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Nerve-wracking test of character, temperament
Chopra axed; Ganguly may open
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hurt Pak This has been an amazing series so far. Just when one side gains the psychological advantage and threatens to overwhelm the other, the opposite happens. During the one-day series, once Pakistan went 2-1 up ahead of the Lahore double-header, everybody thought India were down for the count. However, the visitors came back strongly to claim the series. Pak look to exploit
bowling conditions BCCI should have sports medicine centre Differences in
Pak team Notes from Pakistan
Athens berths
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Nerve-wracking test of
character, temperament Rawalpindi, April 12 With the three-match series tantalisingly poised at 1-1, India’s quest for a historic series triumph on Pakistani soil will largely depend on their star-studded batting line up which let the team down in Lahore, allowing the hosts to level the three-match series. Both the teams will be under tremendous pressure as they go into what promises to be a nerve-wracking showdown on a grassy track at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, hosting the 50th Test match between the two Asian powerhouses. With Ganguly, who sat out the first two matches with a lower back injury, returning to captain the team again, the only way to accommodate the dashing Yuvraj was to make him open the innings, a move which is unlikely to get the backing of the purists. The visitors may also alter their bowling attack a little bit for the decider. While the two young pacers Irfan Pathan and L Balaji and seasoned leg spinner Anil Kumble were certainties, the third pacer’s slot would be a toss-up between Ajit Agarkar and Ashish Nehra. Left-arm seamer Nehra, who was recalled into the sqaud in place of injured pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, was not considered for the last match because he had not bowled enough since recovering from the split in his webbing. Agarkar had a disappointing match as a bowler but did reasonably well with the bat in the second innings. On the other hand, the injuries to Lahore hero Umar Gul, who claimed a career-best five wicket haul, and Shabbir Ahmed were a big setback for Pakistan who will be desperate to maintain their track record at home against India. The home team has included pace bowlers Rao Iftikar Anjum, Rana Naveed-ul Hasan, Fazle Akbar and Abdur Rauf in their 17-member squad and it remains to be seen who will make it to the playing eleven. The Indian batting was a big disappointment in the Lahore Test and the batsmen will have to pull their socks up in the decider which would be played on a track designed to suit the home team bowlers. The dependable Rahul Dravid and wrist artiste VVS Laxman have not been able to get the big scores in the series till now and both of them would be keen to end the series with more significant contributions. Sehwag, who created history by becoming the first Indian to hit a triple century in the first Test in Multan, has been in fine nick and the Indians would be hoping for another epic knock from the flamboyant opener who is capable of tearing any bowling attack to shreds. The teams (from): India:
Sourav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag, Aakash Chopra, Yuvraj Singh, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, L Balaji, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik. Pakistan:
Inzamam-ul Haq (capt), Imran Farhat, Taufiq Umar, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Rana Naveed-ul Hasan, Imran Nazir, Fazle Akbar, Rao Iftikar Anjum, Abdur Rauf, Misbah-ul Haq.
— PTI |
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Rawalpindi, April 12 “It is a one-off thing. At the end of the day I am not an opener but if it is required by the team, I will open the innings,” Ganguly told reporters here on the eve of the match while announcing the playing eleven. “It is only for this match. Yuvraj is in good form and it will be difficult to shift a guy from his position in the middle-order. But in the long run, Yuvraj has to consider himself for opening the innings,” he said. In the only other change from the Indian team that lost to Pakistan in Multan, Ajit Agarkar was replaced by Ashish Nehra. Ganguly’s return to the squad after a brief injury lay-off has resulted in a problem of plenty for the Indians as his substitute Yuvraj Singh slammed a century in difficult circumstances to stake a place in the team. Chopra unluckily failed in both the innings in Multan. Ganguly admitted that leaving out Chopra, who has impressed with his solid technique, was “a tough call”. “It was a tough call to leave out Chopra. It is hard on him as he had done well for us in the past but you cannot keep Yuvraj out as he scored a Test hundred,” Ganguly said. “We have told him that this is just a one-off situation. He did well in Australia and is still in the squad. When the next series starts, he will be in the team.” The skipper, who missed the first two Tests, revealed that the team management had taken into account the possibility of Yuvraj opening the innings while picking the squad for the Tests. “Obviously when we had picked Yuvraj ahead of Sadagopan Ramesh for the Tests, we had this in mind that he may have to open if necessary,” the skipper said but made it clear that the Punjab left-hander was not certain to open the batting. “It is not decided who will open,” he said. On the decision to drop all-rounder Agarkar, he said, “We thought the conditions here will suit Nehra. He is bowling very well in the nets and when the conditions are helpful, he can capitalise on it”. — PTI
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Injuries to Sami, Gul could hurt Pak This has been an amazing series so far. Just when one side gains the psychological advantage and threatens to overwhelm the other, the opposite happens.
During the one-day series, once Pakistan went 2-1 up ahead of the Lahore double-header, everybody thought India were down for the count. However, the visitors came back strongly to claim the series. The reverse happened after the Multan Test when Pakistan upset calculations about a 3-0 whitewash by coming back to win in four days at Lahore. It would therefore, take a brave man to make predictions as far as the outcome of this third Test is concerned. However, the injuries to Umar Gul and Mohammed Sami could hurt Pakistan badly and I think a crucial factor could be the availability of the latter for the Test. The Lahore victory has convinced the Pakistan thinktank of the wisdom of playing to one’s strengths, and it comes as no surprise that the wicket for the third Test is also pretty green. The big blow for the hosts is the absence of Gul, the bowler who turned it all around for them at Lahore. He was the man who took the initiative away from India, with his high-arm action and his ability to hit the seam. He is also able to bring the ball back off the seam into right-handers, a quality that makes two of India’s top batsmen, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman, look distinctly uncomfortable. Both these batsmen look imperious when they are playing the outgoing ball, since they cut and square drive really well. The ball that jags back in – the one that Gul was really bowling well at the Gaddafi Stadium – exposes the lack of footwork in the case of both these batsmen, and the Indians will be relieved to see him out of action ahead of the last Test. In Gul’s absence, it is imperative that Mohammed Sami plays, because I don’t think the Pakistan team will be able to bear a double blow in the bowling department. I think Sami should play even if he is feeling below par as long as he does not deteriorate during the match. I have played a lot of cricket with injuries, and most fast bowlers have to do it at some point or the other. However, if the management feels Sami’s problems might force him to stop bowling in the middle of the match, then it is better to play a replacement. Rawalpindi is pretty hot right now, and it will be very difficult for three bowlers to make up for the fourth. To compound problems for Pakistan Shoaib Akhtar has shown flashes of what he is capable of, but has not been able to produce the destructive spell he is capable of. The pressure on him from his home crowd will be tremendous if Sami too pulls out. Shoaib has not yet found his rhythm, and if he continues to struggle in the third Test, the green-top notwithstanding, India will look favourites. The visitors will be happy to have the services of their captain once again. With Ganguly back in the side I think the man to watch out for is Rahul Dravid. He had a very good one-day series, but has not been at his best in the Tests. I have always rated Dravid very highly, and according to me, he handles pressure best in this Indian side. Who knows, the series is far from over, and this might be the Test in which Dravid will show us what he is capable of.
— Gameplan |
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Pak look to exploit
bowling conditions Rawalpindi, April 12 With the Indians on the mat after their nine-wicket defeat in the second Test, the rejuvenated Pakistani pacers would capitalise on the “helpful conditions”, skipper Inzamam-ul Haq said on the eve of the climactic Test match. “We will like to bowl first if we win the toss. The victory in the second Test has given us a lot of confidence. Bowling is our strength and they will be able to exploit the helpful conditions,” Inzamam said today. “The wicket looks good for bowling, it will defintely help the pace bowlers, they are looking forward to bowl in such helpful conditions.”
— PTI |
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BCCI should have sports medicine centre In every series, be it a home or an overseas one, some cricketers get injured. And invariably, the fast bowlers are mostly the first to join the list of casualties. India’s Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra or Ajit Agarkar are no exceptions. The same is the case with Pakistan’s Umar Gul and Sami, who looked a doubtful starter for the Rawalpindi Test till Sunday morning. Scan through the record book and you will find top pacemen like Shane Bond, Chris Cairns, Brett Lee, Simon Jones, Andrew Caddick, Mervyn Dillon or Glenn McGrath have all suffered similar fate. In fast bowling, the body is always put to test by pushing it to the extreme physical exertion levels. No matter how strong the bowler is, the bowling action is definitely unnatural for the human body. A lot of theories have been floated on building up the safety standards for fast bowlers. But the injuries to pacemen still remain rampant. There is no short cut method to become a good fast bowler. The fast bowling has two sides 1) The more you bowl the better you become. 2) The more you bowl the more injury prone you are. The fast bowlers will have to balance between these two sides. I used to learn a lot by talking to all great fast bowlers around the world about their training methods. To my surprise, I found that all of them had their own training methods and understanding about bowling. In the end, I realised that a bowler will have to do lot of case studies basically through inferences and most importantly he should understand his own physiological condition. A bowler breaking down too often is not only a problem for the team but also detrimental to his own career. The fast bowlers are mainly responsible in getting those 20 wickets to win Test matches. For this, the fast bowlers in a side should work in tandem, complementing each other’s skills. For example, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis formed a great pair. So did McGrath and Gillespie. Currently, Harmison and Hoggard are doing a fine job for England. Indian team, too, started doing reasonably well last year before the injuries plagued the bowlers. If there is no such equation between the bowlers, then the side struggles to get the opponents out. For instance, Zaheer and Ashish appeared to be the torchbearers for India a year ago. But now, marred by injuries, they are struggling to make the side. That leaves the youngsters, Irfan Pathan and L Balaji to shoulder the responsibility. Although the inexperienced bowlers look good and promising, it will not be an easy task for them to get those 20 wickets. Bowlers also have their own responsibilities. While playing, a player should anticipate the possible injury and be prepared to avoid it. The bowler should understand the limitations of his body, the nature of injuries and the rehabilitation processes. Coming out of an injury is as good as a good performance on the field. A cricketer’s mind takes a lot of beating because of anxieties and insecurities after he suffers from an injury. After my shoulder injury, at some point of time during the rehabilitation period, I even started thinking of taking up some other profession almost forgetting cricket. Even if a player is physically ready to return to the game, care should be taken that he is mentally ready too for the same. In a competitive sport like cricket, the mental stress on a player can be as harmful and debilitating as the injury itself. The captain and the back up team should work on the player’s psychological side. While the injured player should be made to feel important, the player, at the same time, should be honest to the team’s objective. The injury problems of pacemen can be regulated with the introduction of fast bowlers rotation system. Most of the cricket-playing countries have good sport medicine centres. India, on the other hand, is too much dependent on Andrew Liepus. The cash-rich Indian cricket board can certainly own a sports medicine hospital where top sports medicine doctors will be available. A physiotherapist can only help the boys recover quickly but you need good sports medicine doctors to really look deep into the issues of injuries and prevent it. It will not only benefit the international cricketers, but also cricketers at all level. The Pindi Test is going to decide the fate of the series. It all depends on what sort of wicket the home team provides. If Pakistan is really keen to have a result in the series, the wicket, I personally feel, should be lush green. A result will keep the Indo-Pak series alive. A draw will only portray the friendship, which was the motto before the start of the long awaited tour.
— Chivach Sports |
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Differences in
Pak team Rawalpindi:
Pakistan’s injury worries have been aggravated due to differences between skipper Inzamam-ul Haq and trainer-cum-doctor Tauseef Razzaq, a local daily reported on Monday. Razzaq did not accompany the team to Islamabad and stayed back in Lahore, venue of the second cricket Test, even as the injury worries snowballed. “Dr Razzak was not available for the few days when the bowlers needed him badly as he stayed back in Lahore and did not accompany the team to Islamabad,” local daily ‘The News’ quoted PCB sources as saying. “Although Dr Razzak submitted a medical certificate to the Pakistan team manager Haroon Rashid just before the team left Lahore, it has been learnt that the doctor’s decision was a result of the arguments with the captain,” it said. The differences resulted from Inzamam’s insistence for more practice at the nets for the fast bowlers as they had been erring in line and length besides conceding too many no balls. Razzak argued that excessive bowling sessions in the nets resulted in injuries and caused fitness problems for the bowlers. The doctor was reportedly peeved after he was told by Inzamam to keep off from the training and net practice as it was “the job of professionals”.
— PTI
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Notes from Pakistan
Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam enthralled audience in Karachi on Sunday night, sharing the stage with some Pakistani stars.
The show, titled "Sur Se Sur Milao", started at 11 pm and went on well into the early hours, during which the artists sent out a message of peace to the people of India and Pakistan. Sonu shared the stage with Pakistani singers Freeha Pervaiz and Arshad Mehmood, and qawwali artiste Amjad Sabri. He also paid rich tributes to the late singers Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan and Mohammed Rafi of India. The singers, who sang to requests from the audience, hoped more such shows would be held to bring together the people of the two countries. *
Murree, one of the most beautiful hill stations near Islamabad, is a big hit with tourists. About 50 km from the capital, Murree has always attracted visitors from both the neighbouring cities and abroad. Murree is a district located at 2,000 metres above sea level and is well connected to Islamabad. People inhabiting the hill station speak an entirely different language, pahari. A waiter at Ambassador Hotel, who hails from the hill station, demonstrated the dialect by pronouncing a few words in his mother tongue. Murree witnesses heavy snowfall in December-January. The waiter said the weather department recorded as much as four feet of snow this season. The hill station was named Mrs Mary, after a British governor's wife. Over the years, the name got distorted and became Murree.
— IANS
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Toe-crusher Waqar hangs boots Rawalpindi, April 12 The 32-year-old speedster, who made his international debut alongside Sachin Tendulkar in Karachi in 1989, said he could have prolonged his wait for a recall but felt that he may not get another chance to represent his country at the highest level. “It
is a sad day for me, but the right time to go,” he told a press
conference arranged by the Pakistan Cricket Board. “I thought I
could have played for a year or so, but I lost the hunger because the
selectors did not consider me good enough to represent the country any
more,” he said. Dreaded by batsmen worldwide for his toe-crushing yorkers, Waqar earned phenomenal success in both forms of the game. In 87 Tests, he claimed 373 wickets and 23.56 with the best being seven for 76 against New Zealand at Faisalabad in 1990-91. In
262 one-day internationals he tallied 416 wickets at 23.86, the best
being seven for 36 against England in Leeds in 2001.
— PTI
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Athens berths New Delhi: India’s medal hopes at the Olympics received a boost when national men’s champion Sharath Kamal and SAF Games women’s gold medallist Mouma Das qualified for the table tennis singles event of the Athens Games to be held later this year. Sharath and Mouma booked their Athens berth after finishing ninth and eighth in their respective events at the Asian singles and doubles Olympic qualifying tournament in Beijing, a statement from the Table Tennis Federation of India said here on Monday. Soumyadeep Roy and women’s national champion Poulomi Ghatak, the other two Indians to compete in the 13-nation event, finished outside the qualifying bracket.
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