Articles by "Pakistan in South Africa 2013"
Showing posts with label Pakistan in South Africa 2013. Show all posts
no image

Anonymous at March 04, 2013 0
Umar Gul was one of the players who played a key role in Pakistan’s first win of this tour of South Africa. Gul put in some heroic performance in the match, collecting five wickets for the second time in his Twenty20 career. He sent five batsmen to pavilion for just six runs in 2.2 overs (14 balls). After this exhilarating show of brilliance, Gul has become the leading wicket taker in the format, having 74 wickets under his belt. Earlier in the semi-finals of World T20 2009, Gul took five wickets against New Zealand. The highlights of yesterday’s five-wicket haul by Gul can be watched in this video:

[video src="http://en.cricnama.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Umar-Gul-5-wickets-haul-against-south-africa.mp4"]
Read more »

Anonymous at January 29, 2013 0
On the current tour of Pakistani team to South Africa, a strong objection came forward. Pakistani team was departed with only four fast bowlers without keeping that in notice that the host country has the pitches sound for fast bowlers. While, among these four, two bowlers may be called a ‘risky selection’ because Ehsan Adil possesses a very low experience and Muhammad Irfan may be a victim of fitness issues. That means there would be an extraordinary pressure on Umar Gul and Junaid Khan and an unfortunate injury of one of them could lead Pakistan to a severe crisis.

[caption id="attachment_266" align="alignright" width="216"]Anwar Ali possesses greater batting abilities than all of Pakistan’s prominent bowlers, but… (Photo: ESPNCricinfo) Anwar Ali possesses greater batting abilities than all of Pakistan’s prominent bowlers, but… (Photo: ESPNCricinfo)[/caption]

But lately, selectors have admitted their mistake and have sent two medium fast bowlers Sohail Tanveer, and Rahat Ali. Though both of these bowlers are very talented but in my opinion, they are not fit for facing the international number one South Africa in their own fields. Some of South African grounds are situated on a higher altitude where many Pakistani bowlers have faced fitness problems in the past. Though, we must hope that Irfan would play a memorable series but to stay fit with a height of 7 feet would be tough for him while he also doesn’t has the international experience of playing lengthy cricket.

In every respect, there are some bowlers existing on the national scenario which await the blessedness of selectors. What should Anwar Ali, who demolished the whole Indian batting line up in the final of the Under 19 World Cup, do in order to come in the eyes of selectors? Continuous wickets in the first-class cricket, better control on both pace and swing, despite all this he has got nothing but some outing in India, and got ignored again immediately after that. The point to be noticed is that he has got better batting abilities than most of the present fast bowlers of Pakistan and has got one century and four half-centuries on his record. But still, all of this is not proving to be enough for this brilliant all-rounder to play from Pakistan’s side.

Another unlucky but an extremely talented bowler is Tabish Khan of Karachi. In spite of gathering masses of wickets in every season, he is moving towards the end of his career while waiting for the chance to play on the national level. During the previous days, he was given a chance to test his abilities against the international batsmen, possibly for the first time in his career, when he took three wickets on three consecutive balls against the International World XI in Karachi and tried to gather the attention of the captains of national cricket but still unluckiness had become his destiny.

The tragedy of Tabish Khan is that even the cricket journalists are not taking him seriously, otherwise there would be someone to speak from his side in the match of 29-year-old Tabish Khan and 34-year-old Tanveer Ahmed.
Read more »

Anonymous at January 26, 2013 0
Despite all the determination and optimism, Pakistan’s players and cricket fans know that beating South Africa in their home ground is no easy task. In fact, a realistic ratio after a bit of guesswork seems to be around 60:40 in favour of the hosts. Critics with stricter yardsticks may further play down the ratio, but our patriotism is preventing us from seeing our country below that level.

[caption id="attachment_201" align="alignright" width="249"]Sixty-four thousand dollar question: can Pakistani batsmen stand against Steyn, Philander and Morkel? (Photo: Getty Images) Sixty-four thousand dollar question: can Pakistani batsmen stand against Steyn, Philander and Morkel? (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

Let’s compare both teams in the three departments of the game: batting, bowling and fielding. Pakistan’s opening is still facing problems. Nasir Jamshed’s riveting performance against India may be an edge for him, but punishing ‘fast’ bowlers on damp pitches of India and Pakistan, and facing pacers on South Africa’s speedy and bouncy tracks are two different things.

Jamshed may have been a talented batsman, he lacks the experience required in such conditions. However, his brilliant knocks against South African Invitation XI show his form is ‘international’.

On the other hand, Taufeeq Umar’s entrenched habit of giving catches in the slips is still there and his performance also lacks consistency.

Though Haris Sohail may be tried as another opener, in the presence of Mohammad Hafeez he is unlikely to be included in the playing eleven because Pakistan cannot have four openers. However, Sohail is there as a backup option, and may be used if Pakistan’s top order badly fails to perform.

Talk of Proteas, they have Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen as the opening pair, with the former being brilliant on South African wickets. And if, for instance, hosts’ top order fails to live up to expectations, they have names like Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla who can face almost all kinds of bowlers. Moreover, South Africa have Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Jacques Rudolph in their squad who may add insult to Pakistan’s injury.

Pakistan undoubtedly have an experienced batting pair in the form of captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, with an additional young talent in the form of Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Faisal Iqbal, but the sixty-four thousand dollar question is: can these batsmen stand against Dale Steyn’s pace, Vernon Philander’s swing and Morne Morkel’s  bouncers?

Bowling can do wonders for Pakistan in the tour. Junaid Khan has showed his mettle in India and it is hoped that he would perform even in the South African conditions favourable for bowlers. Umar Gul is also expected to performed better as he has now support from the other end. Mohammad Irfan, with his increased pace and controllable bowling, has also impressed everyone in the India tour and he is likely to create problems for the opponents, given he remains fit throughout the series. In the current scenario, Ahsan Adil doesn’t seem to carve out his place in the team, but he is undoubtedly the future of Pakistan as he can also perform with the bat.

As for the spin bowling, there is no match between the two teams. Pakistan have world’s top spinners, with Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Abdur Rehman having talent unmatched by any other bowler. On the other hand, South Africa lack any such spinner who has the ability to ravage the opponents’ batting line-up.

But South Africa can overcome that deficit by having Jacques Kallis—a fast-bowling all-rounder—in their ranks. Pakistan, on the other hand, haven’t got any such player.

Pakistan have finally given “non-Akmal” a chance as a wicketkeeper for reasons best known to the selectors. Sarfaraz is a talented wicketkeeper and relatively better than Adnan Akmal as a batsman too. In the match against South African Invitation XI, Sarfaraz justified his selection by scoring 93, holding up the inning at a time when all other batsmen had failed. And if he repeats the same in the Test series, he may ruin the chances of Akmal brothers’ return. By comparison, the hosts have AB de Villiers, who is not only a complete wicketkeeper, but a batsman of many talents. Moreover, his form has been quite well against Pakistan in the past.

Now comes fielding, and in this department, South Africans are not only better than Pakistan, but are unmatched in the world. Though, in India, Pakistan showed a lot of improvement in fielding, they still need to acclimatise themselves to the fast conditions in the African country.

Looking at the recent Test series between South Africa and New Zealand, batting seems to be the decisive factor in victory. Despite a good show by the bowlers, the tourists kept on losing matches because the batsmen failed to score.

The comparison shows a clear dominance of the hosts in the tour, but with determination and positive attitude, Pakistan can change the results. Anyway, cricket fans are expected to experience very vigorous matches, no matter who the winners are.
Read more »

Anonymous at January 20, 2013 0
Pakistan have departed for South Africa for quite a tough tour as they would play a three-match Test series against the world number one team on their home ground. What could be worse than that? Pakistan have lost six of the previous nine Tests they played here and chances of success are very slim in the current series as well. However, they have a balance team and must have gained confidence after the recent historic victories against India.

[caption id="attachment_486" align="alignright" width="249"]Pakistan have lost six of the previous nine Tests played against South Africa (Photo: Getty Images) Pakistan have lost six of the previous nine Tests played against South Africa (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

That’s why Pakistan former captain and batting great Zaheer Abbas opines that although the hosts seem favourite in the series, Pakistan can still surprise them if they successfully deal with Dale Steyn and other South African pacers.

Talking to PakPassion.net, Abbas said that the Test series would be a tough one for Pakistan and they have to acclimatise to the conditions in South Africa as soon as possible as the wickets there were very bouncy. He said the role of the team’s top-order batsmen would be pivotal and they should score enough runs Pakistan’s bowlers can fight.

He criticised the idea of playing just a single four-day warm-up match before a Test series against the world No.1 side. “Playing conditions in South Africa are quite alien for our players and they should have been given a chance to play at least three to four war-up matches before the series.”

The former batsman Pakistan have not played a single Test match in recent months, so a single warm-up match would not do and it is going to be a challenging series for Pakistan.

Talking about the technical challenges Pakistani batsmen likely to face against South African pacers, Abbas said, “Our batsmen should be able to decide in the fraction of a second whether to play a ball or leave it, or which delivery is suitable to play a hook shot. Pakistan bowlers are going to face a lot of bouncers, so they should formulate a plan and then stick to it.”

He advised Pakistani batsmen to stick to one approach. “Out batsmen need to be focused, because if they get double-minded, they would be doomed.”

The former cricketer said scoring runs would not be an easy task for Pakistani batsmen against Steyn, Morkel and Philander. He said the most crucial thing for the batsmen would be to stay at the crease and make the most of every opportunity. Though he advised Pakistani batsmen to prolong their innings as much as they can, he also warned them not to be too cautious and maintain a positive approach.

“Our players would face trouble if they fail to take opportunities.”

Abbas, famous as Asian Bradman, said Pakistani batting line-up would mostly hinge on the trio of captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammed Hafeez and Younis Khan.

He said although it was heartening to see Pakistan’s top six batsmen play in the series, the three batsmen have to lead from the front and play big innings.

“It’s not the series where innings of 30 or 40 will suffice. Only that team will win whose batsmen score big centuries.”

He said that having won an ODI series against India, Pakistan must be confident when they face South Africa. He said though Test cricket is quite different from ODI, the fact that Pakistan current squad includes most players from the winning combination would work in Pakistan’s favour.

“The 2-1 victory against India must have imbued our players with self-confidence and positive thinking and I’m hopeful our team will utilise that edge against South Africa.”

Abbas said Pakistan can surprise South Africans if their try to perform to the best of their ability. “Our batsmen have to play big innings. Pakistan are one of the best Test teams in the world and I hope all our players put in great performance in South Africa.”
Read more »

Anonymous at January 20, 2013 0
Tour to South Africa is always challenging for any team. Particularly the way South Africa cricket team have emerged in the last two decades following the sporting boycott of the country during the Apartheid era shows how much they have achieved by strengthening their domestic cricket structure. Today, any team visiting South Africa feel mounting pressure and from the selectors to the coach to the captain, every member of the touring side tries to do his best.

[caption id="attachment_215" align="alignright" width="233"]Winning formula for Pakistan: batsmen must stay on wicket (Photo: AFP) Winning formula for Pakistan: batsmen must stay on wicket (Photo: AFP)[/caption]

South Africa have proved themselves tough contenders on their home grounds. By looking at the record of South Asian teams in particular, no Asian team have yet won a series here. In aggregate, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have played a total of 15 series in South Africa, losing 13 and drawing two—Pakistan in 1998 and India in 2011.

Only England and Australia are the two countries who have records of winning against the Proteas, both before and after the boycotting era. In fact, both teams haven’t lost a single Test series in South Africa since 2000. Australians played four series in South Africa during the period, winning three—including a historic whitewash in 2006—and drawing one. On the other hand, England have played two Test series in South Africa in the last 12 years, winning one and drawing another.

Apart from these two teams, the record is very disturbing for the remaining countries. See the table given below:

Performance of all countries against South Africa














































































TeamTotal seriesVisitors' victoryVisitors' defeatDrawn series
انگلستان181053
آسٹریلیا13922
نیوزی لینڈ7061
بھارت5041
پاکستان4031
سری لنکا4040
ویسٹ انڈیز3030
بنگلہ دیش2020
زمبابوے2020

Looking at the batting averages of the touring sides, Australia and England are at the top which shows that victory in South Africa requires better batting averages as the win-loss ratios of the two teams are better. Since the South African wickets are already helpful for bowlers, the touring side should worry about their batsmen.

Looking at the table given below, Pakistan’s batting average is around 22 per wicket that means they have always found it difficult to face bowlers on the South African wickets.

That’s why the “winning formula” in the present tour is quite simple: stay on the wicket and runs will come. Bowlers will do the remaining work. Pakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq talked about the same formula yesterday.

Batting average of teams touring South Africa
















































TeamBatting average (a wicket)
آسٹریلیا33.09
انگلستان28.60
ویسٹ انڈیز24.65
بھارت24.61
نیوزی لینڈ21.92
پاکستان21.52
سری لنکا21.34
زمبابوے17.34
بنگلہ دیش16.63

Pakistan have always been rich as far as the fast bowlers are concerned and in the South African conditions helpful for pacers, the green shirts can perform better as they did in the past. That’s why fast bowlers’ strike rate in South Africa is 66.9, means they get a wicket in every 12th over, and spinners’ strike rate is 73.7 means in every 13th over they send a batsman to pavilion.

The table below shows that Pakistan bowlers’ strike rate is quite better than other teams. The figure shows they take a wicket in every 11th over and if they succeed in maintaining the strike rate in the current series, it means they can bowled out South Africa in a day.

It is obvious that the hosts could hardly score 250 runs if they kept on losing wickets frequently. But Pakistan know it quite well that present South African team have very strong batting line-up, and the visiting bowlers will have to perform extraordinarily well to undermine the opponents’ confidence.

Strike rate of visiting side's bowlers against South Africa
















































TeamBowling strike rate
پاکستان65.1
آسٹریلیا65.2
انگلستان67.0
بھارت72.5
نیوزی لینڈ73.7
سری لنکا73.8
ویسٹ انڈیز80.9
زمبابوے93.0
بنگلہ دیش108.4

Pakistani batsmen never found it easier on South African wickets and none of their batsman could stand bowlers, except Azhar Mehmood who has scored 327 runs, including two centuries, in five innings with an average of 65.40.

Taufeeq Umar also has had a good experience in South Africa, scoring 280 in two Tests with an average of 70, and it is hoped that he would maintain his form this time around, too.

Pakistani batsmen who scored most runs in South Africa










































































NameMatchesInningsRunsBest scoreAverage100s50s
Inzamam-ul-Haqپاکستان8154459531.7803
Azhar Mahmoodپاکستان3532713665.4020
Younis Khanپاکستان5103056833.8802
Taufeeq Umarپاکستان2428013570.0011
Mohammad Yousufپاکستان5102618326.1002

Another issue in South Africa is of fitness. If Pakistani players remain fit, it would mean they conquer 20 percent of the series. Especially, bowlers’ fitness would be critical as they can play a key role for Pakistan. The trio of Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan and Umar Gul can have catastrophic effects for the opponents, not to mention Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman whose bowling might push South Africa to the brink of collapse. But again, all eyes will be on the pacers and the spinners may be used on vital occasions to give rest to the fast bowlers.

Pakistani bowlers who scored most wickets in South Africa






























































NameMatchesInningsRunsWicketsAverage
Waqar Younisپاکستان585562028.30
Mohammad Asifپاکستان363511918.47
Danish Kaneriaپاکستان363951526.33
Mushtaq Ahmedپاکستان342801321.53
Shoaib Ahktarپاکستان472931029.30

Pakistan in South Africa: A few interesting statistics

  1. Pakistan have scored four Test centuries, two of them scored by Azhar Mehmood.

  2. Taufeeq Umar and Saeed Anwar have scored triple hundreds apiece.

  3. Saleem Malik played only one Test, when in 1995 in Johannesburg he scored 99 runs in the first inning and one run in the second.

  4. In the 1998 tour, Rashid Latif played for the first time as a captain. In the third and last Test of the series played at Port Elizabeth, skipper Latif couldn’t get off the mark in both innings. Amir Sohail captained the side in the first two matches and Latif led the team in the third. The series ended in a 1-1 draw.

  5. Waqar Younis took 10 wickets in the same match in which Latif made debut as Test captain. Apart from Younis, Mohammad Asif has taken two five-wicket hauls in the 2007 tour.

Read more »
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)