http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/opinion/blog/the-magic-of-amir-and-asif-remembering-the-summer-of-2010/

When Pakistan gifted the World Cup to Sachin…

Pakistan vs. India – Mohali, 30^th March 2011

Given the recent political tensions between the 2 countries, this was the first time that Pakistan had played in India since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. In fact, there was even a lot of speculation at the time that if Pakistan were to make the final, the venue would change to Colombo/Dhaka to avoid any security concerns in Mumbai.

Some matches stick with you forever, and I in particular will never forget this match for all the wrong reasons. Ever since watching the match live on the day, I had to date not seen a repeat telecast or highlights of the game.  Earlier this week, whilst sitting at an Indian restaurant in Singapore, I was shocked to see a TV screen that was showing flashbacks of the game.

Although I hadn’t thought about the game in recent times, just watching the highlights reminded me of the pain and agony that I witnessed as a Pakistan fan at Mohali in 2011. Whilst my Indian friends might disagree, I strongly believe Pakistan lost that game (as opposed to India winning it). I truly felt that this was the best chance Pakistan had of beating India in World Cup fixture. And why not? Pakistan to the surprise of many had been the form team of the World Cup. Not only had they breezed past their group, but was also the team to end Australia’s 34 matches unbeaten run in World Cup fixtures. Pakistan’s brutal demolition of West Indies in the quarterfinal was also very impressive. The team was enjoying the underdogs tag, and was surprisingly being led very well from the front by Shahid Afridi. India on the other hand had enjoyed mixed fortunes, but had some momentum after knocking out Australia in Ahmedabad. Their star man Yuvraj Singh was also in scintillating form with both bat and ball.

India eventually won the game by 29 runs and then famously went on to win the World Cup in Mumbai.  Whilst I won’t go into a full review of the game, as a Pakistan fan I list below some of the ‘what if’s’ of that day. The victory was a huge confidence boost for India, and sadly for Sri Lanka, it was just going to be India’s World Cup from this point onward.

Turning point #1 – Losing the toss

We all know how hopeless Pakistan is at chasing. MS Dhoni knew this and immediately decided to bat once winning the toss. Despite this, a total of 260 on a relatively flat pitch with mediocre bowling should have been chased down by Pakistan.

Turning point #2 – Sachin Tendulkar and DRS

I find it extremely puzzling that India still to this day doesn’t wish to adopt the DRS system. Ironically, it was the dis-functionality of the DRS system that saved Sachin at a crucial point in this game (perhaps even winning India the World Cup). I find it hard to believe that the ball was missing the stumps and how the original decision was overturned. Even the media pundits at the time were saying that Sachin’s review was more in hope. Call me sore loser, but the ball was hitting the stumps…

Turning point #3 – Dropping Sachin Tendulkar 3 times

The less I say about this the better. You cannot expect to win a crunch semi-final by dropping a class player such as Sachin, not only once, but thrice! Ironically, Pakistan did the same at the famous 2003 World Cup game in Centurion, South Africa.

All 3 catches were relatively straight forward, and were big factors in allowing India to push their total to 260.

Turning point #4 – Removing Wahab Riaz against Raina in the 46^th over

Despite all the disappointments I have with this game, I will always cherish Wahab’s spell. Although his selection at the expense of Shoaib Akhtar was quite controversial, he bowled an exceptional spell. The in-swinging yorker that dismissed local boy and man of the tournament Yuvraj Singh first ball was special. His lap of joy around the ground that followed was also memorable:

Wahab was blowing quickly and gaining reverse swing that was clearly troubling the Indian batsmen. Even the usually calm MS Dhoni had no answers and looked flustered. Thus, it was big mistake for Shahid Afridi to take off Wahab and bring on Umar Gul for the power play overs. Umar had been quite expensive on the day. The 46^th over went for 14 runs and shifted the momentum that allowed India to reach a respectable total of 260.

Turning point #5 – Hafeez’s outrageous shot against Munaf Patel.

What was he thinking?

I have never had the privilege of meeting Muhammad Hafeez, but if I ever get the chance to, this is the first and only thing I will ask him about.

With the score at 70-1 after 15 overs, a placid wicket, substandard bowling, Hafeez decided to play a ‘paddle sweep’ to a full delivery outside off stump that went up straight in the hands of Dhoni. As the commentators at the time put it, was it pressure, or over confidence…

I can go on and on about the game, and divulge in to other aspects such as Misbah’s innings, but for me the above were the main factors that determined the fate of the match. As much as I hate to say this, Pakistan perhaps cracked under the pressure and didn’t take their chances.

The game is a sour point in my memory and brings back disappointment. Perhaps the reason why I don’t like seeing replays of the game is that it reinforces the ‘what-if’s’.  I’m traveling to Adelaide to watch the same fixture at this year’s World Cup in mid February; I only hope that I remember this upcoming fixture for all the right reasons in the future.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/thestands/content/story/768091.html

Choice of game
With the series so evenly poised at 1-1, and fueled further by the Anderson-Jadeja hearing, this was a vital day that was expected to play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the overall series.

Team I was supporting
Any Pakistan fan would normally cheer for any team that plays against India, but my reasons behind cheering England were anything but patriotic. Being an Alastair Cook fan, I have personally been very disappointed with the criticism he received following the defeat at Lord’s. A series win against India would not only stabilize his position as captain, but would also give England something to smile about after a miserable 12 months.

Return of the British summer
The early morning drizzle nearly played spoilsport, in a rare English summer where Test cricket has hardly been interrupted by weather. But the ground staff did a fantastic job to allow the cricket to start only 30 mins late.

Key performers
To ruthlessly dismiss a world-class batting order is no easy feat. I agree that the conditions were helpful, but both Stuart Broad and Anderson were simply exceptional. The surface wasn’t as friendly as the one at Lord’s, yet they learnt from their mistakes and pitched the ball up. The Indian batsmen had no answers and were shell-shocked to be four wickets down in no time. Both bowlers were relentless and were consistently hitting the high 80s. The slip catching was brilliant to back up the high-class swing bowling.

Face-off I relished
Unsurprisingly, Jimmy Anderson v Ravindra Jadeja. With the bad blood built up between the two sides from the recent proceedings involving both players, the Lancashire crowd was strongly backing their local Burnley boy. And he didn’t disappoint them either. The Old Trafford crowd greeted Jadeja with a series of boos, before he was set-up with a couple of outswingers by Jimmy, only to be eventually trapped lbw by an inswinger for a duck.

The interplay I enjoyed the most
MS Dhoni’s gutsy 71 exemplified that batting is not all about technique. Coming in at 8 for 4 with the England bowlers bowling beautifully and taking advantage of the overcast conditions, Dhoni really led from the front and stood up to the challenge. His ability to remain calm and read the situation is incredible. Combining his unorthodox technique (especially his dancing down the track) with a number of counter-attacking strokes, Dhoni’s innings saved India from utter humiliation. He also took a number of blows to his body and survived a barrage of short balls, but nonetheless showed the Indian top order that a bit of application and discipline was needed to survive the early morning England burst.

Shot of the day
We all know Ian Bell is a class act, but his performances over the past nine months have not been of the highest standard. The six down the ground in R Ashwin’s first over not only made a bold statement about England’s attacking intent against India’s frontline spinner, but also showed that Bell is back to his best.

Crowd meter
This was my Old Trafford debut. The ‘new look’ ground has gone through substantial changes in recent years to provide fantastic facilities for the spectators. It was therefore disappointing to only see the ground 75% full – perhaps the holiday season and high-ticket prices are a reason to explain this.

The ‘Party Stand’ did everything it could to light up the sprits on what was a relatively quiet day in terms of atmosphere. Notable activities included teasing the local stewards with passing around a large softball, building towers of empty beer glasses and the occasional Mexican wave.

It was also great to see a number of spectators supporting fancy dress costumes – the most entertaining ones being the superheroes – Superman, Robin and the Incredible Hulk, while others were more exotic, sporting sombreros and a Hawaiian look.

Close encounters
There was a Q and A session with Mike Gatting during the lunch interval. It was also great to spot Ex-Lancashire Farokh Engineer at the ground.

One thing I would change about the day
Virat Kohli is no doubt a fantastic player to watch and has proved his credentials on the world stage. However, this has to be the first time I have seen Kohli struggle and the ‘ice man’ is showing signs of fragility in the corridor of uncertainty. I hope he can recapture some of his lost form to show the English crowds what a fine talent he is. His dismissal on the first day was worryingly very predictable.

The unlucky guy
You have to feel sorry for Pankaj Singh. The poor guy toiled away again without getting that first Test wicket. And to compound matters further, Varun Aaron picked up two wickets.

Overall experience
8/10. A great day for England and all in all, some high quality Test cricket. Broad and Anderson were at their best and made use of the helpful conditions to destroy India’s top order and set up the game for England. The atmosphere was good, but not as great as some other games I have attended in the recent past. However, the cricket made up for a lack of a full-house crowd. A special thanks to all Old Trafford officials, groundstaff and volunteers for being excellent hosts.

The honesty that Alastair Cook displayed during the post-match ceremony at Lords was truly admirable. Rarely have I ever seen a captain speak so openly about his and the teams failures.

Thus, it has been extremely disappointing for me to see the lobby formed calling for his head. Notable TV personalities, media pundits, ex-players, below are 3 reasons why Cook is still the right man for the job:

1. Stick to your guns ECB – back your captain.

The ECB made it quite clear at the outset of the summer that they wanted to start a new era under Peter Moores and Alastair Cook. 4 tests in, 2 defeats later and changes from the ECB would now show a total lack of confidence in their own decision making.
The ‘New England’ made some bold moves, including the sacking of high profile players such as KP. I’m not saying that these decisions were correct, but it would be even more foolish to make further changes at this stage.
Moreover – who would be in line to succeed Cook? Ian Bell has himself been short of runs. Stuart Broad showed his lack of captaincy credentials in the T20 arena. Jimmy Andersen is not a long-term solution. And Joe Root? Are we sure? Only a few months back there was a belief after the Australian tour that he has been rushed into test cricket.
The ECB had long groomed Alastair Cook to be the successor of Andrew Strauss. And why not? He had time on his hand, a great attitude and most importantly had the performances to back up a full-time England captaincy role. His captaincy career started well too, including series victories against India, New Zealand and Australia. A victoria in India against India is a feat that not even the some of the greatest test captains of all time have achieved – notably Steve Waugh.

2. Learn something from the opposition.

Rewinding to December 2012 – I still remember the public images of Sandeep Patil in discussions with Duncan Fletcher following the unprecedented defeat on home soil to England. It’s ironic that people at that time were calling for Dhoni’s resignation, citing that he needs to follow the example of his opposite number Alastair Cook both with his on field performances and decisions. The same people are now calling for Cook’s resignation. A famous Indian newspaper headline read. “We have been cleaned out: it’s time for a clean-up”. But the BCCI stuck to their guns, most notably Duncan Fletcher, who was publicly vilified by ex-Indian legends.
Whilst the politics governing India’s leadership aren’t ideal, the patience BCCI have shown with Dhoni is something that the rest of the cricketing world should appreciate. It is no surprise that these best years of Indian cricket have been backed up with continuous leadership on and off the field. Whilst they have had their critics, the rewards of continuing with both Fletcher and Dhoni are there to be seen in what possibly is India’s greatest away victory (not forgetting the Champions Trophy victory too). Moreover, other leaders such as Fleming, Ganguly and Waugh didn’t have the best of starts to captaincy, but were backed strongly by their respective boards to be become one of test crickets iconic leaders.

3. Don’t blame Cook for the poor ECB governance.

An old cliché, but its true that a captain is only as good as his team. It’s clearly obvious the existing squad does not comprise of England’s best available players. The void left by Trott, Swann, Petersen and Strauss is a big one.
In my opinion, the team still requires a front-line spinner, an opening batsman, and potentially a 3rd seamer. The 2012 England team that beat India in India had the likes Compton, Monty, Finn and Morgan in their squad. The question I ask the ECB is what has happened to these players? Are they citing lack of form as a reason for poor man management?
What unfortunately has not helped Cook is the underlying dynamics and decision making of the ECB. The incidents involving Pietersen, Trott, Swann, Giles and the constant changes in coaching staff have not only de-stabilized the team, but have created a lot of uncertainty too – something which is visible through a lack of confidence in the current team.
A change of captain will not address the fundamental problems in the ECB.