Group B - Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka

[aussie]

Brillaint stuff Ntini, second time this year he has destroyed a side when he has gotten conditions to his liking, arguably the best fast-bowler in the world on current form.

[The Baconator]

CW Report: Pakistan crumble to Ntini

[Bouncer]

Today Pakistan perfectly pulled off a Pakistan

[Perm]

Good call Bouncer, it's refreshing to see an ODI wicket were bowlers can have a fair chance. I think that the strength of Pakistan's first and second change bowlers really helped lift the pressure on Boucher and Kemp, plus Bouchers fighting attitude really is typical of him and showed in his innings. Underrated I feel.

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Posted by a Pakistan fan on Cricinfo:

Pakistan needs to fix its captaincy issues first. I think Younis Khan should be made captain for good. Inzamam will play just for a year or so more and its better Younis learns the ropes whilst he is there in the team.

Afridi is never going to change and he does not seem to have the zip about him. he simply seems to be going thought the motions. With Inzamam likely to retire soon we will have a huge hole in our middle order and that coupled with our opening woes is the biggest thing to worry about.

I think our boys should concentrate more on cricket than stressing who prays and who doesn't. They are paid to play cricket and not spread Islam. If they have so much interest in religion they can join the many jamats to satisfy their spiritual needs. As far as I am concerned as long as a player performs on the pitch, i couldn't care less about their private lives.

The board should never have sanctioned testing on its players and should have kept quiet when the +ive results came. I doubt they will deal with the matter correctly and its likely to become one big mess. They should have let the players be caught by ICC testing and let them deal with the matter.

Posted by: Nasir at October 27, 2006 6:00 PM

What a refreshingly disgusting PoV.

[Dravid]

Exactly what dif would it make if they got caught by ICC? PCB actually did the right thing cause if they got caught with ICC then they could've been in deeper trouble.

[SJS]

Woolmer said yesterday that he finally missed Asif and Shoaib in the match against the South Africans. Wonder how many runs they would have scored.

Here's my take on what's Pakistans(and other subcontinental teams) BIG problem

[Dravid]

Woolmer said yesterday that he finally missed Asif and Shoaib in the match against the South Africans. Wonder how many runs they would have scored.

Here's my take on what's Pakistans(and other subcontinental teams) BIG problem

Woolmer can't make any excuse for that result. There was no problem with the bowling so what does Asif and Akthar not being there have to do be with anything? The problem was clearly their batting and Pakistan are only missing one main batsman. We all know a team can't win a match with one batsman becuase they need someone to support them and stay at the wicket, so he can't use that as an excuse either. Woolmer just needs to admit Pakistan got crushed and they simply weren't good enough and stop trying to save him self.

[Perm]

I bet the fan that made those comments was wearing an eye patch at the time. Seroiusly though, the PCB did a good job with the Akhtar and Asif incident and I commend them for it. Handled it very well. I agree with the guy about Afridi not having the same old zip he used to have and how Younis Khan should be made captain although he is struggling with the bat, probably due more to being out of form than the captaincy.

[magsi23]

Any team from 42/5 manages to score over 200 desreves to win, also it showed how important YY's are for Pak, if they fail the whole team struggles

[marc71178]

Woolmer said yesterday that he finally missed Asif and Shoaib in the match against the South Africans. Wonder how many runs they would have scored.

Which 2 bowlers would they have replaced in that line up as well - because the openers had combined figures of 18-4-62-5...

[Jono]

Look, its no excuse, but Asif would have got plenty of wickets on that wicket. To deny that he wouldn't have run riot on that pitch is being a bit naive. It was tailor-made for his type of bowling.

Asif, Shoaib and Gul would have bowled wonderfully on that wicket. There wouldn't have been such a let-off in pressure after the first 15-20, even if the ball would stop moving around due to the hardness wearing off. SA wouldn't have made more than 200 anyway, probably still would have won though because Pakistan's batting line-up struggle against movement.

[marc71178]

But would it have been Asif Shoaib and Gul is the question I was pondering, not sure where Arafat stands in comparison to them with his batting.

But either way, Pakistan only made 89 runs, and if Arafat were to have been the one to drop out, that's the top scorer gone!

[Jono]

Haha true. Arafat showed how much easier it got to bat on after the first 10-15 overs. Too bad the whole Pakistani top 7 didn't hang around to realise that.

[Poker Boy]

Well done to SA for a great fightback but you have to ask: on a seaming pitch why did Pakistan not have five seamers....and two of the four they had didn't bowl their quotas! Say what you like about Mr Smith (and I'm not a fan) but he read the conditions right. There was more chance of ME bowling for SA yesterday than a spinner! As for Pakistan's batting..the best I can say is that it makes England's look almost competent. At least when SA were 42-5 they got out playing defensively - but Younis Khan (for once), Imran Farhat (again) and Afridi (as usual) played RIDICULOUS shots. You feel that all the progress Pakistan made last winter is in danger of being thrown away...