ICC ‘puts’ Pakistan cricket affairs on right track

With the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) having started working on the guidelines of the International Cricket Council (ICC), let us hope our topsy turvy cricket affairs are put on the right track. It is, however, disappointing that what should have been done by PCB chief Ijaz Butt and his predecessors at their own is being done under the instructions of the ICC and that too when the world cricket body threatened to suspend Ijaz or the PCB if their instructions were not followed. To ensure prompt implementation the PCB hurriedly drafted a code of conduct for players and got it signed before the Pakistan team departed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to play ODI and Test series against South Africa.

The ICC code of conduct existed for all times while there was a similar code of the PCB also. One fails to understand why were these codes not strictly enforced by the PCB chairman, a serious neglect which resulted in the players going astray to involve themselves in undesirable activities. If the PCB administration was run properly, the players should have been briefed about the codes of conduct and other instructions, rules and regulations. In addition the copies of these documents both in English and Urdu should have been issued to them for detailed study.

The attitude of ‘yesmanship’, which prevails in the board, must end and officials who understand cricket must pick up the courage to speak against any thing going wrong. Similarly, members of the so-called ‘Advisory Board’ should wake up and play an active part in the affairs of cricket. The chaos occurred because rather than acting as a democratic head Ijaz assumed the powers of a ‘dictator’. With one stroke of pen or a word of mouth he could do what ever he liked. Frequent appointments and dismissals of board officials became a routine with the result that whatever unity, harmony and understanding existed amongst them was destroyed. The responsibility for such a state of affairs rests partly with the federal ministry of sports and the sports committees of the Senate and National Assembly. They have frequent meetings to discuss cricket affairs but remain oblivious to the fact that a very vital issue is lying in the ‘cold storage’ for years now. It is the ‘draft PCB Constitution’. It will surprise many cricket lovers to know that the PCB is running without a constitution for the last 10 years. The document, which is supposed to be approved by the President of Pakistan, was discussed at various levels of the government and dumped. Sincere efforts were not made to reach a consensus on its contents and got it approved. Once the constitution is promulgated, the powers to run the PCB will be automatically divided between the chairman and the advisory council, marking an end to dictatorship.

The President of Pakistan, who is the patron-in-chief of the PCB, and the ministry of sports must take notice of the dictatorial policies going on in the t board and take immediate action to stop them. It is not necessary for the PCB chief to visit every country. When touring abroad, the team’s affairs are supposed to be handled by the manager and the tour management committee. Is not it amazing that Ijaz made 30 foreign trips during the last two years staying abroad for 233 days and spending around Rs15 million from the PCB’s coffers. It has become a common practice to send a horde of officials with the team. The team that left for the UAE the other day carried eight officials including a masseur. I think such a gang of officials is a bad influence on the team. Since each one of them has players of his liking in the team. Such ‘favouritism’ is bound to create groups in the team. In our times there used to be only 2-3 officials with a touring squad and the results were much better. A lot depends on our team’s performance against South Africa. The inclusion of Younus Khan in the side is surely a plus point but the eyes of the cricket lovers are focused more on Misbahul Haq’s captaincy. An impressive performance and good behaviour of the team can give a new lease of life to Ijaz.

Adjusting in team will not be a problem,Younis

Former Pakistan captain, Younis Khan has said that adjusting in team will not be a problem for him as he is enjoying prime fitness and form. “I played quality county cricket in England and I had a good stint in domestic cricket which helped me in maintaining fitness and form and he will not be facing any difficulty while adjusting in teams during the tour of United Arab Emirates to play South Africa “,he said here on Thursday at Gadaffi stadium.

“ I am eager to resume my international career and playing for Pakistan is always a big honour and I will go all out to justify my inclusion “,said Younis who settled his differences with Pakistan Cricket Board after a meeting with its Chairman, Ijaz Butt on Wednesday.

He said a good performance in one match will help him to click and then onward there will be no looking back.

To a question, he said, he does not feel down graded for apologising with Chairman PCB because he considers him his elder and seeking apology from an elder does not mean that he has lost his personal respect.

“ I did not make it an issue of personal pride,PCB extended respect and love to me and I showed a similar gesture by setting aside everything and met with the Chairman PCB and in that meeting all doubts were removed and now I want to concentrate on cricket against South Africa “,he maintained.

The stylish batsman said who had earlier announced to retire from T-20 cricket said he is ready to reserve his decision and is available to all versions of cricket.

Ijaz shouldn’t seek second term, says Wasim Akram

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram feels that Ijaz Butt seeking another term as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman is nothing but ridiculous. Speaking to ESPN, Akram said: “If Ijaz has asked for another term then hats off to him. The whole of Pakistan and world cricket is after him. Pakistan cricket is in a mess, there is no leadership and amidst all this, to ask for another term, well what can I say. This shows that his advisors are not giving him the right directions.”

Ijaz’s term (October 6, 2008 – October 31, 2010) as PCB chief has been marred by controversies. After the match-fixing and spot-fixing rows, Ijaz was also criticised for his off-the-cuff remarks on England players involved in fixing and his extravagant spending on foreign tours. Not to forget the infamous terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore. Akram feels Ijaz’s term has been tumultuous. He said: “Ijaz has been unable to hold forte. He is not a man in command. Pakistan cricket is in doldrums. There is no leadership and it was the chairman’s role to keep all these things under check. He has failed.”

The selection board has also been criticised for not consulting coach Waqar Younis while picking the team for the upcoming series against South Africa in UAE. Akram once again blames the whole incident as a management failure. “I strongly believe that the presence of the captain and coach is a must in the process of team selection. It’s fine that it is a selectors’ job, but again it is a team game. If you keep fighting amongst yourselves then where is the leadership? The ball once again falls in Ijaz’s court. He should take care of all these things.”

Sohail calls on government to revive Pakistan cricket

Aamer Sohail, the former Pakistan captain, has criticised the nation's government for failing to put a check on the various crises affecting cricket in the country.

Several Pakistan cricketers were punished in the aftermath of a winless tour of Australia in 2009-10 and, most recently, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were provisionally suspended by the ICC over suspicion of being involved in the spot-fixing controversy during the tour of England.

Sohail called on the patron-in-chief of the PCB, the Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, to step in.

"The government must realise it [cricket] is not just a sport in Pakistan, a country where there are so many religious, political and other divisions," Sohail told Geo TV.

"In a country where people are facing so many crises and problems, the government must realise cricket has always served as a unifying factor.

"The chief patron must wake up to the reality and the seriousness of the crisis.

Good governance is all about recognising the potential of cricket to unify the people and give them happiness and joy in their lives." Sohail, not for the first time, was critical of Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, over the current state of affairs.

Sohail had served as the director of Pakistan's National Cricket Academy, before quitting in July 2009, because of differences with Butt.

"I am really surprised that a seasoned political party like the Pakistan Peoples Party has still not realised that things are not moving forward with this present set-up and chairman," Sohail said.

Pakistan recently announced their team for the tour of the UAE, where they will face South Africa in each of the three formats.

Misbah-ul-Haq was included in the team and, in a surprising move, made captain for the Test series.

Younis Khan, whose ban after the Australia series was overturned, wasn't picked.

"For no rhyme or reason Ijaz Butt refuses to give clearance for Younis to be in the Pakistan team.

If Younis has committed a major crime or indiscipline then it is the duty of the board to let the people know so that this chapter is closed once for all," Sohail said.

"Enough is enough and I don't think any former chairman of the board has faced so much criticism and opposition for his manner of running cricket affairs.

Yet the government appears to be blind to popular public opinion even though it preaches democracy."

Match 2 World Cup 2011 Kenya v New Zealand at Chennai

Group A will play the second match of world cup 2011 at Chennai where Kenya will face New Zealand. Both the teams had not played much matches against each other but experts took New Zealand as the favorites for the match.

Kenya team though have good experience of playing in world cup still they don't have any real tournament apart from one where they manager to reach the super six. This team need a super coach from Australia or Pakistan and then perhaps team fortunes will change one day.

Fans of both the teams and cricket lovers can watch the match score live at http://icccricket.blogspot.com

Bangladesh vs New Zealand 2nd ODI Match Live Score, Ban vs NZ 2nd ODI Match Taem

host Bangladesh and New Zealand 2nd ODI Matches Start Will be Played on Friday, 8th October 2010, at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. in the game and timing will be 03:30 GMT 09:30 local 09:00 IST

While the cricketing world had its eyes firmly focused on the riveting action from Mohali, Bangladesh were quietly adding a chapter to their own history in overcast Mirpur.

This is not the first time New Zealand have started a bilateral series in Bangladesh with defeat. In 2008-09, they managed to reverse the scoreline with convincing wins in the two remaining games.

Bangladesh 2nd ODI Team, Playing Eleven at Dhaka:

Imrul Kayes, Shahriar Nafees, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain / Shafiul Islam, Syed Rasel.

New Zealand 2nd ODI Team, Playing Eleven at Dhaka:

Jesse Ryder, Brendon McCullum (wk), Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Kane Williamson / BJ Watling / Shannan Stewart, Daniel Vettori (capt), Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Daryl Tuffey.

South Africa vs Zimbabwe 1st T20I Match Live Score - SA vs Zim 1st T20I Match Taem

the true focus of this tour is Zimbabwe resurgence, rather than South Africa search for early-season fluency, and the first match on Friday, 8th october, 2010 at Bloemfontein - which will also be the first time the two teams have met in a Twenty20 international - will be a significant indicator as to the extent of the country's redevelopment. in the game and timing will be 12:30 GMT 14:30 local 18:00 IST.

South Africa may have followed their lethargic showing in the World Twenty20 with a pair of wins over West Indies but suspicion remains they are still groping for a combination capable of challenging the best teams in this format.

Zimbabwe Grant Flower's presence in the top order dominates the team news while Ed Rainsford should get his chance after a strong showing in the ODI series against Ireland where he picked up 10 wickets in the three matches.

South Africa 1st T20I Team, Playing Eleven at Bloemfontein:

Graeme Smith, Loots Bosman, Colin Ingram, JP Duminy, Heino Kuhn (wk), David Miller, Johan Botha (capt), Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Zimbabwe 1st T20I Team, Playing Eleven at Bloemfontein:

Brendan Taylor, Hamilton Masakadza, Grant Flower, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Charles Coventry, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura (wk), Prosper Utseya, Shingirai Masakadza, Ed Rainsford, Chris Mpofu.

India vs Australia 1st Test Match Result - India Win by 1 Wicket

VVS Laxman overcame his sore back to become the hero of a nail-biting one-wicket victory for India, who retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in dramatic fashion, on the 5th day of the 1st Test at Mohali. on Tuesday, 5th October 2010. Zaheer Khan best performance by Man of The Match collects a stump after taking his 8 wicket and sealing India win Beat Australia.

Australia were in control. Laxman and Ishant had other ideas, and the rest is history. The great shame is that this is only a two-match series.

India began the day needing 161 runs and for an hour they were cruising, as Tendulkar and Laxman brought the target down with a rapidity that alarmed Ponting.

Match Summary:
Australia 1st Innings 428/all out; 151.4 overs (Watson 124, Paine 92, Khan 5-94)

India 1st Innings 405/all out; 108.1 overs (Tendulkar 98, Raina 86, Johnson 5-64)

Australia 2nd Innings 192/all out; 60.5 overs (Watson 56, Sharma 3-34, Khan 3-43)

India 2nd Innings 216/9 in 58.4 overs (Laxman 73, Hilfenhaus 4-57, Bollinger 3-32)

Toss - Australia, who chose to bat.

Man of the Match - Zaheer Khan (India)

Series - India led the 2-match series 1-0

Result - India won by 1 Wicket.

2010 India vs Australia 1st Test Match, Photos, Picture, Images

India Baet Australia Win by 1 Wicket

Zaheer Khan best performance by Man of The Match

2010 Bangladesh VS New Zealand 1st ODI Match Resuit - Bangladesh won by 9 runs (D/L method)

Best performance by Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh beat New Zealand Won by 9 runs (D/L method) 1st ODI match, on Tuesday, 5th October, 2010, at Dhaka. Bangladesh innings (50 overs maximum) 228/all out; 49.3 overs, and New Zealand (target: 210 runs from 37 overs) 200/8 in 37 overs. Man of the Match Shakib Al Hasan who made 58 runs and 4 Wicket.

Brendon McCullum hurricane 61 seemed to have set New Zealand on course but a steady loss of wickets undermined their chances, and the dismissal of Ross Taylor in the 31st over turned the game in the home side's favour.

Shakib Al Hasan was Bangladesh's hero, first cracking a quick half-century to help set a competitive target, and then nipping out four wickets to derail the chase.

Match Summary:

Bangladesh mode - 228/all out; 49.3 overs (Shakib 58, Mills 3-44)

New Zealand mode - 200/8 in 37 overs (McCullum 61, Shakib 4-41)

Toss - Bangladesh, who chose to bat.

Man of the Match - Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

Result - Bangladesh won by 9 runs (D/L method)

Series - Bangladesh led the 5-match series 1-0.

2010 Zimbabwe T20I Squad for Two Matches Series against South Africa - Zim T20I Team

Find the list of Zimbabwe players for 2010 T20I Series. Elton Chigumbura is the captain of Zimbabwe and key players are Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Ian Nicolson, Grant Flower and Prosper Utseya.

Find the list of Zimbabwe T20I players list for Two T20I Series against South Africa.

Zimbabwe T20I Squad/Team:

Elton Chigumbura (cap)
Tatenda Taibu (wk)
Chamu Chibhabha
Charles Coventry
Graeme Cremer
Keith Dabengwa
Grant Flower
Hamilton Masakadza
Shingirai Masakadza
Chris Mpofu
Ian Nicolson
Ed Rainsford
Brendan Taylor
Prosper Utseya

2010 South Africa T20I Squad for Two Matches Series against Zimbabwe - SA T20I Team

Find the list of South Africa players for 2010 T20I Series. Johan Botha is the captain of South Africa and key players are David Miller, Morne Morkel, Heino Kuhn, Graeme Smith and Robin Peterson.

Find the South Africa T20I players list for Two T20I Series against Zimbabwe.

South Africa Squad/Team:

Johan Botha (cap)
Loots Bosman
Jean-Paul Duminy
Colin Ingram
Heino Kuhn (wk)
Ryan McLaren
David Miller
Morne Morkel
Wayne Parnell
Robin Peterson
Graeme Smith
Rusty Theron
Lonwabo Tsotsobe
Albie Morkel

Sunshine days for Indian Cricket

The Indian Cricket is perhaps going through one of its best periods and this week has been especially special for the entire team as well as the choicest few, the real stalwarts of the Indian cricket team. The celebrations went underway on October 5, 2010 after team India lodged a historic win against the Australians in the first match of Border-Gavasakar test series. The one wicket win did not come easy and all kudos to VVS Laxman for inspiring the team to such a historic win.

By the fourth day of the match, India had to chase a score of 216 in order to win and before noon, it had already lost 8 wickets for a meager total of 128. Laxman and Ishant Sharma shared a partnership of 81 runs and literally all hopes were doomed when Ishant was given LBW out by the umpire. And the rest they say is history as following nail biting moments, VVS Laxman and Pragyan Ojha saw India to a glorious finish. With this win, Indian managed to maintain its number one ranking in international test cricket. The moment of great gloom was when master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was given out by the umpire when he was only two runs away from scoring another test century.

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Cricket Australia launches Ryobi One-Day Cup

Ryobi, a major player within Bunnings, is a well-known and highly regarded manufacturer of power tools and power garden tools. Queensland Bulls host defending interstate one-day champions Tasmanian Tigers in the opening match of the Ryobi One-Day Cup at the 'Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday.

"We look forward to the beginning of our partnership and the coming interstate season with great anticipation and expectation," Cricket Australia chief executive officer James Sutherland said. "Today’s announcement is an important and exciting one for Australian cricket. "Our interstate competitions are arguably the strongest in the world, and to have the support of a well-known national brand for five years is a great result."

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Cricket world reeling from storm of allegations and rumours: PCB chief

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt has promised to co-operate fully with all investigations arising from the spot-fixing scandal that tainted his country’s recent tour of England, as he arrived back here on Wednesday following a bridge-building trip to London.

During the visit, he apologised to the ECB chairman, Giles Clarke, for claiming that England’s cricketers had accepted a bribe to lose last month’s third ODI at The Oval. In a statement issued on his return to Pakistan on Wednesday, Ijaz said that the cricket world ‘is reeling from a storm of allegations and rumours’, but sought to distance himself from the allegations that he himself had perpetuated by claiming that his reference to ‘loud and clear talk in bookie circles’ regarding England’s cricketers had merely been an attempt to point out that Pakistan is not the only country under suspicion.

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2010 New Zea land tour of Bangladesh ODI Series Schedule, Timetable - NZ v Ban ODI Fixture

2010 New Zealand tour of Bangladesh starting from Tuesday, 5th October to Sunday, 17th October, 2010. New Zealand will play Five ODI matches series in Bangladesh.

Fin the complete schedule of 2010 New Zealand tour of Bangladesh ODI Series.

Bangaldesh vs New Zealand ODI Series Schedule:

1st ODI Match:
Tuesday, 5th October, 2010
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Timing: 03:30 GMT 09:30 local 09:00 IST

2nd ODI Match:
Friday, 8th October, 2010
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Timing: 03:30 GMT 09:30 local 09:00 IST

3rd ODI Match:
Monday, 11th October, 2010
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Timing: 03:30 GMT 09:30 local 09:00 IST

4th ODI Match:
Thusday, 14th October, 2010
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Timing: 03:30 GMT 09:30 local 09:00 IST

5th ODI Match:
Sunday, 17th October, 2010
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Timing: 03:30 GMT 09:30 local 09:00 IST

India vs Australia 1st Test Match Live Score - Ind vs Aus 1st Test Match Taem

2010 Test Series, host India and Australia 1st Test Matches Start Will be Played on Friday, 1st October to Tuesday, 5th October, 2010, at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh. in the game and timing will be 04:00 GMT 09:30 local 09:30 IST.

India are the holders after their 2-0 win at home this time two years ago, but much has changed since then.

Australia entered that tour ranked No. 1 among Test teams and India were third.

India 1st Test Team, Playing Eleven at Mohali:
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt and wk), Harbhajan Singh / Amit Mishra / Sreesanth, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha.

Australia 1st Test Team, Playing Eleven at Mohali:

Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger.

Cricket Live Score: India V Australia, Ist Test Match, Day 2

India will take on Australia in the first test match of the two test match series at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Chandigarh. Harbhajan Singh is doubtful for the first Test as he has an ankle injury. Ricky Ponting has doubts, He says “India might be trying to put a smokescreen and they still have spinners like Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha to take his place.”

India have performed really well in the Test for the last few years. Australia’s performance has dropped significantly in Test. Australia are at the fourth position in the Test and number one in ODI. Indians are at number one spot in Test. India will remain at the number one place even if they lost the series 2-0. India v Australia will begin at 09:30 IST on Friday, October 1 and live streaming will be on Neo Cricket.

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Ponting hopes to change horror script in India

Ponting, who averages 54.66 overall, has rarely tasted success in India during his illustrious career. He has scored 438 runs in 12 Tests in India with just one century, averaging 20.85.

"It's a place that I've never mastered. I've never mastered batting in these conditions," the Australian skipper told reporters on Thursday.

"I felt that in the last series over here (in 2008), I took some really big strides in becoming a better player on the subcontinent. My first hundred in Bangalore at the start of the series was satisfying.

"I made 80-odd in Delhi. There were some positive signs for me last time and learning a bit more about the conditions and the Indian bowlers gives me a chance to hopefully have a good series."

Ponting said his team were keen to seize the early initiative as it would not be easy to bounce back into the short series.

"You don't want to be going behind in a two-Test series, that's for sure. It's hard to work your way back into it from there," he said.

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SORRY IS HARDEST WORD FOR BUTT

Ijaz Butt last night withdrew his match-fixing comments about the England cricket team. But crucially he failed to apologise for his claim that "the talk in bookies circles is that several England players took enormous sums of money to lose the third one dayer".

The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman can be thankful his ECB counterpart Giles Clarke allowed him to save face by not using the words "sorry" or "apologise" in his statement.

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