We want a whitewash: Johnson
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DUBAI: Fiery paceman Mithcell Johnson Saturday said he was happy to be the aggressor in his team's attack which contributed successfully in the one-day series win over Pakistan in United Arab Emirates.
The 32-year-old left-armer bowled with venom and guile to take six wickets in the two games, 3-24 in the 93-run win in Sharjah and 3-40 in a five-wicket win in Dubai which gave Australia a 2-0 unbeatable lead in the three-match series.
He recovered in time from a rib injury sustained on the tour of Zimbabwe in August and will also be the spearhead for Australia's attack in the two Test series against Pakistan which follows the one-day internationals.
Johnson, who took 37 wickets in Australia's remarkable Ashes turn-around of a 5-0 bashing of England last year, said he is gaining more confidence.
“I am there to be the aggressor and still try and bowl and hit the wicket hard and bowl those bouncers as well,” said Johnson.
“I am just getting my confidence back and things are going the way I wanted to go at the moment, the rhythm and speed is pretty good.“
It was Johnson who helped Australia stage a comeback after Pakistan put on a 126-run opening stand on Friday, dismissing Sarfraz Ahmed (65), Umar Akmal (five) and Shahid Afridi (two) to trigger a middle-order collapse which saw Pakistan derailing from 126-1 to 215 all out.
“On these wickets things don't change, we had to give fuller deliveries and we got fuller there after and once we started to put them under real pressure we got a few quick wickets and the game changed a bit,” said Johnson of Pakistan's innings in the second one-day match.
Johnson said his team will go for another win in the final one-day in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
“We want to win three nil and that is our goal now. We have won the series and that is the way we are and we want to keep going and keep playing good cricket because we've got the World Cup coming next year and so we have to keep being at our best,” said the paceman.
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Comments (25) Closed
Oct 11, 2014 08:06pm
shame on pcb and our players, if they can't even beat a B TEAM send by AUS even in our suited conditions. What is so horrendous and disgraceful is that they have now lost to austrailia in back to back series in 14 years now, and last time they won a series against aus was way back in 2001 and 1995 in tests. For a country of a population of 200 million cricket fanatics can't produce 11 world class players compare to aus who's repected population is barely 20 million size of khi. Pakistan and its people deserve much much better from our cricket team than the results they have been producing for a long times. These current crop of players lack miseralbly the pride and honor to play for pakistan, which our legends in 50's-90's had, they are self centered.
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Oct 11, 2014 08:44pm
And so shall Australia...worse is yet to come for Pak cricket team and they would deserve it.
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Oct 11, 2014 09:52pm
Australia got lucky that Pakistan's selectors did not select any off spinner and few sensible batsmen..,,
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Oct 11, 2014 10:17pm
If Misbah is playing 3rd ODI then Pakistan deserves whilte wash. I pray that Misbah does not get face saving otherwise we are stuck with him for world cup. Misbah inspires no confidence or energy in the team. He will not retire and therefore he should be sacked from ODI cricket. He is not getting any younger.
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Oct 11, 2014 10:19pm
This performance by team Misbah should not come as a surprise. He is a pathetic captain and recent performances reflect his mentality.
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Oct 11, 2014 10:25pm
they will get the whitewash even in test matches as well.
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Oct 11, 2014 10:26pm
i wld like next world cup to remain in asia be it pakistan india or srilanka....best of luck
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Oct 11, 2014 11:19pm
Don't worry you will get the whitewash. Misbah and Afridi will make it happen. I don't know if they play for Pakistan or they play for the opponents.
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Oct 12, 2014 12:17am
@Amir Cheema. Oh no. Misbah has withdrew from the 3rd one dayer. Trying to have some face to be able to ruin rhe world cup too. Go misbah go.
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Oct 12, 2014 12:54am
I guess ghost of younus khan must be definitely haunting misbah and selectors; leaving your best batsman never does any favors for the team
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Oct 12, 2014 12:59am
Misbah wont play last one day as he has opted out alongwith wahab who is injured
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Oct 12, 2014 03:33am
Afridi should be sacked even before Misbah. The first OD was the only match of 10 where he managed wickets otherwise he doesn't get any wickets any more. He scores runs once in every 20 matches. Pakistan needs to rebuild and should have given a chance to young talented players like Sami Aslam, Haris Sohail and Saad Nasim. Its high time for Misbah, Afridi be sacked and Asad Shafiq be kept out to limited over game.Choose a captain among Umar Akmal, Sarfraz and Shehzad.
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Oct 12, 2014 03:38am
All the problems are created by the PCB by not playing any A-TEAM cricket for last 4 years. Had Sami Aslam, Haris Sohail, Hammad Azzam and other youngesters played a couple of seasons in a A-team and toured South Africa, England and Australia, Pakistan could have had replacements ready now.
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Oct 12, 2014 05:12am
A whitewash you shall have as I predicted at the outset.
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Oct 12, 2014 07:40am
With the recent Pakistan team and performance, white wash is definitely on the cards, Unfortunately, seniors regardless in the team or neglected and sitting outside doesn't have it. Juniors are too in experience and not getting consistent runs. Sooo Pak cricket is at the crossroads. Some drastic measures and decisions are needed to rebuild the team. Misbah is no Inzimam and definitely no Imran, He will not be able to make big impact on the fast bouncy pitches of Australia. He should hang his gloves and retire. Sarfraz should be made captain. He is only player with some confidence and consistent performance. Asad and Shezad should be given long run. Only bowler that is bowling consistently is Irfan. Definitely need to rebuilt. No short term solution though, so forget about 2015 WC and plan for next world cup.
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Oct 12, 2014 08:09am
One good inning or a great bowling spell from a Pakistani player can stop the white wash. From AUSTRALIA it was Warner then Smith and Maxwell who played a part in the wins assisted by dropped catches by Pakistani fielders. In bowling it has been Johnson. But there is a sense of doom on Pakistan cricket. From captain to most players are looking scared with the exception of Irfan and Shahid Afridi and to some extent Umar Akmal.
When Asad Shafiq, Misbah and Fawad are batting there is sense of gloom all over the nation because these players have never played an exceptional match winning inning. They slow down the batting average and score at an average of 2-3 runs per over till they can get to 20-30 runs and gradually they increase the run rate.
The selection committee, coaches and captain must go for Pakistan to have any chance of revival before the WC 2015.
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Oct 12, 2014 10:00am
You deserve a white wash Australia. But there is nothing you have done achieving it. You are playing against mentally and physically disabled individuals carefully and repeatedly by bigger disables. I would say team playing against Pakistan should be declared as a 'Charity Match for Disables'.
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Oct 12, 2014 10:28am
They lost the T20, they will lose the One Day series, and undoubtedly they will lose the Test series as well. Nothing good can be expected from these players, because most of the players are 'parchi' players. Coming up with some source. This Pakistani cricket team is the biggest joke of a team since after the golden days of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam ul Haq, Ijaz Ahmed, Ramiz Raja, Aamir Sohail, Moin Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mehmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad.
I really miss watching the previous players, it was such a treat to watch them play. Now all we see in the Pakistani team are inexperienced, under confident, confused and some arrogant players breaking the team and Pakistani cricket apart, one match at a time.
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Oct 12, 2014 12:12pm
There is too much money involved in the game for anybody to change anything. The seniors are a protection shield for the PCB administration.
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Oct 12, 2014 12:50pm
People are still blaming the PCB. Very easy when things don't go your way just blame someone. When will Pakistan get out of it;s National Pass time "blaming others" for every failure.
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Oct 12, 2014 03:56pm
we are already a laughin stock for everyone...so this also will not make much difference !!!
Long Live Pakistan
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Oct 12, 2014 04:47pm
There is shortage of talent in Pakistan which is evident in club cricket even. We are lacking quality pacers and if we get one, these bowlers are asked to become line and length bowlers rather than out and out quickies, and if someone like Wahab bowls quick, he is used more as a defensive option than an enforcer.
I don't see any future of Pakistan cricket where someone as mediocre as Afridi has played over 300 ODI's on the basis of one century AND I have no words for Misbah and selectors who stick with him.
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Oct 12, 2014 08:51pm
Hahahaha!
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Oct 13, 2014 12:20am
@Amir Cheema sucker misbah isn't in team still we lost
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Oct 13, 2014 09:42am
I am sure that Pakistan will be proud to accept a whitewash or blackwash anywhere in the world with the kind of team it has at the moment and guys like Umar Amin, etc in the team. I live the verdict of this debate to the excelling, exciting, educated, enlightened and enduring of this great DAWN forum.
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