Batta Fast

In this episode of Bata Fast, we look at three CCs - Champions Cup, Connection Camp and Central Contracts. We also look at the less alliterative England series. 

00:00 Introduction and Context of the Podcast
03:05 Assad's Call for Positivity in Cricket Commentary
09:03 The Nature of Journalism and Reporting
11:58 CC Tournament Structure and Its Impact on Performance
17:56 The Role of Central Contracts and Player Management
27:09 Connection Camp
39:00 Central Contracts and how no one understands their purpose
53:00 Previewing the England Series

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In this episode, we look at the Champions Cup, what's been good about it, and what the cricket has been like. That discussion somehow became a deep dive into Misbah and his unique, nerdy approach to cricket. We then discuss Fatima Sana's strong performance in a patchy but encouraging 1-2 series loss to South Africa, and end with an overdue remembrance of the recently departed Haniya Aslam. 

00:00 Introduction to Current Cricket Events
02:52 Analysis of the Champions Cup
06:13 Performance Insights and Player Evaluations
09:04 Tournament Structure and Future Implications
19:35 The Misbah segue, and trying to understand his philosophy
35:38 Fatima Sana leading Pak vs SA - series review
47:20 Remembering Haniya Aslam

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First of all, thanks to Saim Salman and Waleed Ahmed.

In this v long episode, we try and take every question you guys sent us this past week to celebrate our 5000 subscribers.

In addition, here is the link to the Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/battafast

We will be doing a monthly version of this for our Patreons, so please do sign up!

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As predicted by us, Pakistan keep hitting new lows as Bangladesh completed a historic sweep. But our focus ended up being on the PCB's absolutely bone-headed decisions, and the existential threat faced by Pakistani cricket. 

02:24 Bangladesh's Historic Test Series Win
08:16 Impressive Performances by Bangladeshi Bowlers
14:13 Questioning Pakistan's Leadership and Selection Decisions
19:09 Concerns about Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi
22:39 The Need for Strong Incentives for Test Cricket
27:12 The Lack of Recognition for Test Cricket
30:17 PCB's shenanigans with the Mentors
32:30 Unsustainable Financial Decisions and Neglect of the PSL
43:22 Imbalance Between Domestic and International Cricket
52:08 Mistreatment of Players and Lack of Player Development
59:36 Need for Better Governance and Investment

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We took a few days after the event to record this, which means we aren't at the fire and brimstone stage everyone else might be. We congratulate Bangladesh on a magnificent win, and lay out our causes for the defeat.

01:04 Bangladesh's Impressive Win Against Pakistan
08:44 Pakistan's Poor Performance and Team Selection
14:47 Flaws in the World Test Championship Ranking System
21:41 Issues with Pakistan's Pitch Preparation and Workload Management
33:05 Mistreatment of Players and Lack of Support
42:42 The Pressure on Shan’s Captaincy
52:48 The Impact of Rhythm and Schedule on Player Performance
01:02:33 The Need for Changes in the Team and Board
01:05:31 Predicting the Outcome of the Next Test Match

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"He is the first splash on a blank canvas, the first flick of a torchlight into the abyss. If ever an athletics legacy will be built - though don't hold your breath - it will start with him."

From Osman's article: https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40801739/paris-olympics-2024-pakistan-gold-medal-javelin-all-hail-improbable-arshad-nadeem-first-maybe-last-kind

We try our best to capture the unprecedented nature of Arshad Nadeem's Olympic record shattering moment.

0:00 Arshad Nadeem's Gold medal - Pakistan's greatest sporting achievement?
5:24 Overcoming obstacles - Arshad's remarkable journey
9:20 Ya Ali and the folk-hero
15:07 The institutional obstacles for Pakistnai athletes
20:49 Earning money in non-traditional careers in Pakistan
27:50 India's sporting industrial complex
40:00  The realities Arshad deals with
43:30 The world's reactions
48:50 The magic of the Olympics
51:00 The magical last throw

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We are back with a new episode and no new news or matches. So we just sit and cry about the PCB. Enjoy!

0:00 The Upcoming mega season of Pakistan cricket
3:10 Shan Masood's captaincy and Naseem's return
7:00 The NOC brouhaha and the future of the PSL
15:27 The potential of tapeball cricket
20:00 Frustration with existing PCB management
28:40 Mohsin Naqvi's multiple roles
41:48 Why tapeball offers self-sustainability
46:30 Shaheen's future and his mistreatment 
53:00 Wiki's back baby

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Welcome to the batting sibling of our great Pakistani pace spells series! We start off with a canonical entry, Inzi's starmaking turn at the '92 World Cup semifinal.

0:00 Intro
03:45 Inzi's iconic innings
08:36 Context for this match
15:45 Jonty's runout that made fielding a genuine skill
22:07 Inzi in cluth moments
28:50 The 1992 World Cup and the birth of modern cricket
37:50 How Inzi broke NZ's foolproof bowling 
44:55 How this innings defined his reputation

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Finally, the Indian team wins an ICC event after having dominated the world game for so long. We give the team their flowers, marvel at the way Bumrah has silenced all doubters, do the blasphemy of comparing him to Wasim, and consider the tactics and choking allegations from a fantastic final.

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We can't stop gushing over Afghanistan's wonderful run to the semifinals, including a reflection on Mohammad Nabi's Hall of Fame career, and the greatest injury in cricket history.

1:00 Reviewing the group stages and celebrating Afghanistan's magical run
6:30 Gulbadin's magnificent, iconic injury
10:30 Afghanistan's winning tactics
14:00Mohammad Nabi's GOAT career
32:00 South Africa's atypical run
37:00 Previewing the semifinals
39:00 Rohit's incredible transformation
42:00 Hope for rain-free matches
45:00 Expectations for the finals

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