Taint charges a bid to finish Pakistan cricket:AFRIDI

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi  on Wednesday said that the constant flow of match-fixing allegations against his team has made his players even more determined to win the one-day series against England that is currently balanced at 2-2.
Afridi believes that the allegations are a part of a major conspiracy to 'finish' Pakistan cricket.
Afridi stressed that his team is not under any kind of pressure and will go all out for a series-winning triumph after winning the last two one-dayers at the Oval and the Lord's. The fifth and the final one-day international is slated at the Rose Bowl Wednesday.
"What pressure?" retorted Afridi in an interview with 'The News' after leading his team to a 38-run triumph against England at the Lord's in the fourth ODI.
"Why should we feel under pressure? We haven't done anything wrong. We are not guilty of any wrongdoing," he added, referring to allegations of 'spot-fixing' against his teammates.
In a thinly-veiled attack on the England team, Afridi said it is the guilty who always feel the pressure if allegations are levelled against them.
"Only people who feel guilty take pressure," he said.
"The way so many people are joining the bashing of Pakistan cricket shows that a conspiracy is on to finish our cricket," he said. "But we won't allow it. As far as I and my team are concerned, we will give our best on the field and play our role in saving Pakistan cricket from all such conspiracies."
In contrast, Afridi's England counterpart Andrew Strauss had said that he felt "pretty deflated" after Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board ( PCB) chairman, alleged that England deliberately lost the third ODI against Pakistan at the Oval last week.
"I am pretty deflated, really. It has been a long and arduous and difficult 24 hours and to lose a game of cricket at the back end of it, which we were in a good position to win, is very disappointing," Strauss said.
Afridi, 30, said he and his team are fully ready to take on England in the series decider on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
"The boys are feeling confident and motivated."
"Victories in the last two matches have really helped us. It has given the boys a lot of self-belief. They are now focused on the series decider because it's their last test on a long and exhaustive tour with a lot of bad memories. We have to win to end it positively and we will give our best to do that," said Afridi.

Shahid Afridi targeting big innings from Mohammad Yousuf

Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi has suggested that Mohammad Yousuf can make the difference in the final match of the England v Pakistan ODI series, which gets underway later today (September 22nd 2010).
Speaking to the Pak Tribune, the 30-year-old called on Yousuf - who has endured a somewhat disappointing summer so far - to step up his contribution with the bat and expressed confidence in his ability to pile on an impressive score.
"A big knock is due [from] Yousuf," he told the newspaper. "He is such a great player and I know that he can do it. We hope that knock will come in the decider."
Afridi also hailed Umar Gul's performance in the fourth clash of the series on Monday (September 20th), which saw the fast bowler take four wickets as England stumbled to a second successive defeat.
Relations between the two sides have become increasingly strained in recent weeks, with Jonathan Trott and Pakistan 12th man Wahab Riaz becoming involved in a heated confrontation prior to the last match

Afridi: We could have called police

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has admitted that his team had considered not playing the fourth ODI following Riaz-Trott clash at nets.

Pakistan won the match to level the five match series at 2-2 but the clash between Riaz and Trott highlighted the tensions between the two teams and the two boards after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Ijaz Butt launched a scathing attack on the English players in the spot-fixing scandal.
Afridi confirmed that the two players clashed before the match in the nets when Trott called Riaz a "spot fixer".
Shahid Afridi also claimed that Pakistan could have called the police over the confrontation between Jonathan Trott and Wahab Riaz in the Lord's nets.
The England batsman and Pakistan's perennial NatWest Series reserve were involved in an altercation at the nursery end shortly before the start of fourth match in the one-day international series.
The incident was in danger at one point of delaying the start of a match which had been in doubt for several hours after Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt accused England's players of deliberately losing at the Brit Oval last Friday - in return for "enormous amounts of money".
England captain Andrew Strauss has strongly refuted the accusations and has since made it clear he and his team will consider legal action against Butt if that is the best way to protect their reputations.
Tension was high on Monday lunchtime as another crisis point was reached in the ongoing controversy over spot-fixing which has followed the Pakistan team around throughout the second half of this summer's tour of England.
It was against that backdrop that tempers appeared to flare between Trott and Riaz - who was interviewed by police in the course of their spot-fixing inquiries last week - and Pakistan captain Afridi's claims on Geo television have ensured there is little chance of any ill-feeling abating before tomorrow's deciding match of the series at the Rose Bowl.
Dawn.com quoted Afridi telling Geo TV: "When Riaz was returning after warming up Trott called him a 'match fixer' and that he [Riaz] was up to harming Test cricket and hit his face with the pad.
"It could have been a police case, because it is crime to hit someone. But we showed a big heart and did not press for it."
An England and Wales Cricket Board spokesman this afternoon declined to revisit the specifics of a bust-up described by home board chief executive David Collier yesterday as "regrettable" but "fairly minor in nature".
The incident was brought to the attention of match referee Jeff Crowe, who quickly ascertained the situation could be amicably resolved in time for the toss to take place before a match Pakistan went on to win by 38 runs to level the series at 2-2.
Press Association Sport put Afridi's claims to the ECB and a spokesman said: "The matter is closed.
"The match referee has judged the matter to be closed, and therefore we see it that way too."

Pakistan Cricket Team Boss 'Not Quitting'

The manager of Pakistan's beleaguered cricket team has told Sky News he is not quitting amid a row over match-fixing allegations.The manager of Pakistan's beleaguered cricket team has told Sky News he is not quitting amid a row over match-fixing allegations.

Yawar Saeed said: "I am not resigned, I'm not resigning and I will not resign tomorrow."

He was speaking as the Pakistan team left their hotel in west London for the deciding one-day match against England in Southampton.

Earlier, sources had told Sky that Mr Saeed had quit.

Mr Saeed has been in charge of a team mired by allegations of corruption and match-fixing.
Four Pakistan players have been quizzed by police over claims by the News Of The World that they were involved in spot-fixing during the fourth Test at Lord's.
The International Cricket Council is also looking into Pakistan's performance in last week's one-day game at The Oval after allegations about "scoring patterns" during their innings.
They are alleged to have bowled no-balls to order in return for cash.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is also threatening legal action against Ijaz Butt, head of Pakistan's Cricket Board, unless he apologises for claiming England threw last Friday's game.
Mr Butt said there was "loud and clear talk in bookie circles" that England players had taken cash.
Mr Saeed refused to comment on the claims.
"I'm not responsible for the chairman's comments," he said.
Relations between the Pakistan and England deteriorated further on Monday when Jonathan Trott grabbed Wahab Riaz by the throat during the match at Lord's.

Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi's team looks for closure and some magic

Pakistani One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 skipper Shahid Afridi looks for some respect as he leads the young, inexperienced Pakistani team in the ongoing tour of England. After the recent match-fixing scandal, the young visiting side is looking for some closure and magic to happen in the One-Day International (ODI) series.

The Pakistani cricket team and the country itself is undergoing immense problems caused by the recent floods which have devastated the country, displacing millions. Under such circumstances the last thing this cricketing nation was looking forward to was a match-fixing scandal. And just when everyone thought it was all said and done with, the PCB Chairman, Ijaz Butt, accused English players of match-fixing as they lost the 3^rd ODI against Pakistan at the Oval.

With all these conspiracy theories and allegations running amok, Afridi comes into play. The 29 year old is supposed to look after the Pakistani 11 on and off the field. Meanwhile, the challenges to his captaincy remain substantial. Afridi is expected to step up to the occasion and lead this young Pakistani lot to better things. Afridi who is known for his impatience and intolerance, all of sudden has been asked to step up as the skipper of the unpredictable men in green.

The fourth ODI of the series will be Afridi’s 300^th ODI. His all-rounder skills became prominent 10 years into his cricketing career. The aggressive right-hander is also a brilliantly mercurial and unpredictable leg spinner. He has the ability to bowl two types of googlies; the first is the conventional offie and the second is a lethal faster delivery which is normally unplayable as world-class batsmen fail to read the length and speed of the ball. 

Afridi is usually known as a crowd-puller or a madcap batsman around the world. He is renowned for his inability to control his urge to slog each and every ball that comes his way. This inability has often led to him losing his wicket cheaply.

‘Boom Boom Afridi’, as he is lovingly known, was never seen as a captain due to his immaturity and impatience. Yet, due to incredible mismanagement at the PCB, he was the only senior player left who could fulfill a captain’s role. The decision to hand a life ban to Yunus Khan was probably one of the worst decisions ever taken by the PCB.

Afridi, who also held fundraisers to generate money for the recent flood victims in Pakistan, has always stepped in whenever Pakistani cricket has needed his services. His passion and love for his country and cricket are the two vital part of his personality which somehow is exactly what Pakistani cricket requires at the moment.

One might not understand the rationale behind the PCB appointing Afridi as the skipper of the ODI team, but apparently he is exactly what the doctor ordered for Pakistani cricket. His optimism has brought back the crushed confidence of the young Pakistani players. Above all, his recent performances with both bat and ball in the 20 over version of the game have given Pakistani cricket some measure of respect in the international arena. As he sets off with his playing 11 for the much awaited World Cup 2011, one can only hope and see the unexpected luck and magic he can bring to this sport.