Hard-working Ajmal strives for more success

LAHORE: Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal said on Thursday that like other bowlers in world cricket, he has also been trying out new techniques of bowling in order to deceive the batsmen and is not too worried about suggestions that his ‘doosra’ had now been mastered by the batsmen.Talking to media before the start of the training camp for the tour of Zimbabwe at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, Saeed said that every bowler was keen to introduce some new varieties to his bowling to survive in the international cricket and he was also aspiring to achieve some unique trajectory to stay on top of the batsmen.He admitted that English off-spinner Graeme Swann had more spin in his delivery than him, but his (Saeed’s) own strategy was to restrict the batsmen from taking runs as it put a lot of pressure on them which eventually resulted in their dismissal.Asked if he was feeling any pressure for the fact that he is the main spin bowler going to Zimbabwe with the Pakistan team after the absence of Shahid Afridi and Abdul Rahman, Saeed said he was quite focused on the tour and added that new spinner Yasir Shah could prove to be good support for him.He said his last series against the West Indies was very satisfying for him as he was also declared as Man of the Series there.“After having played county cricket, I feel I have improved as a bowler and am in perfect physical condition to face Zimbabwe.Saeed said he was happy after the ICC included his name among those nominated for the ‘player of the year’ award.Last time my name was included in the T20 category and now it is for the ODIs and I am quite hopeful about winning it,” he said.

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Pakistan to face stiff challenge from Zimbabwe: Latif

KARACHI: Former Test skipper Rashid Latif said on Saturday that Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan team would be facing a stiff challenge from hosts Zimbabwe during their upcoming tour starting from September 1.“By beating fast rising Bangladesh side in the ongoing test and ODIs series, Zimbabwe has shown top form and that could prove dangerous for Pakistan,” he told APP in an interview.“Don’t take Zimbabwe lightly,” he warned.“Pakistan may have a slight edge in ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals, but it will be tough for them in test matches because of a lack of experience in the bowling department,” he said.“Selectors made a mistake by resting pace duo of Umer Gul, Wahab Riaz. They needed more test matches. But poor selection system may cause yet more trouble for Pakistan in a one-off test,” he pointed out.“Regular chopping and inconsistent policies of selectors may bring embarrassment to the team,” Latif maintained.He said Zimbabwe at full strength, especially after the return of players such as captain Brendan Taylor, Ray Price, Craig Ervine, Kayle Jarvis and new star left arm pace bowler Brian Vitori, might pose problems for Pakistan.“There will be too much burden on Saeed Ajmal and that may put him under pressure,” he commented.He said Pakistan’s batting looked strong on paper with Misbah, Younis Khan, Muhammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Imran Farhat and Umer Akmal in the line-up.However, he said, despite the strong line-up, batting has always been Pakistan’s troubled area Lets hope batsmen live up to their reputation,” he added

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Ijaz Butt’s reign a mixed bag: Bari

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Bari, who is currently holding the post of director education in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has stated that chairman Ijaz Butt’s reign has been a mixed bag which has brought both joy and disappointment to cricket fans in the country the former Test wicket-keeper claimed that the governing body of the game has brought on-field success despite some ugly controversies since 2008.Ijaz Butt is set to end his stint as PCB chief in October this year and it is not yet clear if he would continue at the helm of cricket in Pakistan.Bari who has remained a vital cog of Ijaz’s administration added that the performance of the team in major limited-overs competitions has been satisfactory in the last three years, the highlight being the title win in the 2009 T20 World Championship in England. The men in green also made it to the semi-finals of all ICC events since the 2007 T20 World Championship.Bari also thinks that the replacement candidate for coach Waqar Younis should be someone who understands the game in the country and should have solid credentials. He cited the example of English team coach, former Zimbabwe batsman Andy Flower who has transformed the fortunes of his team and taken them to the top of Test rankings.Bari feels that the upcoming international season is of immense importance for Pakistan, especially the series against England and Sri Lanka which are set to take place in the United Arab Emirates.Bari claimed that the educational department of PCB is trying its best to impart training and education to the upcoming players who are likely to represent the national team in the years ahead

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Poor preparation behind India’s Test debacle, says Lloyd

LONDON: Former West Indian captain Clive Lloyd on Friday said that he was surprised in India’s 0-4 whitewash in the Test series against England and blamed poor preparation of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men as the main reason for the debacle.‘‘Nobody expected England to beat India 4-0 But you can’t come to any country and play just one warm up game,” said Lloyd who, as chairman of ICC Cricket Committee, was here to announce the names of shortlisted players for various awards for the ICC Awards ceremony on September 12.Young players especially need 3-4 four-day games before Tests and couple in between. If you are out of form, you don’t get your form in nets,he said.Lloyd gave the example of Virender Sehwag to drive him his point that without preparation a player howesover big would struggle.‘‘You don’t get runs by walking straight in. I don’t care how good you are, you don’t get it You are not going to run into form in Test matches. You need to get your timing right, the foot movement, picking the ball properly,’’ he said.Lloyd described the current Indian bowling attack, especially the spinners, as the weakest he has seen during his years of association with the game.Spin-wise, it looks the weakest. You always had good spinners. As for fast bowlers, anyone would break down with the sort of workload which (Ishant) Sharma had.Agencies

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Let the Games Begin

New Caledonia was treated to a spectacular opening ceremony to the Pacific Games last night with the highlight for East-Asia Pacific Cricket being Vanuatu captain Andrew Mansale carrying his nation’s flag into the main stadium.It was a huge moment for Mansale as he led a 277 strong Vanuatu contingent into the arena in front of a vocal capacity crowd.Cricketers from Fiji, PNG and New Caledonia were also on hand to enjoy the festivities ahead of the cricket tournament that begins on Monday local time. PNG who have sent a relatively inexperienced squad will be aiming for a sixth straight Pacific Games Cricket Gold Medal.Vanuatu will enter the event with a near full-strength side aiming to win their first ever Pacific Games Cricket gold medal.With the tournament right in the middle of a busy international schedule for Fiji, they have named five debutants which will provide a great insight into the future of Fijian Cricket. Fiji performed superbly in their warm-up match against PNG on Friday and if they can replicate that enthusiasm in the field during the tournament proper they will be a big chance to play-off for gold later this week.The hosts New Caledonia who are not yet an ICC member will be aiming to provide their players with some much needed experience against quality opposition, and if their warm-up matches are anything to go by, the other three sides will need to come ready to play.New Caledonia will play Fiji in the first match on Monday morning, followed by a rematch of the Pepsi ICC Division 1 Final in the afternoon when PNG take on Vanuatu.

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Swann hopes to shine in the sub-continent tours

Graeme Swann might have left India in a spin in the fourth Test but the England spinner feels his best is yet to come and hopes to peak during the tough series coming up over the next 18 months.Swann helped England complete the 4-0 whitewash in The Oval after snapping nine wickets in the final Test, though he had to spent most part of the four-match series watching his pace colleagues wrecking havoc on the Indian batters."I've hardly had to do anything this summer," Swann was quoted as saying in the Sunday Mirror."If you take The Oval game out of it, I've had my easiest summer ever. I've just stood at second slip watching Jimmy Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad take all the wickets," said Swann, who scalped just four wickets in the first three Tests."I know I'll be looked upon as the main weapon in the subcontinent and be expected to take the wickets. I know I've got a lot of hard work to do in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan and then in Sri Lanka and India he added.Swann considers Sri Lankan as the hardest place for a spinner and said if England have to dominate world cricket then they world need to perform at the sub-continent."In Sri Lanka a spinner has to do all the donkey work. Seamers just can't do it. After four or five overs they are cooked. It's the heat. Sri Lanka is the hardest place to get wickets, but I know I can bowl well there," he said. "It'll be a litmus test for the team. It's been a phenomenal two years for England. I have to pinch myself sometimes."However, if we want to be as dominant as the West Indies team of the 1970s and 80s, and the Aussies from the mid-90s, then we have to do well in the sub-continent," he added.

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