Match Report on First Test Match at Chennai

The news is:

Pakistan won by 10 runs.

Both India and Pakistan deserve all the applause. Great cricket.

Look for ward to the same kind of thrills in the second test.

YAHOOOOOO!!

Let me be the first one to say it: PAKISTAN WON!! By 13 runs! What a nail biter!!! Saqlain gets 5 wickets in second innings too.

India 257/9!! What a finish!! No matter who wins now, I can now safely say the honors are shared. :)) I might have spoken too early in my previous mail.

OK, India 238/6. Tendulkar`s still in. It`s all over for Pakistan. Btw, the url for Audio commentary was www.radio.gov.pk

Let`s see if Pakistan can level the series in the next game. Saad, you shouldn`t have doubted Tendu`s abilities. And I should`ve been following the match on IRC, ball-by-ball, praying for wickets instead of sleeping. :(

Mongia out. Wasim got his wicket and Waqar took his catch. India need 53 and have 4 wicketts in hand.

India are 84 for 5 at lunch. Tendulkar is still there, but one man can plug up only one end. Granted he is a talented batsman, but to my mind SRT is also partly a creation of the Indian fashion-media engine. Even if he carries the bat, I doubt he can do for his team at Chennai what Gavasker couldn`t do at Bangalore.

BTW, Rana, couldn`t agree more with your mature analysis of Afridi. One shouldn`t over-analyze his cricket. As you rightly insist, his success shows that spirit and motivation can sometimes count for more than method and technique.

Saad

PS: Are any of you catching commentary on short-wave ? What frequencies ?

Ganguly out....Saq-Mushed, India is 82 for 5

From CricInfo:

`` 41.4 Saqlain Mushtaq to Ganguly, no run, pushed to offside oh no....

41.5 Saqlain Mushtaq to Ganguly, OUT:``

The conditions now are ripe for a Pakistan victory. No predictions from me but if Pakistan takes advantage of the early fall of openers, India could be restricted to a 200 or so total. I`m still amazed at the Pakistani batsmen`s tendency for Tu Chal Main Aya. Six wickets for 10 runs? That`s really a shame.

Re: RanaRansher

Even with all their weaknesses, Pakistan is a better batting side too. They have talent, experience and record to show for it. Between them, they have played more matches than any other contemporary team you can name. All they need is a little bit peace from the inquisitors and the gods of Pakistan cricket board. Once they have the peace of mind they can beat any team, anywhere at any time. But without it, the reverse can also be true. Majid Khan, Javed Burki and rest of the bunch needs to be kicked out before any changes can be expected in the set up of Pakistan cricket.

Rehan.

re: Mofeez
``These are not miscues but on the contrary are adjustments when the length or line of the ball is not as perceived when it was delivered.``

Please gimme a break. What you describe is indeed a miscue. Yaar... you are getting carried away with your Afridi description. I think you have completely missed Afridi`s role in the Test team. Afridi is not a front line batsman (presently) by any standards. He is very circumspect against the moving ball and doesn`t have much technique defensive or footwork. Watch the guy bat. Study octogon charts on the guy you will see that most of his runs come with misques over slips in the thirdman region. He does hit straight and does get runs in the V, but not anywhere else really.

He has a fantastic eye and in most replays is in position to hit really early allowing him to use his shoulders and hit really HARD. BUT MOST ALL AFFRIDI GETS A FIRE IN HIS BELLY. And none other than Miandad (MAN WITH HEAP BIG FIRE IN HIS BELLY) senses this, recognises this, and patronises Afridi.
Last year I got a chnnce to check out the Sahara cup in Canada. I pulled some long distance connection and exploited it to the max. I would reach the field about 2 hours before playtime and check out the proceedings. While everybody else would be stroking balls, practicing, Miandad would spend hours just talking to Afridi. He then scored his 109. THe media had quoted Afridi as saying that Miandad mainly talks to him about his temperament and patience and how this was needed to be able to play the big one.
MARK MY WORDS: Afridi in the years to come will be Pakistan`s FIRE IN THE BELLY CHIEF. The technique will have to honed in but it is his ability to smell a challenge and thrive on it (against the odds and his own lack of technique) which sets him apart. As a leg spinner or batsman he doen`t display any exeptional skill but he is damn effective.
In the Test team selecetion, Pak had tried Wajahatullah Wasti and Mohd Naveed and were not too impressed with him. IN the domestic season (a basis for the selectors to choose teams) Afridi has not impressed at all with the bat, in fact, most of the impact he made has been as a leg spinner. THey could give a specialist opener (both the candidates had done well domestically) a chance or use Afridi as a wild card batsman and a leg spinner in the absense of Mushtaq. Note uptil now Afridi has played tests when Mushtaq Ahmad is fit. All this will change now of course.

The legends are made of people with this FIRE IN THEIR BELLY. Kapil provided this for India, after him there was a big slump, up until aamchi SRT. For Pakistan, Imran and Miandad were the chargers (also Abdul Qadir yeah heap big fire in his belly).
DAY to Afridi......NO DOUBT

But, I am not sure if you have seen Afridi bat. You will see what I am saying.
Even in this innings he gave a lot of chances which the Indians dropped. Once he realised that Kumble was not really turning the ball (most batsman get out to his bowling playing for the turn ;-) he would launch these mighty swipes at them with great success.
But the one thing he did do is push Azhar into the defensive. For most of the day India played with one slip and instead concentrated on saving boundaries. Pointless really since the batsman are not under pressure, loft balls all over, tap some and get all the singles. doubles they want. When the odd loose delivery comes along the batsman typically helps himself to them anyway.

And please guys dont accuse me of any jingoism. I am a HEAP BIG Afridi fan. Its just that he should get credit only where its due.

Onto tomorrow. For India to win SRT has to click. Others play good supporting roles, but he is the one with FIRE. Even for political stability within India (yeah I am getting carreied away hear, but what the hell) SRT single-handedly has to win this Test. I can elaborate on this later.

To all cricket fans,

World Cup 1999 is just around the corner. I am planning on going to England to attend atleast two of the Pakistani encounters (vs AUS and NZ) between May 23rd and May31st. I think this is once in a lifetime chance to see World`s top players in action. I am sure there are other cricket fans who would like to go too. I think it will be much more fun if we can go in a group from the United States. AT this time, I would like to hear from you about this idea (which is really in its infancy).

Please reply via this forum or email me directly at aziz786@hotmail.com.

I am open for suggestions and comments.

Regards,

Aziz from Chicago.

PS: My sincere thanks to both Mofeez and Safwan for orchestrating this excellent interactive coverage

Re Saad, Feroz, Rana, et al.

Wow! This is incredible. Superbowl? Whats that? Tomorrow all High IQ minds will be on Chennai.

Glad to see Waqar is awake finally.

My prediction(s) [Saad is contagious]:

If Pakistan wins, the pacemen would have won it for Pakistan (not the spinners)

If India win, it will be because of a big Ganguly-Tendulkar/Dravid (whoever survives the first session) partnership.

If neither Tendulkar and Dravid survive the first two hours, India will not win, no matter what Azhar or Ganguly etc. do.

If Ganguly fails, T or no T, India lose.

Re: Shafqat post # 29

Ghalib, Jinnah and Einstein were dead long before my time otherwise I might have and maybe I did, in a different life! Given the choice of watching hearing a test match over five days, I`d rather go camping or take a vacation, but that is just me.

Don`t get me wrong, I used to be an avid cricket fan when I was young. I guess I have just out grown the game and over the years have lost my interest in it.

To all of you cricket lovers out there, I admire your passion and commitment to the game and I wish you a happy series!

My only prediciation on the series is that maybe, though cricket, we sub-continentals will discover that we share more than just a love for cricket!

Hasta la vista amigos!

The fall of the house of cards (wickets 5 to 10)
has got to be a major factor in the outcome of
this game for Pakistan. They should have at least
played till mid day of day 4 and have India chase
a 325. But now that is all in the wishful past.
All eyes are on Tendulkar, the best batsman in
Cricket today, as the outcome of this match may
well be in his hands (and Azhar`s).
The Pakistanis know this too and will throw
everthing at him. If Pakistan can get 2 to 3
more early Indian wickets on Day 4, the match
is probably theirs. But if Tendulkar and Co.
can adjust to the Pakistani bowling attack
early in day 4, then thanks to the fall of
Pakistani batting as mentioned earlier, India
has plenty of TIME on their hands to draw
first blood.

PS.
Shahid Afridi has an open invitation to dinner
in the best restaurant in Sacramento, California,
and I`m buying.

Ras

Ferozk:

Ever heard Ghalib in a Dehli mushairah ?

Ever been received by Mr. Jinnah in his Malabar Hills drawing room ?

Ever discussed the nature of the universe with Albert Einstein ?

No ?

Then follow Test cricket. It`s not a bad substitute.

RanaRansher:

I admit I haven`t seen much of SRT. But comparisons with Gavasker ? Only day 4 will tell.

Mofeez:

You`re doing a very good job, keep it up. About Shahid Afridi, apparently Miandad gave him a real talking-to about his temperament during the pre-tour training camp in Karachi. Is Miandad behind the obvious turnaround in the team`s fortunes ? Perhaps you could shed some light on Miandad`s influence as coach in future reports.

Saad

PS: Prediction (sorry, but I can`t resist):

India 228 all out (Tendulkar 108 *, Afridi 5 for 59). Pakistan win by 42 runs.

Saad wrote:

``Ever heard Ghalib in a Dehli mushairah?

Ever been received by Mr. Jinnah in his Malabar Hills drawing room?

Ever discussed the nature of the universe with Albert Einstein? ``

O` what a joy it would bring to many if you elaborated this lyrical theme into an ode to cricket - Will you?