Pakistan Cricket Board will not allow players using social networking sites during World Cup

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has forbidden the players, who have made their inclusion in the World Cup squad, to use social networking sites during the tournament which is scheduled to kick off in February 14.

It was confirmed on Tuesday by the team manager, Naved Akram Cheema, who said that as part of their central contracts, players would not be allowed to use any social networking site on the coming tour to New Zealand and in the World Cup. The reason behind this rule is to keep players away from unnecessary controversies which take place due to their activity on these networking sites.

Cheema, who has been appointed manager for the World Cup in place of Moin Khan, said if any player was found guilty of violating this clause, he would go through severe punishment.

He also said that players would not be allowed to stay or being accompanied by their families on per decision taken by the cricket board. 

Pakistani cricketers ask for new jersey numbers after consulting with spiritual advisors

It looks like that some players of the Pakistan squad will depend on their jersey numbers to do well in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2015. The interesting thing is that they have taken help from their spiritual advisors to choose their preferred jersey numbers for the biggest cricketing event taking place in February.

Middle-order batsman, Umar Akmal, has asked for number 3 to replace 96 on his shirt after consulting with his ‘Pir’. According to the report, Umar was not happy with his poor form. In order to change his luck, he has asked for this change.

Haris Sohail is one of the newcomers to have chosen 89 instead of 80 which he wore in the recently concluded series against New Zealand. Other newcomers who will new numbers on their jerseys are Wahab Riaz 47, Ehsan Adil 91, and Yasir Shah 86.

Pakistani players get the opportunity to choose their shirt numbers before every mega event like the World cup. However, players hardly change the numbers they have been using for a while now. 

Pakistan agrees to take part in this year’s Asia Cup

After a lot of confusion, Pakistan cricket team has agreed to participate in this year’s Asia Cup in Bangladesh. They are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on February 22 so that they can practice in the next two days before going to take on Sri Lanka in the tournament opener in Fatullah. Pakistan will join Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in the tournament which will take place between February 25 and March 8.

According to ACC chief executive Ashraful Huq, even if Pakistan pulls them out of the tournament, the tournament will go ahead as planned. He also assured all the participating nations that the tournament will not be affected due to any political turmoil inside the country. Even, he has taken assurance from the political parties to keep cricket away from their political program.

Raising security concern in Bangladesh, Pakistan demanded to shift the hosting rights to another country. However, after a board meeting in Sri Lanka, Asian Cricket Council decided to retain Bangladesh’s rights to host the tournament. 

Pakistan Cricket Board recalls Kamran Akmal in the provisional squad

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced a 30-man provisional squad keeping in mind the upcoming World Twenty20 that is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in September- October this year.

The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, Kamran Akmal, has been included in the list after being cleared of suspicions of spot-fixing by the PCB integrity committee.

The other two players who have been primarily included in the squad are batsman, Imran Nazir, and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq. These three players have no central contract with the board.

This list includes eight opening batsmen, five middle order batsmen, three all-rounders, eight pace bowlers, three spinners and three wicketkeepers.

The chief selector Iqbal Qasim said, “Kamran has been selected after he was cleared by the PCB and we feel that he can still deliver as keeper and an opener in Twenty20 cricket.”

He further added saying that Pakistan cricket team needs a solid wicketkeeper who can score quick runs and currently Kamran is the only option for Pakistan cricket team.

Kamran Akmal has not played any match for the national cricket team since the 2011 World Cup. He was not selected in the Pakistan squad not for being suspicion of spot-fixing but also for his bad performance.

Imran Nazir last played for Pakistan in February 2010. He has been doing well in domestic cricket. Abdul Razzaq is also a good player. Razzaq did not play for Pakistan since injuring his shoulder in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in the UAE in November last year.

There is no surety if they can make their place in the final squad because the final squad will finalized depending on coach and captain’s plans.

Provisional squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmad Shahzad, Nasir Jamshed, Imran Nazir, Shahzaib Hasan, Awais Zia, Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Rameez Raja, Shahid Afridi, Hammad Azam, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Mohammad Sami, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Arafat, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Anwar Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Raza Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Kamran Akmal, Shakeel Ansar.

PCB will announce bowling coach after Sri Lanka tour

The bowling coach of Pakistan cricket team will be appointed after the team’s tour of Sri Lanka. After Aaqib Javed resigned from the post, Pakistan cricket team is without a bowling coach. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee is yet to announce a name to fill up this vacant post.

The reason of delaying the appointment of bowling coach was revealed by a source in the Pakistan Cricket Board. According to him, the appointment was delayed by the board to select a right person for the right job.

The coach selection committee headed by Intikhab Alam earlier in the start of April said to media that they had short listed the name of candidates and PCB will announce the name of bowling coach after Chairman Zaka Ashraf approve it before the start of Sri Lanka tour.

For the post, PCB received around twelve applications which included Pakistanis and foreigners like Jalal-ud-din, Ian Pont, Sabih Azhar, Mushtaq Ahmed and M Akram.

Pakistan cricket team is always unpredictable. It is very hard to say what they will do in the series or tournament. However, they have balanced squad including strong batting and bowling line up. What they have to do is that they will have to feel their responsibility and to play according to their potential to win the matches against the host nation Sri Lanka.

Misbah-ul Haq is eyeing for the whitewash against England

Pakistan cricket captain, Misbah-ul Haq, aims to whitewash England after beating the opponent team in the third and final Test match in Dubai on Friday. He says that defeating the world number one England 3-0 will be a big achievement but said his team will not take that extra pressure in this game.

If Pakistan can defeat England 3-0 then it will be a history because in the 58 years of Pakistan-England cricket, neither of the team has ever registered a clean sweep. Misbah's Pakistan cricket team has a good opportunity of making a history after their comprehensive ten-wicket victory in the first Test and by 72 runs in the second.

England is facing a tough challenge to play against spin bowling. They will have to find a solution to counter Pakistani spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman who have taken 17 wickets and 12 wickets in two matches respectively. England is now facing the threat of losing their world's top rankings. If they lose they may get down in the Test rankings.

Misbah said Pakistan cricket team will look for a victory in the third Test. Pakistan’s last clean sweep came against Bangladesh in 2003, while their last against a top Test nation was beating West Indies 3-0 in 1997.

Misbah may not bring any change in the squad despite he has the option of using the bench player in paceman Wahab Riaz in place of Junaid Khan.

England captain, Andrew Strauss, is optimistic of countering Pakistan’s spinners which is causing problem for them.

Pakistan beats England by 10-wicket and takes a 1-0 lead

Pakistan defeated England by 10 wickets in the first Test played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. With this victory, the host nation took a 1-0 lead of the 3-match Test series. Pakistan sealed the victory within three days. It will boost the team after their criticism marred by controversy, mainly the spot-fixing scandal.

Pakistan interim coach, Mohsin Khan, is happy for this victory. He thinks that it will help his country to erase the bad name and come out of negative image.

England cricket team showed their poor performance with both the bat and ball. They could not cross the 200 mark in two innings. Winning the toss, they came to bat first and scored 192 runs. Matt Prior scored not out 70 but there was no one who could help him to lead the team towards the big score.

In reply, Pakistan scored 338 for the loss of ten wickets and gave the tourist 146 run lead. However, England scored 160 runs in their second innings and could able to score 14 run lead that forced Pakistan to bat in the second innings.

Without losing any wicket, Pakistan reached the victory margin. Mohammad Hafeez alone scored 15 runs.

English batsmen had to do a tough job to face the Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal. Saeed Ajmal was awarded player of the match for taking 10 wickets.

PCB wants Bangladesh to visit Pakistan

Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan is facing uncertainty. It is not sure if Bangladesh cricket board will send their team to Pakistan or not. The only reason behind this uncertainty is Pakistan’s security.

There is also mixed reaction among players and team’s staffs about touring Pakistan as some players and team’s foreign staffs are reluctant to go there because of security situation that has also left the PCB worried.

However, Pakistan Cricket Board is very much interested in welcoming Bangladesh cricket team to their country. That is why, PCB has sent its chief operating to Bangladesh to inspire the Bangladesh Cricket Board to go ahead with its tour to Pakistan in April.

BCB was supposed to send Bangladesh security delegation to Pakistan this month to observe security condition in this country.

Sri Lanka was the last Test-playing nation that Pakistan and faced militant attack in 2009 in Lahore. Since then no Test-playing country has visited Pakistan.

According to Zaka Ashraf, PCB chief, the security situation in Pakistan has improved and will improve further. He also urged the ICC governing body and Test playing countries to start sending teams to the country.

Pakistan defeats Sri Lanka by 9-wicket in the second Test

After defeating Sri Lanka by 9-wicket at Abu Dhabi, Pakistan took a 1-0 lead of the 3-match Test series. The host team claimed the victory with one day left at hand.

The Pakistani bowlers worked hard to bundle out the Sri Lankan second innings for just 257 with taking 9 wickets on day 4. They finished the third day with 88/1 in 45 overs leaving Tharanga Paranavitana and Kumar Sangakkara not out on 42 and 29.

Abdur Rehman brought the first break through for his team after taking the wicket of former captain, Sangakkara. However, Paranavitana played a passionate 239-ball 72 runs innings where he hit four boundaries. All rounder, Angelo Mathews, was the second highest run scorer with 52 off 143 balls, including five fours and one six. Tail ender Dhammika Prasad tried to make some resist with the bat but he could not continue it for long time. He was trapped by Abdur Rehman after scoring 33 runs.

Saeed Ajmal got 5-68. It was his 4^th fifth-wicket hall in Test cricket. Both Abdur Rehman and Junaid Khan took two wickets each and another wicket was taken by Mohammad Hafeez.

Pakistan needed 94 runs to win. They could successfully chase down the score as they reached the milestone losing 1 wicket. Opener Taufeeq Umar was bowled out by Rangana Herath. Another opener, Mohammad Hafeez, scored unbeaten 59 runs while Azhar Ali remained not out on 29 runs.

The 3^rd and final Test match will be played on November 3 at Sharjah.

Pakistan will get some inspiration from their victory against Zimbabwe

Pakistan cricket captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, think that their victory against Zimbabwe in all three formats of cricket game will inspire his team to play well against Sri Lanka in the upcoming Test series that will be held in UAE from October 18, 2011.

No doubt, their victory against minnow Zimbabwe will increase their confidence level and it will inspire them to continue their winning streak.

Pakistan whitewashed the home team, Zimbabwe, in all cricket formats. They bet them in the only Test, won the ODI series 3-0 and defeated them in both T20 internationals.

However, this upcoming three-match Test series is going to be a tough challenge for Sri Lanka. Their home series against Australia was disaster. In their recently concluded home series, they lost the three-match test series 1-0 and the five-match ODI series 3-2 to Australia.

The Sri Lankan cricket team should try to win the test series at any cost and want to improve their position in the Test ranking.

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Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 1st Test 2011: Will it be a draw?

It is day two of Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 1^st Test 2011. This is the only test between these two countries to be played this year. In their first innings, Zimbabwe posted a good score of 412 runs. They should have perhaps scored some more if tail ender batsmen offered some more resistance. For Zimbabwe, TMK Mawoyo scored 163 runs and except him, H Masakadza scored 45, T Taibu scored 44, CR Ervine got 49 and Lamb got 39. At one stage, Zimbabwe was 364 for 5 but the last five wickets felt rather cheaply.

For Pakistan, it was Aizaz Cheema who got 4 wickets and also Saeed Ajmal got another 4. In reply, Pakistan is batting and at the end of day two, Pakistan could be scored 116 runs for losing one wicket. Pakistani batsmen have been trying to score quickly as they scored these 116 runs within 29 overs and their scoring rate is exactly four which is considered to be good in Test cricket.

This is a comeback year for Zimbabwean cricket. Earlier they defeated Bangladesh in both Test and ODI series. Now if they can just get a draw against Pakistan then it will be a huge comeback for them.

India vs Pakistan Preview and Live Score: ICC World Cup Semi-Final

The ICC World Cup semi-final match between India and Pakistan has caught all the attention. This match is said to be the biggest World Cup match even than the final. Millions of eyes are now excitedly waiting to see the clash between these two arch-rival teams.

As it is ICC World Cup tournament, the match between India and Pakistan has become more exciting and nail biting. It seems there will be not a fight between two teams but also millions of fans of these two teams will be seen involving in oral clash.

Now, fans around the world are looking for the second semi-final match on 30 March 2011. With this semi-final match, one of the South Asian teams will be able to play in the final match against the winner of the first semi-final match that will be played between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

As it is going to be played in India so they are expecting to get home advantage and will go in as hot favorites. This match will be played at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Punjab. However, it doesn’t mean that Pakistan cricket team is not that much favorite.

It is hard to predict that who can win the match as both teams have equal chance of winning the match. Both teams have won the match once and they will be eyeing to hold the World Cup trophy once again.

However, Pakistan cricket team has sore record against India in the World Cup history. They have faced four times so far and Pakistan lost all of them. So, they will try their best to come out of their losing streak. No doubt, India will give out their best form to continue their dominance over Pakistan.

Fans are also expected to see the clash between strong batting line up and strong bowling line up. India is known for their strong batting line up while Pakistan has received much acclaim for their superb bowling. Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi is the highest wicket taker. So, Pakistani supporters will expect that Shahid Afridi will show his destructive bowling action against the Indian batsmen and lead his team to the final.

India’s most experienced batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, is just one century away to complete his 100^th international century. No doubt, Indian fans should expect to see Sachin Tendulkar adding one more century to his tally. It is the time to see if Shahid Afridi and his team can keep him wait for few matches to make a new record.

Pakistan was the top placed team in Group A. On the other hand, India became the second placed team in Group B. So far Pakistan has lost just one match and their defeat came against New Zealand. India also lost one match against South Africa and tied one against England.

Compared to India, Pakistan has got easier victory against West Indies in the quarter final round. Pakistan thrashed West Indies by 10 wickets. By beating defending champion Australia, India made their place in the semi-final round. They got 5-wicket victory against them. However, it was not as easier as like Pakistan.

The main weakness of Indian team is their bowling line up. Indian bowlers will have to show their best form if they want to make their place in the final round. However, Pakistani skipper and coach should think seriously about their fragile batting line up. Pakistani batsmen will have to play an important role to put an enormous and unbeatable target against their old rival team.

However, in the end, we can say that cricket fans can see an exciting and nail biting match.

This match will be shown live on ESPN Star Sports and Star Cricket. Pakistani people may keep watching on GEO Super to enjoy the match live. In Bangladesh, it will be shown live on BTV.

However, websites like- www.espncricinfo.com, www.action8cricket.com and www.livescore.com, will provide live score of this important match.

Final Squad of Pakistan Cricket Team for World Cup 2011

Ahead of the ICC World Cup 2011, Pakistan Cricket Board announced the final squad which is consisting of 15 players. Selectors have chosen players based on their performance and fitness. Former Pakistani player, Mohsin Khan, was the head of the selectors. He announced the squad after getting list from Ijaz Butt, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. The list of players is given below-

Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2011: Shahid Afridi, Misbahul Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younus Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir and Ahmad Shahzad.

Selectors didn’t announce the name of captain and vice-captain in the final squad. It will be delayed to know the name of captain and his deputy for the upcoming tournament. It seems that selectors will announce captain’s name after the end of six-match New Zealand ODI series that will start from 22^nd January 2011.

The speculation was that Misbah-ul-Haq would be seen leading the national cricket team. He successfully led Pakistan in the recently concluded two-match Test series that Pakistan won by 1-0. That is why, he has the possibility to get captaincy.

Selectors should not forget that Shahid Afridi led Pakistan to win the T20 World Cup in 2009.

Experienced batsman, Mohammad Yousuf, could not make his place in the final squad and this news surprised millions of Pakistani supporters. PCB Selectors dropped him when they announced the final squad for the World Cup being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Mohammad Yousuf was one of the few senior players who were picked in the 30-man preliminary squad. But he failed to make his place in the final squad. Selectors put more faith on young players instead of him.

Until now, selectors didn’t disclose the reason of not selecting him in the World Cup squad. According to the sources’ statement, selectors found Mohammad Yousuf not fit to take part in this big cricket event.

However, Yousuf was unhappy for such decision. He said that it was very disappointing matter not to be picked despite being fit enough to play in the cricket tournament. Hi is now playing in domestic cricket.

Yousuf has been out of form. Shahid Afridi said that selectors should think about Yousuf and give him another chance to play for Pakistan in the upcoming tournament. Mohammad Yousuf is an experienced batsman and his experience will help Pakistan to make the middle order batting line up stronger.

Pakistan cricket team will have to travel without their two important bowlers- Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. Selectors didn’t pick them in the squad as International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended them because of their allegation of spot-fixing during a Test match against England last year.

Because of their absence, Pakistan pace bowling line up will be weaker. So, cricket fans should expect that they will make their return to the national squad as soon as possible before the start of World Cup.

Another player who has been suspended by the ICC due to same reason is Salman Butt. His absence in the squad created a big void for Pakistan cricket team.

Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt have possibility to be included in the squad if they get clearance from ICC. Their fate will be decided on February 5 when an important decision will be taken.

However, selectors have taken Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir for the fast bowling option. They all are doing very well. Shoaib Akhtar is eagerly waiting to destroy the opponent team with his bowling speed. Umar Gul is expected to play an important role. He is a wicket-taking bowler. He can bowl in good line and length. Despite his good performance, fast bowler Tanvir Ahmad was dropped from the squad.

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will lead the pace attack that also includes Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir, with all-rounder Abdul Razzaq supplementing as a medium-pace bowler.

Despite the presence of Mohammad Hafeez, they have taken two other spinners- left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal. Thinking about the condition of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, they have chosen two extra spinners.

Shahid Afridi is an important inclusion in this squad. He is an experienced all-round who can play aggressively with the bat and can put pressure over the opponent with the ball.

Another all-rounder is Abdul Razzaq. He is continuously performing well. He is a right-arm medium-pace bowler. Razzaq can play well in the lower-order position.

Who will make open with Mohammad Hafeez? It is heard that either Kamran Akmal or Ahmed Shahzad will be his partner for the opening position. Akmal brother, Umar Akmal, will be standing behind the wicket.

The middle order batting line up has been made up with the inclusion of Younis Khan, Misbahul Haq, Shahid Afridi and Asad Shafiq. Asad Shafiq has been taken in the place of Mohammad Yousuf. He has played well in a test series against New Zealand.