History repeating itself in Shoaib Akhtar’s case

KARACHI: Shoaib Akhtar must have felt like deja vu on Friday when he failed to make it in a 17-member squad for next month’s South African safari, writes Khalid Hussain.
The fast bowler was left out of the squad on grounds that he is not fully match fit even though most experts believe he just needed a little more time to get back in rhythm and could have been an asset for Pakistan on fast and bouncy tracks in South Africa.
But it is a sort of situation which Shoaib is quite used to by now.
During the best part of this summer, Shoaib made continuous efforts to play for Pakistan in the second half of the four-match Test series against England but was not fielded in a single match by the team management which believed he needed more match fitness. Pakistan lost that series 3-0.
Shoaib, 31, was later drafted in Pakistan’s one-day squad and he turned out to be their best bowler in a 2-2 draw in the five-match One-day International (ODI) series against England in September.
During the summer, Shoaib spent his time on the sidelines in the aftermath of a double injury blow - a knee problem that was followed by an ankle injury.
This time, the national selectors and the team management finally concluded that more than three months of absence from international cricket has left him rusty.
Shoaib missed the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy in India in October and the home Test and one-day series against the West Indies in Nov-Dec because of a drug-related ban. He, along with medium pacer Mohammad Asif, was however exonerated by a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appeals committee earlier this month.
Sources close to Shoaib say that the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ was guaranteed of a return to the national team by a section of the Pakistan team think tank. He was told to play a few matches and attend a brief pre-tour conditioning camp that got underway in Lahore from December 26 before returning to the Pakistan squad.
He did play in a Patron’s Trophy match for KRL and later featured in a lost cause for Islamabad Leopards in the recently-concluded Twenty20 Cup. Shoaib was unable to come out with a sensational performance but, at times, he did look sharp.
The maverick speedster showed further improvement during the conditioning camp but was still unable to convince the selectors and more importantly his captain Inzamam-ul-Haq that he deserved a recall.
Sources say that though the selection committee was divided over Shoaib’s case, it was a negative vote from Inzamam that decided the pacer’s fate.
Forget the pictures that were taken during the Lahore camp showing Shoaib and Inzamam talking like close friends, there is no love lost between the two star cricketers.
Inzamam is the sort of person who cannot allow anyone to challenge his authority. Shoaib, on the other hand, loves to do exactly the same. In addition, top PCB officials have also been unhappy with Shoaib’s attitude.
Sources said that the Board people wanted Shoaib to show more gratitude for the help he got from the authorities in his legal battle against a two-year doping ban.
But just weeks after getting an all-clear from an appeals committee, Shoaib defied the authorities by refusing to wear a sponsor’s logo during the Twenty20 Cup.
Whether you could afford to ignore a bowler of Shoaib’s pace on such grounds, however, is a different question.
Without him Pakistan had a disastrous tour of England and the same story could get repeated in South Africa.

Younis Ahmed expects Pakistan to shine in South Africa

KARACHI: Former Pakistan Test cricketer Younis Ahmed sees Inzamam-ul-Haq’s men in a perfect position to come out with a “good showing” in what is generally predicted to be a tough tour of South Africa next month.
“From the itinerary of the tour to the composition of the two teams, I believe that this Pakistan side has a solid chance to do well in South Africa,” Younis told ‘The News’ in an interview here on Thursday.
As a man who has spent the best part of the last 13 years coaching cricket in South Africa, Younis says he knows what he is talking about.
And his piece of advice for Pakistan is to show the sort of aggression that is a hallmark of the current Australian team during the tour of South Africa starting from January 3.
“We have a solid pace attack and our middle order has some of the world’s top batsmen. All we need is to play with some calculated aggression and I am sure that we can come out with at least an honourable draw in the Test series,” he said.
Younis is expecting Pakistani batsmen, especially the in-form Mohammad Yousuf and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq to score well in South Africa even though he believes they will have to work hard against the likes of fast bowlers Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel and Shaun Pollock.
“Yousuf and Inzamam are solid batsmen and should get some runs in the series,” he said.
Younis said that the Pakistani batsmen would find it hard to make the first 20-30 runs at Centurion and Port Elizabeth, which host the first two Tests, but once they managed to bat themselves in, things would get much easier.
“There would be no easy runs in South Africa, no flashy boundaries, nothing of that sort. The South Africans would mostly keep us on the back foot and scoring would be as hard as it can get initially. But once you are in there for an hour or so, things would become much easier,” he explained.
Younis predicted that the South Africans would target Yousuf, who made a record-breaking 1788 runs in 2006, during the series.
“They would go all out against Yousuf who would be under extra pressure after having done marvellously this year. They are going to bowl a lot of short and fast stuff at him. He just needs to be patient and careful,” he explained.
Younis, who played four Tests and two one-dayers for Pakistan during an international career that spanned over 18 years, has been running a cricket academy in Johannesburg since settling down in South Africa in 1993.
He has been following the Proteas’ performance graph and believes that it has taken a dip in recent times.
“This is not the best of South African teams,” he said. “Their captain Graeme Smith is struggling for runs while most of the other batsmen have been quite inconsistent in recent times and there has been too much reshuffling in their batting order to allow much stability,” added Younis who was a part the rebel tour of South Africa in 1973-74.
Younis pointed out that the tour schedule made by the South Africans suited Pakistan more than the hosts.
“We play the first Test at Centurion where the wicket favours batsmen. Batting is easier there than any other Test venue in South Africa and this is one factor that suits Pakistan. It would help our batsmen settle easier than they had done had the series began at some other venue like Cape Town,” he explained.
He added that similarly Port Elizabeth, which would host the second Test, also does not have a very bouncy wicket. “Our batsmen would not find the wicket very difficult because the track is low and slow and should suit them fine,” he explained.
Younis said that Pakistan can take a decisive advantage by making use of the favourable conditions before going into the final Test that would take place in Cape Town from January 23.
“The wicket at Cape Town is tailor-made for bowlers like Ntini and Nel and Pakistani batsmen might struggle with the bounce there,” he said.
He said that for Pakistan the key to success in South Africa would be their top and middle order batsmen. “I think our pace battery is very strong and what we need is our batsmen to click in the series,” he added.
Younis said that with bowlers like Mohammad Asif, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Pakistan have the firepower to bowl South Africa for under-300 on any venue during the three-match Test series.
He, however, is sceptical of the tactics Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has been employing in recent times. “Bob is a very defensive coach and at times his style doesn’t suit our players who are naturally aggressive,” said Younis who played with Woolmer, a former England Test batsman, in the seventies.
“I believe he should shed away his pessimism and show more belief in his team which I believe is a very capable unit,” he added.

Umar Gul optimistic for place in SA-bound squad

KARACHI: Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul is hopeful that his good form in the recently concluded Test and One-day International (ODI) series against the West Indies will earn him a place in the national team for the upcoming tour of South Africa.
Talking to reporters here on Friday, Umar, who is representing the Peshawar Panthers in the ongoing Twenty20 Cup, said he is feeling no pressure for his place in the side after the return of pace trio of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Shabbir Ahmed.
“I believe I am fit and enjoying my bowling form. I am hopeful for getting a berth in the team for South Africa tour despite the return of the top three bowlers,” he explained.
Shoaib and Asif had their doping bans overruled earlier this month while Shabbir got green signal for the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday after his one-year ban expired on Dec 19.
Umar, who played an integral part in Pakistan’s 2-0 win against the West Indies by taking 16 wickets, said he was thankful to skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis for their encouragement, which he said was the main reason for his fine show against Brian Lara’s men.
Meanwhile, Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan has said the return of Shoaib, Asif and Shabbir is a good omen for the national team saying it has boosted Pakistan’s chances in the upcoming tour of South Africa and the World Cup in the West Indies next year.

25 names for South Africa tour training camp announced

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board Selection Committee announced Monday the names of 25 players for the training camp held for South Africa tour.

Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhter and Muhammad Asif were named among the 25 probable players for the tour to South Africa starting next month.

The Chairman National Selection Committee Wasim Bari has announced the names of these 25 players for the camp training starting on December 27 at Lahore for the preparation of South Africa tour.

The players are directed to report at National Cricket Academy here on December 26.

The 25 probables:--Imran Farhat, Muhammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Muhammad Yousaf, Inzimamul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Rehman, Shoaib Akhter, Muhammad Asif, Shahid Nazir, Rana Naveed, Umar Gul, Muhammad Sami, Rao Iftikhar, Shahid Afridi, Zulqarnain Haider, Yasir Arafat and Shabbir Ahmed.