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.

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.

Zulqarnain hopes to emulate Edgbaston feat

Following a debut with mixed fortunes, Pakistan’s wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider remains determined to keep his place in the side for a long period.

Haider, who was picked in place of the under-performing Kamran Akmal scored a face-saving 88 in the second innings at Edgbaston that allowed Pakistan to avoid an innings defeat. However, his golden duck in the first innings as well as dropped catches – the reason why Akmal lost his place in the side – remained a worry for the team as they battle hard to build back from crushing back-to-back defeats.

“It was a do-or-die situation for me, going into the second innings,” Haider told The Express Tribune. “But my promise to myself and my faith in God helped me build my confidence and allowed me to score that half-century. There was a lot of pressure, considering the situation that we were in but I was used to the English conditions and that helped me a lot.

“I didn’t think of this as my first and last chance and that, too, helped with my confidence.”

While none of the Pakistani batsmen showed ability to stay in the middle for long, Haider faced 200 deliveries in his patient knock that will give the Pakistan management a lot of hope given the long tail that the playing eleven has. Haider not only faced aggression with the type of deliveries he had to face but also bowlers’ frustration when Stuart Broad threw a ball straight at him after his follow-through.

TWENTY RICHEST WORLD LEADERS

1. King of Thailand, £20bn

The longest-serving monarch in the world as well as the richest, 82-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s wealth includes large amounts of land and property. However the Thai government has disputed his position as the wealthiest head of state, saying that much of this is not part of his personal wealth. Regardless of his personal finances, in a country where the rural poor are currently locked in violent protests against an unpopular government, he remains a universally loved figure.

2. Sultan of Brunei, £13.5bn

Brunei’s oil and gas reserves have kept the Sultan among the world’s richest, and he spends accordingly: as well as having a love for luxury cars, for his 50th birthday in 1996 he hired Michael Jackson to perform.

3. Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (President of UAE), £12bn

As the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa has been a driving force during its recent spending spree in its attempts to establish itself as a cultural hub. A pro-Western moderniser and camel-racing fan.

4. King of Saudi Arabia, £11.5bn

Saudi Arabia’s vast oil reserves are behind the wealth of King Abdullah, whose grandeur is such that he has a city named after him – King Abdullah Economic City – currently being constructed on the west coast of the country.

5. Silvio Berlusconi, £6bn

Varied business interests – including television stations, magazines and his beloved AC Milan – have made the Italian prime minister a very rich man indeed. His many critics charge that he has used his political career to maximise that wealth.

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.

Fifa world cup, simplified

The Fifa World Cup is underway and like many other nations, Pakistanis are enthusiastically watching matches, cheering for their favourite teams and organising football get togethers (GTs in urban elite lingo). Although we have come some way in embracing this sport from mere viewers to actual participants, both at home via domestic tourneys (Pakistan Premiere League), local city leagues to regional international matches like the SAFF Cup (South Asian Football Federation), we still have a long way to go before we can qualify for the main event. Currently, we rank at thirty-fifth among the teams in South Asia. Even so, the spirit and passion for this sport is growing and why wouldn’t it? Football is a poor man’s game and requires not much other than a football which we are adept at producing in the millions in Sialkot.

There seems to be a dearth of understanding as to what the world cup teams and their characteristics are about in Pakistan and so, I thought it would be pertinent to introduce them in reference to our cricketing gods so we know what the commentators on TV are always screaming about.

1. Brazil
They are the Wasim Akram of the football world. This team has done it all and achieved it all. They have unmatched skill with the ball, they can dance well both, on and off the field and have fans all over the world, but they yet have to grace Indian reality shows.
They are the favourites each time they play and have a tendency to not being able to defend a lot of unexpected movement in the air, focusing only on attack.

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.

Bollywood gets ready for the FIFA World Cup

NEW DEHLI: Shah Rukh Khan has some great vacation plans for his children – he is taking Aryan and Suhana to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup starting Friday.

“Taking kids for the matches (World Cup) in South Africa,” Shah Rukh posted on Twitter. “Soccer is beautiful … will play today if it rains. Rain and soccer more of a turn on than singing in the rain.”

Shah Rukh says he is nostalgic about the FIFA World Cup as he used to watch it with his mother.

England break Bangladesh resolve in first Test

Steve Finn was the pick of England’s attack as they ran through Bangladesh on a rain-hit third day of the first Test that saw only 28.5 overs bowled.

Play finally began at 1520 BST after a morning of drizzle and Bangladesh lost five quick wickets as they slumped from their overnight 172-2 to 237-7.

Finn had Junaid Siddique caught behind and trapped Mohammad Ashraful lbw while James Anderson also took two wickets.

Mushfiqur Rahim was then bowled by Finn after tea before bad light intervened.