Kolkata has in its splendid history a number of ruins to gaze at for the traveller to these parts. Perhaps the most famous one among these is the Victoria memorial, one of the most beautifull memorials present in India. It took 20 years to construct and was done so in the memory of the Queen Empress by Lord Curzon who perhaps saw the Taj Mehal and thought why shouldn’t i do something like this!
The most recent of the ruins to speak of though is the one being presently constructed at the pitch where the test match in question between India and Pakistan has turned into a David vs Goliath affair.
It is not the fact that India won the toss and batted in this test match that i am concerned about, it is how they batted. With their opener Waseem Jaffar making a double century and then the ever contributing little master 82 and then the prince of kolkata another 100 and then Laxman another 100. It was almost like the Pakistani bowling attack was some second rate club team which the collouses was merely engaging for batting practice before the actual match took place.
Gone are the days where a proud Alu once lead his team to victory in India after a hard fought series of cricket. Where the likes of Rana Naveed and co dazzled the opposition with swing bowling of true merit. Today we are reduced to playing a fast bowler who has spent his last two days in hospital before the match.
I wonder how the selection committee members can sleep at night when they pick a bowler like Mr Akhter even though he is sick to play in a test match of all things, whilst so many younger and upcoming bowlers toil away in the domestic season without any hope of a chance in the squad.
Nobody is debating the fact that the said bowler is a great one when in top form, but give the poor guy a break. Must we play him even if he bowls at half his speed because of his sickness? no doubt he has renewed dedication but do we have no other options but Sami to carry up his workload?
I remember the heyday of fast bowling which i had the honor to witness in this country. When the 2 W’s would steam in.. venom in their eyes and lightning bolts in their hands. When the streets of Karachi were full of Wannabe Waseems and Waqars. Where have all the fast bowlers of our country vanished to?
India declared (mercifully i must add) at 616 for 5 in their first innings. Pakistan in answer to this are 50 for 1 wicket. Exactly where can we go from here but in further depths of despair on this tour? Already the sharks back home are chomping for Maliks Blood. The new “Foreign” coach looks even more bewildered than the last one (God rest his soul in peace) his remarks were ” Our bowlers bowled well on a batting track”(Lawson in Post Match comments). If we were to describe this in medical terms…the situation is code Blue gentlemen. Our team needs resuscitation and fast!!!
Alas… what we would be willing to give now for an Imran not on a hunger strike!
In other news, Inzimam playing for the Hyderabad Hero’s in the ICL 20/20 made a fiery 42 of 28 balls today, as his team romped to a 33 run victory over the Mumbai Champs, who were featuring Lara in their lineup.Â
Make peace, not war!