tribute to Inzi

This is my tribute to the greatness of Inzi and the selfless spirit he has shown in this series.

Many questions have been raised about his timid attitude and blame has been thrown squarely on his shoulders for the team's lackluster performances. He has been accused of not being aggressive enough and some "fans" have even gone so far as to call him "chicken" and "donkey". Well yesterday he proved ALL his doubters wrong, all of them.

The match against west indies was the perfect example of the kind of captain he is. He won't scream or shout at Salman Butt for dropping Sarwan, he won't come down hard on rao for wasting the new ball, he will give the youngsters chances to get better, to prove themselves. You say he isnt aggressive? He had a slip and short-cover in for almost the entire match. you say he's not a good fielder? he will run around the boundary 30 feet and take a brilliant catch to his wrong side and make it look easy. he is the best captain this young Pakistan team could have hoped for and he has shown it. how dare you say he isnt leading form the front?

The same match has also proven how great Inzi the batsman is. We were reeling with 3 wickets down and a runrate of under 3 after 18 overs when the great man stepped onto the pitch. You call him a coward? You have the audacity to call him chicken? Even youhana was struggling against the precision of the windies medium pacers. But it was Inzi who steeped up to the challenge and bailed us out at a crucial stage. This is what I call "setting the tone". He doesnt only set the tone, he has the ability to change it around. How dare you question his committment...how dare you question his spirit? He won't go for his century, but will throw his wicket away just to get Pakistan to a better total. THAT is the message he is sending to the youngsters.

And as if the burden of supporting a young team wasn't enough...Inzi has to answer to all the critics back home that dont understand the person he is. He has been leading a young inexperienced team under the toughest of circumstances in the face of great adversity and some fierce attacks from home. and I believe its about time we all eat a slice of humble pie and bow to the greatness of this Pak cricket Icon.

[Khalil]

Pakistan may have achieved 2 wins but Inzi still remains a dumb captain.

[Rob H]

I agree Inzi is a top class batsmen but he is still yet to become a master tactition.

I'm with ATYS. Inzi is the best captain for this young team. He may be tactically out-thought at times. But you need a calm head when you are playing with youngsters. Give the guy a break he is our only World Class player and has the enormous pressure of if he fails we fail.

[Officer Barbrady]

I'm with ATYS. Inzi is the best captain for this young team. He may be tactically out-thought at times. But you need a calm head when you are playing with youngsters. Give the guy a break he is our only World Class player and has the enormous pressure of if he fails we fail.

True!

[Geordie Ahmed]

|-T |-T |-T |-T

very good post ATYS, i have been saying this as well of late! Inzi is getting way too much uneccessary stick and im enjoying him make these ppl eat humble pie!

[Shayan]

I've always said, captaincy has brought out the best in Inzi's batting.

[Faisal Akhtar]

Nice post. He'll only be noticed once he's gone.

Same happened to Moin, oh how we could have done with him in the test matches!

[Schiller]

I dont see the pt behind this tribute here
other than his innings yesterday and even yesterday Yoyo was the main man, he hasnt done a hell lot of note

When you tribute him at the wrong time, you do him a disservice in a way.

I dont see the pt behind this tribute here
other than his innings yesterday and even yesterday Yoyo was the main man, he hasnt done a hell lot of note

When you tribute him at the wrong time, you do him a disservice in a way.

Umar if you havent seen the match I suggest you refrain from commenting on it.

[Schiller]

Well, i did follow the match, didnt see it but i followed it
secondly

I dont see you praising

1. yoyo
2. Rana
3. Afridi

of all the people Inzi who probably would be along with Afridi if not below him

[Saj]

Umar, the point is he has done a lot in this series. He's been Pakistans best batsman, so he deserves a lot of praise for that, especially given that most of the time he goes in when the pressure is on and our useless openers have gifted their wickets to the opposition.

He has also paced his innings well, strike rate is excellent, and is amongst the leading aggregrate run makers in the VB series.

[Schiller]

Well Saj, will have to disagree a bit there. What he did in the Tests is something that is definitely clouded with doubt and all
secondly sending himself further down the order to let guys like hafeez and all face the brunt of it is something I cannot label anything but Cowardice.

As a batsman, I have always rated him highly and that is not my real concern. I think others deserve more credit specially Afridi/Razzaq in general and Rana and Yoyo to a degree yesterday.

Well, i did follow the match, didnt see it but i followed it
secondly

I dont see you praising

1. yoyo
2. Rana
3. Afridi

of all the people Inzi who probably would be along with Afridi if not below him

what kind of a silly comment is that? ofcourse I praised all of them. I was doing it during the match and after it as well. Is there a rule that I have to write tributes for all our heroes or no one? I wrote this one for Inzi because of people like you questioning everything he does. And if you had seen yesterday's match you would have known who wrong you are.

I think others deserve more credit specially Afridi/Razzaq in general

LOL...you call those that bat at 4 and 5 cowards and praise those that bat at 7 and 8??? i must say that makes a lot of sense!

[Fessal]

Thats a great post by ATYS, with quite a lot of things I agree with and some I dont quite. I have always been an Inzy fan since he burst onto the scene and he deserves all the tributes. However, there is nothing wrong with POSITIVE criticsm as that is only way people can improve. No person and sportsperson is perfect be it a captain manager whoever. My main criticsm with Inzy is he dosent show any sparkle on the field and dosent SEEM to be pushing the players usually when needed. Maybe I am wrong and thats he has his own style of bringing the best out of the players.

Anyway the guy is a genius and a legendary batsman. As a person he has great qualities and many of these reflect in his calm captaincy approach which has some good qualities as well. :-) Long live the king of Multan! :-)

[Saj]

Umar, I am not talking just about yesterdays match, I am talking about the VB series combined so far. Look at his average, his aggregrate of runs and his strike rate.

One has to realise that in order for Razzaq and Afridi to be in a position to play the sort of "crash bang wallop" innings they have been playing, it requires the likes of Inzi to piece it all together in the middle overs. Razzaq and Afridi cant bat for 20 or 30 overs.

To call a player of Inzis calibre a coward is harbouring on ridiculous. Look at the mans stats and his record.

He's batted at 4 and 5 recently, so has Lara - is anybody calling Lara a coward ?

He's batted at 4 and 5 recently, so has Lara - is anybody calling Lara a coward ?

exactly!!! for that matter, lets start calling Dravid, Martyn, Miandad, Steve Waugh all cowards. this is beyond common sense!

[Schiller]

"LOL...you call those that bat at 4 and 5 cowards and praise those that bat at 7 and 8??? i must say that makes a lot of sense!"

Even more interesting to note that you failed to understand what i was saying ;-)

My main criticsm with Inzy is he dosent show any sparkle on the field and dosent SEEM to be pushing the players usually when needed. Maybe I am wrong and thats he has his own style of bringing the best out of the players.

I dont see anything wrong with that criticism Fessel. As you said its his style and everyone's style has its own flaws. If you simply point that out I dont think anyone will disagree with you. Unfortunately therre are people on this board who insist on calling Inzi a coward and have even gone so far as to call him a "donkey" and an "aaloo". its shamefule and a disgrace to be quite honest.

"LOL...you call those that bat at 4 and 5 cowards and praise those that bat at 7 and 8??? i must say that makes a lot of sense!"

Even more interesting to note that you failed to understand what i was saying ;-)

well then why dont you explain it to me Umar. You know so much and everybody else knows nothing...so explain yourself to us oh great evaluator of men...

explain to us why those batting at 4 and 5 deserve to be called chicken and those batting at 7 or 8 deserve to be called heroes....

explain to use why the brave souls batting down the order shouldnt revolt against the team and ask to be promoted to avoid their images from being tarnished....

explain to us why lara, miandad, steve waugh and others that batted at 4, 5 throughout their careers deserve to be called great leaders of men and inzi batting at the same spot desreves to be called chicken....

why dont you explain THAT to us oh great one.

[Schiller]

"Umar, I am not talking just about yesterdays match, I am talking about the VB series combined so far. Look at his average, his aggregrate of runs and his strike rate. "

Saj, if we are to go by a combined factor, I still would say Afridi and Razzaq deserve more praise perhaps. Secondly my critiqiue of Inzi has been regarding his captaincy and him sending himself further down the order, hes now batting at 5 not even 4.

You dont send novices up the order to face the brunt, the greater batsman is supposed to do that.

"One has to realise that in order for Razzaq and Afridi to be in a position to play the sort of "crash bang wallop" innings they have been playing, it requires the likes of Inzi to piece it all together in the middle overs. Razzaq and Afridi cant bat for 20 or 30 overs. "

Not denying that but by that rationale shouldnt Inzi be coming up then instead of 5?

"To call a player of Inzis calibre a coward is harbouring on ridiculous. Look at the mans stats and his record. "

I am not generally one to go by stats saj and even in this case but to not call him coward re 5 and 6
is i would think odd and out of loyalty

"He's batted at 4 and 5 recently, so has Lara - is anybody calling Lara a coward ?"

To be honest, i am not familiar with their team and I am not concerned either.

[Schiller]

"well then why dont you explain it to me Umar."

I believe we had this discussion on the old PP

"You know so much and everybody else knows nothing...so explain yourself to us oh great evaluator of men... "

2 things and keep it in mind.

1. I dont like sarcasm or taunting and if you think I do that to you please point out and I will apologise.
2. Dont stoop .

If you cant keep it civil then no pt in discussions.

"explain to us why those batting at 4 and 5 deserve to be called chicken and those batting at 7 or 8 deserve to be called heroes.... '

If you had followed my argument about Inzi being a chicken for playig so low, you would have understood, those who did follow tht discussion will probably tell you what i said in case you feign ignorance.

[Fessal]

Calling Inzy a coward is disgraceful and damn disrespectful. The man is a playing legend and has done so much for Pak cricket and dosent deserve this treatment and label by fellow countrymen. I am bery cross with u Umar for saying that about Inzy because he dosent deserve to be called that.

Inzy has come ina t number 3 in the past and also opened the innings during his career. He has realised that 3 is probably not for him and also wants to give the younger players a chnace to come in early and develop as reliable players. If they get out Inzy and YoYo are there to take over. The man has also time and time won matches for Pak..so please show some respect for him.

(also want to add that none of our legends like Imran and Javed etc deserve to be called cowards etc).

Thanks

[Schiller]

Re Lara and the 3rd position, the following should say something when you compare it with Inzi
Lara at 3 (http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?sdb=player;playerid=1982;class=odiplayer;filt er=advanced;team=0;opposition=0;notopposition=0;ho meaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;ground id=0;season=0;startdefault=1990-11-09;start=1990-11-09;enddefault=2005-02-01;end=2005-02-01;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;schedule dovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;followon=0;resu lt=0;seriesresult=0;captain=0;keeper=0;dnp=0;recen t=;viewtype=bat_list;runslow=;runshigh=;batpositio n=3;dismissal=0;bowposition=0;ballslow=;ballshigh= ;bpof=0;overslow=;overshigh=;conclow=;conchigh=;wi cketslow=;wicketshigh=;dismissalslow=;dismissalshi gh=;caughtlow=;caughthigh=;caughttype=0;stumpedlow =;stumpedhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewty pe)

[suhaib]

still need a new captain

I've been following your argument Umar. You want Inzi to "set the tone", "send a message to the youngsters" and more implicitly you want him to get on a horse and ride alone to battle amidst the sound of trumpets. ]

well I saw the match yesterday, I saw him set the tone, I saw him send a very strong message to the youngsters and I saw him bail us out of a near impossible position nearly single handedly. and he did all that batting at number 5!

I am more than willing to carry out a civil conversation with you. But when you start calling Inzi names and his methods toh posh you deserve to be confronted with a lot more than sarcasm.

[Schiller]

"Calling Inzy a coward is disgraceful and damn disrespectful."

A matter of opinion.

"The man is a playing legend and has done so much for Pak cricket and dosent deserve this treatment and label by fellow countrymen. I am bery cross with u Umar for saying that about Inzy because he dosent deserve to be called that. "

Again, I am not criticising his batting, i am criticisng the fact that he contiues to send novices up when I think he should be facing the ball not hafeez.

[Fessal]

OK fair enough Umar bhai.. we will just have to agree to disagree on this one then.

[Schiller]

"I've been following your argument Umar. You want Inzi to "set the tone", "send a message to the youngsters" and more implicitly you want him to get on a horse and ride alone to battle amidst the sound of trumpets. ] "


if you can argue without exaggerated metaphors, id appreciate it

I said and I repeat, he should come up earlier to save the sinking ship, set the tone and face the brunt. Surely thats not difficult to understand?

"well I saw the match yesterday, I saw him set the tone, I saw him send a very strong message to the youngsters and I saw him bail us out of a near impossible position nearly single handedly. and he did all that batting at number 5! "

And where was Yoyo when Inzi was doing everything single handedly? Keep in mind, Yoyo came at 4 and not hafeez, subtle difference, hope you can appreciate it.

"I am more than willing to carry out a civil conversation with you. But when you start calling Inzi names and his methods toh posh you deserve to be confronted with a lot more than sarcasm."

Interesting indeed.

[Schiller]

No worries fessal, we can disagree :-)

atys,

if youre going to resort to sarcasm for the reasons you justified above, then it would surely be a good idea that we do not discuss as I would not be interestd enough ;-)

Secondly, I called inzi a chicken/coward for the way I percieve him to be. If you perceive me to be a chicken or a coward or a donkey or an owl or some other fancy thing, do so. Sarcasm and telling me 'oh great evaluator' just reeks of a pedantic mind (youre going to say me calling Inzi a chicken does so as well but then youd be further proving it;-) )

[Fessal]

Hafeez should go and try another sport, we don't need his services (with all respect) cause I dont think he is cut up for Int cricket. As usal I may be proven wrong some day, and might start singing his praise... I doubt very much though.

And where was Yoyo when Inzi was doing everything single handedly? Keep in mind, Yoyo came at 4 and not hafeez, subtle difference, hope you can appreciate it.

yoyo was getting beaten silly by bravo's outswingers. inzi was the one that tool control at that point and "set the tone", "saved the sinking ship", "sent a message to the youngsters". again, if you havent seen the match have the humility to trust those that have.

i'll stop using exaggerated metaphors the moment you apologize for calling Inzi exaggerated names.

Secondly, I called inzi a chicken/coward for the way I percieve him to be. If you perceive me to be a chicken or a coward or a donkey or an owl or some other fancy thing, do so. Sarcasm and telling me 'oh great evaluator' just reeks of a pedantic mind (youre going to say me calling Inzi a chicken does so as well but then youd be further proving it;-) )

You know I actually used to think you were sensible. If its okay to call Inzi a chicken when you "perceive" him to be a chicken, then its okay for me to call you "oh great evaluator" when I perceive you to be so. subtle similarity... hope you can appreciate it.

[Schiller]

"You know I actually used to think you were sensible."

Well now you know I am not, glad we cleared that up.


"If its okay to call Inzi a chicken when you "perceive" him to be a chicken, then its okay for me to call you "oh great evaluator" when I perceive you to be so. subtle similarity... hope you can appreciate it."

Let me rephrase it and dont be a copy cat ;-)
You can say whatever you want to me, chicken coward whatever but personally I find sarcasm disgusting and pathetic. That is what I am objecting to and since you and I are having this discussion it makes more sense that we atleast try to care for that. If inzi said that he had issues with me being straight and blunt, id refrain. You get the point here then

just admit you were wrong Umar. youre the only one out here defending this. even Amjid can't find the words to do so. there has to be a reason why so many people are arguing against you!

[Schiller]

atys, if we go back a day or two, youd know that i admitted to quite a few things when you asked me that q didnt i?
in this case, i just think that others like rana and yoyo were more deserving and all (yes threads have been created about them) but I dont think inzi as yet deserved this. Not dneying he played a very good role yesterday again.

Umar the point everyone is trying to make here is this...there is a REASON why Inzi plays at 4 or 5. and its NOT because he's afraid, but because he knows that situations like the one we were in yesterday will arise. and he is the one who has to step up and bail us out when that happens. If he leaves the youngsters to face those situations their confidence will be shattered.

It may well be the same reason why Lara is batting at 4. Its the same reason why Waugh batted at 5 when he had young pontings and gilchrists with him.

Instead of acknowledging this, you are choosing to focus on the negative which is what frustrates me so much.

but I dont think inzi as yet deserved this

bhai....read my post again and point out one thing I said that is incorrect. just one.

[zorawar]

I think this argument started well but was taken to extremes calling Inzi chicken, etc.

He remains the best batsman we have by far but a very very ordinary captain.

When all goes well for Pakistan on a day, it does not suddenly make Inzi a very good captain and when the results are against us all criticism should also not be just heaped on Inzi.

Stay objective guys!

He remains the best batsman we have by far but a very very ordinary captain.

so what qualities did you notice in yesterday's match Zorawar that would make Inzi an ordinary captain?

[Geordie Ahmed]

Re Lara and the 3rd position, the following should say something when you compare it with Inzi
Lara at 3 (http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?sdb=player;playerid=1982;class=odiplayer;filt er=advanced;team=0;opposition=0;notopposition=0;ho meaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;ground id=0;season=0;startdefault=1990-11-09;start=1990-11-09;enddefault=2005-02-01;end=2005-02-01;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;schedule dovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;followon=0;resu lt=0;seriesresult=0;captain=0;keeper=0;dnp=0;recen t=;viewtype=bat_list;runslow=;runshigh=;batpositio n=3;dismissal=0;bowposition=0;ballslow=;ballshigh= ;bpof=0;overslow=;overshigh=;conclow=;conchigh=;wi cketslow=;wicketshigh=;dismissalslow=;dismissalshi gh=;caughtlow=;caughthigh=;caughttype=0;stumpedlow =;stumpedhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewty pe)

Umar the last time he played at 3 was whole year ago!


Anyways back to the main point. i think you guys are a bit ott in the debate you are having, im sensing you are getting a bit personal! atys i've known Umar from PP for a while and i gotta say he is a gem of a guy (tho he uses some words that are beyond me, oh the benefits of dictionary.com :-D :-D :-D ) he has his own opinion which i dont agree with, i dont feel Inzi is a coward or a chicken, i feel he is doing the best for the side AND yesterdays match showed that!

Umar like atys said if you watch the match you will realise that Inzi is the one that set the tone! YoYo was playing well but he was a bit edgy and was not picking the singles easily, Inzi immdediatly hit the ball around and maintained a very healthy run rate which got YoYo moving and he was in touch! i give the other guys credit as well BUT i felt Inzi's knock was very crucial, he scored very quickly!

[Schiller]

"Umar the last time he played at 3 was whole year ago! "

he did yar the pt was that the last time he played , shall we say consistenly or for an amt of time and not as an exception was 95/96, lara on the other hand has played till 2002/3 i think?

" atys i've known Umar from PP for a while and i gotta say he is a gem of a guy (tho he uses some words that are beyond me, oh the benefits of dictionary.com ) "

ha ha ha, where do you think i get those words? i go to thesaurus, type in the simplest word then see which one would be really out there and shove that in
ha ha :oD in case this comes back to haunt me, i am joking ATYS. ;-)

and a compliment that I return to you as well GA

It would be interesting to note how people behave towards me if and when I am not the mod waisay.


"Umar like atys said if you watch the match you will realise that Inzi is the one that set the tone! YoYo was playing well but he was a bit edgy and was not picking the singles easily, Inzi immdediatly hit the ball around and maintained a very healthy run rate which got YoYo moving and he was in touch! i give the other guys credit as well BUT i felt Inzi's knock was very crucial, he scored very quickly!"

Not denying that either yar, just saying he hasnt proved anything yet. he has to show and do a lot before i can think otherwise. i knwo the guy is committed and unlike the khotha tries his best i just suspect his buddhist temperament and perhaps his non inclination to come up is not that good or holy
in aus match too, i heard everyone say his capt was rather poor. one match either way is not the pt, a pattern is though perhaps.
if inzi and yoyo carry on from here and be positive and aggressive and all, id love that really

[Schiller]

The pt in your post that was inaccurate I think atys was every sentence where you used 'proved'

He didnt prove anything.
as i see it hes the only choice we have BUT he still is a very poor captain most of the time and so in general.

[Geordie Ahmed]

ha ha ha, where do you think i get those words? i go to thesaurus, type in the simplest word then see which one would be really out there and shove that in
ha ha in case this comes back to haunt me, i am joking ATYS.

why you little . . . . :oD :oD

and a compliment that I return to you as well GA

It would be interesting to note how people behave towards me if and when I am not the mod waisay.

Well Umar mod or NO mod you're still a to$$ER :-D :-D


The pt in your post that was inaccurate I think atys was every sentence where you used 'proved'

He didnt prove anything.
as i see it hes the only choice we have BUT he still is a very poor captain most of the time and so in general.

i agree that the match did'nt "prove" anything! i think it was a good example of why the current lineup is good, it may not work in the next match/es but i feel its the best way for the near future! i made the point in another thread that i would feel better knowing that we are 50/3 with Inzi and YoYo still to cam than say be 50/3 with them already departed!

i think the younger players are letting Inzi and YoYo down in the sense that these 2 guys are relieving a heck of a lot of pressure of them by playing where they are BUT they are failing a lot!

I do agree with you about his captaincy, i dont think player motivation is an issue because captains have their own ways of motivation and i feel Inzi being the senior player easily motivates them without the need for shouting and bouncing around! its his tactical area of the game that needs addressing, how that is i do not know!

[Schiller]

ha ha :-D

but I bet this would come back to haunt me by those who dont get my dirty sense of humor (dirty was used generally there )

[quote]Well Umar mod or NO mod you're still a to$$ER :-D :-D

:oD :oD
I accept, I am guilty
ha ha


re motivation, i think it comes into play when the bowler lets say is getting hammered and beginning to feel bad or low, the capt should try to bring him up, not sure though if inzi does or not ofr that matter

but tactics is one area, i really think he needs to learn a lot. i said earlier that Inzi lacks imagination and for a great leader its necessary that he have it

[Geordie Ahmed]

well Umar the bowler getting hammered is one that i agree with! when Rana was bolwing those no balls i never saw Inzi go up to him and just give him a bit of encouragement, a pat on the back would have helped. however i think i remember in the Australia game seeing Inzi go to his bowler during his over and he had patted him and said a few things to him and it was nice to see! i hope he maintains this! i dont think he is a good captain but it shows you that our side is in good shape if despite his average captaincy we are doing well!

[Schiller]

"well Umar the bowler getting hammered is one that i agree with! when Rana was bolwing those no balls i never saw Inzi go up to him and just give him a bit of encouragement, a pat on the back would have helped. "

exactly yar, the bowler at times needs the capt to come up and talk to them. laid back in field isnt right really

"however i think i remember in the Australia game seeing Inzi go to his bowler during his over and he had patted him and said a few things to him and it was nice to see! i hope he maintains this! i dont think he is a good captain but it shows you that our side is in good shape if despite his average captaincy we are doing well!"

I would agree but this is going to cost in tests big time i think waisay because captaincy plays perhaps an even more imp role there

would be really sad if malik is not groomed as potential skipper

[Geordie Ahmed]

I really hope they groom Malik as well as a potential skipper because otherwise we will be in a similar situation i fear in 5 years time, we will have a senior player as a skipper who is clueless BUT we will have no replacement! i think that they should earmark a few players for the potential skipper role, maybe Malik and Butt!

[Schiller]

I agree with you there and youll be surprised some are already calling for Butt's head Ga
cant believe that at times

[Geordie Ahmed]

Umar im surprised that you're surprised! you should know what pakistanis are like, they are never happy! for godsake we have got a young lad who has talent and has shown he can do it against the big boys, instead of questioning his poor form we should be supporting the lad!

[Schiller]

ayr every now and then i hope they would make an exception and give th lad a chance but no...

[Annie]

well let me say a couple things here...

yoyo was involved in at least 3 run out chances yesterday...very very easy run out chances...with all those chances, if he had not gone on to make that century it wud have been very very crappy!

I finally noticed the 'old' yoyo coming back yesterday, but had inzi not taken control as he did when yoyo was shaky, had those run out chances gone against yoyo, we wud not have seen a century from him. He played wonderfully and he SHUD have...it was LONG overdue from him after pathetic scores of 4, 9, 30 etc. He didn't do anything a senior player in his position wud not have! And how much of a confidence boost is it to be batting with the likes of Inzi there.

Having said that...inzi is always blamed when the team loses because he's not an 'active' captain etc. etc. You saw him yesterday put himself at point and save so many runs, it was excellent stuff from him (leading by example!), he was expressive yesterday, don't remember exactly wat it was (a misfield that went for 4 or a dropped catch don't remember now) so much so, he threw up his arms and got really angry! When afridi picked up sarwan, inzi was again, the most expressive, the happiest...I've seen him. If that's wat u want in terms of 'expressive' u got it yesterday!

Why we were successful yesterday, because inzi rotated his bowlers well again, considering he had to make do with the bowlers he had at his disposal! He had faith in khalil and rao and he was rewarded when they picked up 2 a piece (believe me there were times when I wanted khalil to be kicked off but I also felt after rana, he was the only one that cud get lara, which he did). Had inzi's head gone down, the rest of the team wud not have had the spirit they did yesterday. Afridi, akmal, rana, all kept the place alive, esp. afridi who never gave up, when rana was suffering from the injury.

Why we won, 11 committed players, all hungry to get into the finals. Inzi rotating his bowlers well, and the team never going down even when it seemed we were gonna lose it! The bowlers did their job, inzi did his along with leading by example with the bat again...

if inzi were such a poor captain as people make him out to be, the team wud not be in the finals, they wud not believe they cud get there...it takes a captain to carry that belief further. It's not easy to beat a full force aussie attack...we DID after more than 2 years...it is NEVER easy to be written off in a game and then win from such a position...and we DID against the likes of one of the best chasing teams. Point is, the bowlers did their job, the batsmen did their's for the most part and there was commitment on the field. The captain alone can do little if he does not have the support of his bowlers and batsmen and yesterday we did have it all and thus the team believed they cud win when the chips were down and they did it! If inzi gets little credit for the win yesterday, then I wud say we are completely blind!

if inzi were such a poor captain as people make him out to be, the team wud not be in the finals

talk about hitting the nail on the head!!! these same people are saying in this very thread that captaincy plays such an important role yet are not prepared to give the captain credit for back-to-back historic wins. its not a case of being blind annie. unfortunately, its a case of their inability to accept that they are wrong! great post by the way!

[razzler]

Annie spot on.

Btw, still waiting for your mail.

[Annie]

while some don't want to accept the truth, there are some that are too busy singing what every1 else is singing about inzi's captaincy without evaluating inzi for themselves, without really looking at wat is going on out there

basically people are too busy trying to find things wrong with inzi's captaincy that they fail to see wat really matters in the end

if we lose, inzi is a bad captain
if we win, inzi is still a bad captain
if our bowlers do a crap job, inzi is at fault
if he comes in at 5 and makes 80 odd runs, inzi is such a coward (forget the fact that he made the 80 runs...he had some extra time to find a way to do it)
if he gets out too early, regardless of the position he's at, he's still at fault

basically inzi is just a horrible captain and everything is his fault

[razzler]

Annie spot on again. Inzi is a living legend.

[Annie]

did u send something recently razzler?

[razzler]

I did reply to your mail and am waiting for your reply.

[Annie]

i sent something back I believe, will do again

[Schiller]

disagree with you there
not sure which game you were following....

[Schiller]

by you i meant both annie and atys

[Annie]

the game I was following umar was wi vs. pak the semifinal, yesterday...and I wrote wat I saw which opposed to some1 that didn't...makes my word a tad more stronger! u can see it as u like, some of us just see weird things that are not there in front of our screens....

[Schiller]

thanks for the personal shot there.

disagree with you there
not sure which game you were following....

it was the game you didnt watch!!!

were you too chicken to see the game Umar bhai? I'm convinced you didnt see it on purpose because you were afraid to look at the screen!

(just trying to lighten up the mood!) :-)

[Schiller]

if you note i used the word 'following' ;-) :-D

i admit, you got me pegged ha ha :oD

p.s no need to call me bhai really, umar should be just fine, if you disrespect me then you do if you respect me then you do and both will be obvious wihtout the word bhai :-)

yaar i have a habit of calling people bhai every now and then. I wont call you if you dont want me to.

[Schiller]

yaar or chicken or anything should be fine so long as its not bhai or sarcastic :-D

[Annie]

personal shot?? |-D

annie stop taking personal shots please...too much drugs are bad for you :-^

[razzler]

Annie and drugs no way appeal.

She is one of the most sensible 22 year olds I have seen.

Annie and drugs no way appeal.

She is one of the most sensible 22 year olds I have seen.

hahaha. there are many different kinds of drugs razzler!

[Annie]

u wud know wudn't u ATYS?? ;-)

[Schiller]

are we talking about opium here?

[Saj]

Umar, the whole point of Inzi and YY batting at 4 and 5 is to stabilise the middle order. You say sending novices like Hafeez is a mistake - well tell me what position Hafeez and the likes should be batting ? Basically, Hameed and Hafeez and Akmal are sacrifices at the top of the order, any runs they score are a bonus to the team. If you had the likes of Hafeez batting in the middle order, it would disrupt the plan even further. Can somebody please provide Umar with Inzi's runs scored in the VB sreies, as well as his average and his strike rate.

Anybody who has watched Inzi bat at all this series would not call him a coward.

Anybody who has watched Inzi bat at all this series would not call him a coward.

exactly!! I also want to add a little to your post Saj. This is the best way for the youngsters to learn. with Inzi and yoyo to back them up salman, malik and akmal etc can play their own game and get comfortable in those positions. at the same time the whole team benefits from whatever runs they score. its a brilliant plan!

[Saj]

17,632 runs in international cricket. An average of nearly 50 in test cricket and an average of nearly 40 in ODIs. 30 centuries and 113 half centuries - not a bad record for a coward ;-)

They have obviously thought about the batting order and have come up with a plan that Inzi can be more effective for the team at 5. Lose early wickets as usual but Inzi and YY to steady the ship in the middle overs is the plan - which I think is fair enough. I'd rather be 50 for 3 with Inzi and YY at the crease, rather than 80 for 3 with both of them back in the pavilion already dismissed.

[Schiller]

Well saj

I think this is where i would disagree a bit.

I didnt have as much problems with Yoyo and Inzi at 4 and 5 but when hafeez and malik were both playing up and inzi and yoyo shifted themself further down, i didnt like it. Thats when i said chicken and i still would. Matter of perspective perhaps . No doubt that I think both of them are excellent bats but i disagree that hafeez and malika nd akmal should be playing the new ball so much and then be treated as sacrifical lambs. i wouldnt mind one at 4 the other 6 with hafeex sandwiched ebtween them if you must or shift it higher up still but
as i see it sending every novice up to go further down is as they say not Kosher with me :-D

[Annie]

i think u meant hafeez not hafeex and between not ebtween :-D

so just as long as inzi comes in earlier, u don't really care if he makes runs at that spot then? Then of course u'd still back him even if he were getting out at 20 or 30 and leaving the burden on those newbies that are left to come after him to put up a stand? That is a better approach u think??...push the pressure further down, so chances of losing increase whenever we lose inzi at the top early...and put yoyo at 4, so we can lose the both in a succession...


Inzi's VB record

third highest run getter in the series behind Clarke who leads with 364 and Chanderpaul who has one more run at 314

Mat I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St
6 6 1 313 74 62.60 100.32 - 4 2 -

4 50's and sr of 100!

btw take a look at afridi's stats from the series, and check out that sr guys!

6 5 1 174 56* 43.50 170.58 - 1 1

and yoyo's stats:

6 6 1 265 105 53.00 85.20 1 1 - -

[Saj]

thanks for the stats Annie

[Officer Barbrady]

Inzamam has the highest Strike Rate in the tournament after Afridi.