Pak Cast

Pakistan legend : Wasim Akram

In 2011 Lancashire County Cricket Club finally won the county championship outright after 65 years and more of missing out. One of Lancashire’s roll call of legends who was unable to lift the trophy during their playing career was Wasim Akram Chaudhry, to give him his full name. He can’t have been too disheartened, as during his career with both Lancashire C. C. C. and the Pakistan national cricket team he won several major honours and broke numerous records.

He was on the Pakistan team who won the 1992 World Cup; in fact he was named man of the match for his performance in the final. As for Lancashire he was a great favourite, with him leading the team as captain to trophies in the 1998 season: the ECB Trophy and Axa League. Wasim Akram’s end-of-career statistics remain impressive and some of his records still stand. At 55 wickets in 38 matches he is still the leading wicket taker at World Cups. He holds the Pakistani record for most Test wickets, with 414 from 104 matches. Until the statistic was broken by that other legendary Lancashire C. C. C. overseas player, Muttiah Muralitharan, Akram was the first player to take more than 400 international level wickets in both test and one day international forms of cricket. He was a handy batsman as well, managing 12 sixes in a Test match Pakistan had with Zimbabwe, although some critics felt he could have attained a higher batting average.

Akram managed to garner the respect and admiration of his peers with Brian Lara, Don Bradman, Ian Botham and Glenn McGrath all having gushed about his bowling qualities. Many rated him as the greatest left-arm fast bowler ever, with his skill leading him to be named one of the two ‘Sultans of Swing’ in the Pakistan international side, the other being Waqar Younis. Despite retiring from the game in 2003 he still maintains a high profile courtesy of his broadcasting activities on behalf of ESPN and others, coaching roles in India and Pakistan, and his online outlets, e.g. Twitter.

Like many of the batsmen Wasim Akram was bowling towards, I have to admit I wouldn’t have enjoyed facing him at the crease when he was in his prime. This is primarily due to the skill and accuracy he showed with his swing and seam bowling, but also because my batting skills are so derisory. Out for 0 in record time would be guaranteed in my case. I’m fairly positive that an in-swinging yorker would be his bowling weapon of choice. Slinking off back to the pavilion would be my fate but admiration for his bowling technique would remain. Thankfully it’s only a fantasy, as no-one likes to be publicly humiliated. Wasim Akram, bowling legend.

Mohammad Asif- is a comeback possible?

So, Mohammad Asif has been released from jail and is interested in playing first-class cricket again. Well, this is going to lead to the piquant problem in Pakistan. There has been talk of certain players being involved in match fixing in the past. In some cases, players were even penalized by judicial committees set up by the administrators. However, nobody had been sentenced to prison time until the spot fixing scandal took place during Pakistan’s tour of England.

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Pakistan vs England- a temperamental performance

How will you react if you are told that the famous Auberge de Jeunesse Amsterdam is offering a 90% discount for all its visitors and patrons? The first reaction would be disbelief. Your second reaction would be greed because you would want to take advantage of the solution to the maximum extent possible. However, do not be surprised when you receive a message that things are back to normal and that prices have gone back to normal all over again.

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Shoaib Akhtar

The once mighty cricket team of Pakistan is no longer as effective on the field as it used to be. More so, it has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons like match fixing, corruption, internal politics and even visiting cricketers being attacked by terrorists. There is no doubt that Pakistan is a country that is full of talent, especially when it comes to cricket. Some of the greatest batsman like Seed Anwar, Ijaz Ahmed and bowlers like Wasim Akram and all rounder’s like Imran Khan are the big names that have played for Pakistan’s cricket team.

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Retired or not? What say you Shahid?

Pakistan cricket has the ability to frustrate even the most patient individual. Pakistan cricket had always been an individualistic affair. Sure, the players played as a team but it was the performance of individuals that made the ultimate difference. There were numerous instances where people just did not get along despite playing in the same team. The differences between Imran Khan and Javed Miandad are legendary. One was a bowler and the other was a batsman and the two sides never seemed to meet.

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Politics and Cricket

Pakistani Cricket team has always made news, and most often for the wrong reasons. Pakistan is a country that has been fighting with layers and layers of internal corruption and this has also made its impact on the country’s national cricket team. There have been incidents where players have fought amongst each other to the extent of physical exchanges. The height of violence was reached when in 2007 the coach for Pakistan’s cricket team Bob Woolmer was strangled to death, however the murderer was not found due to lack of evidence.

What surprises me however is that right after that incident that next coach that took up the role was Geoff Lawson, an Australian, in other words another foreigner. If I would be asked to coach the Pakistani cricket especially right after the death of Bob Woolmer I would have no hesitation to reject the offer, simply because I don’t want to die. Thankfully Geoff Lawson was not killed but was sacked after two years, with comments that he is no longer useful for us.

Today when Waqar Younis, one of the best and fastest bowlers the world has ever seen, is the outgoing coach for Pakistan, Geoff Lawson has made a comment that Pakistan should hire a coach from outside the country who would not have to go through the political pressure that would otherwise affect a Pakistani Coach, once again highlighting the political influence that Cricket Pakistan endures. I guess a new coach would have to touch certain basic elements to discipline the team, in other words the couch would have some primary teaching jobs that he would have to undertake and only then will he be able to build the team. This would need time and patience, and even if the couch would have patience, I am not sure the board would give the coach the time needed.

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Cricket in Pakistan

There is something about the Pakistani Cricket Team that I find quite appealing; there is never a dull moment. You can never predict which way things will turn out.

In fact, almost every match that they have played and won had some nail biting moments. Sure, other teams also have such moments but these guys are very unpredictable. If it’s match between India and Pakistan, things take on a different hue altogether. Two cricket loving countries come to a full stop. Heaven forbid that you have to go out for something while such a match is on; you could be arrested for loitering, worse, disturbing the public peace! You don’t have to switch on your TV; every action in the field is gustily encouraged or sworn at by everybody in the neighborhood!

The Pakistani team won the ICC Cricket Cup in 1992 and they did boast of some formidable names. In fact, their U-19 team was champion in 2004 and 2006 making it the only team to acquire such a distinction. In 2000, 2004 and 2009 their national team managed to reach the semi-finals stage.

In fact, the other day, I found this online jewellery shop rooting for the team and it got me thinking about this unpredictable and volatile team that seems to have such great potential but limited discipline imbibed in their very genes. The British may have brought Cricket with them, but Pakistan has given it a whole new dimension.

Gifted players like Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar and Imran Khan besides Javed Miandad and Moin Khan will go down in Pakistan’s cricketing history. Imran Khan once famously egged his team to play like cornered tigers. That advice seems to have stuck on the team; the occasional rioting and accusations not withstanding.

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Pakistan Is Next Tour – Hope For The Beleaguered Fans

Those observing and following Pakistan cricket from the outside may feel that the current imbroglio involving Shahid Afridi may act as the last straw on the camel’s back. The team is being managed as if people in need of special needs teaching jobs have been appointed in all important posts.

However, those who follow Pakistan cricket that will tell you that the apology on the part of Shahid Afridi means a lot. This means that the players are prepared to submit to the overall authority of the Board, even if it is only for the public consumption. When one compares this to the current dispute between the West Indies Board and its players, one realizes that Pakistan cricketers still have a certain level of loyalty to the game.

Of course, there is no denying that the captain of the One Day team that almost reached the finals of the World Cup has not been treated properly. However, such ups and downs are a part and parcel of Pakistan cricket and the team has always overcome such problems.

Finally, we have news of a home series that may be hosted in Zimbabwe. If this fructifies, then the Pakistan cricket team will be seen in action once again and there will be hope that all the problems in the team will not affect the actual performance on the ground.

The team has lost some really valuable players to old age and retirement. It is important for the experienced players to stick together for the welfare of the team even if they do not appreciate each other a lot.

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Pakistan Cricket – Whither From Here?

After the attack on the Sri Lankan team, foreign teams invited to play cricket in Pakistan will probably need military kit insurance for contingencies and eventualities. Of course, there is no team in the world willing to play in Pakistan and this, in my opinion, is a loss for the cricketing world.

The Pakistan cricket team has defied stereotypes. It was expected to fare poorly in the World Cup due to the churning in the team after the spot fixing scandal. The team surprised the world by defeating Australia and ending up in the semi finals. They lost the semi finals to eventual winners India. This was not surprising considering the fact that they dropped the best batsman in the Indian side half a dozen times before he managed to lose his wicket.

Those who follow Pakistan cricket will tell you that this is always how the team has played. It invariably moves from one crisis to another and plays some really spectacular cricket in between. However, there is a growing sense of weariness and the unpredictability is beginning to jar. Incomprehensible behavior from a teenaged rebel is shrugged off. However, the sight of a middle aged man behaving like a teenaged fool is worrying.

The Pakistan cricket team can no longer expect its fans and stakeholders to tolerate the infighting and maladministration. We now have a team in the sub continent that has won the World Cup twice. The next team to do that ought to be the cricket team from Pakistan.

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Pakistan cricket team

One of the most interesting cricket matches I followed in the world cup 2011 was the match between Pakistan and India. Thankfully I was on my weekly off and I was busy hunting for English teaching jobs in london as I had resigned from my current job and was serving the notice period. The premiers of both the countries were present throughout. It was nice to see both of them chit chatting over the match.

I was going through the history of Pakistan cricket it has produced some of the great legends Imran Khan the former captain who led Pakistan to the ICC cricket world cup in 1992. Wasim Akram one of the masters of swing; his name is synonymous to fast bowler in the late 90’s and early years of 21st century.

Even the Pakistan’s ICC U-19 team became the champions twice in 2004 and thereafter in 2006 which made them the first only team to grab the title twice in that category. Then the ICC World Twenty20 which is also called the T20cricket which again originated in England in 2003 however the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 happened in 2007 played in South Africa and the finals were between India and Pakistan. In this form of cricket as well they won the title as ICC World Twent20 in the year 2009 not just that they were able to reach to semi finals 3 times in 2000,2004 and 2009.

As we all know Pakistan cricket team is one of the best in the world, due to the terrorism, Political instability, Anti social elements and the criticism the team has been going through tremendous pressure. However I hope they overcome challenges and prove to the world their potential.

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