SPORTS Sunday, 13 September, 2015
PCB’s Plan to invite World Xi hits eXPense roadBloCK
Kamran aKmal ton GIVES MULTAN SLIM WIN SPORTS DESK Kamran Akmal’s 105 steered Multan Region to 185 for 4, a total they defended by only three runs against Karachi Regional Whites. Kamran’s knock, off 57 deliveries with 12 fours and four sixes, ensured Multan were untroubled by the early loss of Imran Farhat. Kamran added swift partnerships of 64 and 67 for the second and third wickets with Sohaib Maqsood and Naved Yasin, before falling in the final over. A string of solid top-order performances, led by Sheharyar Ghani’s unbeaten 64, had ensured that Karachi Whites managed to keep a chase of 186 in control. They went into the last over needing eight to win, but Aamer Yamin conceded only four runs and took a wicket to ensure Karachi fell agonizingly short of the target. Group B: Fakhar Zaman’s maiden Twenty20 hundred helped Abbottabad Region chase down 196 against Peshawar Region, securing a sixwicket win for the side at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Abbottabad, opting to bowl, reduced Peshawar to 6 for 1, but Iftikhar Ahmed stroked four fours and six sixes during a 55-ball 90 to revive
the innings. Iftikhar’s blitz, combined with handy knocks from Mohammad Rizwan (30 off 25 balls) and Adil Amin (33 off 18 balls) boosted the total to 195 for 4. Junaid Khan was Abbottabad’s best bowler, taking 2 for 23, while Yasir Shah conceded 38 runs without a wicket in four overs. Abbottabad, though, began the chase well with an opening stand of 46 between Zaman and Yasir Hameed. Zaman launched a total of 11 fours and three sixes, and remained unbeaten on 100 to take his side home with three deliveries to spare. Zaman was assisted by a 10-ball 18 from Younis Khan, and a 15-ball 30 from Sohail Akhtar. Fast bowlers Imran Khan and Taj Wali, and left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan all went at more than 10 an over. Karachi Region Blues knocked Lahore Region Whites out of the tournament with a sevenwicket win in a one-sided match in Islamabad. Karachi’s fourth straight win helped strengthen their chances of a semi-final spot, while Lahore Whites, filled with star players including Pakistan’s ODI captain Azhar Ali, are languishing in secondlast place in Group B with one win in four matches. Asked to bat first, Lahore began solidly as openers Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali shared
a 52-run stand. The side, however, lost three quick wickets and were struggling at 63 for 3 before Umar Akmal’s blistering knock lifted them. Umar Akmal hit four sixes and two fours in a 36-ball 52 and with the help of Saad Nasim, who scored 35 off 24, helped the side post a challenging total of 179 for 7. Karachi wrapped up the 180-run chase with more than two overs to spare, riding on Khurram Manzoor’s 44-ball 81, against an attack that included Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz. Manzoor, who struck 16 fours in the innings, shared an opening stand of 94 with Shahzaib Hasan, and the strong start ensured a comfortable chase despite the loss of three quick wickets. Opener Afaq Raheem’s unbeaten 49-ball 70 guided Islamabad Region to an eight-wicket win over Faisalabad Region. Raheem had good support from Shan Masood (30 off 22 balls) and Babar Azam (38 off 37 balls) as he ensured the side chased down a target of 159 with two overs to spare. Raheem’s 98-run second-wicket partnership with Babar Azam helped the side control the chase well after an opening partnership of 51 runs. Earlier, Faisalabad’s innings suffered from a lack of momentum as wickets fell in clusters near the halfway stage and towards the end of the innings. Opener Raheel Ameer (41 off 30 balls) and Khurram Shahzad (47 off 38) provided some solidity after an early wicket before Faisalabad lurched from 68 for 1 to 88 for 4. Misbah-ul-Haq tried to give the side a strong finish but three wickets in the last over by Shehzad Azam restricted them to 158 for 8. Munirur-Rahman and Shehzad Azam picked up two wickets apiece.
Karachi: Pakistan cricket authorities have faced a setback of sorts in their plans to get a World eleven squad to play in the country sometime next year. A reliable source in the PCB has told PTI that the estimated expenses for having the World eleven tour Pakistan is much more than anticipated by the cricket board. “The PCB has asked Giles Clarke of the England and Wales cricket board, who also heads the ICC task force on Pakistan, to organise the tour for them,” the source said. “PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan held several meetings with Clarke during a recent visit to London where the plans for having a World eleven play in Pakistan were discussed and finalised. But the expenses quoted by Clarke for assembling the World eleven and bringing them to Pakistan is ten times what the PCB had anticipated,” the source said. “Clarke has included the names of some big players like Chris Gayle, Glen Maxwell, Pollard, Bravo, Morgan etc in his anticipated squad and obviously these top players will have to be paid well to get them to be part of the World eleven,” the source stated. He said the PCB had now asked Clarke to review and reconsider the expenses for the World eleven tour dates, which are yet to be finalised. Except for Zimbabwe no other Test team has toured Pakistan since March 2009 when militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. agEnCiEs
hafeez dismisses rePorts of BoWling With illegal aCtion Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who has been banned from bowling in international cricket for one year by the International Cricket Council (ICC), dismissed on Saturday reports that he had been bowling in the National T20 Cup without remedying his action. “Been working on my bowling action from the last 9 months in NCA with coaches & analysts..Inshaa Allah will come back SOON in action..,” he tweeted on Saturday. Earlier, ESPN Cricinfo reported Hafeez was bowling in the Haier Mobile T20 Cup without having undergone any remedial measures to his action. Bowlers banned from international cricket for suspect actions can bowl in domestic cricket if their home boards allow, but it is unusual for them to do so without any attempt at correction. He termed the news as “irresponsible reporting.” spoRTs dEsK
ENGLAND LOOK SHARPER FOR DECIDING CLASH SPORTS DESK If there were fears the English international season would limp to a conclusion - first of all in the wake of Ashes victory and then with Australia taking a 2-0 lead in this series - they have been emphatically put to bed by England’s back-toback victories, which mean there is a winner-takes-all match at Old Trafford. The weather has played ball and the pitches have been terrific for one-day cricket: pace to encourage the likes of Pat Cummins, but which also allows attacking batsmen to prosper, enough turn to not make the spinners redundant coupled with fast outfields that have provided value for shot. Three-hundred has proved the benchmark, but England’s chase at Headingley to level the series showed that it can be overhauled. For both the teams, it is the beginning of a rebuilding process in one-day cricket. It will be interesting to see how closely the sides at the 2017 Champions Trophy - to be played in England - compare to what is currently taking the field. But the here and now is about winning on Sunday. If England pull off the comeback job to take the series, it will give Eoin Morgan a complete set of limited-overs success this season. For Australia, it is their last chance to take something from a tour which began with such high expectations, but that will largely be remembered for batting collapses and retirements.
Jason Roy has looked a million dollars in this series. He was the only one of the top six not to pass fifty against New Zealand, but has made two stylish halfcenturies and not fallen for less than 31 in the four matches. He was named, alongside Morgan, as the key England batsman by Pat Cummins. The ease with
which Roy drives through cover and clips off his legs - the latter with more than a hint of Kevin Pietersen - means it looks like a waste when a soft dismissal crops up. England clearly like what they see, but a match-defining contribution would cap his summer. With Mitchell Starc having earned a
rest at Headingley, it means Steven Smith will be the only Australian to play every international of the tour and there is precious little time before his next task, in Bangladesh. He has made runs in all three formats and will leave these shores knowing it is on his shoulders to help shape the future of the team. Does he have one major innings left in him for this trip? England’s one decision is whether to recall Steven Finn, who was rested for the fourth match, in place of Mark Wood who, while bowling quickly, has struggled to take wickets (four in six ODIs now) and has a high economy rate. Although David Willey proved expensive at the death, his new-ball burst of three wickets was valuable. Australia must decide whether to push out Starc for one more match on this tour, while they will most likely have to find room for Ashton Agar - probably at the expense of Marcus Stoinis. James Pattinson and John Hastings were both expensive at Headingley and one probably has to make way. Hastings offers more batting, while Pattinson has more of a future ahead of him. A day game this time, so some different considerations to the previous match on the ground which was under lights. It is also being played on a new surface. England exploited some early swing in Leeds with a 10.30am start, but the spinners will again expect some help. The forecast has improved with a dry day in the offing. If England win the deciding match, it
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CMYK
England (possiblE)
1 alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 James Taylor, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 ben stokes, 6 Jonny bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen ali, 8 liam plunkett, 9 adil Rashid, 10 david Willey, 11 steven Finn
ausTRalia (possiblE)
1 aaron Finch, 2 Joe burns, 3 steven smith (capt), 4 george bailey, 5 glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 ashton agar, 9 John Hastings, 10 Mitchell starc, 11 pat Cummins will be their first bilateral one-day series win against Australia during an Ashes tour - as opposed to a tri-series or standalone series as in 2010 and 2012 - since 1997. Eoin Morgan needs one run to become just the second England batsman to score 600 runs in a home summer - Andrew Strauss made 745 in 210. If Pat Cummins takes two wickets he will equal the most scalps taken by an Australia bowler in a five-match one-day series. Clint McKay took 14 against Pakistan in 2009-10. “If momentum does exist then it is with us. We managed to steal a bit of it while we were in Manchester. I think confidence is a contributor to that. Going into Sunday the guys are full of confidence and we are really looking forward to it.” Eoin Morgan believes the force is with England. “We really wanted to come here and finish off the series and give us some breathing space for Manchester.. We played it like a final, but the good thing is Sunday will be a final and we’ve played a lot of them and been quite successful.” Pat Cummins acknowledges Australia will need to dig deep for the deciding match.