By Jamie Alter for Cricket Next

Pakistan’s 3-0 sweep of England, the No. 1 Test team, in the UAE was the most glittering result for a team that has managed to hold its own on the field despite facing a mountain of problems off it. Here’s a look at the key players in Pakistan’s resurgence as a Test team.

Misbah-ul-Haq

Ten months ago, Misbah-ul-Haq was a condemned man whose time as an international cricketer seemed over after he was made the scapegoat for Pakistan’s defeat to India in the World Cup semi-final in Mohali. Today, he is being heralded as an astute leader of a team bristling with pride and rightful claims to being a top-level Test side. Handed the captaincy ahead of Pakistan’s series against South Africa in the UAE in 2010, the soft-spoken, almost laidback Misbah has been hugely influential in steering Pakistan from a host of troubles and to series wins over New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and England – not to forget a draw with South Africa – and just the anomaly of a 1-1 scoreline against West Indies.

He hasn’t always been a proactive captain – his reluctance to push for a win against Sri Lanka in Sharjah last November attracted criticism – but his numbers as leader have been highly impressive: 15 matches, 1165 runs, average 64.72, with one century and 12 fifties. That one century – an unbeaten 102 in the second innings at Basseterre – played a big role in Pakistan leveling the two-Test series in the West Indies in May 2011. Innings of 99 and 70 not out earned him the Man-of-the-Match award in Wellington in January 2011, and those were clutch innings in a draw that gave Pakistan their first series victory outside the subcontinent since a triumph in New Zealand in 2003-04, and their first anywhere since 2006-07. In the first innings of the second Test against England in Abu Dhabi, Misbah top-scored with 84 on day in which the opposition dominated, and what a key innings it proved.

Saeed Ajmal

If there is one player who personifies Pakistan’s new-found aggression and fluency, it is the leader of their immensely proficient spin attack. Ajmal, 34, has been a constant threat to opposing teams with his accurate, nagging and attacking offspin, with his doosra causing batsmen much strife. His role as a strike bowler – he has bowled 696 overs in those 12 Tests, the most for any Pakistan bowler – has taken pressure off Umar Gul and meant he has been relied on to consistently take wickets. His success is staggering.

In 12 Tests under Misbah, Ajmal has reaped 77 wickets an average of 22.63 and strike-rate of 54.20 – significantly lower than career figures of 26.70 and 61.20. Along the way he picked up Man-of-the-Match awards for eight wickets in a nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka and in Dubai and 10 – including a career-best 7 for 55 – in a 10-wicket win over England at the same venue. He was the leading Test wicket-taker in 2011, and so far this year he has grabbed 24 wickets in three Tests against England.

In this recent series, the England batsmen were largely baffled by Ajmal’s variety. In the second Test, he became the fastest Pakistan bowler to 100 Tests, and to make his achievement more remarkable, he has not played a single of his 20 Tests at home.

Abdur Rehman

If Ajmal has been an expected success during Pakistan’s run under Misbah, then the 31-year-old Abdur Rehman has been a surprise package. In 13 Tests, this canny left-arm spinner – enjoying unexpected success in his late-blooming career – has been a constant threat with 64 wickets at an average of 26.57. With an almost immaculate line and length he has attained turn and dip while convincing batsmen to play back when they should have been forward. Nothing summed this up better than the series against England, when he made several reputed batsmen appear hapless against spin, none more so than Eoin Morgan.

However, it was Rehman’s Man-of-the-Match performance against New Zealand at Hamilton in January 2011 that really made him a certainty in the playing XI. His three wickets in each innings and a crucial innings of 28 helped propel Pakistan to victory in the first Test. This year, a career-best 6 for 25 routed England for 72 as Pakistan grabbed the series in Abu Dhabi, and in the final Test his 5 for 40 was decisive in Pakistan reducing England’s lead to 42. His 19 wickets in the series played a huge role in a 3-0 scoreline, and highlighted what a key ingredient Rehman has been for Pakistan.

Like Ajmal, he has bowled a lot of overs – 683.4 – while rarely allowing the batsmen to dominate. Rehman’s batting has been handy too, with an average of 13.s8 and a half-century offering some stability to the lower order.

Umar Gul

The only fast bowler to play consistently under Misbah, Umar Gul has carried himself with discipline all throughout. Ajmal and Rehman have hogged the wickets, but Gul’s 49 victims at 29.79 have been every bit as crucial in the team’s success.
The reliance on spin has eased Gul’s workload – he has bowled 452.5 overs in 13 matches – and this has undoubtedly led to the tall fast bowler not breaking down from injury, as he was prone to do so earlier in his career. His eight-wicket haul at Wellington was a stand-out effort in overseas conditions, and even on tracks in the UAE he has plugged away relentlessly, as 29 wickets from eight matches show.

In the first Test in Abu Dhabi, Gul responded to a flat surface with a hostile spell on the third day – during which he surpassed 150 Test wickets – as his new-ball incursions bagged him four wickets before Ajmal and Rehman wrapped up the rest. In the third Test in Abu Dhabi, Gul’s four wickets on the final day set the course of the match categorically towards Pakistan. The spinners have been the talking point of Pakistan’s success, but Gul’s role cannot he underestimated.

Mohammad Hafeez

At last looking like he belongs at Test-match level, Mohammad Hafeez has flourished in his latest avatar as opener and key ingredient in Pakistan’s spin-heavy bowling attack.

With the bat, he has offered solidity to a top order that has for too long been shaky, scoring 967 runs in 15 Tests at an average of 38.68, including two centuries and four fifties. With Taufeeq Umar – another cricketer enjoying a new lease on his international career – Hafeez has stitched together three century stands and four of 50 or more. For a side that used to regularly chop and change openers during the last decade, Hafeez’s pairing with Taufeeq over 15 Tests has been nothing short of solid.

Relied on heavily with the ball – he has bowled 250 overs – Hafeez has repaid the faith with 51 wickets at 26.36. His brisk offspin has helped Ajmal and Rehman take much-needed breaks in the field, and when tossed the new ball in Guyana he responded with wickets. The highlight of Hafeez’s run over these 15 Tests was a fine all-round performance against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, where Hafeez followed a quick-fire 119 with four wickets and a brisk 38 in a successful chase.

Taufeeq Umar

Given an extended run as opener after a four-year hiatus, the 30-year-old Taufeeq has scored 1055 runs in 15 Tests under Misbah while averaging 39.07. His batting hasn’t always been attractive, as a strike-rate of 43.18 indicates, but the fact that he has been able to deliver platforms has been immense. Two fifties in New Zealand helped blunt the threat of the home team’s pace bowlers in seam-friendly conditions, and his 135 in the second innings against West Indies at Basseterre helped Pakistan level the series.

A career-best 236 followed against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, as Pakistan drew the first Test. It was a marathon effort that helped grind Sri Lanka patiently through the second day, and Taufeeq was just pipped by Kumar Sangakkara for the Man-of-the-Match award. A seventh Test hundred would come against Bangladesh soon after.

Taufeeq’s form trailed off after a fifty in the first innings of the series against England, but his success in Pakistan’s resurgence merits further persistence.

Younis Khan

The former Pakistan captain has come back excellently from a ban imposed by the PCB after allegations that he had been partially responsible for infighting within the team. His 1138 runs at 66.94, including four centuries and four fifties, have been invaluable to Pakistan.
His presence in the middle order has steadied the team numerous times, not least when he scored centuries against South Africa and Sri Lanka to go with twin fifties against New Zealand at Wellington. But his most responsible innings came in the second innings of the third Test against England, as an out of form Younis took the game away from the opposition with a superbly crafted century. Yet again, he had summoned the resolve to produce a century when his detractors were gunning for him.

Azhar Ali

Of the younger players that have flourished under Misbah, 26-year-old Azhar Ali has been the most successful. His 1220 runs from 15 matches at 50.83 include two centuries and 11 fifties, and he has been a consistent performer at No. 3. Three consecutive half-centuries against South Africa got him going after an indifferent start to his career, and from there he ploughed on with fifties against each of the teams he played. His two centuries – 100 against Sri Lanka and 157 against England – were proof that Azhar has a long career ahead of him.

Filed under: cricket, England, Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket Tagged: Abdul Rehman, Alastair Cook, Azhar Ali, cricket, Dubai Stadium, England, England Cricket, India, Kevin Pietersen, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket, Saeed Ajmal, South Africa, South African Cricket, Sri Lanka, Taufeeq Umar, Test Cricket, Umar Gul, Whitewash, Younis Khan

Pakistan cricket team continued their superb performance and beat England in third test by 71 runs .

Man of the series one and only Saeed Ajmal .

Man of the match Azhar Ali for classic 157

Pakistan duly completed their first clean sweep against England in a Test series, an extraordinary achievement for a side with no home to call its own, a side that lives out of a suitcase and does it rather well. Along with the socks and the toothpaste they certainly unpacked quite a shock for the No. 1 ranked side.

PAKISTAN WHITEWASH ENGLAND

England faces the humiliation of a first-ever series whitewash at the hands of Pakistan

NADEEM MALIK

Pakistan Whitewash England

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The sunny disposition of Saeed Ajmal and the stiff-limbed tenacity of Abdur Rehman have tormented England throughout this Test series and there was the slimmest likelihood of escape at tea on the fourth day of the final Test in Dubai as Pakistan sought to inflict a whitewash upon England for the first time.

There was plentiful spin for Pakistan’s spinners, leaping spin at times when the ball struck the rough, and England, still 151 runs short of victory with only four wickets remaining, looked bound for a 3-0 defeat in the series.

Ajmal, spinning the ball both ways, not extravagantly but often, dismissed Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook in the afternoon session, to add to Jonathan Trott before lunch. Rehman counted Andrew Strauss as his sole success as he bowled unchanged for two sessions, 30 overs sent down with unerring accuracy. He is the sort of spin bowler who looks slightly weary from the outset, but never noticeably tires after that.

Pietersen was bent upon playing enterprisingly. The first ball of the afternoon provided a reminder of his vulnerability when a bat-pad against Rehman flew high past short leg, but he had the fleeting satisfaction of striking him straight for six before Ajmal, from around the wicket, spun one through the gate and beamed at further bounty.

Cook put up statuesque resistance. Along the way he became the second youngest person, at 27 years and 43 days, to reach 6,000 Test runs. Only Sachin Tendulkar has reached the landmark at a younger age. His most attacking shot of the morning, a loft into the leg side against Rehman, caused the bowler to taunt him with applause. He lived on scraps, combating the turning ball with thoughtful defence and numerous works to the leg side and that proved his undoing as a leading edge was brilliantly held by Younis Khan, diving to his left at first slip.

The emphasis has been upon spin, but Umar Gul reminded England that the quicker bowlers should not be entirely discounted as he got the old ball to reverse swing as much as at any time in the series. Ian Bell’s state of mind is such that a long hop is quite enough. He averaged more than 100 last summer, less than 10 in this series, and when Gul offered up a gift he mistimed it wide of point. The ball that dismissed Eoin Morgan, caught by the wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal, who embarked upon a merry dance, was of higher quality.

England, 36 runs banked the previous evening, needed a further 288 at the start of play. Strauss fell in the sixth over of the morning, lbw on the back foot to Rehman. That was lbw No. 42 in this three-Test series, one short of the all-time record for a series of any length. Strauss reviewed it, although it smacked of a captain’s review and he would have been better to head smartly for the dressing room. But when it comes to captain’s reviews Strauss cannot match Misbah-ul-Haq. Misbah has been lbw on five occasions in this series and he has taken a review every time. It must be a captain’s prerogative.

Without lapses in the field, Pakistan could have been in a stronger position. They had dropped Cook the previous evening, a relatively simple chance to Taufeeq Umar at third slip and Gul’s drop in the shadows of the stand at deep square gave him another reprieve as Pakistan lost the efficiency that has characterised their cricket throughout this series. Rehman made his frustration clear when he caught Trott at deep square as he flung the ball into the turf with feeling at the errors that had gone before.

Adnan’s fumble behind the stumps to reprieve Strauss, although not costly as the England captain was out in the next over, was the worst miss of all. Adnan has had a good series behind the stumps and has the opportunity to be Pakistan’s first-choice keeper for many years to come but his excitable chatter had reached a peak. As Pakistan press for victory, it is in danger of becoming counterproductive. Strauss’ edge flew to him at comfortable height but he put it down. For a few minutes he was quiet and you could hear your ears ringing.

Adnan’s cacophony of cries often rent the air for inexplicable reasons. As do parrots, Adnan vocalises for many reasons. He may be excitedly greeting the day or summoning his family at sunset. He may be screeching when he is excited or when he is merely trying it on. He may screech when he thinks things have got too quiet or when he thinks it is his duty to scream. He just likes screeching. At one point he burst out coughing as if in sore need of a lozenge and Trott looked at him in deadpan fashion.

Adnan is also incorrigibly optimistic about reviewing umpiring decisions. “Do it, do it, yes, yes, all good,” you can sense him saying. Misbah has learned not to take his evidence into consideration and looks askance at him. But Pakistan challenged umpire Steve Davis’ not-out ruling when Ajmal beat Cook on the sweep. Hawk-Eye showed that the ball pitched outside leg. There again, disturbingly, it seems that Hawk-Eye also cannot read Ajmal’s doosra, probably because it is English.

Pakistan 99 & 365

England 141 & 252 (97.3 ov)

Pakistan won by 71 runs

• Pakistan v England Test Series – 3rd Test
• Test no. 2034 | 2011/12 season
• Played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium (neutral venue)
• 3,4,5,6 February 2012 (5-day match)

Pakistan 1st innings		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	Mohammad Hafeez	lbw b Broad	13	50	30	1	0	43.33
9.6 140.4 kph, loud loud cry for leg before referred has he hit this? Maybe not but probably too high…three reds on hawk-eye…gone! There wasn’t anything really conclusive on hot spot but perhaps there was enough doubt to give Hafeez the benefit of the doubt there. Either way, he claps sarcastically walking off, that’ll be a few pennies off the match fee 21/4
	Taufeeq Umar	lbw b Anderson	0	4	5	0	0	0.00
0.6 132.8 kph, out straight away cracker from Anderson, swinging in and catching the batsman on the knee roll on the crease. Finger goes up quickly from umpire Davis and after a chat with his partner, Taufeeq walks off. It looked pretty adjacent to middle stump and I don’t think any referral was going to save him. Fine inswinger from Anderson on a great length gets the early breakthrough 1/1
	Azhar Ali	c †Prior b Broad	1	20	14	0	0	7.14
5.3 full and beaten on the inside edge, referred for a catch behind, big nick on hot spot, this should be out and indeed overturned and Ali is gone. It was a nip-backer from Broad on a great length, Prior took it going to his left, which suggested it didn’t hit the pad, he was the one who said refer and it’s paid off. A great use of the DRS by England and a second strike with the new ball 8/2
	Younis Khan	c †Prior b Broad	4	10	8	1	0	50.00
7.5 140.4 kph, got him! Thick edge and this time Prior bags the catch at head height. A little bit of extra bounce from Broad, takes the shoulder of the bat and flies to Prior’s right, taken comfortably with two hands. Younis was pushing away at it and it’s a poor way to go 18/3
	Misbah-ul-Haq*	lbw b Anderson	1	17	8	0	0	12.50
10.5 137.5 kph, another one out and Misbah has played down the Bakerloo, Anderson was on the Victoria line, and bang in front, easy lbw decision, referred but nothing saving Misbah here, he’s got to go. Too slow to come forward and beaten on the inside edge to a full ball, it catches him on low on the front pad and hawk-eye has the ball hitting enough of leg stump to stay with Mr Davis 21/5
	Asad Shafiq	lbw b Panesar	45	120	78	3	0	57.69
39.6 out it was pad first as he backed away trying to cut and was caught bang in front so has to go. Just looking to give himself room but it slid on from Panesar and caught the flap of the back back right in front of middle stump, no doubt for the umpire 85/9
	Adnan Akmal†	lbw b Broad	6	36	30	0	0	20.00
18.6 132.1 kph, appeal for lbw, given! Reviewed. Broad once again slips in a big indipper after producing umpteen away seamers that somehow kept missing the edge. Adnan tried to get forward, but he didn’t get too far as it burst through past the inside edge and thudded into the pad, in front of middle and leg. Hawk Eye says it is shattering leg stump. Gone! That five-for before lunch might yet materialise. Take a bow, Stuart Broad. This is lethal bowling on a flat track in Asia. 39/6
	Abdur Rehman	c Pietersen b Swann	1	9	5	0	0	20.00
21.2 and he’s struck in his first over again. Golly, that’s the worst shot you will see today. Swann spins it away from short of a length, it was wide enough for Rehman to leave but he tried to blast it into the top storey of the Burj Dubai. The ball went halfway up there, but when it came down, KP was waiting in the covers. The sun was in his eyes, but he held on. Horror shot. 44/7
	Saeed Ajmal	lbw b Panesar	12	52	53	1	0	22.64
35.3 slider and given out78/8
	Umar Gul	b Anderson	13	34	27	1	1	48.14
44.1 133.6 kph, Pakistan do a Bradman, they have fallen just short of 100! Quite fittingly, it is one of those big indippers that does the final piece of damage. Anderson bends it in at pace, past Gul’s slog-heave, and leg stump takes a beating. 99/10
Aizaz Cheema	not out	0	18	7	0	0	0.00
Extras	(lb 3)	3
Total	(all out; 44.1 overs; 191 mins)	99	(2.24 runs per over)

Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	JM Anderson	14.1	3	35	3	2.47
0.6 to Taufeeq Umar, 132.8 kph, out straight away cracker from Anderson, swinging in and catching the batsman on the knee roll on the crease. Finger goes up quickly from umpire Davis and after a chat with his partner, Taufeeq walks off. It looked pretty adjacent to middle stump and I don’t think any referral was going to save him. Fine inswinger from Anderson on a great length gets the early breakthrough 1/1 10.5 to Misbah-ul-Haq, 137.5 kph, another one out and Misbah has played down the Bakerloo, Anderson was on the Victoria line, and bang in front, easy lbw decision, referred but nothing saving Misbah here, he’s got to go. Too slow to come forward and beaten on the inside edge to a full ball, it catches him on low on the front pad and hawk-eye has the ball hitting enough of leg stump to stay with Mr Davis 21/5 44.1 to Umar Gul, 133.6 kph, Pakistan do a Bradman, they have fallen just short of 100! Quite fittingly, it is one of those big indippers that does the final piece of damage. Anderson bends it in at pace, past Gul’s slog-heave, and leg stump takes a beating. 99/10
	SCJ Broad	16	5	36	4	2.25
5.3 to Azhar Ali, full and beaten on the inside edge, referred for a catch behind, big nick on hot spot, this should be out and indeed overturned and Ali is gone. It was a nip-backer from Broad on a great length, Prior took it going to his left, which suggested it didn’t hit the pad, he was the one who said refer and it’s paid off. A great use of the DRS by England and a second strike with the new ball 8/2 7.5 to Younis Khan, 140.4 kph, got him! Thick edge and this time Prior bags the catch at head height. A little bit of extra bounce from Broad, takes the shoulder of the bat and flies to Prior’s right, taken comfortably with two hands. Younis was pushing away at it and it’s a poor way to go 18/3 9.6 to Mohammad Hafeez, 140.4 kph, loud loud cry for leg before referred has he hit this? Maybe not but probably too high…three reds on hawk-eye…gone! There wasn’t anything really conclusive on hot spot but perhaps there was enough doubt to give Hafeez the benefit of the doubt there. Either way, he claps sarcastically walking off, that’ll be a few pennies off the match fee 21/4 18.6 to Adnan Akmal, 132.1 kph, appeal for lbw, given! Reviewed. Broad once again slips in a big indipper after producing umpteen away seamers that somehow kept missing the edge. Adnan tried to get forward, but he didn’t get too far as it burst through past the inside edge and thudded into the pad, in front of middle and leg. Hawk Eye says it is shattering leg stump. Gone! That five-for before lunch might yet materialise. Take a bow, Stuart Broad. This is lethal bowling on a flat track in Asia. 39/6
	MS Panesar	13	4	25	2	1.92
35.3 to Saeed Ajmal, slider and given out78/8 39.6 to Asad Shafiq, out it was pad first as he backed away trying to cut and was caught bang in front so has to go. Just looking to give himself room but it slid on from Panesar and caught the flap of the back back right in front of middle stump, no doubt for the umpire 85/9
	GP Swann	1	1	0	1	0.00
21.2 to Abdur Rehman, and he’s struck in his first over again. Golly, that’s the worst shot you will see today. Swann spins it away from short of a length, it was wide enough for Rehman to leave but he tried to blast it into the top storey of the Burj Dubai. The ball went halfway up there, but when it came down, KP was waiting in the covers. The sun was in his eyes, but he held on. Horror shot. 44/7

England 1st innings		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	AJ Strauss*	st †Adnan Akmal b Abdur Rehman	56	226	150	5	0	37.33
53.5 87.8 kph, five for Rehman and completely out of the blue Strauss has tried to swing one out of the park and been stumped. He didn’t get to the pitch and missed by a long way, looking very ugly in a big heave and miss, easy work for Akmal 133/9
	AN Cook	c †Adnan Akmal b Umar Gul	1	10	5	0	0	20.00
2.2 138.6 kph, Adnan Akmal has leapt right across first slip to pouch a beauty. The wickets continue to tumble. A dismissal that is so unlike Cook. It was short and it was swinging further away, he could have stayed in the crease and left it alone, but he dangled the bat feebly, looking for a high-risk steer. He feathers it along towards first slip. Adnan gets a good look at the ball, moves across and pounces on it. 5/1
	IJL Trott	lbw b Umar Gul	2	10	10	0	0	20.00
4.2 139.3 kph, Trott’s gone. He doesn’t even refer it, but should he have? Full, straight, angling in and Trott plays all over it. Hit in front of leg, and possibly clipping leg stump. The sort of dismissal you used to see a lot with Ricky Ponting. He just fell over as he looked to flick, and missed it. Umpire Davis sent him on his way immediately. We have to see what HawkEye says. Trott didn’t wait even a moment, he probably reckoned it was clipping leg. This could be one of those where the umpire’s verdict would have been right, irrespective of what it was. Replays are in – Missing leg. Trott would have got away if he’d referred it. England were spot-on with referrals when they were bowling.. Interestingly, captain Strauss was the non-striker here. 7/2
	KP Pietersen	lbw b Abdur Rehman	32	62	44	4	0	72.72
19.2 100.6 kph, caught on the crease and given out lbw. Referred and hawk-eye has it only just clipping the leg stump. Pietersen unlucky? He’s out once again to left-arm spin! Remarkable. Playing forward, caught on the knee roll, you could see middle and off stumps as Pietersen played it but DRS means you give those out nowadays 64/3
	IR Bell	st †Adnan Akmal b Saeed Ajmal	5	40	28	0	0	17.85
28.5 91.8 kph, is Bell out stumped? The doosra again. It goes upstairs and he is in trouble. he was pressing forward, for the offspin, but it went the other way and past the bat, even as the back foot slid outside the crease. Adnan could not collect the ball, but it bounced off the glove straight onto the stumps, faster than he would have been able to do it if he’d grasped the ball. Bell was pushing his foot back in, but it is on the line when the bail comes off. The 3rd umpire Shahvir Tarapore is taking a long time over this. But he’s pressed the right button. Bell. Ajmal. Doosra. Complete the sequence … Out! 75/4
	EJG Morgan	lbw b Abdur Rehman	10	17	14	0	1	71.42
33.1 Another referral. Boy, the 3rd umpire needs to be paid as much as the men in the middle. Short ball, Morgan goes back and looks to work it across the line. Not the safest option, in the middle of a horror series. Still, everything was going to plan. Almost. He just misses a straightforward shot as the ball turns in. It hits him high on the pad, but he is well back, and it is crashing into the stumps. Umpire Taufel has to cross his arms over once more. Morgan gone. Can Pakistan get the lead? 88/5
	MJ Prior†	b Abdur Rehman	6	17	19	0	0	31.57
37.6 96.5 kph, squared up and bowled! Prior is befuddled. Rehman runs riot. The crowd perks up. Pakistan on fire. Nervous stuff from Prior, so worried about the lbw, that he ends up playing inside the line of a regulation left-arm spinner, in an attempt to keep bat in front of and close to the pad. The bat is in line with leg stump, the ball lands on middle and leg and spins enough to miss the bat and crash into middle. Pakistan are still 1 run ahead, and into England’s tail. What a day! 98/6
	JM Anderson	b Abdur Rehman	4	24	22	0	0	18.18
43.6 94.0 kph, gone! Trying to drive against the spin and beaten between bat and pad and down goes the leg stump. A classic finger spinners delivery, tossed up, inducing the drive, and doing um through the gate. Nice work from Rehman and Pakistan will be delighted to have dislodged the nightwatchman so early 106/7
	SCJ Broad	lbw b Saeed Ajmal	4	25	19	0	0	21.05
50.5 91.4 kph, forward, another doosra, and struck on the front pad, not out given, and referred. Broad’s very tall and got a long way forward but three reds! Broad will go here…big blow for Pakistan. The doosra beats the inside edge and Broad is trapped lbw on review 121/8
	GP Swann	c Abdur Rehman b Saeed Ajmal	16	19	18	3	0	88.88
54.6 89.6 kph, swung away again but this is in the air and well taken down low from the man in the deep. It was another good connection but Swann couldn’t keep it down and the innings is over, England have a lead of 42 141/10
MS Panesar	not out	0	7	1	0	0	0.00
Extras	(b 1, lb 4)	5
Total	(all out; 55 overs; 233 mins)	141	(2.56 runs per over)

Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Umar Gul	7	1	28	2	4.00
2.2 to Cook, 138.6 kph, Adnan Akmal has leapt right across first slip to pouch a beauty. The wickets continue to tumble. A dismissal that is so unlike Cook. It was short and it was swinging further away, he could have stayed in the crease and left it alone, but he dangled the bat feebly, looking for a high-risk steer. He feathers it along towards first slip. Adnan gets a good look at the ball, moves across and pounces on it. 5/1 4.2 to Trott, 139.3 kph, Trott’s gone. He doesn’t even refer it, but should he have? Full, straight, angling in and Trott plays all over it. Hit in front of leg, and possibly clipping leg stump. The sort of dismissal you used to see a lot with Ricky Ponting. He just fell over as he looked to flick, and missed it. Umpire Davis sent him on his way immediately. We have to see what HawkEye says. Trott didn’t wait even a moment, he probably reckoned it was clipping leg. This could be one of those where the umpire’s verdict would have been right, irrespective of what it was. Replays are in – Missing leg. Trott would have got away if he’d referred it. England were spot-on with referrals when they were bowling.. Interestingly, captain Strauss was the non-striker here. 7/2
Aizaz Cheema	4	0	9	0	2.25
	Saeed Ajmal	23	6	59	3	2.56
28.5 to Bell, 91.8 kph, is Bell out stumped? The doosra again. It goes upstairs and he is in trouble. he was pressing forward, for the offspin, but it went the other way and past the bat, even as the back foot slid outside the crease. Adnan could not collect the ball, but it bounced off the glove straight onto the stumps, faster than he would have been able to do it if he’d grasped the ball. Bell was pushing his foot back in, but it is on the line when the bail comes off. The 3rd umpire Shahvir Tarapore is taking a long time over this. But he’s pressed the right button. Bell. Ajmal. Doosra. Complete the sequence … Out! 75/4 50.5 to Broad, 91.4 kph, forward, another doosra, and struck on the front pad, not out given, and referred. Broad’s very tall and got a long way forward but three reds! Broad will go here…big blow for Pakistan. The doosra beats the inside edge and Broad is trapped lbw on review 121/8 54.6 to Swann, 89.6 kph, swung away again but this is in the air and well taken down low from the man in the deep. It was another good connection but Swann couldn’t keep it down and the innings is over, England have a lead of 42 141/10
	Abdur Rehman	21	4	40	5	1.90
19.2 to Pietersen, 100.6 kph, caught on the crease and given out lbw. Referred and hawk-eye has it only just clipping the leg stump. Pietersen unlucky? He’s out once again to left-arm spin! Remarkable. Playing forward, caught on the knee roll, you could see middle and off stumps as Pietersen played it but DRS means you give those out nowadays 64/3 33.1 to Morgan, Another referral. Boy, the 3rd umpire needs to be paid as much as the men in the middle. Short ball, Morgan goes back and looks to work it across the line. Not the safest option, in the middle of a horror series. Still, everything was going to plan. Almost. He just misses a straightforward shot as the ball turns in. It hits him high on the pad, but he is well back, and it is crashing into the stumps. Umpire Taufel has to cross his arms over once more. Morgan gone. Can Pakistan get the lead? 88/5 37.6 to Prior, 96.5 kph, squared up and bowled! Prior is befuddled. Rehman runs riot. The crowd perks up. Pakistan on fire. Nervous stuff from Prior, so worried about the lbw, that he ends up playing inside the line of a regulation left-arm spinner, in an attempt to keep bat in front of and close to the pad. The bat is in line with leg stump, the ball lands on middle and leg and spins enough to miss the bat and crash into middle. Pakistan are still 1 run ahead, and into England’s tail. What a day! 98/6 43.6 to Anderson, 94.0 kph, gone! Trying to drive against the spin and beaten between bat and pad and down goes the leg stump. A classic finger spinners delivery, tossed up, inducing the drive, and doing um through the gate. Nice work from Rehman and Pakistan will be delighted to have dislodged the nightwatchman so early 106/7 53.5 to Strauss, 87.8 kph, five for Rehman and completely out of the blue Strauss has tried to swing one out of the park and been stumped. He didn’t get to the pitch and missed by a long way, looking very ugly in a big heave and miss, easy work for Akmal 133/9

Pakistan 2nd innings		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	Mohammad Hafeez	lbw b Panesar	21	39	36	3	1	58.33
9.6 91.4 kph, swept and missed and now out trapped in front and not referred. Fine line between attack and defence says Nasser and Hafeez has got too keen after 10 from two balls. Was far too early on a big sweep, he missed and got struck on the thigh pad with his knee on the ground, look adjacent to the off stump 28/2
	Taufeeq Umar	c Strauss b Anderson	6	28	16	1	0	37.50
6.6 135.0 kph, but the extra ball does the work! Length ball outside off, Taufeeq nibbles at it and edges to slip where Strauss takes a solid catch. Right area from Anderson and the batsman – perhaps too keen to feel for the ball after a couple of solid strokes – decided to play where he could have left alone. A thick edge and Strauss pouches the simple chance into the midriff 16/1
	Azhar Ali	c Cook b Swann	157	533	442	10	1	35.52
149.3 82.2 kph, got him! And finally, finally, after what’s seemed like an ice age, Azhar Ali is removed from the crease. Pushing a full ball into the hands of Cook at short leg, who took a smart catch down low. But that’s some innings, a long vigil, grinding out the runs. He’s method has been very effective, a highest first-class score, and a contribution that could take Pakistan to a historic victory… 363/9
	Younis Khan	lbw b Broad	127	303	221	12	1	57.46
91.6 given out lbw going past the inside edge. Referred but looks out on the first replay and indeed Hawk-Eye has umpire’s call twice, so marginal but looked out in real time so fair enough to stay with Steve Davis. One that just nipped in off a length and hit Younis on the move, caught in front of off stump, just 244/3
	Misbah-ul-Haq*	lbw b Panesar	31	149	115	1	0	26.95
130.2 87.3 kph, Given out lbw, and Misbah refers it. Straight, quick armer from Monty that drifts straight in. Misbah pushes forward with bat and pad very close together. The ball hit him marginally in front of off stump and was crashing into the stumps. Bat first? Pad first? Hot Spot doesn’t light up and the referral is struck down. Definitely pad first. A wicket for England, their second of the day. 331/4
	Asad Shafiq	lbw b Panesar	5	24	17	0	0	29.41
136.2 90.4 kph, another one bites the dust. 40 lbws. Golly. Pakistan can’t review it. Monty angled it in from over the stumps. Did it pitch outside leg? It straightened as Asad got well across and looked to paddle it. He missed and was hit on the back leg. Was it hitting leg stump? It was clipping leg. And it landed on middle and leg, so that was a fair decision and would have been upheld on review. 339/5
	Adnan Akmal†	b Panesar	0	7	7	0	0	0.00
138.2 90.0 kph, Monty’s spitting fire with the old ball. He’s cleaned up Adnan with a classic left-arm spinner, angles in towards middle and off, dips on a length, grips and straightens past a hopeful forward prod to tickle off stump. Gone for a blob. England will be very worried by the amount of turn on offer now. 345/6
	Abdur Rehman	c Anderson b Swann	1	5	5	0	0	20.00
139.1 too many murmurs about Panesar outbowling Swann, and Swann responds with a wicket of his own. Ball lands on a length around off stump from round the wicket, kicks up a healthy puff of dust as it turns past Rehman and takes an outside edge to slip. 346/7
	Saeed Ajmal	c Anderson b Swann	1	10	12	0	0	8.33
141.6 91.8 kph, a wicket to end the session. Swann gets Ajmal to nick his version of the doosra – the slider – through to Anderson at slip. Ajmal hangs the bat outside limply and it jumps off the edge to the right of Anderson, who completes a good catch. 350/8
	Umar Gul	lbw b Panesar	4	31	38	0	0	10.52
152.4 87.8 kph, flighted up, big swing towards leg, missed and plumb lbw. Five more for Panesar. Jolly well done Monty, two five-fors in his two comeback matches. Thoroughly deserved after almost 57 overs! A fine effort. It was a length ball that Gul simply missed by a long distance, being done in the flight, easy decision for the umpire 365/10
Aizaz Cheema	not out	0	10	8	0	0	0.00
Extras	(b 10, lb 1, nb 1)	12
Total	(all out; 152.4 overs; 572 mins)	365	(2.39 runs per over)

Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	JM Anderson	28	7	51	1	1.82	(1nb)
6.6 to Taufeeq Umar, 135.0 kph, but the extra ball does the work! Length ball outside off, Taufeeq nibbles at it and edges to slip where Strauss takes a solid catch. Right area from Anderson and the batsman – perhaps too keen to feel for the ball after a couple of solid strokes – decided to play where he could have left alone. A thick edge and Strauss pouches the simple chance into the midriff 16/1
	SCJ Broad	24	7	55	1	2.29
91.6 to Younis Khan, given out lbw going past the inside edge. Referred but looks out on the first replay and indeed Hawk-Eye has umpire’s call twice, so marginal but looked out in real time so fair enough to stay with Steve Davis. One that just nipped in off a length and hit Younis on the move, caught in front of off stump, just 244/3
	MS Panesar	56.4	13	124	5	2.18
9.6 to Mohammad Hafeez, 91.4 kph, swept and missed and now out trapped in front and not referred. Fine line between attack and defence says Nasser and Hafeez has got too keen after 10 from two balls. Was far too early on a big sweep, he missed and got struck on the thigh pad with his knee on the ground, look adjacent to the off stump 28/2 130.2 to Misbah-ul-Haq, 87.3 kph, Given out lbw, and Misbah refers it. Straight, quick armer from Monty that drifts straight in. Misbah pushes forward with bat and pad very close together. The ball hit him marginally in front of off stump and was crashing into the stumps. Bat first? Pad first? Hot Spot doesn’t light up and the referral is struck down. Definitely pad first. A wicket for England, their second of the day. 331/4 136.2 to Asad Shafiq, 90.4 kph, another one bites the dust. 40 lbws. Golly. Pakistan can’t review it. Monty angled it in from over the stumps. Did it pitch outside leg? It straightened as Asad got well across and looked to paddle it. He missed and was hit on the back leg. Was it hitting leg stump? It was clipping leg. And it landed on middle and leg, so that was a fair decision and would have been upheld on review. 339/5 138.2 to Adnan Akmal, 90.0 kph, Monty’s spitting fire with the old ball. He’s cleaned up Adnan with a classic left-arm spinner, angles in towards middle and off, dips on a length, grips and straightens past a hopeful forward prod to tickle off stump. Gone for a blob. England will be very worried by the amount of turn on offer now. 345/6 152.4 to Umar Gul, 87.8 kph, flighted up, big swing towards leg, missed and plumb lbw. Five more for Panesar. Jolly well done Monty, two five-fors in his two comeback matches. Thoroughly deserved after almost 57 overs! A fine effort. It was a length ball that Gul simply missed by a long distance, being done in the flight, easy decision for the umpire 365/10
	GP Swann	39	6	101	3	2.58
139.1 to Abdur Rehman, too many murmurs about Panesar outbowling Swann, and Swann responds with a wicket of his own. Ball lands on a length around off stump from round the wicket, kicks up a healthy puff of dust as it turns past Rehman and takes an outside edge to slip. 346/7 141.6 to Saeed Ajmal, 91.8 kph, a wicket to end the session. Swann gets Ajmal to nick his version of the doosra – the slider – through to Anderson at slip. Ajmal hangs the bat outside limply and it jumps off the edge to the right of Anderson, who completes a good catch. 350/8 149.3 to Azhar Ali, 82.2 kph, got him! And finally, finally, after what’s seemed like an ice age, Azhar Ali is removed from the crease. Pushing a full ball into the hands of Cook at short leg, who took a smart catch down low. But that’s some innings, a long vigil, grinding out the runs. He’s method has been very effective, a highest first-class score, and a contribution that could take Pakistan to a historic victory… 363/9
IJL Trott	2	0	14	0	7.00
KP Pietersen	3	0	9	0	3.00

England 2nd innings (target: 324 runs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	AJ Strauss*	lbw b Abdur Rehman	26	98	76	2	0	34.21
25.2 gone now though biting out of the rough, catches Strauss on the back foot and given out lbw. It was reviewed but to no avail because Strauss was right on his stumps and the ball was hitting middle stump. It turned past the inside edge and hit the back leg, highlighting the problems England’s left-handers will face against those rough patches 48/1
	AN Cook	c Younis Khan b Saeed Ajmal	49	242	187	4	0	26.20
62.5 brilliant catch at slip. Cook’s had success turning with the spin but now produces a leading edge that flies to slip and a fabulous diving take by Younis Khan. Just gripped a little in the pitch which meant Cook was on the shot too soon, tried to turn it again and it flicked up to Younis who showed his team-mates how it’s done 119/4
	IJL Trott	c Abdur Rehman b Saeed Ajmal	18	79	64	2	0	28.12
44.3 91.8 kph, I’m not sure what came over Trott but Pakistan have broken a stubborn stand here, Trott aims to slog it over the on side but ends up top-edging a doosra, Rehman runs forward from deep backward square leg and takes the skier 85/2
	KP Pietersen	b Saeed Ajmal	18	54	45	1	1	40.00
60.6 bowled through the gate. Ordinary offspinner on a good length, Pietersen forward and playing with the bat away from the pad is done by one that spun. Nothing overly special about it, I don’t think Pietersen played it very well at all, maybe he thought it was the doosra 116/3
	IR Bell	c Asad Shafiq b Umar Gul	10	58	38	0	0	26.31
74.6 136.1 kph, Gul was as flummoxed as Bell! Hardly a wicket-taking ball, a half-tracker outside the off stump, Bell could have thrashed that or simply left it, instead he lobbed it tamely down to cover point where Shafiq ran to his right to take a sitter. Bell took a few seconds to comprehend what he had done and Gul couldn’t believe what he had done to deserve that wicket 156/5
	EJG Morgan	c †Adnan Akmal b Umar Gul	31	57	48	3	1	64.58
76.3 137.9 kph, Gul fully deserved this one, Morgan gave the bowler the charge and Gul saw that and cleverly dropped it short from round the wicket, the batsman suddenly changed his shot and tries to defend but it caught the faint edge, Taufel knew that immediately 159/6
MJ Prior†	not out	49	58	5	0	84.48
	SCJ Broad	c Taufeeq Umar b Umar Gul	18	31	24	2	0	75.00
82.2 133.2 kph, and gone. Broad holes out to long off trying to play a big shot again, off low on the bat and a comfortable catch in the deep for Taufeeq. Can’t blame Broad for trying. Attempted to go big off a length ball and didn’t quite get it right 196/7
	GP Swann	c Asad Shafiq b Umar Gul	1	14	6	0	0	16.66
84.4 132.5 kph, caught at point Swann driving off an outside edge and simply chipping at catch to point. It’s a very good catch down low, always difficult diving forward but that’s a fine grab. A long check for the no-ball but Gul is just, and only just, ok so Swann has to go 203/8
	JM Anderson	c Younis Khan b Saeed Ajmal	9	43	26	0	0	34.61
92.6 90.7 kph, outside edge and taken at slip! The ball straightened after pitching outside off and skidded through, Anderson was on the back foot trying to cut and it was taken neatly by Younis at slip who fell backwards after taking it 237/9
	MS Panesar	lbw b Abdur Rehman	8	15	0	0	53.33
97.3 90.9 kph, Pakistan seal 3-0! Panesar tries to sweep with the turn and the ball hits his thigh in front of the stumps, Steve Davis gives him out, Panesar reviews it but Davis’ decision stands 252/10
Extras	(b 4, lb 8, nb 3)	15
Total	(all out; 97.3 overs)	252	(2.58 runs per over)

Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Umar Gul	20	5	61	4	3.05	(2nb)
74.6 to Bell, 136.1 kph, Gul was as flummoxed as Bell! Hardly a wicket-taking ball, a half-tracker outside the off stump, Bell could have thrashed that or simply left it, instead he lobbed it tamely down to cover point where Shafiq ran to his right to take a sitter. Bell took a few seconds to comprehend what he had done and Gul couldn’t believe what he had done to deserve that wicket 156/5 76.3 to Morgan, 137.9 kph, Gul fully deserved this one, Morgan gave the bowler the charge and Gul saw that and cleverly dropped it short from round the wicket, the batsman suddenly changed his shot and tries to defend but it caught the faint edge, Taufel knew that immediately 159/6 82.2 to Broad, 133.2 kph, and gone. Broad holes out to long off trying to play a big shot again, off low on the bat and a comfortable catch in the deep for Taufeeq. Can’t blame Broad for trying. Attempted to go big off a length ball and didn’t quite get it right 196/7 84.4 to Swann, 132.5 kph, caught at point Swann driving off an outside edge and simply chipping at catch to point. It’s a very good catch down low, always difficult diving forward but that’s a fine grab. A long check for the no-ball but Gul is just, and only just, ok so Swann has to go 203/8
Aizaz Cheema	4	0	9	0	2.25
Mohammad Hafeez	5	2	6	0	1.20
	Abdur Rehman	41.3	10	97	2	2.33
25.2 to Strauss, gone now though biting out of the rough, catches Strauss on the back foot and given out lbw. It was reviewed but to no avail because Strauss was right on his stumps and the ball was hitting middle stump. It turned past the inside edge and hit the back leg, highlighting the problems England’s left-handers will face against those rough patches 48/1 97.3 to Panesar, 90.9 kph, Pakistan seal 3-0! Panesar tries to sweep with the turn and the ball hits his thigh in front of the stumps, Steve Davis gives him out, Panesar reviews it but Davis’ decision stands 252/10
	Saeed Ajmal	27	9	67	4	2.48
44.3 to Trott, 91.8 kph, I’m not sure what came over Trott but Pakistan have broken a stubborn stand here, Trott aims to slog it over the on side but ends up top-edging a doosra, Rehman runs forward from deep backward square leg and takes the skier 85/2 60.6 to Pietersen, bowled through the gate. Ordinary offspinner on a good length, Pietersen forward and playing with the bat away from the pad is done by one that spun. Nothing overly special about it, I don’t think Pietersen played it very well at all, maybe he thought it was the doosra 116/3 62.5 to Cook, brilliant catch at slip. Cook’s had success turning with the spin but now produces a leading edge that flies to slip and a fabulous diving take by Younis Khan. Just gripped a little in the pitch which meant Cook was on the shot too soon, tried to turn it again and it flicked up to Younis who showed his team-mates how it’s done 119/4 92.6 to Anderson, 90.7 kph, outside edge and taken at slip! The ball straightened after pitching outside off and skidded through, Anderson was on the back foot trying to cut and it was taken neatly by Younis at slip who fell backwards after taking it 237/9

Filed under: CURRENT AFFAIRS

Before beginning this let’s first watch a few clips from The Shawshank Redemption :

Yes it is hope that keeps you going when the chips are down, when the going gets tough and when things can’t get any worse. Hope that things would turn out the way you want them to. Hope that nothing will go wrong this time. Hope that sanity would return to the proceedings one day.

Sixteen months ago when Pakistan Cricket team left England, they were a tumultuous pack of poorly advised individuals. Still recovering from the cricketing exile and a dud tour of Australia amalgamated with vexatious media talks of deliberate under-performance and team disintegration, they lost their test captain, their bowling leader and their most outstanding pace prodigy to allegations of corruption and match-fixing. A couple of Ijaz Butt media rants (and apologies) and some ‘Zulqarnanin Haider moments’ later Pakistan Cricket found itself pushed further into the self-created hole of cricketing isolation and abasement. And such was the asperity of this hooligan-like show of Pakistan Cricket that by the time ICC met in October 2010, there were loud shouts from left right and centre that giving this once great cricket team ‘a break’ from International sport is the only way out of this ever-growing rowdiness.

And then again when all seemed lost, HOPE intervened. The same hope that won us the world cup in 1992. The same hope that helped us win test matches from disastrous scorelines of 26/6 at Kolkatta in 1999 and 39/6 at Karachi in 2006. The same hope that made match winners out of Javed Miandad at Sharjah in 1986 and Sarfraz Nawaz at Melbourne in 1979. The same hope that made us the t20 world champions in 2009. Hope that keeps you believing that everything would be like it used to be. Hope that one day Pakistan cricket team would rise from the cricketing ashes and once again show the world what they’re capable of. Hope that they would be a force again in cricket.

And guess what! this time hope didn’t let us down. The believers won and the pessimists lost. Pakistan cricket has come a long long way since then. In a space of one year we have unearthed world’s best off spinner, world’s best limited overs leg spinner, world’s best off-spinning all rounder, the most productive test opening pair, world’s best death bowler who keeps getting better, arguably the most effective left-arm spinner in cricket right now and last but not the least – the team spirit and unity that the Pakistani dressing room of the 90s could only dream of. That’s what makes the Pakistan Cricket team of today as successful as it is.

Misbah – watchful as always!!

And away from the lime light there’s one man who’s calmly sitting back and watching the proceedings unfold. One man who’s responsible for this refreshing unpredictable predictability of Pakistan Cricket. Misbah often gets criticized by the conventional Pakistan cricket fans (including me) for taking the ‘Pakistani flair and fearlessness’ out of Pakistani cricket. His methodical approach may be too defensive at times and too frustrating for the fans but he doesn’t get enough credit for what he brings to the team: the calmness and tranquillity that was unheard of since the times of a certain Inzamam-ul-Haq. And yes while his decision of not going for achievable fourth innings targets in Wellington and Abu Dhabi or his test strike-rate of 40 runs per 100 deliveries are questionable, you can take nothing away from him for leading Pakistan cricket out of the traumatic state and enabling them to rise above the shambles as a mentally stronger and spiritually united team. Not loosing a series since taking over and the best win/loss ration in the history of Pakistan cricket (even better than Imran Khan) don’t do Misbah any harm either. Pakistan Cricket needed a sane couple of years after the ignominious course of events of the last English summer and in Misbah’s regime we have got just that.

And in the end let’s again live through this mercurial fairy tale of Pakistan Cricket.

December 2009 - February 2010 :

Pakistan hit the rock bottom after getting thrashed 9-0 Down Under.

It all started in Australia. After winning the t20 world cup in early 2009, Pakistan had two moderately successful tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand. With leadership crisis fast emerging and deteriorating team spirit under the media radar, an Australian tour was the last thing Pakistan needed. The outcome was even worse than feared. Pakistan suffered white washes in test, ODI and t20 series and were thrashed 9-0. In the aftermath of this cricket disaster, several key members of the squad were accused of causing infighting and were handed over healthy bans.

August 29 2010 :

In the middle of a potential series deciding Lord’s test, three Pakistani cricketers were accused of spot fixing and were later banned from all sorts of cricket.

The tainted trio !

Marred by spot-fixing allegations off-the-field and an array of defeats on the field, Pakistan sneaked out two consecutive wins at The Oval and Lord’s to square the series 2-2.

Umar Gul’s devastating spell of 6-42 still lives in the memory !

October 31 2010 :
For me that’s where it all started!! An under-confident Pakistan team takes on the second ranked South Africans and after conceding a t20 whitewash and tasting defeat in the first ODI, they’re struggling at 217/6 chasing 286 with only Abdur Razzaq and a couple of tailenders left. Watch this to know what happened afterwards.

Such a confidence booster was this annihilation of arguably the world’s best ODI side that a broken and inexperienced Pakistan team went on to draw the following test series 0-0 after narrowly conceding the ODI series 3-2. This series was the beginning of the redemption!

December 2010 – January 2011 :

New Zealand has always been a happy destination for Pakistan Cricket. Having not lost a test series there for the last decade and a half, a tour to New Zealand seemed to be the perfect recipe for Pakistan to get back to winning ways and they grabbed the opportunity with both hands by convincingly winning the test and ODI series.

after the series victory!

The demons of the disastrous Australian tour put to rest !

April – August 2011 :
The winning mentality was further strengthened after successful tours of West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe. Pakistan by now had not lost a test series for almost a year.

November 2011 :
Then came the biggest test for Misbah since he had taken over : a strong Sri Lankan side in familiar conditions. Pakistan however were upto the task as they registered series victories in tests, ODIs and t20. The Sri Lankan team could manage victory in only one out of 10 tour fixtures. This performance was a stunning reply to all those labelling Pakistan as minnow bullys.

A jubilant Pakistan team with the trophy

December 2011 :
A brittle Bangladeshi side was thrashed by Pakistan 2-0 in tests, 3-0 in ODIs and 1-0 in t20.

Another trophy for the Men in Green !

January 2012 :
And as I write Pakistan have already taken a 1-0 lead in the 3-match test series against world number one ranked England thanks to Saeed Ajmal’s devastating 10 wicket haul. England were bundled out for under 200 in both innings and were beaten within 3 days by a hefty margin of 10 wickets. Irrespective of the series result, this performance has elevated Pakistan’s status as one of the best test teams in the world right now. A series win would still be fantastic though!!

Umar Gul broke the back of English batting by dismissing top 4 English batsmen in their second innings. This, after Ajmal’s breath-taking 7-55 destroyed England in the first innings.

Pakistan cricket team haven’t lost a single test series since the English tour 2010. They’ve played 13 test matches since August 2010, winning 7, drawing 5 and losing only 1 with a win percentage of 53.8%. Also in 42 ODIs played, Pakistan have won 33 and lost only 9 with a win percentage of 78.57%. 

Damn, it’s good to be home. Every time I come back for holidays, it’s amazing how little things change, except for the wedding season. The wedding season is a bit like Karachi landscape: every year it gets bigger, and every year it seems to get more grotesque, even though the intent is to make it grander. I have heard some crazy stories, from a wedding with — count them — eight separate functions to a wedding in Dubai where the entire Atlantis hotel is booked for the weekend.

Speaking of weddings, I was explicitly asked by my buddy Farooq Nomani to give him a shout out on account of his upcoming nuptials. Farooq is well known in Karachi for being one of the leading lawyers of the country, for throwing rose petals on Mumtaz Qadri at his trial, and for having “Youniskhan” as his wifi password (only one of the preceding three facts is true, I’ll let you figure out which one). So congrats to Farooq and his to-be-missus.

Anyway, since I’ve been back, this is the stuff I’ve been thinking about.

The gap between the rich and the poor is not just about the big things

Obviously if you were asked to list the main differences in the lifestyles between the elite in Pakistan and poor people in Pakistan, you’d probably throw in access to education as the first point. Proper housing and transport would be up there. Food, and so on.

But the little things matter too. Excuse the Tom Friedman-esque point, but this came to me when I talked to the concierge at the hotel to figure out the Arab spring was trying to take a shower a couple days ago.  Our gas supply had simply stopped (more on this in a second) and as a result we had no hot water. It wasn’t a big deal, but yes, a cold shower on a rare cold day in Karachi (temperatures in single digits!) was slightly uncomfortable.

Of course, that led me to thinking about people who, even if they happen to have running water in their homes (not a given by any stretch of the imagination), don’t really have the luxury of choosing between hot and cold water for their sanitary needs. Much liberal guilt ensued.

Anyway, can I also note the absurdity of gas supply just ending? We import our oil, we’ve started importing our electricity, and now our gas supply is stopping. Is Pakistan going to rely on cow-dung for its energy needs starting in 2020?

Also, speaking of cow dung…

The khakis are up to no good again

All sorts of speculation, innuendo, and conjecture about the khakis making a move against President Zardari. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time. And that’s one of the reasons I don’t really buy it. From strokes to minus-one formulas to fake coups, this is about the six or seventh time I’ve read or heard “Zardari is on his way out! It’s over!” rumors. Color me skeptical, for the time  being, if only because I’ve heard this particular boy yelling about this particular wolf way too many times.

For whatever it’s worth, though, I spoke on the phone to Someone In The Know a couple hours ago, and he was adamant that this time is really different, and that AZ is definitely gone. We’ll see. I’ll get more info tomorrow when I meet Someone In The Know.

Imran Khan is the popular girl in high school

Remember the days when a phone call from the right girl in school would be a topic of conversation amongst your friends for the next twelve days? Well, I see your popular girl in high school, and raise you Imran Khan, whose robocall operation has hearts aflutter all over Karachi.

You see kuptaan saab is having a jalsa in Karachi on the 25th and to that end, his party is sending out recorded invitations to the rally by phone. And even though it’s a recording, people are going nuts. “Oh my god, have you gotten the Imran Khan call yet” is the new “hey, how are you?”

This is definitely a function of the socio-economic circles I’m in, but I’ve never heard as much buzz about a political event as I have with this PTI jalsa. People ask about it like a wedding or high society party: you’re going, right? RIGHT? In my case, I am going, but as an observer rather than a supporter.

One other point on Imran Khan: it’s very, very noticeable that the tone and content of his supporters’ talking points has changed. The last few times I’ve been back, the gist of the PTI story has been one of aggressive differentiation: we are very different, we are better, everyone else is corrupt, last hope, etc etc. This time it’s more: you need all sorts of characters to succeed in politics, the ends justify the means, he’s still better than the rest, etc etc. It’s a less naive position, and more attuned to ground realities in Pakistani politics.

Suffice it to say, I’m glad the lessons of all these turncoats flipping to PTI has been learned. Pretty soon PTI will be a normal patronage based party wheeling and dealing on the basis of its 15-25 seats and everyone will live happily ever after. Well, everyone except for the people who bought the whole “tabdeeli ka nishan” bit.

How can you stand in the middle of an ocean? Unless of course you're Jesus…

#Team-not-Misbah

If you want to find the exemplification of the term “fool’s gold”, look no further than Misbah and his boring, boring team.

If there’s one thing that characterizes my trips back to Pakistan other than family and friends, it’s the chance to watch some test cricket, which I simply cannot do on a regular basis in the U.S. But this time, I haven’t been able to watch more than a session and a half at a stretch. One issue is the opposition; I think it’s time Bangladesh stopped playing test cricket for a while and only played 4 day games against other countries’ youth sides.

But the main issue is the utter dry, anodyne, cure-for-insomnia cricket that we’re playing. Other than Younis Khan and Saeed Ajmal, and to a much lesser extent Umar Gul and Aizaz Cheema, there is not one single player in this team I would pay to watch. Plus, we’re so defensive in our approach, so sedate and guarded and afraid, that even hardcore fans of cricket can’t afford to watch. What happened to us? (For a spirited defense of Misbah and his boring ways, read this by Hassan Cheema).

Yes, we’ve been successful with these methods, but against a top team, we’re going to get slaughtered. This good run by Misbah, as I said earlier, is fool’s gold. It’s covering up the very real deficiencies in this team, particularly in the batting, where we have four and a half plodders in the top six. I’d be happy to be proven wrong but England is going to kill us, mainly because when they’re on top they’re going to drive home the advantage, but when we’re on top, we’ll score at 2.75 an over, let them back in the game, collapse in an almighty heap to Swann, and lose.