Match Awards

[Amir]

Here is a new tradition I would like to start on PakPassion, which after every match we have match awards, categories listed below:

1. Your Man of the Match
2. Best Knock
3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME
4. Shot of the match
5. Ball of the match
6. Best moment of the game(this can be anything, from a shot, wicket, celebration, sporting gesture)

here are mine(also try to create some discussion too):
1. Salman Butt, no doubt. Despite Tresco's knock at the end of the day it was Butt who saw his team through to the end and Tresco scored only 2 more runs than him in the whole match.

2. Best knock - no doubt Butt. Under pressure, the anchor role against a Firing Flintoff while Tresco on the first day faced a pretty flat Pakistani bowlign attack, along with getting that awfully lucky decision.

3. Best Bowler - Andrew Flintoff. Despite his team losing was the most consisent and threatening.

4. Shot of the match - Did not watch too much but I am going to say Butts cover drives

5. Ball of the match - Shoaib Akthar reverse swinging yorker with two stumps lieing on the ground...need I say more?

6. Collingwood when Sami got him LBW in second innings

Also mods, can we pin this and make it a PP tradition?

[Geordie Ahmed]

1. Pakistan (seeing the whole team show passion and having a never die spirit was fantastic)

2. Salman Butts - was under pressure BUT made some valuable runs especially in the 2nd innings despite losing a few partners -

3. Beera and Shoaib - Beera's contribution was fantastic, he made sure Englands lead didnt grow into a ridiculous amount! Shoaib bowled nearly 40 overs which is and he took mopped up the tail today

4. Inzy's six of Udal - the others were making Udal look good BUT Inzy came and showed us what he thought of Udal - brilliant shot

5. Shoaib Akhtar - koi shakh

6. The best moment for me was seeing the team celebrate - especially Shoaib and Inzi, a lot hs been written about their alleged rift BUT on the pitch they were united! (Also Rana deserves a mentio as the sub fielder - what a legend he is)

[Shayan_Sohail]

1. Salman Butt: He played like a champ, amazing to see such a mature innings from a 21 year old.

2. Best knock: Again Salman Butt

3. Kaneria and Shoaib: Showed that Pakistan can count on them when in need

4. Shot of the match: Inzi's down the ground six of Udal, always great to see the Big man down the ground.

5. Delivery of the match: That ferocious Shoaib Akhtar yorker, 94 mph toe crushing yorker one that would make waqar proud.

6. Best moment: Shoaib running past Harmison taking the stumps out while Harmi is pleading to the umpire to give notout also Shoaib running to Inzi after THE yorker.

[Amjid Javed]

1. Your Man of the Match - salman butt

2. Best Knock - salman butt - (2nd inns)

3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME - flintoff

4. Shot of the match - harmison of akthar when he was caught at slip.

5. Ball of the match - akthars yorker to giles

6. Best moment of the game - yoyo and woolmer doing high fives, bob didnt seem to know how to celebrate!

[Mo.]

1. Your Man of the Match
Played two very important innings which in the end were the deciding factor

2. Best Knock
Trescothick. Without him, England wouldnt have even had a chance. A real captains innings.

3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME
Shoaib

4. Shot of the match
There were few on the first day, none in particular though

5. Ball of the match
Shoaiv vs Giles yorker

6. Best moment of the game(this can be anything, from a shot, wicket, celebration, sporting gesture)
The final ball ofcourse, when we won

[Rob H]

Motm - Butt
Innings - Trescothick
Bowler - Flintoff
Shot - Flintoff bashing Sami back over his head
Ball - Harmison to Raza. They softened him up with 4 bouncers before and sucker him with the yorker. Top bowling
Moment - When Pietersen finally caught one. What a relief

[nadeem]

Maybe the other categories are debatable and will attract different viewpoints but how can one possibly argue about the best ball????? Akhtars yorker to giles was definitely ball of the year if not the best ball since the start of this decade.

[Amjid Javed]

Originally Posted by nadeem Maybe the other categories are debatable and will attract different viewpoints but how can one possibly argue about the best ball????? Akhtars yorker to giles was definitely ball of the year if not the best ball since the start of this decade.

what about akthars blistering yorkers v Australia in colombo?

or guls wonder ball v laxman.

akthar delivery was awesome thou!

[Rob H]

Originally Posted by nadeem ? Akhtars yorker to giles was definitely ball of the year if not the best ball since the start of this decade.

Better than Warne to Strauss . Don't kid yourself mate.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by RH Better than Warne to Strauss . Don't kid yourself mate.

yeah BUT have you seen Warne in that adevrt with Gooch???
for that reason we cant give him any credit

[Amir]

Def better than Warne to Strauss. That was playable, Strauss is a idiot who can't read spin and walked all the way across...that ball Akthar bowled would trouble even Tendulkar!

[nadeem]

As Amir says warnes ball would have been spanked by BCL for 4 but this monster unleashed by akhtar was just too fearsome a proposition for any bat who ever lived. When Akhtar got Kallis with a similar ball (148.2 kph) at home last time around in one of the ODIs Dean JOnes said "Even Bradman couldnt have played that ball". Well this 152.8 kph scorcher was even better than that.

[Daoud]

Originally Posted by Geordie Ahmed yeah BUT have you seen Warne in that adevrt with Gooch??? for that reason we cant give him any credit

That ad is terrible

1. Your Man of the Match
Butt. No doubt there

2. Best Knock
Butt. 144 runs behind. Huge pressure. Great knock under the circumstances

3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME
Flintoff. Took the most wickets and had the most consistant game

4. Shot of the match
Cant recall

5. Ball of the match
Tie between Shoaib's yorker and Kaneria's googly

6. Best moment of the game
Harmison getting out and the team's celebration. Great to see

[alghazzali]

1. Trescothick - played a true captains knock, kept on going, when others around him kept on falling.

2. Salman Butt - Playing with a deficit is never easy for an opener.

3. Andrew Flintoff

4. Younis' hook in front of square

5. Akhtar and Kaneria both bowled deliveries that pacemen and spinners dream of, but Akhtar edges it, Giles was more of a threat - Akhtar

6. Inzy bear hugging Akhtar!

[Easa]

MOTM- Definetly Butt. Was there when pak needed him the most. Played a very mature innings.
Best- Marcus Trescothick. Never really looked in trouble.
Best Bowler- Had to be Flintoff. Bowled his heart out.
Best Ball- That yorker! Bradman couldn't have played it.
Shot of the match- Moyo's beautiful cover drive
Moment- THE CELEBRATION!

[nufc]

Originally Posted by RH Motm - Butt Innings - Trescothick Bowler - Flintoff Shot - Flintoff bashing Sami back over his head Ball - Harmison to Raza. They softened him up with 4 bouncers before and sucker him with the yorker. Top bowling Moment - When Pietersen finally caught one. What a relief

What are you on?!! harmisons delivery was better then shoaibs yorker, lmao!! Shoaib kept giles on the back foot with his bouncers then fired in a unplayable yorker!

[Amir]

nufc, Akthar didn't even need the bouncers that ball was just unplayable. But fe fi fo fum, I spell a bitter fan Doesn't it taste sweet RH?

[mulan]

What I'd really love to have seen: KP's face as the final wicket fell... I was at work and following on internet, so I didn't get that...

After his over-the-top Ashes celebrations, that look would have been my "moment of the match"....

[shahzadddd]

1. Your Man of the Match Inzy for his batting and captaincy
2. Best Knock Tresco
3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME Flintoff
4. Shot of the match None to remember
5. Ball of the match Shoaib to Giles
6. Best moment of the game(this can be anything, from a shot, wicket, celebration, sporting gesture) Shoaib to Giles

[Rob H]

Originally Posted by Amir Def better than Warne to Strauss. That was playable, Strauss is a idiot who can't read spin and walked all the way across...that ball Akthar bowled would trouble even Tendulkar!

I've seen plenty of better balls this year. Flintoff to Hayden at Old Trafford is the pick of the bunch. I'll post his whole spell later and you'll see what a corker of a ball it was.

[Gasherbrum]

agree with much of the above.

the shots of the match for me were when inzi and harmison were caught on camera picking their respective noses. that was some heavy duty gold digging from the pair. the harmison shot actually went as far as showing him wipe his hands on his pants after he was done cleaning house.

[z10]

ball of the match: googly of the year

[Rob H]

Originally Posted by Gasherbrum agree with much of the above. the shots of the match for me were when inzi and harmison were caught on camera picking their respective noses. that was some heavy duty gold digging from the pair. the harmison shot actually went as far as showing him wipe his hands on his pants after he was done cleaning house.

Gasher you really do worry me sometimes

[ZM]

1. Your Man of the Match- S Butt
2. Best Knock- S butt
3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME- Flintoff
4. Shot of the match- s butt's usual cover drive
5. Ball of the match- Akhtar to giles
6. Best moment of the game- akhtar destroying giles stumps

[Awesome Anjum]

1. Your Man of the Match - Salman Butt
2. Best Knock - Salman Butt
3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME - Shoaib Akhtar
4. Shot of the match - Inzi's six of Giles.
5. Ball of the match - Akhtars demolition of Giles' stumps.
6. Best moment of the game - Akhtars demolition of Giles' stumps.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Awesome Anjum 1. Your Man of the Match - Salman Butt 2. Best Knock - Salman Butt 3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME - Shoaib Akhtar 4. Shot of the match - Inzi's six of Giles. 5. Ball of the match - Akhtars demolition of Giles' stumps. 6. Best moment of the game - Akhtars demolition of Giles' stumps.

it was off Udal actually BUT i can see how you would get confused between 2 average spinners

[Amir]

Originally Posted by RH I've seen plenty of better balls this year. Flintoff to Hayden at Old Trafford is the pick of the bunch. I'll post his whole spell later and you'll see what a corker of a ball it was.

You mean the one he bowled around his legs? Once again a nothing ball, that was the batsmen mistake more so than anything for him to go across.

RH why are you not talking so much now? I mean you were talking so much prior to the test yet now you have got defensive and just came up with excuse after excuse.

What are you gonna start? "A better than Akthar" series. None of Flintoff's ball can ever compare to that yorker, that may be one of the best bowls I have seen next to Waqar's banana ball or Lewis b Akram 92 WC.

No need to be bitter, collingwood...erm i mean RH.

[zaf1986]

1. Salman Butt
2. Salman Butt
3. Flintoff
4. couldnt watch so cant comment
5. from the pics, Shoaib to Giles - second time I've seen 2 stumps out of the ground (last time was when Hondo bowled Afridi after his 200 strike rate innings).
6. Kaneria's 2 wickets in an over.

[KB]

Inzamam's six off Udal was a fine shot, when you consider that the ball was quite straight so he never had much space to have a totally free swing. He was a little restricted for space. Not that it mattered, he still slammed it over the boundary.

I also thought Pieterson's 6 on the last day off Kaneria, was a damn fine shot. The fact that it was against the turn and outside off did not perturb him.

As for the magic moment, it had to be Akhtar's precise demolition of the stumps.

[Hussain]

Originally Posted by Amir Here is a new tradition I would like to start on PakPassion, which after every match we have match awards, categories listed below: 1. Your Man of the Match 2. Best Knock 3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME 4. Shot of the match 5. Ball of the match 6. Best moment of the game(this can be anything, from a shot, wicket, celebration, sporting gesture)

1)- Inzamam ul Haq -for his batting and also inspired captaincy in the game

2)- 193 by Trescothick

3)- Dinesh Kaneria

4)- DONT KNOW
5)- Kaneria bowling Simon Udal
6)- Two wickets in an over by Kaneria

[Officer Barbrady]

Originally Posted by ggm I also thought Pieterson's 6 on the last day off Kaneria, was a damn fine shot. The fact that it was against the turn and outside off did not perturb him.

Yes. It said just a tiny bit for his freakish ability.

Getting him early remains key to win the test series.

[pacman]

1. Man of the Match - Butt
2. Best Knock - Butt
3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME - Flintoff
4. Shot of the match - Butt welcomming Udal down the pitch for four, in his debut spell.
5. Ball of the match - Akhtars yorker to Giles or Kaneria's googly to Udal.
6. Best moment of the game - Harmison caught YK bowled Akhtar. Although there were many great moments, but the feeling of victory in a tight match is always the greatest.

[Hash]

1. Your Man of the Match - Salman Butt. One match winning century and a vital 50
2. Best Knock - Salman Butt. Tres' means absolutely nothing because England lost
3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME- Andrew Flintoff
4. Shot of the match- Cannot recall any particular shot which stood above the rest
5. Ball of the match- Silly question.
6. Best moment of the game(this can be anything, from a shot, wicket, celebration, sporting gesture)- The look of complete and utter DESPERATION on Harmisson's face as Shoab charged past him celebrating the victory. 'NO, NO'. Yeah good one Stevie, that wasn't out was it

[wasoo77]

1. Your Man of the Match- butt
2. Best Knock- butt...
3. Best Bowler in the WHOLE GAME- flintoff
4. Shot of the match- akthar's 6 off giles....I HATE GILES!!!
5. Ball of the match- sami's LBW to get straus
6. Best moment of the game(this can be anything, from a shot, wicket, celebration, sporting gesture)- salman butt not been given run out by rauf. muahahahhaha

[fair_play]

[QUOTE=Marooned]Yes. It said just a tiny bit for his freakish ability.

Getting him early remains key to win the test series.[/QUOTE]

Agreed - if he gets away he can run away with a match, or totally change the tempo.

He would also put tremendous pressure on the fielders, generating mistakes. Our best bet against him is to bowl straight and fast, and then float slow outswingers outside off stump.