Azhar Ali joins Sachin Tendulkar in 10th position

Pakistan's young gun Azhar Ali has not only claimed a career-best ranking but has also achieved the distinction of sharing 10th position with India's iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen which were updated after the Dubai Test which finished on Monday.

Azhar Ali scored 157 in Pakistan's second innings score of 365 which set England a target of 324. England finished 71 runs short when it was bowled out for 252 to suffer a 3-0 whitewash - its first against Pakistan in 22 series.

For making his highest first-class score, Azhar was not only declared the man of the match but was also rewarded with a jump of 12 places in the batting table which has given him a place alongside Tendulkar.

For someone like Azhar Ali, who was first picked as a fast bowler in the Pakistan Under-19 squad in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2002, this is a huge turnaround in his career.

Azhar, who was shortlisted for the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year Award at the LG ICC Awards in London in 2011, featured in a match-winning 216-run third wicket partnership with Pakistan's most experienced batsman Younus Khan. Younus' contribution in that stand was 127, which was his 20th Test century.

For this, the 34-year-old has made a jump of five places which puts him back in the fifth position. Younus had dropped six places to 10th spot after the Abu Dhabi Test following scores of 24 and one.

England captain Andrew Strauss and Pakistan's other youngster Asad Shafiq have also made gains. Strauss has lifted five places to 28th position after scores of 56 and 25, while Shafiq, who scored 45 in Pakistan's first innings score of 99 all-out, has moved up four places to 43rd spot.

Batsmen losing ground include Alastair Cook in sixth (down by one), Misbah-ul-Haq in 12th (down by four), Jonathon Trott in 13th (down by seven), Ian Bell in 17th (down by five), Kevin Pietersen in 20th (down by one), Matt Prior in 22nd (down by one), Mohammad Hafeez in 33rd (down by three), Taufeeq Umar in 41st (down by six), Stuart Broad in 48th (down by two) and Adnan Akmal in 83rd (down by 11).

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Pakistan's left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman has maintained an upward movement and has gained two more places after figures of five for 40 and two for 97. He now sits pretty in seventh position.

The 31-year-old from Sialkot had entered the series in 19th position and after finishing with 19 wickets, he has managed to gain 12 places in the bowlers' chart. Abdur Rehman alone earned 29 ratings points from the third Test and now trails England's sixth-ranked Graeme Swann by the smallest margin of one ratings point.

England's Monty Panesar is the other left-arm spinner to head in the right direction. Panesar had figures of two for 25 and five for 125, efforts which were enough to earn him four places and 30th spot on the bowlers' chart.

Saeed Ajmal, who won the player of the series award for claiming 24 wickets in the series, has consolidated his second position while achieving his career-best rating of 835. Saeed had entered the series in 12th position, trailing number-one ranked Dale Steyn of South Africa by 190 ratings points. This lead has now been trimmed to 61 ratings points.

Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul has gained one place on the bowlers' table and he is now in 15th position. While doing so, he has also achieved a career-best rating of 624 ratings points.

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ICC announces details of official travel and tour providers for WT20 2012

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the appointment of the official travel agents for the ICC World Twenty 2012 which will be staged in Sri Lanka from 18 September to 7 October.

Gullivers Sports Travel, Sport Abroad and Thomson Sport in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland as well as Australian Sports Tours (AST) in Australia and New Zealand have been appointed with more appointments expected in the coming weeks.

In a first for an ICC cricket tournament, Emirates Live, a collaboration between the Emirates Airline group of companies and TUI Travel PLC's Sport Division, has been appointed providing global reach and access to this exciting cricket event in beautiful Sri Lanka, Asia's equivalent of the Caribbean.

These official travel agents have been carefully selected by ICC Travel, ICC's official travel licensee till the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

ICC Travel will also donate US$10 from every package purchased to educational charity Room to Read who partners with the ICC to promote literacy and access to books.

ICC Travel have extensive experience of arranging tours for all budgets and requirements across a range of major sporting events but with unmatched expertise in cricket, having operated a similar function at ICC Cricket World Cups and the ICC Champions Trophy and ICC World Twenty20 tournaments.

If cricket fans would like to obtain information on official travel packages to the ICC World Twenty20 2012 in Sri Lanka they should go to www.icctravel.net.


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Please note that the ICC will take measures, (including legal action if appropriate), to stop unofficial tour operators who trade in match tickets and travel packages or who otherwise use ICC trademarks or associate themselves with ICC events without prior authorisation from the ICC.

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England ODI, T20 squads named for Pakistan series

DUBAI: Experienced middle-order batsman Ian Bell was Tuesday dropped from England's one-day squad after struggling to find his form during his team's 3-0 Test defeat to Pakistan.

The 29-year-old managed just 51 runs in six innings and failed to cope against spinner Saeed Ajmal, who finished with 24 wickets in the series. Pakistan romped to a 71-run win in the third Test on Monday.

Hampshire spinner Danny Briggs and Somerset batsman Jos Buttler were included in the 16-man one-day squad for the first time.

Buttler made his international Twenty20 debut against India last year but is yet to play for England in the 50-over format.

Alastair Cook will lead England in the four-match one-day series which starts in Abu Dhabi on February 13.

Stuart Broad will captain a 15-man Twenty20 squad that includes Nottinghamshire's Alex Hales for the three-match T20 series against Pakistan.

Paceman Tim Bresnan is also included subject to fitness.

"Bresnan's inclusion in both squads is subject to a fitness assessment during the preparation period as he continues his recovery following an elbow operation," said the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Bresnan was forced to return home from Dubai last month, barely three days into the tour, after failing to recover from last year's elbow operation.

"We have selected two squads that include both experienced international players and younger players who have performed strongly for England Lions in recent months and deserve an opportunity," said national selector Geoff Miller.

Buttler, 21, hit two centuries and a half-century in his last five innings against Sri Lanka A, including one century from just 56 deliveries, while 20-year-old Briggs is one of three spinners in the 16-man squad.

England ODI squad: Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott

England T20 squad: Stuart Broad (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann

ODI fixtures:
1st ODI, February 13, Abu Dhabi
2nd ODI, February 15, Abu Dhabi
3rd ODI, February 18, Dubai
4th ODI, February 21, Dubai
T20 series:
1st T20, February 23, Dubai
2nd T20, February 25, Dubai
3rd T20, February 27, Abu Dhabi

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Saeed Ajmal creates confusion over bowling action

DUBAI: Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal on Tuesday created more confusion about his bowling action, by claiming he has special dispensation from the game's governing body to straighten his arm beyond the allowed 15 degrees.

The 34-year-old off-spinner, who took 24 wickets in the 3-0 Test series whitewash of England, claimed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has allowed him extra leniency, up to 23.5 degrees.

As per the ICC rules a bowler can only straighten his arm up to 15 degrees, beyond which his action will be deemed illegal.

"I don't know about my bowling action, but somebody was telling me your action is bad. ICC has allowed me 23.5 because my arm is not good because of an accident, that is why a problem," Ajmal told BBC television on Monday after being declared man-of-the-series.

"Otherwise no problem, straightaway cleared by ICC."

Pakistan won the third and final Test here by 71 runs.

His bowling action, reported by match officials during a one-day series against Australia here in 2009 before it was cleared after remedial work by experts, once again came under suspicions following his career-best 7-55 in the first Test, also played in Dubai.

Former England paceman Bob Willis raised suspicions over his 'doosra' (second one) -- a ball which turns the other way than a normal off-break -- while England coach Andy Flower said he has his own opinion and left the matter to the ICC.

But after Ajmal's claim on relaxation, Flower on Tuesday showed surprise.

"If that's the degree, then there's a problem, said Flower when asked about Ajmal's claim of special dispensation. "That's ridiculous."

"That is an ICC issue, though. They are there to police the game, and make sure that it is played within the rules, so they've got to scrutinise his action.

"We've all got our own views, but our job is to combat whoever is put against us, and part of it is also to play the game in the right spirit."

Pakistan cricket team management said Ajmal was cleared by the ICC within the permissible limits and they will issue a further clarification shortly.

A spokesperson for the ICC has denied that any special exception has been made for Ajmal and that the Pakistani spinner is also bound by the 15 degree rule.

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Afridi in Pakistan one-day, T20 squad

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced 15-member one-day international and Twenty20 squads for the England series, Geo News reported.

T20 specialist Shahid Afridi and Hammad Azam have been included in the limited over formats. Misba-ul-Haq is retained as captain.

One-day squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Azhar Ali.

Twenty20 squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Awais Zia, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam.

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Mazhar Majeed working as cleaner in jail: UK paper

LONDON: The convicted former cricket agent of Pakistani players Mazhar Majeed has reportedly found himself a cleaner’s job in a jail in Britain.

The mastermind of the spot-fixing scam that involved Test match cheating by Pakistan’s then captain Salman Butt and two fast bowlers Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir gets £9.50 a week (about 1,350 Rupees per week).

Mazhar Majeed is serving his time at the Ford open prison in West Sussex.

The Sun newspaper reported on Monday that Mazhar also gets his own cell with freeview TV.

“He’s over the moon. He could have been given harder jobs,” a source told The Sun about the cricket agent who is serving two years and eight months jail sentence.

Captain Salman Butt, 27, and bowlers Mohammad Asif, 28, and Mohammad Amir, 19, were also locked up for the no-ball fixing scandal in 2010 against England.

The Prison Service said: "We do not comment on individual prisoners. Prisoners located in open conditions are rigorously risk-assessed.

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Playing spinners on turning pitches was a different challenge: Strauss

DUBAI: England captain Andrew Strauss stressed a 3-0 hammering inflicted by Pakistan was not all doom and gloom for his team, hoping they learn from their mistakes and move on.

Pakistan thumped England by 71 runs in the third and final Test here on Monday to seal an emphatic 3-0 win -- the first whitewash in all Tests between the two countries.

Strauss, under whom England had not lost a Test series since their 1-0 defeat in the Caribbean in February 2009, said analysis should be follow on the team's defeat.

"It's very important we debrief this tour very thoroughly, like we do on any tour and learn some lessons and don't walk away if that's staring at us in the face. But at the same time it's not all doom and gloom, you don't become a bad side overnight," Strauss said after the defeat.

England, who rose to number one in Test rankings in August last year after winning their last six series, continued to struggle in Asian conditions with Pakistani spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman destroying them in the series.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took 24 wickets while Rehman finished with 19.

For England, Jonathan Trott remained top scorer in the series with 161 with Alastair Cook 159 and wicketkeeper batsman Matt Prior finishing at 150.

Strauss also managed 150 but key batsmen Kevin Pietersen (67), Ian Bell (51) and Eoin Morgan (82) were major let downs.

Strauss admitted playing spinners on turning pitches was a different challenge.

"Obviously, the challenges here are diffrerent, English sides generally have not played well in these sort of conditions in the past, we need to break that tradition and we are not going to do that by doing the same things," said Strauss.

England also have tours to Sri Lanka (April) and India (November) this year and Strauss hoped the batsmen learn fast.

"I have not been involved in any series where so many of our batsmen have had hard times as this one. We have all got some questions to answer individually, some soul searching and thoughts to put into on how we can do things better going forward.

"It is also important for the guys to start turning their attention towards Sri Lanka in the particular challenges. There may not be the same challenges as here, but they will be slightly different in terms of the conditions etc, so we need to learn lessons from this.

"If you are a good enough player you find a way, it may take you a week or so finding a way you don't make the same mistakes again. We haven't been good enough or quick enough to adapting our game, that's for sure," Strauss said.

Pakistan and England will now play four-match one-day international series, starting with the first in Abu Dhabi on February 13. That will be followed by a series of three Twenty20 internationals.

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Pakistan aim greater heights after England rout

DUBAI: Pakistan's cricket team put its numerous problems behind them through consistent performances as they wiped out the world's best team England 3-0 with captain Misbah-ul-Haq aiming to move on to further heights.

The victory, Misbah believes, will help Pakistan move on.

"It's a wonderful win but the most important thing in any sport or life is that whatever you achieve it goes in the past. If you stuck with it you can't move ahead and improve," said Misbah after beating England by 71 runs in the third Test.

Pakistan's resurgence is not only surprising but praiseworthy as they have not lost a Test series, winning nine of the 15 Tests, with one defeat and five draws - all under Misbah.

Moreover, there have been no problems off the field, something which have consistently derailed Pakistan's on-field progress.

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja showered huge praise on the players.

"Sky is the limit for them because this wasn't an easy series. Now this win will help this team build in confidence," said Raja, who warned against complacency.

Misbah acknowledges the challenge of playing well on away tours.

"Only time will tell what you can achieve or what you can do. We just want to do well and that's what we are aiming for and youngsters are coming up, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Hafeez are doing well and seniors are supporting them," said Misbah.

Former captain and coach Waqar Younis also praised Misbah

"We have been ignored for quite some time, but our performance will help us get better scheduling and respect," said Misbah.

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England announce team for ODI, T20; Bell dropped

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced squads for one-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

ONE-DAY SQUAD: Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott.

TWENTY20 SQUAD: Stuart Broad (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann.

Ian Bell has been omitted from the squad. He had passed 50 only once in his last 14 ODI innings and had looked uncomfortable against Saeed Ajmal.

Jos Buttler and Danny Briggs are uncapped in ODI cricket.

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Pakistan make historic clean sweep against England

DUBAI: Pakistan's bowlers sealed an emphatic 71-run win in the third and final Test against England here on Monday, wrapping up a humiliating 3-0 series whitewash in the process.

Set a daunting 324-run target, England were bowled out for 252 with paceman Umar Gul taking 4-61 and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal 4-67 to help Pakistan achieve a first-ever Test cleansweep against their opponents.
With the ball turning again it was always going to be a difficult task for England's batsmen, who have struggled to play the Pakistani spinners throughout the series, on a weary fourth day pitch at Dubai Stadium.

Pakistan won the first Test here by ten wickets and the second by 72 runs in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan have also become the first team to win a Test after being bowled out for under 100 since 1907 when England, shot out for 76, beat South Africa at Leeds.

It was England's seventh series whitewash, their first at the hands of Pakistan. Pakistan have now recorded five series whitewashes, their last coming in a 3-0 win over Bangladesh in 2003.

England's last series whitewash came in 2007 when they were routed by Australia 5-0.

So dominating have been Pakistanis spinners that Ajmal finished the series with 24 and Rehman with 19.

An elated Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq praised his team.

"It's a wonderful team effort," said Misbah, who now has won nine of the 15 Tests as captain, with one loss and five draws. "It's a big win against a big team, achieved through hard work."

England captain Andrew Strauss said the lack of run-making had left him disappointed.

"It's a bit of surprise as well as disappointment because we did not put scores on the board, and we must give credit to Pakistan," said Strauss who has lost his first series since losing to the West Indies in 2009.

"We have important lessons to learn from this defeat."

England, 89-2 at lunch, were still in with a chance with Alastair Cook (49) and Kevin Pietersen (18) batting well but they lost four wickets in the space of 84 runs.

They went to tea at 173-6.

Pietersen, who struggled for runs in the series, hit Abdul Rehman for a boundary and then hoisted him for a six to post England's 100. But Ajmal struck from the other end.

The off-spinner produced a beautiful delivery to bowl Pietersen through the gate for 18. He had a mere 67 runs for the series during which he was out to spinners on five occasions.

In his next over, Ajmal produced another sharp turning delivery which caught the edge of Cook's bat and was smartly held by a diving Younis Khan in the lone slip.

Ian Bell (10) and Eoin Morgan (31) added 37 for the fifth wicket but again failed to produce a big score in the series as Gul dismissed them in the space of just three runs.

Pakistan took the second new ball at 196-6 and the first ball saw Gul dismissing Stuart Broad (18) and then Graeme Swann on one.

Matt Prior remained not out at 49 when Monty Panesar was dismissed by Rehman for nine.

England had looked for big partnerships after resuming at 36-0 but that never transpired.

Pakistan could have wrapped the match earlier had they not dropped two crucial catches, the first off Strauss on 26 when wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal grassed a simple chance off Gul.

But that didn't hurt Pakistan as Rehman trapped the England captain in the very next over. Strauss challenged the decision by Australian umpire Steve Davis but his review failed.

Gul then let off Cook at 24 when he failed to hold a top-edge sweep off Rehman.

Cook had also benefited from a dropped catch on Saturday when Taufiq Umar let him off in the third slip off a miscued drive off Gul when he was four.

Ajmal then broke a dangerous looking 37-run stand between Cook and Jonathan Trott (18) by forcing a top-edge sweep which was smartly snapped up by Rehman at square-leg.

The teams will now play four one-day and three Twenty20 internationals

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