So Its Pakistan Again...

What you can say about Pakistani Cricket team, donot dare to predict any result for them as they themselves do not know what lies in front of them. Once again they prove to the world that they are more colurful and unpreditcable cricket team in world. As most of us right them off after first two test defeats, but they bounce back courtisy of Amir and Ajmal magic, at one stage it look certain that England will post of big score for Pakistan to chase in last innings. But due to both these individauls they fold them to mere 222, though at 194/3 it look certain that england will post some thing in range of 300 for pakistan to chase and this test will go in fifth day.

Pakistan batting was strength by the arival of their best batsman Yousaf, who look in good touch and guide youngster as well during his stay at crease in both innings. In first innings especially he look certain for three figure after early strugle.

Now Lords is waiting for Pakistan to show world that they can play good sensible cricket in consuctive games. I hope they bat well and catch well.

Wasim Akram: A stunning match winner

There are several outstanding aspects to Wasim Akram's international career, right from its sheer longevity - almost 19 years - to the amount of success he had in Tests and ODIs, with new ball and with old, with the red variety and the white. He was pretty handy with the bat - you'd have to be if your highest Test score is 257 not out - but it's as a bowler of splendid and varied skills that Akram will be remembered. 

Making his Test debut against New Zealand in the beginning of 1985, Akram needed just one match to make his mark: in his second Test, in Dunedin, he returned match figures of 10 for 128 and was named Man of the Match even though New Zealand won the thriller by two wickets. 

That set a glorious Test career on its way, but the early years were, as you'd expect for an 18-year-old, somewhat erratic. Even so, there were enough promising performances to prove that Akram was the real deal. In Barbados three years later, Akram took seven wickets in heartbreaker that Pakistan lost, yet again, by two wickets. In his first five years, though, Akram only managed 94 wickets in 29 Tests - a modest average of 3.24 per match.

Akram's best years were about to come. In his first Test of 1990, against Australia in Melbourne, Akram took 11 for 160, and that haul triggered a sensational run that lasted through most of the next eight years. In 48 Tests from 1990 to the end of 1997, Akram averaged five wickets per match, and his average dropped to an outstanding 20.05, before his form finally tapered off in his last four years.

Wasim Akram's Test career with the ball

Period	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Till Dec 1989	29	94	28.18	65.9	5/ 1
Jan 1990 to Dec 1997	48	240	20.05	46.4	16/ 3
Jan 1998 onwards	27	80	28.96	66.0	4/ 1
Career	104	414	23.62	54.6	25/ 5

During that eight-year period from 1990 to 1997, Akram had the best figures in Test cricket, barring none. There were several legendary bowlers who were at the height of their craft during an era which we now look back on as a golden one for bowlers, especially the fast ones - Curtly Ambrose, Allan Donald, Waqar Younis and Glenn McGrath were all around, but Akram's stats stood out even among them. His average of 20.05 was better than anyone else's during this period (with a cut-off of 150 wickets); in terms of strike rate, only Waqar was ahead.

During these eight years, Akram was Man of the Match in 12 of the 48 Tests he played, an incredible average of one every four games. Eight of these were in overseas Tests, including the game in Melbourne and the next one in Adelaide, when he turned in an outstanding all-round performance, taking six wickets and scoring 52 and 123. At the time it was only the 12th instance of a player scoring 150 or more and taking six or more wickets in a Test.

Best Test bowlers between Jan 1990 and Dec 1997 (Qual: 150 wickets)

Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Wasim Akram	48	240	20.05	46.4	16/ 3
Curtly Ambrose	57	247	20.50	52.8	17/ 3
Waqar Younis	46	232	21.23	40.1	19/ 4
Allan Donald	36	171	23.27	48.8	9/ 2
Glenn McGrath	36	164	23.42	53.0	9/ 0
Shane Warne	62	289	24.08	62.9	12/ 3

Overall, he won 17 Man-of-the-Match and seven Man-of-the-Series awards, both of which are among the highest. Even better, his rate of winning these awards, one every six Tests, is the best among those who've won at least ten such prizes.

Highest frequency of MoM awards in Tests (Qual: 10 awards)

Player	Tests	MoM awards	Tests per award
Wasim Akram	104	17	6.12
Jacques Kallis	137	20	6.85
Muttiah Muralitharan	132	19	6.95
Curtly Ambrose	98	14	7.00
Imran Khan	88	11	8.00
Malcolm Marshall	81	10	8.10

Not surprisingly, Akram remains one of the most potent matchwinners in Tests for Pakistan. In the 41 wins that he was a part of, he took 211 wickets at an average which compares well with the best in the business.

Best bowling averages in Test wins (Qual: 200 wickets)

Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Muttiah Muralitharan	53	430	16.03	42.6	40/ 18
Malcolm Marshall	43	254	16.78	38.1	17/ 4
Curtly Ambrose	44	229	16.86	44.4	13/ 3
Waqar Younis	39	222	18.20	35.0	14/ 4
Dennis Lillee	31	203	18.27	39.0	17/ 6
Shaun Pollock	49	223	18.30	47.5	9/ 1
Wasim Akram	41	211	18.48	42.3	13/ 2
Anil Kumble	43	288	18.75	44.4	20/ 5

Like most fast bowlers from Pakistan, Akram too mastered the art of bowling grassless pitches, where reverse swing becomes a most potent weapon. He is one of only four bowlers to take more than 150 wickets in Pakistan, while in the three major subcontinent countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, his average was marginally better than his overall career average.

Best Test fast bowlers in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (Qual: 100 wkts)

Bowler	Tests	Wkts	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Imran Khan	51	205	20.28	48.8	12/ 3
Waqar Younis	41	191	21.07	39.2	13/ 4
Wasim Akram	57	211	22.67	52.9	11/ 1
Shoaib Akhtar	26	108	24.87	45.2	6/ 1
Javagal Srinath	35	116	26.43	55.0	6/ 1
Chaminda Vaas	71	230	27.54	62.4	6/ 1
Kapil Dev	86	279	29.01	59.8	14/ 2
Zaheer Khan	38	107	38.12	69.2	2/ 0

Through most of his career, Akram formed a destructive fast-bowling combination with Waqar: in the 61 Tests they played together, Akram averaged 21.33, with 20 five-fors and four ten-wicket hauls; in the 43 Tests he played without Waqar, his averaged fell to 28.50, and he only managed five five-fors. His wickets per Tests too dropped to 3.07 per match, from 4.62 when the bowled with Waqar. Some of that was also because the periods he bowled without Waqar were also during the first and last parts of his career, when he wasn't at his most potent.

Akram in Tests, with and without Waqar Younis

	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
With Waqar	61	282	21.33	49.2	20/ 4
Without Waqar	43	132	28.50	66.2	5/ 1

Akram's ODI career was more even, and his stats stayed within a narrow band almost throughout. He announced himself in his third game, taking 5 for 21 against Australia in Melbourne - a haul that included Allan Border, Dean Jones and Kepler Wessels - during the World Championship of Cricket. 

His best period, though, was between 1992 and 1997, when he had an economy rate of 3.76 and took 14 of his 23 hauls of four or more wickets. At the beginning of that period was the 1992 World Cup, in which Akram was an absolute star, taking 18 wickets at 18.77. The highlight was his 3 for 49 in the final, when he derailed England's run-chase with the wickets of Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in successive balls. Even towards the end of his career he remained a significant threat with the ball, and became the first bowler to go past the 500-wicket mark. 

Akram played five World Cups over his 19-year career, and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 55, next only to McGrath's haul of 71.

Akram's ODI career

Period	Matches	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	4+ wkts
Till Dec 1991	107	143	23.97	3.84	5
Jan 1992 - Dec 1997	131	198	21.86	3.76	14
Jan 1998 onwards	118	161	25.17	4.09	4
Career	356	502	23.52	3.89	23

With 326 ODI wickets in wins, Akram is next only to Muralitharan in this regard. He's clearly one of the greatest matchwinners in ODIs, averaging less than 19 at a run rate of 3.70. Among bowlers with at least 150 wickets in wins, only four bowlers have a better average.

Best bowling averages in wins in ODIs (Qual: 150 wickets)

Bowler	ODIs	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	4+ wkts
Saqlain Mushtaq	93	188	15.84	3.78	11
Glenn McGrath	171	301	17.94	3.65	15
Muttiah Muralitharan	191	347	18.08	3.63	21
Waqar Younis	149	278	18.76	4.33	21
Wasim Akram	199	326	18.86	3.70	18
Allan Donald	108	195	19.05	3.96	10

Akram's genius and his ability to burst through batting line-ups is obvious from the fact that he has taken two hat-tricks in Tests and ODIs, the only bowler to do so. He finished with 22 Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs, which isn't anywhere near Sachin Tendulkar's 61, but it's a significant number considering the fact that ODIs are usually dominated by batsmen. In fact, Akram and Shaun Pollock (who also has 22) have the highest number of awards among players whose major suit isn't batting. 

And then there's the small matter of Akram the captain. In the 25 Tests in which he led Pakistan, they won 12 and lost eight, and his reign included a series win in England, and clinching the Asian Test Championship. His ODI record was impressive too: a win-loss ratio of 1.6, which is the joint-highest for any Pakistan captain who led in more than 50 games.

Highest ODI win % for Pakistan captains (Qual: 50 matches as captain)

Captain	Matches	Won	W/L ratio
Wasim Akram	109	66	1.60
Waqar Younis	62	37	1.60
Inzamam-ul-Haq	87	51	1.54
Imran Khan	139	75	1.27
Javed Miandad	62	26	0.78

Article Originally Published at http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/457149.html

Karachi kid Afridi gets hero’s welcome

Shahid Afridi flew home to a hero’s welcome in Pakistan and promptly dedicated their World Twenty20 triumph to victims of terror in his troubled nation. ‘Throughout the tournament i only thought about winning this for those people who’ve been affected by terrorism in our country,’ said the all-rounder after arriving in Karachi yesterday. ‘The troubled conditions, the way Pakistan is being isolated as a cricket nation, all this spurred the team to win the cup.’ Afridi was man of the match in Pakistan’s semi-final and final wins and was lifted onto the shoulders of fans in recognition of his exploits in the eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Sunday at Lord’s.

Pakistan captain Younus Khan announced his retirement from international Twenty20 cricket

Pakistan captain Younus Khan announced his retirement from international Twenty20 cricket after leading his country to world glory on Sunday. The 31-year-old followed in the footsteps of Imran Khan, who led the triumphant Pakistan team in the 1992 World Cup in Australia, when he oversaw an eight-wicket defeat of Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

Younus said: ‘I’ve been thinking the whole tournament I could be remembered just like Imran was when his team won the World Cup. The dream has come true and this is a gift to our whole nation.’

Shahid Afridi on top of the world

SHAHID AFRIDI struck an unbeaten 54 to propel Pakistan to an eight-wicket victory against Sri lanka in the final of the World Twenty20 at lord’s. afridi, the man at the heart of Pakistan’s revival after they lost their opening game to England, stood and saluted the thousands of elated Pakistani fans after he hit the winning run with eight balls to spare.

It was the second global one-day title for Pakistan after Imran Khan’s side rallied in similar fashion to win the 1992 50-over World Cup. They had also lost the inaugural World Twenty20 final in 2007 to India.

Pakistan captainYounus Khan, whose country is undergoing political turmoil and an uncertain cricketing future after the terror attacks on the Sri lankan team in lahore in March, said: ‘For a nation like us, it is the right time. ‘It’s fantastic. We were the underdogs and nobody picked us. That’s why there was less pressure and certainly we turned it on in the big games.’ afridi added: ‘The last two and a half, three years I have bowled really well but I was struggling with my batting.

‘Younus gave me good confidence. I told him I wanted to bat at no.3 in the side and he said okay, if you’re confident just go and play”.’ Sri lanka were up against it after Mohammad aamer, 17, removed the tournament’s top scorer Tillakaratne dilshan for a duck in the first over. abdul razzaq then claimed a wicket in each of his first three overs as Sri lanka limped to 70 for six. But captain Kumar Sangakkara (64 not out) helped post a total of 138 for six after a 68-run stand with angelo Mathews (35 not out). Sangakkara, looking to continue that momentum, switched his bowlers continually but Pakistan never looked in trouble and eased to their target.

Afridi stars as Pakistan reach final

SHAHID AFRIDI was the hero as Pakistan reached a second successive World Twenty20 final at the expense of South Africa at Trent Bridge.

Pakistan skipper Younus Khan had elected to bat and it was Afridi who gave their innings impetus with a 32-ball half-century as they posted 149 for four. Afridi then shone with the ball, dismissing herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers as the Proteas were beaten by seven runs.

Pakistan, who lost in the final to India in 2007, will now face the winners of today’s second semi-final between Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Younus said: ‘We know it will give a big lift to everyone back home if we can win this competition. If we lift the cup it will provide great cheer for the people [of Pakistan].’

Now Flower turns to the Ashes after T20 failure

ENGLAND are aiming to take advantage of their early exit from the World Twenty20 by naming an extended squad to take part in the build-up programme for the Ashes.

Coach Andy Flower remains upbeat about England’s future after their rollercoaster Twenty20 campaign. He has already begun preparations for his team’s assault on the Ashes and is set for a series of meetings with his fellow selectors to decide on a training squad.

The panel were set to announce that list of names on Saturday but have delayed until the following Monday to give them a chance to assess the form of fringe players such as Ian Bell and Michael Vaughan.

That squad is expected to meet for two get-togethers in Loughborough before moving on to a training camp in Birmingham ahead of a three-day warm-up game against Warwickshire.‘We’re picking a squad and we will be getting together for a couple of team-building sessions,’ said Flower.

‘The squad we’ll initially announce will be larger than the 12 or 13 for the first Test.’ That initial squad is expected to include both leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who has impressed during the Twenty20 tournament, and senior spinners Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann. Andrew Flintoff will join up with England again for the first time since having knee surgery at the start of the summer.

‘It was very good news to see him back for Lancashire and bowling well,’ said Flower. ‘If he’s fit, he’s a shoo-in.’ The selectors will then trim down that squad to 13 names, who will travel to Cardiff ready for the opening Ashes Test starting on July 8.

And Flower believes it is not all doom and gloom, despite hosts England’s World Twenty20 exit at the Super Eights stage. ‘Our Twenty20 cricket has got better in this tournament. To beat Pakistan under pressure when we had to and then India when we had to were good performances, so we’ve learned a lot,’ he insisted ‘We’re ranked fifth in Tests because that is where we deserve to be at the moment. But it doesn’t mean we can’t beat any side at any time.’ Source {Metro}

Pakistan Cricket: Butt and Miandad square off

The ongoing matter of Javed Miandad's resignation as director-general of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took an ugly turn at a senate hearing as the board chairman and Miandad traded allegations over the fiasco. Ijaz Butt admitted to the senate standing committee on sports that he had made a mistake in not settling terms and conditions with Miandad when he joined, but refused to apologise to the former captain, who was also present at the session.

Instead Butt levelled a number of allegations at Miandad, claiming he wanted more money, that he interfered with selectorial matters and that he wasn't a capable administrator.

Miandad, visibly upset, denied the charges, claiming he would work on an honorary basis for the board if others did likewise. The issue of Miandad's resignation had been brewing steadily in recent weeks and last week, senators decided to to get to the bottom of the matter, issuing summons to Miandad to appear.

In a heated discussion, senators grilled the PCB chief over every little detail of Miandad's hiring and eventual refusal of a contract. Miandad joined the board in November as director-general, though there was ambiguity over the nature of his role even then. He quit last month, after finally being offered a contract, the terms of which he wasn't happy with.

In particular, Miandad claimed that the nature of his role in the contract letter was significantly reduced from what he had initially discussed with the chairman. That, and not the salary, was what made him change his mind.

Butt did admit there were 'procedural flaws' in the appointment of Miandad, leaving senators aghast that such an established figure was working at such a senior post without any letter of appointment or contract or indeed terms of reference for the post. "I admit it was our mistake as we didn't sign a contract with Miandad when he was appointed as DG in December," Butt said. Butt also claimed that Miandad was interfering in selecting the national team and had asked for a salary of 1.6 million rupees ($20,000) as opposed to the 500,000 rupees ($6,300) offered in the contract. "Miandad asked for a salary which we could not give to him," Butt said. "I regard Miandad highly as a great cricketer but we can't pay him more than what we had offered him."

But what must have irked Miandad the most - particularly given how close he always said he was to Butt - was Butt's belief that he wasn't a capable administrator. "I have the utmost respect for him as a cricketer and his achievements but he's not capable of handling either financial of administrative matters of the PCB," Butt said. Miandad's claims that it was the role and not the money which was a problem were lent solid credibility when he produced an internal board memo circulated on December 4 last year.

The memo, with Butt's consent on it, makes various board directors, of game development, international cricket operations, domestic cricket operations, the national team coach, manager and chairmen of national junior and senior selection committees all answerable to Miandad.

The message, at that point, seemed clear: Miandad was to be in charge of almost all cricket affairs. But when the contract was offered to him, Miandad was made head of domestic cricket operations and the department of game development only. "This job could be done by anyone and I feel it was not what I was actually promised by Mr. Butt," Miandad said. Miandad also said he didn't take any money from the board in his two-and-a-half month stint and was now even willing to work on an honorary basis - provided other PCB officials did likewise. The senators, mostly bewildered that such a situation could even arise, initially pressured Butt to apologise for the humiliation they perceived to have been heaped upon Miandad.

Butt stood his ground and refused to do so, thus leading the chairman of the committee to suggest they both sit down together privately and sort out the matter. "We believe that if you both could work together for the betterment of the game it will be good for Pakistan, so it's better you should sit together and resolve this issue privately," committee chairman Zafar Iqbal said. Before the meeting, rumour had it that Miandad may well find his way back into the board at a post he was happier with. After today's mudslinging, that scenario has become less likely.
© Cricinfo

Butt and Miandad square off The ongoing matter of Javed Miandad's resignation as director general of the PCB took an ugly turn at a senate hearing as the board chairman and Miandad traded allegations over the fiasco Read more Email