Saddened by Pakistan’s pathetic show at the Champions Trophy, former captains Wasim Akram and Rameez Raja lashed out at side’s “spineless” batting and said the time has come for rebuilding the team on Sunday.

Pakistan lost all the three Group matches to crash out of the tournament.

“What has really concerned me is that we could not play out our full quota of overs in even one match. The batting generally has been spineless and shameful. This is not the way to play in a top tournament. I think it is time changes were made in the team and youngsters were given proper chances to establish themselves,” Akram said.

“For too long we have been relying on the same players who have failed us again and again,” the bowing great added.

Except skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, all others came in the firing line of Akram and Rameez. Misbah scored two half- centuries in Pakistans defeats to West Indies and South Africa when the team fell for under 200 runs.

“I don’t see any threat to his future. He was your only batsman to play the way other players should have played. I can say if Misbah had not scored runs on the tour this team the way it batted could have even been bowled out for totals of 30 or more,” Akram said.

The former great also lashed out at all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez who is being touted by a strong lobby as a possible replacement as captain for Misbah.

“I don’t think Misbah should be changed as captain.

Hafeez is just not mature enough or ready for this job. They call him professor and all that but first he must prove himself by being a match winner for Pakistan in the big matches, then consider him as future captain,” Akram said bluntly.

Raja also called for hard decisions. “I was appalled and sad by the way our batsmen performed.

For too long our bowlers have put their hands up and supported the batsmen. Unfortunately there is no balance between the two in our team and that is the major problem,” he said.

“We must learn from India. For the first time in my life I was sure this Indian team will beat us. I am sad by the indifferent and irresponsible attitude of some of the players. The time has come for changes and a new team to be rebuilt.”

Rameez also said that Pakistan’s entire cricket structure needed to be revamped with special focus on domestic cricket competitions.

“The unfortunate part is that we have focused only on quantity not quality in our domestic cricket and the result is no one takes it seriously neither is it producing the quality players we had in the past,” he said.

He said honest administrators were also required to revamp Pakistan cricket’s structure with hard and honest decisions in line.

Courtesy: CRICKET COUNTRY

Pakistan’s former captain Wasim Akram has credited skipper Misbah-ul-Haq for bringing positive changes to the team.

Akram, who is in England to commentate in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 and is also helping the Pakistani bowlers with his tips, said that Misbah deserved praise for his change in attitude and approach to the game.
He also termed West Indies as the most dangerous side of the competition.

He expressed surprise that no one talked about the danger posed to all teams by brilliant players like Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and others in the West Indies team.

“They have brilliant wicket taking bowlers. They have more one-day experience. It will be very interesting to see how the West Indian side plays,” Akram told Geo News.
When asked if India will be under pressure due to the IPL spot-fixing scandal, Akram said that in such a situation players normally don’t admit that they are under pressure but it does have its affects.

Commenting on Pakistan team’s win over South Africa in the warm-up match on Monday, he said he was happy to see a collective effort. He said that Pakistan had struggled in South Africa during their recent tour due to different pitches and conditions.

“It was also because we played poorly in Test matches. But in one-day series, we gave South Africa tough time.”
“I really liked the way Pakistan played at The Oval. The main bowlers were rested but Junaid, Wahab, Ahsan Adil and Asad bowled brilliantly. From the first ball, the body language was good. The attitude was right. South Africa looked under pressure. Pakistani chased well.”

Akram said that there was “no issue” with Pakistan’s bowling but conceded the problem area is batting.
“The plan should be that Imran Farhat plays as an anchor and last for 40 hours or so and the boys around him play freely but sensibly. Pakistani batting always comes under pressure if the openers fall early,” he noted.

Courtesy: CRICKET COUNTRY

Pakistan legend Wasim Akram wants Sachin Tendulkar to add a diplomatic feather to his cricket cap by becoming the peace envoy for the two neighbouring countries.

Ahead of Tendulkar’s 40th birthday on Wednesday, Akram called on Tendulkar to help improve relations between the two nations.

“People in Pakistan see him as an icon, a legend and batting maestro. People respect him as much in Pakistan as they do in India and worldwide. He is a true ambassador,” Akram said.

Akram says people respect Sachin as much in Pakistan as they do in India and worldwide. He is a true ambassador.

“The way he speaks, he is a quiet man and unlike a superstar, but he is a superstar. He is a true role model and he can be very helpful and useful between these two countries as an ambassador,” the former skipper told ‘BBC’ during a radio special titled ‘Sachin at 40′.

It was aired on Tuesday and featured a range of former colleagues like Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly paying birthday tributes.

Courtesy: NDTV SPORTS

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram feels India has an edge over Australia in the upcoming Test series between the two nations, starting on February 22 at Chennai.

“India go in as favourites. This is the most inexperienced Australian team I have seen in my life. Though they are talented, the inexperience in the batting line-up, especially in the middle-order, will offer an advantage to the Indian spinners. Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey are not there. Yes, Michael Clarke is in tremendous form and they have talented left-handers like David Warner and Phil Hughes.

They both hit the ball well, but Test cricket is a different ball game. India’s off-spinners are likely to trouble them even with the new ball. Australia won’t be too comfortable playing on turning wickets. After winning the ODI series against England, India seem to have rediscovered some form. I would say that India have a 70% chance of winning this series,” Akram was quoted as saying by Times of India.

Akram suggested that India have a huge advantage in the batting department.

“If they bat responsibly, they will win this series. Their batsmen need to bat with patience.They must learn from the art of batting for a day-and-a half from Sachin Tendulkar.These youngsters are unable to do that today. You just can’t come out and play your shots. You have to grind it out in the middle.”

Akram was shocked when Gautam Gambhir was excluded from the team.

“A match-winner like Gambhir, when he is going through a lean patch, must be supported by the captain and the selectors. You need to give him confidence. He is just 31 and not 37. Hence, one needn’t look beyond him. Such batsmen need one innings to come back into form and get their footwork going again. He is a world-class player across all formats. You need to play an experienced batsman against Australia. It was a big shock to me that he was dropped.”

The Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach feels reverse swing will be the decisive factor in the series.

“Reverse swing. The SG Test ball reverses a lot.Whoever reverses the ball better, will win the battle. England beat India in the Test series because their seamers were reversing the ball twice as much as their Indian counterparts. In the middle-overs, when a partnership gets going, the fast bowlers need to bring that into play.”

“For India, it would be Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh (key players). For the Aussies, the key men are Michael Clarke and Mitchell Starc.”

Courtesy: CRICKET COUNTRY

Less than a week is left for the the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia. Couple of days before Harbhajan Singh stated, India can beat Australia by 4-0.But the cricketing legend Wasim Akram feels, it is easier said than done.

India will play against Australia in a four-match Test series and look to avenge the 4-0 drubbing they recieved Down Under last year.

To know more see the video here.

Courtesy: CRICKET COUNTRY

The game’s greats in conversation with ESPN Cricinfo and Sambit Bal.

Wasim Akram on Swing Bowling, Page 100.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram paid rich tribute to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar who announced One-Day International (ODI) retirement recently.

Tendulkar, a veteran of 463 ODIs played many memorable and match-winning matches for India but his innings against Australia at Sharjah in 1998 will remain Akram’s favourite ‘Sachin Tendulkar knock’.

“I saw his knock against Australia in the final of the 1998 series in Sharjah. He scored 134 against the tough Aussie attack and under immense pressure. He has played some great knocks in limited over cricket, but that one, in my book, is the best Sachin Tendulkar knock,” Akram said.

Akram feels it would be difficult for cricketers in future to break Tendulkar’s record. While speaking about Tendulkar’s achievements, he said, “Over 18,000 runs, 49 centuries – forget beating that record, I don’t think anyone will even come close.

“While those who have seen him play in ODIs will obviously miss his genius, the coming generation will never know what they’ve missed.”

A calm demeanour, according to the former Pakistan cricketer, was Tendulkar’s biggest strength.

“Personally for me, when he came out to bat, he looked very cool and calm. He never looked anxious or under pressure,” Akram was quoted by the BCCI’s official website. “With 98 percent of batsmen I saw walk in to bat, I could tell they were under pressure, but this guy was always so calm; and that I think was the secret of his success as a batsman.”

Praising the Little Master’s technique, he added, “From a cricketing point of view, he was a difficult batsman because of his technique. His defence was solid and his shots were proper. As a bowler, you hardly had a chance to get him out unless you bowled a magic delivery.”

Akram, who was a part of many famous cricketing battles with Tendulkar, recollected a particular ODI in Sharjah in 2000.

He said, “In that same Sharjah ODI he hit me for a couple of boundaries off short deliveries. Every batsman was struggling against my short-of-a-length delivery, but he pulled me twice. And then I said, ‘No more bouncers to him’. I realised that the best way against him is to keep bowling the middle-and-off line. I always looked at containing him because I knew that as an opening batsman, he is always going to play proper shots to an opening bowler and never slog.”

Tendulkar’s name has often been mentioned along with Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, and Jacques Kallis as one of the modern-day masters. According to Akram, what separates the Indian batsman from the rest was his brilliant technique that never changed over the years.

Observes Akram, “He was the only batsman I noticed over the years who never changed his technique. When an Indian or Pakistani batsman goes to Australia they change their technique and go on the backfoot, but he never did that.

“That’s because he was so good at picking up the length of the ball. I don’t think any batsman picked up the length better in world cricket.”

Despite his greatness, Akram feels Tendulkar had his weaknesses and Pakistan exploited them well.

He said, “We knew his weakness and that’s why we had Abdul Razzaq have a go at him all the time. Sachin didn’t like facing those medium paced slow, out-swing bowlers, and every time Razzaq bowled to him, he got him out.”

Akram’s Yorkers were considered lethal and more often got the better of many of the supreme batsmen of his era but the former Pakistan captain regrets bowling it to the Indian genius in a particular Test match.

He said, “It was stupid of me to bowl him a yorker in the 1999 Chennai Test when he was batting on 70-80 odd. It was a very good yorker with the second new ball and I had the mid-on and mid-off standing straighter as well. And he straight drove me for four. His straight drive is the best in the world.”

Courtesy: CRICKET COUNTRY

Famed Pakistan pace duo Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis Monday paid rich tribute to Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, labelling him “the greatest batsman of this era”.

Tendulkar, 39, announced his retirement from one-day internationals on Sunday after scoring 18,426 runs in 463 matches with 49 centuries — all three world records for most runs, matches and hundreds.

“I don’t say that a batsman like him will not come but he was the greatest batsman of this era and to maintain the zeal and fitness for 23 years was a big achievement for him,” said Waqar, who retired in 2004.

“I also feel proud that I played against him and found him a great player and a nice gentleman.”

Wasim said Tendulkar’s records spoke volumes about his achievements.

“It will be tough to match them in the years to come,” Wasim told AFP. “He was a special talent and a very special cricketer.”

Tendulkar made his Test debut against India’s arch-rivals Pakistan in Karachi in 1989 and Wasim recalled mocking the young batsman with his bowling partner.

“Sachin was really 16 at the time when he came to Pakistan in 1989 and Waqar and I thought, ‘What will this 16-year-old do against us?’” he said.

“I hit him on the mouth but he showed a lot of gumption and courage to score a fifty in the fourth Test in Sialkot and after that innings we realised that he is a special talent.”

As the leading batsman for cricket-mad India, Tendulkar carried the weight of a nation’s expectations on his shoulders, but Wasim said he handled the burden well.

“Sachin always played under a lot of pressure from the billions of Indian fans and the kind of consistency he showed proved that he handled those pressures and huge expectations admirably well,” said Wasim.

Courtesy: CRICKET COUNTRY

Shami Ahmed is indebted to Pakistan bowling great Wasim Akram who, the Bengal pacer said, played as instrumental role in his progression as a seam bowler.

Riding on his impressive performance in the domestic circuit, Shami, on Sunday got an India call up after the national selectors named him in the 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan.

“Wasim bhai helped me a lot as Kolkata Knight Riders coach. He told me that the key to take wickets is to reverse the ball by bowling 135kmph-plus. He told me if I can reverse swing at that pace then I can be successful,” Shami said.

“I have worked really hard after getting his tips. I did some heavy weight training to increase my stamina so that I can bowl at pace consistently. His tips have helped me in getting wickets. I am thankful to him,” said the humble 22-year-old right-arm pacer who hails from Sahaspur in the Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh.

Shami registered a match haul of 10 for 107 to bowl Bengal to their first Ranji Trophy victory this season in the previous match against Hyderabad at Eden Gardens. He has also captured 28 wickets from five Ranji Trophy games this season.

“This is the best thing to have ever happened to me. I got to know about this from Saurashish Lahiri and spoke to my parents,” Shami said about his selection in the national team.
“I am told that there’s already a celebration outside my house with people beating drums and dancing.

“Whatever I am today is because of my parents. They have supported me always and I am lucky to get their full backing,” he added.

Courtesy: CRICKET COUNTRY