After two tense, close contests, Pakistan ran away with the third to clinch the series 2-0. As predicted in my last blog, the Test match was decided by the superiority of the ‘home’ side’s spin attack against England’s.
With Buttler dropped, James Taylor beefed up the batting and Samit Patel offered a third spin option. However, while slow bowlers totally dominated the India v South Africa encounter at Mohali, they didn’t have it all their own way at Sharjah. On the first day, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad conceded just 30 runs in 28 overs, while Patel, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid went for almost four an over. Only Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfraz Ahmed took charge and helped Pakistan past 200.
In reply, five England players reached 40 but Taylor was alone in passing 50, taking the team to a first innings lead of 72. It would have been more had it not been for Shoaib Malik’s three late wickets, including that of the injured Ben Stokes. However, they could not ram home their advantage.
Mohammad Hafeez survived an early scare and went on to an impressive 151. Stokes was out of action but England’s two seamers were once more in superb form. Nevertheless they can’t bowl continuously in the UAE heat, and the spinners again looked the weakest link.
Pakistan raced away to a lead of 283, a not impossible target in normal circumstances. However, in Sharjah, Yasir Shah, Malik and Zulfiqur Babar made few mistakes, maintain the pressure and grinding England down. Alastair Cook did his best, outlasting eight of his team-mates in an innings of 63 runs and four hours. England were destroyed in five overs, when the middle-order were sent packing for only 11 runs. Three of them fell LBW, bamboozled by the spin of Babar and Shah, and the series was lost on the final afternoon.
Only Cook, England’s only centurion, Anderson and Broad emerged with much credit from the series. The captain’s massive 263 at Abu Dhabi was almost as many as the second highest scorer, Joe Root, managed in all six attempts. Anderson’s 13 victims came at just 15 apiece and at a phenomenal economy rate of 1.87. Normally you might expect spinners to frustrate batsmen, but the England seamers did their best. Unfortunately, Ali and Rashid showed that, despite the coaching of Shane Warne, they aren’t yet the real deal.
Yasir Shah definitely is and across the series he was the prime difference between the two well-matched teams. Five Pakistan batsmen struck hundreds and averaged 48 or more, demonstrating how to cope with slow bowling at this level. Younis and Misbah surely can’t have many more Tests in them, and Shoaib has already announced his retirement. As with Sri Lanka, Pakistan need to find young batting talent if they are to threaten the other top nations in five-day cricket.
As for England, all is not lost for their forthcoming trip to South Africa. Nevertheless, much rests on the fitness of Broad and Anderson. I’m not sure whether Moeen Ali is the right opening partner for Cook in Tests. However, neither is Alex Hales. Both are excellent one-day openers and England’s squad is looking like a converted ODI outfit; too many all-rounders, not enough specialists. Most other countries are similar; it’s the new era of cricket.
I think that with some work Bairstow could become a top ‘keeper-batsman, much as Alec Stewart was a few decades ago. Buttler has never done much in first-class cricket, not even for Somerset. I like Taylor, Root and, for all his recent travails, Ian Bell. Graeme Swann is badly missed, but world-class spinners are a rarity. Anywhere in the world. Wood and Jordan are OK but unlikely to scare the likes of Amla or De Villiers. On the other hand, South Africa are short of good spinners, too, so we could be in for another competitive series.
Showing posts with label Mohammad Hafeez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mohammad Hafeez. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 November 2015
Sunday, 30 November 2014
New Zealand's triumph a worthy tribute to Phil Hughes
It's been a tough week for cricket. Regardless of whether you love cricket, the death of Phil Hughes was a shocking reminder that sport can be a dangerous pastime, even the pastoral pastime of leather on willow. Even people who take little interest in cricket have beebn affected. After appropriate delays and postponements, international fixtures resumed, with the deciding Test between Pakistan and New Zealand the most intriguing.
Misbah-ul-Haq's side have been in the zone lately with plenty of runs and fine spin bowling. Younis Khan in particular has been in spectacular form. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the runaway train derailed at Sharjah. The fairytale script would have had the recalled Daniel Vettori scoring a century and nabbing ten wickets, but there was no fairydust sprinkled on the bespectacled Black Cap legend. After a gap of more than two years, the 35 year-old did score 15 and add two wickets to his impressive Test tally of 360, but in many respects he was outperformed by just about all his team-mates.
Misbah won the toss and elected to bat. While Mohammad Hafeez was at the crease, that looked an excellent decision. However, once he top-edged a pull to be fifth man out for 197, the side collapsed to the spin of Mark Craig, a 27 year-old with only thirty games' first-class experience. What came next was unprecedented in New Zealand cricket. In under two days, they amassed a record 690 at getting on for five an over.
Skipper Brendon MaCullum led from the front, making another double-century at more than a runa ball, and shattering his country's second-wicket partnership record alongside Kane Williamson, who notched 192 himself. Four others also reached 50; the total of six half-centurions another first for NZ. Faced with the need to bat to save the game to win the series, Pakistan made a terrible start. Trent Boult had them reeling at 24-3 with swift in-swingers and seamers, his victims including Younis Khan first ball!
As in the first innings, one man attempted to hold it all together. This time it was Asad Shafiq, choosing attack as the best form of defence. He fell on 137 and the final wicket fell the next over, McCullum pouching the catch to hand Craig a first 'ten-for'.
While delivering disappointment for Pakistan in the Middle East, this counter-attacking performance will do the Black Caps the world of good. As well as the record run and 50 tallies for New Zealand, the whole match boasted 35 sixes, easily smashing the previous Test record of 27 notched by Pakistan v India in 2006 (Shahid Afridi at his best) and Bangladesh against - of all opponents - New Zealand last October. They've now won or drawn each of their last five series, with six victories and three draws out of eleven Tests and if they take this confidence into the 50-over World Cup, they might actually have a chance of winning the tournament instead of being perennial mere thorns in the side of the big guns.
As for this week in Sharjah, nobody was hurt, the match was played in good spirit and the late Phil Hughes was not forgotten. The same can be said for this Third Test.
Misbah-ul-Haq's side have been in the zone lately with plenty of runs and fine spin bowling. Younis Khan in particular has been in spectacular form. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the runaway train derailed at Sharjah. The fairytale script would have had the recalled Daniel Vettori scoring a century and nabbing ten wickets, but there was no fairydust sprinkled on the bespectacled Black Cap legend. After a gap of more than two years, the 35 year-old did score 15 and add two wickets to his impressive Test tally of 360, but in many respects he was outperformed by just about all his team-mates.
Misbah won the toss and elected to bat. While Mohammad Hafeez was at the crease, that looked an excellent decision. However, once he top-edged a pull to be fifth man out for 197, the side collapsed to the spin of Mark Craig, a 27 year-old with only thirty games' first-class experience. What came next was unprecedented in New Zealand cricket. In under two days, they amassed a record 690 at getting on for five an over.
Skipper Brendon MaCullum led from the front, making another double-century at more than a runa ball, and shattering his country's second-wicket partnership record alongside Kane Williamson, who notched 192 himself. Four others also reached 50; the total of six half-centurions another first for NZ. Faced with the need to bat to save the game to win the series, Pakistan made a terrible start. Trent Boult had them reeling at 24-3 with swift in-swingers and seamers, his victims including Younis Khan first ball!
As in the first innings, one man attempted to hold it all together. This time it was Asad Shafiq, choosing attack as the best form of defence. He fell on 137 and the final wicket fell the next over, McCullum pouching the catch to hand Craig a first 'ten-for'.
While delivering disappointment for Pakistan in the Middle East, this counter-attacking performance will do the Black Caps the world of good. As well as the record run and 50 tallies for New Zealand, the whole match boasted 35 sixes, easily smashing the previous Test record of 27 notched by Pakistan v India in 2006 (Shahid Afridi at his best) and Bangladesh against - of all opponents - New Zealand last October. They've now won or drawn each of their last five series, with six victories and three draws out of eleven Tests and if they take this confidence into the 50-over World Cup, they might actually have a chance of winning the tournament instead of being perennial mere thorns in the side of the big guns.
As for this week in Sharjah, nobody was hurt, the match was played in good spirit and the late Phil Hughes was not forgotten. The same can be said for this Third Test.
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
2013 Cricketers of the Year
Following my selection of Test and ODI teams of the Year, it's now time to pick out the players who proved to be the best and most consistent performers across 2013 in all forms of cricket. It's not just about the internationals; there have been some notable achievements by those knocking on the door of national selectors as well as those for whom that door is probably closed for good.
That was the situation thought to be facing Chris Rogers at the start of the year. A one-Test wonder for Australia but a solid run-scorer in first-class cricket, he had been made Middlesex captain for the summer. However, David Warner's attitude and form, together with the sudden change of coach during the tour of England, led to his reinstatement as opener at the ripe old age of 36. While he didn't exactly set the world alight, he restored some reliability to the top order and rounded off the year perfectly with an Ashes century at the MCG. In all, he made more than 2,500 first-class runs during 2013, a marvellous achievement.
Kaushal Silva was elevated to Sri Lanka's team for the last Test match of 2013 and his domestic record explains why. IN only sixteen previous first-class matches, he scored 1,753 runs at an average of almost 80, and nobody claimed more than his nine centuries all year. He is a wicket-keeper, too, so has been sidelined by the combination of Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardene. Maybe not for too much longer.
IN addition to Rogers, two other 30-something Aussies batsmen made their presence felt in the county game this summer. Michael Klinger was the main bright spot for Gloucestershire and, taken together with his efforts for South Australia, he scored well over 1,000 runs in each of the first-class and List A formats. Michael Hogan also sprinkled some fairy dust onto Glamorgan wih his long-striding, high action seam bowling. This was followed by more success with Western Australia in the Shield, making him the only man to take more than 100 first-class wickets in 2013.
Graeme Onions once more out-bowled just about everyone else in county cricket yet was left out of the Ashes party presumably because he wasn't tall enough. Apparently, England like their drinks waiters to be at least six feet six, like Finn and Rankin, or ginger, like Bairstow, so the big Durham man was left to watch and laugh/cry as his elders and betters failed so miserably Down Under.
The West Indies are not best known for spinners, but while Sunil Narine continues to shine in T20, Shane Shillingford blitzed all and sundry for much of the year in first-class cricket. He claimed 88 wickets in all, at more than seven a match and an average of 16.37. That's phenomenal. Like most bowlers, he had to toil against India's talented array of batsmen and then in mid-December, not for the first time, his bowling action was adjudged to be illegal and requiring further remodelling. Time will tell whether he will be the same bowler again. Caribbean cricket can ill lose any reasonably talented cricketer these days.
Mohammad Hafeez is also past the age of 30 and has also had his critics. An opening batsman who can't score runs quickly enough and a spinner who can't take wickets. Yet somehow he was one of the most consistent all-rounders in limited-over cricket in 2013. IN 30 ODIs he accumulated 1,300 runs at a strike rate comparable with Amla and Dilshan and also contributed more than 600 T20 runs in all competitions. His spin option brought him 22 T20 wickets, too, at an excellent economy rate of 6.46 an over.
In addition to the players above, of course the top international stars of the year have already been mentioned in my previous blogs but they deserve a repeat mention in my review of the overall players of 2013. AB De Villiers is caurrently unrivalled as a batsman in all forms of cricket. Not only does he score shedloads of runs but he does so at a rate which puts most contemporaries to shame. His SR of 154 in all T20 games out-guns even Gayle, Pollard, Warner and Ten Doeschate. Add in his wicket-keeping and one-day captaincy duties and AB must be the outstanding all-round cricketer in the world game.
His South Africa team-mate, Dale Steyn, likewise must be the top bowler for his wickets, strike and economy rates spanning the formats in 2013. Final credits go to the 25 year-old Indian batting duo of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. The former has been one of the foremost one-day batsmen and fielders of recent years and, if his exploits in the recent first Test in South Africa are anything to go by, he seems to be adding patience and sensible decision-making to his repertoire. Pujara was the only man apart from Rogers to score more than 2000 first-class runs, and did so without county cricket. Unencumbered by T20 fripperies, his record since the start of October includes a triple, double and three other hundreds in only twelve innings. His FC average for the year is just shy of 100. I hope he goes on to consolidate his position as India's Test number three in 2014.
A happy New Year to them and all readers, too!
That was the situation thought to be facing Chris Rogers at the start of the year. A one-Test wonder for Australia but a solid run-scorer in first-class cricket, he had been made Middlesex captain for the summer. However, David Warner's attitude and form, together with the sudden change of coach during the tour of England, led to his reinstatement as opener at the ripe old age of 36. While he didn't exactly set the world alight, he restored some reliability to the top order and rounded off the year perfectly with an Ashes century at the MCG. In all, he made more than 2,500 first-class runs during 2013, a marvellous achievement.
Kaushal Silva was elevated to Sri Lanka's team for the last Test match of 2013 and his domestic record explains why. IN only sixteen previous first-class matches, he scored 1,753 runs at an average of almost 80, and nobody claimed more than his nine centuries all year. He is a wicket-keeper, too, so has been sidelined by the combination of Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardene. Maybe not for too much longer.
IN addition to Rogers, two other 30-something Aussies batsmen made their presence felt in the county game this summer. Michael Klinger was the main bright spot for Gloucestershire and, taken together with his efforts for South Australia, he scored well over 1,000 runs in each of the first-class and List A formats. Michael Hogan also sprinkled some fairy dust onto Glamorgan wih his long-striding, high action seam bowling. This was followed by more success with Western Australia in the Shield, making him the only man to take more than 100 first-class wickets in 2013.
Graeme Onions once more out-bowled just about everyone else in county cricket yet was left out of the Ashes party presumably because he wasn't tall enough. Apparently, England like their drinks waiters to be at least six feet six, like Finn and Rankin, or ginger, like Bairstow, so the big Durham man was left to watch and laugh/cry as his elders and betters failed so miserably Down Under.
The West Indies are not best known for spinners, but while Sunil Narine continues to shine in T20, Shane Shillingford blitzed all and sundry for much of the year in first-class cricket. He claimed 88 wickets in all, at more than seven a match and an average of 16.37. That's phenomenal. Like most bowlers, he had to toil against India's talented array of batsmen and then in mid-December, not for the first time, his bowling action was adjudged to be illegal and requiring further remodelling. Time will tell whether he will be the same bowler again. Caribbean cricket can ill lose any reasonably talented cricketer these days.
Mohammad Hafeez is also past the age of 30 and has also had his critics. An opening batsman who can't score runs quickly enough and a spinner who can't take wickets. Yet somehow he was one of the most consistent all-rounders in limited-over cricket in 2013. IN 30 ODIs he accumulated 1,300 runs at a strike rate comparable with Amla and Dilshan and also contributed more than 600 T20 runs in all competitions. His spin option brought him 22 T20 wickets, too, at an excellent economy rate of 6.46 an over.
In addition to the players above, of course the top international stars of the year have already been mentioned in my previous blogs but they deserve a repeat mention in my review of the overall players of 2013. AB De Villiers is caurrently unrivalled as a batsman in all forms of cricket. Not only does he score shedloads of runs but he does so at a rate which puts most contemporaries to shame. His SR of 154 in all T20 games out-guns even Gayle, Pollard, Warner and Ten Doeschate. Add in his wicket-keeping and one-day captaincy duties and AB must be the outstanding all-round cricketer in the world game.
His South Africa team-mate, Dale Steyn, likewise must be the top bowler for his wickets, strike and economy rates spanning the formats in 2013. Final credits go to the 25 year-old Indian batting duo of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. The former has been one of the foremost one-day batsmen and fielders of recent years and, if his exploits in the recent first Test in South Africa are anything to go by, he seems to be adding patience and sensible decision-making to his repertoire. Pujara was the only man apart from Rogers to score more than 2000 first-class runs, and did so without county cricket. Unencumbered by T20 fripperies, his record since the start of October includes a triple, double and three other hundreds in only twelve innings. His FC average for the year is just shy of 100. I hope he goes on to consolidate his position as India's Test number three in 2014.
A happy New Year to them and all readers, too!
Friday, 1 February 2013
Can Pakistan win in South Africa?
It's now six years and six matches since Pakistan last registered a Test victory over South Africa. Maybe Mohammad Hafeez's 4-wicket burst has dented the newly-inflated egos of Graeme Smith's men but that could merely spur on the world-class pace trio of Steyn, Philander and Morkel to rip through the visitors' batting. Pakistan can take comfort in the fact that they have avoided defeat in the last three fixtures between the countries, yet then again the Saffers were on top on each occasion and it was left to the likes of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq to bat for survival.
The first ever Test between the two teams was in 1995, in Jo'burg. South Africa were clear winners on that occasion, with Fanie de Villiers in fine all-round form. In October 2007, Pakistan played host to three Tests, drawing two and losing the third by only 53 runs despite a healthy first-innings lead. This time it was a Shaun Pollock 'five-for' which proved decisive. Four months later, it was back to SA where honours were even. The opening draw was notable for Pat Symcox scoring a century batting at ten. At Durban, centuries from Azhar Mahmood and Saeed Anwar, plus excellent bowling from Shoaib Akhtar and Mushtaq Ahmed secured a narrow win. However, at Port Elizabeth the wheels well and truly came off as Allan Donald and De Villiers each claimed eight cheap wickets en route to a 259-run rout.
2002-3 saw a thumping 2-0 home triumph for South Africa. In the second game, Smith and Herschelle Gibbs shared a 369-run opening stand at more than five an over and thereafter Waqar Younis' men were never in the contest. Later that year, Pakistan enjoyed their first home success against SA, beating a strong side led by a 22 year-old Smith in Lahore. This was followed by a close-run draw which could have gone either way. In January 2007, Akhtar and Danish Kaneria skittled the home side at Port Elizabeth for 124 and Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal steered Inzy's side to a five-wicket victory. However, this was top-and-tailed by South African successes, and Jacques Kallis was the PLayer of the Series. Pakistan's Second Test delight has had to keep them going ever since.
No Pakistani batsman has scored more against SA than Younis Khan (750 in 10 Tests) but of the bowlers in today's game, Umar Gul's 12 wickets (at more than 50 apiece!) is way below the tallies of Kaneria, Mushtaq and Younis. Curiously, neither Kallis, Steyn nor Morkel have enjoyed playing Pakistan. However, Kallis has revelled against them with the bat, striking six centuries in 16 appearances, amassing 1,522 runs at 66. He top-scored again today with 50 but you wouldn't bet against Smith, Amla and another De Villiers (AB) reversing fortunes as the Wanderers opener progresses. They are now world number ones, full of confidence and playing at home against an experienced but creaking team. Losing isn't an option for them, but how Misbah-ul-Huq, in his 39th year, would love to make it win number four.
The first ever Test between the two teams was in 1995, in Jo'burg. South Africa were clear winners on that occasion, with Fanie de Villiers in fine all-round form. In October 2007, Pakistan played host to three Tests, drawing two and losing the third by only 53 runs despite a healthy first-innings lead. This time it was a Shaun Pollock 'five-for' which proved decisive. Four months later, it was back to SA where honours were even. The opening draw was notable for Pat Symcox scoring a century batting at ten. At Durban, centuries from Azhar Mahmood and Saeed Anwar, plus excellent bowling from Shoaib Akhtar and Mushtaq Ahmed secured a narrow win. However, at Port Elizabeth the wheels well and truly came off as Allan Donald and De Villiers each claimed eight cheap wickets en route to a 259-run rout.
2002-3 saw a thumping 2-0 home triumph for South Africa. In the second game, Smith and Herschelle Gibbs shared a 369-run opening stand at more than five an over and thereafter Waqar Younis' men were never in the contest. Later that year, Pakistan enjoyed their first home success against SA, beating a strong side led by a 22 year-old Smith in Lahore. This was followed by a close-run draw which could have gone either way. In January 2007, Akhtar and Danish Kaneria skittled the home side at Port Elizabeth for 124 and Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal steered Inzy's side to a five-wicket victory. However, this was top-and-tailed by South African successes, and Jacques Kallis was the PLayer of the Series. Pakistan's Second Test delight has had to keep them going ever since.
No Pakistani batsman has scored more against SA than Younis Khan (750 in 10 Tests) but of the bowlers in today's game, Umar Gul's 12 wickets (at more than 50 apiece!) is way below the tallies of Kaneria, Mushtaq and Younis. Curiously, neither Kallis, Steyn nor Morkel have enjoyed playing Pakistan. However, Kallis has revelled against them with the bat, striking six centuries in 16 appearances, amassing 1,522 runs at 66. He top-scored again today with 50 but you wouldn't bet against Smith, Amla and another De Villiers (AB) reversing fortunes as the Wanderers opener progresses. They are now world number ones, full of confidence and playing at home against an experienced but creaking team. Losing isn't an option for them, but how Misbah-ul-Huq, in his 39th year, would love to make it win number four.
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