Controversy could have played a part in Shoaib's pullout. The Pakistan team management for the last two years has been weak. One cannot be strict and lax at the same time.

BY Rashid Latif 20 February 2005

Shoaib tried all through to get his outswinger going but could not summon it. Sami was nowhere his best and suffered from a fault in his bowling action. How we wanted Umar Gul to be available in the final Test!

BY Rashid Latif 16 April 2004

The skipper might have been influenced by the fact there was grass on the pitch and that it couldn't have been rolled out well. It implied a pitch of variable bounce on the fourth and fifth day, given the hot conditions. The Indians didn't reckon the

BY Rashid Latif 8 April 2004

The Pakistan camp of today isn't like the Indian unit where a Sehwag or a Yuvraj are given a free hand to showcase their talent. No wonder, there is a feeling the unit appears shackled

BY Rashid Latif 1 April 2004

Their tough, uncompromising cricket turned the tide in the final two games at Lahore and squeezed Pakistan out of the contest

BY Rashid Latif 24 March 2004

'They did it in the NatWest Series, in the Adelaide Test Down Under and now they have taken the series down to the wire. Pakistan is still to learn this art'

BY Rashid Latif 21 March 2004

'As the matches become regular and the players feel less pressure, Pakistan tends to dominate, like in Sharjah, in the context of the two teams'

BY Rashid Latif 19 March 2004

'I was sitting in the stands and watching Tendulkar unfold his genius. Time and again I thought, has there been a better batsman I have watched in my life? I couldn't think of anyone, not even Viv Richards'

BY Rashid Latif 16 March 2004

'Pakistan reckoned their fast bowlers would be able to take early wickets and dent the famed Indian batting. They were also proved right on hindsight, they now know the team would be able to chase any target against a weak Indian bowling attack'

BY Rashid Latif 13 March 2004

Captains come under pressure when they are failing and men around them are performing well. So is the case with Inzamam and Ganguly. I hope they don't make the mistake most captains do under pressure -- ask the rest of the guys to step up their perfo

BY Rashid Latif 9 March 2004