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.

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”