Actions speak louder than words

 

Former Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawson has finally been named as Pakistan cricket coach. Lawson who has played 46 Test matches and 79 ODIs for Australia is the eighth coach since 1999 of the national side while before him two foreigners -- Richard Pybus and Bob Woolmer -- have coached the Pakistan team.
As expected, mixed reactions followed the announcement, therefore we need to look at every possible aspect of the appointment. After the World Cup debacle, the job was advertised with challenging credentials, therefore among the short listed candidates, Dav Whatmore would have been chosen as he coached Sri Lanka to World Cup victory in 1996 and steered Bangladesh to the Super Eights stage of the World Cup this year, but he was snubbed, and Lawson with no international exposure, having only coached a state side in Australia was chosen.
Why was the decision not taken on merit as claimed while advertising the job? The World knows that Whatmore knows sub continental teams better than Lawson or the other short listed fellow, Richard Done.
Two possible reasons were reported, one -- former Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga had a word with Talat Ali which led to the decision of overlooking Whatmore. Since the Chairman PCB has negated this report, therefore, the other reported reason should be considered as valid that some senior players were of the view that Lawson would be a better choice, hence he was selected. If the PCB was to end up listening to the players then why did they advertise the job in the first place and waited for so long? Players could have been consulted earlier as well, but it's better late than never.
After going through the record of Geoff Lawson, it is quite obvious that his skill lies in fast bowling hence he would be beneficial for the fast bowlers only. Pakistan have had wonderful pace bowlers over the years and this is a reality that we lost most of the matches because of our batting not bowling, therefore, it goes without saying that a batting coach should have been preferred.
I know, the PCB Chief has said that a batting coach would also be hired. The PCB has money to burn I believe, otherwise these heavy investments would not have been planned (Lawson to get 80,000 pounds per year along with other perks). If a bowling coach has to be hired then why Waqar Younis was shown the door in the past.
In January this year, Waqar reportedly resigned in protest at only being asked on the South Africa tour for the Tests and not ODIs. This was the kind of respect a local and able coach got from the cricket management while on the other hand the services offer to foreigners is there to be seen. The statement from the board claimed that "The management feels that Waqar had very little contribution in the past as far as the shorter version of the game is concerned", well one can only laugh at this because Waqar served as the bowling coach from March 2006 to January 2007, and after going through the record it is quite evident that our fast bowlers were pretty disciplined as compared to the pre-Waqar era.
During the period under Waqar, Pakistan played 18 ODIs in total out of which two matches were rained out. In the remaining 16 matches our bowlers delivered only 44 no-balls (2.75 no-balls per match). This performance clearly shows their discipline and of course the dedication of the bowling coach. Therefore the claim of the PCB management regarding Waqar's performance was simply baseless.
I am personally not at all in favour of a heavy duty coach at the top level because if one has flaws after even qualifying for a national side then it would be very hard to get rid of them. What a coach can do with people having played over one hundred matches yet faulty in their techniques?
I have written it earlier and would like to reiterate that just before the final stage of representing the national squad a penultimate phase should be introduced for which young players should be selected and get trained under qualified coaches. For this stage I believe, qualified (foreign or local) coaches should be hired. Also, by doing so, we will always have a backup of injured or out-of-form players.
What went wrong in the recent World Cup? We actually had lost half the battle before even playing our first match, because Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Asif, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi were not available and we did not have quality players to back them up. Now Inzamam is about to go, who will replace him? This is a big question and no one can answer it, because simply we do not have a replacement for the great Inzi, thanks to our set-up. Coach, no coach, local coach or foreign coach, no one can alone turn the tables.
In the end, I would like to touch upon the issue of preferring foreign coaches over local. Two schools of thought are there, and one says foreigners are good managers. First of all we are looking for a coach not a manager and how can a person manage a bunch where the majority cannot even communicate with him due to the language barrier.
Recently, after Bob Woolmer's death, Talat Ali has been managing the team, and despite being not a foreigner, he did a relatively good job. Yes, a controversy reported on the issue of naming Salman Butt as vice-captain, but it was amicably managed. The second school of thought believes that a local fellow will politicise matters among team mates.
My question to them is that in which department of Pakistan, politics is not played? Therefore it's an endless debate. We should stick to the basics and strive for the betterment of the cricket structure in the country which will surely lead to a better combination at the top and subsequently a better and consistence performance.

SA vice-captaincy for Prince and Kemp

 KARACHI: South Africa on Monday appointed Ashwell Prince as their Test vice-captain for the rest of the season and opted for Justin Kemp to do the job in the one-dayers for this month’s series in Pakistan.
The Protease were left without a vice-captain after all-rounder Jaques Kallis resigned from the job following his axing from the squad for last month’s World Twenty20 in South Africa.
“He (Prince) has been appointed as the vice-captain for this tour and the rest of the season’s Test matches until March-April,” South Africa’s team spokesman Owen Smith told reporters. “Justin Kemp has been named vice-captain for the one-day series in Pakistan only.”
Kallis returned to the Test line-up with the opening Test of the current series against Pakistan by hitting an unbeaten century but has no plans to take up the vice-captaincy. The South Africans have opted for the 28-year-old Prince to take over as Graeme Smith’s deputy in Tests. Prince has played 29 Tests, scoring 1800 runs. He also has 1018 runs from 52 One-day Internationals.
Kemp, who celebrates his 30th birthday today, will take over as vice-captain in the one-dayers. The all-rounder from Queens Town has played 82 ODI, scoring 1461 runs and taking 32 wickets.

Amla rues missing ton but happy with fine start

 KARACHI: South Africa batsman Hashim Amla on Monday rued an opportunity to score his second Test hundred but was also happy that he and other team’s batsmen have given the tourists a solid start in the opening Test against Pakistan.
“We did well today and I’m confident we will capitalize on it tomorrow and score more than 500 runs which would be excellent on a track which I believe will deteriorate and will be difficult to bat on during the final two days,” said the 24-year-old batsman, who scored 71 and shared a big 170-run stand for the third wicket with century-maker Jaques Kallis on the opening day of the Karachi Test.
Amla, the only Indian-origin cricketer to play Tests for South Africa, enjoyed the batting-friendly conditions in spite of the hot weather. “The conditions were favourable for batting. It was certainly hot but thankfully there was a breeze that made things a bit better.”
Amla said South Africa were lucky that skipper Graeme Smith won the toss and the batsmen managed to put some runs on the board. He said that there is some turn in the wicket for the spinners but predicted that it would assist the slow bowlers a lot more on day four and five.
In spite of the fact that the National Stadium track has nothing for the fast bowlers, the Durban-born Amla was surprised over Pakistan’s decision to go into the opening Test with four spinners and just two pacers.
“It was quite unusual to face two pacers and four spinners,” he said.
Amla, who has scored 616 runs from 13 Tests at an average of 25.66, praised Kallis for his aggressive knock of 118 not out. “Kallis took the attack to the bowlers and by scoring at a fast pace he took pressure off the team.”

Cairns to play in Indian Cricket League

 WELLINGTON: Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns is coming out of retirement to play in the breakaway Indian Cricket League, he said Tuesday.
Cairns, 37, who retired from international cricket last year, told Christchurch newspaper he had accepted a “lucrative'' offer to play in the inaugural Twenty20 competition, due to start in November.
“It's a lucrative deal,'' Cairns said. “It's something, which has brought me out of retirement and to do that it has to be worth it. “The competition is also a chance to have one last go playing in front of heaps of people.''
Cairns joins former New Zealand internationals Chris Harris, Nathan Astle and Hamish Marshall in the competition, which is due to run for about five weeks beginning Nov. 17.

The Big Fight and Uproar

There is a big tug-of- war between the BCCI and ICL these days. The formation of the ICL is really a shock to the monopoly of the BCCI in India; which has been the greatest dictator in the Indian cricket. ICL is not going down so well with the BCCI. Though BCCI is a completely private body (technically), still it has been using our national flag and the term “Team India”: OK!! It has been representating Indian cricket for so many decades, but it does not mean that it is going to ban the cricketers who are going to play cricket for any other body. Being the richest board in the world it has been doing nothing for the development of the cricket in the grass root level, which is substantial. One can be sure that Indian cricket is standing exactly where it was before 25 years. By being hunted about the fear of exposure the board is not setting its own website. The board is getting 1395 million dollars in a year out of media rights and Ads but from that amount even 25% has not been spent on the developmental activities of Indian cricket. It has not been giving any extra amount of its own profit to the players. On the other hand it is imposing the gag order over the players. It does not give permission or recognition to players association. Even it is not accountable to the government of India. Now it is attracting the ICL contracted players by giving a pay hike and also applying different tactics such as: offering the captaincy of their state side. BCCI is also planning a counter league with the help of CRICKET AUSTRALIA. BCCI has already sacked the world cup-winning captain of India from the post of chairman of NCA, and even planning to put Sunil Gavaskar against him as the executive board of professional cricket league. This is all about dirty and murky politics going all over.

On the other side of this story ICL has filed a petition against the BCCI in the Delhi high court, in which the first round has been already won by ICL. In this war between the two bodies of cricket the players are going to be benefited; because they will have some choice and also they will be forming a strong players association once again. Kerry packer of AUS, Stanford of West Indies and Subash Chandra of India are the three different individuals who have different intentions also. One thing for sure that the cricket is a business for both BCCI and ICL, but they are pretending that they are developing cricket in the country. In this war of power and money, we should not forget that cricket is going to suffer a lot. Let us hope that cricket is not going to be compromised for the sake of money in the coming days.

Recently Lalu Jadav has been arguing for ICL and always telling that why BCC and its board officials are so worried about the ICL. Having said that he has also suggested that BCCI should take it as a challenge. But ironically enough Lalu’s own son has not joined the ICL. But Lalu was very recently offering railway grounds to the ICL.

Despite its tall talk, BCCI has not cared so much to nurture talent. It is only giving importance to those players who are in the limelight. Except those players there are so many budding talents in the remote areas in the country. But our five wise men have no time to go there and point out those talents. In India politicians run almost every state association who has no basic knowledge about cricket. Popular voice says that the ICL is the best thing happened to Indian cricket. It will induct a kind of competitive and sportive medicine in the mindset of the BCCI. The spirit of outshining each other will be very much there. Now each and every move of the BCCI will be under the scanner. We hope that some good will happen to cricket at last.

Williams advances in Korea

SEOUL: Top-seeded Venus Williams cruised into the second round of the Korea Open here on Tuesday, defeating American qualifier Abigail Spears 6-2, 6-3.In spite of warm conditions at Seoul’s Olympic Park tennis arena, the Wimbledon champion barely broke a sweat as she used her powerful serve to dominate the match.Spears, whose right arm was heavily strapped, failed to win a single point from Williams’s first serve in the opening set.In the second set, Williams broke again in the opening game and held off a late rally from Spears to complete a comfortable win.“In a competition where there are few Americans, I don’t know why I played against one in the first game,” Williams said. “I was happy with my serve as it got me through some difficult moments at break points,” she added.In other first-round matches, defending champion No 5 Eleni Daniilidou of Greece won a hard-fought match against Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-4, 6-4; Martina Muller of Germany beat local hope Han Sung-hee 6-1, 6-0; Ahsha Rolle of the United States made short work of Anne Keothavong of Britain 6-1, 6-1 and Mathilde Johansson of France defeated Junri Namigata of Japan 7-5, 6-2.Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn rallied from a set down to eliminate Australia’s Casey Dellacqua 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, China’s Yuan Meng defeated New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic 6-4, 6-4 and Colombian Catalina Castano beat Hseih Su-wei of Taiwan, 6-3, 6-2.Another local favourite was eliminated as Agnes Szavay of Hungary defeated South Korea’s Lee Ye-Ra 6-2, 6-3.Williams, who won her sixth Grand Slam at Wimbledon this year, returned to the top 10 in the WTA world rankings the first time since April 2006 after reaching the US Open semifinals.

Geoff Lawson stoic over final dismissal

JOHANNESBURG: Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson defended batsman Misbah-ul-Haq after they lost the World Twenty20 final to India here on Monday.With Pakistan needing six from four balls to win the game, an unorthodox shot saw Misbah caught at fine leg as he stepped across to the off-side.“He’s played it well in this tournament and with a little more bat on it, it would have gone for four,” Lawson said. “I could see him playing it because fine leg was up, a yorker was coming so the shot was pretty much on the cards,” he explained.He added: “Having already had a tie with India, it was always going to be close. With five overs to go we were almost out of the game, but with four balls to go, we were well and truly back in it. But if Misbah had hit the last ball a little finer, we’d have needed two off three balls to win the whole tournament — that’s how close it was”.“He’s been terrific — he’s 33, he’s been the top scorer in Pakistan domestic cricket for five years in a row and he’s been great in domestic Twenty20. He’s got a terrific cricket brain and I think you’ll see him around in Pakistan cricket for years to come,” Lawson added.Lawson also saluted his side’s spirit after they bounced back from a disappointing World Cup campaign to come close to winning the tournament.“Results apart, I’ve been really happy with the consistency our guys have shown. They’ve shown fight when they’ve been under pressure, and today was no exception,” he added.“If they had a bowler of the tournament award, I think Umar Gul would have won that, as he’s been outstanding. Mohammad Asif was great, we found Sohail Tanvir from somewhere to come out as a replacement, so there have been so many positives to come out of the tournament,” he remarked.“But I’m a little bit tired of reading how disjointed and unharmonious the Pakistan team is, as people just don’t know what goes on in that dressing-room. They’re a terrific bunch of guys, and we’ve got all the ingredients to be a good side,” he added.

Pakistan need quick switch from T20 to Test mode

KARACHI: Pakistani cricketers will get less than a week to switch to the Test mode after several weeks of non-stop twenty20 games as the opening Test against South Africa gets underway here at the National Stadium from next Monday.Skipper Shoaib Malik is urging his players to make the switch as soon as possible in a bid to give a solid showing in the two-match Test series against one of the world’s best teams.The South Africans, too, will find it hard to get in the Test mode but for them the harder task would be to adapt to the hot conditions here. They arrive here this morning (Wednesday) and after a single practice session, they would get down to work right away with a three-day warm-up game against a Patron’s XI here at the NBP Sports Complex from tomorrow (Thursday).Led by Graeme Smith, the South Africans will also be playing five one-dayers in Pakistan during the tour that concludes with the final ODI in Karachi on October 29.Most of the players in the South Africa squad have the experience of playing in Pakistan but even then it would take some extra effort from them to give their best in what would be really demanding conditions.For Pakistan, however, weather is not a cause of concern. They trained for the World Twenty20 in extreme conditions in Karachi and Lahore during a big part of the summer.For them, the biggest worry is whether their players would be able to shrug off the T20 mode in time to make a winning start to the Test series.Team coach Geoff Lawson has admitted that it would be a tough task but is confident that his players will give their best in the impending home series.Pakistan are yet to announce their Test squad but are expected to name their 15 men during the three-day match to be played from September 27-29.South African Test squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn.Tour schedule: Sept 27-29 Three-day game (SA v Patron’s XI) at NBP Sports Complex Karachi. Oct 1-5 First Test at Karachi. Oct 8-12 Second Test at Lahore. Oct 16 Limited overs warm-up at Lahore. Oct 18 First ODI at Lahore. Oct 20 Second ODI at Lahore. Oct 23 Third ODI at Faisalabad. Oct 26 Fourth ODI at Multan. Oct 29 Fifth ODI at Karachi

Player of the year award for Gibson

another county championship triumph, to claim the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) award. Gibson took 80 wickets for Durham as they finished runners-up to Sussex, including all 10 in an innings against Hampshire.He also helped the county to two one-day titles — the Friends Provident Trophy and NatWest Pro40 (Sunday league) Division Two — and has been rewarded with a request to fill in as England’s fast-bowling consultant for the one-day tour of Sri Lanka which begins this week, with Allan Donald unavailable.Yorkshire’s teenage leg-spinning all-rounder Adil Rashid was named the PCA’s young player of the year, adding to the Cricket Writers’ award he picked up earlier this month.

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Maria Toor plays in Alexandria Open Squash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ISLAMABAD: The country’s top squash girl Maria Toor Pakay becomes the first Pakistan born lady to get a chance of playing in the international WISPA Circuit outside Asia when she was placed in the qualifying round of the Alexandria Open, starting in Egypt with the qualifying round from August 17.
“There is a good news for Pakistan women squash as leading player Maria have been placed in the qualifying round of the Alexandria Open starting in Egypt from August 17,” Wing Cdr Shamsul Haq, secretary Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), told ‘The News’ here Saturday.
He said Maria is leaving in a couple of days time to figure in the qualifying round of the event.
“It would be a good opportunity for Maria to show her progress and, if she succeeds in making into the main round, it would be a big boost for her ahead of the $10,000 WISPA event to be held in Wah from August 22,” he said.
Maria has been placed in the main round of the Wah event and she would not play her match until the August 24.
“She will be back in time to play her match in the Pakistan leg of the WISPA event,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rachael Grinham has been seeded No 1 in the $20,000 Alexandria Open to be played at Alexandria Sporting Club in Egypt.

Mohammad Asif: Pakistan’s anti-pace young pace star

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mohammad Asif: Pakistan’s anti-pace young pace star
KARACHI: A thin line separates supreme self-belief from tasteless arrogance. Sport blurs it evermore and it is readily transgressed. Almost the entire Australian team has taken up residence near this line, making regular sorties on either side. In years gone, the West Indians were original tenants. Success only makes the line less important, but it remains.
Mohammad Asif is a new resident. Five or six years is all he will give to cricket, he starts. At Port Elizabeth early this year, Barry Richards watched Asif run up for another spell and coolly predicted, “This, folks, is a 400-Test wickets man right here.”
The shortest amount of time it took any of the 10 bowlers who have reached 400 wickets to do so is about nine years. “So what’s the problem? At my current rate I can do it in that time.”
It is no new skin. A school friend was once promised, while watching Pakistan play at Sydney on TV that he, Asif, would play at the ground for Pakistan. He went one better and debuted there.
In only his fourth first-class game in 2001, he bowled alongside Shoaib Akhtar, and though awestruck enough to not ask for tips, he wasn’t intimidated. “I was bowling and had a longer run-up then. Our over-rate was slow, so Shoaib bhai says, “Hurry up, bowl quickly.”
I worried and bowled one over quickly, but he said that’s still too slow, get quicker. He was coming from such a long run-up, he thought he could save time by getting me to cut my run. Eventually I said, “Shoaib bhai, bowl yourself. I can’t do this.’”
Then there is the recent, more celebrated, encounter with the late Bob Woolmer. It goes like this. Asif makes a tight, wicketless Test debut, until Adam Gilchrist appears. Asif is dropped for the ODIs. Fatherly Woolmer tells new charge not to get dispirited. Work hard, keep the chin up. Young charge responds, “Bob, this is my place. Nobody can take it. I am going away for a bit, but I will be back soon to reclaim what is mine.” Then adds that he was picked for the wrong Test: “Had they picked me for Perth, I would’ve done something.”
He is not the freakshow that is Andre Nel, nor the shrinking violet that is Irfan Pathan. He chats up batsmen like a helpless flirt. “I ask what type of shot is that, to drive — just engage them in normal conversation.” He grins and says it works well.
You decide, then, what side of the line he is on. Take into account what Woolmer said once: “He is humble and confident; very determined, hates to lose, and backs himself.” Certainly he has in himself, in his abilities, absolutely no doubt. Take into account, too, that he is young, and youth gets leeway. But, most of all, consider that nobody who has seen him doubts that he is the most promising pace bowler in the world today. If everyone knows it, why wouldn’t he?
The craft has decreed that Asif is the antichrist of pace, the anti-pace superstar. Since 1976 Pakistan has obsessed over pace. When boys hit puberty, they grow whiskers and pimples, the balls drop, so too the voice, and they extend run-ups, add a leap, a glare, and a yard or three of pace. They want to break stumps, hit heads, shatter toes, crack bones, and knock the wind out of you. Even those without genuine pace strut around pretending otherwise. Of each new speedster, the first question asked is of his pace.
Always there is a rural legend, some villager who can’t count the steps in his run-up, doesn’t have shoes, doesn’t know what a cricket ball looks like, but scares the bejesus out of batsmen.
This to Asif is death a million times over. It boils his blood, makes his skin crawl. An innocent question — about whether his optimum speed fell after injury — induces this magnificent rant: “See, you are asking that question. Pace is nothing. All I’m concerned about is how batsmen get out. I don’t want to scare or hit him. Who gets out by being hit on the head? I want him out, I don’t care how it happens. Legbreak, offbreak, fast, slow ball, I don’t care.
People say my pace is slow and are not happy. People are not happy with God either, so why listen to them? People have this thinking, that we need pace. Basically this is my opinion: our batsmen are scared of pace. Older players were scared of fast bowlers, so they think only they can get wickets.”
He argues, correctly, that Wasim Akram wasn’t about pace, but maybe not so correctly that Waqar Younis of the late nineties (era rather than mph) was better than the rapid, afro-ed original. Unsurprisingly those upright beanpoles Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock, and Richard Hadlee are used to prop up the case against pace.
Details matter. He plans spells a day in advance, strategies even before. He is already preparing for tasty challenges against South Africa, India and Australia. He has decided he knows their batsmen, what they do in situations, how they react. The game has to be upped.
He has odd takes on batting. Rahul Dravid is good to bowl at, “because you can settle into a rhythm against him”. Virender Sehwag is too unpredictable, yet Kevin Pietersen, who Asif so memorably mastered, is ideal because “he rushes, attacks too much too soon. It becomes easier for me.”
For Asif, born near Sheikhupura in Machipur, cricket happened on the Sheikhupura roads near the school with a tape ball, and the famed Gymkhana Club was where he began learning the craft, under the tutelage of first-class cricketer and hearty leggie “Cuptaan” [Mohammad] Haroon.
The club was, he remembers, intensely competitive, brimming with age-group- and full internationals: among the likes of Aaqib Javed, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, and Kashif Raza, Asif “got competitive” and tried to break through.
“The competition was such that in big games big players sat out. When we had a chance, we bowled our hearts out because we wouldn’t get another easily.”
Here emerged the base of the easy, loose, non-strenuous, eminently repeatable action. It’s been touched since, but lightly. He points out that since his success, talk of the front arm falling and some such has been absent. The stamina he remembers always having, energy forever conserved in spells.
Colombo’s overbearing humidity couldn’t prevent a 12-over mid-afternoon spell (“only I know how bad I felt after”). In South Africa 12 seemed the minimum spell, and in ODIs 10 on the trot happens often.
His first-class debut duly came in October 2000 against Peshawar, his fortune being that Sheikhupura was then a first-class team. Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) employed him the following season, where Mohammad Wasim and Ali Naqvi took him in. Prominence arrived with a six-wicket haul the next season, and thenceforth he grew. KRL reached the 2002-03 Quaid-e-Azam final with Asif’s 28 wickets. Victims and plaudits came readily, among them Rashid Latif early on, impressed with Asif’s accuracy and seam.
In 2004 he broke through big. Sheikhupura was no longer first-class, so he moved to Sialkot via Quetta. In the midst of a 28-wicket burst in five games in October and November that year, he was called for a fast bowling camp. Woolmer, overseeing, concluded: “He swung the ball a lot and bowled good players out. He looked comfortably the best.”
Mohammad Yousuf told Asif first of his selection for Australia. Could you believe it? “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
The story since is more familiar, though there are unheard tidbits. He maintains firmly his satisfaction with a flat debut: “I batted two hours on that pitch, so what chance did I have? Yet people said I was a Fokker.”
There was hard work at home thereafter, where, he insists, he didn’t change anything: “What change? Everything was fine. I took nearly 100 wickets in all matches. My comeback wasn’t magic, just hard “work.”
There is a blot, one that will require many years like the one past to wipe away. He won’t talk about the drugs that should have seen him out of the game for a while. He was distraught then, barely audible on the phone, and he’s still not quite so firm when saying “No questions”.
He mutters something about humility and how the fever of celebrity that once afflicted him is gone. An uneasy footnote it makes, though it reveals much about how he is viewed that he elicited much more sympathy than Shoaib did. He launches briskly into a soliloquy about the domestic game, before revealing that people doubted his talent early on. No pace, too skinny, what would he do? “People kept telling me from the start, I can’t be a cricketer, can’t be a bowler. The more people say this, the harder I try to prove them wrong.”
Did the experience dent him? Difficult to say, but few doubts hover over him now. Greatness, in fact, is expected. He has to prove everyone right, which may be harder than proving them all wrong

China wants to play Cricket World Cup by 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEIJING: These days when China says something everybody sits up and takes notice.
However, when China says it has big plans for cricket we are probably entitled to a little snigger. But those who mock China’s ambitions do so at their own peril. Some 1,000 baseball trainers have been identified as possible cricket coaches and China is serious about playing in the 2015 World Cup.
Cricket experts are likely to point out that China just doesn’t have enough cricketing tradition. But in reality, cricket is not new to China.
The first cricket match in China was held in 1858 when a team of British naval officers played a Shanghai XI. China is already an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Recently, a national cricket championship was held at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Now, the Chinese are stepping up their efforts to popularise the game. And they are going about it with typical, authoritarian determination.
Zhang Xioaning, director of the Multi-ball Games Administration Centre, has also said cricket “is perfectly suited to the Chinese people”. What he probably meant is that while cricket requires a quick eye, balance and timing, it doesn’t require being physically big.
If the Chinese take up cricket seriously, there is every chance that they would soon be able to compete with the best. Sports history proves that.
In the 1950s, China was behind India in the Asian Games medals tally. Look where China has reached today not only in the Asiad but also in the Olympics. Even in hockey, China beat India and Pakistan in the last Asian Games in spite of having begun playing the game fairly recently.
We should welcome China’s efforts to excel in cricket. After all, if China becomes a serious contender in cricket the game would become truly global. The potentially huge Chinese market would also transform the economics of cricket. If things go according to plan, the cricketing world might be in for a rude shock from the land of the dragon

Jai Prakash Yadav shows interest in ICL

  NEW DELHI: Jai Prakash Yadav, the Indian all-rounder, has expressed an interest in joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Yadav is currently in negotiations with ICL officials and if he does sign up, will become the first Indian player to do so.
“It is a good initiative and I am keen on joining it,” he said. “In fact, negotiations are on and it’s only a matter of days before I join them. I am glad it has happened. It will only help the players,” he added.
Yadav has played 12 One-day Internationals (ODIs) for India, with limited success.
He has been out of favour with the national selectors over the last two years and makes an ideal target for the ICL, who are keen to give recognition to players seeking a comeback to big-time cricket.
Yadav revealed that other Ranji players are contemplating joining the ICL, including a few of his Railways teammates. “I won’t name them now but there are about four to five others in our team who are keen on joining the ICL,” he explained.
Incidentally, Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Union Railway Minister, has indicated his support for the ICL, saying he would allow organisers to host matches in stadiums under Railways control.
But Abhay Sharma, the Railways assistant coach, maintained it was too early to draw conclusions on the future of the team. Railways were relegated to the Plate League (the second division) in the Ranji Trophy last season and face the risk of losing key players.
“There is a lot of difference between a statement and a decision,” said Sharma. “But having said that, I would also add that our minister would have thought of something before coming out with such a statement. He must have had something in mind,” he added.

Adoptability key to success in T20 Cup: Haroon

KARACHI: Adoptability and mental approach will be the keys to success in the inaugural Twenty20 Cricket World Cup to be held in South Africa in September, batting coach Haroon Rasheed said here on Tuesday.
“By moulding their game according to the situation, batsmen can prove more useful for the team in the shorter version of the game,” he said. Haroon strongly underlined the importance of all three areas of the game — batting, bowling and particularly fielding — in this exciting, innovative and spectacular Twenty20 format of the game. “Top fitness is very crucial in this brand of cricket,” he added.
In spite of Pakistan’s consistent batting failures, Haroon rated Pakistan as the front runner in the race for the title with hosts South Africa, Australia, England and the West Indies in the Twenty20 World Cup.
“We have got explosive batsmen like Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq. They all suite to this recently-launched brand of cricket,” he pointed.

Haroon also expressed the hope that with the contracts being awarded to players in domestic cricket by the PCB it will help and improve the current situation in the local setup.

Looking for talent, Pakistan turns to Britons squeezed out of English football

England: Sweat drips down the Three Lions badge on Suffean Mahmood’s England team shirt after a gruelling practice match. The 22-year-old fullback is about to be called up by his country. But it’s not England which requires his skills.
Mahmood will be swapping his red England kit for the green and white of Pakistan, which has embarked on a global search for football talent — starting in northern England.
“This is broadening our base and opening doors to Pakistanis around the world who want to play football,” said Sardar Naveed Haider Khan, a director at Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
Ranked 176th in the FIFA world rankings, Pakistan wants to boost its fledgling domestic league and, above all, improve its national side. Pakistan has never qualified for the World Cup or Asia Cup, while cricket and field hockey remain the most popular sports.
More than 130 players attended the weekend tryouts at Rotherham United. The eight winners — chosen by Rotherham coaches — will be training at Pakistan’s national football academy in Lahore by the end of next week.
While they are British citizens, the players are eligible to line up for Pakistan because of their family heritage. Rotherham also used the occasion to spot talent for the struggling League Two club.
“It’s an untapped market,” said Mick Priest, a former coach at Manchester United’s academy who now heads Rotherham’s youth department.
Like many British citizens of Asian descent, Mahmood — who is from Birmingham — has struggled to get a foothold in the professional game.
“From a young age I have been committed to the game — even practicing on my own in the park,” said Mahmood, who had an unsuccessful trial at Premier League club Aston Villa.
“But here it just hasn’t happened for me — or many other British Asians. We don’t see a way into the game, but hopefully I can win my first cap and become a role model to show other Asian kids it is possible to break through,” he added. There are almost 750,000 British Pakistanis. Not one plays in the Premier League and just three are on the books of England’s lower leagues clubs.
Zesh Rehman, a 23-year-old centerback who spent three seasons with Premier League club Fulham before joining Championship side Queens Park Rangers last year, said some agents were biased.
“Before an agent or scout has a look at a player, they are going into it with stereotypes — with the perception that religion is going to interfere with the football,” said Rehman, a Muslim who now plays for Pakistan in spite of reaching England’s under-19 team.
In the wake of the suicide bombings on the London transport network in 2005 and subsequent foiled terror plots, many Muslims complain about being unfairly targeted by individuals seeking revenge for the acts of extremists.
Saeed Mehr, who brought his 21-year-old son to the trials in south Yorkshire, said players’ lifestyles also affected their chances.
“Sometimes Zain says players who go to the pub after matches get more chances than him,” said Mehr, whose son now plays in amateur leagues. “All he wants to do is play. He doesn’t drink or smoke,” he added.
Priest, the Rotherham youth team chief, is looking forward to the breakthrough.
“The first British Asian superstar we get will rival the mainstream stars in the game. But he’s going to have to be good enough,” Priest said. “Football’s an unforgiving world and you’re not going to be picked because you sell a shirt,” he added. Professional football is in its infancy in Pakistan, with a five-team Super League only having started in the last few weeks.
The eight players picked from the Rotherham tryouts will link up with teams in the regular, non-professional Premier League in Pakistan. That league starts its third season next month and is made up of players from government departments.
Mahmood will be challenging for a spot in the Pakistan starting line-up ahead of December’s South Asia Cup and World Cup 2010 qualifiers. Two younger players could be in the national colours even sooner — in October’s under-16 Asia Cup.
“It shocks me because some of these boys are very talented and should be playing for second division teams — at least,” Khan said.

“We are not plucking these boys out of here and planting them over there. Our aim is that when they play for Pakistan they are recognised and they will come back and play here,” he added

Shehram Khan Keen to win World Cup for Pakistan

RAWALPINDI: National snooker champion Shehram Changezi is keen to win the World Cup for Pakistan. He said that he would make all out efforts for maintaining his present form.

Talking with Geo News in Rawalpindi, Shehram Changezi said that he succeeded in the National Ranking Snooker Championship by adopting aggressive technique against Saleh Mohammad and defensive strategy against Mohammad Yousuf.

He said that Pakistan is included in the top Asian countries in snooker and he is keen to win the snooker World Cup for Pakistan.

Formula One Race Hungarian Grand Prix

Formula One race Hungarian Grand Prix today

BUDAPEST: The race of Formula One season Hungarian Grand Prix is being held today. Fernando Alonso, the double world champion, succeeded in snatching the pole position for the event.

Lewis Hamilton dominated Fernando Alonso in the race by the final stage of the qualifying session of the Hungarian grand prix but then a strange situation was seen when Alonso delayed in returning at pit stop.

Alonso's tyres were changed and his car seemed ready to go but the team held him in the pits for over thirty seconds.

While this was going on Hamilton was waiting behind and the delay meant that when the British rookie eventually returned to the track there was insufficient time for him to record a final flying lap.

Alonso, on the other hand, did manage to set a final quick lap, snatching pole position from the British driver whose earlier efforts had put him on provisional pole.

Behind Alonso and Hamilton will be BMW Sauber's German Nick Heidfeld who was third in front of Finland's Kimi Raikkonen who qualified fourth for Ferrari.

UPLIFT SHOAIB AKHTAR , RAZZAK LEAVE FOR LAHORE

LAHORE: Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and all rounder Abdul Razzaq, being unfit, left the training camp in Karachi for Lahore. The camp is being held in Karachi for the preparation of Twenty20 World Cup.

Participating in the training camp, Shoaib Akhtar developed ache while Abdul Razzaq is suffering from viral infection. Both left Karachi for Lahore on Saturday.

On the other hand, chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Dr. Nasim Ashraf said that the rejection of the Indian League offer by the Pakistani cricketers is promising.

According to Nasim Ashraf, Shahid Afridi, Younus Khan, Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar rejected the Indian League Offer

Venus Ignores Five Star Gap

Venus ignores five-year gap to stretch win streak
CARLSBAD, California: Wimbledon champion Venus Williams returned to the WTA San Diego Classic for the first time in five years on Monday, picking up where she left off with a victory.
The 10th seed, who dominated the event from 2000 through 2002 with three trophies on the trot, began her eighth campaign with a 6-3, 6-0 first-round victory over Russian Anastasia Rodionova in just 50 minutes.
Williams was on court for the first time since winning two rubbers in a losing US effort this month in Fed Cup against Russia in Vermont the week after earning her fourth Wimbledon crown.
“I’ve never stopped playing since Wimbledon. I’m healthy and everything is working well in my game,” Williams said. “I went for my shots a lot and tried to stay aggressive. I feel great going into the summer. When I’m healthy I can keep on building my game. I’m thrilled,” he added.
The fiery Rodionova was on best behaviour after being fined 5,000 dollars as she became only the second woman to be defaulted in WTA history.
The scene occurred in Cincinnati this month as the 25-year-old, ranked 81st, hit the ball towards spectators cheering for her opponent.
Williams earned her 15th victory in succession at the event, being played for the last year after a WTA calendar shake-up. She stands 26-4 at the tournament.
“It’s good to be back,” said the only Williams sister in the field, her younger sibling Serena sidelined by a thumb injury sustained at Wimbledon.
“I won here three times in a row, but then I couldn’t come back. I love playing in California in the summer because I’m from here,” she added.
Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn lined up as a second-round opponent for top seeded holder Maria Sharapova, booking he place over American Laura Granville 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Second-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic will start against Vania King, who beat fellow American youngster Asia Muhammed 7-6 (7/2), 6-0.
Seventh seed Martina Hingis, testing a back injury which led to an early Wimbledon loss, will face off in the second round after a bye against Michaella Krajicek.
Elena Dementieva, the number nine, joined Williams as a winner as she took out Catalina Castano 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 while number 11 Swiss Patty Schnyder beat American Jamea Jackson 6-2, 6-1.
An unexpected trip to the Wimbledon final has whetted the appetite of French fifth seed Marion Bartoli for more of the same.
“I have to reach another step in my career,” the world number 12 said. “I want to be top-10 and maybe top five. But I need to be more concentrated on the big stage,” she added.
Fifth seed Bartoli’s 6-4, 6-1 loss to Venus Williams in the Wimbledon final was followed by a decompression after playing almost uninterruptedly for two months.
But when the 22-year-old ventured out onto the summer hard-courts last week at Stanford, a virus compromised her chances on the way to an opening loss to American Lilia Osterloh.
“Everything will be more difficult now, I have new challenges,” said Bartoli, who called her Wimbledon performance was “a dream come true.” “I’ve been there once but I’d like to be there many more times,” she added.

AISAM AND BOPANA REACH SEMI FINAL

Aisam, Bopanna reach semi-final in ATP Super Challenger

SEGOVIA: Aisam-ul-Haq of Pakistan and Rohan Bopanna of India have qualified for semi-finals in the ATP Super Challenger Tennis Championship, being played in Segovia, close to Spanish capital Madrid.

The pair of Aisam and Bopanna defeated the pair of Farrukh Dustov and Olivier Charroin 6-3 and 6-4 in the quarter-final.

In the second round of the singles event, Aisam-ul-Haq was beaten by Guillermo Alcaid of Spain after a tough contest. Sore of the match was 7-6 and 6-4.

Pakistani Players Can Play Indian League

Players can play Indian league after it gets ICC approval: Nasim Ashraf
Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Dr. Nasim Ashraf cleared that he would not stop the cricketers to play Indian league but they would no more be eligible to represent Pakistan in case of playing Indian cricket league (ICL).

Talking with media during the training camp of the national team at the National Stadium, Karachi, Dr. Nasim Ashraf said that the Indian cricket league has no importance and only the former players are participating in it.

He said that this event has not been approved by the ICC and if the ICC approves it then the PCB may also reconsider its policy.

He said that the players participating in the Indian cricket league would not be authorized to represent Pakistan in future.

According to reports, the ICL has offered heavy packages to many Pakistani players after which the PCB is likely to revise the packages given to players under central contract.

Nasim Ashraf said that the announcement of the national team for Twenty20 Cricket World Cup will be made after getting the dope test report.

Dr. Nasim Ashraf said that it has not been decided about the assistant coach that whether he should be local or foreigner. However, the decision will only be made after August 15, the deadline for receiving the applications

Shoaib Akhtar to Return If fit

Yousuf and Razzaq unlikely for Twenty20
Cricinfo staff
August 2, 2007
Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Yousuf are likely to miss out on the Twenty20 World Championship © AFPMohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq are likely to be two big-name casualties from Pakistan's 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa.
Though Pakistan don't announce their squad until next week, when results of dope tests taken on all 30 probables arrive, Yousuf and Razzaq are set to be sacrificed as Pakistan takes a punt and tests its younger talent and bench strength.
The uncertain position of Yousuf in particular, comes as a surprise, given his outstanding form only last year and a generally impressive record in ODIs. But his fielding, and an apparent desire to have more flexible batting options, might work against him.
"Though it is not finalised yet, the chances of Yousuf being selected for the squad are very unlikely. Younis Khan is there as an orthodox batsman and he is a good fielder too. We want to have some fresher, younger options who give us flexibility," a well-placed board source told Cricinfo.
Fawad Alam, the young Karachi all-rounder who has impressed during the practice matches, and Shahid Yousuf, the Sialkot middle-order batsman, are being touted as potential replacements. Both have enjoyed success during the domestic limited-overs season. Karachi batsmen Khurram Manzoor and Khalid Latif, the former U-19 captain, have also been keenly watched.
[Mohammad] Yousuf left the ongoing training camp yesterday and returned to Lahore, officially to be with his mother who is ill, though whispers have it that he was understandably upset once aware of the situation. Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former captain, has already said that any decision to drop Yousuf will backfire on Pakistan.
There is unlikely to be as much surprise if Razzaq is dropped. Though his often-devastating lower-order batting and handy medium-pace suggests he is ideal for Twenty20 matches, he has been a patchy international performer over the last two years. And ordinary performances in the training camp have not helped his cause.
"He hasn't stood out during these games," said the official. "He has struggled to score runs and his bowling has been really lightweight even given that the pitches are really flat. Plus, he has never been outstanding in the field and the feeling is we need to have alert, fresher legs out in South Africa."
Seven to eight places have already been decided, which still leaves almost half the squad to be picked but there is a nagging concern, among players, that Pakistan's hectic practice schedule is taking its toll.
Shoaib Akhtar, perennially embroiled in one fitness worry or another, is certain to go if fit. The bowler missed practice again through a minor neck strain, but the injury is not considered a serious one. Umar Gul also limped off after bowling nine balls in Wednesday's session and missed Thursday's with a foot injury, though again the management have said it is not serious.
This is the third training camp players have attended this summer. While the first, in Abbottabad, concentrated mainly on physical conditioning, subsequent ones have involved a series of practice Twenty20 matches. The squad was originally scheduled to play two matches a day in stifling Karachi heat, but on the insistence of the players decided on one game per day, with the occasional day of gym training thrown in.
One bowler confided, however, that it was too much and that bowlers in particular were lacking motivation on flat pitches in demanding conditions.

INDIA IN ENGLAND ,2007

Moores wants stump mics turned off
Cricinfo staff
August 2, 2007
Peter Moores does not mind sledging, he just wants the stumps mics turned down © Getty Images
Peter Moores, England's coach, believes that stump microphones should be turned down during Tests so players can sledge each other without the audience hearing.
"There must be some things that are left on the field to be fair to the players," Moores said in response to criticism of England's incessent chatter during the Trent Bridge Test. "They should be allowed to go out there and play the game without being worried that everything they actually say is going to be broadcast. It's something we've discussed as a management team and we've spoken to the match referee about it."
The International Cricket Council rules that stump microphones be turned on whenever a ball is live - that is, when a batsman takes guard, between a bowler's run-up to the time the ball reaches or passes a batsman, and from the time a fielder throws the ball back to a team-mate or onto the stumps.
Matt Prior, the England wicketkeeper, was the loudest on the field but Moores stood up for him. "That's how he usually operates, that's what he does and that's what he was selected for," he said. "There's an issue as to whether stump mics should be on quite as loudly at times, so people can play their sport. Sport is a battle and that's what makes it so enthralling to watch. If people weren't bothered about it or didn't get so emotionally involved then it might become quite bland to watch."
Moores condemned the jelly bean incident, which chairman of selectors David Graveney termed "childish", but tried to defend England's conduct on the field. "Nobody would argue that a couple of lads put a couple of jellybeans down there," he said. "It was meant to be a joke and now looks a bit silly. I think people will try and read things into it, but it has no meaning whatsoever."

Prasad shows faith in Sreesanth's ability

India's bowling coach thrilled with performance of left-armers
Prasad shows faith in Sreesanth's ability
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
August 2, 2007
Venkatesh Prasad: "I as a bowling coach wouldn't advice anyone to cross the line." © Getty ImagesVenkatesh Prasad, India's bowling coach, expressed confidence in the ability of Sreesanth, following the bowler's woeful performance in the second Test against England at Trent Bridge.
"He's not exactly struggling, it's probably a phase," Prasad said on the eve of India's match against Sri Lanka A at Grace Road.
Prasad admitted Sreesanth's performance was a worry but showed faith in the youngster's talent. "We've seen him bowl well, and win games in South Africa. I would say it's a bit of a concern but he's got all the talent to succeed at this level. He has a fantastic body language, his aggression is great - we've been talking about not crossing the line -, the approach to the crease is fantastic, and the seam position is great."
He also defended Sreesanth's two deliveries - a beamer to Kevin Pietersen and a massive front-foot no-ball - that generated controversy during the Trent Bridge Test. "I'm sure that the full toss just slipped out of his hands - he apologised right there. Probably with the no-ball he could not get the right jump."
Prasad, who had performed well during India's tour of England in 1996, agreed that Sreesanth needed to focus more on his bowling rather than on-field banter. "I think that's one area that is of concern. I've been talking to him as a bowling coach, one-on-one, but he's young. We need to respect the game, respect the rules. I as a bowling coach wouldn't advice anyone to cross the line."
However, Prasad was thrilled at the progress made by India's left-armers, Zaheer Khan and RP Singh. "It was very satisfying at Trent Bridge, in terms of bowlers sticking to the lengths we've been talking about. Of course, we did bat extremely well but the bowlers did a tremendous job. There was Zaheer but we shouldn't be forgetting RP Singh here, he took the crucial wickets of [Kevin] Pietersen and [Matt] Prior which were crucial for the team's victory."
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is assistant editor of Cricinfo