JOHN HOWARDS APPOINTMENT AS ICC CHIEF REJECTED

The ICC has demanded another vice-presidency candidate after John Howard's nomination was rejected by its executive board in Singapore. A move which began with members from six countries signalling their intention to block the appointment on Tuesday turned into an official rejection of Australia's former prime minister today.




The ICC confirmed the decision this afternoon following an executive meeting that was supposed to formalise Howard's election. No vote was taken and Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket were asked to re-nominate a candidate by August 31.



The ICC said in a statement: "Following lengthy consideration it was recognised that the nomination put forward by Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket did not have sufficient support within the ICC board."



Cricket Australia's chairman Jack Clarke and his New Zealand Cricket counterpart Alan Isaac said in a joint statement they were "deeply disappointed" after supplying "the best possible candidate". "We jointly nominated Mr Howard as he possesses significant leadership and administrative skills," they said. "We believe cricket needs to continue to seek excellence and dispassionate independence in the game's global governance.



"We were delighted that the most senior world figure ever considered for this role agreed to accept the nomination. We remain convinced it is reasonable for his nomination to be supported by the ICC executive board and we are deeply disappointed by the position taken."



Initial rumblings from Zimbabwe and South Africa in April became an all-conquering alliance when India signed up along with their subcontinent neighbours this week. It leaves the ICC without a deputy to be paraded alongside India's Sharad Pawar when he takes over the presidency from David Morgan this week.



The position taken by the six board members on Tuesday night was believed to be an attempt to force Howard to withdraw his nomination before the meeting. Howard remained in the race but lost the one-man raffle at the Raffles convention centre, ending the 70-year-old's cricket administration career before it was allowed to begin.



Seven votes were required to seal the deal but Australia, New Zealand and England were the only supporters of Howard before the meeting among the game's 10 major countries. The six members signed a letter on Tuesday effectively stopping the appointment, but Zimbabwe, the most strident back-room protestor of Howard's nomination, was not one of them.



During Howard's 11-year term as prime minister he was critical of Robert Mugabe's regime and was responsible for banning the team from touring the country in 2007. Howard visited Zimbabwe cricket officials last week in an unsuccessful effort to smooth relations with the board. Once India turned from Howard there was no chance of him gaining enough support, with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh believed to have sided with their all-powerful neighbour.



Howard was the joint nomination of Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket for the role as part of the rotational system employed by the ICC. Under the regulations, Howard would have assumed the presidency in 2012 after Pawar's two-year term.



While the two countries have remained committed to Howard, his selection was complicated by New Zealand's wish to choose Sir John Anderson, its long-term respected administrator. An independent committee was charged with breaking the deadlock and once Howard emerged as the winner the boards were publicly united. However, the delay provided fuel for the opponents to question whether New Zealand had been out-muscled by Australia.



Confirmation of Howard's role - he was nominated in March - was expected in April, but Zimbabwe raised their concerns through South African officials outside an ICC meeting in Dubai. The issue dragged on and Clarke and his chief executive James Sutherland were still lobbying for support over the past couple of days.

CRICKET NEW: Did AMIR used cell phone during the match?

PAKISTAN cricket team without controversy is like snake without venom :). the first match of Asia cup has put one more pakistani cricket player under cnontroversy when the TV showed M. Amir which looked like he was talking on a cell phone with his helmet on and waiting for his turn to bat. It seemed like he was using cell phone and was talking to someone with his helmet on. At that moment, he was the next man to bat. All this issue brought up the controversy.

Anyhow the ICC and PCB has clarified over this issue and denied that Amir was using cell phone rather they said he was talking to his team-mates.

Pakistani TV channels picked up on footage from the game which showed Mohammad Aamer sitting in the dressing room balcony with a helmet on, with one hand to his right ear, speaking to someone while waiting to bat. The channels implied that he was talking on a cell phone, an act in contravention of existing ICC anti-corruption rules which don't allow players to take phones into the dressing room.



The PCB emphatically denied this was the case, saying that Aamer was talking generally to the team about the situation of the match. In a statement, the board said that the manager Yawar Saeed "has confirmed to us that the rumors...are totally false and unfounded. Cell phones are not allowed under ICC & PCB rules, and as such are always collected by the security manager from every member of the squad except the manager.



"Aamer was next to go in for batting and he was sitting next to team manager along with the other members of the team in the viewing area. They were all talking about the match situation and Aamer had his hand on his helmet which has been interpreted out of context."



The ICC confirmed that the ACSU had investigated the incident and come to a similar conclusion. "The ACSU has thoroughly investigated the alleged breach...including speaking to the relevant people involved, and is satisfied that there is no evidence of Mohammad Aamer making use of a mobile phone while sitting in the dressing room yesterday (June 15) during the match against Sri Lanka at Dambulla," the ICC said.



"Although the very short video clips that are publicly available could mislead viewers into thinking he was holding on to a cell phone and speaking to someone, upon closer scrutiny the fact emerges that Mohammad was actually holding on to the front grill of his helmet, adjusting it, and at the same time making a comment to his team manager, Yawar Saeed, seated to his immediate left."



The ACSU, as a practice, collect the mobile phones of all the players and officials before a game starts. Only the team's manager is allowed to have a phone inside the area

well what actually happened we dont know. Being rational, i think it is near to impossible that Amir would have been talking on cell phone. This will bre compeetely new thing for Amir ,as he has never faced this before. It will be a test of his character how he will handle these new challenges.

This is cricket new for you, where everything new thing in cricket is possible !

CRICKET NEW:ASIA CUP PREVIEW

Cricket fanatics will be witnessing another layout of competition between the Asian teams as Asia cup will get under way tomorrow! Pakistan, Srilanka, Bangladesh and India will be competing to get the honour of Asian champion!

Cricket new will talk about each team,

PAKISTAN

Pakistan is the team which will be under most pressure because they are under their new captain Shahid Afridi, and salman butt as a new vice captain! Pakistan team is full of controversies because the inclusion of Shoaib Akhtar and Shoaib malik gave an air to this controversy. Anyhow Pakistan is a balanced ODI side where we will see some new faces. New faces include umar amin and asad shafiq. With shoaib akhtar back in the team, Pakistan’s bowling will be their strength. The team is under new captain and it will be a new experience for youngsters to play with players like shoaib akhtar.

India

India is also a balanced OCI side; INDIA has to prove so much, especially the likes of dhoni. India also has some new faces like tiwary who will be making his debut (if played). Ashok dinda and R. Ashiwn are the other two new faces though they have made their debuts in Zimbabwe. It will be interesting to see how India goes.

Srilanka

Srilanka is the most balanced side of the tournament. Surprisingly they have dropped mendia for tactical reasons and jayasuria for his poor form. Don’t forget they were the two heroes of the previous Asia cup in 2008. Srilanka has the right mix of bowling and with the likes of sangakara, dilshan and sangakara, their batting strength adds up. Srilanka will be playing their first match against Pakistan, and I reckon srilanka will be the favourites for this match.

Bangladesh

You can’t call Bangladesh as minnows any more. They have a very talented and new side which can upset any team in the world on their day. Bangladesh will mostly be relying on their start opening batsman tamim iqbal. If tamim can give them a fiery start and GOD knows, may be Bangladesh can put the opposition under pressure.



This is cricket new for you where every new thing in cricket is possible!

CRICKET NEW:MATHEW HAYDEN JOINS CRICKET AUSTRALIA AS AN ADMINISTRATOR

Matthew Hayden will draw upon his IPL experiences to help navigate Cricket Australia through the uncharted waters of Twenty20 cricket as part of his newly-acquired role as board director. Hayden, who will replace the departing Allan Border on CA's board, insists he will bring a contemporary voice to the decision-making process as cricket's administrators attempt to strike a balance between the Twenty20 phenomenon and the more traditional forms of the game.




Hayden was a foundation member of the Chennai Super Kings, and has been a staunch advocate of both the IPL and the 20-over game in general. He will become the only member of the board with first-hand experience of the Twenty20 game as a player.



"The game is definitely at the coalface of anticipated change," Hayden told to the media. "What I can bring to the table is a real currency and a slightly more contemporary style of looking at the way cricket and the business of cricket is managed and maintained. Strategically it's really important to recognise that iconic series such as the Ashes can never be removed, and in fact need to be protected and maintained, throughout the cricketing landscape. At a time when the market is looking to find new ways to engage our sport I think it's also really important to go on a journey and go on a debate and recognise that we have got something very special in the creation of franchise cricket and the globalisation of those brands."



Jack Clarke, CA's chairman, was hopeful Hayden would make a significant contribution to the board. "He brings a combination of contemporary, elite playing experience in all major cricketing nations; additional understanding of player issues through his work on the board of the Australian Cricketer's Association, experience in the new Twenty20 phenomena as an IPL player, and a passion for development of Indigenous cricket," Clarke said.



"I congratulate Queensland Cricket on having the foresight and vision to appoint Matthew Hayden to the Cricket Australia Board so soon after his retirement from wearing the Baggy Green."



The move could improve relations between Cricket Australia and the players due to Hayden's recent involvement in the game and his role as an executive member of the Australian Cricketers' Association.



Besides the retiring Border, Mark Taylor and Wally Edwards are the other two former Test cricketers who are now Cricket Australia directors.

well this is cricket new for you, where everything in cricket is possible !

CRICKET NEW: ODI CRICKET IN NEW VERSION

CRICKET AUSTRALIA has decided enough is enough of long and boring 50 over matches. It's time to say good bye to ODIs.Cricket Australia board gave the green light to a trial of split-innings state games next summer. If the new format is successful, Cricket Australia will take the idea to the ICC as a plan to keep ODIs alive, meaning the 2015 World Cup could feature a split-innings format.




Although there has been no decision on how many overs each innings would be - four innings of either 20 or 25 overs are the most likely - CA will finalise their concept in the coming weeks. The first four rounds of the FR Cup will be played under the existing rules before the new format is introduced for the remaining six rounds, which will start in February.



By then, Australia's World Cup squad will have departed, so their preparations will not be affected. James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, said the innovation was intended as a way to retain all three formats of the game, with the middle portion of 50-over innings having become largely predictable.



"It provides a mechanism by which in the eyes of the consumer we can distinguish the one-day game a little bit more from the Twenty20 format of the game," Sutherland said. "There's no doubt that there's some feedback there that suggests that parts of the one-day game are a little bit predictable. That's certainly something that we are looking to address.



"One of the things that's come back as the feedback from fans and also from a television audience perspective is that by having a split innings, after the dinner break, no matter, you will get to see both teams bat in the evening. That is something that people who might be going to the game after work or coming home after work see as being a very significant plus for this format."



The popularity of Twenty20 cricket has left ODIs in a difficult position, somewhere between the dynamic shortest format and the traditional Test matches. England and South Africa have already reduced their one-day domestic competitions to 40 overs a side, in an effort to eliminate some of the less exciting middle overs.



The ICC has been searching for ways to keep 50-over cricket relevant, and next year's World Cup on the subcontinent could feasibly be the last one played in the existing format. Sutherland said it was hard to predict how one-day cricket would look by the time of the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.



"If you're suggesting that the current playing conditions that one-day international cricket is being played under today is going to be the same in 2015, then I would suggest that it's probably not the case," Sutherland said. "There's a question there about how radically the playing conditions may have developed or changed. I honestly don't know the answer to that but what we at Cricket Australia are looking to do is to find a landing spot with a new format.



"We have also been encouraged to innovate through the ICC cricket committee, who met not long ago. They were very, very encouraging of full members looking to explore innovations within the playing conditions and certainly that's been raised at chief executive committee level in recent times."



Cricket Australia will now move to finalise the details, although it seems certain that teams will resume their second innings from the point where their first innings concluded. Sutherland said feedback from fans had played a major role in the split-innings concept, which has also been trialled this year in England's county 2nd XI competition.



Now what will be the future of cricket in this new modern world? new and new formats are coming or atleast new and new ideas are coming to make this sport more entertainin. we will wait and see how does thise new ideas will work for the betterment of the cricket !

This is cricket new for you where every new thing is possible in cricket

CRICKET NEW:MCC VS PAKISTAN

MCC has announced that MCC team will play pakistan cricket team on 27th june, 2010 at lords

Sourav Ganguly will captain MCC team that includes Brian Lara against Pakistan .The match marks the start of Pakistan's tour of England, and is part of the MCC's sponsorship of the neutral series against Australia under the Spirit of Cricket banner.




It will be the first time the MCC will playa Twenty20 match at Lord's and the team also includes Chaminda Vass, who is currently playing for Northamptonshire, Ian Harvey and Victoria batsman Aiden Blizzard. Glenn Querl, an MCC Young Cricketer, who has played for the Unicorns in the CB40 this season is also included.



"MCC is delighted to welcome to Lord's a Pakistani side who have a proven track record in Twenty20 cricket," John Stephenson, MCC's head of cricket, said. "Shahid Afridi's men will face an exciting MCC team comprising world class performers and up-and-coming talent.



"Brian Lara is one of the finest batsmen to have ever played the game and Sourav Ganguly is a world-leading Twenty20 cricketer. The match will provide spectators with a fantastic opportunity to see wonderful cricket and great cricketers."



Pakistan's tour includes two Twenty20 internationals and two Tests against Australia before they face England in four Tests, two Twenty20s and five ODIs

This is cricket new for you where everything is possible in cricket !

NEW BLOOD NEEDED in the team -WAQAR

Waqar Younis said during a press conference along with Captain Shahid Afridi in Qadaffi stadium today that the time is right for the new blood to come into the team. We have selected some new faces for the Asia cup and these new comers are immensely talented and I expect them to perform well in the Asia cup.

He further said that his job is just related to the coaching, he is not concerned with the management issues but the damage caused to the Pakistan cricket due to the recent incidents that took place which were post Australian tour is incredible and nothing more has damaged our country’s cricket then the recent issues have. The issues could have been dealt better but unfortunately they were miss handled.





For me, the first thing is to maintain discipline in the team, it is important for me to maintain discipline. You must have seen the team work in the West Indies, but this is not the end, we need to work hard on this issue. Team unity is a key to success.



Waqar further said about Shoaib Akhtar, that we don’t want him to rush back, i know how difficult is it to make a comeback after 2,3 years, you need to start from the beginnings, i hope he performs well in Srilanka, but yeah we will not be putting pressure on him. He further said, every tour is important for me.



Shahid Afridi accompanied Waqar Younis in the press conference, he said the team is balanced, I am satisfied with team combination and there is one thing that is in our hands and that is the effort, we are making effort to make a mark.

He said, he has talked to shoaib akhtar that this is a new team, so you need to maintain discipline in the team, and he was very keen to behave good.

This is cricket new for you, where every new thing in cricket is possible !

what you need to have to be a fast bowler

I was listening to Allan Donald during the mid innings break during the micro max mobile tournament in Zimbabwe yesterday. Mike haysman asked him different questions regarding how to be a fast bowler. It was really interesting to hear some really helpful comments.

During his interview, he talked about different fast bowlers like dale steyn, brett lee and Mitchell Johnson. He said the most common thing among all the fast bowlers is this that they all are natural athletes; have flexible muscles, they are physically strong and have a very good rhythmic run up.

He first talked about dale steyn, look how fit he is. He bowls around 150kph at regular interval. He is the South African spearhead for some time now. He is the fittest player in the team. He is a natural athlete with good body shape. He further said he works extremely hard on his fitness, he is a stretching maniac, even in his hotel room, he does stretching of his muscles and he also Trains hard in gym.

He then talked about brett lee. The most beautiful thing about brett lee is his smooth and attractive run up. He has injuries problems from the last 3 years or so, works extremely hard on his fitness. He is a gym fanatic. If you look at the picture attached with the blog, you can see the flexibility in his body, the front foot landing, the power in his hand, everything is just perfect.

Any new bowler who is trying to become a fast bowler can learn from what allan Donald said. Allright, let’s have a revirew and summarize what allan Donald said what you need to have to be a fast bowler,
• You must be a natural athlete
• Flexibility is the key, u must stretch your muscles as much as you can
• You must be physically very strong
• Gone are those days when you just had to do running, now you must work hard in gym to gain physical strength
• Nice, easy and smooth run up is important
• How you land your front foot is very important to generate pace
• Foot wear is a key for every bowler, sort out what suits you best
• Must do training, even if you are not playing, do it in gym or wherever you like, continuous and consistent training is important.
• To remain down to earth is also an important element to be a fast bowler.
Well if any new bowler follows these points, then he can become a great fast bowler.

This is cricket new for you, where every new thing is possible in cricket.
This is all from my side, would love your comments.

BYE BYE YUVRAJ FOR ASIA CUP

The BCCI has announced their 15 men squad for the upcoming asia cup in srilanka, surprise surprise, yuvraj singh has been left out. BCCI has selected some new faces including saurabh tiwary, the hero of Mumbai Indians in IPL. He is raw, new and talented player, we all have seen it in IPL.

Another interesting omission is of yusuf pathan, as he is also been left out, whereas ashok dinda and R ashwin has retained their place. BCCI accepted the request of sachin tendulkar of rest, as they have not selected him for the asia cup.

MS Dhoni comes back to captain a team that is bolstered by the return of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra

Saurabh tiwary is only the new face as he will be playing for the time for india. Tiwary, 20, was one of the finds for Mumbai Indians during the IPL this year, where he struck three fifties in their run to the final. That was preceded by a successful domestic season, where, playing for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy Plate League, he scored three centuries in five games at an average of 98.83.

Yuvraj has been struggling with a wrist injury and fitness problems in the recent past. He was recently issued a show cause notice by the BCCI for being involved in a pub brawl in St Lucia on the day India were knocked out of the World Twenty20. Yusuf hasn't been able to replicate his IPL success in international cricket. He has two half-centuries in 37 ODIs, and averaged just 10.50 in the World Twenty20.

Kris Srikkanth, the BCCI's chairman of selectors, said fielding and fitness were two important factors considered when picking the squad. "A lot of stress was given on the fitness of the players. Fitness and fielding are very important. We have gone through the record of last one year and put lot of stress on it. In recent past, we lost some matches or struggled in some matches because of poor fielding," he told reporters. "We also put stress on consistent performances. Lot of players have done consistently well and apart from the seniors, we have blooded some youngsters as well so that they know what international cricket is all about."

The BCCI, in its media release, stated that Tendulkar wanted to spend time with his children, in view of the hectic schedule ahead.

Squad announced for asia cup is as follows,

MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, R Ashwin, Saurabh Tiwary.

this is cricket new for you, where every new thing is possible in cricket !

YOUNIS FREE TO PLAY

Welll well well as everyone expected, PCB came out with another predictable decision regarding their players. Guess what, now YOUNIS KHAN is free to play. Isn’t this funny? PCB imposed life ban on him but now they have over turned their decision. At first hand, i don’t understand why the ban was imposed? Ok , fie, if the ban was imposed then why did they over turned it?

Well this thing shows that PCB is not serious, they make decisions under pressure. They try to make players obedient, but in fact, reality is this, certain players exhibit powers.

This is not enough, fine of rs 3M on captain has been finished entirely, whereas the fines on akmal brothers have been reduced to half. Don’t forgert, shahid afridi was fined due to ball tempering issue.

Ever since Shoaib Malik's one-year ban was last week, the PCB had indicated that the punishments for other players would also be lifted. At a press conference to announce Pakistan's Asia Cup squad two days ago, board chairman Ijaz Butt revealed that he had already recommended these measures to the independent arbitrator overlooking the appeals of the players. Butt staunchly defended the overturning; it wasn't a u-turn, just the following of "a constitutional process."

The decisions were announced by retired judge Irfan Qadir after the latest set of hearings on Saturday morning. Afridi, he explained, had already been punished by the ICC, which had banned him for two Twenty20 internationals, so the question of a second punishment was not on. "The ICC has written a letter to the PCB indicating that the second punishment is wrong," Qadir told reporters after the hearings in Lahore. "I must appreciate that Afridi accepted his wrongdoing. He accepted that he should not have done it but since he realised it himself I thought that was good and so removed the order on him."

Much the same reasoning was applied to the Akmal brothers, whose fines have been reduced to Rs1 million. The brothers accepted their mistakes. "They were candid in accepting their disciplinary issues. The PCB wanted to halve the fines [Kamran was fined Rs3 million] but I felt all players should now be treated on a par and so brought it down to Rs1 million."

The orders leave undecided for now the fate of only two from the seven originally punished. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan is likely to get the same relief at his next hearing on June 19, while it is still a mystery that whether M. Yousuf would make a come back or not as he had already annouved his retirement and even afridi insisted him to play in engalnd tour, he didn’t take his retirement back.

Ijaz butt said, we just followed our constitution, which allows palyers to appeal again st such bans. However, he admitted that other factors came into play. "There were many appeals from many quarters which asked us to reconsider the punishments. For example the national assembly committee on sports met and the chairman asked me, after detailed discussions with a number of people, to review the decisions. I said there is an appeals process already in place and it is on and we are looking at it as we should and that we will review them. The independent arbitrator was appointed and he took into account many things before coming to this. A process has been followed."

Butt further said that we will certainly not tolerate any indiscipline in the team, if any player mis behaves during asia cup or England tour, i have given the authority to captain and team manager to send the player back without any delay.

We will wait and see how the players will behave after PCB’s attitude. It is just a matter of time that some of our’s questions will be answered. We hope Pakistan do well in asia cup and engalnd tour, but honestly saying with this attitude of PCB, only players are getting stronger and stronger.

This is cricket new for you, where everything is possible in cricket.

This is all from our side, we will welcome your comments.

CRICKET NEW: PONTING NOT WORRIED FROM AFRIDI

Ricky Ponting said he is confident that Australia can get the better of Shahid Afridi, the new Pakistan captain, during their two Test matches in England in July. Surprisingly Afridi has not played a Test since 2006 and in 44 games against Australia across all formats, he has only ever scored one half-century.

Interestingly Afridi will be the third man to captain Pakistan in Tests since the start of 2009 and Ponting is not worried about him as he is not one of Pakistan's best 11 Test players. Ponting said he was confident Australia's pace attack would be able to counter Afridi's attacking style in the five-day game.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure we do," Ponting told AAP. "He hasn't played much Test cricket of late, has he? If you read between the lines he's almost in there as that leader and captain, not necessarily one of their best Test players. So we'll test him out.

"Even in the one -dayers in Australia last season with our quicks bowling the way they did to him, I think we can sort him out in Test cricket for sure. I see Shoaib Malik's life ban has been lifted as well, so who knows what happens around their set-up, but we know they're a dangerous team.

"I guess with him being captain of the Twenty20 side it was a natural progression for him to be the Test captain with all the rest of the guys they've tried there not having succeeded. But that's all irrelevant stuff to us, it doesn't matter who's captain and it doesn't matter who's playing, we just have to make sure we're focusing on our little things to be the best team we can be when we play them."

Australia will play ashed series after PAKISTAN matches so he added;
"I guess we speak pretty loosely don't we about looking forward to the Ashes and all that, and we are, but it's not with both eyes," he said. "We've got one eye on that and one eye on what we need to get in place to make sure we're the best team we can be for November."

It will be interesting to note that what strategies will be employed by Shahid afridi against Australia as Australia has aleady started the verbal battle and we all know how good Aussies are in their verbal battle and of the field strategies to pressurize the opponents. I m eagerly waiting for Shahidf Afridi's comment about AUSTRALIA

well this is CRICKET NEW for where every NEW thing is possible in CRICKET !

THIS IS all from my side, your comments will be welcomed

Malcolm Speed slams move to block Howard

Malcolm Speed, the former chief executive of the ICC, believes it is "outrageous" that Zimbabwe and South Africa are pushing to block John Howard's nomination as the ICC's president-designate. However, Speed is confident that Howard will gain the support of India and have his nomination confirmed.

"There is some irony in this," Speed told the Australian. "Zimbabwe throughout has said 'you must come and play against us for the sake of our cricket. You can't have politics in cricket, you can't make political considerations', and the ICC has consistently endorsed that position

read the full story on the following link,
Malcolm Speed slams move to block Howard

CRICKET NEW: CRICKET SOON IN USA

The following interview of Lockerbie ( USA cricket CEO) has been taken from CRICINFO's timeout

"In 1994, the soccer World Cup took place, and it generated great interest in the sport and it was followed by the Major League Soccer which started in 1996, two years later," Lockerbie said. "We are looking to do that too. We would love for the ICC to look at the United States in the future for some ICC events.






"We are well under way in a planning situation wherein we are working towards professionalisation of cricket in the US," he said. "We are working towards equalising what some of the other Associate nations like Ireland, Scotland, Holland and Canada have been able to do recently; beginning to put some of their players on professional retainers, and some of these players are now travelling and playing all over the world and getting IPL opportunities. We need to do that in the United States, and along with that will come a professional league."





USA recently hosted a Twenty20 series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and Lockerbie said that was the first step towards getting more fans to the game. "We are looking to bring in the best teams in the world," he said. "Even 14 years after the Major League Soccer started in the United States they are averaging 14,000, 17,000, 18,000 people to a match, which isn't too bad. But when Barcelona comes to play Manchester United in Philadelphia they have 90,000. Why is that? When Mexico plays the United States, they can get 100,000 at the Rose Bowl. So the point is that the soccer has a good history now of being positive. By bringing in 'Destination USA,' events, and what we think was a successful Sri Lanka-New Zealand series, we start that way."





The potential for investing in cricket in the US remained huge, Lockerbie said, given the country's infrastructure and record for hosting sporting events with success. "Well, our little game is the second most popular sport in the world, as I view it, behind football. With the great interest from the rest of the world, in the United States, people want to do business in United States. We believe that we are on our way to corporate sponsorship, investment in US cricket, development of facilities.





"The mayor of Indianapolis is very serious about building a cricket stadium; Indianapolis is often called the sports capital of the United States. The Indianapolis 500 just took place the other day, with 500,000 fans at the event, the world largest one-day sporting event. We know how to put on events, and their attitude is - cricket is the second most popular sport in the world and why wouldn't there be a stadium in Indianapolis.





"The city of New York has said to us that one day they would like to have a cricket venue, and they could see themselves as the capital of cricket in the United States. We could become the capital of cricket in the western hemisphere. This is a very big step, and I am hoping to work with my board of directors, our investors, and sponsors, to make that happen in the next three or five years."





In addition to making the United States, with its large untapped fan base, a prime destination for international cricket, Lockerbie stated two other main goals: ensuring the US national team qualifies for the 2015 World Cup and developing a youth programme by taking cricket to the schools.





While conceding Twenty20 cricket was the spark to draw more support for the game in the US, Lockerbie said that Tests and ODIs too, if played by the right teams, stood the potential to take off. "That's [T20] is the perfect storm for us. We are better organised, and there is growing interest. Even in the last five-six years, the amount of immigrants moving to the United States, who are cricket crazy, has just doubled and tripled. So we are ready to go with that perfect storm, the Twenty20 game.





"In the right city, with the right demographics, with the right two teams playing, I don't see why four-five day cricket is any different than Phil Mickelson teeing off on Thursday and winning a golf tournament on Sunday. You've had 60,000 people walking that golf course. Now if India plays almost anybody in a Test match, say in New York, we will have 40,000-50,000 people there."

CRICKET NEW:ROHIT SHARMA fires again for INDIA

INDIA easily overcame SRILANKA'S 242 with ease(with nearly 7 overs spare), thanks to firy rohit sharma who scored his consecutive century in the tournament while Virat Kohli played a mature hand ,as the pair sparkled in a 154-run partnership to charge India to a facile win. r




It has to be said, though, that it was a good toss to win. Overnight rain had left enough moisture on the pitch in the first half of the day to offer assistance to the seamers and also to the spinners. And Sri Lanka were forced to adopt a brand of cricket that smelt of 80s: Start slowly, build momentum in the middle overs, reach a run-rate of four by the 40th, and try to hit out in the end. They ended up on 242, which wasn't a bad effort, but the conditions eased up in the afternoon and the Indians played very sensibly to overhaul the target with ease.



Nearly all the Indian batsmen, barring Rohit, who had brief moments of rashness, eschewed flamboyance for a risk-free approach. Kohli in particular. There was just one shot in anger when Kohli put away a short googly from Ajantha Mendis to the midwicket boundary. For the most part, he dealt in nudged singles as he used his wrists to ping the vacant spaces. He used the width of the crease well, going either fully back or leaning forward, to tackle the different lengths. Later, he unfurled the big shots: an inside-out hit, a pulled boundary and whippy on-drive.



Unlike Kohli, Rohit took more risks. Some appeared almost needless, especially at the start. He rushed down the track for a slog against Thissara Perera, nearly hit Mendis for a catch to long-on and drove Suraj Randiv uppishly on a few occasions. However, he survived those iffy moments to settle down to play a few typically stylish hits. Two stood out for their skill and beauty: He sashayed down the track and lifted Randiv inside-out over covers. He then flicked Perera from just outside off stump wide of mid-on for a gorgeous boundary. He later pulled Dilhara Fernando and lofted Randiv for sixes and brought up his ton with a cut against Mendis. It was 47 for 2 when he had joined Kohli and he led India to a victory with plenty to spare.



If India 's reply was all about Rohit and Kohli,then  Sri Lanka's innings was all about Tillakaratne Dilshan and Angelo Mathews. Dilshan had laid the platform with an out-of-character 61 before Mathews showed characteristic maturity during his 75, which led Sri Lanka's charge.


The conditions demanded such an approach: The medium-pacers got movement and also exploited the two-paced nature of the wicket and the spinners found generous turn to keep the batsmen quiet. Not only Mathews but Dilshan also adopted a sensible approach, though perhaps it might have been dictated by his recent run of poor form.



It was looking good for Sri Lanka but Dilshan ran himself out in the 24th over to allow India to come back into the game. He turned Mishra to midwicket, hesitated before deciding to go for the single, and couldn't beat the throw from Rohit Sharma. It proved to be the turning point of the game; it meant the difference between Sri Lanka reaching 275 and ending up, as they did, with less than 250.

well now the point tables is in favor of india to reach the final as they stood 2nd, now Srilanka need to beat Zimbabwe by a good margin to reach the final


this is cricket new for you, where everyting in cricket is possible !

CRICKET NEW:Imran Khan backs Afridi

Former Pakistan captain and legend imran khan as backed PCB’s decision to appoint shahid afridi as the captain for the asia cup and hectic England tour in which Pakistan will play 6 test, 5 odi’s and 4 T20 matches. He further said that the afirid should be appointed for the long term basis ands only if they give me chance in the long run, results will come.


"Since I retired in 1992, Australia has had only three captains where as the situation is completely different for Pakistan, Pakistan has had more than two dozen and that is why there is a big difference between Pakistan and Australia,"

According to Imran, Afridi was the logical choice to lead Pakistan as he is already the Twenty20 captain. "Who else if not Afridi?" Imran said. "I think if they had made anyone else captain, problems would surely have persisted, so I think Afridi was the best choice available."

Imran said Afridi has to be given time if he is to develop into a good leader. "Afridi has been leading the team well in the Twenty20 format. A good captain should be brave, can handle pressure and should have the respect of the team, so let us give Afridi some time to settle and then judge him.

"You can never predict about him as a Test player and a captain until you give him a chance. If he was not playing Tests and now he intends to play, then maybe with responsibility he performs better."

PCB has no idea who to make captain after younis khan’s resignation, they appointed yousef but it failed so afridi was the rational choice for the PCB, afridi was appointed as the captain for T20 world cup and now will lead the team in the asia cup and England tour..

Khan also said he is in favour of having having one captain for all formats of the game. "Cricket is the only sport where you need able leadership and if a captain is successful in one format he could be successful in all three."

This is cricket new for you where everything is possible !

MALIK's ban being lifted

Ban on sohaib malik has been lifted by the PCB and financial plenty of 2M has been reduced to half which shoaib malik agreed to pay.


"His appeal has been partially accepted," the PCB's legal advocate Talib Rizvi told to media"The ban has been lifted and his fine has been halved. The board has the right to review the decision but as of now he is eligible to play for Pakistan again."

It was never clear why malik had been banned and fined but sources wsay that it was his indecipline in teh Australian tour and his negative influence on the team, it was confirmed in a leaked video of the inquiry committee meetings, in which Malik's role within the squad was blasted by a number of players including Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Yousuf.

Irfan Qadir, the arbitrator and a retired judge, will now send a report to the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, who will put the decisions in front of the board of governors. "We're going according to our constitution which says an appeal can be filed in such cases," Butt told to the media"I will now receive the report from the arbitrator and then put it up in front of the board of governors for their approval." Though Butt refused to say so, it is expected he will approve the findings and that the board of governors will ratify it as well, thus removing legal obstacles from the way of Malik's potential return.

Don’t forget sohaib Malik was named in the list of 35 probables for Pakistan's next two assignments, in Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup and then a long summer tour to England, but it is unlikely he will make the cut for the first task. The 15-man squad for the Asia Cup is to be picked in the first week of June after a short camp to be organized in Karachi and the governing board's next meeting is likely to be after that.

The decision has also made a way for other cricketers to make a comeback. Cricketers like rana naveed ul Hassan, younis khan an M.yusuf would be confident after this decision.
shoaib malik current sponsor is woodworm.
Well this is cricket new for you, where everything is possible !

SHOAIB AKHTAR BACK IN THE TEAM

I had been working hard in gym with Pakistan star Shoaib Akhtar, I always wondered that why is he working so hard on his fitness as it will be difficult for him to make come back. But today i got the reason behind his hard work when his name was announced in the 35 probable’s. When i met him in the gym, he was excited to be in the list, he said,heeagerly waited for this comeback. Today, he trained like anything, he was lifting heavy weights but only one goal on his mind, i need to play for my country again and i have to perform. It really clicked me, and i hope he may get a chance and perform because he has undergone sheer hard work for this comeback.
Anyhow, 35 players have been announced for the England tour and the final 15 will be announced later. Following are the probable’s for busy summer,
Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Khurram Manzoor, Shahzaib Hassan, Azhar Ali, Azeem Ghumman, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Faisal Iqbal, Fawad Alam, Hasan Raza, Asad Shafiq, Umar Amin, Aamer Sajjad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi (capt), Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Sami, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Tanvir Ahmed, Aizaz Cheema, Danish Kaneria, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Kamran Akmal (wk), Zulqarnain Haider (wk)
Pakistan has to play six test, five ODI’s and 4 T20 matches against Australia and England which will be played in England.
Shahid afridi has been named as the captain for the whole tour, he said at a press conference, "As a challenge I have accepted this," Afridi said. "Pakistan needs a senior player right now to lead them and that is why I accepted this. I don't think we should have too many expectations for Test cricket right now but I will try to get our ranking up to where it should be."
One decision that surprised all was the inclusion of 2 banned senior players, younis khan and shoaib malik
Well that is cricket new for you, where everything is possible !
I wish good luck to Pakistan team for the asia cup and the summer tour !
This is all from my side, would love your comments

PAKISTAN ALL TIME X1

Three fast bowlers have been picked unanimously in Cricinfo's all-time Pakistan Test XI. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan each received 10 votes from a jury that included Ramiz Raja and Intikhab Alam among others. The only other unanimous selection was Javed Miandad, in the middle order.

No current Pakistani player makes it to the side - unlike in five of the six all-time XIs named by Cricinfo so far. The most recent retiree was Inzamam-ul-Haq, who is at No. 5 in the order, with nine votes. Mohammad Yousuf, who received four votes, and Shoaib Akhtar (one) were among those who didn't make the cut.



Historically fast bowling has been Pakistan's strength, and it is a sign of how highly the fearsome and influential spearheads of the side's 1990s attack were rated that both were picked unanimously. While the two Ws made the XI purely as bowlers, Imran also serves as the side's allrounder. There was no consensus over the third quick bowler, though: Fazal Mahmood, who received three votes, edged out Sarfraz Nawaz and Shoaib Akhtar.



Wasim Bari and Rashid Latif were tied with four votes each for the wicketkeeper's place. Latif was picked for his superior batting.



The jury opted for an opening combination that would provide a mix of strokeplay and stoic defence: Saeed Anwar (six votes), who attacked no matter what the format or situation, and Hanif Mohammad (nine), who gave up his naturally aggressive style and dug in for several marathon innings to complement the stroke-making of his team-mates.



At one-down is Zaheer Abbas (six), the only Asian batsman to make over 100 first-class hundreds.



Only two members of the jury did not pick Abdul Qadir, who revolutionised legspin in the 80s and paved the way for the likes of Shane Warne and Anil Kumble, as the team's lone slow bowler.



Qadir also made it to the readers' XI, getting more than half the votes polled in the spin category, comfortably ahead of Saqlain Mushtaq. Latif narrowly missed getting the gloves in the readers' XI, losing out to Bari. The readers preferred Shoaib as the third fast bowler over Fazal. All their other choices matched those of the jury.



The jury included Salahuddin Mulla, who played Test cricket for Pakistan in the 1960s, cricket writers Qamar Ahmed (who also played first-class cricket and coached Netherlands) and Kamran Abbasi, and former administrators Shaharyar Khan, Arif Abbasi and Chishty Mujahid.



The XI: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Fazal Mahmood, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis



More on the XI here



The readers' XI: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Wasim Bari, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis.



The nominees





Openers: Aamer Sohail, Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Majid Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Sadiq Mohammad, Mohsin Khan.



Middle order: Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saleem Malik, Mushtaq Mohammad, Younis Khan, Asif Iqbal, Saeed Ahmed.



Allrounder: AH Kardar, Imran Khan, Intikhab Alam, Mushtaq Mohammad, Wasim Akram.



Wicketkeepers: Wasim Bari, Imtiaz Ahmed, Rashid Latif, Moin Khan.



Fast bowlers: Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Fazal Mahmood, Sarfraz Nawaz, Shoaib Akhtar.



Spinners: Abdul Qadir, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Iqbal Qasim, Danish Kaneria.
the following article has been taken from the following link

http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/460532.html

who could be the next PAKISTAN CRICKET TEAM CAPTAIN?

To lead an Australian side is far easier then to lead a team like Pakistan. Captaining teams like India and Pakistan is just not about leading the team, the responsibility is just not to lead the team, but to take responcibility of losing also. To save yourself from criticism is just not easy; no one better knows this thing better then MS dhoni or Shahid Afridi, ask them what is it like to lead the team?


Actually countries like Pakistan and India, the fan following is enormous, the expectations are sky high from the players and fans just don’t want their heroes underperform but once they don’t perform to their expectations, players face extreme heat.

The new cricket is completely different, the reason why i am saying it as new cricket is, the leadership role has been completely transformed, you may be the best team in the world but without a good leader you will not perform. The leaders role in the performances of the players has significantly increased with T20 being the future of new cricket, the responsibility and skill level add up.

Cricket is considered to be a funny game where many funny moments will snatch victory from you, therefore it has become an indispensible for a team to have a mature leader. After losing semi-final to Australia, the debate for a new captain has aggressed instantaneously for the Pakistani team.

As M.yusuf and younis khan are banned for indefinitely, shoaib malik out for nearly 11 more months, shahid afridi being a failure as a ground captain, Pakistan is looking for new face. Now who could be that new face?

Kamran akmal? NO! He has been under fire for his bad performance in Australia. Could it be misbah ul haq? The answer is no, he is very near to retire, Abdul razaq? Yes could be, but will you playing him in test matches in England where his medium pacer will not be lethal weapon.

 Now the question is who could be that person to lead Pakistan in the Engloish tour, i reckon that should be Salman Butt, yes you read it Salman Butt, his surprising and excellent performance in ICC T20 cricket World cup has given a fair chance to lead the team.

He has the experience of leading the team, he captained u-15, U17, U19, Academy team to south Africa, so he knows what it is like to captain the team. Salman butt who is currently sponsored by ADDIDAS should be given a fair chance of leading the team in the English tour.

This is all from my side; your comments will highly be appreciated.

CLARKE wants to retain his captaincy

Michael Clark said he is ready to continue with the responsibility as a captain of Australian T20 squad besides bad performance in ICC world T20 cricket tournament. He said that he needs to rediscover his attacking nature of game to become a successful T20 operator. He said in an interview that he has no intention of leaving captaincy despite being not able to make a statement with the bat.

In the herald sun on Thursday, Ricky ponting said he was impressed with the leadership qualities that Michael Clarke possesses. Afterwards eve, Shane Warne defended Clarke by saying that Clarke was the best captaincy option and No. 3 for the Twenty20 team. All these statements came when Australia came back home after losing the final to England.

"Who knows? Maybe I need a little bit of that back," Clarke said. "Everybody has a different role in our team though and that is one thing that players certainly are aware of, and you need to do your role to the best of your ability.

"For me my role is not the same as Dave Warner or Shane Watson. I always want to perform, I always want to score runs, it doesn't matter what form of the game I'm playing, but like I said in this game, sometimes you can't always make those runs."

Clarke's future as the T20 captain is still in doubt, and his future will be decided in the next few weeks when the selectors will select the squads for the upcoming tour of England. It will be interesting to see whether the selectors still will pursue with Clarke or not as he himself is determined to take the role ahead.

"No doubt [I want to continue], I'm disappointed we couldn't win the World T20, win the final, but I've really enjoyed the opportunity," Clarke said. "I've loved playing with the guys, I've had a lot of support from people back at home, the people who came and watched the games in the West Indies, and family and friends, so it's been great and I'm enjoying it."

"It always hurts losing to England in any form of the game, but obviously a lot of guys in both teams that won't take part in the Ashes series," Clarke said. "They will take confidence out of it, no doubt about it, but I can guarantee the way we've been playing Test and one day cricket of late, or even T20 cricket in this tournament, we're very confident."

Well this is new cricket for you where everything is possible !

END of ICC T20!

The third audition of ICC WORLD T20 turned out to be very successful. The tournament made its success due to the atmosphere being provided by the Caribbean crowd. T20 cricket is always unpredictable and some matches proved it. The cricket being played was of superb quality. The tournament ended with little controversies. In the end, the biggest discussion going on regarding tournament is the WINNERS of this cricket trophy. The best two teams made it into the finals.

The winners of previous tournaments always provide plenty of stories; India's victory in 2007 sparked a revolution, Pakistan's in 2009 was a triumph against the odds and now England's was a historic moment for a side that had failed in world events for 35 years. And to break their duck, they beat a team that had produced some wonderful, scientific, intelligent, skilful and pleasurable cricket over two weeks. As the intellectuals say, Australia don’t give you success you have to earn it and guess that is what England has done, they earned their success through good cricket.

This year's tournament was characterized by large, boisterous crowds, especially when the home team was playing.


From start to finish the tournament was full of intrigue. Could West Indies spark a revival? Could Afghanistan make an upset at world stage? What would the new skill or shot be this time? What new techniques will be employed by the teams?
West Indies didn't make the semi-finals, which was a disappointment for the local crowd, because when they did play, the crowds produced a memorable atmosphere. Huge issues remain in West Indies cricket that need resolving..

Afghanistan were crushed by their two Test opponents,They were not overawed by India's superstars and after slumping to 23 for 6 against South Africa bravely avoided the lowest Twenty20 international total. They still impressed many !

The major disappointers were the India and South Africa; one troubled by the short ball, the other unable to make a run chase. Both teams have much to ponder over the next few months. south africa must be looking forward to win the series against westindies to gain some confidence back in the side.

Pakistan were the most lucky side in the tournament. Their victory against South Africa (and England's against New Zealand) earned them a semi-final berth where they lost the best everTwenty20 international match played as Mike Hussey played a blinder with his 24-ball 60. Pakistan were as unpredictable as ever, playing terribly against England, but raising their game against South Africa and showing the aggressive mindset with the bat needed to tackle Australia's attack.

New Zealand had a good outfit but could not perform; srilanka on the other hand will be pleased to get a berth in the semi-final once they lost their start off spinner murlitharan due to injury.

The 9.30am starts for many matches, purely for the Indian TV market, also weren't ideal. However, unlike in 2007, there were no insurmountable problems and the ICC certainly learnt from previous mistakes over pricing and accessibility.
No one invented a new shot this year, but the skill levels continued to rise. Batsmen have never been so confident in their ability to clear the boundaries, yet outright slogging was a rarity. Bowlers at both end of the pace scale enjoyed success - Dirk Nannes made superb use of the new ball, while Graeme Swann's spell in the final was a master class of offspin.

Dirk Nannes was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, despite going wicketless in the final against England

The format's rise has brought many challenges to game, and some still sniff at the concept, it has also done a huge amount of good and what the last two weeks has shown is that nothing matches the intensity, passion and skill level of international competition

pakistan is defeated but not disgraced !

You will never expect Pakistan’s supporters feeling to hug their team in the time of defeat but you can sense this mood rippling around the fans after Pakistan’s loss to mighty Australia. Pakistan is traditionally known for its inconsistency, their bad performance, their comedy of errors in the field. You can expect Pakistan to be brilliant on one day and on the very second day you may see them losing to a team like Ireland. this is what Pakistani team is all about, you expect to be entertained, frustrated or bewitched at every twist and turn of the game.
To be fair, on this particular defeat, one can hardly blame Pakistan; they did the right things for most of the day. When you come up against the brilliance showed by hussey, you don’t feel ashamed of your defeat. i think everyone who understands and loves cricket will appreciate for what Australia achieved in this match.
The game did not deserve any loser, Pakistan played brilliantly for almost 36 overs of the game but Australia had the last laugh. i think the only thing which differentiated the two teams was the mental toughness, i was surprised to hear brad haddin during the match at the boundary that we are waiting for the last 4 overs and then we will go for winning it. i think it is in the Australian culture that never accept defeat unless you are really defeated.
The match will be remembered for years and years for brilliant skill shown by two great teams. Pakistan indeed is defeated but should not be disgraced. Pakistan was the under dogs for this match, they did nt give up, they went down fighting and when you go down fighting, you die with the honour intact.
There are still many things that Pakistan can cheer; they are the only team to play 2 finals and 1 semi-final of WORLD T20. Pakistani fan must be extremely angry at the defeat but they should accept defeat by thinking that their team fought hard but just could not end the game in their favour. I expect that Pakistan team should be welcomed with honour, warmth, affection and sympathy.
This is new cricket for you where everything is possible!

AUSTRALIA VS PAKISTAN 2ND SEMI FINAL PREVIEW

The second semi-final of ICC T20 will be played between the defending champions PAKISTSAN and hot favourites AUSTRALIA. Pakistan has just won 2 games out of the 5 they played whereas Australia has won all the 5 matches convincingly. Considering the current form of Australian team, there is no match for them.
Pakistan can still create upset and Australia must be aware of it. Pakistan team is facing problems with its combination; they have tried sami, asif n Khalid but they all failed. I reckon the team winning the toss will bat first and try to put runs on the board and then put opposition under pressure. Australia has chased only one match and that was against West Indies so Australia wont fancy chasing considering Pakistan spin attack.
If Pakistan bats first, kamran akmal will be the key, it is important for him to get start and give the coming batsman a platform for big hits. Shahid afridi played brilliantly against south Africa so he will also be a potential threat to aussies and they will be testing him on short pitched deliveries. If Pakistan socres more then 160, Pakistan will have an outside chance to win, bad nes for Pakistan is that, their start youn batsman, umer akmal has injured his back and probablt debuatant hammad azam will play instead of umer so Pakistan will be having a challenge to fulfil umer’s place who played exceptional cricket against southafrica and don’t forget, he is the current best fielder in the team so if he missed out, Pakistan will definitely miss him.
Australia has a perfect combination with smith impressing every one with his leggies. Australian openers have got starts, their middle has got starts, they have proved that even if their middle order fails, they still have the capability to score big.
St.lucia pitch might favour Pakistan because it is not a bouncy pitch, supports spinners so Pakistan must look to win this game.
I just hope that the match should be cracker, not a one sided contest.

ONE OVER CAN CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF THE MATCH

Most of the people would have slept in India thinking that India will win this game by more then20 runs and will still be in contention for the magical semi final spot. After scoring 163, dhoni would be feeling confident that he will defend not only this target but also beat them by 20 runs to remain in contention for semi final spot.
Srilanka required 107 in the last 10 overs, and considering the history of this tournament, it was near to impossible, book makers would have listed india favourites for the 39 overs but nobody thought that one over will change everything.
Srilanka required 32 runs to win from the last two overs, with no sangakara, no dilshan, no jayawardene and no jayasuria on crease; it was Mathews and kaugudere on the crease with vinay kumar, the debutant to bowl the penultimate over and ashish nehra to bowl the last over. I personally thought that india will win by a margin of at least 15 runs but i proved to be wrong.
They got 19 runs of vinay kumar over and they were left with 13 to win from the last over. Ashish nehra bowled the last over, who at the moment is the most dependable bowler for dhoni at this tournament, his first ball went for six, and srilanka required 7 to win from 5 balls, there was another twist in the over when Mathew got run out on the second last ball of the over with srilanka still requiring 3 to win. It would have been the greatest moment for kapugedare, he was confident and passionate, he hit nehra for six to long off and with it , left india thinking why did they kept playing IPL? :P
Now srilanka has almost secured place in the semi and they will be playing England.
This is new cricket for u, the modern day cricket. One over can change everything!

LUCKY PAKISTAN

Pakistan must invite england team for a dinner to show them how much they are greatfull to england team. pakistan surpsingly has qualified for semi finals. incredibly, pakistan has just won 2 games out of 5 and still managed to get into semi final, that what you call luck !
pakistan played good cricket against south africa, after losing 3 early wickets, two good partnerships lifted them to 148, and 148 would never have been easy for south africa considering pakistani spin attack. gibba was stunned by misbah's catch and it was the time for a awful, colorless team to get united and play like a team.
afrid must be appreciated by the way he marshalled his troops in the field, he was agrressive and at times, yelled at some of his fielders for sloppy work. every pakistani wanted to see pakistan team playing with passion and that is what was reflecting from pakistan yesterday.
ajmal and rehman bowled extremely well with ajmal taking 4 wickets was an exception on a pitch where south african spinner went for plenty.
pakistan watied for england to win the match, and it was a big relieve on part of afridi's head. probably, pakistan will be facing australia in the semi-final.
what should it be called? A blessing in disguise? an opportunity to take revenge of all the defeats in one match? will it be cracker or an one sider?
on paper, australia is too good for any team but considering the T20 format, any team on a given day can fall part so we will wait and see what happens ! :P

pakistan did well to reach 148

well after losing 3 quick wickets,pakistan still managed to score 148. that was a good effort. akmal brothers played really well especially the younger one, umer. he was the man who took the charge and left smith wondering about how to use his spin option.
razzak and misbah again failed today,but afiridi played well for his 30.
it will be interesting to see how south africa go about their chase considering pakistan has 4 spinning option and 1 quicky and 1 medium pacer.
cricket is a funny game, only one score of above 145 has been chased in this tournament, and it was against pakistan which england chased. cant wait for the match to start......