Steve Davies’ selection as backup England wicketkeeper for their tour of the UAE to play Pakistan would ordinarily not have attracted much attention, if any at all. But since Davies is only the second professional to come out of the closet in a major English team sport, his selection is an affirmation that is talent is all that matters, writes David Hopps in the Guardian. England’s selectors stuck with Davies, a cricketing decision made on cricketing grounds. The way to respond to changing social norms is never to allow then…
Written on December 12, 2011 | Posted in
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DHAKA: Misbah-ul-Haq s Pakistan will look to continue their recent winning form when they open the tour of Banglad
Written on November 27, 2011 | Posted in
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SUKKUR: Asif Ali of Sindh won the fourth stage of the Tour de Pakistan cycle race on Friday when the participants of the race traveled from Sukkur to Rahimyar Khan. Asif secured the first position covering a distance of 178 km in five hours, ten minutes, 42 seconds. Mohammad Rafiq of Pakistan Army came second with a difference of ten seconds while Mohammad Zahid also from Army finished on third. Meanwhile, the race was interrupted for 23 minutes due to strike in Sindh on an appeal from the People’s Party. The participants of the race after taking rest for a day will proceed from Rahimyar Khan to Bahawalpur to cross a distance of 200 km. This will be the longest phase of the tour de Pakistan race.
Written on March 11, 2011 | Posted in
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HYDERABAD: The participants of the 16th Tour de Pakistan International Cycle Race today left Hyderabad today for Moro in the second stage in which 58 cyclists will cover a distance of 163 kilo-meters. The second stage has begun today from Hyderabad and the cyclists will go to Moro from where they will go tomorrow to Sukkur. WAPDA’s Sabir Ali had won the first stage of the Tour de Pakistan International Cycle Race on Tuesday. Cyclists from Pakistan Army, Pakistan Railway, Sui Gas, FATA and Afghanistan are participating in the 1,620 km-long race which will end on March 20 at Abbottabad.
Written on March 9, 2011 | Posted in
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NAPIER: Misbah-ul-haq overcame the loss of late wickets to keep his cool and guide Pakistan to a two-wicket victory over New Zealand in their fourth one-day international match in Napier on Tuesday. Misbah, who has anchored Pakistan’’s batting throughout the tour of New Zealand, proved once again a thorn in the side of Daniel Vettori’’s team, scoring 93 not out as Pakistan finished on 264 for eight in 49 overs having chased down the host’’s 262 for seven. The Pakistan test captain, who had been coasting to the victory target while batting with Younus Khan (42), was forced to take all the responsibility of getting his side home when Younus was run out in the 38th over. Umar Akmal then scratched around for 10 off 17 balls before he was well caught in the 43rd over by Nathan McCullum off Vettori, who trapped Shahid Afridi in front two balls later to give New Zealand a faint hope of running through the bowlers to win the match and take a 2-1 lead in the best of six series. Misbah, however, and Abdul Razzaq (23) managed to keep pace with the required run rate and while Razzaq was well caught by a hobbling Vettori, Misbah smashed 10 runs off two balls from Scott Styris and Sohail Tanvir (14) hit three boundaries off Tim Southee the next over to see their side home. Late call-up James Franklin had proved the saviour of New Zealand’’s innings, which was about 30 runs short of a par total on a good batting wicket with short square boundaries. Franklin was only brought into the side after Jesse Ryder, who injured a finger while playing for Wellington at the weekend, withdrew before play began. The left-hander, who had scores of 72 not out, 98 not out and 17 not out in his previous three innings in India last December, top-scored with 62 to help arrest New Zealand’’s mid-innings slump. The hosts had romped to 40 without loss but lost three wickets for four runs and then slumped to 79 for five before Franklin’’s 62-run partnership with Brendon McCullum (37) and a stand of 64 runs with Nathan McCullum (53 not out) halted the slide.
Written on February 1, 2011 | Posted in
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NEW DELHI: Cricket-loving India suffered a sporting humiliation on Thursday when its most famous ground, Eden Gardens in Kolkata, was declared unfit to host its first fixture of next month’’s World Cup. The International Cricket Council (ICC) said another stadium would have to be found to hold the India-England clash on February 27 after a renovation programme at Eden Gardens fell months behind schedule. “Regrettably, Eden Gardens has not made sufficient progress to justify the level of confidence required to confirm that the venue would be ready in good time,” ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. The ICC did not say where the match would be played and said it would face a “challenge” to relocate the game because of last-minute ticketing and travel requirements. The decision was a blow for India’’s image and the estimated 64,000 spectators who were expected to pack the legendary stadium for one of the biggest games in the early stages of the February 19-April 2 event. The ruling echoed the run-up to New Delhi’’s 2010 Commonwealth Games, which instead of marking the arrival of a new, modern India on the world stage became a national embarrassment of delays, shoddy workmanship and alleged corruption. “All venues had ample time in which to prepare for World Cup matches,” said Lorgat. “We had been understanding and had provided extensions to the deadline dates but unfortunately we are now at a point where we must carefully manage our risks.” The ICC, which inspected the venue on Tuesday, said concerns were mainly over “cricket operations, media, broadcast and sponsorship facilities” that were not finalised or confirmed. In recent weeks, fears had grown over Edens Gardens as it remained a chaotic scene of cranes, rubble, dust and bare concrete. Hundreds of labourers wearing virtually no safety equipment have been toiling day and night to finish off two new blocks of stands which are still covered in scaffolding. When a reporter visited in early January, seats had yet to be fitted in many tiers at the ground, which is celebrated as one of the great pilgrimage sites of international cricket. The venue is scheduled to hold three other World Cup games between March 15-20, but the low-key matches involving cricketing minnows are unlikely to attract large crowds. Tournament organisers had dismissed reports about problems at Eden Gardens as scare-mongering by the media. After Thursday’’s announcement, venue spokesman Kishore Bhimani told reporters in Kolkata that “to hear that we can”t host a match is a big blow.” “There were just some minor niggles remaining and we were confident that everything would be in order within a week,” he said. In the ICC statement, tournament director Ratnakar Shetty said: “We will work with the new venue, the tour operators and the ticket distributors to manage the logistical challenges that will surely arise.” The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which oversees the multi-billion-dollar sport in India and is seen as dominating the game worldwide, distanced itself from the failure to rebuild Eden Gardens on time. “I don”t think the BCCI should be blamed for this,” BCCI spokesman Rajiv Shukla said. “These things happen. I am sure the organising committee will choose a suitable venue soon for that game. But there is no doubt the remaining matches in Kolkata will be held on schedule.” Edens Gardens, a vast concrete bowl, was once one of the world’’s largest cricket grounds holding more than 100,000 people before earlier renovations cut capacity. It hosted the World Cup final in 1987 and the semi-final in 1996 when the game was abandoned due to crowd unrest as India slipped towards defeat. This year’’s World Cup is being jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The ICC said that other venues that had caused concern in Sri Lanka and Mumbai were passed as fit providing minor finishing work was completed in the next two weeks.
Written on January 28, 2011 | Posted in
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New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who was rested for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, picked up three wickets on the second day of the tour game against the Pakistanis, who were struggling in W
Written on January 3, 2011 | Posted in
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Pakistan cricket selectors have included injury-blighted paceman Sohail Tanvir in the national squad that is currently on the tour of New Zealand.
Written on December 28, 2010 | Posted in
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TAUNTON: Tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been dropped by the Pakistan Cricket Board from the limited-overs leg of the England tour, according to team manager Yawar Saeed. Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said that new replacement players will be called in for the series. The players accused of spot-fixing during the Lord’’s Test missed a practice game against Somerset in Taunton to meet with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and International Cricket Council (ICC) officials and senior diplomats. Captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been implicated in the scandal following a sting operation by British tabloid ”News of The World”. Pakistan lost the four-Test series against England 1-3 last week at Lord’’s where the finale was overshadowed by the ‘’spot-fixing” scandal. Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, the three Pakistan players who are at the centre of the spot-fixing controversy have been dropped; however, they had not, been suspended. The three players are currently in London, where they are due to meet Pakistan’’s high commissioner to the UK. The PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, is expected to be at that meeting. Speaking in Taunton, where the Pakistan team are to play a warm-up match later on Thursday, Saeed said he had taken the decision, and also called for three replacements. “The T20 squad will remain what it is here this morning, i.e. 13 people,” Saeed said. “When we play the one-day internationals we will be asking for replacements to make the squad up to 16.” The decision comes after several rounds of meetings between Ijaz Butt, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat and officials of the ECB, at which the PCB is believed to have been advised that the players should not take part in the rest of the tour.
Written on September 2, 2010 | Posted in
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LONDON: Pakistan Cricket Board said Tuesday it would not suspend top players accused over a betting scam while the claims are probed, but reports suggest they will not play the rest of the tour in England. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has promised “prompt and decisive action” if the allegations made by a British Sunday newspaper are proven, insisting that corruption would not be tolerated. Pakistani authorities have also promised severe punishment but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Tuesday it would not suspend any players while police investigated the players. “Chairman Ijaz Butt just told me that since there is a case going on with the Scotland Yard we are not going to suspend any player,” a PCB spokesman said. “He further said that this is only an allegation so far. There is still no charge or proof on that account. So at this stage there will be no action taken.” According to British media reports, the players named in the News of the World allegations — captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal — are unlikely to play in the series of one-day internationals against England. The Pakistan team begin their preparation for the one-day series, which follows the Test series in which the alleged betting scam took place, with a practice match against English county Somerset on Thursday. The first one-day match against England is on Sunday. The News of the World, a British Sunday tabloid, alleged that a middleman took 150,000 pounds (230,000 dollars, 185,000 euros) to arrange for Pakistani players to deliberately bowl the no-balls. The Daily Telegraph newspaper said it understood that the ICC had asked the Pakistan authorities for the four players cited in the allegations to be dropped from the squad, although no official request has been made. Other British press reports said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was adamant that the players at the centre of the allegations should be omitted from the one-day series. Citing an ICC source, it also reported that the same players had been under investigation for months by their anti-corruption unit.
Written on August 31, 2010 | Posted in
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