Dein erstes Forum » contributions are the most hurtful to the opposition.

Cellophane Mr Cellophane Should have been my name Mr Cellophane Cause you can look right through me Walk right by me And never know Im there The Pakistan travelling show is a billboard bursting with shiny headline acts: a chorus line of sexy quicks belting out their best swing numbers, a legspinner with more razzle dazzle than Catherine Zeta-Jones; Misbah-ul-Haq, the noble leading man with a stirring solo; Sarfraz Ahmed grabbing centre stage for a dashing cameo; and, of course, Younis Khan - mesmerising the audience with footwork that would have flabbergasted Bob Fosse himself.Among the noisy and entertaining flamboyance its easy to miss Asad Shafiq: Pakistans Mr Cellophane, quietly accumulating runs in the wings with a purer technique than any of his flashier team-mates. Shafiq plays an unselfish role; coming in at No. 6, he often provides stability when Pakistans batting crumbles and guides the tail with the authority of a batsman who, in many other teams, would be at three or four. If not for the longevity of Misbah and Younis, he almost certainly would fill one of those roles for Pakistan.Shafiq is currently the 13th ranked Test batsman in the world. He is almost certainly the least famous in the top 20, despite playing 43 Tests over a period of nearly six years. He lives with his wife and two young daughters, and looks after his widowed mother, in Karachi. While others at his level have been endlessly profiled, their backstories told and retold, their personal lives treated as public property, he has remained refreshingly enigmatic.Im not that person that I want to really go out and express myself as a celebrity, Shafiq tells ESPNcricinfo. I just want to do things very simply and very quietly.It was on the suburban back streets of Karachi that Shafiq simply and quietly began his cricketing journey. His mother was kept busy looking after ten children while his father worked at a cement factory. Shafiq, the youngest and smallest, would often be found with his friends and neighbours, pretending to be Sachin Tendulkar as he faced a taped-up tennis ball on the street outside his front door. He would bowl a few deliveries, too, the lightweight ball allowing him to bowl faster than his small frame would normally allow.But it was while batting that he made people sit up and take notice. Enough to stand out as a 12-year-old and be invited to play against much older boys at the local cricket ground. Enough to be singled out to join Karachis Jalaluddin academy.I started playing with the big boys in the ground, Shafiq says, and then I found the love of cricket inside me. The love took me to my first trial of hard-ball cricket at the Under-19 regional academy in Karachi. Thats how I found the love for the game and the start of my career.Once cricket became a serious career path, Shafiq looked closer to home for inspiration, settling on the elegant and prolific Mohammad Yousuf as a role model.I watched Mohammad Yousuf when he scored 1000 runs and broke the world record for number of centuries in a calendar year, Shafiq says. The way he was playing, especially in that year, it was amazing and I just cant forget his drives and his cuts. I really liked him after that.Yousuf is now one of Shafiqs batting mentors, a group that also includes Javed Miandad and Rashid Latif. While his technique may be widely praised, Shafiq is on a never-ending perfectionists quest to hone his already considerable skills.Im always thinking about my batting and my front foot and my back foot and I always like to talk about it with Grant Flower, our batting coach, Shafiq says. I discuss with him what I should do to get it better every time. What to do and what not to do. I want to sit with him and talk about my batting, about my stance, about my grip, about my head position. Shafiqs promotion to the national side in 2010 came with a demotion from his usual top-order batting position. He had never batted at No. 6 until his first Test but he has made more of his role there than most; his tally of eight Test centuries is the joint highest by a number six, a record he shares with Garry Sobers.The best of those innings came during his first tour of South Africa, in 2013. On a hard and bouncy Newlands wicket, facing a fearsome pace attack boasting Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, Shafiq and Younis combined for a 219-run partnership. It wasnt enough to win the match but it did give Shafiq the confidence that he has the skills to survive and score in any conditions, although he has yet to categorically prove that against England in this series.There are certainly fewer opportunities to rack up big scores when primarily batting with the tail. But rather than being frustrated at the limitations it places on his batting, Shafiq relishes the responsibility of shepherding his team-mates in the lower order.That was the team requirement, so whatever the team wants me to do, whatever role they want me to play, I really take it as a responsibility, Shafiq says. I want to do more with my batting at No. 6. It was difficult in the beginning because Id never batted with the tail. Its very difficult, you have to give confidence to the tail, to the bowler who cannot bat like a batsman. You have to give them the belief that they can bat, that they can contribute because these contributions are the most hurtful to the opposition. They think theyve got all the batsmen out and after that, if the partnership builds between me and a tailender, thats the most frustrating thing for the opposition.With Misbah and Younis in the latter phase of their careers, when one - or both - of them eventually retires it will be a natural progression for Shafiq to move up the order. But while he has ambitions to bat higher, he is as patient for a promotion as he is at the crease.His attitude is born of a deep respect for Misbah, which is hardly surprising. Shafiq made his debut in late 2010, the end of an annus horribilis that left Pakistan crickets reputation in tatters. Shafiq was a key member of Generation Restoration.It was a difficult time but I would like to give credit to Misbah for that, he says. He really took on the responsibility and showed the correct way and put his belief in every player. Whatever had gone on had gone. We had to move forward, we had to forget all the things we left behind. We needed to look forward every time and show the world that we were good cricketers who could play in any conditions and beat any team in the world. So thats the belief we carried from there and each and every day it got better and better. After that we rebuilt our reputation. Every player was good after that.When you go on any tour with the star on your chest, then it is your responsibility to take all of the things that belong to your country and thats my belief: I shouldnt do anything that would hurt my people back home, that would reflect anything negative on my country. Thats a personal thing.Shafiqs approach to batting is generally a conservative one; to be patient in spending time at the crease, to leave confidently and defend neatly while summing up the conditions. He was impressive in Pakistans win at Lords, with diligent scores of 73 and 49, but his dismissals at Old Trafford were frustrating: tempted into a loose drive to the man at backward point in the first innings he was then the last recognised batsman to fall as Pakistan tried to dig in defensively second time around, missing a straight delivery from James Anderson to be given out lbw on review.Perhaps one answer for Shafiq and his team-mates can be found in push-ups; not the ones performed in celebration on the Lords outfield but in the 300-400 they ground out every day of their boot camp in Abbottabad. Such resilience and stamina were missing from their batting in Manchester.With the series levelled after a bruising defeat, Pakistan must now regroup and rebuild before Edgbaston. For a team whose top order is proving brittle, a record-breaking century from their No. 6 - a command performance from Mr Cellophane - would be most timely. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . 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COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri linebacker Eric Beisel has waited patiently over the last three years for an opportunity to showcase his abilities.Now, less than desirable circumstances have given him that opportunity, and he is making the most of it.In a 51-45 loss to Middle Tennessee State on Oct. 22, Missouri senior linebacker and leading tackler Michael Scherer suffered an ACL injury, ending his collegiate career five games early. In a 35-21 loss to Kentucky a week later, senior linebacker Donavin Newsom suffered a thigh contusion that has sidelined him ever since.It means a lot to not have them as much as we have had them in the past, and it really makes you realize what you had, Beisel said. Both of those guys are two of my good friends. Weve grown close over the years. Theyre great leaders, great teammates.Scherer said the toughest part about not being able to play is his inability to help his teammates on the field, but that he hopes to help players like Beisel in other ways.The truth is, the defense were running now, Ive played a lot of snaps in and I know a whole lot about it, Scherer said. Its a tough position theyre in right now, but Im just trying to do whatever I can to help them out.Now in his junior year, Beisel discussed his changing role within the program.Ive taken the opportunity to step up as a leader, Beisel said. The more Ive played and the more successful Ive been, people have been looking toward me for advice and momentum. ... Its rewarding.A St. Louis native, Beisel chose Missouri over Arkansas, Kansas State and Nebraska, among others. At home games, No. 38 leads the Tigers out of the tunnel and onto Faurot Field carrying the state flag, an honor coach Barry Odom selected him for.ddddddddddddI gladly accepted, Beisel said. Ive been a Missouri fan my whole life. I love the university of Missouri, I love the state of Missouri and I thought if I leave my talents here then I could take my team to a championship.During his first two seasons, Beisel had 22 combined tackles. He made his first career start against Kentucky this year, tallying five tackles, three of them for losses. Last Saturday in a 31-21 loss to South Carolina, he led the Tigers with 14 tackles, including two for losses.Despite his personal success, Missouri (2-7, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) has struggled, and is on an 11-game conference losing streak.It would be rewarding to me if we were winning right now, Beisel said of his own accomplishments. The statistics dont matter. What matters is winning for the university, for the state of Missouri and for all the fans who remain loyal to us.Teammates and coaches are not surprised by Beisels recent success.Eric is the type of guy ... you actually wont see him, but you already know hes putting in work because hell do it late at night, and its showing on the field right now, Newsom said. After practice, Im in here eating, like, starving, and hes out there running back and forth doing footwork drills.Beisels next opportunity to add to his tackle count will be Saturday when the Tigers host Vanderbilt (4-5, 1-4 SEC).He understands the playbook, Odom said. Hes playing well. Hes playing fast ... Im proud of him and I anticipate him having three really good weeks here coming up.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '