One of the finest exponents of reverse swing, former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram feels the Indian bowlers have not been able to use the art as well as their English counterparts are, in the ongoing Test series.

“Look at the state of the ball in Calcutta when the two teams were bowling. When India had the ball it was average looking. Nobody was bothering to shine the ball, or take responsibility for keeping it dry.

“When England bowled it was different. One side of the ball was shiny and the other dry,” Akram said.

The 46-year-old thought the Indians are not running in hard enough to get the delivery going.

“I think England have realised that you have to sprint in to bowl reverse swing. Compare them both to Ishant and Zaheer. England’s bowlers were sprinting.

“You have to put that effort in to bowl reverse swing. Wasim, Waqar (Younis) and Imran (Khan), we reversed it because we ran in hard,” he said.

Akram said a pacer should know his ball well in order to bowl reverse swing.

“Learn how to look after the cricket ball itself and also know your ball. The Kookaburra will take 40-50 overs to reverse, the Duke about 30 overs and the SG (which is used in India) will take about 10-15 overs. All these details every bowler should know,” he told a newspaper.

James Anderson and Co, according to Akram, is bowling more like the Pakistan team.

“The way they bowled tells me England will only get better in this series because they have the knowledge of reverse swing. To me it looked like the Pakistan team were playing out there, it really did.

Akram is especially impressed with spearhead Anderson. “The skill is phenomenal. James Anderson has got the knack of reverse swing and will only get better. I reckon he is on a par with Dale Steyn.

“Finn is raw and a bit wayward but he has the pace and just needs to spend more time with Mushy (bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed.”

Courtesy: TIMES OF INDIA

Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram blamed Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s flawed selection policy for India’s failure in the World Twenty20.

Akram said India failed to get the balance of the team. The legendary fast bowler asked why Harbhajan Singh was left out against South Africa, who are vulnerable to spin.

“I am puzzled with the way the Indian team management has picked playing XIs. For example, I feel a wicket-taking bowler like Harbhajan Singh was missed against the ragged South Africans on Tuesday night,” Akram was quoted as saying by ESPNStar.com.

Akram also questioned the decision to allow Lakshmipathy Balaji bowl the last over against South Africa.

“There is a lesson in every defeat. For India, there are genuine concerns about its bowling and, of course, top order batting. A team is world class only when it is complete in every respect. India’s batting is one of the strongest in the world, but if you are expecting Zaheer Khan or a Balaji to win you a tight match every day, think again. Giving Balaji the last over against South Africa was suicidal. A bowler on a comeback is always short of confidence and I think India were lucky to win by a run on Tuesday night,” he said.

Akram feels that Zaheer cannot be playing all forms of the game.

“I have said before that Zaheer has to choose the format of cricket he wants to play. I can’t see him running in hard every ball and bamboozling batsmen with pace and movement. India must find replacements and very soon at that. India need fresh legs and stronger shoulders because they will be playing a series of matches at home from November,” he said.

The former Pakistan captain wondered what happened to India’s next generation of pacers like Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron.

“Where is Umesh Yadav? And Varun Aaron seems to be a forgotten name. With the new selection committee in place, both Umesh and Varun should be groomed to power India’s pace battery. I hear Varun is injured. I think the BCCI needs to get after him and pull him out of his problems. At least Umesh should have been in the T20 squad,” he said.

Courtesy: NDTV Sports

COLOMBO: Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan quickly needs to regroup his resources and improve his fitness level if India are to fancy their chances of winning the World Cup Twenty20 again, feels former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram.

“Zaheer’s fitness looked suspect. He did not look sharp enough and probably his energy levels were not up to the mark. I know Sri Lankan conditions are extremely demanding, but if Zaheer has to lead India’s attack, he has to be at the peak of his fitness. Dhoni’s selection worries, I would imagine, will be around his senior players like Zaheer, Harbhajan and Irfan Pathan,” Akram said.

Akram said that the loss against Pakistan in the warm-up game has left skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni with the dilemma of whether to go in with five specialist bowlers or opt for the additional batsman, considering that bowling in the death overs has been a worry.

“The match against Pakistan will force MS Dhoni to mull over his first XI. While it’s always a horses-for-courses policy, deciding the playing XI will always be a tough call.

“For a 20-20 game, India have several ‘all-rounders’ and that will enable Dhoni pick four specialist bowlers and seven batsmen. The fact that Sehwag, Raina, Yuvraj and Kohli are decent bowlers is a great bonus for Team India,” he said.

Akram expressed his happiness over the inclusion of Yuvraj Singh in the Indian team.

“It was great to see Yuvraj back in the field. I saw his quickfire 34 off 26 balls against the Kiwis in Chennai. Typically, Yuvraj connected a few lusty blows but his timing has to get sweeter. The fact he is back to international cricket is only due to the Almighty’s blessings and I am sure everyone’s going to watch him closely in Sri Lanka,” he said.

The pace legend picked India and Pakistan as favourites to lift the trophy on the slow familiar tracks of the island nation where they have played a lot of cricket.

- "If Zaheer has to lead India's attack, he has to be at the peak of his fitness," said Wasim Akram.

“It’s too hazardous to pick favourites in a T20 competition. The complexion of matches can change like a chameleon. While India remain strong contenders because of their batting depth, Pakistan’s bowling strength makes them equally strong,” Akram said.

“After India and Pakistan, in my reckoning, two from among England, the West Indies and South Africa will complete the last four. Sri Lanka have little chance with a weak middle-order and over-dependence on Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. No team has ever won the T20 World Cup as hosts. I think the trend will continue,” he added.

Akram felt that Pakistan’s run-chase and their ability to handle the pressure against a talented Indian side will give Mohammed Hafeez’s team a great deal of confidence going into the championship.

“No matter what the status of the game is, no Indian captain wants to lose a match against Pakistan. Every India versus Pakistan contest is emotionally supercharged and hence the high fives in the Pakistan dug-out on Monday were expected. It was good to see the players in great spirits and the younger ones exchanging pleasantries after the game.”

Akram said that Pakistan have the best attack in the world and singled out Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi as the key men for the Men in Green.

“Saeed Ajmal will be the man to watch out and Shahid Afridi remains the quintessential partnership breaker with wickets at crucial junctures. If Afridi has to play in the Pakistan team, he can only do so as a bowler. His experience in tight situations can be effective and his flatter leg-spins are tough to hit.”

Courtesy: TIMES OF INDIA

Davo, Akram, Zaheer: What is the legacy of left-arm bowlers?

by S Giridhar and VJ Raghunath

We did a dip stick survey with friends, who are knowledgeable followers of cricket, asking them to name five well-known left-arm fast bowlers, relying only on their memory and without giving them much time. Of the 27 friends, only 11 could name five left-arm fast bowlers. Almost everyone called out Wasim Akram’s name. Many mentioned Zaheer Khan; quite a few remembered Chaminda Vaas and then they gave up. On the other hand, 23 of the 27 friends easily named five right-arm fast bowlers and five right-hand batsmen, 20 of the 27 were also able to name five left-hand batsmen. But the same people also struggled to recall the names of left-arm spinners and only 10 of them could name 5 left-arm spinners. That in itself tells a story — left arm bowling has somehow not been able to etch itself in the mind, in the way right-arm bowling or left-hand batting has. Everyone agrees that left-arm fast bowling is a key weapon in the bowling arsenal. Is not the sight of the left-arm fast bowler running smoothly up to the crease and delivering, as joyous a sight as any in cricket? And yet we struggle to recall even five left-arm fast bowlers. Surely there must be a reason?

We decided to go to our trusted friend, the databank of cricket statistics to check out the actual situation. And there is enough evidence to show that indeed, barring just a handful, there are not enough left-arm fast bowlers with huge numbers and feats. Here is a quick snap shot summary from Test cricket:

1. In terms of wickets taken, the gulf between left-arm fast bowlers and the others — left-arm spin, right-arm spin and right-arm fast is huge. While left-arm fast bowlers have taken 5224 wickets, right-arm fast bowlers have over 33000 wickets, right-arm spinners over 13000 wickets and even the left-arm spinners have taken 20 percent more wickets than the left-arm fast bowlers.

2. The two left-arm fast bowlers who have crossed the 300-wicket mark are Wasim Akram and Chaminda Vaas. And those who have over 150 Test wickets can be counted on the fingers of one hand: Zaheer Khan, Garry Sobers, Mitchell Johnson, Alan Davidson and Bill Johnston.

3. The difference really kicks in when we look at the bowlers who have more than 100 wickets. There are nearly twice as many left-arm spinners as left-arm pace men with over 100 wickets.

4. Interestingly this kind of chasm is not seen when one compares left-hand and right-hand batsmen. While 57 right-hand batsmen have over 5000 runs, 27 left-handed batsmen too have crossed this great milestone. In fact, left-handers constitute over 26 percent of batsmen who have crossed the 1000 run mark in Tests.

Over the last few years Zaheer Khan has emerged as the foxiest, craftiest left-arm fast bowler. Getty Images
So let us move on to the best left-hand fast bowlers. Well there is Wasim Akram on a pedestal of his own, undisputedly the greatest left-arm fast bowler of all time. And this is just not on the basis of numbers (414 wickets, at an average of 23 runs per wicket and a strike rate of a wicket every nine overs) for to use that as the yardstick would be to trivialise his glorious mastery of the art. Wasim had a relatively short run up and an unbelievably quick arm action that surprised the batsman. The great man would then switch to round-the-wicket and cause fresh problems with a new angle. He could generate pace from a short run using his unique shoulder action and unbelievable arm speed and unsettle batsmen with clever change of pace. Add to that the ability to bowl excellent yorkers, and move the ball both ways and one had perhaps the most complete bowler. Every batsman who played Wasim rates him as one of the most difficult bowlers to play.

Perhaps only a few of our readers would have seen Alan Davidson of Australia bowl in a Test match. But one of your authors has seen him bowl in full pomp in the Chennai Test of 1960. Those who have seen him will agree that before Akram, Davidson was clearly the greatest fast bowler. He played just 44 Tests (Akram played 104) and captured 186 wickets at an average of 20 runs per wicket and a strike rate that gave him a wicket every 10 overs. For someone as broad as Davo, his smooth action was amazing. He seemed to glide in and bowled with such control taking the ball away from the left–handed openers. He would suddenly bring it in to surprise the left-hander moving across the crease and bowl him leg-stump behind his back. There are photographs of Geoff Pullar, England’s left-handed opener looking bamboozled playing the wrong line. Pullar, asked about these dismissals later was quite emphatic that those deliveries would have also dismissed any other left-hander. Davidson was very often close to unplayable in the period ’58 to ’63. We also heard a few years ago this story — when a member of Steve Waugh’s great Australian team was extolling Matt Hayden’s batting, Neil Harvey (a golden oldie and teammate of Davidson) was heard to say that good as Hayden was, Davidson would have got him in one over. Such was the regard for Davidson’s bowling. Clearly Davidson is the second greatest left-arm fast bowler of them all.

And then there is Zaheer Khan. In terms of wickets he may be behind Chaminda Vaas (Vaas has retired at 355 wickets, Zaheer with all his injuries is still active on 288) but over the last few years Zaheer has emerged as the foxiest, craftiest left-arm fast bowler. People talk of spinners sometimes bowling with a fast bowler’s aggression (Venkataraghavan, Kumble and O’Reilly) but Zaheer is the ultimate example of a fast bowler with the cunning scheming brain of a spin bowler. And of course, he has elevated the art of bowling round the wicket and the art of reverse swing to an all-time high.

Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan carried Sri Lanka’s bowling on their shoulders. Relatively small made, Vaas had a smooth action and movement that got him wickets. His control over line and length was immaculate and he bowled the fuller length to get swing.

We may strive to be objective but are as susceptible to bouts of favouritism as anyone else. But few will argue with our taste if we said that Garry Sobers is along with Kapil Dev our favourite cricketer. Sobers makes an appearance in this essay, because he has 235 Test wickets bowling left-arm. It is almost impossible to estimate how many of his 235 Test wickets came from his left-arm fast, or left-arm orthodox or from his chinaman bowling. Truth to tell, between the two of us, we have seen him take wickets with all three forms of left-arm bowling. When he bowled his fast stuff he was very effective. He would often take the new ball with Hall. He did everything with a feline grace that nobody has ever remotely matched — his walk to the wicket, to toss the coin, to lead his men out or to take his turn at the crease — Sobers was magic. And then every so often he had the habit of throwing his head back and laughing while playing his cricket.

Sobers must be followed by Worrell, even if Worrell is twenty-first in the list of wicket takers (69 wickets with a best of seven for 70) simply because he had a huge part in the making of Sobers. Statesman, leader, one who elevated the game through his principles of fair play, Worrell was a better bat than bowler. But his left-arm fast was valuable and very often timely for his team.

Talking of West Indians, is it not very ironic that they who gave the world its greatest and unending battery of fast bowlers from Martindale, Constantine, Hall, Griffith, and Gilchrist, to Roberts, Holding, Garner, Croft, Marshall, Ambrose and Walsh did not throw up a single left-arm fast bowler barring the brief and insipid appearance of Bernard Julien.

Think about it. During that same period, India despite being known for its paltry fast bowling resources played a number of left-arm seamers. Surti and Solkar (Solkar was very slow, but terrorised Boycott out of the England team in 1971) were followed by Ghavri (109 wickets), Nehra (44 wickets), Zaheer Khan (288 wickets), Irfan Pathan (100 wickets) and RP Singh (40 wickets). In fact Irfan Pathan has a hat-trick in Test cricket, against Pakistan in 2005, one of the rarest feats possible.

Any cricket follower in India when asked about England’s left-arm fast bowling will first mention John Lever, for how can one forget his alleged, unproven use of Vaseline against India in 1977. Strangely, in their land so conducive to swing, England has not produced a star performer in this category and none crossed the Rubicon of 100 wickets. They had right-arm fast bowlers such as Larwood, Allen, Bedser, Trueman, Statham, Tyson, Snow, Willis, Botham, Flintoff, Hoggard, Anderson and Broad but hardly a left-arm fast. Bill Voce (98 wickets) partnered Larwood in the 1932 Bodyline series, Ryan Sidebottom was promising during his 22 Test career, but they will have to go back 120 years to Geoff Hirst, to locate another left-arm fast bowler with over 50 wickets.

The one country with a reasonably regular presence of left-arm fast is Australia, with over nine players (more than 50 wickets) representing the country. Apart from Davidson three other bowlers who took over 100 wickets are Mitchell Johnson, Bill Johnston and the very tall Bruce Reid. Gary Gilmour is famous for his match winning dream spell that demolished England in the World Cup semifinal in 1975. He swung the ball late and prodigiously to get batsmen lbw. Talking of Gilmour and the World Cup reminds us that India’s left-armer Ashish Nehra also took a terrific six wicket haul in the World Cup in 2003 to help India beat England.

So what then is the difference and variety that the left-arm fast bowler brings to the attack? For one, the left-armer bowls over the wicket introducing a new angle to the right-hand bat and the batsman is forced to play balls pitching in line with the stumps. That is because the natural movement is the in-swinger to the right-hander who can be caught leg before and this makes it difficult for the batsman to leave balls thinking they will continue on their course. Forced to play the ball, as it goes away with the angle, there is now a high possibility of inducing the edge to slips or the wicket keeper. Going round the wicket, as the great Wasim and Zaheer both have shown, then poses fresh problems to batsmen.

Batsmen grow up from school days playing right arm fast bowlers and therefore when they encounter the left-armer, they do so without adequate exposure. Batting is ultimately the reflex response in a fraction of a second and the left-armer’s line of attack induces some hesitancy in the mind and therefore the reflex too is affected. As the two of us discussed the subject, it dawned upon us that while in school cricket we had even encountered the Chinaman bowler, it was only in college cricket that we played the left-arm fast bowler. Of us, Raghunath who played Ghavri in the 1970s felt that being a left-hand batsman he probably was less discomfited than the right-hand batsman. So we leave you with that thought: Is it really easier for the left-hand batsman to face the left-arm fast bowler? Before you say yes, one might ask a certain Mr Graeme Smith of South Africa about his discomfiting encounters with Zaheer Khan of India.

Courtesy: FIRST POST

Mumbai: Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara, who has amassed more than 20,000 runs in international cricket, today said facing former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram and Indian pacer Zaheer Khan were the toughest.

“I think I only faced a few overs of Wasim Akram but that was pretty tough. Zaheer Khan was tough to face,” the former Sri Lankan captain said.

The wicketkeeper-batsman, however added in a lighter vein that some of his teammates in the Deccan Chargers had managed to get him out unjustly.

“Darren Lehman (coach of Chargers) got me caught out when the ball hit my front pad, but he still says I was out. (Dale) Steyn has got me out a couple of times once unluckily of a no-ball,” said Sangakkara during an event organised by the Deccan Chargers team sponsor Emirates Airline.

A couple of players and the coach from the Hyderabad franchise were here to impart coaching tips to kids from a city school to promote development of the sport at the grassroots.

Meanwhile, Australian Cameron White, whose quickfire 78 helped the Chargers register their first win in the Indian Premier League when they defeated Pune Warriors, said the best way to negotiate the yorkers is to get back to the fundamentals.

“You have to get back to the fundamentals of watching the ball and probably the most important point is to try and hit it straight. If you try and across the line you might get into a bit of trouble. The most important thing is to hit straight back down the pitch,” said White.

With short-pitched deliveries posing a problem to most Indian players, Lehman said, “You have to make sure that you are watching the ball and not ducking your head away. And if you want to play the hook shot get inside the ball and play it at backward square.”

When a budding cricketer asked how to play a long innings and score a century, Sangakkara said, “The important thing is not to get out before you get your hundred. First get off the mark and get one run. Then its about basically doing very similar things over and over again in your innings. Watching the ball, playing according to what the ball tells you to do. Basically you are trying to get off the mark. Rotate the strike. If you get a bad ball, try to hit it for a boundary. (You have to think about) Which bowler you want to take on in your innings, when to accelerate and when to hold back.

“It is about batting and relaxing through your innings and getting every single run you can. It is about doing what you do best and doing it ball after ball until you get the hundred,” he explained.

The Sri Lankan further said it was heartening to see the kids hungry to play the game.

“Hopefully, in future they turn out be like Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan. They will go on if given an opportunity and play for India some day,” he said. Sangakkara-led Deccan Chargers take on host Mumbai Indians here on Sunday.

Courtesy: NDTV SPORTS

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram feels the appointment of Virat Kohli as India’s vice-captain for the Asia Cup will “hurt” senior players such as Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

Kohli was on Wednesday named M S Dhoni’s deputy for the upcoming tournament, to be held in Bangladesh and Akram feels senior players won’t be happy as they were eyeing captaincy.

“It is a tough job to be India’s vice-captain. I feel senior players like Sehwag and Gambhir will not be happy with this. Kohli has showed his true potential on this Australian tour and emerged as a candidate for vice-captaincy.

“The Indian selectors are probably thinking about the 2015 World Cup and if Dhoni is unfit before that, Kohli would be the right man to replace him. But, this will definitely leave Sehwag and Gambhir hurt as they were waiting for captaincy,” Akram was quoted as saying by a website.

Akram had recently stated that Kohli needed “at least five years more” to become the Indian cricket team’s leader.

Even as Kohli was made vice-captaincy after his heroic knock against Sri Lanka in the CB series, Sehwag was ‘rested’, according to selection committee chairman Kris Srikkanth.

“Maybe the Indian selectors are not bold enough to drop a player like Sehwag. I do not think this is the right attitude. Until and unless you drop someone, how will the hunger to do well and make it back into the team be visible in a player?

“The concept of ‘resting’ an out-of-form player never made sense to me and it baffles me again. A player plays or he is dropped, it’s simple,” Akram said.

The legendary pacer said that Sachin Tendulkar should look to score his 100th international century during the Asia Cup and then quit the 50-over format.

“There is pressure and stress on Sachin to get that milestone. If he can score this hundred in Asia Cup and get the monkey off his back, then he must look to quit ODIs and concentrate only on Tests,” Akram said.

“He should then play Test cricket in a relaxed manner. This will also give chance to younger players to build the team ahead of the 2015 World Cup.”

As far as Ashok Dinda’s selection was concerned, Akram was pleased.

“He runs in and I like his attacking attitude as a fast bowler. I think justice is done that his domestic performance has brought him back into the team. He took wickets for Bengal in one-dayers and he showcases the firepower that Bengalis are known for.”

Akram did not back the Indian selectors’ decision to rest promising pacer Umesh Yadav.

“Perhaps the selectors are looking to develop him into a Test bowler like Ishant Sharma. But this is not right decision as you cannot expect a 24-year-old like Umesh to be tired after one series. You need to play a genuine pacer to win games, in both Test and ODIs, more so when you tour abroad.”

“It is good that India have unearthed a quickie in Umesh who will be kept in the mix for the future. However, I am disappointed with Varun Aaron. It seems he is never fit. Hope Umesh and Aaron don’t end up like RP Singh and Munaf Patel.

About Zaheer Khan, Akram said the left-arm seamer should consider his future in the shorter format.

“I think it is time for him to consider his future in the shorter format. He did exceptionally well in the four Tests against Australia but his body is not supporting him in ODIs. As for his selection, you can pick and choose which games you want to play on tour and which you do not wish too. If you are picked, then you must play all games.

“Again, I think India do not know how to make long-lasting fast bowlers. I remember Imran Khan used to toil with us by making us bowl continuously for a long time. For Zaheer, he must choose his format now.

Akram was also delighted to see Yusuf Pathan returning to the squad.

“Yusuf Pathan is 29 years now and I still don’t know why he was not picked for so many games. Here is a hitter who is feared by most attacks in the world and he was dropped for a long time. I feel if India are looking at the 2015 World Cup then Yusuf Pathan must definitely remain in the scheme of things.”

Courtesy: Times of India

Adelaide: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, one of the all-time great fast bowlers, spoke to The Telegraph on Saturday morning.

The following are excerpts:
Q. Coming from the subcontinent, what’s your reaction to India being wiped out?
A. I’ve been saddened… Dukh hua hai… The players are my friends and I have ties with cricket in India… It hurts… There’s no shame in losing after fighting it out, but only the final Test went into the fifth day, while the third finished in two-and-a-half days… Perth was shocking.

Q. What are the reasons for India doing so badly?
A. For one, the seniors neither led from the front with bat or ball nor did they project a good body language. When the team isn’t doing well, then the youngsters or the less experienced players look up to the seniors… They take a cue from them… I didn’t find the seniors trying to help out the youngsters, like Umesh Yadav… The impression I got is that the seniors played for themselves, not the team.

Q. Won’t you blame Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who captained in the first three Tests, and Virender Sehwag, who took over in the final Test?
A. Everybody says Dhoni is cool… But you’re cool only if you’re winning… When the things aren’t going your way, you need to be proactive, need to show emotion… Sehwag bhi cool captain ban gaya… It doesn’t work that way.

Q. The other reasons…
A. There was no opening partnership to talk about (best of 26!) and, with the wickets having grass, it was too tall an order for the middle-order… Seeing the wickets, I knew the batsmen would be challenged. But why didn’t the Indian quicks and medium-pacers take wickets? After all, they bowled on the same surface as Australia. The Indians didn’t bowl the right length, didn’t pitch it up… Look at Ishant Sharma, he took only five wickets at an average of 90.20! If he couldn’t get wickets in Australia, where will he get them?

Q. Anything else?
A. The fielding was poor… When the Suresh Rainas and Manoj Tiwarys play, then the fielding will improve. Once the fielding gets better, then the overall game will also improve.

Q. In the past, the Zaheer Khans have sought your guidance. Did anybody come to you this time?
A. No… Koi nahin aaya.

Q. But you spent some time with the promising Mitch Starc at the SCG?
A. (Grins) That’s because he came to me… I’ll definitely give time to anybody who wishes to draw on my experience… The nationality isn’t important… Any youngster can come to me.

Q. Should Rahul Dravid (194 runs at an average of 24.25) and VVS Laxman (155 runs at an average of 19.37) call it a day?
A. I don’t want to be advising them, but there’s a time for everything… To play and to not play… When you watch the day’s highlights, or watch your performance during the day, then you get to know exactly where you stand… There’s little need for me to say anything more… I quit when I was almost 37.

Q. What made Australia click in the manner that they did?
A. The way in which they bowled… Bowling coach Craig McDermott asked his bowlers to pitch it up and they did so… Then, the batting of Ricky Ponting at No. 4 and (captain) Michael Clarke at No. 5. India’s bowlers could get through the first three batsmen quickly, but not Ponting and Clarke. That made the difference, with Ponting getting over 500 runs and Clarke more than 600. That’s huge for a four-Test series.

Q. How did you find Clarke’s captaincy?
A. He looked good, but his test will be overseas, when he’s away from home conditions.

Q. Finally, what’s the way forward for India?
A. There must be a vision, must be a goal… If you want to get back to the No.1 position in Test cricket, then you do need to invest in youth with a high degree of potential.

Courtesy: News Bullet
Source: The Telegraph

Ex-Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram says fitness of Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan is bound to crease Dhoni’s forehead.

With the Indian camp keeping fitness updates on its fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma under wraps, former speedster Wasim Akram says conditions in Melbourne will reveal chinks in the Indian armoury on Day 1 itself.

Speaking exclusively to Mobile ESPN from Karachi on Friday, Akram feels MS Dhoni will be a worried man because his two spearheads, Zaheer and Ishant, are yet to give him positive vibes ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

“Whoever is carrying an injury or niggles is surely going to be exposed at MCG. The wickets are hard and the outfield very demanding. Hence everyone has to be in peak fitness. The news from the Indian camp doesn’t seem to be very convincing at this stage,” Akram said.

The former Pakistan skipper, who will be part of the high profile ESPN-STAR Sports commentary team Down Under, is not convinced about the “bowling fitness” of the Indian pace attack.

“Until and unless you bowl 15-20 overs in a practice game and do rigorous nets, you are not fit enough to go into a Test match. I am not sure whether Ishant and Zaheer have done that in the warm-up games,” said Akram.

While Ishant has bowled a little over nine overs in five days of practice games, Zaheer has bowled a total of 15 (10 + 5) over two innings. This is not enough, according to Akram.

“MCG wickets are so hard that they will take a toll on your body joints, especially the back, groin and ankle. You cannot afford to go into a series-opening Test match with 90 per cent fitness,” warned Akram.

By Soumitra Bose
Courtesy: ESPN STAR

New Delhi: With youngsters such as Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron are making their presence felt, India’s pace spearhead Zaheer Khan cannot take his place for granted, says former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram.

“Zaheer can’t take his place for granted. He has been out of cricket for a long time and unfit as well. Though he has started working in the nets, bowling in the middle is an entirely different thing.”He must play loads of domestic cricket and the selectors must monitor him closely. I am sure India don’t want a repeat of England in Australia. Hence preparation will be the key,” Akram said.

Zaheer, after bowling a few overs during the first Test in England, had missed out on the remaining tour and the current West Indies series due to an ankle injury.But the premier Indian bowler, recovering from an ankle surgery, is expected to be a part of the squad to tour Australia next month.

Akram reckoned the team’s upcoming tour of Australia will be an opportunity to salvage its overseas reputation after the debacle in England where they failed to win a single match.

“India’s poor summer in England was largely due to injuries to key players. (Virender) Sehwag, Harbhajan (Singh), Zaheer (Khan), (Gautam) Gambhir, Rohit Sharma pulled out at various stages of the tour and this upset the team totally.

“India can’t afford this in Australia. It will be a crucial tour to salvage India’s overseas reputation and I feel (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni’s boys have a great chance to come out with flying colours,” Akram said.

He advised the Indian players to attach utmost importance to fitness in order to avoid repeating their disastrous showing in England. Akram said the support staff will have their task cut out as fitness will be the key to their fortunes in the upcoming tour.

“India’s tour of England this summer highlighted the importance of being fit. Physical fitness is key to mental toughness. When the head sits atop weak legs, mind and body can never meet. This is what happened to the Indian team as England whitewashed Dhoni’s team with gay abandon.

“India’s back-up staff will have their task cut out. Not only during the long and gruelling series in Australia, but even during the weeks leading up to the tour Down Under.” While India boast of a formidable batting line-up, Akram felt bowling is a weak link.

“India’s batting will be their greatest strength. Dravid, Laxman, and Tendulkar will definitely like to leave their mark on this tour and why not? Dravid and Laxman are in great form and I am sure Tendulkar will rise to the occasion as well.

“The only worrying point is India’s bowling. It will be crucial to strike a good balance and keep the quickies fresh in mind and body. Fitness will be the key and young bowlers like Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Ishant Sharma must take great care about their bodies. I remember how I got thrashed in Australia because I could not bowl the right line and length because of bad fitness.”

Courtesy: CRICKET NEXT

Karachi: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels the fourth Test at The Oval will provide Sachin Tendulkar with an ideal opportunity to reach the milestone of scoring 100 international centuries, in the ongoing four-match series against England.

The Oval is the venue for the fourth and final Test.

Akram is, however, not certain if the champion batsman would be able to get to the landmark in the third Test at Edgbaston, where the ball swings around, and the pressure would be on India to come back into the series.

“I think Tendulkar will reach the milestone in the fourth Test at the oval where he has the best chance of creating history. But I have no doubt he will get this milestone and become the first batsman to achieve this record,” Akram told reporters in Karachi.

He was in the city to attend the opening of a T20 corporate tournament being organised by former captain and close friend, Moin Khan at a brand new ground in the posh Defence Housing Society area in Karachi.

Akram said the pressure comes from the fact that Tendulkar is standing on the threshold of achieving a landmark no cricketer has come close to in the history of the game. “There has been so much hype and build up to this series and particularly around Tendulkar’s milestone that obviously the pressure must be felt by the great batsman. Even the greatest of batsman feel the pressure in such situations.” Akram said Tendulkar had not batted badly so far in the series, considering the conditions in England.

“You need a bit of luck in English conditions where the ball does a lot and unfortunately he has not got that bit of luck. But I think his best chance of scoring his 100th international hundred will be at the Oval,” he added.

The pacer, who has played a number of times against Tendulkar, said there was no doubt about the greatness of the Indian. “To be able to score 100th international hundreds is an amazing achievement and I don’t see anyone coming close to it for a long long time,” Akram said.

India, who have lost the first two Tests by huge margins, are grappling with several fitness issues with top players like Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh down with injuries.

Courtesy: Express India – Express Cricket.