ICC Demands Answers After Aamer Plays
Thursday, January 27, 2011
International cricket chiefs are demanding answers on why suspended Pakistani paceman Mohammad Aamer, at the centre of a corruption probe, played in a domestic club match, an official said Wednesday. The 18-year-old Aamer, along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, was suspended over allegations of spot-fixing during Pakistan's tour of England last year in a case that shook the global game.
But media reports in Pakistan said Aamer featured in a domestic club match for Pakistan Army against Rawalpindi despite being suspended from all forms of cricket that come under the umbrella of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). "The ICC wrote to the Pakistan Cricket Board on the matter on Tuesday," an ICC spokesman confirmed to AFP from its headquarters in Dubai. A PCB spokesman confirmed they were investigating the issue.
"Yes, we have come to the knowledge of Aamer playing a match in Rawalpindi and we are investigating the matter," PCB spokkesman Nadeem Sarwar told AFP An ICC anti-corruption tribunal heard the case relating to the three suspended players in Doha, Qatar, last month and is due to announce its verdict on February 5.
All three were provisionally suspended by the ICC in October, with the world governing body's code of conduct carrying a minimum five-year ban if corruption charges are proved. The maximum punishment is a life ban. Their suspension came after reports in the British newspaper News of the World, which claimed several Pakistani players - including the trio - obeyed orders from an alleged bookmaker during the Lord's Test in August.
The newspaper said it paid Mazhar Majeed, an agent for several Pakistan players, 150,000 pounds (237,000 dollars) in return for advance knowledge of pre-arranged no-balls which could then be bet upon. In a separate case, Majeed and the three Pakistani players face criminal charges for defrauding bookmakers in England. The minimum punishment in the case is ten years' imprisonment. Scotland Yard has handed two reports to prosecutors in Britain, who have yet to decide on further action.
Labels: Aamer, ICC, Pakistan Cricket, PCB
posted @ 10:52 AM,
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Inzamam's Disagreement Over World Cup Build-Up By PCB
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Former Pakistan cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq Monday accused the sport's authorities of creating factions within the national side by delaying the naming of a captain for next month's World Cup. Pakistan is the only one of 14 competing teams to have failed to name a captain for the tournament, to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19 to April 2.
Inzamam, who played 120 Test matches for Pakistan scoring 25 centuries, said the delay had disrupted the team's preparations for the showpiece event and stoked divisions among the squad. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last week named a 15-man squad for the tournament but did not name a captain, fanning speculation that current one-day captain Shahid Afridi could be replaced with Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
"With only three weeks left to the World Cup, Pakistan have no captain and the blame goes to the PCB for creating an impasse which has divided the team into two groups, supporting Afridi and Misbah," Inzamam said in an interview. "In this scenario one cannot have high expectations for the team." Inzamam was at the helm when Pakistan crashed out in the first round of last World Cup in 2007 - a tournament overshadowed by the sudden death of coach Bob Woolmer a day after the side's shocking defeat against Ireland.
The team also tumbled out in the first round of the 2003 tournament. But in 1992 Inzamam's inspired innings in the semi-final and final helped propel Pakistan to their only World Cup triumph. "I am surprised, why does it always happen to Pakistan?" said Inzamam, who managed just 19 runs in the 2003 World Cup and was blamed for the team's poor performance.
"The PCB has failed to control the situation and if Pakistan fares badly in the World Cup, people will accuse the players and not the board." Inzamam accused the PCB of in selecting the 15-man World Cup squad without consulting one-day captain Afridi or coach Waqar Younis.
"So if the team loses, the captain and coach will say that it was not their team and was selected without their consent. And they will rightly not accept responsibility for a poor showing," he said. "When a team is without a captain how can a proper strategy be made? The team is playing a one-day series in New Zealand but they do not know who will be their captain in the World Cup which is very damaging." Pakistan is in Group A of the World Cup and start their campaign with a match against Kenya at Sri Lankan resort of Hambantota on February 23.
Labels: Inzamam, Pakistan Cricket, PCB
posted @ 11:52 AM,
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PCB suspends Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday suspended the central contracts of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, the three players under investigation from the ICC in the infamous spot-fixing saga, dispatching the letters to the effect at the players’ respective addresses.
“Yes, the letters have been dispatched at the addresses of the three players in which their central contracts have been suspended with effect from Nov 1,” Zakir Khan, a senior official of the PCB, confirmed to Dawn.
However, Zakir was not ready to comment further on the matter but added that it was the duty of the PCB to follow its parent body ICC’s Code of Conduct under which a provisional ban had been imposed on the three players.
When asked whether Salman and Aamir would face any further sanctions for issuing statements against the ICC in the media after their appeals against the suspension were rejected, Zakir shied away from making any comments on the issue but advised the players not to violate the code of conduct any further.
Meanwhile, sources told Dawn that the ICC is quite unhappy with Salman and Aamir for issuing those hard-hitting statements in the media since the international body is yet to announce a final decision regarding the spot-fixing case.
“Obviously, the ICC will consider every aspect of the case before announcing its decision and it would be better for the ‘tainted’ players not to issue anymore statements on the matter,” the sources said.
They further disclosed that some lawyers had even advised the players not to appeal against the provisional suspension from the ICC as their case was not a very strong one.
The sources added that Asif, in fact, had made a wise decision of not challenging the suspension and that could well get the ICC to develop a soft corner for the pacer.
PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt has already taken the Governing Board’s approval on suspending the central contracts of the three players in a meeting held on Nov 1.
posted @ 11:05 AM,
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Save cricket
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Pakistan Cricket Board is still in hunt for a reliable opening pair since Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwer said adieu to the game. Just Salman Butt showed some glimpses of quality of the late but his career is now at stake over spot-fixing allegations.
The Pakistan team since the greats have left been struck in the caldron of inconsistency. Looking at even the players of the recent past like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamamul Haq etc they used to snatch win from the jaws of defeat. They were raw talents horned under the guidance of legends like Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. But that does not mean the Pakistan cricket has lost talent but it has lost direction. At a time when the cricket world has marked their replacement players for the coming decades, Pakistan cricket is still lingering on without proper planning. The International Cricket Councils recent directive might make the difference in Pakistan cricket discipline wise but there is still a lot of work required at the domestic level to meet the international standards.
The Pakistan team’s defeat ignites lot of criticism at all the forums but nothing fruitful has been done as yet at the domestic level which is the main source of any game.
After organizing a successful domestic T20 tournament at Lahore, it is the right time to salvage the Pakistan cricket. Watching the T20 Cup, the question arises despite having players of quality why Pakistan is not producing great bowlers, batsmen and in particular finger spinners.
The PCB needs to identify a talented under-19 player who should be prepared on the professional lines that has been the practice of the past. Take the example of PACO’s under-19 team that appeared into the domestic Under-19 tournament.
It produced many players who later played for Pakistan. These included players like Wasim Akram, Ijaz Ahmed and Saeed Anwar. It later it employed in a single day players like Aaqib Javed, Ata-ur-Rehman and Zahid Fazal. The then captain of PACO took the initiative. So it is understood that when players start professional cricket at young age, they can easily serve for Pakistan for about 15 to 18 years.
Another area the PCB needs to think about is the fast bowlers department. There was time when Imran Khan was leading bowlers like Wasim, Waqar, Aaqib Javed, Atta-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Zahid set up the pace attack and then came Shoaib Akhtar, who remained out of Pakistan cricket for one reason or the other. And for over the last two decades or so Pakistan is playing without a genuine fast bowler. Punjab produced most of the pacer but now it seems Pakistan main weapon is dying down and no attention is being given towards it.
All PCB is required to do is produce supporting wickets at domestic level and appoint coaches for every department of the game – bowling, spin and fast, batting and fielding - at regional level to identify talented players, remove their errors and make them available for further training at the National or Regional Cricket Academies. If proper steps were not taken now then the game would become stale like other sports.
posted @ 10:33 AM,
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Salman And Aamir Want Appeals To Be Heard In Qatar
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Pakistan’s Test skipper Salman Butt and young pacer Mohammad Aamir, under suspension for their alleged involvement in a nasty spot-fxing scandal at Lord’s last August, have requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to hold the hearings of their appeals in Qatar instead of London.
The lawyers of Salman (Khalid Ranjha) and Aamir (Shahid Karim) have expressed some reservations over holding the hearings in London since the media there has been playing a negative role against the players. They have requested the ICC to conduct the hearing at any venue other than London to ensure smooth progress of the case.
Earlier, it had been reported that the ICC had selected London as venue for hearing in the last week of October since the entry of Mohammad Asif — the third player among the tainted trio — in Dubai was banned. Meanwhile, Aamir’s lawyer has also requested the ICC to set an early date of hearing since his client is not able to represent his country due to his provisional suspension from international cricket.
The ICC had suspended Salman, Aamir and Asif last month under its own code of conduct soon after a British tabloid News of the World had run a story accusing that the trio of involvement with the bookies in a fixing scam.
Labels: Muhammad Amir, PCB, Salman Butt
posted @ 9:45 PM,
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Salman Butt - Captain of Pakistan Cricket Team
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
New Pakistan captain Salman Butt would welcome an extended stint in the role after replacing Shahid Afridi for the second test against Australia and the following four against England. “Everybody who gets into this kind of challenging position, it helps to be permanently appointed,”. “But this is what we have and it goes like that with everyone. Hopefully if we can do well we can stretch it (his tenure) a bit longer.”
Opening batsman Butt, 25, who registered his team’s top scores in both innings in the losing first test at Lord’s, will captain his country for the first time against Australia starting at Headingley on Wednesday. Afridi, who had come out a self-imposed four-year test exile to captain his country for the first time, quit after throwing his wicket away in both innings, citing his “lack of temperament for test cricket”.
Next Assignment
Butt’s next assignment after Australia is the four-test series against England starting on July 29 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. “The Pakistan captaincy is a great honour, there is no doubt about it but the way it has come is not a way it has come to anyone before so I hope it goes well,” Butt said.
“It’s a challenge for me but I have to keep on going as a player and as a batsman which is more important. It’s a young unit so shouldn’t be that much of a hassle.” Butt praised what he called Afridi’s “honest” decision and said it was to the benefit of the team because a test specialist will come in. Butt did not reveal his replacement though it is expected to be former captain Shoaib Malik, who was omitted at Lord’s.
Australia, seeking their eighth consecutive test match victory, have not lost a test to Pakistan since 1995 and their captain Ricky Ponting said Butt would be under pressure. “There is obviously more responsibility on you when you are captain and a top-order batsman so it’s going to be a hard job for him,” Ponting said. “But he has being made captain for a reason and the way he batted last week was as good as I have ever seen him play.” -Reuters
Labels: ICC, Pakistan Cricket, PCB, Salman Butt
posted @ 10:56 AM,
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Ehsan Mani Blame PCB for International Isolation
Monday, July 5, 2010
Ehsan ManiAt the moment Pakistanis is not conducting any international cricket. Pakistan is facing problems of terrorism and after the attacks on Sri Lankan team ICC took the World Cup 2010 hosting from Pakistan. Pakistan Cricket Board is not doing any positive efforts to regain its international hosting said Mr Ehsan Mani, former Pakistani ICC president.
Ehsan Mani said that PCB is not taking any initiative to start cricket back in Pakistan. Pakistan’s Home series are conducting in other countries. Pakistan home series against Australia is conducting in England. Ehsan Mani said that after the Lahore attacks Pakistan Cricket Board showed no interest to save cricket in Pakistan.
He said that no reports on attack have been sent to ICC by Pakistan Cricket Board. He added that ICC had intimated PCB many times to send reports on the attack but there is no report submitted by PCB in reply. He said the report from PCB is very important for regaining of international hosting in Pakistan. The report can play important role in making members to agree on regaining of cricket in Pakistan.
Due to less efforts Pakistan has lost its chance of hosting world cup 2011 along with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
posted @ 11:00 AM,
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PCB lifts ban on Younis Khan
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The indefinite ban on former Pakistan captain Younis Khan was lifted on Saturday, and a fine on current captain Shahid Afridi was revoked.
“I have set aside the ban on Younis,” Pakistan Cricket Board arbitrator Irfan Qadir told reporters in the eastern city of Lahore after the hearing.
Qadir said the PCB had already reconsidered Younis for future tours by naming him in a list of 35 probables, therefore there was no reason to keep an indefinite ban on the former captain.
The PCB imposed the ban in March for Younis’ alleged infighting with another former captain Mohammad Yousuf during the winless tour of Australia early this year.
Younis was not considered for this month’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, but it is likely he will be included in the team for the twin test series against Australia and England in July.
Qadir also revoked a three million rupees ($35,000) fine on Afridi for ball tampering during the one-day series against Australia earlier this year.
Afridi had already served an International Cricket Council ban of two Twenty20 internationals after he was caught biting the ball during a one-dayer in Perth.
Qadir said the ICC had told the PCB that Afridi could not be punished for the second time as he had already served one punishment.
“Today, Afridi was candid enough to accept his mistake,” Qadir said.
“He did it (ball tampering) in patriotism, but it brought bad name to the country.”
The Akmal brothers Kamran and Umar were fined three million rupees ($35,000) and two million rupees ($23,500) respectively for their indiscipline during the Australia tour. Qadir reduced fines on both brothers to rupees one million ($11,750).
“The PCB had accepted to reduce the fine to 50 per cent on Kamran, but I brought it down because I feel all players should be treated at par,” Qadir said.
Last week, Qadir lifted a one-year ban on another former captain Shoaib Malik and his fine of two million rupees ($23,500) was also halved. Malik was then included in the team for the Asia Cup.
Qadir said player behavior must not lapse in future.
“I have noticed that players realized they would maintain discipline and I am sure Pakistan will perform better in the upcoming matches,” he said.
Rana Naved’s appeal against a one-year ban and fine of rupees two million ($23,500) will be heard on June 19 and Qadir said he would be treated the same as the others, indicating a likely rescinding of the ban and halving of the fine.
Yousuf was the only player who did not file an appeal against an indefinite ban and later retired from international cricket.
However Qadir said his ban should still be considered for the record. – AP
Labels: PCB, Younis Khan
posted @ 7:31 PM,
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Why PCB chairman dismisses allegations of match-fixing?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt on Sunday dismissed allegations of match-fixing against his national team players in a move that surprised one of the country’s parliamentarians.Ijaz added that if any of his subordinates raises the issue of match-fixing, “he is talking nonsense.” In a leaked video recording of an inquiry committee hearing, ex-Pakistan coaches Intikhab Alam and Aqib Javed raised suspicions about the performance of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal during the winless tour of Australia earlier this year.
Senator Haroon Akhtar, a member of upper house standing committee on sports, said he was surprised and shocked by Ijaz’s stance.
“Couple of months back, PCB showed us the same video footage in which our team coaches clearly raised doubts of match-fixing during the series against Australia,” Haroon said.
Ijaz said the International Cricket Council’s AntiCorruption Unit has instigated strict security measures for all international matches.
“Nobody is allowed to enter into players’ dressing room, only the manager carries a mobile phone with him during international matches and there are several other security measures which they take,” he said. “It’s [match-fixing] all media hype and nothing else.” Haroon questioned Ijaz’s suggestion that the ICC has eradicated match-fixing.
“When our coaches have raised their doubts of matchfixing, it is the responsibility of the PCB to take up this issue,” the senator said.
Ijaz said former captain Younis Khan’s career was ruined by false match-fixing allegations when a parliamen tarian accused Pakistan of throwing the semi-final of the Champions Trophy in South Africa last year.
The PCB fined and suspended seven cricketers – including Younis – on an inquiry committee recommendation for a lack of discipline and poor performance during the tour of Australia.
“How can you suspend and fine players heavily for only poor performance and ill discipline? There is more into it,” Haroon said.
Ijaz said he approved all the fines and suspensions. Six players have since appealed against suspensions and fines.
The PCB chief said that arbitrator Irfan Qadir will submit his report to the board’s governing board, which will take the final decision.
“Let the appeals be completed and I will not comment until we get the final report from the arbitrator,” Ijaz said
Labels: PCB
posted @ 12:55 PM,
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The Pakistan Cricket Board
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is responsible for all major cricket including Test cricket played in Pakistan. It controls and organizes all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team.
Following the establishment of Pakistan as an independent state in 1947, major cricket commenced the same year as the local infrastructure had already been established when the country was part of India. Even so, it was not until 1948 that a Board of Control was formally instituted and matches were arranged informally until then. Pakistan was admitted to the International Cricket Council in July 1952 and has always been a full member, playing Test cricket. The team's first Test series took place in India between October and December 1952.
Labels: PCB
posted @ 10:11 AM,
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