Thursday, April 28, 2011

Pakistan secure ODI series win over Windies

Pakistan took an unassailable 3-0 lead in their five match one-day international against West Indies after winning y three wickets at the Kensington Oval on Thursday.

A rain delay reduced the match to 45 overs per team and West Indies, batting first, once again failed to build on a decent start, ending up with just 171 all out from 43.4 overs.

Pakistan were in trouble early in their reply when they slumped to 12-3 as Ravi Rampaul produced a superb opening spell, but a calming 62 not out from Misbah-ul-Haq saw the tourists home with almost five overs to spare.

It was a familar story with the bat for West Indies with Lendl Simmons picking up his second half-century of the series but getting out to a return catch by Saeed Ajmal right after reaching the landmark.

Left-hander Darren Bravo also showed promise with a patient 47 from 77 balls but yet again the Carribbean team's middle order folded.

Brother Dwayne Bravo got out to a poor shot, failing to deal with a rising ball, and skipper Darren Sammy's disappointing form continued as he was caught by Shehzad attempting a poor slog off Riaz.

Riaz and Ajmal finished with three wickets apiece after another good Pakistani performance with the ball.

West Indies needed early wickets to have any realistic chance and they got exactly that from Rampaul who picked up Mohammad Hafeez (5) and Ahmed Shehzad and Asad Shafiq for ducks with a spell of lively pace and bounce.

But Umar Akmal (30) steadied the ship before a fifth wicket partnership of 78 from Hammas Azam (36) and Misbah pushed Pakistan towards their target.

There was time though for a twist in the tale as West Indies' promising leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo picked up three wickets to apply some late pressure with Pakistan at 148 for seven.

Misbah, widely criticised for his slow batting display in the World Cup defeat to India, showed his value as a calm and intelligent middle order presence as, together with Riaz, he saw them safely reach their target.

Riaz finished off the proceedings with two big sixes but it was his senior partner who rightly won the plaudits.

"There was a bit more bounce and pace in there than we were used to. I knew I had to bat through to the end," said Misbah, while skipper Shahid Afridi hinted that there could be some squad rotation for the final two games of the series.

Sammy acknowledged that once more West Indies simply didn't set a strong enough target.

"As a batting unit, myself included we have to take responsibility in the way that Rampaul and Bishoo did for us with the ball.

"We just didn't get enough runs. We've had good starts but we just haven't capitalised on them, we need to be able to rotate the strike in those middle twenty overs," he said. Source

Afridi hits out at ICC's ODI ranking system

Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi Thursday hit out at the rankings system of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Afridi expressed his reservations about the current rankings system after getting to know that Pakistan will not earn a point even if they end up winning the one-day series against the West Indies 5-0. They lead the series 2-0 and are sixth in the ODI rankings.

'I can't understand this system. There should be some advantage for the visiting sides as winning a series is never easy for them no matter who they are playing against,' Afridi told The Express Tribune.

If Pakistan win by 4-1 or a 3-2 margin, they will end losing points in the ranking ladder.

'It's really difficult to prosper under the current ranking system. I have little clue what it is based on,' said Afridi.

Afridi, however, said that his team is focused on winning the series. 'We will give our best to seal the series, which is our main focus. It will boost the morale of the young team.'

Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara had also criticised the ranking system by calling it 'unfair'.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Shehzad century steers Pakistan to victory

Opener Ahmed Shehzad struck his second one-day international hundred to anchor Pakistan to a confident seven-wicket victory over West Indies on Monday.

Shehzad hit seven fours and one six in his 102 from 148 balls as Pakistan successfully chased 221 for victory in the second ODI at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.

Umar Akmal carried the visitors over the threshold with 12 balls remaining when he lofted a delivery from Dwayne Bravo to long-off for the final boundary of the match.

The result means that Pakistan take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after winning the first game by eight wickets on Saturday at the same ground.

Pakistan have now won their last seven ODIs against West Indies, a sequence spread over the last four years.

"We made a plan at our team meeting and our guys stuck to it and that was good," said Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi.

"Shehzad is a very talented guy and he showed that he is capable of performing. He took his time, but chasing a small total, he could afford to do that and we won the game."

"I think our bowlers are doing a great job, and the fielding has improved because it is a very important area for us. Our batting has shown responsibility and we hope to maintain this discipline right throughout the series."

The visitors' spin bowling trio of Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Afridi had dominated on another docile pitch.

After Pakistan chose to field, West Indies were dismissed for 220 in their 50 overs - one less than the total they made in the first ODI.

Ajmal, Hafeez and Afridi shared six wickets for 102 runs in 30 overs between them, and only West Indies opener Lendl Simmons looked close to getting on top of them, leading the way with 51 from 48 balls, which included four fours and two sixes.

"We didn't make use of the key moments in the match," said West Indies captain Darren Sammy.

"We could have tried to squeeze their batsmen more and when we batted we got a good start, but did not capitalise on it."

"The spinners continue to bog us down, and we could have got a lot more on the board. It seems that whatever approach we have taken, we seem only able to get the same kind of total on the board. We have a lot more work to do."

Shehzad shared three successive half-century partnerships with Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq and Misbah-ul-Haq that put Pakistan firmly on course for their victory.

He glanced a delivery in the 44th over from Dwayne Bravo to deep fine leg for a single to reach his milestone from 143 balls.

"We tried to keep wickets in hand. It was not a huge total so I knew that I had to control my stroke-play and not get carried away," said Shehzad.

He was fortunate on 30 when he came close to being run out after pulling a delivery from Bravo to mid-wicket and Hafeez turned down the chance of going for a single. Sammy fired his throw from mid-wicket wide of the stumps and the opener was able to regain his ground.

By the time he became the second wicket for leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo in the 46th over, Pakistan required just 30 from the final 28 deliveries which came with little trouble.

The third and fourth matches of the series will be played on Thursday and Monday at Kensington Oval in Barbados, with the final game coming three days later at the Guyana National Stadium. Source

Friday, April 22, 2011

Malinga quits Test cricket, puts SLC in a fix

Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga cut short his Test career on Friday, leaving himself open to criticism on whether he would have taken the decision had he not been playing the IPL. Under pressure from the Sri Lanka selectors over putting IPL over the country, the 27-year-old fast bowler from Ga lle, hastily announced his retirement from Test cricket citing injury problems. Even though he is injury-prone, there is a strong view that the Mumbai Indians player has fallen to the lure of the IPL.

In a statement, Malinga said his decision is because of a "degenerative knee injury". "In January of this year, I wrote a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and released a statement to the media confirming that I planned to reassess my Test future after the World Cup. After the tournament, I decided that I needed to make myself unavailable for Test cricket in an effort to prolong my career as a national cricketer for Sri Lanka," said Malinga.

"Although I am sufficiently fit to play both ODI and T20 cricket, I have a long-standing degenerative condition in my right knee that needs to be carefully managed. I have realised that the heavy workload of Test cricket, which requires a fast bowler to be able to bowl more than 15 overs, sometimes on consecutive days, could lead to permanent injury. The condition relates directly to the chronic knee injury I sustained playing for Sri Lanka in Australia in February 2008.

He, however, expressed a desire to play the 2015 World Cup. "I have carefully considered my options and have decided that not playing Test cricket will help me achieve my goal of representing Sri Lanka in the 2012 World Twenty20 and the 2015 World Cup."

The BCCI isn't too happy with the timing as well as it puts it in a spot too, coming hours after the understanding with the Sri Lankan board.

The SLC had asked Malinga to return from the IPL for rehabilitation after he made himself unavailable for the Test series in England citing a knee problem.

The BCCI's priority is clear — IPL is at the top. It is at least bigger than the West Indies series or else the top players could have been rested for it.

It seems as if playing for the country is no longer the best option for some players. Source

'Captain Fantastic' Dhoni more influential than Obama: 'Time'

Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who inspired the country to its first World Cup title in 28 years, found himself ranked above global football icon Lionel Messi and US President Barack Obama in the 'Time' magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world for the year 2010.

Dhoni, ranked 52nd in the chart, was the only Indian sportsperson to make the list which also included four of his compatriots in "Titan of Industry" category Mukesh Ambani (61), "Brain Mapper" V S Ramachandran (79), "Philanthropist" Azim Premji (88) and "Change Agent" Aruna Roy (89).

Dhoni found himself way above Messi who was just below Obama at the 87th spot in a list topped by Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who became the "Spokesman for a Revolution" in Egypt.

The 29-year-old Dhoni, who has 2,925 runs in 54 Tests and 6,049 runs in 186 one-dayers, is the most successful Indian cricket captain, under whom the team also won the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in 2007.

The magazine described Dhoni as "captain fantastic".

"Dhoni is now universally acknowledged as India's best captain ever. He's also its most likable, exuding both cool confidence and down-to-earth humility.

"As astonishing as Dhoni's talent is his background. Indian success stories are usually associated with pedigree, connections and power. Dhoni, from a small-town family of modest means, had none of these, but he's shown India that you can make it with only one thing: excellence," read the accompanying profile penned by author Chetan Bhagat. Source

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Pawar asks ICC board to revisit decision on WC 2015

The ICC Executive Board will be requested to reconsider the composition of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 during the ICC Annual Conference in Hong Kong at the end of June 2011.

At the recent ICC Executive Board meeting in Mumbai on 4 April 2011, the Board decided to allow only the 10 Full Members to participate in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015. The Board had also confirmed its previous decision made in October 2010 that the next two World Cups (in 2015 and 2019) would comprise 10 teams.

These decisions were part of a strategic restructure of ICC events and the context and content for international cricket. As part of the restructure, a Test play-off for the top four teams was introduced and the ICC World Twenty20 was expanded to 16 teams.

The Board had also agreed in Mumbai that the 10 teams for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England would be determined on the basis of qualification.

However, after receiving representations from the Associate and Affiliate Members of the ICC, the ICC President Mr Sharad Pawar has decided to request the ICC Executive Board to revisit the issue in Hong Kong in June.

Pawar said: "I have given this matter further serious thought and will request the Board to consider this topic once more. I can understand the views of the Associates and Affiliates and ICC will seek to deal with this issue in the best way possible." Source

Ex-PCB CEO rubbishes reward to vanquished Pak WC team

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Executive Officer Colonel (retired) Rafi Nasim has expressed surprise over the Pakistan team receiving a hero's welcome for losing the 2011 World Cup semi-finals to India.

"The World Cup 2011, having ended two weeks ago with India clinching the coveted trophy, the people's interest in the outcome of the mega event is still alive. The reason seems to be a long spree of showering praise on our team for 'losing the semi-finals'," Colonel Nasim writes in the Daily Times.

"Awarding bags full of money by the Prime Minister [Yousuf Raza Gilani], the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Sindh [Shahbaz Sharif and Syed Qaim Ali Shah respectively] and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) totalling around Rs.2.5 million per player appears unjustified for the position they achieved," he added.

The former PCB official said Pakistan need to take a lesson from the Sri Lankan team, which lost to India in the World Cup final on April 2 in Mumbai.

"It shows a stark difference from Sri Lanka where the captain, vice captain and the selection committee resigned after losing the finals. Also compare it with the illustrious squad led by Imran Khan who brought the World Cup-92 to Pakistan," noted Colonel Nasim.

He pointed out that Imran's World Cup winning team did not receive even a fraction of the amount given to the present Pakistan team as reward, since the PCB "was not as rich as it is now and the government circles were not as enthusiastic."

"The glorious 1992 victory achieved under Imran's valiant and highly commendable leadership left an everlasting mark on the minds of cricket lovers. The team deserved much bigger honours and awards than the present 'quarterfinal winning team'," Colonel Nasim said.

"To revive the glory of the World Cup 92's great triumph and to honour the warriors I suggest that Imran's victorious team should be invited in a grand function and each player given a monetary reward of a similar sum of Rs 2.5 million. With the PCB's budget running into billions now the amount will be like a drop in the ocean but the act will be celebrated by the nation," he added. Source

Afridi names Akram, Moin, Inzamam as his top three captains, Woolmer as best coach

Pakistan's limited-overs skipper Shahid Afridi has named Wasim Akram, Moin Khan and Inzamamul Haq as his top three captains and the late Bob Woolmer as the "best coach" he ever had.

"I enjoyed my cricket a lot under the captaincy of Wasim bhai. And my performance was good too. Moin bhai was also a tough cricketer and a fighting captain. Inzi bhai was good too. So these would be my top-three, the three captains under whom I enjoyed my cricket a lot", PakPassion.net quoted Afridi, as saying.

When it came to naming the coach who inspired him the most, Afridi could not look past the late Bob Woolmer, the most highly regarded cricket coach in the world.

Describing the Englishman as the "best coach" he ever had, Afridi was full of praise for Woolmer's ability to motivate the players and boost their confidence level.

"Bob Woolmer has to be the best coach. His coaching style was great, so when a player wasn't performing, Bob Woolmer would sit with the player, chat with him informally, all this to ensure one's spirits didn't fall and the player wouldn't get demoralized. That was a great quality in him, as players do need that," said Afridi.

He went on to declare the period under Woolmer's supervision as the highlight of his career.

Commenting on his own performance as Pakistan captain, Afridi said: "Since becoming captain, there have been two or three tours where I personally took on added responsibility and played well, and those were the tours I enjoyed most."

However, Afridi has also battled through many blows, which have hit his career over the years.

In Afridi's words, the worst lows are "when groups and cliques stand up against you and are trying to remove you! Leading the Pakistan team is very difficult." Source

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

England offer new contract to Flower to keep him away from India

London, Apr 19 (ANI): The England and Wales Cricket Board has offered a new three-year contract to Andy Flower in order to prevent their highly rated coach from moving to India.

Sources in India have indicated that Flower is on a shortlist to replace coach Gary Kirsten, who left after the World Cup final.

India is likely to appoint an interim coach before making a long-term appointment. They will tour England later this summer and the ECB will want to clear up Flower's future before then, The Telegraph reports.

Flower is due to meet Hugh Morris, the managing director of the England team, at the end of the month to discuss his long-term future and the direction of the England set-up.

It is thought that Flower is on a rolling staff contract, which offers the same protection rights as any other full-time employee.

The ECB will not want to take any chances after being heavily criticised for not doing enough to retain Troy Cooley, the bowling coach, before he opted to take up an identical position with the Australian team.

Duncan Fletcher is also on the BCCI's list following a recommendation by Kirsten, but Flower is the No 1 choice. Source

Thursday, April 14, 2011

India to play cricket with Pakistan

In a fresh friendly gesture to Pakistan, India has decided to resume the bilateral cricket series which was put on hold in retaliation against the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai.

The decision was announced by foreign minister S M Krishna here on Wednesday, strengthening the growing estimate, including in the country's security establishment, that Pakistan may have been fully reprieved over 26/11.

The announcement came just after the disclosure that Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani expatriate who along with David Coleman Headley did the recce for the mass slaughter in Mumbai, had told a US court that he was acting at the instance of the Pakistani government and ISI.

Krishna said India would take up Rana's statements with Islamabad.

No window before March 2012

There's no way India can play Pakistan before March next year when the Pakistan team is anyway scheduled to visit India. Immediately after IPL ends on May 28, Team India flies to the West Indies for 5 ODIs, 3 Tests and a T20 match. It then flies straight to England (4 Tests, 5 ODIs and one T20). That tour ends on September 16; the Champions League begins some 10 days later. From October to December, India will host England and West Indies. A few days later, it leaves for Australia for a two-and-a-half month tour. Source

BJP criticises Indo-Pak cricket series, seeks action on 26/11

S. M. Krishna's assertion about reviving cricket ties with Pakistan has sparked a slanging match between the BJP and the Congress, coming as it does in the wake of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana's revelations about the ISI's role in the terror attack.

The external affairs minister on Wednesday triggered the political 'power play' between the ruling party and the Opposition when he indicated the government's in-principle approval for a bilateral cricket series with Pakistan.

"Peace talks will go on, cricket matches will go on and simultaneously, our relentless efforts will continue to bring to justice all those responsible for the heinous crime against India in Mumbai. These are two different aspects," Krishna said.

When pressed further on the point that the government had earlier said a dialogue with Pakistan would not proceed till it takes credible action against the 26/11 plotters, he said: "I have said both these things will have to go on… have a look at the Sharm-el-Sheikh declaration." The India-Pakistan joint statement of Sharm-el-Sheikh on July 16, 2009 said action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process - a stand for which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got a lot of flak in the country.

The government's keenness to push for normalisation of relations - despite Rana's revelations that the Pakistani government and the ISI masterminded the Mumbai attack - has the BJP up in arms.

Slamming Krishna for his "ill-timed and unfortunate" statement, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar said: "This is a chance to establish the role of the Pakistani establishment in planning and executing the terror strike in Mumbai at an international level. Instead of doing that, our foreign minister is busy promoting peace talks and cricket matches." He said the party was not against people-to-people contact or resuming cricketing ties, but this was not the time for it.

"This is the time to make Pakistan accountable for ISI's role in the 26/11 attack. The foreign minister should have seized the opportunity to expose the direct role of the Pakistan government on the global platform. But the government seems to have different priorities," Javdekar said.

The Congress was ready with its counter-attack. Party spokesperson Manish Tewari said: "I will not react to the foreign minister's statement. I have neither seen it nor heard it. But I am surprised at the BJP's response. What were (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee and (Pervez) Musharraf doing after the Parliament attack? What was the BJP government doing after the Kargil war? Look at you own track record before you criticise others." It was at the then PM Vajpayee's initiative that the Indian cricket team visited Pakistan in March 2004 after five long years.

Javdekar was, however, quick to respond. "When the Congress talks of the BJP's initiatives, they should remember that while we initiated peace talks, it was Vajpayee ji who extracted, through the January 2004 joint statement, the commitment from Pakistan for the first time that its territory will not be used to promote terrorism against India. What has this government achieved vis-a-vis Pakistan? And why are they in such a hurry to normalise diplomatic ties?" he asked.

While the two parties are likely to continue bickering, sources said the government is desperate to build on the bonhomie generated by the PM's cricket diplomacy in Mohali and will probably slip in a short cricket tour by the Indian team to Pakistan. An announcement in this regard could be made at a "suitable platform" soon.

A government source said the possibility of such a tour is being explored in consultation with the BCCI and may be announced at the foreign minister-level talks later this year. Plans are also afoot to hold a bilateral cricket series in India later, maybe in March 2012.

"Like it or not, but we have to move forward on ties with Pakistan," a source said.

On Rana's revelations, the government said they boost India's case internationally.

"We are in the process of chargesheeting David Headley. In due course, chargesheet on Rana will follow," home secretary G. K. Pillai said. Source

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

IPL will have no adverse impact on players: Azhar

Former captain of the Indian cricket team captain, Mohammad Azharuddin on Tuesday said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 4 soon after the Cricket World Cup 2011 will have no adverse impact on the national cricket side.

Azhar, who was in Kanpur to attend a private function said, “Now cricket has become a full time job and cricketers are expected to perform their best throughout the year.” He said that the start of IPL season 4 barely six days after the Cricket World Cup is a healthy sign for the game and the players have a golden opportunity to perform even during the off season.

“The best way to remain in good form is by playing as many matches as possible, therefore, IPL matches will benefit our players. IPL has also given a platform to the promising Indian youngsters to play with international stars,” he explained.

Regarding the hectic schedule, he said, “If the players feel tired, they have the freedom from BCCI to take rest from IPL and international matches.” Source