Munaf Patel

On Wednesday, even as India's pacemen wilted under an Aussie onslaught in the morning session, people here were talking about the continual Munaf Patel mystery.

What exactly is the man who was once dubbed India's fastest bowler up to? Whose advice is the Indian paceman taking? Why is he periodically disappearing into Ikhar, his hometown in Gujarat's Bharuch district, and refusing to get in touch with anyone from the outside world for days on end?

And finally, if he is a rare, precious find for India and unable to come to terms with that and the fame factor, why is no one sitting him down and explaining the facts of the cricketing life to him?

When the selection committee met to pick up the squad for the Australia Tests, they chose 16 players, with the understanding that they would probably send Munaf here after the second Test, once he had proved his fitness in the interim by playing Ranji games.

But then, bizarrely, just after he wasn't picked, Munaf disappeared. Maharashtra Cricket Association president Ajay Shirke had admitted to Hindustan Times a few days ago that the state association gave up on Munaf after a week of trying to trace him. "He was supposed to join the team for the match against Saurashtra (in Nagothane from December 17-20). Our chairman of selectors (Pandurang Salgaokar) was trying to call him up for over a week, but Munaf just didn't respond. The least he could have done was to call back or send an SMS to any of the team management members. But he didn't. We had to drop him for the last league game," Shirke had told the Hindustan Times.

Munaf finally got in touch with the MCA after he was dropped, apparently on "disciplinary grounds", but was told it was too late to play.

According to sources, Munaf, insecure, unsure of himself and uncomfortable in a world vastly different from the one he is used to, runs back to his village at every available opportunity to hide and heal himself in his head every time he feels done in.


"He (Munaf) has received bad advice from people close to him, leading him to take his India place for granted. But he has realised that things are at crisis point now and he has kept in touch with a selector finally over these past five days," said a source in the Munaf camp.

But the selectors are deeply unhappy with what they see as an "attitude problem" with the paceman. "How are we supposed to trust an India berth to a man who himself does not have a clue what he is up to?" a national selector told HT from India. "He is more or less incommunicado at will and we cannot be expected to tolerate that."

Another selector said that they were not sure if they would send a 17th player at all now, though added that a final call would be taken only after the Sydney Test. "We wanted to send a paceman, specifically Munaf really, but now that idea might not make sense. Munaf now has to play the Duleep Trophy later in January and then we'll take a call on what to do with him. Let's see what we do."

There were reports on Wednesday that the Indian team management had sent an SOS to Munaf. These were emphatically denied by BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah and, later, by Indian team sources themselves. Whatever the truth, this is another Indian cricketing chapter that really shows nobody in good light. However, if Munaf matters that much, it's high time someone took him in hand and made him understand the importance of being Munaf.

New Delhi, Jan 3 - The Indian cricket board's decision to send back injured Zaheer Khan from Australia has stirred up a debate on players hiding injuries. Former India fast bowler, Javagal Srinath, who now wears multiple hats as a commentator and match referee, laid the blame squarely on the players.

'Players hiding injuries has happened on a few occasions. Players are responsible for it and it won't help their cause in the long run,' said Srinath.

Zaheer injured the left heel during the practice session on Tuesday and failed a fitness test before the start of the Sydney Test. The left-arm fast bowler, who has carried this niggling injury for quite some time, was forced out of the third Test in the home series against Pakistan in Bangalore last month.

Zaheer is returning home and Punjab's Vikram Raj Vir is flying out to Australia replace him.

'Honesty is the greatest attribute a cricketer should have. How long can you play hiding injuries? One game you can manage, but it will not pay in the long run' Srinath said.

He added, that the players need to understand their physiological condition and should make the effort to know what is good and bad for their body.

'A player is the best coach of his body. If he does not have the right attitude in terms of understanding his body, then he will get a lot of ill-advise, which will confuse him,' said Srinath.

On Zaheer's injury, Srinath said that workload the 29-year-old is taking now he should have been doing very early in his career.

'Ideally a bowler should take the workload at the age of 21-22 and not at 29. A bowler should bowl around 500 overs (in a year) in the early stages of his career so that his body becomes used to the load. Zaheer has been a better bowler after his county stint in England, where he bowled a lot.

'I don't know about the nature of his injury, but ankle injury is very serious. Because that is the area which takes the whole load of the body while bowling,' he added.

Zaheer is not the only injured bowler, as Munaf Patel has become famous in his short career for carrying mysterious injuries.

'Munaf is a great prospect for India but it is unfortunate that he gets injured too often. I don't know what is the problem with him, but it is a serious issue. He is a good bowler after all,' said Srinath.

Mumbai: Parthiv Patel has been named captain of the West Zone team for the Duleep Trophy cricket championship scheduled to start on January 26.

The inter-zonal championship will be played at Ahmedabad, Baroda, Rajkot and Mumbai.

The team: Parthiv Patel (captain), Ajit Agarkar (vice-captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Sahil Kukreja, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rakesh Solanki, Yusuf Pathan, Ramesh Powar, Rakesh Dhruv, Munaf Patel, Sandeep Jobanputra, Pinal Shah, Samad Fallah, Harshad Khadiwale. Coach: Pravin Amre. Manager: Atul Bedade. — Special Correspondent

First phase of camp ends

Bangalore: The first phase of the fitness and monitoring camp for the injured and fringe players concluded at the National Cricket Academy here on Saturday.

The first phase was attended by the injured duo of S. Sreesanth and Munaf Patel besides Ajit Agarkar, Robin Uthappa, S. Badrinath and Manoj Tiwary.

NCA’s director of operations, Dav Whatmore, along with conditioning coach Paul Chapman and physio Paul Close, monitored the training sessions.

The second phase of the fitness program will commence on Monday and players like Ranadeb Bose, Rohit Sharma and Uthappa are slated to attend.

Meanwhile, Sreesanth and Munaf are also expected to report to the NCA later in the coming week for an appraisal. — Principal Correspondent

Press Trust Of India
Mumbai, January 17, 2008
First Published: 19:00 IST(17/1/2008)
Last Updated: 19:01 IST(17/1/2008)

Pacer S Sreesanth will have to prove his fitness at the Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy before January 20 team selection for the upcoming triangular ODI series in Australia, BCCI sources said on Thursday.

"Sreesanth and Munaf Patel are now at the NCA where their fitness will be assessed before the report is sent to the Board ahead of the selection committee meeting," the sources said.

"Both these bowlers have been training at the NCA since January 5, before being released to play for their companies (in the Public Sector tournament in Mumbai). They are back in Bangalore now," they added.

Sreesanth has said he's fullly recoverd from his shoulder problem and was available to play for India in next month's triangular ODI series also featuring Sri Lanka and hosts Australia.

"I was recovering from my shoulder injury and was fit to play only five days earlier. So there was no question of making myself available for the Test matches in Australia," said Sreesanth here yesterday.

The pacer said he was bowling up to his potential and working up a good pace.

"I am right up there and bowling really fast. I just have to wait and hope that the selectors pick me for the forthcoming one-dayers," said the bowler.

Patel did not play for his team Maharashtra in their last few Ranji Trophy league ties after being sidelined from the Test team.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Which one is Munaf? Malcolm Marshall, was it?

JKLever wrote:Munaf will have to up his ideas now that Ishant has looked so impressive on this current tour

rey wrote:Shame really as when he's mentally and physically fit he's up their with the best of them. Its all 'ifs' and 'buts' though until he decides to sort himself out and stop sulking.

Batman wrote:
India's answer to Shoiab Akhter.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Which one is Munaf? Malcolm Marshall, was it?

JKLever wrote:Munaf will have to up his ideas now that Ishant has looked so impressive on this current tour

*Buckaroo* wrote:

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Which one is Munaf? Malcolm Marshall, was it?

Munaf = Michael Holding

I saw a lot of similarities when he was fresh and played against England in Jamnagar and Mohali.

In Jamnagar Munaf (his first international was single-handedly responsible for dismissing a full strength England twice during a Board Presidents XI in 3 days).

It was a classic performance, later he showed shades of that form in Mohali. Then he went on to cut his hair and was never the same again.

But again in England during an ODI he suddenly regained his past consciousness and snapped into form, that's when he got 2 wickets in a single over when the rest of em were struggling to get a single breakthrough.

He is a class act, but has significant 'mind' issues.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:

*Buckaroo* wrote:

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Which one is Munaf? Malcolm Marshall, was it?

Munaf = Michael Holding

I saw a lot of similarities when he was fresh and played against England in Jamnagar and Mohali.

In Jamnagar Munaf (his first international was single-handedly responsible for dismissing a full strength England twice during a Board Presidents XI in 3 days).

It was a classic performance, later he showed shades of that form in Mohali. Then he went on to cut his hair and was never the same again.

But again in England during an ODI he suddenly regained his past consciousness and snapped into form, that's when he got 2 wickets in a single over when the rest of em were struggling to get a single breakthrough.

He is a class act, but has significant 'mind' issues.

Chortle.

*Buckaroo* wrote:When Munaf went to tour the West Indies, the WI greats saw one of them in him.

Michael Holding compared Munaf to himself. And so did the likes of Courtney Walsh ..

No one ever has denied that Munaf is a classy bowler.