Shahid Afridi's Car Showroom

Read more »

Saeed Ajmal Lbw Sachin India Cheating by Referral

Read more »

ALEEM DAR | I have nothing but respect for this man

“I want Pakistan to play the final,” said Dar talking before Pakistan took on India at Mohali in the World Cup Semi Final. “It’s of greater importance than me officiating the World Cup final.”

“Pakistan's superb run has overshadowed the trauma, scandals and poor performance that had plagued the team in the lead-up to the World Cup. Now the people have enormous expectations and want the team to win badly. I’m proud to be a Pakistani and I really hope they can handle the pressure and pull off a win.”

Sadly Pakistan could not qualify for the Final but we have representation in Mumbai in the form of Aleem Dar, who is officiating the Final in Mumbai along with Smon Taufel.

Aleem Sarwar Dar was born in Jhang. He has played first class cricket and was a right handed batsman and leg break bowler. It was his love for the game of Cricket that led him to take up Umpiring as a profession. Having made his umpiring debut on February 16, 200 in Gujranwala, it took Mr. Dar just two years to become a member of the ICC's International Panel of Umpires. He stood in his first test match in October 2003 and in April 2004 he became the first Pakistani to be a part of the ICC Elite Umpires Panel. Mr. Dar was nominated in 2005 and 2006 for the Umpire of the year award as well and finally won it in 2009. He won it again in 2010.

However while all the achievements mentioned are historic in their own right there are some sides of Aleem Dar the man which not many may be aware of. 

Aleem Dar was awarded the National "Pride of Performance" on August 14 last year as well. It is a measure of the man that upon receiving his pride of performance award he dedicated it to the millions of flood victims in the country and launched an appeal for People to come forward and help their fellow countrymen. He made door to door stops to raise funds and used his substantial International Contacts to raise money and awareness of the flood victim's plight. 

However the stature of the man does not end here. Since March 2009 Aleem Dar has been paying Rs 5,500 per month to the family of the Bus Driver who lost his life while transporting the match official's from the hotel to Gaddafi Stadium.

When he walks on the ground each day Dar looks to the heavens and says a prayer for his daughter who died eight years ago while he was umpiring at the World Cup in South Africa.He raises his hand in the air, then touches his heart and the earth in a way of saying "from the earth we came and to the earth we shall return".‘She died during the World Cup with a brain infection. Yet my wife and family did not let me know the news till it (WC) ended. They did not want it to affect my job".

Read more »

Please do not forget Shoaib Akhtar

Although the ‘Rawalpindi express’ has run out of steam and the aeroplane is grounded forever, Shoaib Akhtar, the man is never going to be erased from our memories. He will remain in the minds and hearts of cricket lovers for a long time to come. He has given a lot to cricket and the nation. Now PCB has a duty to give something back to its son. But PCB as we all know can certainly do this – disregard and disrespect a national hero.

Shoaib Akhtar has announced his retirement from all forms of the game. His announcement, for his supporters and critics alike, has come at the right time, a rarity for a Pakistani cricketer of late. Remarkably and to his credit he is going as a speedster, though a huffing and puffing one, unlike many of the past fast bowling legends. Alas we would not be hearing his grunts on the field and watching the batsmen hop, evade or bowled will become a thing of past.

Just like his belated departure from the game, his arrival too was delayed in 1997. He was initially selected for Sahara Cup to be played in Canada in 1996 but was excluded from the squad amid reports of indiscipline. He was, at that time, the most talked about talent in Pakistani cricket circles. Hailing from Morgah, Rawalpindi, he played his early cricket in the streets of Pindi and Asghar Mall College. He used to play with tapped ball for different teams in Rawalpindi where he was spotted by one of the coaches as a shining talent.

The beginning

He was picked by Rawalpindi ‘B’ team and started his first class career in 1994-95. In the same season he also represented Pakistan International airlines. His first match against Rawalpindi ‘A’ did not provide him any opportunity in batting or bowling as second and 3rd days were washed out. In his first match against Karachi Whites, he went wicket less. Karachi Blues captain Munir-ul-Haq was his first first-class victim. In his first season he took 17 wickets at 32.82 with best figures of 6 for 69 against Lahore City.

He came to limelight in the season of 1996-97 in real sense when representing ADBP and Rawalpindi he was the second highest wicket-taker with 69 wickets at 23.66. He was selected for Pakistan ‘A’ which toured England in 1997 where he took 25 wickets at 29.88. After being ignored by selectors for Sahara Cup, he finally wore the green Pakistani cap in November, 1997 when he played his first test against the touring West Indies at Rawalpindi. Ian Bishop was his first test wicket who was clean-bowled.

Recognition

The world recognised Shoaib Akhtar as an express fast bowler during the tour to South Africa. At Kingsmead Durban in the second test, Shoaib destroyed South African batting line-up by taking 5 for 43. His 4 victims were bowled including Jacques Kallis and one was LBW. The delivery that bowled Kallis was a thunder bolt which left the batsman shell-shocked.

Rise

The highlight of his career arrived in India in Asian Test Championship. Eden Gardens, Calcutta saw Rawalpindi Express in full steam. He silenced a capacity crowd by taking wickets of Rahul Dravid ‘the Wall’ and little master Sachin Tendulkar on two consecutive deliveries. These are arguably the two best ever back to back deliveries in test cricket history. After clean-bowling Rahul Dravid with a perfect in-swinging yorker, he removed Sachin Tendulkar first ball with another toe-crusher. His 8 wickets in the match paved the way for Pakistan’s victory.

Shoaib went into the 1999 World Cup with huge reputation and expectation. He delivered some breathtaking spells during the tournament apart from an erratic over against South Africa in which Lance Klusener took 17 runs on the way to an important victory for South Africa. He destroyed New Zealand in the semi-final but did not have enough runs in the final to do any thing substantial for his team.

Called for throwing

He was signed by Nottinghamshire in 2000 but injuries did not allow him to represent his team. He also missed England’s Pakistan tour. Earlier during the tour Down Under, he was called for throwing by umpires Peter Willey and Darrell Hair and the match referee John Reid. He was later cleared by the ICC.

He was again called in New Zealand in 2001 but University of Western Australia cleared his action on the basis of "unique physical characteristics” as he had hyper-extended elbow joints. He broke the speed barrier of 100mph for the first time in the third ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, when he clocked 161kph.

Best Period

In May, 2002 he destroyed New Zealand with one of the fiercest spells of fast bowling. He took 6 for 11 in New Zealand’s capitulation for 73 after Pakistan had piled on the runs riding on Inzamam’s triple hundred in Lahore. Five of his victims were bowled. He took 6 wickets in an ODI too. Stephen Fleming was bowled with a delivery that cannoned into his stumps before the batsmen hardly brought his bat down. It was a lightening fast yorker bowled from around the wicket.

He almost won a test match at Colombo for Pakistan when he destroyed the cream of Australian batting with a stunning spell in the second innings. His all 5 wickets were taken without the help of any fielder. That spell was certainly Shoaib’s best and is comparable to the best of the best.

Ball-Tampering charges

He was among controversies again when allegations of ball-tampering were made against him in Zimbabwe in late 2002 but another injury sidelined him soon after. The year 2003 was again a mixed one for him as he had a spat with his captain Waqar Younis over his performance in the world Cup in 2003. He was dropped from the team for a while but on his return to the national side he was handed a ban for ball-tampering in a triangular series in Sri Lanka.

Indiscipline and Injuries

After controversially missing the first test due to injury, he helped Pakistan win against New Zealand at Wellington by taking 11 wickets in the match in December 2003. He was injured again before the ODI series. Later he disappointed his captain Inzamam in test series loss to India at home in 2004 so much so that he was accused by him of feigning injury but was later cleared on enquiry. At this point in time his career was limping and his future was uncertain once again. But on the tour to Australia he bowled a few magical spells although he failed to win Pakistan a test.

In the year 2005, the world saw another dimension of Shoaib when after a long injury lay-off, he destroyed England at home by taking 17 wickets in 2-0 test series win. This time he used his slower ones more effectively than his customary yorkers to bamboozle the batsmen. Next year was a difficult one for him as he missed most of the matches with a career-threatening knee injury.

Doping saga

Another low came in the Champions trophy in South Africa in 2006, when after being tested positive for Nandrolone along with Muhammad Asif, he was sent back and banned by the PCB only to be exonerated 3 months later. He was subsequently withdrawn from Pakistan’s world cup squad in 2007 amid speculations that he could again be caught in the dope tests. In the same years he was fined for breaching the PCB’s code of conduct and was later put on a six-week probationary period.

5-year Ban

He did not seem to learn any lesson as he was involved in a dressing-room fight with Asif and was sent home from World T-20 in South Africa in 2007. He was handed a harsh 13-match ban apart from heavy monetary fine and was also placed on two-year probationary and monitoring period. In 2008 his career looked like ending for good when he was suspended for 5-years by the PCB on breaching the code of conduct when he openly criticized Board’s decision to demote him in the new central contracts. Quite astonishingly the Appellate Tribunal decided to suspend his five-year ban for one month on his appeal. He was consequentially allowed to represent Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in 2008.

At loggerheads with PCB again

The change in PCB administration in late 2008 brought a change in Shoaib’s fortune as well when he was given the top category in he central contracts announced in 2009. But the patch up was short-lived. He suffered public ignominy when PCB publicly revealed that he was withdrawn from Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad because he suffered from genital warts. He was out of action any how after he under-went knee surgery in 2009.

After being overlooked for World T20 to be held in the Caribbean in 2010, he made a remarkable come-back in June 2010 for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. After mixed performances in ODI (as he refrained from test cricket) he was selected for the World Cup 2011, his last assignment.

Bidding Adieu

As we all know by now, Shoaib had made up his mind to call it quits after the world cup but for many the timing of his announcement was not right. He announced his retirement in the middle of the tournament when he could have waited for the assignment to finish. During the tournament his performance was a mixed one. We saw every bit of Shoaib in this tournament. He was at his best when he clean-bowled Mahela Jayawardene off a beauty. Then we saw him being clobbered all over by Ross Taylor in what proved to be his last match for Pakistan.

While announcing his retirement, Shoaib said: "Mentally, I wanted to continue, perhaps forever. But I must make way for the youngsters." "I am here only because of the love and affection of my fans. I want to thank them from the bottom of the heart," he added. Citing his reasons for the timing he said: "When I was going through my knee surgery for the fourth time, I made the decision to play in this World Cup for the Pakistan team and retire. Secondly, when the news broke that two of the Pakistani players are involved in such matters (Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir who were involved in spot-fixing and were banned from the game) I thought I should be able to concentrate and get back and help Pakistan.”

"Playing for my country was just a dream," he said. "I thought it would never come true. The first day when it was announced that I will play for Pakistan I did not believe that. There were Wasim (Akram) Waqar (Younis, the team's current coach) Imran (Khan) and Inzamam. There was a huge star on my shirt, and I wore that kit and slept in that kit. I did not take it out for three days."
When asked about his magic moments he said: "I have countless memories, but bowling with Waqar and Wasim, and bowling Sachin for a first ball duck and Dravid were the best moments. It was a dream.” Among players, he singled out Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara for admiration.

After representing Pakistan for 14 years, he ended up playing only 46 test matches in which he took 178 wickets at 25.69. It was a massive underachievement and a sad one too. He deserved 400 wickets at least but became a victim of injuries, indiscipline and care-free attitude. It was a great loss for Pakistan because he could have halted Pakistan’s downward slide in the international rankings had he played on a consistent basis. In ODIs he was more involved taking 247 scalps in 163 matches at just under 25.

A happy Send-off?

Shoaib Akhtar will be missed by Pakistan as they do not have a genuine fast bowler at present and there is no one on the horizon either. Sadly he could not play his last game for Pakistan but we can still give him a fitting farewell.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has a responsibility to acknowledge his services. He has played for Pakistan and brought laurels for the nation. His contract which was to end in June has been terminated by PCB on hearing his announcement as if they were waiting for it. This is not a good gesture at all. PCB should arrange a grand farewell function for the legend so that he could bid adieu in a graceful manner makinf fans feel proud of their hero. Giving him a farewell match will not be a bad idea, in fact it would erase the bitter memories of past when our heroes were humiliated and many bade farewell in tears. It will also set a happy precedent for the future and send a positive signal to our young stars.

It is time to respect our heroes and give them honor and credit which they deserve. Will PCB break the tradition and do something positive. Although there is little hope but one can always wish and pray.

Read more »

BREAKING NEWS :Shahid Afridi Recieve Death Threats From Taliban

Read more »

Aleem Dar – Mr 100%

Although Pakistan failed to play in the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the country’s internationally famed umpire, Aleem Dar, played a crucial role in the match, thus maintaining a 100% record in the tournament.
Dar, who has won ICC Umpire of the Year award two years running, was immaculate throughout the showpiece event and none of his decisions were proved wrong by the Decision Review System (DRS). Dar’s pin-point judgment earned him the respect of the players who sometimes preferred not to challenge his decisions.
A total of 57 reviews were taken against Dar in the World Cup and amazingly none of his decisions were proved wrong by the technology.
Dar was accorded a warm welcome upon his return to Pakistan from India and was received by a large gathering of supporters and several Pakistan Cricket Board officials.
When asked to comment on Pakistan semi-final exit, Dar was of the view that poor planning and a defensive approach had handed the crucial game to India. -PPI

Read more »

Indians not as large-hearted as Pakistanis: Afridi

Days after winning the hearts of numerous Indian fans with his remarks after his team's loss in the World Cup semi-final, Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has said Indians are not as largehearted as Pakistanis.

Afridi also slammed the Indian media for its "very negative approach" and said the Pakistani media was a "hundred times better" than its Indian counterpart.

"In my opinion, if I have to tell the truth, they (Indians) will never have hearts like Muslims and Pakistanis. I don't think they have the large and clean hearts that Allah has given us," Afridi said during a talk show on Samaa news channel when he was asked about relations between the two countries.

"It is a very difficult thing for us to live with them (Indians) or to have long-term relationship with them. Nothing will come out of talks. See how many times in the past 60 years we have had friendship and then how many times things have gone bad," he said as the audience in the TV channel's studio applauded him repeatedly.

Read more »

Top five World Cup moments

Here are a few unforgettable moments from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 that have left an indelible mark and will be talked about for a long time.

By Abhishek Dinman

Ireland tame roaring England

It was an achievement of mammoth proportions, an emotional odyssey for a team which consists of a mix of professionals and amateurs.

Considered to be the biggest upset in a World Cup so far, Ireland’s win over England in the League stage has already been etched in the annals of cricketing history.

Interestingly, there were a few driving factors to this feat: The Irish were peeved at ICC’s decision to dissociate the smaller nations from the 2015 World Cup. They were angry because their hard work over the years meant nothing to the governing body. They wanted to prove that they were worthy of their place amongst the best. They were angry and England came in their way. Secondly, they craved for their old enemy’s scalp. In short, Ireland were desperate to win.

At 111 for five in chase of 327, all seemed lost. The feel of an impending win was palpable in England’s dressing room. However, certain Kevin O’Brien had other ideas.

In an unbelievable assault, O’Brien smashed 113 off just 63 deliveries as the Irish won with an over to spare.

Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan come together

In a gesture that might go on to thaw the icy tension between the two countries, the Indian Prime Minister played host to his Pakistani counter-part for the semi-final game between India and Pakistan in Mohali.

It was a bold move. Tension between the neighbours has been high ever since the Mumbai shootout in 2008. Political exchanges to solve their differences yielded no result and continue to be a matter of grave concern for the two nations.

Under such circumstance, India were drawn to play Pakistan in the semis. The mercury was rising and all sorts of problems were anticipated. Flags on faces were described as war paint.

However, despite all apprehensions, the semi-final lived up to its billing. In fact, it was an occasion that was testimony to the fact that cricket could be the bridge powerful enough to bring the two nations closer.

The PMs were seen sitting comfortably next to each other in their private box and the whole world witnessed a truly historic moment. They shook hands and there was no palpable tension. Fans from the across the border were seen mingling with their Indian counterparts. There were no reports of any kind of violent outbursts or arrests.

India-England tie

It was a match that will go down in the history books as one of the most thrilling one-day encounters. There were so many fluctuations in the game that until the last over was bowled and the run that tied the score was completed, no one could tell which way the match would go.

India had scored 338 and England were hardly given any chance to chase it down. However, what they did manage to achieve was no less great an achievement.

The fans did not know whether to celebrate a near-win or curse their team which lacked in bowling. It was a match that went on to prove that the 50-ver game is alive and kicking!

It was that kind of a game which prompted a whole gamut of emotions, an unforgettable contest which will be talked about in the pubs of England and on the streets and homes in India for a very long time.

Ponting's World Cup swansong

Australia have produced many fighting cricketers over the years. From Alan Border to Mark Taylor to Steve Waugh to Ricky Ponting. But perhaps, no one faced as much pressure as Ponting did in his last lap as one of the best batsman of all time.

Until he cracked that telling hundred against India in the quarterfinals, Ponting had faced tremendous flak for his leadership skills and poor run of form. Australia were no longer the force that had dominated world cricket for more than a decade, and Ponting was being held responsible for the slide. No one paid heed to the fact that a captain is only as good as his team and asked for his blood.

It was under such unimaginable pressure that Ponting delivered, leading from the front in a game that India won, though. He could not have done anything more.

The pugilistic Punter has always fought back hard and this time was no different. He dug deep and produced an innings to shut up all critics, reinforced his greatness and confirmed that he is not done yet.

Lasith Malinga's hat-trick vs Kenya

Bowlers rarely get their fair share of attention but Sri Lanka's fastest bowler ever, Lasith Malinga, knows how to grab the headlines. There have been quite a few noticeable performances with the ball in this tournament, but none more exciting and inspiring than the one Malinga produced against a hapless Kenya side.

He rocked the African nation with a hat-trick that reinforced his status as one of the deadliest in the business. Admittedly, the opposition was not up to the standard but those three deliveries would have tested even the best in the business.

In-swinging yorkers bowled at toe-crushing speed while maintaining line and length is a difficult art to learn and Malinga is a master at delivering such balls.

With a ready smile and penchant for flashy hairstyles, "Slinga" is one of the most entertaining and devastating bowlers of the modern era.

Read more »

What Lala Said

Lala won the heart of his nation even if he didn’t win the World Cup.

Pakistan Skipper Shahid Afridi has been on a roll, not just on the field but also off it. From the get go, he has said and done the right things – and he sure has mastered the art of public speaking.

Confident, eloquent, honest and behind his boys 100 per cent,he’s been nothing short of brilliant behind the microphone, addressing members of the press and audiences around the world.

While it was his post-match presentation ceremony speech in Mohali that clean bowled us, where he apologised to the Pakistani nation for not making it to the final …

… on many other occasions he has been the strong front the Pakistan team needed. His immediate response to Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s statements was that he shouldn’t have said what he did, and later stated: “Rehman Malik made a mistake making those remarks, especially at that stage, and I hope in future he will not repeat it.” In the pre-match press conference in Mohali, despite all the hype about the next day’s match, Afridi was calm and composed. And he put things in perspective.

Asked about an alleged statement he made about not allowing Tendulkar to score his 100th century in the semi-final – which for the record he didn’t, taking a good catch off Ajmal’s bowling after Tendulkar was dropped thrice in his own overs – Afridi had this to say: “I’ve been following the Indian media for the past two days and I have noticed that they try to create a mountain out of a molehill. I didn’t say anything against Sachin; however, if somebody asks me, as captain, I will obviously not say I’ll allow him to score a century,” (see video above – much more interesting to hear in Urdu). Criticising the Indian media further, he said, “The media is at fault for the sour Indo-Pak relations.” Adding later, “This is a huge occasion for us, to come and play in India and cricket has always strengthened this (Pak-India) relationship,” telling them to focus on the positives for a change (see the video at the eight-minute mark).

In the post-match ceremony and press conference…

… Afridi graciously congratulated the Indian team and Indian spectators on their win, commended his boys for making it this far in the tournament, expressing his happiness at captaining such a side, while admitting with honesty that the Pakistan team’s poor batting and fielding performance was inexcusable. About his own batting, he admitted that he failed to do the needful in the semi-final. “In batting sometimes I perform and sometimes I don’t, but for the last four years I’ve been focusing on my bowling,” he remarked in an earlier press conference. And focus on his bowling he did, picking up 21 wickets at an average economy rate of 4.0 with a 5-wicket haul to his name.

Speaking to reporters at his home in Karachi, once again, he apologised – which elicited a similar response to that of the previous apology: that there was no need – for the poor batting performance in particular.

Again, when the Paksitan-India match topic was broached, he set the record straight with the Pakistani media the way he did with the Indian: “Why are we so against India? In every home there are Indian dramas running, we watch Indian movies, our wedding ceremonies follow Indian trends, then what is all the hatred and competition about? Treat a sport as a sport.”

Throughout, Afridi emphasised, “we are a unit,” “the boys are doing a great job” and “I am very happy as a captain.” Rebuilding the team has been an important part of the journey. “We’ve gone through a tough time in the last seven, eight months,” said Afridi, adding, “This World Cup matters a lot to us; we’re trying to bring cricket back home.” And he may have already clinched that deal ­ – word is, Sri Lanka may be touring Pakistan in October-November.

Afridi has tackled questions, criticisms and pressure with seeming effortless ease, all in a bid to keep his boys relaxed and focused on the game. And though Afridi has matured, humour is not beyond him. The man whose antics such as his infamous ‘kiss to Kallis’ keep audiences entertained, he kept it up off the field as well. In the post-match press conference in Mohali, Afridi cheekily added that he did, after all, prevent Tendulkar from scoring a century.

Back home, crediting Pakistan cricket with the feat, he said, “We facilitated a meeting between two prime ministers.” His casual manner at the pre-match ceremony before the Mohali showdown was also amazing.

Not able to hear one question very well, which was about the average age of the Pakistan team being quite young, Afridi remarked: “You’re saying this by looking at me?” (yeh aap mujhe dekh ke keh rahay hain?). And in the midst of responding to two questions asked by one reporter, mid-sentence he halted to say: “Yaar sawal doosra konsa tha bhai,” causing the crowd to erupt into laughter with Afridi himself breaking out into a smile.

Said Afridi: “I’m a cricketer first, then a diplomat. I am the ambassador of Pakistan so I should know what to say.” Well, he certainly did. He kept his nerve and helped keep the team’s. I’d vote for him as our goodwill ambassador any day!

Read more »

Top 12 wicket-takers in the World Cup

he top 12 wicket-takers in the 2011 World Cup. Bowler Matches Wickets Average
 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) 8 21 12.85 
Zaheer Khan (India) 9 21 18.76 
Tim Southee (New Zealand) 8 18 17.33
 Robin Peterson (South Africa) 7 15 15.86
 Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) 9 15 19.40 
Yuvraj Singh (India) 9 15 25.13
 Imran Tahir (South Africa) 5 14 10.71
 Umar Gul (Pakistan) 8 14 19.42
 Kemar Roach (West Indies) 6 13 15.00 
Brett Lee (Australia) 7 13 18.07
 Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) 7 13 20.76 
Harvir Baidwan (Canada) 6 13 23.61

Read more »

Greenshirts overlook retiring Akhtar

 Iin the final buildup towards the World Cup semifinal between Pakistan and India here at the PCA Stadium on Wednesday there was intense speculation on whether Shoaib Akhtar will feature in the match.

“Is Akhtar playing today?” seemed to be the question of the day, at least till the squads were announced after the toss at 2.00 pm today.

The fact that the maverick fast bowler decided to warm up with his teammates ahead of the match only added to the excitement among the local media, especially TV reporters who were constantly sending news back to their respective studios.

But the Pakistan team management’s decided against bringing Akhtar back in the playing eleven. The move has almost confirmed that it’s finally game over the veteran pacer.

Akhtar, 35, had announced that he will retire after the World Cup.

It means that unless Pakistan reach the final and have a change of heart about the mercurial bowler, the last over of Akhtar’s colourful cricket career was the one he bowled against New Zealand at Pallekele (Sri Lanka) earlier this month. Ross Taylor, the New Zealand vice-captain smashed him for 28 runs in that over to effectively end Akhtar’s career. It’s a sad end for a charismatic player, who enthralled millions of fans around the globe with his lightning pace.

Akhtar, according to sources was desperate to play against the Indians but the team management was convinced that he is not fit enough to last his full quota of ten overs. A day before the high-octane match against India, Akhtar voiced his desire to play in it. “This is my last tournament and I want to be remembered as someone who won this semifinal and then the final,” he said in an interview.

“Winning this match and performing well against India, people will remember you all their lifetime and you will be talked about for many centuries. I want to be remembered, I want to do well and I want to give every ounce of what I have left in my body to go out there, provide and deliver.”

Akhtar, who has taken 247 ODI wickets, also spoke on why winning the World Cup is so important for Pakistan. “Pakistan need victory more than any other nation right at this moment.”

Read more »

Plea against reception for cricket team

AN application has been moved in the Lahore High Court, seeking suspension of a reception being arranged by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the honour of the Pakistan cricket team.

Petitioner Muhammad Iftikhar Hussain Rajput, in his application on Saturday, submitted that the CM should be stopped from hosting the reception which would cost Rs3 million to the national exchequer. He said if the CM wanted to give prizes to the cricketers, he should do that from his own pocket.

The petitioner, through his counsel Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree, submitted that the reception was scheduled for April 5 where not only cricketers but close friends of the CM were also invited. He said the CM had announced giving cash awards to the players only to get the media projection at the expense of the national exchequer.

He said that in 1999 during Nawaz Sharif’s rule, the country was on the verge of bankruptcy but the whole Sharif family fled to Saudi Arabia instead of staying here to save the country. He said the family never played a role for the betterment of the country. He also requested the court to make the CM party in the petition and he should hire an advocate to defend him before the court from his own pocket.

Rajpoot has filed the application in an already pending petition of Javed Iqbal Jafree against distribution of the prizes to the crickets.

NAB DG: AN application has been filed in the Lahore High Court, seeking directions for retraining Punjab Acting Director General NAB Rana Zahid Mahmood from functioning as the matter against his appointment is pending before the court.

Shah Faisal Qureshi on Saturday filed the application to be affixed to in his already pending petition against the appointment of the NAB DG. The applicant submitted that the DG was committing illegalities while the case was pending against his appointment. He said as he was direct victim of the wrongdoings of the DG and after challenging his appointment, he feared bias on the part of the DG in his case which was pending for inquiry with NAB.

The petitioner, through his counsel in his already pending petition, submitted that the appointment of Mr Zahid was made on contract in violation of rules and regulations so the step by the government was illegal and unlawful and liable to be declared null and void. 

Read more »