Posted by Same as ever really. Just sort of hope that everything magically works itself out.
Shahid Afridi is a tremendously good one-day bowler, but you’d hope to see a stronger attack alongside him. Seven foot Mohammad Irfan is the novelty, while Junaid Khan is perhaps the class.
But it’s the batting that’s the real problem. The fact that Afridi isn’t significantly less reliable than most of those above him says it all really, because Afridi is literally as unreliable as it is possible to be. If it weren’t for the fact that he has 11 international hundreds to his name, you would consider him reliably useless.
So Pakistan’s strategy basically boils down to having Misbah-ul-Haq wearily trying to inch them to 150 before making a frighteningly good attempt at defending that.
King Cricket rating: Brendan Gleeson’s character in The Guard
Very few traditional heroic qualities, but a faint suspicion that they might somehow do the job anyway.
I’m not brilliant on movies and movie actors unless the movie is animated, so I had to look up both Brendan Gleeson (not correct spelling, KC) and The Guard.
But following my research into Brendan Gleeson and The Guard, I have decided that Pakistan might therefore resemble Bob Hoskins’ character in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Co-starring Shahid Afridi as the eponymous hero of that film.
Pakistan are like Ben Flower – a loveable rogue with a slightly psychopathic streak
Australia are like Lance Hohaia – properly deserving of a punch, plus another one while lying unconscious on the floor. And, the first to use dirty tactics but quick to play the victim as soon as they get some back. And, only capable of winning against weakened opposition.
I will NOT stop going on about this, no matter what you all say about me.
(For completeness, England are like Jeremy Guscott – stylish and brilliant within the minds of people who haven’t seen sport played properly, in reality laughably useless)
Thanks for the correction, Ged. That was McCullum’s fault. There’s another name we have to type relatively frequently that we frequently misspell because of a cricketer with a similar name, but annoyingly we can’t bring it to mind right now.
Totally with you there, KC.
Garry Sobers and Graeme Swann have a lot to answer for.
In the case of Mr Swann, the spelling is a childish prank that is borderline bullying, frankly. I have hundreds of friends all around the world who agree with me on this point.
What is Misbah-ul-Haq decides not to play, because he thinks he’s out of form? I’d then liken them to a catherine wheel that flies off its pivot – flash, whizz, ooh, ahh, splat.