Cricket is in danger of overkill, and the IPL and its imitators in other countries are playing a major part. We require a formula that preserves the novelty of encounters. The familiarity of combatants will breed contempt among viewers.

I am a fan of T20 and to my surprise I enjoyed last year's IPL tournament. I have been unable to watch this year's tournament because my concern is that Pakistan and its cricketers are being systematically marginalised by certain elements of the international cricket community. The removal of Pakistan's champions from the planned T20 Champions League tournament is further evidence to support that view. I find it hard to watch tournaments from which Pakistan's players have been deliberately excluded.

Contradictions. Paradoxes.

Kamran, you enjoyed last year's IPl cos Pakistan players were part of it and likes of afridi were busy fighting with VVS. You liked then. This year your own PPP government banned your players crossing Wagah to play in India cos the ....................(obvious reasons). So now you dont like IPL.

Damn you man. Pakistan was removed from CT hostage, World cup hostage and now RBC(S) cup champs are kicked out of CL later this year. Rather than pointing this to India or BCCI, go find whats happening in your country. Bombs in Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and every where. What do you expect ? More attacks like SL on world cricket teams ?

You guys blame India for everything that goes wrong with your cricket, but when it comes to eating a cake of riches, you want to be part of CL or IPL. When your players aint a part of IPL or CL, you hate it. Your cricket players meet with Modi, ex-players call IPL a tamasha. Rameez Raja blames IPL first and then bares his soul in IPL with some ridiculous commentary (along side other commentators).

Your players wanted to be part of ICL. Another Indian thing. Fascination for India doesnt go. You think you can kick us in the back, call us money brokers or whatever, you feel and then you want us to come back and embrace you in IPL or CL.

Say more of this stuff and I am sure BCCI wont pay heed to any PCB requests to help itself out of its mess. Remember BCCI is all powerful with money in its kitty. PCB doesnt have sanity, logic, pratical sense and moreover the money. So if you want us to help you out, keep your damned mouth shut and pack off Butt, Miandad to Swat.

Time for PCB to clean the house

Pic : Is he a new Vodafone ZooZoo? Oldest of them all ?

One more zoozoo act from Ijaz Butt when he sent a legal notice to ICC for stripping Pakistan of its world cup host. Worse, he feels India is behind this step. Yeah right. All ills in world cricket arise out of the BCCI's hut. Isnt it?

Given following facts

1) There are series of bomb blasts and attacks on Pakistan security setup from the millitants ensuring a civil war is on. So how security is going to be arranged for the touring cricketers ?

2) With the terrible events @ Liberty Chowk, where cricket lost its liberty from terrorism, will any country tour Pakistan in the future? And given the fact that no team would travel to Pakistan how would PCB stage the world cup?

3) Whats the final security level going to be delivered to the touring team ? Forget the promises of president level and all that.

4) Will PCB finally take one right step rather than going to the wrong directions?

5) Will any player feel safe to travel to the ground from hotel and back amidst the terror threat?

what all options of cricket in Pakistan are possible?

Nothing unless the PCB administration is dumped. What have they done since the SL team attack?

1) Tried to get Chris Broad banned as he made a eye witness account for the attack.

2) tried to blame India for the srilankan team attacks.

3) Pakistan players were banned from IPL.

4) When the world cup was stripped again India was blamed. The security situation in India was put to question by Miandad and Butt. IPL was blamed.

Not a single step out of this seems to be towards fusing the problem and finding a solution . Cynical steps, looking at India for all its problems and then hoping for support, blaming ICC for its ills and ignoring the problems plaguing its own setup and security setup in Pakistan has all thats being done by PCB.

I am not even saying Butt and Miandad are the biggest enemies for Pakistan cricket. Saying that gives me flak and ire. calling names? Me calling them names is irrelevant. But something relevant is to do a look-in into their own setup and set things right.

Until then Pakistan should forget expecting international cricket returning to its folds. Grow up guys.

When mind goes numb and analysis goes for toss

http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/cricket/pakistan-needs-some-friends-to-restore-order/2009/05/04/1241289101681.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

ICL oriented, facts ignored, an invite to further trouble by asking world squad to play in Pakistan..ICL guys cant just get over the t20 fever n they aint even revolutionizing it like IPL. Dean Jones, there. Subhash Chandra is distributing goodies. Go get them!!

Pakistan loses World Cup

India had to move their high-profile league because of security fears," he said, referring to the IPL, which was moved to South Africa as the competition clashed with India's parliamentary elections.

Intiqab Alam gets it all wrong. Horribly wrong. The IPL was moved out of the country to South Africa not for the security fears but for the smooth completion and execution of elections in the country. And the security fears, if they are in India, they emanate from the terror threats from the land which was stripped of World Cup. Every body knows Ajmal Kasab and 9 others who showered terror in Mumbai on 11/26 were Pakistani nationals. The terrorists who attacked SL cricketers in Lahore were Pakistanis and Afghans.

So this pretendence of victim and self pity isnt going to help Alam and his cricketing setup. It would be good for him to look forward to the ODI series against Australia.

ICC has been just in taking the world cup out of Pakistan. And i wont be surprised if the world cup would be moved out of subcontinent (whatever that is) altogether, thanks to the Pak sponsered terror in the region. That could be a valid move cos we dont want the game to get affected to this useless jihadis (if you ask me i would like to shower lot of abuses on this terror elements)....

So as usual Pakistanis have been crying foul and sissy babies to see an ice candy being snatched away from them. Its amazing that they are ready to cry foul rather than have a strong will and eradicate their own bred terror elements from their western border...

Talibanisation of cricket

There is no point in goin gung ho about Afghanistan making to world cup cricket (whenever and if they make it). We dont talibanis on the 22 yards, we dont need fatwas on the cricket field. We dont need grenades or rocket launchers on 22 yards. We dont need Hikmatyar followers on 22 yards. Pakistan cud well be playing its last series ever in cricket against Australia cos once Taliban takes over Pakistan, the cricket would be banned for obvious reasons and so no Pakistan team in future.

So it would be back to 1981 when we just had 7 test playing nations :) All then we could see is Taliban IPL with teams from Pakistan and Afghanistan participating with riflemen, bombers and of course Azmal Kasab leading the way :) Manmohan Singh will inaugrate the tourney when he goes in a plane to release Azmal Kasab to his native in Pakistan :)

Politics behind IPL.

Is it the real reason that the government was unable to provide the security to the IPL ? Or it is something different. Let me probe:

Here are few things to ponder.

1. Lalit Modi has just lost the RCA elections to the state government nominee. Not that it would affect his power and stature in the BCCI and IPL. But for sure some petitions and court cases would come up against him. And they have come up. Its a puppet who rules the state government in Rajasthan.

2. Mr P Chidambaram, the honorable Home minister, the only shining star of this useless government has decided to up the ante on IPL by publicly discouraging it. I have been vocal on this. He has created an impression that India is an unsafe state to play cricket in. And we have been crippled by cross border terrorism. Rather than saying that come what may we wont let it affect our country and iPL, he went ahead and said I am a useless minister. Cannot provide security to the IPL. So does he feel that the 11/26 masters wont be listening / reading his statements and laughing ? God forbid if this public ugly row might create another opportunity for them.

3. The UPA state governments ruled out security, more shamelessly the maharashtra DGP. Assholes. They were caught napping during 11/26. And now they are just using IPL as an excuse to hide their monumental failure. Sad to see cricket being victimised in a state which is hostile, intolerant and ridiculously known to have its own anthem and agenda.

4. And the most horrendous intention of Mrs Sonia Gandhi. She is the most powerful political person in the country. The PM, VP and Prez are her puppets. Long back in 1999, mr Sharad Pawar had sabotaged the plans of Mrs Gandhi to be PM by citing her foreign origin as a show stopper. Unfortunately Mr Pawar got his way. After that Mr Pawar was kicked out. He formed another regional party and now he harbors the ambitions of being a PM in ruling UPA govt in the upcoming elections, something which Mrs Gandhi would never allow. He is BCCI macho man. Hurting him was the motive. And IPL was the biggest chance for Sonia and company to hurt Mr Pawar. She was successful. Point to note here is, the PM didnt speak a bit on this. All talking was done by Mr Bong and PC, the Anna.

5. MP, Guj, HP governments gave go ahead to IPL in their states. This states are ruled by the BJP, the principal opposition party and a power hopeful in this elections.

Now the question is will Pakistan government headed by Mr 10% allow its players to play in IPL, now that security wont be an issue. This is another fact that his own millitary and intelligence wing over which he has no control plotted 11/26 and 3/3. And thanks to this useless Indian government, the world now knows that Indian homeland is unsafe to play cricket in. Amazing isnt it.

Vote politics man. IPL is not kicked out for the lack of security,but for the vote politics. The very same reason for no action on 11/26 terrorists, the 08 serial blasts in different parts of country accused, the 7/11 accused and of course the 01 Parliament attack accused.

Sick sick !!

Security fears!!

Sri Lanka needs a security report from IPL to be able to release its contracted players to IPL. Fair enough. They had that unfortunate attack on them. But then did they forget they are going to India which is not a SL or a Pakistan, which is not terror strife unless stuck from outside. Did they forget that India is as safe as any other country in the world. Touchwood. Of course untill....

Thats what a public row between IPL and the government does. An imaginary fear being cast in the minds of countries which themselves are unsafe to play in. Yet they come and ask for security clearence. Did India ask for the same thing every time they went in the Emerald Isle gripped with the civil war. 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 (SA chickened out, India stayed back), 2008, 2009. Not a single time Indians went ahead and asked for security cover. Sachin and Saurav have been on target lists of the terror groups. Yet Indians didnt create any fuss.

Voice of Colombo for sure would have something nasty to say out here.

Stop begging guys!!

Is he an idiot or a helper of terrorist groups in Swat area of what they call good Taliban ?

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India-should-come-forward-to-help-Pakistan-cricket/articleshow/4266753.cms

Messrs Kamran Akmal. Yeah right. We help them and they send 10 perpators to Mumbai to ......

SL agree to tour them and their team is attacked.

Chris Broad speaks out against poor security in Pak for 3/3 and he is being filed for a ban by great Ijaz Butt and Javed Miandad whose son has married Dawood Ibrahim daughter, Mumbai's most.........

We have IPL coming up in 25 days time, there is an ugly row in public between Home ministry, state govts and IPL. And bang on time Naseem Ashraf, the fly who was thrown out post General era in Pakistan, speaks that terrorists would target players in India!!

Bloody hell who sends terrorists to India ? GOD sent or Pakistan sent ? Or non-state actors ? Time for Pakistanis to stop begging Indians for help. Indians wont and shouldnt help a country which binges on terror and nourishes terror and goes soft on it.

Sissy Babies...

Javed Miandad has to say this:

"I made it clear at the meeting to the Chairman (Ejaz Butt) that we must demand a ban on Broad for his remarks which are aimed at isolating Pakistan cricket. When he came for the one-day series with Sri Lanka he was satisfied with the security. But despite my insistence then he had said he could not comment on the security publicly as the ICC didn't allow match officials to give statements. Yet he had no problems making fun of the security and our brave policemen at a news conference on returning home,"

Tauqir Zia has to say this:

"He has tried to damage Pakistan cricket's image with his criticism about the security arrangements. How can he make these remarks when six policemen lost their lives trying to protect the visiting team and officials”.

And the ever affable Izaj Butt has to say this:

"The council agreed that we need to review the security plan which is implemented for visiting teams and to beef it up further. But everyone admitted it is going to take some time and convincing by the board to get teams to tour Pakistan again.

Saying this the esteemed personalities of Pakistan cricket forgot that their reputation has nullified and today no sane person wants to tour their country for cricket. Noone knows from where the terror would strike. And when Broad, Murali and Taufel said that security was lax, then there has got to be some truth in it. And if rather than working with the govt to fix the security issues, this high profile gentlemen spend their time to get their team boycott Broad, then they would just fool themselves and dent the Pakistan cricket even further. PCB has been acting like a sissy child whose candy has been robbed forcibly (read terrorists). And this one example provides the same instance of the crying act.

Gully cricket epitomes Indian cricket

Why should IPL not be played after the attack in Pakistan ? Why should we put our cricket on stake ? Is India too an unsafe country to play cricket in ? Perhaps answer lies in the cricket games that go on and on in the country when riots happen and curfew is imposed. Gully cricket can never get better than here anywhere.

Tounge in Cheek.

It is very easy now to just say 'let's stop going to Pakistan'. "But we need the support of the international cricket community. We can still hold international matches. Terrorists have tried to hit cricket targets in other countries as well." – Wasim Bari.

Some checks and balances her Wasim Bari sir. World cricket is still with Pakistan cricket. Only thing they are saying is we won’t tour Pakistan. There are many other venues which could act as home venues for Pakistan series, but then PCB would need to drop their million dollar ego and opt for those venues. The natural venues like Sharjah, Abu Dhabi or even India if you want. Entire 2008, PCB didn’t opt for the alternate venue and as a result the team didn’t play a single test. Now it’s the time to go and hunt for home venue and host the games there. May be shift your domestic cricket to those venues too. That’s the only way Pakistan cricket can stay alive. Else the verdict is out. Forget the fact that any team would tour Pakistan for next few years. And unfortunately we in India would also face some unease before every series begins just cos of the mindless (too less a word) attacks yesterday. Being in HR, such kind of statement puts your tongue in cheek sir. Try and avoid making such statements.

Get well soon TS

Life and cricket are great levelers. In this case pretty unfortunate though lucky in a way. One day you hit a consecutive double hundred and the next day you lie in an ambulance being operated for a leg injury caused by shrapnel hit out of the terror attack. Thilan Samarweera is the man in contention here. Unfortunate becos he got hit by the shrapnel. Lucky in a way cos it was a minor injury. Nobody would like to have that kind of destiny. Wish you a speedy recovery Thilan.

MS speaks his mind

Was this attack meant to be on Team India when it would have toured Pakistan ? Something which nobody said, was said candidly by MS in NZ in post match confrence. No team wud ever like to go to Pakistan and he was happy to not go to Pakistan. At least he speaks his mind without bothering what romantics wud feel or what heck people would think.

Terror hits cricket.

Alright. I am a cricket fanatic. Its life for me. I breathe it, I live it. It healed me in my tormented times i encountered in 24 years of watching the game. But never before i felt so empty to witness something like this.

a cricket team was attacked. Bloody hell a team was conscipiciously attacked. A team that tours a country bereft with the terror which is home grown and bred in the bloody valleys of the country. And its attacked. The team that agrees to tour Pakistan when no other country is even ready to listen to the pleas of PCB is attacked. And attacked with grenades, rocket launchers and kalashnikov rifles. 6 poor policemen lost their lives.

Cricket has lost its relevance in Pakistan. No team would ever and should tour pakistan. Ok the rage might not be as same as it was during 11/26, but then its a direct attack on a team. as news reports suggest the terrorists had plans to hostage the cricketers. And 12 men for 15 people ? Doesnt it suggest a deep long planning ?

Pakistan should say good bye to cricket. Ask ICC to ban it from touring country. Ridiculous to see PCB and other cricketers pleading other teams to visit them ? For this ? For getting killed for game of cricket ? By terrorists nourished by ISI and Pakistan military. Alright this is not political blog, but I wont hold back. I am not politically correct person and i dont write to win friends. Other bloggers would not echo the obvious, but i wont hold back.

We had 11/26 emanating out of Pakistan. Now we have 3/3 happening in the breeding ground of terrorism. Terrorism in Pakistan is a threat to the world. Most to India. Do whatever guys in your own country. But bloody hell dont target others. Do whatever on jihaad or whatever religious extremism teaches you.

One day this bloody fucking terrorism is gonna engulf the pakistan in its grip and then there would be no Younis or Inzy or Afridi to say Pakistan is most beautiful country in world. Its most terrifying country in world. Unfortunately who breeds on hatred and terrorism. One who exports terrorism.

Did anybody know what happened to 12 terrorists ? All got away. Fuckin hell. Look at Times now. They showed how the investigating agencies tampered the evidence. There was a striking similarity between this 12 bhenchod terrorists and the one bhenchod left alive in Mumbai. They all hail from same country.

Stop exporting terror and attacking cricket. Feel sorry for Pakistan cricket. It was murdered today brutally in Lahore by 12 Pakistani terrorists. Not that it was healthy. It already was in death bed since last 14 months.

Stay Safe

I pray to GOD that all the SL players are safe and sound. My prayers for them and wish they return safe asap from Pakistan. Stay safe guys. Amongst the current news updates it seems that Sanga, Mendis, Samarweera and Jayawardhena are among who are injured. Not sure. Getting updates from ibnlive.com. Just get out of there guys. Just be safe.

Shocking

What else remains to be seen. Ban the country from cricket and from hosting any cricket. It was a planned attack it seems. Pray to GOD no player loses its life. Feel sorry for the slain policemen who lost their lives. That’s what happens when you nourish the terror in your own backyards.

India unsafe to play cricket in ?

“Pakistan has barred its players from participating in the IPL after its foreign ministry deemed it was unsafe for the cricketers to travel to India in the wake of the November terrorist attacks in Mumbai”

Sour grapes ? Unsafe security situation in India ? Who caused it ? Who sent the attackers ? Non state actors ?

At best this ban on Pak players for IPL is out of vengeance and revenge for India’s cancellation of full tour to the troubled country. By the way except for Sohail Tanvir no other Pakistan cricketer was of any use to the franchisees. Ok Younis Captain Khan too. But then who else ?

It’s a funny situation. Don’t want to get into political perspective, but this ban evokes laughter out of me.

Pakistan Cricket Board’s unwillingness to guarantee the safety of the players.

The Indian cricket team will not be touring Pakistan early next year but one of the major reasons, apart from the Indian government’s stance in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, was the Pakistan Cricket Board’s unwillingness to guarantee the safety of the players. The PCB had informally made it clear that the security situation in Pakistan was "unpredictable".

Well-placed sources said the Pakistan Board was simply unable to offer convincing arguments to hold the series and had, in fact, been quite candid in its appraisal of the security environment in Pakistan. "There does not seem any way in which security at any of the hotels or even venues can be considered foolproof. The PCB is not very keen on a tour," sources said.

Yet they want us to tour them ? And be a victims of terror on their land too.

Preview to the 1st Test : India vs England

India vs England begins in 2 days and talking from fresh cricket perspective with no backdrop of 11/26, the favorites are India to win fair and square.

Expected scoreline : 2-0 (if no rains in Chennai) or 1-0 (if Chennai is rained out) to India.

Key players to watch for :

From Indian perspective :

1. Yuvraj Singh : needless to mention that this might be a last chance for himself to establish on the Test level. A fair run is essential to be granted to the maverick southpaw.

2. Rahul Dravid : Critics are out to get him. His send-offs are written and just a matter of time they are rolled out in anticipation of a possible retirement announcement. However, this blog supports him to the core and is hopeful that he would bounce back rock solid and hard to the critics. Write him off @ ur perils.

3. Mahendra Singh Dhoni : First Test series as full time captain. No Ganguly and no Kumble. First series in 20 years when India goes to a series without Kumble (excluding his injury breaks) and onus on MSD how he handles Amit Mishra as Anil ‘s replacement.

4. Virender Sehwag : Back to what he does the best. Hammer the bowlers. Primary reason for 5-0 washout in the oDIs, but was overshadowed by majestic hundreds by Yuvraj. Except for one game gave starts in all 5 games. Is one of the top scorer in Tests this year (beside Graeme Smith). A hundred or 2 in the offing.

5. Gautam Gambhir : Back after the Test ban, he would be back on his favorite spot. In form of his life, much depends on the starts he and Viru provide in every innings. Easily on the road of being India’s best opening pair EVER.

From English perspective :

1. Kevin Pieterson : England s captain and best batsman. Got form late in ODIs but made little difference in Cuttack. A lot would depend on the man if England are to show up a good performance out here. Lot of responsibilities off the field too dealing with the security issues.

2. Freddie Flintoff : Back to full fitness (?) and amongst the top 3 batsmen of the England team. First change bowler and a hard hitting batsman at 6 or 7. Would be key with both bat and ball for fortunes of England in the series.

3. Ali Cook : A man who has not hit a single six in international cricket career so far would have lot of responsibility to give a good start to the team with Andrew Strauss. Back in the country where he was rushed to the Test debut 2 yrs back, he would be eyeing few runs in his belt before of course England’s bread and butter series against Aussies begin.

4. Monty Panesar : England win or lose, lot depends on his performance. A lot of promise was showed in his debut in the same country 2 yrs back and with SRT as 1^st Test wicket, would be keen to resume his battle with Tendulkar and Dravid. Would be interesting to see how he balls to Sehwag. If he is able to keep runs in the check and take wkts, he would have done a world of good to his expectations.

Chennai is a spoil sport venue this days. Its been 6 years since a game was played with a result in Chennai (WI, 2002). Since then owing to rains or flat tracks, the games have either being drawn or abandoned. Thanks to the security issues and the ongoing tussle between the BCCI and CAB, Kolkata missed out on hosting the test match.

And with concerns over Mohali too, it would be interesting to see where the second Test is held. Delhi could be one option, Kolkata wont be any, Bangalore could be third.

Let cricket begin with no mention of 11/26. No statements, no over the top opinions on separating terror from cricket, no pointings to the fragile Indian mindset right now and god sake no equating with the country lying in the north west of us. A silence on 11/26 from cricketing point of view is needed. We don’t need to listen what Indian cricketers or English cricketers feel. We must thank England for the resumption of tour in the wake of crisis and security concerns. And for now lets get on with the game. Lets get on with our RELIGION. The one factor that binds entire country and unites it.

Gentlemen PLAY!!!

responsibility of India to tour Pakistan ?

Any post on this blog on cricket in Pakistan is skipped. May be for being politically correct or avoid any controversies. Whatever it is, i find it a bit two edged sword. If somebody other than me writes anything on Pakistan, opinions are penned. Me is skipped. Is it wrong to term or voice my opinion on the current happenings. i feel may be this is a case of saving readership as many Pakistani bloggers visit Indian blogs. Whatever it is, it is a bit disappointing. Leg Slip or cricket files or well pitched -- have openly shown insensitivities on the 11/26 bombings or though they pretend to be sporty blog, they in fact are open forum for anti-Indian rheoteric. I am no political blogger, but as a citizen of this country ripped apart by TERROR, i find it tough to co-relate to them. Tough for me to accept any cricketing ties with them.

It will be the first step towards showing the world that neither the Commonwealth Games nor the World Cup in 2011 needs to be in danger of being taken away from India. Perhaps mixed with the relief will be somewhat warmer feelings towards a neighbor whose cricket has suffered because no one wants to go there.

If India understand the frustration of being an outcast and the joy that comes with acceptance, then they have a responsibility to tour Pakistan next month. Things might change between now and then, but in principle at least India must accept that what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

Suresh Menon speaks for the responsibility of India to tour Pakistan.

This is a very flawed argument to support the tour Pakistan, which is a terror strife country and is directly accountable for the Mumbai attacks. Several reports, evidences suggest that Pakistan trained and sent the 10 terrorists to carry out 11/26 bombings in Mumbai. We don’t have any responsibility to a country which binges on hatred and spite for us. We cannot be playing cricket with them in their own dynamic militant backyards in an age when a bomb can go off anytime anywhere. More chance of that happening in Pakistan than anywhere else.

In the past bombs have went off outside Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore stadiums – 3 of the supposed venues where India was to play.

There is a lot of difference in the security situation in India and Pakistan. India is a global hub of financial booty for cricket. Pakistan has neither money, nor team to back itself. All it has is AK-47, bombs and free to use terrorists. Why do we need to go and play there ? The players or the reporters home and away, who equate India and Pakistan in same bracket, joke around.

FYI, I am in anguish, anger and despair post 11/26. Cannot expect sane, logic and restraint in this crisis situation. So I would always say NO to any cricket between us and them. Not that my view matters hugely to anybody, but this is what I feel. The outrage and the pics of 11/26 are still afresh and to go and read some fanatic Pakie bloggers justifying the attacks or questioning the claims of terrorists from Pakistan adds fuel to fire. Its an open and shut case. What evidences they are talking about ? Have they ever acted on so many evidences we have provided ? We have told them the brand of lingerie the men behind Mumbai bomb blats (1993) wear, the exact co-ordinates of the terror camps in their own land, yet they speak of no evidence. We cannot play any friendly or unfriendly contests on the 22 yards field.