‘England top players not to tour Pakistan for CT’

A British newspaper claimed that if the ICC Champions Trophy is not shifted from Pakistan then the main players of England would not take part in the event.

This has been said in the report that the England players are much concerned on the holding of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and therefore the England & Wales Cricket Board would also not compel its players to go to Pakistan so a weaker England team may participate in the tournament.

This has also been said in the report that the British Foreign Office has expressed fears of terrorism in Pakistan, particularly in Karachi.

The Professional Cricketers Association will give a briefing to the England team on the situation of Pakistan before the third Test of the current series between England and South Africa.

Saqlain would grab England chance

Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistan offspinner, has said he would jump at the chance to represent England if the call came his way. Saqlain has a British passport through his marriage and qualifies in April as he begins another season with Surrey.

"If they [England] call me, definitely I'll play,"

he told BBC London.

"I've been discussing with my family and friends and they've all been saying 'Saqqy, if they give you the chance, definitely go for it'."

Saqlain hasn't played international cricket since 2004 when a serious knee injury threatened to end his career. However, following surgery he signed with Sussex - alongside former team-mate Mushtaq Ahmed - before rejoining Surrey for the 2008 campaign.

"To be honest, I love my cricket and I want to play at the highest level,"

said Saqlain.

"I've been thinking about it because last year the press asked me the question and I said I'm looking after my body and my form at the moment.

Saqlain, who has 208 Test scalps and 288 ODI wickets, adds that motivation wouldn't be an issue.

"If England needs you and asks you and you can't play with that passion, that's wrong. [But] If I'm playing for a national team, for a country, I don't want to lose."

Pakistan take 2-0 lead against England in Youth ODIs

NORTHAMPTON, England: The Pakistan Under-19s cricket team took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the five-match Youth One-day International series, when they comfortably beat England Under-19s in the third match by 36 runs, here at the County Ground.

After being bowled out for a score of 235 runs in their full quota of 50 overs, having elected to bat first, Pakistan dismissed the hosts for a modest 199 and won with as many as four overs to spare.

England captain Rory Hamilton-Brown, with figures of 6-51 in 10 overs of off-spin, kept the visiting Pakistan team in check after the third-wicket partnership had produced an invaluable 123 runs.

The left-handed Umar Amin top-scored with 88 runs, in just over two hours off 121 balls with eight fours and a six. Usman Salahuddin assisted him ably with a knock of 63 that came off 80 balls and included three sixes.

Left-arm pace bowler Mohammad Aamer, just 15 and having great success on this England tour, captured 4-30 in eight overs to put the home team in trouble. Another star for the Pakistan team was Karachi’s all-rounder Ahmed Iqbal. Top-scorer with 40 runs in his team’s one-wicket win in the second ODI at Shenley last Friday, the right-handed batsman held the lower order together with an unbeaten 21 off only 22 balls.

Pakistan lost their last seven wickets with only 43 runs added though. Ahmed Iqbal later took two wickets with his left-arm spin to take his team nearer victory.

The tourists now play their last two Youth ODIs both at Grace Road, Leicester, on Wednesday and Thursday.

Sialkot Stallions on second spot in Twenty20 rankings

LONDON: With no domestic Twenty20 games played last month, Australia’s Victorian Bushrangers, winners of back to back titles, remain at the top of the rankings for a fifth month with Pakistan’s Sialkot Stallions in second place followed by Surrey Brown Caps (3rd), Leicestershire Foxes (4th) and Somerset Sabres (5th) — all from England.

In sixth place are the Karachi Dolphins (Pakistan), followed closely by Tamil Nadu (India), winners of the first ever Inter-State Twenty20 Cup. Lahore Lions (Pakistan) are at eighth spot while Sri Lanka’s Chilaw Marians CC are at ninth.

The top ten is rounded out by another Pakistani team, Faisalabad Wolves, who were the winners of 2005 ABN-Amro Twenty20 Cup. However, the rankings will see some major changes this month though when the Twenty20 Cup starts in England.

Surrey, Leicestershire and Somerset will all be looking to move up the table and overtake the Bushrangers to claim the number one spot. As many as 92 teams from England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India have all been rated and included in the Bartercard Power Rankings.

The ratings are based on a number of important factors including runs scored, totals chased, loss of wickets and margins of victory. A team’s rating is then worked out by dividing the points scored in each game by the number of matches played; the totals are then given to the nearest whole number.

Team/Country Matches Pts Ranking
1. Victorian Bushrangers AUS 7 1761 221
2. Sialkot Stallions PAK 15 3314 220
3. Surrey Brown Caps ENG 33 7130 216
4. Leicestershire Foxes ENG 32 6900 215
5. Somerset Sabres ENG 27 5786 214
6. Karachi Dolphins PAK 16 3412 213
7. Tamil Nadu IND 10 2114 211
8. Lahore Lions PAK 11 2329 211
9. Chilaw Marians CC SL 13 2705 208
10. Faisalabad Wolves PAK 16 3336 208
11. Warwickshire Bears ENG 28 5805 207
12.Lahore Eagles PAK 14 2888 206
13. Yorkshire Phoenix ENG 25 5099 204
14. Glamorgan Dragons ENG 26 5256 202
15. Rawalpindi Rams PAK 10 2006 200
16. Gloucestershire Gladiators ENG 24 4804 200
17. Karachi Zebras PAK 11 2194 199
18. Punjab IND 10 1965 197
19. Northamptonshire Steelbacks ENG 25 4921 197
20. Peshawar Panthers PAK 10 1965 196

Saqlain asks British MP for help

LONDON: Pakistan’s off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has enlisted the help of his Member of the Parliament to end the frustrating wait to make his English cricket county Sussex bow.

He is not able to make first-class debut at Hove after signing a two-year contract in March until his British citizenship is accepted, a passport issued and he becomes qualified as an EU player.
The passport forms were submitted in April and passed the citizenship test but his application is waiting to be processed by the Home Office.

He met with Sadiq Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, who promised to take up his case.

“No one knows how long it will take but there is quite a long backlog so I will have to be patient,”

said Saqlain.

“I did the citizenship test on a computer. It was quite difficult but I passed. I didn’t have to learn the national anthem, just answer questions about function of the Parliament and things like that.”

If the passport came tomorrow, Saqlain is confident he could play next day which is a testament to the hard work he has put in to get himself match fit in last three months.

He played the last of his 49 Tests and 161 ODIs for Pakistan in 2003-04 and the huge part he had in Surrey’s dominance of domestic cricket in the late 1990s seems nothing more than a pleasant memory for him now.

“It’s very frustrating waiting. Everyone is playing. I can only watch. But if the passport came through today I would be able to play tomorrow.”

Sussex signed Saqlain with 2008 rather than this season in mind. Neither Mushtaq Ahmed nor Rana Naved are contracted beyond this season and the county will have to make difficult decision at end of it as only one overseas player per county is allowed next year.

There is a possibility Saqlain will not be able to play any first-team cricket this season, depending on how near he is top of the pile at the Home Office.

If that is the case, he is considering spending three months in Australia in the winter playing competitive grade cricket to get himself ready for next season.