Spare a thought for this man!

[debachat]

The most underrated of all seamers in world cricket today - Zaheer Khan. While watching all the celebration...lets not forget the guy who, like Tendulkar in the 90s with batting, is carrying all the bowling responsibilities on his shoulders. The guy who single-handedly ran in gave his 120% and got the key wickets at the crucial times. I dont see him on TV channels like UV, Dhoni but here is a little tribute to the man! 10.0 0 40 2 4.00 2 2 v Bangladesh Dhaka 19 Feb 2011 10.0 0 64 3 6.40 1 2 v England Bangalore 27 Feb 2011 9.0 1 30 3 3.33 1 1 v Ireland Bangalore 6 Mar 2011 6.4 0 20 3 3.00 1 1 v Netherlands Delhi 9 Mar 2011 10.0 0 43 1 4.30 1 2 v South Africa Nagpur 12 Mar 2011 6.0 0 26 3 4.33 2 2 v West Indies Chennai 20 Mar 2011 10.0 0 53 2 5.30 2 1 v Australia Ahmedabad 24 Mar 2011 9.5 0 58 2 5.89 1 2 v Pakistan Mohali 30 Mar 2011 10.0 3 60 2 6.00 1 1 v Sri Lanka Mumbai 2 Apr 2011 What this doesnt tell is the wickets he has got and how critical those were: v Bangladesh 42.3 to Mushfiqur Rahim, 117.6 kph, Rahim goes. No repeat of the 2007 50 for him. Zaheer lands this slow and full outside off and Rahim again looks to hoist him over the covers. Raina, inside the circle, timed his jump perfectly to haul it back in. 248/5 47.6 to Abdur Razzak, 135.6 kph, and gone. Easy as it comes, Zaheer has a wicket off his last ball. Length ball on off stump, holds its line and thuds into Razzak's pads as he tries to work it leg side. Would have hit leg 279/8 v England 42.4 to Bell, 139.8 kph, Powerplays always cause trouble and Bell has gifted his wicket away! Struggling with cramp perhaps, he's tried to clear the field with a real heave, skews it off the edge and it loops to mid-off. Wild celebrations, this is far from over 281/3 42.5 to Strauss, 141.8 kph, this match is alive! Zaheer has flipped it on its head again. What a delivery! Searing yorker, swinging in late and it's crashed into Strauss's boot in front of middle. Ends an innings of the highest highest quality but will it be in vain? 281/4 44.3 to Collingwood, 119.7 kph, Zaheer is the man! Collingwood down the track to try and swing to leg but Zaheer slipped it in slower, such smart bowling, gripped off the pitch as well and pegged back off stump. Incredible spell this. India are favourites again! Is there are influential player than Zaheer? Take him out the India attack and it's threadbare. Good luck Michael Yardy... 285/5 v Ireland 0.4 to Stirling, 134.0 kph, that's a Zaheer special, and Stirling has lost his stumps. 134 kph, angles across the batsman at a good length, inviting the drive and then zipping inwards of the track to crash into the pitch. Stirling went for the check-drive without moving his feet across or forward and the ball gladly snaked through the bat-pad gap. 1/1 2.3 to Joyce, 133.1 kph, this is stupendous from Zaheer. He's been moving them away like a charm all along, and then just for fun, he gets one to jag back off the seam. Joyce was obviously expecting another one that moved away, and in an attempt to cover the deviation was groping outside the line. Too bad. Zaheer got it to go the other way and kiss the inside edge on the way to Dhoni 9/2 46.6 to Dockrell, Dhoni may not be considered among the better keepers in the game, but he's been stunning today. Full delivery outside off, it was there for the drive and Dockrell went for the off side with a flamboyant carve. He ended getting a very thick outside edge that seemed headed for third man. Someone forgot to inform the horizontal Indian captain. He was fully stretched to the right and pouched it inches above the ground. And he doesn't celebrate. Calm as always, flicks the ball away and heads to Zaheer for the celebrations. 201/9 v Netherland 0.4 to Stirling, 134.0 kph, that's a Zaheer special, and Stirling has lost his stumps. 134 kph, angles across the batsman at a good length, inviting the drive and then zipping inwards of the track to crash into the pitch. Stirling went for the check-drive without moving his feet across or forward and the ball gladly snaked through the bat-pad gap. 1/1 2.3 to Joyce, 133.1 kph, this is stupendous from Zaheer. He's been moving them away like a charm all along, and then just for fun, he gets one to jag back off the seam. Joyce was obviously expecting another one that moved away, and in an attempt to cover the deviation was groping outside the line. Too bad. Zaheer got it to go the other way and kiss the inside edge on the way to Dhoni 9/2 46.6 to Dockrell, Dhoni may not be considered among the better keepers in the game, but he's been stunning today. Full delivery outside off, it was there for the drive and Dockrell went for the off side with a flamboyant carve. He ended getting a very thick outside edge that seemed headed for third man. Someone forgot to inform the horizontal Indian captain. He was fully stretched to the right and pouched it inches above the ground. And he doesn't celebrate. Calm as always, flicks the ball away and heads to Zaheer for the celebrations. 201/9 v South Africa 8.3 to Smith, 120.3 kph, gone! Pitched up, Smith's eyes light up and he launches into a drive but hits it straight to Tendulkar at mid-off. Khan gets Smith once again, he's well and truly won this battle. An early breakthrough - just what India wanted! 41/1 v West Indies 30.3 to Smith, 117.8 kph, Zak gets a wicket in his first over of this spell. It was yet another slower one, the knuckled-it over as Zak does these days. It was full in length, landed just outside off and moved in to hit the off. Smith was looking to drive but missed. 154/3 39.6 to Benn, A sight for the ages. Munaf has taken a tumbling catch. He did not have to tumble, but that's alright I guess. Slower ball from Zaheer, comes much after Benn got into his on-side chip. He ended up looping it gently to the left of mid-on. Munaf moves across, goes down on his knees as he completes the catch. West Indies have put the 'plod' in 'implode' here. 179/8 41.1 to Sarwan, 119.0 kph, Sarwan came in to an even game, has seen the pressure mount around him, and has now exited in a whimper. Back of a length from Zaheer, angling the slower ball across at 119 kph, Sarwan tries to stay back on the crease and manufacture a carved boundary over the off side. Ashwin, was however, placed on the cover boundary and easily ran across to pouch the uppish slap. 182/9 v Australia 33.3 to MEK Hussey, 118.8 kph, Zaheer does it again. It's again that mystery bare-knuckle slower ball. It's the latest invention from the Zaheer labs. Instead of getting fore-finger and middle-finger behind the seam, he gets the middle finger alone behind the ball and pushes it through with the knuckle of the fore-finger, which is to the right of the ball. Hence, there is a subtle change in pace, that the batsman can't read out of the hand unless he has binoculars. Hussey doesn't. The knuckle ends up pushing the ball in and also helps it move in after landing on the turf. Devon Smith got it the other day, and played all over it. Exactly how Mr. Cricket just did. 118 kph, flummoxes the batsman all ends up and castles him as he heaves the flick and misses. Zaheer spreads his arms on either side, breaks into a smile and trots along as his team-mates converge. Motera loves it. 150/4 41.2 to White, 127.2 kph, and the man has struck again, 127.6 kph length delivery that seemed to stop on him from round the stumps, he had a feeble push at it for Zaheer to take the dolly as it looped back to him, he throws it in the air and takes off on a run, White's horror run continues 190/5 v Pakistan 8.6 to Kamran Akmal, 123.9 kph, Done in by the slower one. And also done by his own favourite square drive. It was full and outside off stump, Kamran couldn't resist the temptation and reached out for his square drive. But he ended up slicing it straight to point. 44/1 49.5 to Misbah-ul-Haq, 117.0 kph, there's the game! Misbah swings, the ball goes miles up in the air and lands safely in Kohli's hands at long-on 231/10 v SriLanka 6.1 to Tharanga, 134.6 kph, caught at slip! And Zaheer hasn't conceded a run yet. Zaheer pitches the ball on a length around off, forcing Tharanga to prod because of his line as well as the pressure he's created, the ball nips away from the left-hander off the pitch and Tharanga edges it. The chance flies quickly to Sehwag's right at first slip and he takes it before falling to the ground 17/1 39.5 to Kapugedera, 118.6 kph, the Zaheer slower ball, at 118.8 kph, consumes Kapu, he goes forward in a weak push that ends up in the air for a simple chance to Raina, at short extra cover, Zaheer just holds his arms aloft 182/5 Some of the key opposition wickets to his name!

[mastana]

There is no doubt. He is one of the best fast bowler India has produced.

[fineleg]

In Tests, ZK is our single most important player (perhaps VVS Laxman matches him). Now in WC and ODIs he's been doing a fantastic job. ZaK - I love you! :icflove:

[mastana]

In Tests, ZK is our single most important player (perhaps VVS Laxman matches him). Now in WC and ODIs he's been doing a fantastic job. ZaK - I love you! :icflove:

I thought you love Nehra.