Pak cricket team leaving for Abu Dhabi

Pakistan cricket team will leave for Abu Dhabi early in the morning on Saturday to play the series against South Africa.
Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) could not deliver lecture to the players on the new code of conduct, due to his personal engagements.
The series between Pakistan and South Africa will begin on October 26 and two Twenty20 Internationals will be played in the first phase.
Players included in the limited overs squad, led by allrounder Shahid Afridi, are leaving for Abu Dhabi where the first T20 international will be played.
As per schedule, the players have reported for their departure to manager Intikhab Alam at the National Cricket Academy.
Chairman PCB Ijaz Butt who had to deliver lecture on the new code of conduct went to Karachi due to his personal engagements and in his place, Intikhab Alam gave briefing to the players and stressed them for maintaining discipl

Newspaper apologises to Younis‎

Widely circulated British newspaper the Daily Telegraph has apologised to former Pakistan captain Younis Khan  for associating him with players' agent and alleged bookmaker Mazhar Majeed

Majeed is under interrogation by Scotland Yard for fixing international cricket matches and bribing Pakistani players in England
Younis's lawyer Abdul Qayyum said the Daily Telegraph has published an apology regretting it story linking Younis with Mazhar.
"The newspaper had claimed that Mazhar Majeed was also Younis's agent at one time and we took exception to that as Mazhar has never been my client's agent," Qayyum said.
He said immediately after the publication of the report, he had sent a notice to the newspaper asking them to publish a retraction and apology or face legal proceedings.
"The newspaper has accepted its mistake and posted a note on its website which is acceptable to us," Qayyum said.
Younis made a comeback to the national team for the South Africa series after remaining on the sidelines for the last eight months.
The lawyer, who represented Younis in his appeal against the ban imposed on him by the Pakistan cricket Board, said Younis was glad and the issue is now a closed chapter.

"Hosts favourites for World Cup"

Former Australian wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh fancies India or Sri Lanka to win next year's World Cup, to be held in the sub-continent.

Marsh feels Asian countries will have an edge during the February-March tournament which would be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Marsh said Australia's chances in the World Cup would also get clearer depending on how they fare against India and England in the coming days.
"I think we'll get a fair idea of how Australia are going to fair in the ICC Cricket World Cup once we've seen the results of the one-day games Australia are playing against India and also against England.
"We'll also get an idea of how England and India are going to fair too with those results," Marsh, who represented Australia in 92 ODIs, said on this week's ICC Cricket World audio show.
"I think the fact that the tournament is being held in the sub-continent means it will be very difficult for teams England, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa to win.
"I would think a team from Asia would be successful, perhaps Sri Lanka, I quite fancy them for the title and of course India," he said.
Marsh is an ICC Cricket Hall of Famer, who played in the 1975 and 1983 World Cups in England

PCB still await England tour report

As the Pakistan squad braces up for another grueling series, it is yet to submit a report on the contentious England tour to PCB.

A Pakistan Cricket Board official confirmed until now they had not received any tour report from former manager Yawar Saeed or coach Waqar Younis.
"Till now we have not received any report from manager or coach and so far they have also not given us any plausible reason or explanation for the delay in doing this," PCB legal advisor Talib Rizvi said.
The three-month-long England tour turned out to be a controversial one for Pakistan with three players -- Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif -- being suspended by the ICC for alleged involvement in spot-fixing, while the ICC later also investigated their third ODI played at Oval on September 17.
The ICC at its last Executive Board meeting in Dubai, however, cleared the match of any fixing or corruption.
On the England tour, Shahid Afridi also rocked the boat by announcing his retirement from five-day format of the game and relinquishing Test captaincy after losing the first match to Australia at the Lord's.
Abdul Raquib, a former manager of the national team, who went to New Zealand and Australia last winter said he was surprised to hear the manager and coach had not submitted their reports as yet.
"Normally the manager is supposed to give his report within one week after returning home, whereas the England tour ended on September 22," he said.
The PCB has also come under fire on this issue from the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, which also noted at its last hearing this month that it was strange that the manager had not given the report on such an important and controversial tour.
Raquib noted that after the spot-fixing scandal stigma on Pakistan cricket, the report of the manager was of utmost importance and significance.
"The Board should know why the reports have not been submitted as yet," he said.
Yawar stepped down as manager after the tour but Waqar Younis still remains the team coach.
When contacted, Yawar declined to comment on whether he had given the report.
"I have retired from cricket and now you should ask the Board," he said.
Pakistan team will leave for UAE on Saturday

Younis Khan could make Twenty20 comeback

A day after coming back into the national side, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has hinted at a possible return to the Twenty20 format he retired from, over a year ago.

After his meeting with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt on Wednesday, the board cleared Younis' selection for Pakistan and he was immediately named in the squad for the limited-overs games against South Africa in the UAE. The chief selector Mohsin Khan couldn't clarify whether Younis would play in the two Twenty20s, but said that his selection would be left to the tour selection committee. Speaking to reporters from the training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Younis said simply that he was available wherever needed.

"I am not that sort of a player who says I should be in Test matches or I should be in one-dayers or in Twenty20s," Younis said. "If my fitness is up there and Pakistan needs me, whether it's T20, T10, 50-50 or Tests, I am always available for Pakistan."

Younis led Pakistan to a memorable World Twenty20 triumph in England in 2009, but retired from the format immediately after, saying it was time for younger men to take over. Since then he featured only in the ODI and Test set-up, though he has continued playing Twenty20s in domestic competitions in Pakistan and abroad. Though available, Younis' selection is not guaranteed; he averages just over 25 from 22 Twenty20 matches with a relatively unspectacular strike-rate of 124.85. But at the time he retired, Younis seemed to be coming to terms with his role in the format, finishing among his side's top-scorers with 172 runs in the World Twenty20.

Younis has been kept out of the national set-up since January, when he played his last ODI in Perth and he hasn't featured in a Test since July last year; the result of a punishment handed out to him for disciplinary reasons after the tour of Australia and a protracted personality and legal clash with Butt and the board. At the age of 32, however, Younis was keen to move on rather than dwell on what has happened. "I talked to the chairman yesterday and we forgot whatever happened in the past. I didn't want to end my cricket like that. If I say sorry it's not a big deal. I can't fight with the chairman, I can't fight with the board, as whatever I am is because of them. As far as discipline is concerned I have never been fined and everyone knows me well."

Since Younis hasn't played at the top level for so long, there will inevitably be questions about his form and the logic of selecting him for limited-overs cricket, where over the course of a ten-year career he hasn't hit the heights he has in the five-day format. He averages just over 32 in 202 ODIs, though that has risen to nearly 35 in the last three years when he has been one of his side's most senior players. He scored only 67 runs, though, when recalled for the five-match ODI series against Australia.

"I played a county season for Surrey, I played T20s and if a player has eight or nine years experience, he often just needs one click," Younis said. "If luck favors me and I play one good innings everything will be back on track. When I was recalled for Australia, I went there after playing just one domestic match, at least now I have played county cricket, so I am prepared mentally."

Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, welcomed Younis' return to the team. "It's very good that Younis Khan is back. He's been a great servant for the last 12-14 years, he has served Pakistan as a captain, as a player, as a senior member he has done wonders. He is a seasoned player, he is still fit, fitter than most of them actually, and always gives 100%."

Pak cricket team on right track: Alam

Despite Pakistan being under the scanner over the spot-fixing scandal, team manager Intikhab Alam feels the team is on the right track. “We are on the right track,” The News quoted Intikhab, as saying.
“We have already taken several steps to enforce anti-corruption measures according to the International Cricket Council (ICC) guidelines and I’m confident that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be able to carry it within the given timeframe,” he added.
The ICC had earlier this month issued the PCB a month’s deadline to put its house in order or face sanctions, including a possible suspension from the international cricket arena. However, critics fear the board, which has agreed to implement a special eight-point anti-corruption initiative, might not be able to deliver in time.
“The message (to the players) is loud and clear. Enough is enough and the players should abide by the code of conduct,” said Alam, who was recently appointed as the team’s manager.
He said the players were briefed about the anti-corruption drives being enforced by the PCB.
“We have spelt it out. The players will get everything in writing also. If something fishy happens next time, there won’t be any room left for them to escape,” Alam added

Ijaz Butt heaps praise on Aleem Dar

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt has called Aleem Dar, who won the ICC's Best Umpire of the Year Award for the second year running recently, as an inspiration for Pakistan cricket.

Butt showered praise on the soft spoken Dar, who was awarded a cash prize of half a million rupees and a special souvenir at a function held at the PCB Headquarters in Lahore today to acknowledge his feat of winning the ICC honour.

Dar has been voted as the ICC Elite Panel Umpire of the Year 2010, an honour that he first won last year.

Butt said in winning the award, Dar had won laurels for Pakistan on the world stage and made the millions of Pakistani cricket fans proud.

"In times when we hear all sorts of stories an inspirational story like that of Aleem Dar lifts everyone's spirit. He has made Pakistan cricket proud through his hard work and dedication to his profession. I wish him all the success in the years to come," Butt said.

Dar has also won the hearts of his countrymen with a noble gesture, through which he pays a monthly stipend of Rs 5,500 per month to the family of the bus driver, who lost his life while transporting the match official's from the hotel to Gaddafi Stadium when militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March last year.

Meanwhile, appearing on a television show on Thursday, Dar said he completely supported the enforcement of the video referral system for umpires in all forms of cricket.

"I think, if there is modern technology available it should be used. Umpires are also human beings and this referral system is a great help," he said.

Dar also made it clear that as an umpire his first job was to remain impartial and make minimum judgement errors.

He also noted that the biggest requirement to become a leading and respected umpire was to be mentally very strong.

He also called on PCB to introduce a central contracts system for umpires in domestic cricket in order to raise the standards of umpiring in the country and give umpires an incentive to work harder