14 SPORTS
Monday, 6 April, 2015
RID PCB OF SHAHRYAR, SAYS SARFRAZ ISLAMABAD
Mushfiqur retains Test captaincy, Mashrafe to lead in ODIs, T20s against Pakistan Mushfiqur Rahim has retained captaincy for Tests while Mashrafe Bin Mortaza will lead the Tigers in the limited-over forms, Bangladesh Cricket Board announced on Sunday. Mashrafe was handed a one-match ban by the ICC after his second slow overrate offence of the World Cup in the quarter-final match against India. Consequently, the strapping pacer will be unavailable for the first ODI on Apr 17. In his stead, vice-captain Shakib Al Hasan will lead the team in the series-opener, BCB President Nazmul Hassan said to reporters after a board meeting. All three matches of the ODI series will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. Mashrafe will captain the side in the next two matches on Apr 19 and 22 and in the lone T20 match - also to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla with Shakib as vice-captain. SPORTS DESK
Imran Tahir feels limited overs cricket makes a bowler better
new delhi: Relishing the challenges of Twenty20 cricket ahead of IPL 8, Delhi Daredevils spinner Imran Tahir believes that the limited-overs game may be hard on the bowlers but it helps them perfect their craft. The South African leg-spinner, who joined Daredevils in the 2014 season, wants to make an impact as a valuable spinner for his team. “It’s hard, T20 cricket and also the ODIs where five fielders are inside the inner circle. But spinners play a key role in T20. They have a lot to give in the limited-overs game and it makes them better bowlers. The modern-day game helps us perfect our cricket more than what it was before,” Tahir said in an open session organised by Delhi Daredevils. “Batsmen attack you more in T20 cricket, so there are more chances for a bowler and also there are more challenges, which we like. You need to go there with a big heart and that’s all that matters,” he added. The Pakistan-born player, who has represented South Africa in 16 Tests and 38 ODIs, is ready to adapt to ‘changing times’ as a spinner. “The art of spin is very much alive and you see that in Test cricket. But I still think even in Test cricket you cannot be a classical spinner, say what you were 20 years ago. Cricket has obviously changed. “It’s not that you give the flight and batsmen are going to defend. You flight the ball and it goes for a six. Your pace is important for all the formats. For me bowling now is harder than what it was called ‘classical spin’,” he said. Tahir acknowledges the quality of Indian batsmen against spin bowling and stresses the role of variety in a spinners life. “There are a lot of left-arm spinners from India who have had a lot success, so for me all the spinners have a big role to play in cricket. If you don’t have variety then you are not going to survive, especially playing in India. The Indian players are so good against spin, so you have to have variations as a spinner,” he said. Having plied his craft all around the world in different T20 leagues and formats, Tahir is comfortable switching jerseys to play good cricket. “I have played cricket all over the world, be it in South Africa, India or Pakistan. I don’t think it makes much of a difference, you just need to adjust with the conditions quickly. Just back yourself and it all falls into place,” he said. AGENCIES
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NOTHER former player has spoken against current Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan, urging higher authorities to rid PCB of Khan. Former fast bowler and inventor of reverse swing bowling Sarfraz Nawaz has lashed out a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for not taking strict action against players for poor showing in the World Cup. “It was expected a massive operation clean-up would be conducted and eyes of the chairman and Patron-in-Chief Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif would be opened and all responsible would be taken to task. But am deeply surprised no action was taken, instead Shahryar Khan appointed Haroon Rashid as chief selector.” Sarfraz during an exclusive in interview with a daily English newspaper just before his departure to England on Saturday, said Shahryar must be removed from the office as he was completely cricket illiterate and highly incompetent and a former Test cricketer should be drafted in to change fast declining fortunes of the national team, otherwise the cricket would suffer badly and team would witness further decline. He said Najam Sethi, Subhan Ahmed, Intikhab Alam, Shakil Sheikh, Haroon Rashid Zakir Khan had destroyed Pakistan cricket and some of them were sitting in the board for the last 15 years or so and had done nothing for the improvement of national team in general and players
in particular and they badly failed to produce even a single player from National Cricket Academy, who could represent country at international level. “Our domestic cricket structure is so awful that International Cricket Council Chief Executive Dave Richardson made an eye-opening statement in Australia during the recently concluded World Cup and termed domestic cricket in Pakistan responsible for green caps worst showing in the mega event. Richardson further went on to say the ICC is willing to help PCB in overhauling domestic structure in Pakistan and ready to help them in improving domestic set up. It is very annoying and shows incompetent persons sitting in the PCB had no knowledge of cricket, which allows
ICC to interfere in our personal matters. It also proves that head of domestic cricket set-up in Pakistan is a complete failure. A person who had not played even on district level, how on earth he could improve domestic structure or bring even ordinary changes in the setup?” Sarfraz said expecting revolutionary changes from such a person was like day dreaming. “I request PCB Patron PM Nawaz Sharif to immediately dissolve domestic committee and bring in persons like Zaheer Abbas, Abdul Qadir, Aamir Sohail or any one from the past legends, who had loads of cricket and know exact reasons behind decline. Domestic cricket affairs should be handed over to a person who can play the highly significant role of improving the structure, otherwise masses should forget about expecting even ordinary results, expecting of winning mega events under these circumstances is almost impossible.” Sarfraz highly lauded former captain Imran Khan’s statement on flaws in domestic set-up. He offered Imran all out support of not only him but other past greats, if Imran plays a role in helping country in getting rid of these mafias. “If Imran stages a long march or sit in for this noble cause, we are ready to walk with him shoulder to shoulder. I am going abroad today, but would return very soon upon my return I would conduct a press conference and reveal all the truths and corruption of these mafias. I had no personal ambitions but only one cause and that is to help Pakistan cricket as country had given me so much name and fame and I owe all that to Pakistan and I am always ready to help Pakistan cricket in best possible manner,” Sarfraz concluded.
‘Misbah, Waqar wanted Akmal, Shehzad banned for a year’ SPORTS DESK Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq and head coach Waqar Younis wanted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to sideline Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal from the national team for at least a year to force them to improve their attitudes, a daily newspaper reported. Misbah and Waqar in their tour reports after the World Cup stated that Shehzad and Umar refused to change their attitude and approach to cricket, it said quoting a TV report. Pakistan’s new selection committee, headed by former batsman Haroon Rasheed, warned the squads that discipline would be closely watched. “We have told the players that Pakistan comes first,” said Rasheed. “There will be no compromise on discipline and that’s why we have dropped Umar from all formats and Ahmed Shehzad from two.” “The PCB had decided to go with the suggestions of Misbah and Waqar and drop the two for all three formats but the national T20 captain Shahid Afridi insisted on having Shehzad in his team,” the report said. Head coach Waqar Younis had complained about Shehzad and Umar’s lack of discipline during Pakistan’s World Cup campaign, which ended in a quarter-final defeat to
hosts and eventual champions Australia. Umar managed just 164 runs in seven matches while Shehzad scored 222 in as many games. Spinning allrounder Mohammad Hafeez also returns to all three formats after missing the World Cup with a calf injury. He too has suffered problems with his action, which was ruled illegal in December, and faces a re-test on April 9 to try to get clearance to play. The one-day squad will be captained by Azhar Ali, replacing the now retired Misbah-ul-Haq. Misbah continues to lead the Test side while Shahid Afridi, who also retired from one-day cricket after the World Cup, will captain the Twenty20 side. Pakistan will play two Tests, three one-day internationals and a Twenty20 on the Bangladesh tour, with the first one-dayer starting on April 17. Fit-again pacemen Junaid Khan returns to the Test and Twenty20 squads while Umar Gul manages a Twenty20 berth. Also dropped from the World Cup squad were Younis Khan and opener Nasir Jamshed, who both had disappointing tournaments, and paceman Mohammad Irfan, who is injured. Promising youngsters Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Mukhtar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan are included in various sqauds for the first time. SquadS:
TeST: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sami Aslam, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali One-day inTernaTiOnal: Azhar Ali (captain), Sami Aslam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Moham-
mad Rizwan, Haris Sohail, Sohaib Maqsood, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan Twenty20: Shahid Afridi (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Mukhtar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan, Saeed Ajmal, Saad Nasim, Sohail Tanveer, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan
COACHING UNAFFECTED BY T20 BATTING RECORD: PONTING SPORTS DESK Ricky Ponting has said that his lack of success as a batsman in Twenty20 cricket, especially in the IPL, will have no bearing on his new role as head coach of Mumbai Indians. “That’s not hard at all. Although I was not a very good T20 player, the best thing is that I understand the game pretty well. I have been around the game for a long time. The fact is I was here in IPL 6, started the tournament, did not play really well, so that was when I actually went into a bit of coaching role
when I stepped down from playing and that turned out to be pretty well,” Ponting said ahead of Mumbai Indians’ departure to Kolkata for Wednesday’s IPL 2015 opener against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. Ponting’s 10 innings in the IPL - four with Knight Riders in 2008 and six with Mumbai Indians in 2013 -fetched him just 91 runs. His decision to drop himself after tallying 52 runs in 2013 turned out to be the turning point for Mumbai Indians. Ponting passed on the captaincy mantle to Rohit Sharma and the team
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went on to win their only IPL title. Since then, Ponting has been keeping himself at pace with the shortest version of the game. He spent some time with Mumbai Indians in an advisory capacity at the start of IPL 2014 before taking over as head coach ahead of the 2015 player auction. “For the last two years, I have been commentating on T20 back in Australia, so I have stayed really close to the game. I am understanding the way the game is played, understanding more and more the tactical side of the game. “When you take a step back from playing, you analyse the game a lot closer, considering a lot of tactical sides of the game. That’s the sort of stuff I have been working to bring in to Mumbai Indians this year. I have been responsible for the tactical side of things, the planning side of things and making sure the planning is as best as it can be and we have our players 100 per cent prepared for anything that might pop up during a game.” Rohit, who joined Mumbai Indians’ week-long camp at Wankhede Stadium after returning from the World Cup, was all praise for Ponting, and expected that the head coach’s presence will lead to Mumbai Indians repeating their 2013 heroics. “He
has already showed it in 2013 when he led in the first six games and made the huge decision of dropping himself from the team to get the balance right,” Rohit said. “You see such things very rarely. It does not happen every day. After that, as he said, he took over the mentoring role, the coaching role and got the team together. It turned out to be a tremendous phase for us. “We went on to win the championship. We expect the same this year. We understand each other pretty well. His thinking of the game is really broad. He understands the game really well. He was the leader of the Australian side and he won them two World Cups. He knows how to win big tournaments. He brings a lot to the table. Am sure this year is also going to be another exciting year for us.” Since his appointment as head coach last December, Ponting has had a lot of time to ease into the role. Ahead of the auction in February, Ponting, along with Rohit, played a significant role in Mumbai Indians’ zeroing in on their domestic signings for the season. Mumbai Indians had conducted trials for 50-plus domestic players. Ponting went through footage of all of them before shortlisting half a dozen.