HR aka Harry was lucky enough to be able to witness the 4th ODI at DSC which Pakistan narrowly won by 1 wicket thanks to a brilliant knock from the number 3 batsmen Younis Khan who scored a patient and hard working 73 as Pakistan successfully chased down 275 with 1 wicket and 1 ball to spare for the second time in the series. Without further a do here is Harry's insight.
http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan-v-south-africa-2010/engine/match/461569.html
Watching the match at DSC was a great experience, the crowd was fantastic but what you see is the inside picture, shit happens outside the stadium, you gotta park your car 1 KM away from the stadium because there is no space anywhere near the stadium they have made special arrangements for VIPs and Royals who get the best parking space close to the stadium, after a walk of 30 minutes once you reach the stadium doors and if you have bought your tickets already from somewhere outside the stadium then it would take you 1 hour to enter the Cheap stands, but if you will buy the ticket from the stadium then it will take you like 2 hours to enter the stadium because as you know Pakistanis does not know what a queue is or for that matter they don't know what manners are or what discipline is. Well, in the last few series the crowd was less because the tickets were very expensive, they have reduced the price of the tickets by 50% and that’s the reason you saw this much crowd in there. The crowd was really loud and supported both the teams which I really liked about them, every South African boundary or good shot was really appreciated, but when Pakistan was batting then for every single the crowd gave a roar, Shoaib Akhtar still got it! People love him each time he runs in to bowl the crowd goes crazy and it seems they just came to watch him bowl and Afridi bat, I wonder what cricket will be without them. I also observed the teams, Pakistan fielders were really all over the place, the thing is that Afridi does not settles the field always, most of the time it is the bowler who does this job, I even noticed some fielders yelling kahan jaon Kahan jaon, Fawad Alam was very vocal and used to direct the fielders which was nice to see, Afridi was really not doing much in this, he also over bowled, shouldn't have really bowled 10 over's because he knew he wasn't performing well and being captain does not mean you become a dictator and do what you want. Whereas on the other hand Smith was really great to see, he seems to be not playing cricket but in a battle or something because the way he was giving those speeches during intervals was really amazing to see and the way he showed his disappointment at bad fielding was really a learning experience. During the innings break and the start of the match, I saw the South Africans and the Pakistanis practicing, the difference was really evident, Saffers were using modern techniques and nets and some really cool equipment during practice, whereas Pakistanis where scattered all over the place no proper practice Younis bhai practicing alone, some players just running around catches being practiced but really not up to the mark compared to the South Africans and yes Harry Potter did his magic to help Pakistan win. (Harry)
Zulqarnain Haider scored 19* to guide Pakistan to victory and keep the series alive as its now sitting very nicely poised at 2-2 with one to go and all to play for as they say. The series decider will be on Monday at 11am GMT. It's about time Pakistan win a meaningful ODI series after such a long time. Will Monday be the day this happens?
http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan-v-south-africa-2010/engine/match/461569.html
Watching the match at DSC was a great experience, the crowd was fantastic but what you see is the inside picture, shit happens outside the stadium, you gotta park your car 1 KM away from the stadium because there is no space anywhere near the stadium they have made special arrangements for VIPs and Royals who get the best parking space close to the stadium, after a walk of 30 minutes once you reach the stadium doors and if you have bought your tickets already from somewhere outside the stadium then it would take you 1 hour to enter the Cheap stands, but if you will buy the ticket from the stadium then it will take you like 2 hours to enter the stadium because as you know Pakistanis does not know what a queue is or for that matter they don't know what manners are or what discipline is. Well, in the last few series the crowd was less because the tickets were very expensive, they have reduced the price of the tickets by 50% and that’s the reason you saw this much crowd in there. The crowd was really loud and supported both the teams which I really liked about them, every South African boundary or good shot was really appreciated, but when Pakistan was batting then for every single the crowd gave a roar, Shoaib Akhtar still got it! People love him each time he runs in to bowl the crowd goes crazy and it seems they just came to watch him bowl and Afridi bat, I wonder what cricket will be without them. I also observed the teams, Pakistan fielders were really all over the place, the thing is that Afridi does not settles the field always, most of the time it is the bowler who does this job, I even noticed some fielders yelling kahan jaon Kahan jaon, Fawad Alam was very vocal and used to direct the fielders which was nice to see, Afridi was really not doing much in this, he also over bowled, shouldn't have really bowled 10 over's because he knew he wasn't performing well and being captain does not mean you become a dictator and do what you want. Whereas on the other hand Smith was really great to see, he seems to be not playing cricket but in a battle or something because the way he was giving those speeches during intervals was really amazing to see and the way he showed his disappointment at bad fielding was really a learning experience. During the innings break and the start of the match, I saw the South Africans and the Pakistanis practicing, the difference was really evident, Saffers were using modern techniques and nets and some really cool equipment during practice, whereas Pakistanis where scattered all over the place no proper practice Younis bhai practicing alone, some players just running around catches being practiced but really not up to the mark compared to the South Africans and yes Harry Potter did his magic to help Pakistan win. (Harry)
Zulqarnain Haider scored 19* to guide Pakistan to victory and keep the series alive as its now sitting very nicely poised at 2-2 with one to go and all to play for as they say. The series decider will be on Monday at 11am GMT. It's about time Pakistan win a meaningful ODI series after such a long time. Will Monday be the day this happens?
1 comment:
You chose a good game Harry!
I dont think our lot will ever be up with the technology and latest techniques. Thats why they always go back to Pakistani coaches because then life is much easier and cushy for the players. We just dont have that professional or even civil mentality as demonstrated by the lack of queuing!
Could you imagine our natural talent mixed with the professionalism and will to win of thee Aussies? We would be unbeatable.
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