Jun
30
What was so Special about Michael Vaughan?
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Michael Vaughan has retired and everyone is talking about him.
Tributes have poured in from all corners with some praising his timing, others raving about his cover drive, and almost everyone talking of his greatness as a leader.
Geoff Boycott has even gone to the extent of ranking him alongside Mike Brearley, who many consider as the best England captain ever; if not the best international captain ever.
That got me wondering.
Was Vaughan really that good?
I don’t think he ever reached the same heights as a batsman as he did during the 2002-03 Ashes; nor did he lead England to any memorable series wins besides the 2005 Ashes (or is my memory failing me?).
Then what makes him so special?
His test record, 5719 runs at 41.44, is just about average; while his ODI record is nothing to talk about.
I’ve never thought of Vaughan as a great cricketer; seeing all that is being said about him made me question myself.
Was he really that great?
As a test captain, he ranks alongside the best.
Among all captains that have led in a minimum of 25 tests, Vaughan is among the top 10 in terms of percentage of test matches won.
In there he is in the great company of Brearley, Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor, and Viv Richards.
Though his record as a batsman isn’t one for him to be considered among the best, there is one area where he ranks among the greats.
His conversion rate.
With 18 centuries and 18 fifties, Vaughan converts 50s into 100s more often than most test batsmen.
Among batsmen with atleast 15 test centuries, only Bradman, Strauss, KP, Walcott, Azharuddin, and Hayden have a better conversion rate than he does.
No wonder everyone is raving about him.
I think my judgement was clouded due to what Shoaib Akhtar did to him in 2005.
The look on Vaughan’s face when he was deceived by that slower one was priceless.
Here’s the wicket (the 2nd one in the video); I couldn’t find one of his expression but for those who have seen it know what I am talking about.
That for me will remain the most memorable Michael Vaughan moment.
After that glorious 183 against Australia at Sydney ofcourse.
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Jun
30
The Pakistani Players were Hypnotized!
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When Shoaib Malik recently mentioned that the psychologist, who PCB had hired for the team’s camp before the World T20, had used hypnotism on the players, we all thought that Malik was being sarcastic.
Many also laughed at Malik thinking that he did not understand a psychologist’s job.
Now that Maqbool Babri, the renowned psychologist, has come out in the open, we find that Malik was in fact right about the hypnotism.
The psychologist, popularly known as Max Babri, recently spoke to The News. You can read the full interview here; following are some of the more interesting excerpts.
“I threw a challenge: I’d not charge a single penny if we lose … but I’d charge double the agreed amount if we win.”
Doctors working on a success fee only basis. I like the concept!
“On the second day of our session, I started hypnotizing them. Players were nudged into a trance and urged to understand and envisage themselves as the very best.”
So it is true. They were hypnotized!
And a trance? isn’t that some kind of dance? How does this work anyway?
I wonder if the team played the entire World T20 in a trance.
“They had a variety of issues from anger management.. sleep problems.. their unmitigated ambitions..”
Isn’t that true for all of us Pakistanis?
“A couple of days before the team’s departure, we did a ‘rock and roll’ excercise to show… “
Trance, rock and roll, those must have been some really interesting psychology sessions.
“Afridi is a very special person; he is expressive, talented, handsome, charming, and smart.”
How wonderful! Which aspect brings out the best in him as a cricketer?
“Hypnotism is just a therapy and it seeks to improve the confidence of the players. It is used every where in the world. It is not a drug.”
And he explains the therapeutic hypnotism he used on the players.
I don’t know if all this actually worked and played a part in Pakistan’s victorious World T20 campaign, but it surely impressed some of the cricketers. Such as Shoaib Malik.
Now for Max Babri to get his double pay check from the PCB!
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Jun
29
Pakistan & the Ajantha Mendis Threat
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The Pakistanis have landed in Colombo, where they play a 3-day game against a Sri Lankan XI from tomorrow, before they head to Galle for the 1st test next week.
The series that was left incomplete by some twisted men in Lahore, will now continue in the island over the next month.
After the IPL and the World T20, I am finally ready to end my affair with T20 cricket and shift all my focus and attention to the purest and longest version of the game.
Here I start by focusing on the potential threat, or rather the lack of, that Ajantha Mendis poses for Pakistan in the 3-test series.
The Ajantha Mendis threat doesn’t really exist for Pakistan.
Well prepared, planned, worked-out, thought-out or not; Pakistan has surely figured out how to cope against Mendis’ variations.
Moreso than any other team anyway.
The numbers are there for everyone to see and they tell the entire story.
The most telling statistic in that table is the economy rate – it shows that Pakistan scores almost 1 more run per over against Mendis in ODIs than other teams do.
That figure increases to 3 more runs per over in T20Is!
Definitely the Pakistanis are doing something right, something that other teams are not; there is no doubt that they have played Mendis better than their contemporaries.
But how?
Some say they treat him like a medium pacer, others say they pick him of the hand; what it is exactly that the Pakistanis are doing right, I have no idea!
It doesn’t matter really.
As long as they continue doing it right, Mendis will not be a threat to Pakistan – not in tests, not in ODIs, not in the T20I.
Hence, as I said. The Ajantha Mendis threat; it doesn’t exist for Pakistan.
Note:
I don’t buy the “flat track” story for the test against Pakistan, because in the same match, Kaneria bowled 46 overs for 3 wickets; Shoaib Malik bowled 36 for 2 wickets; while Mendis bowled 59 for his 1.
And what hindrance is a flat track anyway for a bowler with so many subtle variations?
Read more on Pakistan & the Ajantha Mendis Threat…
Jun
29
How Shahid Afridi spends his free time…
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I’m sure many of you wonder how all the different cricketers spend their time off the field, what they do in their free time, and so on.
We read about a lot of the off-field activities as well.
Such as Michael Vaughan and his real estate investments, Shane Warne and his nurses, Shoaib Akhtar and his genital warts, Imran Khan and his love child, Andrew Symonds and his “binge drinking”, to mention a few.
Shahid Afridi’s off-field activities, however, seem to be of a very different kind.
Afridi takes out his gun, calls his men, and goes into the mountains to look for his prey.
He spots his target up in the sky and points to it with a smile that shows that he likes what he is going to shoot.
His men seem to agree.
He then finds an open space, sits down, gets into position with his gun, takes aim, and fires!
Once the target is shot, he gets one of his men to fetch it and hold it up for the cameras.
Afridi poses with it, looking as pleased as he does when he gets his targets on the cricket field.
I wonder if the Afridi one-arm-raised salute comes out every time he connects with his fire.
Once he’s done with all his hunting, he resigns to his farm house, where he plays with snakes in his back yard.
See it all yourself to believe it.
Read more on How Shahid Afridi spends his free time……
Jun
28
India vs West Indies, 2nd ODI – Kingston, Jamaica – Video Highlights
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Cricket Video Highlights of India vs West Indies, 2nd ODI International to be played at Kingston, Jamaica in Caribbean. Watch Online all video highlights of ODI Matches to be played between India and West Indies.
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Jun
28
Pakistanis in Australia: Krejza gets a 100, Wahab picks 5, McKay picks 6!
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Pakistan A is on a tour to Australia for 2 tests, 3 ODIs, and a T20 game.
Did you know that?
The 1st 4-day test match started 3 days ago and is set for an interesting final day tomorrow with a potential declaration and a rivetting chase on the cards.
Sounds more interesting than the ODIs going on between India and the West Indies.
It will sound even more interesting when I tell you who top scored for Australia A in their 1st innings score of 399.
Jason Krejza!
Not only top scored, he scored a century – 101 of 160 deliveries with 4 sixes and 7 fours!
His first ever first class century.
His highest score in all forms of cricket before this was 65.
What were the Pakistanis doing letting a discarded Australian offie get to 101?
They had them down at 211-6 before Krejza joined Henriques (76) for a 7th wicket partnership of 120.
Wahab Riaz, who played a few ODIs for Pakistan last year, picked up a 5 wicket haul for the ‘A’ Pakistanis.
They then responded with 338 in their 1st innings with opener Azhar Ali top scoring with 78.
Azhar Ali has been one of the leading run scorers of the last two domestic seasons in Pakistan and has been on the fringes of Pakistan’s senior squad for a year now.
A good showing in Australia will do his case a lot of good.
Azhar got good support from Umar Akmal (54), Kamran’s younger brother, Fahad Iqbal (42), Faisal’s younger brother, and Sarfraz Ahmed (56), Pakistan’s backup wicketkeeper.
Fast bowler Clint McKay picked up 6 wickets.
I don’t know much about him, but he’s Victorian; I’m sure Jrod will have more information on him for us.
Australia A are on 128-6 in their 2nd innings and tomorrow is the final day – here’s the scorecard.
Read more on Pakistanis in Australia: Krejza gets a 100, Wahab picks 5, McKay picks 6!…
Jun
28
Random Pakistan Cricket Fact #11
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Hanif Mohammad, the original “Little Master”, held the record for the highest score in first class cricket for 36 years before Brian Lara overtook it.
Hanif Mohammad scored 499 for Karachi against Bahawalpur in 1958; Brian Lara went past that record by scoring his unbeaten 501 for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994.
Lara’s record still stands and probably will for decades to come.
Hanif Mohammad also holds the record for the highest score by a Pakistan batsman in test cricket – 337 vs West Indies also scored in 1958.
Coincidentally, Lara also scored his 375 and 501* in the same calendar year.
Read more on Random Pakistan Cricket Fact #11…
Jun
27
How Times (read fans) Change
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2007: Younis returns home after the ODI World Cup
2009: Younis returns home after the World Twenty20
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