LIVE CRICKET AND COMEDY POINT

Cricket West Indies

2011-10-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

Gayle to be considered if he retracts statements

Chris Gayle will only be considered for selection for West Indies if he retracts statements he has made about the West Indies board and its officers, the WICB has said in a statement. The board will appoint a facilitator to assist Gayle in complying with their requirements. The decision comes after the last meeting between Gayle and WICB chief Ernest Hilaire, on August 25, had more positive results then previous interactions between the parties.

Relations between Gayle and the board had broken down after he gave an interview in April to a radio station during which he was scathing about both the board and coach Ottis Gibson. After attempts at reconciliation failed, and Gayle was left out of the squad for the whole of the home series against India, he released a long and emotional public statement, in which he traced the evolution of the dispute back to 2009, when, he said, Hilaire had cast doubts on his ability to captain the team.

The board has now said it recognises that Gayle can "contribute meaningfully" to the West Indies team, but will only select him if he withdraws his criticisms. The WICB said they had told Gayle of their decision and were waiting for his response.

Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain and now WICB director, said it was important to get a senior player like Gayle back in the West Indies setup and that it would be wise for Gayle to comply with the board's requirements.

"First of all it is disappointing that the matter has gone on for as long as it has," Lloyd said in the board statement. "What we need now is closure and, to be fair, anyone of whom those comments were made would have a right to take umbrage.

'Withdrawing the comments would be the intelligent thing to do to get the issue resolved and have everyone move on. We need senior players to be in the setup to drive the progress forward and any team would love to entertain Gayle, but under the right circumstances."

Gayle has not played for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup. Since then, he has been an integral part of Royal Challengers Bangalore's squad in their IPL and Champions League Twenty20 campaigns, finishing as the leading run-getter in the IPL.

His saga with the board had escalated to a level where the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government had become involved. West Indies are currently touring Bangladesh, after which they will go to India to play three Tests and five ODIs.

Cricket Australia

2011-10-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

Warne wants Lehmann as Australia's coach

Shane Warne believes Darren Lehmann would be the perfect coach for Australia as the search continues for Tim Nielsen's replacement. Lehmann is in his first year as Queensland's mentor but Warne believes his old-school approach would be perfect for either the vacant head coach role or a position on the selection panel.

"I think Darren Lehmann is absolutely outstanding - as a coach or in some senior role involved in the team or as a selector," Warne told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday. "I think he's got a really good understanding of the young guys, he's got a great understanding of old school and what's required to perform.

"[There's] old-school '70s and '80s - sit down and don't say a word and let the experienced people talk - to the new way where you play one game you think you've played a hundred and you're part of the furniture. Somewhere in the middle is about the right way."

Warne was famously critical of John Buchanan during his team at the helm of Australia's side, believing that Buchanan complicated things unnecessarily. Warne once said that international teams should not have coaches, but rather team managers to act as a facilitator for the captain, and he believes "old-school toughness" is a key requirement for whoever gets the job.

"That hard work, get in the nets and train hard for two hours, forget the ice baths, physios, calories, stretching," he said. "All those sort of things, which are important in modern-day sport, and you should have them, they have a place - [but] I just think you need someone with old-school thoughts - a bit of hard work, a bit of the new stuff and mix and match.

"It doesn't matter how many computers you want to look at, pie charts or all those rubbish things, you have to physically do it. Whoever they appoint, hopefully it's someone like a Darren Lehmann if it's not a Darren Lehmann."

Cricket Australia has started a global search for the new head coach, who will also have responsibility for directing the coaching strategy down through the states. Steve Rixon, the Australian team's fielding coach, is considered one of the front-runners due to his strong relationship with the captain Michael Clarke.

Spot Fixing

2011-10-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Butt has 'been caught' court told

Salman Butt was told by the prosecution he had "been caught" as his long vigil in the witness box that stretched over three days was completed in the afternoon of the eleventh day of the alleged spot-fixing trial in London on Wednesday.

Butt faced the prosecution headed by Aftab Jafferjee QC for two days running, following the day he spent in the stand with his own counsel on Monday. It was an often fraught exchange that concluded with Butt accepting no part in the alleged spot-fixing and Jafferjee telling the court that he was "controlling" the players through the no-balls.

Former Pakistan captain Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord's Test last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenage pace bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

The jury was walked through the detail of the frantic phone traffic between Butt, Majeed, Asif and Amir on the night before the Lord's Test commenced, after Majeed had been caught on a secret camera pocketing £140,000 for pre-planned no-balls to be bowled plus future fixes. A previous amount of £10,000 had already been paid.

There were 20 calls or texts between Butt and Majeed, 25 between Amir and Majeed and four between Butt, Asif and Amir. Some of these calls or text messages were made in the early hours.

"The Lord's fix was on Mr Butt in the early hours of the morning and you know it don't you," Jafferjee said.

Butt replied: "No."

"It's all going on behind your back is it?" Jafferjee asked sarcastically.

Butt: "Yes."

"It's the three of you who are all (planning) the no-balls Mr Butt," Jafferjee continued. "You are all saying what is going to go on, isn't it?

Butt: "I'm not part of it."

"But we agree don't we Mr Butt," Jafferjee went on, "that if Amir and Asif were involved they would have to have spoken to you?"

Butt: "Okay, I'll take that from you (with a wry grin)."

"Everything suggests that Amir was in on the fix doesn't it Mr Butt?"

Butt: "Yes."

Jafferjee then talked about what he has repeatedly called "the performance" that followed Amir's first no-ball, as Amir checked his spikes, examined the crease and Butt then arrived to sprinkle sawdust on the crease.

Jafferjee: "You would agree it was a performance wouldn't you Mr Butt?"

Butt: "I didn't bring the sawdust with me from the hotel. It is always there on the ground when the weather is damp."

"Yes no-balls are bowled accidentally, sawdust is there out on the ground and batsmen do tap the pitch," Jafferjee hit back. "But what you and Majeed and Amir and Asif did was exploit things what normally happen out on the cricket pitch."

The prosecutor then reminded the jury of the text message that Majeed sent to the undercover News of the World reporter just before the third pre-planned no-ball was delivered. Because Amir was bowling beautifully and eventually reduced England to 47 for 5 in that first innings, Majeed texted to warn the journalist that the captain might tell Amir not to bowl that no-ball now because of the form he was in.

Jafferjee concluded: "He (Majeed) was talking about you because you are in there controlling the players and particularly the youngest player out there - the impressionable Amir, Mr Butt. And you have been caught."

Although Butt defended himself consistently and stoically, he was forced to concede on several occasions that Majeed's fixing-related messages to him were "annoying". Jafferjee pressed him hard on why he never - in the messages before the court anyway - told Majeed that he would not tolerate it anymore.

The night before he allegedly agreed to bat out a maiden at The Oval in the third Test - the night before they eventually won the match - was such an episode that Jafferjee focused on. On how when Majeed called him, unknowingly on speakerphone so the journalist could hear, to say: 'You know the maiden over yeah?' To which Butt went 'Yeah'. Majeed continued, 'Do one more'. It was then that Butt said, 'No mate, just leave it.' Butt did not bat out the maiden. Majeed contacted Butt again on the same subject the following morning, a Saturday, before Butt left for the ground.

Jafferjee continually pressed Butt on why he did not respond more angrily to Majeed. "You were on the verge of a great win and you didn't tell Majeed how annoyed you were by these messages?" Butt reasoned that he was focusing on the game and didn't want to get into an awkward conversation at that time. Butt also said in the subsequent celebration dinner that Majeed attended along with "seven or eight" of the players he never mentioned the messages.

Jafferjee was unimpressed by the answers he was receiving on the issue and at one point said: "You are lying your head off to this jury aren't you Mr Butt?"

Before the day ended, Butt's lawyer Ali Bajwa QC told the court that some Pakistan numbers in the phone records during this time corresponded to calls Butt made to family, friends and former players including Imran Khan, who Butt admitted he would call for advice.

The case continues.

Bell eyes regular spot in England ODI team

2011-10-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

London: England batsman Ian Bell has said he is desperate to cement his place in the one-day team.

Bell has missed the first two ODIs against India in the ongoing five-match series, both of which England lost.
"I've never really had that clarity of what I need to go out and do. I'm experienced enough to know how to go out and play one-day cricket, but I still don't feel I know 100 percent what my role is," he said.

"I'm desperate to get up the order. If anyone asked me, I'd want to bat in the top three. But one of my strengths but also one of my problems is that I'm quite flexible. I can start against spin, I can start against the new ball."

"So I've become that kind of player: 'He can bat at six, four or he can open.' Whereas others probably occupy specialist positions. In my 100-odd one-day internationals, I haven't had a long string of games in one position. I've chopped and changing all the time," he said.

Meanwhile, Bell also publicly thanked India for recalling him after a controversial run-out during the Trent Bridge Test in August.

Bell, who could turn out against India for the third ODI in Mohali, admitted that he made a mistake during the Trent Bridge Test by walking off assuming that ball was dead. Initially he was given out, but later was recalled by India.

"It was an honest mistake. It was wrong to assume the ball was dead, and just to walk off was my fault. But, yes, I'm obviously grateful. If I could go back in time and the situation was different, I'd do it differently," Bell was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

"I hope people understand that things like that happen in cricket. I think something similar happened to VVS Laxman in the West Indies and he wasn't called back, and the Indians were really annoyed about that," he said.

"But they wouldn't have changed the decision if they didn't think it was the right thing for the game. Hopefully we can just move on," said Bell.

South Africa v Australia 1st ODI

2011-10-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

Clarke sounds out Ponting warning

Without the burden of captaincy, the pressures of leading the world's best one-day team and the complications that come with being the man in charge, Ricky Ponting is a freer man. According to new Australia captain, Michael Clarke, he is also a fiercer one.

"I have a feeling he is on the brink of having one of the best series of his career," Clarke said. "Watching him in the nets, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets Man of the Series in the one-dayers and is our leading run-scorer in the Tests."

Such a vote of confidence comes after Ponting finished as the second-highest run-scorer for Australia in their ODI series against Sri Lanka in August and scored 87 for Tasmania against Western Australia last week. To have a senior player in good nick will serve Clarke, who is still in his early days as captain, in good stead. "Ricky has been a big help to me throughout my career," he said. "He is a wonderful guy, very experienced and talented, still has a lot to offer in Australian cricket in both ODIs and Tests."

After leading Australia to victories in Bangladesh and the ODI and Test contests in Sri Lanka, Clarke faces arguably the biggest challenge of his leadership so far, in South Africa. Apart from the famous rivalry between the two countries, there are rankings at stake in both formats and Clarke recognises that it will be a significant test of his leadership.

"It's always great when you get the chance to play against tough opposition. I have enjoyed every challenge I have had against them," Clark said. "They are a very strong, experienced team. They've got some youngsters as well, who haven't played much cricket which is pretty similar to our team."

Australia's youth have burst onto the scene, with teenage paceman Pat Cummins stealing the headlines after his performances in the two T20s. He was fast-tracked into their Test squad and many feel he is on the brink of something special. Clarke was measured in his praise of Cummins, compared to T20 captain Cameron White and New South Wales team-mate Shane Watson, but recognised his potential. "He is very exciting young prospect, he can bowl fast, he can move the ball and for a youngster he has great knowledge of fast bowling."

He was equally conservative about the other prospects, James Pattinson and Mitchell Marsh, and made it clear that they will have to graft to make their names. "I'm excited to see the guys get an opportunity to stake their claim and now they have got hold of their chance and are playing for Australia."

It's in the fast-bowling department that Australia have sprouted talent and Clarke said that has more to do with the conditions in South Africa than the need to look for replacements for the likes of Brett Lee. "We're just trying to pick the right combination for where we are playing. Having two spinners and four quicks is the right mix, now we are just trying to pick the best 11 on the day."

Clarke said Australia will put their best foot forward, particularly because have their status as the No. 1 ranked ODI team in mind and want to hold on to it. "It's certainly something that we are aware of and very proud of. Hopefully we can continue playing good cricket and stay on top." South Africa could close that gap to a fraction if they win all three matches in the series. Hashim Amla said the team has not even thought about that because "they have bigger things to worry about."

Amla, himself, forms one of the sub-plots of the series, which was initially supposed to be a contest of the young leaders between AB de Villiers and Clarke. He said he is "enjoying it although it is taking some getting used to." While Clarke did not give an appraisal of Amla's leadership, he said the stand-in skipper may be under some strain. "I think it's more of a concern that they haven't got AB. He is a very good player. They'll certainly miss him and there'll be a little bit of extra pressure on Hashim's shoulders."

The return of Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn had Amla beaming as he welcomed back "familiar personnel" but the resumption of a format of the game in which has excelled seemed to please Amla more. Amla had only played three T20s for South Africa before captaining in the previous two and was dismissed cheaply both times. Now, he returns to the fifty-over game, where he is the world's top ranked batsmen and it seems he enjoyed the extra time it allows. "It will give us more time to assess and it's not just a case of one the day someone makes a big impact," he said.

Amla also hoped the change in format would result in a change in fortune for his opening partner Graeme Smith, who was in miserable touch in the T20s, after making his return from injury. "There is a lot more time to build innings so hopefully he will do well."

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi, 1st day

2011-10-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

Junaid's five-for caps Pakistan's day

Pakistan 27 for 0 (Hafeez 17*, Taufeeq 8*) trail Sri Lanka 197 (Mathews 52*, Paranavitana 37, Junaid 5-38, Gul 2-37) by 170 runs

Junaid Khan Take his First five
wickets haul

Sri Lanka squandered away what seemed to be an inviting proposition in the morning - being put in to bat on a flat wicket under the hot sun against inexperienced bowlers - by refusing to score, and ultimately succumbed against a relentless Pakistan attack. Angelo Mathews, however, batted intelligently with the lower order, as he had done during the recent series against Australia, to lift Sri Lanka from the lows of 114 for 7 before Junaid Khan's maiden Test five-for kept them to a first-innings tally of 197.

Pakistan's bowlers were nearly sold short at the toss by their captain who thought that any chance of taking wickets lay in utilising the scant moisture on a flat and deceptively green-tinged pitch. With a large heart and perseverance, though, they prised out six wickets in the second session after Lahiru Thirimanne's guide to slip off Saeed Ajmal gave them an opening at the stroke of lunch.

Aizaz Cheema epitomised Pakistan's hunger with a relentless spell, either side of the break, that claimed Kumar Sangakkara cheaply and troubled Mahela Jayawardene with consistent pace and zip off the placid surface. Jayawardene managed to survive Cheema's spell but soon joined Tillakaratne Dilshan in the dressing room. Dilshan had earlier briefly breathed life into the doddering innings, before being wrongly adjudged caught-behind by umpire Tony Hill, as Sri Lanka slipped to 112 for 4.

Jayawardene went in the next over, prodding at Junaid outside off stump and edging to slip. Junaid capitalised on the panic in the line-up to claim Prasanna Jayawardene and Rangana Herath with searing full deliveries to reduce Sri Lanka to 114 for 4, but the fight had gone out of the Sri Lanka innings some time ago.

Cheema, 32, displayed the tireless zeal of a player made to wait almost ten years for his Test debut. He even hit Jayawardene on the helmet grill when the batsman failed to get out of the way of a short one. Cheema's aggression was in contrast to the way Thirimanne and Tharanga Paranavitana added 26 runs in the first hour, treating the benign Sheikh Zayed Stadium surface with the extreme respect that an overcast Headingley morning would deserve.

Though the three Pakistan fast bowlers, Gul, Cheema and Junaid - chosen ahead of the quicker and more experienced Wahab Riaz - ran in with heart, they were rendered ineffective in the first session by the lifeless pitch.

The openers' approach, however, bordered on the extreme of being over-cautious. The first boundary came in the 14th over from Paranavitana off the part-time offspin of Mohammad Hafeez. Having played sedately all morning, Thirimanne guided Ajmal straight to slip in the penultimate over before lunch. Sri Lanka had managed only 50 runs in the session.

Cheema struck with the first ball of the second over after lunch, getting Sangakkara to edge behind for Adnan Akmal to take a flying one-handed catch in front of first slip. Paranavitana contrived to survive longer with his defensive mindset but the manner of his dismissal - gloving an attempted pull to the wicketkeeper off a Gul short ball down the leg side - showed that patience without purpose inevitably comes unstuck against sustained pressure.

Just as Pakistan had used Sri Lanka's diffidence to spark a collapse, Mathews took advantage of Misbah's listless field-settings to add 54 - the highest partnership of the innings - with Suranga Lakmal. Mathews did everything that the earlier batsmen had not - he did not get tied down and attacked when allowed to, shielding Lakmal initially and taking advantage of the spread-out fields. Misbah helped Mathews by repeatedly keeping the field back even for the final two deliveries of the overs. On the rare occasions when he brought them in, Mathews went after the bowling, slicing and punching Cheema for consecutive boundaries off the final two balls of the 61st over.

Pakistan eventually got through the tail when Junaid cleaned up the last two wickets to end with 5 for 38, and set up the game for the Pakistan batsmen.

The new ball had not done much for Pakistan; Sri Lanka's bowlers did not fare better, if anything, they did not make the Pakistan openers play enough. Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar were hardly troubled in breezing to 27 by stumps, capping a dominant day for their side.

2011-10-10T04:43:00.000-07:00

Ganguly Hits Out On Shoaib's Comments, Again!

MUMBAI: Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly on Saturday made light of former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar's claim in his autobiography that Sachin Tendulkar was uncomfortable against his pace in the Faisalabad Test in 2006.

"I don't think even my daughter will believe that Sachin was scared of fast bowlers. You don't get 100 centuries, he is almost there (99 international centuries), and play for 20 years being scared of fast bowlers. You have good form and bad form, but that does not signify you cannot play fast bowlers," Ganguly told reporters at a promotional event.

He said the controversy surrounding Shoaib's autobiography " Controversially Yours" has not come as a surprise as it has happened before with ex-cricketers penning their books with misleading anecdotes.

"I have experienced all this before. It is not just Shoaib Akhtar or Shahid Afridi. There were also Andrew Flintoff, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist. You find all these things appearing in a book. That is why I have not written a book yet," Ganguly quipped.

Hayden in his book 'Standing My Ground' had said that Ganguly and Harbhajan chickened out after having a look at the grassy Nagpur strip during Australia's tour of 2004.

While in his book 'Being Freddie, my story so far', Flintoff had portrayed Ganguly as lazy and selfish and behaved like royalty. Ganguly and Flintoff had played together for English county team Lancashire.

Ganguly said he was surprised and disappointed at the way these books were written.

"Write about good things. Write about India-Pakistan series in 2004. Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi were part of the team. It was such a fantastic tour," he added.

India had won both Tests and one-day matches for the first time on Pakistan soil, during the bi-lateral series.

In a lighter vein, Ganguly said, "They have stopped selling Shoaib's book here. I would need to go to Pakistan or ask you (journalists) to get me one when you go to cover a series there."

Showing interest about the contents of the book, he said, "You really want to know Shoaib as a person because, as someone in the opposition team, he came across as an interesting character. I am sure his autobiography will be running fast and there will be lot of quick deliveries".

He urged the Pakistan Cricket Board to move on with the game ignoring the ongoing controversy regarding match fixing scandal and Akthar's book.

"It is time for Pakistan cricket to get a bit of balance. There is too much of unnecessary things that is happening in that country regarding their cricket. Let us get on with the game and get on with the sport because there is so much talent in their country," Ganguly said.

"You look at the players who have come over the years. The likes of Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Yousuf Youhana (now Mohammad Yousuf). It is just amazing talent. Pakistan cricket needs to use their energy in positive way," he added.

2011-10-10T00:35:00.000-07:00

Test Championship on ICC's agenda

The ICC Executive Board will meet in Dubai on Monday to discuss the format of the ICC event in 2013, domestic anti-corruption codes and the findings of the Independent Governance Review that wascommissioned in June, among other things.

Currently, the Champions Trophy is scheduled for June 2013 in England, but there is a possibility that this event could be scrapped in favour of a Test Championship. The board will seek to finalise a decision on this. "Player and public interest in Test match cricket is at an all-time high," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive officer, said ahead of the meet. "It would be fitting to stage a Test Championship play-off for the top four teams."

Last week, Ronnie Flanagan, the chairman of the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit, said there was a fear that domestic matches could be affected by corruption, given the increased scrutiny of international fixtures. In November 2010, the executive board had directed all Full Members to implement a domestic anti-corruption code by April 1, 2011.

At the meeting, the ICC will receive an update on the implementation of domestic anti-corruption processes. "The ICC and [Full] Members are well aware of the need to enhance education and preventative measures in this crucial area," Lorgat said. "We know that we can never become complacent."

The Independent Governance Review panel is supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers and chaired by Harry Woolf, a former Chief Justice of England and Wales, who will present a progress report at the meeting. It is one of the ICC's initiatives in the new Strategic Plan 2011-2015 that was adopted in April 2011 and comprises an evaluation of the ICC's presidential nomination and election process.

Lorgat said he hoped the review will help mould the ICC's governance framework going forward. "It is our clear ambition to be a well-managed and leading global governing body," he said. "I am hopeful that the review will lead us to set up a governance model that is relevant for our new world."

2011-10-08T00:44:00.000-07:00

ICC warns Sri Lanka over Galle's 'poor' pitch :

COLOMBO: - Sri Lanka's cricket board (SLC) has been officially warned for the "poor" quality of the pitch at Galle, which hosted the first Test in their recent series against Australia, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Friday.

The SLC was in line for a sanction after the pitch was criticised as "too dry" by both teams after Australia won the test by 125 runs last month.

"It was clear ... that the amount of turn, especially early in the match, was excessive and there were occasions... where the ball went through the surface of the pitch, bouncing
unusually steeply from a good length," ICC general manager Dave Richardson was quoted as saying in a statement.

"...taking into account that it was the first time that a pitch at Galle has been rated as 'poor', and given the intention of the curator to prepare a pitch that provided a fair balance
between bat and ball, we have decided to impose a warning as the sanction."

The world governing body of the game also directed pitch consultant Andy Atkinson to inspect the ground at the end of this month and recommend necessary corrective measures.

SLC will have to submit a report to the ICC confirming that the corrective actions had been implemented before the staging of the next international match at the venue.(Reuters)

2011-10-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

Royal Challengers v NSW, 1st semi-final, CLT20, Bangalore
Bowlers hope for survival in Twenty20 fantasy

Match facts

Royal Challengers Bangalore v New South Wales, October 7, Bangalore
Start time 20:00 (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

For those who love this format of the game for the big hits, this is pure unadulterated Twenty20 porn. Imagine David Warner, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli and Moises Henriques on this true Bangalore track with good skiddy bounce, with pace that aids stroke-making, with dew affecting the already small outfield. Put together, Warner, Dilshan and Kolhi have scored 279 off 152 balls in their previous innings. It won't be completely inadequate if the team meetings featured only the following words, also in tribute to Graham Dilley: "Let's give it some humpty."

Dilley died hours before the Royal Challengers Bangalore and South Australia gave it some fine humpty in the virtual quarter-final on Wednesday. Two-hundred-and-fourteen was chased successfully with a last-ball six, and yet the striking feature of the whole match was the minimal slogging. Daniel Vettori was left marvelling at some of the cover-driven sixes.

Vettori's four overs for 24 runs also drew mild marvel. He will lead the bowlers' attempts to come out of this without being violated. It didn't happen in the last match, although Shaun Tait took an excellent five-for, but such games are often won by a bowler who does something out of the ordinary. Vettori, whose captaincy, particularly his use - or lack thereof - of part-time bowlers, has come under the scanner, will want to be the one doing that something extraordinary. So will Patrick Cummins, the young fast bowler who has impressed everybody with his raw pace. This pitch will only aid his quickness.

It will take all the canniness that bowlers can muster to keep many records from being broken by the time the night is done. Even some 10 minutes after Arun Karthik hit that last-ball six to take the Royal Challengers through, he couldn't breathe properly. He struggled to speak. He managed a few words before rejoining the celebration. Once the euphoria settled and when the implication of this win dawned, wonder if a bowler sympathiser went up to him, and whispered gently, "What have you just done?"

Watch out for …

Even though Karthik struggled to get words out during that post-match interview, what he said was clear and instructive. He said he knew Daniel Christian would bowl a slower ball, the sixth of the over, and he just waited for it before giving it his all. The slower ball is no longer a surprise delivery in today's limited-overs cricket. In fact it is the new middle overs: the necessary evil. Hopefully there will be some real quick onesfrom Cummins and Dirk Nannes.

The other ones. Both line-ups have three big batsmen each. NSW's other batsmen aren't ordinary, but they might not find their game suited to a 200-run match. The Royal Challengers' other batsmen haven't often generated a lot of trust, but they somehow managed a six each in the virtual quarter-final just when it looked like their top-heaviness would cost them the match. A mini contribution from these two sets of lesser batsmen could decide the game.

Team news

Both the teams are on winning streaks. Ideally it should mean no changes to the XIs, but both have two places to debate.

Stuart Clark's cutters were always going to be effective on the slow Chennai track, but can NSW risk his medium pace on this quick pitch with short boundaries? Nathan Hauritz, though, could be just as big a risk. Will they punt on the young Josh Hazlewood who has played just three Twenty20s? Another slightly adventurous move could be to bring in Philip Hughes at the expense of Daniel Smith. Hughes was a wicketkeeper-batsman at beginner levels, but this might be too left-field for a big match.

The Royal Challengers have S Aravind to be worried about. On Wednesday he was given shows of trust after shows of trust despite the presence of such part-time bowlers as Gayle and Dilshan. He went for 69 in four overs. Abhimanyu Mithun could be a direct replacement. They also need to get a decent contribution from the middle order. With Saurabh Tiwary struggling, it's almost as if it's the top three, a hole, and then Vettori. They can't really manufacture a valuable batsman at this deep end of the tournament, and might still go for the big, albeit unreliable, hitting of the likes of Tiwary and Mayank Agarwal ahead of Mohammad Kaif's slower reliability and better fielding.

Stats and trivia

The Royal Challenger's win over South Australia was the first time an IPL team had beaten an Australian team.

Aravind's four overs for 69 smashed the previous record for the worst bowling figures in the Champions League by 10 runs, held by Amit Mishra when bowling against the Royal Challengers at the same venue in 2009. They are also the second worst figures in all Twenty20 cricket, falling 12 short of Sarmad Anwar's

2011-10-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

I give it all I had on the last ball: Arun

2011-10-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

Spot-fixing: Salman Butt agreed to bat maiden over - prosecutor :

LONDON: Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt agreed to score no runs in an over during a Test match against England last year as part of a 'spot-fixing' scam, a court in London heard on Thursday.

Prosecutors said Butt, 26, confirmed in a telephone call with his agent -- a conversation recorded by an undercover journalist -- that he would bat out a maiden in the third Test at the Oval in August 2010.

Butt is on trial with fast bowler Mohammad Asif, 28, on charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat at gambling. They have both pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee told Southwark Crown Court that Butt's agent Mazhar Majeed rang the journalist from the now-closed News of the World tabloid, after an earlier arrangement for no-balls to be bowled in exchange for #10,000 ($15,500, 11,600 euros) fell through.

In what Jafferjee said was "potentially damning evidence concerning Salman Butt directly", a plan emerged for Butt to bat out a maiden in the first full over he faced.

The journalist said that could happen in any case and that he wanted proof, so Majeed called Butt on his other phone and put it on loudspeaker so the reporter could hear.

"You know the maiden we were doing in the first over?", Majeed said.

"Yeah", Butt replied. Majeed then tried to get him to do another in his third over, but Butt did not want to, the jury heard.

The following day Majeed met the journalist, then texted Butt four times to remind him to tap the middle of the pitch after the second ball he faced as a signal that he would bat out that over.

Jafferjee said that that day, "as events transpired at The Oval, matters were somewhat out of Butt's control", as he had come in to bat earlier than expected, faced a new ball and had to take a single run.

The journalist had pressed Majeed on why the promise he had paid for had not materialised. Majeed explained and the reporter said he wanted a no-ball or something from Butt.

Majeed said he could have two 'brackets' for #150,000 in the next Test at Lord's. A bracket is where bets are made on incidents during a certain period of play, for example 10 overs. (AFP)

"As events would prove, he got a bit of both -- no-balls from Asif and Aamer which could not have taken place without Butt's complete involvement," Jafferjee said.

Young Pakistan bowler Mohammad Aamer and Majeed have also been charged with the same offences but are not standing trial alongside Butt and Asif.

SPOT FIXING CASE

2011-10-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

Jury sees no-ball footage and phone records

The court has heard details of
conversations between Salman Butt
(pictured) and Mazhar Majeed

Video footage of the now infamous no-balls was shown to the jury before lunch on the third day of the alleged spot-fixing trial involving Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.

Aftab Jafferjee QC for the prosecution resumed his opening address from the previous evening and went on to detail an alleged corrupt relationship between then Test captain Butt and his agent Mazhar Majeed. He finished off detail of meetings, phone conversations and text messages surrounding The Oval Test against England last year, before moving on to details of the Lord's Test.

The jury was shown Mohammad Amir's no-ball from the first delivery of the third over before the proceedings were interrupted for lunch. Both sets of legal representatives had agreed previously that sound and commentary would not be played, presumably so not to influence the jury's conclusion of the footage.

Butt and Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following that Lord's Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with Majeed, teenage fast bowler Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

They were exposed by the now defunct British tabloid the News of the World in an undercover sting operation. Majeed was filmed revealing when no-balls would be delivered by the bowlers. That footage was also played to the jury on Thursday morning.

After lunch the undercover News of the World journalist Mazhar Mahmood, otherwise known as 'the fake Sheikh' from the time he snared former England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, will give his evidence and so too will Ravi Sawani, the ICC's chief investigator.

Butt and Asif again sat through the proceedings in the dock, with Asif accompanied by Mr Khan from the national database of interpreters, while Butt sat two seats down from his former team-mate, wearing a jacket, jeans and Adidas trainers.

An interesting aspect of the morning's account centred around conversations between Mahmood, referred to in court as 'the journalist' to avoid confusion with Majeed, and Majeed himself. Jafferjee told how Mahmood was expecting no-balls to be delivered that had been promised him as proof that would appease his fictitious backers in the Far East.

But Majeed said they could not be delivered on the third day as coach Waqar Younis had held a team meeting and ordered his bowlers to cut down on the extras after 32 had been allowed on the second day - six wides and five no-balls. Instead, the prosecution went on to explain, an alternative plan was hatched whereby Butt would bat out a maiden. That did not happen in the event.

Of further interest was the heavy phone and text traffic between Butt, Majeed and Amir leading up to the Lord's Test - Asif less so. In fact, Majeed called Amir at 1.27am at his hotel while he was sleeping, the morning before the match was due to begin, after having collected £140,000 from Mahmood for the promise of three pre-determined no-balls, the jury heard.

All stories of phone and text traffic were substantiated with official records from phone companies that proved the dialogue between the various parties. Jafferjee then told how Amir messaged Majeed at 06.24am on the morning of the Lord's Test and said 'this is my friend's number in Pakistan, when you're done send them a message'. Amir then made repeated calls to a number in Pakistan. Majeed later that morning made a call to a regular Indian number he had often phoned. The prosecution had already told of how Majeed boasted his betting contacts were in India.

The case continues.

2011-10-06T02:28:00.000-07:00

Cricket Coach : Jones up for Pakistan Challenge

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones has vowed to establish a stable environment in Pakistan cricket and give special attention to the defensive part of the national team’s game if appointed head coach.

Jones has been reported to have made it a five-man shortlist for the job along with former Pakistan fast-bowler Aqib Javed and former England all-rounder Dermot Reeve. The position became vacant after Waqar Younis resigned from the position citing personal reasons.

Jones, who has played 52 Tests for his country, lacks coaching experience but is still ready to take on the challenge of coaching a Pakistan side that has seen its fair share of controversies in recent times.

The spot-fixing scandal, the inability of the team to play home matches because of security concerns and the recent row between former captain Shahid Afridi and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have made the job of coaching the team a difficult one, but Jones is ready to look beyond all the controversies.

‘’Take out what’s happened with the betting scandal and take out the security problems, everyone in the world who knows cricket knows they’ve always had a wonderful pool of talent,” Jones told The Age. “It’s just a matter of getting the culture right, getting them to take ownership of their actions, working together and who knows, they could win a World Cup [in four years time].’’

‘Focus on defence needed’

The former batsman made it clear that if appointed to the job, he would establish a stable environment and a culture of tough love in the team. He said that he would also try to entice Afridi out of retirement and focus on instilling a more defensive mindset in the team.

‘’Ultimately it comes down to the defensive part of their game that needs to be worked on, and that comes down to proper drills and attention to detail.” Jones was aware of the kind of pressures he might be subjected to in the job but felt that a proactive approach could help him.

‘’The PCB is passionate, they don’t like losing and they tend to be reactive instead of proactive but if you paint the picture early as to where we want to go – we’ve got to find stability, pick our best 16 or 17 players and work with them -– I think they’ll do very well.’’

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2011.

2011-10-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka v Pakistan in UAE, 2011 - Schedule, Fixtures :

Sri Lanka's 2011 tour of Pakistan will be played out across three venues in the United Arab Emirates instead of Pakistan due to the prevailing security situation in the host country.

Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (also known as the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium) in Dubai and the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in Sharjah will play host to three Test matches, five ODIs and a T20 match.

1st Test - Tue Oct 18 - Sat Oct 22 - 10:00 am (local) - Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
2nd Test - Wed Oct 26 - Sun Oct 30 - 10:00 am (local) - Dubai International Cricket Stadium
3rd Test - Thu Nov 3 - Mon Nov 7 - 10: 00 am (local) - Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium

1st ODI (D/N) - Fri Nov 11 - 3:00 pm (local) - Dubai International Cricket Stadium
2nd ODI (D/N) - Mon Nov 14 - 3:00 pm (local) - Dubai International Cricket Stadium
3rd ODI (D/N) - Fri Nov 18 - 3:00 pm (local) - Dubai International Cricket Stadium
4th ODI (D/N) - Sun Nov 20 - 3:00 pm (local) - Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium
5th ODI (D/N) - Wed Nov 23 - 3:00 pm (local) - Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

T20I (D/N) - Fri Nov 25 - 9:00 pm (local) - Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Pakistan Test Squad

Srilanka Test Squad

Sri Lanka Test squad

2011-10-05T06:08:00.001-07:00

Sri Lanka Test squad for Pakistan series in UAE announced :

Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva and Nuwan Pradeep have been included, while Thilan Samaraweera, Ajantha Mendis and Seekkuge Prasanna have been dropped.

The series gets underway with the first Test match at Abu Dhabi on October 18.

Squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (C), Angelo Mathews (VC), Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath, Suraj Randiv, Chanaka Welegedara, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Dammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Kaushal Silva.

Pakistan Team squad

2011-10-05T04:17:00.000-07:00

Pakistan announces Test squad for Sri Lanka Series in UAE :

Pakistan announced a 15-man squad for the three Tests against Srilanka to be played in the United Arab Emirates later this month.

Pakistan will also play five one-day International and a Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka, which is expected to announce its team later.

The first Test at the neutral venue starts in Abu Dhabi from October 18. The other two Tests will be played in Dubai and Sharjah.

Test Squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq(captain), Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman,Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan.

SPOT - FIXING

2011-10-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

Jury sworn in for spot-fixing trial :

The spot-fixing trial, involving one of cricket's greatest controversies, has begun with Pakistan's Sulman Butt and Muhammad Asif appearing in court and a jury being picked and sworn in.

Sulman Butt

Former opening batsman and ex-Test captain Butt and swing bowler Asif sat in at the start of the case at Southwark Crown Court in central London. They are yet to speak as two hours of legal arguments ensued and an appropriate jury was sworn in after lunch with a mixture of racial backgrounds and sexes (six men and six women). Both players were asked if they had any objection to the jury formed and they said: 'No objections'.

Just 30 minutes was required after the lunch break to settle on a jury and Justice Cooke informed the court that proceedings would resume at ten the following morning. Cooke told the jury: "I think you will find this an interesting and unusual case." He also suggested that some of them would be aware of the case because of its high-profile nature but they were ordered not to research it or to discuss the case outside of the jury room

Butt and Asif, who flew in at the weekend from Lahore, are facing the possibility of a custodial sentence if deemed guilty, though both are pleading not guilty. They are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord's Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired to bowl pre-determined no-balls.

Both wearing suits, without a tie, they sat in a dock sealed off by a Perspex screen with holes in for hearing purposes. Butt sat alone and listened intently, often leaning forward with a concentrated look on his face. Asif was accompanied by a Punjabi interpreter. Butt's barrister, Ali Bajwa QC, immediately informed Justice Cooke that his client did not require the services of an interpreter because he had a confident grasp of English.

Behind the players' dock sat interested journalists taking up every seat in the public gallery. They would no doubt have been pleased when Justice Cooke noted early on that they could 'tweet' from the courtroom as long as they did it quietly. With reporting restrictions in place, the detail of the legal arguments cannot be repeated at this stage.

But Justice Cooke did agree to three clauses that he later read out to potential jurors who were walked into the courtroom. They were told they would need to be available for up to five weeks, and were also informed that they would need to fill out forms asking three questions and if they answered 'yes' to any of them they could not sit in the jury.

The questions were: 1) Have they or any family members ever worked as a professional journalist or currently work in that capacity. 2) Do they or any family members earn their living from professional cricket? 3) Are they or family members working in the gambling industry?

2011-10-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

Aleem Dar wants uniform Decision Review system :

Aleem Dar , the three-time ICC Umpire of the Year, has said the inconsistent use of the Decision Review System (DRS) affects an umpire's performance and has called for the system to be used uniformly across all international series.

Aleem Dar

"There's no issue in using technology," Dar told PTI. It's a good addition to the game but the umpires should stop thinking about it when making a decision. And, instead of being used randomly, the system should be enforced on a permanent basis in all series ... It's not being used in all series and that affects the umpires' performance. I believe inconsistent usage is not good for the game either."

Dar's is the latest voice to join the debate over the use of technology. On Australia's recent tour of Sri Lanka, Brad Haddin, Australia's wicketkeeper, said the system should be used consistently by all the international teams or not at all. On the other hand, the BCCI recently announced it was once again opposed to all forms of the DRS after India's tour of England, despite having agreed to a minimum standard at the ICC's annual conference in June.

The ICC also allows teams to opt out of implementing the system altogether for commercial reasons, as is the case with the upcom Bangladesh-West Indies series, further complicating the issue.

Dar also said the ICC's new rules, which went into effect on October 1, have added to the responsibility of the umpires. The amendments to the playing conditions include having two new balls to start an innings, a redefined period of Powerplays and a ban on the use of runners. Confusion over the new rule on runners led to a 28-minute delay during the Faysal Bank T 20 Final, and Dar said the umpires need to be more vigilant.

"I feel my responsibility has increased and we need to be more focussed," Dar told the Express Tribune. "The team [in the Faysal Bank T20] was allowed a runner because the tournament was played with the previous playing rules. Umpires may face such situations after the rule changes and that's an increased burden."

SPOT - FIXING

2011-10-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

"Spot - Fixing " Trial set to Begin :

Sulman Butt and Muhammad Asif begin their trial at a criminal court in London on Tuesday, more than a year on from the spot-fixing allegations that engulfed the cricket world during Pakistan's troubled tour of England.

Muhammad Asif and Sulman Butt will appear
in court on Tuesday

The former Pakistan Test captain Butt, 27 on Friday, and fast bowler Asif, 28, will appear at Southwark Crown Court with the possibility of a custodial sentence awaiting them if deemed guilty. Both players are pleading not guilty. Reporting restrictions are in place on this event.

The players are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord's Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired to bowl pre-determined no-balls.

Butt and Asif, along with teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir, were exposed by the now defunct British tabloid the News of the World in an undercover sting operation. Their former agent Mazher Majeed was recorded by a secret camera, saying when no-balls would be delivered by the bowlers.

The fact the case is being heard at a crown court shows the seriousness of the allegations facing the defendants, with crown court being the more senior of the criminal courts.

One of the complexities of this trial surrounds its high-profile nature. Because the issue was so well reported globally at the time, after it was revealed in the News of the World, it is likely to be difficult to find a jury that has not in some way heard of the case or information about it and therefore inherited some amount of bias.

A re-trial could therefore occur, though how any future jury would also have no previous knowledge of the story is also difficult to quantify.

The players have already been punished by the ICC after a disciplinary hearing in Doha, Qatar. There, the three players were each banned from the sport for at least five years. Butt received a further suspended five-year ban and Asif was handed a further two-year suspended sanction.

All three players have filed appeals against their bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Pakistan team has admirably set about recovering from a controversy that shocked the sport, after the key players were suspended. Asif, the right-arm swing bowler, and left-armer Amir quickly became one of the most potent new-ball attacks in world cricket. Butt, meanwhile, was a respected opening batsman and was seen as an articulate, diplomatic captain by the British media on that tour last year, prior to the allegations.

The most important aspect at stake during the trial is for cricket as a whole and its integrity, honesty and transparency, according to sports lawyer Max Eppel of McFadden's LLP, who has worked on cases involving cricket and football among others.

"The most important thing for any fan of sports is to know the teams are going out there on a level playing field," he said. "If there is any hint of corruption, the sport could be destroyed. Ultimately, any kind of hype about a criminal court trial is bad publicity for a sport, but if there are good things to come out of it, it is that the sport will get a chance to see any ramifications there are for ever getting involved in this sort of stuff."

SPOT - FIXING

2011-10-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

PAKISTAN PLAYERS FACE " SPOT - FIXING " TRIAL

LONDON: Three Pakistan Test players go on trial in London on Tuesday charged with spot-fixing during a match against England last year, allegations which rocked the world of cricket.

Former captain Salman Butt, prodigal talent Mohammad Aamer and star bowler Mohammad Asif are due to appear at Southwark Crown Court charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat.

The players' agent Mazhar Majeed will go on trial alongside them charged with the same offences, which carry maximum sentences of seven years and two years in prison respectively.

The charges relate to allegations of deliberately bowling no-balls during England's fourth Test against Pakistan at Lord's in London in August 2010.

The allegations were made by the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World tabloid, which was closed down in July this year when it became engulfed in the phone hacking scandal.

At the time of the alleged offences, Butt, 26, was captain of Pakistan's Test side and had won plaudits for his leadership.

Asif, 28, was the team's senior pace bowler, while teenage left-arm swing bowler Aamer, 19, was regarded as one of the hottest properties in world cricket.

Majeed, from south London, is a sports agent with a history of working with Pakistan players.

Detectives raided the Pakistan team hotel in London as part of their investigations following the News of the World story.

The cricketers were outside Britain when summons were issued and they returned voluntarily.

A separate and independent International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal, sitting in Doha in February, banned the three players for a minimum of five years each.

Butt was banned for 10 years, with five suspended. Asif was banned for seven years, two of which were suspended, with Aamer handed a five-year penalty.

All three have filed appeals against their bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. (AFP)

2011-10-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

Shane Warne and Liz Hurley get engaged in Scotland : Report

LONDON: Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne and British actress Liz Hurley have become engaged during a trip to Scotland, reports said on Sunday.

Warne proposed to Hurley after a romantic dinner on Friday at an exclusive hotel in St. Andrews, on Scotland's east coast, where the sportsman was taking part in a golf tournament.

The spin legend, 42, got down on one knee and popped the question in front of other diners and when Hurley agreed the couple were given a standing ovation, the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Telegraph newspapers reported.

Pictures showed the couple smiling as they walked arm in arm across a golf course on Saturday, with Hurley, 46, wearing a large sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

They were greeted by shouts of congratulations from well-wishers as the pro-am Alfred Dunhill Links Championship got under way, the Mail said.

The couple first met at an English race meeting in July last year and have since been spotted together regularly.

When she met Warne, Hurley was still married to Indian businessman Arun Nayar but the couple divorced in December.

Warne has dramatically lost weight since starting to date Hurley and new pictures of noticeably slimmer star caused astonishment in Australia when they emerged in August.

His romances have sparked almost as much media attention as his performance in cricket matches and his energetic love life is widely thought to have cost him the Australian captaincy.

Hurley and actor Hugh Grant were one of Britain's leading celebrity couples in the 1990s but separated in 2000.

2011-10-03T04:34:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong Super Sixes 2011: Razzaq lead Pakistan Team(Squad)

Abdul Razzaq lead Pakistan Team in Hong Kong Sixes

Pakistan national selectors named experienced all-rounder Abdul Razzaq as captain of thePakistan squad for the Super Sixes tournament, to be held in Hong Kong later this month.

Razzaq, who has been ignored for national selection since the World Cup and was not considered for the Test series against Srilanka , will lead a strong seven-member team for theHong Kong event.

Besides Razzaq, the selectors also accommodated other national team players, Umar Akmal,Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Shah, Hammad Azam and new comer Sharjeel Khan in the Super sixes squad chosen on Sunday.

Pakistan have featured regularly in the Hong Kong sixes event, which is held annually with teams from all Test playing nations taking part in it.

Umar, Sohail, Tanvir and Yasir had all toured Zimbabwe with the Senior team in August, but were dropped for the Test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE.

PAKISTAN VS SRILANKA

2011-10-03T02:22:00.000-07:00

Umar Akmal Dropped from Test Series :

Umar Akmal Dropped from Test Series

Several of the first-choice bowlers who were rested for the Zimbabwe tour return. Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz come back and are joined by Aizaz Cheema and Junaid Khan in the fast-bowling department, with no place for Sohail Tanvir or Tanvir Ahmed. Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman is also back in the squad while Imran Farhat has been retained as a third opener along with Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar.

Umar Akmal has not scored a Test century since his hugely impressive debut in 2009. After a poor year in 2010, when he averaged just 24.33, he was left out of the XI for the two Tests in New Zealand. He returned to the side for the Tests in the West Indies, but after scoring just one Test half-century this year, and struggling to play long innings in ODIs as well, he has been left out of the Test squad.

"Umar is a talented cricketer but he was not justifying his place in Test cricket," Mohsin Khan, Pakistan's chief selector, said explaining the decision. "This was the reason our middle order was facing problems during the recent tour [of Zimbabwe]. He may be good in limited-over cricket but Tests and ODIs are contrasting games.

"In Tests, Umar is required to play long innings so we have advised him to play domestic cricket and learn to bat for long."

Umar Akmal's exclusion means Asad Shafiq and Shoaib Malik will be fighting for a middle-order spot. After a year out of the Pakistan setup, Malik gained clearance from the PCB's integrity committee just in time to go to Zimbabwe. He did not play the Test there and did not make an impact in the ODIs and Twenty20 internationals. He has been consistently performing on the domestic circuit, finishing as the second-highest run-getter in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One last season, with 799 runs at an average of 73.57. Shafiq, meanwhile, has struggled in Tests since getting half-centuries in each of his first two innings.

Malik's inclusion in the squad comes on the same day he led Sialkot to a win in the final of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup, after getting them there with an unbeaten 88 in the semi-final. Mohsin, though, said his Twenty20 performances were not a factor when deciding the Test squad. "Shoaib is not selected on the basis of the ongoing Twenty20 Cup but what inspired us was his fitness and the form he is currently in."

The other notable exclusion from the squad is Tanvir Ahmed, who has taken 16 wickets in the four Tests he has played since debuting against South Africa in November last year. He was not on the tour of Zimbabwe, though, and Cheema, who took eight wickets on debut in the Bulawayo Test and another eight wickets in the three-match one-day series, keeps his place.

Cheema was one of several fringe players given a chance on the Zimbabwe tour, but not all have retained their places. "There might be players dropped following the recent Zimbabwe tour but that was a chance taken on youngsters," Mohsin said. "We actually had to try new players and now we have a picture of who stands where."

Junaid Khan also made his Test debut in Bulawayo, and though he was not as successful as Cheema, he was selected, Mohsin said, because of his ability to bowl fast. "If Junaid was retained despite his unimpressive form it is because we need to have a genuine fast bowler."

The first of three Tests starts on October 18 in Abu Dhabi.

Squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Wahab Raiz, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan

Standby players: Tanvir Ahmed, Mohammad Talha, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Sha
h

FAYSAL BANK T 20 2011

2011-09-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

SEMIFINALS

VS

MATCH START AT 4:00 PM

FOR BOTH TEAM SQUAD CLICK HERE

LINK FOR LIVE MATCH http://livecricandcomedypoint.blogspot.com/p/geo-super.html

MATCH START AT 08:00 PM

FOR BOTH TEAM SQUAD CLICK HERE

LINK FOR LIVE MATCH http://livecricandcomedypoint.blogspot.com/p/geo-super.html

LIVE CRICKET AND COMEDY POINT

Cricket West Indies

Gayle to be considered if he retracts statements

Cricket Australia

Warne wants Lehmann as Australia's coach

Spot Fixing

Butt has 'been caught' court told

Bell eyes regular spot in England ODI team

South Africa v Australia 1st ODI

Clarke sounds out Ponting warning

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi, 1st day

Junaid's five-for caps Pakistan's day

Test Championship on ICC's agenda

ICC warns Sri Lanka over Galle's 'poor' pitch :

Royal Challengers v NSW, 1st semi-final, CLT20, BangaloreBowlers hope for survival in Twenty20 fantasy

Royal Challengers v NSW, 1st semi-final, CLT20, Bangalore

Bowlers hope for survival in Twenty20 fantasy

I give it all I had on the last ball: Arun

Spot-fixing: Salman Butt agreed to bat maiden over - prosecutor :

SPOT FIXING CASE

Jury sees no-ball footage and phone records

Cricket Coach : Jones up for Pakistan Challenge

Sri Lanka v Pakistan in UAE, 2011 - Schedule, Fixtures :

Sri Lanka Test squad

Sri Lanka Test squad for Pakistan series in UAE announced :

Pakistan Team squad

Pakistan announces Test squad for Sri Lanka Series in UAE :

SPOT - FIXING

Jury sworn in for spot-fixing trial :

SPOT - FIXING

SPOT - FIXING

Shane Warne and Liz Hurley get engaged in Scotland : Report

Hong Kong Super Sixes 2011: Razzaq lead Pakistan Team(Squad)

Abdul Razzaq lead Pakistan Team in Hong Kong Sixes

PAKISTAN VS SRILANKA

FAYSAL BANK T 20 2011

Royal Challengers v NSW, 1st semi-final, CLT20, Bangalore
Bowlers hope for survival in Twenty20 fantasy