Nerveless Pakistan overcome fiesty Indians
A brave Pakistan U 19 team has defeated fiesty Indians in a low scoring thriller in the quarter finals of the U19 WC.
Due to heavy rain the match was reduced to 23 overs. Pakistan won the toss and put the Indians into bat on a seaming track and in over cast conditions. The move immediately paid off as India lost two wickets in the first over of Fayaz Butt. Mandeep Singh and Harpreet restored the Indian innings but they never tried to dominate the Pakistan bowlers.
Pace bowlers have been Pakistan’s strength historically in this tournament, even though Fayaz Butt took two wickets in his first over due to which India never recovered in the match but Pakistani pacers couldn’t exploit the conditions as their Indian counterparts did, I hate to say this but Indian pacers were exceptional they were defending a small total but they bowled agressively and almost all of them extracted a lot of movement Sandeep Singh and Netravalkar looked like counterfiet & half priced Wasim & Waqar.
India managed to score 114 they could never accelerate as they kept losing wickets but 114 was a decent total on this pitch.
Pakistan’s start of their innings was almost identical to that of India they lost their top three batsman, Babar, Shahzad and Ghuman when the score was just 16, Indian pacers were at top , but Ramiz Aziz and Ahsan Ali restored the innings with some sensible and nerveless batting both players added 55 runs in 10.5 overs for Pakistan but their running between the wicket was extremely poor finally after a few close calls Ahsan Ali got run out after scoring a sensible 30, Rameez soon followed him and the required run rate crept up to 7 at that stage it looked highly improbable that Pakistan would win.
Hammad Azam, Salman Qadir and Ahmed Waqas displayed some nerveless hitting at one stage the required run rate was above 8 an over but first a towering six by Hammad and then a huge six on the midwicket by Waqas brought the required runs down to 18 from 14 balls, Unadkat who was howling and growling at Pakistani players through out the day recieved some thumping from Usman Qadir and Hammad in the second last over and only four runs were required off the last over.
In the end a brave Pakistani team prevailed over nervous Indians who dropped a few catches and their ground fielding which was exceptional in the first half became ordinary under pressure. Al Maneria’s poor bowling changes and poor performance and defensive approach while batting costed India this match.
The match swung from one side to another like a pendulum it was thrilling to watch. For Pakistanis every victory against India is special but this one was super special.
I think ‘brave’ was the right word….right up to that winning boundary. The last 4 overs of our innings were crucial.
Would have liked to face England but the Windies done them over. I hope we win it and this could be the beginning of our world domination
Spot any potential Fawad/Malik replacements Wasim?
None
Rameez and Hammad Azam Impressed me also Salman Qadir.
Fayyaz butt looks like a good quick bowler for his age. Definately 1 for the future. babar aZam also has impressed in the tournament but should not be rushed. Pakistan under 19s have a good chance of winning the tournament and at last a Pakistan team that can catch LOL.
Wasim
….you’re giving Faisal hope!
Qamar
I didn’t like Fayyaz Butt but he is still very young and might improve his game but it will take him years before he is ready for International cricket.
I didn’t get enough chance to see Babar Azam but he had no clue against Sandeep Sharma’s big inswingers he is only 15 and has at least four five years before he will be in contention for a place in the team.
Batting wise Hammad and Rameez Aziz looked very comfortable against Indian pace bowlers who were bowling exceptionally well.
Stani
Faisal doesn’t need hope all he needs is his mammoo to stay in PCB.
Once again Hammad Azam and Rameez were the saviours for Pakistan U19.
When the going gets tough the tough gets going, the much hyped up Babar Azam, Azeem Ghuman and Ahmed Shehzad have failed in two important matches consecutively which shows they do not have the nerves to handel pressure. This is the twice in a row that these two players have saved Pakistan from a terrible loss.
Rameez has a very compact defense and a proper technique where as Hammad has a very wide range of strokes his timing is perfect and his strokes are powerful, his bowling is below average but in batting he has the talent to make it to the national team.
This u19 team has a lot of batting depth and variety. In bowling their spinners are quality specially Raza hassan and Salman Qadir but none of the pacers impressed me so far, they do not even have proper run ups and bowling actions.
Pakistan have gone from bad to worse in their current tour to Australia.
The first two test matches were closely contested and despite the loss the fans back home still felt the team had the capacity to compete with the best side in the world but in the third match they were completely flat and recieved a thorough spanking from the Australians who learned from their mistakes and improved their players improved as the series progressed.
Mohammad Yousaf’s lack of leadership and the overall lack of killer instinct and above all the poor fielding helped several out of form Australian players to regain their form. Now it looks next to impossible that this Pakistan team will win a single match in this series.
In the first Odi match they again showed some promise but in the second one nothing went right for the Pakistani team. Mohammad Yousaf won the toss and elected to field ignoring the fact that historically a run chase under lights at Sydney has never been easy.
Whether it was the rotation/quota policy or a genuine fitness issue Mohammad Asif didn’t played this match and Umar Gul made a return.
Aamer and Gul kept on feeding short balls to Watson who kept on pulling and cutting them at will at times it looked as if the bowlers wanted to give free runs as through out their first spell both bowlers failed to learn from their mistakes and adjust their length. Australia were all set for a huge total but Afridi and Ajmal put brakes on their scoring rate for a brief moment it looked as if Pakistan were back in the match but again the seamers in the last 7 overs gave away too many runs.
I once said that if Pakistan will not drop some of the under performing seniors then this disease will also effect youngsters like Aamer and Umer Akmal.
Since last three matches both players have failed one can’t see their fighting spirit or the never say die attitude on the field any more. Aamer gets ecstatic when he bowls short and beats a batsman looks to content with his performance when it is far from satisfactory but it is apparent that his appetite and desire to win has vanished, whether he has also sold his sould to the devil or the over all ” I don’t give a fuck” approach of the seniors have infected him also and killed his spirit to fight and compete.
Umar Akmal has failed in all the innings since his elder brother was dropped from the third test I don’t know what to make of it but a player who was in form and was performing consistently doesn’t lose form in a matter of days.
After the Kamran Akmal saga one hoped that the team will come back in the Odi series and fight to prove a point but Ejaz Butt the statement by Ejaz Butt that he will sack Yousaf after this series deflated the team in the third match, it is evident that the players are playing for themselves the executives are issuing unneccessary statements to save their jobs and nobody gives a damn about winning.
I think the time has come to make some whole sale changes in the team.
None of the senior players have shown a work man like attitude or the will to put up a fight to win the match they just go in the field as a formality, they get spanked go home and get paid, nobody is playing for pride personal or of the country. It’s a shame.
We had four captains on the field and three coaches in the dressing room yet their was no plan.
I have seen enough of Umar Gul I think he needs to sort his problems out it’s time for a long rest for him if Rana and Sohail Tanvir can get dropped then he can also be dropped it has become his habbit to leak away too many runs and his length changes dramaticcaly between the first and second spell.
Younis, Yousaf and Misbah should announce their retirement from the Odi’s and for Younis and Misbah maybe all the formats. Malik also needs to be dropped from the test team.
A new look team under Afridi in all formats should be formed and he should be given time untill the next World cup to prove himself and rebuild a new team with a new nucleus.
I have had enough of these prepetual losers with huge inflated egos.
Asoka De Silva robbed Pakistan of a chance to keep the series alive both openers were given out lbw when they were not out, the decision on Salman butt was a shocker.
Chasing 287 Pakistan were 47/2 after 11.3 overs. The type of form Younis Khan and Yousaf are in it’s just like wasting two slots in the team, poor Faisal Iqbal must be thinking why do I get criticized so much.
Umar Akmal and Fawad Alam restored the innings with a slow partnership of 85 from almost 19 overs.
Umar Akmal again got out soon after scoring the 50 and couldn’t bat long, Fawad Alam scored 33 at a strike rate of 63 although he came in at a very crucial time but the wicket was too easy to bat he again fell because of that huge shuffle.
Boom Boom and Rana Naved for a moment gave Pakistan a chance with their fireworks but Pakistan had already lost too many wickets.
Umar Gul was again pathetic with the ball, the runs he leaked inn his final spell in the end proved to be the difference in the game econ rate of 8 runs per over is criminal giving away 23 runs in over is also criminal at this stage specially when that over includes three no balls.
Rao Iftikhar could not have done any worse than this he must be wondering why this guy gets away with murder in his last two Odis his figures were 5/30 and 0/28 @ econ rate of 3.67 and 4 respectively but still he got dropped from the team. In last four matches Umar Gul has given away 80, 70,47, and 59 runs and has taken 6 wickets.
After all the selectorial, captaincy and umpiring blunders Pakistan lost just by 40 runs with 2.2 overs still remaining infact when the 9th wicket fell we still had five overs.
The problem is again the seniors, Yousaf and Younis they are not scoring runs. Probably too old to play at this level especially in the shorter version of the game.
Pakistan faces a huge rebuilding task before the world cup.
Hammad Azam the U19 WC star for Pakistan has been selected for the T20 match. Hammad has scored 173 runs so far in the tournament in five innings and has remained not out in all of his innings.
I don’t think he will be in the playing 11 but just to get selected is a huge echievement in it self.
He bowled well in the semi-final claiming figures of 1-36 in his full quota of 10 overs. A very good and economical set of figures indeed.
1) Action : Is similar to his father. Attacking and cunning approach to the crease from wide on angle which provides him with a solid base to unleash his magic. Additionally, there is also some Mushtaq Ahmed remenisance in there with his high arm action.
2) He has good understanding of the game. Seemed to know how to maintain the off stump line so he could perfect the googly which he had in his repoitre.
But there is some work to be done such as improving accuracy and control. But so far from what I ( his biggest supporter) have seen is promising and impressive stuff. He will only get better !
That is Usman Qadir I am talking about..
1-36 very respectable indeed. I thought his run up which consisted of lots of arms and legs involved was similar to his father although at the point of delivery he was more like Mushy with that jump to generate some momentum and flight along with both arms high in the air (windmill action) which should help his googly and flipper.
His action/approach and plan impressed me.
Maz
My bad I don’t know why I am mixing up the two brothers, Usman is playing with the U19. I saw the quarter final match and he didn’t bowl in that one so havent seen him bowl yet. But he batted well that day looked confident but got run out.
I am planning to watch the finals hopefully then I will get a glimpse of how good he is.
Afridi has forgiven the IPL authorities
And if invited he is willing to play in IPL in near future.
Can anybody teach him the meanings of Ghairat (honor) national pride. Either these attributes are non existent in him or he is willing to sell them too. What a shame and then we expect these guys to play for national pride they don’t have any pride they only play for money.
Wasim,
He’s thinking long term and keeping his Bollywood options open. Even Shah Rukh Khan supported us….eventually.
If we’re in the right (which we clearly are) why are we giving up that position? Afridi is just an undercover Shoaib Akhtar
Stani
Greed has imprisoned his soul.
Will Azeem Ghumman and Pakistan get their hands on the U19WC and consequently be the first team to win a hattrick of crowns ?
I am sure australia have won this tournament twice aswel so they could be the 1st side to win 3 aswel. If we get Mitchell marsh early then we will have a great chance of winning.
These aspects have stood out for me by U19 :
1) The U19 team can play under pressure and deliver the goods. Here I’m talking about the run chases against WI in the semi final, against India in the quarter final and against Bangla when the odds were against them. Our senior team collapses like a pack of domino cards under pressure. The team were heavily hyped and were being televised so there was pressure and expectation involved.
2) Consistency. The likes of Hammad Azam who is an aggressive batsmen but yet hasn’t been dismissed represents and suggests consistency and astonishment. Our seniors are more often than not inconsistent. And also, UQ hasn’t had one bad game yet. 100% winning record by team overall. 4 consecutive successful run chases.
3) Fighting ability. Even when the odds were against them like chasing 39 off 2 overs against Bangla they kept believing and trying as well as against WI in the semi final when they were 49-4. This suggests and symbolises determination, desire, hard work and belief, aspects which we don’t really see from our senior team.
4) Fielding. Much better. Captain leads from the front and sets the standards. The techniques are much more sound for sure.
5) Captaincy. Has a strategy in mind and sticks with it, rotates his bowlers well and alters with the field effectively and accordingly. Looks to make things happen unlike MoYo.
Qamar
Mitch Marsh is the key. But their bowling and fielding is exceptional.
Maza
Spinners for Pakistan will hold the key but the batsmen will have to make sure that they don’t collapse against Mcdermot and Hazelwood. Australia are also unbeaten so far in the tournament. It should be an interesting match.
Wasim, Australia were beaten by SA in the group stages so no 100% record
Here is evidence : http://iccu19worldcup.yahoo.net/matchesandscores/saau2001_full_scorecard.html?filename=saau2001&classname=scorecard
Hazlewood and Mcdermot seemed to take a bit of a hammering !
Maz
You are right they did got beaten by SA.
Excellent feilding by Fawad haven’t given away anything. Rao has bowled far better than what his stats suggest loved how he frustrated White. Several boundaries scored off him were through miss hits and edges.
Son of a gun just when I praised him he let me down.
Ordinary bowling by Rana Naved. Extremely poor.
Poor captaincy by Yousaf allowed Australia to come out of the hole he miscalculated the overs.
Pakistan should not have been chasing more than 240.
All wisher of captincy should be out of Pakistani Team,
No Younis, No Yousif, No Shoaib Malik,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,without of them our Twetnty Twenty Team is Great.
Jamshed you forgot about Afridi
I think Malik and Younis will definitely have to go, Yousaf still has some cricket left in him.
Afridi will be the new captain. Hopefully the team will give better results under him. Instead of focusing on which players should be kicked out we should focus on how the players can improve, captaincy was weak but so were all the other departments the professional approach and the will to win is not there, I think a change of captain and a change of coach might improve the team’s performance.
4.2
Fayyaz Butt to Marsh, OUT, edged and gone. Pitches outside the off stump and on a good length, leaving the batsman, Marsh plays forward and gets the edge through to Waqas. Australia lose their third wicket. Butt picks up his second wicket, good bowling this.
MR Marsh c †Mohammad Waqas b Fayyaz Butt 7 (7b 0×4 0×6) SR: 100.00
Australia in huge trouble Pak pacers have rocked their boat.
Way to go Pakistan.
Great come back by Australia Richardson and Armstrong restored their innings.
Thanks to a blunder made by Ghuman who took off Raza Hassan early and bowled too many overs from part timers he should have brought in his main strike bowlers. Hammad Raza’s over might prove to be too costly for Pakistan.
Australia has set a target of 208 in my opinion it is atleast 40 runs more than what it should have been.
Poor captaincy from Ghuman, Pakistan does have the batting to win this match but their top order will have to ensure that they don’t lose any early wickets and see off the Mcdermot and Hazelwood.
They have chased bigger targets than this in the tournament, the final is a bit different story there is too much pressure, the batsmen will have to keep their nerves calm. They have been nerveless so far in the tournament unlike the senior team but the Aussies are very energetic in the field and they will apply all the pressure.
Congrats to Australia and commiserations to Pakistan. I saw the whole of the Australian innings and was impressed by the new ball bowlers Bhatti and Butt up front. From 23-3 they were really in command. I was also impressed by the variety, economy and accuracy of the spinners in the middle over’s especially the boy from Sialkot called Raza who bowled with excellent control and consistency and really exerted the pressure on the Aussies with his unique left arm spin. However, after the innings had concluded at 207-9 in 50 I feel asleep in the interval on my sofa ! I woke up suddenly, switched the TV and saw Australia take the final wicket and celebrate jubilantly. I couldn’t believe they had lost as I was desperate and confident of a youth tournament triumph but it wasn’t to be.
Nonetheless, Pakistan should have their heads held high. They have done brilliantly throughout the course of the competition and have picked up some top finds and positives to take away which suggests a bright future. I am sure many of these boys will become pro’s and hopefully this is only the start of something bigger and more illustrious to come for many of these lads.
Although they were obviously disappointed , the under 19 team have done the nation proud unlike the seniors !! They have shown fight, determination, strategical planning, pressure coping, energy and consistency. This shows the future of Pakistan cricket is in safe hands. As long as we get these brainless board members out, we can rescue cricket and rescue Pakistan !
Maz
We again lost a match which we could have easily won. Azeem Ghumman made sone terrible mistakes.
There was no need to change Hasan Raza when Australia were six down, he over used the part time bowlers and gave the Australian middle order an opportunity to rebuild.
Where as Mitch Marsh immediately brought Hazelwood back once Pakistan were five down.
A lot of similarities can be drawn between the senior team and the junior.
The captain lacked the presence of mind and was defensive in his approach. The batsmen made the same mistake of not giving respect to the spinner, Ahmed Shehzad immediately tried to hit Doran out of the park as soon as he was introduced and lost his wicket Rameez Aziz did the same.
Preemptive shot selection and lack of patience causes all these collapses.