Kamran Akmal stopped from BanglaDesh trip

LAHORE: Going is getting tough for wicket keeper batsman, Kamran Akmal, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday stopped him from travelling to Bangladesh to take part in their domestic competition.

Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal was due to participate in the Bangladesh League but the PCB authorities refused him the clearance to visit Bangladesh.

Kamran Akmal

Sources told The Sports Encounter that despite being centrally contracted by the PCB, Kamran Akmal is being deprived of chances to rev up his skills ahead of the International Cricket Council World Cup 2011 as the apex body has advised the PCB not to select the wicket keeper-batsman for the flagship event.

On the flip side, Kamran Akmal has reiterated his resolve to make a comeback into the national team and decided to focus more on the domestic competition.

Afridi relies on Miandad for batting form

KARACHI: Pakistan’s one day and Twenty20 skipper, Boom Boom Shahid Khan Afridi is working hard in the nets with former skipper Javed Miandad to regain his batting form.

Javed Miandad

Talking to the reporters during the camp in Lahore on Friday, Afridi said that he might promote himself to open the innings in the T20 matches against New Zealand.

Pakistan are due to play three Twenty20 Internationals, two Test matches, and six One Day Internationals to get prepared for the all-important ICC World Cup 2011 which starts from January 19, 2011 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

In a bid to regain his depleting touch, Afridi is pondering upon opening for Pakistan but his decision can also backfire under tough conditions in New Zealand where ball is expected to swing appreciably.

Shahid Afridi

Setting aside the controversies hitting the team every now and then, the Pakistan’s T20 skipper said that his full focus was on regaining his form so that he performs best for the country in the coming tours.

Booom Boon Afridi expressed his desire to end his career on a high. He said that his biggest desire was to win world cup for Pakistan before leaving the game.

“As captain I would love to end my career after leading our team to the World Cup title,” he added.

Waqar calls for a quick decision on spot-fixing allegations

The coach of the Pakistan cricket team Waqar Younis on Friday called for a quick decision on the spot-fixing allegations surrounding some leading Pakistani cricketers. The former Test captain said on Friday that he would like to have a clear picture as far as the availability of players were concerned for the wc 2011."We need a clear picture so that whoever is eligible to play for Pakistan can then just focus on the job ahead," Waqar said.

He also added that the spot-fixing allegations surrounding Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif were a distraction to the World Cup preparations.

Other senior players like Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Rana Naved and Danish Kaneria are also in doubt for the World Cup with reports suggesting that ICC has not yet given the Pakistan Cricket Board clearance to consider them for the World Cup selection.

But Waqar refused to agree with former captain Imran Khan's assessment that Pakistan required the services of Aamir and Asif in the World Cup.

"I hope they are available but in cricket no one is irreplaceable. Players come and go and that is the way the sport goes on. We have a lot of talent in Pakistan cricket and even if these players are not available it will not affect our World Cup preparations or campaign," he said.

The former fast bowler said that he had lot of confidence in the available lot of players and also didn't agree with one-day captain Shahid Afridi's views that Pakistan's World Cup preparations were not on track.

"No, I think our preparations are going well and we should be well prepared for the mega event. I think this tour to New Zealand will be very important in our preparations for the World Cup as it will allow us to settle on a combination for the mega tournament," he said.

Waqar also supported the PCB's decision to induct former captain Javed Miandad into the training camp in Lahore to work with the batsmen.

"I think Miandad's greatness as a player is undisputed and his presence will help the players a lot. He can help us prepare for the New Zealand tour very well."

Miandad has announced that although he is working as batting consultant in the national camp he will not accompany the team to New Zealand as he does not want a clash of personalities between him and the head coach Waqar Younis.

Miandad said at a press conference that he didn't believe that having too many people calling the shots would help the team. "That is why I have decided not to go to New Zealand. Waqar is very respectful but I think he should have a free hand to do what he wants to do in New Zealand." 

A history of the Cricket World Cup

The cricket World Cup is a one-day international championship held every four years. It is organised by the sports governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC). It is the most important tournament for the participating nations in the event. The tournament is the fourth most followed and largest tournament amongst all sports.

The Inaugural World Cup was held in England in 1975. The event is comprised of some preliminary rounds matches, and then the teams qualifying from these rounds participate in the finals. There are five teams which have won the World Cup more than once. Australia have won the tournament a record four times. The West Indies has won it twice whereas India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won it once.

In the early days, cricket was only played between Australia and England in the form of Test match cricket. The first Test match played between the two nations was back in 1877, and the teams have been playing against each other since then in the Ashes. The third nation to earn Test match status was South Africa. They were granted the status in 1889, twelve years after the first match between England and Australia.

Cricket was also included in the Olympics back in 1900. England won the gold medal back then defeating France. The first multilateral Test match series was played in 1912 between all three Test playing nations. However, it was not a success due to the weather conditions in England.

The first ever International ODI was played in 1971 between England and Australia, when the rain had affected all the previous days of the match. Both teams played a forty over match on the fifth and final day to entertain the frustrated crowd. The shortened version of cricket started in the 1960s between English county sides, and gained a lot of popularity.

The popularity of the shortened version of the game forced the ICC to organise a mega event and ultimately, the first World Cup was held in England in 1975 which was won by the West Indian team.

England went on to host the next two World Cups as well, as it was the only nation at that time with the resources to host a mega event. The second Word Cup was also won by the West Indian team, and the third one was won by India who upset the West Indies in the final.

The fourth World Cup was jointly hosted by India and Pakistan in 1987. This event was won by Australia after the they beat the English side by just seven runs. This is the closest margin of victory in the history of the World Cup. Until the 1987 World Cup, the teams played in white kits and used red balls, but the rules changed in the 1992 World Cup which was jointly held in Australia and New Zealand.

The 1992 World Cup saw many changes in the rules of the game. Coloured kits, day/night matches and white balls were introduced for the first time in this event. This World cup also saw the return of the South Africa to competitive cricket after 22 years, and it was also their first appearance at a World Cup.

The event was won by Pakistan under the captaincy of Imran Khan, who defeated the English team in the final of the tournament. This was the third time England had reached a world cup final, but they could still not overcome the final hurdle.

The 1996 World Cup was held in the Indian subcontinent with the inclusion of Sri Lanka as  co-hosts for the first time. The final was played between Sri Lanka and Australia in Lahore, which Sri Lanka won.

In 1999, the Word Cup returned to England and some of the matches were co-hosted by Wales, Scotland, Netherlands and Ireland. The World Cup was won by Australia who defeated Pakistan in a one-sided final.

The 2003 and 2007 World Cups were held in South Africa and the West Indies respectively; Australia won both tournaments. In 2003, Australia defeated India while in 2007 they beat Sri Lanka to retain their crown once again.

The cricket World Cup became the only tournament to have featured in all six continents. Australia has the record of winning the Word Cup on the last three occasions with 29 consecutive wins to their credit in the tournament. The 2011 World Cup will be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, who will co-host the event for the first time.

Pakistan was stripped of the right to host its scheduled World Cup matches due to security concerns in the country.

Little known truck driver grabs limelight at Pakistan training

A truck driver from Pakistan Abdul Haq who impressed the team manager Intikhab Alam and coach Waqar Younis with his bowling during their tour to UAE has grabbed the limelight at the training camp in Lahore. He showed up during the net practice session of the Pakistan team in Abu Dhabi and the team management saw that the bowler had a lot of potential. Intikhab Alam effectively invited him to join the National Cricket Academy to hone his bowling skills.

The little known fast bowler hails from the northern tribal areas of Waziristan and was forced to leave the country in order to make some money to feed his family back home.

"I had played some matches in domestic cricket grade-two but gave up hope and left for Abu Dhabi because I needed to earn money for myself and my family. The coaches have asked some departmental teams to look at me and sign me on. They have also told me to keep on practicing regularly," he said. 

Sources within the PCB have not ruled out the possibility of the selection of this little known bowler however the Pakistan team are known to select unknown bowlers in the past as well. Players like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Amir and many others have been picked up after being spotted by former cricketers in training camps.

Waqar Younis said that the 27 year old truck driver had a lot of potential to establish himself as a quality bowler. However he went on to say that his talent was very raw. For Abdul Haq being part of the Pakistan national cricket team would be a dream come true and he hopes to make it one day. Like many other Pakistani’s his heroes are none other than Imran Khan and Waqar Younis. He said that he grew up watching them play on television and bowling under the likes of coach Waqar Younis would be very beneficial for him.

The 27 year old represented Abu Dhabi Gymkhana in the local cricket league. He said that he had never played first class four day games however has played mostly 50 over matches in the local UAE division league.

 “I am happy that I got the opportunity to bowl at Pakistan batsmen in the nets and was able to clean bowled Misbah, Imran Farhat and Adnan Akmal,” he told reporters after he was given an opportunity to bowl in the nets during the series against South Africa.

Pakistan Cricket Board denies the offer again

Couple of years back, following the attacks on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to tour Pakistan for security reasons. Perhaps, it was time to payback, when Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), still bitter and unhappy with Bangladesh’s decision, rejected to tour Bangladesh. This is not the first time that PCB has discarded their offer. Since 2008, it is the second time PCB has denied to tour Bangladesh, quoting security reasons.

For sure, the relations between the two boards are not on the right track. The relation took a serious blow, earlier in March 2009, when Bangladesh refused to host 5 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 2 Twenty20 matches. PCB is also unhappy about the stance Bangladesh Cricket Board took, when the ICC decided not schedule any matches in Pakistan for the 2011 World Cup. ICC, eventually decided not cater Pakistan, after the security lapses in the country, and decided to arrange the world cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka only.

Bangladesh Cricket Board cited that the refusal to host Pakistan for the series was because their government did not permit the series; however, the Pakistan Cricket Board felt that the Bangladesh Cricket Board did not stand shoulder to shoulder, after attacks on the Sri Lankan team. Certainly, PCB was hoping for something more than what BCB had offered. Historically, Bangladesh was part of Pakistan, and being a Muslim nation, most definitely PCB’s expectations were a lot more after the turmoil.

Ever since the unfortunate attacks on Sri Lankan international cricket team took place, no International team has toured Pakistan. Earlier this year, Zimbabwe cricket union accepted to play in Pakistan, and gave the dates from 8-19 December; however, the plans changed, after the government did not give a security clearance, citing Muharram as a reason.

Zimbabwe’s tour to Pakistan is still on a hold; meanwhile, Pakistan is going to tour New Zealand this December. The first test match starts on 26^th December at Auckland. New Zealand will be heading back to home after facing humiliating defeat at the hands of India. On the other hand, Pakistan would like to carry the momentum they gained against South Africa. Both teams will be keen to perform well as the World Cup 2011 approaches.