Amir, Asif, Butt to get trial date on friday

LONDON: The trial of three Pakistan cricketers and their agent on charges of corruption relating to ‘spot-fixing’ in England last year is due to get underway here on Friday.
Former captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have, along with agent Mazher Majeed, been charged with conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments.
The quartet were charged after police inquiries following accusations in the News of the World newspaper that no-balls were deliberately bowled in the fourth Test match at London’s Lord’s Cricket Ground last August.
Friday’s hearing at Southwark Crown Court, south London, is expected to be a procedural affair where the date for the trial proper will be set.
Of the three players, only Asif has stated his intention to attend Friday’s proceedings.
The four accused appeared at a hearing at London’s City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court, on March 17, which set the date for Friday’s court case, and were granted unconditional bail.
The British-based Majeed was told to surrender his passport.
At the March hearing, prosecutor Sally Walsh said all four men were accused of having “conspired together and with others unknown for #150,000 ($240,000) as inducement or reward to bowl three no-balls at the fourth Test”.
She added the three no-balls had been delivered “for the purpose of enabling another to cheat at gambling”.
Prior knowledge of when no-balls will occur could be exploited in what is known as ‘spot-betting’, hugely popular in South Asia, whereby gamblers bet on various possible incidents in a match rather than the final result.
In English law, accepting corrupt payments is an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and carries a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
Cheating is an offence under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, carrying a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
A separate and independent International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption tribunal has already banned the three players for a minimum of five years each.
All three have, however, filed appeals against their bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

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Sohail to lead `A` team against afghanistan

LAHORE: Discarded all-rounder Sohail Tanvir on Wednesday was named to lead Pakistan ‘A’ as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 15-member squad for a three-match one-day series at home against Afghanistan.

Sohail burst onto the world stage with an impressive show at the inaugural 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa before shining with the leather in the first Indian Premier League (IPL) but later failed to maintain his fitness required at the highest level. He has been asked to lead the team in a low-profile series against the visiting Afghans, just to prove his fitness.

Several left-handed batsmen including Shan Masood, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Amin and Naved Yasin have been named in the side, which will take on Afghanistan in the first match at Faisalabad (d/n) on May 25. The second match is scheduled to be held in Rawalpindi on May 27 while the third in Abbottabad two days later.

Squad:

Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Amin, Naved Yasin, Usman Salahuddin, Rameez Raja, Mansoor Amjad, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah, Sohail Tanvir (captain), Sohail Khan, Mohammad Talha, Sadaf Hussain

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Pakistan give women cricketers central contracts for the first time

KARACHI: Nineteen Pakistan women cricketers have been awarded 12-month central contracts for the first time as an acknowledgment that their game is now becoming professional.

Last year the national women’s team won the Asian Games Twenty20 title and last month they finished first in a four-nation tournament in Sri Lanka which included the hosts, Ireland and the Netherlands.

“It now requires full time commitment and professionalism and there is a need to compensate the players,” Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said on Tuesday.

Pakistan captain Sana Mir said the introduction of contracts would encourage more women to take up cricket.

“It is a great achievement for women cricketers in Pakistan because in recent years we have definitely shown improvement,” she said.

Mir said contracts would persuade more women to take up cricket.

“The board is now also having regular domestic competitions for women players and that is only improving our standards,” she said.

The leading women will get a retainer of 50,000 rupees, about $600, compared to 250,000 rupees ($2,950) for the top men players.

Pakistan women take part in a variety of sports but they have complained of a lack of encouragement and facilities in a socially conservative society.

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I will be fit in time to face england:Sehwag

NEW DELHI: India’s injured opener Virender Sehwag is hopeful of recovering from injury in time for the high-profile tour of England starting in July, reports said Tuesday.

Sehwag, captain of the Delhi Daredevils franchise in the Indian Premier League, underwent an operation on his shoulder in London last week and has already been ruled out of India’s tour of West Indies beginning June 4.

“I think I will able to play the series in England,” the prolific batsman was quoted as saying by the Mid-Day tabloid.

“That’s the reason why I stopped playing the Indian Premier League for Delhi Daredevils and rushed to London to get my shoulder operated.”

India are set to play four Tests and five one-day internationals in England, with the first Test beginning at Lord’s on July 21.

Sehwag, 32, played 11 games during the current IPL season before pulling out of the Twenty20 competition following his side’s defeat by Mumbai Indians.

Delhi Daredevils are out of the reckoning for a place in the semi-finals, having suffered nine defeats in 13 matches.

The flamboyant batsman, who has scored 7,694 Test runs and another 7,760 in one-dayers, said he was looking to regain full fitness inside eight weeks.

“I will return to London after six weeks for a check-up,” Sehwag said. “I should be fit in six to eight weeks.

“Going by the rehabilitation programme designed for me I should be okay. I am already feeling the difference each day.”

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PCB asks kaneria to submit clearance certificate again

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has again asked leg-spinner Danish Kaneria to submit the clearance certificate from his last employer, Essex county, at the earliest if he wants to clear himself from the allegations of match-fixing and resume international cricket for Pakistan.

A PCB spokesman said, “The PCB responded on Tuesday to the letter sent by Mr Danish Kaneria on May 12.

“The supporting email Kaneria sent to us was more than six-months-old and is already on our records. After taking legal opinion and confirming with the ECB, the PCB considers that the said document fails to satisfy it.

“Mr Kaneria has therefore been advised to provide the clearance certificate at the earliest.”

Kaneria has not played for Pakistan since last summer as PCB’s integrity committee did not clear him, which also investigated the cases of Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal.

The case of Malik is still pending with the committee along with Kaneria’s.

Sources told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that the leg-spinner had found himself in trouble when he allegedly accepted money from two cricketers of an opponent county to fix a match.

It is learnt that the two cricketers reported the matter to the Scotland Yard and took Kaneria to the court.

But later, the cricketers decided to withdraw their cases, as they would also have to face life suspension in case of punishment to Kaneria, and settled the issue out of the court.

The England and Wales Cricket Board later shared the episode with the PCB

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Stuart clark quits,will manage T20 franchise

SYDNEY: Former Australia bowler Stuart Clark has quit full-time cricket to concentrate on the administrator’s job he recently landed, his state team New South Wales (NSW) said on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old right-arm paceman, however, will make himself available when NSW compete in this year’s Champions League Twenty20 in India, provided it does not affect his job as general manager of the Sydney Sixers Big Bash League franchise.

“The Sydney Sixers is now my professional focus, however I will still be available to play in this year’s Champions League in India which NSW has qualified for… given that it does not impact upon my Big Bash League commitments,” Clark was quoted as saying in an NSW statement.

“I am going to continue playing club cricket as I still love playing the game, but more importantly I believe I can still help develop Australia’s future talent.

“Playing cricket has given me many opportunities in life and I feel by continuing to play club cricket I am giving something back to the game,” said the bowler who claimed 94 wickets in the 24 test matches he played from 2006-2009.

Clark also played 39 one-day internationals — his last was against Pakistan in May, 2009 in Abu Dhabi — claiming 53 wickets.

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Ridiculous that IPL has an open window:Tony greig

LONDON: Former England captain Tony Greig has called for an end to India’s “domination” of the International Cricket Council (ICC), saying it was the first thing he’d change if in charge of the governing body.

“Number one, we have got to try and get the ICC right,” Greig told the BBC in an interview.

“We have a situation at the moment where the ICC is dominated by India.

“They tell Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and one or two other countries what to do and they always get the vote.

“It’s very hard, but somehow we have got to change things at that level.”

South Africa-born Greig added: “We are playing too much cricket. I would be getting all the countries from the world and saying hey listen, what is this nonsense of giving Indian domestic cricket an open window?

“To give the IPL (Indian Premier League, a domestic Twenty20 competition) an open window, and reduce by two months the time available for cricketers to play around the world, in the current environment is just ridiculous.

“We have got to look very, very closely and make sure we do not destroy the cornerstone of the game which is Test cricket,” said the 64-year-old former all-rounder, who settled in Australia after his playing days were over and has since enjoyed a long career as a television cricket commentator.

“It is laughable that (Chris) Gayle and (Kieron) Pollard are playing in the IPL when the West Indies are playing Pakistan — that is just ridiculous.”

Greig, though, stressed his longstanding affection for Indian cricket, dating back to his time as a player which included leading England to a 3-1 Test series win in India in 1976/77.

“I took to India and the subcontinent very much…I loved the place,” he said while giving an interview to coincide with the publication of a new biography, ‘Tony Greig: A Reappraisal of English Cricket’s Most Controversial Captain,’ by David Tossell.

“It was the first time I really felt as if we were entertaining people, as the people there loved the game so much — to go to those stadiums and find them packed full,” explained Greig, who made his name in England with south coast county Sussex.

“To this day (Kolkata’s) Eden Gardens remains one of my top three grounds, just because of the incredible atmosphere.”

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Too many cooks spoiling the captain,s show: raja

BARBADOS is dripped with cricket history. Every corner, it seems, has a cricket story to tell, every significant roundabout has a legend to boast. The Garfield Sobers roundabout is more of a cricket landmark than a traffic junction. It was made famous for his bronze statue, that captures the grace of his cover drive, and which has now been relocated to the Kensington Oval.
Next to Garys roundabout is the “The W’s” roundabout, which recognises the power of Worrell, Walcott and Weekes. The charm of island cricket runs through the narrow winding roads to the “3W’s Oval”, a university ground dedicated to honour the exploits of the three great cricketers and where Walcott and Worrell are buried. It also honours the Legends Club, a pleasantly appointed lodge, to lionise the greats of Barbados cricket. It was here that I got to meet and listen to the last “W” alive, Sir Everton Weekes, a man who still holds the world record for most consecutive hundreds.
Now in his late 80’s, he was as sharp as a razor, and spoke eloquently and wittily about the game. He likes the technology but would have not taken well to T20 cricket. Besides, he cannot fathom why the West Indies batsmen put their pad in the line of the spinning ball rather than the bat, or their inability to read the doosra which “is an easy ball to pick”, he says.
When queried about the best way to get back into form, he charmed his listeners with an anecdote from the England series played in the 40’s: “I was dropped from the team after a string of low scores, and got back in by chance when great George Hadley had to pull out at the last minute.
“Throughout the first half of the Test I was booed by the Jamaican crowd, who wanted the local John Holt to play, but once I got the bat and batted for a long period, their harshness gave way to kindness and eventually won their appreciation when I reached a hundred. That’s how you get back into form — by occupying the crease and scoring runs!”
How uncomplicated and simple, I thought. It was a tongue-in-cheek reply but if you observe it at length, the principal works even today.
The essence of his chat was that the times may have changed but the rules that govern a genius are still the same. It was a simple game in the 40’s when he played it and remains so even today, albeit that the tools and toppings have smeared its shape and made it into a complex art.
Sir Everton would be a complete misfit and a lost soul if he walked into a present day dressing room, where the laptops have taken over the ‘neck tops’ and a captain’s authority has been marginalised by backroom staff. To me, more bums in the players joint means more confusion for the players which can lead to mayhem.
Let us count the possible heads making small and big decisions in the modern day dressing room: captain, vice captain, head coach, bowling coach, batting coach, fielding coach, mentor, trainer, dietitian, masseur, manager, assistant manager, selector and computer analyst. It’s a full squad of 14. Surely such a room has to affect the chain of command and cause confusion.
The more clear-cut the chain of command, the more effective the decision-making process and greater the efficiency. So I am not at all surprised when I hear captain Afridi foul mouthing the coach for meddling in his business, or the coach, cribbing about selectors, for undermining his team’s chances with poor selection because if you get the order mixed up, things are bound to turn ugly.
A captain has to be the commander-in-chief of his troops, otherwise the dressing room system will collapse. The game was designed around the captain and by fiddling with its dynamics, the managements are running the risk of inviting disaster.
The concept may sound archaic, but it holds firm even today. The players must have one-man to report to and take command from,
otherwise their quarters will invite selfish interests and politics as long term guests. In no other game does the captaincy play a more pivotal role, so it is critical to pick the right leader, more so in present day dramatic settings in which he has to define roles for the players and for the staff in the dressing room. A 14 in one guy!
Mike Brearley, the successful England captain, did define limits for the irrepressible Geoffrey Boycott. He touches on the dilemma even in his book that Boycott, in the field, would come up with so many sharp insightful comments on the state of the game or an individual that it made Mike feels a complete amateur at the job. And he would be in his ears so often that it started to affect captain’s own processes. He had to stop him (Boycott), and ask him to supply his views when he needed him to!
Pakistan dressing room needs a culture change. It won’t come from computers or an army of technical team, but with an environment which facilitates bright discussions about the game and character building. A captain has to drive home that theme, hard enough to enthuse the players and all the stakeholders to put shoulder to the wheel. The mission should be to groom players to think on their feet, and turn out cricket recruits who are able to read situations smartly.
Pakistan is unique in a way that it’s players have developed the trade on the strength of natural talent and self-honed bag of tricks. Such an enterprising uniqueness should not be fettered to the walls of the players hutch with microchips and hard-drives. It is bound to suffocate them. We need to be original and different.

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Zulqarnain haider wants career back

Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider, who controversially fled to London last year, said on Thursday he wanted to return to the sport from self-imposed retirement.
The 25-year-old claimed he received death threats from unknown people to fix a one-day match during Pakistan’s series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates and subsequently applied for political asylum in Britain.
He announced that he was retiring from international cricket and threatened to name Pakistani players involved in match-fixing.
But instead he returned home last month after the Pakistani government guaranteed he and his family would be safe.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formed a three-man committee to look into Haider’s disappearance but found no clear motives, calling him “mentally ill”.
Haider Thursday said he wanted to play again for Pakistan.
“I have decided to abandon retirement and will soon meet PCB officials once I get clearance to go out of my home,” Haider told AFP from Lahore.
Since Haider returned last month, the PCB said they are waiting for him to reply to key questions sent while he was in London.
“The committee wanted certain clarification from Haider and he will be given an opportunity to meet PCB officials only after he sends his reply,” a PCB spokesman said last month.
Haider said he can still play domestic cricket.
“I did not retire from first-class cricket, so I can still play for my department where my job is permanent,” said Haider, who is employed by a bank in Pakistan.
Haider, who made his international debut in 2007, has so far played three Twenty20s, four one-days and a Test for Pakistan.
He made a solid 88 against England on his Test debut last year before being sent home after suffering a finger injury.

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Former pakistan spinner held over IPL beats

TLAHORE, Pakistan: Former Pakistan Test spinner Akram Raza, fined in a match-fixing inquiry eleven years ago, was arrested over betting on lucrative Indian league matches, police said Sunday.

The 46-year-old Raza, who played nine Tests and 49 one-day internationals for Pakistan, was one of seven men arrested from a busy Lahore shopping area when police raided a gang of bookmakers who were taking illegal bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games.
“Seven men were arrested after a tip-off that they were taking bets on IPL matches, and one of them has been identified as Raza, a former Pakistan player,” a police officer at Gulberg police station, who did not want to be named, told AFP.
Police said they recovered telephone sets, computers, televisions and a large amount of money in the raid, and will charge the arrested men later Sunday.
Raza, who currently stands as umpire in Pakistan’s domestic matches, was one of six Pakistan players fined in a match-fixing inquiry conducted by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000.
The former off-spinner was regarded as a close friend of former Pakistan captain Salim Malik, who was banned for life by the Qayyum inquiry. Former paceman Ata-ur-Rehman was also handed a life ban.
Pakistan’s government ordered the inquiry after Australian players Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May accused Malik of offering them bribes during Australia’s tour to Pakistan in 1995.
Raza, who made his debut in the same series in which Indian master batsman Sachin Tendulkar started his Test career in 1989 in Pakistan, was also part of the team in that series against Australia.
Match-fixing has rocked Pakistan cricket since the accusations by the Australian trio.
Three Pakistani players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — were handed lengthy bans by the International Cricket Council in February this year over claims of spot-fixing in last year’s Lord’s Test against England.
The trio also faces criminal charges in United Kingdom, a hearing for which is scheduled for May 20


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Pakistan spinear stifle west indies on 1st day

 EORGETOWN: Saaed Ajmal claimed 4-63 as Pakistan’s spinners restricted West Indies to 209-9 on the opening day of the opening cricket test at Guyana National Stadium on Thursday.

Ajmal was well supported by fellow offspinner Mohammad Hafeez, who took 2-22, and left-armer Abdur Rehman, 2-46.
Opener Lendl Simmons topscored for the hosts with a resolute 49 off 130 deliveries.
Ajmal was surprised by the amount of assistance from the day-one pitch after the host won the toss and chose to bat.
”That wicket was turning very much. It was good for spinners,” Ajmal said. ”It was dry and it bounced as well.”
Pakistan’s spinners bowled 68 of the 90 overs in the day.
”In my 10 test matches, it the first time I’ve seen a first day with such big turn,” Ajmal added. ”I’m very happy with that.”
Hafeez made the initial strike for Pakistan as he continued his recent domination against Devon Smith.
Smith, dismissed cheaply by Hafeez in the World Cup quarterfinals and in all three one-dayers he played in the recent series in the Caribbean, was bowled through the gate for 13 at 15-1.
Simmons and Darren Bravo forged a revival in a second-wicket stand that took West Indies to 66-1 at lunch.
But left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz broke the 55-run partnership soon after the break when Bravo played across a full delivery and was lbw for 25.
The left-hander struck two fours off 85 balls.
Ten runs later, Simmons was forced to retire hurt when hit painfully on his left knee by Wahab.
West Indies’ two most experienced players, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, fought back by adding 46 before Rehman struck just before tea to tilt the balance.
Sarwan, cutting at one that kept a bit low, was initially ruled not out caught behind by umpire Tony Hill but third umpire Asoka de Silva overturned the decision. The Guyanese right-hander scored 23.
Pakistan dominated the final session as Ajmal produced a master-class in each-way spin, mesmerizing with his off-break and doosra.
His first victim was Brendan Nash, plumb leg before playing back, a similar fate that befell Carlton Baugh soon afterwards as the score dipped to 142-5.
Captain Darren Sammy struck a six but perished next ball for 12 as his leading edge off Rehman skied to mid-on running back.
Ajmal’s most memorable wicket was Chanderpaul, who compiled a typically dogged 27 off 83 balls. He eventually drove at a flighted delivery and had his stumps rattled as the doosra crept through the gate.
Simmons added just 8 after returning from his injury before he was another lbw victim for Ajmal. He fell one short of a half century after striking three fours and a six.
The tail carried the home team past 200 as Kemar Roach (16 not out), Ravi Rampaul (14) and Devendra Bishoo (10 not out) showed some determination.
Rampaul fell just before the close when Hafeez trapped him plumb in front.
West Indies: Devon Smith, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brendan Nash, Carlton Baugh, Darren Sammy (captain), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Devendra Bishoo.
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Salman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, Adbur Rehman.
Umpires: Tony Hill, New Zealand, and Billy Bowden, New Zealand.
Third umpire: Asoka de Silva, Sri Lanka. Match referee: Alan Hurst, Australia.


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Pakistan spinear strike but windies on top on 2nd day

GEORGETOWN: Pakistan’s spinners fought to regain control of the first Test on Friday after their batting collapsed dramatically against the West Indies who finished the second day with a 100-run lead.

Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal both struck early blows as West Indies reached 34 for two in their second innings when bad light stopped played 13 balls early at the Guyana National Stadium.

Pakistan had been dismissed for 160 in reply to West Indies first innings total of 226, about 40 minutes before the scheduled close with leg spinner Devendra Bishoo finishing with four for 68 from 25 overs on his Test debut.

Seamer Ravi Rampaul took three for 27 from 17 overs for his best figures in a Test.

“I felt the pressure to perform after seeing Saeed and the other Pakistan spinners bowling so well and getting so much help from the pitch,” said Bishoo.

“I felt it was my duty to go and get wickets for the team. I tried to vary my pace a lot because the pitch was playing a bit slow and tried to bowl the balls in the right areas.”Abdur Rehman topped the scoring for the visitors with 40 not out while Azhar Ali made 34 and Umar Akmal hit 33.

Hafeez then gave Pakistan a bright start when the West Indies batted again, grabbing the scalp of Devon Smith lbw for one playing down the wrong line.

It was the sixth straight innings the part-time Pakistani off-spinner had dismissed the left-handed West Indies opener in the last month, stretching back to the quarter-finals of the recent World Cup.

Ajmal, who took five wickets in the West Indies first innings, also trapped Darren Bravo lbw for eight, when the left-hander played back and across to a well-pitched delivery.

Pakistan’s fortunes in the match shifted spectacularly after they continued from their lunchtime total of 45 for one.

Before lunch, the Pakistanis looked to have firm control, after Hafeez, Pakistan’s most prolific batsman in the one-day series, was bowled for four, dragging a delivery from Rampaul into his stumps in the second over of their innings.

Azhar and Taufeeq made steady progress either side of the interval in between a couple alarming moments.

Taufeeq was fortunate on one when he edged a rising ball from Rampaul between second slip and gully for his first boundary.

His heart rate was raised again when he was on five, West Indies appealing unsuccessfully for a caught behind off the same bowler.

After lunch, the visitors lost five wickets for 23 runs in the space of 78 deliveries, and were wobbling on 80 for six.

Taufeeq was lbw to West Indies captain Darren Sammy for 19 playing forward and across a delivery angled in to the left-hander from around the wicket in the fifth over after lunch.

Three overs later, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was trapped lbw plumb in front for two on the backfoot to a flatter, faster delivery from Bishoo.

Azhar was bowled in the next over, offering no stroke to a delivery moving back to give Sammy his second wicket in 12 overs that cost 16.

Asad Shafiq was lbw for two playing down the wrong line to a leg-break from Bishoo, following a successful West Indies review of New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden’s not-out verdict, and Mohammad Salman was lbw for four, suffering a similar fate.

Pakistan reached 113 for six at tea, as Akmal added an even 50 for the seventh wicket either side of the break with Rehman.

Akmal then had a rush of blood, and was caught behind off Bishoo, when he top-edged a pull to trigger a collapse that saw Pakistan lose their last four wickets for 30 runs in the space of 65 balls.

Umar Gul was also caught behind, top-edging a pull at a short delivery from Rampaul, who also trapped Ajmal lbw for one, following a review of New Zealand umpire Tony Hill’s not-out verdict.

The visitors’ innings came to a close, when Wahab Riaz was caught behind, groping at a delivery outside the off-stump to give Kemar Roach his only wicket

Srilanka emerges as pakistan,s new home venue

KARACHI: Pakistan is scheduled to host England for a Test and one-day international series early next year but with the precarious security situation in the country, the series is likely to be hosted at a neutral venue and Sri Lanka has emerged as one of the preferred hosts.

Being out of favour for hosting international cricket teams, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been in talks for choosing an alternate venue. These alternate options include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the PCB has already ‘hosted’ several series and Sri Lanka, whose officials appear optimistic about securing the England series.

“I have spoken to the cricket boards of both England and Pakistan and they have been very positive about playing the series in Sri Lanka,” Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) Secretary Nishantha Ranatuga told cricket website Cricinfo.

While PCB’s Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmed said the UAE and Sri Lanka are likely venues, he did not confirm where the series could be hosted.

Sri Lanka’s optimism as emanates from the successful hosting of Pakistan’s group matches during the World Cup, which attracted a large number of Pakistani and local fans.

The two South Asian neighbours enjoy friendly relations and Pakistan’s cricket team receives generous support from local Sri Lankan fans.

The other factor favouring Sri Lanka over the UAE may be the finances involved, as the cost of hosting series in the gulf country has hit the PCB in its pockets.

The series, comprising three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20, is scheduled for January and February 2012

Pakistan draw tour match on docile guyana pitch

GEORGETOWN: Pakistan’s bowlers discovered that the conditions in the Caribbean can be unforgiving, when they drew their tour match against Guyana on Monday.

Saeed Ajmal took two wickets for 41 runs from 15 overs, but no other bowler made an impression on the docile Bourda Oval pitch, as Guyana reached 252 for six, in response to Pakistanis’ first innings total of 330 for seven declared on the final day of the two-day match.

The visitors’ bowlers toiled before rain stopped play about 40 minutes before the scheduled close, after Guyana’s batsmen resisted with Shemroy Barrington leading the way with 58, and fellow opener Trevon Griffith supporting with 55.

Pakistan also faced resistance from veteran West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul in a knock of 44, and fellow West Indies left-hander Narsingh Deonarine with 40.

Griffith shared 77 for the first wicket with Barrington before he was caught behind off Tanvir Ahmed.

Barrington then put on 63 for the second wicket with Deonarine before he was lbw to Ajmal, leaving Guyana 140 for two.

The Guyanese continued to bat resolutely with Chanderpaul holding court for almost three hours, but Junaid Khan bowled him just prior to the change in the weather that prompted an earlier than scheduled close.

The match was Pakistan’s only warm-up prior to the first Test against West Indies which opens on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.

Pakistan are searching for their first Test series victory on Caribbean soil.

Scores:

Pakistan: 330 for seven declared (Misbah-ul-Haq 101 not out, Azhar Ali 57, Mohammad Hafeez 52, Umar Gul 40 not out, Umar Akmal 26, Asad Shafiq 21; Amir Khan 3-88, Zaheer Mohammed 2-64)
Guyana: 252 for six (Shemroy Barrington 58, Trevon Griffith 55, Shivnarine Chanderpaul 44, Narsingh Deonarine 40, Richard Ramdeen 25; Saeed Ajmal 2-41

PCB to take action against afridi over waqar comments

Local media last week reported that serious differences had emerged between Afridi and Waqar during this year's World Cup. -Photo by AFP

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday demanded Shahid Afridi explain why he criticised coach Waqar Younis, saying the one-day captain had violated the code of conduct.
Afridi criticised Younis for interfering in team selection during the 3-2 one-day series win over the West Indies.
“Waqar interferes with the team selection and everyone should do his job,”Afridi said on his return from the West Indies Sunday.
“PCB has taken notice of the statements made by Afridi in the media about the differences within the tour management in West Indies. It is a violation of code of conduct on part of Afridi,” the PCB said.
“An explanation has been sought from him for the reasons to make such statements publicly. PCB will take appropriate action after submission of the tour-report at the conclusion of the tour.”
Pakistani media last week reported that serious differences had emerged between Afridi and Waqar during this year’s World Cup.
Pakistan reached the semi-finals in the tournament, jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, before being beaten by India who went on to win the championship

Afridi makes differences with waqar public

“Although the differences with the coach are not such which could not be solved... I must say that everyone should do his job and need not interfere in other's work.” -Photo by AP

KARACHI: Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi on Sunday criticised coach Waqar Younis for interference in team selection, saying that he would take up the matter with the country’s cricket chief.
Pakistani media last week reported that Afridi and Waqar did not get on during the 3-2 one-day series win against the West Indies.
Afridi, not happy with selection matters, on his return home early Sunday lashed out at Waqar.
“Although the differences with the coach are not such which could not be solved… I must say that everyone should do his job and need not interfere in other’s work,” Afridi told reporters.
Afridi said he will soon meet Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt to take up the matter before giving further details to the media.
With a relatively young string, Pakistan won the first three matches comfortably before going down in the last two matches against the West Indies who were also depleted by the non-selection of senior players like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Afridi regretted his team lost a good chance to win all the matches.
“We should have clean sweet the West Indies but the defeat in the last two matches left a bad taste in the mouth, we flopped in batting and that’s why I must say we need a batting coach,” said Afridi, who admitted he was also below par in the series.
“I played average cricket because I was tired after the World Cup and only played the series on the advice of some friends and former players.”
Afridi managed just two wickets in five matches and scored 28 in three innings

change a gears ass pakistan take on guyana today

Pakistan will be eager to get themselves ready, since the series is widely regarded as their best chance to win their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean. -Photo by AFP

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Pakistan continue their sojourn through the Caribbean with a two-day match against host nation Guyana, starting on Sunday at the Bourda Oval.
The Pakistanis will look to transition from the limited-overs mode of the game, as they prepare to face West Indies in the first Test of two, starting on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.
The visitors won the preceding one-day international series 3-2, but they sputtered in the last two matches, when West Indies were able to fight back to finish on a high note.
Misbah-ul-Haq will take over the reins of captaincy of the Test side from Shahid Afridi, and the visitors will welcome two pairs of fresh legs into the squad, with the arrival of former captain Younis Khan and key fast bowler Umar Gul.
Both Younis and Gul were rested following a challenging tour of New Zealand, which preceded a gruelling World Cup in Asia.
They will be the only two players that would need to get acclimatised to conditions in the Caribbean, since the rest of the squad has spent the last few weeks in the Caribbean.
Pakistan will be eager to get themselves ready, since the series is widely regarded as their best chance to win their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean.
Guyana are likely to be weakened, after batting heroes Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan were named in a West Indies 15-member training squad, which will take part in a two-day match practice match of its own at the neighbouring Demerara Cricket Club.
The side however, does include left-hander Narsingh Deonarine, who has a chance to remind the West Indies selectors about his ability, after losing his place over the last six months.
Squads:
Guyana (from): Shemroy Barrington, Ronsford Beaton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Derwin Christian, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fuddadin, Trevon Griffith, Leon Johnson, Keon Joseph, Amir Khan, Zaheer Mohammed, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Gajanand Singh
Pakistan (from): Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Abdur Rehman, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam , Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman, Saeed Ajmal, Tanvir Ahmed, Taufiq Umar, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan
Umpires: Nigel Duguid, Clyde Duncan
Match refree: Colin Stuart
Reserve umpire: Shannon Crawford

Mohammad hafeez,saeed ajmal improve ODI ranking

Mohammad Hafeez is now ranked sixth in ODI all-rounders' rankings. —Photo by AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, on Friday, broke into the top three of the International Cricket Council (ICC) player rankings for one-day international (ODI) bowlers for the first time in his career.
Ajmal reached the third spot during the recently concluded ODI series against the West Indies.
The 33-year-old from Faisalabad, who took six wickets in the series which Pakistan won by 3-2, has climbed 16 places and now sits in third position, five points behind Zimbabwe’s left-arm spinner Ray Price.
Ajmal’s rise means the top four spots are now occupied by spinners with New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori leading the field and England’s Graeme Swann sitting in fourth position.
With Ajmal reaching the third spot, he has now become Pakistan’s highest-ranked bowler with captain Shahid Afridi dropping out of the top 10 after a disappointing series, with just two wickets in the five matches and is now ranked 14th.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Hafeez has also improved his ranking after claiming six wickets in the series at 23.50 and has moved up seven places to number 27.
Hafeez, who was the second most successful batsman in the series with 267 runs, has improved his ranking by 17 places and is now in 49th position. Misbah-u-Haq’s series contribution of 184 runs has helped him move up three places to 31st spot while Umar Akmal has achieved a career-best ranking of 23rd after rising four places.
Hafeez’s all-round performance in the series has also helped him become the sixth-ranked all-rounder in the world. His 267 runs and six wickets in the series have helped him climb six places in the rankings for ODI all-rounders.
In the ODI Championship table, Pakistan had started the series with a difference of 35 ratings points relative to West Indies. This gap had meant Pakistan were expected to win the series convincingly. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, Pakistan’s failure to win comfortably has meant they have dropped points.
Despite losing the series 3-2, the West Indies have earned four ratings points which puts them five points clear of ninth-ranked Bangladesh, while Pakistan have dropped three ratings points to open the gap with fifth-placed England by five points

Mohsin hassan khan makeup with PCB

Mohsin Hasan Khan has taken back his resignation threats. —File photo by AFP

KARACHI: Chief selector Mohsin Hasan Khan resolved his differences with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after a meeting with board chairman Ijaz Butt on Thursday.

The meeting resulted in Khan withdrawing his threat to resign as the chairman of the national selection committee, following a row emerged over the composition of Pakistan’s Test squad for the series against West Indies.
“I am pleased to inform that there are currently no unresolved issues between PCB and Mohsin Hasan Khan,” PCB chief Ijaz Butt said in a statement.
The meeting, which was termed ‘fruitful’ by Butt, focused on the role and functioning of the national selection committee.
Earlier, Khan had said he would step down on Wednesday if some of his player choices were not included in the 15-member squad for the series, which starts at Guyana on May 12.
The PCB followed Khan’s statement by warning that any such action would be against the board’s code of conduct. However, after Thursday’s meeting, the board said it had decided against taking any further action.

Pakistan slump to quickfire defeat in fifth ODI

West Indies' bowler Devendra Bishoo, left, is embraced by teammate Darren Bravo after he took the wicket of Pakistan's Usman Salahuddin, right, who was trapped LBW for 8 runs, during their fifth and final one-day international cricket match which was won by West Indies in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, May 5, 2011. – Photo by AP

PROVIDENCE, GUYANA: Pakistan’s batting was undermined by West Indies’ three frontline seamers and their bowling upstaged by another blistering innings from Lendl Simmons in a 10-wicket loss in the fifth one-day international on Thursday.
A fluent 55 off 83 balls from Mohammad Hafeez failed to inspire the Pakistanis, and their batting crumbled for the first time in the series as they were all out for 139 in 41.2 overs after they chose to bat on an unpredictable Guyana National Stadium pitch.
The visitors’ bowlers found it difficult to defend such a modest target as Simmons hit a career-best, unbeaten 77 from 73 deliveries, and fellow opener Kirk Edwards supported with 40 from 71 ball to guide the hosts to victory with 159 balls remaining.
Pakistan however, won the five-match series 3-2, with comfortable victories in the first three matches, securing the result.
“It is a disappointing end to the series for us because it was not a pitch on which we should have been dismissed for 139,” said Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi.
“Our batting has been struggling for a long time, and I think we need someone to help us with situations like this.” “We all wanted to bat on this pitch and that is why the management and I decided to bat, but we did not play well. The thing that I always keep stressing – building partnerships – we did not build any partnerships and this is what was missing.” Afridi added: “The series victory is important for us. We are not playing any cricket at home, so winning this series is very important and will keep the morale high, and I think for the future it will be good for us.” Hafeez and Umar Akmal were the only Pakistani batsman to pass 20 as Ravi Rampaul up-ended the visitors batting with four for 45 from his allotted 10 overs.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy grabbed three for 30 from 10 overs, and Dwayne Bravo supported with two for 16.
“It is a good feeling to have won again, but it’s been well-played in the last two games for the boys,” said Sammy.
“We played as a team, and got the result that we wanted. This was the type of performance for which we have been searching for a very long time. It showed the good work that we have been doing at practices has finally transferred to the game, and it was good to see everybody taking part, and it was a total team effort.” He added: “The way we have chased down totals in the last two games, I guess it may be fair to say that our guys are more comfortable doing this. But throughout the series, we created several opportunities to win it, but we did not put enough runs on the board.” Hafeez dropped Simmons on 31 at slip off Saeed Ajmal before the West Indies opener knocked a short delivery from Afridi to long-on to bring up his 50 from the same number of balls in the 16th over.
He then carried West Indies over the threshold when he punched a delivery from Ahmed Shehzad to point, and stole a second run from an overthrow.
The two sides now contest two Tests, starting next Thursday at this same ground, and from May 20 to 24 at Warner Park in St. Kitts.
Pakistan contest a two-day, practice match on Sunday and Monday at Bourda Oval – the previous international venue here