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.

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-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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A right decision, finally

After taking ages, the reasons best known to the PCB and its selection body, the PCB finally announced that Shahid Khan Afridi would lead Pakistan in the cricket's most coveted trophy - the World Cup. Although the selection body plays role of a dummy in almost all the decisions, yet every sports lover in Pakistan is fully aware that all affairs in the PCB are run by one man and that is its Chairman Ijaz Butt.

All the nations who are taking part in this mega event, which is set to be played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, (thanks to the powerful Indian lobby that deprived Pakistan of hosting World Cup matches on their soil for the so-called terror threat), have announced their captains well before the final countdown to this event, and the most surprising one is the name of Ricky Ponting, who has failed to perform both as captain and as player but was retained by the Australian Cricket Board. Despite having the most professional and disciplined history, the Australian Cricket Board has to compromise on sporting issues.

The exclusion of Steve Waugh from the 2007 World Cup squad is one such examples of their professionalism but they reposed confidence in Ponting but Pakistan is totally different from the rest of the world and here personal decisions are imposed in every field of the game despite having full knowledge that such decisions not only destroy the cricket in the country but also bring bad name to the entire team. No one can judge the abilities of a captain from one series or some matches, it is true Afridi at times failed to deliver the goods but no one can deny the fact he is a complete all-rounder and if he fails with the bat, he will make up for this loss with his bowling, breath-taking fielding and above all leading the side with sheer commitment and complete devotion. Afridi is the most talented and arguably the best captain after Imran Khan who had complete authority on and of the field.

Afridi has, once again, proved his critics wrong with his stylish batting when it was needed in the current Kiwi series and Pakistan managed to won the ODI series against them on their own soil after almost 17 long and hard years wait although the umpires have done all they can with their error-prone decisions to stop Pakistan from achieving this milestone.

Muhammad Hafiz, who has been given so many opportunities and is perhaps the only individual who has enjoyed all-out backing of the PCB, is still struggling with his performance that is far from satisfactory. He was included in the team as a specialist opener not as a part time off break bowler. Kamran Akmal and even Umar Akmal are taking things for granted and their off-the-field behaviour is not acceptable. It was hoped that after being dropped from Pakistan team, Kamran Akmal will make a strong comeback in the side and will not repeat the past mistakes, but it seems he has not learnt anything.

The way he dropped the catch of Nathan MaCcullam at a crucial stage of the fourth ODI and giving broad smile rather than being ashamed was by no way acceptable. No one is indispensable every body has to earn his place in the side rather taking things for granted.

PCB to name Pak captain for World Cup 2011 on February 4: Ijaz Butt

The Pakistan Cricket Board will announce the team captain for the forthcoming World Cup on February 4, a day before the final match of their ongoing one-day series against New Zealand. "We will announce the captain on February 4, that is decided now," the Daily Times quoted PCB chief Ijaz Butt, as telling Pakistani media persons in Napier.

Some former cricket greats are backing Pakistan's Test captain Misbahul Haq to replace incumbent limited-overs skipper Shahid Afridi as Pakistan's captain for the World Cup, which begins on February 19 and is to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Butt also disclosed that India were willing to play a short series against Pakistan in England sometime this year. "We have made good progress in talks with the Indian board to resume bilateral cricket ties, and they have indicated they are willing to resume ties," he said.

However, the PCB chief made it clear that any final decision on the resumption of bilateral cricket ties with India would rest completely with the decisions taken at the government level.

"Hopefully, decisions would be made at the government level on the series but the Indian board has shown its willingness to play, which is good news for us," he added.

Butt also admitted that it was important for Pakistan to have bilateral ties with India. "The financial aspect of playing India regularly in bilateral series is very important for us," he explained.

India has not played Pakistan in a bilateral series since late 2007. It had cancelled its Pakistan tour in early 2009 in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.

Afridi likely to be retained captain for WC: sources

Shahid Afridi is likely to be retained as the One-day captain for the ICC World Cup 2011 after chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt held discussions with the team management in New Zealand and chief operating officer in Lahore.

According to a well-informed source in the board, all indications show that allrounder Afridi is likely to lead the side during the mega-event staring from February 19 to be held jointly by India , Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The source informed that Butt held a half an hour discussion with chief operating officer and with the team management in New Zealand.

"Butt himself is not in favour of having Afridi as captain and is more inclined towards Misbah-ul-Haq. Even Younis Khan wants Misbah as the skipper. But after getting all the feedbacks and suggestions the PCB chief knows that it would be a risky move to change the ODI captain at this stage and it would be better to continue with Afridi," the source disclosed.

The source also added that Butt and some other board officials have lost faith in Afridi over his attitude and repeated violations of the board instructions in recent months. "Definitely, Afridi is not the favourite candidate for captaincy but even the team management has told Butt not to change the captain for the World Cup at this stage."

He said another factor weighing on the mind of Butt is that some of the senior players in the touring side in New Zealand including Shoaib Akhtar Abdul Razzaq Umar Gul are in favour of Afridi and want him to continue as the World Cup captain.

"The PCB Chairman has a difficult decision to make because he has to ensure there are no issues or conflicts within the team just before the World Cup," the source stated. The source also informed that Butt is likely to announce the World Cup captain this week after some more deliberations in New Zealand. He even indicated that Butt was facing pressure from the top over the captaincy issue.

"Most of the major sponsors who have invested lot of money in the tournament in Pakistan have already prepared their campaigns with Shahid Afridi as captain in their commercials. So they are concerned that any late change in the captaincy now would derail their campaigns and cost them millions of rupees in losses," the source said.

"These companies are also lobbying within the government to ensure that the Pakistan board does not change Afridi as captain for the World Cup."

The PCB has come in for severe criticism from a number of former players for delaying in naming the captain for the mega-event. The former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq even felt that the delay had led to groupism within the team and could prove damaging for the team during the World Cup.

Cricket-McCullum, Guptill give NZ springboard in second test v Pakistan

Mccullum, who was dropped in close while on 26, had quickly moved to his 19th test half century and was on 58 at the break, while Guptill, dropped by Tanvir Ahmed on 34 just before lunch, was on 38. It is just the second century-opening stand by New Zealand since 2004.

Pakistan had been bowled out for 376, a first innings lead of 20 runs, late on Monday. They hold a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and are seeking their first test series victory since 2006. New Zealand's aggressive batting line-up will be hoping to push along the scoring in the afternoon sessions in an attempt to set Pakistan a target on the fifth day pitch that could suit the left arm spin of captain Daniel Vettori.

Poor weather has been forecast with heavy rain due to hit the lower North Island later on Tuesday, though latest forecasts suggest it could bypass the Wellington region.

McCullum had given just the one chance when he prodded at an Abdul Rehman delivery and the ball was dropped by the close fielder. To rub salt into the wound, McCullum then smashed the next delivery over long-off for six.

That shot unleashed the shackles somewhat, with McCullum in particular picking up the scoring rate in humid, overcast conditions and threatening to provide more fireworks after the break that could force the pace of the match along.

'International cricket not returning to Pak in near future'

Dave Richardson, ICC general manager for cricket operations, feels that the Pakistan Cricket Board's initiative to host the final of the country's premier first class competition under lights will have a positive impact on the sport. Richardson said that the ICC, too, was working on several recommendations to make five-day cricket including Test matches more interesting.

"The PCB has taken a bold decision to hold the five-day final under lights and it will help popularise the sport as well," Richardson said. He said the ICC was considering holding Test matches under lights in a bid to make it more interesting and attractive for the spectators.

Richardson, however, made it clear that it was not possible for an immediate return of international cricket to Pakistan. "I think once there is an improvement in the security conditions and arrangements then teams can be convinced to start looking at playing in Pakistan again," he said.

Richardson is in Karachi on the invitation of the PCB to watch the final of the Quaid Azam trophy being held for the first time under lights and with an orange coloured ball. He inspected the security arrangements in the stadium along with former captain Javed Miandad, and both agreed that their was a need for countries to experiment.

Pakistan recall Kamran Akmal for NZ one-dayers

Pakistan on Wednesday named Kamran Akmal in a one-day squad — that will effectively be their line-up for World Cup 2011 — for the six-match series against New Zealand getting underway in Wellington later this month.

The country’s cricket chiefs have decided to retain Shahid Afridi as captain for the ODI series, an indication that the seasoned allrounder remains their first choice to lead the Greenshirts in World Cup 2011. They’ve also recalled Kamran, an experienced wicketkeeper-batsman, after keeping him out of the Pakistan team for almost four months apparently due to match-fixing suspicions. Kamran replaces his brother Adnan, who is currently featuring for Pakistan in their Test series against New Zealand.

But the national selectors opted against bringing back veteran middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf and instead picked Misbah-ul-Haq in the 16-man squad that will play in the series against the Black Caps starting January 22. Misbah, who is leading Pakistan in their ongoing Test series against New Zealand, was also named as the ODI vice-captain.

There has been some uncertainty over Afridi’s captaincy as a whispering campaign in a section of Pakistan’s cricket community suggested that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is mulling over the option of installing Misbah as Pakistan’s World Cup captain.

Afridi, 30, was earmarked as Pakistan’s limited-overs captain last year but speculations continued to grow about his captaincy after he led the national team to back-to-back losses in two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand late last month.

Sources told ‘The News’ that Pakistan have made up their mind to more or less retain the same squad for World Cup which will begin just two weeks after the ODI series against New Zealand.

“Unless there are any drastically bad results in New Zealand or some serious injuries, it will be highly unlikely that Pakistan will make any changes in the team before the World Cup,” said a well-placed source.

That’s bad news for the 36-year-old Yousuf, who was preparing hard to win a recall for World Cup.

Yousuf’s chances to make the cut for the World Cup seemed bright after Afridi pushed for his return during a meeting with Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, last week.

For Misbah, however, things have taken a different, more positive turn. He seemed to be out of Pakistan’s World Cup plans after being dropped for the last three ODIs against South Africa in UAE last November following unimpressive outings in the first two games of the series.

But his return in the ODI squad and that too as vice-captain means that the PCB believes Misbah can play an important role in bolstering Pakistan’s middle-order. Also adding more experience to Pakistan’s batting line-up will be Kamran Akmal.

Kamran, who turns 29 on Thursday (today), was overlooked by national selectors after the tour of England because of PCB’s refusal to clear him for national duty. Though the Board never officially slapped any charges, it is understood that the player was on a PCB blacklist because of suspected links with match-fixers. However, the PCB integrity committee cleared him following a series of grilling sessions after which the Board allowed him to play for Pakistan.

“It is great to be back in the Pakistan team and now I just want to cement my place for the World Cup,” he told reporters. “I know how valuable this Pakistan cap is after having spent the last four months out of the team,” he added.

The selectors have also rewarded Ahmed Shahzad with a place in the ODI team after the young opener impressed in the T20 games in New Zealand. Meanwhile, the PCB has announced that the tour selection committee for the ODI series in New Zealand will include team manager Intikhab Alam, coach Waqar Younis, captain Afridi and his deputy Misbah.

Squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq (vice captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Tanvir Ahmed, Ahmed Shahzad.

Waqar hopes for fresh start to Pakistan cricket

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis hopes that his team will be able to play some controversy-free cricket once a decision is taken by an independent tribunal that has finished hearing a spot-fixing case involving Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt and Mohammad Aamir in Doha. “I hope all goes well and I hope the outcome is what cricket requires. Hopefully things will settle after that and we can play controversy-free cricket for a while,” Waqar said on Tuesday after a training session in Wellington. Pakistan is currently playing a two-Test series against New Zealand. Waqar confirmed that he gave evidence to the independent anti-corruption tribunal. The suspended trio have been charged with offences relating to alleged activity surrounding the Test against England at Lord’s in August. British tabloid ‘News of the World’ alleged that they had taken bribes to arrange for deliberate no-balls to be delivered at pre-agreed times.

Salman, Aamir and Asif have been provisionally suspended since the allegations came to light in the days following the Test but all have denied any wrongdoing. They face lengthy bans if found guilty by a three-man tribunal chaired by British lawyer Michael Beloff. Waqar gave evidence via teleconference during the first Test in New Zealand. “I have given it, it is all finished and all done and let’s see what the result is,” he said. The coach chose not to speculate on whether the trio would join the team for the six one-day internationals against New Zealand, which starts on January 22, if found not guilty. “I have got no idea. Let’s see what happens first and then the selectors will probably have a look into it, and we will talk about it then.”

Hearing begins on Pakistan cricket corruption

A special tribunal of the International Cricket Council opened an appeal hearing on Thursday for the three Pakistan players who face possible life bans if found guilty of spot fixing. The suspended Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, who have previously declared their innocence, made no comments as they entered the hearing room in Qatar's capital Doha. But a member of the three-person panel overseeing the proceedings said the credibility of the sport was at stake.

"This is an important hearing for the future of cricket," said Sharad Rao, a former acting attorney general in Kenya, adding that it's critical the sport's image is "very clean where we can rely on the results."The trio was alleged to have accepted payment for bowling no-balls at prearranged times in a test against England in August at Lord's to fix spot betting markets.

On the closed hearing's first day, which lasted 7½ hours, charges were read and the ICC began presenting its evidence including several witnesses. The ICC refused to provide any details about what evidence was presented, including the identifies of the witnesses.

The hearings in Doha could last until next week. After the first day, the youngest of the trio, 18-year-old fast bowler Amir, admitted to the cricinfo website that the recent months have been "tough" for him.

"This is a question of my career and I've been through some tough days," he told the website. "I've overcome them and I will, hopefully, overcome more in the future. "We've prepared well for the case and put in our effort."

Amir's lawyer Shahid Karim hinted he may try to use the player's youth to argue for leniency should he be found guilty. "If you look at the ICC code, there could be some advantage with that," Karim said. "He is very important to the future of Pakistan. "And the response we have gotten from people so far, I am very hopeful. You can call our case strong or whatever, but I am hopeful."

The Dubai-based ICC, which has described the allegations as the sport's biggest fixing scandal in decades, charged the trio with corruption in September after a British tabloid, the News of the World, alleged the players received payments from businessman Mazhar Majeed.

Majeed, who was also arrested and questioned by police, appeared to accept 150,000 pounds ($241,000 US) from reporters posing as frontmen for a Far East gambling cartel. The ICC on Sept. 2 charged the players with various offences under its anti-corruption code relating to "alleged irregular behaviour" during the fourth test against England — charges that could lead to life bans.

Pakistan, meanwhile, is scheduled to open a two-test series on Friday in New Zealand. Pakistan recently drew a two-test series 0-0 with No. 2-ranked South Africa.

Squads of all teams for IPL 2011 | IPL 4

Auction for Day 1 out of 2 days is no over. Here are the shortlisted players and their teams for IPL 2011 till now:

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina , M Vijay, Albie Morkel, Michael Hussey, Wriddhiman Saha, Dawyne Bravo, Doug Bollinger, S Badrinath, Muttiah Muralitharan, R. Ashwin

Deccan Chargers: Kevin Pietersen, Cameron White, Kumar Sangakkara, JP Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Dale Steyn

Delhi Daredevils: Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, David Warner, Naman Ojha, James Hopes, Morne Morkel, Aaron Finch

Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh, David Hussey, Dinesh Karthik, Stuart Broad, Abhishek Nayar, Praveen Kumar, Ryan Harris, Piyush Chawla

Team Kochi: Mahela Jayawardene, VVS Laxman, Brendon McCullum, Sreesanth, RP Singh, Parthiv Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Steven smith, Ramesh powar, Brad Hodge

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, Brad Haddin, Shakib-al-Hassan, Bret Lee, Eoin Morgan, Manoj Tiwary

Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, David Jacobs, James Franklin

Sahara Pune Warriors: Yuvraj Singh, Graeme Smith, Robin Uthappa, Tim Paine, Angelo Mathews, Ashish Nehra, Callum Ferguson

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Ross Taylor, Rahul Dravid, Johan Botha, Sourav Tiwary, Paul Collingwood

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Tillakartane Dilshan, Zaheer Khan, AB de Villiers, Daniel Vettori, Sourabh Tiwary, Dirk Nannes, Cheteshwar Pujara

Cricket-Rehman helps Pakistan strike back in 1st NZ test

Pakistan's Abdul Rehman produced a spell of tight, left-arm spin bowling to halt New Zealand's momentum as the hosts lurched to 160 for five at tea on the first day of the first test at Seddon Park on Friday. Kane Williamson was on 12 while debutant wicketkeeper Reece Young was two not out after Brendon McCullum (56), Ross Taylor (six), Jesse Ryder (22) and Martin Guptill (50) were all dismissed during the session.

McCullum and Guptill had steered New Zealand to 78 for one at lunch after Tim McIntosh was caught for five by Younus Khan at second slip off Tanvir Ahmed in only the second over. Rehman bowled five successive maidens after the break, pinning down the normally free-flowing New Zealand batsmen from the embankment end of the ground while pace bowler Umar Gul attacked from the grandstand end.

The aggressive McCullum, who looked set for a big score, smashed two sixes off Gul but then slashed at a short wide delivery on the next ball and was caught by Azhar Ali at deep backward point.

Taylor never looked settled and while he swept Rehman to the boundary to end the run of maidens he was out in the same over when he got a thin edge through to wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal. Guptill adopted the anchor role while the left-handed Ryder was the more aggressive, lofting a six and a four in Rehman's 12th over.

However, he was unlucky to be run out when Wahab Riaz deflected a well-timed straight drive on to the stumps with Ryder well short of his ground. Guptill brought up his fifth test half century with a single but then threw his wicket away when he hit a Rehman full toss straight to Misbah-ul-haq at mid-off.

Afridi not assured to lead Pakistan in World Cup

Pakistan ODI and T-20 skipper Shahid Afridi is currently not assured of leading Pakistan in the forthcoming World Cup as his performance has not impressed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) members.

“Afridi’s recent performances as captain have not impressed too many Board members and one of the biggest issues that are irking them is his public criticism of his team mates. Results have not been great, but the public criticism of team mates is not going down too well with the decision makers,” sources close to PCB told Pak Passion.

The source confirmed that Afridi’s performance as captain in the upcoming six one day matches in New Zealand will determine whether he is appointed captain for the World Cup.

“The Board will look at Afridi’s personal performance and also how well he leads the team, as well as how he conducts himself, before deciding on whether he (Afridi) will lead the team in the World Cup.

I would be very surprised if the Board makes a decision regarding Afridi, before the six match series in New Zealand.”

In addition to the discontent regarding Afridi’s public criticism of team mates, the source added that there were strong differences of opinion between Afridi and some selectors regarding Fawad Alam and Shahzaib Hasan.

“There are some selectors who do not think Fawad Alam and Shahzaib Hasan should be in the one day and Twenty20 squads, but Afridi has a different opinion to them.

There have been previous disagreements between the selectors and Afridi regarding the two players (Alam and Hasan) and the issue will rear it’s head once again when the final squad for the World Cup is due to be selected,” the source concluded.