Jun
8
England stay alive with 48-run win
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England kept themselves afloat in the ICC World T20 Championship after humbling Pakistan by 48 runs in their must-win match.
England’s chances to make the super-eight stage were hanging by a thread after suffering a humiliating defeat against the Netherlands in their opening match on Friday.
Facing early elimination from the home event, England top-order responded to the SOS call by superb batting as the hosts reached challenging 185 for 5 after sent in to bat at The Oval on Sunday.
Kevin Pietersen made a timely return to the side with a masterly 58 and was well supported by Luke Wright (34) and Owais Shah (33).
The hosts, riding on a spirited attack, then restricted the Pakistanis to 137 for seven in their 20 overs.
Feeling the pressure of chasing a huge total, Pakistan never recovered from a top-order collapse though skipper Younus Khan held one end with a defiant unbeaten 46.
Stuart Broad (3/17) did the early damage by dismissing Kamral Akmal and Salman Butt (28) on consecutive balls in the sixth over after Dimitri Mascarenhas had got rid off Ahmad Shahzad (4).
Younus Khan and Shoaib Malik (20) put some resistance and revived the innings with a 46-run partnership but the required run-rate soared over 12 runs per over.
Once Malik was caught behind off Wright, Younus was left stranded as his teammates came and departed in a hurry.
Luke Wright was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his all-round show. He took one wicket after making 34 off 16 balls in England innings.
Pakistan now must win their next match against the Netherlands on Tuesday to qualify for the next stage.
Earlier, Pietersen and Wright shared a 53-run stand for the second wicket after the early loss of Ravi Bopara (5). Pietersen then added 66 for the third wicket Owais Shah.
Wright was tested by the young paceman but the Briton responded with stunning hits in his next over. He first lofted him for a four, then pulled him for a mid-wicket six and followed it with a four in the third man region.
Wright was in murderous mood as he hit Yasir Arafat for consecutive fours and then Pietersen closed the over with a massive six over the sight screen
Gul ended the agony of Pakistan by getting rid of Wright, cleaning him up with a yorker. But by that time Wright had done his job by adding 53 quick runs for the second wicket with Pietersen.
The wicket coupled with tight bowling by Shahid Afridi put some brake on the run flow as England reached 90 without any further loss at the half-way mark.
Pietersen and Owais Shah (33) batted intelligently and steadily took their side towards a huge total.
At one stage the hosts were heading towards a 200-plus score but Saeed Ajmal’s double strike the 17th over pegged them back. The tweaker first dismissed rival skipper Paul Collingwood (15) and then sent back Pietersen, whose 38-ball knock contained five fours and three sixes.
Dimitri Mascarenhas (16) and James Foster (14) chipped in with useful contributions for England in the end.
For Pakistan Umar Gul (2/37) and Ajmal (2/23) did well but could not restrict England from making an imposing total.
Pakistan’s buttered-fingered fielders only helped the cause of England as they dropped catches, missed run out opportunities and gave away easy runs.
The 17-year-old Mohammed Aamer gave a good start to Pakistan by picking up the wicket of dangerous Bopara in the second ball of his first over.
Bopara slashed one hard on the off-side and an airborne Shoaib Malik took a superb catch at backward point.
The fall of wicket did not affect Wright as the Briton responded with stunning hits in Aamer’s next over. He first lofted him for a four, then pulled him for a mid-wicket six and followed it with a four in the third man region.
Wright was in murderous mood as he hit Yasir Arafat for consecutive fours and then Pietersen closed the over with a massive six over the sight screen.
Gul ended the agony of Pakistan by getting rid of Wright, cleaning him up with a yorker. But by that time Wright had done his job.
Teams:
England: RS Bopara, LJ Wright, KP Pietersen, OA Shah, PD Collingwood, JS Foster, AU Rashid, GP Swann, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, RJ Sidebottom.
Pakistan: Salman Butt, Ahmed Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer.
Jun
7
Pakistan targeting the Oval triumph
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Pakistan are up for the challenge of knocking hosts England out of the ICC World Twenty20 when they square up on Sunday.
Paul Collingwood’s England are in danger of being eliminated, following Friday night’s shock defeat by the Netherlands.
When Stuart Broad’s shy at the stumps with the final ball conceded the overthrow which allowed the Dutch to scramble the winning runs, England were left needing victory over Pakistan to stay in the competition.
But the 2007 runners-up are unlikely to be sympathetic to English plight when they take to the field at The Oval.
Pakistan’s preparations for the tournament have not been ideal, especially following warm-up defeats by South Africa and India.
But batsman Shoaib Malik is confident his side can turn it on when their competitive action begins.
“We arrived here late as we had a tournament in Pakistan so we needed a few more days to adjust ourselves,” said Malik.
“We are really up for this tournament. We haven’t played very good cricket in our two warm-up matches but the team is practising well and working hard and I’m sure we will do well in the coming matches.”
Freddie absence a boon
Malik believes England are feeling the loss of Andrew Flintoff, while their opponents can only benefit from the absence of the superstar all-rounder.
Flintoff is missing the tournament while he recovers from knee surgery in a bid to be fit for the Ashes series later in the summer.
“(Flintoff) is a great all-rounder and psychologically we will have a little bit of an edge if he’s not playing,” Malik said.
“He’s recovering at the moment so it is a great opportunity for us to win.
“We need to have a good start. If we win we carry those three points into the Super Eights. We are concentrating on that match and we have a good opportunity.”
On your toes
Malik feels the nature of Twenty20 means surprise results will always be on the cards.
“You can’t pick any winning team in this format,” he added.
“If your two batsman can score 50-plus or your two bowlers take wickets then results go in your favour.
“There are a few good sides - India, South Africa and Australia - but I’m sure we will do well.”
Approaching milestones
- Umar Gul (24) needs just one wicket to become the first bowler to claim 25 wickets in Twenty20 Internationals.
- Shoaib Malik (383) needs 17 runs more to complete his 400 runs in Twenty20 Internationals. Only Brendon McCullum (600) and Misbah-ul-Haq (422) have registered more runs than Malik.
Head to Head
- Pakistan and England have played against each other just once in Twenty20 Internationals. Pakistan had won by five wickets at Bristol on August 28,2006.
Mar
6
Younis demands action against Broad
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Pakistan captain Younis Khan demanded strict action against ICC match referee Chris Broad for demeaning Pakistan.
“The ICC has strict code of conduct for players we cant even make gestures. But what about officials what right does Broad have to publicly demean our country, our policemen and our cricket board. Some action must be taken against him,” Younis thundered while reacting to Broad’s comments that officials felt like “sitting ducks” during the attack.
Younis said while the attack, that left six Sri Lankan players injured, is condemnable, it cannot be used as an excuse to isolate Pakistan.
“Solutions must be found not excuses. What has happened has happened but people should not use this an excuse to isolate and abandon Pakistan cricket.
“I think this blame game of what went wrong and who is responsible for the attack on the Sri Lankan team must stop. What happened was tragic and shocking but it could have happened anywhere in the world given the terrorist threats the world faces nowadays,” Younis said.
“I am disappointed that all sorts of conspiracy theories are being floated around as to why our team didn’t leave with the Sri Lankans for the ground. Some people are suggesting it was planned to delay the departure of our team,” Younis added.
Younis made it clear there was no conspiracy behind the Pakistan team’s decision to leave five minutes after the Sri Lankans.”The reason for this was simple. We had fielded on the first two days of the test and we were batting on the third day so I wanted the boys to relax a bit. Normally when teams are fielding they reach the ground early to warm up,” he explained.
He said even during the first Test in Karachi, the Pakistan team had once left before the Sri Lankans and once after them.
“So what is so unusual about this?” he asked.
He suggested the International Cricket Council (ICC) work with member boards, including Pakistan, to enhance and improve security plans for visiting and home teams.
Younis said if Pakistan cricket gets isolated, it would mean thousands of youngsters losing interest in the sport and becoming easy targets for terrorism.
“Cricket is one thing that keeps Pakistanis together and involved if we don’t have cricket it will mean more problems for us,” he said.
Mar
3
At least a dozen men attacked Sri Lanka’s cricket team with rifles, grenades and rocket launchers Tuesday ahead of a match in Pakistan, wounding seven players, an umpire and an assistant coach from Britain in a brazen assault on South Asia’s most beloved sport. Six policemen and a civilian were killed.
The players’ and the coach’s injuries were not life-threatening, officials said. The umpire was in critical condition.
In a coordinated attack, the assailants ambushed the convoy carrying the squad and match officials at a traffic circle 100 yards (meters) from the main sports stadium in the eastern city of Lahore, triggering a 15-minute gunbattle with police guarding the vehicles.
None of the attackers was killed or captured at the scene, city police chief Haji Habibur Rehman said. Authorities did not speculate on the identities of the attackers or their motives.
The attack reinforced perceptions that nuclear-armed Pakistan is veering out of control under militant attack and will end hopes of international cricket teams — or any sports teams — playing in the country for months, if not years. Even before the incident, most cricket teams choose not to tour the country because of security concerns.
Tuesday’s attack came three months after the Mumbai terror strikes that killed 164 people. Those attacks were allegedly carried out by Pakistan militants, and resembled them in many respects. Both were coordinated attacks, used multiple gunmen, apparently in teams of two, who were armed with explosives and assault rifles, carried backpacks and apparently had little fear of death or capture.
Pakistan is battling a ferocious insurgency by Islamist militants with links to al-Qaida who have staged high-profile attacks on civilian targets before.
Two Sri Lankan players — Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana — were being treated for injuries in a hospital but were stable, said Chamara Ranavira, a spokesman for the Sri Lankan High Commission.
Medical Superintendent of the Services Hospital, Mohammad Javed, told The Associated Press that a total of 15 wounded were admitted to the hospital.
Among them were umpire Ahsan Raza, whom Javed said was “seriously wounded.” He added: “He has got one bullet in his abdomen that has damaged his internal parts.”
Of the two players, Paranavitana was grazed by a bullet in the chest, and Samaraweera has a bullet wound in his thigh.
Team captain Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Suranka Lakmal and Chaminda Vaas had minor injuries, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board said. Ranavira said British assistant coach Paul Farbrace also sustained minor injuries.
Veteran batsman Sangakkara told Sri Lankan radio station Yes-FM that “all the players are completely out of danger.”
Authorities canceled the test match against Pakistan’s national team and the Lahore governor said the team was flying home. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the attack and ordered his foreign minister to immediately travel to Pakistan to help assist in the team’s evacuation and ensure they are safe.
Witness and officials said the attackers opened fire and hit the team bus with automatic weapons from several locations as it traveled to the stadium, but did not manage to stop the vehicle — something that likely saved the squad from a worse fate.
TV footage of the attack showed at least one pair of gunmen with backpacks firing from a stretch of grass and taking cover behind a small monument before moving on. It was taken from a building overlooking the site of the ambush.
“These people were highly trained and highly armed. The way they were holding their guns, the way they were taking aim and shooting at the police, it shows they were not ordinary people,” said Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province. “This is the same style as the terrorists who attacked Mumbai.”
Other video showed damaged vehicles and unexploded grenades lying on the ground along with three bodies. An Associated Press reporter saw police handling what looked like two suicide jackets. Officers also recovered two backpacks apparently used by the attackers before fleeing, as well as walkie-talkies.
“It is a terrible incident and I am lost for words,” said Steve Davis, an Australian who was to have umpired the match.
Nadeem Ghauri, a Pakistani umpire who witnessed the attack, said the umpires were behind a bus of Sri Lankan players when suddenly they heard gunshots that lasted for 15 minutes. “Our driver was hit, and he was injured,” he said.
Lahore police chief Rehman said “between 12 and 14 men” took part in the assault and they resembled Pashtuns, the ethnic group that hails from close to the Afghan border, the stronghold of al-Qaida and the Taliban. He said officers were hunting them down.
“Our police sacrificed their lives to protect the Sri Lankan team,” he said.
Haider Ashraf, another police officer, said six policemen and a civilian died in the attack. It was unclear whether the civilian was a passer-by or someone traveling in the convoy.
Three hours after the attack, at least Sri Lankan eight players and team officials left the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on a Pakistani army helicopter that took off from the pitch. Wajira Wijegunawardena, the Sri Lankan cricket board’s media manager, said the team planned to board a flight to Abu Dhabi later Tuesday and return to Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka had agreed to this tour — allowing Pakistan to host its first test matches in 14 months — only after India and Australia postponed scheduled trips.
Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said little could be done to stop such an attack.
“I think the Pakistani authorities have provided adequate security but as we know from experience … there is never enough security to counter a well organized and determined terrorist group,” Kohona said.
The Dubai-based International Cricket Council condemned the attack. ICC President David Morgan told the British Broadcasting Corp. that the organization had no role in deciding on whether Pakistan was safe enough for a tour.
“So long as the two countries are in agreement on safety and security, the ICC does not have a role,” Morgan said.
One militant group likely to fall under particular suspicion is Lashkar-e-Taiba, the network blamed for the Mumbai terror attacks in November, in which 10 gunmen staged a three-day siege targeting luxury hotels, a Jewish center and other sites.
The group has been targeted by Pakistani authorities since then, and its stronghold is in eastern Pakistan.
In the past, India and Pakistan have blamed each other for attacks on their territories. Any allegations like that will trigger fresh tensions between the countries, which are already dangerously high.
Authorities will also consider possible links to Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger separatist rebels who are being badly hit in a military offensive at home, though Sri Lankan military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said authorities there did not believe the group was responsible.
Feb
1
England awarded Oval Test win
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The ICC have changed the result of England’s Test against Pakistan at The Oval in 2006 awarding it to England.
The controversial match, which ended with Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq refusing to lead his side back onto the pitch after tea following a decision to award England five penalty runs for alleged ball tampering, was initially called as a forfeit in England’s favour.
But the ICC amended that decision in July 2008, declaring the result as a draw.
The decision was made at Sunday’s second day of the ICC board meeting in Perth.
An official statement read: “After reconsideration of the matter, which included consideration of legal advice and input from the MCC, the custodians of the Laws of Cricket, the board decided that the original umpires’ decision to award the match to England, should apply.”
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: “I’m gratified the board reached the conclusion it did as this ensures the integrity of the game and the Laws of Cricket have been upheld. I am especially grateful to the PCB for its understanding in this matter.”
Umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove’s decision to end the match as a forfeit on the fourth day - despite a belated offer to return to the field from Inzamam’s team - was a first in the history of Test cricket.
Australian official Hair’s involvement in the drama later became the focus of attention when ICC chairman Malcolm Speed claimed the umpire had offered to resign from the elite umpires’ list in exchange for a compensation payment of US dollars 500,000 to cover loss of future earnings.
Hair was banned from officiating international cricket by the ICC in November 2006 before being restored to the elite panel in March 2008.
He returned to the Test stage in that year’s series between England and New Zealand before his retirement.
Oct
4
Mushtaq to land England job
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Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed says he is on the verge of signing a contract with England to become their spin coach in 2009. 
The 38-year-old has been approached by coach Peter Moores - with whom he struck up a successful relationship at Sussex - to develop England’s options in the slow bowling department.
Mushtaq, who experienced coaching as an assistant to Bob Woolmer for Pakistan, is also considering a post with his former county and could initially take on both roles on a part-time basis.
“Peter Moores asked me if I can spare some time during the summer (in 2009) or winter to work with the young England spinners and also the main spinners (in the senior team),” he said.
“My agent is doing the deal with the (England and Wales Cricket Board), so until anything is officially agreed I don’t know when I will be starting or what I will be doing.
“But Peter suggested there might be an opportunity for me to work with their academy players in India after I complete my ICL commitments in November.
“I would be happy to work with players across the board, from the senior England team to youth sides or county second teams.”