over India at Karachi with a persistent back injury. The subsequent ODI thrashing also raised concerns about Inzamam as ODI captain, none of which were entirely wiped away during ODI and Test wins in Sri Lanka. Pakistan were then beaten comprehensively in the Test series in England though all was forgotten - including Inzamam's own poor form - by events at The Oval. There, Inzamam, astonishingly for a man perceived as so insouciant, became the most controversial figure in cricket for a week, leading his side off the field in protest at charges of ball tampering made by umpires Billy Doctrove and Darrell Hair. They refused to come out at first, then delayed the start before eventually forfeiting the Test, the first time in the history of the game. In Pakistan, he became a national hero, saviour of a country's pride and honour. He was banned for four ODIs and returned to lead the side to a series-win over West Indies followed by a disappointing Test series in South Africa, and then quit the one-day game after Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup at the first hurdle, an event overshadowed by the death of Bob Woolmer. Even though he expressed his desire to be part of the Test team, Inzamam was not offered a central contract in July and, according to a few, might signal the end of his illustrious international career.

He, however, made that decision himself after signing up for the Indian Cricket League and faced a life-time ban from PCB. He later quit the ICL and made himself available for selection. The second Test against South Africa in Lahore was his farewell game. He fell just two short of Javed Miandad's record for the highest Test aggregate by a Pakistan batsman and 60 short of a career average of 50.

Inzamam-ul-Haq In Action and Reaction:

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PAKISTAN "1992 CRICKET WORLD CUP CHAMPION

The 1992 Cricket World Cup was won by Pakistan, under the leadership of the legendary Imran Khan. They defeated England by 22 runs in a spell-binding final at Melbourne Cricket Ground. New Zealand and South Africa were the other semifinalists.
The 1992 Cricket World Cup (aka Benson & Hedges World Cup) was the fifth edition of the tournament and was won by Pakistan. It was held from February 22 to March 25, 1992 in Australia and New Zealand

Imran Khan

Imran Khan Niazi (Urdu: عمران خان نیازی) (born 25 November 1952) is a retired Pakistani cricketer who played international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century and has been a politician since the mid-1990s. Currently, besides his political activism, Khan is also a charity worker and cricket commentator.

Khan played for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992 and served as its captain intermittently throughout 1982-1992. After retiring from cricket at the end of the 1987 World Cup, he was called back to join the team in 1988. At 39, Khan led his teammates to Pakistan's first and only World Cup victory in 1992. He has a record of 3807 runs and 362 wickets in Test cricket, making him one of eight world cricketers to have achieved an 'All-rounder's Triple' in Test matches.[1]

In April 1996, Khan founded and became the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice), a small and marginal political party, of which he is the only member ever elected to Parliament.[2] He represented Mianwali as a member of the National Assembly from November 2002 to October 2007.[3] Khan, through worldwide fundraising, helped establish the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre in 1996 and Mianwali's Namal College in 2008.

Family, education, and personal life:

Imran Khan was born to Shaukat Khanum and Ikramullah Khan Niazi, a civil engineer, in Lahore. A quiet and shy boy in his youth, Khan grew up in a middle-class family with four sisters.[4] Settled in Punjab, Khan's father descended from the pashtun Niazi Shermankhel tribe of Mianwali.[5] His maternal family includes successful cricketers such as Javed Burki and Majid Khan.[5] Khan was educated at Aitchison College, the Cathedral School in Lahore, and the Royal Grammar School Worcester in England, where he excelled at cricket. In 1972, he enrolled to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College, Oxford, where he graduated with a second-class degree in Politics and a third in Economics.[6]

On 16 May 1995, Khan married English socialite Jemima Goldsmith, a convert to Islam, in a two-minute Islamic ceremony in Paris. A month later, on 21 June, they were married again in a civil ceremony at the Richmond register office in England, followed by a reception at the Goldsmiths' house in Surrey.[7] The marriage, described as "tough" by Khan,[5] produced two sons, Sulaiman Isa (born 18 November 1996) and Kasim (born 10 April 1999).[8] As an agreement of his marriage, Khan spent four months a year in England. On 22 June 2004, it was announced that the Khans had divorced because it was "difficult for Jemima to adapt to life in Pakistan".[9]

Khan now resides in Bani Gala, Islamabad, where he built a farmhouse with the money he gained from selling his London flat. He grows fruit trees, wheat, and keeps cows, while also maintaining a cricket ground for his two sons, who visit during their holidays.[5] Khan is also reported to be in regular contact with Tyrian Jade Khan-White, his alleged daughter whom he has never publicly acknowledged.[10]

Cricket career:

Khan made a lacklustre first-class cricket debut at the age of sixteen in Lahore. By the start of the 1970s, he was playing for his home teams of Lahore A (1969-70), Lahore B (1969-70), Lahore Greens (1970-71) and, eventually, Lahore (1970-71).[11] Khan was part of Oxford University's Blues Cricket team during the 1973-75 seasons.[6] At Worcestershire, where he played county cricket from 1971 to 1976, he was regarded as only an average medium pace bowler. During this decade, other teams represented by Khan include Dawood Industries (1975-76) and Pakistan International Airlines (1975-76 to 1980-81). From 1983 to 1988, he played for Sussex.[1]

In 1971, Khan made his Test cricket debut against England at Birmingham. Three years later, he debuted in the One Day International (ODI) match, once again playing against England at Nottingham for the Prudential Trophy. After graduating from Oxford and finishing his tenure at Worcestershire, he returned to Pakistan in 1976 and secured a permanent place on his native national team starting from the 1976-77 season, during which they faced New Zealand and Australia.[11] Following the Australian series, he toured the West Indies, where he met Tony Greig, who signed him up for Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket.[1].His credentials as one of the fastest bowlers of the world started to establish when he finished third at 139.7 km/h in a fast bowling contest at Perth in 1978, behind Jeff Thomson and Michael Holding, but ahead of Dennis Lillee, Garth Le Roux and Andy Roberts.[1]. Khan also achieved a Test Cricket Bowling rating of 922 points against India on 30 January 1983. Highest at the time, the performance ranks third on ICC's All Time Test Bowling Rating.[12].

Khan achieved the all-rounder's triple (securing 3000 runs and 300 wickets) in 75 Tests, the second fastest record behind Ian Botham's 72. He is also established as having the second highest all-time batting average of 61.86 for a Test batsman playing at position 6 of the batting order.[13] He played his last Test match for Pakistan in January 1992, against Sri Lanka at Faisalabad. Khan retired permanently from cricket six months after his last ODI, the historic 1992 World Cup final against England at Melbourne, Australia.[14] He ended his career with 88 Test matches, 126 innings and scored 3807 runs at an average of 37.69, including six centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score was 136 runs. As a bowler, he took 362 wickets in Test cricket, which made him the first Pakistani and world's fourth bowler to do so.[1] In ODIs, he played 175 matches and scored 3709 runs at an average of 33.41. His highest score remains 102 not out. His best ODI bowling is documented at 6 wickets for 14 runs.

Captaincy

At the height of his career, in 1982, the thirty-year old Khan took over the captaincy of the Pakistani cricket team from Javed Miandad. Recalling his initial discomfort with this new role, he later said, "When I became the cricket captain, I couldn’t speak to the team directly I was so shy. I had to tell the manager, I said listen can you talk to them, this is what I want to convey to the team. I mean early team meetings I use to be so shy and embarrassed I couldn’t talk to the team."[15] As a captain, Khan played 48 Test matches, out of which 14 were won by Pakistan, 8 lost and the rest of 26 were drawn. He also played 139 ODIs, winning 77, losing 57 and ending one in a tie.[1]

In the team's second match under his leadership, Khan led them to their first Test win on English soil for 28 years at Lord's.[16] Khan's first year as captain was the peak of his legacy as a fast bowler as well as an all-rounder. He recorded the best Test bowling of his career while taking 8 wickets for 58 runs against Sri Lanka at Lahore in 1981-82.[1] He also topped both the bowling and batting averages against England in three Test series in 1982, taking 21 wickets and averaging 56 with the bat. Later the same year, he put up a highly acknowledged performance in a home series against the formidable Indian team by taking 40 wickets in six Tests at an average of 13.95. By the end of this series in 1982-83, Khan had taken 88 wickets in 13 Test matches over a period of one year as captain.[11]

A graph showing Imran Khan's test career bowling statistics and how they have varied over time.This same Test series against India, however, also resulted in a stress fracture in his shin that kept him out of cricket for more than two years. An experimental treatment funded by the Pakistani government helped him recover by the end of 1984 and he made a successful comeback to international cricket in the latter part of the 1984-85 season.[1]

In 1987, Khan led Pakistan to its first Test series win in India, which was followed by Pakistan's first series victory in England the same year.[16] During the 1980s, his team also recorded three creditable draws against the West Indies. India and Pakistan co-hosted the 1987 World Cup, but neither ventured beyond the semi-finals. Khan retired from international cricket at the end of the World Cup. In 1988, he was asked to return to the captaincy by the President Of Pakistan, General Zia-Ul-Haq, and on 18 January, he announced his decision to rejoin the team.[1] Soon after returning to the captaincy, Khan led Pakistan to another winning tour in the West Indies, which he has recounted as "the last time I really bowled well".[5] He was declared Man of the Series against West Indies in 1988 when he took 23 wickets in 3 tests.[1]

Khan's career-high as a captain and cricketer came when he led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Playing with a brittle batting lineup, Khan promoted himself as a batsman to play in the top order along with Javed Miandad, but his contribution as a bowler was minimal. At the age of 39, Khan scored the highest runs of all the Pakistani batsmen and took the winning last wicket himself.[11] Khan's acceptance of the World Cup trophy on behalf of the Pakistani team, however, drew criticism. It was reported that Khan's decision to not mention his teammates and his country in his acceptance speech, and instead his focus on himself and his upcoming cancer hospital, "annoyed and embarrassed" many citizens. "Imran's 'I' 'Me' and 'My' speech has upset everyone," read an editorial in the Daily Nation newspaper, which labeled the acceptance speech a "jarring note".[17]

ICC World Twenty20 2009

Pakistan ICC World Twenty20 2009 Champions

Shahid Afridi's sensible yet electrifying batting, with a couple of boom-booms thrown in for good measure, helped Pakistan overtake Sri Lanka's modest score with 8 balls to go, and bag the Championship. With his outstanding bowling throughout the tournament, and great batting towards the final stages, Shahid Afridi has risen to iconic status that was reserved for the likes of Imran Khan in a nation troubled by conflicts for so long.


Afridi's unbeaten 54 and a wicket of the very last ball, earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. He hit two sixes and two fours, and the winning runs, after which he stood and saluted the thousands of elated Pakistani supporters in his usual trademark style.

It was the second global one-day title for Pakistan after Imran Khan's side rallied in similar fashion to win the 1992 50-over World Cup. Pakistan lost the inaugural Twenty20 final in 2007 to India.

Sri Lanka had effectively lost the match in the first six powerplay overs, after they were down 32 for 4. A captain's innings from Kumar Sangakkara and a late charge by Angelo Mathews (partnership of 68 runs in 43 deliveries) boosted Sri Lanka to 138 for 6. Abdul Razzaq claimed a wicket in each of his first three overs, removing Jehan Mubarak for a duck, Sanath Jayasuriya for 17 and Mahela Jaywardene for one.

Shahid Afridi likely to be handed over Captaincy sooner.

If the recent statements by some of the Board officials serve as any indication then Younis Khan’s days in office appear to be numbered with the ‘establishment’ putting its entire weight before Shahid Afridi.

The manner in which Younis is being condemned with Shahid being promoted as a more proactive cricketer there’s ample evidence to suggest that a change is in the offing and it seems a matter of time for the decision to be announced.

Unfortunately the affairs of the cricket board in Pakistan have been run unprofessionally more often than not over the years and now it could be the turn of Younis to face the music.

Isn’t it funny to note that Younis has sought audience with the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt, in which he would discuss his fitness and availability for the one-dayers against New Zealand in Dubai in November?

Did the Pakistan captain need to approach the top official of the PCB just to let him know about his fitness? There is a whole army of managers to general managers in the PCB who are being obliged with salaries and perks worth millions of Rupees every month. Isn’t anyone of them capable enough to look into this matter?

What about Wasim Bari, the Chief Operating Officer of the PCB? Doesn’t his job description include keeping track of things as important as the fitness of the captain of the national team?

The whole world knows that Younis had fractured a finger on the eve of the ICC Champions Trophy last month. He had missed the opening game against the West Indies which Pakistan won under the captaincy of Shahid Afridi.

There are conflicting reports why Younis returned to side without regaining fitness. One school of thought believes had he had to fast track his return because he felt threatened to lose his job if the team continued its winning streak under the caretaker captain.

Younis is also reported to have prevailed over the team management who were not very keen to let him play before fully recovering from the fracture. On the positive side, he didn’t desire the team to suffer on the account of inexperience as his ouster would have definitely created a big hole in batting.

The decision of Younis to continue playing despite carrying the injury brought mixed results. He didn’t get many runs against India but his brilliant direct hit to run out Gautam Gambhir turned the tide decisively in Pakistan’s favour. The way the left-handed Gambhir was flaying the bowling only a freak dismissal could have brought about his demise and so did it happen.

Younis did fairly well in the last league fixture against Australia, the eventual champions. All the pressure was on the Australians and the Pakistan captain had every reason to smile throughout the game that produced a close result rather unexpectedly.

The New Zealanders, after a very long time, managed to put their acts together against Pakistan and there was not much Younis could have done. He did drop a sitter but that’s very much a part and parcel of the game and doesn’t merit suspicion or clarification.

If the movers and shakers of the PCB have already decided to bring in Shahid in place of Younis then the latter might be, for the purpose of face-saving, may be advised to declare himself unavailable for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.

Younis Khan Resigns Once more.

Resignation is nothing new to Younis Khan who has had this habit of treating the national captaincy as yet another assignment. Although he has been around in international cricket for nearly a decade now, he's yet to learn the basics of conducting oneself after having reached the status of a celebrity.

His latest resignation came on October 13 even after being cleared by a parliamentary sports committee on charges of match-fixing in the ICC Champions Trophy. He told the committee that he was upset over the charges and he was not prepared to continue leading the national cricket team.

Younis has been found vulnerable whenever coping with the pressure. He has become so predictable with his acts. He is just not able to put his acts together when he is confronted with a situation that demands one to be sensible and smart.

He talks big but he has been found wanting more often than not when it comes to delivering. He succumbs to the pressure far too easily and his opponents know it very well how to test him.

Be it the members of the National Assembly or the media corps, Younis probably treats everyone as his enemy who doesn't subscribe to his theories. He has repeatedly passed the impression of losing his temper far too quickly and thus committing mistakes that could easily have been avoided.

Younis possibly thought that his job was done when he handed his resignation letter to Ijaz Butt, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who was also present in the hearing.

Not for the first time Younis ran away as quickly as he could, not even caring to explain to the waiting media if he was bidding farewell to the game for good. "I have resigned as a captain. I won't say a word more." That was all he said.

The PCB Chairman said he was stunned by the decision. "I had absolutely no idea that he had the resignation letter in his jacket and I was surprised when he produced it," Ijaz Butt was quoted as saying.

But the stories are doing the rounds that some elements in the PCB are conspiring against Younis and they desire Shahid Afridi to take up the national captaincy for the upcoming series against New Zealand.

"Younis Khan was mystified as to why vice-captain Shahid Afridi was called up to discuss the New Zealand and Australia series when the captain himself was available in the country and recovering from what was only a hairline fracture. He could not understand the reason for being left out of the loop for two very important tours," one of the unnamed PCB officials confided to a leading national daily.

Younis has been under fire even after his team had made it to the Champions Trophy against all odds. Even some members of the PCB have openly criticized his leadership qualities and they are believed to be lobbying for his ouster.

The PCB Chairman has refrained from accepting the resignation of Younis promptly but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's not a part of the conspiracy hatched against the short-tempered skipper.

Misbah disappointed

By the look of things Misbah-ul-Haq has been jolted with his omission from the Pakistan squads for the upcoming series of One-day Internationals, Twenty20 Internationals and Test matches against New Zealand.

The Pakistan squads were announced on October 22 and it appears as if Misbah was simply unaware of the line of thinking of the members of the national selection committee. His ‘informers’ were probably caught napping. Otherwise he might not have reacted so sharply when he came to know about his exclusion.

If Misbah had any idea of the selectors ruling him out from every squad he might have been tempted to use political channels to stay in the team.

There’s also a possibility that the decision to drop him was somehow kept a secret or the selection committee received the go-ahead signal from the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at the eleventh hour.

Whatever the reasons of his sacking, whether right or right, the selectors have certainly been embarrassed because on the same day Misbah scored an unbeaten 153 for Sui Northern Gas Company Limited (SNGCL) against Lahore Shalimar at the LCCA Ground in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to dispel thoughts of loss of form.

I don’t think it’s going to be the end of the road for Misbah in international cricket as some of the commentators have passed the pressure. In fact I won’t be surprised if he regains his spot in the team even during the upcoming series against New Zealand.

The ball is in the court of Misbah and if plays his cards sensibly, besides scoring heavily and consistently in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the selectors might be prompted to recall him for the Test series later this year. If he could not be sent as replacement to New Zealand, he will be a strong contender for the series against Australia that follows soon afterwards.

There is plenty of cricket ahead for Pakistan in the next 12 months and Misbah can’t be written off so soon. He has the potential to stage a comeback. With Pakistan now playing even their ‘home’ matches abroad there’s greater chance of a vacancy being created in the batting department.

Misbah did have a poor run in all the three formats last year, after being so successful the year before, but he still has a lot to offer and there’s every chance for him returning to the national team sooner than later.

Misbah is a mentally tough character. He has shown his worth against strong teams after making a dramatic comeback in the international arena during the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007. He very nearly earned the crown for Pakistan almost single-handedly.

He then consolidated his position in the Test team by playing some fabulous knocks on Pakistan’s last tour to India in 2007-08. He became a permanent member of the team but with the return of Mohammad Yousuf and the advent of newcomers like Umar Akmal and his own form declining, the selectors now have given him a break.

Misbah would be hoping that this indeed is just a break and he could return with a bang in not too distant future.

Younis forces PCB Chairman to dump Yawar

It’s an open secret that skipper Younis Khan and manager Yawar Saeed were not having eye to eye contact for a long time and the gulf between the two had widened to the stage that one of them had to quit.

The soft spoken Yawar, as everybody knew, had been brought in as manager due to non-cricketing reasons. His strong political connections and personal friendship with the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt, had earned him the slot that in the opinion of many he didn’t deserve in the first place.

Yawar has had the reputation of being a cool-headed gentleman who seldom talks nonsense. He had held managerial positions with the national cricket team in the past as well but that indeed was very long time ago.

The appointment of Ijaz Butt as the Chairman of the PCB last autumn opened the floodgates for Yawar and he was back in the thick of the things. Apparently he didn’t have problems working with Shoaib Malik who was the captain of the team at the time of his induction as manager.

The equation and the situation changed when Younis Khan was installed as the skipper during the home series against Sri Lanka. There was so scandal or drama initially but the observers had noted that Younis and Yawar were not on same wavelength.

The friends of Younis then reckoned that Yawar was associated with the team with the mission of toppling the skipper. The buzz was that Yawar was actually there to ‘spy’ for the PCB Chairman and report the movements of all the players directly to him confidentially.

The differences between Younis and Yawar started to become more obvious during the tour of Sri Lanka and it appeared a matter of time for one of them to bite the dust upon the return of the team.

Yawar was reportedly backing Shahid Afridi to take over the reigns that indeed infuriated Younis and it was about time for the showdown.

The fate of Younis was hanging in balance after the unexpected loss to New Zealand in the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy and his injury was not helping matters either. Yawar was all set to accompany the national team as manager for the upcoming contests against New Zealand.

Ijaz Butt’s last one-to-one meeting with Younis changed the scenario and the PCB Chairman succumbed to the pressures of the skipper whom he delegated the powers he had been asking for.

Only time will tell if the PCB Chairman’s decision to empower Younis was a correct one or it would turn out to be yet another blunder. Yawar, meanwhile, has become a casualty, and he has been replaced by Abdul Raqeeb.

Iqbal Qasim Unwilling to Take New Zealand lightly.

Iqbal Qasim, the greatest left-arm spinner produced by the country now heading the national selection committee, sees no point in taking the New Zealanders lightly against whom Pakistan have had excellent record in all forms of the game.

He is a man of few words. He believes in maintaining a low-profile and refrains from unnecessary controversies. But he is one man who is focused and strong-headed who understands the game and its management better than many others. He has done wonders as the head of the sports division of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and now it’s the turn of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to benefit from his expertise.

“New Zealand could be considered as somewhat weaker opponents while taking on Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the placid pitches and the hot weather would not be to their liking. But they would be a different proposition altogether in their own backyard,” Iqbal Qasim reckoned in an exclusive interview.

“New Zealand may not be having too many big names in their ranks at the moment but they are a hard-working side whose approach to the game is professional. They have a few outstanding youngsters who remain a threat to every opposition. Our team has to perform well to overpower them even in the UAE,” the chief selector felt.

Iqbal Qasim, who will be traveling to the UAE with the national squad for the upcoming limited overs series against New Zealand, expected his boys to play to their potential and emerge triumphant ahead of the Test series.

“Our boys will be put to real test in New Zealand where the playing conditions are entirely different to the ones in this region of the world. They could make life difficult for the home side if they continue performing consistently,” he believed.

“The average New Zealand teams more often than not pose a danger for the more fancied outfits because they have nothing to lose and it’s the pride of their opponents that’s at stake. Therefore our team will be needed to mobilize all its resources to tame them in their own den,” Iqbal Qasim remarked.

Talking further, the chief selector didn’t think of Australia, Pakistan’s next destination after New Zealand, as a weakened side despite the retirement of the likes of Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Mathew Hayden and Justin Langer.

“Remember Australia are one sporting nation who only believe in pushing forward. That’s the secret of their success. They don’t waste their time in counter-productive activities. They are focused about the job in their hand than worrying for the past or the future. Their agenda is to dominate and win,” Iqbal Qasim said.

“Australia are the only cricket team who try to give more than 100% even when playing in the comfort of their own grounds. They are mentally tough who don’t get carried away with odd hassles or too. They don’t mourn defeats like other nations. Neither do they get absorbed in long celebrations after a win. They lead life more professionally than anyone else,” he elaborated.

“The Australian think-thank is always on the move. They keep on devising strategies and have backup plans. That’s why they don’t get entangled into problems. They know exactly how to combat a crisis,” Iqbal Qasim complimented.

“Obviously Pakistan would be able to come to terms with Australia only if they deliver on a consistent basis. Our bowling has the penetration to check their batters. If our batsmen also get going we can offer tough fight to the Aussies,” he concluded.

Dhoni Stars in a falbulous win.

It was all about Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on October 28. He played the innings of his lifetime that enabled India to erect their highest-ever ODI total against Australia. Then he led from the front in the field until he himself whipped the bails off to run out the last man to signal the end of the match.

The skipper was the star of India’s most comprehensive win over Australia for quite some time. The Indians needed something as awesome as this one to stamp their authority over the Aussies whom they have been giving tough time for a number of years now.
The Indian cricket fans would remember the day for a long time as they watched the Aussies being floored decisively by a determined outfit who outplayed their fancied rivals in the two key departments of the game, batting and bowling.
It doesn’t really how many qualified coaches do they hire and how many youngsters do they blood, the standard of Indian fielding remained as dismal as it has mostly been over the years. Their batting and bowling has improved in leaps and bounds but fielding is an area that remains a cause of concern for them all along.
The Indians are fortunate to have been blessed by so many outstanding batsmen and bowlers at the moment. No other team possibly can be expected to win a game if they field as poorly as they do.
What a pity that they could still not raise their spirits in the field when in the driving seat. The Australians were always going to struggle while chasing a target of 355 against a potent bowling attack.
The Indians would have won the match by a much bigger margin if their fielding was upto the mark. The manner in which Praveen Kumar misfielded more than once was shameful of an international cricketer. He made a mess of a catch in the deep that should have been nothing more than a regulation catch near the fence. Instead he gifted a six to Shaun Marsh much to the dismay of left-arm spinner Ravindu Jadeja who was bowling exceptionally well.

The catching technique of Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh in the outfield also left a lot to be desired. Even the schoolboys in Australia and South Africa are expected to take the catches that they dropped.
The Indians should be indebted to their captain for not having lost his cool even with those dreaded lapses in the field by the celebrated members of his team. He made near perfect bowling changes to ensure that the match was never opened.
Earlier in the day Dhoni entertained the crowd with one of the greatest ODI innings. Coming in to bat at number five he initially consolidated the innings with Gautam Gambhir and then cut loose in the company of Suresh Raina. He scored 124 off 107 balls to power India to their highest-ever total against Australia.