Test cricket returns to….

………Pakistan and guess against whom ? The dashers and the bashers and then the dampners…….Dashers against Pakistan in Pakistan, bashers against the minnows and the dampners against stronger teams. Test of how Younis (only Y now) takes on his new role of skipper clubbed with the best batsman of the team. Test of how M&M group again after disaster against India. Test of how Mahela Jaywardhena shapes up in his final test series (as captain). And test of how Pakistan fare in the form of game they have not played in 14 months. The last test they played, was almost a miraculous escape thanks to fading Bangalore daylight. Good for them, good for us. Good for world cricket that Pakistan returns to the Test cricket albeit with the weakest team in years. No Inzy, No Yusuf, No Akhtar, no Tanveer (shocking to drop him)…New team, new skipper, new age, let them go and take a bus back to the past when Ws rocked the world and batsmen like Inzy ruled the laziness….

Lets see how SL fare against a favorite team. Amazingly they have got good record against Pakistan in Pakistan, which not many teams boast of. But then that’s SL for you. Jo baki teams nahi kar pati, Wo SL karti he. Good luck to the skippers. One who starts his journey, one who ends his journey (giving us respite)…..

BTW here is a quick look at the captains of the teams and a classification if they are the best batsmen or bowlers of their team:

Australia : Ricky Ponting : Only good batsman in the team (for bloggers who hate him). For me the best batsman in the team.

India : MS Dhoni (not the best batsman in tests, but yes best finisher in the ODI in the team and perhaps the world)

SL : Mahela Jaywardhena : Best batsman of the team.

Eng: Andrew Strauss : He is the compromise man. An underrated batsman and a “miya kaptani karoge” types.

WI : Chris Gayle : Almost the best batsman

Pak : Younis Khan : Best batsman

SA : Graeme Smith : Best batsman

NZ : Dan Vettori : Best bowler

So you see except India and England, most teams are lead by the best batsman in the team in Tests and ODIs. For NZ their best bowler does the job. May be cos they aint sure who their best batsman is amongst the rookies and transitioning team.