When it comes to Pakistan, cricket is not mere a game but it is a way of
life. We love the game, we love everything that is attached to it; from feisty
spells to mercurial batting, we love everything about the game which gives us
the adrenaline rush or at times heart attacks. This is our brand of cricket;
this is what defines the Pakistani flavor of cricket. In short, we live the
game of cricket.
The year 2015 saw some great moments when it comes to One day cricket; Australia once again lifted the world cup (this is as regular a cricketing occurrence as the top order failure of Pakistan's batting), Gayle & Guptill scored double centuries, AB literally playing all over the ground, Mitchell Starc bowling those beautiful yorkers, Bangladesh finally shedding the minnows tag and many more. However my moment of the year 2015 came in the Pakistan vs. Australia World cup, 2015 semi-final played at the Adelaide Oval.
Wahab's spell at the Adelaide to Shane Watson is a classic example of fast bowling. I choose this not because Wahab and I share the same nationality or that spell is the only thing to talk about from this year's Pakistan's one day performances. Although this year saw many great spells but the uniqueness that was about Wahab's spell and something that made the spell what it becomes finally was the way he dominated Watson. However the spell was triggered by one of Watson's comments on the field but I am sure that now he must be repenting on uttering those words. He now knows that how a scorned fast bowler looks like. Today's cricket is dominated by the batters, bowlers have a very little room with all these fielding restrictions, free-hits, work load, 15 degrees, and bats weighing more than the weight of Inzimam and Arjuna combine so, this is why his spell was even more special and more than anything it proved us that fast bowling is not a dying art. One other factor that made me to rate his spell over other performances of the year was that all of us who grew in the 90's were habitual of watching spell like these when the likes of Donald, Wasim, Mcgrath, Waqar, Walsh, Ambrose, and Shoaib use to bowl. The spell reminded me of the cricket of my childhood when the game was dominated by the fast bowlers. I hope it made others nostalgic too. More speed to the fast.
The year 2015 saw some great moments when it comes to One day cricket; Australia once again lifted the world cup (this is as regular a cricketing occurrence as the top order failure of Pakistan's batting), Gayle & Guptill scored double centuries, AB literally playing all over the ground, Mitchell Starc bowling those beautiful yorkers, Bangladesh finally shedding the minnows tag and many more. However my moment of the year 2015 came in the Pakistan vs. Australia World cup, 2015 semi-final played at the Adelaide Oval.
Wahab's spell at the Adelaide to Shane Watson is a classic example of fast bowling. I choose this not because Wahab and I share the same nationality or that spell is the only thing to talk about from this year's Pakistan's one day performances. Although this year saw many great spells but the uniqueness that was about Wahab's spell and something that made the spell what it becomes finally was the way he dominated Watson. However the spell was triggered by one of Watson's comments on the field but I am sure that now he must be repenting on uttering those words. He now knows that how a scorned fast bowler looks like. Today's cricket is dominated by the batters, bowlers have a very little room with all these fielding restrictions, free-hits, work load, 15 degrees, and bats weighing more than the weight of Inzimam and Arjuna combine so, this is why his spell was even more special and more than anything it proved us that fast bowling is not a dying art. One other factor that made me to rate his spell over other performances of the year was that all of us who grew in the 90's were habitual of watching spell like these when the likes of Donald, Wasim, Mcgrath, Waqar, Walsh, Ambrose, and Shoaib use to bowl. The spell reminded me of the cricket of my childhood when the game was dominated by the fast bowlers. I hope it made others nostalgic too. More speed to the fast.
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