Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Anti-climatic end to Shoaib's intriguing career

MOHALI: A career that began so promisingly 14 years ago with Shoaib Akhtar refusing to take off his first Pakistan kit for three days, ended with a dressing down on Wednesday when the fast bowler was reduced to being a 'waterboy'.

The man who was nicknamed the " Rawalpindi Express" for his ability to bowl at high speeds had been hoping for one last hurrah in Wednesday's high-octane World Cup semifinal against traditional foes India.

However, Pakistan's defeat by India brought one of the most controversial careers in cricket to a screeching halt.

For Shoaib, there will be no more highs of taking wickets or winning matches for his country. When he wakes up on Thursday, all he will be left with is a sackful of memories.

"The best moment was when I got the first kit for the test match and there was a huge star on my chest," an emotional Shoaib told reporters after announcing his decision to quit two weeks ago.

"I wore that kit and I slept in that kit and I just couldn't believe that I was going to wake up in that kit. I didn't take if off for three days."

Luckily for Shoaib, his 46-Test and 163-ODI appearances ensured he received a regular supply of team strips for almost a decade and a half but from Thursday, there will be no more new kits arriving on his doorstep.

But no one can deny the impact, good or bad, he made in the sport.

The 35-year-old made his debut in a test match against West Indies in 1997 and immediately caught everyone's attention as the fastest bowler of his generation.

Considered by many as the heir to Pakistan fast bowling greats Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, Shoaib disappointed most with a career blighted by injuries and controversies stemming from his indiscipline.

His tearaway pace was a threat to many a batsman around the world but his figures failed to justify his immense talent.

He finished with 178 Test wickets and 247 ODI scalps -- a record he will not be too pleased with.

Ball-tampering allegations, numerous disciplinary issues, hitting team mate Mohammad Asif with a bat in 2007, doping accusations and several other controversies and injuries took the focus away from his often devastating bowling.

ANGRILY STAMPED TEAM MATE

Even at this World Cup, reports emerged Shoaib had angrily kicked his team mate Kamran Akmal after the wicketkeeper had dropped New Zealand's Ross Taylor twice in the space of three deliveries during a group stage match on March 8.

The Pakistan camp played down the clash but that match proved to be Shoaib's last international outing.

He was reduced to carrying drinks to his team mates on the field during the semifinal against India on Wednesday, an end the fast bowler would have despised when he announced his retirement midway through the showpiece event.

"It feels like it's my first death," he told reporters about his decision to quit.

"I have taken this decision after much thought. Pakistan's last match in this World Cup will also be my last."

Shoaib's obsession with pace during his career was often detrimental to the team's cause as he lost control and proved to be expensive on occasions.

His long run-up often put Pakistan at risk of incurring a penalty for their slow over rate and it irked many of his coaches over the years.

On a number of occasions, he was not considered a team man and was rather portrayed as the problem child of Pakistan cricket with a penchant for night life.

But the strongly-built Shoaib at his peak, running in from about 35 yards out with his long hair furling in the wind, was enough to catch the imagination of cricket lovers across the world.

He demonstrated his talent in the series against India in 1999 when he took eight wickets in the Asian Test Championship in Calcutta, bowling Rahul Dravid and then yorking Sachin Tendulkar next ball with two inswinging deliveries.

Shoaib was a huge draw at the 1999 World Cup in England where he finished with 16 wickets as Pakistan reached the final, which they eventually lost to Australia.

But subsequently the dark phase in his career followed and he found himself in and out of the team due to reasons that were not strictly cricketing.

If disciplinary issues were most frequent, the phase in 2006 when he was banned for two years after testing positive for an anabolic steroid -- in an internal drugs test carried out by the Pakistan Cricket Board -- was the most embarrassing.

A three-man appeals tribunal later cleared him of the doping offences but the fast bowler never came back to his best.


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Sachin Tendulkar targets final glory in Mumbai

MOHALI: India's Sachin Tendulkar led a charmed life to hit a crucial 85 in Wednesday's semifinal win against Pakistan before targetting his first World Cup title in front of his home fans in Mumbai.

Tendulkar was dropped four times in his man of the match innings to anchor India to 260/9 against their arch-rivals before his team's bowlers applied the pressure and the brakes to secure a 29-run win in the hotly-anticipated clash.

"The final in Mumbai will be a fantastic occasion. We will focus on the job in hand and try to get the job done," said Tendulkar of Saturday's title match against Sri Lanka.

Tendulkar again missed out on making 100 international centuries but has the satisfaction of having played in all five of India's World Cup wins over Pakistan.

Now he hopes to be at the forefront of Saturday's campaign where India will look to capture a second World Cup title, 28 years after their first and only triumph.

"It's always memorable to play against Pakistan and to be on the winning side five times against them is a memory I will always cherish.

"But it was a brilliant effort in the field and by the bowlers. When we batted we had to make sure we got a fighting total. I thought 310 or 315 would have been a good par score.

"Then the ball started stopping and spinning and something closer to 270 was par."

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who won the toss and batted, said it was important to treat the slowing PCA Stadium pitch -- and the Pakistan attack for whom left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz grabbed five wickets -- with respect.

"We got off to a fantastic start through Virender Sehwag and Sachin (48 runs in 5.5 overs) but as the game progressed the wicket got slower, and in the middle overs it was difficult to score," said Dhoni.

"It was important to just play the bowling with respect. 260 was a good score for this pitch. It was turning. We read the wicket wrong and that's why we went with three seamers, but in the end the seamers bowled really well too.

"We don't have bowlers who can bowl 140mph plus, overall we rely on deception - change of length, line and pace."

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi admitted his team had missed their chances to dismiss Tendulkar who was dropped on 27, 45, 70 and 81 in a butter-fingered fielding performance.

"I'd like to congratulate the Indian team and the Indian nation for this great victory, and wish them all the best for the final," he said.

"We missed some opportunities and they played better than us. We didn't make partnerships and we played some irresponsible shots.

"I want to say sorry to my nation - we tried our level best."

India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who took 2-43, said the semifinal would have made a great title match.

"This was like a final. Whenever India and Pakistan play the pressure is always double. It was a big match for us and for them," he said.

"We bowled and fielded well and I think we deserved to win. We played good overall cricket. I am looking forward to going to Mumbai and playing in the final."

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Deflated Pakistan fans blame Misbah for India loss

ISLAMABAD: Disappointed Pakistani cricket fans on Wednesday blamed a sluggish Misbah-ul-Haq for defeat in the World Cup semifinal thriller with arch-rivals India.


India defeated Pakistan by 29 runs in an action-packed match to set up a World Cup final showdown with Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Saturday, leaving fans across cricket-loving Pakistan dejected.

"We lost because of Misbah, as he did not score well when it was most required," angry fan Awais Shakir said on Islamabad's main Jinnah Avenue as thousands of disappointed viewers were leaving screenings of the match.

"He just wasted time on the pitch."

Fans in other Pakistani cities which ground to a halt for the game also criticised Misbah, who scored a lacklustre 56 from 76 balls. His slow play pushed the Pakistan towards defeat before the 50th over.

For schoolteacher Hazrat Ali, it was disappointing -- but not the end of the game.

"Defeat and win is part of the game. Our team will win next time," he said.

In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, engineer Mohammad Ali said: "It was a great contest all along and the day belonged to India. However Misbah and Younis Khan were very lazy."

The government had declared a half-day holiday in offices and schools to enable the cricket-mad population to enjoy the game.

Special prayers were offered in mosques and at homes, and people recited verses from the Koran, praying to Allah to guide the Pakistani team to victory.

By the evening all major roads in several Pakistani cities were gridlocked with cars, motorcycles and jubilant revellers, but the festive atmosphere turned tense as the Pakistani batting line began to fall before India.

Power cuts sparked protests by hundreds of angry spectators who blocked a main highway in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir.

Motorists listened to the commentary on their car radios and shouted out the latest score to passers-by at a busy intersection in Islamabad.

Excitement reached fever pitch as shopkeepers flogged green T-shirts, caps and souvenirs, and networking sites Facebook and Twitter buzzed with comments on the wickets' falls and player's performance -- and prayers for the squad.

Young people were seen wearing the green T-shirts of the Pakistani squad, their faces painted in the nation's green and white, in the northwestern city of Peshawar, while large national flags flew from buildings, houses and cars.

In the eastern city of Lahore, which borders with India, more than 20,000 Pakistanis thronged the Gaddafi stadium to witness the match on large screens. Entry was free and people formed long queues to get in.

In Karachi residents blocked many roads and set up huge screens to watch the live broadcast from the Indian town of Mohali.

By the end of the day, 30 people were brought to hospitals across Karachi after being wounded by stray bullets fired during the festivities, hospital officials said.

Even prison authorities in the city made special arrangements for inmates to watch the match and gave Indian team shirts to some 200 Indian prisoners.

In Rawalpindi, revellers danced to drums in a market and shouted "Long live the Pakistan team", "We will win" and "Give your best, we are with you".

Whenever an Indian wicket fell, people jumped and danced in jubilation and fired gunshots into the air.

In Islamabad people gathered around screens -- including a huge screen mounted on the Stock Exchange building -- letting out screams of excitement when a player hit a four or faced a fierce delivery.

Large crowds, including women and children, gathered at the lush green Fatima Jinnah park and waved Pakistani flags in support of their team, while elsewhere, the streets were deserted after midday.

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Ind vs Pak: India beat Pakistan to reach World Cup final

Twenty-eight long years after that magical Indian summer in England, the Men in Blue are one victory away from proving that India is truly cricket’s superpower, not just commercially but also on the field.


One victory away from being world No.1 in ODIs, in addition to Tests. One victory away from giving the ultimate thank you gift to the greatest cricketer since Don Bradman, and a fitting farewell to a coach who has contributed so much to their rise. And one victory away from giving millions of young Indians born after 1983 - including several members of the present team - the joy of knowing what it actually feels like to have your squad lift the Cup that counts before your jubilant eyes. Kumar Sangakkara - Sanga to millions of fans - is waiting with his formidable Lankans. But so is the opportunity of a lifetime for Dhoni’s Daredevils. ( Read: For WC final, Wankhede a no-vehicle zone ) ( Read: After pubs, party spills onto Mumbai's streets )

India went into the semifinal against Pakistan as odds-on favourites, and for once the bookies had it right. The quality of cricket didn’t really live up to the occasion but the ebb and flow of emotions - from exuberance to unease to disappointment to hope to joy to sheer mad exultation - more than compensated. Wednesday’s win extends India’s record against Pakistan at the World Cup to 5-0. Some day, the law of averages will catch up, but not with history beckoning so alluringly.

It was supposed to be India’s batting vs Pakistan’s bowling but as often happens in cricket, things didn’t go according to script. The Indian innings got off to an explosive start, powered by Virender Sehwag, stuttered midway and finally lurched to a total - 260 - that could at best be described as fighting. Man of the match Sachin Tendulkar produced one of the patchiest innings of his stunning career, but its value became more and more apparent as the Pakistani innings steadily went into terminal decline.

The bowling, though, was a revelation. Defending 260 meant there was no scope for even a single bowler to have an off-day. No one did, with Zaheer, Munaf, Nehra, Harbhajan and Yuvraj all taking two wickets each. Incredibly, the first extra, a wide, came as late as the 37th over. Dhoni attacked throughout, the Men in Blue fielded with tigerish resolve and the bowlers never eased the pressure, even when Pakistan appeared to be cruising.

At the end of India’s innings, Pakistan would have fancied their chances. After a blistering start from Virender Sehwag that briefly raised visions of India crossing 350, Afridi’s men had succeeded in reining in India for 260 - a total that most pundits felt was at least 20 runs below par, given the small ground and fast outfield.

Umar Gul, supposed to be Pakistan’s spearhead, was taken to the cleaners, going wicketless and conceding 69 runs in 8 overs - the worst economy rate ever by a Pakistani bowler against India in a World Cup match. But young left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz rose to the occasion, taking 5 wickets for 46 - the best ever by a Pakistani against India at the World Cup.

Riaz, varying his pace intelligently, gave an excellent display of seam and swing as he struck at vital moments. He brought Sehwag’s blistering innings to a disappointingly premature end and then returned to dismiss Kohli. Yuvraj Singh walked in to a huge ovation from his home crowd. It turned into stunned silence as Riaz produced a full swinging delivery that crashed into Yuvi’s stumps.

For good measure, Riaz also got rid of Sachin Tendulkar. Afridi had vowed before the match that Pakistan wouldn’t let Tendulkar get his 100th international century but his teammates seemed bent on proving him wrong, generously offering chance after chance. Tendulkar struggled to pick Saeed Ajmal and was given out LBW but survived when he asked for a review. On the very next ball, the Pakistanis appealed for a stumping. Sachin was then dropped thrice off Afridi and once off Hafeez before Afridi finally caught him. It was perhaps fitting that Sachin’s 100th century didn’t come from such a flawed innings.

Dhoni hung around without ever looking convincing and it was left to Raina to guide India to a semblance of respectability. Ironically, overs 44 and 49, which yielded 43 runs for the loss of just 1 wicket, were actually one of India’s most productive uses of the batting powerplay in this Cup. The bowlers had done their bit with the bat. They were to do much, much more with the ball.

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