Junaid Khan : A Unique Prospect! by Ahsan Akhtar

Junaid Khan is the latest pace sensation of Pakistan, With fast Bowlers, from Pakistan, there is always something that strikes you, But this latest product of the pace mill in Pakistan is unique in his own way.

He may not be as quick as Akthar, or may not have the accuracy of a Mohammad Asif, He may not be as sharp as Umar Gul and he may not strike you with the reverse swinging ability of someone like Wahab Riaz. What he is actually, is a mix of all of them. A touch of Pace, swing and seam, line and length and reverse swing.

Junaid's normal speed is around 85-87Mph (Yes, if you talking about Pakistani fast bowlers 85-87mph is only average). Coupled with ability to bowl out-swingers to right handed batsman and the ability to bowl absolutely dream like yorkers, shown at the death in a county match against Northants.

He may not strike you like the impact made by, other left armers like, Amir and Wahab riaz but he will continue to be steady and graph will go onwards and upwards. He announced himself when he wrecked the Ireland top order, his figures in that match were 4/12.

He went wicket-less in first three games against West indies, considering that you would imagine that his average will be high but it does come as a surprise that his average is just 24.14, in his short International career thus far. He was praised by Micheal Holding, even though wicketless, shows that the potential of the boy is immense.

During his present county stint, for Lancashire, and performing admirably well in matches he was praised by the like of Nasser Hussain, Atherton and Bumble, with the later stating "He is bowling in Akram mode". For a new-comer like Junaid khan this will go down as a huge huge praise but also comes with the added of pressure of living upto the tag of a Pakistani great, of which I'm sure he will do in due course.

Wishing All The Very Best To Junaid Khan

All Time pakistan T20 Team by Imran Asghar

The first ever Twenty20 International game took place in Auckland, in February 2005, as the Mighty Aussies beat rivals New Zealand by 44 runs. Pakistan had to wait until the following year, in August, against England for a 5 wicket win. As T20 cricket is still fairly new to the game, I woke up this morning with a thought of whom are the best T20 Pakistan players? Then my mind switched to something new, if I had to name a all-time Pakistan T20 team who would be in my team. So I selected 11 players that would have been the best 11 to participate in the shortest format of the game for Pakistan.

My all time Pakistan T20 team is as follows:-

Saeed Anwar
The stylish opener, along with Sri Lanka's Kalu and Jayasuriya, gave limited overs Cricket a new breath. Where keeping wickets in hand was the key, they made sure batting at a strike rate of around 100 would give the team the perfect start. Anwar would make most people's Pakistan's Test line-up let alone any limted overs team. A easy choice.

Aamer Sohail
Aamer was again a elegant left hander, that had the ability to match Anwar shot for shot. Somewhat a loose canon, when it come to emotions on the pitch, no one could deny, he was a match winner of the highest order.

Zaheer Abbas
Zaheer was regarded the Asian Bradman and for no other reason that he had magic in his batting. The ability to play a long innings or a cameo that even Sir Viv would have been proud of. In my opinion, he is a must.

Inzamam-Ul-Haq
Inzi, as we all love to call him, for me is the greatest Pakistan batsman. Inzi had the natural ability to do anything that he wanted, apart from run fast (a little sarcasm). Again, like Anwar, a guy I would pick in any Pakistan line-up, in any era.

Mohammad Yousaf
Yousaf was a guy that had the ability to play a long innings, aswell the know how to accelerate at the right time. The ability to time a perfect chase is something not many have and he was one of the best. Ive selected him ahead of Javed Miandad, for the reason of his hard hitting, when and if required.

Kamran Akmal (WK)
Nowhere close to being the best keeper in Pakistan's history, he is the most exciting batsman though. This was the tough choice, as I'm a admirer of Moin Khan's hitting. Kamran's ability to bat anywhere from 1-8 makes him a dangerous player, that deserves his spot in T20 ahead of Moin, Tauseef, Bari and Latif.

Imran Khan (C)
Do I really need to justify his inclusion? In my opinion, not just Pakistan's, but the greatest all-rounder the world has seen(Yes Sobers Included). A fast bowler and more than just a handy batsman. Imran was, and always will be the King.

Shahid Afridi
What would a T20 team be without the guy who was born to play it missing? Mr Boom Boom, on his day, can win a lost game with pure super hitting, but his ability of picking up wickets while not going for much runs is his main strength.

Wasim Akram
With Waz it can be strongly argued that he is the greatest Left Armer ever (Australian Alan Davidson, his only competition). Akram was the king of swing and more than usefull with the bat. One of the first names on any team sheet, in any era.

Waqar Younis
The other half of the two W's, was as fast as you can get. Even though reverse swing was invented by Sarfraz and then taken over by Imran, not many have had the ability to bowl it at will. His yorkers, at the death would make him near impossible to play.

Saqlain Mushtaq
The inventor of the doosra, Saqi enjoyed bowling in the fielding restriction and death overs. The ability to attack and pick up wickets made him near impossible to play. For me a guy that would contest Qadir in a all-time test spot let alone a automatic choice in any Limited overs side.

So that was my team, feel free to comment and give your input on a all-time T20 team, opinions always vary.

Saqlain Mushtaq & Azhar Mahmood:- A Pakistani's Salute

In the last few weeks, we have read and listened to alot about the saga of Shahid Afridi and the PCB. Most 'Lala' fanatics have been enraged with anger with the treatment of their hero. I've always put my point through that I ain't a member of 'Team Afridi', 'Team Misbah' or 'Team PCB', I'm in the side of Team Pakistan. As long as Pakistan is winning I couldn't care less who is in the team and who isn't. Saying that there is two names I'd like to talk about and their treatment by the Cricket Board and some fans.

Saqlain Mushtaq was a class player. The inventor of the 'Doosra'. He revolutionised the art of off-spin bowling. Saqi picked up over 200 in 49 Test Matches and was the quickest bowler in ODI history to get to 100, 150, 200, 250 wickets. He finished up on 288 Wickets in 169 games. But stats were not what Saqi was about, he bowled a attacking line, during Fielding restrictions and death overs. In Test Cricket where off-spin bowling was primarily used to contain at one end this man made it into a wicket taking option. The biggestest compliment a off-spinner can get is praise from Muttiah Muralitharan, whom regards Saqlain has a mentor and a hero.

Saqi was ousted from the ODI team soon after the 2003 World Cup, in preference of Shaoib Malik being the spinner. Malik is a very good batsman but to pick him ahead of a player of Saqi's calibre in regards of bowling was beyond imagination. The next year, at the age of 27 Saqlain made his last Test appearance for the National team in a Test match against India in Multan. He had figures of 1-204 but when Sehwag and Sachin are in the form that they were in that match it can be hard on a flat surface. He went on to play extremely well for Surrey, Sussex and the ICL for Lahore Badshahs.

The second person is all-rounder Azhar Mahmood. Azhar was a very talented right arm seamer. More than just usefull he made a impact on the world stage. I remember watching his test debut back in 1997,as he got a Hundred on debut with a brillaint 128 not out against a solid attack of South Africa that included Alan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Kallis. He also got a unbeaten 50in the second innings, as Pakistan batted out day 5 in a drawn game. Azhar was one of the key players in Pakistan's 1999 World Cup final reaching team. In him and Abdul Razzaq possessed the best all-rounders in World Cricket. Azhar had the knack of picking up crucial Wickets and finished up on 123 ODI scalps. In 2007, Pakistan were knocked out by minnows Ireland in a game where Pakistan were outplayed. As a result of the defeat Pakistan had to make changes and made Azhar the scapegoat, He didn't represent the National side again.

Azhar then made a successful return to County Cricket, where for Surrey he, along with Saqlain, is regarded as a legend. Only when you walk through the Oval, do you realise how highly regarded the duo are. He is now having a impact on the Kent team with great effect.

We have made a noise about Afridi, like we did when Younis Khan was axed but these two Legends were treated in a sickening way. Truly disgusting way to axe a player to have wore that Green blazer with such pride.

Saqi and Ajju bhai, you have gone but will be remembered in my heart forever!!!

Wahab Riaz - Pakistan's Next Big Superstar!

Wahab Riaz’s selection for the tour of England last summer was a controversial & questionable one. There were common lines like: he has connections, he hails from a rich background/family, he only took 14 scalps in the 2009/10 season and so forth. Generally there were eyebrows raised as he was not one of the most deserving or impressive performers within the domestic circuit. To further add to his woes & negative like reputation he was widely suspected for involvement in the spot fixing scandal with his jacket exchange outside a London restaurant captured by the News of the World. He was receiving overwhelming abuse from his own supporters contingent during the 2nd One Day International at Leeds in September where he was serving 12th man duties. A few hours before the 4th ODI at Lords he got caught up in a physical altercation with England’s Jonathan Trott. The level of dislike attached with him was staggering.

However, putting this aside Wahab has put all of these analogies behind him, overcome the speculations and negativity previously associated with his image, won many diehard supporters including myself, experts who sing his praises, people even going as far as saying he will be the “next big superstar” figure from Pakistan by simply letting his continuous heroic performances do the talking on the field to impress one and all. Full marks must be credited to Wahab for the manner in which he has fought, battled and responded to wet slap his doubters, haters & critics all within 1 full year of representing his country & that too at a relatively young age of 25. There were days in September where he was experiencing nothing but hell, but now he living the dreams of dreams by emerging as one of the best & most exciting finds in the international area with an extremely bright future ahead. The left arm sensation has surely done his fellow countrymen proud. I for one certainly know he has done me proud.

What a roller coaster journey he has gone through which includes:

1) First innings 5 for on Test debut at the Oval in a winning cause. This was Pakistan's first test match win on English territory in 9 years.

2) Leading wicket taker in the Faysal Bank Twenty20 tournament for Lahore Lions who won the tournament in October 2010 after Sialkot Stallions had won the competition for 5 years running previously.

3) Magical spell at Hamilton in a test played in January this year where Pakistan bowled out New Zealand in a single session, won a match in 3 day and went on to have a margin of victory of 10 wickets.

4) 30* in international T20 game on 26/12/10 at Eden Park which was Pakistan's highest score in that particular match.

5) Leading ODI wicket taker with 8 scalps in 3 matches against New Zealand in early 2011 which gave Pakistan their first ODI series win in New Zealand for 17 years.

6) 9 wickets in 5 LOI matches against West Indies which was the most by any Pakistan player from the touring party as they won the ODI series 3-2.

7) Arguably taking the catch of the CWC tournament against Canada on 03/03/11. Also, the game changing catch of Eoin Morgan he took at the Oval in the 3rd ODI at deep square leg last September.

8) 5/46 in Mohali semi final when his place in the team ahead of Shoaib Akhtar was questioned from all corners but he ended up going on to be the star of the show against a potent World Cup champion batting line up in one of the biggest sporting spectacles ever seen as far as media hype, revnues and excitement is concerned.

9) First two performances for Kent CCC now. In the first match he smashed an unbeaten 32* from 15 ball batting at number 6 in a spectacular match winning assault on the Glamorgan bowlers. Then he followed it up by taking 5/17 in just 3 overs including a hattrick against Gloucestershire in a stump cart wheeling exhibition of left arm destruction.

Simply admirable! You will run out of superlatives to describe what he has gone through & achieved. Personally, I believe he is Pakistan’s best pacer of the current generation & held this thought before the World Cup too. He has potential to overtake many other fast bowlers who have been relatively successful for Pak since the retirements of the 2 Ws. We are with you and behind you Wahab! May our milkshake loving tweeter experience all the success & happiness he is capable of ahead. An iconic and talismanic personality in the making.

T20:- A Team For The Format

With all due respect, I rate T20 Cricket as exactly what it is, the third child of Cricket. I prefer Test Cricket any day and even rate 50 over Cricket higher in regard. One thing that has bugged me is that nearly every side haven't made a side that is specific for the shortest version of the game. A good Test or ODI player will not necessarily become a a hit in T20 and most definitely the other way round, a class T20 player might be a disaster in Test Cricket. As a Pakistani supporter, I will now choose my T20 team, that I would like to see playing in the Fourth edition of the World Cup in June next year.

Imran Nazir:-
Imran is a explosive batsman that is tailor made for 20 over Cricket, He opens the batting at a brisk pace and has a good track record in the format. He averages at 32 runs with a strike rate of above 160.

Mohammad Hafeez
Well what a turnaround he has in his return to International Cricket over the last couple of years. Not just a opening batsman that can bat through 20 Overs, his also a quality off spinner.

Shoaib Malik
Former captain Shoaib Malik has been out of the team recently, for non Cricketing reasons. Malik is one of very few players that can bat 20 overs at a very good strike rate. A Match winner full stop.

Umar Akmal
Umar is a raw talent and the ace in the pack. Once Umar gets going there ain't bowlers good enough to stop him. The sort of man that will win you matches from the jaws of defeat.

Hammad Azam
Hammad is a former U-19 all-rounder. He comes with youth full energy and the ability to become a World beater. Would pick him for raw ability and potential alone.

Abdul Razzaq
Do I need to say much about the Razzler? He can open the bowling and as a batsman in full flow can bat at over the strike rate of 200. A must!!!

Sarfraz Ahmed
Sarfraz is a specialist Wicket-Keeper and as a batsman has come leaps and bounds. Most Pakistani's will understand how costly a keeper can be for the team, after all we are long sufferers of this problem.

Rana Naved
One of the best T20 bowlers in World Cricket at Domestic level. He also has a good record at International level but has been out of the reckoning for some time, again due to non-cricketing reasons. As he has never been charged, can't see why he should miss out.

Wahab Riaz
The new 'Darling' of Pakistan Cricket. Naturally a very quick left arm bowler. Has the ability to swing it away from the right hander and reverse the old ball. In my opinion, if he learns to swing it back in to the right hander, he will become the best bowler in the world. Also he has shown glimpses of good aggressive batting, not least in yesterdays game against Glamorgan, where he got 32 not out from 15 balls to steer Kent to a great win.

Umar Gul
Gul has not performed to his best for some time. But saying that this is his format. He can bowl the yorker at will and is key for any Pakistan team.

Saeed Ajmal
Ajmal is again, like Gul and Wahab, a match winning bowler. The offspinner, bowls a excellent doosra and is one of the best bowlers in the game today.

If you add the likes of Babar Azam, Navid Yasin, Abdur-Rehman and Junaid Khan to this squad then Pakistan have a team of World beaters. In this line up, they have eleven match-winners that can win a game single handingly. Potential winners, in my opinion.

Ive left Shahid Afridi out purposely, as a result of the 'retirement issue'.

Pakistan in West Indies 2011:- review

T20-West Indies won
ODIs- Pakistan won 3/2
Tests-Drawn 1/1
Overall: 4/4=unsatisfactory
 On Tests: We were missing Younis Khan. No Pakistan player had played in West Indies before. We only lost by 40 runs in the 1st test which is not comprehensive or such a significant area of concern. This same West Indies team beat back to back Ashes w...inners at home in 2009 so they shouldn't be underestimated. The only thing we missed out on was a chance at creating history by finally winning a test series on Caribbean turf, but overall it was a very respectable result IMO.
Outcome of 2nd Test
A comprehensive victory in the end. Pakistan have squared the series in St Kitts. Misbah Ul Haq has not lost a series as captain in 3 successive Test series contested. Pakistan have only lost 1 out of their last 5 test series contested with the defeat against England in August 2010 (3-1) under the leadership of now tainted Salman Butt who is currently serving a 10 year ban for spot fixing activities. The mission to win a first Test series in the Caribbean may not have been achieved, but the comeback was a tremendous effort. Overall, a disappointing tour ends on a high note. Incidentally Misbah's men become the first team to win a Test match at this specific venue which has traditionally been renowned for its flatness.
Now Pakistan will travel to Ireland for 2 one day internationals on the 28th & 30th of May respectively. The squad is the same, but with Younis Khan joining up with the team which will be led by Misbah Ul Haq. After the brief series Shahid Afridi will be staying in the UK to play in the Friends Provident Twenty20 cup for Hampshire who are the current defending champions of the county title. Afridi will be leading the Karachi Dolphins later in June during a super8 domestic 20/20 competition and therefore is expected to return from county duties mid way through that tournament.
Pakistan's next major cricketing assignment will be a tour of Zimbabwe in September which consists of 1 Test, 3 ODIs & 2 T20s. In between this time there will be the Sri Lankan Premier league from the 19th of July-4th August from Colombo, the stadium where Pakistan achieved some happy memories during the sub continental Cricket World Cup earlier in the year when they defeated Sri Lanka, Canada & broke Australia's 34 match undefeated winning streak. Several Pakistani players have signed up for the tournament which looks to be an exciting hit for all concerned. The same stadium is also set the stage the final of the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 tournament which Stuart Broad's England will be looking to retain.
Saeed Ajmal has been phenomenal throughout the series. West Indies have been totally answerless, clueless & puzzled against his mysteries and variations. He beat the edge with sharp turn and bounce on countless occasions in his spells where he created attacking lines & difficult angles for the batsmen to read him. Still hard to get your head around how he only played in 3/8 World Cup matches & wasn't preferred in the starting line up to start off with. A classy dedicated individual like him is bound to get you the results when you stick by him & utilise his gifted powers wisely. In short, a tour to fondly remember for the Faisalabad born off spinner. He demonstrated his classiness throughout & regularly had the batsmen guessing which made fascinating viewing.
Stats
After 17 Tests and 35 innings, Pakistan declared the innings. Last time they declared was against Sri Lanka in Colombo (SSC) in 2009.
Tuafeeq Umar's 135 was 2nd highest score by any Pakistan batsman in past 2 years [since May 23, 2009].
In 11 Test innings as captain, Misbah-ul-Haq has scored 632 runs at average of 90.28 with 7 fifties and 1 century. And guess what, all of this came after age of 36. With 412 runs in 2011, Misbah is now also leading run-getter of this year.
First time there have been two centurions in a single Test Match for Pakistan since the 2009 home series against Sri Lanka.
Congratulations to Saeed Ajmal for reaching 50 Test Wickets and being awarded MOTS for 17 wickets in 2 tests. Outstanding performance, but there was some controversial talk regarding his action this morning which Michael Holding brought up, however it is widely accepted that the doosra cannot be bowled with a total clean action so let it be. Well bowled Idone!
Overall Pakistan have kept their lead over West Indies in Tests overall with a 16/15 stance having played 46.

Misbah Is The Most Successful Pakistan Test Captain Since Inzamam
Test Record since 2007 World Cup & Inzy retirement under different captains. Considering Pakistan have never really been considered a top tier side for a considerable amount of time even a draw would be regarded as a positive achievement. Here is the record under the different leaders during this period of time. As you can see Misbah Ul Haq has the best record out of all the others who have had the chance to lead the nation since October 2007:
Malik: Played 5, won 0, , lost 2, drawn 3 (40% losses)
Younis: Played 5, won 0, lost 2, drawn 3 (40% losses)
Yousuf: Played 6, won 1, lost 4, drawn 1 (67% losses)
Afridi: Played 1, won 0, lost 1, drawn 0 (100% losses)
Butt: Played 5, won 2, lost 3, drawn 0 (60% losses)
Misbah: Played 6, won 2, lost 1, drawn 3 (17% losses)
Certainly signs of significant progression & rare stability BUT yet he gets continuously slated, intimidated & criticised at every given opportunity just because he is taking over ODI captaincy from a popular commercial figure in Pakistan whose performance, leadership & conduct was under the scanner? The current captain has restored the integrity, credibility & fortunes of the team since his much needed come back with his stature, calm flowing presence, leadership qualities, wisdom & remarkable personal form across both Tests & ODIs. Surely he deserves to be treated with honour, respect & praise head & shoulders above the rest instead of being treated like filth? Truly the saviour of Pakistan Cricket when it was at one of its lowest points imaginable with ongoing hardships, unfavourable results & international isolation. Taking over when the team had lost 10 out its last 15 last test matches was always going to be an uneasy challenge where he was completely up against it, however his presence has been like gold with reality being refreshingly different.
We should wish him well in ODIs now. His ODI form this year has been stupendous with 7 half centuries in 15 innings to go along with meaningful contributions of 35, 37 & 43* all during this year in positive results (12/19) wins. He has captained Pakistan in one ODI previously and beat India in 2008 when he was stand in skipper. Age should not be a barrier. Imran Khan captained when he was 40. This is more of a short term move for the next 18 months at best where there will be tournaments taking place as well. 18 months is a long time in Pakistan Cricket & having one stable deserving leader across all formats might just be a policy of utter genius from the PCB chairman. Personally, I feel the results will do the talking & the appointment will certainly work out from a team angle which comes before any individual personality. He has all the characteristics of a fine captain which former Pakistan Coach Geoff Lawson reiterated in October such as the ability to extract the best from other members of the team, father a healthy team atmosphere which is controversy free & lead with composure, increasing responsibility, guidance, cool headed thoughtfulness as opposed to reacting over emotionally, tactical awareness & cricketing intellect. The ideal package to have as captain. It has reflected in the results. Now time for it to be challenged in the shorter formats further. As followers of Pakistan Cricket let's get behind him. The dependable fellow Misbah is the man!

The Answer To Pakistan's Batting Woes.

It's a misconception that Pakistan don't produce good batsman. The names of Hanif Mohammad, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam-Ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Mohammad Yousaf and Younis Khan are known around the world and are well respected. Infact each and everyone of these names would make any team in any era. So why are the current bunch of players failing to live up to the names above? Are there technical issues? or is a mental thing? what is the answer to the problem? everyone has a opinion, and this is mine.

The present young bunch with names like Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Ahmad Shahzad and Umar Akmal have been inconsistent to say the least. These guys have the talent to make it big and establish themselves in the folklore of Pakistani Batting greats but have been exposed to International Cricket without the right preparation. Many calls have been made for a Batting Coach to be installed to solve the problem, but I don't think that is the correct way of going about the issue. Each and every name I've named needed to be coached from u-15 and academy level by professional and expert coaches. That is the time to tinker and make any adjustments to any issue the player might have. Then you move onto U-19 and A team level, we need the best coaches to work with them so these players are not exposed badly at the highest level.

Two names, come to my mind, Inzamam-Ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar. Both have played the game in the modern era and are looked up to by most young players. They both had fantastic records and will be able to get the batsman ready for the big stage. For me, they will be able to get batsman technically and mentally ready for seaming track's in England, Bouncy in Australia and spinning in the sub-continent. These are the two people in my eye that can save the present bunch and then help out the likes of Babar Azam, Usman Sallu, Naved Yasin and Zain Abbas(thanks Maaz for the preview of a exciting player)to make the transition from A team level to first team without much hassle.

The talent is there, we need the right approach and the right men to help out at the correct level.