I Love Shahid Afridi: 2011-05-01

Saturday, 7 May 2011

PCB wants clearance certificate from Kaneria

The PCB has asked Danish Kaneria to produce a 'clearance certificate' from Essex if the legspinner is to be cleared by the board's integrity committee and allowed to resume his international career.

Matters between Kaneria and the board's integrity committee had come to a deadlock in recent days; the integrity committee wanted a transcript of the police interview Kaneria gave during investigations into spot-fixing in a limited-overs county game. Kaneria was arrested before being released on bail and eventually discharged as police didn't file charges.

Another player, Mervyn Westfield, is due to face a trial and should the judge deem it necessary, Kaneria can still be called to court as part of the case. Kaneria and his lawyers insisted that the police transcripts were not available as the player's involvement in the case was over.

"We had asked for police transcripts but were told by Kaneria's lawyers that they weren't available," Tafazzul Rizvi, the PCB's legal advisor, told ESPNcricinfo. "We need something to judge what is happening there and what happened in the case, however, so we've now asked for a clearance certificate from Essex who were his employers in the UK at the time, in a case which took place in the UK."

When asked what content such a certificate should include, Rizvi said, "We just want an idea of what Essex say about him and the case. They were his employers at the time. Will they consider him now?" Kaneria played for Essex for four seasons and picked up over 300 first-class wickets, but his contract was not renewed after last year.

"This is an integrity issue for us," Rizvi said. "The committee is not just made up of board members or cricketers, it has an ex-judge of the Supreme Court on it and in their opinion, Kaneria had not satisfied them so he has not been cleared. We can't take a risk so we have asked for this clearance now."

Kaneria was unavailable for comment, though he did confirm that he had received the communication from the PCB. He hasn't played a Test for Pakistan since last summer, even though he is the country's leading wicket-taking spinner. The issue came to a head last October, when he was prevented from travelling to the UAE to take part in the Test series against South Africa at the last minute by the PCB. He had initially been picked for the series.

Qadir flays Mohsin for creating fiasco

Pakistan’s former chief selector and spin wizard Abdul Qadir on Friday lashed out at chief selector Mohsin Hassan Khan for creating the fiasco over the selection matters with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Talking to The Nation, Qadir questioned the chief selector’s motives for calling a press conference and making an internal issue public, if he could resolve it with meeting the PCB chairman. “He must have first chosen a proper way to talk to the PCB chief Ijaz Butt and discuss with him the reservations he had. There should not be any media talk or threats of resignations.”
He said that strict merit should be made as base for the selection as this is the only way to boost the game both at domestic and international level. To a question about how much free hand he has in selecting a team, he replied that it depends upon the personality of a chief selector that how much he follows the merit and does justice to his job. “For me honesty, loyalty and country’s honour is more important. However, selection is bound to faulty under political and other relevant pressures, which is regrettable,” said Qadir.
Recalling his era as a chef selector he said: “I had told the PCB chief about my terms and conditions before taking over as chief selector. I had asked him to allow me to work independently and without any interruption and that I should be given free hand to select the team and only then I would be responsible for any result.”
He further said that other members of selection committee have all the rights to give their opinion where it is required and if they found either any player is controversial or the chief selector is selecting the player who has not performed well, they can take stand on this issue too.
He said certain deserving players are being neglected as the chief selector usually remains rigid with his choices. “The present system of selection is faulty and not proper which cannot take our cricket to the top”, he said.
Talking about selection criteria, Qadir was of the opinion that it was very easy task to select a team as we have first class cricket record of every player and seeing their record, we can easily pick any good and talented player who is consecutively performing well in domestic cricket.

Afridi doesn’t learn, say former players

While Pakistan clinched a second-successive One-Day International (ODI) series, former chief selector Abdul Qadir blasted captain Shahid Afridi for not displaying responsibility that a leader is supposed to. Afridi managed 28 runs in three innings and was dismissed through reckless shots as Pakistan went down in the last two ODIs.

“Afridi knows each time he makes a mistake,” Qadir told The Express Tribune. “And it’s very surprising that he isn’t ready to learn.

“A captain should have the ability to lead from the front but the spirit of responsibility deserts Afridi. He may be a good player but his approach has damaged Pakistan cricket a lot as we have lost quite a few matches only due to his reckless attitude.”

Afridi has led Pakistan in 34 ODIs, winning 18 and ending on the losing side 15 times, but has often come under criticism for throwing his wicket away.

Former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik said that Afridi, who has an experience of 325 ODIs, should have learnt to make his wicket more valuable.

“He should understand that he is representing Pakistan and not an ordinary team,” said Malik. “He has played more than 300 matches and if he is a captain that doesn’t mean that he is forgiven for every mistake he makes.

“To me, he was never the right guy to be in charge but for some reason he was appointed because we had no other option.

“He confesses his mistake but never learns,” said Malik.

Meanwhile, former spinner Iqbal Qasim reacted differently on Afridi’s approach. Qasim believed that Afridi should be given more time but should also change his batting attitude.

“His batting has no doubt put a bad impact on the team but captaincy is an art. No one is a born leader and as a captain he isn’t bad. He needs time to understand things.”

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Zaheer Abbas puts his hand up to be Pak batting coach

Former Pakistan Test captain Zaheer Abbas has said that he is ready to be the batting coach of the national team if approached by the PakistanCricket Board (PCB).

When asked if he would consider taking up a batting coach position within Pakistan, Abbas said: "Well, it's all up to the Pakistan Cricket Board. I've got nothing to do with that."

When asked if he was available, the Pakistani batsman said: "Yes."

Abbas also highlighted that the current Pakistani coaching staff, which includes Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed, is too bowler-heavy.

"They only need bowlers to coach them? What about the fielding coach? What about the batting coach? What about the departments which we are [not good] in? The bowling has been so good for many many years and we have been producing good fast bowlers. They have doing their work properly but if you take the example of batsmen, they haven't produced any. Only a few can be named, but not many," PakPassion.Net quoted Abbas, as saying.

He further expressed his frustration at what he considers a lack of 'staying at the wicket temperament' amongst the current crop of Pakistani batsmen.

"I've been watching them, but so far they haven't scored and stayed at the wicket for a long time. You can see their potential while playing Test matches and so on. Nowadays, these guys have been playing T20. If you have been an opening batsman or a number three batsman in ODI matches for 50 overs, then to prove to the world that you are good you have to score centuries," Abbas said.

"In a year these players have been playing too many ODIs, tests and T20 matches - in a year they must be playing 10 - 15 matches and many ODIs and T20s," he added.

Chanders among 15 to prepare for Tests

Embattled left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul was one of 15 players called up by West Indies selectors yesterday to prepare for the opening Test against Pakistan starting next Thursday.

The veteran Guyanese batsman has been at loggerheads with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for the past week following his non-selection for the just-concluded five-match One-Day International series.

He has been joined by prolific teenaged opener Kraigg Brathwaite, fit-again pacer Fidel Edwards and Test vice-captain Brendan Nash, none of whom played in the ODIs.

Chanderpaul's inclusion in the training squad comes on the heels of his war of words with the WICB.

The 37-year-old said he had been asked by West Indies officials to retire from ODIs but had refused, and also said he had been put under immense pressure by team management in recent time.

Chanderpaul also slammed the WICB for their treatment towards him after he was injured on the last tour of Australia, as he defended himself against a lack of discipline and application.

He will be a welcome presence in a side whose batting struggled during the one-day series, with just two batsmen getting more than 100 runs.

Brathwaite has been called up following a superb series for West Indies Under-19s against Australia Under-19s on the recent successful tour of Dubai.

The 18-year-old right-hander hit a fine unbeaten 168 in the three-day "Test" against the Aussies to lead his side to a four-wicket win.

Edwards, who has not played for West Indies in two years because of injury, returned to first class action for Barbados this season to take 22 wickets and is tipped to make a return to Tests.

The players will participate in a two-day match tomorrow and Monday at the Demerara Cricket Ground, following which a 13-man squad will be selected

Shoaib to be awarded gold medal today

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will be awarded a gold medal at a prize distribution ceremony of the Pakistan Champions Club League here on Saturday (today). “We would be honouring Shoaib for his meritorious services for Pakistan,” former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif and chief organiser of the league announced on Friday. He said MQM MNA Syed Asif Hasnain, who played the main role in the conducting Pakistan’s biggest-ever event carrying Rs 2.5 million, would be presenting the gold medal to Shoaib at RLCA Ground, Korangi -5.

MNA and deputy convener MQM Pakistan Dr Farooq Sattar and federal sports minister Engr. Shaukatullah will be the chief guests at the prize distribution ceremony of the Pakistan Champions League.

35-year-old Shoaib, dubbed a ‘Rawalpindi Express’ and who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket during the Cricket World Cup 2011, took 278 wickets at an average of 25.69 in 46 Test and 247 scalps in 163 one-day internationals for Pakistan. He also claimed 19 wickets in 15 Twenty20 internationals for Pakistan.