LHR 01-07-2012_Layout 1 7/1/2012 3:14 AM Page 14
Sunday, 1 july, 2012
rosol’s dream wimbledon ends, Kvitova strolls on Page 17
Pakistan revel hafeez, azhar, taufeeq punish Sl for failed gamble
COLOMBO aFp
M
OHAMMAD H a f e e z roared back to form with a career-best 172 not out as Pakistan made Sri Lanka pay for a failed gamble in the second Test in Colombo on Saturday. Pakistan, trailing 1-0 in the threematch series, took advantage of Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene’s surprise decision to field first on a good batting track at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Hafeez led the Pakistani charge w i t h h i s
Hafeez makes highest Test score S.perVez QaiSer Mohammed Hafeez recorded his highest ever score in Test cricket by making an unbeaten 172 off 281 balls with 18 fours and one six on the opening day of the second Test match against Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo on Saturday (June 30). It was the second highest score by a Pakistani batsman on the opening day of the Test match after Aamir Sohail’s 205 against England at Manchester on July 2,1991. Mohammed Hafeez’s previous highest was 143 in 353 minutes off 237 balls with 14 fours against Bangaldesh at Chittagong in 2011-12. This is Pakistani opener’s maiden century against Sri Lanka in nine innings of five Test matches and fifth overall in 53 innings of 28 Test matches. The right hand opening batsman’s previous highest against the Islanders was 75 in 158 minutes off 127 balls with eight fours and one six at Abu Dhabi in 2011-12. There was neither juice in the pitch nor brittleness in the visitors’ batting as Pakistan went on to score over 300 runs in the first innings of a Test for the first time since January 2007. The last time Pakistan scored over 300 in the first innings of a Test match was 313 in 96.5 overs against South Africa at Centurion in January 2007. Mohammed Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar opened the innings of Pakistan. This was the 17th straight Test they are opening in, easily a Pakistan record. They have responded with five century stands, another record for Pakistan, and today’s was their sixth half-century association. The undefeated 256-run stand between Mohammed Hafeez and Azhar Ali is the highest second wicket stand for Pakistan against Sri Lanka and third highest overall after Zaheer Abbas and Mushtaq Mohammed’s 291-run stand against England at Birmingham in 1971 and 262-run partnership between Ijaz Ahmed and Saeed Anwar against New Zealand at Rawalpindi in 1996-97. Highest score on the opening day of the test for Pakistan Score batsman oppoenent Venue date 205 aamir Sohail england manchester 02-07-1991 172* m hafeez Sri lanka colombo 39-06-2012 166 K abadullah australia Karach 24-10-1964 163 J miandad nz lahore 09-10-1976 159* inzamam nz lahore 01-05-2000
fifth Test century — and the first after 10 innings — as the tourists moved to a commanding 334 for one by stumps on the opening day. The Pakistan vice-captain has put on 256 runs for the unbroken second wicket with Azhar Ali (92 not out) after sharing an opening stand of 78 with Taufeeq Umar (65). It was the first time since making 379-4 against India in Faisalabad in 2006 that Pakistan scored over 300 runs on the first day of a Test match. The century helped Hafeez overcome the disappointment of losing the first Test in Galle by 209 runs, where he led Pakistan in the absence of the banned Misbah-ul Haq. The allrounder had b e e n under pressure to retain his place in the Test side after a barren run of 10 innings since making his previous best of 143 against Bangladesh in Chittagong last year. But Hafeez answered his critics in style, smashing 18 boundaries and a six off Suraj Randiv that sailed over the mid-wicket fence. Azhar was content to play second fiddle at the other end, scoring just six fours, as the second-wicket pair laid the foundation for a big first innings total. Azhar will resume on Monday needing just eight runs to complete his third Test century. Hafeez earned a lucky break just before tea when he was caught down the leg-side by wicket-
keeper Prasanna Jayawardene, but television replays confirmed Angelo Mathews had sent down a no-ball. When Hafeez was on 171, umpire Simon Taufel turned down Rangana Herath’s confident appeal for a catch at the wicket even as television replays indicated the ball may have gone off the bat. Hafeez took time to settle down, making only 20 till lunch, before opening out after the break with attractive strokeplay on both sides of the wicket. He had scored only 12 when Taufeeq raced to his 14th Test half-century in the 18th over with two successive boundaries off Mathews. Taufeeq fell just when he had mastered the Sri Lankan attack, edging an intended cut off Mathews to the wicket-keeper. Hafeez began the post-lunch session by sweeping Herath for two fours to bring up Pakistan’s 100 and then drove Nuwan Kulasekara to the point fence to reach his eighth half-century. Misbah returned to lead Pakistan after missing the Galle Test due to a one-match ban for slow over-rates. Middle-order batsman Mohammad Ayub was dropped to accommodate the skipper. But the tourists were without frontline seamer Umar Gul, who was ruled out with an ankle injury. He was replaced by fast bowler Aizaz Cheema. Sri Lanka retained the same side that won the first Test to take the lead in the three-match series.
Scoreboard paKiStan 1St inninGS: Mohammad hafeez not out 172 65 taufeeq umar c p. jayawardene b Mathews azhar ali not out 92 5 extras: (lb3, nb2) total (for one wicket, 90 overs) 334 Fall of wicket: 1-78 (taufeeq). bowling: Kulasekara 20-4-60-0, Mathews 12-1-45-1 (nb1), pradeep 13-3-52-0 (nb1), randiv 20-0-83-0, herath 24-3-82-0, dilshan 1-0-9-0. toss: Sri lanka umpires: ian Gould (enG) and Simon taufel (auS) tV umpire: ruchira palliyaguruge (Sri) Match referee: david boon (auS)
India’s Sudhindra gets life ban for spot-fixing NEW DELHI aFp
India’s uncapped fast bowler T. P. Sudhindra has been handed a life ban for spot-fixing in a local match, the country’s cricket chiefs announced on Saturday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also punished four other domestic players, with Shalabh Srivastava banned for five years, and Mohnish Mishra, Abhinav Bali and Amit Yadav each for one year. “The disciplinary committee held Sudhindra guilty of actually receiving a consideration to spot-fix in a domestic cricket match, and hence imposed an exemplary penalty on him,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement. The BCCI last month suspended the players from all cricket after a sting operation by a local TV channel during this season’s Indian Premier League (IPL) highlighted alleged fixing and corruption in domestic matches. The inquiry was carried out by former police officer Ravi Sawani, who had previously served on the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit. “Sudhindra has been debarred for life, from playing any cricket matches conducted or authorised by the ICC (International Cricket Council) or BCCI, or any affiliated unit of the BCCI,” Jagdale said in the statement. Hindi-language India TV last month showed Sudhindra, of IPL’s team Deccan Chargers, allegedly agreeing to bowl pre-arranged no-balls in a local amateur match. Kings XI Punjab player Srivastava was reportedly heard boasting he could do the same in the IPL. The channel reported it had taped seamer Srivastava telling its reporters he could deliver a no-ball in the IPL for one million rupees (about $18,500). “Srivastava was held guilty of agreeing to fix a match and negotiate terms for the same, even though no actual matchfixing or spot fixing took place,” said Jagdale. “He has been debarred for a period of five years.” Mishra, Bali and Yadav were found guilty of bringing “the game into disrepute”. “The three players, through loose talk and unsubstantiated bragging, brought the game into disrepute, and hence, have been held guilty of the lesser offence,” said Jagdale. “They have been debarred for a period
PCB in search of commissioner for Premier League LAHORE StaFF report
of one year.” There was no immediate comment from the players. The five are all first-class players, but have yet to break into international cricket. The IPL, which began in 2008 as a highoctane mix of glamour, entertainment, rich purses for players and the excitement of slam-bang T20 cricket, has endured a difficult ride over the past four years. The tournament, which features world stars playing for rich franchise owners, is also being investigated by government agencies for alleged fraud and foreign exchange violations. Its founder Lalit Modi, who was suspended from the league in 2010, is holed up in London facing Indian government and BCCI charges of misappropriation of funds. Three Pakistan players — Test captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif — plus their agent Mazhar Majeed were last year found guilty of spot-fixing during the 2010 Lord’s Test against England and jailed.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has advertised for the post of commissioner for its proposed Pakistan T20 Premier League to be held later this year. A senior PCB official confirmed that the board had placed an advertisement inviting applications from interested and qualified candidates. “We have invited applications for the commissioner of the PPL who will be responsible for monitoring and managing the league,” the official said. He said the board had done a lot of homework on the proposed league which it plans to hold in NovemberDecember this year. “The time slot we see best to launch the league is at the end of the year because in this period the national team is also free of international commitments and players of some other countries would also be available,” the official said. Reports said that Sarwar Salman Butt, who had also served as managing director of the PCB’s Champions Trophy secretariat in 2008, is likely to be appointed as the commissioner of the PPL. “Sarwar Butt is a strong candidate and is also backed by board officials,” the official said. “He has the required background in managing a event of this magnitude as he has served in senior positions in international banks as well.” The PCB has been bolstered in its bid to launch the PPL after signing an exchange agreement with the Sri Lanka Cricket under which both countries will make their players available for each other’s T20 leagues. Pakistan has also spoken to the Bangladesh Cricket Board about signing a similar exchange programme and sources said they are also trying to convince the BCCI to have some Indian presence and backing in the PPL. “The PCB has got offers to buy the franchises and for sponsorship from abroad and that has encouraged them a lot,” the official said.