Pakistan - England Test Series | Numbers 4-7 Reviewed Author: Maaz; Views: 472; Date: 12-02-2012, 07:35;

Younis Khan 7/10 - Younis was short of runs in this series for the most part, but in his final innings hedemonstrated his class and calibre to become the 1st batsmen of the series to reach 3 figures. It was an exhibition of efficient technique to eliminate DRS, aggressive running between the wickets, manoeuvring the ball into the gaps, making it count once he was set, guiding Azhar Ali, accelerating and stamping his authority on the English attack. It was a masterpiece of an innings and England can and would have taken plenty of lessons from it, particularly on how to handle spin and overcome being paranoid as a result of DRS. It was Younis's 20th century in his glittering high achieving test career. The series couldn't go through without a Younis century and we finally got it. Younis would be the first to admit that he didn't have the best of times in this series, but he made up for it and it was only a matter of time before he delivered.

MUH - 8/10 - We saw two crucial dogged, sturdy, determined test match innings in his first 2 innings of the series in the first 4 days of the series. Alongside Azhar Ali, MUH was the only batsmen to reach above 50 twice in the series as he continued his sensationally consistent batting record as captain. All 5 times MUH was dismissed LBW and 4 times he reviewed unsuccessfully. MUH also put on a 50+ stand for the 4th wicket with Azhar Ali on the penultimate day of the series as the solid and dependable middle order batsmen killed time with tight defence and powers of patience allowing the pitch to deteriorate further. Surprisingly no catches came his way. MUH has now featured in 99 wins in a Pakistan shirt and will want to get to the 100th one in the 1st ODI at Abu Dhabi on Monday. MUH deserves the plaudits for captaining his side to their first whitewash outside home. Throughout the tour he extracted the best from his players and guided the likes of Adnan and Shafiq a great deal. Also, he ensured the team did not get in hot water and kept everything in check with his respectable stature and stabilising presence which has been a rarity in previous Pakistan - England contests.

Asad Shafiq 8/10 - Most catches by a non wicket keeper in the series as Shafiq held on to 6 of them which came his way. Shafiq continued to show why he was preferred ahead of the exciting and exuberant Umar Akmal with some vital knocks throughout the series, particularly in the Abu Dhabi test match and the first innings of the final test in Dubai where he top scored and allowed Pakistan to reach respectability when they were disastrously placed at 21/5 at one stage as the elegant stroke maker reached the 40s before being a victim of Monty's arm ball.

Adnan Akmal 6/10 - One half century in the opening test and he was even a contender for the player of the match award with 7 catches and a vital half century to provide Pakistan with an important lead. It's never easy to keeping to the likes of Saeed Ajmal and Adnan was reasonably sound in the keeping department with the odd slight error. Adnan Akmal has played 13 tests for Pakistan and Pakistan have never lost any of thosewith 8 wins along the way. He's clearly a lucky charm for the team with his excitable appealing, tidy glove work and entertaining batting. He's got areas to work on, but this whitewash is an experience he shall never forget as he was part of it by keeping the energy levels high behind the stumps.

Player ratings | Last 3 Tests Author: Maaz; Views: 636; Date: 24-01-2012, 08:07;

Taufeeq Umar 9/10: The latter stages of the Sri Lankan test series turned out to be pretty disappointing for him after that marathon double ton in Abu Dhabi which was the 2nd highest by a Pakistani opener after the little master’s Bridgetown epic in the 1950s, but Taufeeq bounced back hard in Bangladesh with a noteworthy score at Chittagong and Dhaka to end 2011 as Pakistan’s leading test run scorer with over 800 runs at average just above 45. Taufeeq was expected to be batsmen who will struggle against England with his technical deficiencies against spin and his unhealthy habit of being trapped LBW frequently when planting down the front pad early, but with his guts and persistence some felt he will be able to get through and he did by being one of the 4 half centurions in Pakistan’s innings which gave them an invaluable lead of 146. Taufeeq was looking solid throughout and drove fluently when the opportunities was there, but received a close to unplayable delivery from Broad which he had no answer to as it shaped in from around the wicket and straightened to disturb the top of the off stump bail.

Mohammad Hafeez 8/10: scored a century in Chittagong with his pleasing to the eye timing and placement all around the wagon wheel, unfortunately he had a poor test match at Dhaka and failed to make any constructive impact there, but much to his credit he came back hard in the first test of the series at the DSC where he claimed the wicket of ICC test cricketer of the year and the first wicket of the test series, coming into the attack in just the 6th over before going on to register a crafty 88 and knock off the required runs in the 4th innings unharmed as Pakistan cruised to victory.

Azhar Ali 6/10: missed out in Chittagong where he was caught behind looking to drive a full and wide delivery, but registered a resilient half century in Dhaka and played a crucial accelerating hand in the 4th innings chase in the fading light with limited time where he expressed him, was willing to gamble and looked assertive in his strokes to ensure Pakistan got over the line. He missed out at the DSC where he was caught behind fishing at a delivery outside the off stump to nick off after just 8 deliveries. We have been used to better from him, but I’m sure he’ll come back hard and bounce back. Azhar has featured in 9 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses in the 19 consecutive test matches he has represented Pakistan.

Younis 7/10: scored a double century in Chittagong and an unbeaten one too, he fell one short of getting to the 50 mark in Dhaka where he edged behind to a sharp turning delivery in the early minutes of day 4, but ensured he got the team over the line with Misbah batting 2nd time around. Younis only managed 37 in a total of 338 at the DSC in the first test against the Poms before getting trapped in front to the part timer Jonathan Trott who got one to nip back sharply off the seam. However, after 11 tests since Younis has resumed his career Pakistan are yet to lose with 6 victories.

Misbah ul Haq 7/10: also missed out in Chittagong when he was trapped in front for 20, but made a 70 odd in the first innings in Dhaka with some sublime strokes down the ground against the pacers and swept to the fence authoritatively, either reversed or dealt with in orthodox fashion against the spinners before getting an edge to slip which was taken as he attempted to sweep extravagantly towards mid wicket. The unstoppable stopper, irremovable barrier, electric fence and successful national captain concluded 2011 with a humungous 2nd ball mighty six over long off against the slow left arm orthodox spin of Sunny to end 2011 as Pakistan’s 2nd joint leading run scorer with fellow middle order batsmen in Younis Khan. Misbah started 2012 just as he finished 2011 by notching up a patient, disciplined, preserving, resilient, determined, resolute half century which means that he has now got 50+ scores against ALL test playing nations raging from Australia right down to Bangladesh as he delivered the goods in his first test against England in the Gulf. Misbah has now featured in 10 test wins for Pakistan and 10 defeats in 32 tests and as a captain he has 7 wins in 13 tests with only 1 narrow defeat and had been undefeated for 8 tests in a row, winning 6 of them. Misbah is eyeing a 4th consecutive test series win for Pakistan now with Pakistan 1-0 up in the series against England after seizing the initiative and putting England on the trailing button in Dubai in emphatic fashion. Misbah needs 4 more international wins for 100 wins as Pakistan player overall across all 3 formats combined in less than 150 internationals which is a reflection of the calm influence his presence has in the side.

Shafiq 8/10: scored his maiden test century in Pakistan’s run feast in Chittagong and made a 40 odd in the next innings he got. As often has been the case in the 16 months he has been in the side he was dismissed out side the off stump whilst looking to hang the bat out there as Anderson’s outswinger gobbled him up in the first over with the 2nd new ball. Nevertheless as always he brings confidence and reliability in the field with his top notch catching credentials and athleticism in general which was evident in the 2 catches he held on to as England were rolled over in no time in the 3rd innings as Misbah ul Haq’s side tasted an overwhelming result.

Adnan 9/10: Adnan did not really get a chance to bat properly in Chittagong when Misbah ul Haq decided enough was enough with a lead of over 400, but made a half century, his first one at test level in Dhaka to provide the bowlers with a lead of 132 in a test match which they went on to win relatively comprehensively. Adnan played a vital role in Pakistan’s 10 wicket triumph over the world number 1 ranked test side at the Dubai Sports City when he compiled a crucial 60 odd. Adnan came into bat when the England bowlers had their tail up, were applying the pressure and really bending their backs as they smelled blood to reduce the Pakistani deficit to a minimal and manageable one, but he hung in there and toughed it out to overcome the 2nd new ball. The following morning Pakistan had a lead of 96 with 3 wickets in hand and Adnan was left with the tail. Studio experts such as Butcher and Willis were backing England to restrict the lead to 110-120 maximum, but Adnan spent valuable time at the middle and stretched the Pakistani lead to 146. His presence and stay at the crease resulted in frustration for the English batsmen who would have been looking forward to getting back in the pavilion and just focussing on batting better 2nd time around. His innings must have disturbed their mindset. Adnan held on to 7 catches behind the stumps and hardly put a foot wrong with the gloves.

Abdur Rehman 8/10: Underappreciated, underrated. Rehman was the leading wicket taker in Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh with 11 scalps in 2 tests as his slow arm spin troubled the Bangladeshis on the slow and low wickets. His presence enables Ajmal to attack more and also pushes him to strive for that extra mile knowing that he has another performing and dependable spinner in the team. Rehman produced some peaches with his left arm spinners in the 1st test at the DSC, particularly referring to the dismissal of Swann in the first innings which turned marginally to beat the bat and disturb the stumps.

Umar Gul 7/10: Gul collected 7 wickets in 2 tests in Bangladesh, but during the 3rd innings of the 2nd test the pacer claimed 2 wickets in successive deliveries in a short burst on day 4 just before tea as he removed Tamim with a bouncer and had Nafees LBW first up with one pitched up. In the first innings he produced anunplayable bouncer to Nafees in the same test which totally stunned him and denied him what would have been a well deserved 3 figure score. Although Gul went wicket less in the first innings at the DSC and was ineffective in his 2nd spell, his first 4 overs were rather tidy and he didn’t give much away. In the 3rd innings at the DSC the experienced seamer was on the money to strangle Cook and Strauss down the leg side, catch KP in a trap bowling short and provide the breakthrough of Trott just before he got to 50.

Aizaz Cheema 7/10: Cheema was extremely impressive in Dhaka where he troubled the Bangladeshis with swing and seam in overcast conditions and went on to pick up 6 in the match and 10 in the series with his fast medium pacers. Cheema strangled Trott down the leg side at the DSC and although he didn’t get any 2nd time around he looked threatening particularly to Strauss when sending down some probing lengths drawing the left hander into the stroke. With 21 wickets in 5 tests and a handful of more in LOIs Cheema has been a superb find as a late bloomer in the Pakistan ranks.

Saeed Ajmal 9/10: The 2011 New Road overseas star performer ended 2011 as the leading wicket taker in tests and got to exactly 50 scalps after picking up 9 in Bangladesh where he bowled well in patches, but wasn’t ruthless as he could have been, but fair play to the Bangladeshis who picked him reasonably well and also didn’t allow him to settle. Where do we start at the DSC? Ajmal was all over England like a rash to claim a match winning 10 for as the England batsmen were bowled out under 200 not once, but twice on a surface which aided batsmen. The hype he had generated was well justified as he spun webs around the English batsmen who were clueless and answerless to his variations in trajectories, lengths, flight, pace, angle, revs and turn. Saeed was named in the ESPN cricinfo team of the year for both ODIs and tests in 2011 and was the only one to feature in both teams which was a testimony to his performances and consistency for Pakistan in a magical 2011 where he bagged 89 international scalps for the green shirts. He started 2012 just where he finished 2011 and showed why he is regarded as the most threatening and best spinner in the world at the moment, in fact the best bowler in the world at the moment. Saeed has not only won fans like no tomorrow with his talent and game changing bowling displays, but with his comical interviews and million dollar smile. England will need to negotiate with him considerably better to stand any chance in this series as they didn’t see that one coming. Ajmal dominated and ripped England out and it wouldn’t surprise anyone whatsoever to see him going on to be MOTS here and also the leading series wicket taker. Saeed was simply in a different league to everyone else.

Team Misbah Means Business Author: Maaz; Views: 722; Comments: 10; Date: 20-01-2012, 09:59;

This surely has to be right up there with some of the very best Pakistan test sides we have seen ......

0-0 vs South Africa DRAW

1-0 vs New Zealand away WIN

1-1 vs West Indies away DRAW

1-0 vs Zimbabwe away WIN

1-0 vs Sri Lanka UAE WIN

2-0 vs Bangladesh away WIN

1-0 up vs England UAE (2 to play)

The current Pakistan test team has an uncanny resemblance with its greatest ever test team of the 80s which was their most consistent period in test cricket and towards the end of it they also reached the number 1 spot on the test rankings for a short while. This test team have only lost 1 in 13 tests since the infamous Lords test in 2010 and won 7 tests in between that time including 2 emphatic wins inside 3 days by margins as high as 10 wickets when a tough test was expected.A draw in Abu Dhabi will give Pakistan their 2nd longest undefeated test series streak of 7 series without losing one and ofcourse they will have the chance to extend that even further. The highest was by the team captained by Imran in the 80s who went 10 test series without losing any. Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to conclude that the team of the 80s and the current test team are the two of the best Pakistan have ever had in the 5 day arena. The team of the 90s had out and out match winners and record breakers, they were probably the most entertaining, but as a unit they were less consistent and stable in their performances, although they had their moments of spark in between. Below, I look at some of the current players with those of the 80s and early 90s and see where the similarities are. 

Misbah ul Haq may not have the charismatic and talisman vibe of Imran Khan, but his own performance levels as a captain are definitely comparable where the added responsibility of leadership has positively affected his individual contributions – having the highest average by a Pakistan captain of all time with 11 50s and 1 century in 13 tests as captain including 4 unbeaten 50+ scores in that package. In terms of educations levels, he is up there and has been able to command the respect of the players as a result. Misbah ul Haq has always been renowned as one of the smarter men in the team and has been identified as genuine captaincy material throughout his career at the first class level and even in the Pakistan team where he was promoted to the post of vice captaincy just a few months after his comeback and went on to captain Pakistan when previously he did not even have a place in the side, giving clear indications of a captain who is strategically astute. Both Imran and Misbah have played their part in changing the face of Pakistan Cricket when they were totally up against it either through unbearable controversies or lack of firepower in comparison to opponents. Both have provided vast stability and continuity with their presence and acted as the father figure to the team who exceeded expectations and made the team believe in themselves. Statistically, with results under his leadership Misbah’s record is about as great as it gets. Both captained in their late 30s when most would be considering packing up and calling it a day.

Abdur Rehman can be compared to Iqbal Qasim, the slow arm orthodox bowler, who will plug away at the batsmen economically and accurately with tremendous control, building pressure, racking up the maidens and enticing mistakes from the batsmen, enabling the more superior spinner to attack and experiment more in shorter bursts as they already have a reliable, but touch defensive persevering spinner holding an end up to keep proceedings tidy with nagging craft.

Saeed Ajmal’s psychological tactics to send jitters down the throat of batsmen and give the sleepless nights with his hard-to-negotiate unorthodox variations can only be comparable to Abdul Qadir’s mixture of leg breaks, googlies and flippers which got him 236 test scalps, famously bamboozling England in his home city. Only had he been playing in an era of DRS where batsmen could not use their pad as a second line of defence, he would have had countless more wickets to add to that record. Both have been revolutionising the art of spin, although the obvious difference between an off spinner and leg spinner stands, but both are seen as strike weapons by Imran/Miandad and Misbah who had great faith in their abilities.

Azhar Ali as the firm and steady stodgy accumulator who prizes his wicket head and shoulders above anything else, preciously, can only be compared to the immaculate resistance of Mudassar Nazar who based his game around crease occupation for lengthy periods with a high level of discipline, unfazed character and application. Both have the capabilities to play a dogged innings with regularity, basing their batting around workman like values, making batting seem as survival of the fittest in trench warfare, although the approach will be labelled inevitability as pedestrian and sedate from the critics.

Adnan Akmal can be compared to Wasim Bari who is a safe bet behind the stumps with his neat and efficient glove work. As a batsmen his FC record is a misleading reflection of his talent with the bat as he has demonstrated in some busy, invaluable lower order contributions he has notched up for the team although Bari was no great batsmen in his day, but a very reliable and technically sound wicket keeper who will not be in the headlines, indicating he was getting the job done and dusted without any fuss.

Younis Khan can be compared to Miandad  at the time – a worthy street fighter with the bat who will make the most of what he has got and a sharp cricketing mind to pick up on aspects quicker than others and really apply this in match scenarios. Both Miandad and Younis average in excess of 50 for Pakistan at test match level and were/are the influential middle order batsmen who played  spin expertly. Their mental toughness and spirited nature cannot be doubted. Additionally, a comparison can be drawn from their catching and fielding in general where both are amongst the best around if not the best.

Aamir Sohail can be compared to Mohammad Hafeez – a smart and knowledgeable cricketer who opens the innings with consistency and can attack classily or defend stoutly, playing according to the situation. Also,both can turn their arm over when required for more than handy finger spin.

Player Ratings For First Test In Abu Dhabi V Sri Lanka Author: Maaz; Views: 1370; Date: 25-10-2011, 06:40;

The opening test in Abu Dhabi has concluded with a moral victory for the Sri Lankans who batted with utmost character, spirit and heart to prevent an embarrassing loss after being outplayed on the first 3 days by Misbah-ul-Haq's Pakistan team. The seasoned campaigner Kumar played a blinder at number 3 to notch up his 8th double century in an illustrious career. Since he has given up the gloves, his batting has gone from strength to strength. The 34 year old batted for 153 overs to ensure Pakistan did not have the necessary time they required in order to chase down the 4th innings target which was 170 from 21 overs in the end. Pakistan decided not go ahead with the chase and ensure safety in order to get the test match done and dusted with a draw and 2 tests to follow in Dubai and Sharjah (first test will be played there in 9 years).

Maravan Atapattu, the Sri Lankan batting coach and past great would have been delighted with the "application" his batsmen displayed on show. It was the key phrase he mentioned to Tony Greig in his interview. The visitors battled with resilience, controlled game sense, gutsiness, clear mindset and a tight defence to see out the bowling and survive for lengthy periods and get out of jail from a disastrous position. The comeback would have done wonders for the camp knowing they can dig themselves out from a mammoth hole. The 3 day gap is an opportunity for both camps to regroup and reassesses as well as relax after a challenging 5 days in the scorching UAE sunshine. Dilshan mentioned his team will be watching the RWC final from Auckland between New Zealand and France on Sunday as their so called relaxation at the post match presentation ceremony where Kumar was awarded the player of the match award also. Misbah praised his batsmen and bowlers and vowed to work with the fielding. He defended his decision to close the game down rather than having a dart at the 9RPO target due to no fielding restrictions, day 5 rough, no leg side wides and so forth.

Stats

All the last 3 tests in the UAE have seen Pakistan bowl first with the match ending in comfortable draws.

Just like last November only 27 wickets fell in the test at Abu Dhabi. 3 double centurions in 2 tests in Abu Dhabi.

Only l loss in 8 tests for Misbah. Before he took over Pakistan lost 10 out of their last 15 all after the 2009 ICC WT20 euphoria.

Sri Lanka have drawn 4 out of 6 tests under Dilshan this year.

Saeed Ajmal needs one more wicket for 50 international wickets in the calendar year across all formats.

Azhar Ali has 4 50s in his last 5 completed innings (where he has been dismissed) ever since the St Kitts testmatch which was played in the latter half of May this year.

Both teams went two sessions without losing a wicket. Both teams saw their 2nd wicket stand do one of these sessions.

Umar Gul struck twice in the 3rd innings on the very first delivery with the new ball each time. Both times the batsmen was removed by an LBW with the new cherry and proud seam on the first delivery of the 1st and 81st over.

In comparison to Pakistan's 20 wickets. Sri Lanka could only manage 7. 2 of their pacers went without a wicket: Lakmal and the debutant and recent birthday boy Pradeep.

- The last time there was a test match in Dubai YK scored an unbeaten 4th innings century. This was also Younis Khan's last century at test level.

-Pakistan posted their highest 4th innings total in Dubai last year.

-Sangkarra and Jaya have the 4th highest run aggregate partnership in cricket history at an average of 50.

- Herath is the 3rd leading Sri Lankan wicket taker of all time at test level. He over took Lasith Malinga with the unlucky caught behind of Misbah in the first innings.

-4 current Pakistan players are in the top 13 averages test averages in the country's cricket history as things currently stand.

-Aizaz Cheema has taken his last 4/10 test wickets all caught behind by Adnan Akmal.

Taufeeq 9.5/10: The highest score by a Pakistan opener since 1992 was a record he achieved during this test match. Taufeeq has the 11th highest Pakistan test average of all time following his marathon 236 in the first innings where he spent 496 deliveries at the wicket to place Pakistan in a commanding position in this Abu Dhabi test match. He was knocked over cheaply in the 2nd innings for yet another LBW (5 in his last 9 innings) which is an area he'll need to
address.

Hafeez: 4/10. Dropping catches on that surface was criminal. The professor was a letdown in the slip cordon and was having a nightmare. Additionally, he got through plenty of overs (31) without a wicket and when considering his previous first class appearance after his surgery which saw him miss the Faysal Bank Twenty20, gave him a match winning tally of 11 wickets it was a disappointing return. He did score a first innings half century nonetheless as well as successfully seeing out the 10 overs in the final session on Saturday to earn the draw, but catches win matches and Hafeez was a disappointment in this aspect.

Azhar Ali: 8/10. He engaged in his 6th stand of 100 during the course of the test match to go along with 12 50 stands. The 160 2nd wicket partnership was a key contributor to Pakistan's grand total of 511/6 declared. Azhar should be able to reach 1000 test runs during the Dubai test match and should be targeting 300+ aggregate in this series with an average in the high 40s at least. Azhar also was involved in 3 second innings dismissals including taking his maiden test wicket with a beautifully pitched leg spinner which saw the end of Kumar.

YK: 5/10. It wasn't the most fluent first innings knock with a SR in the 30s and he missed out on a track where he was expected to score big.Nonetheless as always the man with the most catches by a fielder in Pakistan cricket history was active and involved with his fielding. He will be hoping to make it count in Dubai.

Misbah: 6/10. A superb counter attack in the first innings as well as a good decision to insert Sri Lanka into bat which worked extremely well. The pitch tends to flatten out inthis part of the world as the game progresses. Whatever little assistance isavailable for the seamers is at the beginning. His lack of killer instinct in the 4th innings chase was debatable as was the fact that he was not fielding in the slip cordon, but by and large he should be pleased with the performances of the batters and bowlers. He will want to have a word with the fielders for sure. He will be backing himself to maintain the 2nd highest average by a captain in Dubai and for his team to put on a similar show, but with the catches held this time.

Asad Shafiq: 2/10. A bizarre knock in the circumstances and he has come under a lot of criticism, but due to the insecurities surrounding his place in a way it is understandable. Asad will want to put this behind him and prove a point or two to his critics. He definitely should be retained.

Adnan Akmal: 6/10. 6 dismissals. The catch in the first innings to remove Kumar was a blinder. He didn't get the chance to bat as Gul was promoted above him for the declaration. They said when a keep is not being mentioned, he is doing a good job.

Umar Gul: 7/10. 6/101 were brilliant match figures on that particular surface. He struck at crucial times in the 2nd innings. Only criticism if any is he struggled to strike when it mattered in the opening hours of day 5 when Pakistan were pushing for victory and could have added a few with the bat as opposed to the duck he bagged. 19 wickets in 4 tests for Gul this year.

Junaid Khan: 10/10. He bowled his heart out in his 2nd test on a cruel venue for bowlers and if it wasn't for the diabolical catching he could have easily claimed a memorable 10 wicket match haul. He produced the ball of the test match in the first innings against the Sri Lankan wicket keeper.
It was unplayable first up. You have to sympathise with him for all those chances which went down from his bowling. He produced the sparks and bowled with firepower and energy. He surely has cemented his place for the remainder of the series. Pakistan can take a lot of encouragement from his impressive showing.

Aizaz Cheema: 5/10. He put in the effort and gave it his all, but he was ineffective in the 2nd innings and struggled to back up the brilliance we witnessed in Bulawayo. Nevertheless, he bowled some excellent surprise deliveries which on another day could have easily got him many wickets.He did have trouble with his footing which seemed to disturb his rhythm and was warned twice. He may well be replaced in Dubai by Rehman or Wahab depending on the wicket.

Saeed Ajmal: 3/10. For a bowler of his class and calibre he struggled in the 2nd innings and failed to live up to expectations. He was economical in the first nevertheless. There is a possibility that Rehman might play in his position in the 2nd test. The ball he bowled to remove Jaya was a beauty though, it cut back sharply from a length. Nonetheless, credit to the Sri Lankans who played him well and did not allow him to settle. On batter friendly surfaces Ajmal has been a bowler who has suffered to get the results.