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Thursday, February 10, 2011

SHAHID AFRIDI PRESS CONFERENCE {VIDEO}

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'Ex-cricketers should do their homework before giving statements'


Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Thursday said that former cricketers should first do their homework and review performances of players before giving their analysis on the national team’s possibility of winning the world cup.
The captain, coach Waqar Younis and manager Intikhab Alam later addressed a farewell press conference in the eastern city of Lahore.
Afridi said that the morale of the team is high and former captains should support them. He said that other than Pakistan, it would be difficult to term any team as a favorite as India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia have all been performing very well.
“I think it’s an open tournament with no one favourite team,” said Afridi. “I think India is one of the top favourites. South Africa has been playing well and Australia can still win,” the Pakistan captain said.
Coach Waqar Younis said that there are no rifts among players or the management and Sohail Tanveer was taken out of the squad due to his lack of fitness. He added that he has not witnessed Junaid Khan’s performance himself as much, but he has heard a lot about him from other people.
Waqar said he felt his team could also triumph.
“If you ask me, this team has the potential to win. For sure they have the potential to win the World Cup,” he said.
“The main thing is to give it your best and the best results will come.”
Afridi wants Pakistan-India World Cup final
Afridi said a possible duel with India in the World Cup final would be ideal for the tournament and a boost to international cricket, drawing billions of viewers.
“There is a possibility that Pakistan and India play the final of the World Cup and if that happens it would be ideal for the World Cup, one-day format and for the game of cricket,” Afridi told AFP.
Arch-rivals Pakistan and India are in separate groups of the 14-team World Cup, jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and starts on February 19.
The top four teams from each of the two groups meet in the quarter-final and Afridi hopes both India and Pakistan avoid each other until the April 2 final.
“Both India and Pakistan have to play above their potential to reach the final but it would be ideal for the billions of people around the world,” said Afridi, who will be playing his fourth World Cup.
Pakistan have not beaten India in the four matches they have played at World Cups.
India beat Pakistan by 39 runs in a highly charged quarter-final at Bangalore in the 1996 World Cup.
The two have not played each other outside tournaments since the 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai, which claimed 166 lives and caused a diplomatic rift between New Delhi and Islamabad.
However the pair met in the Champions Trophy held in South Africa in 2009, where Pakistan beat India, the last international match between them.
Afridi said beating their arch-rivals in the Mumbai final would be the “icing on the cake.”
“We would love to beat India in India and in a World Cup match because we have never done this before and this could be a great motivation,” said Afridi.
Playing down any possible threat from Hindu fundamentalists during the World Cup, Afridi said: “People of both the nations love cricket and I don’t see any threat.
“But yes, if the atmosphere is highly charged it would definitely spur both the teams on and bring out the best in the players from both the sides.”
Cricket had united both the nations and has the power to do that again, he said.
“I know that this beautiful game has the charm and the power to bring the nations closer,” he said.
“What we have seen in the past is an ample proof of that. When India came here in 2004 people from both sides came closer and when we toured India we were welcomed by their people, so it’s a mutual love for the game.”
Expressing hopes the two nations resume cricketing ties, Afridi said billions of cricket fans are missing a “big thing”.
Pakistan fly out to Dhaka early Friday morning where they are due to play warm-up matches against Bangladesh and England.
Pakistan open their World Cup campaign with a match against Kenya at Sri Lankan town of Hambantota on February 23.

PAKISTAN CRICKET GETS A NEW BEAT


Every passionate cricket fanatic is grooving with the rise of Jazba (enthusiasm). The cricket lovers are looking forward to the upcoming ICC World Cup 2011 starting on 19 February, 2011. The entire nation is buoyant with the tunes of Jazba, the official song for the upcoming World Cup.
The tune has opened new horizons for cricket in Pakistan. It seems as if the era of the 1992 World Cup has once again arrived with all the passion and energy.
The song has been sponsored by the telecommunications company Mobilink and is sung by the youth icon Ali Zafar. The singing star has done enthusiastic justice to the song by giving a patriotic and passionate feel to it. The lyrics of the song also represent a new beam of hope and zest for cricket in Pakistan. The song invokes the public to overcome the phase of hopelessness and disappointment to embrace the passion which was almost gone due to the recent failures of Pakistan cricket.
The song is filled with emotions and feelings which are attached to its’ lyrics. The beat is hitting the charts, as people are listening to it on the television, radio and other mediums. Youngsters in Pakistan are blasting it loud in car stereos and MP3 players.
The Video of the song is amazing and truly depicts patriotism. The inspiring point about the video is that the main sponsor Mobilink did not try to brag or promote their company, giving a clear picture of a true patriotic and enthusiastic nation in the song ‘Jazba’. Mobilink has showed in this video that they did not try to preach victory or leadership but rather they just tried to convey the message of self-belief, encouragement and passion.
The song has great substance with an effective message to show the faith and patriotism for the nation. The video has been beautifully directed with an emphasis on the colour green to represent the colour of Pakistan cricket. The director has given an international feel to the video, giving the new youth culture in Pakistan something to talk about. The fireworks, the ambiance and most importantly the patriotic youth have been uplifted by the true Jazba of cricket.  
The players of the team looked smashing and vibrant in the video. The new hair style of Shahid Afridi andShoaib Akhtar looked amazingly fashionable. The duo has been given a total new look, and honestly they looked no less than any film star. The one thing which was surprising and questionable was the absence of the entire team, as only Afridi, Shoaib and Umer Gul can be seen in the video. It is a team, so the whole team should have participated in the making of the video.
As the World Cup is right around the corner, the players should work hard and concentrate on their performance. They need to forget about their personal interests and should look forward to the millions of fans who are dying to see their favourite sportsmen in the World Cup. The crowd worships their players and follows cricket as a religion. It is the kind of song that every time you listen to it, it grows on you, and before you know it, you hear yourself humming at all the time.
The song starts with some fantastic and zealous lyrics:
Naye Iraadey, naye taraaney, nayee manzilein….
New plans, new anthems, new destinations…
Challay hain paanay…..
We will achieve…
Naye fasaney….
New ideas….
Naye paimaaney…..
New standards….
Nayee himatein…..
Renewed aspirations…
Naye hain jazbey….
Rejuvenated passion…
Jazba hai chuu janay ka….
To achieve the impossible…
Jazba hai azmaaney ka….
Time to test our strengths…
Yeh tera jazbaa…
Our passion…
Yeh mera Jazbaa…
Our enthusiasm…
Mobilink has done a commendable job by creating such a magical and energetic song, which is sure to add to the hopes and enthusiasm of all Pakistanis.

CRICKET IS A TEAM GAME NOT A ONE-MAN SHOW – SHAHID AFRIDI


Flamboyant Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, has urged the whole team to play its role in the soon to begin World Cup as he reckoned “cricket is a total team game not a one-man show”.
“If we are successful it will be to the credit of the entire team and if we fail this would also be responsibility of entire team because cricket is a total team game not a one-man show", said Afridi, who has recently led the side to their first ODI series win since 2008.
The 30 year old, who was named as Pakistan captain for the ICC 2011 World Cup, said that the team is almost ready for the extravaganza and if the whole team plays its part in the tournament, then they will do very well.
"We have completed 90 per cent of our preparations for this big competition”, said Afridi. “And if everyone puts up his hand we will do very well in the World Cup”, added the aggressive batsman.
The right-arm leg-break bowler stressed that the final power-play overs will be crucial in determining the outcome of game and the side, which would be able to sustain the pressure of bowling in those five overs will find its way to the knockout stages of the tournament.
Afridi, who will playing in his fourth World Cup, conceded that the bowling department of Pakistan also needs to improve in this area.
"We are working hard on improving our bowling and options for the final power play overs for this World Cup. This is an area we need to improve", Afridi told reporters here.
The explosive all-rounder said that Pakistan has got a good combination for the World Cup campaign and was hopeful the side would bring some good news to the stressed fans. He further added that the six-week long extravaganza is all about keeping the nerves in pressure situations.
Besides Pakistan’s poor team performance, Afridi’s individual performance has also been under fire but the hard-hitter vowed to respond to his critics with his performance in the mega event.
The Afridi-led Pakistan team will leave for Bangladesh on Thursday night, where they will play official World Cup warm-up matches before heading to Sri Lanka for group matches.

No extra pressure of playing in India: Afridi


LAHORE: Pakistan ODI captain Shahid Afridi said his team is all prepared to play on the Indian soil if it qualifies for the knock-out stage in the World Cup and there would not be any extra pressure on the players.

"We are used to the pressures of playing in India and if we have to play our knockout matches in India we are prepared for it," Afridi said in a press conference on Thursday.

The all-rounder also felt that if Pakistan and India ended up playing each other in the World Cup it would be great for the sport and for Indo-Pak relations.

"A World Cup final against India in Mumbai would be an ideal finish to the World Cup because I have always believed that cricketing ties between the two countries have always helped in bringing the two nations closer to each other," said Afridi.

He also added that the players were now thinking about going to India and playing for the first time since the Mumbai terror attacks.

"A lot has happened since then but in the past also we have gone to India and played in tense conditions and we can handle it. But these things will come later. Right now our focus is on keeping the momentum going for the mega-event."

Although Afridi said there were no clear favorites in this World Cup, but admitted that India and Sri Lanka are the potential threats to Pakistan's chances of winning the Cup.

Meanwhile, he said there was no extra pressure on him because of Pakistan Cricket Board's decision in delaying naming the captain for the World Cup.

"I don't think about these things and even in New Zealand the captain and coach just told me to concentrate on cricket. That is what I did. But obviously it is a big honour for me to lead my country in a major event like the World Cup.

Pakistan's coach Waqar Younis said Shahid Afridi had done a great job as captain in the last one year but unfortunately in Pakistan until a captain won a trophy he was under scrutiny.

"But I would request everyone to just let this issue be dead and back the team for the World Cup because right now we don't need any controversies but the prayers and well wishes of the people and media," said Afridi.



ICC releases details of spot-fixing


The ICC has published an encrypted version of the final judgment related to the spot-fixing case.
The International Cricket Council on Wednesday evening published a redacted and encrypted version of the final determination of the independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal following the hearing into spot-fixing charges against three Pakistan players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif – which concluded in Doha, Qatar on 5 February 2011.
When handing down its decision, the tribunal expressed the strong view that its full written determination should be published widely (as the ICC has the power to do under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code), so that interested parties can read and fully understand the reasons for the tribunal’s determination.
The ICC shares that view and wishes all stakeholders and followers of the sport to see for themselves the effort and resource that the ICC has devoted to pursuing these charges, so that there can be confidence in the ability of the ICC (and its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit) to defend and maintain the reputation and integrity of the sport from corrupt activities.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: “It is the ICC’s intention to be as transparent an organisation as is feasible and to publish all its reports and findings for the benefit of stakeholders. Publishing the full written determination of the tribunal is clearly in the best interest of cricket.”

However, in light of a recent decision by the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to pursue criminal charges against the three players, the ICC has taken steps to permit read-only and non-printable access to a redacted version of the tribunal’s full written determination via its website for the next seven days only (i.e. until Wednesday 16 February) and to those users located outside of England and Wales only.
ICC move warm-up matches out of Pallekele
Persistent rain has forced the ICC to relocate two World Cup warm-up matches from Pallekele in Sri Lanka.

The ICC is yet to name the new venues for the matches - Sri Lanka v Netherlands on February 12 and Netherlands v Kenya matches on February 15.

The decision was taken by local and ICC officials following a recommendation by ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson after he inspected the venue on Wednesday.

"The decision to switch the warm-up matches away from Pallekele is common sense and is one that is fully supported by all stakeholders as it will allow the groundstaff the time they need, following those recent heavy rains, to produce excellent pitches for the tournament matches that will take place there," Tournament Director Ratnakar Shetty said in a statement.

Pallekele will host three matches in the World Cup, starting with the clash between New Zealand and Pakistan on March 8, followed by Sri Lanka's match-up with Zimbabwe on March 10 and concluding with the Pakistan v Zimbabwe fixture on March 12.

'Razzak can be Cup's best man'


Veteran Pakistan all-rounder can be as good as a Shane Watson or Yusuf Pathan, writes Wasim Akram

By Wasim Akram
As the ICC Cricket World Cup approaches, I can feel the urgency in the team camps. I can sense the butterflies in the stomach, no matter how good an outfit you may be. This is what makes world championships special!

Almost every pundit is choosing his favourite team and top player, but with great caution. It is foolish to predict in cricket and hence almost every erudite expert is ‘talking’ along predictable lines. And, I am not going to be any different.

Like all ODI championships, the all-rounders have a great role to play and the teams that have them will be at a great advantage. There was a time, when Imran (Khan), Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee would vie among each other for the No.1 all-rounder tag. In this ICC Cricket World Cup, it will be among Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan and Pakistan’s Abdul Razzaq. These three can make or break their team’s fortunes.

I will be keenly watching Razzak’s performance. He is definitely up there with Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan, but is somewhat lacking in his bowling skills. Razzak will have to focus on pace and improve his fielding, too. In spite of his great experience, he is relatively young and a proven match-winner. If Razzak can be a bit more mentally tough and physically robust, he will definitely end up as the Player of the Tournament.

While cricket is always a team game, a few individuals will have to play leading roles for Pakistan. In the absence of Mohammed Aamer and Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul will have to spearhead the bowling attack. Gul is bowling quick and if he can utilize the reverse swing, he will be deadly.

I hope Shoaib Akhtar stays fit throughout the tournament. Shahid Afridi’s main job is to handle Akhtar well. In a recent interview, Afridi said he sees a limited role for the veteran pacer. I agree with him. Akhtar should be used in short bursts, of about four overs at the start of the innings, then he can bowl a couple in the middle and then in the slog overs. Because Pakistan need Akhtar’s pace, short spells will be best. His reverse swing at hostile pace will be really effective.

Sohail Tanvir’s absence will hurt Pakistan. After Razzak, he was a dependable all-rounder. Tanvir is a good bat and could have contributed to the score lower down the order. But it’s no point crying over spilt milk. I think, with Afridi around, there is plenty of option. Team selection will certainly be key.

For Pakistan, however, Ahmad Shahzad will be the player to watch out for. Apparently, I am his ‘hero’ but he compares his batting style after Sachin Tendulkar! Just 20, Shahzad is extremely promising. He left his mark with a century against New Zealand recently and he is high on confidence and won’t succumb to pressure easily. I have watched him play in the Under-19 ICC Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. He has got all the shots in the book and his best form of defence is to attack. I think Shahzad will be very consistent on sub-continental tracks.

It’s looking good for Pakistan. The captaincy dilemma has been sorted and Afridi has been rightfully chosen to skipper the team. Will he lead by example? That’s the million dollar question!

Dropped Tanvir says he is fit to play in World Cup

KARACHI: He has been dropped from Pakistan's World Cup squad due to injury but pacer Sohail Tanvir insists he is fit to play and should have been retained in the side for the quadrennial event starting February 19 in the sub-continent.

The Pakistan cricket Board on Wednesday dropped the unorthodox bowler from the 15-member squad on the recommendations of the national team management, a medical panel and the selection committee and replaced him with rookie left arm pacer Junaid Khan.

Tanvir, who has so far claimed 48 wickets in 36 ODIs, said, "I don't know why they dropped me and the selectors should tell me the reason because I was fit and getting better in bowling and fielding.

"It is hugely disappointing to be dropped from a major event like the World Cup at the last moment," Tanvir told The Express.

Tanvir was dropped after playing in five of the six one-day internationals in New Zealand.

Justifying its decision to omit Tanvir, the PCB said the medical panel had examined the 26-year-old bowler and decided he was not 100 percent fit to play at the top level.

"He still requires time to make a complete recovery from his knee problem for which he had an operation sometime back," PCB said in a statement.

Chief selector, Mohsin Khan said that it was on the recommendations of the team management that the pacer was dropped from the squad.

"The team management spoke to the board Chairman expressing its concerns over Tanvir's fitness. Subsequently the medical panel examined him and declared he was not fully fit.

"The team management felt that Tanvir was struggling while fielding because of his knee problem.

"Junaid Khan was called up because of his fine performances in domestic cricket," Mohsin revealed.

Meanwhile former test batsman, Basit Ali cautioned that Junaid was too raw and not ready for the international cricket.

"It would have been better if they had included Muhammad Yousuf in place of Tanvir. They already have too many pacers in the side and on the pitches in IndiaSri Lanka and Bangladesh you don't need so many pacers," Basit said
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Bowling during final powerplay is crucial: Afridi

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has emphasised that bowling during the final powerplay will play a crucial role in the outcome of the matches in the World Cup and his side is paying special attention to this area. "We are working hard on improving our bowling and options for the final power play ".This is an area we need to improve," Afridi told reporters here. He said the final power-play overs were crucial and any team which was unable to cope with the pressures of bowling in these overs will find it hard to do well.
The Pakistan squad will leave tonight for Bangladesh, where they play their warm up matches before going to Sri Lanka for the group matches. Afridi, who was named captain for the World Cup just last week, said they are almost ready for the mega event.
"We have completed 90 percent of our preparations for this big competition and if everyone puts up his hand we will do very well in the World Cup. If we are successful it will be to the credit of the entire team and if we fail this would also be responsibility of entire team because cricket is a total team game not a one-man show," he said.
The flamboyant allrounder, playing in his fourth World Cup, said that the players were working hard on coping with pressure situations. "In the World Cup it is all about how well a team handles pressure and coming out of this pressure is what success is all about.
I think we have a good combination ready for the World Cup." Afridi also promised to respond to his detractors with his performances in the tournament. "I think that is the best to answer those who are criticising you," he said.

Pakistan's WC hopes rest with Afridi, Shoaib


Despite a no-go zone for international cricket and a team trying to come out of a pile of controversies, Pakistan remain a dangerous prospect in the World Cup and the two men who can fire up the team remain the charismatic skipper Shahid Afridi and Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar.
But India's estranged neighbour has been surfing on tides that keep getting taller ever since their England tour where Pakistan cricket got 'tainted' with spot-fixing by Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt. The trio eventually got banned by the ICC, which, according to Imran Khan, has seriously dented Pakistan's chances in the World Cup.
As if that wasn't enough, the Pakistan Cricket Board made life difficult for itself with uncertainty over the selection of 'fixing' suspects wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Danish Kaneria. The PCB made the situation even grim by delaying the announcement of captain's name, allegedly creating a divide between Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq, the two contenders for the leader's role.
But things started looking up on the New Zealand tour - Pakistan's last chance to impress before the World Cup.
It was a welcome end to Pakistan's victory drought, which not only brought them a Test series win but also triumph in the ODI series just ahead of the World Cup. That incidentally also gave reason to the PCB to retain Afridi as captain for the World Cup, with Test skipper Misbah as his deputy.
Despite all those controversies, there is no denying the fact that Pakistan remain a dangerous but unpredictable prospect in the one-dayers and their World Cup-winning skipper Imran Khan, along with some of his other illustrious teammates, seconds that.
But Pakistan needs to guard against a repeat of 2003 and 2007 editions when they had to catch an early flight back home after making first-round exits in both the editions, with a loss against minnows Ireland in the Caribbean still fresh in fans' mind. Incidentally, their preparation on both the occasions was surrounded by similar controversial circumstances as now.
But worse was to follow in 2007 when the shock defeat to Ireland followed their coach Bob Woolmer's death in mysterious circumstances in the team hotel in Jamaica.
Talking about the team's strengths and weakness, Pakistan's batting looks suspect in the absence of overlooked veterans Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik. That will make former skipper Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal central to Afridi's batting plans besides promising youngsters Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq and Ahmed Shahzad.
A second look at Pakistan's batting tells us that all-rounders Abdul Razaaq and the skipper himself would be pivotal in late flourishes while chasing and setting targets.
Traditionally, Pakistan has relied on their fast bowlers but the absence of Amir and Asif got compounded with the late exclusion of Sohail Tanvir from the 15 owing to fitness concerns. He was replaced by young Junaid Khan.
This means that Shoaib and Umar Gul have to step up and do bulk of the wicket-taking job. They will find able assistance in Wahab Riaz and Razzaq.
Shoaib, whose last World Cup was marred by a doping ban and fitness issues, will probably have his last crack in the premier event and would want to end his injury- and controversy-ridden career on a high.
The spin department will be spearheaded by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal who will make a return from injury straight into the World Cup, with Afridi taking over as the leading leg-spinner in the absence of Kaneria. Left-armer Abdul Rehman and part-timer Mohammad Hafeez are the other tweakers in the side.
Camped with teams like Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya in Group A, Pakistan look certain to be one of the quarterfinalists but their form can swing like a pendulum which makes them unpredictable as well as dangerous.
But a bird's eye view of the Pakistan team helps one single out that the X-factor to take them deep into the World Cup remains with Afridi and Shoaib. If the two con men fire, there is no reason why Pakistan can't fire.

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