PHF imposes two-year ban on umpire waqar after he turns up azerbaijan

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has imposed two-year ban on umpire Waqas Ahmed Butt for participating in the Euro Hockey Nations Championship as a regular member of the Azerbaijan hockey team without first obtaining a NOC from the PHF.

Waqas is an international umpire, who was elevated last year to the rank of FIH International panel of umpires.

“For the violation of constitution of his parent body, the PHF has banned umpire Waqas Ahmed Butt for two years with effect from Aug 3 from participating in all domestic and international activities as a player and as an umpire,” a PHF statement said

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Pakistan reach south asian football semis

Four goals by Mohammad Bilal and two by Sher Ali helped Pakistan U-16 team reach the semi-finals of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship after earning a convincing 6-0 win against Maldives in their second Group ‘A’ match in Kathmandu.

According to the information released by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), Pakistan led the first half 1-0 as Bilal put his side ahead from a Mansoor Khan corner in the 19th minute.

The second half saw full domination of Pakistan as Bilal slammed his second goal in the 56th minute followed by Sher Ali’s goals in the 79th and 80th minutes to make it 4-0.

In the 84th minute, Bilal completed his hat-trick with a superb solo run making it 5-0. Bilal then added his fourth goal in the 88th minute to complete the tally

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Shoaib trumps Sania in tennis match

Former captain of the national cricket team Shoaib Malik has taken to playing tennis and defeated his wife, tennis ace Sania Mirza, on a mini court.

“I play tennis with Sania twice a week. I beat her at a mini court recently,” Malik was reported as saying by the Press Trust of India (PTI).

Malik, who developed an interest in the game after his marriage to Mirza, said he was now aiming to beat her on a full sized court and said that the tennis star’s game had improved after their marriage.

“I now want to win a game on a full-sized court,” he said.

He revealed that Sania was passionate about cricket and they (the couple) supported their respective countries during matches between the arch-rivals, Pakistan and India.

“We watch the game together, she supports India and I support Pakistan,” he said.

About their marriage, the cricketer said both were happy. They are based out in Dubai but visit their countries frequently.

“We live in Dubai but keep visiting both India and Pakistan. The High Commissions of the two countries have been very cooperative in issuing us visas,” he said.

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Warne likens England to the australia of his time

Shane Warne has likened England to the successful Australia side of which he was a key member after seeing Andrew Strauss’s men thrash India in the second Test.

England crushed their opponents by 319 runs with more than a day to spare at Trent Bridge on Monday to take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series following a 196-run first Test triumph at Lord’s.

If England at the very least maintain that advantage over the next two Tests they will replace India as leaders of the ICC’s Test Championship table and leg-spin great Warne is an admirer of the ‘Poms’ recent performances.

“England are improving and have a hunger for victory,” Warne, 41, wrote in Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Telegraph.

“They have a good team spirit and, as Andrew Strauss says, they can still improve. Don’t forget they were 124 for eight on day one of this game.

“But most impressive about England was how aggressively they approached the situation,” he added.

“When Australia were on top and dominating world cricket, the things we wanted to do were score fast, take the game away from the opposition and intimidate the tail.

“England are doing all those and showing qualities that will make them number one if they continue to play like this.

“At times the pitch looked flat when India were bowling but, by showing intensity, aggression and a lot of hunger to be the best in the world, England demonstrated what could be achieved.”

Meanwhile former England captain Nasser Hussain was in no doubt about the quality of the current side, proclaiming in the Daily Mail: “They are the best England team I have ever seen.”

Hussain cited Tim Bresnan, only called up at Trent Bridge after fast bowler Chris Tremlett was injured, as proof of England’s progress.

Bresnan scored 90 batting at number eight in the hosts’ second innings on Monday and then the Yorkshire seamer took a Test-best five for 48 as India collapsed to 158 all out.

“Tim Bresnan is the perfect example of how outstanding England have become,” Hussain said.

“When he was first picked he was thought of as a good, honest trier and a bits-and-pieces player. Now look at him… He is bowling quickly and with nous, and he looked like a proper batsman yesterday (Monday) too.

“These are good times for England. And they will last for a while yet.”

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Amir Atlas khan improves international ranking by five places

Pakistan’s No 1 squash player Aamir Atlas Khan has improved his international standing by five places, according to the rankings published by the Professional Squash Association (PSA) for the month of August.

Aamir, who was ranked at No 28 in the month of July, leapfrogged five places up to occupy the 23rd spot.

Aamir featured in two tournaments in the month of July and performed brilliantly in the first tournament, the CIMB Malaysian Open, where he reached the final after beating World No 10 Malaysian Mohammad Azlan Iskandar and World No 17 Australian Cameron Pilley.

After playing the events final against World No 6 Gregory Gaultier, Aamir left for Egypt, where he featured in Sportsmax Squash Open in Cairo. He fell in the quarterfinals of the event to Egyptian qualifier Marwan El Shorbagy, who has recently been crowned the World Junior Champion.

“It was a bad decision to play back to back tournaments. I played some tough matches in Malaysia and left the same day for Egypt after playing the final of the Egyptian Open. I played the first round of Sportsmax Open only 24 hours after having played the final of the Malaysian Open.

“The quarterfinal, which I lost, was also in the next 24 hours of the first round. I was exhausted and needed a rest while Marwan was in form and played well in the quartefinal,” Aamir told PPI.

Aamir, who will represent Pakistan in the World Team Championship later in this month in Germany, said that he was expecting improvement in his rankings and he is delighted to jump to the 23rd spot.

“Improvement in my rankings may help Pakistan to feature in World Team Championship as a seeded side.

“This would help us face weak teams in the beginning and may help us advance in the tournament and achieve a worthwhile place at the end of the event,” he explained.

However, Aamir is the only player in the World Team Championship squad who is ranked in the top 100 and other than him no other Pakistan player going to Germany is ranked among the top 100 elite squash players of the world.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s No 2 Farhan Mehboob, fell five places down and is now ranked at No 41. Farhan was not selected for the World Team Championship event after the left-hander fell early in the trials.

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Pakistan announce squad for Zimbabwe tour

 Pakistan on Thursday named Misbah-ul-Haq as captain for the test, one-day and Twenty20 teams against Zimbabwe.

The selectors also picked three uncapped players – middle-order batsman Ramiz Raja, legspinner Yasir Shah and fast bowler Aizaz Cheema – in a 16-member squad.

Chief selector Mohsin Khan said senior players Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Abdur Rehman have been rested for the tour of Zimbabwe in September during which Pakistan plays one test match, three ODIs and two Twenty20 games.

“We have to bring in young players along with seniors so that they could be groomed,” Khan said.

Left-arm fast bowler Sohail Tanvir, wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal and opening batsman Imran Farhat, who all missed the series against West Indies, have been recalled.

Shoaib Malik was named among six standby players, but Khan said the former captain has to get clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board’s integrity committee.

Malik had been sidelined since playing his last test against England in August 2010 and was reportedly asked to submit details of bank accounts and assets from the last three years to the integrity committee.

“We will welcome any player if he gets clearance from the PCB and performs well in the domestic first class competitions,” Khan said.

“If Malik gets clearance we will welcome him.”

Left-arm fast bowler Tanvir impressed with his fitness and form during Pakistan’s Twenty20 event last month and led Rawalpindi to victory in the final against much experienced Karachi.

Tanvir has not played a test match in four years and had been struggling to regain fitness from his knee surgery which also ruled him out of the World Cup.

Khan said all 16 players had gone through a fitness test before being named for the Zimbabwe tour.

Squad:

Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Rameez Raja Junior, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Sohail Tanveer, Sohail Khan, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema

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India opt to field in second England test

India won the toss and elected to bowl on the first day of the second test against England at Trent Bridge on Friday, as the hosts recalled paceman Tim Bresnan for the injured Chris Tremlett.

India were forced into making two changes to their side as fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth replaced hamstring injury victim Zaheer Khan, while batsman Yuvraj Singh came in for Gautam Gambhir, who was still feeling the effects of a bruised arm from the first test on Monday.

Tremlett was also ruled out because of a hamstring injury added to a back spasm sustained on Thursday. It handed Yorkshire fast bowler Bresnan his first test start since January.

Bresnan claimed 11 wickets in his last two tests, when England twice won by an innings against Australia.

“We would probably have had a bowl as well but I don’t think it is a bad pitch to bat on,” England captain Andrew Strauss said in a television interview at the toss. “I don’t think there are any demons in it.”

England lead the four-match series 1-0 after winning by 196 runs at Lord’s on Monday.
India fared well in Nottingham four years ago when they won by seven wickets, a result which eventually won them the series.

England: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Graham Swann, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.

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Zaheer khan out of second Test

India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the second Test against England at Trent Bridge with a hamstring injury, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Thursday.

Left-arm quick Zaheer broke down in the first Test at Lord’s, which India lost by 196 runs, after taking two wickets for 18 runs in 13.3 first innings overs and didn’t bowl again in the match.

The 32-year-old was instrumental in India’s seven-wicket win in the corresponding Trent Bridge Test against England four years ago, taking nine wickets for 134 runs in the match.

Now his place is set to go to either fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth or seamer Munaf Patel.

“I think he is ruled out of this game,” Dhoni speaking to reporters at Trent Bridge on Thursday, the day before the second Test starts, said of Zaheer.

“It’s always good to have him in the side because he is our most experienced bowler, especially when it comes to England, he has played a lot of cricket over here for counties and the last time India were here (in 2007) he bowled really well.

“It’s a bit disappointing not to have him for selection in the first XI but it is something that is beyond our control and it gives a chance to the other bowlers to prove their mettle when it comes to international cricket.”Dhoni added: “Overall it’s a win-win situation for the Indian team because we can’t really sit and say Zaheer is not there. We have to look at the positive, which is some of the other bowlers will get to have a look at international cricket.”

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhoni, who refused to divulge the identity of Zaheer’s replacement at Trent Bridge, said he hoped India’s spearhead would be fit in time for the third Test of this four-match series, starting at Edgbaston on August 10.

“We are expecting that. He started light training yesterday (Wednesday) but again it is something we can’t 100 percent be sure about but most likely it seems he will.”

India also have a doubt over opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, who suffered an elbow injury when hit fielding at short leg at Lord’s.

“We’ll give him some time, and see how he goes through the net sessions today (Thursday),” Dhoni said of Gambhir.

“He’s the only person who can judge the right amount of pain he can go through and still be able to perform.”

If Gambhir were ruled out Rahul Dravid, as happened in the second innings at Lord’s, would be promoted to open the innings with Yuvraj Singh in line to fill the vacancy in an XI where opener Virender Sehwag is still missing as he recovers from a shoulder injury

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Maracana set to host 2014 world cup final--FIFA

RIO DE JANEIRO: Rio de Janeiro’s famous Maracana stadium will host the final of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke indicated on Thursday, pending formal ratification of the decision at a FIFA executive committee meeting in October.

The giant arena previously hosted the deciding match of the World Cup in 1950, when hosts Brazil were stunned 2-1 by Uruguay.

“The final is already certain, even though we think that lots of other cities could have hosted this match,” said Valcke.

“This stadium already hosted the final 61 years ago. What we have to decide now is where the semi-finals and the opening match will take place.”

Following Valcke’s comments, FIFA stressed the decision was not yet official.

“No official decision has been taken,” FIFA communications director Nicolas Maingot told reporters.

The stadium was built as the centrepiece of the 1950 tournament, which saw some 200,000 people cram in to see Brazil suffer a shock final loss to Uruguay.

Since then, Brazilians refer to such shock defeats as a ‘Maracanazo’.

It was only in 1958, inspired by a teenage Pele in Sweden, that Brazil lifted the first of their record five World Cup crowns.

The Maracana was the scene for Pele’s 1000th career goal, a penalty, for Brazilian outfit Santos against Vasco de Gama on 19 November 1969.

He also netted his first goal for the national side at the venue, in a 2-1 loss to Argentina in July, 1957.

The race to get 12 venues ready for three years time is posing a monumental logistical challenge for Brazil.

In particular, the process of giving the Maracana in downtown Rio a massive facelift has been a daily topic of conversation among fans as the bill has risen inexorably, though the official estimate is some 700 million dollars.

Vying with Rio for the honour of hosting the trophy match were Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Salvador.

The World Cup will open on June 12, 2014 and end on July 13

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India not good enough to worry England: Boycott

Geoffrey Boycott has said India’s defeat by England in the first Test at Lord’s marked the ‘beginning of the end’ of their time as the world’s No 1 Test team.

England, who won the first Test by 196 runs, will replace India at the top of the ICC’s Test Championship table if they win the ongoing four-match
series by a margin of at least two Tests.

Former South Africa fast bowler Allan Donald believes Andrew Strauss’s side ‘deserve’ to be at the summit of Test cricket.

Boycott, writing in The Daily Telegraph, said the tourists’ bowling was “not good enough to worry England”.

Zaheer Khan, India’s strike bowler, broke down early on at Lord’s with a hamstring strain and is struggling to be fit for the second Test.

Former England opener Boycott was not surprised, saying: “Zaheer Khan is a quality bowler but even before the series started I never expected him to survive bowling in four Test matches in five weeks.

“His ability has never been in doubt but his fitness has always been a worry,” he added.

“The great thing for England is they have two good back up seamers queuing up to take places.

“Tim Bresnan has done wonders when he has played. He has surprised me and probably deserved to play at Lord’s. And then there is Graham Onions who is back bowling for Durham and was a raving success against Australia in England.

“India do not have back up seamers like that and that is where England’s advantage lies.

“Now they all have self-belief as well. They have confidence in each other and they also know if they don’t perform somebody else will get their place.”

Donald told BBC Radio: “England deserve to be the number one, there’s no question about it.”—

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