Pakistan have so many excuses now....

SG wrote:Yep, Shoaib has been decidedly poor against us apart from very few flashes of brilliance.

Though I'd love to see him in Pak's starting XI to take us on simply because of his charisma, aura and buzz attached with him, I'm sure those things won't be of much use for Pak.

He may even have a little more attached to him now that Asif has been retired.
Personally, I think the series will be played in India reversing the home/away series. May even make financial sense for the PCB.

SG wrote:

well india has a large gap next year between may and october.

Cricinfo lists a tour of WI by India in late Jun-09 which comprises of 4 ODIs and no tests.

How is that possible?

Touring the WI from June onwards doesn't make much sense. Its the start of the hurricane season which goes on till November. The islands intermittently get struck by 3 to 6 hurricanes every year. The ICC and BCCI have mysterious ways.

PAK's bowling attack should be

Gul
Tanvir
Some youngster possibly Talha or S Khan
S Ajmal(Kaneria if fully fit)
perhaps add Arafat as well...

If Ajmal plays then thats 19 test matches among 5 bowlers(Gul alone has 16)

SG wrote:Astonishing to see that there are reasons apart from security which may prevent some Pak cities to host matches against India, if at all Pak gets to host the series.

Read on

previous administration was not too competent, they messed up a lot of things but now that they are gone i don't think it will be fair to criticize them too much.

why bother, I don't think they are gonig to play series in Pakistan in any case. It will be held somewhere outside at behest of PCB.

yesterday there were reports of bombs being found outside Lahore's Gaddafi stadium.

Lets hope that the pitches used for the India v Pak series have a bit of life in them for the bowlers.

yeah pitches in PAK have become the worst in the world due to terribly defensive captains like Inzi(remember those pitches against IND and ENG in 05/06) and Malik.

Pitches in IND haven't been much better but still better than those in PAK

Henry wrote:Lets hope that the pitches used for the India v Pak series have a bit of life in them for the bowlers.

Yep.

Thats the only chance Pak will have to beat India. Not that India won't benefir from non flat decks.

I am really hoping for a pace prodigy from Pakistan to come up in this series.

Would also want Sharma to have a great series(in a losing cause)

Pakistan is now blackmailing by saying CBM and 'peace process' might suffer if tour does not go ahead.

I say to hell with 'peace process', no way should BCCI send its cricketers to Pakistan.

*Buckaroo* wrote:Pakistan is now blackmailing by saying CBM and 'peace process' might suffer if tour does not go ahead.

I say to hell with 'peace process', no way should BCCI send its cricketers to Pakistan.

link?

KARACHI: Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam believes fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar still has a few years of international cricket left in him and has backed him to play a crucial role in the home series against India early next year.
Shoaib returned to the Pakistan squad for the series against West Indies in Abu Dhabi but missed all three One-day Internationals due to a calf strain.
‘He (Shoaib) can play a very important role against India and we will be relying on him to deliver the goods with experience and pace,’ Intikhab said in an interview. ‘I don’t think he is finished. If nursed properly and if he takes care of himself, Shoaib can do more for Pakistan than he has done in recent times.’
Shoaib’s appearances for Pakistan have been sporadic of late due to injury and disciplinary issues but Intikhab said he was working his way back through a rigorous rehabilitation program under the supervision of David Dwyer, the Pakistan trainer.
‘He is working very hard and doing what he has been asked to do to lose weight, become fitter and sharper,’ the coach said. ‘He was fit for the final match (in Abu Dhabi) but we decided to not risk him on the advice of the trainer.’
Looking ahead to Pakistan’s first Test series in more than a year, Intikhab said all the players had been given individual programs to get themselves fit. He acknowledged India’s splendid success in recent months – which included a 2-0 series win at home against Australia – and said their bowlers had mastered the art of using the SG ball effectively in domestic and first-class cricket.
‘India have done really well in recent months and they were the better side against Australia. I think one of the reasons for their success is the balls they use in domestic cricket and against touring sides,’ Intikhab said.
‘The Indian players are well-versed with the SG cricket balls and know how to use them well. Compared to the Kookaburra, the SG has a more prominent seam that does not die down after a few overs and is a big help for the spinners and fast bowlers alike. It allows them to take a strong grip and use it effectively.’
India’s tour of Pakistan, which runs from Jan 4 to Feb 19, includes three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International.

Wishful thinking by coach I Alam....Shoaib will breakdown.

I would rather have PAK play Sohail Khan or M Talha...

few years? more like a few overs

PlanetPakistan wrote:

*Buckaroo* wrote:Pakistan is now blackmailing by saying CBM and 'peace process' might suffer if tour does not go ahead.

I say to hell with 'peace process', no way should BCCI send its cricketers to Pakistan.

link?

CNN-IBN .. they will update their website in a bit.

one thing going in PAK's favor is that they should NOT have too many problems against the likes of Bhajji or Chawla.

*Buckaroo* wrote:

PlanetPakistan wrote:

*Buckaroo* wrote:Pakistan is now blackmailing by saying CBM and 'peace process' might suffer if tour does not go ahead.

I say to hell with 'peace process', no way should BCCI send its cricketers to Pakistan.

link?

CNN-IBN .. they will update their website in a bit.

just pass on the link when its cooked

honestly speaking .. Pakistan's only chance is if PCB chairman comes running at eve of a series loss.

Or else BCCI indulges in its old pastime of match-fixing.

Frankly some of the fielding positions that captains have during Indo-Pak series is mind-boggling.

It's like Scoundrels vs Unscruples Central.

*Buckaroo* wrote:honestly speaking .. Pakistan's only chance is if PCB chairman comes running at eve of a series loss.

Or else BCCI indulges in its old pastime of match-fixing.

Frankly some of the fielding positions that captains have during Indo-Pak series is mind-boggling.

It's like Scoundrels vs Unscruples Central.

yaar her cheese may match fixing lay attay hoo...

Do you think the likes of Dravid, Tendu, Dhoni, Kumble etc are all match fixers?

BCCI is the biggest match-fixer .. what say do Dravid, Kumble etc have in it ?

one thing going in PAK's favor is that they should NOT have too many problems against the likes of Bhajji or Chawla.

Chawla is nowhere near Indian team atm.

*Buckaroo* wrote:BCCI is the biggest match-fixer .. what say do Dravid, Kumble etc have in it ?

so they merely bow down and carry on with match fixing...brilliant

SG wrote:

one thing going in PAK's favor is that they should NOT have too many problems against the likes of Bhajji or Chawla.

Chawla is nowhere near Indian team atm.

yeah i forgot about Mishra....he will do ok i guess but not as well as he did against AUS.

PlanetPakistan wrote:which can be used when they lose to India

"So what we lost the test series...didn't AUS lose 2 nil?"
"So what we lost the ODI series...didn't England lose 7 nil/6-1?"
"So what we lost? we haven't played test cricket for 14 months?"
" We lost because we have a very young team and a very young captain who is still learning the art"
"We lost because M yousuf and A Razzaq went to ICL"

now the question is WILL they use these excuses and not "turn up" or will they put up a fight like they did under Younis Khan's captaincy in Karachi, Kolkata and Banglore?

p.s PAK plays better against IND than against other teams is a myth.

"We were not use to the referral system"