Pakistan Cricket coach Waqar Younis resigns...

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Shahid Afridi super catch vs Srilanka (Roaring like a lion)

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Mohali match improved Pakistan-Indian ties: Gilani

The cricket World Cup semifinal match between India and Pakistan in Mohali has proved to be a catalyst for improving ties between the two countries, says Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Gilani made the remark Monday at a reception hosted by him in honour of the national cricket team, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
He said the semifinal played between Pakistan and India had brought the two governments and two nations closer.
"It is not the question of winning or losing by one country; In fact the winner is the cricket and the people of Pakistan and India," he was quoted as saying.
The cricket team led by Captain Shahid Afridi along with Pakistan Cricket Board chairperson Ejaz Butt, coach Waqar Younis and assistant coach Aqib Javed were present.
On March 30, India beat Pakistan by 29 runs in the thrilling semifinal in Mohali that was witnessed by Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. Gilani's visit to Mohali was dubbed cricket diplomacy.
India went on to lift the World Cup by trouncing Sri Lanka April 2 in Mumbai by six wickets.
Prime Minister Gilani praised the cricket team for its superb performance in the World Cup in which they reached the semi-finals.
He announced Rs.1 million for each team player and Rs.5 lakh each for the management.
Gilani appreciated the cricketers for proving their mettle in difficult circumstances and overcoming the wave of 'sports conspiracies'.
He said he was in favour of continuity of cricket matches between the two countries as it would help develop positive thinking besides providing a friendly entertainment on both sides.
Afridi told the media that his upcoming tour to West Indies was important.
"This cricket team is not just the composition of 12 players; it is the team of 17 crore people and the media," he said.

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Afridi supports more youngsters for Zimbabwe tour

The skipper of Pakistan cricket team Boom Boom Afridi has said that more youngsters will be included in the Pakistan cricket team for the Zimbabwe tour as Pakistan team need young blood in the squad..

Afridi was attending the ceremony held by Sports Journalists Association of Sindh (SJAS) in his honour and he said, “We can’t replace all the seniors at once. We need to have back up of our senior players. Young cricketers performed well in the World Cup and we are now giving opportunity to the more youngsters in the West Indies tour.”

“When I took over the captaincy my priority was to improve the image of the Pakistan cricket and with the support of the Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt, efforts are being made to unite this team again,” he added.

Shahid Afridi also praised the performance of young batsman Asad Shafiq and left arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz and termed them as a good future prospects for Pakistan. Afridi also defended the inclusion of Ahmed Shehzad in the team despite of having poor World Cup and said, “Shehzad had a very good series before the World Cup. He is still very young and we are hoping that he will learn from the mistakes he made in the World Cup and perform well against West Indies.”

On commenting about the Abdul Razzaq’s statement of not utilizing properly in the mega event, Afridi said that all the players were used according to the situation and Razzaq should show patience now. Afridi also said that he has no planned to return to the test cricket and admitted that he doesn’t has the potential of test cricket.

The president of the Sports Journalists’ Association of Sindh (SJAS) Rashid Ali Siddiqui, Senior Vice President Syed Nasar Iqbal, Vice presidents Syed Yahya Hussaini, Tariq Aslam, General Secretary Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan, Finance Secretary Shahid Ali Khan, Memmbers Managing Committee Mohammad Asif Khan, Abdul Ghaffar, Imtiaz Naranja, Irshad Ali, Mohammad Asghar, Emmad A. Hameed, Zubair Nazeer Khan and Zahid Ghaffar were present on the occasion.

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PM announces Rs 1m each for Pak cricketers

ISLAMABAD: Prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has announced a cash award of rupees one million for each player of the national team for displaying good performance in the World Cup 2011 here on Monday.

He announced this at a reception he hosted in the honour of the Pakistan team, the World Cup semi-finalists.

Speaking on this occasion, the prime minister said that the team reached the semi-final this time and Insha Allah it will play the final in the next World Cup.

He also announced a cash prize of Rs0.5 million each for the officials of the team.

It may be recalled that prior to the prime minister’s reception, chief ministers of Punjab and Sindh, Mian Shahbaz Sharif and Syed Qaim Ali Shah, respectively, had also hosted separate receptions in which they announced cash prizes for the players of the team.

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Misbah admits delay in batting powerplay was mistake

The vice captain of Pakistan cricket team Misbah-ul-Haq has finally admitted that the decision to delay the batting powerplay was a big mistake in the semi final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 against India at Mohali which cost us the match

Misbah was talking exclusively to The Sports Encounter scribe here at Karachi and said, “We planned to take batting powerplay after building partnership and some momentum but we lost wickets on regular intervals which halted our progress and I had left with tail-enders to finish the match. If we took the batting powerplay at right time, the result could have been in our favour.”

“Afridi and I were planning to take the batting powerplay after Harbhajan’s over but unfortunately Afridi lost his wicket in that over which forced us to change our plan. There is always pressure in big matches and wickets are vital in the run chase but we failed to build partnerships which cost us the world cup. Wahab Riaz bowled exceptionally well and it was a great spell to watch but its hard luck for him that his performance went in vain,” Misbah added.

Misbah praised the selection committee decision’s to induct new talent in the team for the tour of West Indies and termed it is a great opportunity for the players to prove their talent at highest level. “This is the great opportunity for the players like Hammad Azam, Salman, Usman and others to cement their place in the national team. I will try my level best to win the test series against West Indies and resurrect the cricket fans confidence on the team,” he added.

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Shahzad would perform well in the Caribbean:Afridi

Captain Pakistan Cricket team, Shahid Afridi parsing Ahmed Shehzad said that he had a good series before the World Cup,and he is still young and would hopefully perform well in the Caribbean.Afridi said that after the West Indian tour more youngsters would be given opportunities on the tour to Zimbabwe. 

“All the seniors cannot be replaced at once but a blend of youth and experience would be taken along. Young crickets performed very well in the World Cup and after West Indies more youngsters will be included in the team for the Zimbabwe tour”, Afridi said in a statement issued by Sports Journalists Association of Sindh (SJAS).
“When I took over the captaincy my priority was to improve the image of the Pakistan cricket and with the support of the Chairman Ijaz Butt efforts are afoot to make the team a world class unit again”, added Afridi.
On a question regarding Abdul Razzaq’s claim of not being utilised properly during the mega event, the captain said that all the players were used accordingly, Razzaq should show patience. 
Afridi categorically turned down the possibility of returning to test cricket admitting that he does not posses the temperament for the longest version of the game. 
“I don’t have the temperament to play test cricket. There are quite a few good youngsters in the domestic circuit who can acquire a place in the test side”, said Afridi.

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Pakistan Cricket Team Champions or Guilty

As the world cup started people were astonish to observe the ever unexpected quality performance of the green shirts. Initially meant to be dropped out in the initial phase all the predictions went on sinking and the underestimated Pakistani team eventually appeared among the top four cricket teams of the mega event. The success united and cherished the terrorism affected people of Pakistan. But the Mohali semi final appeared to be the worst nightmare of the Pakistan cricket fans. Green shirts could not retain their success and failed to encounter Indian team. Every game has a basic rule one winner or in other words one looser. Unfortunately green shirts were the looser which aside from being a cricket upset was catalyzed by the fact that India and Pakistan were the traditional enemies of each other.

As usual the great scholars having great minds initiated commenting on Pakistani team performance targeting single individual on field to the ones administrating the administrative issues. Further some scholars claimed a vague claim that such defeat which united a team is not a defeat. My dear friends defeat is a defeat one must accept it. My focus is on the point that till the green shirts were at rise whole nation was wearing green shirts. Now they are down and I don’t see a single Pakistani wearing a green shirt. What is it?

I will like to discuss with an example a selfish friend who is with you till you are at rise what you call him. A cheat, unfaithful, worst enemy e.t.c. Similarly girl staying with you till you at peak and when you fall you don’t see her near you what you call her mean girl attach with your glory not you personally.

If I say “o people this is not a defeat it’s an achievement you see we got united “. Definitely you will refer me to be idiot of an extreme sickness. But my fellows if you observe and analyze you in the above mentioned scenario are we mean, are we cheat so why was our attachment with our heroes conditioned with their success. What I think it’s time to support our heroes instead of giving our generous comments please respect their efforts. If you still think I am off the track so dear please don’t consider yourself a nation as nation attachment to their heroes is not subjected to their rise or fall it is all that their heroes own them.

For our team it was never you win or lose, tough not that of the world but I assure you are our champions. I will request every Pakistani to come forward and support your heroes.

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TRAINING CAMP OF THE PAKISTAN TEAM FOR THE WEST INDIES TOUR TO BEGIN FROM MONDAY

 

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that a training camp for the Pakistan cricket team is set to begin from Monday for the upcoming West Indies tour. The camp is to take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Regarding the camp a source in the PCB said, “All players would participate in the three days training session, organized in Gaddafi stadium here in provincial capital.”

The players are expected to focus on their physical fitness and endurance during the camp.  According to sources, special attention would be given to the fielding which has been criticised by critics during the World Cup as Pakistan showed extremely poor fielding skills during the whole tournament where the national team dropped abundant catches, missed run outs and stumings.

According to head coach Waqar Younis the main focus would be to improve the catching skills of the players as they were guilty of dropping crucial catches in the semi-final of the World Cup 2011 against arch rivals India. Pakistan dropped India’s ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar four times before Shahid Afridi held on to one.

The team led by Afridi is expected to depart for the Caribbean on April 14. The team will play a solitary Twenty20, five One Day Internationals and two Test matches.

Pakistan has dropped four senior players to bring young blood in the team. The dropped players include middle-order batsman Younus Khan, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, pacer Umar Gul and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq. According to sources, Gul had requested the selection committee not to be considered for the WI series as he wanted to spend some time with family after a hectic World Cup campaign.

The omission of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal was always on the cards because of his utterly disappointing performance behind the stumps throughout the year. Many had called for his ouster from the national team after he dropped a barrage of catches in Pakistan’s match against New Zealand during the group stage of the World Cup but the touring management did not deem it appropriate to play the remainder of the tournament without a genuine wicketkeeper. Akmal has been replaced by Mohammad Salman who will be making his international debut in this series.

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Foreign batting coach may be considered: Afridi

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Team captain Shahid Afridi on Sunday said that the possibility of bringing in a foreign batting coach would be considered if Javed Miandad was unavailable to fill the role for the national team.
Giving the inauguration speech at Karachi’s Boom Boom Cricket Stadium, Afridi said that he will try to learn from his previous mistakes in order, improve and try to give the team some stability.
He said the team picked for the West Indies tour consists of fresh players and it will present a great opportunity to Pakistan to assess its future prospects.
Afridi said that the team would try its best to achieve a good result, but admitted that a lot of hark work was needed to improve the team’s fielding.

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Pakistan missed ‘exclusive’ stuff in World Cup blockbuster

PERHAPS, several Pakistan fielders had been `hypnotised` to believe it was Sachin Tendulkar`s birthday who received four `memorable gifts` from the visitors while an inching Misbah-ul-Haq, it seemed, had not even heard of `Need for Speed` in his life, on that buzzing day in Mohali!
Chasing 261 against a moderate Indian bowling on an absolute belter was by no means a tall order for an outfit brimming with confidence. However, to one`s misery, Pakistan`s longstanding batting woes, above everything, raised its ugly head once again to sink them in the World Cup. Shahid Afridi and his brigade had made many proficient moves on their way to the semi-finals, only raising the expectations of tens of millions of enthusiasts back home. However, the ultimate glory was not going to be theirs.
Many believe it was only a matter of time for a fairly brittle-looking Pakistan batting to get exposed in the mega event, irrespective of the quality of opposition bowlers. And unfortunately it happened in once-in-a-lifetime clash at Mohali which demanded a world-class effort. In the group stage, our batting, had already shown alarming fragility to be shot out for 192 while in pursuit of 303 against the Kiwis.
One reckons `exclusive` games require `exclusive` stuff which features two major components –– surprise moves and plan `B` (in case of initial setback) while taking into account one`s strengths and weaknesses. Regrettably, it was quite arduous to spot any of these two components by Pakistan, particularly during the second half in Mohali, for which primarily the team management is responsible.
Surprise moves involve risks of varying degrees which can be calculated and minimised with intelligently plotted tactics. After his man-of-the-match bowling show against the West Indies a spirited Mohammad Hafeez could be given the new ball which didn`t happen. While Umar Gul was being smashed around by Sehwag, Hafeez could cause plenty of trouble for the strong yet tentative top-order Indian batting. Eventually, it was Hafeez who broke the Tendulkar-Gambhir stand.
Wahab Riaz ran in with a big heart in the high-voltage match and his bowling also featured great precision and passion. The left-armer, replacing none other than Shoaib Akhtar in a game of this much immense significance, was the prime factor in limiting India to 260-9.
Pakistan`s field placements after India diminished from 141-2 to 205-6 did not symbolise all-out aggression our bowlers are known to take advantage of.
And why Razzaq was not bowled at all after his pretty satisfactory two-over new ball spell (0-14) and why a totally off-colour Gul was persisted with remains a puzzle.
The team management`s lethargic set of strategy in batting topped it all as Pakistan, despite getting a brisk 44-run opening stand, went haywire in the middle. Misbah and Younis Khan, coming in at four and five respectively, snoozed just when the job required nimbleness, putting young guns Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal under unnecessary pressure.
After Younis, sending Umar Akmal in could have been a better choice, to keep the scoreboard ticking up, in place of an ageing Misbah (26 off the first 51 balls he faced!) whose enigmatic dawdle was unspeakably appalling. Why Misbah didn`t change gears when needed and how he could do so in the dying moments before a sorry 231 all out blinked on the scoreboard for Pakistan, warrants some plain explanation!
To make matters worse if Hafeez`s howler (after making an elegant 43) was not enough, batting powerplay was delayed till the mandatory 46-50 block, simply for no logical reason.
And then there was keeping a perilous willow holder like Razzaq under wraps, which had been the case almost throughout the spectacle! If he was not bowled sufficiently (against India) and was to be given the bat at number seven, then why was he actually picked in the playing eleven? The mighty hitter could be used as a surprise peformer up the order. But perhaps, the team management couldn`t even gauge the worth of the veteran all-rounder in the lead-up to the World Cup, which in all probability was his last.
Looking at the positive side of it, Pakistan team fared far better in this edition than their predecessors who had wilted in 2003 and 2007 in the preliminary stage.
We won six out of eight 2011 World Cup games including well-earned group-stage victories over runners-up Sri Lanka and defending champions Australia. The team, considered pushovers amid all sorts of anomalies –– from a highly-damaging spot-fixing saga to reported differences within the team, leading up to the spectacle –– gelled prolifically. And despite agonisingly late appointment of captain for the World Cup, Afridi`s team managed to reach the semis as their leader shone with the leather with 21 wickets.
The World Cup came, continued with its unprecedented thrill in the subcontinent and ended with a party in Mumbai as MS Dhoni- captained India thrashed Sri Lanka to regain the title after 28 years.
The moment Pakistan squad lands in the Caribbean the 2011 World Cup becomes history. The PCB, which undoubtedly committed a glut of embarrassing mistakes over the past two years directly impacting the national team`s on-field show, needs to do some genuine and urgent soul-searching so that we can expect some improvement from now on. The captain, players and selectors have their own responsibilities.
Mohsin Khan and his selection partners, at least for a fresh start, have taken a step in the right direction by picking some emerging youngsters for the West Indies limited-overs series.
Let us all focus on future. The 2011 World Cup was indeed not the end of the world, for all contestants!

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