The Great Game Called Cricket...

Karachi: Pakistan's shocking defeat in the Sydney Test against Australia has the entire nation seething in anger with former players demanding sacking of captain Mohammad Yousuf, coach Intikhab Alam and even cricket board chief Ejaz Butt.

The aftermath of the 36-run defeat could be sensed from the fact that it also prompted a statement from the Presidential spokesman who appealed for calm and patience from everyone.

The appeal, however, did little to placate the angry former players like Inzamam-ul Haq, Aamer Sohail, Moin Khan and Rashid Latif and administrators, who demanded that heads should roll.

Former Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Nasim Ashraf felt it was embarrassing to lose a match after dominating the first three days and said Yousuf should be stripped of captaincy.

"What happened in the Test was so embarrassing. It made a complete mockery of Pakistan cricket and the entire team management. The captain should be fired for it," Ashraf demanded.

Also training the guns on the coach, Ashraf said, "If Yousuf was not right in his cricketing decisions the team management led by coach, Intikhab Alam could have guided him into changing his strategy."

Ex-captain Moin Khan held a similar view and felt both Yousuf and Alam were to be blamed for the debacle.

"I don't know what happened but I think even if Yousuf was not thinking right and his strategy was wrong after the first half an hour, the support staff including the coach should have sent out a message to him to change his strategy," Moin said.

Former pacer Sarfraz Nawaz also lashed out at the senior members of the side and demanded axing of the entire team management.

"I think the selectors now need to give more opportunities to younger players so that we can move ahead. This management needs to be sacked as they are unable to provide proper support to the players," he said.

Former leg-spinner Abdul Qadir, who headed the selection committee until last year, suggested PCB chairman Ejaz Butt and the selectors should also quit, owning up the moral responsibility.

"Had I been the board's Chairman or chief selector, I would have resigned from my post after such a pathetic performance by the national team," Qadir said.

It was a strange performance by the Pakistani team which bowled out Australia for just 127 runs and took a 206-run first innings lead.

Thanks to Yousuf's defensive tactics, Australia managed 381 in their second essay and chasing 176 for a victory, Pakistan imploded for 139 to slump to a morale-shattering defeat.

Former captain Aamer Sohail was baffled by Yousuf's captaincy Down Under.

"It is beyond comprehensions what he was trying to do by sending around seven to eight fielders to the boundary ropes early on in the day at a time when he should have attacked both batsmen with the second new ball," Sohail wondered.

Even former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, a close friend of Yousuf, who allegedly orchestrated behind-the-scenes movements to oust Younus Khan and elevate Yousuf, found it difficult to support the team.

"I think this Pakistan team lacks confidence. We dominated the match for three days and then let it go all in one day which is unacceptable.

"In this series they always look to be in a hurry to play their shots, which does not work at all in Test matches," Haq said.

He also felt that seniority should no more be a criterion for selection.

"I believe that deserving players should be given the chance and the management and players must all stand up and play their roles in the team," said the former skipper.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar, meanwhile, told the media in Islamabad that losing was part of the game and people should maintain their calm.

"Winning and losing are parts of the game. The loss, no doubt, was disheartening and calls for greater effort on the players’ part in the future to win crucial fixtures," Babar said.

The President is also the chief patron of the board and directly appoints the PCB Chairman.

The PCB initially played down the defeat but their later statement made it clear that the board itself was not taking it lightly.

"Pakistan Cricket Board shows its utmost concern over the poor performance of Pakistan cricket team in second Test played in Sydney. An overall review of performance of the team shall be carried out by the board after the completion of the Australian tour," it said.

While Yousuf drew most of the flak, the demand to replace butter-finger stumper Kamran Akmal also grew in strength.

Former captain Rashid Latif, himself a top class keeper, slammed Akmal for dropping catches and said he didn't deserve to be in the Test team.

"The wicketkeeper is the backbone of any team and his performances are crucial. I think it is time to give other deserving players a chance in the Test team," Latif opined.

Sudeep Tyagi, the Uttar Pradesh fast bowler, has been included in the squad for the two-Test series in Bangladesh. Tyagi, who made his Twenty20 and ODI debuts against Sri Lanka in December, is one of four fast bowlers in the 16-man squad, which had no major changes from the team that beat Sri Lanka 2-0 recently.


Dinesh Karthik made the cut as a reserve wicketkeeper, while Tamil Nadu batsman M Vijay was drafted in as a reserve opener. The list also included three spinners in Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra .

Sachin Tendulkar, who was rested from the ongoing tri-nation tournament in Bangladesh, will return to action for the two matches to be held in Chittagong (from January 17-21) and Mirpur (January 24-28). Tamil Nadu middle-order batsman S Badrinath, who featured in the Test squad against Sri Lanka, was omitted for the tour.


Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sudeep Tyagi.

Indian captain MS Dhoni has admitted that the absence of a specialist bowling coach is hurting the team's performance. Dhoni said it was "tough" for the bowlers and especially head coach Gary Kirsten to perform at optimum levels, and that ideally he would like the vacancy to be filled soon.

"To some extent it does hurt not having a bowling coach. If you have a specialist coach he is always interacting with the bowlers and trying to get the best out of them," Dhoni said on the eve of the Indian team's departure to Bangladesh.

Though India ended 2009 at the top of the ICC's Test rankings, they have struggled to make a consistent progress in ODIs. After the early exit at the ICC World Twenty20, they were knocked out of the Champions Trophy in South Africa even before the tournament reached the second week. In a desperate move, the Indian board sacked Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh, the bowling and fielding coaches respectively. No explanation was given with the assumption being both coaches had been under the scanner after the World Twenty20 debacle.

Dhoni said that decision had only increased the burden on Kirsten, who he felt was submerged under extra duties. "He [Kirsten] has to look after everything: he has to sit and talk to the batsmen, bowlers, fielders, build strategies and look after team building," he said, adding that the BCCI could reduce the pressure simply by naming replacements who could closely work with the bowlers and fielders.

The inconsistency in the fast bowling department has remained a concern for India right from the World Twenty20. In England, Zaheer Khan had aggravated the shoulder injury he picked during the IPL in South Africa. His inability to go full throttle exposed the younger lot like Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, and though Ashish Nehra was around he was just finding his own feet, having made a return after a long time. Things did not improve during the Champions Trophy, and India's problems were exacerbated during the home ODI series against Australia, which they lost 4-2. But things have started to improve after Zaheer's return.

Zaheer will lead the fast bowling department in Bangladesh which comprises Nehra, Sreesanth, and the rookie Sudeep Tyagi. During the recently concluded Sri Lanka series the Indian fast bowlers were lukewarm even if they improved on their death bowling. A good example could be the difference in their performances in Rajkot and Kolkata, for the second and fourth matches. In the first instance, after Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara's blistering innings, India recovered admirably to clamp down the batsmen in the final ten overs. But in Kolkata, abetted by some shoddy fielding, the bowlers got distracted and allowed Upul Tharanga and Sangakkara to build a solid platform.


Dhoni's reaction to Mohammad Yousuf's statement on Twenty20 hurting PakistanIt is quite similar to the review system [UDRS]. If the decisions are in your favour you are OK with it but when they go against you don't really feel it is working. It is the same case with Twenty20 format. I don't think it would be great to blame the format. It is a mental approach that needs to change. The change of mindset is important. The basics remain the same.



Though Dhoni felt that a bowling coach would be able to discuss with the youngsters and build their confidence, he put faith in his squad. "It is a matter of time before they return to form. In Rajkot we bowled really well," he said, "but we haven't bowled consistently well in the death overs. It is a bit of a worry. But if we can do it in patches I don't see why we can't do it consistently."

A twin headache has been the fielding. Embarrassingly in the two Twenty20s and the first ODI of the Sri Lanka series, India dropped 12 catches. In the second ODI in Nagpur, when the match was still hanging in the balance, in the penultimate over Zaheer's misfield cost them the match. By the time they reached Kolkata their ground fielding improved a lot but they still dropped Tharanga and Sangakkara when the batsmen were yet to get off the blocks. The pair built a valuable partnership of 171 runs. In the abandoned final game another simple catch went down.

Dhoni was blunt in his appraisal once again. "We need to improve our fielding because in a close game avoiding the fielding errors can save us at least 15 runs," he said. "We have a mix of safe fielders with some brilliant ones like Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma."

He also praised Mike Young, the former Australian fielding coach, who spent time with the Indian team as a consultant during the limited-overs series. Though Young didn't rush in with some innovative stuff, Dhoni said it had been "interesting" to spend time in his company. "He didn't come with lots of ideas. He just wanted to see what was happening and where we are positioned. He worked really slow and came up with few basic techniques. It is important to take that forward."

It almost seemed the ghost of 2007 World Cup returning to haunt India at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium. But a defiant 152-run alliance between MS Dhoni (101*) and Virat Kohli (91) saved India from another heart-break and saw them home with six wickets and 15 balls to spare.

Dhoni stood like the Rock of Gibraltar between India and defeat. In his characteristic manner – effective if not artistic – he got into the act of nudging the ball and sprinting between the 22 yards. The captain salvaged Team India’s rocking boat with an inspiring century.

He anchored the Indian innings with an undefeated 101 off 107 balls. He yet again exhibited his indefatigable stamina to take India through the 297-run target from a precarious 51 for three. For his match-winning knock, which comprised nine searing hits to the fence, Dhoni was declared the man of the match.

Virat, on the other hand, impressively rose to the occasion and showed terrific temperament during his 102-ball innings. He moulded his innings with a potter’s care, keeping his natural aggression in check, yet scoring at a decent pace. The toil between the wickets had him cramping and he sought the assistance of a runner. Perhaps, his sapping energy got the better of him and he gave a simple return catch to Shakib Al Hasan. Virat fell for 91, nine short of what could have been his second ODI hundred.

After setting a target of 297, left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak started the proceedings for Bangladesh with pacer Syed Rasel. Though not with his delivery, he still provided the breakthrough with a brilliant direct-hit to send Virender Sehwag (13) packing.

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli moved on after the big-blow, punishing Razzak’s three wide full-tosses to the boundary. But India’s hopes of recovery were soon dashed by Rubel Hossain. Gambhir offered a loose shot to a full-length delivery pitched outside off and stood stunned as the ball rattled his stumps after taking an inside edge.

Yuvraj Singh (1) walked in with the pressure of holding the Indian innings together but four deliveries later he took the long walk back to the pavilion. He was done in by a delivery from Rasel that came into him and took the bails off.

Skipper MS Dhoni had his job cut out and young Kohli once again found himself in a pressure cooker situation. Building a huge partnership was the need of the hour for India and the Kohli-Dhoni duo went about the task with caution and care.

Runs came in a trickle as the resurgent Bangladeshi bowlers turned the screws on the batsmen. Pressure as well as the required run-rate mounted on with every dot-ball played. But Dhoni and Virat lost neither hope nor patience. They worked their way to revive India’s innings, putting up a stand of 152 runs.

When Virat fell, Indian still needed 94 runs off 15 overs and the match hung very much in balance. Suresh Raina rose to the occasion and scored an impressive unbeaten 51 off just 43 deliveries to help India seal the match. His knock was punctuated with five boundaries and a six. He was involved in a wonderful 94-run partnership with Dhoni to take India home comfortably.

Earlier, Bangladesh batsmen vindicated captain Shakib Al Hasan’s decision to bat first in great style by notching up a massive 296 for six. The foundation was laid by Tamim Iqbal, who stunned the Indians with his whirlwind 42-ball knock of 60 runs.

Imrul Kayes played a perfect supporting role; the duo notched up 80 runs in 66 balls, bringing up Bangladesh’s highest opening stand against India. Kayes contributed with a solid knock of 70, notching yet another 50-plus run stand, with Mohammad Ashraful (29).

After the Indians pulled back things in the middle overs, Mohammad Mahmudullah came up with another breezy 60-run knock to take Bangladesh close to the 300-run mark. He made optimum use of the batting powerplay to clobber the Indian bowlers for eight boundaries during his 45-ball innings.

Yuvraj’s miserly spell of one for 33 in 10 overs was in stark contrast to the generosity of most of his colleagues, who not only gave runs but also bowled 3.3 extra overs by way of wides and no-balls.

Rarely does a centurion get overshadowed in a match of middling scores. But though Thilan Samaraweera finished with an accomplished unbeaten 105, the headlines were stolen by Thissara Perera, who celebrated his third cap with a power-packed 15-ball 36. From needing 54 off 39 balls when he arrived at the crease, Sri Lanka romped home with two overs to spare, as India's quest for yorkers merely resulted in one too many no-balls and full tosses. Chanaka Welegedara's five-wicket haul had killed India's batting momentum at crucial times, and with the dew playing such a factor in the evening, 279 was not quite enough.

After taking Zaheer Khan through cover to get off the mark, Perera transformed the game in Ashish Nehra's seventh over. He had been India's best bowler, but Perera pierced the off-side cordon, flicked behind square and then nonchalantly hoicked the free hit for six in the same direction. Samaraweera got to his hundred straight after, but was then more than content to watch the fun from the other end.

Zaheer was then carved through the covers twice, as he made light of being struck in the ribs, and a meaty club through wide long-on finished off matters well ahead of time. Sri Lanka had been given a brisk start by the new opening pair of Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne, the debutant who replaced Tillakaratne Dilshan, but once India conceded just 16 in the five overs of bowling Powerplay, the onus was very much on the old hands to see it home.

Tharanga had set the tone with a casual loft for four off Zaheer, and then two then took 16 from an over that also featured wides down the leg side. With runs leaking, MS Dhoni gave the ball to Sreesanth, only for Thirimanne to reveal glimpses of his potential with three cracking drives through the covers. It was too good to last though. In Sreesanth's next over, he got into a tangle trying to pull off the front foot and the ball ballooned to midwicket.

Soon after, Harbhajan Singh was introduced and Tharanga chipped his fourth ball straight back. But Samaraweera came in and wrested the initiative with deft cuts and a paddle for four. And with Kumar Sangakkara unafraid to come down the pitch and chip over the infield, the innings quickly revived. By then the towels were out, and the Indian focus was as much on keeping the ball dry as it was on taking the wickets needed to win the game.

Samaraweera was the primary aggressor, scooping Sreesanth for four in an over that cost 16, and Sri Lanka were cruising when Sangakkara, who had eased to 60, stepped out and lofted Harbhajan Singh straight to cover. Thilina Kandamby then top-edged a wild swipe to midwicket and when Suraj Randiv backed up too far, they were in trouble. Perera, though, ensured that India would get no reprieve.

Earlier, Yuvraj Singh had marked his return to the XI with 74 from 84 balls, while Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja all contributed decent cameos after Virender Sehwag had played a typically effervescent hand. He cruised to 47 from 30 balls before playing too early at one bowled with fingers rolled across the seam from round the wicket, and after his exit, India had to build steadily on a surface where the ball didn't always come on to the bat.

Sehwag had announced his intentions from the outset, off-driving Welegedara for four, but there was an early setback for the Indians as he sneaked a yorker underneath Gautam Gambhir's bat and on to the base of leg stump. With Sehwag taking Suranga Lakmal for three fours in an over, and Virat Kohli playing a lovely straight drive, the 50 of the innings came in just the seventh over. The game changed, though, in the space of two eventful overs from Welegedara.

Sehwag had scythed two off-side fours and been caught behind off a no-ball by the time Kohli tried too cute a deflection to a ball pitched outside off stump. Having conceded 18 in that over, Welegedara came back in the next to have Sehwag caught at mid-off by Thirimanne. India had taken 76 from the first Powerplay, but only 13 came from the bowling one as the bowlers kept a leash on the new batsmen. Both Yuvraj and Dhoni clipped boundaries through point, but with Randiv getting pretty sharp turn, and Kandamby filling in with part-time spin, the runs were no longer coming at Sehwag pace.

When Muthumudalige Pushpakumara went off injured after a dive in the outfield, Sangakkara had to turn to his occasional bowlers, and Yuvraj quickly cashed in, pulling Samaraweera for four and then heaving Kandamby for two consecutive sixes to reach his half-century. At that point, Perara, deputising for Chamara Silva, was called on, and Dhoni's attempt to force the issue only found Sangakkara's gloves. Soon after, he induced a miscued pull from Yuvraj, and by the time the batting Powerplay was taken after 43 overs, there were only 225 on the board.

They took 14 from the first of those overs, bowled by Welegedara, but with Jadeja going four-six-four-four against Thilan Thushara, the innings finally had some energy. But back came Sri Lanka again, with Welegedara castling Raina and Zaheer, and Harbhajan playing a hideous stroke to point. By the time Jadeja holed out in the final over, all hopes of 300 had long since disappeared, leaving Sri Lanka with a chase that they timed to perfection.

Statistical highlights of the first match of the tri-nation cricket tournament, between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, in Mirpur, on Monday.

# Bangladesh (260 for 7) posted their highest total against Sri Lanka in Bangladesh.

# Bangladesh's aforesaid total is their second best vs Sri Lanka, next only to their 265 for 9 at Mohali on October 7, 2006.

# Tillakaratne Dilshan became the eighth Sri Lankan to aggregate 4,000 runs in ODIs 4098, at an average of 33.59 in 172 ODIs.

# Kumar Sangakkara (74 off 73 balls) posted his 52nd half-century -- his fourth against Bangladesh.

# Sangakkara's aforesaid brilliant knock is his fourth fifty as captain; his highest is 90 against India at Rajkot on December 15, 2009.

# Mohammad Ashraful posted a brilliant innings -- his 20th fifty is his fourth against Sri Lanka.

# Ashraful's 75 is his highest against Sri Lanka, outstripping the 66 at Colombo RPS on July 23, 2004.

# Mahmudullah (45) posted his highest innings against Sri Lanka, obliterating the 36 at Colombo RPS on July 25, 2007.

# Dilshan and Sangakkara shared a stand of 148 – Sri Lanka's highest for the second wicket against Bangladesh, obliterating the 112 (unbroken) between Marvan Atapattu
and Aravinda de Silva at Dhaka on May 29, 2000.

# Mahmudullah and Mohammad Ashraful were involved in a stand of 95 for the sixth wicket, which is Bangladesh's highest against Sri Lanka in ODIs.

# Tillakaratne Dilshan recorded his first century against Bangladesh -- his sixth in ODIs - all away from home.

# Dilshan is in splendid form, making four hundreds in his last nine innings in One Day Internationals.

# Dilshan has been adjudged the Man of the Match seven times.

# Sri Lanka's magnificent seven-wicket victory is their sixth in eight matches against Bangladesh in Bangladesh.

# Sri Lanka have won 25 matches against Bangladesh out of 27 contested, losing two.

Tillakaratne Dilshan made 2009 his own, scoring ten centuries in all forms, and he didn't start too badly in the new year either, compiling another robust ton to guide Sri Lanka to an easy win in the tri-series opener. Bangladesh gave a good account of themselves with the bat in getting to 260, but their bowlers lost the battle against Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and the dew.

Defending totals under lights will pose a challenge to all teams in this competition, with the dew factor kicking in, and tonight, Bangladesh were bitten after losing the toss. Shakib Al Hasan said this was a "minimum 250" wicket and his batsmen obliged. Early into the Sri Lankan chase, they realised that they were at least 30 short.

The opening over by the debutant Shafiul Islam was a sign of things to come, as he leaked ten runs. Upul Tharanga was in fine touch, caressing the ball square of the wicket on the off side with very little effort. Bangladesh had packed the off-side field to restrict the left-handers but both Tharanga and Sangakkara managed to pierce them.

However, Tharanga threw it away, chasing a delivery angled across him. Sangakkara was very harsh on anything wide of the off stump and played some delightful drives along the ground. The instinctive Dilshan didn't mind hitting it in the air, clearing his back leg to pull and clip it over midwicket. In the process, he went past 4000 runs in ODIs.

Shakib wasn't amused. Early in the chapter, he showed his frustration by placing his hands on his head, without a clue about what to do. He brought himself on in the sixth over after his seamers had already leaked 52. Not that the introduction of spin made any difference. Shakib, Abdur Razzak and Mahmudullah were impeded by the dew, which didn't allow them to grip the ball properly.

They often dropped it flat and quick, in order to get the ball to skid through, but Sangakkara and Dilshan managed to get on top of them, rocking on the backfoot and crashing it past the infield. Both proceeded towards their half-centuries at the same pace, reaching their milestones in the 21st over, bowled by Razzak.

Sangakkara was also heading towards a century but fell off a very loose shot, tamely edging Shafiul to the wicketkeeper. Dilshan continued to grind the opposition, nudging it in the gaps for singles and pounding the off boundary. He was harsh on anything short and rendered the spinners impotent with his sweeps. He brought up his hundred with a slash off Mohammad Ashraful past point. The Bangladesh fielding too wasn't upto the mark, and those extra runs only hastened Sri Lanka's progress.

Dilshan suffered a scare when he suffered a groin strain while turning for a second run. Sangakkara came out as a runner and hung around almost till the very end, before a full-blooded pull by Dilshan landed in Naeem Islam's hands at short midwicket. Dilshan walked off for 104 and Sri Lanka will wait on his fitness for their second game tomorrow against India. Thilan Samaraweera then sealed what was a very one-sided period of play under lights.

It took Bangladesh a lot of hard work and concentration to get to a formidable score. It was not without some anxious moments though, when the top order pushed the self-destruct button to lose four wickets for the addition of nine runs. The score went from 65 for 0 to 74 for 4 primarily through irresponsible batting. Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib all perished in that manner, trying to clear the infield when it really wasn't required. Raqibul Hasan fell to a stunning one-handed take by Samaraweera at second slip and that was the only top order wicket which wasn't gifted away.

By the 17th over, Bangladesh had to start all over. Ashraful and Mushfiqur Rahim scripted a steady and patient recovery with dogged resistance. Ashraful was forced to look for the singles, which the pair managed to do fairly easily during their 58-run stand for the fifth wicket. They were more focused on accumulation rather than domination.

Ashraful didn't change gears after Mushfiqur departed and continued grafting against the spinners, this time with Mahmudullah for company. Incredibly, Ashraful picked up his first boundary off his 37th ball - a loft over extra cover off Thilina Kandamby - in sharp contrast to the way he normally plays. It's a style of play he's getting used to, after being criticised time and again in his career for throwing his wicket away after making a start.

His 75 was significant mainly because it kept the Sri Lankans at bay, helped the innings last the entire 50 overs, something Bangladesh have struggled to do in the past. Naeem's final-over fireworks (off Suranga Lakmal) pushed the score past 250 and as the Bangladesh players walked off in satisfaction, there was hope of a contest. An hour and a half later, those smiles vanished.