Cricket Special Report: Controversial 2010 summer- A victorious summer for England (Part II)
The second Test at Edgbaston, Bermingham from 6-9th August brought a fear of innings defeat for the visiting Pakistan side. But thanks to debutant wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider’s valiant 88 and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal’s 79-ball half-century as
the efforts of the two passed away the billows of innings crush. Though Zulqarnain Haider’s useful half-century stands with Mohammad Amir and Saeed Ajmal passed away innings defeat but could not help the visitors to deny 9-wickets defeat in the end.
The next clash between the two sides was staged at The Oval cricket ground and surprisingly the Pakistan team prevailed in the match with 4-wickets. However, the partying visitors did not have an idea even what a big surprise the home of cricket, The Lord’s,
had waiting for them.
Both the teams started their Lord’s fixture on 26th August. Teenage pacer of Pakistan Mohammad Amir continued his breathtaking performance at Lord’s picking up six wickets for 84 from 28 overs – bowling 6 maiden overs as well. However, the tremendous
performance of Amir was reduced to rubble by a British Tabloid on the eve of the third day of the match, when an article published in the News of the World on Sunday, 29th August claimed that Mohammad Amir and his teammates had been paid by a bookie
named http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mazhar-c75448 Majeed for deliberate no-balls. Mohammad Amir’s major overstep on the 3rd ball of 19th over of the game was the centre of spot-fixing controversy. Alongside Mohammad Amir, his new ball partner Mohammad Asif and the Test skipper
of Pakistan were also alleged of being involved into spot-fixing. The alleged trio of Pakistan was later on suspended from all cricket by the ICC.
The controversy seriously wrecked the performance of alleged side and the innings defeat, which was passed away by Haider and Ajmal at Edgbaston, turned out to be a bitter reality this time as England finished the controversial Test with an innings and 225
runs win.
The Pakistan team, dejected by the spot-fixing allegations, started the five match one-day series in the same losing way going 2 down against hosts. However, the Oval venue, once again, embraced the visitors with open arms as the side started its fight-back
with a 23-run win. The blow to the hosts came when they lost their successive one-day at Lord’s. After levelling the five-match series by 2-2, Pakistan team started thinking off a happy ending of their controversial tour but Strauss and his men once again
claimed for the bragging rights of cricket across all formats of cricket by setting 121-run win against the visitors at http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rose-c86842 Bowl last night.
Besides the spot-fixing controversies, the summer witnessed a number of altercations as well. During the second Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston, looking at the collapse of top order, the hosts started sniffing an innings win but the resistance from Zulqarnain
Haider irritated the English attack. On the third day of the match, frustrated Stuart Broad petulantly hurled the ball at Zulqarnain - playing at 22. The throw had hit his right hand aggravating his little finger injury. The aggravated injury later ruled Zulqarnain
Haider out of the third Test played at The Oval.
Another incident of physical altercation happened on 20th September before the start of fourth ODI when Pakistan’s pacer Wahab Riaz and England’s Jonathan Trott had some exchange of words before a physical altercation.
Pakistan captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 news channel, Geo TV.
"When Riaz was returning after warming up Trott called him a 'match-fixer' and that he [Riaz] was up to harming Test cricket and hit his face with the pad," told the captain. Afridi further added that the incident could have been a police case but
Pakistan side “showed a big heart and did not press for it."
ECB will today announce its squad for Ashes series with the prospects of an equally overwhelming winter.
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