Sports debacle due to lack of infrastructure and better management: Majid Khan

Former chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Majid Khan said that the lack of infrastructure and better management are the causes of the debacle of sports in the country.

Majid Khan was addressing on the topic of ‘debacle of sports in the country’ at a seminar organized by the Pakistan Sports Board here on Saturday.

He said that the development of the games is possible by basic coaching, provision of facilities and good management.

Shoaib Akhtar has to pay fine: PCB

The Pakistan Cricket Board said that Shoaib Akhtar has to compulsorily pay the fine before appearing in a forthcoming international event.

PBC lawyer Tafazzul Rizvi said that in the notice sent to Shoaib, he was asked to pay fine before the Champions Trophy because then it was Pakistan’s first assignment after the court verdict.

However, if Shoaib Akhtar wants to represent Pakistan in international cricket then first he has to pay the fine before the next event.

Tafazzul Rizvi said that Shoaib Akhtar ahs already received the notce for paying fine but he has still not replied it.

Aussies responsible for Champions Trophy’s postponement: Atherton

Former England cricket captain Michael Atherton said that Australian cricketers are responsible for postponement of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

He said that the Australian cricketers association raised questions before the Champions Trophy saying there is a security issue in the Asian country while the ICC had given green signal for the event.

Mike Atherton wrote in his column that when the Australian cricketers do not want to tour Pakistan then they begin propaganda that Pakistan is not a safe place.

He further said that if the match is held in India then they do not see any danger. Despite bomb blasts in an Indian city of Jaipur they did not refuse to tour India as they get an opportunity of earning wealth through marketing there.

Atherton said that this is their dual policy and only because of them, cricketers of other countries also expressed concerns. Thus the Champions Trophy was made a target of these cricketers’ own interests and this event was postponed.

Danish Kaneria ruled out for six weeks

Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, will be out of action for six weeks after undergoing a finger surgery. Kaneria, contracted to Essex, will miss their remaining matches of the season.

Kaneria fractured his finger in Essex's County Championship game against Worcestershire on August 22, and flew back home for the operation, which took place on Wednesday.

"There was a fracture in my right hand ring finger which I sustained while taking a caught-and-bowled chance,"

he told Reuters.

"I have had the surgery to set it right," he said. "Hopefully I should be bowling again after six weeks."

Kaneria was disappointed to be missing out, with him unlikely to play for Pakistan this year. A regular in the Test team, Kaneria had taken 220 wickets in 51 Tests, but has only featured in 18 ODIs, the last of which came in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

"Already Pakistan is not playing a Test series this year and we are short of cricket,"

he said.

"The injury has really come at a bad time."

Pakistan haven't played a Test this year, after Australia postponed their visit citing security concerns. In July, Kaneria had dismissed rumours that he was switching allegiance to England. He had been reprimanded by the PCB in April for criticising them after he was demoted to category C among Pakistan's centrally-contracted players.

Kaneria had not been included in Pakistan's preliminary squad of 30 for the Champions Trophy, which has been deferred to 2009.

ICC Awards to be held in Dubai

The fifth ICC Awards will be held in Dubai on September 10, after plans to stage the event in Lahore fell through with the postponement of the Champions Trophy. The tournament, originally scheduled to be held in September, has been deferred to 2009 after a decision was taken by the ICC following security concerns.

"It is of course unfortunate in the circumstances that we had to change the venue because we were all looking forward to a great awards night in Pakistan,"

David Morgan, the ICC president, said on Thursday.

"However, it is good to bring such a prestigious event to the home of the ICC."

A new award has been instituted this year - the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year - honouring the most outstanding individual effort in the newest format of the game. The Associate ODI Player of the Year Award has been replaced by the Associate Player of the Year Award, which will serve to recognise excellence among cricketers representing Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland.

The awards, presented in association with FICA, will take into account the performances by players and officials between August 9, 2007 and August 12, 2008. Clive Lloyd, Greg Chappell, Shaun Pollock, Sidath Wettimuny and Athar Ali Khan will be on the ICC selection panel this year and will be making the nominations in the various categories and also select the ICC Test and ODI teams of the year.

The winners of the individual awards will then be voted upon by a 25-strong global panel comprising former players, members of the media, and an umpire and match referee from the Elite Panel.

This will be the first time the ceremony is held in Dubai, with the previous editions taking place in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006) and Johannesburg (2007).

"The LG ICC Awards are an opportunity to pay homage to the remarkable performances of the world's top players,"

Morgan said,

"and a chance for lovers of the sport around the globe to reflect on some of the great cricketing feats they have witnessed over the previous 12 months."

I didn't want captaincy without Woolmer - Younis

Younis Khan has revealed he would have been Pakistan's captain had it not been for the sudden death of Bob Woolmer, the former South Africa and Pakistan coach. Woolmer died during the World Cup in the West Indies last year, and Younis said he would have taken up the captaincy with Woolmer as coach.

Younis had been offered the captaincy following Inzamam-ul-Haq's resignation but turned it down citing the mental strain brought about by Woolmer's death, the subsequent trauma and the failed World Cup campaign. Younis, who had been Inzamam's vice-captain for two years, had been widely tipped as his successor.

"Woolmer was a great human being and a good coach. I liked working with him. If he had remained coach I would have taken up the captaincy when the board made me the offer after Inzamam's resignation,"

Younis told PTI.

"Being captain is a big responsibility and I would have only felt comfortable if a coach like Bob was there."

With Younis not willing, the Pakistan board appointed Shoaib Malik as captain. Malik has been criticised in the past throughout his tenure but Younis felt he should be given time.

"Malik is not a bad captain and he needs to be given more exposure and opportunities,"

he said.

"The board must be patient with him."

Younis suggested the new PCB chairman should be appointed after considerable thought.

"I believe the chairman should be a professional who knows cricket closely and can communicate with the players,"

he said. The position was left vacant when Nasim Ashraf stepped down soon after president Pervez Musharraf's resignation.

Imran Khan fears trouble ahead for Pakistan cricket

Cricket legend Imran Khan Monday said he feared more trouble for Pakistan cricket after the Champions Trophy postponement, saying the country is run by the wrong people who are destroying everything.

"The postponement of Champions Trophy is a body blow to Pakistan but since the country is run by wrong people I see more trouble for cricket in the country,"

he said.

On Sunday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) put off September's Champions Trophy until next year after South Africa pulled out and Australia, New Zealand and England were due to follow suit.

The four nations were reluctant to tour Pakistan over security fears after a series of blasts in the past month and political instability in the wake of president Pervez Musharraf's resignation.

The ICC said Pakistan keeps the right to host the event, possibly in October next year, but Khan believed the present government would not be able to improve the situation in the country.

"Not just from the spectators' point of view but also funds wise, these cancellations and postponement have hit Pakistan cricket hard but I fear it will suffer more."

ICC postpones Champions Trophy in Pakistan

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Sunday postponed until next year September's Champions Trophy in Pakistan over security fears.

The move came two days after South Africa refused to send their team, while players' associations from Australia, New Zealand and England urged their players not to travel to the troubled country over serious security concerns.

The decision to postpone the event was taken after a tele-conference of the ICC executive board in Dubai on Sunday.

Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said while disappointing, the decision to postpone was a sort of victory for Pakistan.

"We are naturally disappointed but in a way the postponement is a victory for us. Under these circumstances there were only two solutions: either to relocate the event to Sri Lanka or postpone it.

"Had it been relocated it would have deprived us of the hosting rights,"

Naghmi said.

"We are sure that the event will be held in Pakistan next year."

The ICC desperately tried to convince the wavering nations by sending two security task teams to Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa but they failed to allay their fears.

The event, scheduled to be held from September 12-28, had ran into trouble after Australia postponed their full tour to Pakistan over security fears triggered in the wake of suicide bombings earlier this year.

Australia were scheduled to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match on their tour in March-April.

England, New Zealand and South Africa also expressed concerns over security for the biennial competition following a wave of suicide bombings and political instability in nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Multan and Rawalpindi in Disable cricket final

Multan and Rawalpindi have qualified for the final of the first National Disable Cricket Tournament here on Saturday.

In the first semi-final, played at the Aga Khan Gymkhana ground, Multan defeated Lahore by 43 runs.

For Multan Umaiz-ur-Rehman top scored with 39 followed by Jehanzeb (26) while Akhtar nawaz for Lahore claimed four wickets for 24 runs.

In reply, Lahore were all out for only 98 runs in the 18th over.

Multan’s Marghoob Alam dismissed four Lahore players.

In the second semi-final, played at the TMC ground, Rawalpindi beat Karachi by six wickets.

Batting first, Karachi scored 123 runs for six wickets with Hasnain top scoring 66 followed by Raja Qaiser (22).

The final match between Multan and Rawalpindi will be played on Sunday.

South Africa’s decision regarding Champions Trophy is hasty: Naghmi

Declaring South Africa’s decision to skip next month's Champions Trophy ‘hasty’, Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said here on Friday that the tournament may be affected from this decision.

Expressing reaction on South Africa’s decision, Shafqat Naghmi said that this decision is very disappointing.

"We are deeply disappointed and when a decision was to be made on Sunday we think South Africa made a hasty choice,"

the PCB chief operating officer said.

Naghmi said South Africa was a major cricketing nation and its refusal to take part would hurt the event badly.

"Now it's up to the ICC to take a decision which they would take on Sunday but I would say that South Africa's refusal will badly hurt the event. We will still do our best to save the event and host it on schedule,"

he said.

Security fears: South Africa not to participate in Champions Trophy

South Africa cricket board has withdrawn its name from the participants of the ICC Champions Trophy due to continued security situation in Pakistan.

It announced Friday that it would not send a team to the Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan next month.

They are the first country officially to boycott the tournament, which has been mired in controversy over security concerns.

The decision follows a meeting Friday involving Cricket South Africa, International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat and ICC security officials.

"After extensive discussions and a frank exchange of views, the board resolved not to send our team at this time to Pakistan to participate in the ICC Champions Trophy,"

Cricket SA president Norman Arendse said in a statement.

"We respect the right of the Pakistan Cricket Board to stage the tournament and we would urge the ICC to reschedule the tournament as soon as possible,"

added Arendse.

South African players, through the South Africa Cricketers Association, again expressed "major concerns" about playing in Pakistan.

ICC satisfied with Champions Trophy arrangements

International Cricket Council team visited National Stadium in Karachi to review the security measures taken by Pakistan cricket Board for ICC Champions Trophy.

ICC team comprising Event Manager Chris Tetley, Communication Officer James Jerald and Pitch Consultant Andy expressed has satisfaction over security arrangements.

Talking with media, ICC Communication Officer James Jerald said that it was a routine visit aimed at reviewing the arrangements made for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Regarding Austria’s refusal to take part in the Champions Trophy, he said that ICC was not officially informed about the decision.

Asif fails again to clear dope test

Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Asif failed again to clear his dope test and his 'B' sample has tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.

However, this is strange to note in this case that the quantity of nandrolone was 6.2 in the previous test but this is time it is 5.4.

Mohammad Asif said that he would challenge on this basis that how the quantity of nandrolone varied as the tests were taken at the same time.

The 25-year-old fast bowler tested positive during the Indian Premier League competition held between April and June, and the Pakistan Cricket Board suspended him in July on the basis of his first sample.

Asif tested positive for nandrolone in 2006 along with fellow paceman Shoaib Akhtar. He was banned for one year and Akhtar for two, but the bans were overturned on appeal.

PCB ad-hoc committee chief may be a former cricketer: Najmuddin

Federal minister for sports Najmuddin Khan said that a legal draft, for making the Pakistan Cricket Board an ad-hoc, would be prepared in a day or two and sent to the prime minister.

He said that any former cricketer could be the chairman of the PCB ad-hoc committee.

Talking with media in the Parliament House Islamabad , Najmuddin Khan said that Dr Nasim Ashraf expressed his desire to continue work up to the Champions Trophy but a change in the PCB would be made before the event.

He said that the right of naming the chairman of the PCB would be given to the prime minister instead of the president after making an amendment in the PCB constitution.

The federal minister for sports said that the PCB officials would be held accountable.

Nasim Ashraf resigns as PCB chairman

Pakistan cricket chief Dr Nasim Ashraf on Monday resigned, a few hours after the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf, who was also patron of the PCB, appointed Ashraf as the head of the board on October 6, 2006.

Nasim Ashraf, who arrived in Islamabad just today after spending two weeks in America, faxed his resignation to the President House.

Dr Nasim Ashraf told the News on telephone that he would present the details of his resignation on Wednesday at a news conference.

PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi, while talking with News, said that Dr Nasim Ashraf would continue to work at his position until a new chairman is appointed.

Shoaib Akhtar asked to pay fine before Champions Trophy

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked Shoaib Akhtar to pay the fine of seven million rupees before the ICC Champions Trophy.

The PCB has sent a notice to fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar asking him to pay the fine of Rs.
7,000,000.

Shoaib Akhtar’s name has been included in the 15-man squad selected for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Talking with Reporter Syed Yahya Hussaini, PCB’s chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said that honouring the Lahore High Court decision we did not object on the selection of Shoaib Akhtar. However, the court did not stop us from receiving the fine from the fast bowler.

Meanwhile, the lawyer of Shoaib Akhtar said that the reply of the notice would be given after consulting with the fast bowler.

According to the PCB sources, chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf and captain Shoaib Malik are not happy with Shoaib Akhtar’s returning to the team and therefore his case is being made complicated.

Revised schedule of the ICC Champions Trophy

The International Cricket Council Wednesday announced a revised schedule for September's Champions Trophy in Pakistan after Rawalpindi was excluded from the list of venues:

Revised Schedule:

September 12 - Pakistan v West Indies - Lahore
September 13 - Australia v India - Karachi
September 14 - Sri Lanka v England - Lahore
September 14 - South Africa v New Zealand - Karachi
September 15 - Pakistan v Australia - Karachi
September 16 - South Africa v Sri Lanka - Lahore
September 17 - England v New Zealand - Lahore
September 18 - India v West Indies - Karachi
September 19 - New Zealand v Sri Lanka - Lahore
September 20 - India v Pakistan - Karachi
September 21 - Australia v West Indies - Lahore
September 21 - England v South Africa - Karachi
September 24 - Semi-final A2 vs B1 - Karachi
September 25 - Reserve day
September 26 - Semi-final A1 v B2 - Lahore
September 27 - Reserve day for Semi-final
September 28 - Final - Lahore
September 29 - Reserve day for final

Group A: Australia, Pakistan, India and West Indies

Group B: England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand

15 Players announced for ICC Champions Trophy

National Selection Committee headed by Mr. Salahuddin Ahmad has announced 15 players for the ICC Champions Trophy 2008 in Pakistan. The squad is as follows:

1. Shoaib Malik - Captain
2. Salman Butt
3. Nasir Jamshed
4. Khalid Latif
5. Younis Khan
6. Misbah-ul-Haq - Vice Captain
7. Bazid Khan
8. Shahid Afridiv
9. Sohail Tanvir
10. Shoaib Akhtar
11. Umar Gul
12. Iftikhar Anjum
13. Abdur Rauf
14. Kamran Akmal - Wicket Keeper
15. Saeed Ajmal

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No security threats in Pakistan: Younus Khan

The stylish veteran middle order batsman of Pakistan cricket team Younus Khan has said Tuesday that there are no security threats for foreign cricketers here in Pakistan and International cricket teams must come to Pakistan to partake Champions Trophy.

Talking to media at International Cricket Academy in Lahore he said that recent spells of showers have affected net practices however boys, being fully committed, have been taking the full advantage of this academy and partaking indoor cricketing school side by side with Gym for training.

Pakistan is a safe country for cricket having no security threats. The reservations foreign players possess regarding their security in Champions Trophy he termed baseless.

Pakistan cricketers practice match cancelled due to rain

The Pakistan Cricket Board has cancelled the first practice match of the probable players of the Pakistan team due to rain in Lahore on Tuesday.

The first of the three practice matches was scheduled to be played today (Tuesday) at the Gaddafi Stadium for selection of the final team after reviewing the performance of the probables.

However, the match consisting of 50 overs-a-side has been cancelled due to heavy rain in Lahore and it has been decided that the players would undergo training at the National Cricket Academy.

According the PCB sources, the metreology department has predicted that the rains would continue for the next four days and the PCB is therefore considering to shift the practice matches to Karachi.

Asif requests IPL to extend ‘B sample’ deadline

Fast bowler Mohammad Asif has requested the Indian Premier League for extending his ‘B Sample’ dope test deadline which was set for August 6.

Asif’s lawyer Shahid Karim told Geo News that the Swiss embassy informed him that it has no objection on issuing the visa today but his passport cannot be returned under a procedure. Thus, he cannot leave for Switzerland today, so it would be better to get a new deadline for ‘B sample’ then he would be issued the visa immediately according to the new date.

Shahid Karim told that the IPL in this regard has been e-mailed for extending the date for ‘B sample’ as the travel documents of Asif are not complete.

The reply from the IPL for setting a new deadline for ‘B sample’ test is being awaited.

PCB to handover Pakistani grounds to ICC on Aug 15

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will handover the stadiums of Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on August 15 for the Champions Trophy.

Talking in the Geo News programme ‘Scorer’, PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said that when the PCB hands over the charge of these three grounds to the ICC then the ICC chief curator Andy Atkinson would begin preparing the pitches on the grounds.

Shafqat Naghmi said that the charge of the main buildings of these stadiums would be given to the ICC on September 1.

The ICC Champions Trophy will be starting from September 12, according to the new schedule and the ICC awards ceremony will be held on September in Lahore.

Champions Trophy: Qaddafi Stadium revamp moves at snail’s pace

ICC Champions Trophy, which is already in doldrums due to foreign teams’ security fears, is now facing yet another impediment due to the lethargic attitude of the management in administrative matters.

The construction work of Qaddafi Stadium is underway at such a slow pace that it doesn’t seem to be getting completed within the fixed time. The Stadium’s College-end construction work had started in February and the deadline for its completion was fixed at August 31 in a bid to hand over the Stadium to the ICC Champions Trophy Management, but the construction work doesn’t seem to be meeting the deadline because of its slow pace.

The construction company is mostly relying on laborers instead of deploying the latest construction machineries. Besides, rain spells have also delayed the work. Experts said that the completion of the three-storey building in the next 28 days would not be less than a miracle.

A media center equipped with the latest gadgets besides accommodation for additional 6000 viewers is being constructed at the College-end at a cost of Rs150 million. However, PCB Chief Operating Officer, Shafqat Naghmi seems satisfied with the pace of work.

Special committee for security arrangements of Champions Trophy

The Interior Ministry has decided to form a special committee for reviewing security arrangements of the ICC Champions Trophy. This committee will submit report to the Interior Ministry on weekly basis.

To review the security arrangements of the Champions Trophy, the third meeting of the National Intelligence and Operation Committee was held at the Interior Ministry, Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary Interior Ministry Imtiaz Qazi, Security Consultant ICC Bruce, Event Director PCB Ahmed Farooq and high officials of Sindh and Punjab Police.

Ahmed Farooq told the meeting that the Pakistan Cricket Board in collaboration with the Interior Ministry and intelligence departments has made fool proof security arrangements for the Champions Trophy.

Imtiaz Qazi directed the police officials to make security arrangements for the Champions Trophy on the lines of Asia Cup and remove deficiency if it is there.

Ahmed Farooq told Geo News after the meeting that the security consultant of the ICC has expressed satisfaction on the security arrangements and said that he would remain in contact with the PCB and the Interior Ministry.