"PCB could have done more to save us from such a long ban": Mohammad Asif

Pakistan's banned pacer Mohammad Asif believes the PCB did not do enough to save him and two other banned players - Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir - from the punishment handed down to them for spot-fixing by the ICC's anti-corruption tribunal.

"I am not blaming the PCB for what happened but certainly they and even the government could have done more to save us from such a long ban," Asif said on Geo TV.

"If the Board wanted, they could have stepped in when the spot fixing scandal broke out and handled things themselves.

They should have sent us home immediately and then tried us themselves instead of allowing the ICC to take charge," Asif said.

He also felt that the Pakistan government did not play a pro-active role in dealing with the whole issue.

"I know there are regulations and other things that could have been used by the government to fly us back to Pakistan and then have us face the music at home instead of being left at the mercy of the ICC tribunal," he said.

Throughout the show, Asif, 28, who took 106 wickets in 23 Tests, kept hinting he should not have been punished.

The three Pakistani players were banned for a minimum of five years by the ICC tribunal last February on charges of spot-fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lord's last year.

The ICC suspended the trio few days after the defunct News of the World tabloid broke the story about the trio being involved with their Pakistani agent Mazhar Majeed in fixing issues during the series.

Asif admitted that he had made some mistakes but felt the five year ban was too heavy a price to pay.

"I can't say more on this because I have appealed against the ban and also in October I am hopeful that the case will be dismissed and I can get back to playing cricket," he said.

Asif and his two other teammates are due to appear again in a London magistrate court to face charges of corruption and cheating brought against them by the crown prosecutor's office in the United Kingdom as a fallout of the spot fixing scandal.

Asif said he had still not given up hope of playing for Pakistan again.

"I don't know but the situation can change very quickly and I think October will be important to my case. But I am carrying on training and even practicing because I know the comeback chance to international cricket could come," he said.

Asked about the various controversies that have dogged him including the 19-day detention at the Dubai airport for possession of a banned substance, Asif reiterated he had not taken any drugs.

"I had a herbal medicine with me that contained a percentage of opium and that got me into trouble but now I can go to Dubai as there is no bar on me from travelling there," he said.

The lanky pace bowler conceded that not being able to play any cricket was a big punishment for him.

"Because my life revolves around cricket and not being able to play the game is very punishing indeed," he said.

Naseer Hussain should tender an apology for calling indian fielders 'donkeys' :Azharuddin

Former Indian skipper and Moradabad MP Mohammed Azharuddin on Friday said commentator Naseer Hussain should tender an apology for his 'donkey' jibe on Indian fielders during the Twenty20 match against England. 

"Coming from a player, who has played for England and has been the captain. He (Nasser Hussain) has been one of the finest commentators, but I think he should not have said that. There are so many ways of criticizing people, but to call players donkeys is very unbecoming of a player of his stature," Azharuddin told mediapersons outside Parliament here.

"I am not sure whether he should be removed or not, but I think he should definitely tender an apology to the Indian Team and especially in the context to whoever the fielder was at that time," he added, when asked whether Hussain should be removed from the post of commentator after this incident.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President and MP Rajiv Shukla earlier in the day termed Hussain's jibe to be inappropriate, and said the board would look into the issue.

"There should be restrain while making observations about players. Every player has to be respected irrespective of his performance. I don't think this comment was appropriate. We will definitely look into it," said Shukla.

Former England cricket skipper Nasser Hussain had equated some of the Indian fielders to donkeys during the Twenty20 match played between India and England in Manchester on Wednesday.

Pakistan's Next Coach???? Who will be working with the PCB?

High-profile international coaches like Mickey Arthur, Dav Whatmore and Peter Moores have emerged as the front-runners to replace Waqar Younis as the Pakistan cricket team coach.

Sources close to the committee told PTI that it was already split on whether a foreign or a local coach should replace Waqar.

"But the PCB itself is pretty keen on having a foreign coach with a team of Pakistani assistant and specialist coaches. Arthur (South Africa), Whatmore (Australia) and Moores (England) are being eyed for now," a source said.

He also informed that the committee has asked the former Test captain Rameez Raja to contact the shortlisted candidates immediately after the Eid holidays are over.

Rameez played a key role in getting the PCB to sign on former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer in 2004 to replace Javed Miandad after a home series loss to India.

"Rameez who has been asked to assist the committee that is headed by Intikhab Alam and includes Zaheer Abbas and Colonel Naushad Ali, will soon contact the candidates," the source said.

Arthur remained coach of the South Africa team from 2005 to 2010 and is currently coaching the Western Warriors in South African domestic cricket, while Whatmore had a successful stint with Sri Lanka and also coached Bangladesh before signing up to work at the cricket academy in Bangalore.

Moores succeeded Duncan Fletcher as England's head coach in April 2007 but was removed in 2009 after disputes with the England cricket authorities. He is currently Lancashire's head coach.

Nasser Hussain called Indian fielders 'donkeys', comment was inappropriate:BCCI

The BCCI on Friday took strong objection to former England captain Nasser Hussain's comparison of Indian cricketers to 'donkeys', saying the comment was totally uncalled for.

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said that the Board would look into the reported 'donkey' comment of Nasser Hussain during the lone Twenty20 match between India and England in Manchester on Wednesday.

"Hussain's comment was totally uncalled for. One should adopt restraint while making observations about players.

"Commentators should not make such comments. We will definitely look into it," Shukla told reporters outside the Parliament.

"Every player has to be respected irrespective of his performance. I don't think this comment was appropriate," he added.

Hussain's comment came after Parthiv Patel misjudged a Kevin Pietersen's catch off Munaf Patel's bowling.

"I would say the difference between the two side is the fielding. England are all-round a good fielding side. I do believe that India have few...3 or 4 very good fielders and one or two donkeys in the field still," he had said.

Hussain's comments have already evoked criticism from the Indian media and some former players.

Michael Clarke led Australia well poised for a win

Australia set Sri Lanka a target of 379 to win the first test of the three-test series here on an overcast day. With the wicket aiding bowlers, it will require all of the Sri Lankan top order to perform to eke out an unlikely draw.

Australia finished its second innings a 210, with some significant contributions from the lower order batsmen

Herath picks five

The Australian lower order put up a stiff resistance in a pitch that aided spinners. The last four wickets added over 80 runs as the Aussies went past the 200 mark with ease. Herath kept working hard from one end, unafraid to pitch it up and was rewarded aptly. This was his fifth five wickets haul in tests and he more than justified the faith that the selectors placed in him.

Left hand batsman Usman Khawaja was a changed man in the second innings of the test. He was too tentative in the first, but in the second, partnered Ryan Harris and kept the score board ticking. He looked comfortable till such time he was trapped in front by Welegedara.

The Sri Lankan plan

When Sri Lanka took the field on Day 3 of the first test against Australia here, they had a plan: restrict the Australian second innings to 140; make sure that the experienced, frontline batsmen stay long enough and don’t gift wickets to Nathan Lyon, and encourage Paranavitana to score a shade better.

“If he [Paranavitana] can manage about 40 runs for every 100 balls or so he faces, we would be better off. There would also be no pressure on batsmen at the other end,” said Rumesh Ratnayake, Sri Lanka’s coach. The other problem was Anjelo Mathews. “He has hit a [rough] patch,” conceded the coach. But the team had some ideas for him too. One was to promote him up the order and see what he could manage. The idea was to relieve him of additional pressure because of wickets falling at one end.

Ratnayake said that there was a lot of post-match review that went on following the manner in which the Sri Lankan batsmen got out in the first innings. Not one batsmen managed a 50, and the last seven wickets did not manage to add even 20 runs. “We have been talking and I hope we make amends in the second innings,” he said.

Asked if the team management erred in not picking another spinner, Ratnayake was frank: We were unable to manage with seven batsmen in the first innings. So, no, there was no such talk.

Play resumes

On Day 3, play began at 12-10 pm owing to overnight and morning rains. The sky is still overcast, but there are two more days left in the match for Australia to push for a win. For now, Sri Lanka has the unenviable task of keeping out the relentlessly probing Australian bowlers for two and a half days.

Scoreboard:

Australia (1st innings): 273 all out

Sri Lanka Batting (1st innings): T.M.Dilshan c Ponting b Copeland 4, T.Paranavitana lbw Watson 29, K.Sangakkara c Clarke b Lyon 10, M.Jayawardene (run out) 11, T.Samaraweera lbw Watson 26, P.Jayawardene lbw Watson 0, A. Mathews b Lyon 5, S.Randiv c Ponting b Lyon 9, R.Herath c Johnson b Lyon 0, S.Lakmal (not out) 2, C.Welegedara c and b Lyon 1. Extras (lb-4, nb-3, w-1) 8. Total: 105 all out in 50 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-24, 3-44, 4-87, 5-87, 6-88, 7-100, 8-100, 9-103

Australia Bowling (1st innings): Ryan Harris 8-5-6-0, Copeland 12-3-24-1, Johnson 9-1-26-0, Lyon 15-3-34-5, Watson 6-1-11-3

Australia (2nd innings): S.Watson c Samaraweera b Welegedara 0, P.Hughes lbw Dilshan 28, R.Ponting c Herath b Lakmal 4, M.Clarke c P.Jayawardene b Herath 60, M.Hussey T. Paranavitana b R.Herath 15, U.Khawaja lbw C.Welegedara 26, B.Haddin c P.Jayawardene b Herath 0, M.Johnson c P.Jayawardene b Herath 8, R. Harris c & b Herath 23, T.Copeland (not out) 23, N.Lyon c Samaraweera b Dilshan 13 Extras (b-4, lb-4, nb-2) 10. Total: 210 all out in 59.2 overs

Fall of Wickets: 1-0, 2-5, 3-61, 4-110, 5-110, 6-112, 7-130, 8-170, 9-178

Sri Lanka Bowling (2nd innings): C.Welegedara 6-3-13-2, Lakmal 8-3-23-1, R.Herath 23-3-79-5, S.Randiv 14-3-61-0, T.M.Dilshan 8.2-1-26-2.

Injuries to key players ruin Dhoni-Fletcher's plans

Zaheer Khan moved gingerly at Lord's on July 21 and since then India's tour of England has turned out to be a case of the walking wounded. The tale of injuries got worse due to a mix of old scars and fresh twitches of pain and over a month, M.S. Dhoni has seen six key men depart. Zaheer, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma and Gautam Gambhir have all been laid low by injuries and if ever fate and fitness conspired to derail a team, this has to be that nightmarish moment.

Gambhir is the latest player to rush his departure plans after medical opinion stated that his current stint with the Indian team is untenable due to a concussion in his head. After his combined spell of 13.3-8-18-2 at Lord's, Zaheer has gone under the scalpel for an old ankle ailment that flared up in the current tour. Sehwag after a forgettable Test series with scores of 0, 0, 8, 33, felt that his right shoulder has not fully healed from a surgery that he underwent at London in May.

And a moot question remains – did India's force-multipliers in bowling and batting rush their respective rehabilitation stints at Bangalore's National Cricket Academy ahead of the England tour while riding on adrenaline and banking on sheer will-power?

The answers will never be known though they cleared the fitness tests.

Harbhajan was a shadow of his former self in the Tests against England with two wickets averaging 143.50. An abdominal tear eventually ruled him out after the second Test at Trent Bridge.

In the same match, Yuvraj suffered a left index finger fracture after Tim Bresnan thudded into him and the southpaw packed his bags. Gambhir's fall in the final Test at the Oval while back-pedalling for a catch off Kevin Pietersen, left the opener with a concussion and dizzy spells and that affected India's batting mix though Rahul Dravid offered resilience atop the order. Ishant meanwhile suffered an ankle injury and was ruled out of the Indian ODI squad.

It is scary that the majority of injured players are not callow youth and they are all hovering around the 30-year mark while Ishant at 22, still has age on his side. Zaheer (32), Sehwag (32), Harbhajan (31), Yuvraj (29) and Gambhir (29) were expected to cushion the blow when the golden generation of Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman bowed out.

Dhoni said that a mix of rest and rotation is required to keep the players fired up.

“The schedule looks cramped and it is important to give players rest. Somebody like Suresh Raina is participating in all the formats for a long time. The rest is more to deal with the mental aspect and it also helps you keep injuries away,” the Indian captain said.

The grim reality is that player-injuries ruined Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher's best-laid plans though the duo are banking on a revival in the shorter format against England.

Pak announced the itinerary for their series against Sri Lanka in UAE.

Pakistan announced the itinerary on Tuesday for their autumn series against Sri Lanka, to be played in the neutral territory of the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan have been forced to play on foreign soil since a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore two years ago shattered the global cricketing community's faith in the nation being able guarantee the safety of touring sides. Eight people died while seven Sri Lankan players and a coach were wounded in the attack, which ended already-fragile hopes of the insurgency-wracked nation hosting international cricket.

Pakistan, who have been playing their home matches in the UAE since 2008, offered to host Sri Lanka at home, but the invitation was rejected after a military base in Karachi was attacked in May this year.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play three Tests - one each in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah - while three ODIs will go ahead in Dubai and one each in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi will stage the only Twenty20 match.

Programme:

October 15 - Teams arrive in the UAE

October 18-22 - First Test - Abu Dhabi

October 26-30 - Second Test - Dubai

November 3-7 - Third Test - Sharjah

November 11 - First one-day international - Dubai

November 14 - Second one-day international - Dubai

November 18 - Third one-day international - Dubai

November 20 - Fourth one-day international - Sharjah

November 23 - Fifth one-day international - Abu Dhabi

November 25 - Twenty20 match - Abu Dhabi

Sourav Ganguly , Ranbir Kapoor invited for Lionel Messi-starrer Argentina`s friendly against Venezuela

His love for football is no secret and keeping that in mind organisers of the Lionel Messi-starrer Argentina`s international friendly against Venezuela have made it a point to extend an invitation to city`s favourite cricketer, Sourav Ganguly.

Bollywood actors Ranbir Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Chunkey Pandey, director Anurag Basu are also expected to watch the match.

"Sourav is a busy person and we are not sure whether he would be here on September 2. But of course, we will be inviting him," said Dharamdutt Pandey, chief executive officer of CMG.

A host of top politicians from various states have also expressed their willingness to watch the match.

"Chief ministers from Mizoram, Meghalaya and Jharkhand have expressed their willingness to come here. Apart from that many top corporate honchos have booked tickets, though we don`t know the exact names," Pandey said.

Besides, the state sports ministry have bought about 200 tickets that will be distributed to ex-players, Olympians and Arjuna awardees from Bengal.

"We don`t want our stars of yesteryears to be deprived. We have bought about 200 tickets for the sports council and we will take the ex-players for the match," sports minister Madan Mitra said.

Altogether 88,000 tickets from a seating capacity of 120,000 in the stadium are up for sale.


Meanwhile, the organisers also claimed this match would be recorded for the first time in India in high-definition (HD) format.

"Greymind Communication who has the TV rights will be installing 15 HD cameras of equal specifications in the stadium. For the first time we will have an HD broadcast from India. We have sold TV rights to 152 countries. It will be an event to remember," Bhaswar Goswami, executive director of CMG, said.