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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Former ICC boss slams PCB

Former ICC President Ehsan Mani blasted the PCB for taking a "stubborn" stance when the 'spot-fixing' allegations first came out.
Mani said the Pakistani Board should have promptly suspended the tainted players.
Mani said that International Cricket Council had to take the decision of suspending Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir after the PCB insisted on playing them in the one-day series in England.
"The PCB was stubborn after the spot-fixing and betting allegations came to surface and were adamant the players will play the one-day series even after they were named as suspects. The ICC could not tolerate this and suspended them," Mani said.
"It is unfortunate that the PCB did not realise the graveness of the situation when the allegations first came out. The PCB itself should have first suspended the players.
but they did not. ICC had no choice but to step in," Mani told Radio Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany) in an interview in Lahore.
"To keep the inquiry within its ambit and save itself from further embarrassment the PCB should have suspended the players and taken up its own investigation. Now because of its unprofessional and careless attitude the spot-fixing scandal is out of its control and neither does it have any control over players it pays handsomely," he added.
Mani pointed out that the PCB knew the ICC had the authority to suspend the players and also noted that the world body had got directly involved because of the poor track record of the PCB in disciplining and penalising its cricketers.
The former ICC chief said he feared that the careers of the three suspended players could end prematurely.
He said the ICC had been asking and reminding its member boards constantly to keep a watch on their players and to educate them on how to avoid corruption in the game.
"Unfortunately here also the PCB failed to do anything and the result is that Pakistan cricket might lose a outstanding young talent like Aamir," he said.

Afridi says Morgan blighting Pakistan's T20 vision

CARDIFF — Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi said his side had to see the back of Eoin Morgan here on Tuesday if they were to level their two-match series against World Twenty20 champions England.
Pakistan lost the first Twenty20 international by five wickets after being held to just 126 at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens ground here on Sunday.
But England collapsed from 42 for one to 62 for five, with leg-spinning all-rounder Afridi taking two wickets.
Pakistan should have had a sixth wicket when Morgan, on 13, reverse-swept Afridi only for Shoaib Akhtar to drop the simple chance at short third man.
Former Ireland left-hander Morgan went on to make 38 not out and shared a stand of 67 with Michael Yardy, unbeaten on 35, that saw England to victory with 17 balls to spare.
Afridi, speaking to reporters here on Monday, said Morgan was the main man in England's batting order
the absence of the dropped Kevin Pietersen.
"Morgan is a key player at the moment and I told my boys that we just need one wicket Morgan and we will definitely win this (Sunday's) game."
Pakistan's tour has been overshadowed by the 'spot-fixing scandal that has seen Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif all suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after allegedly conspiring to deliberately bowl no-balls during last month's fourth Test at Lord's.
That Akhtar's reprieve of Morgan did not invite a more cynical reaction says everything about the low-grade fielding that has long plagued Pakistan.
"It's nothing new with Pakistan," said Afridi. "We have always struggled with fielding."
Asked what Akhtar had said after the fast bowler dropped Morgan, Afridi replied: "'Sorry'."
"My answer was okay no problem."
But Afridi insisted his team could both square the Twenty20 series and finish their tour with a strong showing in five subsequent one-day internationals against England.
"The mood is getting better, and I hope it will be fine for the rest of the games. My boys are all determined to try to level the series.
"I'm very focused on this series, because I know how important it is for me, my team and my country. It's my goal to win a few games at least with this team. I would love that."
It was Afridi's shock resignation as Test captain after Pakistan's 150-run loss to Australia at Lord's in July that saw Butt promoted to lead the team in the five-day format.
Afridi reiterated Monday he was standing by the decision, announced after that thumping defeat, to retire from Test cricket but said former captain and top-order batsman Younus Khan should be recalled.
Younus is still in dispute with the Pakistan Cricket Board even though a life ban, imposed after a winless and contentious tour of Australia concluded earlier this year, has since been rescinded.
"I don't think I'll be available for Test cricket now, and we need some experience - like Mohammad Yousuf, and Younus Khan as well," Afridi said.
"Younus Khan had some discipline problems with PCB so let's see if the PCB and Younus can sit down together, talk and sort it out."

Pakistan, England second T20 today

Pakistan playing their second Twenty20 international against England at Cardiff today as Captain Shahid Afridi has vowed to secure a win to equalize the series. Pakistan lost the first Twenty20 international by five wickets after being held to just 126 at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens ground here on Sunday. Afridi has said the team would have to show best performance against England in batting, bowling and fielding to secure a win. Pakistan likely to replace middle order batsman Fawad Alam with Mohammed Hafeez.

Players Warned Against Match-Fixing, Afridi Says

Cardiff, Wales. Pakistan’s one-day captain, Shahid Afridi, insisted on Monday that his players had been educated by officials over the dangers of corruption as the “spot-fixing” row engulfing his side rumbled on.
Critics and pundits have questioned whether Pakistan’s players had been made properly aware of the risks of possible corruption.
But Afridi told reporters at Sophia Gardens on Monday that the players had been warned.
“The people are coming from the ICC [International Cricket Council] and they are always talking about these things.,” he said ahead of Tuesday’s second Twenty20 international at the Gardens.
“If you have any problems, you definitely go straight to the [team] manager and talk to him.”
Salman Butt, the Pakistan test captain, and bowlers Mohammad Aamer, who is just 18, and Mohammad Asif have been suspended from the international game after Britain’s News of the World tabloid allegedly caught Mazhar Majeed, a London-based businessman, organizing no-balls to order during last month’s Lord’s Test against England.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has been among those, including former England captain Michael Atherton, who have suggested that Aamer’s age should be taken into consideration if the allegations against him proved to be true.
But Pakistan’s associate manager, Shafqat Rana, ruled out youth as a defense.
“I think it should be the same with everybody, if he breaks the law,” Rana said.
Asif, Aamer’s fellow seamer, once played alongside Stuart Broad at English county side Leicestershire. Broad said on Monday that he was such an admirer of Asif that he had planned to speak to him ahead of England’s defense of the Ashes later this year.
But when asked if he sympathized with the situation the Pakistan team found itself in as a result of the allegations, Broad was uncharitable.
“Sympathy? No. At the end of the day, as cricketers, you’ve got one job, and that’s to perform on the pitch,” he said.
Turning to Asif, Broad added that the allegations had possibly put their relationship in jeopardy. “It’s a difficult position and hard to comment on,” he said.
“Throughout this series I was saying to him, ‘At the end of this series I would like to have a chat with you about Australia.’ But with him being left out of the squad now, it’s probably not going to happen.”
Broad, 24, said players were well informed about the dangers of match-fixing.
“I don’t think any player could ever have an excuse — ‘I didn’t know,’ or ‘We weren’t educated,’ ” he said.
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