Pakistan in India

[icyman]

The pitch is breaking apart and so is Pakistan.
Its only Misbah who is the thorn for India.

 

[aditya123]

Karthik dropping Misbah of the first ball ! There goes the match.

Younis is just offering a dead bat to every delivery.
We need to bring in the seamers for just a couple of overs.

Iam getting sick of this Misbah ! He gets on my nerves !

UPDATE :
Our man Munaf Patel, gets Misbah with a beauty !
Even If this ends in a draw, I`ll at least be happy with the fact that we at least got Misbah early.

C`mon Munaf, get us another one !

 

[SaiSrini]

Thank god, Misbah got out early today.

Still, its on for a draw unless we come up with some more periods of inspired bowling. Yousuf and Younis are there now, and they are the danger guys.

That delivery from Munaf almost came out of nowhere. Grt one! Can we win this? Hope so! Even if it ends in a draw, I dont think Pakistan goes off with that moral victory. The only period where they did well was the Misbah-Akmal partnership. Rest of the part, India have dominated and have dominated well. If it ends in a draw, india should feel "ok, they are scared of us and somehow scrapped through with a draw. we are going in the right direction, and should press on and get them in bangalore"

 

[sohum]

This kind of pitch is the worst advertisement for Test cricket. Dead pitches will kill test cricket.

I think the pitch is copping a little too much abuse. Keep in mind that Pakistan picked one bowler who was about 20% fit on Days 1 and 2 (Shoaib Akhtar), one bowler who's new to international cricket (Sohail Tanvir), one bowler who has had many chances and still doesn't get it done (Mohammad Sami) and a leg-spinner who is going through a bad patch (Danish Kaneria). Hardly the most dangerous bowling line-up, especially given the fact that there are no regular part-timers in the XI.

Given this, I think you have to give some leeway to the pitch.

 

[aditya123]

Thank god, Misbah got out early today.

Still, its on for a draw unless we come up with some more periods of inspired bowling. Yousuf and Younis are there now, and they are the danger guys.

That delivery from Munaf almost came out of nowhere. Grt one! Can we win this? Hope so! Even if it ends in a draw, I dont think Pakistan goes off with that moral victory. The only period where they did well was the Misbah-Akmal partnership. Rest of the part, India have dominated and have dominated well. If it ends in a draw, india should feel "ok, they are scared of us and somehow scrapped through with a draw. we are going in the right direction, and should press on and get them in bangalore"

I fully expect Faisal Iqbal to frustrate us further after one of these two get out (if they do get out).

 

[sohum]

I don't think Pakistan will lose another wicket before the mandatory last hour.

 

[aditya123]

I think the pitch is copping a little too much abuse. Keep in mind that Pakistan picked one bowler who was about 20% fit on Days 1 and 2 (Shoaib Akhtar), one bowler who's new to international cricket (Sohail Tanvir), one bowler who has had many chances and still doesn't get it done (Mohammad Sami) and a leg-spinner who is going through a bad patch (Danish Kaneria). Hardly the most dangerous bowling line-up, especially given the fact that there are no regular part-timers in the XI.

Given this, I think you have to give some leeway to the pitch.

Plus, add to it the fact that Pakistan were 150/5 at one stage in the first innings and were 120/4 in the second at Tea on Day 5.
It was that one big partnership between Misbah and Akmal that has saved Pakistan.

This is not a wicket where it is easy to get players out while they`re defending.

 

[King Cricket]

Match is slowly heading towards a draw.

 

[harishankar]

Plus, add to it the fact that Pakistan were 150/5 at one stage in the first innings and were 120/4 in the second at Tea on Day 5.
It was that one big partnership between Misbah and Akmal that has saved Pakistan.

This is not a wicket where it is easy to get players out while they`re defending.

The pitch has reduced fast bowlers to having to resort to off-breaks to get wickets. And spinners are completely useless because it's so slow. As it's dried out, it's not become a spiteful, nasty dustbowl which Indian spinners love bowling on, but a crumbling, soft flowerbed.

Given that, I think the pitch deserves its share of blame in the result. If batsman can defend from the backfoot to deliveries that are pitched so well up, it shows how much time they have to adjust and defend.

Also Munaf isn't the kind of bowler who can get wickets even on a green wicket given his effort-levels, Harbhajan's spin isn't fizzing off the top, so I think it's a combination of ineffective bowling attacks on both sides + a slow pitch.

P.S. We desperately miss a quality left-arm spinner who could have really made a difference in this kind of surface. Murali Karthik maybe?

 

[SaiSrini]

Very bad effort from the Indian fielders. It was one of the worst displays. Especially Wasim Jaffer was horrible. He doesnt make any effort at all. He could have taken a catch that could have got us the wicket of Younis Khan

Rudi Koertzen also has contributed in the 5th wicket not coming to us. Younis Khan was plumb in front, and Rudi missed it. And Younis Khan throws his bat up in delight at having survived that decision (he must have known in his mind that he was a goner!).

bad luck for india. but india still lead the series 1-0. should buck up for bangalore. dont worry abt pakistan. they just dont have the arsenal to threaten this indian team. india just need to make sure they keep up their intensity and come back rejuvenated after this tired final day.

 

[irottev]

EDIT: Nevermind, I thought there was still a few sessions. Well done to Pakistan to save the game.

 

[SciD]

Worst performance by Bhajji in Test matches for some time. Even worse performance by Munaf Patel. The guy was bowling wth speeds of 110 ks in some of his overs. Ganguly can better that also.

 

[harishankar]

Munaf is probably the most over-rated bowler to have ever played for India. Before he came into the team, he was touted as the "fastest bowler" to play for India, bowling at well over 90 mph.

Commentators just keep referring to his "fitness" and "attitude" levels and I think that's too polite for him. He is just a lazy, unfit sod who doesn't want to bowl long spells and bend his back and wants to hide in the outfield.

Even part-time bowlers put in more effort into their run-up and actions. This guy is an embarrassment to all the talented Indian seam bowlers who had to miss out on a Test spot because of him. What a shame :brickwall

As for Harbhajan Singh, the magic has gone out of his off-spin. He needs to learn a lot more variety to succeed these days on flatter as he is too one-paced and doesn't have a quicker straight delivery and his doosra is too obvious. I rate Romesh Powar as a better off-spinner than Harbhajan purely because of his lovely loop and flight variation. Murali Karthik deserves an opportunity in the final Test I think because I don't think the present bowling combination (with Zaheer Khan's doubtful fitness) being able to get 20 wickets.

 

[icyman]

I think the bowling needs a complete over-haul.
But more so to blame is the fielding-it actually cost us the match.
Jaffer-well i dunno know why they gave him Man of the Match,it was Misbah-ul-Haq who actually deserved the award.

Zaheer Khan lacks the hunger.
Munaf Patel-a complete gone case
Harbhajan-the most over-rated off-spinner for India ?

I seriously wonder what the Team will do without Kumble,there isnt a quality spinner in the country.I say,give Murali Kartik a chance.Also,get in Ajit Agarkar-agreed he gives away a few runs,but atleast he'll pick up wickets.


P.S-If Sree and RP don't get ready for the Oz series,its T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

 

[SciD]

They should have given Man Of Match award to the curator for creating every batsmens dream.
Pakistan must be over the moon having got out of test with 2 unfit bowlers. Wait a minute, India also had 2 unfit bowlers (Zaheer and Munaf )