British media already searching for chink in Saeed’s armour
-Photo by AFP
FOR Pakistan it was an eventful first day in the Test in which off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, true to his recent form, tied England batsmen into knots by bowling them out under 200, picking up in the process seven wickets which is also his career best and provide Pakistan with the initiative to take a firm grip on the match.
What is most important now for Pakistan is to make sure that their batsmen display as much discipline as did Saeed, Mohammad Hafeez, Abdul Rehman and the two pacemen who kept England batsmen under pressure throughout the day to dismiss them after tea.
In a team game everyone matters but we cannot take away the credit from the brilliance of Saeed Ajmal`s nagging accuracy and attacking approach which brought the downfall of Andrew Strauss` men.
Though the ball rarely turned sharply and a great number of them kept straight, Saeed seldom faltered, not even when Matt Prior and Graeme Swann got into the rescue mode to add 51 valuable runs for the eighth wicket. That said, Prior`s unbeaten 70 I thought was an outstanding effort in the circumstances.
However, all those who perished against Saeed`s spin must have realised the fact that this series may not be a cakewalk for the top ranking English team.
In cricket today, the wrist-spinners are a rarity, as they have been throughout the game`shistory. But same is not the case with the offspinners. In every era there have been a few around and amongst them there have been match-winners like the great West Indian Lance Gibbs, the first spinner to take 300 wickets in Test cricket.
Before him there was Jim Laker of Surrey and England who remains the only bowler in Test history to take 19 wickets in a Test at Old Trafford in the Ashes series against Australia in 1956. There was also Ray Illingworth later inthe 70s and now Swann, one of the finest in the game today. Of course, Sri Lanka`s magician Muttiah Muralitharan towers above them all, having taken the highest wickets in Tests a whopping 800 of them.
Then there was our own Saglain Mushtaq, the inventor of Doosra whose skill with the ball earned him great respect all around.
Success, however, does not come easily but for a price and at times pressures are such that only men with nerves of steel keep their cool in adversity. That is the time when suspicious eyes begin to probe the action of a successful spinner or a fast bowler.
Muralitharan, we know, went through hell when he began to turn the screw on the Australians and it took him some time to be finally recognised as a special talent.
Saeed`s success, I suppose, would attract as much microscopic probe by those who think he may have a crooked movement of the arm. In 2010 he was reported, but not since, and I believe that his present action is as fair and legitimate as the naked eye can judge.
All the batsmen who have faced him recently have nothing to moan about, nor do the umpires. England`s failure against him in the Dubai Test, though, can spark yet another question mark on his bowling and signs are already there.
Whining Poms do not let any opportunity slip in this regard and all day while the wickets fell, a faction of the British media like a `pack of wolves` were busy trying to dig out a story to malign Saeed`s effort by casting aspertions on the way he bowled.
Although the wicket offered little help, Saeed kept the batsmen guessing most of the time. A great majority of the batsmen were out, I suppose, to his `straight` deliveries which had very little turn.
That was ample proof that Saeed had been playing on the English batsmen`s minds and that can be a huge advantage for Pakistan if today our batsmen are able to keep Strauss and company in the field and take a sizeable lead from hereon.
Mr Garreth, you are lucky your views got published mine addressed to Daily Mail never did. So much for freedom of speech. Ok we are cheats you are bigger cheats except when you do it it is an art! Biggest frauds are committed in UsA and Uk.
I think enough is enough.Just learn accept that others can win fair and square.This is what we Asians have to say you Englishmen.The bottom line or honest opinion whatever you may call it is that wew Asians have never been treated fairly by the British or Australian media.Its not just that England has produeced cricketing greats we too have Sachin,Murlidharan and Wasim Akram.India,Pakistan and Srilanka are proud and honest cricket nations though I am afraid tha the spot fixing cast a bad eye on Paksitan but other than that we Asians have contributed not greatly but immensely to international cricket.
To sum it all we also do have a right to enjoy our successes just like you do.If you can live with htis thats fine otherwise please don't tout your free values or freedom of speech.
I m an Indian but I have to say Ajmal has been cleared by ICC so there is no issue or problem with his action….
England are searching reasons for hiding their batting failure & lack of skills of facing spin……
Lets avoid knee jerk reactions. Take it as a game, and be mindful its a long series.
Bob Willis is amongst the long line of sore Enlgish losers. It started in 1982 (when England refused to change David Constant) and then we had Mickey Stewart, Ian Botham etc. When our bowlers was reverse swinging, it was cheat. Now, it is an art.
It just the matter of unity in the team, we have unity so we are able to stand against England team. I never underestimate any of the member either they belong to any organization except for few.
And PCB is going to bow to English wishes by imposing life long ban on Ajmal.
Ajmal played a smart mind game and succeeded. Brits still under that spell.
Enjoy the cricket, this thing happens all the time, when England, and Pakistan play. I have seen this before.It is difficult to see any third world country beat the all mighty west.
Wait for the test results , if england lose then they will make a case against Ajmal and british tabloid will be all over to demonise his bowling action.
This is for my dear friend Garreth. As a proud member of an honest nation you should have enough courage to give credit where credit is due. Otherwise you will officially become known as a cry baby and such people are looked upon very unkindly.
Happy to see the english media now.Just a few matches,they are world beaters.Pak has brought them domn.Now what ted?where are your people?
It is indeed highly deplorable to see the British press seeking to malign and defame Saeed Ajmal instead of highlighting his brilliant performance against the world's number one Test Team. .In these circumstances it needs to be underlined that the British press is irked only when an Asain player demoralize the Englishmen.
Oh my God I will mis News of World this Sunday
England has always been a nation of sub-standard cricketers. They may say that they have had great bowlers/batsmen,butthey hold no records. They have contributed nothing to the art of cricket. Theonly thing they have contributed is bringing their nasty media as thirdumpires and bending the rules to help their sub-standard cricketers. The rule of Bouncer was modified because their players had problems with it. Now they are onto Saeed Ajmal. They may call Pakistan cheats (which M.Asif, Butt and Ammir have given them all the leverage), but an advise to the Royal Knights of London is that they should actually try to improve their standard of players and move on rather than digging skelatons from the past. That is why England will never achieve the standard of Aussie because they play with passion- and justify their dominace with great players who let their game do the talking.
they just cant take it when pakistan bowls them out on low scores , trust me if they werent bowled out for 76 in lords test against pakistan then that butt,amir and asif issue wouldnt have come up. and now its saeeds turn coz he now bowled them out. Appreciate the learn to play a talented player rather then looking to get him away by doing criticism.
@Garreth : Perhaps we are forgetting how bigger cheat mike getting and umpire dicky bird were ? lets leave this aside as you dont judge the entire nation on the basis of few idiots.
It was only going to be a matter of time before this all started again…. it only took one innings. Shanes action was OK but murli's was questioned!! amongst others. Let's not beat about the bush… it amounts to racism, dress it up how you like. Aussies heve it right they will remain "whinging" pommies. They just like to win by hook or crook. This series is not in ENG. so you cant have it all your way, just get on with it…
Thumbs up Pakistan … <3
Pakistan is a nation of cheats. So no one trust them.
Dear Editor, do not publish it if it hurts your ego. That does not wash away the truth.
Dear Garreth
Thanks for your honest opinion, but fact cannot be denied. The fact is whenever English players can't find the solution for the attack of Pakistan, they try to find out lame excuses. You just check from the history. Watch WC 1992 final. Watch the matches of the past years. It is written on the wall, England team cannot defeat Pakistan team easily. Whenever England team wins against Pakistan, that is a hard fact but I accept this reality. Whenever two teams play, one has to win and other to lose. Garreth, try not to blame the nation. Everywhere in the world, you can easily find cheaters and fraudulant people. It is a matter of chance some people are exposed and some are sharp enough that they don't give clues to the media. One last thing, it will be a great series and I would like to enjoy the game! Take care Garreth!
Britishers should quit playing cricket if they don't know how to handle the art of spin bowling. Bob Willis commented on his dressing, why he's waring full sleves shirt? Well he can bowl with half sleves or with no shirt. But the problem is still there, you cannot face his doosra, tesra or even straight ball.
LOL Garreth – are they as big a cheats as going in for spices and then occupying and looting a land for over 200 years?? I can go on for the whole day.
@Garreth, any comments on this universal fact?
… and what about English people? Most honest fellows on Earth?
Cheats are individuals and do not account for the whole nation.
. I am sure you must have alread where an English Cricketer in county has his fame recenetly due to Spot Fixing.
So should we also account you people as Nation of Cheats as well.
. Just a food for though?
Dear Gareth,
Pakistan is indeed a nation of cheats, as England is nation of whingers, whinning constantly when loosing….
@gareth
u ppl cn nt except…but gt dwn 2 dround ..
Really?
People!
garreth may not be an english as his name is suggesting. Again, he is only an individual. Plz dont blame the whole english nation because of him.
Gareth,
Really? Do you remember a certain English captain, M Atherton, who. Was ball tampering using dirt/sand in his pocket? Was he punished? Was he hounded out of cricket? No he wasn'nt. In fact he stayed on to captain the England team. at least Pakistan disowned their cheats. The English are the worst losers, typified by Broad who cn't accept decisions against him. Wake up to the truth – it will set you free!
Dear Garreth,
Yor are entitled for your own opinion.In a civilised society the comment you made is discriminatory and unacceptable.
Every country has the share of good and bad apples but you cannot generalise. I don't know what your nationality is but you need some education as your e-mail shows total abscence of decency and presence of stone age mentality.
Accept failure with pride rather than insulting the winner.
Garreth, why don't you just accept the fact that Pakistan has always produced better crop of cricketers instead of calling the entire nation cheats because of the actions of 3 of its cricketers. If you can't handle England batsmen cripple under Pakistan's bowling then you should rather not watch the game, but don't call our nation a nation of cheats.
Sour are the grapes and World Cup Cricket for England. If you fail, blame somebody. I would just laugh out loud on this nasty comment, which reflects the mean ness of the mentality.
What's that, cheats did you say?
That's kind of ironic coming from someone whose country is known throughout history, for subjugating, colonizing, looting and plundering other nations.
British seems to always want to portray to the world that they're some angels from the heavens, when in reality is that they're one of the most hypocritical, deceptive on earth.
Yes, there are certain Pakistanis cricketers who're cheats. But only WE PAKISTANIS have the right to condemn and punish them. You're NO ONE, to categorize a whole nation, as cheats. So shut your trap, you whining, ranting Brit.
If Pakistan manages to defeat england, I pray and hope that they do it defeating england by the most humiliating margin. And pray that Pakistan wins not only the Test Series, but also the One Day Series, as well as the 20/20 Series.
Insha-Allah, Ameen.
And gareth, go stick to your own kind, don't need your trash here amongst us Pakistanis.
Worst Regards,
Mujahid Nasrullah Khan Achakzai
DEAR GARETH
i think you are finding it hard to digest that ajmal outclassed english batting line up………..as far as labeling a nation as cheats is concerened i think we can find plenty of examples from just cricket alone proving englishmen to be cheaters……..
Hahaha recenlty an english county player admitted that he is a cheat. Now the ECB has given amnesty to whoever admits he is a cheat. Papers say that this cheating phenomena is very much ingrained in county cricket. What double standards. and stop calling this guy dear he doesn't deserves respect.
Well done Pakistan!! Ajmal is a very very talented and intelligent bowler.He gave India a run for its money in the WC. Particularly when he got Sachin LBW .I almost had an heart attack
hopefully India will do better in the last test against Australia. Wish you all the best Pakistan.
Cheers
Satyendra
if you almost had a heart attack please stop watching cricket.
Love cricket too much.. cant stop watching yaar!!
Thanks
History has a tendency to repeat itself and the reaction of the British media in case of talented Saeed Ajmal's superb performance with the ball in the first test against England is no exception to it. Furthermore, as we say in America, 'old habits die hard' and because of that, the media outlets in the U.K. in general and the 'movers and shakers' of cricket in particular will strive hard to undo the out-standing performance of the 'green-shirts' against them by adopting all possible methodologies.
I am a British Pakistani but i have to say that the British are too proud to accept that Pakistan can and has out done them in cricket this time. They should be man enough to accept that they couldnt play our spinners as they were good and not because of suspect arm action.