Shoaib makes a fun comeback

Ok, last few posts on this blog before we move permanently to the new site. Things are looking quite good for Pakistan and they might win the ODI series against South Africa, which they haven't done in ages...or according to my brother, never.

Pakistan are currently at 88/2, after restricting SA to 233/9. Shoaib Akhtar was included in the squad, ahead of Mohammad Asif (who's still clutching his elbow) and Umar Gul (unfair I think, Gul is brilliant, though I guess Shoiab Akhtar may be better, since he's genuinely fast). I swear, Shoiab would rock so much if he behaved...no drugs, no attacking people, no sneaking out. Piaget (a psychologist) would say that Shoiab is still stuck in his egocentric phase...can you tell I'm writing my psyc exam tomorrow?

Now Pakistan are 121/2. Shows how long I'm taking to update here. We lost our openers Imran Nazir (who is better than Yasir Hameed I guess, at least he scores before he goes out) and Kamran Akmal (who still sucks so bad as a wicketkeeper) went on a slogging spree and Imo made 17 and Kamran 24 before going out. Since then, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan have been out there, taking quick singles and whacking the ball when they can. Well done to them both for playing smartly and hopefully they'll take us to the end.

Now let's talk about some players of note. Shoaib Akhtar obviously, who managed 4 for 43. He bowled brilliantly at the death and took the wickets of Smith, Kallis, Boucher and Morkel. Kallis made 86, which I blame on Kamran, because he dropped a sitter earlier on in the day. We really need a new wicketkeeper! It's kinda become a thing of shame really, to be caught behind by Akmal, who may be the worst wicketkeeper in the world from the big teams.

Geoff Lawson talks about the games, captain Shoaib Malik and his Urdu, an excerpt below:

How is Shoaib Malik coming along as captain?

We have a very good understanding and we get on very well. We sit down and discuss whatever, how practice is going, certain players, who's in the team etc. We're very good that way. The fact that he is a young captain helps both of us. He hasn't got entrenched ideas. He listens, takes things on board. He likes to do things a certain way. But he's only going to get better. He has done two Tests and a few ODIs but he is going to get better.

He is even better with the players. From what I can understand, how he interacts with the players is a bit different to how it used to be traditionally in Pakistan and that is a good thing. It's more towards - for want of a better word - an Australian type of system. Everyone in the Australian cricket team is basically equal: yes there are senior players but a player making his debut can have whatever conversation he can have with the captain any time. That is what we have to get to.

In this group we have at the moment, we're getting the hang of that. If you exchange ideas you become better cricketers and that is the bottom line. That is why we want more communication within the team and whatever squad we pick.

Has communication with the players been an issue at all?

My Urdu is coming along - they love it when I use Urdu. But no, there is very little problem. I just have to speak slowly because Australians speak quickly anyway. Just a couple of times if there has been a problem with some of the guys whose English isn't quite that good, the other guys will make sure they know. So that's almost been no problem at all. As long as I speak slowly and pronounce my words clearly which you should any time, there is no problem.

Cute. Geoff, while you're there, please teach the team some English, except without the Australian accent. Also, Lawson is looking forward to the India tour, insisting that the Twenty20 defeat has just whetted Pakistan's zest to beat the crap out of India. Metaphorically of course. He also says that while Pakistan are getting fitter, they still have a long way to go before reaching their fitness peak.

"They are really a group of good people besides being good cricketers. They want to do well and work hard,"

"But physically they are still nine to 12 months away from being as fit as they should be. They are that far away from being where they should be as professional cricketers.

"The players have responded well to hard training but what is frustrating for me most is we do some things really well and than we fall back. But I knew it would take time and I am reasonably happy with the progress."

Finally, before going back to the game. Abdur Razzaq has come out of retirement and insists that he has a lot of cricket left in him and will play for the ICL (where he signed on after not being considered for the Twenty20 World Cup). He has not ruled out playing for Pakistan however and says he'll discuss things with the PCB in case they need him like they needed MoYo.

And back to MoYo and YoKha...yeah, that doesn't sound too good, lol. They are now at 138/2, with Younis Khan having made his 28th ODI fifty. Unfortantely, Mohammad is taking things easy and has scored just 40 runs from 70 balls. Oh well, better to preserve the wickets of course, and save them for the last 5-10 overs. Pakistan need 90 runs from 21 overs. Things are looking good and I'm out here to study.

Cheers all, go Pakistan!

What are Pakistan trying to do?!

Good morning all and another wet and windy Joburg day. How brilliant. Things looking a bit dodgy for Pakistan though. Some admin crap...still doing the shifting. I'm too scared to move it all before the end of the month because I wanna disable this blog first...Google might get me for duplication of content. Anyways, back to the cricket.

Pakistan are desperate to win this match so we can win the series...so today, when they won the toss (for once) Shoaib Malik took the bat. So far, it is not paying off. Shahid Afridi went out for a duck in the second over...so there's another opening partnership that sucks. And now Yasir Hameed just went out in the 9th over and Pakistan are 20/2...could it be looking any worse?

-Roll eyes- This is so not good! I still think that Pakistan are better at chasing than scoring big totals. Pressure does us good...erm, sometimes. Now Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf are out there. Please, they have to do something! Though losing this match wouldn't be the worst thing. We'd still have a chance in the final ODI...but knowing Pakistan, we'd lose that, just from the pressure. Ok, some boundaries being made, but we need some serious slogging and clever shots to get us to a decent total.

Let's leave that mound of depression for a while. In other news, Shoaib Akhtar probably won't be playing in the final ODI, but Nasim Ashraf (PCB chairman) insists that he expects the best from Shoaib and the rest of the squad when they go for the tour of India.

"The tour of India is certainly the most important assignment for our team and is perhaps even more important than the World Cup...I expect that all the players, including Shoaib Akhtar, would be at their best behaviour and give 100%.

"I hope that Shoaib will be a changed man on the tour of India,"

"It is his last chance and we all hope that this time he would not waste it. He also has a point to prove and should give his best to silence his critics who believe he is a spent force."

Why would you put such pressure on the team Nasim? While Pakistan-India is always interesting, it's stupid to say that it's more important than the world cup. India is always a bogey team for us, no matter how well we're performing because there's just so much pressure to win. Why can't you just wish them the best and say you'll be proud of them no matter what the result? Then when they come back, you can ax anyone who played badly, quietly.

And Indian bowler RP Singh thinks that because of the way that India lost to Australia, they will surely win against Pakistan. Yeah RP, that makes so much sense. India lose terribly to Australia...and thus, by the natural balance of things, they should win against Pakistan? Whatever. If anyone should get a beamer, it's him...and Sreesanth. That little goblin annoys me to no ends.

Crap...I really have to stop cursing people. I will leave you all in a depressed state. Pakistan are now 38/3, with Mohammad Yousuf just being run out. 13 overs are now over and it's just Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq there to do something. And Kamran Akmal I guess, but I don't really set any hopes on him. And now I shall leave, weeping bitterly.

Bye all!

No-one likes Karachi

Me neither. The only place in Pakistan I like is Lahore...and Maree, which is like this totally gorgeous place on the hills. Primitive as hell but you get snow there. SNOW!

Ok, can you tell I love cold weather? And the fact that it's a chilly, gloomy Joburg morning is so getting to me. Nice, nice weather. Now I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that OVER THE SLIPS is closing...at the end of the month. Wait, 'redirected' would be a better word. It's found it's permanent home at overtheslips.soggycornflakes.com. But I know it'll take me a while to get everything up and running over there (Blogger is so much easier than Wordpress) and I have to move posts and resubmit the site to all these funny places. But it will ok, I hope and I'll have a whole new template to screw around with, yay. Oh ya, and the bad news is I have to do all that work mentioned above.

So, cricket news. All people in Karachi, sorry. South Africa refuse to play the final ODI there and so it is being moved back to Lahore. See? This is what you get when you let a bunch of nutters walk to street...you don't get to watch good cricket. The PCB doesn't like the decision though and insist that Karachi is safe...have you institutionalized the nutters? No? Then it isn't safe. Yes I know I'm not being the most patriotic Pakistani but whatever.

The pathologist who said that Bob Woolmer was strangled is standing by his findings, insisting that the ex-Pakistan coach really was poisoned and killed. However, he has been critisized for his methods and since 3 pathologists said he died of natural causes, who are you going to believe?

Finally, with Pakistani's more than happy to bomb up their own country and people, India are scared that they might do the same over there and have only allowed 250 visas to be issued to Pakistani's for the tour in India. This is way, way less than what was asked for by the PCB (5000 visas) but crap happens.

And that's it. Have a good day everyone. Oh, and before you start thinking of me as the Pakistani girl who's lost all her roots, I'm not. And I know Pakistan is full of great people and just like any other country, a few freaks ruin it for the rest of us. Oh well, good luck Pakistan for tomorrow!

We won, we won, we won, we won!

Now put that next to a picture of me dancing around my room. Yesterday was a good day for my teams. Pakistan won at night and Arsenal totally thrashed Slavia Praha in the evening...so Yay! Not much going on in the cricketing scene though...

The Bob Woolmer inquests continues and basically it's a dissing session for international pathologists to tell the Jamaican ones how much they suck. Reportedly, the pathologists who said that Bob had been strangled were full of crap.

The Pakistan tour of India will clash with the matches of the Indian Cricket League. How very exciting. I don't really care anymore since we got Mohammad Yousuf back. Everyone else sucks and they can go play for money.

Finally, Shahid Afridi has dropped out of the All-star sixes in Hong Kong this weekend, preferring to play against South Africa. And ya...that's it for the day.

And another good morning...

Inshallah Pakistan can bank on another win today. I'm not jinxing it but Pakistan have played well today to restrict South Africa to 194 all out. Even with the almost half centuries from Smith and Kemp, South Africa's batting line-up struggled and no-one else could manage to get more than 20 runs. It's very sad...but yay for Pakistan!

Shahid Afridi and Iftikhar Anjum picked up 3 wickets a piece and Umar Gul got two, restricting the South Africans nicely before cleaning up the tail.

Oh crap. Pakistan are now at 58/2. Everyone got tired of waiting for Imran Nazir to click and so Afridi and Yasir Hameed were sent out to open. While it was nice to pass 5 overs without losing a wicket, Afridi went on his usual slog-out, scoring 32 from 18 balls before being caught by Smith with a good catch. Yasir is a bit expensive though. Yes he can stay at the crease, but he doesn't score much and went out for 18 after 46 balls. Another Salman Butt maybe?

Oh well, now Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan are at the crease and let's hope they can take Pakistan to the end. This match shouldn't be too hard to win...we are staying above the required run rate, which is a nice low 3.65. No-one should get complacent though and since I had a terrible dream about the match last night, I will seriously be praying for the best.

There isn't any confirmation about whether the last match in Karachi is going to be played but officials say:
"A South African security official will go to Karachi today to assess the situation on the ground there...He is expected to report back tomorrow afternoon after which the situation will become clearer."

Ok, and that's it for today. Pakistan are at 63/2...even if they can't go to Karachi, at least set Faisalabad alight.

Come on boys!

Does Hafeez suck that much? Yes!

Hi all and a busy afternoon. It feels so weird...I think I might have attended my last lecture of campus life...and I have no idea what's around the corner. Oh well, at least the Pakistan team know what's happening with them, even if I don't.

Some news today, which I'll be mostly linking since I'm so out of it.

Pakistan is getting tired of the suckiness that Mohammad Hafeez displays and so have replaced him with Khalid Latif. I have no idea who this guy is, but apparently he did well against Australia A. He's supposed to be a much more reliable opener than the current lot, and he may play in the match after next. Cool, it would be nice to see us with a few runs on the board and not being two down.

I guess that's a plus, but Mohammad Asif is still out for the next match tomorrow, since he hasn't recovered from his elbow injury and it's being considered resting him for the whole series, so he'll be fit for the tour of India. While there is the option of Shoaib Akhtar for the final match (his ban will run out by then), it's still a question whether the final will even be played, as it happens in Karachi, where all the bombs and crap are going on. -Roll eyes-

Finally, Pakistan are putting their feet down and will fight to protect one of their best batsman, after discovering there's a possibility that Mohammad Yousuf could be taken to court for cancelling his contract with the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Naseem Ashraf, chairman of the PCB says:

"The ICL cannot prevent him from playing for Pakistan. Yousuf signed a contract for them but later he cancelled it and since the ICL has not started yet, any other player or he can do this,"

Big words man, big words. Can I say how typical it is for Indian's to screw things up? Lol, but I won't and it's wrong. Cheers all!

Any reason to be afraid?

I really shouldn't update during the last over but I couldn't put off updating any longer. It looks like Pakistan will win this one, Inshallah. They need 27 runs from the last over with Umar Gul bowling at the death. He's very good at this. Unfortunately for South Africa, I don't see them winning this. 27 is a massive effort...and why should they win this? They can win the rugby world cup this evening!

Ok and we won! Yay! First time since I've started writing this blog that we've won something! Well done Pakistan!

Now a brief overview as I have to move on to less interesting things before the rugby World Cup final tonight. I have no idea what the rules are and the only way I'll know South African players is by their uniforms. But I have some patriotism to my country of residence...and rugby is the only way I can do that because I hate the cricket team and would be ashamed supporting such a pathetic soccer team. Anyways, moving on. I know South African's read this...please don't get me wrong, I love SA...maybe not as much as Pakistan but I do have a true affection for my country(s).

Pakistan won the match by 25 runs. Their openers left them lacking as per usual and if it wasn't for the century by Mohammad Yousuf and half century by Shoaib Malik, we would have been in serious trouble. Kamran Akmal went out for a duck (if it wasn't for his average wicketkeeping, he would so be out of the squad) and Imran Nazir followed him a few overs later for 2. If this guy doesn't have a good game next time, he can also kiss his place bye-bye.

A nice partnership was building between MoYo and Younis Khan and it was unfortunate the way Younis went out, caught out of his crease as MoYo waved him back from a run. My favourite captain comes out and has quite a decent innings, scoring 56 from 52 balls (without making a single 4, only 6's, lol). Misbah-ul-Haq started off quite well and scored 21 before being caught by Smith. Shahid Afridi makes me laugh...he plays like me. Hits a boundary and then goes out. He smacked a six off Kallis before going out the next ball. We have to stop thinking of Afridi as a match-winner or someone who can turn things around. Yes he can play brilliantly sometimes, but he's too inconsistent and either does two things under pressure...smashes all around the field or goes out. MoYo only went out in the second last over for a brilliant and match saving 117. The last two overs were a debacle however as Pakistan lost Abdur Rehman and Iftikhar Anjum in quick succession and it was only a 6 and a few quick singles by the tail to bring Pakistan to 265.

I didn't know they implemented the no ball equals free hit in ODI's but I guess they did. Despite an early no-ball, Gibbs goes out for a royal duck. Next to fall was Kallis who also went out without scoring a run. While things were looking pretty for Pakistan...what happened to the fielding performances from the Twenty20?! This was atrocious with numerous dropped catches. Gul dropped Smith in the 11th over...and the next over, De Villiers was dropped as well, both easy catches. Smith was dropped again in the 15th over and I think the man's evolving into the cat with 9 lives. De Villiers put a decent 35 on the scoreboard before going out. During an over by Afridi, Smith basically lobs the ball back at him and Afridi drops it...pathetic.

Kemp couldn't get a good wind and he and Boucher left, not putting much on the board and despite Smith's presence, things were looking good for Pakistan. Smith finally went out in the 35th over and Pakistan should have cleaned up the rest...Pakistan is a team of gentlemen however and they have to give the other team a sporting chance -roll eyes-. Morkel started creating some trouble with Pollock and was dropped in the 39th over. How many dropped catches have their been now? Finally Morkel was run out and Pollock also left by the 46th over. Unfortunately, Pakistan let them go to the last over before SA was 240 all out.

And that's that. Have a good day Pakistani's and Go Springboks!

And isn't it a beautiful morning?

No-one call the cops. I'm not on drugs just very very very happy. Does anyone want to hear me sing? because I'll do it. Seriously, take cover.

Ok, moving on to the cricket which is not that cheerful. Does 133 dead people sound cheerful to you? So let's talked about how completely screwed in the head Pakistani's are...and they are. In your bid to protest some stupid witch returning to Pakistan, you blow yourself up and take 133 people with you? What's wrong with you? Could anyone be more lacking in grey matter? You want to kill someone, hire a flippin' sniper!

So with Pakistan looking so safe at the moment, the South African's are quite scared. I don't really think they have to be, unless they change their names to Benazir Bhutto and start screwing the life out of the Pakistani's, some of them can also be Musharaf. That increases your chances of getting shot too. I don't even live in Pakistan and I'm so pissed, I can't imagine how everyone else feels.

Michael Owen-Smith, the South African's media manager says:
"The safety and security of the team is paramount at all times. We have been shocked by the news and our thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones and with those who have been injured.

"Beyond this point, we now consult Cricket South Africa officials with the PCB and with our own security consultants before taking any decision. The situation is fluid. I can't comment or speculate further as we first need to assess the incident."

We'll see what happens with that and I'll keep you updated. Next, anyone feeling the urge to play in India was participate in the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 tournament thingy and Pakistan Cricket Board has cleared 7 players to play for it.

And finally, the pathologist who said that Bob Woolmer was strangled to death will testify next week to why he said this. Other pathologists have criticized his methods and it was his fault that the whole controversy around Woolmer's death started.

And ya, that's it for today. Have a good one!

Guys, I am so scared!

Ok wait, I'm not scared anymore. Shahid Afridi just went out and there goes Pakistan's hopes. How incredibly sad...first ODI and we lost. Or are going to lose if you want to get technical. Thank God I'm not watching the match, it'll just make me more sick than I am. Ok, it's official, with the wicket of Iftikhar Anjum, we lose. What a disgrace.

I don't know how much I want to go into this. Basically, we couldn't get them out and they were smashing us around the field. There was a nice pull-back of runs in the last 10 overs, but SA still finished with 294. Maybe that total was gettable if Pakistan could keep it together but they rock at just throwing away the wickets.

First, Imran Nazir was unlucky to go out, with a brilliant catch by Kemp, but on the other hand, we should be used to Imran going out and make a plan for that. Next was that clever monkey Younus Khan...someone tell me why do they keep letting this guy play ODIs? He's a test player! He sucks at ODI's! Then with the collapse of Mohammad Hafeez, it was up to Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq to do something. Pakistan really have to stop with the edges! Both of them went out like that, after scoring some runs (but so not enough). The rest of the guys didn't do too badly. Mohammad Yousuf (who got a half century) and Kamran Akmal were starting to pull things together, but both went out, leaving Sohail Tanvir and Shahid Afridi to do some miracles...yes the Pakistani team is religious, but I don't think miracles are their forte. Anyways, Afridi did try hard, almost scoring a 50 and saving the match but it was too little and too late and Pakistan falls to SA...again.

I really think Younis Khan and Mohammad Hafeez should be taken out of the squad. While Hafeez can bowl well occasionally, a player with a 19.7 average will never being a good opener. Shoaib can be the second spinner and Hafeez shouldn't really play excpet as a back-up. Mean yes, but Pakistan really needs to start letting the performers play and kick out the rest, even they have have experience and/or seniority. Think about it this way, what's the point of having experience if you still don't know any better when it comes to batting etc?

And that's it. I'm too lazy to even check when the next match is. Hopefully you'll see a slightly more cheerful and less sleepy girl tomorrow. Bye!

At least it's just the the PCB XI

Or I would be seriously pissed off. In the warm up match between South Africa and the Pakistan Cricket Board XI, South Africa annihilated them...like seriously.

Boucher and De Villiers both made centuries to beat them in the warm up by 176 runs. Pathetic hey...but it is just a warm up, but it unfortunately warms up SA in a winning streak. C'mon Pakistan, don't let this happen during the ODI's!!!

I don't want to0 go too much into this since I'm pretty ignorant about cricket that doesn't involve national teams. I suppose it would be a learning experience but with exams coming up, I'm tired of learning, so you'll excuse me for being a bit lazy.

Anyone who thought that the Bob Woolmer inquest would be a quiet affair talking about how inept the Jamaican police was is so wrong! Some 'new' evidence has come out, a chambermaid has come forward with her testimony of what she saw when she entered his room and it doesn't sound good.

"I started to look around the room, and I noticed that there was a chair
that was overturned,"

"There was blood on the pillow and the bed. I
continued looking around
the room and didn't see him. And then I went into
the bathroom. The door was
closed, I knocked, got no response, then I tried
to open the door but I couldn't
open it as something was pressing against
it."

And that was Bob. It sounds so messy and disturbing and basically hints that there was more to the story than a heart attack. Do people vomit blood during a heart attack? Not that I've heard of...

There's also the story that someone could have been with him at the time of his death. If there was...then that's disgusting. Though I have a very simple question that's been going through my mind since the start of this whole debacle. Surely hotels have security camera's, right? I mean c'mon, that's not brain surgery...though on the other hand, the Caribbean has stadiums without floodlights...talk about primitive.

Yes, that's very stereotypical of me...sorry. I hope to be enlightened some day soon.

Today I found lots of news!

Nice weather here today...except I'm a bit cold...and sleepy...and hungry. Ah, the life of s student. Since I couldn't take the initiative to start my varsity assignments yet, I decided to take initiative in another way and surfed some sites for more cricket news than just what Cricinfo gives. True this kind of initiative won't let me pass the year, but who cares when all I want to do is make people read this? Yesterday I had a new record...10 visits in one day...Whoo-freakin-Hoo! Lots to talk about...I guess.

I don't know what's up with India's and Pakistan's fans. It's like they're still so sore and bitter about all those years of colonialism that they feel being racist (like the colonialists were during that time) is totally going to even things out. And in the end, they just look really stupid. And they probably end up going to jail. Four Pakistani fans were arrested for abusing the South African team in Lahore and the ICC really is cracking down on the subcontinent, where Indian fans are also talking crap. It really isn't cool to yell racist rants at the Australians or the South Africans. Isn't it more productive to beat them in the game? I think I've made my point in a roundabout way and we can move on.

Nasim Ashraf, PCB chairman feels that Shoaib Akhtar needs some psychiatric evaluation and counseling. For his anger management problems? For his issues with authority? Hmmm, there's so much going on with this guy. But he is behaving for now...so let's take advantage of his pace before he gets himself banned for life.

Pakistan were a bit late in asking the BCCI whether it was possible to change a test match in their India series to two Twenty20 matches, with the proceeds going to Bob Woolmer's family. The Indian Cricket Board rejected the request saying it was too late to change the games. While that is a noble gesture, I still can't agree with the two-test series format. You can't just play two tests, it has no point since the team who won first can't lose the series then. More open-endedness please!

Finally, an inquest has been started in the Caribbean about the death of Bob Woolmer, 5 months after he passed away. I mean, while it was the Pakistani teams fault that he died (admit it guys, they killed him with their pathetic cricket display and exit), you can't really charge them for that and the whole hallabaloo that they made in the West Indies, blaming everyone from Inzamam-ul-Haq to Bugs Bunny was pretty disgusting. So according to them, they have to conduct this inquest...because the last one was such a mess? Ag, you can try and work it out.

And that's it. Cheers all.

What to write about...

I didn't think writing a Pakistani cricket blog would be so hard, but wow. Unless there's actual cricket being played, there isn't ever much to write about. Guess I'll have to be creative.

But before then, I'd like to do some shameless self-advertising. You know I love cricket, but football is also something that appeals to me a lot, and in the quest for winning something besides that trophy for hurdles in grade 6, I wrote this article. Obviously, don't bother reading it if you aren't interested in football, but it would be great if you went in there and gave a comment.

Now, on with the cricket...or lack thereof. Graeme Smith obviously had to get sick...I mean, who goes to Pakistan without getting some kinda stomach bug? Unfortunately, I don't think it's gonna hurt him too much. I mean, when you can eat wors in SA (they're these totally gross fat sausages you get here, above...I guess it's an acquired taste...an acquired taste for food that makes you puke) a little Pakistani food can't hurt you. I miss Pakistan...all I think about is food there nowadays. I don't know whether it was because of the fasts or it's because I'm so looking forward to my end-of-year trip there.

Anyways, the cricket will start again on the 18th, with an ODI in Lahore. Good news for the matches though, we'll be having the return of our hungry veteran Shahid Afridi (he's hungry because he was fasting, get it?) and somewhat stars of the Twenty20 World Cup Sohail Tanvir and Imran Nazir.

The rest of the team will stay the same obviously, with the exceptions of Inzamam-ul-Haq (duh), Taufeeq Umar, Danish Kaneria and Faisal Iqbal. Mohammad Asif is a doubt though, but Umar Gul is there to smash a few wickets (I hope).

The official squad is:
1 Shoaib Malik (capt), 2 Mohammad Yousuf, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Shahid Afridi, 5 Salman Butt, 6 Mohammad Hafeez, 7 Imran Nazir, 8 Kamran Akmal, 9 Misbah-ul-Haq, 10 Mohammad Asif, 11 Umar Gul, 12 Rao Iftikhar Anjum, 13 Yasir Hameed, 14 Abdur Rehman, 15 Sohail Tanvir.

Now let's talk about Imran Nazir. I like the guy, I honestly do and not just because he's cute. He has some natural talent and he's flippin' scary when he gets going. The thing I don't like is that he's a maniac who plays like a real idiot sometimes...though I did notice that he was a lot more sober and controlled when injured. So here's my theory. Just before he goes to open, Shoaib Malik gives him a quick knee in the groin...then wishes him a good game. That'll do wonders, I'm telling you! We'll start having century partnerships again!

And that is all. Please guys, please read the article linked above and give a comment or two. It'll make me feel better...seriously.

You rock Inzi!

Are great batsmen cursed? Brian Lara ended his career with a whimper, Inzi couldn't beat Javed Miandad's record and even Don Bradman was bowled for a duck in his last innings. But really, is that important? But...are you great by how you spent your time at the crease or how you left it finally? Don Bradman is still remembered as the greatest batsman of all time and Inzamam Ul Haq will still be remembered as the solid wall that kept Pakistan cricket together for so many years.

I know I've kinda shown that I wasn't a fan of Inzi, but in the end of the day, he was a great player, batsman and captain. He deserves our respect and we (Pakistani's) should be proud that he played for us. We wish you all the best Inzi, whatever you're doing after this. Thank you for everything. Here's a very nice homage by players all over the world to Inzi.

His words to the crowd and the world:

"I am going today but I would like to thank you for all the support that you all have given me for the last 17 years. I would also like to thank the members of the board for giving me this opportunity. I would like to thank you the selectors also for selecting me for these 17 years. I thank my seniors and colleagues for supporting me. Special mention to the boys, in this team, who played under my captaincy and for extending support.

I thank my family, my brother and sisters. Especially, my father, who would be really sad that I am quitting the game. Also, my wife for supporting me thick and thin through everything.

"Unfortunately I couldn't finish this game on a high. But that's the way it goes sometimes."

Inzi then returned to his team, arriving to big hugs and Shoaib Malik weeping away. Despite my best efforts, I still haven't found the video of that. Hopefully will find something by Sunday...

Ok. Now I have to stop weeping and get on with cricket news. We drew the match, which is better than losing, obviously, but a win would have been nice. Younus Khan and Kamran AKmal were doing very well from the start, poor Kamran went out for 71, a nice innings that may have saved his Pakistani career. Mohommad Yousuf finally got the hang of things and the two 'You's were making a nice partnership until Younus went out at 130...at least he made a century. Yousuf and Malik stayed until the end, but when it was obvious that Pakistan couldn't win this, the match was declared a draw.

Vice-Captain Salman Butt is in trouble for complaining about the umpiring and saying that MoYo wasn't supposed to be out. I'd probably agree with his, except that cricket is a game where the umpire is always right (except Darrell Hair, hehe) and complaining about decisions not going your way is kinda stupid, especially since he lost 50 % of his match fees.

Finally, umpire Rudi Koertzen may be investigated by the ICC after Darrell Hair insisted that Koertzen called the Pakistani team a bunch of cheats over the phone at his tribunal. Obviously, the PCB encouraged this.

So the end of another day of cricket. Well done South Africa, you played well. Eid Mubarak to all Muslim readers, you won't see an update tomorrow because of that and everyone else...just take the day off if you have work and say you're supporting tolerance in religion. :-D

Have a great day and weekend everyone!

A draw maybe?

Ever since I started writing this blog, things haven't been looking good for Pakistan cricket. I'm hoping that we'll have better luck in the ODI's and at best, Pakistan could manage a draw with this second test. I hope it's a draw! I don't want Pakistan to lose the series so badly...

News today...well, they declared at 305/4 and with Salman Butt going out for 6 early, it seemed like another bad day. But Kamran Akmal and Younus Khan are both almost on 50...wouldn't it be nice if they got centuries? Pakistan need 349 runs on the last day...not a really gettable total, unless they start playing Twenty20-esque cricket without losing the wickets.

I can't talk about it. It's too depressing really. Let's talk about something just as cheerful...Mohammad Asif's elbow. He's been ruled out for the rest of the Test and may only play later on in the ODI's, after suffering from a recurrent elbow injury...it's a slight inflammation, but whatever.

Shoaib Akhtar is seriously not a happy chappie, being handed a 13 match ban (which includes the Twenty20 tournament...meaning he could play in the last ODI against SA) and a huge fine of US$57,000 for disciplinary infractions. He's also on a 2-year probationary period, meaning if he screws up once more, he'll be banned for life. Does anyone want to bet with me over how long before he's banned? I say 5 months, tops.

Akhtar says:

"I have apologised to Asif, my team-mates, the country. It was a nightmare for me and something that happened in the heat of the moment. I have suffered enough in the last four weeks.

"I want to put this matter behind me now and focus on cricket. I want to thank the board for considering this matter carefully. I will pay what penalties I have to but I want to get ready for India now."

It would be nice to let him play in India...not only is it a chance for him to relive past glories (so he says), it would also be great to see Pakistan with a 3-pronged fast bowling attack. Asif, Akhtar and Umar Gul. Guess we'll have to see.

Now I'm out of here...c'mon Pakistan, you can draw this...

Talk about a suck-fest

Seriously, what's wrong with Pakistan?! I don't mean to rant and since my own cricket skills are pathetic, I really shouldn't be judging theirs, but helloooo! I don't play in the national team and I don't have a whole nation (who's mostly hungry, which makes them quite pissed off) holding their heads that we went from 90/0 to 206 all out! What is this?

While Pakistan ended badly yesterday with the quick wickets of Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt, Younis Khan (that idiot, a senior player should be taking more responsibility rather than going out in 3 balls) and Mohammad Yousef (who should practice more), Inzimum ul Haq was at the crease with Misbah ul Haq at the end of the day. Would having two Ul-Haqs at the crease scare the South African bowlers with the frightening co-incidence of their names? Of course not! Though I do have to give my "home" team some credit. The South African's all gave Inzi a guard of honour as he walked onto the field...though I have to ask, was that necessary? I mean, he probably would have been back for the second innings, the state that Pakistan's batting is at. Will they clap for him again when they wipe the floor with us? Below is the video...

South Africa started off today well, dismissing Inzi and Shoaib Malik quickly. Do you know how depressing that is to read that when you're going for a sucky day to campus? It's very depressing...thanks a lot Pakistan, you destroyed my already ruined day! Once Misbah and Abdur Rehman went out, it was all over and SA showed Pakistan what it means to get rid of the tail (and it doesn't mean letting them score 100! Look at how happy Boucher is getting up there!)

And now, SA are 151/2, after losing Gibbs and Amla early on, Graeme Smith and Kallis are increasing the lead to 302 runs. Unless there's a middle order collapse (unlikely), Pakistan will be the first major subcontinent team to lose a test series to SA after many many years. Well done, boys! You all seem to like playing Twenty20 so much that you're still playing like that, even the guys that weren't in the tournament. Yes, I'm bitter and frustrated, but I (and every Pakistani supporter) have the right to be. I don't mind Pakistan losing too much...as long as they went out fighting and trying their best. This isn't their best and the starry-eyed hopes I had for a new era of cricket under Malik are seriously diminished.

I dunno...maybe some better news later?

Why couldn't we get them out for 300?

Good morning all and it's a beautiful wet and windy day , just the way I like it (Ok, so I'm a freak, sue me) and Pakistani cricket is on a roll.

Yesterday, we finished the day 259/6 and today should have been an easy day, picking off the tail-enders hopefully before 300. Didn't happen though as Boucher and Harris made exactly 100 runs between them and finished the 1st innings with 357 runs. A total that might be difficult for Pakistan if our openers don't get their act together.

Wow, I don't know how to write about this. I'm a firm believer in jinxing it and I'm so scared someone will go out because I said how well the openers are doing. Ah, screw it, what's supposed to happen will happen, my extreme paranoia aside. At the moment, Pakistan are 79/0...trailing by 278 runs and I guess things are looking good.

Even if we couldn't restrict the South African side, at least we're not letting ourselves be restricted and Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal have a decent partnership going on there. Hopefully, they should survive to 150 or so, before letting Inzimam ul Haq come in to beat Javed Miandad's record.

Nel is bowling well, keeping his overs quiet and not too expensive. It's usually the other bowler that gets hit around a bit. Bleah, see, I spoke to soon. It looks like Harris is going to bowl a maiden. Oh well, never mind...guys, stay calm, don't play any stupid shots and you'll get us through the day...now let's see if I can make them hear me through my heightened ESP...Crap...85/0...Pakistan always get dodgy when you don't let them score. 87...phew, crisis averted. Bugger...90/1...Salman goes out with an edge to Smith, bowled by Harris. Oh well, we can still win this!

Go Pakistan!

Monday morning blues...

I know everyone hates Mondays, but they just feel terrible when you know that it's the start of a new, very hectic and busy week. And even though I made an hour-by-hour schedule (yes, I know I'm anal) I don't see how I'm going to get everything done! Everything plus following the cricket! -Sigh- This is not going to be a good week.

Oh well, things aren't looking too bad for Pakistan as they start the second Test in Lahore, which will be Inzimam ul Haq's (hopefully) historic last stand. At the moment, Pakistan have South Africa 194/4...SA losing Herchelle Gibbs in the 8th over...and Amla and Smith a bit later. What Pakistan keep screwing up is letting SA build partnerships and especially that annoying Kallis making 50 before going out and Prince is also drawing close to his own half-century. But hey, things could be a lot worse...

Why does Pakistan keep playing two spinners? No offence to them, they're good spinners but not world class and I think the PCB really needs to bury the hachet and let Shoaib Akhtar have a go. South Africa is playing the same team from the last test, but Pakistan has included Inzi and Mohammed Yousuf while kicking out Mohammad Hafeez and Faisal Iqbal.

And now they're 202/4...I wish I could hang out here and keep updating (believe me, I really wanna do that!) but I gotta start on all the crap I have to do today, including attending and not sleeping in lectures :-P.

So I'll be off...it would be so great if Pakistan could restrict SA to 300 or so. We can't let them win a series in the Subcontinent, they haven't done it for 7 years and I don't see what's so special about them this year that we should let them win! And Umar Gul finishes his 16th over with a maiden...206/4.

Go Pakistan!

Bye Inzi!

Can you totally tell that I'm out of it? I thought this weekend would be relaxing, but I'm so exhausted and I have no idea why. I want the rain to come back in Joburg! It keeps me sane and happy...not this flippin' sun. Sometimes I think I'm in the wrong country...Though it was the storm yesterday that stopped me from updating. Apologies to the 1 or 2 people who read this regularly...and thank you for reading!

Anyways, enough about me and my weather issues. Pakistani cricket, as always, has something going on. As discussed before, Inzimam Ul Haq will be playing in the Lahore Test against SA and he hopes to score the 20 runs to beat Javed Miandad's record and maybe even get a century, to go out in style.

"I spoke to the board and selectors and the first Test was originally offered to me but I wasn't mentally ready to come back to Test cricket then. It was my idea to play in Lahore and then say 'Thank you very much'."

"I am really grateful to the board for their gesture as nobody else has been able to leave the game like this. Not Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar or Javed Miandad, it has not been the tradition. No previous board chairman has shown the kind of respect that Nasim Ashraf is showing to me by allowing me to leave the game in this way."

"I need a century against South Africa to have a set of Test hundreds against every country I have played against," he said, "so it would be a good thing to make a century and beat Javed Miandad's record but more importantly it would be good for Pakistan to win the game and draw the series."

That's so sweet, really it is. I hope that he finishes on a high...unlike poor Brian Lara in the WC (that was sad). So no stupid running...but reports are also in that Inzi is looking a lot fitter, so yay. He thinks he also has a year or two left in him, but since he thinks that he's much older than the young Pakistani team, maybe things wouldn't be all great in th dressing room. Despite my previous rants, on and offline, I really do respect the big man and I'd love to see him leave cricket with his head held high. Just this time I mustn't cry!

Graeme Smith, the clever monkey that he is, thinks Pakistan are at the risk of being distracted because Inzi will be back on the field, especially captain Shoaib Malik.

"They have a young captain and how he is going to manage that is going to be key for him. It can put a lot of pressure on him. Inzamam carries a huge aura around him in this set-up, which I have noticed playing against Pakistan in the last two years. It will be key how he [Malik] handles it."

Finally, the charges against Shoaib Akhtar were dropped...well, the one's saying he went on a rage-fueled bat rampage against Mohammad Asif. So all is well and Shahid Afridi says he forgives Akhtar for the allegations against him during Ramadan and says it was the PCB that reported Akhtar, not him.

What to believe, what to believe...

Well, we did it again

Lost I mean. I honestly think Pakistan have a bit of a losers mentality now and things that were looking so decent yesterday...all gone and I'm pissed off.

What's wrong with our team? While it would have been great if they could have won, at least a draw should have been on the cards. How hard is it to stay at the wicket? Even while not scoring runs. Younis Khan and Salman Butt were doing that the whole Twenty20!

Younis managed to get his Test century, yippee for him, but I don't think just because he went out that was a signal for the rest of the team to collapse! We now had Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik at the crease...I was hoping for near-centuries for both of them...hah, talk about being delusional. Misbah went out lbw and every other player after him went out with single figures. It's a flippin' test match! You play the shots you can, leave the shots you can't...it isn't brain surgery.

Yes, I'm bitter, yes, I'm angry, but why shouldn't I be? Another fiasco that we shouldn't have lost, but Pakistan keep losing their heads...I think we should sedate the whole team before they come out to play...maybe they won't have the clearest minds but we won't be seeing any wild or stupid shots. Pakistan also have to stop being so generous...stop making average players look like brilliant stars!

Rant over. Now I'm just going to wait for the next match.

Pakistan is so irritating!

But I love them. I gave this match up for lost...at best, a tie and Pakistan should and would have been happy with that. This is the new Pakistan however, and the days of lying down and being sat on like a fat woman on the toilet are gone. There will always be someone fighting, right to the end...and that's the start of something great.

Ok, I know we're not out of the rough yet, but this match could go both ways and tomorrow's day promises to be a cracker. South Africa started the day well and got to 264/7, before declaring and Pakistan came in to bat trailing by...um, my maths sucks, A LOT of runs, ok?

It didn't look good for Pakistan from the start, with Mohammad Hafeez throwing away his wicket in the second over. It's like he's stupid and doesn't get the concept of playing low and on the ground and IGNORING THE WIDES! Not slashing at them like a fool...while my brother says Mohammad shouldn't play for Pakistan again, I just say we need a new opener (again)...Hafeez is still handy with the ball sometimes, except he's a bit expensive.

Salman Butt went out next, on a very dodgy catch. It was an unfair out, many say, the ball hitting the ground just before being scooped up by Hashim Amla. If he saw it and still appealed, bad sportmanship I say. If he didn't...bad luck for "Thook Thook".

I think I might just forgive Younis Khan...if he can win us the match. Until then, the whole Twenty20 final fiasco is still his fault. But the man is doing what he couldn't do the whole tournament before, score runs and stay at the crease. Younis is at 93 from 99 balls, which is very good at test level. While Pakistan was hoping for a tie, Younis has put us back in the game...
I'm very very scared!

Faisal Iqbal was also playing well, taking his cue from Younis and scoring a few quick runs. Too bad he couldn't finish the day and get his 50, but Mohammad Asif is out there as the night watchman.

So should be a good game tomorrow...come on Pakistan!

Things could be better

But they also could be worse. Let's all just be optimistic, ok?

Pakistan avoided the follow-on today by a tenacious 73 by Shoaib Malik. Well done to him, finally a captain that's leading by example. Ok, maybe I'm being a bit unfair to Inzi, but I have long-term memory issues and the ICC World Cup 2007 still haunts me. Pakistan only finished with 291 however and South Africa start batting again.

Though the team seems to be more awake today, I don't know if it's enough. Maybe Pakistan have resigned themselves to losing this test, but they'll be the wiser team for the next one.

South Africa finished today with 76/3, a much better performance by Pakistan as far as bowling went and a few more wickets might restrict South Africa to a get-able total, even though they lead by 235 runs at the moment. I'm not going to write Pakistan off, I think they have a lot of potential and with some smarter shots and a bit of luck, there's still a chance we can win this.

Oh, and clever monkey's we are, we gave Mark Boucher the dismissals he needed to beat Ian Healy's record of most dismissals in Test cricket. Hopefully, that's the only record he'll be making this series.

Finally, Inzimam Ul Haq may or may not play in the second test. Inzi has supposedly reached an agreement with the PCB allowing him to play in the test and have a shot at beating Javed Miandad's Test runs, needing just 20 to beat Javed's 8832. But then newspapers are also reporting his retirement, so believe what you will.

Short post today, because I have a ton of work to do and my stomach is begging for food. Shut up you, you can't eat until sunset! Cheers all!

Today is not a good day...

And not just for me either, Pakistan is having a terrible cricket day!

I mean, I did kinda think that yesterday's start by South Africa was brilliant and all Pakistan can do is not get humiliated too badly. While Pakistan did pretty well to get SA all out for 450, that's a very nice round total, lol, very aesthetically correct. You know what else id also a nice round total? 200!

450 is quite a decent total, though Pakistan started off nicely, making 71 without loss after 14 overs. First Kamran Akmal lost his wicket lbw, then Mohammad Hafeez went out to SA's brilliant fielding. Kudos to them and no blame lies on Mohammad who shows what he can do. This may have also made up a bit for Kamran's atrocious wicketkeeping.

Things weren't all bad of course, at that stage, since Pakistan was roughly where SA were yesterday, and we needed a big innings from Younis Khan and Faisal Iqbal. I don't know how the bowling was, buit I think it was good bowling with some below-par batting. Younis and Faisal left the pitch with single figures...not a pretty sight. I don't want to start on Younis Khan again, but please, someone either hit him with a cricket bat or kick him out of the team. Shoaib Akhter, where are you?!

Then came our heroes of the Twenty20, Shoiab Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq and it seems like those two were getting into a partnership and good rhythm again...except Misbah somehow managed to edge the ball to Boucher and that "kahaani" (story) is finished. Misbah went out for 23 and now it's up to the captain and since our vice-captain is clutching his stomach and moaning somewhere, debut player Abdur Rehman (who picked up 4 wickets) will have to get something going. I still have high hopes for Misbah though, so not bad for a Test debut...wait, is this his debut?

As far as news about Salman Butt goes, I miss "thook thook", this is the game where he rocks. The poor guy has suspected gastroenteritis, and was put on a drip (Pakistan is an IV happy country, anything goes wrong, they'll hook up the IV). According to the fountain of knowledge that is wikipedia, gastroenteritis is inflammation of the stomach, which usually lasts for 3-5 days. I don't think Salman will be back for this test, but we hope he'll be back to play his way for the second test.

And yeah, that's it for today. I really don't feel like talking about Hair and his incessant whinging, so if I feel better by tomorrow, I might strike up the energy to insult him a bit. Hope you're all having a better day than I am.

Hair is depressed...

Pakistan might be depressed too, after South Africa got to a pretty good start on the first day of their test in Karachi. Herchelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith had a steady partnership of 87 runs and have only been dismissed for Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla to both end with almost 50 runs at tea...oh wait, cool. I'm just looking at the score on Cricinfo and Amla is out too, after scoring 71...Hey, maybe Amla is making a name for himself finally, he was all-round sucky during the world cup.

Mohammad Yousuf has pulled out of the first test, citing unfitness and says that he isn't ready to play yet, because it's bee ages since he picked up the bat. Though he says he'll be ready for the next one. Damn, I think we really need our batters this game.

As far as wickets go. Smith went out Lbw by Mohammad Hafeez, Gibbs was caught by Mohammad Hafeez, bowled by Umar Gul and Amla just fell to the hand of Mohammad Asif, who finally did something with the new ball.

You know, not being able to watch the matches is a disadvantage, so unfortunately, it isn't gonna get any better than this at 'Over the Slips'. Oh, and the days cricket had ended with South Africa 294/3. Disturbing stuff really, Kallis got dropped twice and he's made 118. Hopefully a better day's cricket tomorrow.

Oh, and the tribunal for Darrell Hair starts today and he whines on about how racist everyone is and how the Asian teams are all against him and they forced the ICC to sack him and how he's been so awfully depressed that he can't even watch the cricket and how his wife abandoned him by going to work and he's left moping at home.

Cry me a river Darrell!

Did you ever wonder why the Asian teams don't like you? Because you're an annoying biased wanker with racial issues of your own. So what goes around, comes around I say and you had it coming.

And why do you say Billy Doctrove has been such a good friend to you, when your case is based on the fact that he ICC let him carry on umpiring? It's unlikely you'll get your job back, there's more chances of Billy losing his job.

So whatever, he'll be giving evidence this afternoon and I'll be talking about it tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day everyone.