As the saying goes, “Cometh the hour, cometh the man”, Pakistan cricket team has found Younus Khan as they look to leave an exclamation mark on a full throttle battering of England. Meanwhile there are the likes of Wesley Sneijder, Dimitri Yachvili and Tom Brady who would be vying to be the man of the hour, as humongous games are on the horizon in Serie A, Rugby and NFL.
PAKISTAN EYE WHITEWASH
Having a 2-0 decisive lead in the series, and being bundled out for 99 in the second session of day one, Pakistan could have been forgiven for taking things lightly and letting England have a share of the pie. After all they had just completed trouncing of the world’s best, and a series win – whatever the scoreline might have been – would have been a staggering triumph.
However, it seems as if this current Pakistan lineup has embraced the “winning is a habit” cliché, and seems to be imbued with that warrior like spirit, who never knows when he’s lost. Pakistan have fought back resiliently and after an awe inspiring batting show from Azhar Ali and Younis Khan, the game effectively stands at Pakistan being 180 for 2 at the end of day two, with the solitary English innings to follow.
It was about time one of the batting lineups solved the million dollar puzzle that the pitch and the conditions aren’t in fact as impossible as they were making them seem. And while, the pace of the wicket has eased out, Pakistan’s staunch position on the second day of the match owes a lot to the meticulously apposite approach towards batting that was flaunted by Pakistan’s number three and four batsmen. Now team Pakistan has the ideal opportunity to take the game by the scruff of its neck and post a towering total to eliminate any inkling of hope that England might have had of breaking their duck in the series.
Considering England’s batting exploits throughout the series, Pakistan might as well declare their innings the first thing in the morning and still be confident of bowling out England within the target. In any case, the situation is tailor made for the two batsmen at the crease and those that are to follow, to leave a strong mark on the series that has been won owing to our bowlers’ world beating dexterity. There are still potentially three more days to go, and Pakistan should bat for as long as they can. Without even an iota of pressure on their shoulders, and with conditions becoming even more batsmen friendly than they already were, Pakistan can run the English bowlers absolutely ragged and deliver the decisive punch with the ball, with a mountain of a total posted in front of the world’s best side. ICC’s top ranked side is on the verge of being whitewashed for the second time in a year, putting the credibility of the ranking system very much in doubt – if it wasn’t already.
ROMA HOST INTER
Sixth hosts fifth as two of the biggest names in Italian football go head to head tonight. Both AS Roma and Inter Milan have had a mixed bag in their last couple of games with a draw and a defeat each. Roma haven’t exactly made Stadio Olympico a fortress this season, with only five wins out of 10 at home; losing two and drawing three. Roma have conceded 11 goals at home in the aforementioned 10 games, and as far Italian defences go, that’s a rather generous return, they would like to ameliorate that stat from now on till the end of the season.
The Nerazzuri have won 5 of their ten away matches – a mirror image of Roma’s home form – and have lost four and drawn one of them. Cludio Ranieri should be up for this game and would look to give his previous employers the proverbial hand gesture tonight.
With Pablo Osvaldo and Daniele De Rossi returning to training, there is good news on the injury front. However, the word is that De Rossi might be the only one returning to action, with Osvaldo still a week away. Inter Milan are hoping that Wesley Sneijder will be ready for today’s game, after picking up a knock in the midweek match, and the Dutchman has also been making positive noise about his chances of playing against Roma.
This one promises to be a humdinger! Watch out for Miralem Pjanic to leave an imprint on the game with Diego Milito doing the same for Inter; especially if Sneijder is passed fit. This column fancies an away win in this one.
FRANCE FAVOURITES FOR 6 NATIONS
Les bleus are undoubtedly the favourites for this year’s Six Nation, with the World Cup runners up having their complete squad for New Zealand at their disposal and new coach Philippe Saint-Andre vowing to purge out their streak of unpredictability. Even so, the fact that France have lost out to the likes of Italy and Tonga over the past 12 months is enough to nourish the scepticism of the doubting Thomas. France’s recent Six Nations record is daunting with five championships – including three Grand Slams. With Morgan Parra, Dimitri Yachvilli, Francois Trinh-Duc et al, France have one of the most intimidating backline in the tournament.
After France, the team to watch out for would be Ireland, who were the talk of the town when they toppled Australia at the World Cup last year, and were edged out by the flimsiest of margins by an impressive Wales outfit. Ireland would be without their talismanic No.13 Brian O’Driscoll, who is out with nerve damage. With Jamie Heaslip, Sean O’Brien and Stephen Ferris at the back and Paul O’Connel leading the line, Ireland too have a very strong looking side. Wales must be riding a confidence tide after their exploits at the World Cup, but they were easily undone against the big guns in the World Cup as well. Also, without the services of their inspirational winger Shane Williams Wales might not live up to their pre-tournament expectations.
With almost half of the English squad named for the tournament constituted by uncapped players, England’s bid to defend their title this year looks feeble at best. And with new captain Chris Robshaw’s first challenge coming against Scotland at Murrayfield – where England haven’t won since 2004 – we could have a clear idea where England’s tournament is headed after the very first game. Scotland have won three and lost 11 of their 15 matches in Six Nations under Andy Robinson, and again their performance against England would divulge their credentials for the remainder of the tournament. Italy are going to be the veritable outsiders; however, ambitions have gone up a notch or two after Jacques Brunel replaced Nick Mallet as the Italian coach. All the same, this column’s pick to win the tournament is France, who should continue their resurgence towards the zenith of Rugby if they instill stability and curtail their eccentricity.
SUPER BOWL XLVI
New England Patriots take on New York Giants in the biggest game of the American football calendar and a rematch of Super Bowl 2008; however, a lot has changed since that historic encounter four years ago – except perhaps New York’s defensive lineup. Hence, as was the case back then, Tom Brady and the Patriots offence have their work cut out. On New York’s part, they would be mulling over the prospect of exposing Patriots rather maladroit secondary.
Tom Brady would again be the center of attention; three time Super Bowl champion, two time Super Bowl MVP, seven time pro bowler, two time NFL MVP and three time AFC offensive player of the year. Nonetheless, Giants defensive line could cause problems for Brady, but there is no question that he should be up for the game.
It’s funny how a late season surge can land you in the lap of glory in American sports; Giants were utterly lethargic and all over the place before Christmas, but have been on a roll ever since and are now one step away from glory. Promises to be a mouthwatering matchup!
