On England’s bounce back, Afridi’s enigma and the DRS

The England Pakistan Test series recently concluded in the UAE, will be remembered for Pakistan’s “greenwash” of the number one Test team. England have bounced back in the ODI series on the back of Captain Cook’s back to back hundreds in the first two games. Pakistan were pinned back by Steven Finn’s pace and bounce in the first outing but were more competitive in the second game. They were well on their way to evening the series score, but a cross batted swipe by Shahid Afridi proved to be the decisive blow.
Afridi continues to be an enigma with his batting, even though his bowling continues to be as incisive as ever. Afridi has so much ability as a batsman and when he is in the right frame of mind, can score consistently. But the rush of blood that invariably ends in him trying to win the match with one swing of his bat, has been his undoing much too often. He would be well advised to take his cue from captain Misbah, who is coolness personified.
Perhaps the biggest talking point in this series has been the use of the Decision Review System and its effect on the sport itself. There were an inordinate number of LBWs in the three Tests, the reasons for which are being analysed by cricket experts. Firstly, umpires are encouraged to give LBWs even when the batsmen are well forward. They know that if they do not give the decision and if it is successfully reviewed, they will be found at fault.
Since the wickets in the UAE seemed to be low bounce, LBWs were being given left right and center. The prevailing trend of batsmanship in which the pads are used as a second line of defence seems to be a casualty of all this. In the end, it was the Younus Khan Azhar Ali partnership in the third Test in which both batsman played with the bat well in front of the pads, that, through necessity, took cricket back to the times when the bat was the sole means of defence. This style of play is evident from watching old videos of the greats of the 30s and 40s.
The increasing influence of the DRS on how the game is played can only be good for the sport. Batsmen will do what they are supposed to, that is, use the bat for attack and defence. Both sides will have recourse to appeals in case they feel the umpire’s decision is incorrect. More wickets will fall and the good batsmen will make runs. That is what cricket used to be all about and it is now moving inexorably, back to the past. But then, with the advent of all the technology like Hawkeye, Hot Spot and Snicko, to see umpires giving decisions and the technology to continue to prove the decisions wrong would have bordered on the ridiculous. Once these technologies were available, their use in the decision making process was but a natural progression.
The only country to resist the onset of technology is India, which vetoed its use in the recently concluded series in Australia. In order to further consolidate Hawkeyes claims to accuracy and perhaps to assuage the Indians’ qualms, the ICC are conducting further tests to ascertain the accuracy of the Hawkeye/ virtual eye systems. Their in house tests had already proved to them that these systems were indeed accurate. This time they are employing outside sources. But the crux of the matter is that most cricketers want umpiring to be consistent and no umpire can be as consistent as technology. Resisting its onset is like swimming against the tide.

Pakistan’s tennis woes

Pakistan won its Davis Cup Asia Oceania Group 2 tie against Lebanon by a 3-2 margin. The Lebanese had one good player who proved far too strong for our veterans, Aqeel and Aisam. Aqeel and Aisam won the doubles and took the other two singles for the win. The Aisam Aqeel duo have been carrying Pakistan’s Davis cup load since the late 1990s. Because of the disastrous Dilawar Abbas years, no player was allowed to develop. Since the people running tennis were non tennis players, their priorities were to cement their own positions in the federation. The results have been calamitous. Players with potential were hounded out of the sport and forced to leave the country. Favourites were patronized. And the sport fell into ruin.
Unfortunately, the very same people who were behind the scenes during the Abbas years, are now pulling the strings as before. Favourites are being patronized. Knowledgeable people, who have a lot to offer, are being sidelined. These people are like a slow acting malignancy and it is not known whether the current PTF setup has made any efforts to contain it. The problem here is that the nerve center of the federation, the secretary, is a non tennis player and is also not available for his duties as he is posted in Quetta. This gives these people the space to worm in and ingratiate themselves with the PTF high ups. With the PTF President posted out of the country, these people are ruling the roost. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Tennis development is not rocket science. You give children good courts, an ample supply of balls and a positive atmosphere to play in and the results will come in spite of the best efforts of some of our mercenary coaches. The heart of tennis in Spain is in Barcelona. All the players gravitate towards the city. They play amongst each other and push each other to improve. The same can be done at the PTF Complex. It should be the home of tennis where any player from Pakistan can come and play and stay at no cost. PTF should hold three day camps starting on Friday afternoons and ending Sunday night. Provide the balls, courts, strings and, yes, even shoes. Watch the sport develop! But the clerks running the show have no motivation to that end. For them staying in power is all that matters. Such is the tragedy of Pakistan tennis