Govt seeks to be part of investigation

ISLAMABAD: The spot-fixing scandal allegedly involving Pakistan’s cricketers continued to create waves on Monday, with the government scrambling to get involved in the matter. With a three-member team from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) preparing to fly out to London, Pakistan has officially asked Scotland Yard to allow it to be part of the investigations into the scandal.

“Scotland Yard has been requested to make Pakistan a part of the investigation process,” Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told The Express Tribune.

The request has been made through the Pakistan High Commission in London, the spokesman said. “We are  waiting for their (Scotland Yard) response,” he added.

The government had already announced that it would send a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team to London to examine the allegations that some Pakistani cricketers were involved in spot-fixing. The team, which will be headed by by FIA director Altaf Hussain, who will be accompanied by Inam Ghani and Inspector Tahir, have applied for UK visas, and will proceed to London as soon as their documents come through.

Officials said the FIA team will study claims that Muhammad Amir and Muhammad Asif deliberately bowled no-balls during the final Test against England at Lord’s.

A breath of stale air at The Oval

With Pakistan desperate to record their first Test win over England since November 2005 – having lost five of the six Tests played since – the return of Mohammad Yousuf has been seen as a vital ingredient to set the record straight.

The inclusion of youngsters at number three and four for the first three Tests of the tour was widely seen by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a fresh start for Pakistan cricket. However, following a spate of low scores and continuous humiliation, the board was forced to call back the retired Yousuf to bolster the fragile batting line-up that has been severely tested in bowling-friendly conditions.

While the conditions have proved a nightmare for the batsmen, Pakistan bowlers, though, have proved their worth on the tour.

“The conditions have been overcast throughout,” said captain Salman Butt on the eve of the match. “The bowlers know how to utilise them so that has been the difficult part for the batsmen. But we can’t use it as an excuse and it has been four Test matches so far and we should come up with something better this time.”

Kamran returns as well

Injuries, too, have forced Pakistan to revamp their squad with the latest casualty being backup wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider who aggravated his finger injury in his debut match at Edgbaston. Unfortunately for Pakistan, it will be the second time this year that regular wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal returns to the playing eleven after being omitted for just one match after horrors behind the stumps.

Broad’s throw aggravated finger injury: Zulqarnain

LAHORE: Pakistan’s injured wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider has blamed England’s Stuart Broad for aggravating his finger injury that has ended his tour of England that still has two Tests, two Twenty20s and five One-Day Internationals remaining.

Haider, who top-scored for Pakistan in the second innings at Edgbaston, had the ball thrown at him by Broad after his follow-through that, as the batsman took evasive action, hit Haider’s hand. A subsequent x-ray showed a hairline fracture that ruled Haider out of the third Test starting tomorrow at The Oval and out of the remainder of the tour as well after just one appearance.

“Broad’s throw hit my right hand quite hard and that aggravated the injury that I had on my little finger,” Haider told The Express Tribune. “If you look at replays, it clearly shows that his throw hit my right hand before hitting my shoulder.”

Broad was fined 50 per cent of his match fee by the match referee Ranjan Madugalle for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct after he pleaded guilty but the fast-bowler, according to former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar, often got away with his on-field antics due to his father Chris Broad, another match referee.

The fast-bowler was also involved in a ball-tampering row in a Test against South Africa where television cameras clearly showed the bowler stopping the ball with his spikes.

While there was no official complaint by the South African authorities, the referee’s failure to take action against England’s fast-bowler after the incident had also irked Gavaskar as well as former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan.

Haider was due to consult a specialist in London today after which the full extent of his injury was to be ascertained. He replaced the under-performing Kamran Akmal in the playing eleven for the Edgbaston Test that Pakistan lost by nine wickets.

While Haider’s form remained indifferent behind the stumps, his half-century in the second innings saved Pakistan from an innings defeat.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2010.

PCB pledges aid for flood victims

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket on Tuesday pledged more than $133,000 for flood victims and said it was working to drum up further funds through an international exhibition match in England.

Pakistan has been devastated by massive flooding that has affected 20 million people in the country’s worst ever natural disaster.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it felt duty-bound to support the victims and pledged 11.42 million rupees, or $133,440, to the prime minister’s flood relief fund.

The donations were made by PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, PCB staff and players in the national team, who are currently on tour in England.

The PCB said it was in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board about holding an exhibition match in England with international stars to raise further funds.

Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi has also launched a campaign and is touring flood-affected areas to distribute funds and food. Running a separate campaign is Pakistan’s international cricket umpire Alem Dar.

No need for seniors on the England tour: Afridi

KARACHI: Pakistan One Day International and Twenty20 captain, Shahid Afridi has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to continue to rely on the current team’s youngsters for the remaining England tour saying that they have shown satisfactory performance on the sojourn so far.

The former Test captain, who retired after Pakistan lost the first Test against Australia, feels that the inclusion of the senior players would not do any wonders but instead disturb the winning combination.

“Youngsters should be given preference as they have managed to impress us all with their performance. There is no need for the seniors in the remaining England tour,” said Afridi after his return to Karachi on Tuesday night.

He believed the youngsters, especially Azhar Ali have proved that they have a bright future and that dropping them will dismantle their confidence.

Retirement decision taken  for the team

Salman says captaincy no ‘hassle’

LEEDS: Salman Butt has insisted captaining a young Pakistan side shouldn’t be “that much of a hassle” when he leads the team in the second Test against Australia at Headingley.

Salman was thrust in to what is widely regarded as one of the most difficult jobs in world cricket after former captain Shahid Afridi quit the five-day format after the team’s 150-run loss in the first Test at Lord’s last week.

Former vice-captain Salman, a 25-year-old opener who scored Pakistan’s only two fifties at Lord’s, will become his country’s seventh Test captain in three years when the Australia finale starts today.

However, he takes over a team without former captains and senior batsmen Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan, both suspended following the team’s 3-0 series loss in Australia earlier this year.

However, Salman, said that he is not overwhelmed leading a side that has less experience.

Team is comfortable under my captaincy: Afridi

Shahid Afridi has said that he respects all the players in his team and they too feel comfortable to play under his captaincy.

“It is difficult, especially due to players from the different cultures, different cities, but the thing is that I respect these guys. Whatever their problems, I listen, and I’m talking to the management and the coach as well. But they’re feeling good playing in my captaincy,” website theage.com.au quoted Afridi, as saying.

Afridi said he had inherited a team of young players. “The guys are united. As a captain, I’m trying to keep the guys as close as I can . Normally I take them for dinners together,” he said. “The communications problem is not there any more. We are all sitting together, talking to each other. Whatever problems (they may have), they’re coming to me and the coach and they’re sharing their problems.”

Australia dismissed for 253 as Aamer strikes

LONDON: Mohammad Aamer struck for Pakistan in the seventh over on the second day as Australia were dismissed for 253 runs in their first innings.Hussey, on 39 overnight, again showed his ability to marshal the tail as he took his score to 56 not out, reaching his 42nd test half-century with an inside edge for four off Umar Gul. He faced 100 deliveries.

Doug Bollinger was the last man out, bowled by a Mohammad Aamer yorker for four, made in 56 minutes. Aamer finished with 4-72.

Simon Katich top scored in the innings with 80. He was one of three wickets in a crucial seven-ball spell from Mohammad Asif (3-63) that turned the match in Pakistan’s favour on day one.

‘Shoaib Akhtar needs to do more to impress’

DAMBULLA: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis says fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is still a shadow of himself and must prove he can be consistent after his three-wicket performance against Sri Lanka on his return to international cricket.Despite being 34, Akhtar showed on Tuesday that he retains his customary long run up and much of his pace during the Asia Cup opener against Sri Lanka a Rangiri Dambulla Stadium.

Younis says Akhtar’s match figures 3-41 should only be the start and that he must consistently perform well to prove himself.

“Still he’s got a long way to go. He has picked up three wickets which is good for us but I think he’s not where we want to see him,” Younis told reporters after Tuesday’s match.

Younus set to miss out due to bitter relations with PCB

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Younus Khan may not find a place in the squad for the tour of England due to bitter relations with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the aftermath of his battle against the board for the indefinite ban.

According to sources in the board, PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt will force Younus’ omission when chief selector Mohsin Khan, captain Shahid Afridi and coach Waqar Younis meet to finalise the squad on June 20 in Dambulla.

Butt, according to sources, is not happy with the statements given by Younus’ lawyer Ahmed Qayyum against the PCB after the former captain’s indefinite ban was lifted earlier this month. The chairman has also questioned Younus’ recent performance for Pakistan which, according to him, may not make him an automatic selection for the tour of England.