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Mohammed Yousuf, on his return game from his 'temporary' retirement, scored a calm half-century and helped Pakistan score their first 300+ score of this series as they built up a 75-run lead over the hosts England at The Oval.
As it stands now, England have fought back (the score currently reads 151 for 2, with the back-in-nick Alastair Cook unbeaten on 108). But to watch Pakistan's batting yesterday after having watched them collapse on other occasions in this English summer was to know and realise why we love Test cricket so much and why we hold the masters in this game in such high regard!
Yousuf's inclusion was debated heatedly... but I was always of the opinion that Pakistan needed him in their batting unit desperately. The calm he brought to their game yesterday was a treat to watch. Azhar Ali, who had collected two ducks in this series before yesterday, grew more and more confident batting alongside Yousuf.
In the first two Tests, the only member in Pakistan's batting unit whom one could look up to as one having 'character' for Test cricket was their captain Salman Butt. But there is no denying the fact that he is woefully out of form at the moment! This automatically gave England an edge... their bowlers were a lot more confident bowling to this young side with virtually no Test experience. But with the inclusion of Yousuf, the mindset of the English team also changed immediately. The fields became defensive a lot earlier than what we have seen so far this summer. This in turn, also helped Azhar Ali.
At the time when Yousuf was drafted into the side just before the Second Test, a lot of people said that drafting in a 35-year old is a step backwards. What trash! So what is a step forward then? Allowing four boys in their early 20s to make up a middle order in the swing friendly English conditions? And then fault them for nor making big scores?
A year ago, the likes of Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal and Umar Amin had never encountered such conditions in their cricket careers. They had never seen anyone negotiate such conditions... and had no one to guide them on how to do it themselves. So they tried their ultra-aggressive and / or ultra-cautious ways to get through the tricky periods. Invariably, they failed and their failure reflected in the 3-1 scoreline that they have managed so far in England.
This scoreline is a very bad reflection on that bowling unit, which is arguably the best of the three teams that have played Test cricket in England this summer. But the bowlers couldn't do it all on their own. They needed assistance from their batsmen... and now, they have hope that they might get it! Because Mohammed Yousuf is listed in the Pakistan team sheet!
Disbelief. That was the feeling when I read reports saying that Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan have been handed out life bans by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Yousuf and Younis, the senior most players for Pakistan, in the international circuit, will surely still harbour hopes of playing for Pakistan, especially given PCB's history of overturning bans imposed after appeals (Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammed Asif, etc). But the question to be asked is: WHY WAS THIS BAN IMPOSED IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Was Pakistan so badly hurt by the three whitewashes away to Australia that banning their two most experienced players seemed a reasonable step? Seniors need to play an important role in their side, especially when you hear about youngsters like Umar Akmal who like to punch above their weight. It was reported that Umar Akmal threatened to sit out of the Third Test against Australia if his elder brother Kamran Akmal was dropped from the eleven.
What on earth was Umar thinking? Just 5 Tests old, what gave Umar the self-confidence to pull off such a coup? For all we know, he might next say that he will stop playing cricket unless he is given the captaincy!
In addition to these life bans, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved have been banned for one year each. Heavy fines have been imposed on Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal and Shahid Afridi. Pakistan cricket, in a perpetual crisis, is plunging deeper and deeper into a blackhole - and PCB is aiding the freefall, rather than curing it.
Pakistan is a country that has always managed to produce wonderful cricketing talents. Youngsters in the team have usually made a favourable impression on the field. But PCB lacks the facility to groom such talents and guide them to become a force. Individualism has often taken its toll and as a result, Pakistan cricket has always been the sufferer.
I think the time has come for PCB to go the CSA way. Cricket South Africa is in the process of completely restructuring itself in order to govern the sport better in the country. Maybe that is the solution for PCB as well. Someone needs to make them see it.
This is the time for ICC to step in. But ICC, as usual, is going to say: Sorry, it's an internal matter of the Board - we can do nothing about it.
Oh my, what anarchy! PCB, wake up - it's time to rise! The alarms are ringing...
Australia and Pakistan are scheduled to take on each other in 50-over contests thrice in the next 3 days. On Friday and Sunday, in Perth, the senior teams will fight what has been an extremely one-sided battle so far. On Saturday, the U-19 teams of the two countries will have their title clash in Lincoln, New Zealand. With the final matches of Australian Open 2010 Tennis tournament and 9 matches of Barclays Premier League (including a mouth-watering Arsenal v Manchester United clash) also scheduled over the next three days, sport lovers will have to plan out their schedule carefully to include some sleep in their agenda.
Out of the three Aus-Pak clashes, I am almost certain, just as many of you, that the juniors will produce a more watchable contest than the seniors, where the visitors haven't tasted victory on the entire tour yet. If Australia's senior team could swap places with their junior team for the weekend, who knows, they might end up winning all the three games! There is no better way of describing Pakistan's performance in this Australian summer.
They have squandered their chances and not looked formidable at all (except for one day during the Second Test). Controversies have engulfed them as usual - some generated by third parties like IPL, and some created by their own Board (captaincy issues). It seems that lack of cricket over the past one year has not had any effect on the way cricket in Pakistan functions.
With the series in Australia already lost, Pakistan should send Umar Akmal and Mohammed Aamer to New Zealand to join their junior squad (both are in their teens). Atleast, they can increase their chances of winning the U-19 Champions title. That's the least they can do for their fans in Pakistan.
