Cricket: Court dismisses banned trio’s appeal

KARACHI:The Crown Court in London has dismissed the appeal of banned Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir to dismiss their corruption case in a preliminary hearing, which ended yesterday.The trio, who were found guilty of spot-fixing by the International Cricket Council and are serving a minimum five-year ban, had filed an appeal asking the court to dismiss criminal charges that the Crown Prosecution had levelled against them. Amir and Asif attended the hearing, while Butt was represented by his lawyer. The trio were caught in a sting operation carried out by a British tabloid during Pakistan’s tour of England last year.

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PCB chief on mission during ICC celebrations

KARACHI:As the International Cricket Council (ICC) celebrates the 2,000th Test match at Lord’s today, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt will strive to break the ice with the game’s governing body following Pakistan’s reply to its Task Team recommendations last week.The PCB chief, who is also a member of ICC Executive Committee, has been invited in London to mark the week-long celebrations to be held during the historical match between England and India. According to officials, the PCB chief, along with discussions on ICC Task Team’s likely visit to Pakistan for constitutional amendment, will also attempt to improve ties with the body’s top brass that were affected after the PCB’s rejection on several recommendations made.The PCB questioned most of the 63 recommendations handed out in the Task Team report and called it a ‘scholarly exercise’ but softened its stance later saying the board has not rejected the report completely.“A gap has been created between the ICC and the PCB after the board’s reply,” a PCB official admitted while speaking to The Express Tribune. “Misunderstanding and miscommunication may be the reasons and the PCB chief will try to clarify it all.” 

Task Team visit to be finalised

The official added the Task Team’s visit to Pakistan was also likely to be finalised during the week.“There will be a discussion on how the PCB can help arrange the team’s meeting with the President as well as the schedule and how many members of the team will be visiting.”

Pak-India series to be discussed

The official said that besides discussion on those matters, the PCB chairman is also likely to discuss next year’s Future Tours Programme’s (FTP) scheduled series between Pakistan and India with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

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Dravid glad to be back where it all began

I knew it might be my only chance and I'd have to go back to India and start again -- and a lot of batsmen score first-class runs in India. I never expected that I'd be here 15 years later talking about it.Dravid, recalling his debut innings in what turned out to be a drawn match, added: "I knew when I was 50 not out I had a bit more breathing space. It gave me a lot of confidence."Thursday's clash also marks the 100th Test between England and India and could see Sachin Tendulkar a longstanding team-mate of Dravid's, become the first player to score 100 international hundreds  the 'Little Master' already has 51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals, both records.It would be very nice," said Dravid when asked about the possibility of Tendulkar reaching the landmark at Lord's -- a ground where both India batsmen have yet to make a Test century."There are a lot of stats being quoted about this Test but it makes no difference once the first ball is bowled," Dravid, who has scored over 12,000 Test runs at an average of more than 52 with 32 hundreds, said. This four-match series series pits India, number one in the world Test rankings, against a third-placed England team who could leapfrog their visitors into top if they emerge two wins clear at the finish.And an extra dimension will be added by the fact that Duncan Fletcher, for so long England's coach and the man who oversaw their revival as a Test force in the 2000s, is now in charge of India."We are still getting used to his sense of humour," said Dravid, to much laughter from English reporters who rarely saw that side of the former Zimbabwe all-rounder. "He does have one. He's been a good calm presence in the dressing room."His technical knowledge and the conversations we've had about batting, he's seen a lot of situations," explained Dravid, who unlike Tendulkar was not rested from India's recent 1-0 win in a three-Test series in the West Indies.During his career the stylish Dravid has often been hailed as a classic Test match batsman and someone unafraid to occupy the crease when required in order to 'bat time', hence his nickname of 'The Wall'.Similar compliments have been paid recently to the in-form England pair of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott.Dravid, asked if he was glad there was still a place for the art of Test-match batting in an era of Twenty20 cricket, jokingly replied: "You mean making it boring? My strike-rate hasn't gone up, everyone else's seems to."The proposal put forward by International Cricket Council (ICC) chief excecutive Haroon Lorgat that the inaugural world Test championship final, due to be played in England in 2013, be a 'timeless' match, would appear ideally suited to Dravid's abilities. "I wouldn't mind batting three or four days, but the bowlers wouldn't like it," Dravid said.

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Andrew Strauss names Sachin Tendulkar as "best Test cricketer of all time"

England Test captain Andrew Strauss has revealed on this week's ICC Cricket World audio show that he believes Sachin Tendulkar is the best Test cricketer of all time.Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, Sri Lanka wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd and Indian legend Sourav Ganguly join ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat on this week's show which is a special celebration of the 2000th Test match.Looking ahead to the England-India series, which begins at Lord's on Thursday 21 July, Strauss admitted he is excited about the challenge of taking on India, the world's number one team."I think it will be special - any series against India is special anyway. It is going to be a challenge, because India is a very confident side. They have got every right to feel confident about their ability. On the other hand we are playing at home. It has all the makings of a classic series," said Strauss.Talking of the grestest Test player of all time Strauss said: "I think I would probably say it is Sachin Tendulkar, who has been the best Test cricketer of all time. For him to go on for so long and maintain his incredibly high standards is a great testament of the man and the desire of his outrageous talent as well.'The England captain also recalled the moment that first got him interested in Test match cricket and revealed what he believes is the greatest match of all time."The moment that ignited my interest in Test cricket was England winning the 1986-87 Ashes Test series under Mike Gatting," said Strauss."The Test match that springs out for me as the best is the Edgbaston match in the 2005 Ashes series, which we won by two runs."The show can be used in whole or part by radio stations that want free cricket content for editorial use, while the public can also download it straight from www.icc-cricket.com or from iTunes.ICC Cricket Committee chairman and former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd also shares his thoughts in the show on why Test cricket is the ultimate challenge for international players."Twenty20 is an exhibition, but Test cricket is an examination in all aspects of your game. When any player retires from the game, he wants to be known as a Test player, as someone who has battled his way through," says Lloyd.This show has been put together by the ICC's global broadcast partner, GEO SUPER,ESPN,STAR Sports.PTV,SUPERS PORTS,

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Shahid Afridi's father laid to rest in Karachi

KARACHI: Father of former captain Shahid Afridi was laid to rest in graveyard of Scots colony Karachi,The funeral prayer was offered in Madina mosque 13-D in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.Afrid’s father Sahabzada Fazul Rehman passed away here on Wednesday, after prolonged illness. He was 67.Wasim Bari, Asad Shafiq and other cricketers participated in the funeral prayer.

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Daryl Harper accuses Indian players of bullying

SYDNEY: Australian umpire Daryl Harper has sacrificed his last test appearance and decided to stand his ground over accusations he leveled against the India cricket team. The ICC however remains silent over Harpers accusations.Harper had to leave cricket one day but he is not at all satisfied with the way he had to leave. He has held the Indian cricket team responsible for this and has accused them of bullying, stressing that he took this step because someone had to speak out against the Indian cricket team. The ICC has remained silent despite the public accusations made by Harper.Indian captain M.S. Dhoni condemned Harpers performance during India’s first test against the West Indies and said “If the correct decisions were made the game would have finished much earlier and I would have been in the hotel by now." Despite raising his voice against the ICC umpire, not even a warning was issued to Dhoni. To hide their mistake and support India at all costs, ICC said that when the incident took place Harper did not report it.ICC Chief Executive Haroon Logart said he had always supported Harper and it was unfortunate things ended the way they did. He added that he could not help Harper when he had to sacrifice his last Test appearance over the insistence of the Indian cricket team.This is not the first time the Indian team has had differences with umpires and match referees and has always managed to come out on top. Experts add that if Harpers accusations are not taken seriously than Indian players will turn the game into a joke.

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Squad for Zimbabwe series to be announced next week

LAHORE: The National Cricket Selection Committee will announce the team for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe next week and it is expected that new players will be included in the squad,Pakistan will play one test, three one day internationals (ODIs) and two T20 matches during the tour. The team will depart for Zimbabwe on August 28. According to chief selector Mohsin Khan, the selection committee is expected to meet on July 27 and 28 once PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt returns to the country.

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KARACHI: Former captain Shahid Afridi’s father passed away here on Wednesday following an extended illness, The family members of the cricketer told the reporters that Sahabzada Fazul Rehman Afridi succumbed to illness. Afridi’s father was not keeping good health for the past many days, that is why, the all-rounder returned home after canceling his foreign tours.The funeral prayers will be offered after Asr prayers while he will be buried in Scot Colony graveyard in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Afridi's brother Mushtaq Afridi told.

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Kamran seeks guidance from former wicket keepers

LAHORE: Wicket keeper Kamran Akmal has decided that he will seek guidance from former wicket keepers Wasim Bari, Moin Khan, Rashid Latif and Saleem Yousuf to improve his game, Geo News reported.Kamran Akmal is training alongside Test cricketer Mohammed Hafiz at the National Cricket Academy.Speaking to the media Akmal said he was going through intense training to correct mistakes which were brought to light during the World Cup.

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Test championship could witness a ‘Timeless’ Test: Lorgat

LONDON: The new world Test championship could witness the first timeless Test in more than 70 years, according to Haroon Lorgat The International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive said the format, where matches are played to a finish, regardless of time constraints, could be revived for the final of a four-team tournament to determine the world's leading Test side due to take place in England in 2013.Currently Tests are limited to five days, usually with six hours' playing time, but can end in a draw if bad weather interrupts the match or either side cannot bowl out the other twice."It is common knowledge that we hope in 2013 the top four teams will be involved in two semi-finals and a final to determine a world Test champion," Lorgat said. "The committee is currently working on it but it is not a good idea to end up with a drawn Test match."Whether (drawn games) are decided on a first-innings basis or on runs scored in the game we don't know but they will come up with a viable formula to determine a winner."The final may be a timeless Test, at this stage we don't know but we are looking into the mechanics."The last 'timeless' Test took place between South Africa and England at Durban in 1939 which was eventually declared a draw after nine' days play spread across 12 days in all.A draw ensued when the England team had to leave or they would have missed the boat home. England's fourth innings total of 654 for five remains a record for a first-class match and the 'timeless' Test remains the longest yet played."Statistics tell us that most Test matches now produce a result inside five days, but it may yet be a timeless Test," added Lorgat."It is a work in progress but I would favour finding a winner because you want a world champion," the South African explained.

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PCB recovers Rs4.5 million fine from Afridi

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has recovered a fine of Rs 4.5 million from former national captain Shahid Afridi, Geo News reported Tuesday.Chief Operating Officer of PCB, Subhan Ahmed told the channel that the finance department had deducted the fine amount from the dues that were to be paid to Afridi for the World Cup and tour to West Indies.The disciplinary committee of the board had fined Afridi for several breaches of the code of conduct last month.The fine came after a stand off between Afridi and the PCB allowing his removal as captain of the national one-day squad in May. He announced his retirement in protest and criticised the board for its conduct and not respecting senior players.After he withdraw a case against the PCB from the Sindh High Court, Afridi appeared before the disciplinary committee which fined him but asked the board to issue him an NOC to go and play for Hampshire in England's domestic Twenty20 event.

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Pakistan team to have short camp ahead of Zimbabwe tour

The Pakistan cricket team for next month's tour of Zimbabwe will only undergo a short conditioning camp as it coincides with the holy month of Ramazan, according to PCB sources."Since Ramazan starts from around August 2 and the team has to leave for Harare around the 24th it has been decided to have a three-four days conditioning camp before the team's departure," a Pakistan Cricket Board official said.He said the schedule of the camp would be finalised once chief coach, Waqar Younis arrives here from Australia.Waqar, who is based in Sydney, had delayed his arrival by 10 days due to ill health, but will now reach Lahore on Monday.In his absence, the PCB has been organising fast-track camps at the national cricket academy for leading players, including members of the national team available in Pakistan.Many of the leading players are presently busy playing county cricket in England. "The fast-track camps continue till July end so there is no purpose having a full-fledged camp before the Zimbabwe tour," the official said.Pakistan will play one Test, three one-day internationals and a T20 match during the three-week tour.The official confirmed that before leaving, the board would also announce the revised list of central contracts for players. "We were supposed to release the revised list of contracted players from July 1st and the list is final. We are just waiting for final approval from the board chairman who returns from abroad next week," the official said.Indications are that the revised list will include more young players and some players would be dropped, including fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who retired from all cricket during the World Cup and former captain, Shahid Afridi, who has also announced his retirement from international cricket.Both the seniors were placed in the category A of the last contracts list announced in January this year. "There is also no chance of Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Malik or even Kamran Akmal getting contracts since while the first two are not cleared for selection by the integrity committee of the board, Kamran is out of favor with the national selectors," he said.A source confirmed that the selectors wanted some new players to be included in the list.The source also ruled out the possibility of senior batsman, Mohammad Yusuf getting a contract although he had been active in the domestic circuit.Interestingly, the ICC Task team in its recent report, made one recommendation to the PCB that the number of contracted players should not be more than 20.

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Pakistan looking to blood youngsters in T20 team

Pakistan is hoping to blood youngsters to boost its chances of regaining the ICC World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka next year.Pakistan, who lost to India in the inaugural edition of the World Twenty20 Championship in South Africa in 2007, went on to capture the crown in England two years later. But they failed to defend the title in the Caribbean last year, losing to Australia in the semi-finals from a seemingly winning position.It may lag far behind teams like old rivals India, South Africa and Australia in Tests and One-day Internationals, but in Twenty20 cricket Pakistan has a better success ratio than any other side. They have in their ranks some of the most successful players in Twenty20 format. However, in recent times the team's performance in the version has dipped a bit.The exit of Shahid Afridi might further dent Pakistan's title chances in Sri Lanka. Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, retired from international cricket after a bitter fallout with the country's cricket authorities earlier this summer.But Pakistani cricket officials are upbeat about the country's Twenty20 future. They believe that by blooding youngsters in the team, Pakistan can boost their World Twenty20 title hopes."We are in the process of making our plans for next year's Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and are confident of preparing the team well," Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan team manager, was quoted as saying in The News Monday.Intikhab's optimism springs from the fact that Pakistan have a number of talented youngsters, who are currently making their presence felt at the domestic circuit. Youngsters like Ramiz Raja Jr - an explosive top order batsman - showcased their talents at a Twenty20 tournament in Faisalabad last month."Twenty20 is mostly a young man's game," said Intikhab, a former Pakistan Test captain."You have to have young guys who can hit the ball out of the park. You need guys who can really fight even while defending small totals. You need guys who are exceptionally good fielders. I'm sure that Pakistan currently has plenty of such guys."Intikhab has been keenly following the opening phase of a fast-track coaching project that concluded last week at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. It featured fast bowlers and batsmen. The second phase, dedicated to spinners and wicket-keepers, will begin at the NCA Monday."Several of the youngsters who featured in the first phase look seem to be really good," said Intikhab, who has also served as Pakistan's national coach. "We can even blood some of them in our national Twenty20 squad," he added.The coaching project is taking place under the supervision of former Test cricketers, including chief selector Mohsin Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz, Ijaz Ahmed and Abdul Qadir. The programme is being run by Intikhab, who is also Pakistan Cricket Board's director of game development.

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Informal Butt-ICC meeting salted for Lord's

LONDON: PCB chairman Ijaz Butt is likely to have an informal discussion on the Pakistan Task Team's (PTT) report with the ICC's top brass and PTT members during the Lord's Test between England and India beginning on July 21. It will be the first, albeit unofficial, meeting between the PCB, the ICC and the PTT since the report was published."The chairman will be going to Lord's, although there is no formal meeting scheduled there," PCB's chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad told PTI. "But it is likely he will have informal discussions with ICC president [Sharad Pawar] and chief executive [Haroon Lorgat], and Giles Clarke, the head of the Task Team, and some of its members.The Pakistan board, in its reply to the PTT' recommendations, had pointed out that apart from a short visit by David Richardson, the report had been prepared without the Task Team actually visiting Pakistan. It, the PCB response said, raised "serious questions on the observations given in the report". There have been reports of Clarke and Lorgat visiting Pakistan, and it could be one of the issues that come up at Lord's, according to Ahmad. "So far we have no official intimation about the Task Team visiting Pakistan soon, but at Lord's this could be discussed by the ICC and the Task Team with our chairman."We told the task team many times that they needed to visit Pakistan while compiling their report," Ahmad said, adding that the board would still welcome any proposed trips by members of the panel to Pakistan.In a further sign of a potential thaw between the board and the ICC over the matter Ahmad said the board had only dismissed the recommendations it felt were redundant or based on inaccurate information. "The constructive recommendations and proposals by the task team which are good for Pakistan cricket are under consideration," Ahmad said. "We are looking at ways to implement them soon."Ahmad dismissed suggestions that the PCB's initial cold response had soured relations with the ICC. "We appreciate the ICC and task team's intentions to help and support Pakistan cricket. Our relations remain very good and there is no confrontation on this matter," he said.The ICC set up the Task Team, following the attacks on the touring Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009, to look into reviving Pakistan's reputation as an international cricket host. Since then, the parameters of the PTT have grown to take in integrity and governance issues. At the ICC's annual conference in June, the PTT had presented a 38-page report listing 63 far-reaching recommendations, which included changes to the board's administration, to the process of selection, managerial appointments, the central contracts pool and even the kind of ball used in domestic cricket.

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'Enforcer' Broad should concentrate on 'accuracy': Flower

England team Director Andy Flower has told fast bowler Stuart Broad to forget playing the role of an 'enforcer' and concentrate on improving his accuracy.He has got pace and bounce and he is a great competitor, but he can be more accurate," lower was quoted, as saying.His job is to create pressure and to take wickets and to do that you generally bowl at off stump. So his job is not to rough up the opposition. It is not to be this ridiculous enforcer," he added.England dropped Broad for the one-day international series decider against Sri Lanka earlier this month and he is now unlikely to find a place in the first test against India, The Telegraph reports.Earlier, England bowling coach David Saker had said that he wants Broad to play the role of 'an enforcer' to rip opposite sides."We want him to be the enforcer in our team. There is no better bowler in the world than Stuart at bowling bouncers," Saker said.Broad was sent back to county circuit last week to find some form ahead of the India series."We always select our best XI and Stuart has been a big part of that for the last few years. That is the criteria we will use when picking the side for Lords. He is in the squad but we are yet to make a decision about the best XI," Flower said.

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Recently retired Australian umpire Daryl Harper has accused India of "bullying", just days before the start of their Test series against England.Harper pulled out of his farewell Test this month after criticism from India players and a "lack of support" from the International Cricket Council."I thought someone had to make a stand, so I did," Harper told BBC Sport.India said they had "no comment to offer" in reply to Harper's claims, and the ICC have yet to make a response."I never tolerated bullying when I was a teacher," Harper said, "and I don't think bullying should be allowed to continue here."Following the first Test between India and West Indies in June, which India won by 63 runs, captain Mahendra Dhoni condemned Harper's performance.Dhoni said: "If the correct decisions were made the game would have finished much earlier and I would have been in the hotel by now.His comments went unpunished by the match referee Jeff Crowe.

DARYL HARPER'S CAREER

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• Umpired in 95 Tests between 1998 and 2011
• Took charge of 174 ODIs, starting in 1994
• Stood in 10 Twenty20 internationals
• Indian newspapers also reported that "
• a very senior member of the side"                                                                                                       had claimed that the entire team did not want Harper to officiate in the final Test."We don't want him - you can quote it as the reaction of the entire Indian team," was the alleged remark.Harper had been due to officiate in the third Test a few days later but pulled out.In an interview to be broadcast on 5 live Sport on Monday evening, 59-year-old Harper said: "There were a number of factors... but the main one was what I deemed was a lack of support from the ICC."I wanted some action to be taken when there was some unwarranted criticism of me. But no action was taken after the Test match and I felt that if the ICC were not going to take some action then I thought I would. So I packed up and went home."There were five or six articles that were very derogatory that were not good for me and not good for cricket.Harper also feels that the behaviour of India's players is not in the spirit of the game."Cricket umpires have to have thick skin these days," he said. "I don't think I'm easily intimidated but you must respect the officials and I don't think that was the case. It's just the Indian way at the moment.It doesn't matter if it is Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Australia, England or India. The same conditions should apply and when I look back at before that third Test match I was starting to think 'maybe I should wait and see who is playing' then I thought 'this is a bad day, this is not a game I want to be involved with at the moment'India begin their four-Test series against England on Thursday at Lord's.

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Spot-fixing: Pak cricketers to appear in London court

Pakistan, cricketers, involved in spot fixing case, will appear in a London court tomorrow.A British court has summoned the Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir to appear on Tuesday.Former captain Salman Butt will not appear in the court as his England visa expired on July 11. He will be now be represented by his Indian lawyer Yaseen Patel.However, Salman Butt has applied for England visa to personally appear during next hearing of the case.Fast bowler Muhammad Aamir is already in England while Muhammad Asif’s lawyer will appear in the court on his behalf.

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Fans select their Greatest Test Team of all time

Cricket lovers from across the world have cast more than a quarter of million votes this month to choose their Greatest Test team of all time. Fans voted on the ICC's official website, www.icc-cricket.com, using a short list provided by the game's governing body, to pick their leading eleven, as part of the activities to commemorate the 2000th Test Match, which will begin at Lord's between England and India on Thursday. Four Australians, four Indians, two West Indians and one Pakistani have been named in the ?people's' Dream XI. The final selection is as follows:

Virender Sehwag

Sunil Gavaskar

Donald Bradman

Sachin Tendulkar

Brian Lara

Kapil Dev

Adam Gilchrist (wk)

Shane Warne

Wasim Akram

Curtly Ambrose
Glenn McGrath

Haroon Lorgat, ICC Chief Executive, said: "The huge interest generated during the past month was amazing as media and supporters worldwide speculated and then selected the fan's Greatest Test team of all time. It supports our view of the everlasting popularity of Test match cricket."It would have been quite special to see this team take the field of play given the array of batting and bowling talent contained within the playing eleven. "Selecting from such greats is no easy job, and not surprisingly, the selection mainly reflects modern players seen by present day supporters. There are many greats from the past who would have easily merited selection in this team, but it is nevertheless interesting to see the fans view on their greatest eleven of all time.A series of activities are planned during this week in the build-up to and during the England-India Test match to celebrate the 2000th Test.

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Wasim Surprised Over Gayle Omission

LAHORE - Pakistan’s former captain Wasim Akram has expressed surprise over the omission of Chris Gayle from the West Indies team against India. “Gayle not being part of the West Indies team, I feel is baffling to the cricketing world. Judging by his recent form, he is an automatic selection. In any version of the game, he is such a dangerous and useful player,” Akram was quoted as saying by ESPN.
IPL’s orange-cap winner Gayle accumulated 608 runs in 12 matches as an opener for runners-up Bangalore in this edition. The left-handed batsman hit 2 hundreds, 3 fifties and a record 44 sixes to demoralise the opposition bowlers. Akram believes Gayle was the show-stealer of the tournament. “We have seen him in the recently concluded Indian T20 League. I mean the guy is a class act. He is a destructive batsman, a pretty safe fielder and is very handy with the ball in the shorter version,” the Kolkata bowling consultant was quoted by tv interview Sport.Gayle has been at loggerheads with the WICB after the ICC Cricket World Cup. He was not selected for the series against Pakistan due to an abdominal injury. The batsman, however, claimed that he was dropped. According to Akram, there is more to it than just cricket. “There might be something very serious going on between the player and the West Indies board but that doesn’t warrant him an axe from the side. But I think it is West Indies’ loss,” opines Akram. Meanwhile, Akram is not too pleased with the media’s role in playing up the club versus country debate. Many senior Indian players have opted out of the Windies tour just after the cash-rich league and the issue has raised concerns about players’ ethics

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Afridi is still Pakistan’s T20 captain!

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new official website is a reflection of the poor state of the cricket body, which is evident from the fact that it shows retired allrounder Shahid Afridi as Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain.Recently, PCB chief Ijaz Butt declared that Afridi is not captaincy material and would never lead the national side at least not during his tenure. But the chairman’s word has not reached the concerned authorities responsible to look after the PCB’s web portal.Afridi and Butt were at loggerheads, which saw the talismanic allrounder criticizing the current setup of the PCB and ended up paying Rs 4.5 million for serious breaches of disipline. Butt later claimed Afridi was responsible for Pakistan team’s losses in last two One-dayers on the tour of West Indies.Several weeks have passed since this controversy but still Afridi’s name continues to be mentioned as T20 captain until the filing of this report.

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