Kritik und Anregungen » pens.And that is Asif at his most begui

AKRON, Ohio -- Jason Day pulled out of the Olympics on Tuesday because of the Zika virus, costing golf its No. 1 player as it returns from a centurylong absence at the Games.The sport has lost two of its biggest stars in the past week, adding to the perception that the Olympics are not a high priority. Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion, also said Zika will keep him from competing in Rio de Janeiro.The sole reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the Zika virus and the potential risks that it may present to my wifes future pregnancies and to future members of our family, Day said in a statement. I have always placed my family in front of everything else in my life.Day and his wife, Ellie, had their second child in November, and he has said they want more children.The 28-year-old Australian is one of six golfers (Irelands Shane Lowry also withdrew Tuesday over Zika concerns) and one of the most prominent athletes to specifically cite the virus for not going to Rio. The others are McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Marc Leishman, whose wifes immune system has not fully recovered after she nearly died last year of toxic shock syndrome.American cyclist Tejay van Garderen is among a handful of athletes outside of golf who also cited Zika as the reason behind not going to Rio. Basketball star?Stephen Curry?didnt specifically cite Zika but noted that other factors played a role in his decision to skip the Games.Brazil has been the hardest hit of the approximately 60 countries that have reported an outbreak of Zika, the mosquito-borne virus linked to severe birth defects and possible neurological problems in adults.Day first expressed concern a month ago at the Memorial and said he had been consulting doctors so he could make a smart choice.Medical experts have confirmed that while perhaps slight, a decision to compete in Rio absolutely comes with health risks to me and to my family, Day said. While it has always been a major goal to compete in the Olympics on behalf of my country, playing golf cannot take precedent over the safety of our family. I will not place them at risk. ... I hope all golf and Olympics fans respect and understand my position.Australia has three players in the top 50 in the world, and all of them have withdrawn -- Day, Adam Scott (No. 8) and Leishman (No. 39). Next in line would be Scott Hend (No. 75) and Marcus Fraser (No. 81).Day had been among the strongest proponents of competing in the Olympics, as had McIlroy and other young stars. But as the July 11 deadline nears for qualifying for Rio, some top golfers have been wavering.Among the stars who plan to play or have not decided are Jordan Spieth, U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson of Sweden and Masters champion Danny Willett of England.Three of the top 10 golfers in the world already have announced they will not participate. Scott was the first to withdraw. He said Olympics were never his priority in a year in which the schedule is crammed with major championships with far more historical significance than an Olympic medal.The sport has not been part of the Games since 1904 in St. Louis.Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa cited scheduling concerns when he withdrew. Vijay Singh of Fiji briefly mentioned Zika but was bothered more by the schedule. Graeme McDowell, who was in line to replace McIlroy, withdrew late last week because his wife is due with their second child a few weeks after the Olympics and he did not want to be out of the country in the weeks leading up to the birth.Zack Steffen Jersey . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. 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The car I am in is stopped for a routine check, and a policeman asks me my profession. When I tell him I write on cricket, he complains that hes never heard of me, though he has played a lot of cricket and is related to a Test cricketer too. When I ask the name of this relative, he mumbles the answer, almost looking away. I tell him that is the very cricketer I am making this journey to go see in action.I couldnt help but read the coincidence as an omen. Here I was, awake early on a weekend, travelling to see a bowler I had spent over five years waiting to see again, and the first person I meet is a cousin of Mohammad Asif himself. Wondering about this moment provoked exactly the sort of emotions that Asifs art - because its too crass to just call it bowling - evoked in me. You never could tell what he was up to, but you could be assured he was up to something.As I was thinking these thoughts, the car stereo served up a Kanye West song, and my mind became stuck on one lyric: No one man should have all that power. Wasnt that the great tragedy of Asifs career? A bowler who seemed to have no end of ways to fool batsmen ended up banned because he was trying to fool all of cricket itself. If Salman Butts sins are seen as greed, and Mohammad Amirs as naivete, then perhaps Asifs sins came from hubris.All these grand narratives, however, are brought firmly back to earth by the sight of Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot. While both the outfield and the pitch are in good condition, the stadium itself seems like it is frozen in time. The stands are bare and concrete, and its disconcerting to see a stadium without any branding: the only signage, hand-painted, is to do with commercial entities from another era, and for advertising businesses that possibly no longer exist. The match itself is in an underwhelming situation. Asifs side, WAPDA, have taken a few wickets overnight, and started the morning with two more, to leave the opposition, UBL, four down.We were here, though, because a few days earlier Asif had added an entry to the modern phenomenon of the return to the mainstream via viral video. Much like Amirs comeback to domestic cricket last year, Asifs return was electrified by the release of a clip that showed him befuddling batsmen all over again. In both cases the videos answered the question everyone wanted to know: is he still as good as he used to be? It was a question relevant to only the two bowlers in the spot-fixing trio, since the lesser-talented Butt hadnt inspired such frenzy with his (televised) return to the domestic game.Before leaving, I had asked Osman Samiuddin for tips on what to look out for when watching Asif. Few people have seen and written on Asif as extensively as Samiuddin, who said, Id say the key thing about Asif was always, always, always the lengths he hit. Once the length is there, he continued, then come the fripperies - the hair, the lachak [elasticity] in the run-up… the flick of that wrist that makes it almost look like hes chucking.Back in Sialkot, it took eight overs before Asif was brought on. There was no pretence of a warm-up and he basically just jogged into bowl. The first few deliveries were slow, soft and wide, but then on the fourth delivery he found it. The batsman came forward without fully being able to do so and had to defend a ball outside his off stump. Asif soon settled into that groove, making the batsman defend balls of slightly different lengths.As he continued his seemingly innocuous spell, I was reminded again of how easy it is to undervalue his contribution. His ability to dry up runs is an asset for any captain regardless of the wickets he takes, but he has always been defined by the ability to bowl magic when you expect the mundane. Asif would always make you realise that the innocent-looking deliveries that had led up to the dismissal were all part of a grand plan. So perhaps its no surprise that when he finally conceded a run off a wide ball down the leg side, my friend and I watching both wondered if even that loose ball was part of a ploy.If it was, it doesnt pan out as planned. The main contribution we witness is that after facing Asif almost exclusively during his spell, UBLs Sohaib Maqsood is dismissed immediately after by Asifs replacement, Mohammad Irfan. Asifs spell at that point reads 14 runs off 12 overs, with no wickets. We dont see the movement or the trickery he is renowneed for, but we do see that the metronomic nature of his bowling is still there.dddddddddddd He doesnt have his full bag of tricks, but his calling card - the delivery at a teasing length - comes out regularly.When we meet him later, he both begins and ends our conversation talking about a side strain that he has been playing with. He also brings up the strain to explain why the keeper came up to the stumps after his first over, though he quickly adds that the main reason was to stop Sohaib shuffling.For much of the conversation, he projects a sober, realistic outlook of his prospects. He talks about the need to ease himself into bowling long spells, of how nothing compares to the physical test of long-form bowling. He says that he isnt in a hurry to come back, not until he has found his fitness, which he estimates could take the whole season. When asked about the pressures of the last five years, he expresses remorse for the mistake made by the three, and says that no one should emulate them. He talks about the importance of not giving up, and says that had any of them lost hope at any point, they would have never come back.It all feels like what youd expect from a cricketer, particularly one seeking atonement, but somewhere in the middle, the unfiltered Asif comes through. Even the bare confines of Jinnah Stadium are briefly illuminated by his strut and swagger.He reveals that side of himself first when asked about which format hed like to return in - red-ball cricket only, or limited-overs as well? He sits up as he replies, saying hes ready for any format. He then says that the rule change with two balls used in 50 overs would help him, since it would mean that one ball would be just with me, it would be mine, under my control. When hes asked which batsman he is most eager to face again, he laughs with a soft, knowing chuckle. I dont care, I can take on anyone. He explains that he doesnt believe in hyping up anyone he plays against. When I step on the field, no one is bigger than me. I am the big man out there, thats what I always believe.A point for surmise and conjecture is how Asifs style of bowling might have suited Misbahs hugely successful Test side. Few bowlers in history could execute Misbahs preferred tactic of drying up the flow of runs and picking up wickets as well as Asif. But when I put the question to him, his response is guarded. He talks - in a perfunctory way - about how well Misbahs side has used its advantages. His attitude reminds me of a quote by the footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who once said he wouldnt be watching the World Cup because he wasnt in it. It almost felt like despite the match in ideals, Asif wasnt interested in watching Misbahs Pakistan side because he wasnt in it.The full spectrum of his swagger emerges in the answer to a question on modern batting, particularly how much the discipline has evolved during his time away. Asif waves away the question, arguing that cricket should always be kept as simple as possible - a bowler needs to hit the three stumps. He says that modern T20 has made bowlers scared. Often times, he complains, they dont even complete their follow-through if theyve been hit.I asked him what he thought of AB de Villiers, a player who had spoken of how Asif troubled him, who was now at the cutting edge of battings possibilities. Asif laughs dismissively, and then says: [Back then] AB was already AB. Him, Kevin Pietersen, they are all my bunnies. I was the same before, Ill bowl the same way now if AB faces me. We can see what happens.And that is Asif at his most beguiling. A practitioner of crickets most visceral skill, he has always set himself apart as someone who breaks the mind rather than the body. For him, the intimidation is not through fear but with absolute superiority.Five years later, it isnt clear if his body can hold up, though. When he spoke about lasting the season, he wasnt just being practical - it was also an admission that he couldnt be sure if he would make it. That means perhaps the only people who see Asifs magic again will be those in empty stadiums hosting domestic matches. And so, while on that morning in Sialkot it was abundantly clear that the spirit of Asif was as devious as it always was, and that he still had the confidence of a world-class bowler, beneath the bluster his body might still betray him.After all, no one man can have all that power. ' ' '