Muhammad Amir vs Junaid Khan

Comparisons between these two have always gone in favour of Amir due to his outstanding performances in England and Australia where performances turn players into superstars. Also Amir had received a lot of praise from Imran Khan and Wasim Akram among others whereas Junaid is still considered by many as just another one of Pakistan's usual crop of good fast bowlers. However, stats say that Junaid could turn out to be better than Amir within a year or two.

After 14 Test matches, both have almost similar bowling records, with Junaid having a better average, economy rate and more 5 wicket hauls. Amir though has a marginally better strike rate and one more 4 wicket haul than Junaid.

What MUHAMMAD AMIR did:

He mostly bowled against England and Australia, two of the best Test teams at the time. However, he took his wickets on pitches conducive to fast bowling, in New Zealand, England and Australia, with M. Asif keeping the batsman under pressure at the other end and an experienced Umer Gul also playing a supporting role. Amir took 19 wickets from 4 matches each against England and Australia, six of those 8 matches were played in England.

What JUNAID KHAN has done till now:

He has taken all his five wicket hauls against Sri Lanka, two in UAE and two in Sri Lanka. 34 of his 50 Test wickets have come against SL, in 7 matches. Although SL does not have the best batting line-up, but they have generally done well against Pakistan at home and also in UAE. Junaid also did not have any experienced fast bowlers to help keep the pressure at the other end, and he has mostly taken wickets on placid tracks conducive to spin. Although he did play in South Africa where he took only 6 wickets in 3 matches, he can be forgiven since SA batting line-up consists of batsmen with a collection of over 110 centuries among them. 

CONCLUSION

After what Junaid Khan did against the in-form and world beating batting line up of India on those juicy pitches in the ODI series, we could expect something special from him on away tours in England, New Zealand and Australia but there aren't any scheduled before 2015. We''ll just have to make do with Amir's youtube videos till then.

Asian Teams - Dominant Period in Tests

This is an analysis of Asian teams in test cricket and the extent of their domination during their peak periods.

Stats for India have been selected from post partition era. Before the number crunching, let me define the parameters of this analysis:

Dominance Ratio = (Wins + Draws +Tie ) / Losses during the past "n" Tests

Peak Period = Sequence of Tests with the best Dominance Ratio

n = 35 and 50 Tests for separate analysis

$= Most no. of  wins in a sequence of 35 matches

Here are a few things you should know before you read the analysis:

1. I took the cumulative records of Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka from Cricinfo updated till March 23, 2013 and put them in an excel sheet.

2. I added a few columns to show total wins, total losses, total ties and total draws in the last "n" matches.

3. I then highlighted the years with best dominance ratio (as defined above). Where more than one "n" periods had the same ratio, I chose the period with the most wins as the Peak Period. I have highlighted the second best period in grey.

4. There was a case for making Wins and Losses more influential in the ratio than the Draws but Peak period for me is that period during which the team was almost invincible. Therefore, Draws have as much weightage as Wins in the ratio.

5. This analysis is simply based on basic stats. It does not include the quality of opposition and home and away advantages. Pakistan and India were also minnows at the time of partition, they had the same teething problems as Sri Lanka. And to Sri Lanka's advantage, they have played more Test cricket against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh during their Peak than India or Pakistan.

6. Since Sri Lanka started later than the other two teams, I believe using n=35 is a better option than using n-50. Using a smaller value for "n" will be improper since peak periods are extended periods of dominance.

7. No. of times Dominance Ratio was achieved shows the consistency of the teams: how many times the teams got near their own peak since the start of their cricket.

8. Comparison of Dominance Ratios of the three teams also shows the dominance quantitatively i.e. at the peak, how difficult was it to beat the team during the peak period...therefore, higher the Dominance Ratio, more difficult it was to beat the team.

Comparison of		Pakistan	India	Sri Lanka		Remarks
Dominance Ratio for 35 matches		10.67	7.75	3.38		Pakistan's Dominance Ratio shows that they were harder to beat at their Peak
Peak Period Start		13-Mar-87	1-Dec-78	18-Dec-05
Peak Period End		18-Jun-92	30-Jan-82	16-Nov-09
Time Period (Years)		5.27	3.17	3.92		Shows that Pakistan's 35 Tests covered a longer span than the other two.
No. of times 35 match Dominance Ratio Achieved		9	1	6		Shows that Pakistan and Sri Lanka were a lot more consistent at their peak and maintained their peak longer.
Win / Loss Ratio		3.67	1.75	2.38		Shows that Sri Lanka's peak included more results than draws. However. Sri Lanka played 7 matches against Bangladesh during the period. Pakistan played 3 matches against Sri Lanka during their peak. India did not play against any minnows.
No. of Wins		11	7	19
No. Of Losses		3	4	8
No. Of Draws.		21	24	8
No. Of Ties		0	0	0
Most no. of  wins in a sequence of 35 matches ($)		18	17	19
No. of times $ achieved		10	7	8
Dominance Ratio for 50 matches		7.33	4.56	3.17		See links below
No. of times 50 match Dominance Ratio Achieved		13	1	2

For complete analysis and data tables click:

Asian Cricket Teams Peak - 50 Matches

Asian Cricket Teams Peak - 35 Matches

Pakistan's T20 League

PCB is contemplating holding a T20 domestic league having a franchise system much like the IPL but different and unique at the same time. On PTV Sports, Amir Sohail floated the idea of a PRO 40 tournament. In this post, a new tournament is being proposed incorporating the features of the Super 8s, ICL, Barclays English Premier League (EPL) and IPL, which might have the potential to bring international cricket back to Pakistan. Remember, copying is one thing, taking inspiration is another. What Pakistan cricket needs currently is a tournament to showcase that our country is safe for international cricket and that it has the potential to become a financial hub for investors.

The Best Asian Team?

A friend of mine believes Sri Lanka is the best Asian team in ODIs based on their performances in Australia this year, and the fact that they've played three world cup finals like India. However, when I did some statsguru search, I found that Sri Lanka is the worst, barring Bangladesh. Also India and Pakistan have been fairly equal, however, Pakistan's overall record in ODIs edges them ahead of India.

Azhar Ali: The new Asim Kamal?

I remember Geoff Boycott talking about Asim Kamal way back in 2006 in a post match analysis, after the Pakistani batsmen threw away their wickets with reckless shots: "I haven't seen the lad, but I've just seen the record you just showed, and I see that he's scored so many fifties but no hundreds, and in Test matches you need guys who can score big hundreds...So I wouldn't pick him in my playing XI" However, Rameez Raja and Sanjay Manjreker laughed off his comments and said consistency such as Asim Kamal had showed was hard to find among young batsmen in the sub-continent.

Pakistan vs Australia, World Cup 2011

Pakistan should win this match, the Aussie middle order apart from Clarke isn't scoring much, though Hussey's inclusion would strengthen their batting , especially considering his record against Pakistan in all forms of the game (He has scored 64, 35*, 29, 49, 67 and 40* in his 6 innings against Pakistan in ODIs). Pakistan has got very good spinners, Gul and Riaz (if shoaib doesn't play) are normally good at bowling at the death, so the match result depends on how we play in the first 15 overs of each innings.

Zulqarnain's Flight

I've got some wild theories about Zulqarnain's flight to England:

1. Akmals threatened him indirectly, so Adnan could be the wicket keeper and Kamran could come in the team as a batsman.

2. Zulqarnain was told that he wouldn't be playing in the fifth ODI so he decided it was best to do something about it instead of accepting like he did in the Test series against England.

3. Zulqarnain thought he had a better chance of playing for England than playing for Pakistan, and at least, he could play for a county there.

4. He knew something about the the Butt, Aamer, Asif issue and was a threat to their case.

5. He's telling the truth but now he's regretting what he's done.

I believe if he doesn't tell the whole story soon, he's never going to tell it. None of the former cricketers believe him except Sarfaraz Nawaz. He's been changing his statements every other day. His family doesn't seem to support him either. To me, it looks like he's foolish but telling the truth.

The Curious Case of Fawad Alam

Every time he walks out to bat, there is an uncomfortable feeling of watching a meaningless innings from an overrated batsman. His career ODI strike rate of 74 runs per hundred balls is too low for an allrounder-turned-specialist batsman coming in the lower order. He can't play the short ball, a deficiency which makes him ineffective on fast bouncy pitches. He doesn't have the power to hit boundaries required at the end of an innings. His technique has been criticized, his stance even more. But his stats say otherwise.

He averages over 42 in ODIs (as of today). Of his 23 innings in ODI cricket till now, he has returned not out 9 times, with a strike rate of 103.54 in those innings. Nearly all his best performances have come when the team needed them most (fifties against Australia, England and South Africa).

In T20s, he averages 18 (SR 117) which is acceptable considering he comes in to bat at no.7 with not many balls left.

In his three Tests (two in Srilanka, one in New Zealand) he averages 41.66. He has yet to prove his test credentials though. His only Test innings of note is the brilliant 168 he scored on debut against Srilanka in Colombo, in 2009. 

His pattern of scoring suggests that he likes to accumulate runs in singles and doubles and then hit out in the latter part of his innings. To be fair to him, for a man criticized for being too slow in his scoring, he hasn't been given adequate chances. In limited overs cricket he comes in to bat at no.6 or 7 when he would have been better suited in the middle order, especially in the absence of some senior batsmen. On many occasions, he has had to rebuild the innings after a batting collapse. In Tests he hasn't been given a proper chance since he failed in the Dunedin Test against New Zealand.

Zardari's Net worth and Education according to Wikipedia!

President Zardari is 2nd on Pakistan's rich list after Mian Muhammad Mansha. This is how his source of income has been described by Wikipedia.

Rank	Name	Net Worth ($ USD)	Age	Residence	Sources of income & wealth	Industries
1	Mian Muhammad Mansha	1 bil[1] - 5 bil[2]	62	Islamabad	Nishat Group, MCB, Adamjee Group, Nishat Chiniot power	Textiles, Banking, Energy, Transport
2	Asif Ali Zardari	1.8 bil[3]	54	Islamabad	Government of Pakistan	Politics, Food, Investment, Real estate (Acquired mostly through corruption)

According to a news report, British officials had trouble finding the school Asif Ali Zardari is said to have received his graduation or equivalent qualification from. The PPP says it was the London School of Economics and Business. But, no one seems to know for sure where that is.About his educational background there is some contoversy: "While a candidate for parliament, a position for which a 2002 rule requires a college degree, Zardari claimed to have graduated from a college in London called the London School of Economics and Business (LSEB). The 2002 rule was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court in April 2008.^"

In a written response to questions about London School of Economics and Business, an Edubase official told Dawn, "I have been unable to find evidence of this institution."

Pakistan officials in 2002 established a rule that a candidate for Parliament must have a certain level of college education.

Pakistan Cricket Team's Selection

Pakistan Team's 15 member squad for the ODI and T20 series against South Africa in the UAE has been announced.

I hate to say this, but Shoaib Malik does have a place in the ODI team considering the upcoming World Cup. If Misbah can play, so can he, its just a matter of controlling him and his group-bndi outside the ground. Misbah deserved his chance because of his performance in the domestic ODI competition.

Somehow, the selectors have seen sense and dropped Umer Amin and Azhar Ali from the ODI squad. Azhar deserves a chance in the Test series though, especially if the pitches are good for battting. He's had a rough time in his early days, playing in England against good seamers, so he should get a chance to play in the tests against South Africa.

The bittersweet news is the exclusion of Kamran Akmal, replaced by Zulqarnain Haider due to Akmal's appendicitus operation. Akmal's batting will be sorely missed, his keeping probably not.. Haider should stay for the tests if he keeps well. No need for a keeper who can bat if he can't keep.

Tanveer Ahmed gets a chance, lets see if he gets to play. Asad Shafiq retains his place and rightly so. Except for the last two ODIs against England, he looked good in the series.

Intikhab Alam makes a comeback, this time as the manager. I guess Ejaz Butt can't sleep without the knowledge that the team has a 70 year old Baba Ji with them. Shaid dua'ain kerne k kam aatay hain. 

I would've liked to see Rana Naveed or Rao Iftikhar in the squad, both are good bowlers in limited overs cricket, especially in sub-continental conditions. In Amer and Asif's absence they could have been included.

The captain hasn't been announced yet, can't see why. If Afridi is in the squad, he's got to be the captain. Perhaps, Prince Butt is mad again !

Pakistan squad: Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Tanveer Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider (wk).