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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PCB, ICC may decide PTT visit in London this week

KARACHI: Pakistan, the most successful team in the fastest format of the game, are confident of raising a squad strong enough to regain the ICC World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka next year, writes Khalid Hussain.

The Pakistanis, 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. But they failed to defend the title in the Caribbean last year when they fell to Australia in the semifinals from a seemingly winning position.They may lag far behind teams like old rivals India, South Africa and Australia in Tests and One-day Internationals but in Twenty20 cricket Pakistan have a better success ration than any other side. They have in their ranks some of the most successful players in Twenty20 format.However, in recent times their performance in the slam-bang version of the game has dipped a bit.The exit of Shahid Afridi, widely regarded as the most destructive allrounder in Twenty20 cricket, might further dent Pakistan’s title chances in Sri Lanka. Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, retired from international cricket after a bitter fall out 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 team that is good enough to win the title there,” Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan team manager, told ‘The News’ in an interview.Intikhab’s optimism springs from the fact that Pakistan have a number of talented youngsters, who are currently making their bones 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 wicketkeepers, will begin at the NCA from today (Monday).

“Several of the youngsters who featured in the first phase 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.The initial phase of the project featured a number of leading players including Test batters Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali. The fast bowlers, who took part in the training camp, include Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Talha.

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Bresnan returns to England Test squad

The England selectors today named a 12-man squad for the first npower Test match against India at Lord's, commencing Thursday July 21 Test captain Andrew Strauss will lead an England squad that includes Yorkshire paceman Tim Bresnan, who returns to the England Test squad for the first time since the 5th Ashes Test in Sydney in January.The inclusion of Bresnan and the omission of Middlesex's Steven Finn is the only change to the England squad that won the recent npower Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 England National Selector, Geoff Miller, said: "This is clearly a highly-anticipated series between two of the world's top Test playing nations and I know the England team is certainly looking forward to the challenge of taking on the number one ranked team in Test cricket."Following the successful Test and ODI series against Sri Lanka we're pleased to be able to include Tim Bresnan in the Test squad after his excellent return from a calf muscle injury. Tim adds further bite to our pace attack along with James Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad who has greatly benefitted from getting overs and wickets under his belt for Nottinghamshire during the week."Steven Finn has also benefitted from his time at county level in recent weeks and continues to press hard for Test selection. It's very pleasing to see the depth of quality around our bowling attack particularly with a challenging four-match Test series on the horizon."

England squad - 1st npower Test

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) (Captain)

James Anderson (Lancashire)

Ian Bell (Warwickshire)

Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)

Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)

Alastair Cook (Essex)

Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)

Kevin Pietersen (Surrey)

Matt Prior (Sussex)

Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)

Chris Tremlett (Surrey)

Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

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England name squad for 1st Test against India

LONDON: England on Sunday named fast bowler Tim Bresnan in their squad to face India in the first Test, which begins at Lord's on Thursday, but there was no place for Steven Finn.Bresnan takes Finn's place in the only change to the squad that beat Sri Lanka 1-0 in the recent Test series.Yorkshire paceman Bresnan is returning to the England squad for the first time since the fifth Ashes Test in January."This is clearly a highly anticipated series between two of the world's top Test-playing nations and I know the England team is certainly looking forward to the challenge of taking on the number one ranked team in Test cricket," said England national selector Geoff Miller."Following the successful Test and ODI series against Sri Lanka we're pleased to be able to include Tim Bresnan in the Test squad after his excellent return from a calf muscle injury."Tim adds further bite to our pace attack along with James Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad, who has greatly benefitted from getting overs and wickets under his belt for Nottinghamshire during the week.England squad to face India in the first Test at Lord's Andrew Strauss (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott

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India collapse to 138-8 against Somerset

TAUNTON: India suffered a miserable time against Somerset as South Africa's Charl Willoughby took five wickets to reduce the tourists to 138-8 in their first innings on Saturday.This is India's only warm-up game ahead of next week's first Test against England at Lord's, but there has been little to encourage coach Duncan Fletcher and his players so far as they struggle to adapt to English conditions.

After a rain delay of more than three hours, India were finally able to take the field on the second day, but the tourists must have finished up wishing it had kept on raining.India's bowlers spent most of the first day being hit to all parts of Taunton as Somerset opener Arul Suppiah scored a century, while England Test captain Andrew Strauss guesting for the west country outfit -- and Nick Compton recorded half-centuries.It was more of the same on Saturday as Suppiah took his total to 156 before he was caught by Rahul Dravid off the bowling of Sreesanth with the score on 356.Chris Jones, who scored an unbeaten 51, moved the total onto 425-3 before Somerset declared to the relief of an Indian bowling attack without rested stars Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh.A strong Indian batting line-up including Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir should have been able to respond with big totals of their own on a flat pitch.But left-arm seamer Willoughby had other ideas as he finished the day with figures of 5-50, while no Indian batsman passed 30. Gambhir, returning to action after missing the recent West Indies tour with a shoulder injury, was first to go as he fell on 21 after edging Willoughby to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.Willoughby struck again to dismiss opener Abhinav Mukund with the score on 51.That brought Tendulkar together with Dravid, but India's two star batsman failed to deliver.Dravid was caught by James Hildreth off Willougby for 17 and then Yurav Singh departed for a duck to Willoughby.Tendulkar couldn't stem the tide and he went for 26 as 19-year-old Craig Meschede claimed his opening first-class wicket.India were 90-6 afer Peter Trego dismissed wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and only Suresh Raina, who made 30, offered any resistance as they finished in danger of defeat on the third and final day.

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No burden on India to prove anything: Zaheer

Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan is confident that India can continue their run as the world's best Test team in the four-match series. The left-arm pacer said there is no pressure on India to prove anything. He feels if India can play good cricket they can win the series. "There is no burden on our team to prove anything. If we play good cricket we will win matches and then everything else will take care of itself. I've got confidence from the previous tours I've had here as well as the county season I played, which makes me familiar with conditions," Zaheer was quoted as saying by The Mirror. Zaheer, who picked up 18 wickets in the 2007 series, said English conditions suit his bowling style. "I've always enjoyed playing here, the conditions are good for my kind of bowling. Whenever the weather is good it definitely provides that little bit extra for the seamers, which I really enjoy. This year I'm also looking to do the same thing as in 2007, I will use this practice game to get my body going and get into the zone, then carry on from there," he said. The jelly bean incident of 2007 is still fresh in Zaheer's mind. Ian Bell tossed a few jelly beans from short leg towards him when was batting in the Trent Bridge Test. "In the last series you could see how hurt they were when the whole jelly bean thing happened because they lost the series. It is up to them how far they want to push it and whether they want to cross the line or not. I am very clear, I want to play the game in the right spirit and I don't think by doing that they had shown the right spirit of the game.
"I want to fight hard on the field and that is the way I will be playing it in this series as well. As a bowler I'm very confident and the way things are panning out, it will be a big series and we're looking forward to the contest," he said. Zaheer wants Sachin Tendulkar to get the 100th century in the first Test at Lord's starting Thursday. The Lord's Test will be the 100th match between the two sides, the 2,000th Test match of all time.

Zaheer is also staring at a personal milestone as he is 10 wickets closer to his target of 300 Test scalps. "That would be great. It is going to be a massive game and a massive series," said Zaheer.

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Bangladesh squad named for Zimbabwe series

DHAKA: Bangladesh have included uncapped batsmen Nasir Hossain and Shuvagoto Hom in their 15-man squad for next month's tour of Zimbabwe featuring a Test and five one-day internationals. The tour marks Zimbabwe's return to Test cricket after five years of voluntary exile because of political problems in the country. The Bangladesh squad announced on Friday had no room for batsman Roqibul Hassan and Alok Kapali or all-rounder Mohammad Sohrawadi, who played against Australia in Bangladesh's last ODI series in April.Shuvagoto was in the squad for the Australia series but did not play.Former skipper Mohammad Ashraful and batsman Junaed Siddique have returned to the side after missing out on the Australia series. Pace bowler Robiul Islam, who was part of the squad in Bangladesh's last Test series against England in 2010 but had never been considered for ODIs, is also in the squad.The Test will be held from Aug. 4-8 in Harare, with the ODIs running from August 12 to 21. Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Tamim Iqbal (vice-captain), Imrul Kayes, Zunaed Siddique, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Robiul Islam, Shuvagoto Hom, Nasir Hossain.

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Strauss inspired by Tendulkar's longevity

It is not just about Sachin Tendulkar's technical proficiency but also his mental strength that helps him in rewriting records even at the age of 38, feels England skipper Andrew Strauss."It's the overall package he brings. He is technically fantastic but it's also his mental strength; the way he withstands pressure, how humble and dignified he is," Strauss said on Thursday on the eve of India's warm-up game against Somerset."It is not just his runs but his desire and motivation to keep chasing down the records. He is an example that if you are still hungry, your power shouldn't decline as you get older," said Strauss."Among the examples out there, he is the best of them." Tendulkar will be chasing a record 100th international centuries when India and England kick off the first of the four-match Test series, at Lord's on July 21.Strauss acknowledged the Indian team's consistency but backed his team to beat the world number one in front of the home crowd."They are playing hell lot of good cricket. They are tough nuts to crack, generally such men bring the best out of our players."In the last two years, we have found ourselves in good position and go on and win the Test. The level of test is going to rise over the next five weeks. It excites us for once you overcome the best, you become the best. "It's a strong unit, ably led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but we back ourselves to beat anyone in home conditions and India is no exception to it," Strauss said.Should England win the series 2-0 or 3-1, they would replace the visitors from the top of Test rankings. "It's important we look to win the series -- it's always dangerous to look too far ahead. You do so by playing good cricket consistently. It might take six months or 12 years to reach the goal," he said.According to Strauss, the important thing is how his team is known in the world."More than ratings, how you are acknowledged around the world, that's a far longer goal. You could become number one, but how you sustain it is important."While sub-continental teams have struggled against short-pitched stuffs in the past, Strauss does not want to make the mistake of assuming that the Indians would be susceptible to the rising deliveries."All sub-continent teams have got better at it. They have been touring here quite often. I don't foresee any dramatic weakness there."We know Chris Tremlett did very well last time. He was younger and less developed. As we saw against both Australia and Sri Lanka, (the short-pitched bowling) if done consistently and accurately, will trouble most," he said.Strauss also clarified that he looked to play against the Indians not because he wanted to sort out his problems against Zaheer Khan."It would have been the first Test match for me to play without having played any match for three weeks. The other option was to play two games for Middlesex. I am happy that I'm getting an opportunity to score some runs against their bowlers."Zaheer, incidentally, has dismissed Strauss on five occasions.

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Tests take fresh guard at 2,000 not out

LONDON: A five-day contest where often neither side wins, Test cricket may seem out of touch with 21st Century life yet next week's series opener between England and India at Lord's will mark its 2,000th match.And with a sell-out crowd expected at the 'home of cricket', where India great Sachin Tendulkar could become the first player to score a hundred international hundreds it seems there is life in the old dog yet.Certainly no-one designing a sporting format today would come up with anything like Test cricket.Yet its sheer length, and associated unrivalled capacity for changes of fortune -- this month marks the 30th anniversary of England's remarkable win, following on, against Australia at Headingley -- means it can create more truly memorable moments than one-day and Twenty20 formats.Starting with a match between Australia and England at Melbourne in 1877, it took a while for Test cricket to be regarded as more important than the old rivals' own first-class matches and, South Africa apart, its global appeal in those early years was strictly limited.Tests were also, for much of their history, comparatively rare events with 803 matches played in the first hundred years compared to 1,197 in the last 34 years.There has rarely been an age since its inception when Test cricket was not facing a crisis many thought threatened its existence, with last year's spot-fixing scandal involving Pakistan players in England the latest example.If that had diplomatic, as well as sporting, ramifications so too did the Bodyline series of 1929/30, when England quicks Harold Larwood and Bill Voce bowled to a packed legside field in a bid to curb the phenomenal run-scoring of Australia great Don Bradman.But by then, the key decision that would broaden Test cricket's horizons had already been taken with two Imperial Cricket Conferences at Lord's in 1926 agreeing to England's exchange of visits with the West Indies, New Zealand and India, opening up cricket to Afro-Caribbean and Asian influences.A series of increasingly sterile Anglo-Australian contests in the 1950s and 1960s left many fearing for Test cricket's future until a vibrant West Indies side during its 'Tied Test' tour of 1960/61 showed there was another way to play the game.Even so one-day cricket migrated to the international arena and soon proved itself a commercial success.Recently the advent of the brash Twenty20, again migrating from the county to the world stage, opened up new audiences.And, with the creation of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League, vast new riches were available to players without the need to have first established their status in the Test arena.Yet as International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat put it on Thursday: "Test cricket is the pinnacle form of the game."It is our link to the game's origins; it is what defines greatness and it is recognised by the players as being the benchmark by which they wish to be graded and remembered."History has proven that no other form of the game can create memorable and meaningful moments like Test cricket can."Which is not to say it doesn't face huge challenges. Crowds, outside of England and Australia, are often meagre and the sheer frequency of fixtures can leave even the most ardent fan feeling overwhelmed.Day/night Tests, often heralded as a way of bringing back spectators, remain on the drawing board and whether the ICC's proposed Test Championship, billed as a way of giving greater context to individual series, captures the public imagination, remains to be seen.But so long as a critical mass within the sport believe Test cricket to be living up to its name as the ultimate challenge -- and can convince enough people beyond the boundary to provide the necessary financial support -- it will be around for some time to come.

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Batsmen working hard during training camp: Azhar Ali

LAHORE: Test cricketer Azhar Ali said Friday that due to fast pitches and bowlers, top order batsmen were getting the opportunity to improve and fix issues which they were facing, tv interview.Ali was speaking during the fast track coaching programme underway at the National cricket academy. He said that batsmen had worked really hard during the camp to improve their technique and the coaches were a great help. He added that fast pitches were prepared for training and due to the conditions in Lahore batsmen got the opportunity to face fast bowling.

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SLPL - Sri Lankan Premier League

Sri Lankan Premier League’s Teams and their Captains

Sunday, May 15th, 2011 Seven teams for Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket competition Sri Lankan Premier League’s and their captains has been announced. and the board plans to add two more teams to the tournament within three years.
Team: Nagenahira Nagas

Captian: Shahid Afridi

 

Team:Kandurata Kites

Captian: Kumar Sangakkara

 

Team: Uthura Oryxes

Captian: Daniel Vettori

 

Team: Ruhunu Rhinos

Captian: Sanath Jayasuriya

 

Team: Uva Unicorns

Captian: Chaminda Vaas

 

Team: Basnahira Bears

Captian: Tillakaratne Dilshan

 

Team: Wyamba Wolves

Captian: Mahela Jayawardene

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Archive for the ‘Sri Lanka Premier League’ Category
36 International Players Expected To Play SLPL - 2011
Wednesday, May 25th, 201136 International Players expected to play in Sri Lanka Premier League - 2011.
The list include:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Australian
    Callum Ferguson
    David Warner
    Daniel Christian
    Shaun Tait

11 Indian

    Manish Pandey
    Manoj Tiwary
    Paul Valthaty
    Ravindra Jadeja
    Saurabh Tiwary
    Umesh Yadav
    Vinay Kumar
    Yuvraj Singh
    Yusuf Pathan
    Munaf Patel
    Ravichandran Ashwin

4 Bangladeshi

    Tamim Iqbal
    Shakib Al Hasan
    Shafiul Islam
    Mohammad Ashraful

1 Irish

    Kevin O’Brien

1 Jamaican

    Chris Gayle

1 New Zealander

    Daniel Vettori

8 Pakistani

    Shoaib Akhtar
    Umar Akmal
    Shahid Afridi
    Abdul Razzaq
    Umar Gul
    Sohail Tanvir
    Wahab Riaz
    Misbah-ul-Haq

4 South African

    Albie Morkel
    Herschelle Gibbs
    Lonwabo Tsotsobe
    Makhaya Ntini

2 Trinidadian or Tobagan

    Darren Bravo
    Kieron Pollard
__________________________________________________________________________________

Sri Lankan Premier League - 2011 Schedule

Sunday, May 15th, 2011

Sri Lankan Premier League dates has been announced. All of the matches in the tournament will be played in R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. from July 19, 2011 to August 4, 2011. The seven teams will play 24 matches over the 18 days and in this all the teams will play against each other once in a league stage, before two semi-finals and a final match. All the tournament will be telecast live globally.
1st Match
Tue Jul 19 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Basnahira Bears vs. Kandurata Kites
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
2nd Match
Wed Jul 20 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Nagenahira Nagas vs. Ruhuna Rhinos
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
3rd Match
Wed Jul 20 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Uthura Oryxes vs. Wayamba Wolves
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
4th Match
Thu Jul 21 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Uva Unicorns vs. Basnahira Bears
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
5th Match
Thu Jul 21 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Kandurata Kites vs. Nagenahira Nagas
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
6th Match
Sat Jul 23 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Ruhuna Rhinos vs. Uthura Oryxes
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
7th Match
Sat Jul 23 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Wayamba Wolves vs. Uva Unicorns
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
8th Match
Sun Jul 24 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Basnahira Bears vs. Nagenahira Nagas
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
9th Match
Sun Jul 24 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Kandurata Kites vs. Ruhuna Rhinos
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
10th Match
Mon Jul 25 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Uthura Oryxes vs. Uva Unicorns
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
11th Match
Mon Jul 25 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Wayamba Wolves vs. Basnahira Bears
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
12th Match
Tue Jul 26 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Kandurata Kites vs. Uthura Oryxes
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
13th Match
Tue Jul 26 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Nagenahira Nagas vs. Wayamba Wolves
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
14th Match
Thu Jul 28 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Ruhuna Rhinos vs. Uva Unicorns
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
15th Match
Thu Jul 28 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Uthura Oryxes vs. Basnahira Bears
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
16th Match
Fri Jul 29 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Wayamba Wolves vs. Kandurata Kites
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
17th Match
Fri Jul 29 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST - Uva Unicorns vs. Nagenahira Nagas
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
18th Match
Sat Jul 30 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Basnahira Bears vs. Ruhuna Rhinos
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
19th Match
Sat Jul 30 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Kandurata Kites vs. Uva Unicorns
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
20th Match
Sun Jul 31 | 10:30 GMT | 16:00 local | 16:00 IST
Nagenahira Nagas vs. Uthura Oryxes
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
21st Match
Sun Jul 31 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
Ruhuna Rhinos vs. Wayamba Wolves
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
1st Semi-Final Match
Tue Aug 2 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
TBC vs. TBC
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
2nd Semi-Final
Wed Aug 3 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
TBC vs. TBC
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Final Match
Thu Aug 4 | 14:30 GMT | 20:00 local | 20:00 IST
TBC vs. TBC
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

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11th Asia Cup Cricket 2012 Bangladesh

Asia cup cricket is the most enjoyable Tournament for Asian people. Normally We seen cricket worldwide series or some traveling but this is the another enjoy to find out who is the best in Asia. It will be held between four Asian test playing teams Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. This is the time 2006,India ,2008,Pakistan ,2010,Srilanka, 2012,This Time Bangladesh host the tourment

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India's number-one ranking goes on the line

England will go to number one in the Reliance ICC Test Championship if it beats India by at least two Tests in the upcoming four-match series. Although currently in third position on the table, Andrew Strauss's team will leap above South Africa and India to take pole position if it finishes the series 3-1 or 2-0 to the good or better.This will add extra masala to a series that is already highly anticipated. The first Test, which starts at Lord's on 21 July, will be the 2,000th in the history of the game and the 100th between England and India. With a full house and a huge global television viewership expected, the enduring qualities of the pinnacle format of cricket will be highlighted, more than 134 years since the first Test was staged.According to the latest table, following the annual update*, England will lead the table by three ratings points if it wins the series by two clear matches. In that scenario, India would hold on to second position with South Africa slipping to third. If the home team was to sweep the series 4-0, India would drop to third place. A 1-0 or 2-1 series win for England will put its rating level with India's but India will still be top by a fraction of a point. A drawn series (0-0, 1-1 or 2-2) will ensure India stays six points clear at the top but with England edging ahead of South Africa into second position.An India series win will see it stretch its lead at the top of the table, leaving England lying in third place.The update, whereby older results are dropped or have their weightings reduced, has led to no changes in the rankings but India's lead over South Africa is trimmed from nine points to seven points. SA is not scheduled to play Test cricket until November when it hosts Australia.The most dramatic change coming from the update is Australia's loss of seven ratings points (from 107 to 100). Although Michael Clarke's men remain fifth, they are now eight points adrift of Sri Lanka in fourth place. The reason for this significant drop is the exclusion of a number of fine results Australia enjoyed in the season 2007-08, when it won all three of its series (against Sri Lanka, India and the West Indies). ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "As we all prepare to celebrate the staging of the 2,000th Test match, one cannot imagine it to be any better than between two of the top teams in a series that carries with it the battle for top spot on in the rankings. That is great context and we will enhance that with the ICC World Test Championship in future."Test cricket is the pinnacle form of the game and we will continue to protect and promote it above all. It is our link to the game's origins, it is what defines greatness and it is recognised by the players as being the benchmark by which they wish to be graded and remembered. History has proven that no other form of the game can create memorable and meaningful moments like Test cricket can."

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"We want to be the number one Test side," says Alastair Cook

England's ODI captain, Alastair Cook, on this week's ICC Cricket World radio show talks exclusively about the win against Sri Lanka and looks ahead to England's upcoming series against India, where he wants to see his side assume the number one position in the Reliance ICC Test Championship.Former India captain Sourav Ganguly predicts a tough Indian summer for England at home, while England women's captain Charlotte Edwards looks back on the recently concluded women's quadrangular series wins at home and New Zealand's Aimee Watkins talks about her retirement from the game."It has been a good couple of months and to win the series is very pleasing. We have certainly got a lot to prove. We know as an English side, we know that we have to win. We have made a step in the right direction," says Cook.The England Test vice-captain is now looking forward to the India challenge in the upcoming four-match Test series."It is going to be a great summer, we need to go back to Test mode. We want to world number one in the Reliance ICC Test Championship. There is nothing better than playing against the current world number one, to show that we can reach there. They have got some players who will go down as all-time greats. But I am very confident that if we play well, we will be a hard side to beat,'' says Cook.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 or from iTunes.Meanwhile Sourav Ganguly looks ahead to the upcoming series between England and India."It is going to be a good series. We won there the last time in 2007 and I remember playing an important role myself. The English team has improved since then. But the England team will remember that in 2002, we managed to square the series. It is going to be a tough Indian team coming this season,'' says Ganguly.England women's captain Charlotte Edwards, who is thrilled with her team's winning performance in the recently completed women's quadrangular ODI and T20 series at home, speaks in a special focus on women's cricket."It was a great series. We were delighted to win the tournament. I think everyone contributed to the win. Lydia Greenway was exceptional with the bat, Holly Colvin and Katherine Brunt led our attack with the ball very well,'' says Edwards.New Zealand's retiring women's captain Aimee Watkins was disappointed with her team finishing last in both the formats in the quadrangular series, but Watkins was sure that it was the right time for her to step away. "It was a decision that I came to nearly six months ago, it's better to finish now and move on. I can now pay attention to my family and move to the next stage of my life. Without a doubt I will miss my teammates and the people I have met on the way," says Watkins.Apart from these exclusive interviews, there is the usual round-up of cricketing news and an update of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings.This show is 15-minute audio show and has been put together by the ICC's global broadcast partner, ESPN STAR Sports.

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India focus on handling short-pitch bowling

Anticipating that they will be tested with short-pitched stuff in the upcoming Test series against England, the Indian batsmen on Thursday devoted time in the practice session to finding ways to handle the James Anderson-led pace battery. The tour opens with a three-day game against Somerset from Friday.With the county resting most of its top players, the wicket as featherbed as it comes and forecast of rain-laden next three days, the specter of Anderson is making Indians almost bypass the game against Somerset.Anderson has 24 wickets from six Tests against India - 20 of them of top order batsmen. He picked up a five-wicket haul at Lord's on India's previous visit in 2007. He has claimed Sachin Tendulkar 5 times from 6 Tests.Thus it was little wonder that Gautam Gambhir spent as much time as he could in the nets adjacent to the centre pitch. Coach Duncan Fletcher watched him from the front, then slipped behind the nets and had a few chosen words of advice for the opener.Gambhir appeared to practice against deliveries which bounced and left him. Time and again, he hopped on to his backfoot and angled down the bat in the gully area a realization that the quartet of Anderson, Steve Finn, John Tremlett and Stuart Broad are the tallest set of pacemen operating for one team in international cricket.Sachin Tendulkar, the centre of all hype and anticipation on his 100th international hundred, looked surprisingly relaxed as he preferred the throwdowns from fielding coach Trevor Penny. Later on, he warmed up and faced up to India's top medium-pacers and then kept at it for a long time.The competition between the medium-pacers was palpable though Zaheer Khan, without any such worry, preferred to gingerly run up to the crease. He might sit out on Thursday to deny England captain Andrew Strauss the practice he so desperately needs.Somerset would do their own bit to deprive Indians of any worthwhile practice. Captain Marcus Trescothick is away, England's one-day opener-wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter is unlikely to be around and the only fast bowler of any promise, Steve Kirby, could be missing.The consolation, besides Strauss, could be young batsman of promise James Hildreth and Malaysia-born Arul Suppiah, who made headlines this season when he returned world-record figures in Twenty20 cricket - a haul of 6 wickets for 5 runs.Returning to the Indians, Sreesanth didn't hold himself back at all and looked around for nods of approval after he once claimed VVS Laxman. The slip cordon was also given practice with tennis balls which swerve and could pop out if the hands are not kept soft.

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Pakistan reject ICC recommendations

KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket authorities on Wednesday rejected a series of recommendations proposed by a special task force appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to help put the sport back on track in this country.Terming a comprehensive report prepared by ICC’s Pakistan Task Force as a ‘scholarly exercise’, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) urged for a more ‘Pakistan specific’ blueprint from the force that includes a number of leading cricketing personalities.In a lengthy statement issued on Wednesday, PCB questioned the credibility of the report saying that the PTT members did not even care to visit the country before finalising it“The entire report has been prepared without PTT ever visiting Pakistan (except for a brief chat of a few hours that David Richardson had with a few ex-players during his visit to Karachi in January 2011 or perhaps some input to PTT from Ramiz),” said the statement referring to Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan Test opener who is a PTT member.“This raises serious questions on the observations given in the report,” said the statement.According to a PCB official, a detailed response to the 38-page PTT has been sent to the ICC.The PCB has raised serious objection on the PTT’s move to question political interference in the Board, claiming that unique circumstances in Pakistan justifies it.The PTT report had expressed reservations on the authority of the President of Pakistan in appointment of the Chairman PCB and members of Governing Board.PCB’s response states, “The circumstances in Pakistan are unique and cricket administration requires and deserves government support without which international cricket may not be able to return to Pakistan. Keeping in view the extraordinary security situation in the country, having the President as Patron of PCB adds tremendous value and comfort.PCB also believes that the PTT should do more about reviving the iconic Pakistan-India series instead of just talking about the importance of the event.Whereas the Indian government issued favorable statements regarding resumption of cricketing ties between the two countries, but it seems that BCCI is still awaiting formal signal from its government in this regard. We feel that perhaps PTT/ICC should have taken a lead role in ensuring that all bilateral tour commitments are honoured by India vis-‡-vis Pakistan. We do not have anything to suggest on record that PTT/ICC made any efforts to engage with BCCI or the Government of India in this regard,” said PCB.On PTT’s observation regarding role of Mike Brearley and Greg Chappel, PCB states, “while we appreciate that Mike Brearley and Greg Chappell were made Ambassadors to support Pakistan cricket, we are yet to observe any endeavors from their side. Although with their standing in international cricket, they could have gone a long way in supporting cricket in Pakistan. We still welcome them to come to Pakistan and expect that they will now play a proactive role in supporting return of international cricket in Pakistan.”The PCB has also rejected PTT’s criticism over selection matters. In its report, PTT suggested that the national selection committee should be independent.“Regrettably, PTT did not meet the Chairman of Selection Committee to get his views. The process of selection is such that the selectors finalise a team which is sent to Chairman PCB for his formal approval.In case there are any queries with regard to any player, the same is sent back to the Selection Committee for their comments and it is entirely up to the Selection Committee to finalise the squad. They in fact sign the final squad before submitting the same to Chairman PCB for his formal approval.“We therefore feel that the recommendations of PTT that Chairman PCB has the right of veto are not based on facts. The process of selection is a time tested one and has worked for Pakistan. It ensures that there are proper checks and balances in selection matters. The view that there is interference in the selection matters is therefore factually incorrect devoid of reality and henceforth rejected.”PCB has also disagreed with PTT’s proposal that the national selection committee should have more say in the appointment of team captain.“We respectfully disagree with this recommendation. In Pakistan the system of selecting a captain is different. No reason has been given by PTT in support of its recommendation that Selection Committee is the best judge of who the captain of Pakistan should be? If this recommendation is based on what other countries follow it may not work for Pakistan. Again the authority to nominate the captain has been delegated by the Governing Board to the Chairman.”The Board also shrugged off PTT’s suggestion that Pakistan should appoint a regular manager, stressing that such a move won’t work in Pakistan.“These recommendations are probably given by PTT as ‘best business practice’ rather than Pakistan specific. To our knowledge, there are other countries that nominate managers on tour-by-tour basis and the system works well for them. Same in the case with other support staff who is appointed by the Boards. In the absence of any plausible argument in favor of change, such recommendations cannot be accepted nor implemented.”Commenting on the PCB response, Board chief Ijaz Butt said: “I am grateful to the PTT for their work. While the intent cannot be questioned, few discrepancies can be identified in the report, which PCB consider duty-bound to rectify. I wish to reiterate the assurance of ICC to us that recommendations in the report are not directives to PCB and that it is entirely up to PCB to accept and implement these. Having consulted members of our Board of Governors, we decided to send a detailed response to ICC. I hope that it will be taken in a positive spirit.

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Batsmen need to work harder after new laws: Taufeeq Umar

LAHORE: Test cricketer Taufeeq Umar said Thursday that batsmen would need to work harder to take advantage of the new law which would allow the use of two new balls from each end during One-day internationals,Speaking during the fast track coaching programme taking place at the National Cricket Academy, Umar said he tried to improve his technique with the help of Mohsin Khan. He added that the participants of the programme were getting the opportunity to improve their fitness due to the hot weather. The ongoing fast track coaching programme is providing training to the country’s top batsmen and bowlers. The programme is being supervised by former cricketers Sarfaraz Nawaz, Mohsin Khan and Ijaz Ahmed.

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Malinga too hot for Scotland

LONDON: Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga ensured the islanders tour of Britain ended on a winning note as he took five wickets in a 183-run one-day international rout of Scotland here on Wednesday.Beaten in both Test and one-day series by England, the World Cup finalists proved too strong for a Scotland side who'd only the day before piled up 323 in a shock win over fellow non-Test team Ireland.Sri Lanka made 284 for seven, featuring fifties from openers Mahela Jayawardene (64) and Dimuth Karunaratne (60).They then saw Malinga, one of the most difficult bowlers in world cricket to face on account of his round-arm, 'slingshot', style take five for 30 as Scotland were shot out for 101 with Majid Haq's 34 double the next best score of any other home batsman. Malinga, 27, who has retired from Test cricket, earlier made a rapid unbeaten 32 off 15 balls with two sixes but it was his bowling that did the damage.

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Ton of tons no concern to Tendulkar

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar is on the brink of yet another record-breaking achievement as he heads into next week's first Test against England at Lord's just one century away from 100 international hundreds.But the 'Little Master' insists he is not thinking of personal milestones and reckons any records he set "might be broken by someone else"The 38-year-old Tendulkar has already scored 51 Test hundreds and 48 in one-day internationals.It would appear everything is set up for him to achieve a 'fairytale' century at Lord's, the 'home of cricket' in next week's first Test of four.However, Tendulkar told the London Daily Telegraph: "I'm not thinking of records. I'm just thinking of enjoying this tour. "The secret to any performance is not in chasing records. I think about, 'What is the best way to enjoy the game, and how can I enhance that enjoyment factor?'," added Tendulkar, whose four previous Tests at Lord's have yielded a meagre top score of 37."If I enhance the enjoyment then, naturally, the standard of play becomes higher. To me, that is more important. If I'm playing well, things can happen." Someone who is hoping to delay Tendulkar from yet another landmark achievement is England Test captain Andrew Strauss."The longer it goes on, that he is on 99, the better," Strauss said. We know what a quality player Sachin is."You only have to look at his record to see that," added Strauss, who could find himself playing against Tendulkar later this week when he 'guests' for Somerset against India at Taunton -- the tourists' only warm-up fixture before the first Test.Tendulkar achieved a goal even more cherished than a century of centuries when he helped India win the World Cup by beating Sri Lanka in a final played in front of his adoring home crowd in Mumbai in April. "It was something I had always dreamt about," he said. "You start playing cricket, and one day you walk away as part of a world champion team. "I took up playing serious cricket because in 1983, we won the World Cup, and that was a big turning point in terms of considering cricket a full-time profession," Tendulkar explained."That moment was a decisive one. I felt, 'I want to play for India one day'. It was a huge boost. From then I started working hard."Tendulkar's international career started at the age of 16 and for the past 22 years he has been subjected to a level of scrutiny and adoration few sportsmen ever experience at all, and then but briefly in their careers.However, he insisted: "I'm used to it. It began around the age of 16. But I don't feel suffocated. I feel extremely comfortable back home in whatever I do. That's how my life has been, so I believe it's normal."Perhaps the only batsman in history who has carried the hopes of a nation in the same way as Tendulkar was Australia icon Sir Donald Bradman, whose Test average of 99.94 remains unsurpassed.Tendulkar met Bradman, who died 10 years ago, when he visited his home in Adelaide following India's Test match in the city in 1992.Bradman paid Tendulkar the compliment of saying he thought the Indian maestro's batting was reminiscent of his own."To have the statement from Sir Don that my batting resembled his, that my style was exactly like his, it meant a lot," Tendulkar said.Although his batting has proved to be a statistician's delight, Tendulkar wants his career to be about more than raw figures."For me, it's not about breaking records or creating new ones. It's about adding value to my team. "Records will be set by me, they might be broken by someone else. They're not going to stay permanently. "But the impression that I leave on people will last forever, I feel. "The impression that I leave behind -- to me that is important. "If I can motivate the next (generation of) young cricketers, that will be a big contribution.

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Afridi returns home leaving county cricket halfway

MUMBAI: The Indian cricket team has departed for England and on this tour the national side will include Sachin Tendulkar and other experienced players. During the England tour, the Indian team will play one Twenty20 International, five One-day Internationals and four Tests. The team will include Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, and S Sreesanth. These players did not participate in the series against the West Indies. The first Test between Indian and England will be played on July 21 at Lords and it will be the 2000th Test in the history of cricket.

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Afridi leaving English county half-way returns home

KARACHI: All rounder Shahid Afridi leaving English county championship half-way has returned home for looking after his ailing father, tv inter view.Shahid Afridi has appealed to the nation for praying his father’s early recovery.Afridi was representing Hampshire County in England, but he had to rush back home because of his father being in critical condition. Afridi’s father Shahibzada Fazlur Rahman ill for a long time was admitted into a local hospital, where he is under treatment in ICU.Talking to Tv Interview, Shahid Afridi has appealed to the nation praying for his father’s health.

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