Pakistan win Team of the Year award

Pakistan was named as the Best International Cricket Team in the 2011-2012 season at the CEAT cricket awards on Friday while India batsman Virat Kohli bagged the International Cricketer of the Year award.

Kohli, also the vice-captain of the side, beat the likes of Australian captain Michael Clarke, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara and consistent South African opener Hashim Amla to clinch the top honour at a glittering function. Kohli, however, could not make it to the event and former Pakistan captain and bowling legend Wasim Akram collected the award on his behalf. “He is a special player. One of the best batsmen and fielder in the world cricket. He should be groomed as the next T20 captain of the Indian team. He is the right choice for the position,” said Akram of Kohli.

Akram also collected the award on behalf of the Pakistan team and said: “It’s an honour for me to collect this award on behalf of the team. They really played some good cricket this season and I congratulate them for emerging the winner.” Former Pakistan batting great Zaheer Abbas received the Lifetime Achievement Award. In the special India-Pakistan award category, legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar lifted the Best Test Batsman trophy while former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq was honoured with the Best ODI Batsman award. The 1983 India’s World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev was adjudged the Best Test bowler, Akram received the Best ODI bowler award.

CEAT Audience Choice Awards 2011-2012 went jointly to former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar and Indian opener Virender Sehwag. Kapil, while awarding the International Best Cricket Team award to Pakistan said: “They deserve the award as they played good cricket.” Asked about Indian team’s dismal show against Pakistan in the ongoing series, Kapil said it would be better to not talk on the issue.

“If we don’t talk about it, it would be better for us. I just hope that on Sunday (third ODI at the Ferozeshah Kotla) we see better cricket. The Indian team has the reputation of making a comeback so I just hope they play well. I would just like to congratulate the Pakistan time for playing a fantastic cricket. They have a fantastic bowling line-up and there batsmen are also coming good. You deserve to win,” he said.”

Kapil, while getting nostalgic about the Indo-Pak rivalry, said: “Whenever you entered the field, you just wanted to win. It was like just go there and win. I can’t explain in words the rivalry between the two nations. Sometimes the pressure situation, the tense atmosphere didn’t let you to play the natural game.” The first-ever CEAT young Indian cricketer of the year award was received by India U-19 World Cup winning captain Unmukt Chand, who collected the trophy from Gavaskar. “I am happy to have been chosen for this award. That was a special win for all of us. That particular day when I lifted the World Cup trophy was a special moment.” Former Pakistan captains Saeed Anwar, Rameez Raja and Inzamam along with Kapil, Ajay Jadeja, Gavaskar and Yashpal Sharma graced the occasion.

Ramiz and Shonali Nagrani played perfect host to the evening reminding the present dignitaries of the excitement attached to the Indo-Pak rivalry over the years.

Pakistan Starts in Style …ICC World Cup 2012

Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed cashed in on a below-par performance from New Zealand in the field, putting together an impressive partnership during which their timing and apparent effortlessness in building on an aggressive opening stand stood out. The depth and variety in Pakistan’s bowling, Hafeez’s miserly spell and New Zealand’s questionable tactics in the chase combined to put a target of 178 beyond reach, producing a winning start to Pakistan’s tournament.

New Zealand had their chances. Hafeez decided to give his inconsistent batting the first go under sunny skies but in conditions where bowlers had assistance. Kyle Mills found early swing and should have had an initially-tentative Hafeez third ball, but Ross Taylor fluffed a straightforward chance at slip. Having dropped his Pakistan counterpart, the New Zealand captain was left flapping his lips when Hafeez launched Daniel Vettori for a six over long-on the next over.

Imran Nazir looked the more assured of the openers, using the depth of the crease well to dispatch Mills’ two short deliveries for boundaries on either side of the ground, and continuing the treatment against Jacob Oram’s half-trackers. Nazir fell in the last over of the Powerplay, caught and bowled by Tim Southee, but by then Hafeez had got into his groove with a couple of flowing drives and was about to be joined by a partner who wasted no time in keeping the momentum intact.

Tall, well-built and powerful, Jamshed was nowhere near brutal in his style of play. He didn’t have to rely on sheer power to achieve what timing, placement and a sound technique did. Against Nathan McCullum‘s round-the-wicket line, he drove inside out, lofting the ball in the vacant space behind extra cover and clearing the ropes twice. He was equally wristy, clipping the ball square and through midwicket and slicing Mills over point for four. Mills was again unlucky, as a perfectly-positioned Rob Nicol at deep square leg spilled a chance off Jamshed, making matters worse by palming the ball for six when the batsman was on 42.

As Jamshed attacked at one end, Hafeez was content to rotate the strike, collecting runs down the ground, jabbing, steering and nudging the ball around for singles and even bludgeoning Nathan McCullum for six over midwicket. He was bowled trying to pull James Franklin in his first over but the 76-run stand with Jamshed had set an excellent launching pad.

New Zealand, though, pulled things back, dismissing Kamran Akmal and Jamshed in successive overs that yielded just 10. But Umar Akmal and the rest counterattacked in the last four. Even though Southee conceded just three in the 18th over, with third man and fine leg inside the circle, a generous dose of length, and misdirected, deliveries helped Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik score 42 in the last four.

New Zealand opened with Kane Williamson, a solid but less-attacking option, and played Vettori, busy, accumulative but not renowned as a big hitter, at No.3. The batting order suggested a strategy that relied heavily on the ammunition in the middle order to lead the surge in the late overs. Though that surge did come, and gave Pakistan plenty of anxious moments, it arrived at a time when the required-rate had reached 14 an over and, in hindsight, a touch too late.

Williamson made 15 in 13 but he had a fluent Rob Nicol at the other end. Nicol showed early intent, charging out to Sohail Tanvir and smacking him over long-on, and going over the top against Yasir Arafat with mid-off inside the circle. Pakistan bowled just one over of spin – from Hafeez, who conceded just 15 in his four-over spell – inside the Powerplay, and their slow bowlers stifled the innings once the field spread out.

Afridi mixed it up well and even found turn but Nicol was dislodged while attempting to cut one that went on straight. Williamson was run out shortly after, and the five overs after the Powerplay produced just 26 runs, with Vettori and Brendon McCullum at the crease. Saeed Ajmal’s first over ended the deadlock with Brendon McCullum, who reverse-swept, stepped out and also cut well, picking him for boundaries. But with the asking rate climbing, the wickets came, Ajmal dismissing Vettori for 18 off 16 and Umar Gul yorking Brendon McCullum, who left his team with 70 needed off 29 balls. By then, Hafeez had completed his spell, with his first three overs only going for five runs.

It was too much to get in the end, despite Oram and Franklin’s quick cameos and Taylor’s assault of three fours in a row against Gul that brought down the equation to 22 off 9 balls. He was run-out brilliantly, courtesy a flat throw to the striker’s end from the deep from Umar Akmal next ball, and the biggest threat in Pakistan’s way, at that point, was eliminated.

SHAHID KHAN AFRIDI RETIRES FROM CRICKET

Its a big blow to cricket fans and is unbelievable its all because of PCB…………..

West Indies crushed ,Pakistan in Semi Final

Intent of the day

Devon Smith started the first quarter-final in smashing fashion. He was offered a delivery that was a little shorter and a little wider than Umar Gul would have intended and he unleashed the square cut. It flew, razor sharp off his bat, past point and gave the West Indies a boundary. Smith’s stance, tall, upright and authoritative, indicated that the West Indies meant business. It’s a pity that the team’s actions after that, didn’t follow through.

Bail-breaking of the day

For years the cricket world has scratched its head collectively when Shivnarine Chanderpaul has come to the crease and taken guard. Off comes the bail, to be hammered senselessly into the spot where he takes guard with the top of the bat handle. Other West Indians, most notably Ramnaresh Sarwan, have started following suit. The ferocity with which they hammer the bail in, it’s surprising what happened today hasn’t happened before: Ronnie was hammering away in the 4th over of the innings, when the bail actually broke. Last we heard, the ICC hadn’t sent out a code of conduct disciplinary breach notice for violence against cricket equipment.

Over of the day

There was little surprise when Saeed Ajmal was picked in the XI today to counter West Indies’ battery of left-handers. There was probably more at the decision to open not with him but with Mohammad Hafeez, though he has long been a clever Powerplay operator. He began tightly against a restless Chris Gayle but the pressure he built in the first two overs told in his third. Devon Smith was so plumb he decided not to review it. Three balls later, Darren Bravo went lbw and though he was probably right to refer it, the decision went against him. A double-wicket maiden set the tone for the rest of the innings.

Referral of the day

No one is ever more convinced in asking for a fielding referral than Shahid Afridi. Off his own bowling he often doesn’t even ask anyone else, like the wicketkeeper, for an opinion, making the T-sign a part of his appeal. He asked for one today, a leg-before against Sarwan, which went against him but the best was a cheeky request for a referral to Billy Bowden after a leg-side wide was given in the 27th over of the innings.

The mini-scare of the day

Near the middle of the innings break, just as twilight was approaching, the time when lights are most needed to bridge the gap between day and night, the floodlights at the Shere-e-Bangla stadium went off. At the same time, a message appeared on the scoreboard “In the event that this match is not completed today, the players will return tomorrow. Please retain your tickets.” With the ground swiftly descending into darkness, some fans may have been searching for their tickets, crumpled up in their pockets or bags somewhere, just in case the lights never came back on. A few minutes later, the globes started twinkling again and the field was bathed in light in time for the second innings.

The one-handed slip dropper of the day

Younis Khan was made to practice his reaction time at first slip. First, was when Saeed Ajmal got Darren Sammy to get a leading edge off a regular offspinner. Younis put in a solid dive to his left and even got a hand on the ball but couldn’t hold on. Nine overs later he was tested again. This time by Wahab Riaz‘s attempt to dismiss Kemar Roach. Riaz angled one across the West Indian quick, who tried to steer it past slip. Younis dived to his right this time and got fingertips to it but the catch evaded him again. He did make up later with a nicely-judged catch at short midwicket to send back Roach.