Pakistan Vs South Africa 2nd test-preview
on November 20th, 2010 at 2:25 amThe second test between South Africa and Pakistan will start today in ABu Dhabi, this will be the first test match on this ground. Both Captains complained about the slowness of the pitch in Dubai which became lifeless after the second day and offered no help to the bowlers. The conditions in Abu Dhabi are also expected to be quite similar there will be no juice in the pitch for the pacers the spinners will have to work hard.
South Africa don’t need to make any changes and might field the same team.
South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Hashim Amla, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Johan Botha, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel
Dale Steyn will have to step up his performance if South Africa has to fancy their chance to win the series, ofcourse there is always a chance that Pakistan choose to self destruct but Pakistani batsmen didn’t looked in much trouble facing the South African bowlers on home like conditions in Dubai. The conditions will remain the same and South Africa will rely heavily on Morkel and Steyn.
Pakistan doesn’t have the bowling to defeat the South Africans in this series, the inclusion of Sami will not make much difference as his average against south Africa is above 60 he has never been effective against the Saffers. Tanvir is the only other choice from the little that I have seen of him he would hardly cause any problems for the Saffers. Tanvir is not genuinely quick he relies on late swing but if the conditions are dry and flat then he would be totally ineffective. But I would pick him a head of Sami.
In the last match Pakistan were rescued By Azhar Ali and Younis Khan, Pakistan once again will rely heavily on these two batsmen as they have the patience to bat long. Umar Akmal is almost certain to get dropped for the shot he played in the last match, he deserves to get dropped but if PCB wants to drop him then they should drop him for a long period of time not just for one match, but if Umar made an honest mistake then I don’t think that he should be dropped, the team management is in better position to make that judgement. His replacement Asad Shafiq is a decent player but tries to play every thing on the leg side with this faulty technique he won’t survive against the express pace of Steyn and Morkel, he has scored heavily in QEA trophy last year which shows that he has the patience to bat long. Asad is almost certain to replace Umar Akmal hopefully he will score some big runs and becomes a legitimate contender for this # 6 spot in the test team.
I don’t expect an improved batting performance from Pakistan their only chance in this match depends on Rahman and Ajmal.
Ajmal was pathetic in the first match he was bowling too flat and was afraid to put a loop on the ball, bowled too many doosra’s and just killed the surprise element, unless and untill he bowls at a higher trajectory and works hard on getting the ball to spin he is never going to be successful in test cricket. He will also have to bowl a nagging line and length he gives away too many runs because of his impatience and over experimentation, if Ajmal and Rahman didn’t stepped up their performance Pakistan has no chance in this match.
Pakistan (possible): 1 Taufeeq Umar, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Azhar Ali, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Tanvir Ahmed, 11 Saeed Ajmal
Malik, Yousaf, Kaneria, Sami, Imran Farhat and Kamran Akmal have been left out of the squads selected for The NZ tour. Kamran Akmal and Kaneria are still not cleared by ICC even though ICC in a press release stated that it was PCB which kept these players out of the Series against South Africa.
Malik despite scoring big 100′s in domestic cricket could not impress the selectors, the selectors opted for Ahmad Shahzad which in my opinion is a better option, Malik’s 20′s an 30′s rarely win us a game, Pakistan should look to give youngsters a chance.
Mohammad Yousaf was ignored because he hasn’t impressed the selectors with his form and fitness, Umar Akmal makes a comeback in his place.
Imran Farhat has been dropped because of his consistent failures, I hope this time it is for good as neither he is a good feilder nor he is a good batsman.
Kaneria like Akmal is still awaiting clearance from ICC.
I do not agree with the axing of Sami from the team, the conditions in SA were not conducive for fast bowlers SA bowlers also struggled in second innings Sami bowled better than every bowler in the match, it is true that he is very unlucky, inconsistent and erratic with his line and length and his bowling figures are pathetic through out his career, but he could have been a different bowler in NZ the conditions suit bowlers over there, it’s a long tour the risk of injuries is also there, I think it wasn’t wise to drop an experienced pacer.
PCB
Kaneria and Akmal are not included in the 30 man squad apparently ICC has not cleared them completely and PCB is not willing to take risk by selecting them. If Kamran Akmal is under investigation his brother will sooner or later also come under investigation. Sooner or later the gang of 7-9 players will all be under investigation.
Haider’s brother has again told the media that his family is still recieving threatening calls and the way Haider responded to the news it seems he is under a lot of pressure, today he openly stated that he will reveal the names of all those who are corrupt if something happened to his family. Clearly shows why he has remained quite and refrained from blowing the whistle.
PCB
What the hell is wrong with our wicket keepers.
PCB
You are absolutely right the team still might not win but it won’t become a laughing stock in the world and don’t you think that those seniors who can’t produce results because of underperformance or lack of form and fitness should get punished.
I would request you to pull out scorecards of every match we played in England and then open the commentary, and just get a recap of how many catches were dropped by Akmal in every match, how many runouts he missed and how many stumpings he missed, interestingly on average he was missing two chances every innings, and if you look at his scores they were terrible. Farhat also dropped one or two catches in every innings.
Akmal wasted our reviews in most of the matches by giving wrong advice to the captain, Umar Akmal in one innings was in such a hurry to go back to the pavillion that he didn’t called for a review when the ball clearly hit him outside the line interestingly he was the last recognized batsman and Pakistan had both reviews if I am not mistaken still intact.
A lot of things become clear when you recap an old match by going through the commentary, Salman Butt on critical situations overbowled Kaneria and Malik and allowed England to recover.
The PCB is investigating the match against Afghanisatan for deliberate underperformance/match fixing. They lost wickets to ordinary deliveries and missed chances to get wickets in the Afghanistan innings.
In particular, Naeem Anjum who was the wicketkeeper missed three runout chances during the match and then under performed in his batting but when he was questioned about his poor performance in the team meeting he misbehaved with the team management and the captain. He did not play in the final play-off match against SL as a result
Wasim
Don’t think by including young players, the team will magically become a happy one, because it won’t.
PCB
In otherwords you are saying Malik, Yousaf and Akmal brothers are reformed so is Ijaz Butt and Asif Ali Zardari
Kutey ki dum kabhi seedhi nahin hoti and those who sign up with the bookies play in their hands forever.
I honestly don’t want them in the team only put them there because I know most of them will get selected.
Umar seems to have lost the confidence of Afridi.
Afridi was yelling and cursing at him on misfields and on a couple of occasions when Umar threw away his wicket on a rash shot the look on Afridi’s face was like ” enough I have had it with You:
According to you every thing was in the past but the last match these guys played they performed worse than players like Haider, Asad and Fawad who were less experienced and less talented.
I think Akmal brothers can be dealt with if handled properly by management some of the things which the management has done are in the right direction.
Interesting comparison between CT and WC eleven.
But conditions are different and the format is also different.
I did notice you selected the players in the squad, but not in the starting 11. But are you not answering your own question by doing that? If you question their integrity, then why are they in your squad at all. If you beleive they are still playing games, then why have you selected them?
I have selected the because I fully believe that there are no longer such issues any more. I went to most of the ODI’s in the England series. I was particularly impressed by Umar Akmal. I don’t know whether you have been to see Pakistan recently, but you see a lot of what goes on. Umar Akmal was diving about and running about and giving his best.
There are reports that Mohammad Yousuf took oaths and I was the one who brought it to the attention to you in my defence of Younis last year. But, what I am saying is that is in the past and I don’t think it is going on anymore. The players served their fines/bans anyway – Yousuf missed 6 months of international cricket, Akmals were heavily fined….
Pakistan will make at least the semis with the players I have listed. This was the side that got to the ICC CT 09 Semi final:
1. Imran Nazir
2. Kamran Akmal
3. Shoaib Malik
4. Younis Khan
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Umar Akmal
7. Shahid Afridi
8. Rana Naved
9. Umar Gul
10. Mohammed Amir
11. Saeed Ajmal
Compare with the team I have selected:
1. Mohammad Hafeez
2. Kamran Akmal (wkt)
3. Shoaib Malik
4. Younis Khan (capt)
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Umar Akmal
7. Shahid Afridi
8. Abdul Razzaq
9. Umar Gul
10. Shoaib Akhtar
11. Saeed Ajmal
Differences and explanation:
1. I have replaced Imran Nazir with Hafeez in the starting 11, who is also a very handy bowling option and in good form for the past 4 months.
2. Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik are in great form as you can get.
3. Younis Khan is also in better form than he was in the champions trophy.
4. Umar Akmal is not as good form as he was in 2009, but he has the talent to play an innings at number six and he also needs to be groomed for when Younis and Yousuf retire, so thats why he is in the side.
5. Abdul Razzaq is in place of Rana – without doubt a much better batter, and whilst he is not as handy as Rana with the bowl, my team has 4 spin options – Afridi, Ajmal, Hafeez and Malik, so bowling should not be an issue.
6. Shoaib Akhtar is in place of Mohammad Amir.
So they should reach semi finals at least.
PCB
I didn’t accepted your players I only asked you to give me a guarantee that they will perform
If you haven’t noticed the players were already in my team but they are not my first choice, everybody knows about the Class of Umar Akmal and Yousaf but my reservations about their integrity is still there.
The crux of the argument between you and me is that you are not willing to accept that these guys have been underperforming and I believe otherwise.
Yousaf was the ring leader of the rebel group of players against Younis Khan he took oath from all the playerson the holy book to under perform and remain united against Younis the testimonials of the manager and several players is on record.
Malik has been creating problems since he was removed as a captain, Umar Akmal has not been performing according to his standards and has failed to play his role since the investigations against his brother started. Do you think it’s a mere coincidence.
And you say that there haven’t been any reports either you are ignoring facts or have forgotten what happened in recent past.
The difference between your team and mine is that you are trying to make a team which looks strong on paper but will fail as a unit whereas I am focusing on eliminating the risk of internal bickering and corruption which are the two main problems with our team.
Seems like PCB is not going to pick Yousaf for the NZ series. Kamran Akmal and Malik might return but the other two I doubt that they will get picked.
Mohammad Yousuf and Shabbir Ahmed have refused to play for WAPDA. Mohammad Yousuf asked Rana Naved to let him play in the team to regain fitness for the NZ. Rana categorically refused to let Yousuf be part of his side so Mohammad Yousuf and Shabbir Ahmed resigned in protest. Mohammad Yousuf will play for Lahore Shalimar and Shabbir Ahmed will play for Lahore Ravi.
Perhaps Rana is involving in match fixing? He was named as one in the ICL, he admitted to underperforming in Australia and there are pictures of him with Majeed.
Miandad will also be a fielding consultant
So ultimately you accept the players I picked to be more talented. The issue you have with them is their integrity. I don’t think their integrity is an issue – there have been no reports of such things at all.
Umar Akmal is the only one where there is clearly an issue, but sometimes when he does get out, it is actually for a cricketing reason – you are judging him to be an experienced player when he is only 20. There have been many matches this year where he has performed and finished – in the WC T20 and the T20′s vs AUS in England. I think there is an actual cricket reason below his performances also, other than just deliberate underperformance – if it was delierate underperfromance, in the 1st test he would have made 30 and got out to make sure he was picked again.
Just read the news about Miandad appointed as the batting consultant for the NZ series, he will tour with the team and the appointment is only for the NZ series and doesn’t include world cup there was also a hint in the news that some senior players might get overlooked for the NZ tour, who are those players, they can’t be YK , Afridi and Misbah.
PCB
You are right I was saying the same thing about Younis last year because he was batting like shit back then, embroiled in all kinds of political BS enforced upon him by the management and the same bunch of corrupt players whom you are defending right now. I always said that YK’s integrity is beyond question once he proves his form he should get selected.
The only difference between Younis, Umar Akmal, Yousaf and Malik is that the integrity of the later three is questionable.
It would be naive of us to think that Butt, Aamer and Asif were the only corrupt ones in the team.
Yousaf scored a century when he made a come back after the ICL but what happened afterwards? Same way he scored in Oval to prove everybody wrong after that he just played for himself.
We all forgot how we lost the Sydney test it was comical a bad acting job at best.
Umar Akmal starting from Sydney test till now he just stops short of finishing the match there have been many instances where all of a sudden he plays a ridiculous shot and leaves the team in tatters.
Starting from the SriLankan series the team became a laughing stock in the world because of those collossal collapses which happened every now and then, why those collapses didn’t happen when these new young players are playing in the team. Players not even having half the talent were able to withstand the pressure and face the bowling against which these so called talented players fell like nine pins.
Aamer and Ajmal outscored these talented cricketers in NZ, Haider and Umar Gul outscored these guys against England on several occasions.
For a long period of time we just ignored everything thinking that every thing is happening due to internal politics nobody wanted to admit about corruption. Deep down inside everybody knew what was happening but preferred to bury their heads in the sand. The spot fixing scandal exposed everybody.
We lack clarity in our thoughts either these guys are corrupt or not talented, there is no other scenario.
My first preference would be that these players should be left out and Pakistan should move on, if that can’t be done, which is more likely to happen then their replacements (young players) should be in the squad to replace them at any point like I have included them in the squad.
The example of Australian players is irrelevant as they don’t have integrity issues. But let me tell you one thing Australia can allow a player like North to play 20 tests so that he can get settled even if 17 times his scored less than 10 but had he thrown away wickets like Malik, Umar Akmal and Yousaf have done in many games trust me they would have dropped him in the very next match. Any player can go through a lean patch and some young players do take time to adjust in international cricket, there is so much pressure on our young players in this internet age every single person contributes in forming an opinion about these players whether they are qualified to do that or not.
In sports Stars are not born they are created, we will have to stop this practice of picking players from the streets and then hope that they will do wonders if they are successful good for them and if not who cares just dump them forever.
Because of this attitude these underperformers keep on making come backs, now is the time that we pick the youngsters who have been performing in domestic cricket for a few years and be patient with them for a while in a year or two they will become stars.
Criticism was hurled at Azhar also when he got selected but he finally proved himself he still has to improve a lot but for that we will have to persevere with him same is the case with Asad.
I have lost count of players who couldn’t play a single match because of Inzi, Yousaf, Younis and Malik. We would never know how good they were.
If you guarantee me that Pakistan will win the WC or will make to the semis with the players you are defending then I will stop criticising their selection.
Wasim
This time last year you were saying the exact same thing about Younis Khan. We are judging Mohammad Yosuf’s entire career on the performance of just two series? I think is entirely unfair – and the teams against he made the scores were away from home and tougher. When his ban was lifted Pakistan won the Oval Test – and he had a positive effect on Azhar Ali also who said it himself.
Look at England at Kevin Pietersen. Look at Australia and their top 6 batters – still the exact same from the Ashes 2009 and the series against Pakistan in January 2010. Why – because experience matters.
The young players arent scoring 30′s and 40′s. And when they do, they don’t stay at the crease to convert it into a big one. I am not saying they are rubbish – they are talented young players, but you cannot get carried away and say selection should be based on 100% performance. Form is temporary class is permanent Younger players also find it a lot more difficult to deal with pressure.
I do have faith in young cricketers, but they can’t just be plucked straight from domestic cricket and straight into the side. There has to be a middle ground somewhere – the A side where they can prove themselves by continuing to score runs. If they do well, then the squad should be reassessed on the basis of performance, experience and fitness. My inclusion of Junaid Khan in all squads is one example of this. I have even included Mohammad Rameez.
PCB
What happened to that experience in last two series, similar things were said in Yousaf’s favor when his ban was lifted but he didn’t proved to be of any use. We will have to pick the squad on merit and not on reputation otherwise this drama will continue forever.
Why do we blame Ijaz Butt and selectors if we ourselves start missing these underperformers after one series and start supporting them. A line should be drawn somewhere otherwise same players will keep on producing same results.
We should not base our selection on imaginary scenarios but on ground facts and should not turn a blind eye toward the under performances these guys have done on several occassions if they don’t deliver then their talent is useless for Pakistan.
If these young players can score fighting 30,s and 40′s more consistently in my eyes they are far better than the experienced and attractive players who play a few crowd pleasing shots to demonstrate their capabilities and to retain their fan base but rarely finish the job or rarely fullfill their roles according the match situation. Why do they always come back in form in dead rubbers or when they are dropped from the team or are on the verge of being dropped, there is a pattern in their performance.
We have two choices here either we declare them innocent until proven guilty and let them play for themselves until they retire or just say that you haven’t justified your selection, thank you for your services we would like to move on, have a nice life. The policy should have continuity and should not be based on emotions and fiction.
We have lost plenty of players because of Malik, Yousaf and Inzamam in the last 10-12 years some of them were really good but they were never given a chance. Inzi over extended his career by atleast two years, and now Yousaf is doing the same thing, Malik should have been dropped long time ago.
Don’t take it personally, I admire your knowledge about players and your passion about the game but I have noticed that you don’t have any faith in young cricketers.
We will only produce new stars if we will allow youngsters to settle in.
I think we will have to select the replacement of these players as I did in my team and let them know that they will have to deliver according to their roles or else they will be warming the bench and it would be even better if we do not play both Yousaf and Malik in the same match have one senior and one junior.
We both ignored Misbah in our team, it is more than likely that after his three 50′s he will be in the WC squad. Isn’t it strange that just before the WC all the out of form seniors are coming back in form to get back in the team.
If the pattern is correct they will get out of form as soon as they join the team.
.
Javed Miandad has been appointed batting consultant.
The majority of our ODI team is the same. Only differences are you want Ahmed Shehzad instead of Mohammad Yosuf and Asad Shafiq in place of Shoaib Malik.
But that is what concerns me about your ODI team- there is a lack of balance and experience. The middle order of Ahmed Shehzad, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq is a weak one. Only Younis is an established international cricketer. If you look at my team, the balance is perfect with experienced players in at 3, 4 and 5. I have also have aggressive stroke makers opening and then at 6, 7, 8.
Yousuf’s and Malik’s averages may be lower than Shafiq’s, but Yousuf and Malik would bring great calm to the crease. They both play pace and spin very well and can pace their innings very well. Shafiq is slightly uncomfortable/technically deficient against pace, and lacks the temperant because he is not very experienced. Umar Akmal has talent and he is only 20, so by sticking with him, he could be a very important player for Pakistan in the future. Malik is also in tremendous form with 4 centuries already.
I understand your point about needing players to play big shots, but if you look at my ODI team, Malik, Younis and Yousuf will set the pace of the innings. Kamran and Umar Akmal along with Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq give the team plenty of firepower.
I am not saying Taufeeq is a bad batter, I think Azhar Ali and Hafeez are better and so they are in the team ahead of him.
Yousaf in last two series scored 2,58,11,10,8,46,16,3,20,3 = 177 ave 17.7
Asad in last two series scored 19,50,11,40,0,19,1,43,36 = 219 ave 24.44
From NZ series onwards these are Malik’s scores 2,26,11,28,2,36,8,39= 152 ave 19
Umar Akmal’s scores are better he averages 30 in his last two series. But the manner in which he has been throwing his wicket has been appalling and just because of that he has lost the trust of Afridi and Waqar.
Asad’s performance has been better than Malik and Yousaf, the problem is that we just believe in these old players too much just because of their past performances. I have been quite critical of Asad recently but somehow the Kid has impressed me with his attitude and I didn;t see any technical deficiencies while he was batting in tests.
I think Yousaf now should only play in test cricket. As regards experience we failed in the first round when he was at his peak, won’t make any difference but the risk will be eliminated.
We need fresh legs. guys who can play big shots. We are not going to win the cup in any case this time so why not give a chance to young players who are showing form.
Afridi just remains politically correct he was the one who got him out and now he wants him back just like he wanted Younis back in the team. Come on you know Afridi better than that.
On Taufeeq as I said before I do not agree with you, if more people can join us in this debate then probably we can reach
I think fundamentally, Ahmed Shehzad should be considered only as an opener, becuase coming in at 3, 4 and 5 requires a lot more responsibility. Therefore, I don’t think he can replace Yousuf.
The thing about Asad Shafiq is that he has only had one really good peformance when he made 50 runs off 58 balls against England in an ODI. Pakistan made nearly 300 in that match and he also came in to bat once a foundation had been set. It was a good batting track. Apart from that, he has failed, but he does have talent. We all know Umar Akmal has talent from the way he has performed in 2009 and in some matches in 2010, which is why I think Pakistan should stick with him because the ability is definitely there, and experience will only help him – especially at a time when we have batters like Younis and Yousuf still here. Yousuf and Malik are established experienced players.
Taufeeq scores were not bad, but I don’t think he has the technique for international cricket. Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali are just better. .
I have not heard of any reports of any misbehaviour of Malik since. In fact, Afridi actually wanted him in the team for the England and SA ODI series.
The 40 man squad is the squad picked by the selection committee for both the NZ tour and the WC. It includes Butt, Amir, Asif, Malik, Kaneria etc. This squad will be reduced to 30 next week by the PCB.
15 man squads:
1. Mohammad Hafeez
2. Azhar Ali
3. Shoaib Malik
4. Younis Khan (capt)
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Misbah Ul Haq
7. Kamran Akmal (wkt)
8. Wahab Riaz
9. Umar Gul
10. Tanvir Ahmed
11. Saeed Ajmal
Umar Akmal, Abdul Rehman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Rameez
ODI
1. Mohammad Hafeez
2. Kamran Akmal (wkt)
3. Shoaib Malik
4. Younis Khan (capt)
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Umar Akmal
7. Shahid Afridi
8. Abdul Razzaq
9. Umar Gul
10. Shoaib Akhtar
11. Saeed Ajmal
Imran Nazir, Abdul Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan
T20
1. Mohammad Hafeez
2. Imran Nazir
3. Kamran Akmal (wkt)
4. Shoaib Malik
5. Shahid Afridi (capt)
6. Umar Akmal
7. Misbah Ul-Haq
8. Abdul Razzaq
9. Umar Gul
10. Shoaib Akhtar
11. Saeed Ajmal
Nasir Jamshed, Abdul Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan,
I don’t think I’ve missed any obvious choices.
PCB
If I am not mistaken either it was Daily Jang or Daily news are ou sure that the 40 man squad is for NZ series and not for World cup? Either it was a misprint or wrong news it clearly said that Kamran Akmal and Malik have been included in the 22 men squad.
If you have noticed that I have given a 15 member squad for each format, I would play Ahmad Shehzad a head of Yousaf if he is not in full form but it will give the team the flexibility to try out different combinations and in the six match series all the players will get some exposure and practice.
There are six matches I think they should give three matches to Shahzad and three to Yousaf and three each to Asad and Malik if he is selected.
I agree with you that Asad has struggled a bit but what about Umar Akmal, Yousaf and Malik havent they struggled? At least Asad showed the grit to playwithin himself and made decent contributions.
Don’t agree with you on Taufeeq at all. He looked good and his scores are not bad we should give him the margin that he was making a comeback after a long time. No matter which opening combination we will pick they are going to struggle in NZ. These two should be given an extended run.
As regards Junaid Khan I would like to see him in the squad as soon as possible but if Wahab, Akhtar and Umar Gul are fit he won’t get a chance. Unless the selectors pick a 17 member or 16 member squad which might be possible as it is a long tour and Pakistan are looking to get the best 15 for the WC.
But anyways we can only give our opinions and can’t influence selection in any way.
I just saw the news where Intikhab Alam made a statement that in the next two days Kamran Akmal’s and Yousaf’s availability will become clear.
I am not disputing what you said about Malik but you will agree with the facts I stated his performance hasn’t justified his selection and all the coaches and captains have stated on numerous occassions that he creates a bad environment in the dressing room we can’t disregard that and if we keep in view all the dramas going on it would be better if we eliminate the risk by keeping the shady players at bay.
What are your reasons to believe that Malik has been reformed?
If they are including one Akmal then they should include the other one too, there is no point in dropping Umar Akmal especially when the world cup is around the corner. The management should have a straight talk with both Akmals and the captain and make sure that these two will give there 100% and should set goals for them.
More or less our 15 or 17 players are the same only there is a difference of opinion in the playing 11.
I don’t know where you got your information from, but a 40 man squad has been picked by the selectors which will be reduced to a 30 man preliminary squad by the PCB next week.
Azhar Ali has been playing extremely well, but he is actually an opener. Also because he slows a lot slower and has a very solid technique, he is ideal in opening for the team. The more experienced players should bat at 3, 4 and 5.
I don’t think Taufeeq Umar should be in the side. He made 42, 22, 43 and 30. His domestic record isn’t that impressive also.
I would pick Malik because he is good enough to overcome his past poor record and his experience could be crucial for the team. I hope they stick with Umar Akmal, because he definitely has great potential and he will only learn by playing more test match cricket or being around the likes of Younis and Yousuf and learning shot selection. I would like to see Junaid Khan get selected ahead of Sami at least because he has been very impressive.
I would maybe include Ahmed Shahzad in the squad as a spare batter, or select him for the A team. Azhar Ali is too slow at the moment for ODI cricket. In future, he may become more adjusted to international cricket and become a good option.
Agreed – this 15 man squad should mainly be the world cup squad. I don’t think Shahzad should replace Yousuf. It would leave Younis as the only experienced international batsman in the side and the presence of Younis and Yousuf at 4 and 5 would be a major asset to the team. Malik should be selected because his performances have been excellent and if he fails, then he should be dropped. I don’t think he is as big a problem any more, especially because he has behaved since. Asad Shafiq is a good player, but he has struggled even for a new player. No doubt the potential is there, but I feel he is uncomfortable against pace, and again experience is so crucial – Malik is more than useful with the bowl and in the field also.
I don’t buy into your logic of innocent until proven guilty we all know what some of these guys have done over the years there is no question about that, ofcourse when they will get dropped they will score heavily, Imran farhat, Salman Butt, Misbah have done it on many occasions they fail to justify their form in international matches and after getting dropped they start scoring big 100′s in domestic cricket and make a come back and fail again. Both Butt and Misbah scored when the former was made the VC and the later a captain look at their performances before that and then see their domestic performances in immediately preceding domestic tournaments you will be surprised to see the disparity.
It’s a fact that Mazhar Majeed had 7-8 players in his net, it would be a great injustice with the upcoming young players to drop them for some of these corrupt and failed individuals. I would say that to eliminate risk any player who is under the slightest doubt should not be picked, the WC is going to be in India and a lot of betting activity is going to take place those players who have been on the books in the past even if they want to perform honestly will get black mailed to do otherwise.
Get rid of the players who had any association with Majeed or INZI.
PCB
Azhar has been doing good at # 3 don’t think that we should risk him at opening position. Taufeeq Umar has looked good only he hasn’t converted his 30′s-40′s into bigger scores. I think we should still persist with him.
Malik hasn’t performed in last three or four test series he has played. His record in NZ is pretty bad. Don’t think that we should drop Asad for him or compromise Azhar at # 1.
YK will be an automatic selection, Yousaf should also be an automatic selection if he fully fit.
Umar Akmal I am not sure if he will get selected becuase right now the team management is annoyed with him.Umar Gul, Saeed and Rahman will be automatically selected, Junaid Khan won’t get selected it’s too early for him usually they try a new fast bowler in shorter formats first then give him a test cap. I think Tanvir and Sami will be in the team. Wahab Riaz will be the third seamer.
Test Matches
Hafeez
Taufeeq
Azhar
YK
Misbah
Yousaf/ Asad
Kamran Akmal
Wahab Riaz
Saeed/ Rahman
Umar Gul
Tanvir
For Odi’s
It should be
Kamran Akmal
Hafeez
Ahmad Shahzad/MOYO
Younis Khan
Umar Akmal
Asad Shafiq/ Malik
Afridi
Razzaq
Shoaib Akhtar/Wahab Riaz
Umar Gul
Ajmal/Rahman
I don’t think Azhar will get selected in ODI squad. Imran Nazir and Rana can only get selected if the the squad consists of 17 men or if they don’t pick Ahmad Shahzad, Moyo or Umar Akmal.
If this tour is for the world cup preperation then we should give exposure to the 15 players who are likely to play in WC.
Yousaf gets into any team a head of any player just based on his class and experience but his fitness, fielding and form are questionable at the moment, therefore a free scoring youngster like Shahzad will be a good replacement player. Malik on paper always look good he has experience, he can bowl a few overs, he is a good fielder, and is the best strategist in the team for limited overs but his friction with other players and the clouds of doubt over his integrity and his poor batting performances make him my least favorite for selection. I would go for Asad because the guy has shown courage, attitude and a strong he is not a very flashy or attractive player or a player who can single handedly change the match but a player who can consistently make decent contributions. I think he deserves to remain in the team.
We don’t need Rana I know he will be effective in NZ because of the seaming conditions but on Flat tracks in WC he will become a target, his batting is highly overrated,I think in the seaming conditions in NZ Razzaq will do just fine and we should persist with him. Pakistan will go with two other pacers, and they should distribute the matches between Umar Gul, Akhtar and Riaz so that each one of them get some rest, we can’t risk Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar.
T20
Imran Nazir
Hafeez
Ahmad Shahzad
Malik
Afridi
Umar Akmal
Kamran Akmal
Razzaq
Akhtar
Riaz/ Ajmal/ Rahman
Gul/ Rana
Yousaf has no place in T20′s we should build a team of free scoring youngsters who are fit enough to field and can bat with flare.
The point is that I would prefer Kamran Akmal in the team of Haider/Adnan Akmal/ Sarfraz Ahmed. Yes, Kamran Akmal has not performed to his potential at international level, but he is still a lot better than the others. He solves the opening problem in ODI/T20′s and is a quick scorer – how useless did Haider feel as a batter in the recent ODI series. In one match, they even sent in Rehman ahead of him.
We can’t dismiss circumstantial evidence, but is it really evidence or just runours, gossip and hearsay? I am all for punishing those who do not perform and give 100% for ulterior motives, but if there is no proof then they should not be punished. Also Kamran Akmal’s performances in the ODI’s against England were very good – so he can’t be blamed for underperforming. His T20 performances through the year have also been very good. Maybe he sould be dropped in tests at first – but thats a completely different subject.
As for Shoaib Malik, he had a poor tour of England like the other batters, but he is obviously in great form so he should be recalled. Obviously, if the fails then he should be dropped from the side. Malik’s selection is on merit – Fawad failed recently in domestic cricket whereas Malik has hit a double century and a century already.
Below are the teams I would pick, excluding Amir, Asif & Butt:
1. Mohammad Hafeez
2. Azhar Ali
3. Shoaib Malik
4. Younis Khan (capt)
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Umar Akmal/Misbah Ul Haq
7. Kamran Akmal (wkt)
8. Umar Gul
9. Saeed Ajmal/Abdul Rehman
10. Junaid Khan
11. Tanvir Ahmed/Wahab Riaz/Mohammad Rameez
ODI
1. Mohammad Hafeez/Imran Nazir
2. Kamran Akmal (wkt)
3. Shoaib Malik
4. Younis Khan (capt)
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Umar Akmal
7. Shahid Afridi
8. Abdul Razzaq
9. Umar Gul
10. Shoaib Akhtar
11. Saeed Ajmal
T20
1. Mohammad Hafeez
2. Imran Nazir
3. Kamran Akmal (wkt)
4. Shoaib Malik
5. Shahid Afridi (capt)
6. Mohammad Yousuf
7. Umar Akmal
8. Abdul Razzaq
9. Umar Gul
10. Shoaib Akhtar
11. Saeed Ajmal
Pakistan has lost to Afghanistan in the semi finals of the Asian games, never thought that I would see this happening in my lifetime but the morons at PCB made it happen by sending a team of third rated players in an important tournament and missed an opportunity to win a gold medal for the country.
And if I am not mistaken they are not included in the initial 40 they are in the 22 men squad.
PCB
Yes I am being unfair with them because they deserve such hatred. Nobody on the planet has supported Malik as much as I have done in the past, I have also been lenient in giving margin to Kamran Akmal’s limitations as a wicket keeper always thought that he was the best choice we had, but when these players repeatedly disappointed and failed to perform according to their potential no matter how limited it was that was the end of it.
I don’t know if you will agree with me or not but don’t you think that if we dismiss and sweep all the circumstantial evidence under the carpet and keep on giving new life to these shady characters it will be unfair for the young players who have shown a lot of character and have performed way better than their potential.
I have been very critical of Fawad Alam in recent times but trust me if am given a choice I will pick Fawad over Malik even though his game is no where near Malik’s but he gives his 100%.
It’s very tempting to include the most experienced star players in the team but I think from now on we should forget about the star power and should only focus on merit based on actual output given by players.
Just take an example of the last ODI we played against SA we couldn’t had a better team on paper than the one which played but what happened did the stars players justified their selection? If you analyse the matches played in last 16 months in all formats you will see that mostly we have been winning because of young raw players the stars have failed us on more occasions then they have won us anything.
Another argument is lets assume we bring Akmals, Malik,Yousaf and Rana back in the team who will they replace. Give me your team for all three formats.
I think the causality in test matches would be of Hafeez, Taufeeq, Shafiq and Rahman.
And in Odis it would be Hafeez, Shafeeq, and Fawad.
Stani
You are right the team showed a lot of character, today when three quick wickets fell, I was like no please not again, but Misbah and Azhar finally played excellent knocks under pressure, the conditions did helped them but in past I have seen that regardless of the conditions once a collapse was triggered there was no stopping it, I guess different players bring different characters in the team.
I was against recalling Misbah in the national team let alone making him the captain, becuase he didn’t showed this character under any other captain, he failed under Younis, Yousaf, and Afridi the shots on which he got out in most matches displayed no sense of responsibility the like of which he showed in this match and the previous one, I know conditions were not easy on previous tours but I lost trust in him because of his lack of sense of responsibility.
He did a fine job as captain have no problems there but still don’t trust him as this was his first series as captain and he had to earn some goodwill. Salman Butt also won his first match as captain against Auatralia.
PCB should have learned an important lesson here, they should make UAE a permanent station for their home series, it will bring stability in the team and will reduce pressure on administrators.
Playing in England might have been financially lucrative but it almost destroyed our cricket.
The team deserves to play their home series in home like conditions this is the only way we can improve our ranking in world cricket.
Whats your take on recalling Malik, Akmals,Yousaf, Rana and Kaneria for the tour to New Zealand.
I think you are being unfair on Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik. I take your point they are playing unknown bowlers on flat tracks, but they are still scoring very highly and a knock of 270 on any surface takes skill. The ICC has cleared both, and thats the way it is – innocent until proven guilty. Both are top players who should be included without a doubt.
As for Rana and Kaneria, they are only part of the 40 man squad – same for Malik and Akmal, which they should be. Whether Kaneria should make it into the actual squads, I think not because he has bowled poorly over the past few years. Rana may be considered for ODI/T20′s depending on other bowling options.
Wasim,
Yes, some excellent performances, heart and character. It was difficult to expect anything close to this before the series. Two solid performances.
Even though UDRS isn’t foolproof I think it needs to come in now for every Test. DeSilva is just a joke and should be dropped from the elite panel of umpires.
Very happy for Misbah because they would have dropped him had he not done well here. I think his captaincy was very good apart from the odd error which is to be expected. His batting was excellent. Brave and responsible. How much of his role as captain do you think played a part in pressure being off Younis so he could perform?
We need to get our bowlers performing though and then we will look a more than decent Test side.
Pakistan were robbed of a chance to win this test series. The pundi??ts can blame the placid tracks as much as they want but in my opinion the four decisions which went against pakistan and enabled south Africa to post a huge total and lead was the only reason due to which we didn’t got a result in this match and the series.More than the tracks the poor and biased umpiring has to be blamed. This was the only reason south africa had the upper hand in the series but despit all the odds Pakistan still came out even in the seriesand were quite close to win the first match.
Last chance for South Africa 20 overs are left and Steyn is back if he doesn’t get a break through now then they won’t be able to win the match.
Misbah and Azhar have done the major hard work.
PCB has included Akmal and Shoaib Malik in the squad picked up for the NZ tour. Both players are scoring heavily in QEA trophy punishing unknown bowlers on flat domestic tracks.
Now the selectors are requesting clearance for Rana and Kaneria. Why? I think Pakistan should let Ajmal and Rahman adjust.
These players were dropped from the team not only because of poor form but for other reasons,i.e creating cliques in the team, corruption and underperformance.If ICC couldn’t collect solid evidence against these players it doesn’t mean that they have reformed, even if they make a come back who are they going to replace. The youngsters like Asad and Azhar have done a lot better than these veteran players so why should they be put under pressure. Knowing the politics and corruption in the team one can easily predict that the moment these guys come back in the team young players will be forcibly declared unfit and will just warm the bench.
Kamran Akmal will replace his own brother so it doesn’t matter. Who is Malik going to replace? He couldn’t do anything on his last tour to NZ just because hehas a better record against SriLanka and India doesn’t mean that he will perform well in WC.
PCB is wasting another opportunity to rebuild and move on from these pathetic players.
Morkel is causing all kinds of problems for Misbah, he is continously targeting Misbah’s rib cage and gave him a few nasty blows, 35 overs are left, it’s tea time. Pakistan lost three quick wickets after lunch lets see if they lose any soon after tea.
So far Misbah has batted really well, frankly speaking I didn’t expected this from him and still don’t expect him to bat till end, there is a trust deficit.
Azhar has become Pakistan’s wall, he has the temprament of Dravid a good technique although he is not as skillful as Dravid but he will have a bright future, Umar akmal was acknowledged as the best find for Pakistan in batting but I guess everybody was wrong it is Azhar who has been the best find for Pakistan batsmen of his breed those who can bat with patience and right technique are very rare in Pakistan.
Salman Butt has decided to sue Ramiz Raja for his statement when Raja while giving an interview to a British tabloid called Butt a liar. Butt has been quite aggressive in the last month in defence of the spot fixing allegations against him. He has only a weeks more of freedom as soon as the spot fixing case hearing is completed a criminal case will be launched against him and we won’t hear from him for a long time to come.
Different tactics used by Misbah and Azhar to tackle Harrris, Misbah is playing with an open stance and playing mostly going back using the box and playing the ball late, while Azhar is playing on front foot and looks uncomfortable. Harris is also using different tactics for both players to Misbah he is bowling round the wicket and to Azhar he is bowling over the wicket.
Morne Morkel has come on to bowl SA will hope that he will provide a break through.
Misbah might have fractured Hashim Amla’s arm with a vicious pull, should have done it in the last match now if Amla gets injured South Africa will get a huge set back as Smith is already out of the Indian series.
Azhar Ali will have to keep on batting as if his life depends on it, he alongwith Asad are the only two players I will pin my hope upon, even though Azhar has looked very uncomfortable against the spinners but he is the one I trust. 46 overs are remaining, the conditions are not unplayable or difficult it’s the three quick wickets which have created enormous pressure on Misbah and Azhar.
Pakistan looked rock solid until lunch on the fifth day they were 66/0 only 288 needed off the remaining 63 overs, but every Pakistani fan knew something will happen soon after lunch and it did, three wickets fell for just 1 run within a space of 7 deliveries to straight forward balls of South African spinners there was no vicious spin just plain straight balls. Hafeez and Taufeeq who were looking so dominant before lunch all of a sudden missed straight ones and gone but the biggest surprise for me was Younis Khan, “you too brutus”.
The match is in South Africa’s favor now. No surprise here.
68 runs are required to avoid follow on Sa thinks they can get the last three sockets with in an hour but they don’t realize that in this match pakistan has a tail which can bat. Misbah will hold the key for pakistan.
PCB
Sami has nine yearsof test experience, umar Gul has 7 years of test experience the debutant tanvir has over 10 years and over 100 first class match experience. I don’t think these guys will get any better.
Sami has a problem of being erratic. If you look in this match so far the most beautiful deliveries were produced by him but he releases all the pressure by bowling extemely poor deliveries in the same over. This has been consistent through out his career and I think he is the most unlucky bowler I have ever seen.
.
Gul bowled recently in this match he wasn’t very accurate like he usually is and was also a tad unlucky not to get any wickets but I think he could have been more successful had he not cut down his pace.
Also, the PCB did hold an internal match fixing investigation after the 2007 World Cup. Some players suspected Inzamam and Yousuf being involved, particulalry in the opening game against West Indies where they scored just 5 runs off 41 balls in a period of time.
Umar Gul does need consistency, but I think that will come will experience, but he does have the potential to lead the attack without a doubt. As for Mohammad Rameez, if he can build up a bit, he will have enough pace to be successful becuase he does have the ability to get wickets.
I think we are being harsh on the bowlers. The attack bowling now is quite inexperienced and the pitch is pretty good for batting They are also up against Smith, Kallis, de Villiers who are excellent and very experienced players. I am sure within the next couple of months, our bowling attack will be considerably improved.
I think Amir and Asif were both excellent bowlers, but I liked Amir more. His passion was always evident and when he got a wicket it always lifted the team. He also seemed to get wickets when the team really needed them and had the ability to completely destroy a batting line up (e.g. vs AUS at headingley and vs Eng at Lords). Asif was more line and length and more subtle.
I think Asif will get more than a 5 year ban and so he should because he has done no favours to Pakistan. Same for Butt. I think Amir should be given 2 years if guilty, because it is obvious by the way Majeed called him ‘fucker’ that he was simply a pawn for them and was not really involved – in the sense that he did not want to do it.
I do not know whether I have told you guys, but Amir did report Butt to Shafqat Rana who instructed him to follow Butt’s orders. He has not admitted anything to the ICC and his outbursts will not help his case, but he is still young and has a clean record and a humble background, so I think the 3 man committee will be lenient.
I don’t know whether you can remember that Ijaz Butt in February said a couple of board members had been sacked because of match fixing. I know one was Saleem Altaf. Shafqat Rana is another which is why he has not been retained. He had in the past accepted bribes also to include players in the A team while he was on the selection committee.
Stani
Betting lineup?
That
is so true.
You are right that Steyn and Morkel can’t bowl all day, the first 15 overs tommorrow would be crucial they didn’t look unplayable today with the new ball today Azhar and Taufeeq looked quite comfortable against them. More than skill it will be the test of the patience and application of our batsmen.
I liked Asif more than Aamer, Asif was in a league of his own but I agree with you that he didn’t learned from his past mistakes which means he as a person was completely corrupt and therefore doesn’t deserve to get another chance.Both players will get a 2-5 year ban, a a 5 year ban will effectively end their career.
Even though their were murmurs of a soft punishment for Aamer but his outburst against ICC and his refusal to testify against Butt didn’t do him any favor. I strongly believe that Aamer has been forced to join the corrupt group of players, a player from humble background had no other choice but to do what the bosses wanted him to do, there are many instances in last 10 years in Pakistan cricket where the careers of promising young cricketers were ruined because they wanted to perform honestly. Not everybody has the courage of Rashid Latif and Haider. This is the only reason due to which I believe that Aamer should be given a soft punishment, it’s unlikely that he will get it and that would be a tragedy.
But in the longer run this particular case will set a strong example for the young Pakistani players.
South Africa posted a mammoth target of 584 for Pakistan. Pakistan failed to bowl out South Africa and later in the day were just looking desperate for a declaration.
ABD scored 278 n.o he was out twice yesterday once on 65 and then on 67 but the umpires thought that they had to compensate South Africa by giving three decisions against Pakistan for the Amla blunder. Looked at the replays at least 10 times and can’t believe how the LBW appeal on the bowling of Rahman was turned down, the ball was low and struck AB plumb in front of middle stump.
Once again the umpires have done thier best to decide the outcome of a series.
I won’t be too harsh on the bowlers as the pitch looks quite flat even though the commentators keep on suggesting that the pitch might help seamers but so far except for the new ball, the ball hasn’t moved a great deal. Sami bowled better today but his erratic spell of yesterday had already skewed the match in favor of South Africa and Pakistan lost the initial initiative which was achieved by Tanvir’s brilliant opening spell.
Umar Gul’s lack of pace surprised me a bit, through out the day he was bowling around 130 k’s he easily bowls in 140′s but he wasn’t bending his back and Tanvir consistently bowled faster than him. Sami also failed to touch the 145 mark which he usually does quite consistently. Pak bowlers didn’t bend their backs and didn’t tried to target the body of the SA batsmen to soften them up this was the biggest weakness in our bowling. The bowlers consistently tried to search for late swing and pitched the ball up and often gave easy scoring opportunities to the South African batsmen.
There are no demons in the pitch, if Pakistani batsmen remain patient and keep things simple they will also score runs.
The first session will be crucial tommorrow our batsmen will have to see off the first 15 overs then things will become easier for them. Both Azhar and Taufeeq looked comfortable against Steyn and Morkel.
Pakistan will have to make sure that they bat all day tommorrow only then they will have a chance to save the match.
Wasim,
I think Rambo mentioned on commentary that there may have been something wrong with Tanvir which is why he opted for Sami. He may just simply have been tired. He does seem to strain more than Gul and Sami.
I think we just got to wait for the ball to wear and then it will be relatively easy. Steyn and Morkel can’t bowl all day and we should remember that. We have a decent batting line up so should draw this Test comfortably. (I almost wrote betting line up!
)
I hope we havent seen the last of Amir. Asif I’ve had enough of. Ironic that just as we seem to be sorting our batting out – with the return of Younis, Misbah, Yousuf, the re-emergence of Taufiq and Hafeez, and the emergence of Azhar and Shafiq – our bowling is on the decline.
I’m sure a dedicated talent search will unearth new diamonds. I’m available if they’re interested
PCB
Umar Gul has just one problem either he is really good or very ordinary to become the leader he will have to carry the team on his back and be more consistent.
Junaid Khan I do agree has potential, Rameez doesn’t have any pace he is not international material.
But my point was that from having the best pace attack in the world all of a sudden now we have bowlers who will struggle to take take 20 wickets in a match. We had variety in our pace attack the world was envious of our bowling strength but now we will have to rebuild and it might take four five years to get that strength back.
Junaid Khan and Mohammad Rameez have great potential. Umar Gul is also very good and can lead the attack for the foreseeable future.
Stani
The moisture and green tinge in the pitch must have made Misbah decide in favor of three seamers, but I fail to understand why he didn’t gave the second new ball to Tanvir that was just a criminal act. South Africa will win this match quite comfortably. Unless our batsmen perform out of their skins and score don’t concede a 100+ lead in the first innings.
Maaz/ Stani
Imagine what Aamer and Asif would have done on this wicket with the new ball, Asif would not have played any ways but even Aamer could have destroyed the South Africans.
I think we should give up hope of winning any test series in near future, we lost all the match winners in the team.
In the youngsters I don’t see any one who can replace Aamer and Asif, pretty soon Akhtar will be gone too and that will be the end of the fast bowling tradition in Pakistan.
I would have agreed with you about Ajmal before the game Wasim and after seeing Sami, I agree with you even more. Surely, surely this guy has had his last chance? How many times are we going to let him back in?
Maybe Misbah should have gone with Tanvir and Gul with the new ball but I suppose he may have wanted to give Sami a chance to make up especially as Tanvir is new to Tests. We need to come back into it like we did in the first Test otherwise this will be another draw. I guess it’s not too bad drawing two against the 2nd ranked Test nation but I really wanted us to go for it in this game. Maybe the limitations of our squad have prevented us.
DeSilva is just a rubbish umpire. He has been making mistakes for years but he is still on the elite panel. This means there must be something wrong with the system.
Missing Aamir and Asif! Excellent high class match winners are exploited in wrong doings due to a lack of education and awareness to keep them strong and wise in foreign territory. Our talents and gems will continue to be damaged unless measures are taken to groove cricketers in a systematic institution.
Tanvir bowled superbly in his first spell used the seam to perfection, moved the ball both ways and bowled a nagging line and length, Umar Gul either bowled too straight withour any movement or bowled with a wide angle thus reducing the chance to get an edge.
South African bowlers will create havoc with the new ball on this pitch, if South Africa managed to score 400 Pakistan will be in huge trouble. It’s strange why Misbah didn’t used his best bowler of the day to use the second new ball and missed the opportunity to make further in roads in the South African batting.
The umpiring in this match so far has been horrible, first Amla became a victim of Ashoka D silva, then AB was given another life on the bowling of Rahman when he was caught plumb in front of wickets, AB was batting at 65 then, Kallis also got a life when he was 87 on the bowling of Sami the replays showed that there was no bat involved and Kallis was caught in front of the stumps.
There is another thread about the Ashes 2010.
Pakistan will regret why they picked Sami over Ajmal, Gul bowled a few good overs in the morning after that he hasn’t been able to move the ball he alongwith Sami has wasted the second new ball. Sami displayed once again why he is so useless he can’t control his line or length sprays the ball all over the place.. Umar GUl keeps on playing Dr Jekyll and sister Hyde, you never know which Gul will show up the one who can swing the ball on any pitch in the world or the one who looks like a club cricketer.
I agree, I think two spinners should have been played. I would agree that Ajmal is probably a better pick of Rehman.
Tanvir Ahmed and Kallis dominate in the morning session. SA are 114/3 having been 33/3 at one stage. Overall, it was their session and they would got into lunch as the happier of the two sides. Pakistani bowlers lack patience.
Tanvir Ahmed first impressions?
Looks a different bowler with the red cherry
Bowls at good pace, gets the ball is good areas and can get appreciable side way movement
Interesting decision to bowl first, but so far it’s paying off
Not too sure about selecting Rehman over Ajmal, but we have to wait and see what happens
Bowlers need to keep patient here and keep the pressure on SA
Kallis stands in the way
After toss Ramiz said that “for SA it was a good toss to lose” even though he knew that the pich had a green tinge and moisture so it was going to assist the pacers, am still thinking why he said that.
Tanvir gets his 2nd wicket in his 2nd over, poor decision by Ashoka Dsilva the ball was no where near the bat, but Tanvir is on fire removed the danger man Amla.
Tanvir got a wicket in his first over of test cricket congrats to him, Gul almost removed Smith in his first beating him multiple times and one edge dropping short of Misbah.
We need Gul’s luck to come back.
Pakistan has dropped Ajmal and Umar Akmal perhaps both players lost the confidence of the team management, but the decision to play three pacers on a track which is only going to have some juice during the first hour is lame, I think Ajmal should have been given an ear full and should have been played he has the skill but doesn’t utilize it properly.