Bail Not falling when hit by a Zaheer yorker. strange !!

'Sacking Afridi was in team interest'

PCB chief Ijaz Butt said the decision to remove Shahid Afridi as Pakistan's ODI captain was taken in the best interest of the side but refused to reveal the reasons for it.

Afridi was replaced by senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq for the tour of Ireland.

"It is the board's right to change the captain and the decision was taken in the best interests of the team." Butt said in response to mounting criticism over his decision to sack Afridi as captain for the two-match series against Ireland later this month.

"Captains are changed all over the world and no cricket board gives a reason for that," he told the "Express Tribune" daily newspaper.

"We did what we thought was best and don't need to give a reason for it."

He also defended his decision to appoint Misbah saying that lack of options in the squad forced the move.

"We're looking at everyone's performance and discipline and we're trying to pinpoint a suitable candidate for the captain's position for the future," he explained.

Shahid Afridi's refusal to stay away from the media cost him the captaincy of Pakistan's ODI team as board officials said the all-rounder did not take warnings to keep "internal matters" to himself seriously.

Although some former Test players and administrators have criticised PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt for his decision to change appoint Misbah-ul-Haq as captain for the series against Ireland, insiders in the board said there were enough reasons for action.

"There were a number of factors involved in Butt's decision to remove Afridi as captain but the main reason was his refusal to listen to board warnings about repeatedly going to the media with internal matters," one official source said.

He said even before the ICC World Cup, Butt was not very keen on having Afridi as captain after a number of incidents and that is why the announcement of the captain was delayed.

Pakistan cricket board, a dog's tail will never be straightened

In 1996 after the Bangalore tragedy Pakistan toured to England under Wasim Akram and since that tour the whole year for Pakistan had been brilliant. Records were made; trophies were won in plenty and as time marched on the Pakistani fans began to forget the Bangalore tragedy. Pakistan ended the 1996-97 seasons as the best team both in Test and ODI cricket. Wasim was walking through path of Imran. In 1997, under him Pakistan digested the West Indies a 3-0 whitewash and the then rankings put Pakistan ahead of Australia and South Africa. They were the best side in the World. Wasim was rocking as a captain.

But the next year on the basis of some false allegations claimed by some hypocrites of Pakistan cricket Wasim was removed from captaincy. And the so called honest characters of Pakistan cricket were given the chance to lead. But what they did was nothing but destroyed the number one ranking and took Pakistan cricket to the doldrums. The false claims are more important than the most wanted leader.

Wasim came back, removed again, again came back and removed again. The circus show continued. And since 1992 the PCB has some somewhat been a total joke. There had been no cricketing sense and sensibility, no logical views and no long term stability. The world moves on but Pakistan cricket moves backward. The best suitable persons are overlooked and from no where the ability less characters are made to sit on the chair of captaincy and thus made the cricket look a complete mockery.

Last week, for criticizing Waqar’s interference on team selection, Shahid Afridi has been axed from the ODI captaincy. Afridi’s was on the knife’s edge during the New Zealand tour but he showed ample character and skill to help Pakistan win an ODI series since 2008. And during the tumultuous period of spot-fixing Afridi kept the unity intact and it reflected in the recently concluded World Cup where to the surprise of all, Pakistan played in the semifinals.

Pakistan gelled well against Afridi but in Pakistan they just hate good things. They love to spoil things. Remember how Younis Khan was giving Pakistan stability in 2009? He was being regarded as the leader of men. But sadly on the basis of false claims Younis had to be removed and the person who pointed finger towards Younis later on proved to be the biggest crook. How important these personalities are in Pakistan! How badly the best characters are harassed in Pakistan cricket!

Since 1992 chopping and changing captains has been a culture in Pakistan cricket. And more importantly, the captain who takes Pakistan cricket to the helm of glories meets a sorry end. Wasim Akram, Younis Khan, Javed Miandad, Younis khan and now Shahid Afridi all had made Pakistan look better from ugly. But their rewards had been pathetic.

Ijaz Butt’s useless egos certainly have to be blamed but Ijaz Butt is a product of a rotten Pakistani cricket culture which is simply been necrosed and infracted by filthy politics. Time and again good works are washed down the drains and the worst players are vested on the job.

Though Misbah-ul-Haq has been good in test cricket but at 37 he is not the long term solution. As Osman Samiuddin says, “Misbah might be a decent captain. His form since his return to all formats last year has been outstanding, even if it takes in the much-pilloried World Cup semi-final half-century against India. But turning to a man who turns 37 on the day he leads Pakistan against Ireland in the first ODI isn't a long-term solution.”

Airing private matters in public had been the reason of Afridi’s sacking and that came through the growth of differences with the coach Waqar Younis. But it can happen and for which sacking the best man for the job is an unprofessional act and none better than the PCB bosses can do better in exhibiting unprofessional acts. In the past captains were changed like toilet tissue papers without even a second thought.

Writers and fans all over the world are tired and exhausted with the stupidity of the PCB. The moment they began to dream a settled Pakistan unit and the next day they discover their dreams being shattered by the idiotic PCB bosses.

19 years have passed since Imran have retired, two decades has gone and sadly those stupidi

Afridi's media outbursts cost him captaincy: PCB officials

 Shahid Afridi's refusal to stay away from the media cost him the captaincy of Pakistan's ODI team as Board officials said the all-rounder did not take warnings to keep "internal matters" to himself seriously.

Although some former Test players and administrators have criticised PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt for his decision to appoint Misbah-ul-Haq as captain for the coming two matches against Ireland, insiders in the board said there was ground for action.

"There were a number of factors involved in Butt deciding to remove Afridi as captain but the main was his refusal to listen to board warnings about repeatedly going to the media with internal matters," one official source said.

He said even before the World Cup, Butt was not very keen on having Afridi lead the team after a number of incidents that is why the announcement of the captain was delayed.

"Butt and other officials in the board were not happy at inside information of the team and about details of discussions held with Afridi being published in the media from time to time," the source said.

He said Butt had in one meeting before the World Cup told Afridi to refrain from going to the media all the time on confidential matters.

"In one particular incident Afridi was called to a meeting by Butt in which the PCB Chairman discussed an issue with him about which no one had knowledge except the two and the chief operating officer.

"The next day when the issue was highlighted in the media, Butt had no doubt left who was behind the leakage as only Afridi didn't know that the information given to him on the issue was incorrect," the source said.

He said Butt was also unhappy that the details about his discussion with Afridi on team matters after he returned from the West Indies were also published in the media the next day.

"That is why Butt reacted so strongly and removed Afridi as captain. The PCB chief is clear in his mind that he will not allow any player to dictate terms to the board or violate the code of conduct.

He said Butt had told Afridi after he complained about problems with head coach Waqar Younis on selection matters that he would sort out things after the tour but he should refrain from speaking in the media on the issue again.

Another source said the board was also not happy that Afridi had failed to send his reply to the notice issued to him after he returned from the West Indies and spoke to the media at the airport about interference in his domain.

Former Test pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz backed the decision to remove Afridi as one-day captain. "He didn't do anything in the West Indies with bat or ball and he has struggled as batsman for a while now. He should now just concentrate on leading the team in Twenty20 cricket," Nawaz said

Fans criticize Afridi's removal as Pakistan ODI captain

Fans of Shahid Afridi have taken their cause to social networking website Facebook, criticizing Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt for removing the enigmatic allrounder as captain for this month's one-day series against Ireland.

On a Facebook page titled "We hate Ijaz Butt remove him as PCB chairman," fans have been candid in posting their comments in favour of Afridi.

One fan wrote that he will not support the Pakistan cricket team against Ireland, saying: "Bye bye Pakistan cricket team."

Another fan advised Butt to quit as chairman PCB, saying "Go home dude!!! Stop destroying Pakistan cricket....!!!"

Misbah-ul-Haq was named Pakistan captain Thursday for the two ODIs against Ireland, to be played in the Northern Ireland capital Belfast. The decision to replace Afridi as captain apparently came after he criticized team management following the ODI series against the West Indies.

Will this nonsense ever end?

Ijaz Butt on Thursday pushed Pakistan cricket off the track when he sacked Shahid Afridi as captain just when it seemed things were falling in place for the national team.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman replaced Afridi with Misbah-ul-Haq — the veteran batsman who will turn 37 later this month — for the brief, two-match One-day International series against Ireland. Butt didn’t even bother to give any reason for Afridi’s sacking though he did announce that the flamboyant allrounder will continue to be a part of the national team.

“Misbah will lead Pakistan in the two matches against Ireland and Afridi will play as a team member only,” Butt told reporters in Lahore.

It is the eleventh time that Butt has changed a captain during his three-year tenure.

His decision couldn’t have come at a worse time. Under Afridi, Pakistan were finally showing signs of improvement which were evident in their series triumphs over New Zealand and West Indies — both away from home — and their largely positive showing in World Cup 2011.

It’s difficult to find any logic behind this move but there were signs that Butt was mulling over the option of bringing about a change. Recently he claimed about having crushed player power and then announced that he gave Afridi no guarantees about his captaincy.

It was apparent that by bringing in a new one-day captain, Butt wanted to give the message that he is boss. The PCB chief, according to sources, wasn’t happy with Afridi after the allrounder tried to speak about problems within the team management.

Though he didn’t name anybody, Afridi hinted after returning home from the Caribbean earlier this month that there was friction between him and Pakistan coach Waqar Younis. “It’s Butt’s way to teach Afridi a lesson,” said a source in the PCB. “The PCB chief can’t tolerate any act of indiscipline.”

However earlier this month, Butt did overlook a similar ‘act of indiscipline’ when he opted against taking any action when chief selector Mohsin Khan ran towards the media after being snubbed by the PCB chief over team selection for the Test series against West Indies.

Butt came under heavy fire for removing Afridi. “He helped you reach the World Cup semifinals. He was the best bowler of the World Cup. He led the team to back-to-back series wins and still got the sack. Its mind boggling,” said Salahuddin Ahmed ex- Test player.

“Afridi was a successful captain because he managed to bring the best out of a team that included a number of mediocre players,” he said referring to the fact that under Afridi Pakistan won 18 ODIs and lost in 15. Many of the wins came against stronger teams like South Africa, England and Australia.

Salahuddin also lamented PCB’s double standards.

“If he (Afridi) was sacked over indiscipline then why did the board fell short of taking similar action against others who have openly violated its code of conduct,” he asked.

Iqbal Qasim, the former Test spinner, lamented that PCB has become a one-man show. “Afridi has been punished for taking Pakistan to World Cup semifinals. This decision smacks of a one-man show in the PCB,” he said.

However, Zaheer Abbas was of the view that the Board cannot ignore disciplinary breaches. “Though I like Afridi, I must say that he shouldn’t have been giving irresponsible statements,” said the former Test batsman.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have made three changes in the squad with misfiring opener Ahmed Shehzad, Usman Salahuddin and pacer Sadaf Hussain failing to retain their places in the squad. Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan, who missed the Tests against West Indies because of his brother’s death is back along with Umar Gul. Also earning a spot in the line-up is Azhar Ali.

Pakistan squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan, Taufiq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Salman, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan and Hammad Azam.

Pakistan cricket trio ordered before court in July

Three Pakistani cricketers and their agent at the centre of cheating allegations must appear before a London court in July, a judge has said.

Salman Butt, 26, Mohammad Asif, 28, and Mohammad Amir, 18, and agent Mazhar Majeed, 35, were not at Southwark Crown Court for the procedural hearing.

The players are accused of "spot-fixing" offences in the fourth Test against England at Lord's last August.

They have always denied the accusations of bowling deliberate no-balls.

Mr Justice Saunders said they must attend in person or via videolink at a preparatory hearing in July although no date was set. A provisional trial date of 4 October has already been set.

The players are charged with cheating and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments.

Mr Majeed, of Oaks Road, Croydon, south London, is accused of accepting £150,000 to arrange for the players to bowl no-balls in Pakistan's Test series at Lord's Cricket Ground in London last summer.

Accepting corrupt payments is an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and carries a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Cheating is an offence under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005. It carries a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Shahid Afridi has been named to lead Karachi Dolphins in the Super Eight T20 Cup

 Shahid Afridi has been named to lead Karachi Dolphins in the Super Eight T20 Cup being played at Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad from June 24 to July 1.

Squad: Shahid Afridi (Captain), Muhammad Sami (V.Captain), Khalid Latif, Shahzaib Hasan, Asad Shafiq, Rameez Raja, Fawad Alam, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Tariq Haroon, Misbah Khan, Sohail Khan, Rameez Aziz, Tanvir Ahmed, Fazal Subhan, Shaharyar Ghani, M.Waqas, Junaid Ilyas, Afsar Nawaz, Ali Mudassar and Azam Hussain.Saleem Jaffer (Coach) and Razik H. Rabbani (Manager)

Pak greats advise batsmen to stand up and deliver against the Windies

Former Pakistan batting greats have called on the national team to stand up and show more maturity in the batting department in the second Test against the West Indies starting Friday, if the visitors wish to level the two-match series.

Pakistan failed to put up a encouraging batting display in the low-scoring first Test at Guyana, which they lost by 40 runs against the West Indies.

"I think our batsmen struggle when the ball is doing a little bit and swinging around," former captain Hanif Mohammad said.

Chasing 219 to win the first Test, Pakistan were bowled out for 178 in the second innings midway into the fourth day with the West Indies captain Darren Sammy claiming five wickets for 29 at the Providence Stadium.

Hanif said the Pakistani batsmen need to realise that Test cricket was all about patience and application. "Our batsmen need to know when to play on the back foot and when to go on the front foot.

"I think many of the batsmen nowadays have this problem of adjusting between limited overs cricket and Test matches. But our batsmen have always struggled against swing bowling," he said.

Pakistan's highest run-scorer in Tests, Javed Miandad felt the batsmen needed to adjust their game according to the situation.

"It is all about personal application and the will to do well. You can't bat with the same approach that you have in limited overs cricket and that is the mistake our batsmen are making these days," he opined.

Miandad was offered the position of batting coach with the team before the start of the West Indies tour after Pakistan lost in the semi final of the World Cup.

But he refused to take up the assignment on full-time basis because of personal commitments.

The former great also insisted that there is no need for coaching a batsman at the international level.

Miandad, a former captain, noted that to play consistently well at the highest level, a batsman need to work on his technical weaknesses.

"All the greats have had one thing in common, they have spent hours in the net," he said.

Another ex-skipper Zaheer Abbas, who earned the sobriquet of 'Asian Bradman' because of his run-scoring feats, said he was disappointed at the way the Pakistani batsmen had catapulted in the first Test against the West Indies.

"No doubt the pitch was a bit dicey and double paced but at this level you are expected to adjust your technique accordingly. I thought 219 was gettable on the last two days of the match," he said.

Zaheer, who has offered to become batting coach of the team, said in the last match of the tour the batsmen needed to focus on staying at the wicket.

"Once you stay at the wicket everything falls into place. But one problem our batsmen have is they are not converting good starts into centuries," he noted.

He pointed out that in the last 12 months only one batsman had scored a Test century (Younis Khan against South Africa in Dubai) and that was an area of concern.

Pakistan's former coach, Mudassar Nazar believed the loss in the first Test was more or less expected as any team batting in the fourth innings would have suffered.

But Nazar felt that the batsmen should have shown more application and concentration against the West Indies bowlers, who got majority of wickets with reverse swinging deliveries.

"The only thing lacking in our team is consistency but some of the younger players have made good starts to their careers and they should build on it," he said.

Former captain and ex-chief selector, Aamir Sohail said Pakistan's batting would always lack consistency until steps were taken at the grass root level to educate and coach the players properly without tinkering with their natural talent

Sohail Tanveer to lead Pakistan “A” against Afghanistan

Left arm Test pace bowler, Sohail Tanveer has been named to lead Pakistan “A” squad in three match One-day series against the visiting Afghan team, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Wednesday. Selectors announced 15-member squad besides picking 4-member management for the series.

Coached by former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, neighboring Afghan team is due to arrive here on May 23 for the series with opening day/night game at Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad on May 25. Second match will be played at Rawalpindi on May 27 and third final match on May 29 at Abbotabad.
Sohail Tanveer, who toured New Zealand with Pakistan team last year and was not picked in the national team for the World Cup on fitness ground, has been named the captain.
Karachi’s talented Test wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, who failed to get selectors’ nod  for current West Indies tour, has also been named in the squad with another Karachi Test paceman Sohail Khan.  Pakistan “A” squad included Sohail Tanveer (Captain) Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Sharjeel Khan, Umer Amin, Naveed Yasin, Usman Salahuddin, Rameez Raja,  Mansoor Amjad, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan, Muhammad Talha and Sadaf Hussain.
Sajjad Akbar (Coach-cum-Manager), Imranullah (Trainer), Iftikhar (Physiotherapist) and Muhammad Imran (Masseur) are officials of the team.

Former Pakistani cricketers believe it is difficult to eradicate player power

In contrast to the claims of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Ijaz Butt, many former cricketers in Pakistan believe that eradicating player power from the country’s cricket is easier said than done.

Last week, Butt had claimed to have eradicated player power from Pakistan cricket as he credited the enforcement of strict punishments on players accused of violating rules and regulations of the PCB.

Speaking on the matter, Pakistan’s former batting great Zaheer Abbas said, “It’s a good thing if it has been stamped out. Cricket will flourish if claims made by Ijaz are to be believed. Players have always run after power and it’s been a major issue with Pakistan cricket.”

He further said, “As far as the Chairman’s claim is concerned, something so major can’t be done in a year or two because it’s become a tradition in Pakistan cricket for the last two decades.”

Abbas also added that it was due to player power that no one had ever felt the need to make an association for cricketers.

Meanwhile former PCB official, Mian Munir, placed the blame of player power on Pakistan’s 1992 triumphant world cup skipper Imran Khan. According to Munir it was Imran who first injected the doctrine of player power in the country’s cricket.

He also doubted the possibility of eliminating player power from Pakistan cricket but insisted that if it really had been done then the PCB should make sure that the menace doesn’t creep back-in in the future.

He blamed player power for the inconsistency in team selection which has plagued Pakistan cricket for decades.

The claims of the PCB chairman are hard to swallow since Pakistan cricket is again entangled in a feud between the coach and captain of the national team.

According to news reports, the limited overs captain, Shahid Afridi, is at odds with the head coach and former pacer, Waqar Younis, over player selection for the last two matches of the five-match One-Day series in theWest Indies earlier.

After reaching back home at the conclusion of the tournament, Afridi claimed that there was outside interference in the selection of the team.

According to details, after taking the series by winning the first three matches, Afridi wanted to give young players a chance to test their mettle, however, Waqar begged to differ and refused to adhere to Afridi’s request.

This is believed to be the bone of contention between the two and since Waqar is still in the Caribbean, the PCB has delayed any action for now.

The PCB will wait for the detailed report, which will be submitted by the team’s manager, Intikhab Alam.

It was rumoured in the local media that the PCB was considering sidelining Afridi for his outburst in Pakistani media regarding the estranged relation with the national team’s coach.

The PCB seems to be caught between a rock and a hard place and it will be interesting to see how Ijaz Butthandles the situation.