Pakistan is the Master of its Destiny

`` #34 by Munjan
I am sorry I meant to say how could you say so eaisly that we could beat India? India is never an wasy team to beat, and on top of that India pak games are bit more than just games. ``

Well I thought that our batting would come good against a mediocre Indian attack. I think they have decent pacers & one good spinner in Harbajan. I feel they are one bowler short. Also, I thought that their batting is too dependent on Sachin. Having said all of that I do believe they have a bright future. However, I thought that our team would play them well as we always have. Although we always feel that games with India are tough, if you look at the past few games (last 6-7 one dayers) you will see that most of them have been one sided. Nothing close.

Moffez,
I am sorry I meant to say how could you say so eaisly that we could beat India? India is never an wasy team to beat, and on top of that India pak games are bit more than just games.

Munajn.

Get rid of the primadonnas, and the handlers and the trainers and the ``khaki management``. Sab Ke Sab Sadiyal Hain Ji!
I wish our entire contingent is exiled to Iraq. Atleast they can serve as Human Shields and be of some use. Catch the incoming US missiles without dropping them. USELESS KAHIN KE!

`` #31 by
Mofeez,
I cant imagine you wrote that Pakistan is not worried about their game against India as much as against Zimbabwe, that was rediculus ? ``

Your statement is incorrect. I did not say that Pakistan is not worried about the game with India. What I said was I was not worried about that game. I thought we would beat them easily. Obviously, my forecast was incorrect.

Mofeez,
I cant imagine you wrote that Pakistan is not worried about their game against India as much as against Zimbabwe, that was rediculus ?

It would be interesting to see how our heroes are welcomed at the airport. I am ashamed of their ``accomplishments`` especially after such a big sendoff. Am I the only one who is disheartened by their performances, both on and off court? When will we learn to cultivate and promote excellence? I can understand democracy is a very big thing to achieve, but 11 good cricket players in a country of 140 million!!!, AM I ASKING FOR TOO MUCH?

capture -- of that notorious killer shaikh khalid mohammed -- a Gold Medal for Musharraf`s team!

BACK DOOR IS CLOSING ....FAST

What a stubborn team, Australia turned out today against England. They will be hard to beat by any team. Good news is that Pakistan is still alive and will have to beat Zimbabwe to qualify for the next round.

Shahid Afridi, Inzimam, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younas, Haneef Khan must be sidelined if Pakistan qualifies for the next round. Where is M. Azhar?

Congratulations to India on a well-played win. When Tendulkar plays like he did, only Australia can defeat India.

On the whole, cricket was the winner. Hopefully, India will now agree to play Pakistan in the future, including the Sahara Cup in Canada.

Overall, India-Pak record now stands at Pak 52 wins - India 30.

Zaheer Khan bowled well. Anwar played well also. I think Pakistan overplayed the idea of attacking with bowlers. On a flat track, with a large total on the board, Pakistan should have bowled line and length (like Razzaq and Afridi did), and contained the score.

We WON!!!!!!!

Pakistan is the Master of its Destiny
by Mofeez Murtaza

````Pakistan, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, yesterday signaled it will vote with the United States on an Iraq resolution at the U.N. Security Council.````(WASHINGTON TIMES)

thanks `master` musharraf:-)

MJ Akbar in the Asian Age :
Law of Destiny vs Law of Averages
- By M.J. Akbar

Johannesburg: Pakistan has never beaten India in the World Cup. Is that good news or bad news?

By the Law of Destiny that should be good news for us. Clearly Pakistan are not destined to beat us in the Cup. And in any case the Karma of the Indian team has been flowing strongly ever since the fans stoned a home or two the other day and sms messages raced through the nation asking for a boycott of products that had sponsored the team. Little wakes up the boys more sharply than the thought that their faces could disappear from the hoardings.

On the other hand, by the Law of Averages Pakistan should at long last get their act together. On paper, they are tigers as well.

I fear that what will really operate on Saturday is the Law of Martial Law.

This Law does not operate in India. If India lose on Saturday they will have enough opportunity to recover their breath and save their face. But if Pakistan lose...

If Pakistan lose the 11 players may well have to split towards 11 separate destinations. Waqar Younis is fine: he can always disappear into the arms of his in-laws in Australia. Wasim Akram should be all right as well. He has done enough to get a job in Wisden in London.

Inzimam could lumber off to Dubai, where a large section of the Pakistani population makes every effort to look like him. Shahid Afridi, with his looks, could find a bride anywhere. He could stay back in Durban and model for television ads for imported spices. I am less sure about Yousef Youhana; he is a Christian, which makes it doubly tough. My advice to him would be to seek asylum in Bible-belt America after he has altered his name to Joseph John. Yousef Youhana is the original Aramaic form of Joseph John.

Saeed Anwar, of course, would have no problem returning to Pakistan. He could land at Karachi airport to a hero’s welcome from the Binoori Mosque Fan Club (Binoori Mosque in Karachi is where Osama bin Laden met and befriended Mullah Omar).

But what about the comparitive unknowns, the guys in the middle who have been included because they are alleged to be all-rounders? They are the ones slated to get the rap for being bowled by Ashish Nehra. My heart goes out to them but my mind is a blank. Perhaps they should head towards New Zealand, which still has a generous immigration policy.

Indians have done the strangest things against Pakistan in one-day cricket and still been allowed to return home. Bishan Bedi, whose IQ was generally three steps behind his decisions, once forefeited a game in Sahiwal, Pakistan, because Sarfraz Nawaz, who had no IQ at all, bowled four bouncers in an over. No one understood what Bedi’s problem was. He was not batting. In fact, we had eight wickets left and only 23 runs to score when Bedi sulked.

Fortunately bookies were not in control of the game then, or Bedi would never have survived an inquiry.

The most famous moment in the history of Indo-Pak encounters was in Bangalore in 1996. Aamir Sohail, spurting like a jet engine, smashed Venkatesh Prasad one more time to the boundary, and then arrogantly gestured to Prasad to go fetch the ball. Prasad, suddenly simmering like a volcano, clean bowled Sohail next ball. Pure magic.

Prasad is a commentator in this World Cup. His bowling was better. Sohail is also a commentator. His batting was better.

Sohail’s partner in Bangalore, Saeed Anwar, is still playing, although heavily disguised by a huge beard. He can’t bat anymore, and never knew how to bowl. They must have included him in the team under the cross-border terrorism quota.

The most ludicrous moment in this history was surely in Canada, during the Sahara Cup, when Inzimam chased an Indian spectator for calling him a potato. The price of truth has always been high. Inzy has scored 10 runs in four innings in this Cup. If he maintains the same run rate on Saturday, even Dubai will not give him asylum.

It has taken India and Pakistan 24 years to play 85 one-dayers. Who knows how many centuries it will now take for the two countries to complete a century of one-dayers.

Awan,
``I havent made any comments in the religous conext.``
Calling Saeed Anwar maulana Anwar is not int the religious context ? If not, then what made you chose those particular words in describing Anwar ?

``If you read again I have done the same for inzimam and waqar``
And that makes the whole thing kosher ? You are missing my point.

``I am and have always been respectful of other people`s private life``
No. In your previous post you were not.

``When we talk about our national side they have been given the fame, popularity, wealth etc by virtue of their participation in the national side. If they cant do justice to it then they are better-off doing other things rather than playing for the nation and disgracing the country and themselves.``
I agree with the later part of your statement. And you can pan pakistani team as much as you want. Heck I will even join you - I am an indian after all ;) But you seem to be implying - and correct me if I am wrong - that just because player X plays in the national team his / her private life is no more private and can be subjected to public scrutiny and comment. That is not so. It should not be so.

I will wait for your follow up post before posting my comments

warm regards,
John

Wasim Akram is Srinath`s advisor. Wasim Akram is Ashish Nehra`s advisor. Soon Wasim Akram should be the coach for the Indian team?

Re Srinath the vegetarian bowler, I don`t think he is vegetarian any longer.

One of the programs on Indian TV said that Srinath began to eat nonveg(mostly chicken I think) on the advice of Wasim Akram who felt that only through eating nonvegetarian food can fast bowlers acquire the stamina and strength that they need. :)