Cricket: Bowling and Fielding- Key to success
-DR. ABDUL RUFF

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After excelling  in  the first test against England in UAE, Pakistani bowlers were slow and somewhat undetermined as if they are under external pressure. It seems the ICC led by UK and India have assured the Pakistan to bring international cricket back to Pakistani stadiums. Hence Pakistan is unnecessarily slow-peddling, in stead of playing cricket. Pakistan should not be  misled by Indo-UK triclomacy. . 

There cannot be two opinions that bowling sand fielding are the key to  prowess of bowling unit. Like poor bowling, fielding is not taken very seriously because all that the  cricket nations want is big scores and  tall score for select batboys. This possible only when bowlers and fielders keep just playing jokes in the name of cricket and, like  the actors, make pretensions and show faces to show that they  are unable to  challenge the batboys.  In fact fielding is horrible, letting the batboys  celebrate at the crease.

A rare Australian fielding.Australian fielders at times try to play cricket. Stunning piece of fielding by Hilfy removing fast running Kohli is an example, but this is also unbelievable really. There was just one over left in the day, there is a nightwatchman Ishant to protect him but he ran to get out. Kohli pushed the ball to the on side and sets off for a quick single, but Hilfy swoops in from mid on and hit direct at the bowler's end, Kohli couldn't get there despite the dive. Alertness and direction are important  ingredients for fielders. 

Again, Lyon threw a deadly ball to Laxman, but caught by Shaun Marsh!! The change of bowling,  field placement has worked. Excellent captaincy.   Clarke had a man at that position specifically for that shot, and it worked. Laxman walks off for the last time in Australia.  Not the best of balls - a bit short and turning in, Laxman goes on the backfoot and whips it, hits it well with all his wrists in action but doesn't keep it down, the man at short mid wicket takes a simple catch. 

The current practice of 3 review s for eat ch team must be  done  away with. Instead all LBWs must be directly  viewed by the third umpire and declare so that bowlers  would be less problematic.

Many times, the reviews show there is a clear LBW but the umpires have  refused to  declare so and the  team does not  opt to  ask for review fearing losing  all the 3  chances.  That is not fair.

Bowlers take pains to get a wicket by LBW, but at times the umpires  refuse or are reluctant to declare OUT. Pakistan didn't take a review when replays showed Jonathan Trott was out leg before while they wasted their reviews on two other instances.

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar says at times the cricket grounds, like in Abu Dhabi, do not suit fast bowlers.  Akhtar, who retired from all cricket during the 2011 World Cup, said the players have to evolve with every match taking into consideration the conditions and weather at a particular time. He felt that Pakistan needed to do better in using the Umpires Decision Review System, insisting the role of the wicket-keeper was very important in advising his captain when to take reviews.

Test cricket played for  5 long days is indeed quirky and  irrelevant  today when other formats are available like the ODI, 20/20, even newest 5 overs.. It is high time to wind down the Test and  try to evolve  a shorter version which  uses bowlers  to maximum extend and  train them more, does not focus on the fate of batboys’ future.

Recently Pak-South Africa and Aus-India teams played out the test  in 3 days, but then shifted to longer time toil.

The series belonged to Australia.On  28th January , after India celebrated republic day with  the usual display of its latest stock of  terror goods on New Delhi's most beautiful road, was the end of another day that also belonged to Australia. The previous day itself Australians had managed to pick up 6 wickets for just 166, leaving  the last 4 tailenders to, what a post paid in Indian  running commentator aptly put it, complete the final rites. It looks Australia would relieve the Indian guests, who have enjoying holiday trip for days now when majority of peole of iNid are  starving  without basic amenities, in a matter of 2 hours. 

That means Australia has won the test 4-0. That also means India, claiming to be best in everything but kills innocent Kashmiri Muslims for years now ( Already 100,000 defenseless Kashmiri Muslims have murdered by innocent looking "democratic" India- literally a terrocracy!) , has been crushed and thrown into dust bin. 

Do you think India will change or is capable of change at all?

I have no answer!