England s test tour of Pakistan

 

England have begun their tour of Pakistan on a fantastic note by winning the Rawalpindi test by 74 runs margin .England's win was even more remarkable as they scored at a rate of more than six runs an over in both their innings and their bowlers did a fantastic  job to bowl Pakistan out twice on a flat pitch.

Pakistan didn't get their bowling attack right as they played with inexperienced bowlers. Pakistan handed out debuts to three bowlers namely Haris Rauf, Zahid Mahmood and Mohammad Ali.  No wonder England piled up mammoth total of 657 runs in their first innings.

In the end I  would like to say that England  has a modern approach to test cricket as they score with a run rate of 6 runs an over and their strike rates is much above Pakistani batsmen who play old fashioned cricket. If Pakistani curators prepare huge turning tracks then I hope Pakistan is able to make a comeback in Multan and Karachi test matches.

Pakistan has reached the Semi Finals of the Twenty20 World Cup 2022

The miracle has happened as miraculously for Pakistan the Netherlands defeated South Africa which means Pakistan has qualified  for the semi finals twice in two Twenty20 World Cups. South Africa are chokers and the chokers tag suits them. 

Against Bangladesh which was a virtual quarter final for Pakistan   Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan finally found some form with a 57 run opening partnership. Shaheen Afridi has  also returned to full form and fitness and that is looking like a good omen for Pakistan.

In the end I would like to say that Pakistan is looking good with the middle order looking good and having a formidable bowling line up. This Twenty20 World Cup 2022 in Australia looks like the 1992 World Cup which  also was held in Australia for Pakistan. Well I hope that comes true as I wish Pakistan to win the 2022 Twenty20 World Cup.

Pakistan knocked out of of Twenty20 World cup 2022

 Pakistan in all probability have been knocked out of Twenty20 World cup 2022 in the super 12s. South Africa will most probably beat Netherlands and India in all probability will beat Zimbabwe in their last super 12 matches.

I can't understand Pakistan cricket team that how can they defeat a strong team like South Africa and lose to a minnow team like.     Zimbabwe. To me Pakistan couldn't recover from the shock defeat to India in their earlier match when Virat Kohli stole the match from Pakistan's grasp. That shock defeat resulted in Pakistan's failure to win against Zimbabwe.

In the end I would like to say had luck gone in Pakistan s favour against India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan would have qualified for the semi finals in the Twenty20 World cup 2022 in Australia.

Review of Pakistan vs England T20 series 2022

 

Pakistan's performance in their home series was not that good as they lost the series  3-4 to England.. Their performance in the last two matches was pathetic to say the least as England defeated them like school boys and they were very one sided contests. If Mohammed Rizwan and Babar Azam dont perform as openers they are doomed for a low score. Pakistan's middle order is a cause  of big concern.

   The middle order batsmen comprising of batsman like Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah and  Asif Ali always lets the team down.  They not only score few runs but when they do score they score these runs with a pathetic strike rate. 

  Shan Masood did well at number 3 or 4 in the batting order scoring two fifties.in the series. He is one batsman who is consistent and provides the middle order with much stability. I think Fakhar Zaman should be in the team as he is the only reliable power hitter in the team. 

In the end I would like to say Pakistan did well in the series uptill the fifth match in the series but their performance in the last two matches was not upto the mark. If their middle order starts clicking the Pakistan team will be hard to beat.

England's tour of Pakistan

 

England's tour of Pakistan is a welcome return of international cricket in Pakistan. Now Pakistan is no longer a no-go zone in cricketing world and we no longer have to depend on neutral venues like the UAE for our home matches.

England start as clear favourites over Pakistan in this home series of 7 matches played in Karachi and Lahore. England have got great strikers and clean hittters in their batting line up whereas Pakistan only have Asif Ali who can really hit the ball hard. Asif Ali is not dependable as was seen in his performances in Asia Cup. Pakistan have included Shan Masood who will give stability in the middle order.

Pakistan  once again depend a lot on the opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. Of which Babar Azam is in poor form as indicated by his performance in Asia Cup. Things are looking gloomy for Pakistan with Babar Azam not in good form and Shaheen Afridi absent due to Injury.

In the end I would like to say with England winning the last Twenty20 series 2-1 in 2021 against Pakistan. England are the clear favourites over Pakistan in this series too.

Pakistan's performance in Asia Cup 2022

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Pakistan's performance in Asia Cup was good as they reached the final of Asia Cup 2022.  This was Pakistan's best performance in Asia Cup since  the  2014  Asia Cup as they were runners up in 2022 Asia Cup. In 2016 Asia Cup they failed to go beyond first round and in 2018 Asia Cup they were eliminated in super four losing to India and Bangladesh.

Pakistan won after a good chase in the super four clash against India. Against Afghanistan they faltered chasing a target of 130 which was modest by any means. They were reduced to 118 for 9 at                          one stage before Naseem Shah struck two sixes to rescue Pakistan and become a national hero.           Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by just one wicket in the super four to reach the final of the tournament.

Pakistan were  unlucky  in the final that Fakhar Zaman got out early as he is one batsman who scores his runs quickly. He is the only clean striker and hitter in the Pakistani  batting line up.

Overall I would say that Pakistan did pretty well in the tournament as they defeated arch rivals India on the route to the final against Sri Lanka. Had Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka  to a modest total  of 130 or 140 runs after restricting them to 68 for 5 at one stage Pakistan would have probably won the tournament.                                                   

Asia Cup 2022

Pakistan I am afraid are not the favourites for the Asia  Cup 2022. 

            

                     India on the otherhand look like a strong contender for Asia  Cup.     India have a very strong batting line up  with several star players playing.     Their bowling is very tight showing variation.                   They look like a good all round team.   The Indian team is currently in     great form  and they just dont rely on one or two players.   

Whereas Pakistan cricket team relies on Mohammad Rizwan and  Babar Azam opening pair a lot. If one of them get out Pakistan is doomed for a low total/ Shaheen Afridi is also not playing in Asia cup due to  injury    Shaheen Afridis absence is a big blow as he is one bowler   who gets the main batsmen in opposition out.   The rest of Pakistan's bowling is ordinary.

In the end I predict Pakistan to reach atleast  the Final of Asia Cup as Pakistan is pretty good twenty20 side and the rest of the opposition that is Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are not that strong.                                           

Pakistan -Sri Lanka Test series 2022

 

Sri Lanka is always a tough opposition playing at home and home conditions suits them. This can be judged by the fact that even an invincible team like Australia failed to beat them in the ODI series and test series. Sri Lanka won the ODI series 3-2 and drew the test series 1-1 against Australia. This proves that Sri Lanka are hard to beat at home and Pakistan will have a difficult tour of Sri Lanka.

In the home test series against Australia, it was proven that Pakistani batting is susceptible to reverse swing and they will wilt and collapse under pressure. If this is the case then Sri Lanka are clear favourites over Pakistan. The Sri Lankan pitches are likely to favour spinners and Pakistanis clearly lack an inform spinner. Pakistan look unlikely to bowl Sri Lanka twice with their bowling which clearly lacks depth, penetration and class.

Pakistan cannot depend entirely on Yasir Shah who isnt in form these days and he is no longer the World Class leg spinner that he used to be and he is well past his prime.

In the end I would like to say Sri Lanka are clear favourites to win the test series all because of playing in home conditions.

Pakistan -West Indies ODI series preview 2022

 

The West Indies team of late hasnt been in great form and they are far away from the invincible West Indian sides of 1980s and 1990s. One can judge the West Indian form that they lost a home ODI series against Ireland. Ireland with all respects is a minnow team. West Indies on the tour of Pakistan were further weakened by the absence of Jason Holder and Kemar Roach.

   Pakistan won the first ODI thanks to Khushdil Shah s cameo innings and Babar Azam's century.  Imam ul Haq also chipped in with a useful 67. Pakistan has now the ability to chase 300 plus scores it is an ability which they previously didnt have. In March they chased down a target of 348 runs set by Australia and over here in Multan they scored 306 runs against West Indies. Pakistan have found a match winner and a finisher like Khushdil Shah in Pakistan's middle order which is a great omen for the team. Hopefully Khushdil Shah will do for Pakistan  what Micheal Bevan used to do for Australia.

  In the second ODI Pakistan were bowled out for a below par total of 275. Mohammad Nawaz had other ideas and his big breaking left arm spin ensured that West Indies were bowled out for a small total of 155 and Pakistan winning by a huge margin of 120 runs. Again which is becoming more of a norm Imam ul Haq and Babar Azam had a century partnership which are good signs for Pakistan cricket.

  In the end I would like to say Pakistan has shown in their batting that they will fight all the way and they have an ability to chase down huge totals while batting second.

Ramiz Raja as PCB's chairman

 

Ramiz Raja is not only a famous cricketer but a renowned commentator as well as a great cricket adminstrator as well. Ramiz Raja was Pakistan's 1992 World Cup hero playing a number of match winning knocks as an opener in the 1992 World Cup. His contribution to the 1992 World Cup triumph was vital and critical as he played a number of crucial innings at the top of the order for Pakistan in the 1992 World Cup. He would often see off the new ball which swings early in the innings in order to make it easier for the rest of the batting to come. Imran Khan made a great decision to appoint him as PCB's chairman.

Here are a few great decisions taken by Ramiz Raja during his tenure:

1) The decision to appoint foreign coaches like Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander for the 2021 ICC twenty20 World Cup. The decision made great dividends as Pakistan reached the Semi Finals of the 2021 ICC World Cup without losing a single match. This performance was a great improvement by the Pakistan cricket team over two previous ICC World cup twenty20 tournaments in 2014 and 2016 where we failed to go beyond the first round.  

2) The decision to appoint Saqlain Mushtaq as head coach and Mohammad Yousuf as batting coach. Under Saqlain Mushtaq's coaching before the home series against Australia, Pakistan won 14 out of 15 international matches played. Our batting showed great improvement under Mohammad Yousuf's coaching as the team chased down a Pakistani record total of 348 runs batting second in the second ODI between Pakistan and Australia at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.

3) The decision to prepare flat tracks for the home series against Australia. If Ramiz Raja didnt take this decision of preparing such pitches Pakistan might have lost 3-0 to this formidable Australian side in the test series.

In the end, I would like to say that Ramiz Raja being a former cricketer himself understands the game and knows Pakistan's strengths and weaknesses. He being a cricketer himself has vast acumen and knowledge of the sport of cricket. 

Review of Pakistan tour by Australia 2022

 

I am extremely glad that Australia finally toured Pakistan after a gap of 24 years. Unlike the 1998 tour of Pakistan which proved to be a winless series for Pakistan , Pakistan did manage to win a couple of matches this time. Although Pakistan won the ODI series the Australian team was severely depleted for the ODI series missing several star players. Pakistan lost the test series 1-0 and the one off Twenty20 match.

The test series was a hard fought one. Pakistan survived 172 overs in their second innings at Karachi which we all know is a Pakistani fortress venue. If Pakistan had lost the Karachi test they might have lost the series 2-0 to Australia but Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafiq came to Pakistan's rescue. The third test saw Pakistan collapsing in their first innings for 7 wickets for 20 runs and Pakistan never recovered in the test match after that collapse.

Pakistan won the ODI series 2-1 which is a reason for all the Pakistanis to cheer as this was Pakistan's first ODI series win over Australia since 2002. The jinx of losing 16 consecutive matches to Australia across all the formats was finally broken in this ODI series. Pakistan also made a record total batting second in the second ODI of 352 runs over Australia.

Overall I would say Pakistan cricket team's performance was okay in this home series as they were facing a formidable and champion Australian team. What worries me is that in the test team we dont have any quality spinner. Our performance as an ODI side improved and credit must be given to Babar Azam and Imam ul Haq.

The 1999 tour of India by Pakistan

 

Pakistan has gone on many tours throughout their cricket history but no tour by Pakistan was as successful with good quality cricket played as Pakistan tour of India in 1999. Pakistan cricket team was at it's peak form  and alongwith Australia it was ranked as one of the top teams in the world in 1999. It was no wonder why Pakistan was being considered as favourites for the 1999 world cup as it had legendary batsmen like Saeed Anwar and Inzamam ul Haq and a varied world class bowling line up boasting the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Shahid Afridi and All rounders such as Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood.

   The test series was tied 1-1 in the 1999 Pakistan tour of India. The first test played at Chennai was one of the closest test matches on history of cricket with Pakistan winning by just 12 runs. Chasing a target of 271 runs India were on a  very strong position with 17 runs needed and four wickets in hand and Sachin Tendulkar not out with a century score to his name. Right at that score Sachin Tendulkar got out to Saqlain Mushtaq and the rest of the Indian batting collapsed to defeat. Saqlain Mushtaq took 10 wickets and Shahid Afridi scored a match winning century in the second innings of the first test at Chennai. The second test was a one sided affair as chasing a target of 420 runs Pakistan were all out for 186 in their second innings with Anil Kumble taking a world record 10 wickets in that innings and with India winning comprehensively.

After winning the Kolkata Asian test championship match against India, Pakistan then went on to win the triangular ODI series also involving Sri Lanka by defeating India in the final at Bangalore. So in this way this was a very memorable tour of India by Pakistan in 1999 and Pakistani cricket team was successful in it boasting a team we might say Pakistan's best ever team in their cricketing history.

Australia tour to Pakistan 2022

Pakistan has always generally found it tough against most Australian teams of the past and present. In Australia- Pakistan matches , Australia generally have the upper hand and Australia always start as favourites against Pakistan. Pakistan havent defeated Australia in test matches since 2019, havent defeated Australia in ODI's since 2017 and they havent defeated Australia in Twenty20 Internationals since 2018. They have a pathetic record against Australia and it seems they have some psychological issues with Australia if not talent wise or professional issues. The last tour of Pakistan in 1998 by Australia wasnt a fruitful one for Pakistan. Pakistan lost the test series 1-0 to Australia and the ODI series 3-0 to Australia in 1998 Australian tour of Pakistan. Mark Taylor was the captain of Australia in their last tour of Pakistan in 1998.

Given that recently Australia has a pathetic record in test cricket in the sub continent. I rate Pakistan's chances highly in test matches because Australian's have an hereditary weakness against spin and in Pakistan spinning and turning pitches will be prepared. Pitches in Pakistan dont suit Australian bowler of fast and bouncy type of bowling so Pakistani batting will enjoy the Australian bowling. Australian batsmen have a weakness against quality spin bowling so Sajid Khan and Nauman  Ali can lick their lips.

Pakistan is a weak ODI team. They dont have the firepower in both the batting and bowling departments in ODI cricket. In batting their batsmen seldom score in excess of 300 runs which is a necessity in modern day ODI cricket and in bowling they lack penetration to bowl the opposition out.

Our Twenty20 team is extremely good, and I have a lots of hope from twenty20 team which reached the semi finals of Twenty20 World Cup in 2021 held in UAE and also we have to take revenge from Australia for defeating us in the semi finals of that World Cup.

In the end I will like to say Pakistan cricket team is in a roll winning 14 out of their last 15 international matches under Saqlain Mushtaq's coaching. I am sure Pakistan cricket team will give a tough fight to Australia.

Pakistan's best of All time all rounders

 

According to me, Pakistan's best three all rounders of all time are:

1) Imran Khan

2)  Shahid Khan Afridi

3) Abdul Razzaq

1) Imran Khan : I rate Imran Khan's as the best all rounder of Pakistan of all time. A great exponent of reverse swing , it was Imran Khan who taught Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis how to bowl late swing and reverse swing. It was because of Imran Khan teaching of the art of swing Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis became great bowlers and both had a long and illustrious careers. Imran Khan's stock ball was the off cutter and inswinging deliveries he used to bowl at will. At the peak of his career Imran Khan's dangerously fast bowling was matching the speeds of the legendary Jeff Thomson. Imran Khan was not only a great bowler but a batsmen of high quality too who can rescue Pakistani batting out of tough situations with his aggressive and long hitting.

2) Shahid Afridi: I rate Shahid Afridi as the second best All time All rounder in the history of Pakistani cricket. Shahid Afridi was the biggest crowd puller I have ever seen and he literally used to thrill the crowd with his hard hits and striking the ball infact smashing it to all parts of the stadium. He had one of the highest batting strike rates amongst the batsmen in the history of cricket. As a bowler he had many variations in his bowling including the quicker one which used to surprise many great batsmen, googly, flipper, top spinner and leg break.

3) Abdul Razzaq: I rate Abdul Razzaq as the third best All time all rounder in the history of Pakistani cricket. Abdul Razzaq can play any role as a batsman whether the sheet anchor role or the aggressor. Abdul Razzaq won many matches for Pakistan with his hard hitting for sixes and fours in a lot of matches and was responsible from rescuing Pakistan out of losing situations and winning those matches which were surely lost. As a bowler it is said that Sachin Tendulkar was Abdul Razzaq's bunny as Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by Abdul Razzaq several times during his career. Abdul Razzaq was a true match winner with both bat and ball.

So these are my ratings for the best All rounders to ever play the game for Pakistan. Do you agree with my ratings. Please comment.

Pakistani Cricket (in depth): Pakistan cricket team in the Calendar Year 2021

Pakistani Cricket (in depth): Pakistan cricket team in the Calendar Year 2021:   Pakistan overall had a successful 2021 year in cricket. In 27 Twenty20 Internationals they won twenty matches, in 9 test matches they won ...

Pakistan cricket team in the Calendar Year 2021

 

Pakistan overall had a successful 2021 year in cricket. In 27 Twenty20 Internationals they won twenty matches, in 9 test matches they won 7 matches and only in ODI's they had a terrible year as they won just 2 ODI's out of 6 matches. In ODI cricket the dismal record of Pakistan cricket team is due to the horrible tour of England where they won just one Twenty20 match against England and were whitewashed 3-0 by a second string England side in the ODI series.

Pakistan had a terrible start to 2021 when they lost to New Zealand in the second test match of the series on the tour to New Zealand. But then in the home series PCB made changes by bringing in Babar Azam as captain of the test team and making Mohammad Wasim as chief selector.in place of Misbah ul Haq. The changes proved vital to the Pakistan cricket team as they defeated South Africa for the first time since 2003 in a test series 2-0 at home.  They went onto win 2-0 in Zimbabwe, drew 1-1 with West Indies and defeat Bangladesh in Bangladesh 2-0.

Pakistan had a disappointing year in ODI's in 2021 just because of their tour of England. Pakistan defeated South Africa in the ODI series played in South Africa 2-1 but on the tour of England Pakistan were clean swept by a second string England cricket team. On paper Pakistan were favourites to beat a second string England side missing several star players but the opposite happened and Pakistan unexpectedly were beaten badly.

Pakistan had a stellar year in Twenty20 cricket, winning a record 20 matches in a calendar year. In the twenty20 World Cup Pakistan defeated tough teams such as arch rivals India and New Zealand before losing heartbreakingly so to eventual champions Australia in the Semi Finals. Muhammad Rizwan played a vital role in Pakistan's success in Twenty20 cricket as he scored a world record runs tally in a Calendar year. The Babar Azam-Muhammad Rizwan opening pair four times reached the partnership of 150 plus runs.

Overall I will count 2021 as one of the best year in Pakistan cricket history performance wise. In 2021 Pakistan cricket team proved itself to be a force to be reckoned with in cricket.