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"First-class cricketers say they are still served biryani" : Wasim Akram

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MenInG

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Wasim Akram speaking to the media:

"It's a format that was used in the 1992 World Cup, all teams have to play each other"

"In this tournament, flukes won't work like there was the Super Six format where Kenya qualified for a semi-final. Here, the 4 best teams will qualify. Pakistan team has a chance"

"Pakistan experimented against Australia, it's fine, people will criticise for no reason"

"Someone tell me is there a good bowler who we haven't seen yet? OK Amir has taken 4 wickets in 14 matches, but he's still one of the best bowlers we have. He can swing the ball, he's just not getting wickets"

"Since we were playing cricket, our PM Imran Khan was saying this, that we should have Grade cricket style like there is in Australia. There's no harm but the only problem that we'll eventually have is how will the remaining cricketers make do? There's 22 million in Australia and 200+ million in Pakistan. I believe in quality, not quantity. To make it to one of the 6 teams, you'll have to work hard"

"In 4 PSL editions, did we find even one good batsman? No. If we saw anyone, it was bowlers. Not one batsman"

"Look at the domestic tournament right now, any batsman you see hitting shots has one shot. Clear the foot and smash to mid-wicket, I can also do that now. We need to learn proper cricketing shots and that'll come through FC cricket when the system is fixed"

"Now the system is in cricketers' hands again after being destroyed by one person"

(On Mohammad Hasnain) "By holding him back, what do you want to do? Cook him? When I came to the team, I was 17. I hadn't played any cricket. When Waqar came, he was 18 and had played hardly any FC cricket. The more he (Hasnain) stays around the team, the more his confidence and fitness will improve. In FC cricket, his fitness won't improve"

"I was speaking to FC cricketers during PSL and they were saying that they still get Biryani. Now will you feed players biryani then go and beat the best teams in the world? It's impossible. If you score, you get a boti otherwise you get just rice"
 
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Come on even we know the 1992 world cup was a bit of a fluke. The group stage match against eng if we had lost we would have been out but rain helped us.
 
I wonder how many times the word “fluke” has been used in the context of Pakistan cricket since the Champions Trophy.
 
He's right about the diets.

It's clear that some of the Pakistani players are overweight and unfit.
 
Wasim Akram is absolutely correct. I think the greatest ODI bowler of all time knows a thing or two about making sure his body is in peak condition!

Whilst sports science, fitness and nutrition has advanced significantly in the last decade, a lot of our players are still out of shape. Having Inzimam as chief selector doesn’t help in this regard either! Neither does having a captain with a visible belly!

There’s a reason that our fast bowlers can’t stay consistently fast throughout a full test match and fitness/diet plays a big part.

Think of it like this... if you fill a Rolls Royce with cheap supermarket fuel, it’s not going to run efficiently. You need the best fuel for ye best performance and our player need strict diets and fitness regimens if they want to be the best in the world!
 
While I agree with players needing to be on healthy diets 90% of the times but Wasim is stretching it here, you are allowed a cheat meal or cheat day here and there.
 
“Typical nonsense.. cant keep his mouth shut”

I read such comments and I wonder if posters even read the original posts.

Waz has not said anything wrong at all.. and those who think we won by fluke in 92, should watch the England game again. The way the ball was swinging that day, you put any modern day side to face them today, they won’t score more than 50. It was prodigious swing. And amer Sohail and salim malik batted well to stick it out close to 40 overs that day. Had we gotten out quicker and not played for time, England would have chased the total before the rain arrived.
So that one point was hard fought and well earned.

Also the game against South Africa, we would have won had it not been for rain as well. So it evened out.

Kids these days don’t know their cricketing history. The way we came back to win under must win situation, it is a shame for people to say it was a fluke win. No cricketing expert has ever called our World Cup win a fluke win (unless you are botham or some other disgruntled England player)
 
Most Pakistani cricketers don't look like professional athletes. The cause of that is very clear, if you are a "professional" it is your job to be in the best shape possible, but unfortunately our culture is way too laid back for these things to get any importance. It really wasn't until Kohli revealed his diet and fitness that lead to some of our players starting to looking after themselves, but then again I feel it was a half hearted effort.
 
Saj said:
He's right about the diets.

It's clear that some of the Pakistani players are overweight and unfit.
Click to expand...

Shame our batsmen dont have same hunger for scoring runs.
 
Stewie said:
“Typical nonsense.. cant keep his mouth shut”

I read such comments and I wonder if posters even read the original posts.

Waz has not said anything wrong at all.. and those who think we won by fluke in 92, should watch the England game again. The way the ball was swinging that day, you put any modern day side to face them today, they won’t score more than 50. It was prodigious swing. And amer Sohail and salim malik batted well to stick it out close to 40 overs that day. Had we gotten out quicker and not played for time, England would have chased the total before the rain arrived.
So that one point was hard fought and well earned.

Also the game against South Africa, we would have won had it not been for rain as well. So it evened out.

Kids these days don’t know their cricketing history. The way we came back to win under must win situation, it is a shame for people to say it was a fluke win. No cricketing expert has ever called our World Cup win a fluke win (unless you are botham or some other disgruntled England player)
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He has talked about diets many times. Hardly anything revolutionary.

Furthermore he says you need to play well to win the WC. Again what is so revolutionary from this? I respect what he has done for Pakistan cricket but Wasim is not great at analysing games and also not great in the media.
 
Hasan123 said:
He has talked about diets many times. Hardly anything revolutionary.

Furthermore he says you need to play well to win the WC. Again what is so revolutionary from this? I respect what he has done for Pakistan cricket but Wasim is not great at analysing games and also not great in the media.
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He states the obvious, yes... but it’s far from nonsense.. I don’t find anything wrong with what he says 90% of the time. The other 10%, he is just being opinionated and it could be right or wrong depending on how you look at it.
 
1992 world cup win wasnt a fluke at all. Pak were deserving winners. They needed luck in that one match against Eng and got lucky. And u need luck at some stage when u play in a global and long tournament in one or two matches but its ur consistence performance at the end that takes u to the glory. Only Australian team of WC 2003 and WC 2007 didnt need luck as they were on another level all together.
 
Why are people always slandering biryani? Bityani doesn't make you unfit. Any unbalanced diet is unhealthy. Biryani is just more carb heavy than some food. So eat judiciously!
 
And Windies of 75 and 79.. they streamrolled oppositions to championships then
 
Stewie said:
And Windies of 75 and 79.. they streamrolled oppositions to championships then
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Yes exactly. Actually I have only heard about West Indies team that they too were invincible and smashed other teams for fun but I have seen Australian team doing it. I mean how they did it was simply terrific, amazing, mindblowing. So ruthless in decimating their opposition.
 
His idea of fitness is old fashioned, the current trend among professional athlete is more emphasize on exercise and not too much on diet. Exercise or gym work needs to be individualized for the kind of sport you play with right mix of aerobic and resistant training.
 
Mamoon said:
I wonder how many times the word “fluke” has been used in the context of Pakistan cricket since the Champions Trophy.
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Sir, [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] that only vindicates that how true u were that u termed it fluke way before WASIM Akram and Nauman Niaz started using it for PAK team's CHAMPION TROPHY WIN. Ppl must introspect rather than getting irked with ur expert analysis. You are spot on with ur views . Sir, thats why I am one of ur biggest admirers. I will wait for your posts during WORLD CUP as I dont miss any of ur posts.
 
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Ronaldo7 said:
Come on even we know the 1992 world cup was a bit of a fluke. The group stage match against eng if we had lost we would have been out but rain helped us.
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Yes, but the rain made us loose the match against South Africa. From England we only got 1 point but we lost 2 points against south africa due to Rain.
Then wrong run out decision against Imran Khan Vs India cost another 2 points.
 
Abu_Hamza said:
1992 world cup win wasnt a fluke at all. Pak were deserving winners. They needed luck in that one match against Eng and got lucky. And u need luck at some stage when u play in a global and long tournament in one or two matches but its ur consistence performance at the end that takes u to the glory. Only Australian team of WC 2003 and WC 2007 didnt need luck as they were on another level all together.
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People go on and on about Pakistan being lucky in 1992, and whilst its true they benefited from rain against England (so did England in the semi final) - it's not like Pakistan were some lower-tier team that went on a hot run.

Contrary to common perception about the 1999 side which was massively reliant on its bowling to bail out a weak batting unit - Pakistan's best ODI team was actually formed during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Pakistan won 10 out of 13 ODI series between the end of the 1988/89 Benson and Hedges World Series and the 1992 World Cup.

They won the 1989 Champions Trophy, the 1989 Nehru Cup (a mini World Cup), 1990 Australasia Cup, whitewashed both West Indies and New Zealand in 1990 and the 1991 Wills Trophy. And yet for years we hear the story about how Pakistan were no hopers, underdogs etc as if we were some minnow.
 
Abu_Hamza said:
Sir, [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] that only vindicates that how true u were that u termed it fluke way before WASIM Akram and Nauman Niaz started using it for PAK team's CHAMPION TROPHY WIN. Ppl must introspect rather than getting irked with ur expert analysis. You are spot on with ur views . Sir, thats why I am one of ur biggest admirers. I will wait for your posts during WORLD CUP as I dont miss any of ur posts.
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Well, I am extremely flattered and humbled by your gracious words, but I have been wrong more times than I have been right. Nonetheless, people like Wasim, Shoaib and even Dr. Nauman Diaz hold distinguished positions and their opinions and views have influence.

They should refrain from using terms like fluke etc. because it can do no good for the morale of the team. How would the players feel when a legend like Wasim is dismissive of their Champions Trophy triumph and has labeled it a fluke? This is the time for our former players to show faith in the players and back them to go all the way.
 
Its not just the problem with Pakistani players but its the problem of subcontinent as a whole.

Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Mohammad Shehzad, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav etc.

Do they really look like professional athletes to Wasim?
 
A professional athlete who is getting paid to play cricket, supposedly living the dream, should be extremely fit.

Every time I see an unfit cricketer (especially a Pakistani) it breaks my heart. In this day and age, with so many apps and coaches it is so easy to get 100% fit. Heck, a nobody like me can get decent body fat and lose/gain weight in some months.

Respect to likes of Kohli for keeping it real.
 
Utter nonsense.

A combination of rice and meat, if consumed in the correct amount is part of a good diet.

Also, I see no fitness issues with some of Pakistan's best young players, who are all in far better shape than Wasim ever was (Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan and co).

They are all also better fielders than Wasim and his generation could dream of.
 
This is just criticism for the sake of it yet again from Captain Obvious.

Majority of our first choice ODI team are very fit. It’s actually the fittest and best fielding team we’ve had going into a World Tournament but Waz will be Waz.
 
Boi said:
This is just criticism for the sake of it yet again from Captain Obvious.

Majority of our first choice ODI team are very fit. It’s actually the fittest and best fielding team we’ve had going into a World Tournament but Waz will be Waz.
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Bit of a contradiction from Wasim that fitness is an issue then picks Umar Akmal in his squad.
 
Stewie said:
He states the obvious, yes... but it’s far from nonsense.. I don’t find anything wrong with what he says 90% of the time. The other 10%, he is just being opinionated and it could be right or wrong depending on how you look at it.
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There is more to fitness than stop eating biryani . His analysis is nothing insightful.
 
barah_admi said:
Utter nonsense.

A combination of rice and meat, if consumed in the correct amount is part of a good diet.

Also, I see no fitness issues with some of Pakistan's best young players, who are all in far better shape than Wasim ever was (Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan and co).

They are all also better fielders than Wasim and his generation could dream of.
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Boi said:
This is just criticism for the sake of it yet again from Captain Obvious.

Majority of our first choice ODI team are very fit. It’s actually the fittest and best fielding team we’ve had going into a World Tournament but Waz will be Waz.
Click to expand...

Hasan123 said:
There is more to fitness than stop eating biryani . His analysis is nothing insightful.
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I've added the proper quotes in the OP. Makes a bit more sense now.

What he's referring to is FC cricketers being fed biryani during domestic cricket games.

Most of the cricketers who aren't young or around the Pakistan team set-up have poor fitness levels.
 
With these quotes added, you can see now even more that Waz is making perfect sense.. except for Amir I think. I do agree with him on hansnain that he should be there but not at the expense of shinwari but amir. Waz really needs to see that shinwari has outperformed amir by miles in last year or so.

Makes some solid points on other stuff too.
 
barah_admi said:
Utter nonsense.

A combination of rice and meat, if consumed in the correct amount is part of a good diet.

Also, I see no fitness issues with some of Pakistan's best young players, who are all in far better shape than Wasim ever was (Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan and co).

They are all also better fielders than Wasim and his generation could dream of.
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Absolutely, carbohydrates in right amount are an important part of a healthy diet for any athlete.
 
Does not really matter if they eat biryani as long as they score plenty off runs even with pot belly's:inzi2! Kohli does not score century after century due to his physique but hand eye co-ordination and flair. I think fitness amongst Cricketers is a bit overrated. With Inzi being coach the big man will think the team needs kebabs if anyone argue's with him on this one:)):)):)) I still recall watching old footage of Wasim insisting on a chicken biryani himself during the lunch break on the 1998-99 tour to India. Of coourse our former Cricketers forget what they used to get up to during their playing days. Our flawed system does not allow the best players to rise to the top. It is full of nepotism or "mafia" as IK call it.
 
PakLFC said:
Does not really matter if they eat biryani as long as they score plenty off runs even with pot belly's:inzi2! Kohli does not score century after century due to his physique but hand eye co-ordination and flair. I think fitness amongst Cricketers is a bit overrated. With Inzi being coach the big man will think the team needs kebabs if anyone argue's with him on this one:)):)):)) I still recall watching old footage of Wasim insisting on a chicken biryani himself during the lunch break on the 1998-99 tour to India. Of coourse our former Cricketers forget what they used to get up to during their playing days. Our flawed system does not allow the best players to rise to the top. It is full of nepotism or "mafia" as IK call it.
Click to expand...

That time was different. Fitness wasn't such a big deal. Now all teams are paying attention to it.
 
PakLFC said:
Does not really matter if they eat biryani as long as they score plenty off runs even with pot belly's:inzi2! Kohli does not score century after century due to his physique but hand eye co-ordination and flair. I think fitness amongst Cricketers is a bit overrated. With Inzi being coach the big man will think the team needs kebabs if anyone argue's with him on this one:)):)):)) I still recall watching old footage of Wasim insisting on a chicken biryani himself during the lunch break on the 1998-99 tour to India. Of coourse our former Cricketers forget what they used to get up to during their playing days. Our flawed system does not allow the best players to rise to the top. It is full of nepotism or "mafia" as IK call it.
Click to expand...

Well you can score 70s and 80s with hand eye coordination and flair but to score 150s and 200s that Kohli scores , you've got to have his physique.
 
as-95 said:
Wasim Akram is absolutely correct. I think the greatest ODI bowler of all time knows a thing or two about making sure his body is in peak condition!

Whilst sports science, fitness and nutrition has advanced significantly in the last decade, a lot of our players are still out of shape. Having Inzimam as chief selector doesn’t help in this regard either! Neither does having a captain with a visible belly!

There’s a reason that our fast bowlers can’t stay consistently fast throughout a full test match and fitness/diet plays a big part.

Think of it like this... if you fill a Rolls Royce with cheap supermarket fuel, it’s not going to run efficiently. You need the best fuel for ye best performance and our player need strict diets and fitness regimens if they want to be the best in the world!
Click to expand...

You clearly haven't read his statement, or haven't understood the flaws of it.

Here, he is using "Biryani" as a stimulative for the players, not as a diet habit. He is not suggesting that "high carbohydrate" diets are not good for pro sportsman, rather he is saying one shouldn't be supplied biryani by the club, if he is not performing........ his suggestion is - if you perform (score), you get boti, otherwise rice, which is equally harmful, and rice with meat gravy is worse than biryani; when point should be even if you score a triple - diet still should be non oily nun/chapati, lots of fresh vegetables/fruits, baked/grilled fish or lean meat, skimmed milk, honey and lots, lots of water.... and a strict curfew on sugar for 363 days (may be 2 eid days are exempted).

Be very specific about the word - "get", not "eat" - even a performing players shouldn't get biryani from the club (and must not be allowed to buy of his own either) - his focus is not about which fuel is used for the Rolls Royce or from where, rather who'll supply the fuel and when (based on the performance of last race by the car).

Most of your fast bowlers can't sustain a full Test match, the reason isn't diet only, rather for that they are born with 5 to 10 years of age and that's not been factored in selection process. This was the problem even when Imran was in charge and he learned it the bitterest way - losing a series decider at Leeds in 1982, when "31" years young man Ehteshamuddin huffed & puffed his way out of the Test after bowling 14 overs in 1st innings while his Captain, "officially" a year younger had to bowl 57 overs in 3 days, after batting for close to 7 hours ..... so, Imran made sure that, next time his pacers are debuted officially as "green", and retire in early 30s or even late 20s - take a pick, Wquar 17, Wasim 17, Aaquib 16, Ata 16, Mohsin Kamal 18, Zakir Khan 18, Tahir Naqqas 21, Salim Jafar 19, Azim Hafeez 19, Jallauddin 21, Maqsood Rana 18, Rashid Khan 20..... trust me, if he takes this matter in his own hand, within 3 months, he'll solve the fitness issues for PAK fast bowlers - even after daily double plate mutton biryani.
 
Mamoon said:
Well, I am extremely flattered and humbled by your gracious words, but I have been wrong more times than I have been right. Nonetheless, people like Wasim, Shoaib and even Dr. Nauman Diaz hold distinguished positions and their opinions and views have influence.

They should refrain from using terms like fluke etc. because it can do no good for the morale of the team. How would the players feel when a legend like Wasim is dismissive of their Champions Trophy triumph and has labeled it a fluke? This is the time for our former players to show faith in the players and back them to go all the way.
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Mamoon you are spot on, they should encourage Pakistan team.
Dr. Nauman Niaz never encourages Pakistan team and he always sets in the studio of Pakistan National Sports Channel.
 
BaankeJi said:
That time was different. Fitness wasn't such a big deal. Now all teams are paying attention to it.
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Despite what you say Wasim was still the best lefty pace bowler off all time. He was hardly the fittest always struggling with a back problem so should not be lecturing others.
 
JattMaula said:
Why are people always slandering biryani? Bityani doesn't make you unfit. Any unbalanced diet is unhealthy. Biryani is just more carb heavy than some food. So eat judiciously!
Click to expand...

My issue with biriyaani is I always, always end up eating more than intended, Therefore I have told my wife, biriyaani only once a month.
 
Abdullah719 said:
I've added the proper quotes in the OP. Makes a bit more sense now.

What he's referring to is FC cricketers being fed biryani during domestic cricket games.

Most of the cricketers who aren't young or around the Pakistan team set-up have poor fitness levels.
Click to expand...

Please see this before adding your views
 
as-95 said:
Wasim Akram is absolutely correct. I think the greatest ODI bowler of all time knows a thing or two about making sure his body is in peak condition!

Whilst sports science, fitness and nutrition has advanced significantly in the last decade, a lot of our players are still out of shape. Having Inzimam as chief selector doesn’t help in this regard either! Neither does having a captain with a visible belly!

There’s a reason that our fast bowlers can’t stay consistently fast throughout a full test match and fitness/diet plays a big part.

Think of it like this... if you fill a Rolls Royce with cheap supermarket fuel, it’s not going to run efficiently. You need the best fuel for ye best performance and our player need strict diets and fitness regimens if they want to be the best in the world!
Click to expand...

When it comes to fitness he's right. He was also unbelievably fit. Wasim Akram on batting is just random opinions.
 
Legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram sees a future captain in left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir.

While speaking to media at the Lahore Polo Ground, Akram said that Amir is still one of the best fast-bowlers in the world.

“Although he has not performed well in the previous few matches but Amir is still one of the best bowlers in the world,” said Akram. “I also see him as future captain of Pakistan team.”

Speaking about the similarity in the formats of World Cup 1992, which Pakistan won under the captaincy of Imran Khan, and 2019, Akram said: “The format of the upcoming World Cup is similar to what it was back in 1992, which will give every team an opportunity to play against each other.”

The former Pakistan captain also backed Men in Green to do well during the World Cup, despite a poor showing during the recently concluded ODI series against Australia.

“Despite Pakistan not performing well in the ODI series against Australia, but once the main players return, the national side will have a very good chance to win the mega event,” he said.

The 52-year-old also spoke about the imminent changes to Pakistan’s domestic structure — which will restrict role of departments in country’s cricket.

“Departments have played a major role in the betterment of Pakistan cricket but there is no harm in testing a new system,” he said. “The Prime Minister has always believed in grade style cricket, similar to Australia, since his playing days.”

Akram was also unimpressed with the quality of cricketers in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), over the course of its first four editions.

“I have not seen quality cricketers coming through PSL,” he said. “Even if they do, they are usually bowlers but I have hardly seen a good batsman in the tournament.”

https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/news/detail/akram-sees-amir-as-future-captain-of-pakistan
 
IAJ said:
My issue with biriyaani is I always, always end up eating more than intended, Therefore I have told my wife, biriyaani only once a month.
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I always blame my overeating on the people who dine with me for not stopping me. That way I don't ever feel any responsibly to watch what amount I eat. :)
 
Had Hyderabadi Biryani for lunch and I strongly condemn Wasim on this. Quoting Creed from the Office, "If they can't eat Biryani then what's this all been about? What are they working toward?":dw
 
JattMaula said:
I always blame my overeating on the people who dine with me for not stopping me. That way I don't ever feel any responsibly to watch what amount I eat. :)
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Why on earth would you want people stopping you while you devour Birayani? Are you for real? A good Biryani is the closest you get to Nirvana.
 
Diet is so important for an athlete. If, as stated by Wasim, the players aren't getting the right food and can't get anything else then you have to blame the people in charge.

But you can also blame some players too because if they don't have the will to intervene themselves then you can't blame others.

This seems more a case of easy access for those making food and those eating the said food.
 
Mamoon said:
I wonder how many times the word “fluke” has been used in the context of Pakistan cricket since the Champions Trophy.
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Why do you wonder? Just count the times you've used it and it'll be around there somewhere :)
 
4 white staffs are the worst thing for a pro sportsman - sugar, rice, salt & animal fat. Unfortunately, Biryani has 3 of those in abundance ... you add a sweet desert with it, full cycle. Also, for some reason, South Asian people are the most unfit, out of shape people in earth with a nice tummy hanging around by the age of even 25; probably for genetics, because I have seen Chinese/Vietnamese/Nepali people and their main dish is lots, lots of rice ... but no tummy, neither double chin!!!
 
JattMaula said:
Why are people always slandering biryani? Bityani doesn't make you unfit. Any unbalanced diet is unhealthy. Biryani is just more carb heavy than some food. So eat judiciously!
Click to expand...

Exactly. Biryani is amazing and I would hate to see anyone deprived of it, including our cricketers. Eat it but burn it off too.
 
Wasim Akram on his long term crusade against biryani... i wonder when will he stop ranting about biryani? You can have it as long as you are maintaining you're caloric intake.. this is not the 90s. If they have a proper dietician they can keep track of whatever they are eating.
 
MenInG said:
Legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram sees a future captain in left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir.

While speaking to media at the Lahore Polo Ground, Akram said that Amir is still one of the best fast-bowlers in the world.

“Although he has not performed well in the previous few matches but Amir is still one of the best bowlers in the world,” said Akram. “I also see him as future captain of Pakistan team.”

Speaking about the similarity in the formats of World Cup 1992, which Pakistan won under the captaincy of Imran Khan, and 2019, Akram said: “The format of the upcoming World Cup is similar to what it was back in 1992, which will give every team an opportunity to play against each other.”

The former Pakistan captain also backed Men in Green to do well during the World Cup, despite a poor showing during the recently concluded ODI series against Australia.

“Despite Pakistan not performing well in the ODI series against Australia, but once the main players return, the national side will have a very good chance to win the mega event,” he said.

The 52-year-old also spoke about the imminent changes to Pakistan’s domestic structure — which will restrict role of departments in country’s cricket.

“Departments have played a major role in the betterment of Pakistan cricket but there is no harm in testing a new system,” he said. “The Prime Minister has always believed in grade style cricket, similar to Australia, since his playing days.”

Akram was also unimpressed with the quality of cricketers in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), over the course of its first four editions.

“I have not seen quality cricketers coming through PSL,” he said. “Even if they do, they are usually bowlers but I have hardly seen a good batsman in the tournament.”

https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/news/detail/akram-sees-amir-as-future-captain-of-pakistan
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Wasim Akram is the Shane Warne of Pakistani commentary. He just gives these blanket one liners without any insight on why he believes so.
 
Abdullah719 said:
I've added the proper quotes in the OP. Makes a bit more sense now.

What he's referring to is FC cricketers being fed biryani during domestic cricket games.

Most of the cricketers who aren't young or around the Pakistan team set-up have poor fitness levels.
Click to expand...

I don't know about their fitness issues at the domestic level but biryani would not be the sole cause of that.
 
JattMaula said:
Why are people always slandering biryani? Bityani doesn't make you unfit. Any unbalanced diet is unhealthy. Biryani is just more carb heavy than some food. So eat judiciously!
Click to expand...

love you my friend.. you made my day.. Biryani Zinadabad
 
Wants fit players to represent Pakistan,, picks :inzi2 as chief selector... :ashwin
 
Biryani is just an excuse. Compared to PSL and the national team, the fitness standards aren't the same in domestic cricket. If they were to implement fitness tests requirement for domestic selection tomorrow, everyone would start to get in shape.
 
It's not just about biryani, but it's crystal clear that the likes of Yasir Shah are nowhere near as fit as they should be. Would they be picked by Australia or England given the shape they are in? No chance.
 
Who is that one person who destroyed Pakistan's domestic cricket Wasim is hinting at?
 
PakLFC said:
Despite what you say Wasim was still the best lefty pace bowler off all time. He was hardly the fittest always struggling with a back problem so should not be lecturing others.
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That's an injury issue, not a fitness issue. Gareth Bale is one of the best football players but has had many injury problems, same with Shane Bond in cricket, doesn't mean they were unfit.
 
Bilal7 said:
Exactly. Biryani is amazing and I would hate to see anyone deprived of it, including our cricketers. Eat it but burn it off too.
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It's not that easy. It doesn't take much work to consume 600-700 calories of biryani, but it takes a long time to burn that off. Add to that, it's not only about calories in and calories out, the quality of food also matters, biryani is mostly rice, which is not that beneficial for a sportsman. Having biryani 4 days in a row is not okay, these are professional cricketers, if they want to enjoy biryani everyday, maybe they shouldn't have started playing sports professionally.
 
sjahmed23 said:
Most Pakistani cricketers don't look like professional athletes. The cause of that is very clear, if you are a "professional" it is your job to be in the best shape possible, but unfortunately our culture is way too laid back for these things to get any importance. It really wasn't until Kohli revealed his diet and fitness that lead to some of our players starting to looking after themselves, but then again I feel it was a half hearted effort.
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Actually most desi players don't look like atheletes. Majority of them have an avg joe body, with a tubby sticking out.
 
aloo paratha said:
That's an injury issue, not a fitness issue. Gareth Bale is one of the best football players but has had many injury problems, same with Shane Bond in cricket, doesn't mean they were unfit.
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Wasim's problem was his unorthodox run up and delivery that gave him a back problem. He was fine at the start of his career with no such issues. Cricket is a different game to Football.
 
The players themselves have to take up responsbility of their own fitness. Nobody can force you to rice or bread.
 
I will tell you something I have witnessed myself during the PSL. So the hotel where the players stay during the PSL is connected to a shopping mall which has all kinds of shops, a cinema and a food court. I have seen some of our very seasoned cricketers who have even played for Pakistan eating KFC during the tournament. Furthermore, at the hotel the players have a buffet spread where they can pick and choose whatever they want to eat. You can not expect someone sitting with them all the time to tell them what to eat. From Wasim's statements they seem to know Biryani isnt the right thing to eat so they themselves know what and what not to eat. Its easy to criticize the PCB all the time but the players themselves have a responsibility towards their bodies and if they really were focused they would ignore the biryani and eat something else.
 
aloo paratha said:
It's not that easy. It doesn't take much work to consume 600-700 calories of biryani, but it takes a long time to burn that off. Add to that, it's not only about calories in and calories out, the quality of food also matters, biryani is mostly rice, which is not that beneficial for a sportsman. Having biryani 4 days in a row is not okay, these are professional cricketers, if they want to enjoy biryani everyday, maybe they shouldn't have started playing sports professionally.
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I can't imagine anyone in the world has biryani four days in a row. Eating it once in a while won't make anyone fat.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A few days ago Wasim Akram "Pakistani players are still being served biryani and you cannot compete against champions by feeding them biryani"<br><br>Today Sarfaraz Ahmed "I like the typical Karachi wali Biryani and I also like Beef Korma with sheermal bread" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1116377341914177537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Wasim Khan: "The NCA will be rebranded as a National High-Performance Centre. If you've got 6 Performances Centres, you need that HPC. We're looking at the food, we'll bring in sports nutritionists to make sure that every bit of food that's served is what athletes should be having, not biryani, daal chawal. It's got to be difficult to get into the HPC, you go to Australia and you can't get in, you have to make an appointment. We go to ours and it's difficult because there's ex-players who come and use it etc. We have to get people to think differently, there's a lot of work ahead"

No more biryani :uak
 
Abdullah719 said:
Wasim Khan: "The NCA will be rebranded as a National High-Performance Centre. If you've got 6 Performances Centres, you need that HPC. We're looking at the food, we'll bring in sports nutritionists to make sure that every bit of food that's served is what athletes should be having, not biryani, daal chawal. It's got to be difficult to get into the HPC, you go to Australia and you can't get in, you have to make an appointment. We go to ours and it's difficult because there's ex-players who come and use it etc. We have to get people to think differently, there's a lot of work ahead"

No more biryani :uak
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Each region will have their own Sports Nutrient
 
as-95 said:
Wasim Akram is absolutely correct. I think the greatest ODI bowler of all time knows a thing or two about making sure his body is in peak condition!

Whilst sports science, fitness and nutrition has advanced significantly in the last decade, a lot of our players are still out of shape. Having Inzimam as chief selector doesn’t help in this regard either! Neither does having a captain with a visible belly!

There’s a reason that our fast bowlers can’t stay consistently fast throughout a full test match and fitness/diet plays a big part.

Think of it like this... if you fill a Rolls Royce with cheap supermarket fuel, it’s not going to run efficiently. You need the best fuel for ye best performance and our player need strict diets and fitness regimens if they want to be the best in the world!
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The guy was a chain smoker.
He's so professional he would have a substitute on for himself in a test match wheevern he needed to smoke.
 
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