***Official*** Pakistan in South Africa

[Turbinator]

Last series they played in Pakistan, India lost 1-0.

The one before that.... in 2003-04 they won 2-1.

 

[Turbinator]

Actually I was just looking through the team stats at CricInfo and noticed that the Pakistan bowling attack is utter crap. Asif is very promising but unproven, and all the others have Brettleeesque averages if that. Seriously, I think a lot of people (including me) have been overrating this Pakistan team because they sometimes do well when conditions make the ball swing in hoops or when Kaneria gets it right. A team with such a mediocre attack doesn't deserve a top spot.

I say South Africa should be the rightful challengers of England as the no. 2 team, provided they can stabilize their middle order and Harris can prove himself as a spinner.

Are you kidding me, South Africa . The team who got owned by Sri Lanka. Just because they won a few matches at home, with the help of some umpiring, you think they can contest for 2nd place? Anyways, agree with your first paragraph apart from the bolded part... they still do deserve top spot because, once again, the other teams haven't been all that great.

 

[Rob T]

Actually I was just looking through the team stats at CricInfo and noticed that the Pakistan bowling attack is utter crap. Asif is very promising but unproven, and all the others have Brettleeesque averages if that. Seriously, I think a lot of people (including me) have been overrating this Pakistan team because they sometimes do well when conditions make the ball swing in hoops or when Kaneria gets it right. A team with such a mediocre attack doesn't deserve a top spot.

I say South Africa should be the rightful challengers of England as the no. 2 team, provided they can stabilize their middle order and Harris can prove himself as a spinner.

Gul,Akhtar,Asif and Shabbir could form a very good attack an all have good test records

 

[Pratters]

The trouble with Pakistan in this game was that Inzamam relied on Kaneria and Asif to get him the wickets. His rotation of bowlers, specially in the second innings, was verging on criminal. Nazir and Rana, two front line bowlers, bowled a total of ten overs between them, equal to a part-timer like Hafeez.

The problem with batting was that no one really stuck-in and made a big score. Inzamam, Younis and Farhat in the second innings got out to needless shots. Faisal Iqbal seemed unsure of what role to play (examplified by his pathetic twenty ball block followed by a hoick out of no where first innings performance) - all of that added up in a performance which wasn't as bad as it was lazy and lack-lasture.

I wouldn't term it as a wrong tactic from Inzamam to rely much more on Kaneria and Asif at least today (I did not watch most of the South African innings in the first inning and so cannot comment regarding that). Even with Asif and Kaneria bowling so tightly mostly, nothing was coming out. Hafeez was bowled because the pitch was taking turn. Once Pakistan did bowl the other bowlers post lunch, the pressure seemed much more off and as I mentioned, I would have brought in Asif again along side Kaneria (who did bowl after lunch) immediately.

The pitch was a major hindrance for Pakistan today and the South Africans were dogged at not doing any thing stupid.

Yes, as you mentioned, the batting was the real culprit. The pitch being as good as it was, no one should have really lost this game.

 

[Steulen]

Gul,Akhtar,Asif and Shabbir could form a very good attack an all have good test records

Question is: can they together be considered pakistan's preferred attack now or in the near future? I'm afraid not.

 

[wpdavid]

Actually I was just looking through the team stats at CricInfo and noticed that the Pakistan bowling attack is utter crap. Asif is very promising but unproven, and all the others have Brettleeesque averages if that. Seriously, I think a lot of people (including me) have been overrating this Pakistan team because they sometimes do well when conditions make the ball swing in hoops or when Kaneria gets it right. A team with such a mediocre attack doesn't deserve a top spot.

I say South Africa should be the rightful challengers of England as the no. 2 team, provided they can stabilize their middle order and Harris can prove himself as a spinner.

You'd have to fancy SA's chances if they were to play England now, if only because their pace attack looks in better order. Whether that will still be the case when they do next meet (2008??) is harder to call. If their openers find some form, if Steyn continues to improve, and if Pollock stays fit, then they'd probably be favourites. OTOH England's batting shoulkd be pretty solid with another year's experience behind it and our spin attack will probably be superior. Hard to say what the state of our pace attack will be though.

 

[Steulen]

Are you kidding me, South Africa . The team who got owned by Sri Lanka. Just because they won a few matches at home, with the help of some umpiring, you think they can contest for 2nd place? Anyways, agree with your first paragraph apart from the bolded part... they still do deserve top spot because, once again, the other teams haven't been all that great.

Everyone gets owned by Sri Lanka at home, apart from the Aussies and even they had to grab their whitewash from the mouths of hell.

Yes, SA can be no. 2, at full strength they should be no. 2. Pollock, Ntini, Nel, Steyn, Kallis is a pace attack that few other countries can match.

 

[Turbinator]

Everyone gets owned by Sri Lanka at home, apart from the Aussies and even they had to grab their whitewash from the mouths of hell.

Yes, SA can be no. 2, at full strength they should be no. 2. Pollock, Ntini, Nel, Steyn, Kallis is a pace attack that few other countries can match.

Didn't Pakistan just beat SL in SL, 1-0?

On paper, even Laxman, Ganguly, Dravid, Tendulkar, Sehwag is a batting lineup that few other countries can match...

 

[silentstriker]

The one before that.... in 2003-04 they won 2-1.

Yes, and India also won in England in 1971...what's your point?

 

[silentstriker]

On paper, even Laxman, Ganguly, Dravid, Tendulkar, Sehwag is a batting lineup that few other countries can match...

Not anymore. Around 2003, but not in 2007.

 

[Steulen]

Didn't Pakistan just beat SL in SL, 1-0?

On paper, even Laxman, Ganguly, Dravid, Tendulkar, Sehwag is a batting lineup that few other countries can match...

Poor show by the Lankans

And everyone knows India look good at home and on paper only.
BTW, talking about Brettleeesque, how's Tendulkar the Batting God doing lately?

 

[silentstriker]

Everyone gets owned by Sri Lanka at home, apart from the Aussies and even they had to grab their whitewash from the mouths of hell.

Yes, SA can be no. 2, at full strength they should be no. 2. Pollock, Ntini, Nel, Steyn, Kallis is a pace attack that few other countries can match.

Pakistan won in SL, NZ tied in SL, though India and England lost.

 

[Evermind]

A few points:

- Nel is overrated as a bowler. His action's also rather awkward and he's just not good to watch. But he's entertaining, I'll give him that.

- Shoaid Akhtar is a chucker. Those who can't see it are burying their heads in the sand. He NEVER wears a short sleeved shirt while playing cricket - that in itself is an interesting fact. Also, he did NOT bowl at full speed in all the "tests" that were conducted - it was at less than 85% of his top speed. It is plain as daylight to be me that he chucks - have his apologists ever watched TV replays? This isn't a case of hyper-extension at all. It sickens me to see such cheats in cricket.

- "F****** Pakistanis" is NOT racial abuse. It is "national" abuse, if there's such a thing. Indians are the same race, generally, and so are the Bangladeshis. Gibbs didn't say anything about them, did he? Why are they classifying it all wrong?

What a joke it is that a player is banned for a couple of poorly chosen words while someone who took performance-enhancing drugs (unwillingly? right, give me a break) gets NOTHING. No ban, no warning, no nothing. This is turning cricket into a joke. Besides, Indians and Pakistanis use their languages all the time to talk in derogatory terms about other players - why isn't this punished?

- The Pakistan bowling, with cheats Asif and Chucktar in, is much, much better than India's. Gul, Asif, Akhtar, Kaneria...compared to Sreesanth, Khan, Kumble? It's pretty clear. I'm still not convinced that Khan is of international test standard, to be honest. The Pakistani team seem less talented than the Indian one at the moment, overall, but they're also less spineless, so their win percentage is higher. The Indian team has no self-respect, no respect for its supporters, no sense of pride and no balls, so they get beaten pretty much by any team - they're quite happy to earn their millions and not give a crap about fitness and such uncomfortable issues. New Zealand hardly have the population or the quality of talent Indian and Pakistan are blessed with, but they play with so much more heart.

 

[Beleg]

Holes, Holes, Holes, I am so full of holes, come crucify me.

 

[Rob T]

A few points:

- Nel is overrated as a bowler. His action's also rather awkward and he's just not good to watch. But he's entertaining, I'll give him that.

- Shoaid Akhtar is a chucker. Those who can't see it are burying their heads in the sand. He NEVER wears a short sleeved shirt while playing cricket - that in itself is an interesting fact. Also, he did NOT bowl at full speed in all the "tests" that were conducted - it was at less than 85% of his top speed. It is plain as daylight to be me that he chucks - have his apologists ever watched TV replays? This isn't a case of hyper-extension at all. It sickens me to see such cheats in cricket.

- "F****** Pakistanis" is NOT racial abuse. It is "national" abuse, if there's such a thing. Indians are the same race, generally, and so are the Bangladeshis. Gibbs didn't say anything about them, did he? Why are they classifying it all wrong?

What a joke it is that a player is banned for a couple of poorly chosen words while someone who took performance-enhancing drugs (unwillingly? right, give me a break) gets NOTHING. No ban, no warning, no nothing. This is turning cricket into a joke. Besides, Indians and Pakistanis use their languages all the time to talk in derogatory terms about other players - why isn't this punished?

- The Pakistan bowling, with cheats Asif and Chucktar in, is much, much better than India's. Gul, Asif, Akhtar, Kaneria...compared to Sreesanth, Khan, Kumble? It's pretty clear. I'm still not convinced that Khan is of international test standard, to be honest. The Pakistani team seem less talented than the Indian one at the moment, overall, but they're also less spineless, so their win percentage is higher. The Indian team has no self-respect, no respect for its supporters, no sense of pride and no balls, so they get beaten pretty much by any team - they're quite happy to earn their millions and not give a crap about fitness and such uncomfortable issues. New Zealand hardly have the population or the quality of talent Indian and Pakistan are blessed with, but they play with so much more heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2exetYZDsA Look at his arm here mate.

 

[silentstriker]

Haha.

 

[Turbinator]

Poor show by the Lankans

And everyone knows India look good at home and on paper only.
BTW, talking about Brettleeesque, how's Tendulkar the Batting God doing lately?

Haha, read the last few pages in India in South Africa thread, you'll find out... .

 

[silentstriker]

- "F****** Pakistanis" is NOT racial abuse. It is "national" abuse, if there's such a thing. Indians are the same race, generally, and so are the Bangladeshis. Gibbs didn't say anything about them, did he? Why are they classifying it all wrong?

****ing Pakistanis are like a bunch of bloody animals. They should ****ing go back to the zoo.

Slightly different, no? But you wouldn't want to let something like facts get in the way.

 

[pasag]

Sounds like a few different voices.But from what i picked up it was something like:
First : F****** behaving like animals
Second: Bunch of Hyenas
First: F***** go back to the Zoo
F***** Pakistanis

Wow thats shocking, has he apologized yet?

Congrats to SA btw. Rather enjoyable Test match. Hoping to see a MoYo special in the next one.

 

[Jono]

Lost a hell of a lot of respect of Gibbs and the SA team. Can't believe they got on their highhorse and whinged about the racist remarks here in Australia (which was originally fair enough, before Smith went too far) and then go and say what was said on day 4. Hypocritical and disgraceful.