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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

'Disagreements within PCB' reason behind not naming Pak captain for World Cup: Latif


Former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper Rashid Latif feels that 'disagreements' within the Pakistan Cricket Board have led it to withhold the name of the captain while announcing the final 15-member squad for next month's World Cup.
"Other boards have named their skipper with the squad, yet the Pakistan Cricket Board has chosen not to select a captain which is extremely strange. However I think the reason for this is down to the disagreements within the Board and the fact that the team management and the Board don't want Shahid Afridi to be selected as captain for the World Cup," PakPassion.net quoted Latif, as saying.
"The Board are also of course waiting to see how the one day series in New Zealand develops, but I get the impression that there are also disagreements amongst the players with Shahid Afridi which is a sad state of affairs for Pakistan," he added.
The captaincy issue has attracted a huge debate in Pakistan over who should be leading the team in the World Cup- incumbent one-day captain Shahid Afridi or Test skipper Misbahul Haq.
Whilst Misbah's fortunes have been favourable- having scored six consecutive half centuries in his last six test innings and also having led Pakistan to a Test series draw against South Africa and a Test series victory against New Zealand- Afridi's luck has turned for the worse with one-day series defeats to South Africa and England as well as a crushing defeat in the first one-dayer against New Zealand.
Latif though feels that the PCB has handled the issue of captaincy poorly, and if Misbah was indeed the man whom the board wanted to lead the side at the World Cup, then he should have been given the job earlier.
"The captain for the World Cup should be Shahid Afridi, but if the Board had wanted to select Misbah as skipper then they should have appointed him much earlier instead of this indecision weeks before the World Cup. It's really surprising to see what's going on," he said.
Whilst expectations are low from Pakistan fans this time around, Latif noted that the format could favour Pakistan, and thus they should not be written off despite the ongoing issues and key players missing from the final squad.
"Pakistan cannot be written off as the format suits them. They are a team, who on their day are capable of beating anyone and once the quarterfinals start, then it's a straight knockout and it all depends on the team that performs on the day. The knockout stage is where Pakistan could excel. Two good performances in the knockout stage and Pakistan could find themselves in the World Cup Final," said the former Pakistan skipper. 

A CURIOUS CASE OF ZULQARNAIN HAIDER

Pakistan Cricket: A Curious Case of Zulqarnain Haider



The 24-year-old Lahore-born cricketer Zulqarnain Haider is becoming a matter of concern and headache for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
In a recent development, Haider, who represented Pakistan as a wicketkeeper in the absence of regular wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, has vowed to sue the Board for releasing a report in which the mental state of the player was put into question.
The player, who is currently in England seeking asylum, wrote on his Facebook page that he was now ready to sue the Board for his character assassination. “zulqarnain is ready now 2 sue pcb about mental illnes report and on all inquiry peoples,” he wrote.
The weird thing in all this is the very fact that the runaway wicketkeeper seems to be doing all his interaction with the outside world through a social networking website. The common question which is popping up in everyone’s mind is that instead of talking through a website, why he doesn’t directly contact the PCB and put forward his demands?
Does he really think that the chairman PCB Ijaz Butt checks Facebook updates after every fifteen minutes? (That is if Ijaz Butt even has a Facebook profile.)
The Board, on the other hand, seems less concerned about the player - who is sitting out of the country and hurling threats after almost every week - because it has more serious things to sort out. For example, the finalization of captaincy for the upcoming 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent, jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The issue of captaincy for the World Cup became controversial when the PCB decided not to name the World Cup skipper with the 15-member squad. This has generated many rumours of politics within the team. According to media reports, PCB is looking into other options than Afridi to lead the team. Misbah-ul-Haq, who is the current Test captain, is being labelled as a favourite for the job.
Since 2009, the PCB has been busy with different scandals; first they suspended a number of senior players for alleged involvement in match-fixing after Pakistan’s defeat in the 2009 International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy. Pakistan lost to New Zealand in the semi-final under the leadership of Younis Khan. This loss caused an outrage back in Pakistan and claims were made by former players and certain politicians against some players for losing the semi-final on purpose.
PCB, taking a hasty decision, suspended the players which included the likes of skipper Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik. This depleted Pakistan’s strength as a squad to a great extent.
But more troubles were yet to follow and last year, while Pakistan was touring England, three main players (Test captain Salman Butt, pacers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif) were accused of allegedly having links with a bookie Mazhar Majeed, who convinced the pacers to bowl deliberate no balls against England during the Lord’s Test. The players were then suspended, faced a trial early this month and are now awaiting a verdict which is set to be made public on the 5th of February. PCB, due to this spot-fixing fiasco, faced tremendous embarrassment both at home and abroad.
Then came the Haider factor, while the team was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) playing in their first major event after the spot-fixing tainted tour of England. The PCB and the team management was hoping to leave all controversies behind and move on but Haider had other things in mind and after helping the team win the fourth ODI, he bailed on his squad before the fifth match. To everyone’s surprise, the touring management had no clue about the whereabouts of the player and his location was discovered hours later when authorities in the UAE confirmed that the player had boarded a plane to the United Kingdom.
Haider, after resurfacing in England, claimed in a press conference that he left the team because he had received life threats from an unidentified bookmaker who wanted him to lose matches while playing for the national team. Describing his rendezvous with the bookie, Haider said, “When I went out of the hotel to eat dinner once, he came up. He was alone but I felt there were two to three people behind him. I can describe him. He spoke Urdu but I cannot describe the accent accurately. He said you will make lots of money if you join us and help us. If not, then staying in the team could be difficult and we can make things difficult for you. I don't know why I was approached and others weren't."
Haider defended his decision to escape to the United Kingdom by telling the press that he did what seemed like the right thing to do. “The fourth ODI, the things I was told to do I didn't, and the fifth ODI, what they wanted done I didn't do. That is why I did what seemed right to me and I came here (UK). I can't tell what kind of threats I received to the country because my family is still in Pakistan."
According to the PCB, the Board tried contacting him many times after his arrival in England but initially the player was reluctant to talk to anyone from the PCB. Haider, however, did speak with ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit and made it clear to them that he was not willing to go back to his native country under any circumstances.
PCB formulated a fact finding committee to look into the events that took place before the player’s decision to turn his back on the national team. The fact-finding committee termed Haider as mentally weak in their report which was made after interviewing team players and after talking to Haider by phone. “It may be noted that the views of some of the support staff about Haider were that he is a complex personality. He is a person who is easily convinced into believing whatever is said to him. He is also stated to be a weak nerves person,” the report said.
This report irked Haider and now after almost a month since the contents of the report went public, the player has pledged to take the PCB to court. But here again there is a mind wobbling thought: how is the player going to pay for the case against the Board, because just a week ago he made it clear that he was out of cash and demanded the PCB to pay up his dues for playing in the national squad? According to details, the PCB owes him 16,000 pounds. However, a source in the PCB made it clear that the Board was not going to release any money to the player until his (asylum) case was sorted out.
This whole saga seems to be going round in circles with no imminent solution in the near future. Someone needs to advise Haider that if the player really wants some serious actions to be taken regarding his current situation, then perhaps it would be better for him to communicate with the PCB directly instead of using a social networking website. Perhaps that will convince the people sitting in the Board to take him seriously.

Players are answerable to fans: Miandad



Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has called for a collective effort by all the team members to obtain positive results in the World Cup that starts next month.
Speaking at the National Stadium, Karachi, Miandad said that players needed to forget any differences that existed for the millions of fans who follow the game. “The team would have to perform collectively in order to yield the desired result in the World Cup,” said the batting legend.
“It is the duty of all the team members to perform and it cannot bank on a few individuals to carry the burden.”
Miandad, also the Pakistan Cricket Board director general, hoped the team, trailing 1-0 in the One-Day International series against New Zealand, will make a comeback. “The players must not forget that they’re answerable to millions of fans. It’s of utmost importance to keep aside the differences so that the team performs its best.”

Waqar apologises for remarks





Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has apologised for his remarks against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over delaying naming the captain for the World Cup. Younis, along with other former cricketers, lashed out after the PCB announced a final 15-man squad for the mega event without naming the captain.
The coach questioned the board’s tactics and said the delay would only cause disharmony in the team with the tournament less than a month away. In response, the PCB sent a showcause notice to the former captain asking him to explain his comments that were against the board’s code of conduct.
Though the board has decided against giving any official statement to Younis’ reply, a board official said that the coach has apologised.
“Younis has admitted his mistake and apologised for violating the code of conduct in his reply to the notice,” said the official adding that the coach has also given an assurance to avoid such statements in the future.
The PCB, under a new strict policy, is maintaining zero-tolerance and has quickly reacted to officials and players giving reckless statements.
ICC website error creates confusion
Even the International Cricket Council (ICC) seems confused after it displayed names of both Shahid Afridi and Misbahul Haq on its website as captain of the Pakistan team. While the front page of the website mentioned Afridi as captain, Misbah was named the skipper in the inside page. However, it was learnt that a technical error in uploading information caused the error and was rectified soon afterwards.

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THEN WORDS – MIANDAD

actions speak louder then words – miandad



Javed Miandad, former player of Pakistan (1975-1996) and director-general of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recommended the cricket team of Pakistan to stop blowing their own trumpet in front of the media. They should avoid swanking about their performances and skills. The team should concentrate on the game instead of individual performances. Team work and team unity is very important for any sport and especially a game like cricket which requires full devotion and concentration.
Miandad also criticized and discouraged Shahid Afridi for his not so good performance in leading the team. He suggested the captain should be more responsible and active in leading the team towards success and glory. He condemned Afridi’s current style of playing. It should be improved and rectified.
The former cricketer gave the example of Imran Khan and explained his sportsmanship. He advised the team and the captain to follow Khan’s footsteps, in order to gain success and victory on the pitch. Javed Miandad compelled Shahid Afridi to follow Imran’s way of leading the team. According to Miandad, Imran Khan is one of the most admirable and inspirational captains, a team can ever have. Miandad assured that Afridi has a lot of potential for being the captain of the team. He showed his talent and capability during the World T20 Championship but he just has look up for better methods of playing. He is a superb player, but he goes astray at times.
Javed Miandad felt disappointed at the performance of Pakistan cricket team in the ongoing one day series against New Zealand. According to him the players are not concentrating on the game that is why they lost the first match in Wellington. The attitude of the players needs to improve for International cricket.
He accepted that, there is a lot of potential in some of the players, but they should be directed to make full and right use of their talent. The captain should make such rules for the team that can clearly expose their on-field performance. The poor performance of the team while playing against the kiwis will affect their preparations for the mega event, the ICC World Cup 2011.
The former captain and coach of the Pakistan cricket team, advised the current cricket players to look forward to the Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar for source of encouragement and motivation. He is a man who believes in performing instead of speaking about his achievements.
Tendulkar has had a shining and glorious cricket career, but he never showed off his talent on media. Tendulkar is one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket, he is a tremendous and an extravagant in his field. He scored century after century and became one of the highest run-scorers in Tests and One Day Internationals. He is the only one to score Double century in the history of One Day Internationals.
Pakistan cricket players need to take a leaf out of Tendulkar’s book and reinstate the proverb “Actions speak louder than words”.a

New dream for Imran's nephew Shahzb Khan


Shahzb Khan. Picture: BRENT McGILVARY
BEING selected to play for the national team is the dream come true for most state cricket batsmen, but being picked in the Pakistan A team was a nightmare for Shahzb Khan.
When the announcement was made he was in an intensive care ward, having been involved in a traumatic car accident the day before.
He had suffered a spinal injury that would keep him away from the cricket field for three years.
News of the selection was another painful twist of fate.
“It was completely shattering,” said the 27-year-old who now plays for Macquarie University.
“This is what I’d dreamed of since childhood and it just fell apart in front of my eyes.”
Khan’s strong cricketing pedigree seemed to guarantee that he would achieve his dream. Former Pakistan captains Imran Khan and Majid Khan are his uncles and current player Misbah-ul-Haq is his cousin.
“Cricket is in my blood. I was supposed to be up there with them.
“It is impossible to explain how I felt to be left out,” Khan told the Northern District Times during a break in practice at the Macquarie University Fields.
But if cricket is a metaphor for life, this was just a slump and it did not drive Khan into retirement.
Setting a new course for his life, Khan returned to university and completed an MBA at the Lahore School of Economics and eventually moved to Australia, where there is more opportunity to work in business.
He was invited to play at a Twenty20 tournament, where he caught the eye of Macquarie University captain Tim Morrow.
Khan took up an offer of a spot in the Macquarie University team, which plays in the Sydney Shires competition.
“At first I was ambivalent about moving to Australia, because I thought it would be lonely, but cricket has allowed me to make many new friends.
“I’ve also developed a new perspective about a lot of things. I appreciate the Australian cricket culture, where talent is recognised and appreciated.
“In Pakistan, you can’t go very far if you don’t know the right people.
Asked about the Pakistan match-fixing scandal he said it “definitely does happen”.
“I know people who have been approached, both by Pakistani and Indian bookies.
“The fact is Pakistani cricket players do not make that much and the practice is lucrative for them. Things aren’t going to change until they get paid as much as the Indian players do.”
For now, Khan has left behind the world of cricket politics and is focusing on a career in business where the leadership skills he has acquired captaining his side at university and state level will come in handy.
“The new dream is to be the director of a company. I will always love cricket though. I play now mainly for exercise and recreation,” he said.
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