"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.

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.

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

Pakistan cricket in a spin over reforms to free the game from government interference.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s under-fire cricket board and some of its finest ever players and administrators are on a collision course over an ICC directive designed to free the game from government interference.


Pakistan is one of three countries, along with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, where the government calls the shots in appointing the hugely powerful head of the cricket board.
But the International Cricket Council, the sport’s world governing body, says all its members must cease that practice before June 2013 —or face sanctions that could include suspension.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) defends the government-appointed system as “needful and a system which has worked successfully in the past”.


Not so, say some notable former players from the cricket-obsessed country, where the game has suffered a slew of high-profile corruption cases off the field yet remains a unifying national force in the face of adversity.


Pakistan’s only World Cup-winning captain, Imran Khan, is the most prominent critic of a system which sees the country’s president hand-pick the PCB’s top man —a high profile post because of the sport’s popularity.


“This is the most unique system in the world with the president of the country, who doesn’t have time, appointing the chairman of the cricket board,”said Khan, who turned to politics after giving up the game.


“We need to have an elected PCB president (chairman) and an elected council, and if we make our cricket board an institution, then Pakistan can dominate world cricket as we have more talent than other countries.”


Former spinner Iqbal Qasim underlined the frustrations of many within the game in Pakistan who believe the national team is being held back by poor administration.


“We need to devise a proper system, even an overhaul, with more and more representation of former cricketers, and all those who have the ability to make strong decisions,” he said.
It is clear from the numbers why ex-players are demanding change.


Of the 26 PCB chairmen since 1948, only five are former players, among them incumbent Ijaz Butt. The job, which comes with a hefty pay packet and plenty of prestige, has usually gone to military men, judges and politicians.


The country’s president must also approve all nine members of the cricket board. The PCB insists the status quo works just fine.


“It should be appreciated that the system that has propelled Pakistan to the top of the cricket world has been in place for approximately 60 years and cannot certainly be labelled as faulty,” said the PCB.


The board also says that a one-size-fits-all directive cannot be imposed on Pakistan because of the unique security situation it faces, with international sides unwilling to visit after a gun attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009.


Eight Pakistanis were killed and seven Sri Lanka players, along with an assistant coach, wounded, and the cricket administration says it needs government support to woo back touring teams.


Despite calls for more ex-players to be involved in the PCB, Butt’s tenure has been a turbulent one.


Butt’s office would not comment, but his supporters say that the rot set in well before he arrived, with doping, match-fixing, defection and discipline problems all dogging the game in Pakistan in the last few years.


Even the cricket board under which the country won the World Cup in 1992 was dissolved following incessant government interference.


Critics also say that under the current set-up, the PCB chairman is far too powerful. Veteran administrator Sirajul Islam Bukhari, president of the Karachi City Cricket Association, described it as “a one-man show”.


“While under the council system, the chairman did not enjoy such sweeping powers and there was no political interference,” said Bukhari, referring to a previous system under which a 15-member council used to deal with day-to-day matters.


Arif Abbasi, former chief executive of the PCB, added: “We must open our eyes to reality and have a proper election, with wise people contesting and the old system of council and general body in operation.”


Ultimately, however, the argument comes full circle because no reform of the PCB can be made without approval from the government, which has so far shown little appetite for sweeping change.


President Asif Ali Zardari’s spokesman told AFP that the two year delay before the rule comes into effect would give the PCB time to look at changing its constitution to comply with it.
“The board’s drafting and working on the new constitution and we’ll see how it goes,” said spokesman Farhatullah Babar, adding “It’s not a matter of being happy or unhappy (with the ruling).”

BCCI should rotate players to avoid them from getting injuries: Akram

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said that it is high time for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to rotate players and reduce injuries.

Akram backed Dhoni’s view that too much of cricket is being played round the year, and that is increasing the chances of players getting injured.

“It’s high time the BCCI did something about rotating players to avert the injury crisis the team is facing right now. Dhoni is one hundred per cent right. Indian players are playing cricket round the year and they need adequate rest to recharge their batteries. But that is not happening. I think the time has come for the BCCI to give a serious thought to it,” Akram was quoted as saying byMobile ESPN.

The legendary fast bowler said Indians are going to miss Gautam Gambhir.

“India are certainly going to miss Gambhir in the ODIs. He has performed really well in the last two years. His injury (blurred eyesight after a head injury) makes matters worse for India who are already playing without Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan,” Akram said.

Gambhir was ruled out for the remainder of the England tour after failing to recover from a concussion he received during The Oval Test last week while attempting a catch.

“Gautam has been a bit unfortunate on this tour. First, he injured his elbow in the first Test at Lord’s and before he could completely recover, this injury came his way. You can’t do much about injuries,” he said.

Akram also rubbished suggestions made by England all—rounder Tim Bresnan that they are on their way to another whitewash of India in the 5—ODI series, starting from September 3.

“That, for me, is going overboard. It’s true India did not play to their potential in the Test series and that England were sublime in all departments. But this is another ball game. For me, India are going as favourites in the series,” he said.

“They have got Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are proven match—winners in the limited—overs format. And I have no doubt that they will come off good here as well,” he added.

Big Bash teams have shown their interest in signing Afridi for this year's Twenty20 tournament.

Despite PCB revoking Shahid Afridi's NOC barring him from playing in the foreign leagues, Cricket Australia officials have expressed their desire to rope in the flamboyant all-rounder for this year's Big Bash Twenty20 tournament.

After the former Pakistan captain announced his retirement from international cricket following his stand-off with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, several of the eight teams featuring in the Big Bash have shown their interest in signing Afridi, who had a successful stint in the event two years ago.

A number of other states also indicated their interest in explosive West Indian opener Chris Gayle, whose ongoing tussle with the country's cricket board following a radio interview resulted in his omission from the one-off T20 international and first two ODIs against India starting on Saturday.

Stuart Clark, general manager of the Sydney Sixers, said he would be interested in speaking to these players for his side, which is based at the SCG.

"I hadn't thought about Afridi until I heard on the radio that he had quit," Clark was quoted as saying by The Australian.

"We would be interested depending on what he wants. If he wants to come here, I am willing to talk to him," Clark added.

Afridi suffered a setback on Wednesday when English county Hampshire said it would not be playing the all-rounder in their Twenty20 league after the PCB revoked the requisite NOC.

The NOC's were issued to Afridi to play for Hampshire and in the inaugural Sri Lankan Premier League next month.

Afridi, one of the most explosive batsmen in the world, played for South Australia in the Big Bash two years ago and impressed all.

"He was excellent and all the reports were that he was brilliant among the team," Clark said.

Afridi's fall-out with the PCB enables him to play in the Sri Lankan, English county and Australian Twenty20 competitions.

The eight sides in this season's Big Bash are likely to be allowed four contracted Australian players and four internationals, but with only two of the latter in the team at any time.

Afridi, Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga are all understood to be on the minds of the eight city-based teams. All have played in the Big Bash before.

Big Bash sides qualify for the lucrative Twenty20 Champions League.

(PTI)

Rashid Latif wants to see Afghanistan cricket team in Pak domestic Twenty20 tournament.

Afghan cricket team coach Rashid Latif has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to include Afghanistan in the forthcoming domestic Twenty20 tournament.


The PCB is set to host the eight-team T20 competition later this month at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

"It will be better that the PCB allows at least one team from Afghanistan's Kabul region in their Twenty20 Championship. It will bring more colour to Pakistan' most popular cricket tournament," the Daily Times quoted Rashid, as telling German radio Deutsche Welle.

He also thanked the PCB for inviting Afghanistan for the recently concluded one-day matches against Pakistan A. 

"It was a good tour for both Pakistan and Afghanistan, as we were the first foreign team touring Pakistan in two years. And at the same time Afghanistan cricketers learnt a lot from this trip because Pakistan A's strength was equal to their national team," he said. 

Rashid, who played 37 Tests and 166 one-day internationals for Pakistan, also said that the Afghanistan Cricket Board should arrange matches against associate countries like Ireland, Scotland, Holland and Kenya.

"If we perform well against those nations, then definitely big cricketing nations will be willing to play T20 internationals against us. We should be focusing on this, rather than playing one-day matches against full members of the ICC at the moment," he added.
(ANI)

PCB gives 'NOC' to Wahab Riaz, allows him to play for Kent

The Pakistan Cricket Board has given fast bowler Wahab Riaz the clearance to play for English county club Kent this summer.

At a time when the board first revoked and then refused a No Objection Certificate to former captain Shahid Afridi to play for Hampshire on disciplinary grounds, it has also allowed Riaz to play in the Sri Lankan Twenty20 League in July.

"It is a great opportunity for me to improve my bowling by playing in England for Kent," the left-arm pacer said.

Wahab said he would complete his stint with Kent this month before going to Sri Lanka for the Twenty20 league. He would then return to England to play more matches for Kent.

"Obviously I will be available on priority basis for Pakistan in its next international assignment in August in Zimbabwe," he said.

A number of Pakistani players are appearing in English county matches this summer including former captain Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq.

A board official said that Wahab was given clearance because the board wanted to encourage playing in different conditions.

(PTI)