Mumbai, Feb 18 : Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said India should welcome the Pakistan cricket team by organising a felicitation function by Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab and a …
The Pakistan cricket team management has fined two fast bowlers for breach of discipline ahead of the ICC World Cup 2011, which starts from February …
KARACHI: Rubbishing rumours about grouping in the team, Pakistan cricket team vice-captain for the upcoming World Cup, Misbah-ul-Haq said that all the players are united with an eye on the World Cup. “Winning against New Zealand in the Test series and then in the ODI series would has helped the team lift its confidence before the upcoming World Cup,” Misbah told reporters on his return from New Zealand. Pakistan lost the twenty20 series during New Zealand tour, however, they bounced back strongly and managed to clinch the Test and ODI series against hosts to end the marathon 45-day tour with celebration. The middle order batsman, who spearheaded the team in the Test series said that the team badly needed series triumph in ODIs against New Zealand to boost their morale ahead of the world cup. He further said that the team is fully united and he also rubbished rumours of rift among players over captaincy row. “The team is united and we all played as one unit in New Zealand series, which we eventually won. There was no grouping not the on the basis of captaincy or anything else,” he stressed. “I am enjoying my good form I would try my level best to perform well in the World Cup as well,” he added. Former skipper Younis Khan said that he is very hopeful or Pakistan bid in the World Cup because the team is in high spirits after an impressive series triumph against New Zealand. “The team played well in the New Zealand and I feel that the spirit, the team displayed in the series against New Zealand, if the team manage to replicate in the World Cup then we have a high chance to perform well in the World Cup,” he added. Pacer Umer Gul, concurred that the team is in high spirit after their Tests and ODI series victory, which puts them among the top title contenders for the World Cup.
KARACHI: Pakistan cricket team will return home here today after winning the Test and One-day International series against New Zealand. After a long tour of two months, the national team is returning home from Auckland via Hong Kong. Pakistan after tasting defeat in the Twenty20 series, won the Test series 1-0 and ODI series 3-2. The Test team was led by Misbah-ul-Haq while the T20 and ODI team was captained by Shahid Afridi. The national team after taking a three-day rest will leave in the night of February 10 for Bangladesh to participate in the ICC World Cup 2011. The team in Bangladesh will attend the inaugural ceremony and play two warm-up matches before leaving for Sri Lanka for playing its World Cup games. Pakistan will play their first match in the World Cup 2011 against Kenya at Hambanthota on February 23.
QUEENSTOWN: The second ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand is all set to be played here today, meanwhile, national side is expecting three changes in the team. Geosuper, the only twenty-four hour sports channel of Pakistan will telecast match live. Saeed Ajmal, frontline spinner, has been injured, reports from dressing room suggested. Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Rehman and Asad Shafiq would replace Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Ahmed Shehzad for the second counter. New Zealand lead six match series by 1-0. Black caps’ wicketkeeper said they wanted wining more matches in series for gaining confidence ahead of world cup. Captain and coach Pakistan cricket team expressed hope that their team would comeback strongly. The match will start at 300 hours in Pakistan and would be telecast live on Geosuper sports channel.
The captaincy issue has once again come back to haunt the Pakistan cricket team, with some players and officials raising questions over the 'behaviour and attitude' of current limited-overs skipper Shahid Afridi.
Pakistan cricket team coach Waqar Younis is expecting a fast and bouncy track at Basin Reserve in Wellington, where it plays the second and final test against New Zealand, starting January 15.
LAHORE: Allrounder Shahid Afridi has been retained as captain of the Pakistan cricket team while batsman Misbah-ul-Haq has been made his deputy for the upcoming six-match One-day International series in New Zealand. The selection committee kept Afridi on as captain in the finalised the 16-man squad, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) release said. The squad for the World Cup is likely to be announced later for which the International Cricket Council (ICC) has set a deadline of January 19. Veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf was left out, raising fears the 36-year-old will not make the final World Cup squad. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who was cleared by the PCB for selection after he too fell under the spotlight of the investigation into spot-fixing, was restored to the side for the New Zealand series. Kamran has not been selected since the tour of England which ended in September last year and was marred by spot-fixing allegations which led to the suspensions of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer. Former captain Shoaib Malik and Fawad Alam were overlooked. Squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq (vice captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Tanveer Ahmed, Ahmed Shahzad. The six-match one-day series, which starts in Wellington on January 22, will be Pakistan’’s last before the World Cup which is to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19 to April 2.
LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team is expected to be announced today for the six-match One-day International series in New Zealand. A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman told Geo News that due to delay in flight of chief selector Mohsin Khan, the meeting of the selection committee will be held this afternoon at the Gaddafi Stadium where the names of the players for the series will be finalized. The squad for the World Cup is likely to be announced later for which the International Cricket Council (ICC) has set a deadline of January 19. However, the PCB could not reach any decision for appointment of captain and the team may be announced again without captain. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal is expected to be back in the team while no decision could be made to include veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf. Among the probable players, Mohammad hafeez, Ahmed Shahzad, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf/Azhar Ali, Kamran Akmal, Umer Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Whab Riaz, Shoaib Akhtar, Tanveer Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman may be included in the squad.
Khawaja Javed Najam, former security manager of the Pakistan cricket team, has revealed the details of how suspended Test captain Salman Butt and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal violated the team regulations to entertain bookmaker Mazhar Majeed in their hotel room during the England tour in August 2010.