Zulqarnain to expose match fixing players

LONDON: LONDON: Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has said that he would reveal secrets regarding match-fixing and spot-fixing allegations within five or six days, Geo News reported.
He said that he would expose those talking against him in the next five or six days and reveal who has taken money and from whom.
According to sources, he wrote this on his facebook account.

Zulqarnain's wife now threatened

"Zulqarnain's wife got three calls today, two from an unknown number and one from a number in Greece in which the caller speaking in Urdu threatened her of dire consequences if Zulqarnain said anything about anyone," Aqeel Haider, the player's brother, said.

He said the calls came after Zulqarnain said on his Facebook page on Sunday that he would soon expose people who had taken bribes.

"All these people who are saying negative things about me...they should wait for five more days then I will show them my background and status. After five days I will show them their background and place and also those who don't take money and those who have taken money," Haider wrote on his page.

The wicketkeeper left the national team earlier this month and fled Dubai for London where he has applied for asylum, saying he was under threat from people who wanted him to cooperate in fixing matches.

Zulqarnain was a member of the Pakistan squad whose tour of England this year degenerated into chaos when test captain Salman Butt and opening bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended following spot-fixing allegations.

Tanvir BOWLS Dravid + Priceless Geoff Lawson reaction

"Yousuf should concentrate only on Test cricket": Moin Khan

Former Pakistan cricket captain Mohammad Yousuf should focus only on the Test format of the game, his compatriot and former wicketkeeper Moin Khan has said. "Yousuf should concentrate only on Test cricket," PakPassion.net quoted Moin, as saying. He felt that Yousuf does not warrant selection in the Pakistan World Cup Squad due to being dogged by injuries of late, and although he was selected for the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa in UAE, he was only able to play the final game before being ruled out of the Test series against the Proteas after picking up a recurrence of his old groin injury. "How can you select a player (for the final ODI) who has fitness issues and he has just recovered, and arrived in the UAE ahead of a young guy who has been playing well." Moin was of the view that the rigours of One-day Internationals and Twenty20 cricket were no longer for the Pakistani batting stalwart, and that his spot should be filled by the young and impressive right-hand top order batsman, Asad Shafiq. "Yousuf has a lot of fitness issues and a young player like Asad should get a chance. Asad was playing well in the ODI against South Africa but for some reason he was dropped for Yousuf." As the cricket world prepares for the World Cup event to be held in the subcontinent next year, Moin was circumspect on Pakistan's chances. "PCB have made a lot of mess. The team should have been finalised 6 months ago, but unfortunately we are still not sure who will be in the squad." He also mirrored the views of ex-Pakistani coach Geoff Lawson in claiming, "There is lot of instability in the team like the board and if Pakistan does well, it has to be due to individual brilliance." (ANI)

PCB seeks report on loss to Afghanistan

LAHORE – The Pakistan Cricket Board has asked the team management of the Asian Games cricket team to submit a detailed report on their loss to Afghanistan in the Asian Games. Pakistan won bronze after losing to Afghanistan in the semi-final.
A source in the PCB said that there were rumours that some players of the team may have under-performed against Afghanistan as many team members had got training from Rashid Latif, now coach of Afghanistan team, in his academy.
However, a PCB official rejected the rumours and cited the stunning performance of Afghanistan team in the last one year. He said the report was a routine affair and their rumours were baseless.

Grass roots is the right place to spot talent

The Pakistan cricket is un dergoing a rebuilding process and the Pakistan Cricket Board has yet to find quality players who could become permanent members of the national team.
The dearth of the quality players in the country is a result of poor planning at the grass root level. The PCB has been running regional cricket coaching academies for four years, indeed a good effort, but the right place to concentrate is school and college level.
In order to improve the standards of the game in the country, we should emphasize on the nursery of the game and it is a universal truth that schools and colleges are the best nurseries of sports in the world.
The technical failure in senior players exists because they were not properly coached at the primary level. To put the game on the right track, we must look into the cricket affairs at the grass roots level.
At the moment, we don’t have proper system at the school level. Although cricket tournaments are announced and played every year at this level but are being run without seriousness and direction. It seems that these matches are played only as a formality to spend the sports funds albeit the way these funds are spent is anybody’s guess.
The organisers must realise that until and unless this class of players is groomed, we would not be able to produce cricketers of high quality. There are no proper coaching arrangements at this level and this is the stage where the basics of the game need to be taught. In this age, whatever a player learns, remains with him for years to come. If a correct technique is taught at this stage, what one needs is only practice that would produce perfection with the passage of time.

Can Pakistan Do Without Salman Butt, Aamir & Asif

They were the most reliable players in the Pakistan line up before the News of the World named them in the alleged spot-fixing scam. Salman Butt was the captain of the side who was also the backbone of the brittle batting side, an excellent fielder and a decent captain who knew what to expect from his mates. With free-flowing hair, Mohammad Aamir was the poster-boy of the Pakistan side who could do no wrong while Mohammad Asif literally came back from the dead, after being banned, suspended and banned again for different reasons.

Pakistan had an opening combination - Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar - who gave them partnerships of over 50 runs per innings consistently. That didn’t happen when Salman Butt was in the side mostly because he wasn’t consistent at all. With Taufeeq Umar strengthening his claim on the opening slot for Pakistan, there seems to be no room for Salman Butt who still averages in the early 30s in tests. 
As for the other two players, manager Intikhab Alam’s comments are enough to make one feel sorry for them. On return to Pakistan from United Arab Emirates where Pakistan drew the series against South Africa, in the absence of these three allegedly-tainted cricketers, the manager told media that they were not missed. “Wahab Riaz and Tanvir Ahmed did an excellent job in the test series and would prove to be ideal replacements of Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif.” Intikhab said.
Supposedly he knows something the press or the fans don’t know. Whatever the case, the players might be optimistic of their future but the board has declined to support them financially, legally and morally. The questions that boggles the minds of cricket fans all over the world is that whether Pakistan can sustain without these three or not.
The current Pakistan lacks the fire power - agreed - yet the former players believe that Pakistan can do without these three. Former left-arm spinner and chief selector Iqbal Qasim feels no player is indispensable in the Pakistan side. Talking to a local television channel, the former test cricketer said that every team in the world needs good players, but not every team needs players who have been alleged to have thrown matches. “These players may or may not have been involved in spot-fixing but they should go all out to defend themselves.” Iqbal said.
Iqbal also hopes that justice would be served to the players if they are not involved in anything illegal. But if they are found guilty, they should be dealt with according to the law. “I personally feel that Mohammad Aamir’s absence would matter the most to Pakistan since he is not only young but is also intelligent. He should not have been named in this saga but since he has been, he needs to plead his case and try to come out as clean as possible.” Iqbal said.
He added that if the charges are proved false, the Pakistan Cricket Board should take action against the British newspapers and tabloids. "The PCB must take legal action against the newspapers who made such accusations against the players so that they don't make the same mistake again in the future.” he said.
Former Pakistan coach and Australian cricketer Geoff Lawson claims that there is more than meets the eye. He believes the players were forced to fix the matches - if that is proved - by crime syndicates in the country. “The culture in Pakistan is too far removed from the rest of the world. I will not be surprised if one finds out that the players were threatened or their families were put to risk in order to make them do the unthinkable.” Lawson said.
Pakistan is a cricket playing nation that has many talented cricketers waiting for a chance. If these players are found innocent, they should be welcomed back with open arms. In case the verdict is guilty, they should be punished in such a manner that no player ever would try to look at a bookie, let alone talk to him. 

Penalise Ijaz Butt not Pakistan Cricket

The ICC has put forward an order for Pakistan Cricket to put the house in order. Reform or be expelled is the request. For any fervent ICC observers, this is an appalling statement. This is because the organisation is a serial crowd when it comes to confronting its own members.

For the fans of cricket in Pakistan, the atrocious news is that their cricket could be barred from international circle. Amidst this catalogue of revelations, the least abysmal is that Pakistan Cricket Board is in a proficient mess. This is only cricket board, because the domestic cricket in Pakistan has shown that the sport is pretty much alive.
It is the first time that the statement from the ICC is lucid. It will take stern action to trudge out corruption, and PCB is the one singled out. Seems like the Pakistan cricket board is the number one basket case. The stance from the ICC is a good gesture, although coming through a bit late. This is also convivial that the organisation is censuring a dysfunctional cricket board even though it happens to be the PCB. Yet major issues are present and need to be addressed by the ICC on urgent basis.
The PCB seems to be an easy objective, secluded and friendless the international arena. Would the ICC have taken a rather central member to task on the same echelon? Precedent has been established and one can just hope the answer to be positive of the above question. But how will ICC act if India, for example, brought the game into disrepute?
The fans of Pakistan cricket might argue that the ICC has not gone far enough. There is no explanation on what is Ijaz Butt is allowed at the board table following his outrageous behaviour? Here lies the complexity of the whole issue, should one man’s ineptness licensed to obliterate a country’s cricket?
In actual terms, who does Mr. Ijaz Butt signify? Does he really represent Pakistan cricket? The chairman of the board was not elected, nor promoted through merit. He does not come following a process, but is imposed on the seat by the head of the state.
On a realistic standing, Mr. Butt runs the affairs at the board in a dictatorial manner. Many of the former players consider his tenure to be full of mistakes and the worst in history. Pakistan cricket is run by a person who only speaks for himself according to the majority.
It is not just the denting strategies of the chairman affecting the board, but also his blatant overrules in case of appointments. The selection panel does not select anyone, he does. Many at the board have resigned due to his interference. The recent resignation by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports is an example of that. Mr Butt refused to appear before the committee and the chairman at last decided to quit.
So what does Ijaz Butt stand for? He certainly seems to be a representative of the politicised cricket administration. That being the case, ICC should take a strict action against the chairman rather than penalising Pakistan cricket. Why should millions of fans suffer at the hands of one man’s ego and maladministration?
Yes Pakistan cricket requires root and branch reforms. But it is Pakistan cricket that requires all the help too and not Ijaz Butt. On the contrary punishment should not fall in line for Pakistan cricket; it is the chairman that who needs to be penalised.