scorpion_rulezz
Club Cricketer
Inzamam backs his slow bowlers
Inzamam-ul-Haq has expressed the hope that Danish Kaneria and Arshad
Khan, who will lead Pakistan's spin attack on the tour of the Caribbean later this month, can inspire Pakistan to a first-ever series victory in the islands. Pakistan will play two Tests and three one-day internationals, and will be anxious to reverse the result of their last tour in 2000, when some decidedly dodgy umpiring on a thrilling final day in Antigua denied them certain victory. Inzamam will miss the first Test in Barbados, after a breach of the ICC code of conduct during the Bangalore game against India.
With Haroon Rashid overseeing the first day of a three-day camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Inzamam reitereated that his side had a decent chance of winning in the West Indies, despite an overall record that shows only three wins, and nine defeats, in 18 Tests down the years. Speaking to The News, Inzamam said that Kaneria was performing well - he got more wickets than Shane Warne on the tour of Australia, and more than Anil Kumble on the tour of India - with Arshad providing quality back-up.
However, he stressed that Pakistan could also call on a clutch of fast bowlers, led by Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the star of the one-day series win against India. And despite the absence of Mohammad Sami, out after heel surgery, and Shoaib Akhtar, ostensibly dropped for poor attitude and less-than-ideal fitness, the team was looking forward to the re-emergence of Shabbir Ahmed.
Inzamam supported the idea of a fielding coach being appointed once the team returned from the Caribbean, and also hinted that a bowling coach would be welcome, saying: "Our boys are new and it is about time that they learn from the coaching of great bowlers of the past."
Bob Woolmer, who was away with the A team, will take charge of the camp from Sunday. The team leaves for the West Indies on May 10.
http://content.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/208836.html
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Akram bats for beleagured Shoaib
Wasim Akram, the former Pakisani fast bowling great, has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board for dropping Shoaib Akhtar from the squad that will tour West Indies. "Shoaib is a match winner and a quality fast bowler. He should be in the team," Akram told The News. "If he has any disciplinary, commitment or attitude problems, it is the job of the board and team management to sort it out. But just on this basis you cannot keep on ignoring him."
Akram also spoke of the need to separate Shoaib's activities off the field from what he did on it. "He played under my captaincy a lot and it is true he has a bit of an excessive lifestyle. But on the field frankly speaking he tried hard and was quite successful. Because we knew how to use him."
"My contention is that he should have been picked for the West Indies tour and if Inzamam-ul-Haq and Bob Woolmer have any problems with his attitude and commitment they can easily enough just send him back home. That would be a lesson for him. But it is the team that loses out if use is not made of his skills.
It was the Pakistan board's contention that Shoaib was not 100% fit, and that he had put on weight in his period away from the team. Akram defended him on these counts as well. Look I have been through this phase and believe these people on the medical panels they don't have a clue of the chemistry or fitness requirements for a pace bowler. Someone like Shoaib Akhtar who is an out and out fast bowler needs to be handled differently fitness wise. It is a folly to judge his fitness on the criteria set for others," said Akram. "He has put on some weight but it is natural that when a fast bowler come backs from an injury he puts on weight. The more he keeps on playing competitive matches he gets better. I don't think Shoaib would have been able to play in some of the domestic matches if he had not been fit at all."
While praising the fast bowlers who did a good job in India in Shoaib's absence, Akram felt that the challenges of bowling in the Caribbean were different, and that Shoaib's pace would have made a difference. "The wickets in the West Indies are slow and you require to dig the ball in and pace always comes handy there. The bowlers they have picked for the tour are all honest hard working bowlers but they don't have the pace to trouble the batsmen on the West Indies pitches where the best way of taking wickets is to reverse swing the ball and dig it in.
http://content.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/208838.html
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Inzamam-ul-Haq has expressed the hope that Danish Kaneria and Arshad
Khan, who will lead Pakistan's spin attack on the tour of the Caribbean later this month, can inspire Pakistan to a first-ever series victory in the islands. Pakistan will play two Tests and three one-day internationals, and will be anxious to reverse the result of their last tour in 2000, when some decidedly dodgy umpiring on a thrilling final day in Antigua denied them certain victory. Inzamam will miss the first Test in Barbados, after a breach of the ICC code of conduct during the Bangalore game against India.
With Haroon Rashid overseeing the first day of a three-day camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Inzamam reitereated that his side had a decent chance of winning in the West Indies, despite an overall record that shows only three wins, and nine defeats, in 18 Tests down the years. Speaking to The News, Inzamam said that Kaneria was performing well - he got more wickets than Shane Warne on the tour of Australia, and more than Anil Kumble on the tour of India - with Arshad providing quality back-up.
However, he stressed that Pakistan could also call on a clutch of fast bowlers, led by Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the star of the one-day series win against India. And despite the absence of Mohammad Sami, out after heel surgery, and Shoaib Akhtar, ostensibly dropped for poor attitude and less-than-ideal fitness, the team was looking forward to the re-emergence of Shabbir Ahmed.
Inzamam supported the idea of a fielding coach being appointed once the team returned from the Caribbean, and also hinted that a bowling coach would be welcome, saying: "Our boys are new and it is about time that they learn from the coaching of great bowlers of the past."
Bob Woolmer, who was away with the A team, will take charge of the camp from Sunday. The team leaves for the West Indies on May 10.
http://content.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/208836.html
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Akram bats for beleagured Shoaib
Wasim Akram, the former Pakisani fast bowling great, has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board for dropping Shoaib Akhtar from the squad that will tour West Indies. "Shoaib is a match winner and a quality fast bowler. He should be in the team," Akram told The News. "If he has any disciplinary, commitment or attitude problems, it is the job of the board and team management to sort it out. But just on this basis you cannot keep on ignoring him."
Akram also spoke of the need to separate Shoaib's activities off the field from what he did on it. "He played under my captaincy a lot and it is true he has a bit of an excessive lifestyle. But on the field frankly speaking he tried hard and was quite successful. Because we knew how to use him."
"My contention is that he should have been picked for the West Indies tour and if Inzamam-ul-Haq and Bob Woolmer have any problems with his attitude and commitment they can easily enough just send him back home. That would be a lesson for him. But it is the team that loses out if use is not made of his skills.
It was the Pakistan board's contention that Shoaib was not 100% fit, and that he had put on weight in his period away from the team. Akram defended him on these counts as well. Look I have been through this phase and believe these people on the medical panels they don't have a clue of the chemistry or fitness requirements for a pace bowler. Someone like Shoaib Akhtar who is an out and out fast bowler needs to be handled differently fitness wise. It is a folly to judge his fitness on the criteria set for others," said Akram. "He has put on some weight but it is natural that when a fast bowler come backs from an injury he puts on weight. The more he keeps on playing competitive matches he gets better. I don't think Shoaib would have been able to play in some of the domestic matches if he had not been fit at all."
While praising the fast bowlers who did a good job in India in Shoaib's absence, Akram felt that the challenges of bowling in the Caribbean were different, and that Shoaib's pace would have made a difference. "The wickets in the West Indies are slow and you require to dig the ball in and pace always comes handy there. The bowlers they have picked for the tour are all honest hard working bowlers but they don't have the pace to trouble the batsmen on the West Indies pitches where the best way of taking wickets is to reverse swing the ball and dig it in.
http://content.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/208838.html
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stupid reason to drop someone...
