The Reverse Sweep

Butt, Asif and Aamer guilty verdicts prompts more questions than answers

The guilty verdicts handed out yesterday to Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif sadly came as no surprise given the evidence and the fact that Mohammad Aamer had already entered a guilty plea at the outset of the trial.

But were the deliberate no-balls that eventually led to the trio potentially losing their liberty as well as their livelihood just the tip of a particularly foul smelling iceberg?

Whilst most of the claims of Mazhar Majeed made to the undercover News of the World reporter can perhaps be dismissed as fantasy, one in particular demands further investigation by the authorities.

Majeed also claimed to have Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz and Imran Farhat under his control, which if so prompts a number of questions about that England-Pakistan series alone.

For instance, Pakistan were bowled out for scores of 80, 72 and 74 over the four Test series. Was this down as it seemed at the time to England's masterful bowling attack or was there something far more sinister afoot?

Then taking each of the players in turn. Was Kamran Akmal's atrocious performance behind the stumps at Trent Bridge (and Sydney the same year for that matter) and pair in the same match simply evidence that he was the worst keeper in the history of international cricket? Or was he merely following orders?

Did brother Umar deliberately run himself out in the first innings at The Oval? What about Imran Farhat's bizarre 24 ball duck at Edgbaston? And then there was Wahab Riaz's five no-balls on debut at The Oval where like Aamer at Lord's, he starred with the ball.

The first reaction to the guilty verdicts is to ask what else was dirty. All the incidents referred to above could have been something or nothing. What are we to believe? This is the epitaph of Butt, Asif and Aamer's wanton selfish act.

People laughed at the match-fixing claims of Yasir Hameed and Zulqarnain Haider that followed in the wake of the News of the World bombshell. How are we to view these now?

To their credit, the current Pakistan side have recovered well from the stain that was visited upon them by the spot-fixing scandal of Lord's 2010. Under Misbah-ul-Haq's astute and steady leadership, their Test performances have been consistent and improving.

Slowly, but surely all of the seven players named by Majeed have been dropped from the Test side. Maybe this is a case of the PCB quietly repairing the damage that was wrought? Maybe it isn't. They uncovered deliberate acts of underperformance from certain members of the squad that toured Australia in 2009/10. Were these players just trying to get their favourite appointed as captain or were they being rewarded by unknown others?

Whilst we should perhaps take some satisfaction from the fact that Butt will now become Butt by name and Butthole by nature should he receive a custodial sentence, all cricket fans lost something in yesterday's verdict - especially the devoted and fanatical followers of Pakistan.

Prison may well be the safest place for Butt and his errant former new ball pair.

Where next - check out our other posts on the spot-fixing scandal?

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif & some MCC members with a bow and arrow

Disgraced Butt, Aamer and Asif hit a new low

Zeroes: Salman Butt 

Is this the most blatant example of a fixed cricket match ever?

A canned Hollywood film about cricket, fixing and a homeless team

Spot-fixing: Mohammad Aamer & the potential waste of an irrepressible talent

England vs Pakistan: 4th test - Pakistan marks out of ten 

The next 11 crazy events involving the Pakistan cricket team

Revealed: New PCB Player Code of Conduct

Yasir Hameed: Better than Bradman?

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

The worst Test XI of 2010

 
After picking our best Test XI of 2010, we thought it might be fun to look at who was top of the flops, so here in all their glory (or should that be failure?), is our worst Test XI of the year:

1. Imran Farhat (383 runs at 23.93) - Two fifties in 16 innings is pitiful for a test match opening batsman and from what we saw of him in the summer in England, a test match opener is not something Farhat should be for much longer. 

2. Imrul Kayes (292 runs at 20.85) - Not very good - make that clueless - against the short ball, which let's be honest is a prerequisite for a test match opener. When you consider that 2010 was actually Kayes' best year in test cricket, it tells you everything you need to know about his 'ability'.

3. BJ Watling (125 runs at 17.85) - As a test match top order batsman, BJ sucks (sorry, we couldn't resist that one). The worst of a series of mediocre cricketers to have worn the Black Cap in 2010.

4. Ricky Ponting (813 runs at 36.95) - Poor stats by his standards, but hardly disastrous until you take away his 209 at Hobart which leaves 604 runs at 28.76. Surrendered the Ashes and his dignity in an ugly spat with the umpires at what could prove to be his final test in Melbourne. Naturally, Punter captains this side of flops and miscreants.

5. Yuvraj Singh (94 runs at 23.50) - 2010 was an annus horribilis for the portly Yuvraj: out of runs and out of favour in the IPL, part of India's disastrous World T20 campaign and ejected from India's test side due to poor form and fitness before enduring chants of 'water boy' when performing 12th man duties. He did eat a lot of pies though.

6. Umar Akmal (365 runs at 24.33) - Why have one Akmal in your team, when you can have two? Started off the year, with many predicting big things for the youngest Akmal brother and ended it being best known for his green lipstick. May bounce back once he realises that Test cricket is not T20 and requires innings to be built.

7. Kamran Akmal (123 runs at 10.25; 27 catches) - Absolutely dreadful with bat and gloves. Started the year by serially dropping Mike Hussey at Sydney and then put in an even worse performance at Trent Bridge. By the time his replacement Zulqarnain Haider went AWOL, Pakistan still preferred either of his brothers behind the stumps to the butter fingered Kamran.

8. Xavier Doherty (3 wickets at 102) - Inexplicably plucked from obscurity by Australia's confused selectors and promptly sent back to whence he came after two dreadful performances - and with a first-class average of over 50, it was hardly a surprise. So bad that he makes the team ahead of Paul Harris.

9. Ben Hilfenhaus (18 wickets at 41.38) - Hilfenhaus actually looked Australia's best bowler in the two match series in India, but he has flopped badly in the Ashes with only four wickets at 73 apiece and has lacked any sort of variation. Actually makes the side because we had predicted he would be the leading wicket taker in the Ashes series. Whoops!

10. Rubel Hossain (9 wickets at 90.55) - Even by the standards of Bangladesh's powder-puff attack, Rubel was particularly inept and he conceded nearly five runs an over to boot in his six tests in 2010.

11. Brandon Bess (1 wicket at 92.00) - Made Australia's selection of Xavier Doherty look inspired. Bess was called-up as a late injury replacement against South Africa at Bridgetown and promptly bowled 13 overs for 92 runs with just  the solitary wicket of Paul Harris - which somehow seems rather apt.

Where next? 

Brandon Bess - The strangest test debutant of them all

Over-rated cricketers - Yuvraj Singh

Ricky Ponting's cataclysmic epitaph

Zeroes: Paul Harris

Zeroes: Kamran Akmal

Exclusive: The New Ten Point Pakistan Player Code of Conduct

Historic India-Pakistan peace summit flounders on cricket diplomacy

Pakistan cricket's next 11 crazy events

Read all the latest from our Ashes 2010/11 coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

The next 11 crazy events involving the Pakistan cricket team

 
Can Pakistan cricket get any crazier? Just when you think that it has reached a low, along comes Zulqarnain Haider doing his impersonation of the Scarlet Pimpernel as he vanished into thin air only to materialise sometime later at Heathrow Airport.

We've been mulling over what is likely to happen next with the Pakistan cricket team, and after looking into our crystal ball we can confidently predict the next 11 major events.

1. Zulqarnain becomes a bit of a celebrity in his new home in the UK and replaces the Irish bloke on the X Factor judges panel, has an affair with Cheryl Cole and plays himself in an autobiographical flick entitled 'Escape From Dubai'.
2. Following the call-up of the third Akmal brother Adnan to the Pakistan squad rumours of nepotism and mafia cartels strengthen further when first Father Akmal and then Mother Akmal are also called into the squad.
3. Misbah-ul-Haq resigns the Test captaincy after the calamitous performance of the side in the two tests against South Africa, although Mother Akmal impresses with the gloves.
4. Younis Khan reveals the real reason behind the conspiracy against his captaincy that was perpetuated by Shoaib Malik - he is a cross-dresser that regularly wears stockings, suspenders and a basque under his cricket whites.
5. Shahid Afridi announces that he is returning to test cricket and is promptly named as test captain for the tour of New Zealand. After scoring 21 from 7 balls in Pakistan's failed run chase in the 1st Test, he retires from tests again citing that he doesn't have the mental strength or technique required for the five day game. Mother Akmal is made captain for the rest of the series.
6. In a poll on Cricinfo, Shahid Afridi is named as the sanest person in cricket today. Shoaib Akhtar comes second and Ijaz Butt third.
7. Shoaib Malik announces his divorce from Sania Mirza. He says that the marriage was all a big mistake and he'd got Mirza confused with the opponent she was playing at the time he first saw her. His engagement to Maria Sharapova is confirmed soon after.
8. Imran Farhat's book The Art of Batting is a worldwide best seller and copies are seen in the cricket bags of such luminaries as Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Kevin Pietersen and Ricky Ponting. All say that they wish they could bat like Farhat. 
9. Wahab Riaz beats Jonathan Trott at Madison Square Gardens to become WBO Heavyweight Champion of the World.
10. Amidst all the chaos Pakistan win the 2011 World Cup with a team solely comprised of Akmals. Kamran scores a hundred, Umar a fifty and Father Akmal takes five for ten as India are beaten.
11. Zulqarnain survives being stabbed with a poisoned umbrella on his way into the X Factor studios. Suspects include Ashley Cole and Kamran Akmal, as well as a mysterious Asian man with green lipstick.

Where next?

Exclusive: The New Ten Point Pakistan Player Code of Conduct

Historic India-Pakistan peace summit flounders on cricket diplomacy

Heroes: Mushtaq Ahmed

Zeroes: Shoaib Malik

England vs Pakistan: 4th test - Pakistan marks out of ten

When England were 102 for seven just after lunch on Friday, the Pakistan team were in ecstasy as they contemplated completing their fightback to draw the series with England.

But ecstasy turned to agony as first Jonathan Trott's and Stuart Broad's partnership and then a spineless batting display condemned Pakistan to their biggest ever test defeat. Then came the ignominy of the spot-fixing scandal, which could end the careers of a number of their side if the allegations are proven.

So, it may seem churlish and unimportant now to cast our marks out of ten for the Pakistan XI who played at Lord's, but we will do so because Trott's and Broad's achievements deserve to be remembered.

Imran Farhat - 2: If Farhat is a test match opener than I am the King of England. Sorry Imran, but an ability to cope with the new ball is kind of important if you want to open the batting. Two shocking dismissals especially the wild heave-ho in the second innings.

Yasir Hameed - 2: Actually made Farhat look half-decent. His charge down the wicket to Broad after the follow-on was irresponsibility personified. Now, we wonder if there was something more sinister involved?

Salman Butt - 5: At least the captain showed some fight with the bat even if he couldn't contend with Swann's extravagant spin. If the allegations about Butt's involvement in the spot-fixing scandal are true it will be dreadfully sad as his dignity and ability as captain seemed just what Pakistan cricket needed.

 

Mohammad Yousuf - 3: Will probably be wishing now that he had stayed retired. Undone by a wonderful yorker by Broad in the first innings and fell to a sucker punch in the second. Here, unlike at the Oval, Yousuf looked like a man who hadn't picked up a bat in seven months.

Azhar Ali - 5: Didn't kick on from his wonderful knock at the Oval, but with all the on and off-field turmoil going on around him, is it any wonder the inexperienced Azhar looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights?

Umar Akmal - 6: Undone by the Lord's sightscreen and Finn's height in the first innings, but enjoyed himself second time around when the pressure was off. Showed that butter fingers run in the family with a truly awful drop to reprieve Cook.

Kamran Akmal - 5: Although he kept wicket well enough for the second successive match (surely a record for the older Akmal?), his batting has truly fallen apart. Should be replaced by Zulqarnain for the tests against South Africa even if the allegations against him prove unfounded.

Mohammad Aamer - 9: Wonderful bowling confirmed that Aamer is perhaps the most talented bowler of his age in the history of cricket. He's certainly the best 18 year old we've seen and his control and mastery of conventional and reverse swing is truly remarkable. One desperately hopes that the allegations against him are not true - otherwise his story will have a sad and tragic end.

Wahab Riaz - 3: Was impotent, expensive and ineffectual with the ball and disappointing with the bat. May well prove to be a one test wonder.

Saeed Ajmal - 4: With Trott and Broad playing him so well, Ajmal was ineffective for the first time in the series. The extravagant spin and bounce found by Swann makes Ajmal's performance all the more disappointing.

Mohammad Asif - 6: Found a beautiful nip-backer to snare Strauss but it was all downhill from there as he was nullified by Trott's clever tactics. It is now alleged that Asif's chequered career has taken yet another wrong turn.

The Boundary View: Records fall as Pakistan slump again, Lord's, Day Three

Dedication is what you need...

...if you want to be a record breaker. Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad showed plenty of this attribute as the records tumbled. Not only was their eighth wicket partnership of 332 the biggest in test history (beating the 313 of Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq), but it was the seventh highest an English pair has ever recorded in test cricket. Broad's 169 was the second highest by a number nine in test history, but it was seven runs higher than his father's best test score - more bragging rights for Junior.   

Trott misses out on exclusive club

Trott narrowly failed to become the first batsman in test history to record two double centuries at Lord's. He also missed out on joining an exclusive club of England batsmen who have hit more than one test double hundred. There have only been seven - Hammond (7 scores of 200+), Hutton (4), Gooch (2), Compton (2), Amiss (2), Paynter (2) and Gower (2). That is quite some club. At least Trott can console himself with becoming the highest run-getter in tests in 2010. He now has 880 - 13 ahead of a certain Sachin Tendulkar.

Spirits broken as collapse bug returns

The partnership between Trott and Broad broke more records than a clumsy DJ, but it also seems to have broken Pakistan's spirit. Despite having had more downs in this series than a temazepam addict, Pakistan have impressed by maintaining their spirit and bouncing back on more than one occasion from a series of lows. But this was different, 11 wickets fell for only 69 runs after tea and for the first time this summer, Pakistan looked like a sad rabble. Even a batting master like Mohammad Yousuf was dismissed twice. Don't bet on the match going past lunchtime today.

Swann soars again

As badly as Pakistan batted, the England bowling unit was magnificent. The seamers all bowled well with Steven Finn rediscovering the form he lost at The Oval. Broad's yorker to get Yousuf in the first innings was an absolute beauty, as was Finn's to dismiss Umar Akmal. But the undoubted star again was Graeme Swann, who gave a wonderful exhibition of off-spin bowling. Salman Butt was the only Pakistan batsman who looked up for the fight, but Swann teased and tormented him and was rewarded with his wicket twice -including in the first innings where an unplayable delivery gripped, turned and took Butt's off stump. Simply brilliant.

Player of the day

If Trott shaded it from Broad on Friday, then yesterday was Broad's day. He played some sumptuous shots in the morning as he went past his father's best test score and then he took three wickets for nineteen runs during Pakistan's capitulation. Just don't call him an all-rounder.

Zero of the day

It's difficult to pick just one out of a spineless Pakistan batting unit, but we'll plump for Imran Farhat. It would be difficult to find a worse current test match opener especially as Farhat seems to have a real problem playing the new ball - surely a pre-requisite for an opener. His two dismissals were dreadful especially the second where he played a horrible shot to be caught at mid-on.

Hope of the day

That the spot fixing allegations involving the Pakistan team, which broke soon after the close of play, are the typical load of tripe that normally follows a poor Pakistan performance. The implications otherwise do not bear thinking about.

England vs Pakistan: 3rd test - Pakistan marks out of ten

Spirit in the Pakistan camp is obviously high given that they were able to put heavy defeats at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston behind them to bounce back with avengeance at the Oval. Pakistan sides of recent vintage would have descended into chaos and recrimination after two such crushing defeats, so captain Salman Butt and coach Waqar Younis should take a lot of credit for avoiding this.

Pakistan will now believe that they can square the series at Lord's and have a number of factors in their favour. Mohammad Yousuf has added calmness and solidity to the batting and his influence seems to have imbued his batting colleagues with a bit more steel. Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif continue to impress and England still haven't been able to pick Saeed Ajmal. Moreover their fielding, which was so poor in the first two tests, was a revelation at the Oval.

So, how did the Pakistan team fare on the Reverse Sweep marks out of ten scale?  

Imran Farhat - 7: Transformed from the strokeless Farhat of Edgbaston into a Tamim Iqbal clone when getting the Pakistan run chase off to a flier. Given that he also got runs in the Headingley run chase against Australia it would seem that Farhat likes the pressure cooker.

Yasir Hameed - 6: Came in for his first test of the summer and provided a much needed positive approach at the top of the order to give Pakistan's 1st innings a lightning start riding his luck in the process. Fortune ran out in the second innings with a first ball duck.

Salman Butt - 8: Is really impressing as captain both on and off the field and unlike his opposite number, everything went right for Butt here. He even managed to finally get some runs as he led from the front during the run chase. This was just reward for his dignity and bravery in dropping down to three. Captaincy record now stands at two wins and two losses - who'd have thought that when he took over amidst the chaos of Afridi's resignation?

Mohammad Yousuf - 9: A class act. Not only showed the quality that Pakistan's batting has been missing all summer, but spread calmness and confidence throughout his batting colleagues. Batted from memory at the start of his first knock, but once he had played himself in, Yousuf demonstrated exactly what he is a world class batsmen. How could Pakistan have ever left out a batsman this good? Shame on you, Ijaz Butt.

Azhar Ali - 8: Took his cue from Yousuf and visibly grew in confidence during his brilliant 92 not out in the first innings. Clearly has a lot of talent and a long test career beckons. Let's just overlook his ridiculous run out that sparked all the panic in the second innings.

Umar Akmal - 6: Immensely talented, but first innings dismissal raised questions as to how much there is between the ears. His crazy run out just three balls before the new ball cost Pakistan a big first innings lead and could have lost them the game. Redeemed himself in the second innings by showing uncharacteristic patience when the pressure was at its most intense and was rewarded by hitting the winning runs.

Kamran Akmal - 7: Lucky to play after Zulqarnain's unfortunate injury, but then surprised by catching everything that came his way. His batting in English conditions though clearly needs a rethink and his dismissal in the second innings offering no shot to Swann was particularly poor. In this form, he is a place too high at seven.

Mohammad Aamer - 9: Bounced back from a quiet time in the first innings to deliver a matchwinning Akramesque spell in the second. Bowled fast, full and gained wicked late movement. Simply brilliant, but is he really only 18? Was at the crease when the winning runs were hit for the second successive run chase.

Saeed Ajmal - 8: England's top order still can't pick him, which helped Ajmal during his long spell in England's second innings. Bowled with guile, intelligence and skill as evidenced by his fabulous over to Pietersen that sparked England's collapse. Danish Kaneria may as well set up home permanently in Essex as Ajmal won't be going anywhere for some time.

Wahab Riaz - 8: Came in for Gul to some disquiet from Pakistani followers, but had a dream first day in test cricket with a well deserved five for. The icing on the cake was his patient 27 as nightwatchman, which frustrated England no end.

Mohammad Asif - 8: Was his usual consistent self and even had the generosity to help Cook to his century by his wild shy at the stumps. How he isn't included in the ICC Cricketer of the Year longlist defies belief.

The Boundary View: Pakistan stumble to victory, The Oval, Day Four

Fortune favours the brave

Imran Farhat was rendered virtually strokeless during the Edgbaston test, even managing a 24 ball duck in the first innings. But yesterday he did a passable impersonation of Tamim Iqbal as he launched Pakistan's run chase with a flurry of boundaries. He had some luck, but on this occasion it was definitely a case of fortune favouring the brave.

On the other hand...

Andrew Strauss has never been the most attacking of captains, but his field settings at the start of Pakistan's run chase were negative even by his standards. Given Pakistan's batting weaknesses during the series and their propensity for failing to chase small targets, were boundary saving sweepers needed on both sides of the wicket? The contrast with Australia's attacking approach at Headingley when Pakistan were chasing a similarly small target was stark.

Panic stations

As at Headingley, Pakistan stumbled with the finish line in sight. At lunch it seemed that Pakistan would stroll to victory but the ridiculous run out of Azhar Ali seemingly set the dressing room into a panic. The previously immovable Mohammad Yousuf was undone by a pearler from Anderson and that left the two Akmal brothers at the crease. No wonder Salman Butt suddenly looked worried from the sidelines. Sure enough, Kamran Akmal was leg before offering no shot to Swann. But for once Umar Akmal used his head and after a period of consecutive maidens with 16 runs required led his side over the finishing line in unison with Mohammad Aamer, who had also been at the crease when the winning runs were hit at Headingley.

Player of the day

Salman Butt has impressed in his short tenure as skipper. Pakistan sides of recent vintage would have descended into discontent and recrimination after the heavy defeats of Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, but this one has kept its spirit. Butt should take a lot of credit for that and the way he has handled himself in front of the press has been impressive. So it was nice to see him finally getting some runs yesterday. His captaincy record now stands at two wins and two losses. Would anyone have predicted that on the eve of the Headingley test when he took the reins amidst the chaos of Shahid Afridi's resignation?

Zero of the day

The England batsmen. The collapse may have happened the day before, but the seal was put on it by Stuart Broad's dismissal yesterday in the first over of the day. This meant that England had lost their last seven wickets for 28 in 15 overs. This wasn't the first time in this series that England have subsided either. They lost their last six wickets for 17 at Trent Bridge and their last seven for 46 at Edgbaston. When you chuck in that they also lost their  top six for 98 in the second innings at Trent Bridge, and their top seven for 94 in the first innings here, then there must be a lot of concern in the England dressing room. A few weeks ago we looked at Australia's all too frequent batting collapses, but it would seem that England are just as badly afflicted. At this rate it could be a low-scoring Ashes contest in the winter.

What will happen at Lord's?

Pakistan have a habit of going on unstoppable winning runs (witness the 1992 World Cup), so they will be confident of winning at Lord's and earning a share of the spoils in the series. Yousuf has added solidity and his influence seems to have imbued his batting colleagues with a bit more steel. Aamer and Mohammad Asif continue to impress and England still haven't been able to pick Saeed Ajmal. England on the other hand look like they could do with freshening their line-up, although now that Alastair Cook is in the runs again it is difficult to see where changes could be made to the batting line-up. However, it would be good to see how Ajmal Shahzad would fare as a replacement for Broad.

England vs Pakistan: 2nd test - Pakistan marks out of ten

Another defeat for Pakistan looked inevitable right from Salman Butt's foolhardy call at the toss. Butt's move was intended to  be a positive one, but the negative strokeless approach of Pakistan's batsmen was always likely to be ill-advised and so it proved as they fell to an embarrassing 72 all out. Pakistan could have collapsed into disarray after that, but they didn't and Butt must take some credit for that. His side fought back on both the second and third days to first restrict England to 251 after at one time being 177 for two. Then  the lower order resisted on the third day to avert an innings defeat and at least set England a target. The replacements for Kamran Akmal and Danish Kaneira, Zulqarnain Haider and Saeed Ajmal, both did well. However, there are massive problems to correct before the Oval with the top six batsmen and the abysmal fielding.

Here is how the Pakistan players rated on the Reverse Sweep report card:

Imran Farhat - 5 Was far too negative in the first innings when making a 24 ball duck, but was starting to look good in the second after a lot of hard graft, before his off-stump was removed by a jaffa from Swann. 

Salman Butt - 3 Brave but ill-advised call at the toss had the wheels falling off the Pakistan bus from the start. And it didn't get any better for the captain with two more single figure scores. Looks like he couldn't buy a run at present.

Azhar Ali - 4 Full marks for perspiration but not many for inspiration. Faced a tortuous 32 balls for his duck in the first innings and took a further 15 balls to get his first run in the second. Will be annoyed that he eventually undid his patient work in his second knock to be bowled through the gate by Swann attempting a booming drive.

Shoaib Malik - 3 Shifted up to four to provide some experience and solidity and was promptly out cheaply in both innings. Throughout his career there have been questions raised about Malik's technique at test level and he did nothing to contradict the doubters at Edgbaston. Maybe he was too busy watching his back with Mohammad Yousuf returning to the scene?

Umar Akmal - 4 Clearly has bags of talent, but is low on confidence and suffering from habitual poor shot selection. Looks like he could do with a batting masterclass from the newly arrived Mohammad Yousuf.

Umar Amin - 5 Looked better at six and got starts in both innings. Drives well, but perhaps this tour has come a bit early for this youngster? Struck again with his golden arm, as Trott joined North and Watson as Amin's test victims.

Zulqarnain Haider - 8 Kept tidily in the first innings with the only blemish being spilling an inside edge from Pietersen, but missed a couple of chances off Ajmal's bowling in the second. Nearly bagged a king pair but then showed bundles of character and quality to lead a lower order fightback. All in all, an extremely promising debut. Kamran who?

Mohammad Aamer - 7 Bowled and batted with a lot of heart without getting the wickets he deserved. Hung around for 117 balls for a resilient 16 in the second innings and looks to have the technique to develop into a good number seven. No wonder there are so many comparisons with Wasim Akram.

Umar Gul - 5 Will be devastated that his hamstring will prevent him playing on the expected reverse swing friendly pitches at The Oval and Lord's. Pakistan will miss his quality and experience.

Saeed Ajmal - 8 Where has he been? Bowled with guile and excellent variations in pace and flight to bag a five for as a number of England batsmen failed to pick him. Then scored a spirited first test fifty despite being battered and bruised by the England quicks. Has consigned Danish Kaneira to spending the rest of the summer at Essex. Lucky Danish.

Mohammad Asif - 7 Was his usual reliable self with the ball without grabbing the number of wickets he deserved. Must wish that he played in a team with better batsmen and fielders who can actually catch the ball.

England vs Pakistan: 1st test - Pakistan marks out of ten

After the euphoria of the Headingley win over Australia, Pakistan came crashing down to earth with a bump at Trent Bridge. The margin of victory didn't tell the whole story however, as on Saturday afternoon with England 98 for six, some Pakistan supporters may have been sensing an unlikely victory.

However, the Pakistan batting is in such a parlous state that even chasing a target of 120 would have probably been beyond them. To say the batters let down the star pace trio of Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul would be a massive understatement.

The PCB have now pressed the panic button and sent for the cavalry in the shape of the supposedly 'retired' Mohammad Yousuf. That the Pakistan batting needs more quality and experience is a given, but bringing back Yousuf who has not played first class cricket since March seems strange when Younis Khan is also available and has recently played county cricket for Surrey.

The treatment of Danish Kaneira is even worse. Yes, he had an appalling match at Trent Bridge, but he did reasonably well against Australia and to send a man with 261 wickets back to county cricket rather than working with him in the nets seems very peculiar.  

Salman Butt certainly has a lot on his hands, not least the interesting prospect of brokering some sort of peace deal between Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, who have been at daggers drawn for some time. According to Cricinfo, Butt and team coach Waqar Younis were not even consulted about Yousuf's inclusion so the next few weeks could provoke yet more turmoil in the mad world of Pakistan cricket.

Here are the marks out of ten for the XI who played at Trent Bridge:

Imran Farhat - 6 Of the Pakistan top five, Farhat was the best of a bad bunch as at least he fought and stuck around for a while in both innings. The ball from Anderson that bowled him in the first innings was an absolute cracker that better batsmen than Farhat would have struggled to keep out.

Salman Butt - 4 Two single figure scores from the captain, with his dismissal in the second innings being particularly disappointing. Only two matches into his captaincy, Butt now has the interesting prospect of reintegrating the precious Yousuf back into the fold.

Azhar Ali - 4 Foolishly didn't refer his dismissal in the first innings, where he was caught after the ball clipped his pocket and then made a duck in the second innings. Should be retained however, as Azhar looked pretty good against the Aussies.

Umar Amin - 3 Likely to be the fall guy who has to make way for Yousuf, and to tell the truth looks a bit out of his depth at this level. The folly of playing two inexperienced players at three and four cost Pakistan dearly here.

Umar Akmal - 3 Poor dismissals in both innings having only scored four runs each time. The good impression he made in New Zealand and Australia over the winter is fading fast. Is it a lack of confidence or over-confidence?

Shoaib Malik - 6 Looked the most assured of all the Pakistan batsmen in the first innings other than Gul and also took a couple of wickets with his offbreaks. We wonder how much Malik is looking forward to his reunion with Yousuf? Oh, to be a fly on the wall of that particular meeting.

Kamran Akmal - 1 The wicketkeeper was going to have to go some to beat his Sydney flop, but he may just have managed it here. Stood too far back, so missed getting Morgan early during his hundred, dropped a straightforward chance to reprieve Strauss and then there was the astonishing missed stumping of Collingwood. To cap a thoroughly miserable match, Akmal then bagged a pair. Gets a point for his stunning catch to dismiss Pietersen in the second innings, although even that was a bit fortunate given that it stuck in his webbing.

Mohammad Aamer - 8 Showed more application with the bat than any of his supposed specialist batting colleagues, and bowled with heart, fire and skill throughout the game. A real talent.

Umar Gul - 8 Bowled like a drain in the first innings, but his brilliant 65 not out saved Pakistan from the follow-on. This seemed to inspire him and his bowling rhythm returned in the second innings with three deserved wickets.

Danish Kaneira - 2 A game to forget for Kaneria with 1 wicket for 171 from only 33 overs, but does he deserve to be sent back to Essex? A man with 261 test wickets deserves better.

Mohammad Asif - 8 Bowled beautifully on the second morning to inspire an England collapse and then reached his century of test wickets in only his 20th test to equal Waqar's Pakistan record. Rated the second best bowler in the world, and looked every inch of it. Like Aamer and Gul, deserves to be playing in a side with a stronger batting line-up.

Pakistan vs Australia - Pakistan marks out of ten

Pakistan cricket can be accused of a lot of things but boring is not one of them. Accordingly, a wonderful test match at Headingley had a fittingly nail biting ending before Pakistan finally threw the monkey off their backs and beat Australia in a test match for the first time since Mushtaq Ahmed spun them to victory at Sydney in 1995.

It may only have been a two match series, but the MCC Spirit of Cricket Series saw Pakistan field two captains after Shahid Afridi lost his marbles at Lord's. Salman Butt made an impressive start to his reign. He even showed he had that most important of assets a captain needs. Luck. Both times he brought on the part-time medium pace of Umar Amin he was rewarded with a wicket.

Despite possessing arguably the best pace attack in world cricket at the moment (although South African supporters may question that), Pakistan are far from the finished article. Butt is the only batsman who has sufficient experience and class and the side could do with at least one of Younis Khan or Mohammad Yousuf; both of whom average over 50 in test cricket.

That said, some of the ingredients are there to suggest that Pakistan are going to be competitive against England in the forthcoming series. Here are the Reverse Sweep marks out of ten for those that played in the two games against Australia.

Salman Butt - 8 (213 runs, Average 53.25, HS 92): Looked a class apart from his batting colleagues at Lord's, where he should have converted at least one of his fifties into a big hundred. Then from the chaos of Afridi's resignation, he captained the side with aplomb at Headingley. Now needs to get that batting average where it belongs for someone with his talent - over 40.

Imran Farhat - 7 (138 runs, Average 34.50, HS 67): Gets an extra point for his patient and composed 67 in the run chase at Headingley. He may not be the most popular player amongst his own supporters judging by comments on Twitter or Test Match Sofa, but the talent is there. Needs to make his Headingley knock the template for the future.

Azhar Ali - 7 (139 runs, Average 34.75, HS 51): Dropped in at the deep end for his first two test matches at number three and showed plenty of promise. His century partnership with Farhat in the second innings run chase at Headingley should have set up a comfortable win. Looks like he could develop into a decent test match batsman if given a run in the side.

Umar Amin - 4 (59 runs, Average 14.75, HS 33. 2 wickets, Average 9.50): Another debutant thrown to the wolves. Difficult to judge on just two matches, but with Butt suggesting Pakistan will resist the urge to send an SOS for Yousuf or Younis, we should know more about Amin by the end of the summer. Would seem to have a bit of a golden arm with the ball though - just ask Marcus North or Shane Watson.

Umar Akmal - 3 (56 runs, Average 14.00, HS 22): Immensely talented (as he showed on debut against New Zealand) but needs to learn to slip out of Twenty 20 and one day mode when compiling a test innings. Played some outrageous shots in the two games, mostly at inappropriate times. Needs to go back to the drawing board.

Shahid Afridi - 5 (33 runs, Average 16.50, HS 31): He came, he slogged, he retired. If he had hung around for another hour in the first innings at Lord's we would have been talking about one of the great counterattacking test innings. Of course, the script was very different. His brief captaincy though does seem to have brought some spirit and unity back into the Pakistan cricket side.

Shoaib Malik - 5 (36 runs, Average 18.00, HS 26): Mohammad Yousuf's best friend replaced Afridi at Headingley and as so often in his stop-start test career, Malik left many observers questioning whether he is good enough for the five day format. If Pakistan do send for Yousuf or Younis, it should be Malik who makes way.

Kamran Akmal - 6 (74 runs, Average 18.50, HS 46): Actually looked like a test class wicketkeeper again after the horrorshow of Sydney. His three quickfire boundaries in the second innings at Headingley finally settled the match in Pakistan's favour. Still doesn't justify his ability with the bat consistently enough though especially with his side's long tail.

Mohammad Aamer - 9 (11 wickets, Average 22.27, BB 4/72): This boy is going to be special. Wasim Akram has already conceded that Aamer is better than he was at the same age, which tells you all you need to know. Has wonderful variations of attack and a cunning brain. Has now dismissed Ponting four times in five tests, which will make him popular with England supporters. And he is only 18.

Umar Gul - 8 (8 wickets, Average 23.62, BB 4/61): The third part of Pakistan's fearsome pace triumvirate bowled well in both matches especially in the second innings at Lord's. Will hope for a hot English summer so that he can get his reverse swing going.

Mohammad Asif - 9 (11 wickets, Average 23.00, BB 3/30): Has unerring accuracy and it would seem comes from the same school of metronomic bowling as Glenn McGrath. Has 94 wickets from 19 tests at an average of 23.18. With controversy now behind him, Asif could now be set to challenge Dale Steyn for the title of the best seamer in the world.

Danish Kaneira - 6 (6 wickets, Average 34.33, BB 2/49): Played the support role to his trio of pacemen and did a decent enough job. Wouldn't have enjoyed his treatment from fellow leggie Steve Smith in the Australian second innings at Headingley.   

Pakistan tear up the script to dismay Hollywood

The cameras have been running for three days. The setting may be different but there had been an uncanny resemblance to the original as the scenes were shot.

Ricky Ponting won the toss, Australia then duly collapsed like an ageing rock star after a three day drink and drug fuelled bender. Pakistan took a first innings lead without ever looking assured in the middle. Then Australia had fought back and set Pakistan a tricky target of 180.

Sure some things were different - Michael Hussey left his Superman cape at home this time and Kamran Akmal actually caught the bloody ball in the Australian second innings; even threatening for times to look like a competent test wicketkeeper. Rookie Steve Smith threatened to take the Oscar after an incredibly compelling cameo performance and Salman Butt refused to slip into the ultra-defensive mode of Mohammad Yousuf.

Yes, the Hollywood remake of the Pakistani tragedy movie "Sydney" was looking like it would provide an authentically similar ending. The PCB were even sharpening their knives for the captain, Akmal brothers and the pantomime villain figure of Shoaib Malik. 

But then Pakistan decided to improvise and throw away the script. Sure, Butt provided the requisite tame dismissal, but Imran Farhat and another rookie Azhar Ali then forgot the roles they were supposed to be playing. Instead of being nervous, they looked assured. Instead of giving their wickets away, they steadily knocked off the runs.

The Australian bowlers forgot their lines too especially the notoriously absent-minded Mitchell Johnson. It seemed the absence of the hitherto bit-part player Nathan Hauritz also meant the remake was unravelling. Shane Watson too messed things up by dropping a simple chance to reprieve Farhat and then proceeded to wear his customary frown for the rest of the day as he returned to his usual role of the innocuous medium-pacer.

With the ending now looking very different, Hollywood bosses are said to be furious and their representative - let's call him John (apparently he is on first name terms with Shane Warne and Mark Waugh) - reportedly spent most of last night locked in the Pakistan caravan imploring the team to return to the agreed script.

But will Butt and co comply or are we in for a very different ending to "Sydney"? If so, maybe the Director could save face and call it a sequel.