PCB must announce the World Cup squad: Afridi

KARACHI: Pakistan's ODI skipper Shahid Afridi on Monday endorsed former captain Wasim Akram's views that the PCB must announce the World Cup squad or at least make a short-list of players as soon as possible. 

"We need to start working soon with the bunch of players who make the World Cup, as it is a very important tournament and I don't want the team to mess up this time," Afridi said. 

Pakistan were eliminated in the first round of the last two World Cups, in 2003 and 2007. 

In a bid to overcome his recent run of inconsistent form with both bat and ball, Afridi is also spending a lot of time in the nets these days. 

"Yes, I am worried about my form for the past one year and I am personally not satisfied with the way I have batted or bowled for the national team," Afridi said. 

Afridi, who will lead Pakistan in the coming one-day series in New Zealand, and is also tipped to captain the side in the world cup, said he was more concerned about his form because of the upcoming extravaganza. 

"It has not been an easy year for anyone of us and I think these constant scandals and controversies have affected us. They certainly affected my form and performances," he said. 

"No matter what you say but these things do affect you and the team. And then the added responsibility of leading the team also affected my own performances," Afridi stated. 

The all-rounder said that he is concentrating and working hard on his batting and bowling. 

"The best thing to get out of a bad run is to go back to the basics and keep practising. I am doing that because, being the captain, I know how important it is for me to perform consistently with bat and ball," he said.

Miandad to discuss job profile with Butt

Karachi: Former captain Javed Miandad will decide whether to accept the role of batting consultant in the Pakistan team after a meeting with PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt in Lahore on Tuesday.

Well-placed sources said that Miandad, who is also director-general of cricket in the Board, has been given time by Butt to meet him on Tuesday in which the sensitive issue of the terms and conditions under which Miandad will work in the team would be discussed.

"Miandad will inform the Chairman of his decision tomorrow, particularly if he is willing to go to New Zealand with the team or even work with the players in the national camp being set up in Lahore from Wednesday," one source said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had asked Miandad to work as a batting and fielding consultant with the team in the camp and also go to New Zealand. Besides, it also put forth some clear conditions for the former captain.

The primary conditions include that Miandad will work under the supervision of head coach Waqar Younis and will not directly coach the players without taking the coach into confidence about his plans.

These conditions have not gone down well with the former captain who has also remained coach of the national team on three separate occasions.

"If his conditions are not met by the Board under which he wants work with the team, then he might just prefer to help out in the training camp and not go to New Zealand," the source added.

Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam is also unaware of Miandad's availability as batting consultant and said this was a direct issue between the former captain and his employers.

The head coach of the national team, Waqar Younis, would also be reaching Lahore from Australia to join the camp on December 8th.

Miandad has already written a letter to Butt making it clear that the conditions for him to work as batting consultant were not acceptable to him given he was much senior to Waqar.

Another source said that Butt was also under pressure from the top to utilise the expertise of Miandad who himself had asked the chief patron of the Board, President Asif Ali Zardari, that he should be given some cricketing assignment.

Pakistan Cricket Board and selection committee need to urgently finalise World Cup team

With only two and a half months left for the much awaited ICC World Cup, most top-class teams are settled, well prepared and trying different options that can work well in the Subcontinent.  

But unfortunately that is not the case with Pakistan, which is one of the most entertaining cricket teams in the world.

Although, the spot-fixing controversy has been a hurdle in Pakistan’s preparations for the upcoming World Cup, the biggest problem with Pakistan cricket right now is the poor management and selection committee, who do not seem to have any vision at all.

Pakistan Cricket Board is so weak at the moment that it has to take the approval from International Cricket Council for each player before selecting him. ICC has suspended Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif but effectively Pakistan is without half of its team right now with question marks over Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Danish Kaneria also.

But in reply to an email by Kamran Akmal, ICC has given him clearance of any charges of either spot-fixing or match-fixing, which he later forwarded to Pakistan Cricket Board as well.

On the other hand, Shoaib Malik, was not even a part of the Lord’s Test or the Sydney Test, which are being investigated. All these things make the situation more confusing for Pakistani cricket fans as to why their favourite players are not been picked for the national team.

On top of that, PCB has dropped Mohammad Yousaf as well, who has been Pakistan’s most prolific batsman in Tests and One Day International (ODIs). Events of the last six months make things more ironic, as Mohammad Yousaf was the one, who was drafted into Pakistan’s team on the tour of England when he was out of cricket for about 6 months.

And recently in UAE he played in the 5^th match of the ODI series against South Africa when he was not even part of the ODI squad. He reached UAE to join the team for the Test matches against the Proteas. What has happened all of a sudden that has changed the selection committee’s opinion about Muhammad Yousaf? This remains a mystery for a follower of Pakistan cricket.

On the other hand, Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik have been an integral part of Pakistan’s limited over setup for the last 6 years and both have won a number of matches for Pakistan. And now when the country requires their services, they are not allowed to play at the international level even though both of them are having a fabulous domestic season.

The story does not just end on these 3 players. Imran Nazir is a player, who has the ability to change the complexion of a match, at least in the limited over format, but he has been continuously ignored by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Umar Amin was a good selection by the PCB but they failed to stick with him after a run of failures. The selectors should persist with him as he has the talent to become a real match-winner for Pakistan.

Pakistan is a country which is full of talent but it is the job of Pakistan Cricket Board to manage things in an appropriate manner. The ODI series against the Kiwis is the last opportunity for the selection committee to let the coach and the captain settle with a combination, otherwise, Pakistan’s chances in the 2011 ICC World Cup look bleak.

Wasim urges Pakistan to unite for World Cup

LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistani cricket hero Wasim Akram on Monday urged players, fans and the media to move on from recent high-profile problems and get behind the country to win the 2011 World Cup.

"Let's forget what problems we've been going through recently and with a positive frame of mind support the Pakistan team to win next year's World Cup," Wasim said in a rallying call during a ceremony unveiling the trophy.

Pakistan has been blighted by a spot-fixing crisis, player suspensions and poor governance, with one-day captain Shahid Afridi expressing a lack of confidence in preparations for the mega event.

Three key players -- Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer -- were provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) over accusations of spot-fixing during the tour to England in the summer.

The trio appear before a ICC code of conduct tribunal in Doha, Qatar next month and face severe punishment, including lengthy bans.

Key players Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik have also courted suspicion and not been cleared by the under fire Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for recent tours.

Their participation in the February 19-April 2 World Cup looks uncertain.

Wasim, who finished as the best player of the tournament when Pakistan won its only World Cup in Australia 18 years ago, acknowledged the build-up had been far from ideal.

"Problems have certainly hurt the team's preparations, but Pakistan is one team which can beat any team in the world on its day," he said.

"Their resilience is tremendous and they can come out of any worse situation and win a match," said Wasim, who played 104 Tests and 352 one-day matches for cricket-mad Pakistan.

He praised the team for showing "great resilience" by winning two of the five matches against South Africa last month.

"They could do the same in the World Cup provided players, selectors and the PCB rally behind the captain and play for the country.

"For the sake of Pakistan, every player has to back the captain, play as a unit, and not only fans, but the media should also back them to win."

Wasim tipped India as favourites to win the event, to be hosted jointly by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan was also to have been a World Cup host but lost that right over fears about security after an armed ambush last year on the Sri Lankan team.

"I think for the first time Australia will not be the top favourites," said Wasim. "To me, India is the top favourite to win, while Sri Lanka and Pakistan are also among the favourites."

ICC eyes Test World Championship

In modern day cricket, the fans enjoy the shorter versions of the game more than Test cricket. After the start of T20 cricket, Test cricket has struggled to keep its interest alive in the international arena. However the International Cricket Council (ICC) is now eying to start a Test World Championship. The ICC is planning the tournament in June 2013 in a bid to revive the flagging interest in Test match cricket. The ICC Chief, Haroon Lorgat in an interview to Australian radio said that the Championship would be played according to the current rankings of the teams in Test match cricket.

According to this ranking system, the points are given to the teams according to the series in which they play against other opponents. However, unlike T20 and ODI cricket, Test match cricket lacks a mega tournament which can decide the top Test cricketing nation. The ICC is now planning to arrange such a tournament which would be good and challenging for the teams.

The ICC is considering a four nations play-off in which the top four Test teams would be battling in the semi-finals before playing the final for the title. This step would improve the level of interest and rivalry amongst teams. Some teams would also look to improve their rankings in order to make it through to the play-offs.

The Australian team and the English team will be fighting even harder to jump in the top four teams or retain their position in the top four. This will make the Ashes series even more interesting and the teams will battle harder against each other. This can also add to the pressure on the teams who will be battling to be in the top four in Test match cricket.

There are many possibilities which are being considered before something is finalized. One concern is that the finals might end in a draw. To avoid that, the ICC is considering a timeless Test match for having a result in the match. Things like this would make Test cricket livelier when the viewers will be certain of a result at the end of the match.

On the other hand, the ICC Chief Haroon Lorgat also confirmed the venue for the 2015 ODI World Cup. He stated that the World Cup would be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The total number of teams participating would be ten rather than the fourteen teams which will be participating in the 2011 World Cup. This would also make things challenging for the lower ranked teams to make it through to the World Cup in 2015.

The T20 World cup hosts have also been decided by the ICC. The World Cup will be held in Sri-Lanka in 2012. Haroon Lorgat said that the Wrld Cup should be a tournament only for the top teams.

Dejected Naved opts to play Big Bash T20 League in Australia

KARACHI: Disappointed after being overlooked for the Pakistan team, all-rounder Rana Navedul Hasan will ignore the final rounds of the ongoing Quaid-i-Azam Trophy to feature in the Big Bash T20 League, starting later this month in Australia.

Naved, who was cleared to play after a one-year ban was imposed on him in, was not considered for the New Zealand tour despite an impressive performance in the first-class tournament. The all-rounder has played 74 One-Day Internationals (ODI) taking 110 wickets and scoring 524 runs.

“I have no other options than to fulfil my contract with Tasmania. In spite of a good show in the Quaid Trophy, I was not selected for the team,” Naved told The Express Tribune.

“I cannot prove more on my fitness and form after which I’ve decided to go to Australia rather than playing here,” said Naved, who is among the top wicket takers in the Quaid Trophy.

He added that he would leave for Australia on December 21 and play for Tasmania in the opening match on December 30.

Naved questions selection

The all-rounder, who spearheads top-placed Wapda’s attack, said he was deeply disappointed after not being preferred for the national side.

“I don’t know what the criterion is for selection. Why  Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik have not been selected is a mystery.”

‘PCB permission not required’

Naved said he would not require permission by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for ignoring the ongoing tournament while opting for the Big Bash T20.

“I don’t require the PCB’s permission as I am not a centrally-contracted player. I will miss three rounds of the Quaid Trophy for which I have already taken permission from my department.”

Available for national team

The all-rounder, however, maintained that playing for Pakistan remains his top priority and he will be available if he is called for the ODI series against New Zealand.

“I am available anytime for the national team because my contract with Tasmania allows me to do so,” said Naved before adding that he was hopeful for a berth in the ODI series and the World Cup.

Mohsin gives hope to Naved

Meanwhile, Pakistan Chief Selector Mohsin Khan has given hope to Naved saying that all the available players including the all-rounder who have been given the PCB’s clearance are under consideration for the New Zealand ODI series and the World Cup.

“We are trying to form the best pool of players for the World Cup. We are also keeping a close look on the available players for who we have a clean chit from the PCB,” Khan told The Express Tribune.

“We would try our best that any player who deserves a place in the national team doesn’t get ignored.”

The chief selector added that the preliminary squad for the World Cup is expected to be announced before December 15.

Naved’s ODI performance

Matches:                  74

Wickets:                  110

Bowling average:   29.29

Runs:                       524

Batting average:    15.87