kirkutfan

So you think that the talibs actually know what the ICC is.

Is this the same guy who made sure he got his 50 but didn’t make a real effort to chase down CSK’s total? Such guys are irritating. More concerned about his own stats and less concerned with trying to help his side to win the game.

Or alternatively use corruption against the corrupt. Buy off some of their generals/politicians/mullahs

Actually Rameez Raja is being sensible. He is focusing on building back Pakistan cricket.

This was predictable. After all that noise against the New Zealanders, there was no way the English were going to take chances. NZ actually made a good faith effort to show up, and only left when the security advice changed. Yet they were accused of enjoying the good life of Islamabad and taking off. Now, if there was less drama, then over a period of time Pakistan could have worked with NZ and won their confidence back. And then maybe England come too.

See this proves the Indian conspiracy. RAW ensured that they got out safely.

So let’s summarize the Pakistani grievances. 1. NZ shouldn’t have skipped town because the security provided by the army and ISI is top notch. 2. The players enjoyed shopping and sightseeing in Islamabad and then decided to go home. 3. The BCCI and Modi were behind this. You know, they are right. That army has won all their battles, and FATF gave them gold medals for fighting terrorism. Islamabad is a dream tourism destination for New Zealanders. The players will do anything, including pretend to play cricket, to go there. And of course the BCCI and Modi ordered NZ t

Kumble doesn’t decide anything for the Punjab Kings. Let’s make the real decider- Preity Zinta-the coach. Win a World Cup get a hug. Boys will play well..

You are right. Those are not the only 2 choices. My only point is that both teams had their successes and failures, and on balance it is easier for me to be a fan of this team, than the 83 squad. Also, I don’t subscribe to the theory that only ICC wins matter. As far as potential goes, that is a tricky one. This team has better pace bowling resources than any we have had in the past. Batting wise, I don’t think so. The 2004 combo of Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly was considerably stronger. Heck, as far as batting line up goes, the 1983 line up was pretty good and because they had d

When India won the 1983 World Cup, it was an amazing achievement. But it does not take away from the fact that West Indies were the dominant team of that time. In fact that was what made it great. We won a tournament that had stronger teams in it. But we did not become the best in the world because of it. Before and after that tournament we played Pakistan and West Indies in bilateral series and they cleaned our clocks. Now, we are in a bit of an opposite situation. We have a team that, overall, wins more often than it loses, typically gets to a semi final point in ICC tournaments but doesn’t

Selectors could have done that if they wanted to. Instead they pick Kohli for the big tournament and then decide to play political games at the same time. If they decided to bet on Kohli, they should support him fully and then worry about making changes after the World Cup was done.

NZ was smart to decide unilaterally. They got the information from a security company they trusted. Why would they mess that up by relaying the same information to entities they don’t trust( PCB, Pakistan authorities etc.).

Couldn’t the drama wait until after the end of the World Cup?

Your math is off. The Indians were in front 2-1 in this series, lost the 1 off with NZ, won the last series 3-1, and the one before 2-1. Overall, the captain everyone loves to hate has 38 test wins against 16 losses. That does not equate to “keep losing” or “no accountability”. Agar fatteybaazi karni hai tho thora homework kar lo. Don’t do the chalta hai deal…

They stood up to the heat just fine. They fought hard all series to take that 2-1 lead. They fought hard to win that series in Australia. I think they have earned the benefit of the doubt as far as courage and willingness to fight it out are concerned. They are not abandoning a game because they are rich or soft. If they think the risks are real, I believe them. Also this stuff about putting the ipl above test cricket is nuts too. Test cricket has survived in part because of this team’s commitment to it. Personally I don’t really care even if some suits decide in favor of a forfeit. Doesn’t ta