Pakistan Cricket Team Champions or Guilty

As the world cup started people were astonish to observe the ever unexpected quality performance of the green shirts. Initially meant to be dropped out in the initial phase all the predictions went on sinking and the underestimated Pakistani team eventually appeared among the top four cricket teams of the mega event. The success united and cherished the terrorism affected people of Pakistan. But the Mohali semi final appeared to be the worst nightmare of the Pakistan cricket fans. Green shirts could not retain their success and failed to encounter Indian team. Every game has a basic rule one winner or in other words one looser. Unfortunately green shirts were the looser which aside from being a cricket upset was catalyzed by the fact that India and Pakistan were the traditional enemies of each other.

As usual the great scholars having great minds initiated commenting on Pakistani team performance targeting single individual on field to the ones administrating the administrative issues. Further some scholars claimed a vague claim that such defeat which united a team is not a defeat. My dear friends defeat is a defeat one must accept it. My focus is on the point that till the green shirts were at rise whole nation was wearing green shirts. Now they are down and I don’t see a single Pakistani wearing a green shirt. What is it?

I will like to discuss with an example a selfish friend who is with you till you are at rise what you call him. A cheat, unfaithful, worst enemy e.t.c. Similarly girl staying with you till you at peak and when you fall you don’t see her near you what you call her mean girl attach with your glory not you personally.

If I say “o people this is not a defeat it’s an achievement you see we got united “. Definitely you will refer me to be idiot of an extreme sickness. But my fellows if you observe and analyze you in the above mentioned scenario are we mean, are we cheat so why was our attachment with our heroes conditioned with their success. What I think it’s time to support our heroes instead of giving our generous comments please respect their efforts. If you still think I am off the track so dear please don’t consider yourself a nation as nation attachment to their heroes is not subjected to their rise or fall it is all that their heroes own them.

For our team it was never you win or lose, tough not that of the world but I assure you are our champions. I will request every Pakistani to come forward and support your heroes.

WRITTEN BY UMER MIR WHO WRITES FOR Hubpages.com

Gul will return with bang in Pakistan’s Test series against Windies: Intikhab

Karachi, April 10(ANI): Pakistan cricket team manager Intikhab Alam has expressed confidence that pacer Umar Gul will bounce back with a vengeance in next month's two-match Test series against the West Indies after having few weeks of rest. 

Pakistan have little experience in their pace attack, as three of their most seasoned pacers- Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq- are no more in the limited-overs squad for the Caribbean tour. 

Akhtar has retired from international cricket, Razzaq was axed due to his below-par performance in the World Cup, and Gul has been rested.

"Gul needed a rest. The last time when we rested him, he returned with a bang and I expect him to do that again soon," The News quoted Intikhab, as saying.

However, Intikhab was confident that youngsters like Wahab Riaz, Juniad Khan and Sadaf Hussain would give their best in the Caribbean islands.

"We have Wahab Riaz who is getting better and better. Junaid Khan is really good while Sadaf, we have been told, is a decent find," he said.

The Pakistan squad includes five players yet to play for the senior team- wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman, batsman Usman Salahuddin, allrounder Hammad Azam and pacers Sadaf and Junaid.

"It is necessary for any team to keep trying youngsters. It's an ongoing process which is like giving fuel injections to the team," Intikhab said, adding, "It's a golden opportunity for the youngsters to prove their worth."

Due to shortage of time, Pakistan have decided against holding a training camp ahead of the West Indies tour. However, Intikhab said, the 16-man squad will assemble in Lahore on April 12 for a two-day gathering ahead of the tour.

"We will have light training during those two days," he said, adding, "We will have around four to five days before the series gets underway and that will be ample time for the players to adapt to the playing conditions in St Lucia."

Malik supports Zulqernain’s asylum claim

Interior Minister Rehman Malik puts himself in direct conflict with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), saying he agrees that runaway cricket player Zulqernain Haider faced threats from the “cricket mafia” and he was right to desert the Pakistani team.

Pakistan’s refugee cricket player yesterday met Interior Minister Rehman Malik at his sprawling London bungalow to appeal for security in Pakistan — and possibly revival of his cricketing career - should he return to the home country.

The former Pakistan wicket keeper deserted the team in Dubai and fled to Britain, where he sought asylum in November last, claiming that he received death threats for refusing to fix two games. He also announced retirement from the international cricket.

Malik’s acknowledgment that the “cricket mafia is strong” and that “the cricketer had the right to flee abroad” will shock many in the PCB, who blamed Haider for bringing shame to Pakistan by deserting the team in the middle of a one-day international series.

The wicketkeeper was suspended and an investigation was opened in his case by the PCB “for violating terms and conditions.”

The Pakistan wicketkeeper claimed asylum in November last, announcing retirement and claiming to have received death threats after refusing to fix two games.

His departure from the team put the Pakistani side in a spin and Pakistan cricket was discussed in negative terms all over the world.

His confirmation that Haider was receiving death threats not only strengthens the cricketer’s asylum claim but also puts the minister in a direct clash with PCB chief Ejaz Butt and fellow Sports Minister Ijaz Jakharni, who carpeted the player for deserting the team.

In the meeting on Saturday, Malik asked Haider to consider returning to Pakistan and pompously assured him of full security there. He also advised him to approach Butt for revival of his cricketing career.

However, the former player was still undecided. “Rehman Malik has made promises, but I am not sure if he can be trusted at all,”S Haider told The News, expressing his gratitude to the minister for recognizing this fact that he received threats to his life.

“I will assess the situation, the steps he takes for the safety of my family and myself and then see whether to return or carry on living in London. I put my life at stake because I had had real threats to my life.

I am thankful to the Interior Minister of Pakistani for recognizing this fact. He agrees that I have left my family and children behind because of genuine reasons.”

Haider said what he did was for the love of cricket and to save the game from criminals. “Pakistan needs me and I must be allowed to play for the national side. Malik can do something about it if he wants and I will see how he fulfils his promise,” he added.

TRAINING CAMP OF THE PAKISTAN TEAM FOR THE WEST INDIES TOUR TO BEGIN FROM MONDAY

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that a training camp for the Pakistan cricket team is set to begin from Monday for the upcoming West Indies tour. The camp is to take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Regarding the camp a source in the PCB said, “All players would participate in the three days training session, organized in Gaddafi stadium here in provincial capital.”

The players are expected to focus on their physical fitness and endurance during the camp.  According to sources, special attention would be given to the fielding which has been criticised by critics during the World Cup as Pakistan showed extremely poor fielding skills during the whole tournament where the national team dropped abundant catches, missed run outs and stumings.

According to head coach Waqar Younis the main focus would be to improve the catching skills of the players as they were guilty of dropping crucial catches in the semi-final of the World Cup 2011 against arch rivals India. Pakistan dropped India’s ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar four times before Shahid Afridi held on to one.

The team led by Afridi is expected to depart for the Caribbean on April 14. The team will play a solitary Twenty20, five One Day Internationals and two Test matches.

Pakistan has dropped four senior players to bring young blood in the team. The dropped players include middle-order batsman Younus Khan, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, pacer Umar Gul and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq. According to sources, Gul had requested the selection committee not to be considered for the WI series as he wanted to spend some time with family after a hectic World Cup campaign.

The omission of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal was always on the cards because of his utterly disappointing performance behind the stumps throughout the year. Many had called for his ouster from the national team after he dropped a barrage of catches in Pakistan’s match against New Zealand during the group stage of the World Cup but the touring management did not deem it appropriate to play the remainder of the tournament without a genuine wicketkeeper. Akmal has been replaced by Mohammad Salman who will be making his international debut in this series.

Foreign batting coach may be considered: Afridi

 Pakistan Cricket Team captain Shahid Afridi on Sunday said that the possibility of bringing in a foreign batting coach would be considered if Javed Miandad was unavailable to fill the role for the national team.
Giving the inauguration speech at Karachi’s Boom Boom Cricket Stadium, Afridi said that he will try to learn from his previous mistakes in order, improve and try to give the team some stability.
He said the team picked for the West Indies tour consists of fresh players and it will present a great opportunity to Pakistan to assess its future prospects.
Afridi said that the team would try its best to achieve a good result, but admitted that a lot of hark work was needed to improve the team’s fielding.

It will be difficult to find a replacement for Akhtar: Younis

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has paid rich tribute to the retired fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and said it would be difficult to find an ideal replacement for the enigmatic pacer, who retired after the World Cup. "Shoaib was a big name in Pakistan cricket and there is no doubt that he left an impact on the team. It is never easy to replace such players but I guess every player has to sometime call it a day," Waqar said during an interaction with the media in the city. Akhtar had announced his retirement after the World Cup match against New Zealand in which he was bludgeoned for 28 runs in one over by the Kiwi batsmen. The tour selection committee did not play Akhtar after that match although they were calls for him to be included in the team for the semi-final against India. Waqar said that the tour selection committee took the best possible decision, keeping in mind the requirements of the team. "No one doubts that Shoaib has given some great service to Pakistan cricket and it will be hard to find a replacement for him but it is also a fact that every cricketer has to call it a day sometime in his career," Waqar added. The Chairman of the Pakistan cricket Board Ijaz Butt said this week that it was a shame that there was no culture in Pakistan for senior players to retire at the right time. "In Pakistan, we have an issue where senior players can't decide themselves when it is time for them to call it a day and unfortunately the board than has to take this decision," Butt had said. Shoaib since returning from the World Cup has maintained a low profile despite reports now emerging that majority of the players in the team wanted the management to select him for the semi-final against India that Pakistan lost by 29 runs. Waqar also spoke about the forthcoming tour to the West Indies and admitted that since both teams had announced new players in their squads it should be a relatively easier series. "The World Cup is a benchmark for teams and normally after a World Cup the idea is to rebuild the team and introduce new players while giving rest to seniors or dropping some of them. "It will be a challenge for me to oversee the introduction of these new players into international cricket and to guide them on how to adjust and perform to this top level of the sport," the former Test captain said. The Pakistan coach said that it was a good opportunity for the new players to impress in the coming series and cement their places in the national team.

Reward support staff as much as players: Waqar

Pakistan cricket coach Waqar Younis believes that it is high time the support staff and management of the national team are rewarded as well as the players for any series or tournament triumph.

Waqar said he was disappointed that until now in Pakistan cricket there was no trend of recognising the efforts of the support staff and management in the good performance of the team.

The former Pakistan captain voiced his views on the issue at a reception for the World Cup squad at the Sindh chief minister's house last night where cash awards of Rs. 550,000 were announced for each player.

Earlier, the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had also distributed the same amount to each player in Lahore while more financial rewards appear to be on way for the players when they attend the Prime Minister's reception in Islamabad on Monday.

"I just think that the management deserves the same treatment as the players," Waqar told reporters.

"Because if a team does not perform well the support staff and management is also held responsible and criticized like the players. So when the team does well the contribution of the support staff and management towards the success of the team should also be recognized," the Pakistan coach said.

Presently, under the payment system prevalent in Pakistan cricket any winnings in a tournament or event are distributed equally among the players. The management is entitled to only a share that is given to a player and the amount has to be distributed among all the support staff.

Even when a player wins individual awards, he keeps 25 percent of the earnings and the rest is distributed among the other players.

The Pakistan team returned home with winnings of around USD 1.1 million for reaching the semi-final of the World Cup which roughly comes to around Rs. 95 million.

CM Sindh announces cash awards for Pak cricketers

Chief minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah hosted a reception in honour of the Pakistan cricket team, the World Cup semi-finalists, and also announced a cash award of Rs 0.5 million each for the players.

Those attended the reception, held here at the Chief Minister House, were captain Shahid Afridi, coach Waqar Younis, manager Intikhab Alam and ten players of the team while Akmal Brothers, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar and Junaid Khan were not present on the occasion.

Praising the performance of the national team in the World Cup 2011, the chief minister said the World Cup 2015 would go only to Pakistan.

Captain Afridi thanked the people for providing full support to his team and said that if they continue the support then Pakistan would Insha Allah win the next World Cup.

On this occasion, Qaim Ali Shah presented ajrak and Sindhi cap to all members of the team and announced a cash award of Rs 0.5 million for each player.

 

Afridi asks Pakistan players to stay away from news

Mohali, March 28 (IANS) Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has instructed his teammates to avoid watching news bulletins and talk shows on Indian channels ahead of his team's World Cup semi-final against old and arch rivals India here Wednesday.

'I've heard that the media here has created quite a hype around our World Cup semi-final against India. But I'm not watching it. Whenever they start flashing some story about it, I just change the channel and go to something else. I have no time for it,' said Afridi.

Afridi said Pakistan are in India to play a World Cup semi-final and that's it.

'There is no war, nothing like that. It's a big cricket match for both the teams and I want to just focus on it,' he stressed.

The flamboyant all-rounder said that he is also advising his teammates to do the same. 'I've asked all the players to avoid watching news or discussions on TV shows and bulletins. It might distract them.'

Afridi is seen as a vital cog for Pakistan as they look to floor India in their own backyard. 'I know that as captain and the team's senior player, I have a huge responsibility,' he said.

'I've been really working hard and am confident that I'll lead from the front against India. It's a huge match not just because it's against India but because a win in it will give us a place in the final.'

The all-rounder, who is the tournament's most successful bowler with 21 wickets, is pleased with his team's preparations.

'We've had some really good training sessions here,' he said. 'The boys are all focused and the best part is that they are all relaxed and not taking any pressure.'

'How they will handle the pressure in the match is going to be the key and I'm confident that they will not face any problems in doing that. We are a good side and have the guts to face any situation.'

Shahid Afridi rules out returning to Test cricket

Pakistan’s limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has made it clear that he will never return to Test cricket- the longest format of the game that he had quit last year. Afridi was initially installed as Pakistan’s captain for all three formats last year after he came out of his Test retirement to lead
the team against Australia in England last summer, but retired from Test cricket again after Pakistan suffered a heavy defeat against the Aussies at Lord’s in the opening Test.

Some experts, including former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, wanted Afridi to lead the national team in all three formats again.

“I don’t intend to return to Test cricket because I think I am not the best choice for this format,” The News quoted Afridi, as saying.

The flamboyant allrounder, who failed miserably with the bat in the recently concluded World Cup, said that he would focus on getting some runs in the upcoming West Indies tour.

“I will really work hard to improve my batting because it has been pretty bad for quite some time,” he said.

“Even my daughter has started calling me Baba Boom Boom Out because of my poor batting performance,” he added.

Pakistan, considered underdogs before the start of the 2011 World Cup, made it to the last four stage of the tournament before their campaign ended in a 29-run defeat at the hands of India in the semi final clash at Mohali on March 30.

Noting the recent improvement in his team, Afridi said that Pakistan could emulate the mighty Australians with proper planning and hard work.

“Our team has improved a lot recently and our performance in World Cup was commendable because we played it under pressure because of a series of setbacks before the tournament,” he said.

“I believe that if we continue the same progress we can become like the Aussies who were considered as invincible till a few years back,” he added.