Cricket at rest!

Pakistan cricket is always controvertial, its like a non-stop befundling bhangra. The murder of Bob Woolmer after Pakistan's humiliating loss to Ireland has caused a media frenzy in Pakistan, but Mike Marquesee says that the innuendos against the team are in bad taste.

Coach Woolmer might have been a better man then Greg Chappel, but still a bad coach. ICC rankings be damned, Pakistan has always seen its ups and downs, the most important barometer of the cricketing world is the wrold cup and this has been Pakistan's most humiliating exit. Nobody can argue that they have raw talent, and that the coach is mainly responsible for strategy and the team's psyche . . . and in that Bob Woolmer was a failure, as was Greg Chappel.

I think India and Pakistan should eat their humble pie and try to escape the mental depravity that is part of the previous generation that only the Gora Mai Bap can discipline us. I don't know how many Miadad's, Imran's, Kapil's and Jayasurai need to be born for the South Asians to break out from their shared colonial past of insecurities.

So yes, please let Aqib Javed coach Pakistan and maybe take his winning under 19 team to West Indies, maybe they can win us a 20/20. As for my cricket bets, they are on West indies and Sri lanka, becuase they have already overcome some worthy rivals.