Pakistan likely to recall Asif for Champions Trophy

04 July 2009

Posted by sanil

Karachi : Pakistan is seriously considering recalling Mohammad Asif in the 30-member preliminary squad for this September's ICC Champions Trophy after the International Cricket Council (ICC) said it would not raise any objection against the pacer's inclusion once he completes his doping ban.

An ICC spokesman has said that once Asif completes his one-year ban on Sep 22 this year, he will be eligible to take part in any international event including the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in South Africa. The biennial tournament is scheduled to get underway Sep 24.

A senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said that the board is seriously considering the idea of clearing Asif for the 30-man provisional squad for the Champions Trophy. Pakistan is planning to announce the preliminary squad on July 23.

Saleem Altaf, PCB's chief operating officer, said the board will soon take a decision about Asif's inclusion in the national team.

The 26-year-old Asif was banned last year after he tested positive for banned anabolic steroid nandrolone while featuring in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Earlier this week, the decks were cleared for Asif to return to national duty when the PCB fined him Rs.1 million for a 19-day detention in Dubai over possession of a small quantity of opium.

The PCB also announced that the fast bowler will be eligible for national duty after his one-year ban for doping expires.

Nazir may return for ODI series against Lanka: Bari

03 July 2009

Posted by sanil

Karachi: Pakistan's acting chief selector Wasim Bari has hinted at the return of opener Imran Nazir to the national fold.

Nazir is one of the four Pakistani players to have shunned ICL but the PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt had said Nazir would not be considered for national selection because of his behaviour in the final of the national Twenty20 championship.

Bari said that Nazir had been cleared by the Board over the incident in the final when the opener had shown dissent towards an umpire, who ruled him out.

"He was cleared on June 30 over the discipline issue in the RBS Cup. That means that he is now in contention for selection in the ODIs and T20s against Sri Lanka," Bari, who is the chairman of the interim selection committee, said in an interview to a cricket website.

Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq have already returned to the national side and are touring Sri Lanka.

Bari also said that he would have picked Imran Nazir in the Twenty20 squad for the World Cup.

"If I had anything to do with the selection of the T20 squad then I'd have picked Imran Nazir. The first five overs of a Twenty20 game are crucial and Imran is an explosive player who could give us a much needed boost at the start of the innings.

"Not to forget that he's a brilliant fielder and really lifts the team with his efforts," he said.

PCB allow Tanvir to play for Rajasthan Royals in charity match

Posted by sanil

Karachi:The Pakistan Cricket Board has given a green signal to all-rounder Sohail Tanvir to play for his Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals in a charity match against Middlesex at Lord's on July 6.

The sports management company, which represents Tanvir, said in a statement that Tanvir would represent the Rajasthan Royals in the match being played for the British Asian Trust.

Tanvir was the best bowler of the IPL in the first season and played a key role in his team's title win.

However, he could not play the second edition after the Pakistan foreign ministry advised the PCB not to send its players to India due to security concerns arising out of the tense relations between the two countries after the Mumbai terror attacks last November.

The IPL was later moved to South Africa but by that time the IPL franchises had either terminated or suspended the contracts of the Pakistani players due to their unavailability for the second season.

Portfolio world, the sports management company also quoted Shilpa Shetty the co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals as saying that she was excited to have Tanvir back in the team.

"He was truly missed in the IPL second season," Shetty was quoted in the statement.

Tanvir, the left arm pacer, struggled in the recent World T20 in England and was dropped from the playing eleven.

Sri Lanka, Pakistan return to Tests after attack

Posted by sanil

Colombo:Four months after a deadly terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in Pakistan, the two nations will renew their Test cricket rivalry when the first Test starts at Galle from Saturday.

Their last meeting in a Test grabbed world headlines for a bloody ambush outside Gadaffi Stadium that killed six police officers and a driver and wounded seven Sri Lankan cricketers.

The Sri Lanka team bus was approaching the ground for the third day's play of the second Test when more than a dozen heavily armed men ambushed the vehicle.

The incident forced the visiting team to return to Colombo immediately and the match was abandoned.

Sri Lankan batsman Thilan Samaraweera's rare feat of scoring two consecutive double-hundreds was a highlight of the series along with Younis Khan's triple-hundred for Pakistan in the first Test.

Samaraweera had a bullet lodged in his thigh in the attack, raising concern for his cricket future. But the bullet missed important tissues and ligaments in the leg, allowing him to make a comeback.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who is leading the national team for the first time in a Test match, says Samaraweera has fully recovered and has prepared well for the series.

"He has made a good return to cricket. He has played in some practice matches. We are enthusiastically looking forward to see him play in the first Test," Sangakkara told a news conference ahead of the series.

Opening batsman Tharanga Paranavitana, who sustained a chest wound in the attack, will also be taking part in an international match for the first time since the ambush.

Among the other wounded players, Ajantha Mendis and Sangakkara have already played in the recent World Twenty20 and the Indian Premier League.

With memories still fresh, Sri Lankan authorities are providing the two teams with a security equal to that of a head of state, including restrictions on the fans.

Sri Lanka Cricket says spectators are banned from consuming alcohol or lighting firecrackers inside the venue at Galle.

Spectators are no longer allowed to bring in musical instruments, although the match sponsor will arrange for music in order to keep a cricket match tradition in Sri Lanka alive, cricket board secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said.

The two sides have played 34 Test matches previously, with Pakistan winning 15 and losing seven of those. Pakistan have only lost one Test in Sri Lanka, winning six and drawing five.

PCB accuses India, Aus of sidelining Pak in draft FTP

Posted by sanil

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board has accused "big nations" India and Australia of trying to "marginalise" the strife-torn country in the draft Future Tours Programmes from 2012 to 2020.

The PCB had raised strong objection to the FTP drafted by the BCCI since it does not include any bilateral series between the arch-rivals and refused to sign the same unless the Indian board revises the draft.

"The draft was placed before the ICC for ratification by the executive board last month but we resisted because we were being marginalised in the new FTP," a PCB official said in condition of anonymity.

The official also accused India of being the apparent driving force behind the new draft FTP, in which they had not slotted any series against Pakistan or Bangladesh.

"We protested strongly and made it clear that we would not sign the draft FTP submitted by the four big nations," he said.

"Due to the strong protest by us, other nations including South Africa conceded Pakistan was not being given proper representation in the new FTP," the source added.

The PCB's chief operating officer Saleem Altaf said, "The ICC President David Morgan has assured us that no injustice would be done with the smaller Test playing nations and Pakistan, being a leading cricket nation cannot be allowed to be marginalised in the FTP."

However, Altaf did not reveal more details of that meeting.

The PCB source said that the four big nations had not even bothered to send copies of the draft FTP to Pakistan before it was tabled for discussion.

"That is why we protested. And we have told India they have to schedule Test series against us regardless of the political situation between the two countries," the source said.