Asia Cup '08

[MalikBrother]

Hahaa...I think you get ANOTHER picture if you go back one match. 190 all out in response to 331 :giggle: India has more batting depth than Pakistan. We bat deep. If we have Irfan coming at No. 9, only extraordinary performance from the other team batting first is unachievable. For everything else, there is India's batting order. Gambhir+Sehwag+Yuvi+Dhoni+Sharma+Yusuf+Raina+Irfan>> Buttocks+Khatmal+Yusuf+Penis+Misb-aaaah+Afridi+dumbo_Malik+Tanveer+Gul-abo

I know Indian Batting line is much stronger than Pakistan batting line, but only on paper. :haha: Yousuf, Younis and Misbah are our consistent batmen so far. India have great batmen, but lack consistent. The same team who was bundled out in 190 due to not firing by them, but suddenly changed the whole picture again. Pakistan has only three batmen mostly. It can be understandable why Pakistan can be bundled out in 190 sometimes. At least those three are way better than the whole Indian batting line. No kidding :--D Pakistan is playing useless bowler like Rao to make batmen like Gambhir+Sehwag+Yuvi+Dhoni look good. As soon as Asif returns, history will repeat itself :haha: Ishant was impressive, but still he has to prove more cause he failed to take wickets of quality batmen

[MalikBrother]

Don't forget Kamran is not playing. That mean Indian batmen likely to be exposed, and won't be given chance again cause in India, poor wicket keeping of Kamran has broken the confident of Gul who would have taken the wickets of Ganguly, Gambhir and Tendulkar, Had Kamran caught em. Sadly, poor wicket keeping has cost the match. I am sure Sarfarz Ahmed will be brilliant in wicket keeping, if not batting. As soon as Asif returns, Gul along with Tanvir are likely to rock as usual. Abdur Rauf is another decent prospect i have seen. There are more fast bowlers to come especially from U 19. Pakistan bowling attack of future is not threatened at all, that's good sign

[Predator_05]

As soon as Asif returns' date=' history will repeat itself :haha: [/quote'] I am starting to think that our friend MalikBro is retarded. Either that, or he just doesn't have a clue about cricket. Asif's record vs India; 7 matches, 6 wickets at an average of 44.83...:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[punjabi_khota]

Don't forget Kamran is not playing. That mean Indian batmen likely to be exposed, and won't be given chance again cause in India, poor wicket keeping of Kamran has broken the confident of Gul who would have taken the wickets of Ganguly, Gambhir and Tendulkar, Had Kamran caught em. Sadly, poor wicket keeping has cost the match. I am sure Sarfarz Ahmed will be brilliant in wicket keeping, if not batting. As soon as Asif returns, Gul along with Tanvir are likely to rock as usual. Abdur Rauf is another decent prospect i have seen. There are more fast bowlers to come especially from U 19. Pakistan bowling attack of future is not threatened at all, that's good sign

Except for Penis and Yousuf, I have NEVER EVER heard anybody say "Consistent" with current "Pakistani Batsmen". As for Asif: 1). Drug case...first let him resolve that. 2). His ODI stats are mediocre in general and ABYSMAL against India. Played 7 matches against India, got 6 wickets at average of 44. :hysterical: I expect Tanveer to do much better than Asif. Gul for firing yorkers at death and getting cheap wickets. Edit: Predator beat it to me, ****!!

[MalikBrother]

I am starting to think that our friend MalikBro is retarded. Either that, or he just doesn't have a clue about cricket. Asif's record vs India; 7 matches, 6 wickets at an average of 44.83...:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

Call me retarded. The same Asif who took 4 wickets against India in WC T20, capable to dominate India by alone. Beside, India batmen shown the sign of scared to face Asif. Don't forget Karachi Test :haha:

[MalikBrother]

Except for Penis and Yousuf, I have NEVER EVER heard anybody say "Consistent" with current "Pakistani Batsmen". As for Asif: 1). Drug case...first let him resolve that. 2). His ODI stats are mediocre in general and ABYSMAL against India. Played 7 matches against India, got 6 wickets at average of 44. :hysterical: I expect Tanveer to do much better than Asif. Gul for firing yorkers at death and getting cheap wickets. Edit: Predator beat it to me, ****!!

I am talking about middle order batting line, but not opener batting line. Pakistan has best middle order batting. Ask Mr Holding :--D Asif is cleared, again tested, but turned out negative which will shut up for those who were calling him druggie i agree Asif ODI stats is mediocre, but his career started in 2006. It has been only two years. Asif needed much experience of International, but now all set to dominate India. Again, flat track usually support spinners than fast bowlers which meant to be graveyard. Asif was impressive in overseas. Watch Kevin Pieterson interview regarding about him :--D

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We have learnt from our mistakes: Dhoni India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is optimistic of the team's chances at the upcoming Asia Cup. More... We have learnt from our mistakes: Dhoni Harish Kotian in Mumbai June 22, 2008 18:16 IST Last Updated: June 22, 2008 18:28 IST India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni [images] on Sunday sounded a warning to his rivals saying his team has learnt from past mistakes and are ready to conquer the Asia Cup tournament, starting in Pakistan later this week. "If we play to our potential and our capabilities on an average day we will win more matches than we will lose. I agree with Murali's comments," Dhoni said in Mumbai on Sunday before the team's departure to Karachi. Muttiah Muralitharan had recently tipped India as the favourites at the Asia Cup. India coach Gary Kirsten echoed Dhoni's views and said the Asia Cup was one of their immediate goals. "We have set ourselves some goals for the next few months. We have set some very high standards and the Asia Cup is very much a part of that. Our goal is to win the tournament," Kirsten said. Dhoni revealed that he would battting a higher in the order to pep lend experience to the middle order, which crumbed during the final of the tri-series against Pakistan in Bangladesh. "I will stick it to an over mark, but definitely you will see me batting up in the Asia Cup," he said. The dashing wicketkeeper also refused to dwell too much on India's recent record in Pakistan, saying "past doesn't matter." "We have played well in Pakistan if you see the past 3-4 tours but that is the past and what you have done in the past does not matter. You have start fresh from the scratch because conditions are different, scenarios are different, so you have to start fresh." He said that the team is looking to boost the confidence of new comers like Yusuf Pathan by giving them proper exposure. Dhoni rebuffed criticism that Yusuf's was under bowled during the tri-series in Bangladesh, saying that the bowlers were used according to the conditions. "You use bowlers, whom you think will be more appropriate for the conditions. "Virender Sehwag [images] was purchasing more turn compared to any other bowler in that sort of wicket. "It all depends on the strength of different bowlers and the same time you want to give them exposure in a proper way and give them confidence. "Even if Yusuf bowled just four overs in the tournament we all know he has bowled well in domestic cricket and done well. Definitely we will give him more opportunities and we have confidence not only in his bowling, but his batting as well. So we will back him." Dhoni said the loss in the final of the tri-series against Pakistan will not affect the team when they face the arch-rivals during the Asia Cup. "Well it has nothing do to with one game. If you look at the final we had a brilliant game against Pakistan in the league stage. So a win or a loss goes on in cricket and as I said if we play to our potential we will win. It is not about which side you are playing [against] and what has happened in the past. "If you playing to your potential and performing to your best, then you have more chances to win the game and that is what we will look to do," said the India captain. Dhoni added that the team is working on utilising the middle overs to the maximum. "The middle overs are important especially in the 50-overs game. There comes a span in the middle overs when you not only have to ensure that you do not lose wickets but also score at around 5 or 5.50 per over. "If you have wickets in hand, then after the 38th or 40th over you can around around 70 to 80 runs or nowadays if you have seen you can see 100 runs being scores in the last 10 overs. The middle overs periods are extremely important."

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Sri Lanka look for change of fortune ahead of Asia Cup Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, is hoping his team rediscovers the winning touch in the Asia Cup after three poor series since the 2007 World Cup. More... Asia Cup 2008 Sri Lanka look for change of fortune Sa'adi Thawfeeq June 22, 2008 Mahela Jayawardene wants more consistency from his team in the Asia Cup © AFP Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, is hoping his team rediscovers the winning touch in the Asia Cup after three poor series since the 2007 World Cup. Since making the final of that tournament in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka have suffered one-day defeats against England at home, in Australia in the CB Series and in the West Indies. "We are working really hard and we have to start putting things right, there's no doubt about it," said Jayawardene. "The guys want to do well and the opportunity is there. The Asia Cup is a big tournament. It's in our hands and our responsibility to get the job done." Over the last 13 months, Sri Lanka have only won eight out of 22 ODIs, and three of those wins were against Bangladesh at home. "We haven't been consistent with our all-round performances," Jayawardene admitted prior to his team's departure to Pakistan. "Either we make mistakes in our batting or bowling or in the field. If you are to compete and beat sides consistently you need to get it right more often. That's an area we have spoken about, set game plans and try to execute them. If you are to do well overall you have to be consistent. "When you are not winning matches obviously you do lose confidence. That's when we tried a few different combinations and tried to bring in a few different personnel. When you do that it also unsettles the side. We just need to have a lot of belief and trust in the guys we've got, make sure we give them full confidence so that they believe in themselves to go and do the job." Sri Lanka have also suffered recently through injuries to their bowlers - Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, and Farveez Maharoof all missed the tour of the West Indies, and Malinga and Maharoof have been ruled out of the Asia Cup as well. Jayawardene insisted, though, that their absence had nothing to do with Sri Lanka's 2-0 defeat in the ODI series. "We had the right personnel. People may get injured or get dropped but whoever is there need to get the job done. There are no excuses for that," said Jayawardene. "We had a great opportunity to win the first ODI which we lost, the second we didn't bat well at all. We didn't settle ourselves into the conditions and take responsibility. The third one we batted well for 260 and probably were in a good position to win, but that's how it goes." The bowling attack will be bolstered, though, by the return of Fernando and Muttiah Muralitharan, who missed the ODI series in the West Indies. Looking ahead to the Asia Cup, Jayawardene said that while India and Pakistan were obviously the two biggest threats, it would be dangerous to write off Bangladesh. "We need to make sure we respect them for who they are and play a proper game." He also said the games against India and Pakistan would be a good test of Sri Lanka's abilities. "We've got the same strength in all departments. We can definitely pit ourselves against them and see where we stand right now as a team. It's a good challenge for us." The format of the tournament also makes it imperative for teams to get into their stride straightaway, said Jayawardene. "In a short tournament of two weeks the momentum is very important. We have to make sure we have that momentum going because things can happen so quickly. Matches are going to come thick and fast and we need to be prepared for it."

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Pakistan names uncapped off-spinner for Asia Cup The Pakistan selectors named 30-year-old off-spinner Saeed Ajmal for the Asia Cup. More... Pakistan names uncapped off-spinner in Asia Cup squad Press Trust Of India Karachi, June 22, 2008 First Published: 20:33 IST(22/6/2008) Last Updated: 20:35 IST(22/6/2008) The Pakistan cricket selectors on Sunday named uncapped 30-year-old off-spinner Saeed Ajmal in a 15-member squad for the Asia Cup. "For a spinner age doesn't matter," chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said. "Ajmal took 50 wickets in the last domestic season and we thought it's the right time to give him a chance," he added. The chief selector was also impressed with Ajmal's ability to bowl "doosra" like ex-test off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. "Ajmal could spin the bowl away from the right-handed batsmen like Mushtaq used to do for us in the past and it's a very handy art," Ahmed said. The three-day conditioning camp of the Pakistan team concluded Sunday and all-rounder Shahid Afridi was declared fit after injuring his wrist during the practice session. Pakistan is placed in Group B and will play its opening match against Hong Kong Tuesday. India _ also placed in the same group _ will be arriving later Sunday. The selection committee has already dropped out-of-form wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and has picked Sarfraz Ahmed. Pakistan had a minor scare after paceman Sohail Khan was ruled out due to malaria. "Sohail Khan could have walked into the final squad but we have to give him rest because of illness," Ahmed said. Defending champion Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates are placed in Group A and will play their group matches in Lahore. The top two teams from each group advance to the next round, and after a round robin league the top two qualify for the July 6 final. Team: Shoaib Malik (captain), Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Sarfraz Ahmed, Rao Iftikhar, Nasir Jamshed, Wahab Riaz, Mansoor Amjad.

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Maharoof ruled out of Asia Cup Maharoof, who missed Sri Lanka's recent tour to the West Indies, also due to a muscle strain, suffered the injury while bowling in a practice match. More... Maharoof ruled out of Asia Cup Press Trust Of India Colombo, June 22, 2008 First Published: 20:28 IST(22/6/2008) Last Updated: 20:29 IST(22/6/2008) All-rounder Farveez Maharoof has been ruled out of the Asia Cup tournament in Pakistan due to an abdominal strain he sustained during training. Young left-arm medium pacer Thilan Thushara will replace him. Maharoof, who missed Sri Lanka's recent tour to the West Indies, also due to a muscle strain, suffered the injury while bowling in a practice match here. An initial scan failed to reveal the injury, but a second scan showed that he had strained the muscles on the left side of his abdomen. "Maharoof requires rest. He will be out of action for six weeks," said team physio Ranjith Nanayakkarawasam. Maharoof has had an impressive ODI career, taking 104 wickets in 79 matches at an average of 24. Thushara made his international debut in West Indies early this year. He played all the three Tests, taking eight wickets, and returned figures of 1 for 12 from 5.2 overs in his only ODI.

[manoj_admlab]

You will see me batting up the order - Dhoni

Nagraj Gollapudi June 22, 2008 http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/asiacup/content/current/story/355735.html Mahendra Singh Dhoni says India will be looking to score above five runs an over in the middle overs of the Asia Cup, which starts on June 24 in Pakistan. He also said he would bat up the order to avoid the sort of collapse that happened in the recent Kitply Cup final against Pakistan, where they lost wickets at regular intervals and ended up 25 runs short when chasing 316. "In the middle overs it is important to keep scoring at 5 to 5.5 runs per over at least till the 40th over without losing many wickets," said Dhoni before India's departure for the ninth edition of the Asia Cup. "[in Bangladesh] we did well in the league games but in the final we had a good run rate but lost wickets. Yuvi [Yuvraj Singh] was going well but the lack of an experienced partner didn't help us," Dhoni said, admitting his gamble of sending Suresh Raina ahead of him didn't go well and that he would not repeat the same mistake again. India have done reasonably well in the middle overs recently: in the last 13 games - starting with the CB Series earlier this year - they have scored at the rate of 5.01 between the 21st and 40th over, and have averaged 34.88 runs per wicket, losing 34 wickets in those overs. While they scored at a good rate during the league matches of the Kitply Cup, Dhoni singled out the loss of wickets at regular intervals during Pakistan's 25-run win in the final as the main cause for defeat. "You will see me batting up the order," he said in response to the matter. It has been 13 years since India last won the Asia Cup but Dhoni believed that with a few changes they can clinch victory this year. Instead of resting on the laurels of the CB Series triumph in March or the formidable performances by most of his Asia Cup team-mates in the Indian Premier League, Dhoni said the focus was on coming back from another final loss to Pakistan. "It is not about what has happened in the past," he said. "We will win more matches than lose if we play to our potential and our capability. If you want to be exceptional side you have to learn from mistakes." Gary Kirsten, India's coach, echoed Dhoni's sentiments and said that winning the event was one of the goals the team had set for itself as part of the plan for the next year. India have won the Asia Cup four times, the most by any team, but their last triumph came in 1995.

[printex]

Hes there just to fill the the #s.. will not play a single game.

[Ram]

A 30 year-old, uncapped off-spinner is better than a 27 year old, 50 test veteran leg-spinner? Danish Kaneria must be kicking himself.

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Uncertainty still surrounds buoyant Pakistan A rare tournament win and a rarer tournament at home means Pakistan go into their opening game of the ninth Asia Cup in what can, for once, be called buoyant mood. More... Asia Cup 2008 Uncertainty still surrounds buoyant Pakistan Osman Samiuddin in Karachi June 22, 2008 Sarfraz Ahmed won't replace Kamran Akmal as opening partner to Salman Butt, but Pakistan will hope he holds his chances better than his predecessor © AFP A rare tournament win and a rarer tournament at home means Pakistan go into their opening game of the ninth Asia Cup in what can, for once, be called a buoyant mood. Opening against Hong Kong in this most irregular of tournaments only adds to the confidence, enough to alleviate some of the early pressure that comes from being hosts. "We are professionals and the pressure in all games is high," Shoaib Malik, Pakistan's captain, told reporters. "Our morale is high after our win in Bangladesh and we will again be aiming to do our best here." High spirits or not, the suspicion still lurks that no one really knows what Pakistan's best team is at the moment. Permutations and combinations still remain unresolved. No preview of Pakistan would be complete without a glance at the openers for instance. Malik has long insisted that Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal are his preferred pair in ODIs, but the latter's overdue dropping confuses an already confused issue. The murmurs are that Malik himself may open, which given his successes higher up the ODI order, is not a bad call. Shahid Afridi will also be in the running no doubt, despite his traditional reluctance. Either of these options allows Pakistan the luxury of a sixth bowler, but it also means Nasir Jamshed, who should really be tested here and now, may miss out. Everyone knows what Pakistan's first-choice pace attack should be, but equally they know there is as much chance of them playing together as there is of uninterrupted 24-hour electricity supply through the country. Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir and Rao Iftikhar are a willing trio, though perhaps missing just a little menace. Sohail Khan, the designated 'next big thing', will not be around to provide it, missing out with malaria. "Our bowlers did pretty well in the Bangladesh tri-series," Malik reasoned. "Sohail Khan has a great future ahead of him but it is unfortunate that he is out with malaria." Saeed Ajmal's inclusion provides Pakistan with some variety at least, and a first specialist offspinning option since the under-rated Arshad Khan. Most eyes, however, will be on the boy behind the stumps, the ebullient Sarfraz Ahmed. Long touted as Akmal's understudy and given opportunities only intermittently, the former Under-19 captain is unlikely to get a better chance to take over the gloves: a big stage, crunch games and an uninterrupted run of at least six matches. Typically of this modern wicketkeeping age, the only question asked about Sarfraz was of his batting skills, the implication being of course, whether he can provide the kind of high-elbowed oomph Akmal occasionally did. Malik, a keen backer of Akmal, didn't sound altogether convincing in stating his case. "He has batting ability. He can bat, but he plays lower down the order," he said. "There is a little gap between him and Akmal but Sarfraz will improve the more he plays." More than runs, Pakistan will just want Sarfraz to take what chances come his way. And in June and July, it might not be that straightforward. This is the first time international cricket will be played in Pakistan at this time of the year and if New Zealand or any other country visits in August prior to the Champions Trophy, it effectively means cricket has been played all year-round here. Even in the late 4pm starts, conditions will be stifling and humidity high, though God's gift to Karachi - the sea breeze - might help. Under lights, more extraneous factors can be added. Malik has the unconcern of a captain who has won more than he has lost recently. "That shouldn't affect us at all. We are professionals and we have to perform in hot or cold conditions. In Bangladesh recently it was hotter than this anyway so it doesn't matter."

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Asia Cup Preview India coach Gary Kirsten has backed his new generation of batsmen to seamlessly replace the experienced order ahead of next week's Asian Cup. More... Asia Cup Preview June 22, 2008 20:59 IST India coach Gary Kirsten has backed his new generation of batsmen to seamlessly replace the experienced order ahead of next week's Asian Cup. In-form left-hander Gautam Gambhir [images] leads the youth charge that includes talented middle-order players Robin Uthappa, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. "We have a group of players, specifically the batsmen, who are extremely talented," Kirsten told a news conference on Sunday ahead of the team's departure to Pakistan for the one-day series. "We are certainly backing them to be able to do some special stuff for the team," he added. Rahul Dravid [images] and Saurav Ganguly [images], members of the exclusive 10,000-run ODI club, but in their mid-30s, were eased out of the one-day team after selectors pitched for youth following the first-round exit in the World Cup last year. Batting great Sachin Tendulkar [images], who scored two centuries in the tri-series victory in Australia in March, has been ruled out with a persistent groin injury. One-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni [images], who led a young team to success in the Twenty20 World Cup and the tri-series in Australia, remains confident in his young team despite losing a tri-series final to Pakistan in Dhaka this month. "If we play to our potential, if we play to our capabilities, on an average day we will win more matches than we will lose," Dhoni said. The six-team Asia Cup begins on Tuesday. The other teams participating are defending champions Sri Lanka [images], hosts Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates. India, finalist last time around, have won the event four times in the past. "We have set ourselves goals for the next few months, set some high standards for ourselves. Certainly the Asia Cup is very much part of that," Kirsten said.

[printex]

Hong Kong team has 80% Pak origin players:hysterical:

[Laaloo]

Hong Kong team has 80% Pak origin players:hysterical:

what does that have to do with this thread?

[printex]

what does that have to do with this thread?

Hong Kong is playing in Asia Cup...thats y ...i didnt see any sticky asia cup thread

[Laaloo]

http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?t=108219

[flamy]

Hong Kong team has 80% Pak origin players:hysterical:

Damn I wanted to watch some chinkis play cricket :((