SPORTS Tuesday, 26 May, 2015
paKiSTan: (probable) 1. mohammad Hafeez 2. ahmed Shahzad 3. azhar ali (capt) 4. Haris Sohail 5. Shoaib malik 6. asad Shafiq 7. Sarfaraz ahmed (wk) 8. Yasir Shah 9. wahab riaz 10. mohammad Sami 11. Junaid Khan
Zimbabwe: (probable)
Pakistan seek swing in ODi fOrm
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SPORTS DESK
EiTHER Pakistan nor Zimbabwe had the World Cup they would have wanted but for one of them, the aftermath was worse. Pakistan went from a tournament in which their batsmen consistently let their potent pacers down, to a series where the same happened, except that the attack had also lost some of its zip. Their 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh has left them ninth in the ODi rankings - which would mean, as things stand, they would miss out on the the 2017 Champions Trophy - and anything other than a 3-0 win over Zimbabwe will see them drop points. Although they have the safety of knowing that even if that happens, they won't slide any further down the rankings because
ireland are far behind on just 50 points, it will widen the gap between them, on 87 points, and West indies and Bangladesh, who are on 88 points each, which means there is a lot more on this for Pakistan. As is the case for Zimbabwe, who are a distant 11th on the rankings on 45 points and who are aiming to become a top-eight team in time to automatically qualify for the 2019 World Cup. The only way to do that will be for Zimbabwe to start winning. Admirable as their competitive efforts have been since Dav Whatmore took over - and their improvement has been apparent as they stay in games for longer and take them deeper - it has not translated into success yet. if that does not change soon, Zimbabwe's World Cup aftermath could go the same way as Pakistan's. The results of his first series as captain did not go as planned but Azhar Ali's
individual performance suggested at least something went right for Pakistan in Bangladesh. Azhar finished as his team's highest run-scorer and notched up his maiden ODi ton. if he can lead from the front in that way going forward, Pakistan seem in good hands. if Vusi Sibanda thought his relationship with the pull shot was rocky, he must know now is the time to consider divorce. He was out both times in the T20s playing the stroke, although he had made 49 runs before bringing it out the second time, which would have given some confidence ahead of the ODis. Sibanda must know this is possibly his last chance to establish himself in the team after a patchy past record, which saw him dropped twice in the last year. This tour is the first of a busy winter for Zimbabwe and they will be using it to nail down the group of play-
No.4, unless Zimbabwe are brave enough to give their debutant Roy Kaia a run. The pace pack could see Chris Mpofu bowl alongside Tinashe Panyangara and Brian Vitori. The condition of a surface that will be played on five times in the space of ten days will be less of a concern than the fact that the avoidance of searing temperatures is over. While the T20s started once the sun had gone down at 7pm, the ODis will kick off three hours earlier, at 4pm, when temperatures are still likely to be in the 40s so bowling first will be a challenge. Add to that that the surface has promised nothing but runs so far, and it could tune out to be a tough outing for fielding sides. Zimbabwe have never won an ODi series against Pakistan and have only beaten them three times in 48 meetings, the most recent in 2013. Wahab Riaz is Pakistan's leading bowler this year, with 20 wickets from 10 matches. He is 14 scalps behind the leader, Mitchell Starc, but may want to use this series to gain some ground. "Looking at the first two games i think our bowling let us down and also the fielding where we gave away many chances and we didn't take three or four catches and that makes a big difference at the end of the day."
PAKISTAN CRICKETER HASAN BANNED FOR 2 YEARS FOR DOPING
PAKISTAN IS A SAFE COUNTRY TO PLAY CRICKET: ZC CHAIRMAN
Wilson Manase, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, has said the landmark decision to tour Pakistan was taken after he had spoken to the Zimbabwe's defence department and was told that it was all right to play in Pakistan. He was responding to the suggestion from several quarters that the decision to tour was taken despite advice to the contrary from the government's Sports and Recreation Committee (SRC). "SRC consulted with the ministry of foreign affairs and someone there said it might not be safe to visit Pakistan particularly after the Karachi incident, but Karachi is different from Lahore," Manase told ESPNcricinfo. "i tried to see the officials in SRC and they kept on saying that they are busy, and time was obviously short for us as well as we had only two days to go before the team departs. "So what i did was to consult with the relevant authorities in government, the defense forces - they have got the intelligence, they are the people who know what the situation is and they have given a go-ahead from that area. They told me it's safe to go. Also, the team that came here to look at the situation gave a clearance and then i took the decision." Pakistan has been a no-go destination for major international teams since March
ers they want to work with in future. Sibanda has usually been part of that group but if he wants to stay in it, the runs must come and the pull must go. Pakistan will field a more experienced outfit than their T20 unit with Junaid Khan returning to the attack and Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq adding strength to the line-up. Haris Sohail will bat at No.4 with legspinner Yasir Shah doing the bulk of the spin-bowling duties. Wahab Riaz was rested for the second T20 after being struck on the hand in the first but should return for the ODis. Vusi Sibanda should return to the top of the order, as he did in the T20s for a first ODi and may be partnered by Chamu Chibhabha with Hamilton Masakadza at No.3. Although Charles Coventry is only part of Zimbabwe's long-term T20 plans, he may be used at
1. Chamu Chibhabha (wk) 2. Vusi Sibanda 3. Hamilton masakadza 4. Charles Coventry/roy Kaia 5. Craig ervine 6. elton Chigumbira (capt) 7. Sean williams 8. Sikandar raza 9. Tinashe panyangara 10. Tawana mupariwa/Chris mpofu 11. brian Vitori
LAHORE: Pakistan international cricketer Raza Hasan has failed a doping test and the Pakistan Cricket Board has banned the 22-year-old left-arm spinner for two years. The PCB said it received "an adverse analytical finding for the presence of a prohibited substance" in Hasan's urine sample, but didn't specify which. Hasan was tested in January during a domestic competition in the southern port city of Karachi. The spinner didn't respond to a notice from the PCB for a hearing in March and has been subsequently banned for two years. Hasan made his international debut with a Twenty20 against Australia in the United Arab Emirates in 2012 and took 10 wickets in as many T20s. He also took one wicket for 68 runs in his only one-day international against New Zealand at Dubai last year. aGenCieS
3, 2009, when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus while it was en route to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for the third day of the second Test. Over the last few years, the PCB has been pushing hard to convince teams to tour Pakistan, who have been forced to play their home matches in the UAE. Zimbabwe were the first Full-Member nation to tour Pakistan in more than six years, but the iCC refused to send its match officials for the games. Manase hoped Zimbabwe's visit would help change the perception of Pakistan in the international cricket community. "i would like to indicate to the world especially the Test-playing nations - that Pakistan is a safe country to play cricket," Manase said. "We need to encourage members of the iCC to relook at the position of not visiting Pakistan, and if they are watching how things have gone, they would realise that Pakistan, in the quest to have teams visit, have done great work to create an environment where cricket can be played safely. "For the nations who remain skeptical, they should have sent some delegation to come and be part of this event and watch what is happening in Pakistan. That would have given them confidence. But wherever they are i believe they are watching. They are watching that the grounds are so full, they are watching the security given by the government and have understood Pakistan have the capacity to take any measures for the visiting team. i will brief them in the upcoming iCC meeting in Barbados." While the security detail for Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan has been extremely heavy -thousands of personnel being only one of the measures put in place - the visitors have also been warmly embraced by the people of Pakistan, who have expressed their gratitude with cheers and posters during the first two Twenty20 internationals in Lahore. CoUrTeSY CriCinFo
Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore.
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