After failing to win the first test match in Melbourne, the second test match was a must-win game for Pakistan against an Australian side that could be beaten in order to keep the series alive. Pakistan was in charge of the match from the start, bowling Australia out for 127 in the first inning and then making 333. They had Australia 286 for 8 at the end of day 3, with only a lead of 80 runs. At this point, it seemed like an easy win for Pakistan. Nevertheless, Pakistan somehow managed to find a way to shoot itself in the foot. Poor fielding and bad tactics from the Pakistan allowed Australia to set a target of 176 to win the match. Even though this is not a large total, it was still much more than what the Pakistanis were expecting. Poor shot selection from Pakistan and great bowling from Australia resulted in one stunning victory for Australia to win the series. Even though Australia came back superbly to win this match, the fault lies with Pakistan who gave away their opportunities to win their first test match against Australia in over 15 years.

It all began with Pakistan’s poor show in the field. Mike Hussey, the Australian hero who scored 134 not out, was dropped several times off the bowling of Kanaria by the same culprit: Kamran Akmal. Dropping him first on 45, those catches would have been the difference in the match. Along with Akmal’s poor performance behind the stumps, Pakistan’s tactics in the field are questionable. With Hussey batting with the tail and the Australia 8 wickets down, it would seem logical to keep an aggressive field setting to try to quickly wrap up the inning. Instead, Pakistan opted for a defensive field set. The result was a 123-run partnership for the ninth wicket.

After Pakistan was finally able to ball out the Australians, it was their turn to try to get 176. They were off to a fast start, losing their first wicket at 34 runs in the seventh over. While they tried to finish the game before the end of the day, they forgot one essential part of test cricket: the virtue of patience. Test cricket is not supposed to be the form of cricket that the ball is being hit to all parts of the stadium within the first fifteen overs. It is the form in which one respects the good ball and punishes the poor one. As far as I could tell, the Pakistanis forgot all about this as they all got out playing rash shots to good deliveries. After Yousuf was out trying to hit the ball over the bowler’s head, Misbah got out second ball in the same over trying to play an aggressive cut shot straight to the fielder. This epitomizes Pakistan’s failure to be patient with the bat at hand.

It would be a miracle if Pakistan can jump back in the final test match after giving this match away. Australia has shown how well they can play when they are given a small light at the end of the tunnel by not giving this match away the way Pakistan did. However, if Pakistan somehow is able to jump back, it will be another compelling competition between the two sides.

1. Frequency: During the last month, my posting has been very inconsistent. I was preoccupied with other tasks, such as watching more cricket than I am suppose to and academic work. As of now, I plan to write at least two posts a week. This will allow me to keep expectactions of at least eight posts a month.

2. Commenting: Another New Year Resolution I have is to start to comment more on other cricket blogs. I will be sharing my thoughts and opinions on the post that I comment on. Like my frequency goal, I plan to comment on posts at lease twice a week.

3. Views: The last two months have resulted with an average of 130 views per month. This is phenominal, considering that this blog is fairly new. Now, with eight proposed posts a month, I want to increase the number to 300 unique viewers per month.

4. Design: Sometime during this new year I plan to redesign the blog. There is no exact time yet, but I plan to do it before the end of this year.

2009 has been a great year for cricket. So much cricket was played this year that the cricket fan had ample to watch. I want to highlight certain events that have occurred this year that has made a difference to cricket this year.

Sri Lankan Terror Attack At a time when no team wanted to tour Pakistan due to security concerns, Sri Lanka offered to tour the nation after they were confident with the security measures. The one-day matches went off without any trouble with Sri Lanka winning the series 2-1. The first test match resulted in a high-scoring draw, and the second test match seemed to be heading in a similar direction, until the morning of 3rd March. On the way to the stadium for the third day of the test match, the Sri Lankan cricket team bus was attacked by terrorists. Fortunately, no cricketers were killed, only five of them received injuries; nevertheless, six security guards and two civilians were killed in this horrible attack. The sad significance of this attack is that this has been the first time cricketers have been the targets of a terrorist attack, and it was against the only team that had no reservations about touring the troubled nation. This attack has proved to damage all chances that any side is willing to tour Pakistan anytime soon.

World T20 Championship This event began with an upset when Netherlands beat England in the opening match. Australia was the only recognizable team that got eliminated in the first round, due to fantastic performances from the West Indies and Sri Lanka. Former T20 Champions India got eliminated with England and New Zealand in the second round before the start of the semi-finals. Until this point, Pakistan was only surviving. They had lost their first match in both rounds, and then needed to beat the other team in the group to carry on. Pakistan and Sri Lanka managed to outplay their opponents, South Africa and West Indies, in the semi-finals to make it to the finals. The T20 final, Pakistan against the unbeaten Sri Lanka, proved to be the point when Pakistan was at the peak of the tournament. They managed to reduce Sri Lanka to only 138 in their twenty overs, and then made it with 8 balls to spare. Shahid Afridi, the Pakistani hero, proved his worth by performing with the bat along with economical performances with the ball. This was Pakistan’s first time winning a major tournament since the 1992 World Cup, and they needed it. In the aftermath of the Sri Lankan Terror Attack, Pakistan cricket seemed to be only going down. This victory will surely resurrect cricket in the nation that was dealing with a lot of troubles.

The Ashes Australia came to England with hopes that they could return home with the urn. After England had a lucky escape in the first test match, it almost seemed likely that Australia could. However, England came back strong in the next match to take a lead in the five test match series. Australia showed a comeback in winning the fourth test match, and it all came down to the final test match. England batted well to make 332 in the first innings, and their bowlers Broad and Swann ensured their team a large lead by getting Australia all out for only 160. Broad took 5 wickets while Swann took 4 wickets. In their second innings, English debutant Jonathon Trott made a century to guide England to 373 before declaring. With a stiff target of 546, the Australian top order tried to battle it out. Mike Hussey scored 121, but his effort was in vain, as they were all out for 348. England had won the Ashes 2-1 after being the underdog at the start of the tournament against Australia.

Champions Trophy There had been a lot of talk that the Champions Trophy should be scrapped, as there is already too much cricket being played and that there may not be may fans ready to watch this tournament. Once again, that is only talk, and the tournament proved to be successful. There was a lot of traditional hype of the Pakistan and India match, which was played at the same venue that their 2003 World Cup match was played. In the end, Pakistan won the game due to Shoaib Malik’s knock of 128. As the tournament progressed, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, and England went through to the semi-finals. After winning the semi-finals, the final was composed of New Zealand and Australia. Tight bowling from the Australians in the final resulted in the New Zealanders only scoring 200 runs in their 50 overs. Watson then made his second consecutive century to guide Australia to another trophy.

With the best of each form of the game, 2009 had it all: the World T20, the Champions Trophy, and the Ashes. The Ashes and the Champions Trophy proved that the longer formats of the game can coexist with the increasing popularity of T20 cricket. We can only wait and see what 2010 brings next. With another World T20 coming up along with other tours, 2010 will hopefully be another great year! Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Many players have emerged this year, such as the young Pakistani pacer Mohammad Aamer and Indian batsman Suresh Raina, but one player that has shined throughout the year 2009 has been Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Dilshan has performed throughout the entire year, even though most of his performances began to be observed after the World T20. At the beginning of the year, when Sri Lanka toured Pakistan, Dilshan was awarded the Man of the Series for the One-Day series for an average of 127.5 before the tour got abandoned during the test series, which he had an average of 51 before the attacks. He also managed to maintain an average of 34.8 during Sri Lanka’s loss to India at the end of January.

It was during the World T20 when Dilshan took the world by surprise. His consistent hitting always resulted with the ball finding the boundary, and bowlers could not find the perfect line to restrain him. His consistent batting carried Sri Lanka all the way through the tournament to the finals where they met Pakistan for the second time. His highest score of the tournament until then was 96 not out during their semi-final encounter with West Indies when Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 57 runs. In the final, Mohammad Aamer found the right line to Dilshan and dismissed him in the first over for 0. Without their anchorman, Pakistan went on to beat Sri Lanka to become World T20 Champions. Nevertheless, Dilshan was awarded the Man of the Tournament after compiling 317 runs at an average of 52.83 in 7 brisk innings. Dilshan left his mark on this tournament by creating a new shot known as the ‘Dilscoop,’ in which the batsman attempts to scoop the bowl over the wicketkeeper or beyond fine leg. Up to date, Dilshan is Sri Lanka’s highest T20 run scorer with 607 runs.

Dilshan carried on his form to the test match series against New Zealand where he averaged 92.33. His top score was 123 in the first test match when Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 202 runs. He did not have the greatest of Tri-Series with New Zealand and India, but he made up by making a century (106) against South Africa in the opening match of the Champions Trophy, where his average was 49.66. Sri Lanka did not go on to make the semi-finals.

Overall, Dilshan has transformed this year from a middle-order slogging allrounder to a reliable opening allrounder. With his great form this year, he has made himself an asset to a winning Sri Lankan side. He is at the peak of his career with four of his five One-Day centuries coming this year. He continues to perform on Sri Lanka’s Tour of India, where he scored two centuries in two matches. If Dilshan keeps up this performance in the new year, 2010, then Sri Lanka will continue to be the great side it is.

The recent Pakistan and New Zealand test series has been part of the revival of test cricket. Provided by lively pitches, all three test matches were exciting to watch, as one team was always trying to get on top of the other throughout the series.

The first test match was a match that both the bowler and batsman dominated. From the very first ball of the match, the Pakistani prodigy Mohammad Aamer hit the wicket to dismiss New Zealand batsman Tim McIntosh. Nevertheless, Ross Taylor (94) and Daniel Vettori (99) stabilized the New Zealand innings to make 429. With the return of Shane Bond, New Zealand was on top of the Pakistani batting line-up. At 85 for 5, debutant Umar Akmal made a century (129) batting with his brother Kamran Akmal (85) to save Pakistan. They secured Pakistan a total of 332 for the first innings, with Shane Bond taking 5 wickets for 107. The Pakistani bowlers capitalized on the New Zealand second innings. Getting them all out for 153, Mohammad Asif took his second 4 wicket haul of the match. Requiring only 251 to win, the New Zealand bowlers pegged Pakistan all out for 218, allowing New Zealand to win by 32 runs.

Despite losing a possible win, Pakistan came back in the second test match. While flimsy batting resulted with Pakistan only making 261 in the first innings, their bowling gave them the advantage. Getting New Zealand to 85 for 5, they were out for 99; Asif once again took 4 wickets. With a 165-run lead, Pakistan only managed to make 239 before they were all out. Requiring 405 to win, the New Zealanders made 263 before they succumbed to the Pakistani bowlers. Mohammad Asif was the star of this inning, as he took 5 wickets for 67, helping Pakistan to win by 141 runs.

All eyes were on the third match to see who would be the winner of this test series. Relying on Imran Farhat’s century (117 not out), Pakistan only managed to make 223 on a better batting track. New Zealand made better use of the pitch, as they made 471 with the century of the Vettori (134). With Pakistan requiring to bat well to save the series, all the batsmen showed their potential by making half-centuries, with the exclusion of Misbah-ul-Haq. By making their highest score of the series (and showing that they can bat), 455, they set New Zealand the target of 208 to win the final test match. New Zealand was on task to beat time to win the match at 90 for no loss, but rain came and ruined an exciting game of cricket.

Overall, this was a great test match series. With the aid of the UDRS, batsmen and bowlers were able to overturn the incorrect decision to give their side the advantage. New Zealand came into the test series strong with a fit Shane Bond until injury got the best of him at the end of the first match. The greatest success for Pakistan on this tour was the discovery of Umar Akmal, who scored 50 runs or higher four of the six times the batted. He showed stability in an inconsistent Pakistan batting line-up. Another success was the return of Asif, who took 19 wickets from the three matches. If Pakistan can manage to bat like they did the last inning they played along with keeping up their bowling, then they have a chance at beating Australia when they tour them later this month.

There has been a lot of talk that test cricket has seen its day. They argue that test cricket is too long to sustain interest, and that all matches end in draws. Yet, this is all talk.

As the recent test match between Pakistan and New Zealand has shown, test matches can still come to an exciting end. After the Pakistani seamers bowled well to dismissed New Zealand for 153 in the second innings, Pakistan had a likely chance of winning the match. And after Shane Bond and Chris Martin bowled tightly to restrict Pakistan to 24 for 3 after 10 overs, a result seemed possible to go to either side. In the end, New Zealand outplayed Pakistan to beat them by 32 runs in a tight finish.

We can also look at all the stars that are created in this longer form. Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting… the list is endless. In the same test match, 19-year old debutant Umar Akmal proved to have potential in all forms of cricket by scoring a century in the first inning and a half-century in the second. The same applies to the great bowlers: test cricket shows the true talent of a player, as he has to perform consistently over the 5-day period.

Overall, test cricket cannot go anywhere. It needs to keep its place in international cricket so that great players can show their true class.

Once again, I would like to hear your thoughts. Do you think test cricket still has place in the cricket calendar?

The test series between Pakistan and New Zealand is the beginning of a new era of test cricket, an era in which the umpire’s decision can be referred! In the latest efforts to adopt technology into the game, the ICC has decided to allow each team to have a maximum of two unsuccessful appeals per inning to change the decision of the on-field umpire by referring it to the third umpire.

This Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) has already proven to be effective on the first day of the first test match between Pakistan and New Zealand, the first ‘official’ series with the UDRS. While Pakistan made an unsuccessful appeal using one of their challenges, New Zealand made good use to theirs. On the penultimate ball of the day, McCullum challenged the lbw decision that gave him out. Replays showed that the ball did not hit him in line, thus changing the decision to not out. Had this decision been given out, the entire second day of the test match would have been entirely different. Pakistan may have been aggressive in the field trying to get rid of the tail in order to bat, but the combination of Vettori and McCullum defied them and ensured that New Zealand was out of trouble.

Both international players and umpires speak of mixed feelings about the UDRS, but I am in favor of this system. How often has a poor decision from the umpire ruined a team’s chances of winning? With this system in place, players can challenge the wrong calls that could have potentially ruined their team’s chances of victory. Nevertheless, this system should not allow umpires to rely on technology to always correct their decisions. Instead, this system should motivate umpires to make the correct decision the first time, as their umpiring skills will otherwise come under scrutiny from experts and media.

Overall, I expect the UDRS to go far in test cricket. In the longest form of the game, one mistake from the umpire could switch the momentum of the entire game. With this review system in place, a test match will now be won simply by the team that plays the better cricket.

I would like to hear your feedback on the UDRS. How do you think it will do?

The South Africa and England T20 series was a great one. Both of the matches were full of entertainment with lots of hitting from both sides. Eoin Morgan’s blistering innings of 85 not out from 54 balls just allowed England to make it over the line in the first T20 while South Africa’s opening pair of Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman came back and outplayed England in the second T20.

England appeared to be in trouble at the start of the first T20 at 61 for 3 after 7 overs before Paul Collingwood (57 from 32 balls) and Eoin Morgan came to the crease. Their partnership got England out of that position and allowed them to score a mammoth 202 for 6 at the end of their innings. That large total did not bother South Africa when they came to bat. They seemed set to make the giant total until the rain came down, and they were 1 run behind the Duckworth Lewis Equation.

Despite the loss, South Africa came back hard in the next T20. Smith (88 from 44 balls) and Bosman (94 from 45 balls) broke the record for the highest opening partnership in T20s by making 170 runs in 13.1 overs. Both of these batsmen capitalized on pretty ordinary bowling by the English, which was full of full tosses and short deliveries. Bosman continued to perform in T20s, but unfortunately got out when he was one shot away from making a T20 century. After these two batsmen set the tone for the rest of the batting line up, South Africa made a monstrous 241 for 6 after their 20 overs. England tried to use the same magic from the last match, but the large total got the best of them when they were 157 for 8 after their 20 overs. The only person who shined for England was Jonathan Trott, who made 51 from 40 balls.

Overall, it was an exciting T20 series. Bosman turned out to be the star from these two matches, as he scored 58 from 31 balls in the first match and nearly a century in the second. England needs to work on tightening its bowling so that the South African batsmen cannot dominate proceedings as they did in the second T20. Let’s see what the One-day series brings!

After watching Pakistan lose to New Zealand in the One-Day Series, I did not think there were high hopes for Pakistan to jump back in the T20s after losing the 3rd One-Day match when it was suppose to be a straight forward victory. Nevertheless, Pakistan managed to pull it back as a team and outplay New Zealand in the T20s.

The way Pakistan played in the T20s was completely different from their One-Day performance. It may be because there are fewer overs to play out, but the Pakistan batting performance clicked when playing bowlers like the fiery Shane Bond and consistent Tim Southee. Imran Nazir proved why he should be selected for this form of the game, scoring a well-played 50 in the first match and a quick 19 in the second. The 19-year-old Umar Akmal continued to impress many by anchoring the second T20 by scoring a 50 just when Pakistan may have sensed that there may not be enough runs on the board.

Something that continued to perform was the Pakistan bowling attack. Excluding the first over of the first T20 (where 17 runs were scored), the bowling lineup outdid the New Zealand batsmen. Sohail Tanvir came back after a while and bowled economically, outdoing many of the batsmen with his unique action. Mohammad Aamer, the 17-year-old wonder, and Umar Gul continued to impress everyone with their bowling by taking wickets at the right time. The main success behind the bowling, however, was the spinners. Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal built up the pressure on the New Zealand batsmen by not allowing them to score easily along with picking up the wickets.

If Pakistan finds a way to convert this winning T20 combination into the longer forms of cricket, then Pakistan will always perform the way they did in this series.

My name is Ahmed and I am a cricket addict.

It all started when I was four and my brothers were trying to get me to like cricket. They promised me candy if I was able to hit the ball out of the house, so I swung the small, cheap bat as hard as I could. I ended up breaking the bat into two pieces and the ball was at my feet.  Being four, I was in awe that I had the strength to break a bat and I wanted to do it again. This resulted with my brothers throwing more balls at me, holding a slightly stronger bat. Eventually, I learned how to hit the ball of the house. Ever since that day, cricket has become something that I cannot live without.

This blog is a collection of my thoughts and opinions about this game that I have learned to love and hate at the same time. I hope to use this blog as a median to connect with other people that suffer from the same addiction and maybe….just maybe….we could help the people around us understand how great this game truly is.