Zulqarnain lashes out at Afridi, Shoaib

LAHORE: Pakistan’s controversial stumper Zulqarnain Haider’s return to first-class cricket has been marked with controversy after he lashed out at some seniors including former captain Shahid Afridi and retired pacer Shoaib Akhtar for their comments on Pakistan cricket and PCB.Haider, who has been playing in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, took a dig at Afridi and Akhtar, criticising them for giving statements after they retired from the national team.“Now that they are retired and out of contention they are giving critical statements about Pakistan cricket, the board and our cricket culture. Why say all this now? Why not when they were playing” said Haider“I just feel that once you have played for so long for your country and retired, you should be careful while giving such statements,” he added.Haider took more pot shots at both Afridi and Akhtar, stating that unlike his seniors, he took a stand when he was playing for Pakistan and was at the beginning of his career.“I gambled everything including my career. I am not like Afridi or Akhtar who are criticising the system now and everything else about Pakistan cricket after being done with their careers,” he said.Reacting to Zulqarnain’s statements, the PCB said: “Players are not encouraged to give statements other than on their own performances and the match. I think the match and team officials have had a word with Zulqarnain over his statements,” a board official said.—Agencies

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Siraj Durrani for M Ali Shah as new chairman PCB

Minister Local Government Agha Siraj Durrani has demanded that Dr.Syed Mohammad Ali Shah should be made Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) considering his tremendous services for promotion and development of sports in the Country.

This he said in a Book Launching Ceremony of Biography of Dr.S.M.A.Shah held in local hotel here in Karachi where he was the Chief Guest.He further stated that for the last 16 years the Chairmanship of P.C.B. could not been awarded to any person belonging from Sindh, therefore now the sports circle feels that Chairmanship of P.C.B. for the further tenure should be given to Sindh Province for which Dr.Shah is the most deserving person He assured that his full cooperation will continue with Dr.S.M.A.Shah in any matter. SirajDurrani described that he also talked to President Asif Ali Zardari who the Patron in Chief of PCB and recommended Dr.Shah’s name for the Chairmanship while Governor Sindh also endorsed my recommendations.Dr.Muhammad Ali Shah has said that if he is given a chance to serve as Chairman of PCB he will try his level best to run the board in a transparent manners and Inshallah time will come that international cricket in Pakistan will restore.He said that “I have so far worked with sincerity and honesty therefore I don’t think that there will be any problem for him is he is assigned as chairman PCB

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Sialkot shock HBL, Wapda trounce Abbottabad

KARACHI : Sialkot turned the tables on the Younis Khan-led Habib Bank side by pulling off a stunning 59-run win over defending champions in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship Division I match at the Jinnah Stadium on Sunday.The bankers, chasing a relatively modest target of 198, were all out for 128 in their second innings on the last day of the four-day game. Slow left-armer Nabeel Malik (4-27) and paceman Prince Abbas (3-41) shared the bowling honours.Habib Bank were at full strength for the first-class season’s opening round with Younis, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Asad Shafiq, Abdul Rehman and Umar Gul  all of whom are due to travel with the Pakistan side to the UAE next week for the Test series against Sri Lanka  playing in this fixture.But the star players failed when it mattered with Younis getting a first-ball duck on Sunday. Imran was the top-scorer with 29, while Taufiq scored five, Asad 10, Umar Gul six and Rehman an unbeaten 2.Earlier, Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, currently embroiled in a legal battle with the PCB, grabbed 6-24 as Sialkot, who collected full nine points, were bowled out for 83 in their second innings.Wapda completed a resounding 10-wicket victory after bowling out Abbottabad for 125 in the second innings of their game at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.Kamran Akmal became the third batsman to score a century in National Bank’s second innings in the drawn tie against Rawalpindi at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Kamran, the NBP skipper, made a stroke-filled 139 off 157 balls with 18 fours and six in his team’s total of 482-8 declared.Umar Amin and Fawad Alam, the overnight pair, were the other three-figure men for the NBP side. Umar didn’t add to his Saturday’s tally of 131, while fellow left-hander Fawad got just one run before he was out for 142.The rain-hit clash between Islamabad and PIA also ended in a tame draw with the national carrier grabbing three points for taking lead on the first innings.Scores and results on Sunday (final day of four) At Abbottabad Cricket Stadium: Wapda beat Abbottabad by 10 wickets.ABBOTTABAD 259 in 104 overs (Khalid Usman 56 not out, Rameez Ahmed 56, Riaz Kail 42; Zulfiqar Babar 4-71, Sarfraz Ahmed 3-52, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 3-79) and 125 in 53.3 overs (Zulfiqar Babar 4-30, M. Imran Khan 3-58); WAPDA 325 in 73.4 overs (Ali Azmat 105, Riffatullah Mohmand 70, Sarfraz Ahmed 63; Mohammad Naeem 4-68, Junaid Khan 4-101) and 61-0 in 14.4 overs.At Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot: Sialkot beat Habib Bank by 59 runs.SIALKOT 397 in 140.5 overs (M. Ayub Dogar 186 not out, Mohammad Yasin 89, Mobin Mughal 47; Kamran Hussain 6-105, Danish Kaneria 3-108) and 83 in 39.2 overs (Danish Kaneria 6-24, Abdul Rehman 3-24); HABIB BANK 293 in 75.3 overs (Imran Farhat 105, Younis Khan 52) and 128 in 48.4 overs (Nabeel Malik 4-27, Prince Abbas 3-41).At Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium: Match drawn.NATIONAL BANK 153 in 57.1 overs (Fawad Alam 51; Nasir Malik 7-42) and 482-8 declared in 124 overs (Fawad Alam 142, Kamran Akmal 139, Umar Amin 131; Nasir Malik 3-135); RAWALPINDI 348 in 106.1 overs (Mohammad Rameez 74, Usman Saeed 56, Muzammil Nizam 40; Mohammad Talha 4-91, Umaid Asif 3-53) and 52-1 in 13 overs.At Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad: Match drawn.PIA 423-5 declared in 108.2 overs (Agha Sabir 171, Shoaib Khan 101 not out) and 157-3 declared in 27 overs (Kamran Sajid 47; ISLAMABAD 281 in 81.5 overs (Afaq Raheem 137, Naeem Anjum 58; Anwar Ali 5-65, Aizaz Cheema 3-77) and 99-1 in 31 overs (Umair Khan 50 not out

 | Quad e Azam Trophy |

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Butt's term expires but no successor in sight

KARACHI: A constitutional crisis has developed in Pakistan cricket after the government failed to notify the appointment of a new PCB chairman despite the completion of incumbent Ijaz Butt's three-year term.Legal experts, former PCB chairmen and ex-players voiced concern over the fact that Butt was still continuing to function as Chairman despite the expiry of his term on Saturday."To be honest under the existing board constitution Ijaz Butt is no longer authorized to represent Pakistan at any forum including the ICC meeting," former PCB chairman and career diplomat, Shaharyar Khan said.Butt left for Dubai the day his term expired with the presidency not issuing any notification about whether he would continue or someone in the board would be acting chairman until a new head was appointed.Under the constitution, the president - in this case Asif Zardari - appoints the chairman of the board in his capacity as chief patron of cricket.Shaharyar Khan said that Butt should not have gone to attend the ICC meeting as constitutionally he was no longer chairman."He should have avoided it because from what I have studied about the constitution he is no longer authorized to represent or sign any document on behalf of Pakistan cricket," Khan said.He noted that there was always a possibility that with the PCB and ICC relations not very warm someone at the executive board might raise the issue of whether Butt could attend the executive board meeting."It would have been better if someone else from the board had represented Pakistan at the meeting.""I think if the presidency didn't issue a fresh notification Butt should have stepped down himself," Khan added.A former legal advisor of the board, Shaan Gul also claimed that the constitution didn't allow the chief patron to give Butt a short extension."The government can't give him a extension for say five or six months or even a year if they want him to continue they will have to give him a fresh three year term," Gul said.Farhatullah Babar, the spokesman for the president made it clear that Butt was carrying on working as chairman with the approval of the president."The chief patron appoints the chairman and since we are considering extension of term for Butt he can continue to work with government approval," Babar said.Sources said while Butt was himself interested in continuing as chairman and was using all his connections and political connections to get a proper extension, they were other names under consideration by the presidency which could take a decision by Monday."Former Test captain Majid Khan is a front runner and others like Zaheer Abbas and Zaka Ashraf the head of a state owned bank, ZTBL, is also under consideration," one source close to the presidency said.Majid who has also served as chief executive of the board is nowadays leading retired life having also served as controller sports in the state owned Pakistan television corporation.

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New NZ captain Taylor plans to 'lead from the front'

Ross Taylor, who has returned from an "awesome" break, has said he plans to 'score runs and lead from the front' as New Zealand captain.In June, Taylor was named New Zealand's 27th test captain, succeeding Daniel Vettori. Then came his wedding to long-time partner Victoria.For the first time since his New Zealand debut in 2006, he went cold turkey on cricket for a month."It was strange to have a break, but it was awesome. I haven't had that since I've been a professional cricketer so I made the most of it, after seeing the schedule for the next two and a half years. It's pretty full on,Stuff.co.nz quoted Taylor, as saying.Now it is back to work, but the firsts will continue: Taylor's first tour of Zimbabwe, and first as skipper in all formats.First and foremost is to score runs and lead from the front, and get to know the players a bit better and what makes them tick. And seeing how they go under pressure," the new skipper said."We are a talented bunch but that only gets you so far. If we show a bit of fight when things aren't going so well I'm sure that will go a long way," Taylor stated."At the World Cup we played with a lot of passion and that seemed to bring the best out of most of the team," he added.

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Training camp for cricket team starts tomorrow

The training camp of national cricket team is going to start from tomorrow in Qaddafi Stadium.Pakistan will play one T20, 5 ODIs and 3 test matches in the series against UAE. National team coach Mohsin Khan said in the brief camp it would be tried to improve the short comings of the players.However, he said that the success of Pakistani team is must if it focuses to the test series instead of T20 or one day matches

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Finn takes hat trick as England XI wins warm-up

Steven Finn claimed a late hat trick as England XI beat Hyderabad XI by 56 runs in a practice game.Pace bowler Steven Finn claimed a late hat trick Saturday as England XI beat Hyderabad XI by 56 runs in a practice game ahead of a limited overs series against India.Finn cleaned up the tail to finish with 4-28 as Hyderabad was bowled out for 163 in 36.5 overs in reply to England XI s 219 all out in 47.2 overs.Earlier, a lively spell by Hyderabad seamer Anwar Ahmed Khan (3-35) made the visitors struggle in the day-night game before Ravi Bopara (73) and Chris Woakes (46 not out) helped post a fighting total.Bopara struck three fours and a six during his 82-ball knock while Woakes struck four fours in his 59-ball innnings.Finn took the last three wickets in his eighth over, dismissing Amol Shinde, Kanishk Naidu and last man Khan.England XI plays another practice game against Hyderabad XI on Tuesday.The full England team faces India in the first one-day international on Friday in Hyderabad

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All three UAE cricket venues set to host all format matches for first time

ABU DHABI : All three international cricket venues in United Arab Emirates are set to witness best of action for the first time, with Pakistan hosting series against Sri Lanka & England in the country."Never before has a series been held in a neutral country where all international stadiums in the country will be used for Tests as well as One-day series. It is indeed going to be a great treat for UAE cricket fans," Emirates Cricket Board ECB administrator, Mazhar Khan said.Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium, Dubai International Cricket Stadium & Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host ODIs and Test matches of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan England series & 16 nation Twenty20 World Cup Qualifiers. Sharjah stadium has staged maximum number of ODIs and also hosted Test matches in the past.Pakistan series against Sri Lanka will be held from mid-October to November end, England will play from January 7 till February 27 in the UAE. ECB Chief Executive Dilawar Mani hoped cricket series will provide a good opportunity to fans here to watch them in action

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India beats Sri Lanka to win U-19 quadrangular tourney

A disciplined bowling effort by India colts helped them beat Sri Lanka by five runs in a low-scoring final match of the Under-19 quadrangular one-day cricket tournament on Sunday.The Indian boys, who had topped the league stage, scored a modest 168 all out thanks to Akshdeep Nath's patient 55, who resurrected his side's innings from 37 for five in the 14th over after they were asked to bat.The bowlers then defended the small total by skittling out the Sri Lankans for 163 with 3.1 overs to spare at the YS Rajasekhara Reddy Cricket Stadium.Pacers Sandeep Sharma (4-23) and Rush Kalaria (3-34) shared the bulk of the spoils while left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra and off-spinner Baba Aparajith chipped in with a wicket apiece.Chasing 169 for a win, Sri Lanka made a disastrous start with opener Niroshan Dickwella falling to Sandeep in the third ball of their innings. Sandeep and Rush then ran through the Sri Lankan top-order as the visitors were reduced to 27 for five in the ninth over.Duleeka Thissakuttige and Lahiru Madushanka who top-scored with 63 then stitched a 75-run stand for the sixth wicket from 22.1 overs to take Sri Lanka closer to target before the former was out at team total of 102 for six in the 31st over.Another wicket fell in the form of Pulina Tharanga and Sri Lanka were reduced to 150 for eight soon after. The visitors had enough overs in their hands but they kept losing wickets.Sandeep polished off the tail by scalping the last two wickets -- that of Apila Aponso and Dilshan Dhanushka in the space of three balls as India won the summit clash and the tournament.Earlier, put into bat, India suffered a batting collapse as they slumped to 37 for five before Smit Patel (31) and Nath 55 revived the innings with a 67-run stand for the sixth wicket from 22.2 overs.Nath was out in the 46th over at the team score of 146 for eight. He hit five fours and a six from 82 balls he faced.The Indian top-order collapsed under tight Sri Lankan bowling as captain Unmukt Chand (14), Manan Vohra (2), Hanuman Vihari (15), Kumar Deobrat (2) and Baba Aparajith (0) were out cheaply.For Sri Lanka, Lahiru Madushanka took four wickets for 17 runs while Amila Aponso scalped two Indian batsmen.In the third place play-off on Sunday, West Indies beat Australia by 16 runs

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ICC Executive Board to meet in Dubai

The ICC Executive Board will hold its fourth and final scheduled meeting of the year at the ICC headquarters in Dubai on Monday 10 October, and among the issues on the agenda are:Independent Governance ReviewAt the June meeting in Hong Kong, the ICC Executive Board had confirmed an Independent Governance Review and later appointed Lord Woolf of Barnes as chairman of the review panel. Lord Woolf, who will be supported by Pricewater house Coopers, will attend the meeting to provide a progress report.The independent governance review was identified as one of the most important initiatives in the new Strategic Plan 2011-2015 that was adopted by the Board in April 2011. The scope of the review is wide and includes: Clarifying the role and structure of the ICC and its committees to ensure that strategic goals are met effectively and that decision-making is made in the best interests of the game. This would include consideration of independent committee members and directors
? The ICC President nomination and election process The Member categories and criteria for membership
? The effectiveness of the regulatory environment The Constitutional framework and documents to ensure they are ?fit for purpose Making recommendations to ensure that the ICC enjoys a reputation as a well governed and leading global sporting organisation. Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: ?It is our clear ambition to be a well managed and leading global governing body and we are fortunate to have secured Lord Woolf to undertake this important review. I am hopeful that the review will lead us to set up a governance model that is relevant for our new world.PwC and Lord Woolf have already held many discussions with stakeholders and will update the Executive Board on progress, but until the work is completed the ICC will not be in a position to make any comments.ICC global event 2013The ICC Executive Board will seek to finalise the format of the ICC event in 2013. Currently the ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in England in June 2013 but the possibility of converting this to a Test Championship will need to be agreed.Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: ?Player and public interest in Test match cricket is at an all time high and it would be fitting to stage a Test Championship play-off for the top four teams.?Domestic Anti-Corruption codesWith a stated zero tolerance approach to anti-corruption and anti-doping, the ICC Executive Board had, in November 2010, required all Full Members to implement a domestic Anti-Corruption Code and strengthen anti-corruption measures at a domestic level by 1 April 2011. The Board will receive an update on the implementation of domestic anti-corruption processes.Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: ?The ICC and Members are well aware of the need to enhance education and preventative measures in this crucial area and know that we can never become complacent.?

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Pietersen intends to play all forms of cricket for England

England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who was rested for the home one-day series against India, intends to continue playing all three forms of the game for the country and has his sights set on a place in the 2015 World Cup."You're a long time retired. I have got things I want to achieve in the game. I'd love to get into double figures for the number of international one-day hundreds and it's just a case of fulfilling your talent. When you get to 35, 36, or 40, 45, you want to know you've done that," Pietersen said."You don't want to look back and think, 'shit if only I'd played an extra 12 months'. You'd miss it. Anything can happen in your life, anything horrible can happen, you want to know that you've fulfilled your potential and your talent. I do believe I'm lucky enough to have been given quite a good talent and I want to try and fulfil that," he said.Pietersen was all set to play play against India at home but was asked by the management to miss the series, The Independent reports."When offered the opportunity to have a break I happily accepted. Yes the wrist was sore but that didn't have much to do with it. It's a policy the ECB has now and I think it's a brilliant policy as you want to keep your senior players fresh," he said.Pietersen is now looking towards the 2015 World Cup. "It would be bad form to think otherwise. It would be disrespectful to Alastair Cook and the England team just to be taking up somebody's place for the next year or just for this tour and then deciding in November, I'm not bothered."Pietersen's ODI form has not been so good, which has seen him average 23 in his 30 innings since his last hundred.

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Match ends in a draw, but UAE gains maximum points

The four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match between Afghanistan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) ended in a draw at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium at Sharjah on Saturday.But UAE gained six points from the match for claiming a first-innings lead.On the final day, UAE began at its overnight score of 212 for five. But lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 228 in 73 overs. UAE had an overall lead of 362/The UAE tail did not wag like in the first innings. Swapnil Patil (79: 137b, 5x4, 2x6) held the innings together for a while, but was the first to fall on the day.The collapse proved to be a boon in disguise as UAE could push for a result.For Afghanistan the key wicket-takers were Dawlat Zadran (2-32), Mohammad NBabi (3-55) and Mirwais Ashraf (4-20).Set to chase an unlikely target of 363, Afghanistan began disastrously losing wickets at regular intervals.The side slipped to 30 for three. It required Javed Ahmadi's steady 49 off 84 balls to stem the rot. Ahmadi and Mirwais Ashraf added 40 runs for the fourth wicket. But there was a collapse again.The Afghans collapsed further to 96 for seven.It was then left to Nabi (35 not out: 153b, 3x4, 3x6) to once again play a key role for the Afghanistan side. Nabi added 35 runs with Samiullah Shenwari (6 not out) in 25.2 overs to stonewall UAE's attempts to force a win.For UAE, Amjad Javed (2-23) amnd Arshad Ali (3-30) picked up the wickets for the UAE side. Afghanistan ended at 131 for seven in 54.4 overs when the two sides settled for a draw.The two sides will now be locked in a two-game series in the 50-over Associate and Affiliate League on 10 and 12 October at the Sharjah ground.

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South Africa must work on choking problem: Kirsten

South Africa coach Gary Kirsten feels they need to work on a strategy to overcome the team's long standing problem of choking in crunch matches.South Africa have been struggling to shake off the 'chokers' tag, which they earned over a decade, since the 1999 World Cup semifinal tie against Australia.'You need to have some sort of a strategy around it,' Kirsten, named the coach in June, was quoted as saying You can't just be naive to think it's not a problem and doesn't exist. There's been a bit of scarring there, and it's been going on for a long time.'But then you need to think cleverly and think smart about how you manage that issue. I think it is something we'll focus on when we get to those events and work out ways in which we can strategise to cross the line.'The Proteas have given away matches from winning positions including in World Cup earlier this year when they went down to New Zealand in the quarter-final.Kirsten, who had a successful stint with India that culminated in a World Cup victory, believes South African has the potential to be at the top in world cricket.'We all believe that we're a good enough cricket team to be at the top of the pile,' he said.'That's where we're wanting to head. We've got to achieve some good results along the way, make sure that we're competitive in every series we play.'There's no doubt there's enough skill and ability in the team to vie for a position at the top of world cricket.'

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India sets up final clash with Sri Lanka

Kumar Deobrat Singh hit a breezy half-century to help India register a comprehensive 81-run victory over the West Indies in the Under-19 quadrangular one-day cricket series in Visakhapatnam on Friday.Deobrat scored 75 off 91 balls, inclusive of four boundaries and two sixes, as India posted a challenging 249 for 7 in their 50 overs after being sent in to bat by the West Indies' skipper Kraigg Brathwaite.In reply, the West Indies lost wickets at regular intervals and eventually folded for 168 in 40.5 overs.Baba Aparajith was the pick of India's bowlers, taking three wickets for 36, while Sandeep Sharma, Kamal Passi and Vikas Mishra scalped two wickets each.For the West Indies, Justin Greaves and Kyle Mayers accounted for two wickets each, while Amir Khan and Derone Davis snapped one each.Earlier, A Herwadkar (22) and skipper U Chand (28) opened the innings for India and put up 53 runs in 13.5 before the former lost his wicket to Mayers. Chand too was sent back to the dressing room soon by Khan. But Manan Vohra (44) and Deobrat joined hands to put up a crucial 91-run stand. Vohra though was sent packing by Davis.Then Deobrat, in the able company of Aparajith (34), hit 61 runs from 8.4 overs to take the team past 200-run mark.Even after he got out, India scored 36 off the last 32 balls to finish with 249.Chasing 250 for victory, the West Indies had a disastrous start, as they lost skipper Brathwaite (0) to the third ball of the very first over.Opener J Campbell (27) was then removed by Passi in the eighth over.A Alleyne (31) and KR Mayers (30), however, stitched 49 runs before Mishra had the former trapped in front of the wicket.Aparajith then dismissed Mayers, while Passi came back to get rid off SW Ambris (17) as the West Indies lost half their side for 121 in 29.2 overs.Greaves (9), Stephen Katwaroo (6), Davis (1) and Khan (11) were all dismissed cheaply. And once Hodge (31) was also back in the hut, it was all over for the Caribbean side Table toppers India will take on Sri Lanka in the final of the tournament on Sunday.In the other game of the day, Sri Lanka lost to Australia in a thrilling contest by just two wickets. Sri Lanka posted a mamoth 296 for eight its 50 overs. Australia overhauled the target with two wickets to spare with six balls still left to play.

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A bigger challenge awaits India in Australia: Ganguly

After the forgettable tour of England in the just-concluded series, Team India will face a bigger challenge when they travel to Australia in December, according to former captain Sourav Ganguly.He said the upcoming home series against England, that starts on October 14, will not pose a threat to the reigning world champions."England in India would not be a challenge. It will be a bit more than what it used to be in the past, when India played England in full strength," he told reporters at a promotional event in Mumbai on Saturday.India had a disastrous July-September tour of England, where they lost the Test series 0-4 to meekly surrender their numero uno Test status to the Andrew Strauss-led team.The reigning one-day international champions did no better in the shorter version of the game as they failed to win a single match in the rain-marred five-match ODI series I think the biggest challenge that will identify (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni as a leader in world cricket is the tour of Australia. If India does well then Dhoni will be terrific. We have to wait and see (for that to happen)," Ganguly said.He brushed aside the discussion on having a split captaincy for different formats of the game."It's early days to talk about split captaincy after one series loss. I don't think we should even think about it at this stage. We will have to wait and see how the team performs in Australia.England has Andrew Strauss leading the Test side, Alistair Cook for ODIs and Stuart Broad as the Twenty20 skipper.

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Pietersen targets next World Cup

Kevin Pietersen has tried to put to bed talk about his future in one-day cricket by insisting that he wants to play for England until at least the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Pietersen is back in the ODI set-up for the series in India having been rested for the last month of the home season, but is under pressure to perform after a lean two years in the 50-over format.Pietersen is likely to slot back in at No. 4 when the series starts next week following two warm-up matches although in his absence the likes of Ravi Bopara and Jonny Bairstow have staked their claims. Before leaving for the tour Alastair Cook, the one-day captain, spoke about wanting Pietersen involved all the way to the next World Cup but also said that players had to earn their selection with consistent performances. Pietersen hasn't scored an ODI hundred since November 2008 and over the last two years his average has languished in the low 20s."I don't know how many times I need to say it till you stop asking the questions," Pietersen said. "I want to continue playing until the 2015 World Cup, and then we'll reassess. No one's ever guaranteed their place - for their country, for their county, for their club side."There's a lot of different permutations and different things that can happen. It's just a case of enjoying every day, and also realising how fortunate we are. If there's any place you want to come and play one-day international cricket, it's here in India."Pietersen used his break from the game - which included missing the one-dayers against India and the Twenty20s against West Indies - to completely get away from cricket. He moved house in London and spent time with his family, which has become an increasingly important part of his life and the main reason he has admitted to not being a fan of long tours.He has also said that, while retaining the hunger to play all three forms of international cricket, he enjoyed not having a gruelling schedule of training. "I wanted to take a complete break, and get that bug back for training. That's the first break I've had without an injury for England. It was much appreciated"The hardest part of playing all three forms of the game is turning up on training day and doing warm-ups - I think it takes a couple of years off your career. To not have to turn up to training days was an absolute blessing. But you do miss the cricket, participating and competing - because we're all competitors.After he was left out of the one-day squad last month it then emerged that Pietersen had a wrist injury that required some management and he had an injection before leaving for India. "I've got something in my wrist," he said. "I had a cortisone injection a few days ago, and cortisone just before I left. It's just a case of getting through this tour and seeing where we are at the end.Pietersen, though, will need to fight through some minor discomfort because England won't wait for him to rediscover is one-day mojo forever

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Tenure of Ijaz Butt worst in Pakistan cricket, says Moin

KARACHI : Former Pakistan Test captain Moin Khan has said that the tenure of the present Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt is the worst period ever seen by Pakistan cricket. The PCB chief’s three-year term, which started back on October 8, 2008 after then board head Nasim Ashraf resigned, will be completed at the end of this week. In an interview to German Radio Deutsche Welle on Thursday, Moin said Pakistan cricket had been suffering badly under Ijaz and he had not seen such a bad period in his life both as cricket and administration wise. “From spot-fixing scandal to attack on Sri Lankans cricketers were the terrible mistakes made by the PCB and Pakistan had to pay for that. We were deprived of hosting international cricket and the World Cup 2011,” he added.Moin, who was the integral part of Pakistan 1992 World Cup winning squad, said that the PCB’s consistent mistakes had also the affected the fan-following of the game in the country. “Cricket has the biggest fan-following in the country as this game is very close to every Pakistani’s heart. But due to the recent scandals and every day problems peoples tendency of watching cricket has also been decreasing which is not a good sign,” maintained 40 years old Moin.Moin said Pakistan cricket was still not at the point of no return and by making mends Pakistan still could stage a comeback.Yes we have lost three to four years in cricket but the cricketing talent in this country is amazing and Pakistan cricket can bounce back if the job is done with sincerity. Nothing is impossible in this world. We have to make our international relations better in order to bring back international cricket to Pakistan.Moin, who played 69 Tests and 219 ODIs for Pakistan, said that after watching Ijaz’s tenure one can not say that a Test cricketer can be a good administrator. “It all depends on vision and the right man for the right job.” According to Moin, the PCB’s new chairman should be an elected one and the presidential selection is not good for cricket. “When someone is selected by the President House, he is not accountable to anyone else and thus this makes Pakistan cricket a one-man show which is the cause of all problems. We have to go for democracy in cricket board as we live in a democratic country,” Moin concluded.

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Discipline the key in India, says Bresnan

England will need to put in a disciplined bowling performance on India's low, slow pitches to overcome the hosts in the one-day series, fast bowler Tim Bresnan said on Thursday.England thrashed India in both Test and one-day series at home recently, but Bresnan said bowling in India was a huge challenge as the conditions did not favour pace bowling as much as in England."It's obviously different bowling in England than in India," the 26-year-old seamer said. "In England, you may gather some seam when the ball is new. With wickets playing different in India, I view it as a challenge.""We have to bowl very tightly with the new ball. We have to bowl very accurately and very straight. Otherwise, you will be hit for runs.Bresnan said England had the depth in bowling to maintain pressure on the hosts despite the absence of fast bowlers James Anderson (rested) and Stuart Broad (injured)Steven Finn, Jade Dernbach, uncapped Stuart Meaker and Chris Woakes are the other pacemen in the squad."We have young bowlers who have a lot of talent. If we bowl well, we can pick up early wickets," said Bresnan, who has bagged 63 wickets in 52 one-day internationals."It's a fresh start and a new challenge for us. We are going into this series with exactly the same mentality with which we won in England. We are still looking to improve and looking forward to the challenge.England will play two warm-up games before the five-match series starts in Hyderabad on October 14 and then play a one-off Twenty20 international.India named a depleted squad for the first two games as some of their key players had not recovered from injuries suffered during the England tour, but Bresnan said it was a still a challenge to beat India in their own backyard."It does not matter who we are playing. The challenge for us is that we need to overcome the opposition," said Bresnan, who is also a useful lower-order batsman."We have got top-class batters and we are looking forward to the challenge of chasing down (totals). I have something to contribute when it comes to my batting."The Indian squad has just four survivors from the side that defeated Sri Lanka in the World Cup final in Mumbai on April 2.Missing are batting stars Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, and frontline seamers Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel.Seamer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh were not selected.

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UAE gain total control on Day 3

United Arab Emirates (UAE) gained total control of the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.At the end of the third day's play, UAE had gained an overall lead of 346 runs. With just one day left in the contest, a draw looks the most possible result. But even that would fine for UAE as it will walk away with maximum honours from the match.After resuming the third day's play at its overnight score of 242 for three. Afghanistan lost wickets at regular intervals as its tail did not wag. Unlike in the case of UAE, where the tail added crucial runs, in Afghanistan's innings there was no resistance.Overnight batsman Mohammad Shahzad (42) and Mohammad Nabi (117: 195b, 11x4, 5x6) fell fairly early. Apart from Asghar Stanikzai's 41, there was no other worthwhile contribution from the lower order as Afghanistan was bowled out for 328 in 112.4 overs.The best bowler on view for the UAE side was Arshad Ali who ended with figures of 6-45 as he ran through the Afghan middle and lower order.Armed with a lead of 134 runs, UAE began its second innings. Bakthiyar Palekar (61: 58b, 7x4, 1x6) once again led the charge for UAE after the side slipped to 21 for two.Swapnil Patil (74 not out: 121b, 5x4, 2x6) and Palekar added 75 runs for the third wicket to revive the innings. Despite the fall of Palekar, Patil held one end together.Patil added 91 runs for the fourth wicket with skipper Khurram Khan (39). Towards the end of the day's play, UAE had quietly progressed to 212 for five in 55 overs to gain total control.For Afghanistan, Dawlat Zadran (2-27) and Mohammad Nabi (2-54) shared the wickets around.An Afghanistan win looks improbable at the moment, as the lead for UAE is mounting all the time. It would require a miracle for Afghanistan to pull things back.

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No umpire review for India-England ODIs

COLOMBO : The Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) will not be used for the upcoming one-day series between India and England, the sport's governing body said on Friday.The International Cricket Council (ICC) said the system will not be in place because the developers and suppliers of "Hot Spot" technology decided "not to make their infra-red cameras available."Teams are allowed two television reviews per innings if they feel the on-field umpires have not given the correct decision.India initially opposed the introduction of review technolgy in Tests and one-dayers but in July softened its stance to allow the hot spot in games to determine edges off the bat. But it has vetoed the additional ball-tracker for leg-before decisions in its matches.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reverted to its original opposition to the entire system after hot spot failed to accurately show edges off the bat on several occasions during India's recent dismal tour of England.Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit out against the UDRS during the tour after star batsman Rahul Dravid fell victim to at least three controversial decisions.England beat India 4-0 in the Tests to to take over as the world's number one side from Dhoni's men and also won the one-dayers 3-0 The five-match one-day series between India and England opens in Hyderabad on October 14

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