Asian Test Championship

naaaaaaaaahhhhhiiiiiii

one over of brilliance from Shoaib and the game swings right around.
Did you guys see those 2 balls. They were both beautiful inswinging yorkers bowled at blistering * * pace. Both extremely technically correct batsman beaten for pace losing the leg stump and middle stump respectively. Incidently, SRT`s first GOLDEN duck.
God damn it. I stayed up all night to watch SRT. Anyway, Shoaib khabardaar for the 2nd innings, SRT tenu nahi chadegaa !!
This all just means the game got even more interesting.

Now India has to get past 200 for some batting points and then last 100 overs for some more batting points. Of course, going for the outright win is the best option. But these championship points do make it all the more interesting.

Azhar with an average of 136 on this ground still hanging in there. Take it away now Azhar.

Ramesh, a job well done. Better luck next time for a hundred.

Well, it seems with India at 127/2, and with Ramesh & Dravid at the crease they are well set to score the 300+ runs I predicted early on. This is a batsman`s wicket, its just that the standards of Pakistani batsmen are under par. Watch out for another Indian victory? Where does Pakistan go if all the batting failures on this tour (Yousuf Youhana (with the PML/N.Sharif sifarish), Saleem Malik, Ijaz Ahmed, Saeed Anwar, W.Wasti, Azhar Mahmood & Inzi) are dropped from the team just before the next W.C?

Teatime, day 2. India 174/5. The two batsmen who play best on this ground, Azharuddin (5 hundreds on his last 6 visits here) & Ganguly who is Bengali, and is playing in front of his hometown crowd and is expected to do well here, are at the crease. I still stand by my prediction of India easily crossing the 300+ run mark, and Pakistan batting not much earlier than tea on the third day (my prediction yesterday).

Comments ?

Tendulkar OUT first ball. Shoaib Akhtar, unarguably the fastest bowler in the world, strikes, strikes and strikes. Lets see if the tail wags with Akram and Saqlain on the prowl.

VVS Laxman b Shoaib Akhtar 5 21 Balls

R Dravid b Shoaib Akhtar 24 93 Balls

SR Tendulkar b Shoaib Akhtar 0 1 Ball

Re: Faraz post # 18

Bashing cricket....I was not bashing cricket, just questioning the sanity of a 24hr cricket channel! What is the point? What is the difference between that and watching a 24hr golf channel or a 24hr weather channel? What is the point? It is like watching grass grow - there is no point to it! I guess what ever floats your boat.....

Re: Rana Ransher post # 17

I thought soccer or football was the beautiful game?

I hope you will take some time off from work during the cricket world cup or you`ll end up suffering from nervous exhaustion! Will talk about about this game after you have caught up on some much needed sleep!

Ferozek:

Don`t dare anger the Gods of Cricket.

This post about cricket under your name can be the starting point of all out Chowk War I, as in CWI.

I suggest you seriously reorganize your priorities in life since that is exactly what they appear to be in need of.

;);)

Saad ji,

Aap ki post nay mujhey ``Aangan terha`` (famous PTV serial written by Anwar Maqsood somewhere in the early eighties) ki yaad dila di. Is anita bhabi anything like Bushra`s character and are you as shareef as Shakeel`s. Somehow I doubt that.

re: Anita & Saad
:-)

Actually its not all bad. My brother-in-law (who discovered this) reportedly is now more likely to get up in the middle of the night when their baby cries. Earlier he would just go on sleeping, waiting for my sister to get up for the baby everytime. Also, my sister tells me he volunteers to stay home and baby sit a lot more. Which may or may not be a good thing.

THe schedule of cricket is indeed overwhelming. Any international match played anywhere is aired and the replays are aired in the ``spare`` time.
I just got it and now sit cross eyed at work after having been up pretty much all night. Reminds me of when we first got a VCR, me and my sister stayed up and watched the only movie we owned at the time (Suhaag) about 3 times the same day !!

They also have some other channels like Zee-TV and TV Asia but they were showing some ganda ganda TV serials and stuff.

Fads may pass. Test Cricket is no fad. Its a passion.
On the flip side of things, my sister complains that my brother-in-law (who never watched any TV) has now become more than a couch potatoe. Even American couch potatoes don`t sit in front of the TV for 8 hours straight. He drinks a lot more and just lazes around watching cricket talk shows and commercials when there is no game on. Of course, if there is a game on you are not to interrupt at all.

re: Ferozk
tu hain na tu. main tuhanu wekh laangaa !! Right now I have to rush home and slip in a power nap. Cause tonight is a BIG night. Azhar and SRT have both promised me hundreds !
One day, we shall have to discuss da beatiful game at length.

Re: Anita Zaidi # 14

Glad to see you walking around Chowk! ...about time you got out of your little corner of Chowk and mingled with the rest of us chowkwallahs! :)

Regarding Cricket ESPN being touted by cricketophiles ala Rana ji, I agree with you: what have we done to deserve this nightmare! I can barely stand the damn game for a day, and now there is a 24hr channel devoted to cricket!? It is a sad, sad commmentary on our times....whom the gods wish to make mad, they make them watch cricket!!!!

Re: RanaRansher,

``This Channel 546 (as it is called) is FANTASTIC. It is ESPN for cricket. COnstant cricket day and night. SO if you are having a sleepless night you can actually tune into some cricket...``

Rana ji, CONSTANT CRICKET DAY AND NIGHT???????????

Why have you visited this abomination upon us?

Anita

Re: Ferozk

Aik Chowk key Konay main aap French main baatain karnay kee koshish kar rahay hain.

Aik aur Konay main your contribution to the discussions concerns wines.

In yet another Kona, you are now bashing cricket.

Buraa naa maneeyay ga.... but you are starting to look a little too zanana.

Moin, Akram and Salim have built up a face saving total of 185 for Pakistan. However, my gut feeling is that India will get a lead of around 150 runs or so. Their batting line up is strong and unlike Pakistani batsmen, Sachin, Azhar, Dravid and Ganguly are technically correct and will score runs tomorrow.

Obviously dropping Waqar was not a good decision. I am not sure if Pakistan batted first after winning the toss, but if they did that gamble has also not paid off. This wicket is not going to break on the last day like Feroz Shah Kotla`s did. Would it seam in the morning? Pakistani fans hope so. Would Waseem get wickets in the first session on a damp wicket? Would Pakistan`s new fast bowler live up to the expectations? Could Saqlain`s straight one`s still do it for Pakistan? I watched all his replays of the first and second matches carefully and it is very difficult to read the one that does not turn or some times moves away from the right hander?

Only time will decide, particularly in this game of glorious uncertainities.

Watching game live will be great. I hope that I could get it in time for this game.

Nadir

Rana, man, that satellite deal sounds COOL! I`ll give them a call right away (bus bivi maan jaaey ...).

Thanks.
Saad

Folks I am sorry I keep choking up with seemingly unrelated cricket info. But you may actually like this one.

Kelly Braodcasting is now covering all the matches. ATC and WC99 and beyond. Check out www.kbs-tv.com and follow links or call 800-333-3474. There is a cricket subscriber special where you pay $299 for installation (they will do everything - and there is a pangaa with the direction it has to face for Cricket - some apts may not be suitable !! - so let them do the installation.) After that you can pay per match or subscribe monthly for all the cricket.
This Channel 546 (as it is called) is FANTASTIC. It is ESPN for cricket. COnstant cricket day and night. SO if you are having a sleepless night you can actually tune into some cricket (replays, if there is no match on at the moment) instead of the infomercials, etc. Regular cable is also included.

I just got this recently. And have now decided NOT to move back to India :-)
Now I just need to get fired from work for the World Cup !!

regards

Pyaare bhraaon and other chowk wallon

This is not related to this match but is cricket related. If you are a registered user at Cricinfo, you have already seen this. Otherwise, please go fill out this survey.. WHo knows ? you may influence it enough so that the next Year 2000 ICC knowckout tournament is held in Orlando Florida. It was supposed to be held here last year, but was shot down at the last moment and it went to Dhaka instead. Since cricket is now viewed more through satellite (and thats where the bucks are !) the ICC is looking for new venues. hence the survey.

http://icc.cricket.org/survey_start.html

PS If you are not registered you will have to register first.
regards

Eden Gardens - Green top hard wicket. Helps seamers in the morning, before the wicket eases up in the afternoon and becomes a good batting track with plenty of runs.

Tomorrow morning will be crucial. Akram - No need to elaborate, he will get his share. Shaoib ?? Fast - yes. Does he move the ball around off the seam ? Don`t know, will be interesting to watch how he utilizes the conditions. Mark my words, Azhar mahmood- a good seam bolwer will make his mark. A good pace line-up. Better than what Indian had in the form of Srinath, Prasad and Ganguly.
Saqlain with his variety may still prove to be a handful.

First day Srinath and Prasad were unplayable in the first hour. Both bowling well within themselves and getting a lot of swing and seam movement both ways. Did the Paki batsman in, a lot of them again playing across the line, getting foxed by the movement, etc. (can`t say pitch, umpires, etc. anymore or can they ?? ;-)

Indian batting. Azhar`s favourite hunting ground. Will get a 100 in one of the innings. Dravid (Kumble the night watchman will be done away with early tomorrow) and Ramesh need to stick around for about 1 hour in the morning. After which they should go into their stroke play. SRT should blast a quickfire 100 or so.

Can the Indian batsman hold up to Akram`s guile and wizardry, in helpful conditions nonetheless ? THere lies the outcome.

regards

Chalo, not bad. 185 is 135 more than what they looked like making at 26 for 6. Considering that none of these characters is a Test caliber batsman, they`ve actually done well for themselves.

Shoaib Akhtar is supposed to be really, really quick. This is his chance for stardom.

OK, so Pakistan 185 all out and India 26 for 1 at end of day 1.

Predictions:

India 144 all out (Shoaib Akhtar 7 for 59; Tendulkar lbw Shoaib Akhtar 0 - pitching perfectly straight and beating Sachin with sheer velocity).

Pakistan 93 all out (needs no explanation).

India 135 for 9, win by one wicket. (Sachin b Shoaib Akhtar 11 - pitching just short of a length outside off and ferociously cutting in to clip the off bail).

Saad

PS: Can someone send Moin Khan over to Boston ? We`ve got some gold we`d like to weigh him in.