Showing posts with label PAKISTANI CRICKET TEAM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PAKISTANI CRICKET TEAM. Show all posts
KARACHI: One-day Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi Friday called Pakistan’s scandal-marred tour of England the “most difficult” of his career as the team staged a low-key return home after four gruelling months away.
Coach Waqar Younis also conceded that it had been a punishing tour “on and off the field” after corruption investigations engulfed the side, triggering a barrage of condemnation from the press and public.
An exhausted-looking Afridi flew in to Karachi with three team-mates while the rest of the squad arrived in Lahore in the early hours, with a phalanx of gun-toting policemen escorting the players out of both airports.
“It was tough because of the controversies and became very difficult to cope with, because every time we went out of the hotel people passed remarks against us,” Afridi told a scrum of reporters in Karachi.
“Because of the controversies on the tour, it was the most difficult tour of my 14-year career,” the explosive all-rounder added.
The tour ended on Wednesday with Pakistan losing the one-day series 3-2.
England also took the Test and Twenty20 series.
The tour will be remembered less for the on-field play and more for the off-field revelations by British tabloids that sparked investigations by Scotland Yard and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Allegations of spot-fixing in the Lord's Test against England engulfed Test captain Salman Butt along with bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif. All three were questioned by British police and returned home early to Pakistan.
The ICC launched another probe into a suspicious scoring pattern by Pakistan in the third one-day match at The Oval on September 17, prompting Pakistan's cricket chief to hurl corruption allegations in turn against England.
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday hired lawyers to reply to a legal notice filed by English officials demanding an “unreserved apology” over the allegations by PCB chairman Ijaz Butt.
Butt had accused England players of deliberately losing The Oval match in return for “enormous amounts of money”, prompting passionate denials by England. There was also an off-field altercation between rival players.
Afridi said team unity had remained intact despite the storm of controversy.
“The best part of the whole tour was that the players showed unity even in difficult times and gave a good fight in the one-day series against England,”he said, while also hinting at a return to Test cricket.
“I will think about it and if the team needs it, I may consider playing the Test series against South Africa,” he said, ahead of the Proteas encounters starting late next month on neutral turf in the United Arab Emirates.
Foreign teams have shunned tours of Pakistan since Sri Lanka were attacked by gunmen near Lahore's Gaddafi stadium in March 2009. Seven Sri Lankan players and a coach were wounded in the attack, which killed eight Pakistanis.
Pakistan began their troubled summer tour with matches against Australia in England, winning both Twenty20 matches and squaring the two-Test series 1-1.
Waqar, one of Pakistan's greatest bowlers, said the tour's length had taken its toll.“If you take into account the tour to Sri Lanka before we went to England, it was four months on the trot and the tour of England was difficult both on and off the field,” the coach said on his arrival in Lahore.
“We had successes against Australia which were pleasing,” Waqar added.
“But because of the controversies it was tough against England, because you need to go to extra effort to gee up the players when you see a report in the newspaper every other day.”
An exhausted-looking Afridi flew in to Karachi with three team-mates while the rest of the squad arrived in Lahore in the early hours, with a phalanx of gun-toting policemen escorting the players out of both airports.
“It was tough because of the controversies and became very difficult to cope with, because every time we went out of the hotel people passed remarks against us,” Afridi told a scrum of reporters in Karachi.
“Because of the controversies on the tour, it was the most difficult tour of my 14-year career,” the explosive all-rounder added.
The tour ended on Wednesday with Pakistan losing the one-day series 3-2.
England also took the Test and Twenty20 series.
The tour will be remembered less for the on-field play and more for the off-field revelations by British tabloids that sparked investigations by Scotland Yard and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Allegations of spot-fixing in the Lord's Test against England engulfed Test captain Salman Butt along with bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif. All three were questioned by British police and returned home early to Pakistan.
The ICC launched another probe into a suspicious scoring pattern by Pakistan in the third one-day match at The Oval on September 17, prompting Pakistan's cricket chief to hurl corruption allegations in turn against England.
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday hired lawyers to reply to a legal notice filed by English officials demanding an “unreserved apology” over the allegations by PCB chairman Ijaz Butt.
Butt had accused England players of deliberately losing The Oval match in return for “enormous amounts of money”, prompting passionate denials by England. There was also an off-field altercation between rival players.
Afridi said team unity had remained intact despite the storm of controversy.
“The best part of the whole tour was that the players showed unity even in difficult times and gave a good fight in the one-day series against England,”he said, while also hinting at a return to Test cricket.
“I will think about it and if the team needs it, I may consider playing the Test series against South Africa,” he said, ahead of the Proteas encounters starting late next month on neutral turf in the United Arab Emirates.
Foreign teams have shunned tours of Pakistan since Sri Lanka were attacked by gunmen near Lahore's Gaddafi stadium in March 2009. Seven Sri Lankan players and a coach were wounded in the attack, which killed eight Pakistanis.
Pakistan began their troubled summer tour with matches against Australia in England, winning both Twenty20 matches and squaring the two-Test series 1-1.
Waqar, one of Pakistan's greatest bowlers, said the tour's length had taken its toll.“If you take into account the tour to Sri Lanka before we went to England, it was four months on the trot and the tour of England was difficult both on and off the field,” the coach said on his arrival in Lahore.
“We had successes against Australia which were pleasing,” Waqar added.
“But because of the controversies it was tough against England, because you need to go to extra effort to gee up the players when you see a report in the newspaper every other day.”
According to sources, President Zardari, who is the Patron in Chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board, expressed concern over the match fixing allegations and said the blame game should be stopped by both sides. Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar refused to comment on the matter discussed at the meeting. The president also asked Mr Thomson to convey his request to the UK authorities to complete investigation in Mr Farooq’s murder case as soon as possible.
The spokesman said the president called upon the British government and EU countries to further pursue the progress recently made at a foreign ministers’ meeting of the European Union for grant of market access to Pakistani goods in Europe’s markets. “The grant of trade concessions to Pakistan will enable the government to generate employment opportunities and look after the flood-affected people,” he said. He thanked the UK and EU and said the market access would help the country to revive its economy which had been badly hit by the war against extremism and the devastating floods. “In order to ensure transparency, a foolproof system has been developed for utilisation of flood aid. All information about the aid received and disbursed will be put on the web and accessible to everyone,” he said. Matters regarding rehabilitation and reconstruction of flood-hit areas, revival of economy, bilateral relations, war against militants and regional situation were also discussed. President Zardari stressed the need for starting a ‘strategic dialogue’ between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
Pakistan included paceman Shoaib Akhtar and former captain Shoaib Malik in its 15-man squad for the Asia Cup to be played in Sri Lanka later this month, selectors announced Thursday.
The 34-year-old Akhtar was found fit for the June 15-24 four-nation tournament after selectors and top Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials carried out checks on Wednesday. A medical report has also declared him fit.
Akhtar, whose 13-year career has been riddled with injuries and controversies, has not played for Pakistan since May last year because of knee problems but showed good form in a recent domestic one-day tournament.
The 28-year-old Malik had a one-year ban lifted last week, clearing his return to international cricket. He also passed a fitness test.
“Both Akhtar and Malik passed fitness tests and hence were included in the squad and it’s a balanced squad,” PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters.
Malik was banned for one year and fined two million rupees (24,000 dollars) in March after he was found breaching the players’ code of conduct during Pakistan’s tour of the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Australia. His fine was halved last week.
All-rounder Shahid Afridi was named captain for the Asia Cup and the following tour of England last week.
Pakistan, who have won the Asia Cup title only once, will face hosts and defending champions Sri Lanka on June 15 before taking on arch-rivals India on June 19 and Bangladesh on June 21.
The final of the 10th Asia Cup will be held on June 24.
Pakistan is already missing key fast bowler Umar Gul, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury for the last two months. Gul missed the World Twenty20 in the West Indies last month.
The 21-year-old left-handed batsman Umar Amin is also uncapped, while 20-year-old Shahzaib Hasan represented Pakistan in the second World Twenty20 in England last year and has yet to play a 50-over one-day match.
The 24-year-old Asad Shafiq, also uncapped, came after a strong domestic season.
Former captain Younus Khan, who was banned for an indefinite period over infighting in the team but named in the initial squad, was left out as his appeal is still pending.
Squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Salman Butt (vice capt), Imran Farhat, Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman.
The 34-year-old Akhtar was found fit for the June 15-24 four-nation tournament after selectors and top Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials carried out checks on Wednesday. A medical report has also declared him fit.
Akhtar, whose 13-year career has been riddled with injuries and controversies, has not played for Pakistan since May last year because of knee problems but showed good form in a recent domestic one-day tournament.
The 28-year-old Malik had a one-year ban lifted last week, clearing his return to international cricket. He also passed a fitness test.
“Both Akhtar and Malik passed fitness tests and hence were included in the squad and it’s a balanced squad,” PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters.
Malik was banned for one year and fined two million rupees (24,000 dollars) in March after he was found breaching the players’ code of conduct during Pakistan’s tour of the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Australia. His fine was halved last week.
All-rounder Shahid Afridi was named captain for the Asia Cup and the following tour of England last week.
Pakistan, who have won the Asia Cup title only once, will face hosts and defending champions Sri Lanka on June 15 before taking on arch-rivals India on June 19 and Bangladesh on June 21.
The final of the 10th Asia Cup will be held on June 24.
Pakistan is already missing key fast bowler Umar Gul, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury for the last two months. Gul missed the World Twenty20 in the West Indies last month.
The 21-year-old left-handed batsman Umar Amin is also uncapped, while 20-year-old Shahzaib Hasan represented Pakistan in the second World Twenty20 in England last year and has yet to play a 50-over one-day match.
The 24-year-old Asad Shafiq, also uncapped, came after a strong domestic season.
Former captain Younus Khan, who was banned for an indefinite period over infighting in the team but named in the initial squad, was left out as his appeal is still pending.
Squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Salman Butt (vice capt), Imran Farhat, Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman.
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