Afridi banking on bowlers to help team bounce back against England in Oval ODI

London, Sep 17(ANI): Pakistan ODI captain Shahid Afridi is confident that his team would bounce back during the third ODI at The Oval to keep their five-match ODI series against England alive.
Pakistan is currently trailing 0-2 following the four-wicket defeat at Leeds and the 24-run loss at Chester-le-Street.
“We came agonizingly close to winning the last match, but the good thing is that our team has regained its confidence,” The News quoted Afridi, as saying.
“I’m sure that the boys will keep the series alive by giving their best at The Oval,” he added.
The 30-year-old further admitted that his team has missed the services of suspended Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended the trio after a British tabloid accused them of accepting bribes to bowl deliberate ‘no-balls’ during the Lord’s Test.
“I would lie if I say that we are okay without those three players. I mean without Asif and Amir, our bowling is not the same. We are also missing Salman because he is such an experienced opening batsman,” Afridi said.
However, Afridi reckons that rest of the bowlers can overcome this handicap and lead Pakistan to a much-needed win.
“Bowling has traditionally been Pakistan’s strength. It can still be that way,” he added.

Take inspiration from Qureshi, Afridi tells teammates

Pakistan’s ODI and Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has called on his players to seek inspiration from the exploits of tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi to make a comeback in the one-day series against England.

Qureshi and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna finished runners-up at the US Open men’s doubles event.

Afridi said Qureshi had done Pakistan proud and for once it was good to see sportsmen other then cricketers being lauded in the country.

“His performances are an inspiration for all of us and he has brought so much joy to the people. I think our players must also take inspiration from him that nothing is impossible in sports,” Afridi said.

“Qureshi may have lost in the finals of the men’s doubles and mixed doubles but he fought hard and gave it his best shot and that is why everyone is proud of him.”

Afridi said he expected his players to show the same fighting spirit in the remaining one-dayers against England, which leads the five-match series 2-0 with the third match slated today.

Afridi said he would love to meet with Qureshi and team up with him to raise funds for the flood victims of Pakistan.

ICC to sit back until Scotland Yard finishes probe

NEW DELHI: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt said that no leniency would be given to the players involved in corruption nor such request has been made while ICC president Sharad Pawar said that no compromise would be made on the supremacy of the game and the ICC would take aany action only after the Scotland Yard completes its investigations.
Sharad Pawar held talks at his home in New Delhi with Ijaz Butt on Thursday to discuss allegations that Pakistan players were paid to bowl deliberate no-balls during a match in England last month.
The ICC chief vowed the regulatory body would "maintain the sanctity" of the game amid Pakistan's spot-fixing betting scandal.
"We will never tolerate any nonsense or corruption in the game of cricket. We want to maintain the sanctity of cricket," Pawar, who is also India's agriculture minister, told reporters after the 90-minute talks.
Pakistan players Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt have all written to the ICC saying they will defend themselves over disciplinary action brought against them, their lawyers confirmed this week.
Butt said they would remain suspended until a probe by the Scotland Yard was completed.
"The matter is under investigation. Until that investigation is completed, we cannot comment on it," he said. "The ICC has suspended the players. Unless the suspension is removed, they cannot play."
Replying to a question, Pawar said that the PBC is fully cooperating with the ICC.

Zaheer Abbas may replace Ejaz Butt

KARACHI: Former stylish batsman, Zaheer Abbas, may replace the current chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), The Sports Encounter has learnt.

Sources in the PCB told TSE here Monday that as Ejaz Butt failed to manage cricket affairs in an able way, Patron In-Chief has now started to ponder upon different options for the top cricket job in the country.

It is important to mention here that unlike any other cricket playing country, President of Pakistan appoints cricket chief, which at times turns out to be a political decision

Pakistan cricket has fallen down to unmatched depths in the tenure of Ejaz Butt as the PCB lost support of its key friendly boards, which is clearly indicated by no international cricket in the country.

Moreover, personal grudges of Ejaz Butt have been keeping at bay a key batsman, Younus Khan, from the team, which has dented the performeance of the team in recent times as Pakistan lost Test and Twenty20International series while they are looking down the battle against England in the One Day International series.

Sources revealed that apart from Zaheer Abbas, names of Tauqir Zia, Majid Khan, Ehsan Mani, and Arif Ali Khan Abbasi are also being considered by President Asif Ali Zardari.

As mentioned above, the decision to appoint the PCB Chief becomes political at times as the country’s Defence Minister is considered as the main supporter of Ejaz Butt and who has been reportedly backing Butt despite his impotency to handle cricketing affairs.

Last week, Defence Minister, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar withdrew his support, at least verbally, which has dealt a major blow to the chances of Ejaz Butt securing another tenure as PCB Chairman.

Pervez Musharraf backs pacer Aamer

LONDON: Charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) under spot-fixing charges, Pakistan’s promising and young fast bowler Mohammad Aamer got support from unlikely quarters on Sunday as the country’s former president pleaded for leniency in his case.

Former Pakistan president, General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf, while talking to a British news channel on Sunday, expressed his hope that the ICC would show some compassion in the young fast bowler’s case.

“There is no space for corruption in life but the game of cricket is going to lose if the ICC ended the career of mere 18-year old Aamer”, Musharraf told the channel.

The ICC’s Anti Corruption Unit has charged three Pakistani crickets, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Aamer, for their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing scandal after a reporter of an English tabloid trapped the trio in their net of spot-fixing.

The trio have been quizzed by the Scotland Yard after News of the World claimed that they took money to bowl No Balls in the Lord’s Test last month.

The trio have been temporarily suspended by the ICC and they have returned back to Pakistan to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with their respective families.

Musharraf told the BBC Radio, “It’s terrible. Anyone who has done this must be punished. They don’t deserve any sympathy. Having said that, Aamer, this youngster, 18 years old, he is a misled boy. It’s terrible. He deserves the punishment. But I know he comes from a poor family. The family was entirely looking forward to him with all the future available to him. Let’s not let this family down. Let him do well and look after that family.”

Aamer had surprised the whole cricketing world after becoming the youngest Test cricketer to reach fifty wickets in his career.

“Let’s not lose Aamer, let him serve cricket”, Musharraf pleaded to the international cricket authorities. “Cricket will be the loser, if he is handed harsh punishments”, he added.

He went on to say that the idea should be to reform an individual rather than belting him with severe penalisation and literally destroy him.

It is important to mention here that the ICC chief, Haroon Lorgat, in his recent interviewm has also showed soft corner towards Mohammad Aamer and expressed his hope for some leniency towards the young Pakistani fast bowler.

Latif targets Tests for Afghanistan

Rashid Latif has explained that his aim during his tenure as Afghanistan's coach will be to take the national team towards Test status "within the next two years". Latif's turbulent relationship with Afghanistan cricket took a new twist after he returned to a coaching role with the national team days after stepping down as the Pakistan national academy's wicketkeeping coach, and barely a month after resigning as Afghanistan's batting coach.

"Cricket is now more popular than the bullet in Afghanistan and I am moved by the interest and the available talent in Afghanistan," Latif told AFP after confirming that discussions with the Afghan cricket authorities had led to his coaching placement. "Some of the Afghanistan players are so talented that they can break into any international team and my target will be to guide them to Test status within the next two years."

Latif resigned as the PCB's wicketkeeping coach after being issued a showcause notice by the board for remarks the former captain made about the ongoing spot-fixing scandal on a TV show. Latif had also worked with the Afghanistan national side as batting coach but he stepped down after a month in the post in August following coach Kabir Khan's sacking, citing irreconcilable differences with officials in the Afghan board.

"They are an exciting team and my thinking and mentality, as a straightforward person, matches that of the Afghan players. They, like me, cannot tolerate wrongdoing. I will leave if my chemistry doesn't work there.

"Afghanistan needs cricket to heal the scars of more than 30 years at war. It is my experience that with more and more cricket, the scars of war will be healed. A lot of people tried to dissuade me from travelling to Afghanistan but it is just like Karachi and I had no fear in Kabul or Jalalabad."