پاکستان نے کینیا کو شکست دے دی

سنہ دو ہزار گیارہ کے کرکٹ ورلڈ کپ میں بدھ کو پاکستان نےگروپ اے کے میچ میں کینیا کو دو سو پانچ رن سے شکست دے دی ہے۔

سری لنکا کے شہر ہمبنٹوٹا میں کھیلے جانے والے اس میچ میں پاکستان نے ٹاس جیت کر پہلے کھیلنے کا فیصلہ کیا اور مڈل آرڈر کی عمدہ کارکردگی کی بدولت سات وکٹوں کے نقصان پر تین سو سترہ رن بنائے

Salman Butt keeping hopes alive of return

LAHORE: Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt, who’s been provisionally suspended by the Interational Cricket Council (ICC) for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing controversy, is continuing with an active training regime and hopes to return to the national side for the series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Salman and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer – the three suspended players – have lodged appeals against the ICC’s suspension and the hearings will take place in Qatar on October 30 and 31.

“My cricket career was going well and I was also doing well, these allegations have damaged by career,” Salman said. “I hope these hurdles are crossed as soon as possible. I think after passing through so much difficulty in your career, your exposure helps you become wiser. You start to understand your surroundings better and especially who is more sincere with you. This is a hurdle which is a learning process of life.” Salman said he had continued to follow his daily two-hour training and practice routine so he can be ready for a comeback. “I am working hard and doing my bit. The conditions in Lahore and the UAE are the same so I am preparing hard on playing spin.” Following the allegations, made during the fourth Test at Lord’s, the trio were withdrawn from the Pakistan squad for the subsequent ODI series and they returned to Pakistan before being suspended. Pakistan play South Africa in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in a full series, starting this month, comprising two Twenty20s, five ODIs and two Tests. None of the trio have been named in the limited overs or Test squads for the series.

Pakistan cricketers donate bonus to floods relief

The Pakistan cricket team has donated win bonuses worth 4,625,000 rupees ($54,400) to the floods relief effort in the country.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement Tuesday that all players and officials had agreed to pledge half of their personal bonuses from the victory over England in the third test last week.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had already announced that players would be awarded 500,000 rupees ($5,900) for beating England at The Oval, in London, and non-playing members and officials would receive 250,000 rupees ($2,950).

The board last week announced it would donate 11,420,000 rupees ($134,000) to the floods relief on behalf of players and its employees.

Breeze for England

LONDON: Andrew Strauss (pic) was England’s captain cool as he steered his side to a nine-wicket victory against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Monday.

Strauss and Jonathan Trott both made 53 not out to calmly hunt down a target of 118 for the win on day four after the tourists’ resistance was blown away early on.
The out-of-sorts Alastair Cook was the sole man to depart after being cleaned bowled by Pakistan’s tearaway fast bowler Mohammad Amir.

But with Pakistan only able to add five runs to their overnight total, England’s chase was more of a procession than a nerve-jangler.

Strauss however was quick to back Cook, despite going three Tests without a score above 29.

“I know he’s a quality player. I know these first two Test matches the wicket hasn’t been great. He’s achieved a huge amount in his career and he will continue to do so,” said Strauss.

Having bowled Pakistan out for just 72 in their first innings, Strauss admitted England had to work hard for the win.

He added: “This was a timely reminder you do have to work hard for a Test match. If it had been a longer chase it would have been much harder.”

Salman Butt’s side dropped Strauss three times during the second innings, making it 10 for the Test and cruelly reminding their captain of the shortcomings they showed this time round.

But he can have no complaints about the 2-0 scoreline in the fourth Test series and will look for more from his side come the Oval clash on Aug 18.

“There were a few butterflies this morning because we knew we had to work hard for a test match win but that is the way it should be. It was hard work and we had to dig deep,” added Strauss.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt said they must improve their lacklustre fielding before the third Test. Butt said after counting 14 missed catching chances at Edgbaston.

Butt realises if they are to salvage a drawn series by winning at The Oval and Lord’s, his team will have to start holding on to opportunities.

Regular wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal was omitted after missing chances in the first Test at Trent Bridge and his replacement Zulqarnain Haider dropped three catches at Edgbaston.

Several of his team-mates were also offenders as Kevin Pietersen was missed three times during his innings of 80 that gave England their platform to win.

“The guys themselves realise that we need 20 wickets to win a Test match and if we drop 14 catches in a Test it makes it hard to do that,” said Butt.

“They were out in the morning working hard but one day is not enough. You need to do that continuously. These 14 include half chances and being professional we need to account for the half chances.” — Agencies

Pakistan clinch rare victory against Australia

HEADINGLEY: Pakistan at last tasted victory by defeating Australia after 15 years at Headingley on Saturday.

In a nail biting finish, Pakistan managed to grab a historic win after loosing seven wickets.

Defeat in each of their last 13 Tests against Australia, including the recent debacle at Sydney in which a first-innings lead of 206 proved insufficient to secure victory, Pakistan managed to grab historic win against Aussies.

آفریدی: ٹیسٹ سے ریٹائرمنٹ

پاکستان کرکٹ ٹیم کے کپتان شاہد آفریدی نے ہیڈنگلے ٹیسٹ کے بعد ٹیسٹ کرکٹ سے ریٹائرمنٹ کا اعلان کیا ہے۔

Barely over a year after Younus Khan announced his retirement from Twenty20 internationals following Pakistan’s triumphant 2009 World Twenty20 campaign at Lord’s, Pakistan’s Test captain Shahid Afridi announced that the second Test against Australia next week will be his last.

The decision to end his short-lived return to the longest format of the game – after a four-year self-exile – came in the wake of Pakistan’s 13th consecutive Test defeat against Australia – a 150-run loss on the fourth day of the first Test at Lord’s.

“A captain should set an example for the youngsters and for his team and I didn’t show any of that in the Test,” said Afridi, who was dismissed for a four-ball two slogging Marcus North to midwicket. “I’m not capable of playing Test cricket and if I play cricket like this, then it’s better to leave.

“I don’t have Test temperament and you can’t play without that. It’s better to have young players, a genuine batsman or a genuine bowler to lead the team.”

Afridi also blamed a side injury, picked up during the Asia Cup last month, as another reason to walk away from Test cricket. While refusing to confirm his fitness level, it will not be surprising if Afridi is unable to take on the field at Headingley in the Test that starts on Wednesday.

“Unless you’re 100 per cent fit, you can’t perform in Test matches. I’m not 100% right now and things may become clearer in a day or two.”

Afridi was appointed captain of all three formats of the game by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) just before naming the team for the 2010 World Twenty20, Pakistan’s title-defence in the West Indies. Then, reluctant to make a Test comeback, Afridi refused to commit his long-term future to Test cricket but opting to take up the captaincy due to the lack of options the PCB had.

In the wake of the Australian whitewash earlier in the year, former captains Mohammad Yousuf, Younus Khan and Shoaib Malik were banned by the PCB and although Malik made his comeback courtesy a change-of-heart at the board, Yousuf and Younus are still in the wilderness due to various reasons.

“I took up the captaincy because the PCB told me to go have a look and see if I still enjoy Test cricket. At that time, they had no other choice so I took the responsibility. But it’s difficult to get back into it after such a long absence. My temperament is not good enough for five-day cricket and I’m struggling with injury as well so it’s best if I step down.”

However, PCB officials have confirmed that PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt has spoken to Yousuf and requested the former captain to reconsider his decision to retire from international cricket. While Yousuf may join the team as early as the first Test against England in Nottingham, Younus, currently playing for Surrey, confirmed to The Express Tribune that he has no such plans as things stand.

According to Afridi, however, Salman Butt, who scored 63 and 92 in the match, seems a natural successor to lead the young squad.

“Butt is showing maturity, he’s batting well and playing good cricket and I think he’s good enough to lead the team but the final decision will have to be made by the board.”

Benj Moorehead: Women’s game needs attention

Trickling along under the current of this summer’s fixture fudge is the women’s game. England have a handful of T20s and ODIs against New Zealand and Ireland, beginning on June 29. What they mean, where they fit into the barely existent structure of the women’s game, is anybody’s guess. If the men’s game is coping with a crisis of context, its counterpart is struggling to give any meaning to any game outside of the global tournaments.

Games are infrequent, haphazard and largely restricted to contests between England, Australia and India, particularly in Test cricket. There have been seven Tests since the summer of 2005, five of which involved England. The last two Ashes ‘series’ have comprised one Test each. In the last decade South Africa have played four Tests, New Zealand three, Pakistan two and Sri Lanka none.


Chamani Seneviratne, the Sri Lanka captain, recently told the BBC: “I think the ICC could make a request for the countries like Australia to offer more matches to smaller countries and prepare a proper schedule for women’s internationals.”

You can see her point. Sri Lanka managed to squeeze in three Twenty20s in the warm-up to the World Twenty20 last month, but previous to that their last game in the format was in the 2009 tournament in England. In fact, the three games they played in England last year were Sri Lanka’s only experience of Twenty20 cricket up until April this year. England had played 22 matches in that time.

There are reasons for the disparity, of course. Money for instance. Women’s cricket has a small following, and nations such as Australia are unlikely to be tempted by a low-interest series against Sri Lanka or Pakistan when the rivalries with England or New Zealand will garner at least some coverage.

We’re back to the same problem which hinders the men: the ICC offer a loose framework of fixtures but who plays who and when depends on the national boards and their personal agendas.

Lack of public interest means an unequal share of playing opportunities; low exposure for smaller teams means interest will remain lacking. Which came first … ?

None of this is easily resolved. But the ICC has to address the woolly structure of the women’s game, whose need for context is far greater than the men’s. It needs some sort of formula so that we can see the stitching joining one match to another. It may take a while for widespread engagement with women’s cricket to take hold, but if an overall picture begins to take shape we will at least have something to chew on.

After nine months, it's India vs Pak again

It will be a battle of attrition when arch rivals India and Pakistan resume their high-voltage cricketing rivalry after eight months in an Asia Cup match here on Saturday.
The battle lines have been drawn for what is regarded as most sought-after match in world cricket, which dwarfs the interest evinced even in the Ashes series between England and Australia.
Though the wicket is not ideal for an ODI, it should produce an electrifying contest as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shahid Afridi's men fight for supremacy at the Rangiri Dambulla international stadium.
The last time the teams met across the square, Pakistan had the measure of India in the Champions Trophy in South Africa last September and Dhoni's legion would be aching for revenge.
Pakistan are known to be dangerously volatile when put in a do-or-die situation, as is the situation now after they lost their first match to Sri Lanka.
A determined and aggressive Afridi could spoil India's party if he cuts loose in the middle, as he did against the Lankans.
The Akmal brothers, Umar and Kamran, are immensely capable of turning the match on its head when the chips are down. Salman Butt and Shoaib Malik also have the reputation to destroy any attack on their day.
But man to man, India have a superior batting unit.
Unlike Pakistan, India have a deep batting line-up, with Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan capable of pulling their side out of crisis.
But it will be interesting to see how Virender Sehwag responds to the Pakistan challenge. On return from a shoulder injury, he made 11 against Bangladesh, struggling to move back and across the stumps during his 14-ball tenure at the square.
Gautam Gambhir worked hard for his 82 against Bangladesh, but would carry the confidence of spending time in the middle into the game against Pakistan.
A determined Dhoni was also among the runs (38 not out in 45 balls). Gambhir and Dhoni's form aside, India would need significant contributions from Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to win this game.
Both teams have a reasonably good bowling line-up. If Shoaib Akthar, who hobbled out with a strained left knee after a practice session, finds the rhythm which had deserted him in the game against Lanka, it would be an intense contest in the middle.

’بھارت کے خلاف کھیلنے کا مزا ہی اور ہے‘

پاکستانی کرکٹ ٹیم کے کپتان شاہد آفریدی کہتے ہیں کہ بھارت کے خلاف کھیلنے کا مزا ہی کچھ اور ہے وہ روایتی حریف کے خلاف کھیل کر بہت زیادہ لطف اندوز ہوتے ہیں۔

پاکستان اور بھارت کی کرکٹ ٹیمیں ہفتے کو ایشیا کپ میں مدمقابل ہورہی ہیں اور شاہد آفریدی اس میچ کا بے چینی سے انتظار کررہے ہیں۔

دمبولا کے رانگیری اسٹیڈیم میں ٹیم کی ٹریننگ کے بعد شاہد آفریدی نے کہا کہ بھارت کے خلاف میچ میں کھلاڑیوں کی جو باڈی لینگویج ہوتی ہے وہ کسی دوسری ٹیم کے خلاف کھیلتے ہوئے نہیں ہوتی۔

انہوں نے کہا کہ بھارت سے ہونے والے میچ کا اپنا پریشر ہوتا ہے لیکن مزا پریشر میں کھیلنے کا ہی ہے اور تمام کھلاڑیوں کو اس پریشر میں کھیل کر مزا آتا ہے۔

شاہد آفریدی نے کہا کہ پاکستانی بیٹسمینوں میں اتنی صلاحیت ہے کہ وہ بھارتی بولنگ کو قابو کرسکیں ۔

انہوں نے کہا کہ سینئر کرکٹرز کا تجربہ اپنی جگہ لیکن ٹیم ایسے جونیئرز بھی چاہتی ہے جو آئیں اور اپنی اچھی کارکردگی سے ٹیم کا حصہ بن کر رہیں تاہم اسوقت بڑی مشکل ہوتی ہے جب جونیئرز بھی اچھی کارکردگی کا مظاہرہ کرنے میں کامیاب نہ ہوسکیں۔

شاہد آفریدی سے جب یہ پوچھا گیا کہ وہ ون ڈے میں سب سے زیادہ 270چھکوں کے جے سوریا کے عالمی ریکارڈ سے صرف3 چھکوں کی دوری پر ہیں کیا احساسات ہیں ؟ تو وہ بولے اس وقت یہ نہ پوچھیں جب وہ یہ ریکارڈ توڑدیں گے تب بتائیں گے کہ کیا محسوس کررہے ہیں۔

Afridi Bhai zayada bateen mat karo public bht maree gi.......
kehte hen naa... batee karne se behtar he kuch kar ke dkhao........