300 PLUS WOULD BE A GOOD SCORE: MARTIN GUPTILL

New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill has said that a first innings total in excess of 300 would be a very challenging one for Pakistan.

New Zealand have most certainly recovered from a hiccup after Pakistan managed to take some important wickets to pile up the pressure on the home side. Guptill scored a half century and featured in an 83-run second wicket partnership with Brendon McCullum. He however, fell to the brilliant bowling of Abdul Rehman who was phenomenal on the first day of the first Test match at Hamilton.

Abdul Rehman finished the day with three wickets from his 30 overs out of which 13 were maidens. He had an economy rate of 1.7 runs per over.

Kane Williamson and Tim Southee put on a fight back with both the players putting on an unbeaten 83-run, eighth wicket partnership. Southee scored an impressive half-century while Williamson was batting on 44. Martin Guptill agreed that the game was in favour of Pakistan. However, he also said that if his team manages to push through to a score in excess of 300 runs then they would have a chance against the visiting side. He said the pitch was such that it would provide the Kiwi bowlers with ample opportunities to make breakthroughs against the opposition.

"It's a good wicket, it's quite flat and a little bit slow but you've got to work for your runs if you bowl in the right areas. So hopefully Timmy and Kane can go out and get us another 50 runs or so for a competitive score. Around 300 would be a good total with where we are tonight... (and) I think it's going to be hard, but we (then) have to bowl in our areas and be demanding and be at them every ball to do that, and give them absolutely nothing,” Guptill said.

Guptill also said that Abdul Rehman was rather hard to play against and therefore the batsmen were finding it hard to place the ball in the gaps off his bowling. He said that after a marathon 30-over spell by Rehman, he started to bowl a few loose deliveries that were punished by the batsmen which helped take some pressure off the Kiwi side.

IMRAN TAHIR NAMED TO PLAY AGAINST INDIA

Pakistan-born right-arm leg spinner Imran Tahir has been named in South Africa’s 14-man squad to take on India in the five-match One Day International series which gets underway on 12 January 2011.

He along with Faf du Plessis are the two uncapped players in the Proteas ODI squad. On the other hand, veteran South African batsman Jacques Kallis has been excluded from the squad because of the side-strain he faced in the third Test against India at Cape Town.

Even after some impressive performances against the Indians, Mark Boucher fails to find a spot in the ODI line-up, which means that AB de Villiers would continue to have the additional responsibilities of keeping wickets for the Proteas.

South African convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson said, “Both Plessis and Tahir had outstanding campaigns in the MTN40 and we are looking forward to see how they take their game up to the next level.”

Imran Tahir was given the permanent citizenship of South Africa recently and was immediately drafted in the South African ODI squad. South African bowling has always missed the x-factor in shape of a wrist spinner but Tahir is likely to fill this gap as his first-class career suggests. He has played his entire junior cricket representing Pakistan but the lack of opportunity led to his migration.

Kallis’ injury has made sure that the left-handed middle-order batsman David Miller retains his place in the South African ODI setup. Miller had a mixed series against Pakistan in United Arab Emirates.

Tahir is among 5 men in the Proteas line-up who can bowl spin. The other four are Johan Botha, Robin Peterson, JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis. This appears to be South Africa’s attempt to prepare themselves for the upcoming ICC World Cup in the subcontinent.

Here is a list of the 14-man squad announced by Cricket South Africa.

Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha (vice captain), AB de Villiers (wicketkeeper), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Petersen, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Waqar Younis and Shahid Afridi join case against Pakistan spot-fix trio

Waqar Younis and Shahid Afridi are expected to give evidence against the Pakistan players accused of spot-fixing when they go on trial in Qatar.

The Pakistan coach and one-day captain have been called as prosecution witnesses in the International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal investigating accusations that Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer took money to manipulate passages of play in the Lord's Test last summer.

The trio, who were suspended after the accusations came to light, will be tried by a three-man ICC panel headed by Michael Beloff QC in a Doha hearing that will last for six days.

They face life bans if found guilty. The players have serious legal heavyweights going in to bat for them with Asif, who has served suspensions in the past for positive drugs tests, being represented by Allan Cameron, brother of British Prime Minister David.

'My lawyer has prepared my case extensively and I hope I will be cleared,' said Aamer, the brilliant 19-year-old who looked to have a golden future before this case threatened his career. 'This is the toughest period of my life but I am confident it will soon be over and I will be playing for Pakistan again.'

Waqar and Afridi have already given statements to the ICC code of conduct commission on the affair, which came to light with a News of the World investigation that uncovered evidence alleging Asif and Aamer deliberately bowled no-balls at the instigation of Butt, the Pakistan captain.

Alleged details from those statements have been leaked and paint a revealing picture of the mood inside the Pakistan dressing room during one of the game's most serious modern crises.

After the infamous huge no-ball from Aamer, Waqar is reported to have confronted him in the Lord's dressing room. 'I was so surprised by the delivery,' Waqar is quoted as saying in his ICC statement, 'that I said to Aamer in Punjabi, "What the hell was that?"

But before Aamer had the chance to answer, Salman interrupted, saying, "I told him to do that because the batsman was coming on the front foot. I told him to come forward and bowl him a bouncer".'

The alleged leaks from Afridi's statement suggest the players 'had a guilty look' after their hotel rooms were searched by Scotland Yard officers and large sums of money uncovered. Afridi is expected to be present in Qatar to give evidence while Waqar has been allowed to appear via conference call from New Zealand.

Afridi not assured to lead Pakistan in World Cup

Pakistan ODI and T-20 skipper Shahid Afridi is currently not assured of leading Pakistan in the forthcoming World Cup as his performance has not impressed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) members.

“Afridi’s recent performances as captain have not impressed too many Board members and one of the biggest issues that are irking them is his public criticism of his team mates. Results have not been great, but the public criticism of team mates is not going down too well with the decision makers,” sources close to PCB told PakPassion.net.

The source confirmed that Afridi’s performance as captain in the upcoming six one day matches in New Zealand will determine whether he is appointed captain for the World Cup.

“The Board will look at Afridi’s personal performance and also how well he leads the team, as well as how he conducts himself, before deciding on whether he (Afridi) will lead the team in the World Cup.

I would be very surprised if the Board makes a decision regarding Afridi, before the six match series in New Zealand.” 

In addition to the discontent regarding Afridi’s public criticism of team mates, the source added that there were strong differences of opinion between Afridi and some selectors regarding Fawad Alam and Shahzaib Hasan.

“There are some selectors who do not think Fawad Alam and Shahzaib Hasan should be in the one day and Twenty20 squads, but Afridi has a different opinion to them. 

There have been previous disagreements between the selectors and Afridi regarding the two players (Alam and Hasan) and the issue will rear it’s head once again when the final squad for the World Cup is due to be selected,” the source concluded.—APP

Can Pakistan team afford a change in leadership?

At a time when all other title contenders are giving final shape to their preparations for World Cup 2011, Pakistan cricket is teeming with conspiracy theories.

It took weeks for the country’s cricket chiefs to underline their 30-man preliminary squad for the quadrennial spectacle which begins on February 19 and now speculations are rife that they are mulling over the option of bringing in a new man to lead their World Cup campaign.

Shahid Afridi, the seasoned all-rounder who has served as Pakistan’s captain in limited-overs matches in recent times, is supposed to be at the helm of his team’s World Cup campaign but the possibility of a last-minute surprise cannot be ruled out.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has nobody else but itself to blame for this uncertainty.

When the Board announced Pakistan’s World Cup probables earlier this week it decided against naming the captain, prompting conspiracy theorists to claim that a change is in the offing.

Afridi’s supporters believe that a particular lobby based in Lahore is already pushing for his sacking as captain and wants him to be replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s Test captain.

Some former Pakistan Test cricketers believe Afridi’s personal performance is below-par and have also questioned his leadership skills.

All of this is happening at a time when World Cup 2011 is just about six weeks away and Pakistan are already dogged by a series of problems including a spot-fixing scandal involving some of the country’s leading cricketers.

Afridi, 30, however is not concerned. The flamboyant allrounder said that he is keeping his eyes on the ball and wants to give his best in the World Cup as his team’s senior players and captain, if the PCB decides to retain him for the all-important assignment.

“It’s my greatest desire to play a major role in our World Cup campaign,” he told ‘The News’ on Thursday. “As a senior player it’s my responsibility to lead from the front. As captain, if I’m leading Pakistan, it will be my duty to get the best out of my players,” he stressed.

Afridi wants to improve his personal performance.

“To get the best out of your teammates, you have to give your best first,” he said.

Afridi may not have ended 2010 with great stats, but he still finished the year as Pakistan’s highest run-getter in One-day Internationals as well as their joint highest wicket-taker with paceman Shoaib Akhtar. He scored 601 runs at 33.38 and picked up 19 wickets from 18 ODI appearances in 2010.

But his critics believe Afridi has been unable to impress much in recent times both as a senior player and team captain.

There are indications that even some senior PCB officials are double-minded over Afridi’s role.

Initially when Afridi was installed as Pakistan’s captain he was given the luxury to almost handpick his team. But in recent times, he has lost much of his say.

Earlier this week, national selectors almost snubbed Afridi by overlooking Fawad Alam while deciding Pakistan’s preliminary World Cup squad.

Afridi rates Fawad as a very useful ODI player and wanted him in Pakistan’s World Cup squad. But under pressure from various quarters, national selectors ignored the youngster in spite of the fact that his ODI performance has not been that bad. In 2010, Fawad scored 393 runs from 13 ODI Games at 35.7, which makes him one of his country’s top performers during what was quite a disappointing year for Pakistan.

The fact that Fawad is counted among Pakistan’s best fielders is another reason why Afridi believed that he should have been in Pakistan’s World Cup squad.

Reports suggest accused trio's defence differs

As the spot-fixing hearing got underway in Doha, Qatar, speculation began to mount around the defence the three Pakistani players are constructing and the divergence in them.

The ICC and the three Pakistan players, who are facing charges of spot-fixing, made their opening statements on Thursday during a marathon seven-hour session at the Qatar Financial Centre civil and commercial courts.

After that the ICC began unveiling the evidence that has been collected against Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, believed to be a vast range of material including video footage and phone records; it is believed that this includes supporting evidence collected from the World Twenty20, held in the Caribbean last May before Pakistan's tour to England.

That process is expected to continue on Friday and is likely to include appearances from a number of witnesses called by the ICC over the next few days, including Shahid Afridi and Waqar Younis. Mazher Mahmood, the News of the World journalist who broke the story, is also expected to appear as a witness and the newspaper's evidence is expected to be significant.

After that the players are expected to begin their defence and BBC reported that in their opening statements, the trio had already assumed different stances over the no-balls that were allegedly bowled at the behest of Mazhar Majeed, their agent who appears on the NOTW video telling the undercover reporter exactly when they will be bowled. According to the BBC two players said they did not know why the no-balls were bowled, while one said he did it by mistake.

The report prompted an ICC spokesman to stress that the information had not come from the world's governing body; only the members of the tribunal, the players and lawyers and witnesses are allowed inside the court. "During this whole process there have been plenty of leaks but we can categorically confirm that none of them have come from the ICC."

Though difficult to confirm, this would tie-in with the build up to the hearings during which it has appeared increasingly likely the players may take different lines in their defence. Two of the three rejected a request by the PCB to have an observer from the board present during the hearings and the players have been staying separately in Doha.

The players arrived separately in the morning on the first day and left the same way nearly eight hours later; Amir and Butt left soon after the day was over, but Asif stayed back for half an hour reviewing the proceedings with his lawyer Alex Cameron before leaving.