Salman Butt plans to sue Raja

Pakistan’s former test captain Salman Butt is planning to sue former Pakistan captain and cricket commentator Ramiz Raja for his comments about him.

Sources told The Sports Encounter scribe, Nadira Mushtaque here that Salman Butt will sue Ramiz Raja once the spot fixing case will be over.

Ramiz Raja commented about the Salman Butt in his interview to the British tabloid News of the World which broke the spot fixing story and said that “Salman Butt is a liar”.

While talking to TSE correspondent, Salman Butt also criticized the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and said that “Chairman didn’t allow us to talk to media and clarify our position during the spot fixing allegations at London. I had been asked by many former players that I should come to media and clarify my position but at that time PCB didn’t allow us but now they disown us and they are also not paying our outstanding dues which PCB owe to us on account of match fee, which is really very shocking for us.”

Salman Butt also criticized the role of former team manager Yawar Saeed during the spot fixing allegations and said, “Yawar Saeed didn’t know anything about the spot fixing episode and during the press conference I had to guide him which was very embarrassing for me.”

An exceptional case of Tanvir Ahmed

Pakistan is a country which is known in the cricketing world to expose young-talent at the international arena very early in their career. Majority of the Test playing nations would wait and analyse the performance of a player in first class cricket unlike Pakistan where the selectors are not afraid of throwing the youngsters in deep waters.

Tauseef Ahmed, Wasim Akram, Hassan Raza, Shahid Afridi and Imran Nazir are some of the many examples where the selectors picked them for the national squads even with limited or in some cases no first-class experience. On the other hand, it is very rare for Pakistani selectors to pick a new player who is in his 30’s.
However, Tanvir Ahmed has been an exception. He made his Test debut against South Africa in the 2^nd and the final Test of the series at Abu Dhabi. Before getting the Test cap, Tanvir had played 102 first class matches, which is quite a lot for a medium-fast bowler. On top of his experience, Tanvir would be 32 in December.
Tanvir was born in Kuwait and spent his childhood there. After some years, he along with his family returned to Pakistan. Just like all other Pakistani players, he started playing cricket in the streets with the tennis ball which developed a strong bowling action for him. Tanvir made his first-class debut in the 1998-99 season and since then has represented many teams of Karachi and departments including Allied Bank and PWD.
Tanvir has continuously performed well in the domestic cricket since his debut but the highlight of his career would remain the 2009-10 season, when he took 85 wickets at an amazing average of 17.12 runs per wicket. His contribution was influential as Karachi went on to lift the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
Tanvir was initially picked for Pakistan’s tour of England where Pakistan had to play 6 Tests against Australia and England. However, Tanvir did not get a chance in any of the international matches because of the strong Pakistani bowling attack. Umer Gul’s injury opened the door for Tanvir to play the Oval Test but at the last moment Wahab Riaz, the left arm pacer was given preference. Wahab did not disappoint either as he took 5 wickets in England’s 1^st innings which proved a match winning spell for Pakistan.
Tanvir got the reward for his patience in the series against South Africa. He has taken a dream start at Test cricket as he becomes the 6^th Pakistani bowler to have taken a 5 wicket haul in his 1^st Test. Tanvir also got a wicket in his 1^st over in Test cricket when Alviero Peterson edged a full-pitched out-swinger by Tanvir straight to the 1^st slip where Misbah ul Haq gladly pouched it. Tanvir took 2 more wickets in his opening spell. He was lucky as Hashim Amla was wrongly given caught behind when the ball had clearly brushed his back-thigh. Tanvir ended the 1^st innings with figures of 6 for 120 in 28 overs.
At 32, Tanvir might not have a long international career ahead of him but he can be very useful for Pakistan in the absence of Muhammad Amir and Muhammad Asif, especially when the tour to New Zealand starts next month where the conditions are generally helpful for the seam bowlers.

We handled the pressure well - Misbah

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has praised his team for saving both Tests against South Africa by batting well under pressure.
Misbah himself played a prominent role in helping his team draw the matches, scoring three successive half-centuries, two of those in Pakistan's chases.
While the tracks in the two Tests in the UAE have come in for criticism, Misbah said they did offer some assistance to the spinners.
"The pitch in Dubai was also turning for the spinners on the fourth and fifth day," he said.
"But we were playing better cricket by batting well under pressure, and saved both the matches.
The pitch was good for batting but you still need skills and patience to just play hard cricket and survive in Tests, and our boys showed that." Misbah rescued Pakistan on the fifth day, from 66 for 3 after lunch, and batted positively, striking ten fours in his unbeaten 58.
He was also involved in an unbeaten 97-run stand with Azhar Ali, who had starred in the first innings with 90.
"We had one thing in mind and that was to stay at the wicket," Misbah said.
"When the bad balls came we went after them but our focus was to stay at the wicket." The performance of the youngsters stood out on this tour for Pakistan, with debutants Asad Shafiq and seamer Tanvir Ahmed scoring a half-century and picking up six wickets respectively.
The experienced players, too, chipped in with Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq hitting form upon return to Test cricket after a long break.
"Competition [for places] is healthy, like we see with India and other teams," Misbah said.
"We should not take it as added pressure.
If anyone does not get a chance, we need to keep supporting them.
They are our future players and we must back them at any cost." Pakistan cricket is in troubled times in the aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy and wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider's shocking departure to London in the middle of the tour.
Misbah said off-field events didn't affect the focus of the players.
"I never felt that this team was demoralised," he said.
"Their morale was up and they played with consistency and patience.
"The confidence [from the series] will help us play anywhere and it is a big boost for the self belief of the players."

Afghanistan upset Pakistan to reach final

Afghanistan stunned a second-string Pakistan in the semi-finals of the Asian Games in Guangzhou to continue their fairytale run in cricket over the past two years. This victory assures them of at least a silver, boosting the medals tally of a nation which has only two medals - both in taekwondo - in the Asian Games.

It's been a low-scoring tournament so far, and Afghanistan's 125, after being sent in, was a competitive total. Eighteen-year-old Shabir Noori top scored with 35 to revive Afghanistan after they had slid to 55 for 4, but another bunch of wickets towards the end prevented a big final push.

Pakistan's opening pair, Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, began the chase in a hurry, racing to 30 off three overs, seemingly setting the platform for a straightforward victory. Sharjeel then fell lbw to Mirwaiz Ashraf for 23, but Latif guided Pakistan to 60 for 1. There was a heated exchange between Latif and Afghanistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad, which needed the umpires to intervene. Latif was then dismissed lbw, and Naeemuddin Qazi was run out soon after, and two wickets in an over from offspinner Karim Sadiq left Pakistan at 68 for 5.

With the asking-rate mounting, the Pakistan lower-order was unable to find the boundary and Afghanistan completed a famous upset.

"It's a big win for Afghanistan," their captain Mohammad Nabi said. "Every person there is watching the match and everybody is happy about this win. I'm very satisfied because we have fantastic fitness levels and the boys have worked very hard in every position, whether it's fielding, bowling or batting. "

The vice-captain, Karim Sadeq, said the whole the country was behind the team. "On TV last night in Afghanistan, they told people to pray that we would win," he said. "Tonight they will be celebrating all over the country. It's a dream for us."

On Friday, Afghanistan will take on the winner of the other semi-final between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the clash for the gold medal.

Zidane and Ronaldo to play for Pakistan, Haiti in annual UN charity football

UNITEDNATIONS, Nov 24 (APP): World champion footballers and UN Goodwill Ambassadors Ronaldo and Zindine Zidane Tuesday announced that the 8th Annual Match Against Poverty will raise funds for the nearly 25 million people affected by the Pakistan floods and Haiti earthquake. The two men, who use their celebrity status to promote the anti poverty work of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), will mobilize their all-star team to challenge Greek-side Olympiacos in a friendly game on 15 December. 

The match, which will be played at Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece, is part of the global campaign to achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the targets to slash poverty, hunger, disease and other social ills, all by 2015. 
“With five years left to accomplish the set of eight goals,” said Zidane, “I hope this 8th Annual Match Against Poverty will help communicate a sense of urgency that we all need to join the team to end poverty now.” 
UNDP will receive half of the match’s proceeds, which will go to ongoing relief efforts in Haiti and Pakistan. “Our goal with this 8th Match Against Poverty is to support the people and Governments of Pakistan and Haiti to recover from the devastating natural disasters which affected them so terribly in 2010,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, expressing gratitude to Zidane and Ronaldo for raising awareness for those who are often too quickly forgotten. 
Olympiacos Football Club owner Evangelos Marinakis also voiced hope that the match would bring people around the globe together and break down barriers. “Using football’s magic driving force, Olympiacos F.C. is on the pitch to raise an appeal against poverty and mobilize action towards achieving the MDGs,” he said. 
Olympiacos will donate its share of the proceeds to parents of  children with special needs, as well as to homeless and disadvantaged communities in Piraeus. Earlier this year, the 7th Annual Match took place in Lisbon, Portugal, where Zidane, Ronaldo and the UNDP Goodwill team played Benfica and raised more than a half million Euro for the people of Haiti. 
Proceeds from previous matches have benefited anti-poverty initiatives ranging from support to female entrepreneurs to the construction of sports centres for street children and the disadvantaged throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.

‘Afghanistan will play Tests in three years’

Afghanistan coach Rashid Latif said on Wednesday that the war-ravaged nation needed Test status for its cricket team to fully develop and it could be ready in three years.
The former Pakistan Test player, speaking after his side crushed Hong Kong in the Asian Games quarter-finals to set up a mouth-watering first ever match with Pakistan, said Afghanistan had many talented players.

Last year the country rose to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Division One, narrowly missing out on a place in the World Cup to be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh next year.

They qualified for the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies earlier this year by winning qualifying rounds in Dubai.

But Latif said only Test status could give the game the boost it needed.

“I’m not interested in Twenty20 cricket or 50-overs cricket. We need to compete in Test cricket. If a country has Test cricket you can improve your cricket at the grassroots level.

“Bangladesh had Test cricket (from 2001) and after that they greatly improved but I think this Afghanistan side is better than their current team.

“Afghanistan have a lot of talent at youth level and national level but very limited facilities. There is no good ground in Afghanistan.”

But he said despite these drawbacks “in two or three years we should be ready to apply for Test status”.

Afghanistan currently falls far short of the requirements for Test status, including a lack of suitable grounds and facilities and an absence of first-class domestic cricket.

The team have also played the vast majority of their cricket outside the country.

But work on the country’s first international cricket stadium started this week, with the government hoping the game can contribute to peace and stability.

The renovated stadium will serve as the main hub for hosting both domestic and international events and will accommodate more than 6,000 fans, officials said.

Afghanistan, who have one-day international status, are in danger of being frozen out by an International Cricket Council’s proposal to limit the number of teams that participate in the 50-over World Cup to 10 teams.

This would likely shut out countries such as Afghanistan from the four-yearly showpiece.

Bowler Merwais Ashraf said he was disappointed about the proposed move, because it would shut off the only route for Afghanistan to qualify for the tournament.

“We want to play for Afghanistan in Asian Cricket Council and ICC tournaments. Our dream is to qualify for the 50-over World Cup,” he said.

Kamran, Malik may return

Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal are expected to return to the Pakistan squad for the forthcoming New Zealand tour.

According to sources close to the national selectors, both the players have impressed with their recent commitment to domestic cricket and also with their form.

Both the players were dropped for the ongoing series against South Africa with fingers also pointed on Kamran's alleged involvement in spot-fixing.

"But now the International Cricket Council has given the Pakistan Cricket Board clearance to consider Kamran for the coming events," one source said.

Malik has been in prolific form in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he scored a fifty, a double hundred and a hundred while Kamran also notched up a century in the ongoing round of matches.

The national selectors are also said to have got clearance from PCB chairman Ijaz Butt.

"The selectors will announce squad for the tour to New Zealand later this week while they have to announce the preliminary World Cup squad by December 19," the source said.

The source said that the selectors had also been told by Butt that Shahid Afridi will continue to lead the Twenty20 and ODI teams while Misbah-ul-Haq will be retained as captain for the Test matches in New Zealand.

"The selectors have now asked the Board for clearance on leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and all-rounder Rana Naved," the source said.

He said both players will be required to be given a green signal by the integrity committee of PCB for selection.

Kaneria was due to join the national team for the ongoing Test series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi and Dubai but was held back at the last moment by the Board.

Sources said the decision to hold him back came after ICC indicated that Kaneria was still part of an ongoing spot-fixing investigation in England.

Kaneria and his fellow Essex player Mervyn Westfield are presently under investigation for trying to defraud bookmakers during a pro-40 overs match involving Essex and Durham.

However, the police did not charge Kaneria for lack of evidence but Westfield is now under trial.