Malik dropped because of Super Sixes loss?

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik being ignored for the New Zealand tour could be a result of the team's unlikely loss in the Super Sixes Tournament final in Hong Kong under his captaincy last month.
Sources said Malik, who was ignored by the selectors on Tuesday for the New Zealand tour despite his terrific form in domestic cricket, may have been sidelined because of the Hong Kong tournament.
"Malik was captain and in the final opponents Australia required 48 runs in the final over to win the match. Imran Nazir a part time bowler was given the ball and incredibly even in the super sixes format he conceded 48 runs bowling number of wides and no-balls in the decisive over," one source said.
He said the final over had raised eyebrows in the Pakistan Cricket Board and given Malik's disciplinary record as well the selectors decided to play it safe.
"If a player has scored three big hundreds in succession in domestic cricket he is always a serious contender but in Malik's case his ouster may also be linked to non-cricketing reasons," the source said.
Malik himself told the media that he was extremely disappointed at not making the team.
"What more do I have to do to prove myself. I have scored nearly 580 runs in five innings with three centuries and I have taken 14 wickets for PIA in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and if this not enough to win me a place back in the team I don't know what is," Malik said.
"If the selectors are not considering me when I am in prime form then I think I am within my right to at least ask them to tell me on what grounds I have not been picked in the touring squad," Malik said.

Pakistan vows to win 2011 World Cup

Karachi: Their hosting rights taken away by the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to security reasons, Pakistan on Thursday vowed to bring the World Cup trophy home.Team manager Intikhab Alam, Test captain Misabh-ul-haq and paceman Umar Gul and other players on Thursday rued that their country would not get to host any match.

Their comments came at the unveiling ceremony of the World Cup trophy in Lahore.

The International Cricket Council moved away matches of the World Cup from Pakistan last year due to security reasons after militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March.

Misbah said he was disappointing that Pakistan fans would miss all the action.

"I know how disappointed the Pakistani people are that they wouldn't be able to host any matches but the best thing we can do for them is to play with commitment and passion and try to bring this trophy home as winners," he said.

Misbah, who led Pakistan in the Tests against South Africa, said that it was good for Pakistan cricket that the ICC and sponsors had arranged for the trophy to be unveiled in Pakistan.

"It is a good gesture and will boost the interest in the tournament in Pakistan," he added.

The World Cup is now being hosted jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19 with Pakistan due to play its group matches in Sri Lanka.

Alam, who was also a team manager when Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992, said he knew very well the significance of the tournament.

"I know how much it matters for our people that we do well in the World Cup. Unfortunately the last two World Cups have not been good for us but our team has the ability to do well in the tournament," he said.

He said that it was sad that the World Cup matches were not being held in Pakistan but had no doubt the tournament would create enormous interest and that the game has passionate following in the country.

He said the present team in every format of the game was developing well and by the time of the World Cup would start it would be in a good position to challenge the other contenders.

"The coming tour to New Zealand is very important for us as it will help us finalize our one-day squad for the World Cup," he said.

Pacer Umar Gul said he was looking forward to the New Zealand tour and World Cup.

"Conditions in New Zealand are favorable to the pace bowlers but in the World Cup we will have to work hard and try to do well for the country," he said.

Afridi not losing hope

Pakistan cricket is reeling under waves of controversy but skipper Shahid Afridi said Thursday it would have no effect on their performance at the World Cup.
Pakistan and world cricket was once again plunged into darkness when a video of alleged bookie Mazar Majeed revealing the named of four more players involved in match fixing was released on Tuesday.
The International Cricket Council has already suspended Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt and Majeed said Akmal brothers Umar and Kamran, Imran Farhat and Wahab Riaz weer also on his pay roll.
"I strongly believe that Pakistan will be among the top contenders. There have been many controversies recently but we will leave them behind to concentrate on World Cup.
"We have good batting line up and talented bowlers. All of them are confident of good show," the flamboyant all-rounder said.
Afridi also went on to predict the semi-finalist of the World Cup that starts from February 19 and will be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
"I think India, Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka will be in the semifinals. India and Sri Lanka will face additional pressure as they will be playing on home turf," Afridi said.
He also praised the current Indian team under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
"India is continuously playing well since Dhoni has taken over. The confidence level of the team is amazing and I think it will be an exciting contest," said the veteran, who has scored 6371 runs in 303 ODIs for Pakistan

Russia, Qatar to host Football World Cup 2018, 2022

ZURICH: Russia will host the 2018 Football World Cup while Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup following vote by FIFA's executive committee members here on Thursday, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced.
Russia beat off competition from England, Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium.
Qatar beat off competition from Australia, the United States, South Korea and Japan.

Controversies will not affect us in World Cup: Afridi

Pakistan cricket may be in turmoil due to unending controversies but it would not affect the morale of the players and the team would still be one of the favourites in the upcoming World Cup, skipper Shahid Afridi said on Thursday.
Pakistan cricket has been rocked by a series of controversies, the latest being the spot-fixing allegations against seven top players.
Three players have been suspended by the ICC and four more are under the scanner but Afridi said the team is determined to do well in the World Cup.
"I strongly believe that Pakistan will be among the top contenders. There have been many controversies recently but we will leave them behind to concentrate on World Cup. We have good batting line up and talented bowlers. All of them are confident of good show," the flamboyant all-rounder said from Karachi.
Afridi counted India as one of the strong contenders in the World Cup, to be held in sub-continent from February 19 next year.
"I think India, Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka will be in the semi-finals. India and Sri Lanka will face additional pressure as they will playing on home turf," Afridi said.
He also praised the current Indian team under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
"India is continuously playing well since Dhoni has taken over. The confidence level of the team is amazing and I think it will be an exciting contest," said the veteran, who has scored 6371 runs in 303 ODIs for Pakistan.
Afridi said Sachin Tendulkar would be the batsman to watch in the elite ICC event.
"Sachin is an extra-ordinary player. His hunger for runs is growing by his age. He is playing since 20 years and it is his last World Cup. Naturally he wants to make it a memorable one. All teams need to be extra cautious against him and we are no exception. We will draw a specific strategy for Sachin and some other Indian batsmen," he said.
Afridi also rued the fact they have lost the opportunity to play before the home fans in the prestigious tournament.
"This is a huge loss for Pakistan Cricket. Foreign teams are not playing here and it has definitely affected us. We cannot do anything in this matter. Thank god, we have enough international exposure prior to World Cup."
After playing against South Africa in Dubai and Abu Dhabi Pakistan team is going to tour New Zealand from December 26 to February 5. They will play two Tests, three Twenty20s and six ODIs.
When asked how he is going to motivate his team, the Peshawar Pathan said, "Pakistan has suffered a lot. Flood, terrorism and the spot-fixing scandal in Cricket. Our Hockey team has given us a reason to smile after winning the Asiad gold and now we want to complete the success saga. Insha Allah we will win the World Cup for our countrymen."
"People of India and Pakistan are crazy about Cricket. It is like a religion for them. Sometimes it is hard to fulfill all their expectations but we are desperate to win this time," he added.
Pakistan cricket has been hit by a series of problems from doping to ball-tampering but is facing the most severe test after spot-fixing charges against several players.
According to latest revelation by UK based bookie Mazhar Majeed, apart from suspended trio of Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt, four more Pakistani players are involve in the spot-fixing.
Before that wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider went fled from Dubai to London and retired from international cricket after reportedly receiving threats from unidentified people.

Shahid Afridi Takes An Amazing Catch of White

2018 Bidders' Presentations - LIVE Now

The decision on the hosting of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup™ tournaments will be revealed in Zurich on Thursday 2 December. You can follow all the candidates’ presentations and the announcement of the winners, LIVE here on FIFA.com. The Bidders for 2022 presented their Bids on Wednesday. You can relive the presentations here on FIFA.com.
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/bidders/live/index.html
A host of VIPs and renowned personalities from the worlds of sport and politics will be present in Zurich, supporting their home nations’ bids. The world’s media will also turn out in force, with some 1,000 journalists accredited to cover the event, and nearly 70 TV stations broadcasting live from Zurich.

The final presentations by the nine candidates began on Wednesday at the Home of FIFA in Zurich. Proceedings opened with the contenders to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The running order started with Australia at 14.00 CET, followed on the hour, every hour by Korea Republic, Qatar, USA and Japan, who have the final starting slot at 18:00.

The candidates for the 2018 FIFA World Cup take to the stage on Thursday morning. Belgium and the Netherlands start the ball rolling at 9.00, followed by Spain and Portugal, England, and finally Russiaat 12 midday. The running order was previously determined by the drawing of lots.

Following the presentations, the FIFA Executive Committee will gather to consider its verdict and vote on the choice of host nation for the forthcoming finals. The announcement is expected at approximately 16.00 CET, when FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter will open the envelopes to reveal the names of the winners before a live audience and the global media representatives at Zurich Exhibition Centre.

Stay tuned to FIFA.com, the official website of world football’s governing body, for full coverage of two enthralling days. Our LIVE reporting on events at the Home of FIFA at 9.00 CET on Thursday. We’ll exclusively bring you the presentations by the four 2018 candidates, followed by the official announcement of the FIFA World Cup host nations on Thursday afternoon.

Final presentations: running order

Thursday, 2 December 2010
09:00         Belgium/Netherlands
10:00         Spain/Portugal
11:00         England
12:00         Russia

Unveiling ceremony of cricket WC 2011 trophy today

LAHORE: The unveiling ceremony of cricket World Cup 2011 trophy will be held here today. Pakistani cricket team players among Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials will attend the ceremony, which is to be held at Royal Palm Golf Club.
The press conference will also be arranged on the occasion.
All the matches of cricket World Cup 2011 will be played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Afridi not a happy man on selection of Younus Khan in t20's

World Cup 2018: England confident of victory ... but vote will be fearsomely close

On the white board in the England bid’s war room at the Hotel Steigenburger, two contrasting scenarios of how Thursday’s decisive vote will pan out have been sketched.n the first, England ride to victory on a wave of support as every bet they have made in the past year pays off. In the second, they are ejected in ignominy in the first round as every promise they have received turns out to be a lie and their saviour, Jack Warner, does his deal elsewhere.

Which it is to be will be revealed around 4pm, but the bid leadership retired to their rooms for a few fleeting hours of sleep last night confident that they had plotted a route to victory.

The heart of the strategy is clear from the targeted lobbying by Prince William, David Cameron and David Beckham in the last 48 hours of campaigning. The ‘Three Lions’ have focused almost exclusively on the half dozen or so voters central to England’s chances of reaching the last round.With no natural block of support, England will rely on individual supporters from unaligned voters in Europe and Africa, which has no bid in either race, and trading Geoff Thompson’s vote with one or more of the Asian 2022 bidders.

To that core they hope to add the support of the Concacaf bloc of three votes controlled by Warner. That would be enough to get into the second round, where they hope to inherit Holland-Belgium supporters including Michel Platini, with the support of executive committee members opposed to the suspected deal between Spain-Portugal and Qatar to get across the line.

The unaligned members England have targeted are Senes Erzik, of Turkey, a close friend of Thompson’s, who the bid believe will deliver on his commitment to support England in the first round and stick with them. So confident are the bid of his support that none of the ‘Three Lions’ have met the Turk.

In Africa, the bid has focused on Issa Hayatou, of Cameroon, the president of CAF, and Jacques Anouma, of the Ivory Coast, both of whom have been personally lobbied by Beckham and Cameron.

The bid’s greatest concern with Hayatou is that the contested allegation of corruption made by Panorama on Monday will alienate him. Against that England will set the Football Association’s support for Hayatou’s 2002 presidential challenge to Sepp Blatter, hoping that the chip will finally be cashed.

They then hope to attract at least one of Junji Ogura, of Japan, and Chung Mong-Joon, of South Korea, in exchange for Thompson’s support.

Warner has had meetings with Beckham and Cameron, as has Chuck Blazer, of the United States, who has also met Prince William, while Rafael Salguero, of Guatemala, has met the Prince and Beckham.

While Blazer and Warner are expected to vote together, Salguero’s position is less certain. There have been suggestions that he will vote separately, possibly to help secure as much support as possible for the US 2022 bid.

Even if he does, however, two of the Concacaf three would elevate England to seven votes, and a full house would give them eight.

That would be enough to get England to the final, where they would be reliant on second preferences to win. Cameron’s meeting with Marios Lefkaritis, an assumed Russian supporter, is part of that effort, as is the courting of Mohamed Bin Hammam, of Qatar.

Bin Hammam is assumed to be wedded to an alliance with Spain-Portugal, but with perhaps three votes under his control, England have been trying to test the strength of that bond.

It is impossible to be definitive about how the votes will fall, and England’s optimism is hard to square with the troubled nature of the campaign. And there are still many variables that could blow them off course.

Warner will do what he has to to get US the 2022 tournament, and a side deal with the Latin Americans pledged to Spain is a possibility. The bid may also have drastically underestimated the depth of antipathy toward England.

But they have a crucial commodity – momentum.

The voting could still be fearsomely close. The second round could conceivably produce a tie for second place on seven votes that would necessitate an extra round of voting, and the final round could finish 11-11, requiring Sepp Blatter to use his casting vote.

Pakistan unhappy with cricket's FTP

Karachi, Dec 1 : Pakistan's cricket chiefs are unhappy with the International Cricket Council's Future Tours Programme (FTP) because their team hasn't been given enough matches against top sides like India, Australia and England.According to reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed its concerns after coming to know that its team will mostly be playing against lower-ranked teams in the next FTP.

The PCB believes that Pakistan is regarded among the major Test-playing nations and should get a fair share of matches against the top teams. 

Meanwhile, the ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) met at their headquarters in Dubai and made significant progress towards finalising the FTP Test and ODI league schedules and began the process of drawing up rules, regulations and a points system for the leagues.

According to an ICC media release Wednesday, the CEC agreed to reconstitute its working group comprising David Collier (England and Wales Cricket Board), Nishantha Ranatunga (Sri Lanka Cricket), N. Srinivasan (Board of Control for Cricket in India), James Sutherland (Cricket Australia) and David Richardson (ICC General Manager-Cricket) to consider the rules, regulations and points system for the new Test and ODI leagues.

The working group, which previously made recommendations on the leagues and ICC global event calendar, will be bolstered by the presence of top statistician and ICC Cricket Committee member David Kendix. The group will report back in January 2011.

"With the ODI league commencing immediately after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the ICC Board will need to confirm the rules and regulations at its February 2001 meeting. There was noticeable excitement during the CEC meeting when we realised the interest which these leagues will create," ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said.

With the ICC Board having already approved the use of the Decision Review System (DRS) in the Cricket World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the CEC agreed to afford members the opportunity to use the DRS in bilateral One-Day Internationals prior to the World Cup.

Waqar marks territory for Miandad

KARACHI: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has made it loud and clear that Javed Miandad’s addition to the panel of coaches will not affect his role with the team.

Miandad, who has had three coaching stints with the team, was approached by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to act as a batting consultant for the training camp prior to the New Zealand tour as well as the tour itself. The former captain, while expressing his willingness for the role, ruled out touring with the team.

Younis, who is the head coach while another former fast-bowler Aaqib Javed is the bowling coach, has said he welcomes PCB’s move.

“As long as Miandad’s role does not clash with mine, I’m fine,” Younis told The Express Tribune. Younis, another former captain, will join the training camp in Lahore on December 8. “The PCB wants batsmen to learn from Miandad. And if it helps the players, I don’t mind.

“I will send players to him whenever he wants them. He can work on their technique and sort out their difficulties. But when it comes to match strategy, that’s my job.”

The coach, who had a talk with Pakistan’s chief selector Mohsin Khan, was satisfied with team selection and expecting a good performance in New Zealand.

“Khan told me about some players having a clearance issue and this is the extent of my knowledge on the subject,” said Younis regarding Kamran Akmal and Danish Kaneria who were omitted from the squad.

PCB unhappy with new FTP

Meanwhile, the PCB was disappointment after it came to their knowledge that the country will not get enough matches against top teams in the next Future Tour Programme (FTP) for 2012-20.

According to details, the PCB has called for an increased number of matches against teams like India, Australia and England in the next FTP instead of the lower-ranked ones. It has expressed its reservation following the International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) meeting that was held in Dubai to discuss the plan.

“Pakistan needs to play more against top sides because the country is already in crisis as we cannot stage international cricket at home,” a PCB official told The Express Tribune. “We have conveyed our reservations and are hoping to get more matches in the schedule which is yet to be finalised.”

Meanwhile, the ICC said the CEC meeting made an excellent progress towards finalising the FTP Test and One-Day International league schedules.

Pakistan may continue with lucky coach Intikhab

Pakistan’s first ODI captain Intikhab Alam will continue to be the manager on New Zealand tour, it was learnt here on Wednesday. 
According to the sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), PCB chairman Ijaz Butt is ‘very keen’ to continue with the non-controversial Intikhab Alam for the next year’s World Cup to be hosted in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 
Currently occupying the chair at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore, Intikhab Alam replaced Ijaz Butt’s close-friend Yawar Saeed as manager for the UAE tour. 
Alam was the coach and manager of 1992 Cricket World Cup winning Pakistani team. On October 25, 2008, he was named as national coach of the Pakistan cricket team by the PCB, a day after Australian Geoff Lawson was sacked as the national coach of Pakistan. In 2009, Intikhab0 led Pakistan to their first Twenty20 World Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka in the final. 
In 2004, he was appointed as the first foreigner to coach a domestic Indian cricket team, coaching Punjab in the Ranji Trophy. The PCB applied visas for all probables including the senior players who have been dropped now. The Pakistan team will play three Twenty20s, Two Tests and six ODIs during New Zealand tour commencing on Dec 23.

Miandad refuses PCB job

Islamabad: PCB’s decision to appoint former Test captain Javed Miandad as batting and fielding consultant with the national team has run into trouble as Miandad is not willing to accept the terms and conditions of his contract as batting consultant. The PCB recently made an offer to Miandad to take over as batting and fielding consultant of the Pakistan cricket team on the upcoming tour to New Zealand, but wanted him to work under the supervision of head coach Waqar Younis.

Zulqarnain's fearful wife looks to join husband in London

The wife of Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider wants to join her husband in London as she fears for her children's safety after Haider said he would expose those taking bribes in Pakistan cricket.
 
Iqra Haider, flanked by her two small children, said on Geo News that she was scared after getting threat calls from unknown callers.
 
"Soon after my husband said on his Facebook page yesterday he would expose these people, I started getting calls from unknown numbers where they told me they knew where my children studied or went and they would not remain safe," she said.

The wicketkeeper's wife, speaking on national television with her face and head covered by a veil and only her eyes visible, said she wanted to join her husband in London
"I don't feel safe any longer in Pakistan after these threats calls. I am afraid to even send my children out now, I want to be with my husband," she said.

FIXING MATCHES
Haider caused a furore in Pakistan cricket when he 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.
On Saturday he wrote on his Facebook page 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.

Sources close to the keeper, who has played just one test for his country, told Reuters he was likely to hold a press conference on Friday to carry out his Facebook threats.

The keeper's family have reported the threat calls to the police.
In a related development the fact finding committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board also submitted its report on the Zulqarnain incident to the board.

"The three member Fact Finding Committee formed by the PCB to establish the facts surrounding the incident of Zulqarnain Haider's disappearance from the Team Hotel in Dubai during the recent Pakistan vs. South Africa series, held a meeting at PCB Headquarters today. The committee has finalised its report and submitted the same to PCB," the board said in a statement.

"PCB has no further comments to make on this matter at this stage," it said.