Pakistan scrabble championship begins tomorrow

Pakistan Scrabble Association’s (PSA) biggest annual tournament, the 23rd Pakistan Scrabble Championship, to be held in four categories, gets underway at the Beach Luxury Hotel from June 4 (Saturday).

“The categories represent players between the age group of 11 to 17, 18 to 25, 25-plus and Masters. The first two days of the event will be reserved for the Masters’ competition while the mega event will commence on June 12 with the 11 to 17 age group vying for the honours.

“The following Sunday, June 19, will see the players between the ages of 18 to 25 and 25+ in action,” informed tournament director Tariq Pervez while addressing a press conference at the event venue on Thursday.

PSA has already sent invitations to 250 schools from all over Pakistan to take part in the 23rd Pakistan Scrabble Championship. Entry forms are also available from Liberty Books and the PSA website:

PSA, the first and only registered scrabble club in Pakistan, has been organising numerous championships across Karachi for the past two decades and is now also aiming to spread to other cities of the country with the launch of their Lahore and Islamabad chapters this year.

“In order to encourage the players coming in from all parts of Pakistan, we have also arranged special trophies for the best player of each city,” said the tournament director.

Pakistan will be participating in the World Scrabble Championship (WSC) to be played in Warsaw, Poland, in October and the World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC) in Malaysia in December.

“The would-be participants of these events will also be seen in action in the 23rd Pakistan Scrabble Championship,” said Tariq Pervez.

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Bahrain ready to host GP_circuit CEO

Bahrain is ready to host the Grand Prix that should have opened the Formula One season but was postponed because of the political turmoil and civil unrest in the Gulf state, organisers insisted on Thursday.

“The Sakhir circuit is ready to welcome the Grand Prix if it is rescheduled for this season,” Bahrain circuit chief executive Sheikh Salman bin Issa al-Khalifa told AFP.

The statement came a day after the Bahraini government lifted a state of emergency and on the eve of a June 3 meeting by world motorsport’s governing body, FIA, which will decide whether the race will go ahead in Bahrain this season.

“We’re ready and the circuit is ready to host this great event and all that we need is a three-month heads-up to be able to complete preparations.”

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Tuesday that he was hopeful that the Bahrain leg would be reinstated on the Formula One calendar this year.

A rescheduled Bahrain race could fill the slot currently reserved for the inaugural Indian GP in Delhi from October 28-30, Ecclestone suggested.

“I think the teams are happy. If it’s safe and everything is good then I think the teams will be happy to support it,” Ecclestone told CNN.

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Aqeel's Sri lanka stint irks PTF

The quiet departure of Aqeel Khan, a top ranking national tennis player, to Sri Lanka has annoyed the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) which now says the top-ranking player never informed them before leaving Pakistan.

Aqeel left Pakistan for Sri Lanka the other day to train players in the island nation and would be staying in Colombo from June 15 to 18.

Irshad Bhatti, the official PTF spokesman, told Dawn on Tuesday: “Aqeel Khan is not in Pakistan as per our information. Besides he has also failed to inform [us], knowing that he has crossed the disciplinary guidelines of the federation.”

Irshad added despite this discipline issue involving Aqeel the federation still wanted to consult him.

“The move to train individuals in Sri Lanka was never in the knowledge of the federation,” said the official. “But we want to give him a patient hearing because he is No.1 in national rankings and we really respect him,” stated the spokesman.

Though, it is pertinent to mention that for any individual — sports athlete or official — a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) is mandatory before proceeding to any international destination and the NOC is issued by the Interior Ministry.

“Aqeel will be part of Pakistan’s Davis Cup team but he has to give answers to the federation,” the spokesman responded when asked about Aqeel’s inclusion in the Davis Cup squad.

The spokesman said a brief meeting with Aqeel after his return from Sri Lanka was very much needed to avoid breach of PTF’s disciplinary code in future and to set better examples for youngsters.

Pakistan are set to play Davis Cup tie against South Korea in July this year.

“The challenge from South Korea is tough and we firmly believe that Aqeel, Aisam-ul-Haq and two other players, to be selected after trials, will form a strong squad for the Davis Cup,” said Irshad.

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South Africa intends to bid for 2022 commonwelth game

South Africa will bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games having last week pulled out of the race to stage the 2020 summer Olympics, the country’s Olympic federation chief Gideon Sam said on Thursday.

“Immediately after the announcement of where the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held, we will go in for 2022. It has never been to Africa and so we want to put in a bid,” he told reporters.

The host city for the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be announced in November in St Kitts & Nevis with Australia’s Gold Coast competing with the Sri Lankan port-city of Hambantota.

The Games are held every four years for more than 70 countries mostly of the former British Empire.

South Africa was widely expected to bid for the 2020 Olympics but the government decided not to back a bid, saying it wanted to focus on delivering basic services such as water and electricity to all its citizens.

But Sam, president of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASOC), said there was nothing to stop the country bidding for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

He told reporters at the 30-day countdown to the 123rd International Olympic Committee Session to be held in Durban in July that South Africa had previously stepped back to allow other countries to bid for the Commonwealth Games.

“In the past we stood back for Nigeria but they lost out to Glasgow (for the right to host the 2014 games). This time we have said there will be no horse-trading, we will put up our hand and see how we go,” he said.

Sam added that a bid for the Commonwealth Games would not be hampered by the same issues that affected a possible Olympics bid.

“The scale of the Commonwealth Games is a lot smaller than the Olympics. We will have to have buy-in from a host city and from government, because of security issues, but we are not talking about the expense of an Olympics,” he said.

Commonwealth Games chief executive Mike Hooper told Reuters earlier this month that Trinidad & Tobago and Wales had also shown interest in hosting the 2022 edition.

New Delhi staged the 2010 Games but shoddy construction, health and security issues blighted the build-up and only late scrambling by the government salvaged the event

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Denouncing Butt-led board, Afridi boom booms his way

Heartthrob all-rounder and former captain Shahid Afridi’s abrupt and sentimental announcement to walk out of international cricket, albeit conditionally, has once again brought Pakistan in the news for the wrong reasons.

Going by the traditions of Pakistan cricket and the recent turn of events, the news was inevitable and somewhat expected, it still shook up fans and the media at the stroke of midnight on Monday.

While nobody will condone Afridi’s knee-jerk reaction, epitomizing his perpetual fast-forward actions — be that as batsman or as quick-ish leg-break bowler — Pakistan Cricket Board’s chairman Ijaz Butt’s whimsical decisions of replacing a successful captain were equally, if not more, lamentable.

It was Afridi who united the disintegrated Pakistan team following the spot-fixing scandal last year. He had started to own the team, guiding them to a semi-final finish at the ICC World Cup — an expected result in the eyes most of the experts, given the distorted and unpredictable team.

Former captain Wasim Akram was shocked at Afridi’s latest action. “I believe it’s a childish decision. Had he contacted me I would have told him to play as a member.”

Akram was one the most vocal opponents when Afridi was sacked as captain.

“I am also shocked at how fast things have changed. I think it has become a matter of egos from both the sides. Last month, Afridi was showered with praise, his team was awarded cash prizes but suddenly every thing changed.”

So what prompted this sudden change? One could say that with Afridi, everything happens at lightening speed but the Pathan from the tribal regions of Pakistan developed serious differences with Coach Waqar Younis over the course of the last few months. It was apparent from team selection during the World Cup that all was not well. While the coach believed Abdul Rehman was a better spinner, Afridi wanted the wicket-taking Saeed Ajmal in the playing eleven. Ajmal would then go on to prove his worth in the semi-final and prove his captain right.

The differences turned into an unwelcome situation during the recent tour of the West Indies. After Pakistan won the one-day international series, the main aim was to give exposure to the bench strength, but lanky paceman Sadaf Hussain (69 wickets in the domestic season) fell victim to the differences and returned as the only member of the squad who did not get a chance to play. The matter came to a boiling point when Afridi almost refused to lead the team in the last two matches and it was only after the interference of manager Intikhab Alam that the all-rounder took to the field.

Afridi’s public outburst on his differences with the coach also received mixed reactions. “Afridi should not have spoken to the media on his differences with the coach,” opined Akram. But another former captain, Moin Khan believed Afridi’s pleas fell on deaf ears. “One should take into account why Afridi went public. He did because the PCB did not listen to him. The PCB is taking whimsical decisions in the last three years but no one is taking any notice.”

Afridi, despite being forbidden by the central contract and Alam’s advice, failed himself and spoke his mind on his return from the West Indies. Although he did not name Waqar Younis but his comments were obviously aimed at the coach. The PCB backed the manager and the coach and handed additional responsibilities of one-day captaincy to Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq for the two-match series against Ireland.

Even after Afridi’s public comments, there was room for reconciliation only for a news report to relight the fire. An official conversation between Ijaz Butt and Afridi, where Butt confirmed Afridi that he will be retained as captain was leaked to the media. It irked Butt no end and he decided to have a change.

Little wonder that all actions taken by the PCB against Afridi received the support of the government. And that support encouraged Butt to suspend Afridi’s central contract, stop all his payments, revoke all NOCs granted to him to play abroad. That meant Afridi might not be able to play Twenty20 for Hampshire in June and in the Sri Lanka Premier League a month later.

Afridi has put a condition on his return, saying he “will play only if the current set up of the PCB is changed.” Although Butt remains unlikely to lose his post in the aftermath of this fiasco, there are speculations that a change is imminent.

It would be in the best interest of the game in Pakistan if an amicable solution is reached. If not, sadly, a popular player will made an unpopular exit.

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Afridi appeals to president Zardari for help

Former captain Shahid Afridi appealed to Pakistan’s president for help Wednesday after his central contract was suspended when he announced his retirement from international cricket.

The 31-year-old all-rounder, dumped as one-day captain following a row with coach Waqar Younis last month, quit international cricket in protest at his treatment by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

In response, the PCB suspended his central contract and revoked all his no-objection certificates, meaning he will not be officially permitted to play overseas.

The move will stop him from playing for Hampshire in England’s Twenty20 league and in next month’s Sri Lankan Premier League.

Afridi said he had appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari to help.

“I have appealed to the president to intervene urgently, also deal with other issues and save the game from getting into more crises,” Afridi told AFP by telephone from Southampton.

Afridi confirmed that the England and Wales Cricket Board stopped him from playing after the PCB revoked its permission.

“The captaincy was not an issue as I have already played under senior players, but it was a matter of self respect and honour which was hurt,” said Afridi who refused to speak about the PCB sanctions.

The opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N party has already submitted an adjournment motion in the national assembly against Afridi’s punishment.

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, who now heads his own opposition party, said the PCB was not run professionally.

“The board is not run like an institution,” Khan told a television channel.

“Afridi feels injustice is done so he has taken a decision and you don’t change four-five captains in a year.”

“Just recently everyone was praising Afridi after he led Pakistan to the semi-final of the World Cup and then suddenly this happened,” said Khan.

“The board is also run on ad-hoc basis like the country,” he added.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which belongs to the coalition government headed by Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party, also objected to the sanctions on Afridi.

“President Zardari should take notice of the biased attitude of the board,” said MQM leader Farooq Sattar. “You don’t treat national heroes like this.”

Sports Minister Shaukatullah Khan lashed out at PCB chairman Ijaz Butt over the “injustice” and said he would discuss the matter with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, who heads the sports committee in the upper house of parliament, demanded Butt’s sacking.

“A change in the PCB is imperative,” said Qureshi. “Butt has not allowed any captain to settle so it will be better to sack him.”

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Afridi ruled out of Hampshire stint after PCB blow

Shahid Afridi said he was “disappointed” to be missing out on playing for defending champions Hampshire in this season’s English county Twenty20 competition after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) effectively banned him from playing abroad.

Former one-day captain Afridi had his central contract suspended by the PCB on Tuesday, having announced his retirement from international cricket.

That move came after the 31-year-old was stripped of the Pakistan one-day captaincy last month following a spat with coach Waqar Younis.

Now the PCB has revoked all no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the player, meaning Afridi, widely praised for his role in leading Pakistan to the semi-finals of the recent World Cup in the subcontinent, will not be officially permitted to play overseas.

“I am disappointed,” Afridi told AFP on Wednesday, hours before Hampshire were due to begin the defence of their title against Somerset in a repeat of last season’s final.

Afridi, a hugely popular big-hitting all-rounder, whose leg-spin has become arguably even more important than his batting, had also been due to play in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League in July.

“The PCB has initiated action against Afridi in response to the multiple breaches he has committed under the central contract signed with PCB,” a board statement said Tuesday.

“Afridi’s central contract has been suspended with immediate effect. Consequently, all NOCs granted to him have been revoked. All payments on account of central contract have been suspended.”

Afridi had said he would not play under the current PCB set-up, headed by chairman Ijaz Butt, and accused the administration of mistreating the players.

He also lashed out at Waqar for undue meddling in team selection.

“Everyone should do his job and must be held accountable for that,” Afridi said, without naming anyone, on his return from the West Indies where he led the team to a 3-2 one-day series victory last month.

When asked about his differences with Waqar, Afridi replied: “The differences are not at a stage where they cannot be solved.”

Afridi withdrew from Pakistan’s latest matches, a one-day series against Ireland which finished in a 2-0 win on Monday, to visit his ailing father in the United States

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Afridi in hot water after outburst against PCB

Coming hard on former captain Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued him a show-cause notice to explain his position in next seven days for passing unethical remarks against the Board and its officials, while calling it a day from the international cricket on Monday.

The PCB has also suspended Afridi’s central contract, besides revoking all his no-objection certificates (NOCs) with immediate effect.

“The PCB has initiated action against Shahid Afridi in response to the following breaches of the central contract he committed,” a PCB official press release states.

“1. By announcing his retirement in the manner that he did, Afridi is in breach of clause 2.1.4 of the central contract, dealing with covenants of the cricketer.

2. In passing disparaging remarks about the board and its officials, Afridi is in breach of clause 4.4 dealing with media obligations.”

The press release further says, “Following disciplinary actions have been initiated against Afridi by the PCB:

1. A show-cause notice has been issued to him seeking his explanation over these comments. Afridi has been asked to respond to the letter within seven days of receipt of the same.

2. His central contract has been suspended with immediate effect. Consequently, all NOCs granted to him have been revoked.

3. All payments on account of central contract have been suspended.”

Meanwhile, in his short chat with the press, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said he had accepted the resignation of Afridi.

To a question that Afridi had tendered a conditional resignation from the international cricket as he did not want to play cricket under Ijaz’s reign, the chairman said that was up to him.

Ijaz said he would answer all allegations levelled by Afridi at an appropriate time.

The PCB chief said he wanted to have a discussion with the team management over the report of manager Intikhab Alam before taking a decision over Afridi, but the all-rounder announced his decision hastily and missed out the opportunity to sort out the problems.

Afridi, after leading the Pakistan team to 3-2 victory in the ODI series against the West Indies, in a media talk had expressed some reservations about coach Waqar Younis.

He, however, had added that the matter could be resolved.

“I was only waiting for the arrival of the Pakistan team from the tour of Ireland to discuss all the problems with Waqar Younis, Intikhab Alam and other members of the team management but Afridi did not wait for it,” he said.

It may be mentioned here that Afridi had shown no reservations when the PCB had removed him from the captaincy and appointed Misbah-ul-Haq in his place.

Afridi only said he could not accompany the squad on the Ireland tour due to his father’s illness.

But soon after Pakistan won the series against Ireland on Monday night, Afridi in a press talk triggered a controversy which can take a long time to settle

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Aqeel off to sri lanka for coaching stint

Pakistan’s top tennis player Aqeel Khan left here for Colombo on Tuesday on his maiden coaching assignment leaving Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) in a quandary ahead of the Asia Oceania Zone group two second round Davis Cup tie against South Korea from July 8 to 10.

“I’m leaving for Colombo to train the Sri Lankan team for their Asia Oceania Zone Davis Cup group three engagements for a fortnight and will be back by the middle of June,” he told Dawn shortly before departure.

He said: “I feel honoured after the Sri Lankan Tennis Association extended an invitation to prepare their team for the eight-nation round robin contest, which also takes place at Colombo from June 15 to 18.”

The eight countries which have been drawn into two pools are Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, UAE, Vietnam and host Sri Lanka. Top two teams get promotion in group two in 2012 while the lowest two would be relegated to group four.

Asked about package he added that apart from return air ticket, accommodation and local hospitality he has been offered US $ 2,000 for a short stint.

Aqeel, 31, said the coaching assignment would also benefit him to get needed practice for Pakistan’s second round rubber against Koreans by playing against Lanka’s top player Harshana Godammana.

To a question, he dismissed the notion that he (Aqeel) didn’t avail PTF’s offer to travel anywhere in the world for training.

“After receiving an invitation letter from a US-based academy courtesy of former player Zulfiqar Rahim, I made efforts for the visa but was told that it would take at least 20 days for the interview which does not [even] guarantee a US visa,” he asserted

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Federer earns a chance to end Djokovic,s streak

Roger Federer was the last man to beat Novak Djokovic on a tennis court, and he can be the next one as well.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion set up a delectable semifinal match against the second-seeded Serb by defeating Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3) Tuesday at the French Open. If he beats Djokovic on Friday, it will end the two-time major champion’s perfect season and 43-match winning streak.

“It’s not the driving force behind this match, to be honest. For me, the plan is trying to get a step further and into the finals of the French Open,” said Federer, the 2009 champion at Roland Garros. “At the end of the day, that’s, for me, the big picture, and that’s why I entered the French Open. It wasn’t to stop Novak.”

Defending champion Francesca Schiavone and No. 11 Marion Bartoli also reached the semifinals Tuesday, while Andy Murray advanced to the quarterfinals by finishing off Viktor Troicki in a five-set match played over two days.

On Wednesday, Murray will play again, this time for a spot in the semifinals, when he faces Juan Ignacio Chela.

Five-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal will play two-time finalist Robin Soderling. In the women’s tournament, Maria Sharapova is to play Andrea Petkovic and Australian Open finalist Li Na is to face Victoria Azarenka.

Federer has not dropped a set in five matches at this year’s French Open. But against Djokovic, he’ll be facing the man who eliminated him from the past two majors at the semifinal stage.

He’ll also be up against a man who is 41-0 in 2011 and is enjoying a 43-match winning streak dating back to Nov. 27, when Federer beat Djokovic at the ATP Finals in London. With one more win, Djokovic can also assure himself of the No. 1 ranking.

“I know he has a lot on the line, which we all know about,” Federer said. “I have been there myself before in 2004 when I was going for world No. 1 against (Juan Carlos Ferrero) in Australia in the semis of a Grand Slam, as well. So it’s a similar situation.”

With a victory over Federer, Djokovic can equal John McEnroe’s Open era record of 42 straight wins to start a season. And with three more, he would match Guillermo Vilas’ record 46-match winning streak.

“A big question remains: ‘How long can you keep it up?’” Federer said. “I said it a couple weeks ago. It’s just hard day in and day out to be asked the questions, ‘How many more wins can you get?’

“You would just like to, you know, not talk about it. Just go out there and do it over and over again.”

Schiavone is also trying to do something again.

A year after she became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam title, she is one match from making it back to the final after beating 14th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 1-6, 7-5, 7-5.

But things didn’t start off so well on Tuesday; she was two points from defeat in the second set.

“I never stopped believing in what I could do,” said Schiavone, who will play Bartoli in the semifinals. “I started too slow, absolutely too slow. But in the end I felt better.”

Bartoli, eccentricities and all, advanced by beating 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 (4), 6-4.

The 11th-seeded Frenchwoman, only the fourth woman from her country to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros in the Open era, psychs herself up by hopping around between points and swinging her racket while awaiting serves.

“It’s really to stay focused on what I have to do,” Bartoli said in explaining her quirks. “It’s really important for me to relieve the pressure … and really focus on myself and what I need to do.”

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