Thursday, February 09, 2012

Promising Afghanistan face Pakistan test

A monumental day awaits Afghanistan as they take on Pakistan in a one-off ODI at Sharjah, UAE. This will be their first ODI match against any Test-playing nation.

They go into the match on the back of consecutive wins against Canada in the ICC World Cricket League Championship held in August 2011. 

Since entering the international arena, they have played 18 ODIs and won a staggering 11 of them. Middle-order batsman Nowroz Mangal will lead the side. Shapoor Zadran will in all probability spearhead the bowling attack, while Mohammad Shahzad, their highest run-getter in ODIs, along with the skipper will form the back-bone of the batting line-up. The prodigious Mohammad Nabi will provide great value to the all-round department. The prospect of playing the 1992 World Cup champions will provide a great learning experience for the players.

The Pakistan team, which thrashed the English 3-0 in the recently concluded Test series, will again be led by the astute Misbah-ul-Haq. They go into the match on the back of 6 consecutive wins in ODIs. This transformed side has been exceptional in the 50-over arena as they are currently on a 5-series winning streak.   

As far as the team composition goes, they have retained the bulk of their Test side except for Taufeeq Umar whose place will be taken by Imran Farhat. Poster boy Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and batsman Hammad Azam have been included in the squad, while talented all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has again been left out. Either Abdur Rehman or Saeed Ajmal could be rested for the game owing to their marathon efforts in the previous Test series. 

It may seem as a warm-up match for Pakistan before the big 4-match ODI series against England begins, but owing to their unpredictable performances in the past against the minnows, they won’t be taking this promising Afghan team lightly.

Confident Kangaroos meet unsettled Lions

Having drubbed India in the first match of the tri-series by 65 runs, hosts Australia would look to continue their momentum as they meet an unsettled Sri Lankan side in the third match at Perth. 

The home side put up a sparkling performance in the first ODI led by the impressive Matthew Wade. After being reduced to 19/2 in the 8th over, the hosts recovered well thanks to some intelligent batting by Wade and Hussey brothers. 

Their seam bowlers bowled with great discipline and the likes of Mitchell Starc and Clint McKay were truly magnificent. Ricky Ponting and skipper Michael Clarke did not contribute much with the bat but the former’s contribution in the field was exceptional.  

Brett Lee, who suffered a broken foot in the 2nd T20I at the MCG, has been replaced by Ben Hilfenhaus in the squad. But the bowling attack will in all probability remain unchanged. In the batting department, Peter Forrest will probably be handed his debut in place of all-rounder Daniel Christian. 

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have started off on a poor note after a mediocre performance against India at the WACA. The much needed momentum in the batting was missing throughout the innings. They did manage to fight back in the later stages with the ball but it was too little too late. 

The batting order needs to put up a much better performance. Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and skipper Mahela Jayawardena got starts but couldn’t carry on. And the form of Dinesh Chandimal has been a huge boost to the Asian team. 

In the bowling department, Dammika Prasad impressed in the previous ODI, while Lasith Malinga will look forward to a much better performance against the Aussies having scalped just a single wicket against India. As the WACA pitch assisted the spin bowlers, the Lions might bring in left-arm spinner Rangana Herath in place of left-hand batsman Lahiru Thirimanne. 

Owing to the fact that the Lions have never beaten the Kangaroos in eight ODIs at this ground, it will be a strenuous task for the visitors to get their first points on the board.