Former T20 greats slam India

Former Indian Twenty20 greats have blamed excessive importance given to Tests and ODIs for India's decline in the format, criticising veterans Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman for ignoring T20 commitments in order to prolong their Test careers.

"The loss to England in the recent T20 international is a sign of our decline from being world champions to also-rans," said Joginder Sharma, delighted to be asked his opinion on anything at all. "Veterans are concentrating on meaningless Tests and one-dayers, and are not giving due importance to T20, the format most beloved to our players. It's disgusting.

"There's simply too much Test cricket being played, and it's affecting our T20 performance. Look at the recent series - Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir all picked up injuries playing Tests, and our T20 team suffered as a result," said Sharma. "Now these players may not be fit for the upcoming Champions League.

"What's more, there are many more Test and ODI commitments coming up - which may not leave enough time for the players to recover fully to give their best in the next IPL. Clearly the BCCI is showing preference for these meaningless international fixtures over the domestic T20 calendar," he complained.

Another T20 legend, Ravindra Jadeja, agreed with Sharma. "Players like Tendulkar, Dravid, Zaheer and Laxman always ignore their T20 duties to focus on Test and ODI cricket - doesn't this lead to an erosion of T20 skills? They should follow the example of younger players and play more T20, building up basic skills such as mindlessly swiping at every ball, bowling with a defensive mindset for four overs, and ignoring the smoking hot cheerleaders [sigh] when fielding in the deep. The way things are going, such crucial skills will be lost forever, and we will never regain our past T20 glory," Jadeja said, before shouting "Inquilaab Zindaabaaaaad!" - making it the second-most inappropriate usage of the phrase in recent weeks.

"It's time these veterans learned the value of delighting sponsors and TV audiences instead of spending all their energies chasing chimeras such as enduring Test records, classical batsmanship, all-time greatness and other such old-fangled nonsense," Jadeja added, speaking from painful personal experience.

Sharma and Jadeja have suggested several remedial measures the BCCI can take to arrest this alarming trend - such as reducing the number of Tests and ODIs played, instilling the proper values in schoolboy cricketers by paying them obscene amounts of money, and making renowned T20 lover N Srinivasan the president of the BCCI.

"We are taking the suggestions seriously. We have already implemented one of them. Heh heh," said N Srinivasan, president-elect of the BCCI.

Meanwhile MS Dhoni has said India are confident of defending their hard-earned No. 3 ranking in Test cricket, and praised his team for working together to achieve the goal.

"It's not easy to be ranked No. 3 in the world at anything. Even the casual observer would have noticed the whole team contributed during the recently concluded series against England to ensure that we were ranked No. 3 - so we can be proud of what we've achieved.

"It's easier to get to the No. 3 ranking than to stay there. You need to maintain the high levels of poor preparation, dodgy fitness and general mediocrity. So the hard work begins now," he said.

When someone pointed out that his team had actually slipped to No. 3 from the top spot, Dhoni winked and said, "Well, I guess you can now refer to us as the Roger Federer of cricket teams. Now, that ain't so bad, eh?"

ICC issues please explain over Galle pitch

The International Cricket Council announced an inquiry overnight after considering the report from match referee Chris Broad of England who described the pitch as poor. ICC cricket manager David Richardson and chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle will now consider all the evidence, including video footage of the match and submissions from the hosts.

The match ended a day and rival captains Michael Clarke and Tillakaratne Dilshan slammed the dry wicket after play finished. Clarke, celebrating his first win as Australia captain, said he had never played on a tougher pitch.

“Day one felt like day five out there,” Clarke said. “I hate to see a Test match being determined by the toss. It was obviously prepared for their spin bowlers and that backfired. I guess I was just fortunate I won the toss.”Dilshan said he had not expected to play on such a dry surface.

“Usually, the wicket in Galle is good for both the seamers and the spinners, but I think it was too dry and made batting difficult,” he said. The second Test starts at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy on Thursday.

Nasser Husain's 'donkey' remark upsets Big B

Former England cricket captain Nasser Hussain's "donkey" remark about Indian fielders has upset Amitabh Bachchan.

"Did not like Nasir Hussain, ex-cricket Captain of UK (Britain), refer to Indian fielders as 'donkeys', as he commentated on tour of our team, ? Big B posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Hussain had equated some of the Indian fielders to "donkeys" during the Twenty20 match played between India and England in Manchester.

Only Miandad can streamline cricket

Pakistan cricket and controversy are the two sides of same coin. Every sports lover not only in Pakistan but internationally accepts that Pakistan cricket team is blessed with so many natural stars who can turn around the game in a short span of time.

But on the other hand it is also true that Pakistan team is known for its blunders and throwing away matches against the much weaker oppositions. At a crucial stage when Pakistan team is set to depart on Zimbabwe tour, suddenly the resignation of head coach Waqar Younis have left many questions needed to be answered both by Waqar and the Pakistan Cricket Board officials. Nobody is going to believe Waqar has resigned just because of his ill-health.

If he wanted to discontinue his coaching assignments he could have done this much earlier, so what was the reason behind Waqar's decision to quit the team soon after the Zimbabwe series? The timing and announcement of this news is not right at all as this will affect the already under pressure Pakistan team who is going on this tour with several new faces. Only captain Misbah, Younus and last-minute entrant Shoaib Malik will defiantly provide Pakistan a much-needed balance in the middle order, otherwise the rest of the squad will heavily rely on the experience of Saeed Ajmal.

Pakistan bowling was always their secret and main weapon on which team depended heavily. But this current squad lack depth in bowling while the batting is also very weak. These things in fact were enough for the selectors to focus. Now, the Waqar saga will further add to the problems of the PCB. Pakistan team needs a batting coach rather than a bowling coach, instead of hiring Waqar and Aaqib as both of them were fast bowlers and both of them can hardly bat with some exception to Waqar as he had played one or two good innings.

Pakistan is blessed with so many past batting greats such as Hanif Muhammad, Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and many more who can help the youngsters by imparting them the batting tips and told them what shot to play and which ball to leave. Now when Waqar has decided to quit after Zimbabwe tour, it is the ideal time for the Board to make amends to their past mistakes and hire either Hanif Muhammad, Miandad or Zaheer Abbas as head coach as these gentlemen have what it takes at the top level and they have proven themselves as the masters of the game during their playing days.

Ijaz Butt must set aside his personal differences with Miandad for the sake of cricket and hand over the coaching assignment to Miandad.

One thing is sure that Javed has always played for the pride of the country and he will not let down Ijaz and will accept the offer as challenge. In present circumstances nobody other than Miandad can revive the fast declining fortunes of the national team.

Pakistan is all set to embark upon Zimbabwe tour and Zimbabwe is on a high after winning both Test and One Day series against Bangladesh and they have find a lethal combination in form of Vitori and Jarvis who are bowling with exceptional pace and venom and taking lots of wickets between them. On the other hand Pakistan team is out of practice as they have not played competitive cricket for a while and the players will take some time to adapt to the conditions which will certainly favour the home side.

English cricket set to rule after India 'embarrassed': Press

England is set to dominate Test cricket after climbing to the top of the world rankings with a 4-0 whitewash of India, who face a long road back from the "embarrassing" loss, British newspapers said on Tuesday.

"India simply weren't up for the fight," Steve James wrote in The Daily Telegraph. "England have embarrassed them. There are insufficient superlatives to describe their performance in this series."

Former England bowler Derek Pringle predicted a hot reception for India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after England completed the series demolition with victory by an innings and eight runs at The Oval on Monday.

"Dhoni and India will face awkward questions back home following the scale of this defeat," he wrote in the Telegraph.

"Although they turned up in part here at the Oval, mostly through Rahul Dravid who all series has stood like the Taj Mahal amid the wreckage of their cricket, they have been beaten so comprehensively that holy cows may have to be sacrificed."

Indian hopes of escaping with a draw were dashed when Australian umpire Rod Tucker adjudged Sachin Tendulkar leg before wicket when on 91. The great batsman remains stranded on 99 international centuries.

"Tendulkar unable to save India from truth", ran The Times' headline. Simon Barnes, the paper's chief sports reporter, suggested that Tendulkar's dismissal by England bowler Tim Bresnan may have been a blessing in disguise.

"People would have forgotten, or at least treated as a matter of infinitely less significance, that India have lost four Test matches by humiliating margins," he argued.

His colleague -- and former England captain -- Michael Atherton backed Tucker's decision, but warned the umpire "would be advised to avoid Mumbai (Tendulkar's home city) for a while".

The series win cemented England's reputation in the long form of the game, and hints at an exciting future for the maturing team, Barnes added.

"This is not yet a great England team, but they are flushed with ambition to become one and have made some formidable strides towards it," he said.

"They are doing so at present without a single obviously and unquestionably great player. With this England team, greatness is a matter of spirit.""England top of the world -- but aiming higher", ran The Independent on its back page.

"Given the way England have played over the past 18 months, what could possibly go wrong?" the paper asked, before warning against a drop in the work rate which has pushed the team to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings.

"However you look at it, England's cricket team last night could claim the greatest of distinctions. They were indeed the best in the world," it added. "For a little while at least that is something that can speak -- and sing -- for itself."

Cricket: Mahendra Singh Dhoni's got to make the blazer fit again

Stand-in captain, stand-in blazer," he said with a smile when asked if he'd had one cut to fit his own shoulders yet. This was in 2008: India were still chasing Australia for the number one spot in the ICC's Test rankings and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in Anil Kumble's absence, was leading the side for only the second time in the longer format. And while he had walked out for the toss wearing a clearly oversized jacket, it was abundantly clear that captaincy fit him just right.

On the field, he was calm and composed with a brash tendency for risk-taking that mirrored the bike-freak in him. Off the field, he was charming and earthy, ready with a smile if not with a quote. He always insisted that there was more to life than cricket and, as if amused by his indifference, the cricketing gods gave him more than anyone expected. The man, really, could do no wrong.

Three years on, with a blazer cut for him and a list of achievements too long to fit in its pockets, Dhoni finds himself in a strangely unfamiliar place: on the wrong end of a drubbing. For the past four weeks, India have been pummelled in England, stumbling from one catastrophe to the next with all the elegance of a car crash.

There seems to be more white in Dhoni's stubble each day and the smile, at one time carefree and irreverent, suddenly appears strained, bordering on the helpless; the look of a man who knows that, unpleasant as the cricket has been, the post-mortem will be worse still.

The reasons for this debacle, experts agree, are two-fold: too little planning and preparation and way too much cricket, leaving the players undercooked and exhausted at the same time. Just the numbers are enough to make one wince.

Heavy Workload: Since January 2008, Dhoni has played 38 Tests, 90 onedayers and 95 Twenty20 games - both for India and in the Indian Premier League. Basically, for three-and-ahalf years now he's played a game every three-and-a-half days. No international cricketer has played as much and a look at the ICC's Future Tours' Programme shows that the workload is not going to get any lighter, with India scheduled to play around 125 days of international cricket in the 12 months starting May 2011. England, in contrast, will play 88 in the same time period. This generation of players are superstars, no doubt; that does not mean they're superheroes.

On the first day of this Oval Test, as he received medical attention after a misjudged collection, television cameras zoomed in on Dhoni's heavily bandaged fingers. Each time the physio tugged at one, the Indian captain winced, muttering unprintables under his breath. There's a fairly accurate theory that suggests teams take on the characteristics of their captain. When Ganguly led India, the side seemed all heart, but the same players seemed to turn studious and efficient under Dravid fs stewardship. By that logic, this Indian squad, like Dhoni fs fingers, have been going from day to day, match to match, series to series patching themselves up as best as they can, hoping and praying things don ft fall apart as they fve done on this tour.

From a purely cricketing point of view, this tour is unlikely to affect Dhoni fs legacy, for he will always be the man who inspired small-town India to chase their cricketing dreams, the man who led India to the World Twenty20 and World Cup titles. However, this is also a chance for Dhoni to shake up the present in order to shape the future.

India blind team to tour Pakistan

India will arrive in Pakistan and play three back-to-back Twenty20s from November 18 to 20 in Lahore. These matches will be followed by the two teams contesting the three 50-over games from November 22 to 26 in Islamabad.

The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council President Syed Sultan Shah was delighted at hosting the series.

“Although we aren’t as rich as the Pakistan Cricket Board, our dedication is very much alive,” Shah told The Express Tribune. “The same commitment has led to the resumption of the bilateral series. There are many sports suffering from isolation but I think our series will help the country give a strong message to the world.”

Dhoni yet again harps on the cramped schedule

Indian skipper MS Dhoni is not a man for tokenisms. He is not a man for excuses either. He cited exhaustion as the reason when the Indian team got knocked out in the Super Eights of the 2009 and 2010 World T20 tourneys in England and South Africa and even earned reprimands from the high and mighty in the BCCI. This time though, even if the BCCI bigwigs pretend to be deaf, Dhoni's words might just ring a bell as the myopic scheduling is being criticised all round the cricketing globe as it has devalued a potentially cracking series.

Faced with the prospect of losing the No.1 ranking after conceding a 0-2 lead to England in the ongoing Test series, Dhoni has once blamed a cramped schedule and tiredness for his team's poor performances. He, however, hoped that with considerable rest before the next Test of the four-match series, India will stage a turnaround. "Somebody said time is of essence here. We came straight from the Caribbean and didn't have time to play more than one (practice) game. So we are playing seven and not four matches backto-back," Dhoni said after India were mauled inside four days by 319 runs at Trent Bridge on Monday.

"This series is a continuation of the West Indies tour and we haven't really had a gap. You need to prepare differently for an England tour. In this respect the next 10 days are very important," he added.

With Virender Sehwag set to join the squad, and Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan likely to be fit for the third Test at Edgbaston on August 10, Dhoni expressed hope of a comeback. The series has been hard on India and Dhoni admitted that his famed batting line up needs to fire. "It is important to score and put runs on the board. We have been lacking in this respect."

Cricket, and more cricket: MS Dhoni has blamed a 'cramped schedule' as one of the reasons India are doing so badly in England. TOI takes a look at the international cricket the team has played in the last one year and the workload of the top players in the same period. Playing international cricket is sapping, and not just because of on-field demands on the cricketers. Constant travelling, daily practice sessions, team meetings, fitness training, media engagements and fans' expectations also take a heavy toll on the players' body and mind. And don't forget, our stars also performed in the IPL in April-May 2011. Thus, most Indian players were not exactly fresh and bubbly when they reached English shores.

Indian team's calendar during the last 12 months - since August 1, 2010: In Sri Lanka v Sri Lanka & New Zealand in August, 2010: 1 Test & 5 ODIs In India v Australia in October, 2010: 2 Tests & 3 ODIs In India v New Zealand in November & December, 2010: 3 Tests & 5 ODIs In South Africa v South Africa in December, 2010 & January, 2011: 3 Tests, 1 T20I & 5 ODIs In Bangladesh v Bangladesh in February, 2011: 1 ODI In India during World Cup in February, March, April, 2011: 8 ODIs In West Indies v WI in June & July, 2011: 1 T20I, 5 ODIs, 3 Tests In England v England in July & August, 2011: 2 Tests Note: In addition to the above, Indian players also appeared in the IPL from April 8 to May 28, 2011.

On the ball: International match days* Indian players logged in the last 12 months - since August, 2010: Sachin Tendulkar: 60 days, Rahul Dravid: 67 days, VVS Laxman: 63 days, Virender Sehwag: 57 days, Gautam Gambhir: 48 days, Yuvraj Singh: 29 days, Suresh Raina: 82 days, MS Dhoni: 88 days, Harbhajan Singh: 81 days, Zaheer Khan: 48 days, Ishant Sharma: 59 days, *Match days: ODI-1 day; T20 -1 day; each day of a Test: 1 day.

Cameron White dumped from Australia's one-day cricket side

The selectors announced squads for the two Twenty20 and five ODI games and will announce the Test side this month. White has struggled of late, failing to score more than 22 in the world cup and losing his place during the tour of Bangladesh.

The big hitting Victorian averaged 35 across 87 ODIs including two centuries and 11 50s. “Cameron White is unlucky to be omitted from the one-day squad having been a regular and successful member of the squad for the last few series,” chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said.

“Cameron lost his position in the side during the recent one-day tour of Bangladesh but the (selectors are) confident that he will force his way back into the team through weight of runs.”Hilditch said that the Sri Lankans would be a formidable opposition on their home soil but that he was confident the sides would do well.

“The Twenty20 squad is very well balanced with potentially explosive batsman Shaun Marsh, Shane Watson and David Warner at the top of the order combined with Cameron White, Aaron Finch and David Hussey in the middle order,” he said. “There is also very good all-round talent in Steven Smith, Stephen O’Keefe, John Hastings and Mitchell Johnson providing the side with great flexibility. The fast bowling unit will welcome James Pattinson, who may make his Twenty20 debut for Australia, in combination with the experienced Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson.

“The one-day squad sees the return of Shaun Marsh who was unavailable for the ICC Cricket World Cup through injury. Shaun can open the batting but also provides flexibility throughout the order and gives the squad great balance.

“Also included in the one-day squad are James Pattinson and John Hastings who both impressed on the recent VB Tour of Bangladesh."The Australian team will play two Twenty20 matches, five ODIs and three Test matches against Sri Lankan during the seven-week tour.

Meanwhile Phillip Hughes and Jason Krejza have been flown to Zimbabwe early to replace the injured Nic Maddinson and Matthew Wade for Australia A, who are playing the host and South Africa in a tri-series.

Court summons board on Kaneria case

Kaneria and fellow Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield were arrested last year on charges of spot-fixing during a Pro40 match against Durham in 2009. Kaneria was later released without being charged but Westfield faces criminal proceedings.

Kaneria featured in Pakistan’s Test series against England last year but has not been selected since for international matches because he has not been formally cleared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). His lawyer Farogh Naseem told AFP the PCB has been summoned for July 26, after the 30-year-old went to court last week in a bid to revive his international career.

PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said court orders will be followed. “Once we get the orders, we will follow them,” Rizvi told AFP. Usually such orders seek a reply so we will submit a reply.

“I have given every document to the PCB but they are not clearing me. I have committed no crime and that’s why Essex police and my county have cleared me in that spot-fixing case,” Kaneria had told AFP. “My priority is to play for Pakistan but I don’t know for what crime I am being punished by the PCB. Every time they announce a squad and every time they give contracts to players, they say Kaneria is not cleared.”

The wily leg-spinner has taken 261 wickets in 61 Tests, and 15 wickets in 18 one-day internationals. The PCB was forced by the International Cricket Council to form an integrity committee after a separate spot-fixing case in England last year ended in lengthy bans for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

India to host Pakistan for a cricket series in 2012

India will host Pakistan for three Tests and five One-Day Internationals in March-April 2012 for the first time since 2007, according to the Future Tours Programme (FTP) of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The details of the tour are yet to be finalised as it is subject to government clearance. The tour will be preceded by India's three-month tour to Australia, from December, during which they will play four Tests and 8-11 ODIs.

India will also play five ODIs and a Twenty20 against England in October. The English team will be arrive in Hyderabad October 4 and will play two warm-up matches Oct 8 and 11. The first ODI against England will be held in Hyderebad on October 14 while, the second will be held in Delhi on October 17. Mohali will host the third ODI (October 20) while, the fourth match is slated for Mumbai on October 26. Kolkata will host the fifth ODI (October 26) and the only Twenty20 (October 29).

ICC reviews ban on cricket minnows

Cricket's governing body has begun its four-day annual conference in Hong Kong with all eyes on the controversial proposal, which caused outrage among the smaller nations. ICC president Sharad Pawar has asked his board to discuss the matter at the conference, with the governing body looking to avoid a repeat of the seven-week World Cup, deemed by some critics as unnecessarily lengthy.

ICC reviews ban on cricket minnows

Officials are believed to be in favour of retaining a 10-team limit but may consider a qualifying tournament that would give minor nations a chance of reaching the event. The conference will also consider moves, reportedly spearheaded by India and England, to scrap the two-year rotational presidency, although details of any new system remain unclear.

The proposal is expected to be met with vehement opposition from Pakistan and Bangladesh, who are scheduled to nominate the body's next but one leader to take power from 2014. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters before leaving for Hong Kong: "It's Pakistan's turn to nominate the president or the vice-president so we will not allow anyone to snatch that right.

"We have already shown our reservations on both the amendments and since the matter will be discussed at the meeting I am not going to make it more public."Also on the agenda will be the issue of whether the ICC should adopt the controversial Decision Review System (DRS).

The ICC has announced its desire for the DRS, whereby teams will be allowed one incorrect referral per innings to the television umpire, to be used for all Tests, ODIs and International T20s.

Decisions would be checked using video, audio, ball-tracking and thermal-imaging technology in an innovation welcomed by most countries. But powerful India, whose huge revenues give it a dominant position in the ICC, has never agreed to its use nor played a Test or one-day series when the DRS has been in operation.

The issue will be presented formally to the ICC's chief executives' committee. "The suggestions were made following detailed technical analysis and supported by what the committee agreed was a successful application during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011," the ICC said in a statement released ahead of the meeting.

The conference kicked off with a low-key discussion on the ICC's rankings system, with the headline issues to be dealt with over the coming days.

Shahid Afridi, Ijaz Butt resolve differences

Former cricket captain Shahid Afridi met Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt in Islamabad and reached an out of court settlement, our sources reported. According to the sources, important government officials were also present in the meeting.

Former skipper agreed to withdraw the case against the PCB and also to appear before the disciplinary committee of the board. The PCB will issue the NOC for Afridi after he appears before the committee. After getting the required permission Afridi will be able to play for Hampshire County in a T20 tournament in England and Sri Lanka Premier League.

PCB nominates rookie Raza for ICC Panel

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has nominated Shozab Raza, an umpire with experience of less than 20 first-class matches for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Panel of TV umpires for next 12 months, while retaining below-par Zameer Haider in the panel of field umpires with Ahsan Raza joining him as a replacement for Nadeem Ghouri.

Initially seven umpires were selected for the interview — Karachi duo of Khalid Mehmood and Riazuddin and Lahore’s Ghaffar Kazmi, Riazuddin, Ahmed Shahab, Anees Siddiqi, Akram Raza and Shozab Raza.

Akram Raza was expelled due to being arrest for alleged involvement in betting on lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL). The interview was conducted by PCB’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Subhan Ahmed and Director Cricket Operations (International) Zakir Khan in two phases.

In the first phase remaining six umpires were interviewed but according to a well-placed source some umpires were not even questioned. The interviewers never told all the candidates that they will be short-listed.

Riazuddin, who had more experience then accumulated exposure of rest of the candidates, was excluded alongside another seasoned campaigner Khalid Mehmood from the final interview.

In addition, another top-notch umpire Ahmed Shahab was left out. Zameer Haider`s performances have been very poor of late with Quaid-e-Azam Trophy`s day-night final the prime example of his calibre.

Shozab Raza`s promotion has come as a shock for most of the candidates who claim that they were far better than Raza but yet they were overlooked. “The PCB has continued its trend of bestowing their favourite people and Raza`s promotion is a clear evidence of that,” one of the left out candidates told `Our Sources` on Monday.

“Hardly anyone in the umpiring field will deny that he did not deserve to be at that post.”The concerned authorities were tried to be contacted but to no avail.

According to the statement released by the PCB Raza was promoted because of his consistent performances at the Domestic level. He achieved second position in Level-I Umpiring course held at Malaysia in 2007.

PCB complains of political interference in Afridi row

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday complained of "political interference" in its disciplinary proceedings against all-rounder Shahid Afridi. Afridi, 31, is being brought up on charges of breaching the PCB's code of conduct by abruptly announcing his retirement from international cricket last week and making disparaging comments about board officials. The board suspended Afridi's central contract, revoked all 'no-objection certificates' issued to him to play in foreign leagues and summoned him for a hearing on Wednesday.

"A number of political functionaries are interfering in what is essentially an internal disciplinary matter of the PCB," the board said in a statement. "It is disappointing that despite (the fact) Afridi has pleaded guilty to the offence, some political functionaries are extending their support with a view to influencing the disciplinary process being followed by PCB," PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt said.

"It would now appear an attempt by some forces to prevent the Board from implementing the code of conduct and their act may well damage Pakistan cricket."The cricketer enjoys considerable political backing. Former Prime Minister and leader of the main opposition party Nawaz Sharif called Afridi and promised his party would not allow the board to do him any injustice. Dr Farooq Sattar, of the Mutthaida-e-Qaumi Movement in Afridi's hometown of Karachi, also issued a statement last week criticising the PCB for their treatment of him. The heads of the national assembly and senate standing committees on sports have also come out in support of Afridi and criticised Butt.

Afridi was removed as captain of the one-day team last month before the series against Ireland after he spoke publicly about interference in his work by team management. The cricketer got a rousing reception on his return from England last night. "I am totally astounded by the huge crowds that have shown up to support me. I think my stand now in this issue is vindicated," he said.

PCB confirms receiving letter from Afridi’s legal counsel

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that it has received a letter from a law firm representing former captain Shahid Afridi, challenging the disciplinary actions taken against him, particularly revoking of the NOC issued to him to play in foreign leagues.

“I can confirm that we have got a letter from Mandviwalla and Zafar Associates law firm in Karachi and we have forwarded this letter to the disciplinary committee, which is being assisted by our legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi,” media manager Nadeem Sarwar said.

Sources said the law firm had challenged the actions taken against Afridi by the Board for violating the terms of his central contract after he launched a tirade against the PCB while announcing his retirement from international cricket earlier this week.

“The law firm has said that the actions against Afridi were an attempt to tarnish the image of the all—rounder, who is a patriotic, respected and honourable cricketer of Pakistan,” one source said.

The letter further states that their client Shahid Afridi followed all procedures as per his central contract while applying with the PCB for a No-Objection Certificate to appear for English county Hampshire, after which the certificate was formally granted.

“However, it is sad to note that the abrupt cancellation of the NOC and the suspension of central contract is a bid to deprive Mr Afridi of his lawful financial income,” the letter said. Afridi has been unable to play for Hampshire in the English T20 league after the PCB revoked all NOCs issued to him as part of their disciplinary measures against him.

The flamboyant allrounder, in a letter to the notice issued to him, had on Wednesday accepted that he had violated the terms of his contract and was prepared to face disciplinary action, but requested the board to permit him to play for Hampshire in the meantime.

The board turned down his request and instead formed a three—member disciplinary committee and directed Afridi to appear before it on June 8 in Lahore. Afridi criticised the Board after being removed as captain of the One—day team for the two—match series against Ireland.

In the past, during the tenure of PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt, other senior players who were also in dispute with the Board, had also hired lawyers to fight their cases including former captain Younis Khan and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.

No home comforts is major challenge: Waqar

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis says the lack of home internationals is a major hurdle to his young team's hopes of climbing up the international cricket rankings. Pakistan's second-test victory over West Indies on Tuesday secured a drawn series and ensured it stayed in sixth position, one spot ahead of the Caribbean men.

In the past year, Waqar's charges have played "home" test series against Australia in England and against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates while also facing away series against England, New Zealand and West Indies.

As no test sides have wanted to tour Pakistan since terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team in Lahore more than two years ago, the team hasn't had a choice but to hit the road. "It's tough. It's never easy. We're always touring and playing on different surfaces and we don't know the pitches and conditions," he said on Wednesday.

"It's very difficult to adjust every month or so. It's four (overseas) venues I've done in less than a year. You need to play home to get the confidence of the youngsters. That's not happening so what we're trying to do is taking the youngsters on the tour and trying to prepare them, which is the hardest part in cricket."

Waqar admitted it was difficult to predict a swift return for international tours to his country but was hopeful. "It's not safe, we all know that. There is nothing hidden about it," he said. "We're really sad about it. "I, personally, wanted cricket to go back to the country and it was getting there, things were starting to move in that direction.

"But then something or the other happens in a month or two months time so the whole thing goes back to square one. Let's hope for the best and hopefully, in six months or a year's time, things will settle and we can take cricket back to our country."

Waqar said he was pleased with the way his team bounced back after losing the opening test in Guyana and spoke highly of his inexperienced batting unit. "There has been talk in Pakistan that we are not really batting well, we're not really scoring runs. It's good to see guys getting hundreds," the former fast bowler said.

"We haven't had many hundreds in the past couple of years, and it's good to see Taufeeq (Umar) in good nick and Misbah (ul-Haq) getting runs. "That's a plus. The boys have started knowing how to score runs and on difficult pitches."Taufeeq top scored with 135 and captain Misbah struck an unbeaten 102 in the second innings to anchor Pakistan's charge to victory in St. Kitts.

Pakistan's only individual century in 11 previous tests in the last year had been veteran Younis Khan's 131 not out in Dubai last November. Younis missed the tour of West Indies due to a death in the family but returns to the team for two one-day internationals against Ireland in Belfast on Saturday and Monday.

Waqar was happy to welcome back the veteran but was more reserved on the status of Mohammad Yousuf, the 36-year-old veteran of 90 tests who boasts an average of 52.29. "Mohammad Yousuf is on the wrong side of the 30s so we have to think hard," he said. "He is a fine player, no doubt he's served the country for a long time. If he's 100 percent and fit, why not?"

Yousuf was playing county cricket in England for Warwickshire and has not appeared in international cricket since last November. Waqar also squashed rumors about a rift between him and Shahid Afridi, who was replaced as one-day captain for the Ireland series and has since withdrawn from the squad.

"Misbah is great character. I am not saying that Afridi is not because he's done a really wonderful job in the last six to eight months he's been captain," Waqar said. "I don't have any problem with anyone. It is sad how things are being written and all the issues being printed. We want to improve cricket and this is what we get. It is not fair, I guess."

Pakistan Cricket: No captaincy assurance for Afridi: PCB

Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt, brushed aside all the media speculations about his talks with Shahid Afridi saying he has not given any assurance to the all-rounder for keep leading Pakistan in the One Day Internationals.

Some media groups had earlier reported that Shahid Afridi had talked to Ijaz Butt and during the conversation he made himself available to the Ireland tour. They also claimed that the PCB chief had given Afridi captaincy assurance. However, later in the day, Ijaz Butt told local television channel that Afridi has not been given any assurance of captaincy in the two One Day Internationals series against Ireland.

The Sports Encounter had reported on Tuesday that either Misbah-ul-Haq, the Test captain, or all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez are likely to replace Boom Boom Afridi as ODI captain in Ireland. Ijaz Butt’s remarks have cast doubts over future of Shahid Afridi as captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team as it clearly shows a state of anger in the top cricket board authorities after Afridi had told media about his differences with head coach Waqar Younis. Following his remarks in the media, which wasn’t the first instance, the PCB had slapped Afridi with a notice demanding reasons for his media outburst.

Ijaz Butt made it clear that since disciplinary issues is pending against Shahid Afridi, a decision on captain is yet to be taken. Sources told The Sports Encounter that a final decision is expected after a tour report by team manager Intikhab Alam. The PCB Chief held a meeting with Chief Selector Mohsin Hasan Khan on Wednesday during which they discussed the team combination for the upcoming series against Ireland.

Warne apologises for IPL bust-up: report

Australian legspin legend Shane Warne has reportedly apologised for his part in a bust-up with a cricket official after a recent Indian Premier League match. Warne, captain of the Rajasthan Royals IPL team, was involved in an angry exchange with Sanjay Dixit, secretary of the Rajasthan state cricket association, following his team's defeat at home to Bangalore on Wednesday. The prolific wicket-taking spinner was apparently upset over the playing surface that was selected for Rajasthan's last two matches against Chennai and Bangalore, both of which the home side lost.

Dixit claimed Warne had been putting pressure on him to provide a "suitable" wicket for Rajasthan's home matches. Rajasthan Royals chief executive Sean Morris said in an e-mail to Dixit that the franchise had decided to take disciplinary action against Warne and the Australian had accepted it, news agency reported.

"The player has accepted the action that we have taken and apologised for any distress caused," Morris said, without elaborating further. The incident took place in full public view minutes after the post-match prize distribution ceremony at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

After the defeat against Chennai on Monday, Warne had questioned why the home side was asked to play on a different wicket to the one used in previous games. The two back-to-back defeats against Chennai and Bangalore have dented Rajasthan's chance of advancing to the play-offs and shattered Warne's dream of a second IPL title.Warne, who had scripted an amazing Rajasthan triumph in the inaugural Twenty20 competition in 2008, is set to retire from all forms of the game after the current edition.

Kamran denies Zulqarnains allegations

Wicket keeper of National Cricket Team Kamran Akmal denied the statement of Zulqarnain Haider about involvement of his father-in-law in gambling. Kamran said that statement of Zulqarnain is wrong and he has to provide the evidences otherwise; he would have to face court of law.

He said that any member from his family even could not think about this cheap activity. Talking to a private TV channel Kamran said that he requests the government to investigate the matter and should punish the responsible.

He said that statement of Zulqarnain is a big allegation, adding that after consultation with his adviser Saood Cheema he would think for his next strategy. Kamran said that he never had a quarrel with Zulqarnain in domestic and international cricket, adding that he do not know that why Zulqzrnain making these allegations.

He said that before the World Cup PCB conducted an inquiry and board allowed him to play cricket after clearing him from the charges of gambling

Cricket-Back to school for Pakistan players, coaches in corruption fight

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has launched a program to educate cricketers and officials on how to avoid corruption and be on their best behaviour in the sport. "We have held lectures for all the regional teams including coaches who are part of the domestic structure and also for the national under-19 and A team players and support staff," former test captain Wasim Bari, who heads the program, told Reuters.

Participants are given lectures on the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption code and the PCB code of conduct. "We are also telling them how to behave in a dressing room, how to interact with strangers and outsiders. How to avoid getting lured into corrupt practices. We are preparing them for international cricket."Banned trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were not allowed to take part in the program.

"Since they have appealed against their bans the matter is technically subjudice," said Bari. "So we can't involve them in any program at the moment."

The trio are serving minimum five-year bans from the ICC's anti-corruption tribunal for their role in a spot-fixing scandal during last year's tour to England.

The controversy sparked a major debate in Pakistan on whether the PCB was doing enough to educate the players on anti-corruption and code of conduct measures. The PCB official said the lectures were delivered in the national Urdu language and players and officials were encouraged to take part in question and answer sessions.

"We have also distributed a manual based on the ICC anti-corruption code and our own code of conduct in Urdu in all the regions," he added. The PCB also plans to hire foreign experts in future to give lectures.

Talks to restore Pak-India cricket after IPL: PCB

Chief Operating Officer PCB Subhan Ahmed has said that the board is in contact with Indian cricket board and that official dialogue to restore Pak-India cricket series would resume after IPL.

Talking to media here, he said if both the teams bring minor changes to their schedule Pak-India series would be possible this year. To a question, chief operating officer said Zulqarnain Haider has yet to response PCB’s letter. He further said that PCB is in contact with ICC task team and soon there would be good news about restoration of international cricket in Pakistan.

Indo-Pak cricket? BCCI’s response is tepid

If the World Cup semi-final was any indication, cricket fans on both sides of the border are eager to see arch-rivals India and Pakistan play each other again. But while there are reports of a possible resumption of bilateral cricket ties, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is playing it straight, saying there is no window to squeeze in the proposed three-ODI series.

The BCCI officials expressed ignorance of such a proposal. “We have not received any instruction from the government,” vice-president Rajiv Shukla told DNA. “I don’t know. You people seem to know more than I do,” said BCCI secretary N Srinivasan.

Top board officials had a long teleconference on Thursday, but refused to comment. The BCCI is believed to have convened a meeting of the working committee on April 27 where a formal decision may be taken. But officials say the Indian team’s schedule is too tight to make time for the tour.

The IPL will be followed by a tour of the West Indies and then England. In September, there is the Champions League T20, followed by return tours by England and the West Indies between October and December. In January-February, India will undertake a tour of Australia.

As first reported, the BCCI might agree to the scheduled bilateral series next March-April. The board could also find a 10-day window in September, but security is an issue.

A BCCI official said it is not easy to conduct a series against Pakistan. “A lot of emotions are involved. We also have to see the player work load. But if the government thinks cricket is important to India-Pakistan relations, why so many government departments from the IB to ED and from Customs to Central Excise after us,” the official asked.

Past tussles forced me away: Miandad

Miandad was tipped to take up the role after getting a backing from limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi but decided against taking the position. While Miandad blamed the past for his refusal, it was learnt that the PCB’s reluctance to remove Waqar Younis as the head coach and Miandad’s role as the former fast-bowler subordinate was the reason behind his refusal.

“I’ve been offered the coaching role before and I had taken it up as well but there were certain things that happened due to which I will not coach again,” said Miandad after Pakistan’s training session in Lahore. “I was sacked on various occasions in the past. When the team was in the process of rebuilding in 2004, the board’s then-chairman Shahryar Khan sacked me.

“So it goes to show that Pakistan cricket basically is in trouble not just due to the players but also because of the management.”Past trouble

Miandad, whose batting average never dropped below 50 during the 20 years as a cricketer, has had three previous stints as coach, with the last term ending in 2004.

“In the past, the management never really cared about the future. They didn’t even think about where the sport was heading. They just didn’t want to think about it.”

The former batsman added that the team lacks quality batsmen and that the management should take steps to counter this problem.

“Today we have no quality batsmen in the squad and that’s why we’re choosing the same batsmen who keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. This practice has been adopted because we don’t have any backups in the first place.”

Call for the merit system

Miandad stressed that the players should realise their responsibility and fight for their spot in the side through performance rather than finding a way through nepotism. “The players should realise they need to make it to the squad on merit. Whoever performs remains in the team and if we follow that system, I assure you that everything will be on track.”

Too many coaches affect performance: Miandad said that he believed extensive coaching staff can only create confusion and not cause an improvement. Pakistan, in the past, have had a fielding and bowling coach apart from the head coach.

“I’ve always been against having numerous coaches as it just ends up creating a lot of confusion. Also, when you lose, the blame-game starts. Therefore, there should be a coach who is fully authorised and responsible. Also, what will a batting coach do? You have a fielding coach already and see how much that has helped.”

He insisted that a plan for the future should be made and the management should see why those players unable to deliver are being selected repeatedly. “You’re not here to learn, you’re here to deliver for the country and one must give his 200 per cent in order to reach the top level.”

Afridi vows better show in Windies

Pakistan Captain Shahid Afridi has said that Pakistan cricket team would demonstrate better performance in the upcoming West Indies (WI) tour as the players are playing cricket with confidence. Afridi in a private news channel interview admitted mistakes that he and his team committed in semi-final of the World Cup, saying the mistakes done in the match let his team down.

Thanking the whole nation for encouraging and supporting cricket team on better performance in the World Cup said: “We will further improve our performance and will not let down the nation during the West Indies tour,” he added.

To a question he said, Junaid Khan would be a match winning bowler in future adding, Umar Gul, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz and Asad Shafiq are very good players. To another question he said, Imran Khan as a captain had the support of all the main players of team: “I also enjoy the support of the key players,” he added.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi insisted that he had no immediate plans to retire from international cricket.

“While the 2015 World Cup is still a long way away and I am presently looking at the Twenty20 World Cup that will be held next year,” he stated. The semi-final loss to India in the World Cup continues to rankle Pakistan’s ODI captain Shahid Afridi who said it was a mistake to position himself in the lower-half of the batting order in the high-voltage game.

Cricket merchandize sale hits top gear after victory

Seventy-two hours after the big night, the sale of India jerseys and cricket gear continues unabated in merchandise shops at prime locations across the city. Interestingly, India's glorious achievement at the ICC World Cup is expected to rub off on the upcoming IPL tournament. A new stock of IPL merchandise is expected to hit the market once the preliminary matches begin on Friday , benefiting all the teams that have hired India's playing 11.

The cost of ICC-approved World Cup merchandise runs into hundreds or thousands of rupees with jerseys, caps, bandanas, bats and balls costing anywhere from Rs 300-20 ,000. However, after having spent thousands of rupees on organizing private screenings, purchasing fireworks and splurging on beer, few are counting petty change spent on memorabilia.

The two-storeyed Total Sports at Dadar TT is sold out. "Not a single India jersey is available. We are turning customers away," says storeowner Tulsi Kataria. The craze has hardly dimmed 72 hours later. "In fact, it is only now that the country is soaking in the thrill. Apart from bats and balls, demand is picking up for complete cricket kits as well as accessories like caps and bandanas," Kataria says.

Here, a cricket kit costs between Rs 5,000-50 ,000,season balls and bandanas Rs 300 while cricket bats come for nothing less than Rs 15,000. Nike's blue India jerseys earlier came in one version costing Rs 2,500 but now that company has issued another range that comes for Rs 899.

The buzz is vibrant at Hill Road in Bandra. "The craze has not petered out," says V Maurya of Legend Sports. "The demand for India tees and cricket kits has peaked in recent days and even on Tuesday, fans arrived to purchase outfits, bats and balls." Legend also stocks jerseys worth Rs 400, bats for Rs 1,000 and helmets for Rs 700.

In Vile Parle (E), Akshay Badhe of GK Sports says, "Demand for sporting goods does rise in April once exams are over. Of course the World Cup victory has spurred sales, and once the IPL merchandise arrives , we could see another robust season," he says.

Cricket Australia backed minnow ban‎

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced four minnow nations won't contest the next World Cup, to be staged in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. Only the 10 Test playing nations - Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies and Zimbabwe - will feature.

The ICC move comes amid criticism of the most recent World Cups for protracted length and lopsided games between the traditional powers and weaker ICC associate nations. Ireland, which defeated England in the last tournament and Pakistan in the 2006 tournament, have slammed the decision by the ICC. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said Australia's schedule for the World Cup was "unsatisfactory''.

"The Australian team had two seven-day breaks at one stage and in that period, the only cricket they were playing was against minnow countries,'' Sutherland told AAP on Tuesday. "So from our point of view, we went a bit stale there in the middle (of the tournament).

"I'm not making excuses, but it was difficult for the team to build any momentum into what proved to be a clutch match against Pakistan immediately before the quarter-finals. "The batsmen hadn't faced full member attack for nigh on a month.''Australia, whose pool match against a strong Sri Lankan side was washed out, ultimately were beaten in a quarter-final by eventual champions India.

Sutherland said having 10 nations compete in 2015 was ideal. "The decision to go to a 10 team competition is something we're very supportive of,'' he said. "In a format sense, we have seen that 14 teams doesn't work, we have seen 16 teams in the past doesn't work. "We believe 10 teams will be a really good format for the event, perhaps it might be a one round league where everyone plays each other once and then a semi-final and a final.

"The ICC needs to make those decisions, but when you think about that as a format, every match has great context ... and we will see some really good quality cricket.''The ICC action was blasted by Ireland, who scored an upset victory over England in the recent World Cup but have been punted from the 2015 tournament.

"I cannot think of a decision which is less cognisant of the principles of sport and fair play than the one that has been taken,'' Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom told the Irish Times. The ICC said the 2019 World Cup in England would also be contested by 10 nations but there would be a qualification process, yet to be detailed.

The easiest option: attacking Michael Clarke

Hitting below Michael Clarke’s belt, however loose it might be, is an easy thing. Many Australians have made a specialty of it. He was scolded and cursed by various members of the Australian cricket fraternity for his involvement with the saucy Lara Bingle.

In true stoic fashion, Ian Chappell, Australia’s brutish cricket supremo of the 1970s, felt that a dedicated Australian cricket captain did not let his emotions get in the way of diligent captaincy. No women, no distractions. That meant no car chases, and no dramatic interruptions to the key task at hand: winning matches for Australia.

Surprise for some, even shock, that Clarke should now be Australia’s 43rd test captain. Punter Ponting himself assured the press that he had not been pushed over the ledge by disgruntled members of Cricket Australia: “I can say I’ve had no tap on the shoulder from anybody, and this decision has been wholly and solely made by me and the people close to me, my family first and foremost, and that’s all I’ve got to say about it.”

One gets worried when insistence creeps into such decisions, and Ponting’s emphasis that he was not banished by the selectors is something that political theorists and sign readers will have a field day with.

Recently, the anointed Clarke has been booed in his performances. Cricket Australia found itself having to defend the then one-day skipper in a match against England after receiving the disapproval of what was supposedly a ‘small minority’ at the Gabba.

That the minority was small was because of Clarke’s genuine popularity – if one is to believe the propaganda narrative of the governors. Head of public affairs Peter Young decided to provide a good bit of spin on the matter. “At the fundamental core, when you look at why do sponsors go to him, it’s because their own research shows he is remarkably popular with the public” (The Hindu, Feb 1).

The nature of this reasoning should be obvious: Young would liken the popularity of an Australian skipper to the products he sells in the market place rather than the victories he attains on the ground. The tyrannous nonsense of advertising has again reigned supreme.

Whatever his prowess in product placement, the commentaries have not been warm about Clarke. The Herald Sun (Mar 30) features the following deflating remark: “After waiting five long years as heir apparent to sport’s highest office, Michael Clarke will today become Australia’s cricket captain – it’s just too bad fans don’t want him.”

He has been on the outer of the establishment. Even Ricky Ponting has proven more popular on occasions. Shane Watson has been the more popular choice, if one believes the views of readers of a New Ltd. Survey featuring 8,500 in number. They are not the only ones.

Team members have expressed their dissatisfaction at Clarke, who was, rumour has it, grabbed by the throat by Simon Katich last summer over the singing of the team song. For all of this unpopularity, much of what has been said against Clarke lacks a sound basis.

Various inane statements have been made against the new skipper, and not much about his cricket. People dislike his tattoos, his lure to the bling, his involvement with Ms. Bingle. He oozes working class values, and plays to that.

He has had lean patches with the bat, but this is hardly deserving of a public sacrifice. The criticisms say nothing about his talents, which are very much evident. Given the enormous task at hand in resurrecting what seems to be a ship destined for the bottom of the sea, it might be more fitting to get behind him.

Given the way the Australian public treats its sports stars, that might be asking a touch too much, at least for now. For Clarke, there is only one option: victory on the field.

Indo-Pak games are more than cricket: More

An India versus Pakistan cricket match is not for the weak hearted. It involves a lot of passion and often emotions spill over on the field. The history of Indo-Pak rivalry, especially in the World Cup, is filled with instances when players' emotions boiled over. Indian fans, nor the Pakistani fans for that matter, would not forget the duel between Venkatesh Prasad and Aamer Sohail in the quarter-final of the 1996 edition in Bangalore.

The combative opening batsman was leading Pakistan's spirited chase of the Indian target of 288 when he attempted to gain some psychological edge by sledging Prasad. But the Indian seamer had the last laugh when, after being carted for a boundary, sent Sohail's stump cart-wheeling. "That was long ago. It won't have any effect (on tomorrow's semi-final)," Prasad told MiD DAY.

The other event that is now part of Indo-Pak cricket folklore is the one during the 1992 World Cup involving Javed Miandad and Kiran More.

On this occasion, the Indian wicketkeeper seemed to play the instigator's role with his constant chattering, prompting Miandad to the famous frog jump in imitation of More's style of appealing.

More clearly remembered the Sydney episode.

"That (incident) happened in the heat of the moment. Miandad and me were involved in a verbal spat. I was trying to irritate him and he reacted. I think everybody knew that," More told MiD DAY.

More said such instances happened in Indo-Pak games because players from both the teams were trying to give more than their 100 per cent. "An India versus Pakistan match is more than a cricket match. Both sides involve themselves more than cent percent and nobody wants to give room to the other," the 48-year-old said.

"Both the teams are extra-charged up. That's why players get involved in verbal duels. It was the same case with us. It's a mental thing as well." More believed India were the favourites in tomorrow's semi- final. "We are the favourites. We are playing well at the moment, but Pakistan have always shown a fighting spirit. That's why the match will be interesting," he said.

Ind vs Pak: Alam denies Akhtar not fully motivated for India clash

Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam has denied reports that pacer Shoaib Akhtar was not fully motivated for Wednesday's Cricket World Cup semifinal against arch rivals India in Mohali and said the "Rawalpindi Express" has immersed himself in practice.

"Shoaib has been fully involved in match practice, and is available for selection. He's very much part of the squad and there is no question about his motivation or enthusiasm to play in this important game. Akhtar is ready for the semifinal," the London-based pakpassion[dot]net quoted Alam as saying.

Intikhab also dismissed as "false" reports that Akhtar's focus has veered away from cricket after he announced his retirement from international cricket last week. "The rumours about Shoaib no longer focussing on cricket after announcing his retirement are false," he said.

Alam claimed Akhtar was training hard with the team through the tournament and "it's been no different since he announced his retirement". "He has not missed any sessions". Alam, however, conceded that the fast bowler was not fully fit at any point during the World Cup.

"I wouldn't say Shoaib is 100 percent match fit. He's been carrying a knee problem and has been in pain during the tournament, but, to his credit, has still managed to play some matches," the site quoted Alam as saying.

Cricket World Cup: Andy Flower upbeat on England

Despite an inconsistent group campaign, which featured losses to Ireland and Bangladesh, South Africa's win over the latter team secured England's passage. And Flower confidently stated: "This side perform well under pressure.

"Each game now will be a pressure situation and I trust our guys to handle themselves very well."Flower continued: "There's no more pressured situation than an Ashes series and you know how we performed during that [England beat Australia 3-1 this winter]. "And the last world tournament that we played in we won - the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies 18 months ago.

England's erratic performances on the sub-continent, however, have suggested on occasion that the steely resolve which helped achieve those feats is on the wane. After an edgy six-wicket opening victory over minnows the Netherlands, England fought back to earn a seemingly unlikely tie with India before then slumping to a dramatic defeat to Ireland.

Their rollercoaster tournament continued when they produced an astonishing comeback to beat South Africa only for a subsequent loss to Bangladesh leaving Flower's side needing to beat the West Indies to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.

Flower's injury-depleted side obliged with a tense 18-run triumph but they then had to wait for Saturday's good news - a 206-run win for South Africa - to be certain of their progress. "There is a sense of relief because with only seven points in the bag we had to rely on other results going our way," Flower admitted.

The former Zimbabwe international, though, was not in the mood to dwell on his side's hiccups, preferring to reflect on a "mission accomplished". "Against some of the supposed smaller nations we didn't perform as well as we should have," reflected Flower.

"It's been an exciting ride so far - we've been inconsistent, we haven't dominated but we've qualified which was our initial goal and now we look forward to the quarter-final."England's opponents have yet to be finalised, with the result of the India-West Indies match on Sunday affecting where Flower's side finish in the group and thus who they will face next week.

Should India win England will finish third where they could also find themselves if the hosts suffer a particularly emphatic defeat as the teams would be on the same points but the tourists would have a superior run rate.

Assuming there is a positive result between Australia and Pakistan, Sri Lanka will be second in their group and will be England's next opponents in Colombo next Saturday. However, if West Indies secure a narrow win, England would be fourth and they will face either Australia or Pakistan on Friday.

"I don't have a preference," insisted Flower. "Whichever venue or whichever opposition we come up against I'm very excited about the game."Flower hinted that the uncapped Jade Dernbach, who was called up from the England Lions squad to replace hamstring injury victim Ajmal Shahzad, could well play a role in England's attack in that encounter.

"He'll meet us on Monday evening, whichever venue we fly into," Flower said of the Surrey pace bowler, who was the Lions leading wicket-taker in their current tour of the West Indies. "He's got a bowling variety that we think might work out here in the sub-continent.

"He's got a little more pace than a couple of options that we've seen, good slower ball and we think that he might be an attacking bowler that could be useful out here."Meanwhile, Flower said James Anderson, who was rested for the win over the Windies, could return for the quarter-final despite his miserable form in the competition.

"He's got niggly little problems - one in his elbow and one in his bowling shoulder," Flower revealed of the misfiring strike bowler, who has managed only four wickets during the tournament. "He's had a very hard winter, playing all five Tests in the Ashes series plus he's been involved in the Australian one-day series, plus this World Cup.

"And certainly it's a very clear lesson that we have to manage and rotate our fast bowling resources through these very heavy schedules, and do it better than we have this winter. "He is a little weary from his exertions, like any fast bowler would be, but if we need to call upon him for this quarter-final he'll be fine."

Kamran likely to open against Aussies

Pakistan are mulling over the option of playing Kamran Akmal as an opener in their key World Cup clash against Australia here on Saturday. Pakistan’s strategy for the eagerly-awaited game against Australia will be to play attacking cricket and Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, believes that by promoting Kamran up the order he can strengthen Pakistan’s batting order.

Afridi told that Kamran is expected to replace Ahmed Shehzad as the opener for the match against Australia. The 19-year-old Ahmed has flopped in all five of his World Cup outings and has just scored 44 at an average of less than nine.

“Ahmed is a talented kid but he has not really learnt from his mistakes,” said Afridi. “We have been showing faith in his abilities but Ahmed has failed to give us a single good start and now we are thinking about going into the match against Australia with a new opening pair,” he said.

“The best option we have is to promote Kamran as an opener. He has scored a lot of runs playing at that position and has the sort of experience we will need against a top class bowling side like Australia at the start of our innings,” stressed Afridi.

Kamran played four of Pakistan’s initial World Cup games at the number three position but he was replaced by Asad Shafiq for that spot in Monday’s match against Zimbabwe at Pallekele. Asad, playing his first World Cup match, hit an unbeaten 78 to guide Pakistan to a seven-wicket win.

Afridi said that Asad will retain that position for the game against the Aussies while Umar Akmal will return to the line-up to replace Ahmed Shehzad. “Asad made full use of the opportunity that was given to him and that’s a sign of a good cricketer,” said Afridi. “We needed somebody to do well at the number three spot and are happy that Asad has shown a lot of promise.”

Afridi is hoping that Umar Akmalís return will bolster Pakistan’s batting. “Umar is fully fit and that’s good for us because he is one of our key players.”Umar missed the game against Zimbabwe because of an injured finger.

Ahmed Shehzad, meanwhile, faces a tough task in the bid to keep his place in the playing eleven. He really upset Afridi and the team officials by falling to Zimbabwe spinner Ray Price trying to slog only to get stumped.

Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, made it clear that he wasn’t happy with the way Ahmed threw away his wicket. “It was a rash shot from Shehzad,” said Waqar. “It wasn’t really required at the time. But don’t forget he is a youngster, he is only 21 and brand new in this arena. It’s not easy sometimes. In the heat of the moment you play silly shots and that’s how you learn cricket.

He’s probably learnt a big lesson today that when the team needs you at the wicket, you should stay.” Pakistan took a day off on Tuesday and will return the nets on Wednesday (today) at the P Sara Oval.

Zimbabwe bowling was superb

Zimbabwe would have come to the ICC CWC 2011 with hopes of causing at least one upset but were left bitterly disappointed with an inept batting display throughout the tournament. However, Chigumbura took some positives out of a campaign, which could spell further disaster for Zimbabwean cricket. The Africans were handed a seven wicket (D/L) defeat by Pakistan on Monday but the skipper was happy with his bowlers and the fielding.

"We bowled and fielded superbly but the batting was poor. The bowlers were consistent right through. We of course have to work on batting in the first 15 overs against big teams," Chigumbura told reporters after the match on Monday.

The captain defended his decision of batting after winning the toss despite overcast conditions in Kandy, saying he had hoped to put some pressure on Pakistan by piling up a decent score.

"It was a good wicket to bat on and we had planned to set Pakistan a big score and put them under some sort of pressure," Chigumbura said.

Zimbabwe coach Alan Butcher shared his captain's displeasure about the batsmen's listless approach for the fifth time in the ICC CWC but backed them to get better with time.

"The batsmen were unhappy about the way things are at the moment but they are trying to improve. Things are not going well for 80 per cent of our batsmen. We have to devise a way to improve. There is no magic formula to get better. On the whole, the bowlers did well and there was no lack of spirit," Butcher, seated beside Chigumbura, told the media.

Chigumbura himself has been under fire for his poor form in the tournament but he put a brave face, saying it was for the board to decide if he was good enough to continue as captain. "My performance hasn't been good since I took over as captain but I am working hard. It is now for the board to decide if they want me to continue as captain," Chigumbura said, almost with a sheepish grin. Zimbabwe are now slated to play Kenya at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 20 before flying back home.

Pakistan’s coach Waqar Younis said on Tuesday that Pakistan team would look forward by putting the defeat aside and play positive cricket in the coming matches.Addressing a post-match press conference, Waqar Younis pointed to dropping of catches by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal and some bad bowling,specially in last five overs where New Zealand struck 102 runs with an average of 20 runs. “We will do over best with some changes, obviously in the opening pair, who are not working since the first World Cup match. However, things will be good in the coming matches. Certainly changes will be made accordingly,” he added.

Replying to a volley of questions regarding dropping of catches, he said,”yes, with dropping of catches by Kamran Pakistan lost grip over the match and then bad bowling further dented the team.”He said that chasing 300-run traget was not that much difficult but today was actually the bad day and the team lost the match. “We will work on and sit together to discuss how to come back on the winning track,” he said. He also lauded Ross Taylor for his excellent batting , adding, “ I must appreciate Taylor for his excellent display, not blaming Kamran and the bowlers.”“We are not going to be panic, we have to play more tough matches like the one against Australia and we look forward to do the best,” Waqar said.

In his post-match talks Ross Taylor said that he was struggling in the first 60 to 70 balls he played but later on the remaining 25 to 30 balls helped him, making a vital century that enabled New Zealand to win the match.

Cricket-In-form Pakistan hold edge over patchy New Zealand

In-form Pakistan will have to guard against complacency and their tendency to implode when they take on New Zealand in a World Cup Group A match in Kandy on Tuesday. Possibly the most unpredictable outfit in international cricket, Pakistan have notched up successive victories against Kenya, Sri Lanka and Canada with skipper Shahid Afridi starring in all of them.

Their batting remains vulnerable but with Afridi on song and the pace duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul chipping in with the early breakthroughs, Pakistan look capable of defending even modest totals.

In contrast, New Zealand comprehensively beat Kenya and Zimbabwe but failed in the only true test of their form, going down to Australia by seven wickets. Despite former captain John Wright taking over the coaching reins, their top order comprising Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor looks patchy.

Their bowling does not really create panic among the elite teams either and that would make New Zealand's job doubly difficult against a Pakistan side which beat them in a home series before the World Cup.

Vettori: Pakistan Bowling Attack Can Defend any Score

New Zealand Cricket captain Daniel Vettori said that we have to give our hundred percent against Pakistan team dangerous bowling attack in the ICC World Cup match, which is to be played on tuesday, March, 08 2011.

Vettori said that its really very difficult to handle Pakistan bowling attack, as Pakistan have already defeated New Zealand in ODI Series. He further said that Pakistan Bowlers did great job to win matches against Canada and Sri Lanka.

New Zealand captain said that in order to win against Pakistan in this World Cup 2011 we have to play as one team and every player should contribute in it. However our opening batsman has given good performance against Zimbabwe.

In the end Vettori said that Pakistan bowling has a lot of varriety in shape of Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhter, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Wahab Riaz.

Ireland beat England by 3 Wickets

Following the target of 328, Irish side lost the wicket of William Porterfield on the very first ball of innings. Opener Ed Joyce and Paul Stirling added 62 runs in the second wicket partnership. Joyce was lucky to get 3 chances, showing poor fielding the English fielders dropped easy catches.

The resistance of Ed Joyce finished on 32. Niall O’Brien was taken by Swann on 29. This time Kevin O’Brien came on the crease and started crashing English bowlers, he played powerful strokes all around the ground including boundaries and sixes along with Alex Cusack O’Brien scored the fastest hundred of World Cup on 50 balls. Cursack went left O’Brien after scoring 47 runs. Aggressive innings of O’Brien ended on 113. Trent Johnston and Mooney got their target in 49.1 overs.

Sri Lanka Cricket refutes 'baseless' fixing report, condemns channel

Sri Lanka Cricket has rubbished allegations of match-fixing that have cropped up against Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Smaraweera due to a TV report, condemning the channel for carrying a “baseless and demoralising” story.

While commentating on the World Cup match between the Lankans and Pakistan, which the hosts lost by 11 runs, the channel’s anchor had said that Jayawardene and Smaraweera could have deliberately “changed the game” by scoring just two and one run respectively during the game. The channel had also claimed that a local businessman had placed a $ 18,000 bet on the match.

“It is with deep regret that we note that a leading television channel in a special programme has stated that Sri Lanka has lost against Pakistan due to two of our leading players not getting runs in that game,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.

“Further they added that the two players had failed intentionally, thereby implying that our players might have been involved in match-fixing,” said SLC.

“SLC will take up the matter with the relevant authorities of this channel, based on the fact that this channel has brought great distress to two of our cricketers who have served the country with honour and dignity,” it added.

Sri Lanka were chasing 277 in the match and ended it 266-9. Jayawardene is already contemplating legal action against the channel. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan team manager Anura Tennekoon rejected suggestions that there might be an SLC or ICC inquiry against the players.

“Knowing both Mahela and Thilan, we feel there is no necessity to investigate the matter and, as far as the ICC has concerned, they have the right to investigate but so far they have not brought anything on this,” Tennekoon said. “But we will discuss the matter with our lawyer as well.”

World Cup Trophy made of EGG-SHELLS!

With cricket mania gripping the nation, S. Durga Shankar, an eggshell sculptor in Vishakhapatnam city of India's southern Andhra Pradesh state prepared a miniature of the World Cup trophy.

Shankar made the replica, which stands about six centimetres high, using four eggshells. The sculptor also put up the trophy for auction on the Internet for 10 million rupees ($221,115).

The original cricket World Cup trophy is made with about 11 kilograms of gold and its height is about 60 centimetres.

A billion dreams will rest on the Pakistani team's shoulders as they seek to become the second Pakistani team, after the 1992, to bag the trophy and title in one-day cricket championship.

The world cup is currently going on and is been jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka need Murali and Malinga to hit ground running

The co-hosts were one of the pre-tournament favourites to win the showpiece but Saturday's 11-run defeat by Pakistan exposed some glaring weaknesses in their bowling armoury. Muralitharan should have been trapping rival batsmen with his mystifying powers of flight and spin but has instead been leaking runs to rank outsiders such as Canada.

In the first match he was the most expensive of the Sri Lankan attack. The off-spinner's figures of 2-38 at the cost of 4.22 against a bunch of part-timers in Hambantota was hardly the kind of stats the world's most prolific wicket-taker would want to shout about.

He was the most economical of the Sri Lankan bowlers against Pakistan but having picked up only one wicket, his success rate would have hardly set Sri Lankan pulses racing. But at least Muralitharan is playing a part in all the action as the same cannot be said of Malinga.

The 27-year-old, who made his name in the 2007 World Cup by claiming four wickets in four balls against South Africa, has not even tested one run-up to the pitch.

SORE BACK

He was sidelined with a sore back against Canada but had been declared fit for the contest against Pakistan.

However, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was not prepared to gamble on his fitness and chose to rest him for "the more difficult matches we have ahead" -- a strategy that backfired on Saturday.

With showdowns against world champions Australia now less than a week away, the Sri Lankans know they can no longer waste time experimenting with their line-ups and plan to draft Malinga into action in their match against Kenya on Tuesday.

"We will consider him for the next game because we need to get him into his rhythm ahead of the game against Australia next Saturday," Sri Lanka's team manger Anura Tennekoon told Reuters.

"Malinga was rested as a precautionary measure. We don't want to take any chance with him because he is our key bowler. Malinga is fit but we don't want to take that extra one percent (risk with his fitness) and play him."

Cricket World Cup matches shown free to public on giant screens in Sri Lanka

Can’t find a ticket for Saturday’s Group-A ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 clash between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Colombo? No problem! Catch the action on a giant screen, with the papare playing in the background, courtesy of Sri Lanka Police.

Police chief Mahinda Balasuriya told reporters yesterday that giant screens throughout Colombo will telecast the match live at no cost to the public. The screens will be placed at the Galle Face Greens, Parliament Grounds, Nawaloka Ground and P.D. Sirisena Grounds.

Police brass bands, the police chief says, will provide music to add to the atmosphere. He also urged fans without tickets not to swamp the venue, as all tickets have already been sold out. Sri Lanka and Pakistan meet on February 26 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo for the 10th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Pakistan kick out Kenya (Highlights)

Pakistan opened their account in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 with a massive victory over Kenya by 205 runs.Younus Khan hits the bull's eye. A total of 17 wickets were fallen during the match, ten of Kenya and seven of Pakistan. Here is the highlights of the match. The package has been compiled by ESPN Star Sports.

Pakistan Cricket abandons 'tainted trio'

Banned by the ICC and facing criminal charges in England, the trio of Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Aamir have been dealt another blow with the Pakistan Cricket Board asking them to fight their legal battles independently.

Butt, Asif and Aamir have been given clear indications by the board that it can't help them out in fighting their case in the magistrate's court in Westminster on March 17 – the date the three have been asked to appear to face the charges.

The Scotland Yard has charged the trio with accepting bribes and trying to commit fraud and the Crown Prosecution Office has sent the case for regular hearing after finding enough evidence to support the allegations.

"The PCB has nothing to do with this case as well as the three are now banned by the ICC and the PCB being a full member of the ICC has to follow the rules and regulations and can't provide them with any help or assistance at all in this case," a board official said. He pointed out that the PCB had initially provided legal assistance to the players in London when the Scotland Yard first charged them last year in September and the ICC also suspended them on spot-fixing allegations.

"But now since the three have been banned and found guilty by the ICC tribunal the PCB can't do anything. We had even tried to send our observer to the hearing of the tribunal in Doha but this request was not accepted by the ICC under its anti-corruption code," he said.

Pune fans give cricket World Cup opener a miss

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is just two days away, but Puneites do not seem interested to travel to Bangladesh to cheer Team India on February 19. Travel agencies said so far no one from the city has made any bookings for Bangladesh.

“People do not want to go to Bangladesh, probably because it is not a tourist hot spot. Besides, tickets for the first match are not available online and have to be purchased from retail outlets in Bangladesh. This could be another reason why not many are interested to travel to the country,” said Rahul Jagtap, a traveller counsellor with Girikand Travels.

However, the other neighbouring country, Sri Lanka, where 11 matches are going to be played, seems to be on the travel plans of a few Puneites. Though Girikand Travels has not got any takers for their affordable packages yet, Prasanna Travels has had a family book tickets for Sri Lanka.

“We are providing flight tickets, hotels bookings and car for sightseeing, but not tickets for the matches. The customers will have to purchase them,” said Deepika Kulkarni, sales executive at Prasanna Travels.

“Since travel agencies are not providing tickets for the matches, people do not want to take the risk of travelling abroad and finding that the tickets are sold out. We had a client enquiring for the Australia versus Sri Lanka match in Colombo on March 5, and another for Pakistan versus New Zealand match in Kandy on March 8, but backed out because he was not sure of getting tickets,” reasoned Nilesh Bhansali, public relations officer of the city-based Enterprising Travel Agents Association.

Kulkarni said, “Enquiries for tours to Nagpur, Delhi and Bangalore, where big matches are scheduled, have begun. If India wins its matches then the bookings will also start.”

Some tour operators are of the view that had the World Cup been organised in countries like Australia or England, the response would have been better from Puneites, since those countries are great tourist destinations.

India has a great opportunity to win World Cup: Mongia

Nayan Mongia was one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen India produced. He figured in the 1996 and 1999 editions of the World Cup and endeared himself to many with a competent job behind the stumps.

Since retirement he has established himself as a brilliant analyst, his comments on cricket and its practitioners highly respected. In a freewheeling interview with Haresh Pandya, the former India stumper shares his views on the upcoming World Cup.

What are India's chances in this World Cup? I must say our chances are very, very bright. In fact, India has a great opportunity to win this World Cup. I wouldn't be surprised if Mahendra Singh Dhoni and company are crowned champions.

What makes you think so? Well, just look at the Indian team's record and its current form. India will surely make the most of playing at home -- on the subcontinent, to be exact. Dhoni has at his disposal one of the most experienced teams in world cricket today. There is a nice blend of experience and youth in the Indian team.

All our senior players are very experienced while the youngsters are extremely talented. Let me reiterate that this is a golden opportunity for Team India to win the World Cup, all things considered. If we play to our strength and perform consistently well, there should be no stopping Team India. This is a very powerful team, but ultimately it boils down to a sustained collective effort.

Time for Pakistan to fight like cornered Tigers

The social landscape in Pakistan is dotted with a myriad of cricket games, crammed in restricted space, throughout the land.

Although the poorer regions -such as Balochistan, interior Sind and southern and western Punjab - remain under-represented in the national team, cricket is the nearest thing to the national game in Pakistan. In the first Test match Pakistan played, the team was made up of seven players born in Lahore and four who were born in Indian territory.

Cricket has clearly expanded geographically in Pakistan since then. However, it has also witnessed a growth in its social base, from players from mainly privileged backgrounds in the early days to players from a greater variety of classes as it is today.

This growth had a significant impact in the emergence of a more defiant spirit in the 1970s. In the early years, many of the cricketers who represented Pakistan were educated and affluent, who had learnt their cricket in the collegial system based on British educational institutions.

These players were more subservient and deferential in spirit. So in 1971 when Pakistan arrived in England, Imran Khan noted in his autobiography, the pervasion of an "inferiority complex" among Pakistani players.

The emergence of players from poorer backgrounds paved the way for cricket to be a field where there was an assertive expression of identity. Success encouraged a focus on the cricket team as symbolically embodying Pakistan unity, identity aspirations and pride. And success has not come any bigger than the 1992 World Cup, still considered the high point for Pakistan cricket.

Pakistan cricket, when successful like it was in 1992, can transcend particularistic identities in a nation with all too apparent fault-lines. This is the special value of the game in Pakistan. As Pakistan cricket does not belong to any province, ethnic or kinship groups (biraderis), or sectarian interests, Pakistan cricket can be a unifier, even if only a temporary one, as it was in 1992.

An economically poor nation, it has often felt a victim of the prejudices of "outsiders". Pakistan has throughout its history also suffered great a deal of internal turbulence. For some, therefore, the result of the 1992 World Cup was both a bolster to self-esteem and a slap in the face of critics who have constantly denigrated the country.

The 1992 success also encouraged the link between cricket and Pakistani identity. Pakistani pride as expressed in cricket had become explicit by the 1996 World Cup. This could be clearly seen from the band Junoon's song - Jasbaan-e-Junoon (The Joy of Madness).

The video was juxtaposed with images of the Pakistan squad as well as "back alley" cricketers. It was a song redolent with nationalism, seen in lines such as (when translated into English): "Never forget Pakistan, Pakistan is yours, Pakistan is ours and never forget your identity."

The 1992 World Cup triumph also inspired countless numbers. One such person was Shoaib Akhtar, whose interest in cricket was sparked by watching Wasim Akram's masterful spell of fast bowling that turned the final decisively in favour of Pakistan.

Pakistan's solitary World Cup success created new hopes and dreams, but also etched into the consciousness happy memories for Pakistanis.

They remember fondly Imran Khan's incorrigible belief in the team and inspirational captaincy; Inzamam-ul-Haq's thunderous semi-final innings; Javed Miandad's skill in constructing an innings; Wasim's sensational spell in the final. Even Imran's clarion call to "fight like cornered tigers" is often recalled. At the same time it should also not be forgotten that the World Cup victory was not wholly positive. Players high on success were now wielding their inflated egos.

Mushtaq Ahmed candidly admitted in his autobiography that the players "first thoughts turned to materialistic things". But for many fans the positive memories outweigh such matters. The memories that the "against the odds" triumph evoke are especially stirring when you consider the depths that Pakistan cricket has sunk to.

In the past few years, Pakistan went through a whole year (2007) without playing a single Test, players have been banned for drugs and international cricket has ceased in Pakistan after an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.

World Cup axe puzzles Tanvir

Tanvir, who was said to be suffering from a knee injury, was deemed unfit by the Pakistan Cricket Board's medical team and was replaced by fellow left-arm seamer Junaid Khan. "It is hugely disappointing to be dropped from a major event like the World Cup at the last moment," he said.

"I don't know why they dropped me and the selectors should tell me the reason because I was fit and getting better in bowling and fielding."The 26-year-old had played in five of the six matches in the recent series against New Zealand before being dropped. But the PCB has justified its decision saying that the medical panel had ruled that Tanvir was not 100 percent fit to play. "He still requires time to make a complete recovery from his knee problem for which he had an operation sometime back," the PCB said in a statement.