I hope Amir comes back strongly: Wasim Akram

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram admitted that the lengthy bans handed out to Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for corruption on Saturday represented a new low for the besieged sport in the country.
“I feel sad for all three of these kids, two just over 20 and one just 18,” Wasim told AFP.
“I feel for their families because they are key players. This is a low for Pakistan  cricket.”
The International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption tribunal on Saturday banned Butt for 10 years (five suspended), Asif for seven years (two suspended) and teenager Amir for five.
The bans were handed after an investigation into allegations made by the News of the World that the players deliberately bowled no-balls in the Lord’s Test against England in August.
Wasim said he hopes the punishments will serve as a lesson.
“Not only for cricketers in Pakistan, but also for the players of the world, this should be a lesson, and I sincerely hope that the ICC has set an example with this verdict and this will serve as a clean-up, not only in Pakistan cricket, but in world cricket,” said Wasim.
Wasim said Amir is a special talent.
“I was very happy to see Amir’s progress, but with this punishment his career will suffer. I hope he comes back strongly,” said Wasim, of the teenage left-arm paceman who has been compared to him.
Former Pakistan spinner Iqbal Qasim termed the decision as “upsetting”.
“All three players were the future of Pakistan cricket, so it’s a very upsetting day,” said former spinner Iqbal, who is also the head of the National Bank team for which all three players featured in domestic matches.
“All three had promising careers but it’s sad that they fell into a trap and couldn’t recover.
They could have earned more through playing international cricket,” said Qasim, also a former chief selector.
Qasim said the decision must serve as reminder for other cricketers as well as for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“I hope these punishments will help future cricketers be more responsible.
I think it should also serve as a jolt for the PCB who should have curbed this before it happened,” said Qasim.
Former captain Rashid Latif said the loss of the three players will be temporary.
“To gain an honest system, and have unquestionable integrity, you have to lose something and players come and go – this will be a momentary loss for Pakistan cricket,” said Latif, who blew the match-fixing whistle against fellow players in 1994.
Former paceman Sarfraz Nawaz termed the decision as “pre-judged”.
“The ICC had decided to give punishments to the players because there was too much pressure on them to curb fixing,” Nawaz told AFP.
“It’s an important day for world cricket and very sad for Pakistan.”
Nawaz said Amir and Asif will be sorely missed in next month’s World Cup.
“Amir and Asif are a huge loss,” said Nawaz, of the new-ball pairing.
“They are the world’s best opening bowlers and will be missed, while Butt has matured into a solid opener.”
Fans in the street had a mixed reaction, some calling the decision a “conspiracy” against the Pakistan team.

Pak cricket team returns home today

Pakistan cricket team will return home here today after winning the Test and One-day International series against New Zealand.

After a long tour of two months, the national team is returning home from Auckland via Hong Kong.

Pakistan after tasting defeat in the Twenty20 series, won the Test series 1-0 and ODI series 3-2.

The Test team was led by Misbah-ul-Haq while the T20 and ODI team was captained by Shahid Afridi.

The national team after taking a three-day rest will leave in the night of February 10 for Bangladesh to participate in the ICC World Cup 2011.

The team in Bangladesh will attend the inaugural ceremony and play two warm-up matches before leaving for Sri Lanka for playing its World Cup games.

Pakistan will play their first match in the World Cup 2011 against Kenya at Hambanthota on February 23

Afridi named skipper for mega event: Intikhab

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) late on Thursday night resolved to retain Shahid Khan Afridi as captain to lead the Pakistan side in the cricket World Cup, to be held from February 19 to April 2 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam claimed this while talking to media after Pakistan won an ODI series against Kiwis by 3-1 after 17 years in New Zealand.

The PCB announced their 15-man squad for the showpiece event on January 18 but did not announce a skipper until today (Friday).

Pakistan’s current limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi and the Test skipper Misbahul Haq were the two contenders for leading the team in the World Cup.

They downplayed the ongoing row but former players lashed out PCB, saying the decision was likely to harm team’s unity.

Afridi had earlier said: “It would not be an issue for me if I am removed from captaincy.”

“It doesn’t make a difference whether Misbah leads the side or I lead the side because we both are playing for our country.”

Afridi had also dismissed reports of differences with Misbah. “We don’t have any differences. He is a good player who remains focused on his job,” Afridi maintained.

ICC bans trio for minimum five years

DOHA: Former captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were banned for at least five years on Saturday after they were found guilty of corruption by an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal.

A statement read out at the tribunal said: "The tribunal heard the charges as Aamer agreed to bowl no-balls, and did bowl no-balls and Butt was party to the bowling of those deliberate balls, and the tribunal impose the following sanctions.

"On Butt ten years ineligibility, five years of which are suspended on the condition that he doesn't commit further breaches of the code, and that he participates under the auspices Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of anti-corruption education.

"On Asif, a sanction of seven years of ineligibility, two years of which are suspended on the condition that he commits no further breach of the code and also participates in an anti-corruption programme.

"On Aamer a sanction of five years ineligibility. No further sanctions are imposed on any player."

The decisions came after a lengthy nine-hour hearing at the Qatar Financial Center, and following much argument after the players' lawyers requested the verdict be adjourned as it could affect the criminal case against the players in London.

The charges relate to alleged incidents during a Test match against England at Lord's last year, when Britain's News of the World newspaper claimed the players were willing to deliberately bowl no-balls.

The newspaper alleged the players, who are currently provisionally suspended from international cricket, had colluded in a spot-fixing betting scam organised by British-based agent Mazhar Majeed.

The members of the tribunal, headed by Michael Beloff, heard the case for six days last month before deferring the announcement on the request of players' lawyers.

Last month Beloff revealed that while Asif and Aamer were absolved of the charges relating to another match, the third Test at The Oval (played before the Lord's match) one charge against Butt remained under investigation.

In a separate development on Friday, British prosecutors charged the three players as well as their agent with corruption offences and summoned them in court on March 17.

The Pakistan trio have repeatedly denied wrongdoing and had shown confidence of resuming their careers.

The bans on Pakistan players have come just a fortnight before the tenth World Cup starts in the sub-continent, highlighting the difficult times the game of cricket is facing against corruption.

Butt, Aamer and Asif became the first players banned in spot-fixing, the latest innovation in which players obey specific orders during the game pre-arranged with bookmakers.

The players have 21 days to appeal against the sanctions in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland.

ICC verdict will indicate its sincerity in tackling corruption’

The three-member tribunal heard the case against Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif last month for more than 45 hours spread over six days, poring over oral and written testimonies, watching video recordings and listening to tapes and forensic submissions.
The cricketers face career-threatening bans if they are found guilty of so-called ‘spot-fixing’ during Pakistan’s test series in England last year. All three have consistently denied wrongdoing.
A British Sunday newspaper report alleged that they had taken bribes to arrange for deliberate no-balls to be delivered at pre-agreed times in the fourth test at Lord’s for the benefit of gamblers.
Saturday will be the judgment day at the Qatari capital and many cricket observers see the verdict as an indication of the governing body International Cricket Council’s (ICC) sincerity in tackling corruption in the game.
“The verdict will tell us how serious ICC actually is about corruption,” cricket historian Boria Majumdar told Reuters.
“At the end of the day, it’s the fans who matter most and the scandal has shaken their belief. It’s for ICC to restore their belief.”
The governing body declined to comment in advance of the hearing when approached this week by Reuters.
“Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has failed to deal firmly with the issue. It’s time for ICC to live up to its zero-tolerance policy on corruption,” Majumdar said.
The mood is already sombre in cricket-mad Pakistan ahead of the verdict.
“I think these players are going to be lost to Pakistan cricket for some years, which is sad,” former PCB chief Tauqir Zia told Reuters.
“But if it is proven beyond doubt they were guilty of corruption in the sport, they (tribunal) must make an example of them for a better future of the sport.”
Zia headed the PCB which in 2000 banned former captain, Salim Malik, and pacer Ata-ur-Rehman for life and fined five other players for their involvement in match-fixing.
Former Pakistan skipper Aamir Sohail added: “When the PCB didn’t do anything the ICC acted and now I don’t think these players are going to be shown any leniency by the ICC.”
Another former captain, Rashid Latif, praised the way ICC had tackled the issue but was not convinced that the menace can be rooted out altogether.
“This is a good start. I hope the players have got a fair hearing,” he said.
“…it is time the ICC took steps to discourage spot-fixing although this menace can never be eliminated completely from any sport.”
Latif felt 18-year-old Amir, if found guilty, might get away with a lighter punishment because of his age but Pakistan batting great Zaheer Abbas advocated stringent action against anyone found guilty.
“No leniency should be shown to anyone who tries to defame cricket because nowadays players are being paid well for their efforts, far more then we earned in our days.”

Pakistan need to name World Cup captain, says Imran

Pakistan have harmed their World Cup chances by delaying naming a captain for the Feb. 19-April 2 tournament being held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, former skipper Imran Khan said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced their 15-man squad for the showpiece event on Jan. 18 but have yet to choose a skipper. Shahid Afridi is captaining the Pakistan side for the ongoing one-day series in New Zealand.
“It’s just three weeks before the World Cup starts. But we still don’t know who the captain is,” a fuming Imran told reporters on Wednesday.
Khan, flanked by former World Cup winning captains Clive Lloyd of West Indies, India’s Kapil Dev, Australia’s Allan Border and Steve Waugh and Sri Lankan Arjuna Ranatunga, was in Mumbai for a promotional event.
“Pakistan has put themselves at a big disadvantage by not planning ahead,” the 58-year-old former all-rounder, who led Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992, said.
“You can’t have just three weeks before the World Cup and the captain has not been announced.
“All these captains here will tell you that it takes time to know your team… Its strengths… Its weaknesses… To develop your strategy…”
Imran said Pakistan’s chances of a successful World Cup tournament were reduced by the absence of pace duo Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, both suspended by the International Cricket Council.
“I think they were the best opening bowlers in the world. They would have given Pakistan an edge in the World Cup,” Imran said. “I think their suspension will hurt Pakistan.”

Pakistan win series despite losing 6th ODI against Kiwis

Jesse Ryder scored his second one day international century to help New Zealand earn a face-saving 57-run victory over Pakistan at Eden Park on Saturday in the sixth and final match of their series.

The win was just New Zealand's second in their last 16 completed ODIs and was sorely needed to give them a hint of self belief before they head to the World Cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Ryder scored 107 and combined in a 123-run partnership with Martin Guptill (44), while a 120-run partnership between Scott Styris (58 not out) and Nathan McCullum (65) at the end of the innings helped New Zealand to an imposing 311 for seven.

Wicketkeeper Kamral Akmal top-scored for the visitors, who held an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series before the match at Eden Park, with 89, including three glorious successive sixes into the lower deck of the impressive new grandstand at the ground.

Captain Shahid Afridi (44) also provided some late jitters for the New Zealanders as he combined with Sohail Tanvir (30) before being caught by Nathan McCullum off Hamish Bennett, who finished with for four for 46.

All rounder James Franklin captured three for 50 to give the small crowd something to cheer about when Pakistan were dismissed for 254.

Ryder, who was struggling with a leg injury and needed a runner for the latter part of his innings, blazed his way to his first 50 runs off 34 balls before the Pakistani bowlers restricted New Zealand through the middle overs.

The 26-year-old Ryder still managed to bring up his century off 82 balls with a flick off his hip to fine leg for his seventh boundary. He also smashed six sixes into the stands.

Styris and Nathan McCullum then batted intelligently for the final overs for a 120-run partnership, which included 71 runs in the third powerplay block of five overs before McCullum holed out in the deep.