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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan cancelled: PCB

LAHORE: Bangladesh cricket team’s tour of Pakistan has been cancelled. According to the Pakistan Cricket Boards (PCB) chief operating officer, Bangladesh and informed the PCB of its decision to not tour Pakistan.

PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf also expressed his disappointment over the stay order issued by the Dhaka High Court.

“The boards of both countries should have resolved the matter on their own,” Ashraf said.

The Dhaka High Court on Thursday had ordered the national team's upcoming tour of Pakistan to be postponed for at least four weeks due to security fears.

Bangladesh were set to play a 50-over game and a Twenty20 international on April 29 and 30 in Lahore, the first international cricket matches in the country following the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus.

Bangladesh court stops cricket team's tour of Pakistan

DHAKA: The Bangladesh high court on Thursday ordered the national team's upcoming tour of Pakistan to be postponed for at least four weeks due to security fears.

Bangladesh were set to play a 50-over game and a Twenty20 international on April 29 and 30 in Lahore, the first international cricket matches in the troubled country for three years.

But Additional Attorney General M.K. Rahman told AFP that the high court in Dhaka had ordered Bangladesh's cricket authorities to explain why the tour was scheduled to go ahead despite concerns over the team's safety.

"It asked the cricket board to explain in the next four weeks. During the four weeks, the court imposed an injunction on the cricket team's tour to Pakistan," he said.

Bangladesh would be the first team to visit Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus during the Lahore Test in 2009, when eight people died and seven visiting players and an assistant coach were injured.

The high court gave the order following a petition by a lawyer and a university teacher.

Pakistani political leaders, players and fans had welcomed the planned tour, but in Bangladesh concern over the visit has grown since it was announced on Sunday.

"We told the court that the Pakistan tour would risk the lives of our cricketers," Hassan Azim, lawyer for the two petitioners, told AFP.

"Pakistan is not a safe place for an international sports event. No other international teams are travelling to Pakistan. Why should Bangladesh go? The decision was imposed on the cricketers."

Anti-Pakistan feelings still run strong in Bangladesh, which was part of Pakistan until 1971 when it won independence in a bloody nine-month war in which Dhaka says an estimated three million people lost their lives.

Bangladesh's coach Stuart Law, from Australia, this week expressed fears about the team's schedule.

"It's got to be made sure by the two associating boards that everyone is 100 percent safe to go," he said. "I have spent time with the players and everyone is a bit concerned."

Law declined to confirm if he would go on the tour, while Bangladesh's cricket authorities said they were seeking clearance from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Foreign teams shunned Pakistan after the 2009 attacks, forcing them to play their home series on neutral venues, mostly in the United Arab Emirates.

Worcestershire stumped over Ajmal return

WORCESTER: Worcestershire's hope of seeing Saeed Ajmal return for a second spell with the English county for their domestic Twenty20 campaign have been dashed by the Pakistan spinner's international commitments.

The Midlands club, whose other overseas player is Australia batsman Phil Hughes, had hoped to have Ajmal, England's tormentor-in-chief during Pakistan's recent 3-0 Test series win in the United Arab Emirates, back at New Road.

However, the confirmation of Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka has left the club looking for another overseas player.

"Following the recent announcement that Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka will proceed, Saeed Ajmal will be unavailable for Worcestershire's T20 campaign," the county said in a statement Thursday.

"Ajmal had signed a contract to appear in Worcestershire CCC's T20 run at a time when the Pakistan tour to Sri Lanka was not agreed in the ICC schedule.

"But it is now understood that it is likely to take place between late May and mid-July 2012, ruling Ajmal out of the county's T20 campaign."

Worcestershire director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, said: "Losing a player of Saeed's quality is a big disappointment.

"However, we are extremely active in finding a replacement for the Twenty20," the former England wicketkeeper added.

Ajmal took 24 wickets during Pakistan's Test rout of England.

Australia still eyeing victory in rain-hit test

PORT OF SPAIN: Australia were confident they could still win the second test against West Indies despite losing most of the fourth day on Wednesday to rain.

Australia's hopes of pushing for a series-clinching victory were thwarted by a torrential storm at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.

Most of the day was lost, leaving Australia 127 runs ahead with seven second innings wickets in hand.

With more showers forecast for Thursday, a draw was looming as the most likely result, which would be enough for Australia to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy after the tourists won last week's first test in Barbados.

But Australia opening batsman Ed Cowan said his team were not giving up hope of winning and may even be prepared to roll the dice and risk defeat to give themselves a chance of victory.

"I don't think there's any doubt about that," Cowan said.

"We'll open up the game at some point, probably willing to lose it for the chance to win it. It will depend on whether they're willing to risk the game, I guess."

If the weather stays fine, Australia's best chances of forcing a result would be to try and add another 100 runs before lunch then set up an early declaration that West Indies would be tempted to chase.

"I'm not the captain. I haven't spoken to (coach) Mickey (Arthur) or (captain) Michael (Clarke) but on that wicket we've seen scoring rates at a little over two for the game so 230, 240 runs even off 65, 70 overs (would be tough)," Cowan said.

"That's long enough for us to bowl them out if they're willing to have a go. We'll see. I don't quite know how the brains' trust is playing it. That's what I'd be thinking."

DIM PROSPECTS

West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach, who captured all three Australian second innings wickets to take his total to eight for the match, said the home team would also press for a victory but the prospects were dim.

"It's kind of dicey now but we'll see how it goes," he said.

"We'll devise a plan tonight for tomorrow and come out to look to compete as well.

"We look to win every game, that's our mentality. We're going to come out tomorrow and whatever we do, we're going to do it in a positive way."

Roach has been the standout bowler for West Indies and once again provided the breakthroughs when his team needed them.

He dismissed David Warner and Shane Watson in his first over, knocking Watson's off-stump out of the ground.

"It was a good sight," Roach said. "I really enjoyed that one obviously."

"Today would have been Malcolm Marshall's 54th birthday so it's a special day, I looked up to him as a bowler," said Roach.

"Hopefully I'll keep blasting through the top order."

Roach removed Cowan for 20 before the rain washed out the rest of the day, just when the Australian was starting to look dangerous.

In four of his last six test innings, Cowan has seen good starts only to be dismissed between 20 and 35.

"It's frustrating to get through what's the hardest time of batting and then to get out when the ball is getting softer," he said.

"To grind out 20 doesn't look but it still feels like you've given some contribution to the team, not just taken the shine off the ball for the other blokes.

"I feel like my game is in good order. There's a big difference between being out of runs and out of form and I feel a little bit out of runs." (Reuters)

Kolkata Knight Riders thrash Kings XI Punjab by 8 wickets

MOHALI: Gautam Gambhir slammed an unbeaten 66 to power Kolkata Knight Riders to an emphatic 8-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab at the PCA stadium on Wednesday.

Riding on a disciplined bowling and fielding display, KKR first restricted Kings XI to 124 for seven after sent into bowl, and then skipper Gautam Gambhir led from the front with a fine unbeaten half century to overwhelm the target with 21 balls in hand.

Gambhir was ably supported by Jacques Kallis, who scored an unbetaen 30 off 23 balls. The duo stitched unconquered 53 runs for the third-wicket as KKR scored 127 for two in 16.3 overs.

Earlier, Kings XI batsmen lost wickets at regular intervals to be restricted to the modest total after opting to bat at the PCA stadium.

Captain Adam Gilchrist, who retired hurt in the sixth over with a right hamstring problem only to return later to drag his side out of trouble, top-scored with an unbeaten 40, while Shaun Marsh made a 30-ball 33 with the help of four boundaries.

Kings XI batsmen struggled from the onset against a determined KKR bowling line up and it could be gauged from the fact that only three of their batters could manage double figures.

Wily West Indian off-spinner Sunil Narine (2/24) and Brett Lee (2/26) starred with the ball for KKR, sharing four wickets between them. Laxmipathy Balaji (1/20) and Rajat Bhatia (1/23) also picked up a wicket each for the visitors.

KKR's started their run chase on a blistering pace, racing on to their fifty inside the sixth over.

Brendon McCullum (15) was the initial aggressor as he clobbered Praveen Kumar for two boundaries in the first over.