Misbah, Younis help visitors seal series win

Pakistan stubbornly ground out a draw in the second Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve on Wednesday to secure their first series win in four years.
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq produced a man-of-the-match performance with an unbeaten 70 off 226 balls to frustrate New Zealand and ensure Pakistan reached stumps at 226 for five after being set a target of 274.
The draw followed Pakistan’s crushing 10-wicket victory in the first Test at Hamilton and gave the tourists a 1-0 series win, their first since overcoming the West Indies 2-0 in 2006/07.
It also maintained Pakistan’s record of never losing a Test match at Wellington’s Basin Reserve.
Misbah said his side went into the final day happy to hang on for the draw and claim the series.
“In the end, I think the series was important for us, rather than just this game,” he said.
“Everybody supported each other and really performed well.”
New Zealand’s hopes of bowling Pakistan out on the final day were raised when three wickets fell in the first hour as Chris Martin and Tim Southee made the most of the new ball.
Southee trapped Taufeeq Umar lbw for a first ball duck in the second over, with Martin dismissing Azhar Ali (10) lbw nine overs later.
Mohammad Hafeez (32) went in the next over after edging Martin to the slip cordon, leaving Pakistan struggling at 42-3.
The wickets brought Younis Khan and Misbah to the crease and the veteran pair defied pressure from the desperate New Zealanders to steady the innings.
In a repeat of the 142-run pairing that formed the backbone of Pakistan’s first innings, Misbah and Youis dropped anchor to deliver a 118-run partnership lasting almost three hours.
Younis’ dismissal for 81 on the last ball before tea energised New Zealand but Misbah remained immovable, combining with Asad Shafiq to graft out his sixth consecutive Test half century.
Daniel Vettori’s probing spin eventually claimed Asad Shafiq for 24 but with just eight overs to go it was a consolation wicket for the Black Caps’ captain, who finished with figures of one for 57 off 34 overs.
Martin was also left rueing missed opportunities as he finished the match on 199 Test wickets, forcing him to wait until a series in Bangladesh tentatively scheduled for May for the chance to reach his double century.
New Zealand, whose attack was rendered impotent by Pakistan’s batsmen in the final session, turned to part-time spinners Martin Guptill and Jesse Ryder, who also failed to provide a breakthrough.
Adnan Akmal joined his skipper at the crease, surviving 17 balls to be two not out as Misbah guided Pakistan to a draw that his side celebrated as if it were a victory. The series loss meant New Zealand ended its summer season without a Test victory for the first time in 15 years.
But coach John Wright, on a mission to add steel to the Black Caps after his appointment in December, will take some comfort from the fact that his charges rallied after their Hamilton humiliation.
Vettori said that loss left New Zealand chasing the match in Wellington to try to level the series.
“The way (Pakistan) played in Hamilton meant that we had to play catch-up this whole Test and unfortunately we couldn’t quite do it at the end,” he said.

Vettori calls time on Test captaincy

WELLINGTON: Daniel Vettori officially ended his tenure as New Zealand’s Test captain on Wednesday, though he will not relinquish the coin toss responsibilities completely until after the World Cup.
The 31-year-old Vettori had already said several times since he took on the captaincy from Stephen Fleming in November 2007 that he would step down from the role after the 2011 World Cup, which runs from February 19-April 2.
“I made that decision three-and-a-half years ago and that’s it,” Vettori told reporters after New Zealand and Pakistan drew the second Test at the Basin Reserve, which allowed the visitors to win the two-match series 1-0.
“My timing was always to step away after the World Cup and that stays the same.”
Vettori said he still wanted to continue playing Test cricket under a new leader. Ross Taylor is his likely successor having been his vice captain in recent series. “Test cricket is part of the game I love,” Vettori added.
Vettori refused to contemplate on how his tenure as Test captain would be judged, though he felt he had given it all when he captained the side. “There’s always regrets, you always want to perform better, to do better, but its hard to say.”

Man-made natural disasters

UNTIL a few years ago, Sri Lanka was regarded as a paradise untouched by the ravages of natural disasters. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes and snowstorms were nothing more than picturesque images to the average citizen of this country. The 2004 tsunami disaster changed that at a cost of more than 35,000 lives, but even so, the nation recovered from that tragedy, unconvinced that natural disasters would become a regular phenomenon in this land. The weeks gone by should force us to rethink this complacent assumption. The country has been hit by floods heralding the onset of the southwest monsoon. Hundreds of thousands have been rendered homeless overnight, and more than two dozen people have died.

This week saw many regions of Colombo city being submerged because of a few hours of torrential rain. …Ironically, even parliament was not spared, and the house had to adjourn early, to enable honourable MPs to return to their constituencies, without getting their ‘feet wet’. And the lingering question, which must be uppermost in the minds of most, is whether these events are the results of the wrath of nature at all. Or, as many environmentalists suspect, is this the result of compromising nature for the expediency of a fast buck?

It is a fact that many major cities in this country, including Colombo, are ill-planned. They have evolved from the colonial era in an ad-hoc manner, in keeping with the needs of the times. In such circumstances, environmental concerns have played only a minor role, if at all. What is alarming though is that this ‘development’, if it can be called that, continues to this day. Unauthorised buildings are erected, industrial con cerns come into operation, marshy lands are being filled up, only to be resold at a hand some profit, and garbage is be ing dumped with gay aban don. It is as if no one needs to ask anyone whether there is a protocol or procedure to fol low in these matters. ...This type of nefarious activity has been a cancer gnawing away at our environment, slowly but steadily for many deca des…. Now, however, events appear to have reached a make-or-break stage, as last week’s flashfloods amply demonstrated. The recent del uge and all the disasters that it brought upon us is a rude reminder that there will be more to follow if we do not put our country and its eco systems in order.

…If the whip is not cracked hard enough, chances are that, the perpetrators of these deeds will continue their work unhindered and unconcerned. Politically, this is an opportune moment to do so. A new government — even if it has mostly old faces in it — has just assumed office. There are no national elections on the horizon for the next half a dozen years, so unpopular measures can be taken, if they are necessary in the long run. Thus there is an immense responsibility resting in the hands of the powers that be: the ministers in charge of the environment, housing and construction and disaster management, and the secretary of defence….

Former greats divided over captaincy issue

KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricketers were divided on PCB’s indecision over the captaincy issue ahead of World Cup 2011.
Iqbal Qasim, the former Test spinner, flayed the move and said that the uncertainty could harm Pakistan’s World Cup hopes.
“By not naming the captain, the PCB has acted unwisely because all this uncertainty might not be good for our team,” said Qasim, a former chief selector.
But Qasim added that apart from the captaincy issue, things seem fine for Pakistan. “As far as the selection is concerned, I believe it’s a balanced team,” he said.
On Mohammad Yousuf exclusion, Qasim said that the aging batter didn’t deserve a place in the squad. “It’s hard to find a place for Yousuf because senior batsmen like Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan are performing really well at the moment.”
He also hailed the decision to select Sohail Tanvir ahead of paceman Tanvie Ahmed. “Sohail Tanvir has the sort of awkward action that can add variety to our bowling attack,” he said.
Abdul Qadir, another ex-Test spinner, also backed the move to overlook Yousuf. “It is a good decision because he wasn’t required after successful comebacks by Misbah and Younis,” said Qadir, also a former chief selector.
Qadir also supported PCB over its decision to delay naming Pakistan’s World Cup captain. “It’s a good tactic and will keep Shahid Afridi under pressure,” he said.
However, former Test fast bowler Sikander Bakht, believes it’s a ‘silly’ decision.
“It’s totally silly not to announce a captain and leaving uncertainty around the team,” he told ‘The News’. “Such foolish decisions cause divisions in the team. Our players would now be looking both at Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and One-day skipper Shahid Afridi. This can harm Pakistan as loyalties would be divided.”
He said that Mohammad Yousuf has rightly been left out.
“For me personally, Yousuf should only concentrate on playing Tests just like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. He should have retired from one-day and Twenty20 cricket two years back.”
Shoaib Mohammad, the former Test opener, felt that Yousuf has been victimised by the board.
“Yousuf should have been in World Cup team as he is the only top-class player in our team but he has fallen prey to the dirty politics of the PCB,” he said.
Former Test pacer Jalaluddin, however, welcomed the decision to drop Yousuf. “The game today is very fast and Yousuf’s exclusion will not really affect the team.
“Though he has experience on his side but Yousuf is not fit to play in 50-over matches and is not in greatest of form either.
“So calling back him in such a big event could have backfired. We have some talented young batsmen who have shown the guts and we’ve done well by showing trust in them.”

Yousuf upbeat in spite of Cup snub

KARACHI: Pakistan on Tuesday snubbed Mohammad Yousuf by overlooking him for World Cup 2011 but the seasoned batsman remains confident that his international career is far from over.
Yousuf, who conceded that he was disappointed over the World Cup snub, said that there is still a lot of cricket in him and declared that he would make his Pakistan comeback soon.
“I don’t think that my international career is over,” he said. “I will return to international cricket Inshallah,” said the 36-year-old former Pakistan captain.
“I don’t want to criticise anybody or the selectors,” he stressed.
Yousuf, who was dropped from the Pakistan team because of suspect fitness, said that he has proved his form and fitness by featuring in the ongoing National One-day Cup.
“I’ve proven my fitness,” said Yousuf who struck 81 while playing for Lahore Lions in their match against Hyderabad Hawks.
Yousuf is of the view that with his vast experience, he could have helped Pakistan in their World Cup campaign in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.
“I am in good form and could have benefited the team in the World Cup,” he said. “I would have quit myself if I felt unworthy for national duty after the World Cup.”

KARACHI: Hasan Raza, captain of Habib Bank Limited who won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, has backed the use of floodlights and the orange ball for first-class games in Pakistan in the future.
The Trophy final between HBL and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was played under lights at the National Stadium in Karachi, an unprecedented event for the first-class game in the country.
“It was a really good experience, all the boys really enjoyed themselves and I hope that this is not a one-off,” Raza told Pakpassion.net.
“I really do hope that this idea is continued for next season and further into the future.
“We started practicing with the orange ball and pink ball two days ahead of the match, so it gave us all an opportunity to adjust to the light and the colour of the ball.
“The PIA captain Kamran Sajid and I in discussion with our teams decided that the orange ball would be better and I really do hope that future matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy are played under lights with the orange cricket ball.”
Raza said that the experience was enjoyable, not just for the players but for the spectators as well.
“The fans seemed to be having a good time watching the game and got behind the teams. I think if you asked the supporters they would definitely say they prefer day-night cricket compared with day cricket.”
The tournament is currently played with two divisions and departmental sides and regional teams are spread across both divisions. Raza, however, felt that the format needed to be changed for the next season.
“Departments should play against departments and the regional sides should play among one another. The departmental sides play the most competitive cricket and generally produce the best players. I think it would benefit the national side also if the format was altered where department teams and regional teams are kept apart, as the most talented players but be visible in the first division and playing for the departmental sides.”
Raza, who made his Test debut for Pakistan at the age of 14, has played seven Tests and 16 ODIs.
He last played for Pakistan in 2005, but has been a consistent performer on the domestic circuit, having recently gone past 12,000 first-class runs.
Raza said he was hopeful of making a comeback to the national side, along the lines of Pakistan’s current Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
“I’m a much more responsible individual now and have had the responsibility of captaincy with me for the past few years,” he said.
“I’ve been a consistent performer in domestic cricket and I look at Misbah-ul-Haq’s example as someone who can make a strong comeback into Test cricket. I have faith in my ability and know for sure that I can do a job for Pakistan.”

Pressure cooker

As the nation absorbs the shock of the death of Salmaan Taseer, the business of politics continues. On the day he was assassinated there were developments that would have been headlines had his death not pushed the story to the bottom of the page. The PML-N has, seemingly, finally decided to get tougher with the PPP but is not yet prepared to challenge it by moving a vote of no confidence. The PML-N has announced a nine-point agenda for which it seeks government compliance, and the agenda comes attached to a 72-hour deadline (amended in the light of governor Taseer’s murder by three days to allow proper respects to be paid.) The other major party in the National assembly the PML-Q also held back from the no-confidence line in the dust; and there is a collective holding of breath and careful scrutiny of positions to see who is going to blink first.
There does not appear to be the political desire to oust the government, at least not yet, and space has been created for some high-speed horse-trading and the extraction of political concessions by the opposition from a government weakened by the decision of the MQM to sit on the opposition benches in the Centre. The prime minster has indicated that he may consider a reversal of the decision to raise petrol prices. Such an adjustment is a quick fix, and easier to fulfil than getting rid of corrupt officials, cutting back on government expenditure and appointing independent members to vacant seats on the election commission. These latter are rather more difficult to achieve than by the stroke of a pen, and the PML-N will doubtless have been aware of that when its demands were formulated. Breathing space is provided by a cushion of 45 days which the government has been given by PML-N to meet its demands – which takes us to February 20. After that, and if the government has failed to comply, the PML-N is saying it will put the same agenda to other opposition parties to see if consensus can be arrived at for a challenge to the government. Whatever happens, the government just saw its ‘wiggle room’ diminish significantly, and for the first time in the current crisis change may be on the horizon.