Buy tickets for Cricket World Cup 2011 online

The tickets for ICC Cricket World cup 2011 are available online. The first phase of tickets for the 2011 World Cup in, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is on and are available on Kyazoonga ICC's online ticket partner for the world cup.

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The price of tickets for World cup 2011 has been lowered after many stadiums remained empty in 2007 world cup at West Indies. The response seems to be brilliant. Almost all of the tickets in Phase I for India's matches has been sold out.

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SA set for Pakistan sweep?

Cape Town - Urgently needed, but seemingly still a few weeks away … some “super-league” opposition for the Proteas. Thank goodness for India’s full tour of South Africa, in December and January, for an overdue, accurate barometer of where the team are really at in both Test and limited-overs international cricket.

The past few months have seen the Proteas play various forms of the game against, respectively, West Indies, Zimbabwe and now Pakistan, with victories tending to come dime-a-dozen for them.

It is not as if they have flattered to deceive: South Africa’s “intensities”, as they like to say these days, have mostly been commendable against these cowed foes, one of them historically a minnow and the other two lamentably fallen giants of the game.

But it was hoped that the visit to neutral United Arab Emirates to tackle the Pakistanis would at least present them with a sterner examination, even given the array of crises that have engulfed these particular opponents.

Instead the portents from the two-day, two-match Twenty20 international phase of the tour programme in Abu Dhabi are not too good for the remaining few weeks of combat.

Once again South Africa brushed aside Shahid Afridi and company with relative ease on Wednesday, in an affair that seemed uncannily a carbon copy of the previous night.

Of course tides can turn with unexpected rapidity when you criss-cross formats, but early signs are that the Proteas may go on to claim both the five-match ODI series and the pair of Tests to follow without being seriously extended in the UAE.

One thing was rather too clear on Wednesday: Pakistani cricket in general remains at sixes and sevens after its catalogue of scandal, bickering and the country’s political and natural disaster tumult.

There was some very audible jeering and booing from sections of the remaining crowd, too, as Afridi tried unconvincingly and almost flippantly to explain a second shambolic showing on the trot at the ridiculously bloated presentation ceremony.

Clearly all is not well in the camp and among long-suffering supporters, and not even the anticipated return of Younis Khan, a veteran of 202 ODIs and 63 Tests, is any guarantee of a sharp turn in fortune.

He ought to restore some measure of sanity, nevertheless, to a batting line-up which was the main Achilles heel in the T20 games – there was some unseemly slogging anew on Wednesday, and little hint of structure or formula at the crease.

But if Pakistan are set to unleash a seasoned musket in the hope of revival, don’t forget that the Proteas plan to roll out a double-barrelled shotgun imminently themselves, in the form of Messrs Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn.

That should only tilt the scales more strongly South Africa’s way, while commentator and former national captain Kepler Wessels made the point that the better team from the more lotto-like T20 fixtures really ought to prevail more convincingly as the demands stretch to 50 overs a side from Friday.

Still, the competence of Pakistan’s trio of spinners on Wednesday – Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal – did afford that embattled outfit a few shafts of light for the assignments ahead, and simultaneously serve a reminder to the Proteas not to stumble into a complacency trap.

That ought to be avoided, especially in the ODIs as the scramble mounts for squad places to the 2011 World Cup and some pleasant problems increasingly face the selectors.

For a second night in succession, for instance, the ambitious Warriors trio of Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Rusty Theron and Colin Ingram did their budding CVs much more good than harm.

Theron, especially, is making shelf-life a little precarious for someone like Charl Langeveldt, who once boasted near-undisputed best credentials in the country for death bowling but is being rather rapidly marginalised.

The younger man deservedly won man-of-the-match for the second T20 international, whereafter the pretty chilled, appealing character gave prize-giving MC Ramiz Raja a pearl of bowling wisdom: “Once you release the ball it’s out of your hands.

Pakistan crumble to Proteas

Left-hander Ingram shared a third-wicket stand of 66 with JP Duminy (41) that helped the Proteas reach their target of 120 with ease. The duo had come together with their side in a spot of bother at 26-3 in their reply.

Loots Bosman and AB de Villiers had already fallen to Shoaib Akthar with the score on 16 when having hit three fours to reach 13, Graeme Smith was bowled by Mohammad Hafeez at the start of the fifth over. However Duminy and Ingram, who hit a century on his ODI debut in the recent series against Zimbabwe on home soil, rebuilt the innings.

The pair moved their partnership through to 50 in 7.3 overs before Duminy departed to a diving catch by Umar Akmal off Saeed Ajmal's bowling.

Impressive
David Miller (13 not out) came out at the fall of the fourth wicket and quickly helped Ingram, whose impressive 38-ball knock included two sixes and four fours, take South Africa over the finishing line with 10 balls to spare.

Earlier, Lonwabo Tsotsobe claimed 3-16, while Twenty20 skipper Johan Botha picked up 3-31, as Pakistan crumbled to 119 all out in 18 overs.

They had, however, got off to a decent start; Albie Morkel's first over seeing them pick up 14 runs including four separate wides from the all-rounder.

Tsotsobe, though, was not so easy to get away. The seamer dismissed opening duo Shahzaib Hasan and Imran Farhat in his first spell before returning in the closing stages to send Umar Gul packing for a duck.

Captain Shahid Afridi provided a lively seven-ball cameo worth 25 that included him depositing the first ball he faced over long-on for six.

The only other contribution of note came from Misbah-ul-Haq, who top-scored with 26 not out. He smashed three full tosses to the ropes in the last two overs but was given little support by the tail - the final five wickets fell for 29 runs.

Heat on Proteas in desert

The temperatures all week are expected to be over 35C, with high humidity. The first two tour matches are Twenty20 games, with the second on Wednesday. These are followed by two one-day internationals before the tour moves to Dubai.

The United Arab Emirates is a home venue for Pakistan after tours to that country were stopped because of the poor security situation.

The pitches are expected to be low and slow, very different from the hard, high-scoring wickets on which the Proteas thrashed Zimbabwe 5-0 in the past fortnight. Pakistan have included three spinners, who could prove key on such surfaces.

But South Africa will be confident after their batting, bowling and fielding improved with each game against Zimbabwe, and, despite missing some experienced players through injury, they had little trouble in easily beating an improved opponent.

The absence of Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel resulted in opportunities for the Warriors' Colin Ingram and Rusty Theron to be blooded.

Ingram made a hundred on ODI debut, and Theron took a five-wicket haul the first time he was tossed a ball by Graeme Smith.

Dave Miller has now played seven ODIs since his debut in the West Indies five months ago and has a batting average of 69.

Most pleasing for the Proteas, however, was the return to form of JP Duminy, who scored 96 not out in the T20 in Kimberley and then smashed 129 in the final ODI in Benoni on Friday. Before the Zimbabwe series, Duminy had scored only one half-century in international cricket this year.

Convener of selectors Andrew Hudson and coach Corrie van Zyl could not be more pleased.

Pakistan are mired in controversy. This will be their first series since a long and ill-fated summer in England that was marred by match-fixing allegations.

Their team is without captain Salman Butt and their two best strike bowlers, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif. All have been suspended for alleged spot-fixing.

Now they are also without their best batsman, Mohammad Yousuf, who has a hamstring strain, and will miss at least the limited-overs part of the tour. Shahid Afridi will lead the T20 and ODI side before Misbah-ul-Haq takes over the Test side.

Former captain Younis Khan has made up with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt and has had his ban lifted.

It was imposed in March for "disciplinary reasons" after he played under Yousuf in a disastrous tour of Australia. Younis retired from T20 cricket after leading his side to victory at the World T20 championships at Lord's last year but word is that he is likely to play tomorrow.

South Africa have only two ODI series to prepare for the World Cup in February - Pakistan now and India at home in January.

Pakistan 'SPOT-FIXING' Timeline

News breaks of a cricket corruption story in the following day's News of the World. The newspaper allegations centre on the timing of no-balls delivered during the fourth Test between England and Pakistan, which at this stage is still ongoing.

August 29: A 35-year-old man is arrested in connection with police inquiries into allegations of 'spot-fixing' to defraud illegal bookmakers, as reported by the News of the World. Police later confirm that cricket agent Mazhar Majeed has been bailed without charge over the allegations. Pakistan team management confirm that captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer have had their mobile phones confiscated by police.

August 30: A three-man delegation from Pakistan's Federal Investigations Agency is sent to London to probe the claims of spot-fixing.

The International Cricket Council promise to take "swift and decisive action"

if the allegations made against the Pakistan trio are proved.

September 1: Butt, Asif and Aamer travel to London from the team hotel in Taunton for a meeting with the Pakistan High Commission the next day, also attended by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt.

September 2: Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed confirms the trio will miss the Twenty20 and one-day international sections of their ongoing series against England. Pakistan High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan announces that the players all insist they are innocent of any wrongdoing.

The ICC charge the trio under their anti-corruption code and suspend them until the case is concluded.

September 3: ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat confirms that Butt, Asif and Aamer were being questioned by police in London. They are later released without charge.

September 4: The News of the World issues news of follow-up allegations to appear in the following day's paper, with Test opener Yasir Hameed reportedly admitting some of his team-mates were involved in fixing "in almost every match". Hameed later claimed he was only repeating allegations he had read in the newspapers.

September 6: Pakistan's limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi welcomes the decision of the Pakistani government to sanction the assistance of the Federal Board of Revenue to scrutinise the financial assets of the country's professional cricketers.

September 9: PCB chairman Ijaz Butt confirms paceman Wahab Riaz will be questioned by police on September 14 as part of the 'spot-fixing' probe.

September 10: Lawyers acting for Salman Butt, Asif and Aamer confirm the trio will leave England for Pakistan immediately.

September 14: Butt, Asif and Aamer write to the ICC indicating their intention to defend themselves in respect of the charges brought against them by the sport's world governing body.

Wahab Riaz interviewed under caution by the police.

September 17: Scotland Yard confirmed a file of evidence on claims that Pakistan cricketers accepted cash bribes to fix matches had been passed to prosecutors.

September 18: The ICC confirm they are investigating a "certain scoring pattern" which occurred during the third one-day international between England and Pakistan at the Oval.

September 19: PCB chairman Butt alleges that some England players claimed "enormous amounts of money" to fix the result of the match at the Oval on September 17.

September 20: England captain Andrew Strauss expresses his "surprise, dismay and outrage" at Butt's remarks and admits he and his team-mates had "strong misgivings" about finishing off the one-day series. The ECB said in a statement that Butt should relay any information he has to the ICC's anti-corruption unit and described his comments as "wholly irresponsible and without foundation".

September 29: Butt apologises for his remarks regarding the England team after the threat of legal action by the ECB.October 6: ICC confirm the appeals of Salman Butt, Aamer and Asif against their provisional suspensions will be heard in Doha on October 30 and 31.

October 22: Asif withdraws appeal against his provisional suspension.

Waqar welcomes Younus Khan's return to Pak team

Pakistan team coach Waqar Younis welcomed the return of senior batsman Younus Khan to the national side but hoped injured Mohammad Yousuf would also be fit before the Test series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

"It is a great sign for Pakistan cricket that he (Younus Khan) is back. It will do good for the team. Because in the past he has performed a lot for Pakistan and proven his worth," Waqar said.

Talking to the media at the conclusion of a short conditioning camp for the South Africa series, Waqar also made it clear that he was hoping senior batsman Yousuf would be fit in time for the Tests.

"Yousuf and Younus are proven performers and their presence in the middle order will give us a lot of stability. We need them against a top side like South Africa. I am hoping Yousuf will also be available for the Tests," he said.

The national selectors included Younus in place of unfit Yousuf in national squad after the latter pulled a hamstring during training and has been advised two-three weeks rest.

Manager Intikhab Alam said although Yousuf was out of the Twenty20 and ODI series against South Africa he could be back in time for the Tests.

"It all depends on the selectors if they feel and are satisfied with his fitness. Yousuf will start training again in 10 days time," he said.

Waqar also made it clear that he believed coach needed to be consulted by the national selectors when they pick any team.

His comments came in response to the press conference of chief selector Mohsin Khan, who said earlier that it was not binding upon him to consult the captain or coach.

Waqar said he was looking forward to a evenly competed series against the Proteas.

"We have a very balanced side for all forms of the sport and I think, we are in a position to beat South Africa," he added.

The former fast bowler also made it clear fielding had always remained Pakistan's weakest section and this can only be improved by working at the grass-root level.

Waqar said in the short conditioning camp there had been lot of stress laid on fielding drills and sessions.

The national coach said he would have no problems if the Board decides to appoint a specialist coach with the national team on permanent basis. "Anything that can help the team improve and do well I will always support it," he said.

Younus ready for Proteas challenge

Pakistan's former captain Younus Khan said Thursday he wanted to move on from bitter troubles this year and rebuild his career, after winning back a place in the national team.

The 32-year-old resolved a long-running battle with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday and was immediately picked to play for Pakistan's limited over series against South Africa starting next week.

“I am happy to be back and eager to play for my country,” Younus told reporters. “I am available to play in all three forms of the game and it's up to the management to play me whenever they want.

Younus announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket after leading Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title in England last year and since then, his career has suffered badly.

He was one of seven players banned or fined over disciplinary charges following the team's disastrous tour of Australia, which ended in February.

Except for Mohammad Yousuf, who retired in protest, they all appealed against the bans and fines. A one-man tribunal run by retired judge Irfan Qadir overturned the bans and halved the fines.

Younus's case remained unresolved, however, after the PCB wanted an undertaking from Younus not to repeat the offence in future.

Younus and his lawyer, Ahmed Qayyum, initially refused to comply.

“There was some misunderstanding and I am happy that it is over now, which has helped me focus on my cricket,” said Younus.

“I have joined the training camp and am fit to play as soon as I am given the chance. I am eager to do my best for the team.”

Younus said he was not in the race for the captaincy any more.

“To play for my country is my only desire,” said Younus who stepped down as captain after developing differences with teammates in November.

“I am not in the race for captaincy.”

He pulled out of a tour of New Zealand in December and was not selected for Tests against Australia but returned for the five one-days Down Under.

He has not played international cricket since January, but hopes one good innings can put him back in the groove.

“I have not played cricket for nine or 10 months, but it's just a matter of one good innings and then I will be back in the rhythm,” said Younus, who last played for Pakistan in a one-day at Perth in January.

Younus has so far played 63 Tests, scoring 5260 runs. He has also played 202 one-day and 22 Twenty20 internationals for Pakistan.

Pakistan plays two Twenty20, five one-day and two Tests against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.

Malik to lead Pakistan squad in HK Sixes

Test discard cricketer Shoaib Malik has been named captain of the Pakistan team for the Super Sixes event organised by the Hong Kong cricket board every year.

The PCB has also named Imran Nazir in the squad. The PCB Monday announced a seven-member squad for Hong Kong Sixes Tournament that will start November 6 at Kowloon Cricket Club, Hong Kong. The team : Ahmed Shahzad, Imran Nazir, Shoaib Malik (Captain), Shabbir Ahmad, Shoaib Khan, Sohail Khan, Asad Ali.

Ponting's men hesitate and lose: Nielsen

Australia's Test players are too slow to identify and take command of the crucial moments in matches, their coach Tim Nielsen admits. As he mounted a staunch defence of Ricky Ponting's captaincy tenure, Nielsen said a major reason for the team's slide from cricket supremacy to mediocrity was quite simply an inability to recognise or grasp opportunities when they presented themselves.

"We talk about it all the time and we try to do it as a batting group and a bowling group, identify the critical periods and then do our best to win them," said Nielsen. "You can talk about these things as much as you like, people can come in and help, people can make comment and do what they want to do, but in the end it's up to us.

"They have to learn from their experiences, they have to be better at taking the things they've seen and learned and put them into their game so they are better for it, and we have to make sure we're doing those things as fast as we can.

"That's where the pressure is at the moment, because the scoreboard's saying we're not doing it fast enough, the public perception is we're not doing it fast enough, and we need to make sure we've got faith in the way we're going about things."

Nielsen said players both senior and junior had to take responsibility for not standing up when it mattered.

"We keep staying in the contest for as long as we possibly can, and I reckon we're probably an hour away in all those losses from being on the other side of it," he said.

"That's maybe where we need senior players either to stand up for a bit longer, or the young developing players to have a bit more of an impact for longer, to try to keep us in the game for an extra hour, or try to ram home our advantage for an extra hour.

"We talked about in Mohali for example, maybe when Sharma was hurt on day one that might've been the day for us to really ram home the advantage we had, but in saying that, the spinners bowled really well and we found them hard to get away, and the wicket was probably going to deteriorate, so the players were weighing up the risk (against the) reward.

"Sometimes you can't do exactly as you'd like to do, which has an impact later in the game. You see a close result and people say 'oh you couldn't get that last wicket', well it wasn't that, it was four and three quarter days before that leading to it."

Ponting's leadership has faced harsh critiques from the likes of Geoff Lawson and Shane Warne in the wake of the 2-0 series loss to India, but Nielsen was adamant about his qualities.

"We were probably one ball away from a Test match result in Mohali, and I wonder whether all of these things would've been talked about if that had been the case," he said.

"Internally there is in no way shape or form any sort of panic.

"We understand we didn't get the results we'd have liked, but from my and the team's point of view Ricky's got 1000 per cent support and there is nobody better in Australian cricket or anywhere else in the world for the job."

PAKISTAN WARNED BY ICC

An International Cricket Council investigation may have cleared Pakistan of any wrongdoing in the third one-day international against England last month, but the country's board have been issued with a stern warning over their future handling of the game. The ICC board met this week for the first time since damaging spot-fixing allegations against Pakistan surfaced.

And while an investigation continues into suspended trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, additional claims relating to the match at The Brit Oval on September 17 were rejected as having "no compelling evidence to suspect individual players or support staff". Despite that, the overriding tone of the ICC's message to administrators in Pakistan was clear - address your problems quickly or face the consequences.

The ICC Board agreed on eight new measures designed to "protect the integrity of the game and restore confidence" - each of which were approved by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Included in these measures were resolutions that the PCB "act and be seen to be acting to uphold the zero tolerance attitude to corruption in sport", encourage their players to work thoroughly with the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit and implement robust education and disciplinary models in line with the ICC's own code.

In addition there is a strongly-worded reminder, which may be taken as a response to PCB chairman Ijaz Butt's seemingly groundless allegations of corruption in the England team, not to "undermine the integrity, reputation and image of the game and/or any ongoing disciplinary or criminal proceedings".

Finally, the ICC have warned in ominous terms about the consequences of failing to adhere to the new guidelines.

The statement concluded: "If the PCB fails to carry out the above to the satisfaction of the board within the next 30 days, the board will consider what further action (including, if appropriate, sanctions) is required in the circumstances."

Key to the overseeing of the PCB's efforts towards compliance will be the ICC's Pakistan Task Team, a body initially conceived to help the national side deal with its current inability to host home series due to terror threats, but now given an expanded brief.

In a busy day in Dubai, the ICC also confirmed proposals for Test and one-day league structures had been given the green light.

"I'm quite excited by the proposals," chief executive Haroon Lorgat said. "I believe quite firmly that we've responded well to a very important strategic area for international cricket.

"We're now very, very clear in terms of having a Test league, so there will be a type of championship model which will result in the top four teams qualifying to play in semi-finals and then a final.

"I think that's a substantial improvement in terms of introducing context to Test cricket.

"Similarly for ODI cricket we will have a league structure."

Under the proposals, there would also be an enhanced World Twenty20 event comprising 16 teams, while the World Cup would be reduced to 10.

The slimming down of the World Cup will not please associate members, who have long argued for their inclusion at the event, though the greater number of sides involved in the World Twenty20 is designed to soften that blow.

Misbah brushes aside ex-players’ criticism

“I do not agree to what they [some former Test cricketers] are saying doubting my abilities as a captain, and saying that I am not capable of delivering,” Misbah said at the Gaddafi stadium here on Monday.

Misbah, 36, stressed his aim was to inspire the team to put up good performance for attaining good results without considering the might of their opponents.

“I know the task assigned to me is not easy. However, underestimating me as a captain and batsman is not fair as one always learns with time and improves,” the middle-order batsman added.

Misbah said time would tell how he justified himself in the role of captain, adding it was premature to make claims on this issue presently.

Misbah, who has played 19 Tests for Pakistan, said he would endeavour to reduce the gap of his months-long absence from the team by giving good results through his batting and leadership in the two-Test rubber against South Africa to be held in the UAE.

“Even when I was not part of the team I did not give up. I used to train to keep myself in prime form. And I was engaged in cricket because I was confident that I can make a comeback which eventually happened,” said Misbah who was omitted after Pakistan’s disastrous tour to Australia earlier this year.

The Test captain skipped a volley of questions about the possible return of veteran batsman Younis Khan and his (Misbah’s) role in the team selection.

“These are domains of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). As a captain my job is to remain focused and to be a good leader,” Misbah, who has played 56 One-day Internationals so far, said. “I am not afraid of criticism as positive criticism always helps in improving things,” he observed.

Answering a question, he said the ongoing National Twenty20 Championship would help the team prepare to play against South Africa.

“Playing conditions at the off shore venue [UAE] will be conducive and similar to those in Pakistan. And therefore, we stand a good chance to score runs and if we manage to post decent totals we can achieve a favourable result,” he noted.

Misbah reckoned slow bowlers would have a supporting role on the UAE tracks.

“Obviously, spinners can be in a supporting role for the team on such wickets and we have a good variety of all types of bowlers; it all depends on how they perform on a particular day,” he said.

Misbah admitted that his team’s below-par fielding was a long standing problem which needed time for solution.

“We cannot overcome it [poor fielding] in short time as we have been lacking in this department for years. Only sincere efforts and hard work by players can bring improvement in fielding,” he said adding, “With the inclusion of junior players who are relatively better in fielding gradual improvement is being noticed in this department.”

Mohsin reduced to dummy selector as Butt defies all norms

At the time, those words were like sweet music to the ears, specially in the backdrop of what had transpired during the preceding months with Pakistan cricket facing one humiliation after another. In those early days in his job as chief selector, Mohsin was often heard and read in the media that he would ensure that the team was picked on merit and merit alone.

However, it now appears that those words of wisdom were only to create a sense of illusion amongst the innocent souls that all is well as far selection of Pakistan team is concerned. The word ‘merit’ has been thrown out of the window because Mohsin, by his attitude of late, has changed his stance dramatically. By bringing back a 36-year-old Misbah-ul-Haq from nowhere as Pakistan’s fourth Test captain this year has, in truth, put an end to all talks of rebuilding the Pakistan cricket team with an eye on the future.

Mohsin, of course, cannot be entirely blamed for the shock induction of Misbah in the UAE-bound Pakistan squad since the appointment of captain is PCB chairman’s prerogative.

But the chief selector’s claims that Misbah has been picked because of his performance in domestic competitions and his ‘neat and clean background’ are questionable.

If that is the reason then the selectors must be asked to explain why Misbah wasn’t selected for the England tour despite a good run in the Pentangular Cup and the national one-day tournament. Surely his experience would have been handy in England then.

Misbah, if one’s memory serves right, was also part of the group that rebelled against Younis Khan’s captaincy last year.

The timing of the announcement of limited-overs squad is somewhat puzzling because the National Twenty20 competition begins from Sunday in Lahore and the selectors could have waited a few more days before giving a final shape to the side. But it seems they were in some sort of hurry and were forced to follow instructions from the top brass of the cricket board.

It is a clear indication that selections were done in a bid to make up for the blunders committed in the past. According to Mohsin, Younis was the first-choice on the selectors’ list to bolster the middle-order batting but that choice, given the rotten state of PCB chairman Ijaz Butt’s mind, was vetoed.

If Pakistan senior teams in Mohsin’s tenure were picked purely on merit, then the likes of Faisal Iqbal, Khurram Manzoor, Aamir Sajjad, Sarfraz Ahmed, Asim Kamal and Naved Yasin would have surely got slotted in somewhere.

The treatment meted out to leg-spinner Danish Kaneria after the first Test against England is another blunt example of how the PCB is run by a visionless Mr Butt.

Kaneria’s replacement on England tour Raza Hasan, the slow left-armer who now doesn’t figure in any of the three squads announced by the selectors, at least had the chance to visit a country he would only dream of going so early in his career!

Mohsin, meanwhile, has allowed himself to be reduced as the chief of a rubberstamp selection committee because no one in this body has the courage to stand up to Mr Butt who has a regular habit of poking his nose in all selection matters which, indeed, is foul practice.

In the current scenario Mohsin should emulate his predecessor Iqbal Qasim who owned full responsibility of national team’s shambolic display in Australia last season and decided to quit in a dignified manner. But the former opener is unlikely come up with such an elegant gesture.

What transpired on the ill-fated England tour is now history but the colossal damage done to Pakistan cricket in the past few months is beyond repair and the loud and clear calls for a major surgery to save cricket from total degeneration is, apparently, falling on deaf ears.

Pakistan’s inconsistency on the playing fields is nothing new as there is seldom a vision in place to put the house in order.

The main cause of all the ills is that the people at the helm of PCB affairs are shamelessly enjoying their perks and their globetrotting chairman moving merrily from destination to destination on one pretext or another while filling his bulging pockets with more TA/DA.

According to rough estimations, Mr Butt’s trips across the globe have cost a whopping 11.9 million rupees in the first nine months this year. Who says Pakistan cricket is not flourishing and heading in the right direction!

Misbah named Test captain, Shahid remains ODI, T20 skipper

Test cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq has been named the new Test Captain of Pakistan, while Shahid Afridi would lead One-day and T20 teams, Geo News reported Friday.

Earlier on Thursday PCB in a surprise move had announced the captain-less squad against South Africa, which had given rise to the suspicion that Afridi being replaced by Misbah.

National selectors came out with quite a few surprises on Thursday, recalling senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq and once again overlooking former captain Shoaib Malik for the limited-overs series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.

Kamran Akmal was replaced with Zulqarnain Haider, while former captain Younis Khan was ignored once again.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) added another twist to the story when it decided against naming the captain even though it had earlier earmarked experienced all-rounder Shahid Afridi to continue as skipper till World Cup 2011.

Afidi, who has been leading Pakistan in ODIs and Twenty20s since this year’s ICC World Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean, has been included in the 15-man touring party.

Misbah’s stunning return and a delay in naming the captain has raised quite a few eyebrows. According to media report, during a marathon meeting with national selectors in Lahore on Thursday, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt declared that the team’s captain will be named later.

It is reported that one of the prime reasons why Misbah has been recalled is because he could lead Pakistan if Butt agrees to sack Afridi as captain. However, a top official has insisted that Misbah’s recall is based purely on cricketing merit. Mohsin Hasan Khan, Pakistan’s chief selector, defended the decision to recall Misbah, who last played a One-day International in September 2009.

“We needed a senior batsman in the team,” Mohsin told. “Due to the unavailability of Salman Butt, there weren’t many experienced batters in the side,” he added. Salman Butt together with fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last month after being accused of accepting bribes from match-fixers during the Lord’s Test against England.

But why was Misbah, who is already 36 and was discarded as a spent force almost a year ago, preferred over younger and fitter batters like Faisal Iqbal, Aamer Sajjad, Khurram Manzoor and Taufeeq Umar — all prolific run-getters on the domestic circuit last season.”

“Misbah was really successful in the Pentangular Cup,” said Mohsin. But Misbah played just two matches in the Pentangular Cup, scoring 176 runs. The Mianwali-based batsman, however, top scored in the National One-day Cup with 490 runs at 163.33.

There was no room for the experienced Younis Khan in the team. Mohsin said that the PCB is yet to clear Younis for national duty. “We didn’t get any clearance as far as Younis is concerned.” Mohsin, a former Pakistan Test opener, said that Shoaib Malik will have to prove his form before earning a recall.

“He needs to come back in form. There was a lot of discussion about him but in the end we decided to give him more time to win back a place in the team.”

Mohsin said that Kamran Akmal, who recently underwent an appendicitis operation in Lahore, can regain his place in the team once he attains full fitness. “We have dropped him because of health reasons,” he said adding that the selectors want to groom wicketkeepers like Zulqarnain Haider and Sarfraz Ahmed.

“We are trying to make an all-round combination of youth and experience which is why Zulqarnain and Sarfraz will be given ample chances.” Zulqarnain has replaced Akmal as the team’s stumper for the limited-overs series against South Africa, while Sarfraz has been included in the Pakistan ‘A’ squad for the tour of West Indies getting underway from November 3.

Meanwhile, Imran Farhat has been recalled to the ODI squad at the expense of big-hitting opener Shahzaib Hasan. Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul will lead the pace attack in the absence of Asif and Amir. Veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and rookie fast bowler Tanveer Ahmed complete the pace quartet.

But it will be there spin quartet that is likely to trouble South Africa on pitches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which are expected to assist spinners. Pakistan have included two specialist spinner — Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman — in the squad. With Afridi and Muhammad Hafeez, also in the squad, they will have ample spin options during the series, which will kick off with a Twenty20 International in Abu Dhabi on October 26. “We have some really good spinners and I’m sure they will do well in UAE,” said Mohsin.

Pakistan squad: Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Tanveer Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider

Sunshine days for Indian Cricket

The Indian Cricket is perhaps going through one of its best periods and this week has been especially special for the entire team as well as the choicest few, the real stalwarts of the Indian cricket team. The celebrations went underway on October 5, 2010 after team India lodged a historic win against the Australians in the first match of Border-Gavasakar test series. The one wicket win did not come easy and all kudos to VVS Laxman for inspiring the team to such a historic win.

By the fourth day of the match, India had to chase a score of 216 in order to win and before noon, it had already lost 8 wickets for a meager total of 128. Laxman and Ishant Sharma shared a partnership of 81 runs and literally all hopes were doomed when Ishant was given LBW out by the umpire. And the rest they say is history as following nail biting moments, VVS Laxman and Pragyan Ojha saw India to a glorious finish. With this win, Indian managed to maintain its number one ranking in international test cricket. The moment of great gloom was when master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was given out by the umpire when he was only two runs away from scoring another test century.

But the following day more than made up for the best cricketer in the Indian cricket history. At a glittering ceremony in Bangalore on October 6, 2010 Sachin Tendulkar was presented with his first ever International Cricket Council award, the ICC Cricketer of the Year. The award comes in recognition of his great performance in One Day International as well as test cricket throughout the year. earlier this year in February Sachin became the first and only cricketer in the history of one day cricket to score 200 runs in an inning. He holds the record for maximum number of one day centuries, test centuries, maximum runs in test cricket and maximum runs in one day cricket.

There is virtually no end to the number of records that are there in the name of Sachin and he was more than delighted to be presented with the first ICC trophy of his career. Other players, who were nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, as it is called, were Indian Test major Virendar Sehwag, the famous batsman from South Africa Hashim Amla and the English bowler Graeme Swann. But ultimately it was the ever talented and genius batsman from India who uplifted the trophy.

If one award was not enough, Sachin was also awarded the People’s choice which was conducted through a poll and the cricketer with highest number of votes being polled in the favor of Sachin Tendulkar. Virendar Sehwag won the test cricketer of the year award. Indian cricket has finally come of age and at this juncture, the one dream that remains unfulfilled is that of holding yet another ICC World Cup.

Cricket world reeling from storm of allegations and rumours: PCB chief

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt has promised to co-operate fully with all investigations arising from the spot-fixing scandal that tainted his country’s recent tour of England, as he arrived back here on Wednesday following a bridge-building trip to London.

During the visit, he apologised to the ECB chairman, Giles Clarke, for claiming that England’s cricketers had accepted a bribe to lose last month’s third ODI at The Oval. In a statement issued on his return to Pakistan on Wednesday, Ijaz said that the cricket world ‘is reeling from a storm of allegations and rumours’, but sought to distance himself from the allegations that he himself had perpetuated by claiming that his reference to ‘loud and clear talk in bookie circles’ regarding England’s cricketers had merely been an attempt to point out that Pakistan is not the only country under suspicion.

“Many of these recent allegations have concerned the Pakistan cricket team, and these must and will be properly investigated,” said Ijaz. “But, and this was my point, the problem, and the rumours, are not confined to any single country. Those of us who care about the state of cricket in the world today will not flinch from a thorough, uncompromising investigation of any such allegations and rumours, whether they concern Pakistan or any other cricketing nation, and we at the PCB will give any such investigation our fullest cooperation and support.”

Ijaz’s future as PCB chairman is under intense scrutiny as he approaches the second anniversary of his appointment, with several influential figures, calling for a shake-up of the PCB hierarchy. Furthermore, in casting aspersions on the integrity of England’s cricketers, Ijaz succeeded in alienating Pakistan’s most significant allies in the world game, given that Clarke is also the head of an ICC task force investigating the feasibility of the return of international cricket to the country. Ijaz, however, reiterated that he had corrected the ‘misunderstanding’ during his meetings with the ECB, and felt confident that his personal relationship with the chairman had been restored. “We are very pleased with the outcome of this recent visit to London. While I was there I had a positive and productive meeting with Mr. Giles Clarke who has consistently shown himself to be a good friend to Pakistan cricket. This allowed us to address a variety of concerns, and to correct any misunderstandings which may have arisen. In particular, I was happy to correct the misunderstanding that I, or anyone at the PCB had made any allegations about members of the England cricket team. The point which I have sought to make from the beginning was that the world of cricket is reeling from a storm of allegations and rumors, and these must be addressed. I say again, we at the PCB have no specific evidence of any wrongdoing by cricketers from England. Our priority and our responsibility must be the actions of the Pakistan team. These are quite properly subject now to an investigation by both Scotland Yard and the ICC. But we will work with our colleagues at the ICC, and with all those involved with cricket administration around the world, to ensure that this game which we all love continues to be played in a spirit of honesty, fairness and sportsmanship. I am very glad that we have been able to resolve this misunderstanding with our friends in English cricket. We have all agreed to put this behind us now, and to concentrate on working together for the good of the game.”

Cricket Australia launches Ryobi One-Day Cup

Ryobi, a major player within Bunnings, is a well-known and highly regarded manufacturer of power tools and power garden tools. Queensland Bulls host defending interstate one-day champions Tasmanian Tigers in the opening match of the Ryobi One-Day Cup at the 'Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday.

"We look forward to the beginning of our partnership and the coming interstate season with great anticipation and expectation," Cricket Australia chief executive officer James Sutherland said. "Today’s announcement is an important and exciting one for Australian cricket. "Our interstate competitions are arguably the strongest in the world, and to have the support of a well-known national brand for five years is a great result."

We sense victory: Hilfenhaus

Ben Hilfenhaus, who had the last laugh on a wicket-filled fourth day of the first Test, said Australia was sensing victory. “We have our tails up, we have plans to bowl to each of their batsman tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, and if we can bowl to those plans, we'll have a good chance,” he said. “So yeah, we definitely sense victory.”

Hilfenhaus said Australia will look to put pressure on Sachin Tendulkar by denying him runs. “It's a hard wicket to get in on, but once you're set, there doesn't seem to be much problem making runs, so you have to tie them down,” he said. “Tendulkar is the big wicket for us. If we get him early, that'll set us on our way. We'll look to put him under the pump and hopefully watch him crumble.

Ishant Sharma, who had played a major part in bowling Australia out for 192, said the mood in the Indian camp was tense after losing four wickets.

“But everyone is in a good frame of mind and we believe that whoever is at the crease can do a job for the team,” he said, adding that V.V.S. Laxman will definitely bat if needed.

If India manages the 161 runs still needed for victory, it will be only the third instance of an Indian side successfully chasing a target of over 200 against Australia. The previous two occasions were in Mumbai in 1964 and in Adelaide in 2003.

Ishant said his recent struggles with the ball and with no-balls (he bowled 15 this Test) were because he was still adjusting to a shortened run-up.

“I struggled in Sri Lanka as well because I have shortened my run-up by two steps,” he said. “It's just two steps, but it's taking time to find my old rhythm. I'm missing my steps a little bit.

“I spoke to Zak (Zaheer) about it and a few seniors in my team. The good thing is that I'm still bowling at the same pace that I was getting with my previous run-up.”

Pakistan Vs South Africa 2010 in UAE - Fixtures and Schedule

Pakistan Cricket board had announced Pakistan and South Africa series in UAE which will act as the 'home' for Pakistan. Pakistan Vs South Africa 2010 is scheduled to start from 26 Oct. The matches to be played at Dubai and Abu Dhabi which includes 2 T20s, five ODIs and 2 test matches.

There has been no international matches on the Pakistani soil after the Lahore attack. Earlier, Pakistan has hosted the Australian and New Zealand team in UAE and are planning host Australia and England again next year in UAE. The full Schedule of Pakistan Vs South Africa 2010:

Oct 26 - Tue			Pakistan v South Africa, 1st T20I	16:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi
Oct 27 - Wed			Pakistan v South Africa, 2nd T20I	16:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi
Oct 29 - Fri			Pakistan v South Africa, 1st ODI	11:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi
Oct 31 - Sun			Pakistan v South Africa, 2nd ODI	11:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi
Nov 02 - Tue			Pakistan v South Africa, 3rd ODI	11:00 GMT			Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium	Dubai
Nov 05 - Fri			Pakistan v South Africa, 4th ODI	11:00 GMT			Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium	Dubai
Nov 08 - Mon			Pakistan v South Africa, 5th ODI	11:00 GMT			Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium	Dubai
Nov 12 Fri - Nov 16 Tue			Pakistan v South Africa, 1st Test	06:00 GMT			Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium	Dubai
Nov 20 Sat - Nov 24 Wed			Pakistan v South Africa, 2nd Test	06:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi

Ponting hopes to change horror script in India

Ponting, who averages 54.66 overall, has rarely tasted success in India during his illustrious career. He has scored 438 runs in 12 Tests in India with just one century, averaging 20.85.

"It's a place that I've never mastered. I've never mastered batting in these conditions," the Australian skipper told reporters on Thursday.

"I felt that in the last series over here (in 2008), I took some really big strides in becoming a better player on the subcontinent. My first hundred in Bangalore at the start of the series was satisfying.

"I made 80-odd in Delhi. There were some positive signs for me last time and learning a bit more about the conditions and the Indian bowlers gives me a chance to hopefully have a good series."

Ponting said his team were keen to seize the early initiative as it would not be easy to bounce back into the short series.

"You don't want to be going behind in a two-Test series, that's for sure. It's hard to work your way back into it from there," he said.

"Generally, we are very good starters as well. Our record starting a Test series is very good. That's one area we can focus on a little bit more, making sure that we start the game well."

Ponting said it was always a huge challenge to play India in India, but was not sure if the rivalry was bigger than the Ashes against England.

"We'd love to come here and win. We know how big the challenge is. We also know just how competitive a series it was over here last time," he said.

"I'm not sure if it's bigger than the Ashes. If you look at international cricket at the moment, Australia has three major rivals. We have England and there's always an added edge whenever we play an Ashes series.

"Then you have South Africa and our rivalry against them has been very strong. And there's India, who we've had some amazing battles with over the past five or six years.

"I would still put the Ashes slightly above the other two."

Ponting is the world's second-highest scorer in Tests with 12,026 runs after India's Sachin Tendulkar (13,837). The Indian also holds the record of maximum centuries (48) in Tests, followed by Ponting (39).

"There's inspiration for everyone around the world to take from what he (Tendulkar) has done over the last 12 months. He's made six Test hundreds in that time and he's 37," said Ponting.

The second and final Test starts in Bangalore on October 9.