text:
« From Three Hours to Five Days
A PAT ON THE BUTT »
BOOM BOOM vs. BUTT BUTT
Shahid Afridi contemplating from the players gallery at Lords whether to stop or go?
SHAHID AFRIDI is born with an uncanny gift and a unique talent to shock & entertain not only his fans and supporters but, the entire cricketing world. Like most of his shots are premeditated, his moves too are very predictable. The way he accepted the test captaincy after his retirement from test cricket 4 years ago and the way he announced his retirement is just like a BOOM BOOM innings coming to an end.
Upon hearing the news that Afridi will retire after the Headingley Test, I wasn't surprised but, I was upset at his decision at the wrong time. And, I wrote here on the blog that Afridi may not even play the Headingley Test and it is confirmed today in the news that he is not playing test cricket with immediate effect. Obviously Salman Butt who is the vice captain of the team has been appointed as Captain for the "rest of the England tour". But, the funny side of the story is not just the quoted words, above or, the serious consideration of Yousuf and Younus's by Ijaz Butt, who is in London and, NOW considering of including YY in the team but, it is this:
Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, convened a meeting on Saturday (in London) involving the team management and senior players to discuss the way forward following Afridi's decision to retire from Tests. The meeting was attended by the team manager Yawar Saeed, coach Waqar Younis, associate manager Shafqat Rana, Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Umar Gul.
unquote
According to most "deniable resources," it is learnt that IF, Yousaf or Younas "rough-use" to play, or the team is still losing test matches after their inclusion in the team, then they will bring back Old Misbah ul Haq as the protector of the last resort. The news is also "vary hot" like a hot air balloon that the serious altercation between Ijaz Butt and Shahid Afridi which happened in the Lords dressing room just before Afridi went in to bat in the second innings is going to create further complications for Afridi and the team.
Bakaoz Ijaz Butt cannot take insults lightly from his juniors, (Malcolm Speed can call him a Buffoon and Butt will kiss his rear side) but, Butt is reportedly taking it very seriously and likely to take a very severe action against Afridi by making it look like a disciplinary matter against Afridi for announcing his retirement during the "middal of the tour." Mark my words, Ijaz Butt won't be allowing Afridi to captain in the ODI and T20 games to be played against England.
There is another "vary hot" news "in circulation," i.e., Javed Miandad has met Sadar Asaf Zardari on Monday and he is keeping the cat in his bag. The rumour is, he has asked Asaf Zardari to uproot Ijaz's Butt and he said, I am agree. However, Butt's tentacles are very deep rooted "bakaoz" of his Brother in Law "Chowdary Aimad Mukhtiar," who is the Defense Minister of Pakastan and he has come to defend Ijaz's Butt and asked Asaf Zardari not to listen to peepul like, Mians & Dads, only Butt & BB's.
Also, there is a news that Wasim Akram has written a letter to Asaf Zardari to remove "This Butt" and the President has set up a new committee comprising of 6 members to read Wasim's letter and highlight the points and, to give him suggestions on what action is to be taken? The Committee has been given 2 and a half years time to study the letter and give their recommendations to the President. Further time cannot be allocated bakaoz, by then, Asaf Zardari's "Gormet" will be full term pregnant. Like Ijaz Butt cannot be "Toppled" Zaradari cannot be Toppled as well, you can only "GuG-Gul" them.
It is very unfortunate for the Pakistanis that on every single tour there is a new story but, it is very amusing and interesting for the rest of the world and without making any effort the bet juicy stories and their Tabloids are sold like "hot cakes. Ijaz Butt is happy that he and his team are always hitting the headlines, whatever the reasons may be 'who gives a Butt to it?""
Now, the serious aspect of this decision or the outcome of Shahid Afridi's announcement to retire from test cricket. What do you think:
1. Butt will keep him as Captain of the T20 and ODI team?
2. Why would he give him the captaincy for T20 and ODI when Salman Butt is already leading the test side?
3. Does Pakistan believe in one captain for all the formats?
4. What will be Afridi's reaction if his ODI and T20 captaincy is stripped away?
5. Will Salman Butt be able to play the same role as Afridi did?
6. With Salman Butt leading with his Deputy Kamran Akmal, the second fiddle to plot conspiracies i.e., Shoaib Malik, what will be his role?
7. Umar Gul has been included in the small committee meetings only to fill in the quota otherwise the entire decision making panel is from one region. How are they going to balance it?
These are a few questions that needs to be discussed, perhaps you may be able to add a few more and lets hear it out from you.
This entry was posted on July 17, 2010, 1:48 PM and is filed under LS Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
#1 by JAVED A. KHAN on July 17, 2010 - 1:50 PM
We need your input here, so please go ahead and contribute your views.
#2 by khansahab on July 17, 2010 - 2:11 PM
When people do well you pat them on the back, but Salman Butt's butt has been patted and he is now the captain.
Butt was performing well and he has definitely matured as a player- now how he does as a captain remains to be seen.
Australia will be tougher to play at Leeds. Pakistan will probably see the return of Malik and Hameed at the expense of Afridi and Farhat.
Ijaz Butt had a heated argument with Afridi and as Javed A Khan describes, there were rumours that Butt is infuriated. But, today Butt has given a statement that he wants to retain Afridi as captain for T20 and ODI's. Normally when things are less chaotic everyone in the PCB gives contradictory and stupid statements, but now that Afridi has made this shocking decision, we can expect further chaos and nonsense from everyone associated with cricket.
I agree with Javed A Khan that Malik's position in the team and role will be examined. Akmal is the vice captain, this is shocking the PCB has no shame. Akmal is the biggest match loser for Pakistan- how can they make him VC? Why not Umar Akmal, why not Umar Gul, why not Asaf or Aamer?
The educated people of Pakastan need to realise the value of dedicated and honest leadership. As long as the leaders are crooks and corruption, nepotism and absence of accountability is the norm, cricket will never improve.
The likes of Malik, Farhat, Akmal, Misbah- these players would not have played so many matches had it not been for politics. All the problems suffered by Pakistan cricket can be remedied if players are selected on merit. You just need one honest man who is dedicated to serving the people of Pakistan and will not be bought by money.
In economics we say Boom v Bust.
But Javed A Khan has added a new dimension by doing a thread on Boom v Butt.
Afridi's boom versus Salman & Ijaz's butt? 🙂
Yes Khansahab
There is a Bubble, then there is a Boom and then, there is Bust. We don't know when this Butt gonna Bust? 😀
Geo News says "Pakistan Greats Laments Afridi's decision." The name of the greats are Inzamam, Iqbal Qasim and Abdul Qadir.
Yes, Inzamam is one of the good batsmen of Pakistan but, certainly not a great. Qadir and Qasim are great? Let me laugh out loudly. 😀
By those standards Afridi is the greatest. He is the only Pakistani player to have taken more than 275 wickets and score more than 6000 runs in ODI's in fact he is the 3rd player in the world to achieve this feat. He holds two fastest centuries in ODI, and his 37/100 is still a world record number 1. He is the only player who hit 272 sixes in ODI's. His strike rate in the ODI's is highest in the world. What has Qadir achieved? And, who is Iqbal Qasim? One of the former employees of the PCB? And, Inzamam desperately wanted to break Javed Miandad's batting record and failed miserably.
We all know that Inzamam and Afridi both come from a different background and different school of thought and Inzamam has been very vocal against Afridi since he has started his Tableegh and that was one of the things that ruined the cricket culture during his reign. Whereas, Afridi is more practical and pragmatic in his religious approach, he himself practice but seldom impose his ideology over other players. He is definitely a better captain than Inzamam. Its a shame that his frame of mind is different and he does not like to play test cricket. But, there is no better captain than him for ODI and T20 and he has displayed his capabilities in the last 2 matches against Australia in the T20 format.
A little more on Afridi and Inzamam.
Inzamam may appear very humble but, in fact he is no different from Amer Sohail when it comes to meeting with people (common man) I have seen and heard from many people that Inzamam behind his bushy beard is very arrogant and snobbish. The irony is he goes on for Tableegh from place to place from country to country and still does not know how to be nice and polite. At least 4 people I know who said, Inzamam snubbed them when they asked simple questions.
Afridi on the contrary has been portrayed as a flamboyant, aggressive, emotional, moody, erratic etc., etc., but in reality when he meets the masses or a common man, he is very humble, he respects them and talks to them very nicely. He was in Houstan Texas and no one said, "Houston we have a problem here." He was in India in almost all the major cities and mixed with people very well, distanced himself from the Bollywood Leechrees and earned some respect from people like SRK. Who once said, "If I was as handsome as Shahid Afridi, I would have created wonders." He goes to Dubai every now and then and we haven't heard anything like we heard about ASAF. When he was a teenager he may have been a bit flamboyant but, as he grew older he has matured as an individual and you can see that from his TV interviews. But, he has not changed his batting style and perhaps he will never change. In fact in one of his interviews he said," I would like to be remembered as one of the most craziest cricketer ever."
Javed A Khan
I am not saying this out of any bias, but Afridi when he speaks, speaks better than most cricketers. He is currently the most educated cricketer in the team- Salman Butt went to an English medium school but did not study beyond "Inter", but Afridi has studied after that. Only Fawad Alam (B.Com) and Masbah (Masters) are more educated than him.
He speaks like a streetsmart, pragmatic person- he is miles better than Inzamam in terms of captaincy, personality etc. The combination of a Pathan from Karachi has worked for Afridi- he is blunt, honest, almost naive sometimes, but he has adopted the wit/savviness/urbanised approach of Karachiites which is a very good combination. Hence when he speaks he does not behave or sound like a paindoo, if you notice his tone, pitch, movement of features, chin etc he does not act like a paindoo.
I am surprised at all these journalists who are somehow pleased that Afridi has retired and they are making fun of his last press conference.
I wish Salman Butt all the best but I believe Afridi is the better captain, better man-manager and more inspirational for the team.
When I wrote one of my earlier comments I wondered if Kamran Abbasi will agree with me. And I visited Dawn and saw that he does:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/cricket/08-crisis-of-the-cricket-boards-making-ts-03
In what kind of country do people like Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Misbah ul Haq and Faisal Iqbal get constant chances to play Test cricket but a better player like Afridi just resigns and then almost the whole country laughs at him and is happy he has left the Test arena?
#9 by Amir on July 18, 2010 - 8:31 AM
Lol @ boom boom vs butt butt. Whole pakistan cricket is a tamasha right now and it is only cause of one person this big butt. Personely after all this dramas two three months ago i promised myself that wil never follow pakistan cricket till butt is chairman but couldnt keep my promise as i think am addicted and very passionate about pakisan cricket. Salman butt is the only choice now as captain but dnt think he can do wonders as well stay prepared for a white wash in both series as we dnt have enough batting strength and ijaz's ego is bigger than his butt.
#10 by JAVED A. KHAN on July 18, 2010 - 8:32 AM
khansahab
On your comment about the journalists being pleased on Afridi's retirement and making fun of his last press conference, what I have read, I am copy pasting below and highlighting some of his points for people to realize what Afridi has to say and what he actually said:
Posted by Brydon Coverdale 15 hours, 24 minutes ago
'I am what I am'
A great thinker once said "I am what I am". It might have been Descartes. Or maybe Popeye the Sailor Man. It could just have easily been Shahid Afridi. One match into his Test comeback, he realised he didn't have the temperament for five-day cricket and promptly quit.
You've got to hand it to Afridi, the man knows how to entertain, whether it's sinking his teeth into a cricket ball, whacking Shaun Tait back over his head for six or hammering 14 from his first five balls in Test cricket in four years.
Even in his retirement announcement, Afridi didn't tone things down. For most Australian players, farewelling Test cricket is an emotional experience that more often than not brings a tear to the player's eye. Not Afridi.
Here was a man who was retiring after one comeback game, having slogged his fourth ball in the second innings straight to the man at deep midwicket. He was the captain, he had to set an example for his junior colleagues on putting a price on one's wicket.
The media were entitled to ask him some tough questions at his post-match press conference. To Afridi's credit, he didn't offer any half-baked excuses, he simply stated what everyone watching the game had already realised: he wasn't a Test player.
Afridi was asked when he decided to retire. "When I got out," he replied. Laughter rippled throughout the room, where Afridi was being grilled by a group of about 20 journalists.
Another reporter asked if he simply couldn't stop himself trying to hit six off every ball. Smiling, Afridi agreed: "Yes, you are right."
It was the ultimate mea culpa from a Test captain. He might as well have shrugged and said, "Yeah, I'm outta control! Can't do nothin' about it."
And when he was asked if he could make more money by just playing Twenty20 and 50-over cricket, he replied, dismissively: "I've got enough money."
So there. It was a refreshingly candid and good-humoured press conference, given the circumstances. Even in retirement, Afridi continues to entertain. Thank goodness he's still going to play Twenty20. There he can be more Popeye than Descartes.
As you can see from the press conference summary above, Afridi does not mince words, he doesn't deny the truth, he doesn't sugarcoat the truth, he spits it out. He is not Shoaib Malik to first deny his marriage with Ayesha Siddiqui and when he was cornered by the Siddiqui family that they will go to the forensic labs to prove what he did? He got shit scared and still did not admit, he admitted only when he got assurance from Sania that nothing will change if you speak the truth then, he opened his tight lipped mouth and admitted the guilt. So, basically he is a coward and a meesna, a schemer and a plotter, he is a dog in the manger, who cannot play and doesn't want others to play. Au contraire, Afridi said, " I am vacating this spot so that some other youngster can fill it and justify his place, I do not have the temperament for test cricket."
Afridi was not afraid of telling that he has enough money. He is a very content man and does not suffer from the pangs of greed, lust and jealousies. He is very straightforward person often very naive like most Pathans are and in that process does make emotional decisions which are often referred as Ch2yapay.
All I can say is, whether people agree today or not, it doesn't make much difference but there will be a time in future and not so far away I believe when the style of test matches will be different, perhaps they will cut down from 5 days to 4 or, even 3 days test matches and players would emulate Afridi's style of batting in test cricket.
#12 by khansahab on July 18, 2010 - 8:54 AM
Rameez backs young guns Ali, Amin's inclusion in Test squad
LONDON: Former Pakistan skipper Rameez Raja has backed the inclusion of young batsmen Azhar Ali and Uman Amin in the national squad.
Both Ali and Amin made their debut against in first Test against Australia at Lord's but failed to make a mark, however, Rameez believes that they have the potential to play for Pakistan for a long period.
He said the team management must give the two more chances in future.
"When I came to know that two new faces are being included in the Pakistan team, I thought it would be yet another ordinary stuff. However, during the course of the match, I found them extremely talented and worth giving more chances in future," The News quoted Rameez, as saying.
"I think they should be given extended run at the Test. If they succeed in playing in all six Test matches in England, I do not think Pakistan batting would have any one else to look for in future," he added.
Talking about the specialities of both the players, he said that while Ali has got a temperament best suited for Test cricket, Amin is a technically sound batsman.
"Amin is a good, aggressive and technically-sound player. The level of confidence he has at this age ushers a good future for him. It is not easy at all to make your debut at Lord's. I really appreciate him the way he batted in the second innings. He has all the qualities of becoming a genuine international future," Rameez said.
The former middle-order batsman also lashed at Shahid Afridi for his abrupt retirements from Test cricket, and said his 'childish' act would have a negative effect on youngsters.
"I think his act is unpardonable. Afridi has harmed Pakistan cricket and he should be penalised for that. There are several better ways if you want to announce your retirement from Test. Afridi's chose the worst way. It will leave bad affects on Pakistani youngsters," said Rameez.
Conspirators kick Afridi out of Test team
ISLAMABAD – A top official kicked Shahid Afridi out of Pakistan's Test team and its captaincy as the dressing room atmosphere was also not supportive during the Lord's Test for him to continue to lead the green shirts in the rest of series after facing 150-run defeat from the hands of Australia, TheNation learnt on Saturday.
Sources said that Rehman Malik is the right hand of the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, who is also Patron-in-Chief of the PCB. President Zardari also takes immense interest in the cricket affairs that is why he appointed Ijaz Butt as the chairman of the board and Butt is running the cricket in the country at his own will, sources said.
The sources inside the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) informed this scribe that Afridi's individual batting style in both the innings clearly indicated that he was bit upset before going on the pitch for playing a responsible innings.
He played odd strokes to get the runs in the first and second innings.
"If we take a bird's eye view of his pervious Test innings, we will not found even a single innings in which he tried to hit the very first ball of the innings in this style. But, here he was the captain of the green shirts and he should be more responsible. Afridi was disturbed during the whole Test match," he said.
He also said that the 440-run target was unachievable in the fourth innings of Lord's Test but it never required throwing the wickets away before finishing the five-day fixture.
Imran, Sohail lash out at Afridi for leaving team in lurch
KARACHI: Former captains Imran Khan and Amir Sohail on Saturday lashed out at Shahid Afridi for letting Pakistan down by announcing Test retirement in the midst of a tour in England.
"I think Afridi has further compounded the problems in Pakistan cricket and destabilised the team with his decision. He should have accepted the captaincy as a challenge and played Test cricket," said Imran from London.
Another Test captain Aamir Sohail felt Afridi has left the team in lurch by announcing Test retirement after captaining the side in the first Test against Australia which Pakistan lost by 150 runs.
"All that he is saying that he is not ready for Test cricket and it does not match his temperament. But he should have known about this before accepting the captaincy. He has let everyone down and he is now trying to cover up his blunder," Sohail said.
Former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq said that it was most unfortunate that Pakistan cricket found itself in the midst of a crisis on such a important tour and blamed the board for this.
"The board has not handled things well or taken the right decisions. Even now I would urge the PCB chairman to bring back Mohd Yousuf and Younis Khan to the team. They are great players and the team needs them. Past issues should be forgotten in the larger interests of Pakistan cricket. The nation is not ready for anymore defeats now," Inzamam said.
He, however, supported the decision to appoint Salman Butt as Test captain.
"I think the Board had no other choice at this stage especially with Yousuf and Younis not in the team. Butt is a good choice but he will need a lot of backing and guidance to handle the pressures of captaincy and opener at the same time," he said.
Sohail expressed fears that Butt may have his career affected if he does not succeed as skipper in the remaining Test matches in England.
"He is a good choice but I am just hoping that pressures of captaincy don't affect his batting form. The board and team management should now provide him full backing and be patient with him," Sohail said.
"I don't want to see a situation where if he struggles and the team does not do well under his captaincy he is also changed or dropped like others before him. It would be most unfortunate for Pakistan cricket," he added.
#15 by newguy on July 18, 2010 - 1:08 PM
Javed Khan, Khansaheb,
Well .. no point comparing Shahid Khan Afridi to his contemporaries. Because there are no parallels to him. If there was any doubt in anyone's mind that Afridi is not a legend of Pakistan cricket, his retirement handling and the subsequent reaction proves it. This is a man who is sure of himself and content with what he got. He prides paying for the country, and is not afraid to take responsibilities. But he also is first one to admit when he sees he is not the right one to do it. He is not lulled by money or celebrity charm. He is super aggressive in his play but he is not aggressive on a personal basis with any opposition players, except when confronted on a personal level. They don't make men like him regularly, he is one of kind, both as a player and a person.
#16 by khansahab on July 18, 2010 - 3:41 PM
I am glad that you have said the words that you did. It is good you understand the Pakistani situation and Pakistani psyche so well, partially because Indians and Pakistanis are very similar people.
I remember Afridi once said in an interview, that the two most important things for Pakistanis are Islam and cricket.
The state of both of these is being ruined.
Personal interests, nepotism, lust for money, emotional decisions based on regional/political bias are destroying cricket.
The PCB must not be allowed to be run by crooks any more.
Even now they can make a competitive side- if Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal, Afridi, Azhar Ali and one or two more players like them are in the batting order and Aamer, Asif, Gul are fit.
One thing that shocks me is that these people are so incompetent, they cannot even utilise maximum input from the resources AVAILABLE, let alone resources that are encircling the peripheries of selection/utilisation.
The team management is run by paindoos with no education, finesse- they are just there to make a fast buck and go home.
The management should be educated, sophisticated, professional. I mean look at the personalities of people like Yawar Saeed and Ijaz Ahmed etc. What kind of managers are they? Before that there was Abdul Raqeeb, who was the same.
Why are these uncouth, uneducated, unprofessional former cricketers thrusted into cricket administration? They can't run a small shop let alone an international team!
Where do you draw the line when you consider whether your glorious superstars should always be respected/promoted or they should be told they are not above the Board?
Younis Khan has a temper problem which cannot be undermined. He was involved in an altercation with Sheheryar Khan which led to Sheheryar's dismissal. Everyone knows Sheheryar Khan is a seasoned, respectable diplomat- if he was like Ijaz Butt then one could automatically assume Younis was necessarily right.
Also, there are reports he assaulted a fan recently in Karachi. Although there is no evidence this happened, Younis was seen on video dragging this fan into a room.
But, at the same time he is known as a man of integrity who plays for pride and not for money. He is seen as a simple, honest man.
Now, no one knows on what grounds Younis Khan was banned, although we were told later that the reason why his ban is not being overturned is because he has made negative comments against the Board. So the PCB should either disclose the details of his ban and let an appellate tribunal decide whether Younis should remain banned, or they should include him in the squad.
Younis is different to Shoaib Akhtar, Malik etc who have been involved in scandals and have openly disgraced the nation. It does not matter how good a batsman he is, but if he had discipline problems he should not be kept in the team. Pakistan needs to set a precedent. The only problem is that, we don't know what the grounds for his ban are and how much politics has played a part in his relegation.
The madness continues. Now even YOUNIS might be recalled. Pakistan is the laughing stock of the cricketing world.
Yousuf, Younus could be recalled for England Tour: Butt
PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has not ruled out the possibility of former captains, Muhammad Yousuf and Younus Khan returning to the national team for the Test series against England next month.
Butt said both would first have to inform about their availability to play for Pakistan and then the board and the selectors would decide upon their next line of action.
I don't know. I think firstly, Afridi, intentionally or unintentionally took the credit for the win. In T20 cricket captaincy does not play as big a part as it does in Tests.
I think what must have happened is that, some players complained to Yawar Saeed that Younis was being too authoritative. We saw Younis openly admonishing Mohd Aamer on more than one occasion, for example. Then they must have taken the oath, and then Ijaz Butt must have gotten involved.
Whatever happened, Younis is not easy to manage. Although he has lived most of his life in Karachi, he is not as urbanised/calculated/street smart as Afridi. Maybe he is just not a good man manager. He definitely does not appear to be a politician.
#22 by JAVED A. KHAN on July 18, 2010 - 10:08 PM
That match in which Younus admonished Aamer, Younus was right because, it is the bowlers duty to stand behind the wicket to collect the ball. Whereas, Aamer after bowling went halfway to the pitch and stood there, the shot was played in the long-on region and the fielder collected it quickly and threw it at the bowler's end. IF the bowler is standing in the middle of the pitch, then it is the captain's job to remind him on the spot. Apparently Aamer did not like that, he reacted and started altercation with Younus and reportedly, he told Youunus, "People consider me as a new Wasim Akram and you are telling me how to play?" That is sheer arrogance and a bad attitude towards his captain. No one could have dared to say this to Imran Khan. The reason Younus Khan was upset was because it was a crucial match against SA and JP Duminy/Albie Morkel were playing and I am not sure who was the player but, he would have been easily run out if Aamer was standing behind the stumps and collected the ball. The batsman was 3 meters short.
#23 by khansahab on July 18, 2010 - 10:11 PM
I remember that match, I was not admonishing Younis in turn. Younis was lecturing Aamer even as a wicket fell and all the players were congratulating Aamer. It was an unusual sight. That was my point.
That ball which Aamer failed to collect, the person who threw the ball from the boundary was Fawad Alam and it was a very accurate throw.
I think in that match or maybe another match Alam threw the ball from the boundary and effected a direct hit, running a batsman out.
I agree with you that ALL the commentators, journalists and sports writer are making a mountain out of a mole by highlighting that one shot of Afridi. No one talks about the other 5 players who were out without much contribution. You have also rightly pointed out Ponting's score, no one talks about that either.
In the second innings the morale was down and only 2-3 teams have scored 400 plus in the second innings, with players like Farhat and two new rookies how can you expect the team to beat Australia in the 4th innings? It was impossible. Secondly, just before Afridi was going to bat in the second innings Ijaz Butt confronted him in the dressing room and that made things worst. You cannot tame a Pathan by warning him, you have to be nice and kind. Besides, Afridi literally begged Ijaz Butt to include Yousuf and Younus in the team but, Ijaz refused blatantly. Younus himself said, he wants to play but Ijaz said NO. So, why is MF is now asking both of them to come and play? He should himself take off his BUTT GUARD and join the team.
I was reading on cricinfo about the news in which Afridi expressed his desire to win the 2011 ICC WC. It is sickening to see some of the Indian bloggers have expressed their hate against Pakistan and also ridiculing Afridi, PCB and the whole of Pakistan team and taunting Pakistan to beat Ireland and Bangladesh first.
What they have forgotten is in the Caribbean WC in 2007 India lost to Bangladesh and were out of the tournament just like Pakistan against Ireland. So, why taunting only Pakistan? Why not India? Look at the test match India is playing against Sri Lanka, two centuries already scored and we don't know how many more will come. First of all India and Sri Lanka play so much cricket that there is no interest left, not only among the Pakistani cricket fans but, I have heard this from so many Indians that they don't like this Lanka India contest anymore. At least India, Pakistan contest is more exciting and brings more audiences and spectators.
I wanted to write that point highlighted by Omer that, Ponting scored less runs than Afridi in that test match. Unfortunately the cricinfo mafia do not publish views that are in defense of Pakistan or Afridi. Someone told me that, if you choose a Hindu nick and write against Pakistan they are published instantly. I don't do that, I use my real name and I am not scared of anyone. Because, whatever I say its my view and my opinion and it is based on my perception if someone disagrees has the right to express his views and debate or discuss with me. Among the Pakistanis also there are so many groups that some people hate us for being so straightforward and blunt.
Ramiz Raja is becoming a BIG TIME FITNA, he is the only one demanding the authorities to PENALIZE Afridi, others are simply saying he is wrong and he shouldn't have done this etc. etc. But, one needs to see the reality and the total picture. You send club level batsmen to play against Australia and expect to beat them in test? Keep dreaming Ijaz Butt.
#26 by newguy on July 19, 2010 - 4:06 AM
Javed Khan,
You are right that there are several Indians that make sickening comments on blogs against Afridi and Pakistan cricket in general. I am sure there is a good number other way too. But, that is no excuse for these people to make the comments they do. They do so because they are that kind of of people who are ignorant and jealous and want to see someone down to make them feel better. Afridi has never done anything against India except with what matters the most, his batting. There have been Pakistani cricketers who have been arrogant and may even taunted a few Indian players in the past, but Afridi has always been a gentleman off the field and on the field. At least from what I have seen. I have never seen him utter bad words in the field, against an opposition player or his own team mates. There is absolutely no justification for such comments. If it is his dream to win WC in 2011 that is absolutely a respectable and commendable ambition. If Tendulkar can dream of winning the WC then Afridi can too. He certainly am qualified for it. When he eventually decide to hang his boot, he would most certainly be considered a Pakistani great in my opinion, and even one of the very best in the world. Cricket will be poorer when Afridi calls it a day, because he is so unique.
#27 by Amir on July 19, 2010 - 8:22 AM
What is strange is that no one in media is talking about umer akmal if afridi's shot was bad umer's was even worse i mean last ball before lunch and u play like this. He also need to take some responsibilty. Why only afridi.
newguy;
Not everyone is so nice like you, there is always a bad blood among some people on both sides of the border and for no reason they curse each other sometimes when there is an opportunity and sometimes without any. IMO, as long as it is only during the time of the game, it is fine because, people support their country and their teams but, if it goes on like this its not in a bad taste, anyways.
It is good to see that you consider Afridi as one of the very best in the world. Definitely he brings a lot of richness to the game because of his uniqueness with his aggressive style of batting.
Most of the time whoever gets out it is due to a poor selection of shot. You are right that they place Afridi under the microscope and ignore the rest of the people. And this is MAINLY because of THE COMMENTATORS. Unfortunately, not only the general public but even the media is paying a lot of attention to the views of the commentators. Now, look at Ramiz Raja, he was such an ordinary player, famous for being one of the worst fielders who could hardly run, today he sits there in the commentator's box and talks like a god, he wants to see perfection and 100% wins. He leaves no stone unturned when it comes to praising Umar Akmal and Mohammad Aamer and find every single little mistake Afridi makes and highlights it.
You are so right in observing that no one takes that Umar Akmal's shot into consideration – abhee tou vo buccha hai – that is the excuse. Since Aamer started playing Raja must have used his age 18 years as a pet dialogue or a pet word and must have said it 18,000 times. He also does the same for Umar Akmal and keeps saying: "He is sucha "tay-len-ted" player." I have never heard Ramiz praising Afridi, and even if he does it is in a weird sarcastic way. When Afridi was playing in Abu Dhabi, he scored well, hit a few big sixes and Ramiz said, "here in Abu Dhabi, Afridi gets a very strong support from the Pathan community as most of them are taxi drivers here and they come to cheer their hero."
#30 by JAVED A. KHAN on July 19, 2010 - 1:04 PM
The news is Yousuf has agreed to play and he said, " I can play under any captain, I have no problems." I wonder Salman Butt remembers what Yousuf said to the media after Salman Butt made him run out in one of the test matches in Australia? He said, "Salman Butt is very lazy and a very selfish player." Whatever Yousuf said, I don't disagree with that. The only problem is, Malik would be doing backseat mothering while Salman Butt is captain and this is a very dangerous thing for the team.
I have been saying this since ages that Malik is a very sinister person and he isn't worth to be in the team but, not many paid attention until it was so obvious that every TD and Harry came to know about it. Still he has some paindoo supporters who love to support him because of some other reason and now they admire him because of Sania Mirza, she is Malik's touristic attraction 😉
I dunno if Younus Khan is also being considered or is he left out? Despite his repeated calls that he is available for the team, Ijaz Butt has ignored him simply because his lawyer asked Ijaz Butt to tell him the reason why Younus Khan was banned? Only then he will apologize. Butt got furious at this and said, how dare he? If he cannot say a "simpal sari" then he cannot play.
I was reading DAWN BLOG, an open letter to Shahid Afridi by some Farooq Nomani, after reading that letter which imo is total crass because, the author has provoked Afridi by calling him a coward and shown his sympathies towards POOR SALMAN BUTT. He runs his own blog called "what a stupidity" and I saw a few open letters addressed to Imran Farhat and Salman Butt and here is the link:
http://www.whatastupidity.blogspot.com/
Scroll down and you will see open letters to Imran Farhat and Salman Butt under some assumed names and used some real derogatory and insulting words against Butt in 2007 and now he is taking Salman Butt's side. This author Farooq Nomani has the cheek to write for DAWN. I think DAWN will soon be seeing its DUSK if people like him are writing open letters in newspapers.
What is more appalling is the almost all negative remarks on Afridi's decision from former Pakistan players published on CricInfo. Only Osman Samiuddin published a balanced commentary looking at the nuances involved.
People like Ramiz Raja and Aamir Sohail, what qualifications do they have to judge Afridi? Raja was a modest batsman at best and I can't even remember anything he did as Pakistan captain. As for Aamir Sohail everyone knows his irresponsible shot against Prasad in the 96′ WC knowck out game. And, he always had the luxury of batting along a talented player like Saeed Anwar for the most part which made him look better than he was.
Now these guys come out of the wood work and blame Afridi and everyone else except the one who should be blamed for sorry state of Pakistan cricket, Ijaz Butt.
About Amir Churail, he is one of the most arrogant players not only from Pakistan but in the whole world. I wonder how he would have behaved if he had records like Tendulkar and personality like Imran Khan? As a person ages he gets sober and looks more graceful. Look at these two ex-cons, Raja and Churail. Raja loves to be referred as Rambo and Churail looks like a lizard.
I do remember that shot and not only that he told Prasad to go and fetch it after hitting the ball and the next ball he was clean bowled. It is very unusual and it happened only once that I was happy to see him getting out in that fashion because that arrogant bastard was puffed up like a lizard. And in that very same match Wasim Akram reportedly took bribe from the bookies and sat out. Amir said he heard his conversation with the bookies and will testify and kept repeating that till he was outside the judge's office and when he met Justice Qayyum to record his statement, he changed it by saying he never heard anything. He must have got a lot of money to keep his mouth shut.
Reportedly, in Dubai Amir Churail had two ugly incidents, once he was thrown out the Al-Nasr Club Bar by the bouncers i.e., where he went at 3:00 a.m. and demanded them to serve alcohol (he was already pissed drunk) and when the refused, first its a private club, second it was too late, he announced that "I am Amir Churail, Pakistan captain!" and started yelling, he was thrown out.
Second incident reported, he was invited along with all team members to a Pakistani businessman's house for dinner, he asked the host, how much will he be paying him to attend a party at his home? The man replied, I will be honoured if you come so there is no question of paying anything you are just a guest and meet the community. Churail replied, you guys invite us and take pictures and get them published in the newspapers and then you become famous and make more money what do we get? The man smiled and said, that is not true we don't get money from publicity. Then Churail asked, will there be any booze? The man said, no sorry. The last strawon the camel's back was when Amir said, OK provide us some pretty girls…….. The man slapped him on his face! That MF deserves a punch not a slap.
Following was the team for the first test:
1 Imran Farhat,
2 Salman Butt,
3 Umar Amin,
4 Azhar Ali,
5 Umar Akmal,
6 Shahid Afridi (capt),
7 Kamran Akmal (wk),
8 Mohammad Aamer,
9 Umar Gul,
10 Danish Kaneria,
11 Mohammad Asif.
Obviously, they will make certain changes now and imo, following should be the team without Shoaib Malik, because he has no place in the team. BUT that is my opinion they will DEFINITELY include Malik. Also, they will include Yasir Hameed but, that will be another bad move because he is not a very confident player and he knows that if he fails his career would be over, succeeding with this kinda frame of mind is highly unlikely. Further, they want to strengthen the bowling department by adding Saeed Ajmal and replacing Danish Kaneria with him. Dropping Kaneria just because Ajmal is included is a very, very BAD IDEA. Ajmal should be in lieu of Afridi as a spinner. One leg spinner and one off spinner should be a good combo.
1 Kamran Akmal
3 Mohammed Yousuf
4 Younus Khan
6 Azhar Ali
7 Saeed Ajmal
The decision makers are too slow to decide and the second test will probably be without Yousuf and Younus, they MAY join the test series against England.
#35 by Amir on July 19, 2010 - 8:40 PM
Dnt think they will play five bowlers so to fill all rounders spot they will play malik. Both azher and ameen dnt deserved to be dropped they played well i agree with JAVED A KHAN that they should open with kamran and salman and drop imran farhat but they will never do that. Y and Y will not be there for leeds test so they have to play either hameed or malik in afridi's slot. I think rest of team will be same.
Osman Samiuddin has done yet another thread supporting Afridi, and this will earn the wrath of paindoos who blame him for being Karachi-centric (he is from Karachi).
TEST MATCH CAPTAINCY TRAILER
Afridi dropped another bombshell by saying, he told Ijaz Butt before accepting the captaincy for test that he will accept it on a "trail basis." That is if I enjoy playing, I will continue for a couple of test matches otherwise I won't.
The rest of the statement is straightforward he has once again not minced the words. Those who are criticizing Afridi is because their expectations were high and they are feeling sad that he let them down by not playing test cricket anymore and by announcing his retirement from test cricket after just one match! There is a disappointment in the feelings of his fans and supporters and in venting their feelings they are criticizing and ridiculing Afridi.
I think he did a good thing by taking this decision, now the rest of the team will know "how easy" it is to play against Australia when you have rookies and mediocre players in the side? Why call Yousuf and Younus Khan now? Why is Ijaz Butt covering his rear side? Just let the new team play and emerge from the grass root level. This is exactly what the Board wanted, didn't they? Let the people kick out Ijaz Butt out of the cricketing world.
What happened to India test team? Especially the bowling attack is so weak without Zaheer Khan that players like Malinga and Herath scored 64 and 80*. I was reading that Ishant Sharma bowled a fiery spell about 8 overs or so but, bowling against who? Malinga, Herath? They are bowlers and their batsmen like Paranavitana scored a century and neither Harbhajan nor Ohja could take any wickets. Gambhir, Tendulkar and Dravid went cheaply but, you still have Sehwag, Laxman, Dhoni and Yuvraj. So, I hope they score some runs and avoid follow-on.
#39 by Baldev Singh on July 21, 2010 - 12:06 AM
Hi guys, I've been reading ur blog for sometime & I writing first time to express my feelings for the Pak team especially for Afridi. A lot of people are criticizing him for his retirement and no one is talking about the team he got i.e., without the star batsmen younas and yousaf. I was sure that Pak will win against Australia in both games but I also knew that they will lose in test matches because of the missing players you guys also did not play one of the best young opener Fawad Alam who scored a century on debut in SL and the new team looks very weak in test matches. Afridi's decision to retire has hurt all his fan and supporters and i've read other blogs where not just the Indians making fun of him but Pakistanis are also doing the same out of frustration. There are some people who hate him because they like Malik and i think Malik is a nonsense player he is a negative impact on the team. Just 'coz he married Sania Mirza he is looked differently by people as if he has achieved the unachievable, I was also reading somewhere that they want Malik to captain the side and that would be a foolish decision 'coz Malik has ruined the team spirit when he was captain and all his wins are against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh he lost series against India which never happened before under any captain. Pak team was great under Imran and not bad when Inzamam was captain since Malik took over 3 years ago the team has lost more matches against good teams then ever b4. It is a sad thing for Afridi's supporters and fans that he resigned but he still did a good thing by vacating his place for a young player. All other captains before Afridi were stripped from the captaincy. Even Inzamam knew that he will be asked to step down so as soon as the team returned from Carribbean he resigned. It shows that Afridi takes more responsibility than others by resigning whereas Malik would never leave the team until he is kicked out of the team.
#40 by JAVED A. KHAN on July 21, 2010 - 12:20 AM
Hi Baldev
Thanks for writing on the blog and I am happy to see that as an outsider you are able to see the reasons why Afridi has resigned from test cricket. You are right that the PCB administration did not choose the right team for the test matches especially the two stalwarts Y&Y were missing despite repeated requests from Afridi, former players, critics, media and in short everyone. Ijaz Butt did not bat his eye lid, he ignored everyone because he is ego is a million times bigger than his big fat Butt. Now, suddenly he has turned to Yousuf and Younus and asking for help. Isn't it a bit too late for that? In his 18 months tenure Butt has changed 5 captains. Younus, Yousuf, Malik, Afridi and now Salman Butt. If only one captain had resigned then you can say he must be wrong but changing captains like changing undergarments is not gonna work. A captain has to be there for a few years and not for a tour or a series. The captain never received any support from the PCB or the selectors.
Everywhere else the captain his involved in team selection whereas, in case of Afridi they did not even call him to attend the team selection meeting and announced the team. He was pumped up to accept the captaincy and he says the did tell Butt that he will accept it for a short while i.e., as long as he thinks he can handle it. There was no problem in gelling the team together which is obvious from the T20 matches and even in the tests he marshaled his troops very well. When Australia gave a lead of 450 runs, Ijaz Butt who is in London wasn't happy and reportedly there is an altercation between him and the captain. Hence in the second innings when Afridi came in to bat he was looking very disengaged and disenchanted. And, when he was out he decided to quit.
Therefore, Afridi has more dignity and honour than Malik, who is a pukka Bay-Ghairat and Bay-Sharam and Pukka Jhoota and we all know about him, from his personal life to his cricketing life he is no different. You are right that he is in the team because of Sania Mirza. Now, he is a Pukka, Pukka Joroo ka Ghulam.
JAK,
I don't have much to say on the ongoing IND-SL test match. It is going to be a draw. Even though people on CricInfo write things to make it interesting like Ishant bowled fiery overs, and Herath is now a great batsman and how Murali could win the last match, baldy blah, in the end this Indian batting line up getting all out twice in two days is improbable. Well, strange things could happen, but I don't see it. Especially on a track where Herath and Malinga scored 80 plus and 60 plus runs.
As for Indian bowling, even before a ball was bowled it is clear that once Zaheer Khan had to return and Sreesanth got injured, this attack has no leader. Zaheer has been the mainstay of India's test wins in last two years. Even when Harbhajan has takes 5 wickets, it was Zaheer who provided the breakthrough, either by removing openers or getting a breakthrough after a partnership. Without a leader the pace attack cannot find it's rhythm. It got even more bad for India when Sreesanth got injured. I don't see India winning a test in this series, unless some miracles happen.
Sri Lanka as always are lions at home, but not much anywhere else, especially in Test cricket. Their bowling is OK and suited for winning at home, but then again they need a lot of luck to win this test match. They could win in Colombo. Let's see. Any case, I don't have much interest in this series.
Yawn, yet, another series with Ind-SL.
IF Laxman, Dhoni and Yuvraj can perform miracles on the last day, which is not likely to happen then, India will lose this match by an innings. They got follow-on and lost 5 wickets in their second innings. Sehwag couldn't maintain his focus and was out twice in one day. Only tendulkar scored 80 plus but, now its a matter of survival for India they should be looking up at the rain gods to save them from humiliation.
PAKISTANI bowlers have once again dominated the Australian batting line up and they are 76/8 with Asif taking two, Umar Gul took 2 and Aamer got 3, he was on a hat-trick after lunch. I am not sure if they can make a total kill by restricting Australia under 100 ? Because time and again the sense of complacency has ruined their efforts. They need to get rid of Paine and Hillfenhaus. In the previous test match too the Australian tail frustrated the Pakistan bowlers.
It seems like Umar Gul has targeted Mike Hussey and getting him out in every match.
FINALLY Pakistan got the last two wickets, one being a run out the other is Asif's scalp and Australia are all out for 88 in their first innings.. Isn't this an opportunity for Pakistan? The bowlers did their part and Ricky the Punter must be pondering what went wrong, whether it was a good decision to bat after winning the toss? Now, let us see what is Afridi's replacement – Shoaib Malik – gonna do in terms of batting? Between now and tea time we will know which side the camel is going to sit? If they can't win from this situation then, when are they going to win against Australia?
Well .. I guess things change overnight in cricket, don't they? 😉 I said I don't see this Indian batting lineup getting out twice in two days and they have proven me wrong.
That's okay, it's not the first time I am wrong and besides I am not Paul the Octopus to get it right all the time 🙂
Indians played as if they were not trying to save a match and without the realization how hard it is to save a test by batting on a fifth day wicket in Sri Lanka and that too against Murali. Perhaps they want to show the gesture of goodwill by being good neighbors to Murali on his farewell test, by giving him the needed 8 wickets to reach 800 (he is only two short now and will get it tomorrow), and by winning his last test.
Anyhow, Indians will bounce back, it is a question of whether they can do anything in this series. Murali won't be playing second and third test, so SL will be as weak as India in bowling. I only have passing interest in this series as I said earlier.
Pakistan on the other hand, what a wonderful performance. They MUST grab this opportunity and ram the advantage down by making a hefty first innings total. Anything close to 300 will be enough and then pressure in 2nd innings, and a Test win is all theirs. This is a great great opportunity not to be wasted.
Australia are looking weak by the day, but they still need to be beaten, they won't give it in a platter.
Batting first at Headlingly is a blunder from punter. As everyone knows Leeds is the most seamer friendly pitch in England traditionally, and batting is difficult here. Pakistan was able to exploit the conditions, all credit to the bowlers.
Like I wrote above, " Between now and tea time we will know which side the camel is going to sit?" It is tea now and the total collapse that one would have expected from Pakistan has been avoided and they are in pretty solid position by scoring 64 without the loss of a wicket. Definitely they need to capitalize from now on and Salman Butt who is in good form should be able to convert his 60-70's into a big hundred and others should evolve around him. If he stays for long there will be partnerships as confidence would be high. So far the batsmen have failed and the bowlers did a good job, now it is their turn to support their bowlers and bat intelligently.
As regards India, you are right that Lankans are Loin in their own backyard, I remember a few years ago they beat India in ODI series and a month later the played in India and lost the ODI series by 6-1 and that was probably before the 2007 WC. Therefore, India / Sri Lanka matches do not appeal to me unless it is in one of the tournaments like WC. Dhoni's own form is not so good, he scores around 30-40 runs these days as compared to 60-70 and an occasional 100 a couple of years ago. So, now he needs to play a long innings with Laxman because, I don't expect from Yuvraj to remain at the crease for long, he is an aggressive batsman and against Murali in his own arena it is not possible to keep on hitting him for long…. this is a test match.
Wonderful performance by pakistan bowler conditions were good for bowling but still they have to put ball in right areas and they did that by bowling ful. Good batting by butt and farhat as well pakistan were 64/0 at tea from here on they can build a lead of atleast 300 runs they got a good platform now. But again saying that u never know what our team can do.
After a decent start, they lost 3 wickets in the post tea session. I was hoping Butt will play all day today and a good couple of hours tomorrow but, that didn't happen. Azhar Ali is playing well but loses concentration after 30 odd runs, he needs to score big. Let us see tomorrow if these two can add more runs, because I don't expect anything from Shoaib Malik, although he will try his best to add runs but, against a swinging ball he is a novice. A lead of 60 at the moment is not good enough, anything below 300 is not enough. They should bat like there is no second innings batting, dig out holes and trenches and fight against Australia, this is the only opportunity for them to win.
My thoughts regarding Pakistan 1st innings is same as yours. A lead of 200 runs at the minimum is required, it is not possible to think anything beyond 300 runs total having lost 3 wickets. Another 140 to 150 is reasonable though. After that they need to restrict Australia in 2nd innings so that they are not chasing anything beyond 150 to win. Anything above that is suspect in 4th innings. Pakistan's best chance lies in taking this opportunity and building it as much as they can now.
There are 16 test matches between Australia and Pakistan where Australia ending up with a low score between 80 runs and 187 runs in almost 60 years, Pakistan has won 11 times and lost 5 times. The latest was Sydney test where Pakistan presented that test match in a silver platter to Australia, courtesy Kamran Akmal.
This 88 runs is Australia's lowest score in 53 years and their lowest ever against all nations was also against Pakistan in Karachi when they were all out for 80 runs and lost the match. Therefore, according to the statistics Pakistan has got a very good chance to win this match by scoring 350 plus runs and then bowling them out if not on 88 but, under 200. Australia will definitely come back in the second innings as their batting has depth even, Johnson and Hillfenhous can bat for long. But, it will be Hussey and North who needs to contribute in the middle order. Can Umar Gul get Hussey again? He has been getting him out in this series and Hussey is aware of that.
Like I said, IF they cannot win against Australia in this match then when are they going to beat Australia in a test match? This is a golden opportunity for Pakistan and a very good beginning for Salman Butt. Afridi must be thinking why he did not play this test match? 😀
#50 by 420 on July 21, 2010 - 10:57 PM
i have not yet read the thread, but, CONGRATS!
i ready the last line when i am posting, i thought exxxactly the same thing..afridi missed being part of history, also , the stage is set for his boom boom in my opinion
SHOAIB MALIK – A SPENT FORCE.
What a waste of a player he is, even Kaneria and Asif were batting better than him. He was so selfishly defensive and was not willing to score, the only thing he wanted to do is stay not out so that Malik's supporters would say he ran out of partners. The way he got out was a gift to Shane Watson, who has once again taken most wickets, this time it is six wickets. On the fifth ball of his over, Watson brought the fielders close in and Malik was anticipating a bouncer, whereas Watson bluffed him and bowled a very wide delivery and, Malik without any footwork, simply wanted to pull that ball from wide of off stump and ended up in skying the ball and an easy take for Tim Paine. Twenty six (26) painful runs in 48 balls and then getting out like an idiot. Tim Paine ended his misery.
Malik has failed numerous times and yet he is in the playing IX. Shouldn't he be brave enough to say, "I want to give my place to a youngster, because I am not fit to play for Pakistan?" That will NEVER happen, Malik will play as long as he can and will go only when kicked out and no one is there to kick his or Ijaz's Butt.
Once again, Umer Amin got out under 30 and it seems like these two rookies Azhar Ali and Umer Amin could not stand long, neither did the Akmals, they both got out cheaply. Anyways, a lead of 170 should give a head start for Asif, Aamer and Gul. If Watson can get six wickets these three should be able to take 3 wickets each and that's it.
If Pakistan lose this match from here, then its really a shame and for the next test series i.e., between Pakistan and England starting a week from now, Younus and Yousuf should be there for sure, Malik and Umar Amin should go to accommodate YY and Yasir Hameed to replace Farhat. Farhat stayed at the crease for more than two hours only to score 40 odd runs. If you spend so much time then you are expected to score big.
Umar Akmal dropped Katich's catch of the bowling off Aamer. Katich edged it and the ball was on Umar's lift side and Umar moved his head towards his right and closed his eyes, the ball just touched his fingers and Umar couldn't held that catch. It was not difficult and he should have taken the catch to put Australia under pressure, especially Katich who is a very "chipkoo" player and is in good form too. This is going to cost Pakistan very dearly.
India lost to SL by 10 wickets, Murali got his 800th dream wicket and Salinga da Malinga got the MoM award…….. more laters
Aamer said, fielders can drop catches so let me do the job, he CLEAN BOWLED KATICH in the next over, what a ball.
Ponting was out LBW on the first ball he faced, but umpire Rudy Kotzen did not give him out by saying the ball was high, whereas the hawk-eye confirmed the ball was not high. The second ball also hit and this time it was well below the knee but, it pitched a fraction outside the leg stump, that is fine but Ponting was definitely out on the first ball. Ponting after a few scares is settling down, him and Watson are playing OK, a partnership of almost 40 runs now.
Salman Butt has absolutely no clue in setting the field or changing bowlers, as a captain instead of discussing with the bowler, he is running up to Shoaib Malik for his advise. It is also obvious from his body language that as a captain he is not confident. Pakistan may even win this match but, there is nothing significant he has done it is the bowlers who have dominated and in any case they would have won, rather they should win.
#57 by Pawan on July 22, 2010 - 5:54 PM
How can anyone allow Malinga the Salinga to bowl? Clearly he chucks. The two chuckers won the match for SL. Otherwise it was a very ordinary pitch and a very ordinary performance from SL as well.
Only Pakistan can make bowlers like North and Watson appear world class.
Didn't I tell you before that Pakistan has made heroes …….. Kapil Dev, Lara, Tendulkar they all made debut against Pakistan and I am not denying the qualities of these players but, it is from Pakistan they have shot to stardom. Even Dhoni was nothing until he scored a century against Pakistan in that ODI (Jamshedpur?)
North took 6 wickets in his career and in one game he took 6 wickets. And, today Watson was the hero again to get his career best 6/33.
Salman Butt was clueless on the ground and every now and then he was running to Shoaib Malik for advice…….. how pathetic this can be?
In Sydney Pakistan took a lead of 206 in the first innings and still lost to Australia, so now unless they restrict the lead to 140-150 max then they have a chance otherwise they can crumble like a cookie.
You should be happy that at least one Chucker has retired, so you have achieved 50% of your goal. Now, wait and see when Malinga retires.
Its getting worse for pakistan totaly agree with javed they musnt concede lead more than 150 otherwise they are in trouble. Salman butt is making same mistake as yousaf by spreading field he must attack more. Punter is always not good in start of the innings so chance for bowlers to make early inroads. Unless they get wickets in first session the match is going to slip away from them.
WELL DONE MURALI i dnt think any 1 else will be able to take 800 wickets.
Anyways guys, Punter and MJC both gone now only the nagging Paine is there with Australia's tail …………………………… as I started to write this comment Paine has gone, his sufferings have ended and now it is Smith and Johnson plus two more bowlers. The lead is 76 runs and Pakistan should not be complacent and lethargic because they have to contain them now and get them out under 270 so the lead remains under 100 and if it goes beyond 150 then, the Sydney fiasco may happen again, wickets can tumble like a house of cards. Its good that Aamer's match tally has 7 wickets so far now.
Gul has come to bowl a new over, he is out of sorts in this match, I dunno if he can get a wicket or get hit all over? Lets see, I think Salman Butt should have used Asif instead because he has already rested while Aamer and Kaneria were bowling for a while.
40 runs needed with 7 wickets in hand and a whole day to bat. IF Pakistan cannot win this test match then they should stop playing test cricket. Imran Farhat is lucky to have scored 67 after giving two simple chances. Salman Butt looked very nervous and gave away his wicket. Umar Amin, I am not at all impressed by his batting and he is lucky to get a wicket in each innings. But, that does not mean his place should be guaranteed for other test matches. He simply does not have the technique to play against good quality bowlers. Azhar Ali should stay not out otherwise he will also be labeled as a 30-40 batsman.
Umar Akmal should show some confidence here and bat for at least 10 overs and 40 runs is not a big deal to score. Malik will go unnoticed, no one will say anything unless the whole team crashes and he too gets out without reaching double figures. However, Malik's first innings contribution of 26 in 48 balls, a strike rate of 54, is very pathetic. His presence in the team as a senior member is absolutely useless and he is blocking the future of a youngster or a deserving player. I am sure if Fawad Alam was in the test squad he would have done better than Malik. But, Malik is included in all the three formats because his wife is a celebrity and he is a henpecked husband.
#65 by Ali Ahad on July 23, 2010 - 7:33 PM
Ok…looks like we will break this losing streak as this match is almost in the bag and our bowlers bowled really well. I still don't think that nikki Butt is a captain material, he still got a lot to learn, we really do need find a captain for Test unless someone can convince that 'Akhrot' to reconsider his decision again. Even if they bring back Younis Khan back in the team for sure he will not take the responsiblity again. After this win I think wuddi BUTT will annouce a reward for the team and again he will save his BUTT from the line of fire.
I am trying to understand that for Pakistan to win a test against Austrailia, the weather has to be overcast and we have to get them all out under 100 in the first innings and then only we can win and if we the bowlers cannot restrict them then we will lose? I mean for how long we will be playing like this that our team can only win if A B and C happens ?
Lastly, it would be nice that if we have won by 10 wickets and with two days to spare as it would be an astounding win after 13 test defeats, but I guess a win is a win doesn't matter how…eh..
Imran Farhat keeps batting the same way, he will fail in 3 innings and then score a 50 in the next one.
Ali Ahad
If you have seen the match live or even recording, I am sure you must have noticed how Salman Butt was running towards Shoaib Malik for his guidance? And Michael Holding said, "Salman Butt has no clue as how to set the field? Instead of asking the bowler where he needs a fielder and then set the field and bowl according to a plan but, it seems that Salman Butt has no plans whatsoever and this match is slipping away from Pakistan's hand." He said this when the lead was only 88 and Smith went on to add 92 valuable runs with his bowlers to take a lead of 180 runs. Considering how the team collapsed in the Sydney test they couldn't make 175 odd runs and lost by 36 runs. They have done better than Sydney here but I am sure these 40 runs would be like chewing the stainless steel ball-bearings.
And, you are right that Ijaz Butt will announce some cash prizes for Salman Butt and the team to save his Butt from the line of fire. But, tell me what is Malik's contribution here? He appears so "disgustipatingly" pathetic and a negative example for the rest of the team.
Pakistan finally find themselves in a position to win, one can say almost there, no one can say with surety they will because this Pakistan team has shown no situation is impossible for them to lose from. But surely, this can't go wrong, can it? C'mon only 40 more runs and 7 wickets in hand, surely they must, will, won't they?
Javed Khan put it aptly by saying this 40 runs will be like chewing stainless steel ball bearings.
I was thinking along the lines of if Pakistan cannot win this test match, it will be the final time I follow their progress in Test matches. It would be a shame too because the team is full of some talented players, and they deserve to taste win. The batting still need a lot of work. They can't expect bowlers to win matches single handedly.
If they include Younus and Yousuf in the team for England test series, I can assure you this side can win the series. To include YY in the team they must replace Umar Amin and Shoaib Malik. Although I want Imran Farhat to be out as well but, there seems to be no reliable opening pair, whenever you think Farhat will be dropped in the next game, he scores 50-60 runs to consolidate his place and the same happens with Malik. He remains not out with 40 odd runs at a pathetic strike rate of may be 39-40 runs per 100 balls. And, he is a Stealth as he goes unnoticed by the selectors, earlier he was chosen because some how he managed to mesmerize the selectors and captains and now because of Sania Mirza he gets a free pass.
Finally it seems like the Fast bowling trio of AGA (Aamer Gul and Asif) is making inroads in becoming a threat to every opposition. So far the weather has helped them to swing the ball especially in case of Asif, if there is no swing he is not so effective. Gul should try to take some tips from Waqar on how to alter his length in test matches. In the shorter version of the game his yorkers are deadly because the players have to score runs on every ball and he aims at the stumps with a slogan, "You miss, I hit."
Jeda logan noo shuk aiga, O Geo news confirm kitta …….. A lo parow:
PCB keeping an eye on Akmals, Malik
LEEDS: The performances of the Akmal brothers — Kamran and Umar — and Shoaib Malik will be under the microscope as a few top brass PCB officials are not happy with the way they lost their wickets in the first innings of the crucial second Test against Australia at Leeds Thursday.
The trio lost their wickets to rash shots and against the requirement of the situation. In fact, the Akmal brothers tried to throw away their wickets twice before getting finally out.
Umar (21) lofted the ball to square-leg only to see umpire raising his arm for a no-ball. The TV replay clearly showed that the no-ball had nothing to do with Umar's sudden aggression. His irresponsible behaviour continued even after getting a lucky break and minutes later Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine had him caught off another loose shot off Mitchell Johnson.
Kamran (15) also looked in no mood to stay on the wicket for a long time. Following an unsettled half an hour stay at the wicket, he guided the ball into the hands of Marcus North in the slips.
Though Shoaib Malik got off to a confident start, the way he got out after settling down raised many eyebrows.
"I think the senior players like Malik and Kamran should play more responsibly. Unless and until they do so, the questions about their commitment to the game would naturally surface," one of the PCB officials when contacted said.
I agree including both Yousuf and Younus will strengthen the team, bowling is already strong with Aamer, Asif and Gul doing well. With strong batting they can beat both Australia and England. But, there is also a question of form with players coming back after a long absence, Y & Y despite their class still need to get some match practice and get into grove fast.
This test they should win surely, all doubts apart, I don't think they can lose this even if they wanted to.
How times have changed; Pakistan winning against Australia is going to be a "historic" victory.
10 years ago it would not have been such a big deal.
Someone needs to sit down and assess what happened to cricket in Pakastan in the past 15 years.
PAKISTAN WON, but what a pathetic batting …….. to score 180 runs it has to come down to the bowlers level to get them through. They had to score 40 runs and lost 4 so-called very reliable batsmen. Ultimately Umar Gul and Aamer had to play till the end with Umar Gul scoring the final run. What a shame.
It may be called as a historic win or a fabulous win. Calling a victory, a victory is fine but, this team doesn't deserve to win especially the batsmen don't deserve any applause, if the lead was 200 they would have never made it.
BTW, Ponting is yet to win a Test series in England as captain.
Once again the Akmals and Maliks have failed, there is definitely something going on here. I wonder why Malik is included in the team? He should not be in the squad, they must send him back, he is a negative influence on the young players. Like I said before, one dead fish can pollute the whole pond and Malik is that stinking rotten dead fish. He is always scheming something negative and the irony is no one notices that, but the Geo News clipping I have copy pasted above is the first of its kind that the PCB is watching Malik and Akmals. I hope they take action against Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik both. And, Umar Akmal should be warned. At this age and at this stage of his cricketing life, if he gets involved in petty politics where the player power is to ruin the spirit of the game Umar Akmal will end up like a few others who have shown sporadic brilliance and then they went into oblivion. He is a young talented player and he should follow the footsteps of his older brother who has many times involved in making groups and deliberately losing the match.
Usually after losing a match or a series there is an inquiry and people do analysis and nothing happens when they win. But, this time even after winning the match needs some in-depth analysis about the players behavior and performance especially the trio.
John Arlott, wrote "Australianism" means: single-minded determination to win – to win within the laws but, if necessary, to the last limit within them. It means where the 'impossible' is within the realm of what the human body can do, there are Australians who believe that they can do it – and who have succeeded often enough to make us wonder if anything is impossible to them. It means they have never lost a match – particularly a Test match – until the last run is scored or their last wicket down."
This is true but slightly exaggerated, especially the phrase – "to win within the laws…" John Arlott is trying to hint between the lines that others when they win they break the laws? This is rubbish. The Australians are not super humans, nor they are good sportsmen, in fact when they lose they whine and complain about something or the other. Or, they never admit it with an open heart and give opposition the credit they deserve. Ricky Ponting tried to sugarcoat his words by saying: "he wouldn't have batted first if he knew the wicket would have done so much on the first day."
Australians always blame the pitch or something else and NEVER accepts a defeat gracefully, the condition of the pitch was not bad at all, Pakistan also played on the same pitch, it was the weather, the cloud that made the difference. Their batsmen couldn't stand in front of Pakistan's fast bowlers. I remember Australia lost to India in Mumbai a few years ago, like Watson got freak wickets, that time MJ Clarke took 6 wickets and Australians were very happy before the match was over and then, India had to score some 100 odd runs and lost their top order except for Tendulkar, then he and Laxman made it for India. Ponting thought that India will not win, but they won and then, as expected Ponting and Australia's coach blamed the pitch as, "substandard."
Why blame the pitch when both teams have to play on the same pitch. In Perth Australia the wicket is very bouncy and favours the fast bowlers and Australia always had at least one or two very good fast bowlers like, Lilley, Thompson, Merve Hughes, McGrath, Bret Lee etc., and most of the time they win at Perth. Should the other team blame the pitch as substandard? newguy what do you call it AUSTRALIANISM ? 😀
#76 by newguy on July 24, 2010 - 12:22 PM
First of all congratulation to everyone for Pakistan win. This is huge and this is historic for Pakistan. Especially given the problems on and off the field. Pakistan should build from here on. More later…
JAK, what do I think of Australianism? Well .. we should ask the guy on cricinfo who keeps writing this BS that what happened in the football match against Germany in WC where they got crushed for 4-0 😉 There is no Australianism, they just play hard and hype up themselves with the help of press, as well as assisted by English press because England kept losing to Australia the English needed make them sound unbeatable in order to hide their own deficiencies.
Pakistan outplayed Australia all along in this game, and for a good part in last game too. With some experience in batting lineup they could dominate Australia.
Bowling looks so sharp, what a find Aamer is. I hope he keeps a level head and focus on bowling.
Australians are sour losers, no doubt, and they do break the law to win.
This happened in the infamous Sydney test against India when Ponting was chasing Steve Waugh's record of most consecutive test wins. First they got assistance from umpire Bucknor so many times, Andrew Symonds after being out clearly twice caught behind was got given and went to make a hundred, this gave Australia level with India. Then when India batted Australia tried all dirty tricks including plucking a catch from ground, it was Michael Clark who did this to Ganguly and even Ricky Ponting caught one from the ground which was turned down after TV replay. He kept arguing with umpire for that. Also that test saw Aussie bullies try to put Harbhajan out of the test series by provoking him and alleging he called Symonds a "monkey". Whether Harbhajan called or not is questionable, but they provoked him with the intent to making him do something like that so they could get him banned. It did not work because of the muscle power BCCI used.
Ricky Ponting was chastised after that test by everyone and they mellowed somewhat since then, and that was the turning point for Australia against other teams.
India won next test in Perth and since then South Africa beat them in a series, and they lost Ashes to Englang, and Pakistan nearly beat them in Sydney. Now, they lost again in England against Pakistan, and they might lose Ashes too.
This is huge and this is historic for Pakistan. Especially given the problems on and off the field. Pakistan should build from here on… newguy
I am sure it is especially since they have won it after 15 years also, drew the series. That Akhroat Afridi must be thinking, I should have deferred my decision to retire from test cricket at least for this Headingly match. This is what happens when you make a hasty decision. He has no patience, which is obvious from his batting and bowling too. He seldom gives the batsman a chance to settle and is ready for the next delivery. If Akhtar can bowl 10 overs in one hour, Afridi can bowl 20 overs in the same time.
Pakistani newspapers have highlighted the victory in the headlines and calling it a huge, historic win. The reason Ponting couldn't win a series in England is, the Australian bowlers cannot swing the ball as much as the English do and they have learned this art from Pakistan.
I like Aamer's bowling as well as his enthusiasm and aggression, as long as it stays inside the ground it is fine, the media is showering praise and accolades and comparing with Wasim Akram and declaring him better than him is a bit too early. From bowling point of view I think Wasim Akram is the best left hand fast bowler and he used to generate a lot of pace even from a shorter run up and had the ability to swing the ball both ways and reverse swing it when the ball is old. His partner Waqar was also very good and they used to bowl in tandem. But, Wasim Akram as a person is morally corrupt, in fact he has no moral values at all. He can do anything for money. This is why I want the media to leave Aamer alone, he is too young to get spoiled like him, Akhtar, Asif and Tanvir. He should only focus on his bowling and that is it.
It is a tendency among people in general on both sides of the border that they start comparing new players with celebrities and even compare the looks by saying, you look like such and such movie star. They should stop doing this.
#79 by Varun Suri on July 24, 2010 - 12:44 PM
Congratulations to all the Pakistani fans and supporters! I wish them all the best and I really hope now they can beat England also that will be a good tight slap on Malcolm Speed's face.
Although the batting still looks weak and also the English bowlers will have the home advantage but I hope atleast one of the Y's is back in the team otherwise it will be the bowlers again who will have to do more hardwork to win the Game for Pakistan as it happened in this Test Match but it's not often that you can bowl out the opposition for less than 100 no matter how good your bowlers are so I really hope people like Malik and Salman Butt being the senior players step up to take the responsibility and get some big scores.
#80 by Mohammed Munir on July 24, 2010 - 12:53 PM
Congratulations !!
Lovely to see Pakistan win and that too when I am in Australia to see them feeling down live.
Though my heart still feels for Afridi who should be given some credit for this win to make the guys believe in themselves.
Varun and newguy
Thanks for the compliments. But, after this win the chances of Y & Y coming back into the team is very remote. The PCB would have asked them to play if they had lost this second test also. But, the victory means the doors for both Y's have been shut. Also, Salman Butt may not like to have them because there is politics behind it. They should get rid of Malik before anyone else. Like I've said, he is a Stealth he escapes unnoticed. As the senior most batsman in the team what is his contribution? ZILCH, ZERO, NOTHING. Yet he is in ALL formats of the game. When Afridi mentioned after his retirement that there are some senior players who should also think of retiring and give a chance to more deserving youngsters, perhaps its a hint for Shoaib Malik. But, Malik is such a dheet like Ijaz Butt he will not go with dignity and grace, he will only leave when he is kicked out. I think it is something to do with the culture and environment. The politicians also do the same e.g., Nawaz Sharif never wanted to leave and he was kicked out. The moment Zardari came into power Dr. Nasim Ashraf resigned, Ijaz Butt would never do that. Like Afridi retired, which a majority of the population thinks it is premature decision but, he resigned before someone kicked him out.
So, with this batting line up it would be very hard for Pakistan to beat England, they play well at home and their players are in good form especially the top order and the lower middle order with Morgan in it. Their bowling attack (both fast and spin) is also good, the wicketkeeper is also good, they have won the T20 WC and their morale is very high. This victory of Pakistan against Australia can be termed as a fluke because, the batting side is extremely weak, if it was 5 test match series then it would have been 4-1 in Australia's favour. Against England if Pakistan can win one match out of the 4 then it a miracle. To beat them in ODI's is also very difficult. Anyways, lets see its only a matter of 5 more days when England Pakistan test match starts.
Array Munirwa tum Asstrayliya may baithay ho? Wah, kya baat hai.
I am sure none of the Aussies will give compliments to the young Pakistan side, but please do let us know what you hear from the horses ass. 😀 Thanks.
#83 by Mohammed Munir on July 25, 2010 - 8:08 AM
Javed Khan…
Yes I am in Australia and after few days in Sydney now I am in Gold Coast.
In Gold Coast no one talks Cricket and they follow only Rugby but I am surely ruffling some Aussies feathers and teasing them.
On my way back to Dubai, I will stay in Singapore for a week and do my shopping before returning to 50′ C.
Imran Farhat deserves his place in the side: Mohammad Ilyas
National selector Muhammad Illyas has hit out at his critics who alleged conflict of interest whenever his son-in-law Imran Farhat was picked for Pakistan.
Farhat, married to Illyas' daughter, hit a match-winning 67 as opener in Pakistan's second innings in their three-wicket win over Australia in the second Test at Leeds.
He also got decent starts in the first Test at Lord's.
"I was hurt when some people tried to insinuate that Imran was in the team because of me. Many people don't know that whenever the selectors discussed Imran, I left the room because I felt It was better I was not involved in a final decision on his selection since he is my son-in-law," Illyas, a former Test player, said.
"I never had any say in his final selection because I saw it as a conflict of interest. If he came into the team it was because the other selectors felt he deserved a place," he said.
The outspoken selector said he was not only happy that Pakistan had won a Test against Australia to break a 15-year-old jinx but also because Farhat scored crucial runs.
"Whatever cricket Imran is playing it is because of his ability and hardwork. I have no say in it. It is a wrong impression that I push for him," Illyas said.
"For me nothing is more important than national interest.
I would never support or back a decision if it involved selecting a player who didn't deserve to be in the team for any reason," he added.
20-year-old left-handed Farhat has been in and out of the national team since 2000 when he made his debut in New Zealand. He left international cricket to join 'rebel' Indian Cricket League three years ago.
Illyas said he was overjoyed with Pakistan's Test win as it came through a new look team and under a new captain.
"The victory is sweet because it is clear that Salman Butt has gelled the team well and they played like a team. I am confident they can carry on with their good performance in future as well," he stated.
He, however, reserved special praise for left-arm pacer Muhammad Aamer who took seven wickets in the second Test.
"He is one of the best talents to come up in Pakistan for a while now and he is a quick learner he is learning very quickly and he has a good cricket brain. He is now a more difficult bowler to face because of his ability to swing the ball into the right handed batsman," Illyas said.
You created your own bounds in your examples so I guess you know better than me what those hypothetical and completely arbitrary numbers are meant to represent. I will give you the benefit of the doubt 🙂
Johnson has a better record than Akram in England, but Akram has been better in India. Johnson has not played a Test yet in Pakistan or Sri Lanka so I cannot compare his record with Akram on these typical batting pitches.
I think it is somewhat whimsical that you purport to downgrade Johnson like that and in any event these are unfair comparisons because of different exposure to pitches and the experience of the bowlers. Steyn is probably the best Test bowler in the world but he succeeds mostly because of his pace, and due to this he has only played at the rate of about 6-7 Tests a year because he gets injured so much. Johnson is playing at the rate of 13 odd Tests a year because he does not get injured as much. Asif has played about half the number of Tests as Johnson so again the variables employed in comparison will be tilted in favour of one or the other, but for the record Asif has a strike rate of 71 in Australia (borderline batting pitches) and 81 in Pakistan (typical batting pitches).


Olympian, Courtney Kupets Carter, announced last week that she would be joining the coaching staff at Oconee Gymnastics in July 2016.
Courtney began competing in gymnastics in 1989, earned a place on the TOPS developmental team in 1994, and tested elite in 1999. She competed in her first U.S. National Championships at the age of thirteen and 2002 was her first year as a senior competitor.
Courtney was the 2002 Uneven Bars World Champion as well as the 2003 National All Around Champion. She was a member of the 2003 gold medal U.S. World Championships team, and in 2008 she was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame as a member of that 2003 team. As a member of the World Artistic Gymnastics and U.S. National Team, she has earned an extremely impressive total of eighteen gold medals throughout her career.
As a member of the 2004 Olympic team, Courtney helped lead the U.S. to a silver medal in Athens, Greece, and she also claimed the bronze medal on the uneven bars.
While competing for the Georgia Gym Dawgs she won 3 NCAA all-around titles and led the gym dawgs to 4 consecutive NCAA team championships, something no other gymnast in history has done. Courtney set the NCAA record for most individual titles and is arguably the greatest collegiate gymnast of all time.
She also was awarded the Honda Award as the top gymnast and the Honda-Broderick Cup as the nation's top female collegiate athlete in 2009. She was individually inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2014.
Kupets competed in the individual all-around after placing fourth, with a total score of 37.
Also in 2016, Kupets appeared on NBC's digital program, The Daily Dismount, as a gymnastics comentator for NBC's Olympic coverage.


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This is either week 22 or 23. I have forgotten now. I am 24 weeks going on 25 tomorrow now.
Felt okay other than a bad cough today, told doc about being sick all weekend, the ER trip. We had to go ahead with chemo because it's very important to stay on schedule. My white count was still good. So we did it. Stopped for food on the way home, ate two bites, immediately started feeling fluish. 15 minutes and I was shaking uncontrollably. 100 degrees outside, windows in the car barely cracked and I was freezing. At least an hour from home. Called doc, he thinks the virus and a certain drug involved are kind of at war at the moment. He wasn't too worried, but I need to pop tylenol and stay in bed. It took all the energy I had to type this so I'll update more when I can.
Yep. It got that bad. Well I wrote earlier about the cold. Well I have been feeling lightheaded, dizzy, fatigued, sore throat, then the achy muscles and fever set in. I could only think oh crap...because I knew I had to call my doc if it hits 100.5 or above, which is not exactly a super high fever. But when you are on chemo you cannot take any chances. So, I couldn't eat yesterday at all. My appetite has seriously declined in the past couple of days. I get sick after only a couple bites then I will feel so tired, like someone just whacked me with a bat...so I need to lie down. Anyway, I went to bed and lay there trying not to shiver. Finally took my temp. 101.2. Sooooo I had to call the doc. He told me I needed to get in right away and have a CBC (or complete blood count). So I did. They did a strep test, a mono test (which I have never had either) and then the CBC. I tested okay for everything. Even my white blood cells are good they said. So that is awesome news. I should be able to fight this off well. The one big problem was I was quite dehydrated. I knew I didn't look too good. I didn't FEEL too good. But I guess since I have been not able to eat, I sort of forgot to be drinking. Bad bad girl I know. Anyway I had to stay for an hour while I had an IV of fluids. I felt a bit better afterwards. I am now coughing, and sneezing and all that wonderful stuff but otherwise I am ordered to rest and drink a lot of fluids. My first ever trip to the ER during all my chemo. I have to say, I got in pretty quick. A person on chemotherapy that is sick tends to get immediate attention. I have to say I am thankful for that. Still I was there from 5:00 to almost 9 p.m. What a waste of a Sunday!
Well, I have been trying to avoid getting sick and I knew it wasn't possible. STILL I tried. I started feeling a scratchy throat a couple of days ago. Now it is a full on cough up a lung, stuffy/runny nose cold. I am praying that my white blood cells are still good enough to fight this off with no problems. The biggest complication I have read about with people with cancer is things like pneomonia. If I run a fever at all I have to call my doc. Well any fever 100.5 or more. That's on the list of reasons to call the doc. Severe sore throat is on there too, but I wouldn't call this severe. Annoying. But not severe. So I hope I am better soon. I have my 8th chemo on Tuesday and I would rather be healthy that day. =/ Other things I have noticed is the nausea is back a bit. I am feeling nauseas after only a few bites of food. So my appetite is decreasing again. I hope that fades too. I like to eat and this is making me mad. I can't enjoy eating when it just makes me feel sick. :( Oh and I should mention I get to where I feel SOOO tired. Like I just need to lie down and not move right then and there. I went out to dinner last night. Ate maybe 3 bites of steak. Tried to finish a baked potato. Did about half of it then knew I'd throw up if I ate more. I was so depressed. Then I just felt so tired that I needed to lie down. I came home and slept for about 2 hours. Then I felt better. I think the fatigure is due to my anemia and of course the chemo. I usually just pop a vitamin and drink a cup of water and it helps. I didn't do that last night. The vitamins make me nauseas. LOL. So I dread taking them. =/ I decided to just take one today. So far, I am not too tired.
11:46 AM - 7th chemo, more than halfway done!
Well I am officially halfway done with chemo. I get 12 treatments which is considered 6 cycles. 2 treatments equals one cycle. I don't know why but that is how it is. Either way, I am halfway done and I feel like I have really accomplished something. I just got home. Today didn't go too bad. I went to get my blood drawn and get hooked up to the IV in my port. They got the IV in my port but again, no blood. The meds go into my port just fine but not one single drop of blood comes out. It's stupid. I don't get it at all. I can't bleed? So they poked me in the arm to draw some blood. That worked ok. They told me I was the 5th person today whose port wouldn't give up the blood. I am wondering what the point of this thing is if I am just gonna have to get another needle in me at each appointment anyway. Regardless I was never afraid of needles and that's a super good thing. I see my share of them now a days. My bloodcount was good. My iron was just a tad low which they said is normal around this time. So I am little bit anemic. I need to stock up on some iron. My blood pressure is always low but today it was 82/58. Sheesh. I sent Jason a text asking if I am technically still alive? (I always make sure my texts are very worth it. My stupid cell company just raised them to 20 cents each. Totally off topic. lol) No wonder I get lightheaded all the time. If I stand up fast I usually feel a sudden rush to my head that hurts then things get a tiny bit black then everything goes back to normal. I try to remind myself to standup slow but eh, I always forget. Anyway, they were pretty quick today in getting my meds changed. Usually my machine beeps forever before they change my med bag but today they were on top of things. I got out of there by about 12:40 which is awesome. Had some lunch afterwards at a new place. It was good. I feel actually pretty awesome except for being tired. Anemia and low blood pressure I think make you tired on top of getting up at 6 a.m. I sat in that chair and fell asleep today. I get so tired there and TV only makes me sleepier. Anyway, that's the latest update. I am doing really well. I am so glad I have made it 6 treatments and still haven't needed a shot to help my white blood cells or anything! I think that's a good sign. Oh and I still have my hair. It's shedding. I mean, I shed a lot. BUT no one else seems to notice too much so hopefully I will be able to keep my hair. I get nervous washing it because that is honestly when I shed the most. I try to be very easy on my hair. It lives in a ponytail at the moment. Otherwise I'll just have pieces of hair all over the back of my shirt. NOT attractive. I'll be glad when this is all over. Come December I'll get to tell the story of radiation. That's what's next. That is 5 days a week =/ For like 5 to 7 weeks. I am not sure exactly how long I'll get that. Not looking forward to it but I am looking forward to getting better. :) Thank you to all my friends who write me and respond to my blogs. It makes a girl feel loved!!!!


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An absolutely fantastic film. After learning of the "theory" of Peak Oil and the dramatic change it will cause on a global scale, this film brought me back to earth. This film demonstrates that the change to a more sustainable lifestyle is possible on a scale "country-wide" and that the arrival of Peak Oil doesn't necessarily mean some sort of "Mad-Max" post apocalyptic scenario is the only way to go.