Pak 75 all out -> Post match reactions

[EnterTheVoid]

Sine a defeat of this magnitude omes around every blue moon, or in the ase of Pakistani riket, every half a dozen odd meaningful mathes they play, its worthwhile to have a good hukle at this win at the expense of the Pakisanis. This thread will omprise of all the hate filled anger artiles direted at the Pakistani team, most of whih, I suspet will ome from their own media team after this utterly humiliating loss. So without further ado, I present the first artile .... 'Akmal unworthy of selection' Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI, Lahore Akmal unworthy of selection Osman Samiuddin in Lahore January 24, 2009 Nothing illustrates more aptly the emptiness of whatever method and merit there is to Pakistan's current thinking than the continued selection of Kamran Akmal as a first-choice wicketkeeper. For about three years now, without exaggeration, Akmal has missed nearly a chance per match - an ODI - on average, sometimes more. This series has not bucked any trends. He missed a stumping today and dropped a catch in Karachi's second ODI. His glovework to spinners in particular is, to be blunt, appalling, as if the ball and gloves both carry negative charges. Clean takes are seen as often as dry eyes in an Obama speech. Shahid Afridi in ODIs has now joined Danish Kaneria in Tests as a repeat victim of Akmal's ineptitude; catches, stumpings, byes given away like every day is Eid. Geoffrey Boycott's great grandmother was an even bet to complete today's stumping off Shoaib Malik (Stevie Wonder, according to bookies, was the odds-on favourite). So complacent to his failings have we become that the issue is no longer a debating point. Sarfraz Ahmed was tried half-heartedly last year. He did little wrong but was dropped as soon as a new selection committee came in and nobody peeped. Akmal returned, as if to the manor born, amid cautious assessment that he had improved. It was tosh, swiftly evidenced in three missed chances against West Indies in Abu Dhabi. If the issue is brought up, with selectors, team-mates, the captain even, it is said his batting makes up for it, as it did admittedly in Abu Dhabi. It is the curse Adam Gilchrist has left the game that poor wicketkeepers around the world are excused if only they know which side of the bat to hold. Akmal can bat, but that is not the same thing as making up for his follies. And anyway a player's value to a side is not a balance book that you even out at the end. By scoring a fifty, you do not automatically make up for two catches missed earlier. A dropped chance is not just calculated in the runs made thereafter. The very mood, circumstances, and momentum of a game changes; if a wicketkeeper is the touchstone from whom fielders take their cue, then at least one reason why Pakistan are so inconsistent in the field is clear. At the risk of stating the obvious - and it obviously needs stating - a player's value is to be judged only by what he adds, not a total sum of his failings from his positives. But if his batting is to be used as a persistent defence, if we are to go down that road, then there isn't much there either. In his last 49 matches, he averages 21 with a single hundred against Bangladesh and two fifties. Charitably, there are perhaps four match-changing ODI knocks in three years. So no, let's not go down that road. Akmal had something when he first cemented his place in the side. In Australia, India, the West Indies and at home against England over 2004 and 2005, he was a good wicketkeeper as well as batsman. To spin, he was safe, often spectacular. But he hasn't had it for a long, long time. This may have been a poor patch sometime ago, but it is now turning into a horrid half-life. In this form, he might not catch a cold in an epidemic. Yet as sure as day follows night, there will be no calls for replacing or resting Akmal for a while. For Shoaib Akhtar there will be screams, for Afridi there are perennial daggers. But Akmal will go on, Pakistan's Mr Teflon, on whom no criticism (or catch) sticks. It is said that he is particularly close to Malik. This much is true that Malik has repeatedly insisted Akmal be retained through this period. He even called him, a little while back, the second-best wicketkeeper-batsman in the world, after Gilchrist, which should invite defamation lawsuits from Kumar Sangakkara and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to say nothing of Brendon McCullum. Predictably, Malik defended his performance again today. "This is the same Akmal who has won Pakistan matches from difficult situations. Catches are dropped by all wicketkeepers and one or two in recent matches doesn't make a difference. We have to keep the future in mind and not put pressure on him," he said. Sadly the thinking is emblematic not just of a cricket culture where merit is often wholly forsaken and mediocrity repeatedly rewarded for the sake of a personal connection, but of an entire nation. Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo © Cricinfo http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/pakv...ory/387686.html Now, aloo hips in ..... Inzamam blames Yousuf absence for Pakistan’s humiliating defeat Karachi, Jan 24 (IANS) Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq believes Pakistan paid the price for excluding premier batsman Mohammad Yousuf from its line-up by suffering a humiliating 234-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the final game of the ODI series in Lahore Saturday. Inzamam told a TV channel that the absence of experience players like Yousuf has weakened Pakistan. “It was bad for the Pakistani team,†said Inzamam who resigned as Pakistan captain and later retired after leading Pakistan in what turned out to be a catastrophic campaign in the 2007 World Cup. “The reasons behind such a defeat are lack of international games and absence of experienced players like Mohammad Yousuf.†Yousuf was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after he defected to the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) last November. Yousuf later accused Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik of treating him shabbily and said that he was forced to join the ICL because of it. Inzamam captained the ICL team - Lahore Badshahs - for which Yousuf played in the ICL. Chasing 310 to win the series Saturday evening, Pakistan were bowled out for a mere 75 to suffer one of their worst defeats in ODIs. Indo-Asian News Service http://www.newspostonline.com/sports/inzamam-blames-yousuf-absence-for-pakistans-humiliating-defeat-2009012428992

[The Outsider]

How can anyone think of dropping such a cute and charming face?

[DomainK]

Khatmal, beast and Actor......all three should have been kicked out long back.

[EnterTheVoid]

How can anyone think of dropping such a cute and charming face?

Bah, Its just what I suspeted; All this fear ampaign to dispose of those players with angeli looks; its all about looks I tell ya, all about looks and the small matter of player performane / riketing abilties / mental strength an be overlooked If it isn't obvious by now, the 'see' key on my freaking keyboard doesn't work, so exuse the bad grammer

[Mr. Wicket]

How can anyone think of dropping such a cute and charming face?

Given his face, I'm wondering if he was dropped as a child. Meanwhile, best reaction so far:

A bad day might mean you turn up to the office late, get told off by the boss and spend the rest of it in an unproductive sulk. An equivalent for what Pakistan produced today would be not turning up at all, then calling up the boss, telling him he's an incompetent idiot and expecting to turn up the next day, job still safe.

[DomainK]

A bad day might mean you turn up to the office late, get told off by the boss and spend the rest of it in an unproductive sulk. An equivalent for what Pakistan produced today would be not turning up at all, then calling up the boss, telling him he's an incompetent idiot and expecting to turn up the next day, job still safe.

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: And guess what.....they have done it many times in the past....and they always confidently walked into the office the next day.

[observer1]

the spoilsport that i am, what were the reactions when india made 53 chasing 300 plus a few years ago?

[Mr. Wicket]

At least we didn't lose by an innings to Matthew Hayden then!

[Kohum]

the spoilsport that i am' date=' what were the reactions when india made 53 chasing 300 plus a few years ago?[/quote'] Prove that you are spoilsport - find out those reactions yourself :)

[Guest dada_rocks]

come on it's not gentlemanly to kick somone who is in dumps

[ludhianvi]

Sri Lankan openers, Dilshan and Jaya had started rather cautiously as there seemed to be ample bounce in the pitch. Sohail Khan seemed impressive in his first spell...seems to have changed his runup and action a bit from his earlier days. The openers' tactic to see the new ball through seemed to work like a charm. It reminded me of the match in Pakistan where Sachin and the other player, Ganguly was it?, played exactly like this and India were able to post a massive total and Imran Khan mentioning later that it was a crucial in that match. Pakistan's middle order feels a little weak doesnt it or is that an understatement.

[EnterTheVoid]

Something is rotten in the state of Pakistan cricket No matter what’s been said about a ‘united’ team, the truth is that the players are deeply divided Sunday, January 25, 2009 By Khalid Hussain KARACHI: Almost two years after kicking off a so-called rebuilding campaign following a humiliating first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup, Pakistan seem to have covered little ground. It’s quite obvious that something is terribly wrong in the Pakistan camp and concrete actions will have to be taken to ensure that the Greenshirts don’t falter again in the 2011 World Cup that which is to be co-hosted by Pakistan with its South Asian neighbors. The embarrassing 234-run loss against Sri Lanka — Pakistan’s heaviest defeat in One-day Internationals — in the series finale in Lahore on Saturday makes it evident that any claims by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) or the national team management that everything is falling in place are widely off the mark. Sri Lanka are hardly an in-form team, something that was quite evident from the below-par showing in the low-profile ODI triangular in Bangladesh earlier this season involving the hosts and minnows Zimbabwe. Pakistan, too, exposed their weaknesses in an emphatic eight-wicket triumph in the series opener in Karachi earlier this week. The way Sri Lanka fought back to win the series doesn’t only highlight their killer instinct but also underlines the fact something is rotten in the state of Pakistan cricket. Some extensive investigations carried out by ‘The News’ have revealed that no matter what the Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and the team officials say about having united the team, the truth of the matter is that the players are deeply divided, like the way they were when Pakistan fell at the very first hurdles in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and the 2007 spectacle in the Caribbean. Information gathered from various sources indicates that Malik is hardly acting as a binding force. In fact, apart from a few of his close buddies in the team, most players are wary of him and suspect his motives each time he wants a change in the team. Senior players see him as an insecure captain, somebody who doesn’t really deserve his place in the Pakistan Test squad. Players like premier batsman Mohammad Yousuf and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq — once regarded as candidates for the Pakistan captainship — have openly accused Malik for hatching conspiracies against them to cement his own position as the Pakistan captain. Well-placed sources have informed this correspondent that such allegations are not without some truth. According to an insider, Malik has spent the best part of his first two-year tenure as captain trying to convince the PCB top brass and national selectors that the national team will be better off without the services of several senior players. “Malik used to bring a list of five players, whom he wanted out of the Pakistan team. From day one, he was against Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan and even Umar Gul,” said the insider who was present at the meetings held between the selectors and the national team management during 2007 and 2008. According to the insider, Malik was instrumental in getting Yousuf’s name omitted from squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World championship in South Africa in 2007. It was a snub that forced Yousuf to defect to the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). Yousuf was later persuaded to quit ICL and join the official Indian Premier League (IPL) by former PCB chief Nasim Ashraf, but the damage was done. Last November, Yousuf — easily Pakistan’s most accomplished batsman in recent years — rejoined the ICL after failing to find a place in the twenty20 squad for a four-nation event in Canada. Earlier this week, Malik publicly criticised seasoned pacer Shoaib Akhtar for his lack of commitment after a crushing defeat in the second one-dayer. That he first chose to speak to the media about Shoaib’s fitness and commitment before talking to his bowler first said a lot about Malik’s intentions and his skills as a captain. “Most senior players believe that they are on Malik’s hit-list,” said a source in the Pakistan camp. “Yousuf was the first one. Then it was Shoaib and the next could be Afridi. Younis and others could follow if Malik continues to enjoy the support of the PCB top brass,” added the source. Another source said that Malik’s guns don’t just target the senior players. “It was Malik who persuaded the current selectors to drop Fawad Alam from the squad for the series against Sri Lanka,” said the source referring to the talented all-rounder from Karachi. Fawad is making his bones as a reliable middle-order batsman, who can be used as a spinner. Many experts believe the boy has a bright future in international cricket. But Fawad, who scored a triple century on a tour of Kenya with the Pakistan Academy last summer and has been scoring prolifically in domestic games, wasn’t even picked in a 15-man squad for the series against Sri Lanka. It feels like deja vu. Under Inzamam-ul-Haq in 2006, Pakistan seemed like a disjointed lot with little unity among the players. Little seems to have changed under Malik, who was handpicked to succeed Inzamam by former PCB chief Nasim Ashraf after the World Cup fiasco. While Inzamam managed to get away with his incompetence as captain mainly because he was a very accomplished batsman — one of the best in the world — it’s surprising that Malik too have enjoyed the support of the concerned authorities though he is hardly in the same league as Inzamam. At best, Malik is a good all-rounder, who can be used as a utility played in limited overs cricket. Mohammad Yousuf certainly has a point. Malik is hardly an automatic choice for Tests. Pakistan’s dilemma is that their cricket chiefs firmly believe that Malik is currently their best option as captain. But will a player, who can hardly bind a team together, ever become a good captain. It’s quite unlikely. During his two years as captain, Malik’s Pakistan have hardly clicked when it mattered most. They did reach the World Twenty20 championship final but lost in the title clash to India. They did win a tri-nation title in Bangladesh and repeated similar success in the ODI series against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi. But the success part covers a small chapter in what is a story of disappointments. The back-to-back defeats in Test and ODI series at home in the fall of 2007 followed by similar losses on the tour of India that year. The list also includes Pakistan’s failure to even reach the Asia Cup on home soil last summer. And now the humiliating defeats at the hands of Sri Lanka. Pakistan cricket’s think-tank — if any such group exists — needs to take a long hard look at the situation. What happened in Lahore on Saturday is the sort of wake-up call that cannot be ignored. The 2011 World Cup is two years away and there is still time to take sweeping measures. Whether the PCB will take them, however, is a different question. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158954 LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mr. Wicket]

come on it's not gentlemanly to kick somone who is in dumps

It's not gentlemanly. But it's fun. :--D

[EnterTheVoid]

^^ too good an opportunity to miss, i say so let em have it

[sandtest]

next time, improvement is in order -- all out for 72 :--D

[Guest dada_rocks]

It's not gentlemanly. But it's fun. :--D

You too Brutus:--D

[observer1]

Prove that you are spoilsport - find out those reactions yourself :)

Ok, here is the least vituperative of the 3 articles from Cricinfo: Finals can often become turgid one-sided affairs. The final of the Coca Cola Champions Trophy at the CBFS Stadium in Sharjah could not have been more one-sided. However, what it lacked in competitiveness it made up for in sheer, undulated drama. Seldom can Sharjah have seen such scenes. Sri Lanka defeated India by 254 in one of their most intimidating performances in the history of Sri Lankan cricket. The architect was, Sanath Jayasuriya, who rescued an innings that was dipping into the doldrums, with a breathtaking 189 from just 161 balls, the second equal highest score in the history of one-day international cricket. Then, with India needing to score a mammoth 300 runs to win, the Sri Lanka bowlers ripped through the top order. Within 24 balls, both Tendulkar (5) and Ganguly (3) were left brooding in the dressing room. India's chances of winning had been squashed and any self-belief that had previously lingered had now vanished. The Indian middle order capitulated. The only batsman to reach double figures was Robin Singh (11) and India were bowled out for just 54 runs. This was the lowest total ever in the history of one-day cricket in Sharjah and the third lowest in the world. Chaminda Vaas finished with a career best 5 for 14 from his 9.3 overs. Both he and Zoysa bowled aggressively, perhaps fuelled by the inspirational batting of their captain. Everything they did appeared to bring dividends. Ganguly, Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh (3) all played too early and were caught in front of the wicket. Vinod Kambli (3) was brilliantly caught at slip by Jayasuriya, and Zoysa picked up his first wicket when Badani (9) top edged a pull shot straight to Russel Arnold. India were 5 wickets down for 30 and Mutiah Muralitharan had not even marked out his run. When he did, it brought instantaneous success. His third ball, a fizzing, dipping off spinner clean bowled Dahiya (4). Then, in his next over, an arm ball deceived Robin Singh and he too was bowled. To add insult to injury Sunil Joshi was run out in school boyish fashion before Muralitharan and Vaas wrapped up the innings. The batting was piteous, of that there can be no doubt. However, it was the innings of Sanath Jayasuriya that sapped the self-belief of the Indians, and, ultimately was responsible for Sri Lanka winning their fifth match in succession and securing their second triangular tournament title in five months. Sri Lanka were on the ropes. After a brisk start the Indian fast bowlers had fought back and the run-rate had slowed. When Kumar Sangkkara flayed nonchalantly at Tendulkar and dragged the ball onto to his stumps, Sri Lanka were 116 for 4 in the 28th over. The batting became subdued and the running nervy. However, crucially, Sanath Jayasuriya, was still at he crease and he was joined by Russel Arnold, who exerted a calming influence upon his leader. The pair rescued the innings. Arnold was content to nurdle the ball into the gaps to give Jayasuriya the strike. From the very first delivery he faced, which was dispatched to the cover fence, he missed no opportunity offered. His iron wrists and bulging forearms created immense power in his shots and he hit four sixes and 21 boundaries in total. When he reached his century he ran amok, scoring 89 runs from 43 balls and took the game away from India. Ganguly admitted as much afterwards: "We are really disappointed. We had reduced them to 116 for 4 but, then, Sanath batted brilliantly and batted us out of the game. All credit should go to him." During the carnage, somewhere in the outfield lurked a distraught Sunil Joshi. He had committed the cardinal sin of dropping Jayasuriya when he had made just 93. The left arm spinner had just been recalled into the attack after a miserly first spell of seven overs for 21 runs. Jayasuriya shimmied up the wicket and offered the bowler a relatively simple catch. So confident was Joshi off catching it that his arms flew, prematurely, into the air in celebration. Alas, the ball remained on the turf and with it disappeared India's chance of winning the match. Unsurprisingly, Jayasuriya dominated the awards ceremony and made a small fortune for his troubles. He won the best batsman, best fielder, fastest fifty, most sixes, the man of the man match and, finally, the man of the series. When interviewed afterwards, he was his normal modest self, albeit with a brighter twinkle in the eye: "We have played as a team throughout the tournament and that is why we have won all fours games. It has been fantastic and I would like to thank all the players for being so supportive." Murali too, paid tribute to the team ethic: "I am of course happy to have broken the world record, but I have to thank the team because without them it not have been done. I feel that I am bowling the best that I ever have and am really enjoying it." They are right of course. The key to this Sri Lankan team has been the togetherness. The team play together, live together and enjoy each others company. They consider themselves, not individuals, but part of a whole. It is a state that Ganguly would dearly love to re-create.

[EnterTheVoid]

Malik really copping it now: Clamour grows for Malik's removal as captain Karachi: Captain Shoaib Malik has come under fire after Pakistan's humiliating defeat against Sri Lanka with the alarm bells ringing in the cricket establishment, former players asking for his head and youngsters holding demonstrations. Former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq felt Malik has got to learn a lot about the art of captaincy. "Malik clearly needed to learn more about captaincy and handling pressure when the chips were down," Inzamam said. Pakistan were bundled out for their ' target='_blank'>lowest ever one-day score at home, 75 in the third match in Lahore on Saturday to hand Sri Lanka a 2-1 victory in the three-match series. He also said the absence of a senior batsmen like Mohammad Yousuf and poor form of Younis Khan left the batting line-up weak and fragile. "I said before this series that with Younis also out of form we don't have batsmen who can play long innings. They are clearly missing Yousuf and his experience," he said. Inzamam also called for the PCB to sack the chief curator who had prepared the pitches for the series. "I don't understand what strategy they were working on. The pitch for the final match was just not the sort our batsmen are comfortable and home sides are supposed to take advantage of playing at home," he noted. Former Test captain Zaheer Abbas said the Board needed to immediately appoint a batting coach for the team. "Any team can lose a match but not in this manner. Our batting has problems and the team needs a permanent batting coach to help and guide them out all the time," Zaheer said. He said when the Board was spending so much on cricket it could easily attach coaches for batting, bowling and fielding with the team. Former captain Rashid Latif said there was no need to panic but felt it was obvious there were problems in the team. "I think the players, team management, selectors and Board need to sit down and work out things. Because such defeats can be very bad for any team," Latif said. "We are fortunate we are not playing immediately but we need to sit down and start preparing for the Test series next month against Sri Lanka," he added. Meanwhile, around 50 youngsters held a demonstration outside the main gate of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore demanding that Malik be sacked and ICL players be reinstated. The Pakistan team which was bowled out for its lowest score at home yesterday, suffered their biggest defeat in terms of runs in one-day internationals. It was also Pakistan's fourth lowest total in one-day internationals and the second biggest margin of victory between two Test playing nations. To make matters worse, Pakistan President and PCB Chief Patron Asif Ali Zardari is reportedly not happy with the performance of Board chairman Ejaz Butt so far. Pakistani players are due to attend a prize distribution ceremony, to be hosted by Zardari, of a domestic Twenty20 tournament in memory of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto at the Presidency tomorrow or on Tuesday. http://cricketnext.in.com/news/clamour-grows-for-maliks-removal-as-captain/37719-13-single.html Now, Yousuf chips in with his two cents Yousuf wants Malik sacked as Pak skipper Karachi: Pakistan's top batsman Mohammad Yousuf, who is no longer eligible to play for the national team due to his Indian Cricket League link, on Sunday called for the sacking of Shoaib Malik as the captain following his below-par leadership against Sri Lanka. Yousuf held Malik responsible for Pakistan's humiliating 234 runs defeat to Sri Lanka in the final one-day match in Lahore. "Any team can win or lose matches but the spineless manner in which we lost the game was very disappointing. There was no sign of any proper planning or the captain being in control throughout the match," Yousuf said. Yousuf said unless the Cricket Board immediately changed the captain and brought in a more senior player to lead the team, Pakistan would suffer worse defeats against stronger opposition. "We have just lost to Sri Lanka now but if they don't change the captain we will face bigger defeats against teams like South Africa, Australia and India," he said. Yousuf has been involved in a war of words with Malik since he joined the ICL last November a move that took the Pakistan cricket community by surprise. Yousuf one of Pakistan's finest batsmen in recent years with 79 Test appearances behind him blamed the attitude of the Board and Malik towards him for his decision to join the ICL. Yousuf said that even if he had been in the team it could have lost to Sri Lanka but he pointed out what was important was that a captain led by example. "I don't see that leadership quality anywhere in this series. They say Malik is in his prime batting form and yet he can't get past 50 runs. When he is required to bat up the order he is late because he is in the wash room. He doesn't bowl when the heat is on," Yousuf claimed. He said the Board needed to undo its mistake and replace Malik with a senior player who has the respect of all the players. "We did well under captains like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Inzamam because they were established players first and had the respect of everyone as individual performers which is so important," he noted. Another ICL rebel, allrounder Abdul Razzaq also blasted Malik for the team's defeat. "Why is everyone surprised with this defeat. This is bound to happen when the Board ignores its senior players. What do you expect. The bottom line is that this team can only perform well against weaker opposition at the moment," Razzaq said. http://cricketnext.in.com/news/yousuf-wants-malik-sacked-as-pak-skipper/37716-13-single.html

[Pak_Forever]

This defeat doesn't come to me as a shock or horror. Pretty much used to it to be frank, since Pakistan has always been very inconsistent. One day they win big against a good cricketing nation and the next day they would lose like nobodies. All the criticism and the conspiracy theories that the team and players are getting will smoke away in few days.

[DomainK]

This defeat doesn't come to me as a shock or horror. Pretty much used to it to be frank' date=' since Pakistan has always been very inconsistent. One day they win big against a good cricketing nation and the next day they would lose like nobodies. All the criticism and the conspiracy theories that the team and players are getting will smoke away in few days.[/quote'] I don't think its about inconsistencies. Its more about keeping non-performers like Akmal, Afridi and Akhtars. They have negatively impacted so many matches already and still PCB persists with them for reasons beyond logic. There are certain things a team can not control and then there are certain that can be.