Wasim Akram has always been my inspiration: Zia

Islamabad: Upcoming left hand pace bowler Zia ul Haq names  legendary Wasim Akram as the hero he looks up to in his bid to become a top rated cricketer.

Since his first class debut on October 2010 at the age of 15, Zia has turned heads in the cricket world and the media despite his young career. His debut season saw him take 10 wickets in 4 matches at just under 29 apiece.
His journey into first class cricket was uncertain due to strong competition and his illustrious involvement with the Pakistan Under -19 set up.
However, his chance came when he impressed PIA with his performance at the National One Day Cup first division last year, taking 13 wickets in 7 matches at an economy rate of just under 4.5. The opposing team’s batsmen are wary even of his slow wickets, said his team mates.
“Wasim Akram has always been my inspiration, I just loved watching him bowl. I only watched him when he was at the tail end of his illustrious career but the collection of videos and DVDs of his bowling have always been an inspiration to me,” Zia told Pakpassion.net.
Zia was so in awe of the great cricketer that he dared not approach Akram when he visited once at a PIA practice session.
“He was chatting to some of the other players but I was just too shy to speak with him. Hopefully at some point in the future I will see him again and this time I am determined to speak with him and get some advice regarding my bowling.”
Zia is presently based in the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, receiving one-on-one guidance from some of the best coaches on his bowling as well as his physical conditioning.

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Domestic cricket: A job well done

The domestic Super Eight Twenty20 Cup 2011-12 was a star studded affair featuring almost all the familiar faces from the national team. The tournament lived up to its reputation and provided for some awe-inspiring and thrilling cricket. Sialkot Stallions remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and emerged as the deserving winners under the leadership of Shoaib Malik. The tournament was important in the sense that it was held ahead of the Fourth T20 World Championship scheduled to be held in September. It was keenly watched by the selectors as well as Dav Whatmore—the newly appointed coach of Pakistan. They must have taken note of some of the exciting youngsters who displayed their prowess in the shortest format of the game. One hopes that the T20 team selected for the World Championship is a combination of specialists who have the ability to tackle the best in the world. It must be kept in mind that majority of the competing players will be coming almost straight from the two-month grind of Indian Premiere League (IPL) and hence will already be in T20 groove. The tournament featured some great individual performances. Openers Imran Nazir and Khalid Latif showed that they still have the consistency and the firepower to excel in this particular format of the game. Stallions’ left-handed middle-order batsman Haris Sohail was also a star performer and impressed with his ability to dominate the bowling while keeping his orthodox style intact In addition, batsmen like Ahmed Shehzad, Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Taufeeq Umar and Iftikhar Ahmed also showed their brilliance in patches. Stallions’ wicket-keeper-batsman Shakeel Ansar struck the only century of the tournament which took his team to the final. He, along with Peshawar Panthers’ keeper Gauhar Ali, impressed with athleticism behind the stumps. Shoaib Malik’s fluent half-century in the final and his five-wicket haul against the same opposition in an earlier round match made it evident that he is still the best all-rounder on the domestic circuit. On the bowling front, it was an excellent tournament for the slow left-armers. Stallions’ Raza Hasan was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 12 wickets. The last over bowled by him in the final was probably the difference between the two sides.
His four wickets in that over not only stalled the Dolphins’ progress but also prevented the in-form Khalid Latif from getting the strike. Other slow left-arm bowlers who impressed during the tournament were Raza Ali Dar of Lahore Lions, Mustafa Iqbal of Lahore Eagles, Faraz Ahmed of Karachi Dolphins, not to forget the veteran Abdul Rehman who was simply impossible to get away. Off-spinner Adnan Rasool also bowled with guile and took wickets at vital stages to prevent the opposing batsmen from scoring freely. Among the fast bowlers, young pacemen Zia-ul-Haq of Lahore Lions, Emmad Ali of Lahore Eagles and Anwar Ali of Karachi Eagles bowled with hostility. Umar Gul—captaining his native Peshawar Panthers—bowled his heart out but was unable to take his team past the semi-final stage; however, his incisive opening spell against the fancied Lions was one of the highlights of this tournament Some of the biggest disappointments of the tournament included spin wizard Saeed Ajmal, young guns Umar Amin and Rameez Raja Jr and the experienced fast bowling quartet of Mohammad Sami, Tanvir Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir. Saeed was highly ineffective and was taken apart by the Lahore Lions batting powerhouse. Umar Amin was the cornerstone of Rawalpindi Rams’ batting during last year’s Super Eights and this year’s T20 National Championship. He had been the nucleus around which the team’s batting revolved and impressed with his ability to pace the innings; unfortunately, he was an abject failure this time around Rameez’s explosive batting during the previous two T20 tournaments earned him a place in Pakistan’s T20 team against Zimbabwe last year; however, he also appeared off colour throughout this championship. Despite their experience, Sami, Tanvir, Sohail and Wahab were unable to make regular inroads during the tournament and even failed to stem the flow of runs at crucial junctures of the tournament. Sohail—who had emerged as one of the most intelligent captains last year—failed miserably in motivating his talented team. Abdul Razzaq’s bowling also witnessed a sharp decline. Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez and Fawad Alam were conspicuous by their absence It was heartwarming to see packed houses at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on almost all the days. Although it is still too early to invite foreign teams to Pakistan but the public enthusiasm definitely proved that regional domestic cricket—if marketed properly—has the potential to generate fan following.
The one negative of the tournament was the live television commentary. At times, it was painful to hear the experts harping endlessly about the new chairman of the PCB and his initiatives. The non-stop mantra had reached a point where the proceedings on the ground almost seemed to have become irrelevant to the commentary panel. Perhaps it is time for the media bosses to introduce some rules and regulations that can govern the quality and ethics of live commentary.

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Maybe the authorities don’t like me: Razzaq

Pakistan’s star all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has turned to England, after failing to appeal to the selection committee at home.
Razzaq will represent Leicestershire in the team’s Twenty20 campaign next month, but has not ruled out playing for the country.
“I’ll definitely love to make a return to the team like any other national cricketer,” the 32-year-old said.
Razzaq, who has played 265 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 46 Tests for Pakistan, cited that a lack of interest at the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) end had left him sidelined since the series against Sri Lanka. The ongoing fitness tests conducted by Dav Whatmore in Lahore also bore no fruit for him.
“I keep getting overlooked, maybe the authorities don’t like me,” Razzaq said in an interview, expressing his disappointment.
Razzaq was involved in a controversy for participating in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) earlier this year.
According to then chief selector Mohammad Illyas, the all-rounder cited a shoulder injury for his unavailability in the ODI series against England in UAE, but later went on to play in the BPL and even bowled full-throttle at times.
Razzaq on the other hand, claimed that he communicated to the official that he was unable to deliver a full quota of 10 overs due to the shoulder pain

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Captaincy not out of the question for Younis

Captaining the national cricket team again is not out of the question for senior Pakistan batsman Younis Khan even after his unceremonious exit from the post in 2009.Leading the national team has been an honour and if the board has any offer I will consider it,” said the 34-year-old cricketer, while conceding that he was not after the title and had no issues playing under any other captain.
Khan led Pakistan to the 2009 World Twenty20 title as well as the Champions Trophy semifinal later that year, but resigned after the home series against New Zealand in the UAE, claiming he was not getting support from his team members.
Since then, he has declined offers to lead the side, telling the authorities that he wanted to focus on his batting.
Sources close to Khan said he is not interested in the captaincy anymore, despite his public announcement.
“He is a sensitive soul and after what happened in 2009 and the way some players went against him, he has definitely ruled out taking on the responsibility of leading the team again,” a source said.
Although his future as captain remains uncertain, Khan who has played 76 Tests, made it clear that he had no intention of retiring from the game soon.
“I plan to touch the 100 Test mark before I think of retiring,” he said

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Chanderpaul says 10,000 runs due to hard graft

ROSEAU: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, only the 10th player in history to make 10,000 Test runs, believes hard graft and long hours in the nets propelled him to his landmark.
The 37-year-old became only the second West Indian to reach the magic figure when he went to 14 in his side's second innings in the ongoing third and final Test against Australia at Windsor Park.
Playing in his 140th Test, the veteran went on to make a typically patient 69 off 122 balls -- his 58th Test half-century -- before he was dismissed by Australian skipper Michael Clarke off the last ball of Thursday's play.
The only other West Indies batsman to reach the 10,000-run milestone was Brian Lara, who ended his career with 11,953 runs.
"I have been batting well and spending a lot of time at the crease and to reach 10,000 Test runs is something special for me," said Chanderpaul, who made his debut in 1994 and now averages over 50.
"It was one of the goals I set myself and I believe I have reaped the reward for the hard work I put in. When I go to bat, I know I have a job to do for the team and the people of the West Indies."
Chanderpaul has been his country's standout batsman in the three-match series against Australia, making 103 not out in the first Test in Barbados followed by 94 in Trinidad. He also made 68 in the first innings of the ongoing match.
He has 25 Test hundreds and 58 half-centuries with his highest Test score of 203 not out coming against South Africa nine years ago in Guyana.
Teammate Darren Bravo, who shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 110 with Chanderpaul which kept West Indies in the game on Thursday, paid tribute to the veteran.
"He puts his heart and soul into the way he practices. Shiv's a guy who will bat first at practice and then be the last to leave the nets," said Bravo.
"The way he goes about an innings is special, he plays the ball on its merits and his concentration level is very good."
Australia coach Mickey Arthur admitted he was relieved to see the end of Chanderpaul, the last major barrier to the tourists, who had set the West Indies a 370-run target, winning the final Test.
The home side will resume on Friday on 173 for five and with virtually no hope of avoiding losing the three-match series 2-0.
Arthur believes the dogged Chanderpaul was always destined to make Test runs.
"I saw him when he was very young. He toured South Africa and he looked a very, very good player then," said the coach.
"In my last series that I had with South Africa as coach against the West Indies I think Shiv got a hundred in every first innings.
"You can't help but admire the application and desire to keep scoring runs. You've got to marvel at that -- a fantastic achievement." AGENCIES

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Deccan stun Pune to record first win in IPL

PUNE: Deccan Chargers defeated Pune Warriors by 18 runs to achieve their first victory in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Thursday.

The Chargers who never won any match prior to this now finally recorded their maiden win after five successive losses in the tournament.

Chasing 178, the Warriors could reach 159-7 in the allotted 20 overs.

Their main scorers were Robin Uthappa (29), Steven Smith (26), captain Sourav Ganguly (23), Mithun Manhas (22 not out) and Manish Pandey (21).

For Deccan, Ashish Reddy and Rusty Theron claimed two wickets each.

Earlier, Deccan made 177 for four in 20 overs batting first after their captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss.

Cameron White of Australia top scored with 78, scored off 46 balls as he smashed six fours and five sixes.

Geo Super, Pakistan’s first sports tv channel, televised this match live from Pune.

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Australia set 370-run target for West Indies

ROSEAU, Dominica: Australia dismissed opener Adrian Barath for nought as West Indies suffered a miserable start to their pursuit of 370 to win the third and final Test at Windsor Park on Thursday.

After Australia had been bowled out for 259 in their second innings to set West Indies the sixth highest run chase in Test history, the home side failed to get through the seven overs to lunch unscathed.

Barath clipped a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery off his legs into the air and Ed Cowan dived to his right to take a fine catch in the third over.

Only two runs were scored before lunch with Kraigg Brathwaite ending his run of three consecutive scoreless innings.

Australia, who have already wrapped up the series, started the day on 200 for six and looking determined to keep the scoreboard ticking despite the difficulty of scoring on the slow track.

Mike Hussey had taken his score to 32 when off-spinner Shane Shillingford found the edge and skipper Darren Sammy took a neat catch around ankle height at first slip.

Mitchell Starc decided that the aerial route was the best option against Shillingford.

The ball seemed to be either beating the edge or flying in the air off the bat towards the boundary as the pair duelled.

When Narsingh Deonarine came on, Ryan Harris tried to slog his second ball but it took the top edge and went high in the air where Carlton Baugh took it easily in his gloves with the batsman on nine.

Hilfenhaus, on six, then received a brute of a delivery from Shillingford that took a big bounce off the wicket and hit the splice of the bat.

Brathwaite, at silly point, snared an excellent one-handed catch.

Just as Kemar Roach achieved in the last Test in Trinidad, Shillingford was able to celebrate a 10-wicket haul in the match, becoming the the first West Indian spinner to achieve the feat since Lance Gibbs in 1966.

Roach then came on for his first bowl of the day and, coming around the wicket, beat Starc's bat and clipped the bails after the tail-ender had made 21

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Indian legend Tendulkar offered political role

NEW DELHI: India's prime minister has put forward batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar for membership of the upper house of parliament, reports said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has written a letter to the president recommending the cricketer be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, an India news channel quoted sources as saying.

Tendulkar, who turned 39 this week, was in New Delhi to play an Indian Premier League match for the Mumbai Indians against the Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, Tendulkar and his wife had called on ruling Congress party president Sonia Gandhi at her residence -- a meeting described as a "courtesy visit" by the local media.

The vast majority of the 250 seats in the upper house of India's parliament are filled by members elected by the legislatures in their home states.

But 12 seats lie in the favour of the president and are normally awarded to people who have excelled in such fields as the arts, science and sport.

Tendulkar's name is among four that the government has recommended to the president to fill seats currently lying vacant, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

Tendulkar made his international debut in 1989 and has played more Tests (188) and one-day internationals (463) than any other player.

He is the highest run-getter in both forms of the game and last month became the first batsman to complete 100 international centuries -- 51 in Tests and 49 in one-dayers.

Reports of his Rajya Sabha nomination are likely to spark fresh speculation about his immediate future, although Tendulkar himself has dismissed talk of retirement anytime soon.

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IPL: Switch-hitter Peterson does a Pietersen

NEW DELHI: Unheralded South African Robin Peterson became an overnight sensation in the Indian Premier League after leading Mumbai Indians to victory with a stunning batting display.

Peterson, 32, adopted the switch-hit made famous by his former countryman Kevin Pietersen after his team needed 32 off the last two overs against Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday night.

The left-hander, who said he had not even practised the shot, switch-hit the first two deliveries of the penultimate over from leg-spinner Piyush Chawla for boundaries and then pulled the third for a six.

The over produced 27 runs as batting partner Ambati Rayadu smashed the last two balls for sixes, leaving Mumbai Indians needing just five runs off the final over.

Victory was achieved with one ball to spare with Rayadu making an unbeaten 34 off 17 balls and Peterson, better known as a left-arm spinner, returning with 16 from seven balls.

Peterson, whose highest score in six Tests, 55 one-dayers and nine Twenty20 games for South Africa is 61, said he had never played the switch-hit before Wednesday night's game.

"The switch-hit was played by instinct," he said. "I had not practised them. But I am happy my innings helped the team win. It is nice to get over the line in such close games."

It was Peterson's first game for Mumbai Indians, who secured his services for a relatively modest $100,000 this season, but kept him on the bench for the first six matches.

Batting superstar and Mumbai Indians team-mate Sachin Tendulkar was delighted by the power-hitting at the end.

"The 19th over changed everything for us," Tendulkar tweeted. "It is definitely one of the most exciting overs I have seen in my life.

"Some extraordinary innovative hitting by Robin (and) unbelievably strong finish by Rayudu."

Pietersen, the South Africa-born England batsman, has been using the innovative shot for Delhi Daredevils in the Twenty20 tournament. (

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Deccan to face Pune in IPL today

PUNE: Deccan Chargers will arrive in Pune buoyed by the fact that they have finally got their first point of the tournament, courtesy the washout against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday.

A couple of wins, however improbable it may seem after five successive losses, is all that it takes to lift a team. Pune Warriors, on the other hand, have four wins and they have nicked points off strong units such as Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. Playing at their home ground, they wouldn't want to lose points to bottom-placed Chargers.

Geo Super will show this match live from Pune at 7-30 pm today.

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West Indies fight back against Aussies

ROSEAU, Dominica: West Indies grabbed the wicket of David Warner just before lunch to finish off a good morning for them here at Windsor Park on Wednesday on the third day of the third and final Test between West Indies and Australia.

The tourists hold a lead of 128 runs over the hosts after they had earlier bowled the West Indies out for 218 in their first innings - a typically stubborn innings of 68 by veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul limiting the damage.

However, the Australians are in a strong position as they only need a draw to take the series having won the opening Test.

West Indies had been 165 for eight overnight with Chanderpaul and Ravi Rampaul having already put on 45 for ninth wicket.

They took their partnership to 66 before Nathan Lyon broke through. Rampaul came down the wicket but got a thick outside edge and the ball flew up to Warner at point.

The visitors took the new ball after 83.1 overs and in the end it was Chanderpaul that fell.

Mitchell Starc was bringing the ball back in off the seam and one finally got past the obstinate West Indian's bat and struck him on the pad and he was judged lbw.

Chanderpaul had faced 164 balls for his 68 as he once again top scored.

He is also the highest scorer in the series with 277 runs at an average of 92.33. He has managed to face up to the Australian's bowling for more than twice as many balls as any of his team mates.

Kemar Roach played his part too. He provided stubborn resistance to frustrate the Australians and ended up not out having played his third longest Test innings in facing 65 balls for his nine runs.

It left Australia to face a tricky five overs before lunch and the West Indies got the breakthrough that they would have wanted.

Warner had already struck Rampaul for two boundaries. However, in the last over before the interval he drove loosely at a Roach delivery and edged to the only fielder in the slip cordon, Chanderpaul.

The next ball almost brought a second wicket. Shane Watson played the delivery out towards mid-wicket and non-striker Ed Cowan anticipated a single.

Watson didn't move from his crease and Cowan had to scamper back. A direct hit might have caught him short of the mark but he survived.

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Mumbai snatch 4-wkt win from Punjab

MOHALI: Mumbai Indians defeated Kings XI Punjab by four wickets when Ambati Rayudu smashed a boundary off penultimate ball from Azhar Mahmood in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing a modest target of 169, Mumbai Indians completed the stunning victory in 19.5 overs with an unbeaten 14-ball 36-run seventh wicket stand between Rayudu and Robin Pietersen.

Rayudu remained not out on 34,hitting two sixes and as many fours in 17 balls while South Africa’s Pietersen scored an unbeaten 16 off seven balls with two fours and a six.

However, Mumbai’s top scorer was Rohit Sharma who blasted a fifty in 30 balls with three sixes and three fours whereas star batsman Sachin Tendulkar contributed 34.

For Punjab, Parvinder Awana took three and Pakistan’s Azhar Mahmood claimed two wickets.

Earlier, Kings XI Punjab made 168 for three in the allotted 20 overs after their captain David Hussey decided to bat first.

He was also the top scorer, hitting 68 from 40 balls with four sixes and as many fours. He was supported by South Africa’s David Miller who made an unbeaten 34 off 17 balls with a four and three sixes.

Both added 89 runs in just 7.1 overs for an unbeaten fourth wicket partnership.

Geo Super showed this interesting match live from Mohali, Chandigarh.

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South Africa decline Bangladesh tour

JOHANNESBURG: Cricket South Africa has declined an invitation to play limited-overs and Twenty20 internationals in Bangladesh next month.

"Unfortunately there are too many practical obstacles that prevent us from accepting this commitment," CSA chief executive Jacques Faul said.

"At the moment most of our senior Proteas are spread around the world ... and those who are at home are undergoing rehabilitation from injuries picked up during the past season.

"We also have to bear in mind that the Proteas squad has a hectic schedule ahead." South Africa tours England and Australia either side of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.

The South African Cricketers' Association said the request from Bangladesh came too late. "Unfortunately this request has come through very late in the day by which stage most of the senior players had committed themselves to professional contracts abroad and it would be unfair to ask them to renege on them," SACA chief executive Tony Irish said.

"The Proteas team management and players have also put their plans in place in the build-up to their tour of England and it would be impossible to change them at this stage." South Africa's tour to England starts in July.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has been trying to line up international matches since being forced last week to postpone a two-match tour of Pakistan when the country's High Court ordered it be delayed because of security concerns.

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IPL: Kolkata-Deccan match abandoned due to rain

KOLKATA: The second match to be played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers here at the Eden Gardens was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain on Tuesday.

Both teams were awarded one point each after the umpires called off the match.

In the wake of this decision, Deccan Chargers who never won any match after six matches in the tournament are not pointless anymore.

Kolkata Knight Riders are second in the league with nine points behind Delhi Daredevils who are on top of the table with ten points.

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Wade's maiden century frustrates Windies

ROSEAU, Dominica: Matthew Wade's maiden test century guided Australia to a respectable first innings total of 328 all out here at lunch on the second day of the third and final Test with the West Indies.

Wade's innings of 106 rescued Australia from a perilous looking overnight score of 212-7 - they had been 169-7 at one point on the opening day - and gives them a great chance of avoiding defeat here and securing the result that will give them the series.

Wade finally fell to the impressive Dominican-born paceman Shane Shillingford, who went on to snaffle Ben Hilfenhaus and finish with a career best 6-119 and make it a memorable moment for being the first Dominican to play a test on his home island.

It could have been so different had not Kemar Roach dropped Wade off his own bowling in his third over of the morning when the batsman had yet to add to his overnight score of 22.

The hosts did strike next ball, though, as a sharp piece of fielding by Kraigg Brathwaite ran out Mitchell Starc for a test career best of 35. Starc was at fault as he was ambling back and carrying his bat rather than sliding it in for a third run.

Wade upped the tempo as he approached his maiden Test fifty and brought it up with a sweep shot that yielded two runs. This mark having been reached Wade went on the attack with the highlight consecutive sixes off Shillingford.

He took seven from the next over and brought up a wonderful century by driving Roach through the covers for four. It had taken 143 balls but the second fifty was struck in just 33 deliveries.

In Shillingford's next over, Wade went for another six over mid-wicket but another brilliant bit of fielding brought his downfall.

Darren Bravo took a catch just inside the rope but realised that his momentum was taking him over the boundary. He threw the ball up, gathered himself and returned to the field of play to hold on to the ball.

Wade and Hilfenhaus had added 102 runs for the eighth wicket in just 20 overs.

The batsmen had crossed as Bravo took the catch and two balls later Hilfenhaus was bowled as he tried a slog over mid-wicket for 19.

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IPL: Sehwag powers Delhi to 8-wkt win over Pune

PUNE: Captain Virender Sehwag led from the front to guide Delhi Daredevils to a comfortable eight wicket win with 24 balls to spare against Pune Warriors in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Tuesday.

This was interesting to note that only four wickets fell in the entire Twenty20 match which produced 294 runs.

Chasing 147, Sehwag opened the innings and blasted an unbeaten 87 from 48 balls to get an easy victory for Delhi in 16 overs.

He struck ten fours and three sixes and added 89 runs for the second wicket stand with Kevin Pietersen, who hit two sixes in his 27.

Earlier, Pune Warriors captain Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to bat first but lost two early wickets for only one run on the board.

However, Pune reached 146 for two in the allotted 20 overs due to an unbeaten second wicket 145-run partnership between Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa.

Pandey remained not out on 80, scored off 56 balls, with the help of three sixes and seven fours while Uthappa made an unbeaten 60 with six boundaries.

Geo Super televised this match live from Pune for cricket lovers in Pakistan.

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Ponting answers critics with run landmark

ROSEAU: Australian veteran Ricky Ponting answered questions about his retirement in customary style as he became Test cricket's second-highest run-scorer in the third match against West Indies.

The 37-year-old, who has repeatedly faced down calls to quit, overtook Rahul Dravid's 13,288 by the narrowest of margins -- a single run -- when he was out for 23 on day one at Windsor Park, Roseau.

The former Australian captain, who compiled his 13,289 in 165 matches, now trails only India's Sachin Tendulkar in the all-time list. The "Little Master" is on 15,470.

"My love for the game and passion and desire to play and be successful hasn't changed," said Ponting on Sunday, the eve of the final Test, when asked if he was considering quitting. "Even when things were really tough a few months ago, all I wanted to do was try to give myself the best chance to be able to play well again.

"I felt I got there through the summer and I feel like I'm batting really well at the moment. I've still got a few things I want to achieve and a few games of cricket I want to be a part of and win for Australia. "As long as I feel I can play a role winning games of cricket for Australia I'll continue to do it. I'm enjoying it as much as ever and probably working harder than ever on my game."

Ponting had previously scored four, 14, seven and 41 in the three-Test series, renewing questions about his future.

The World Cup-winner was axed from Australia's one-day set-up in February, despite roaring back from a lean spell by averaging 108.80 in the 4-0 Test sweep of India. But he received backing from captain Michael Clarke, who said runs had been hard to come by on the Test tour which Australia lead 1-0.

"He's hitting the ball well, probably hasn't got that big score that he'd like but none of us have. Conditions haven't been great for making big hundreds," Clarke told www.cricinfo.com. "If you wanted to make runs here you had to bat for a hell of a long time, and need a bit of luck as well along the way.

"Ricky's one of the guys that has put the team above himself and sacrificed his wicket or tried to take the game forward because we've needed to, to try and help us win the game."

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PCB sends official communique to BCB

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has not given up hope on getting Bangladesh to fulfil commitment of playing in the country and has termed the writ petition filed in the Dhaka High Court against the tour as devoid of merit and not in public interest.

The PCB issued a press release today in which it said that it has asked the Bangladesh Cricket Board to keep it updated and share details of any appeal filed against the writ petition in the High Court.

"After perusing the copy of the writ petition regarding Bangladesh tour of Pakistan, pending in Dhaka High Court Division, PCB sent an official communique to Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) asking it to submit copy of the court order and copy of the appeal (if any) filed by BCB against the stay order," the PCB spokesman said.

"After perusal of the writ by officials of PCB assisted by legal advisor, prima facie the writ petition is devoid of merits and has been filed against public interest which will be detrimental to the game of cricket," the release said.

The PCB spokesman reminded that the revival of international cricket in the country has been supported at various ICC forums.

"PCB is hopeful that BCB will leave no stone unturned to get the stay order vacated."

No foreign team has visited Pakistan because of security fears since March 2009 when militants attacked the Sri Lankan team here and killed six Pakistani policemen and a van driver. The militants also wounded five of the visiting players.

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Muhammad Yousuf out to revive career

LAHORE: Veteran Pakistan batsman Muhammad Yousuf took part in a fitness test on Tuesday to try to revive his international career, insisting he could still compete at the highest level.

The 37-year old played the last of his 90 Tests against England at Lord's in 2010 a match marred by the spot-fixing scandal involving three of his teammates.

He has not been considered for selection in the last two years because he has not played in domestic matches in Pakistan, but he took part in a workout led by new Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore on Tuesday.

"I have given a fitness test and now the result is in the hands of PCB," Yousuf told reporters outside the national academy here. "I am ready to play for my country and still have enough cricket left in me."

Yousuf rose from a poor background to become one of the most stylish batsmen Pakistan had ever produced, smashing 1,788 Test runs in 2006 a world record for a calendar year.

His career drifted after the PCB banned him for an indefinite period in March 2010 following the disastrous tour of Australia, which he captained.

The ban was overturned to allow Yousuf a comeback on the 2010 England tour, during which Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were charged and eventually jailed for arranging deliberate no-balls for money.

Yousuf, who has played 288 one-day and three Twenty20 internationals, said he has been playing regular cricket and wanted to feature in the English county championship, though a deal with Leicestershire fell through.

Whatmore said the fitness of all Pakistani players will be assessed before next month's tour to Sri Lanka.

"The fitness test was designed to give everyone an idea where they stand now and after a prescription of work to re-test and see the improvement," he said.

Pakistan play two Twenty20s, five one-day internationals and three Tests on their tour of Sri Lanka from late May to mid-July. (AFP)

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Tendulkar turns 39, urged to carry on

NEW DELHI: Batting great Sachin Tendulkar turned 39 on Tuesday with an impassioned plea from his childhood coach to carry on playing cricket for India since he is "far from finished".

"All those murmurs about his retirement must stop, this is not the right time to go," said Ramakant Achrekar, 80, the man credited with the early training of the leading scorer in Test history.

"He must not retire now. He must go on playing and scoring runs for the country," the celebrated coach told the Hindustan Times.

Tendulkar made his international debut in 1989 and has played more Tests (188) and one-day internationals (463) than any player. He is the highest run-getter in both forms of the game and last month became the first batsman to complete 100 international centuries -- 51 in Tests and 49 in one-dayers.

But Tendulkar took more than a year to move from 99 to 100 hundreds -- against Bangladesh during the Asia Cup in Dhaka -- and many fans started to believe he needed to rethink his career, especially in one-dayers.

The Mumbai batsman has himself dismissed talk of retirement, saying it would be "selfish" for him to quit when he still had a lot to offer Indian cricket.

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IPL: Two matches today

PUNE: Two matches will be played in the Indian Premier League (IPL-2012) Tuesday, Geo News reported.

After being undone at their home stadium, Delhi Daredevils will look to avenge their defeat when they take on Pune Warriors in the return fixture of the IPL 5, played at the latter’s home, the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, today, April 24, 2012.

This match will start in the afternoon at 3.30 P.M. (Pakistan Time).

In the other mach, Kolkata Night Riders will be facing Deccan Chargers. This match will be played in Kolkata in the night at 7.30 P.M (Pakistan Time).

Geo Super is televising all the matches of the event.

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