wonderful Play By Abdul Razzaq Lead To Win Pakistan - My Voice_ My perspective

Tsotsobe's best restricts Pakistan to 203

ABU DHABI: Lanky South African paceman Lonwabo Tsotsobe carried his Twenty20 form into the 50-over game with a career-best feat to derail Pakistan to 203 in the first day-night international here on Friday.

The 26-year-old from Eastern Province took 4-27 off his ten tight overs as Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for a mere 46 runs after winning the toss and deciding to bat on a flat Abu Dhabi Stadium pitch.

Tsotsobe, who took five wickets in South Africa's 2-0 win in the Twenty20 series which finished here on Wednesday, rocked the Pakistan middle-order with a burst of three wickets off just nine balls during his second four-over spell.

Tsotsobe's effort backed by disciplined spin bowling by Johan Botha (2-40) put brakes on Pakistan's innings after Mohammad Hafeez (68) and returning Younis Khan (54) put on 114 for the second wicket.

Tsotsobe removed opener Asad Shafiq (19) in the eighth over before Younis -- returning to the side after being cleared by Pakistan Cricket Board last month following a ban on discipline violation, joined Hafeez in a damage repair act.

Hafeez hit seven boundaries during his 84-ball sixth one-day fifty before cutting Botha straight into the hands of Charl Langeveldt. Four overs later, Younis was trapped leg-before by Botha.

Younis hit two boundaries during his 75-ball knock.

Tsotsobe's triple strike followed as he removed Misbah-ul-Haq (14), Shahid Afridi (one) and Abdul Razzaq (two) to complete Pakistan's slide on a similar pattern of Twenty20 matches in which they were restricted to 119 and 120-9.

Tsotsobe's previous best bowling figures were 4-50 against Australia on his one-day debut at Perth last year. AGENCIES 

Butt, Amir leave for ICC hearing

LAHORE: Suspended Pakistani cricketers, Muhammad Amir and Salman Butt, have left for Dubai where they are due to appear before an ICC tribunal in connection with spot-fixing allegations. The duo were suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in September for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing and violating ICC's anti-corruption code. Pacer Muhammad Asif, who was also provisionally suspended by the ICC, has withdrawn his appeal against the suspension and will not be attending the hearing. Speaking to newsmen at Lahore airport today (Friday), Butt maintained he is innocent. “My lawyers have prepared well for the case. I will be cleared of spot-fixing charges very soon,” he said. Butt’s counsels, Aftab Gul and Khalid Ranjha, hoped that the decision would come in favour of the suspended cricketer. Muhammad Amir also expressed hope that he would soon make a comeback to the national

S Africa not distracted by fixing controversy: Smith

DUBAI: Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has said his team is focussed on performing its best in the tour of the UAE where it takes on Pakistan in a full series and is not distracted by the spot-fixing controversy that has troubled Pakistan cricket since the tour of England earlier in the year. Smith said he expected Pakistan to be competitive in favourable conditions and called out fans in the UAE to provide the fullest support to the teams. South African team reached Abu Dhabi on Monday morning and will play the tour opener on Tuesday (tomorrow). "I think generally there are always one or two things going on in Pakistan cricket, so they're pretty used to dealing with stuff like that at least from a playing perspective," Smith told Radio 2, a station based in the UAE. "We still expect them to be very competitive on this tour and conditions to suit them. "You can't hide away from what's going on but as a unit we've dealt with this in our society over the years. We're used to adversity and for us it's just about being honest." Smith reposed faith in the ICC in tackling the latest crisis and said he viewed the series as the stage to begin a successful preparation for the World Cup in the subcontinent next year. "The ICC has to control the integrity of the game and it's our responsibility to make the game as competitive as possible. We have to put our faith in the ICC to handle things properly," Smith said. "We've got a lot of exciting guys coming through and it's a great platform for our team to kickstart our summer. This month we take on Pakistan in the UAE and then an exciting series at home against India. It's a very important phase for us in our preparation for the World Cup and we want to go there and be competitive. "It'll be great if the people in the UAE came out and gave us some support. It'll be fantastic." The tour kicks off on October 26 (tomorrow) with the first of two Twenty20 internationals. The teams then play five ODIs and two Tests.

Suresh Raina’s links with bookies disclosed

 MUMBAI: A British newspaper has revealed Indian cricketer Suresh Raina’s links with a bookmaker but the Indiana cricket board on Sunday described the report baseless while the International Cricket Council (ICC) refused to give any comment.

The ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is probing why the Indian Board kept quiet about a report of its player Suresh Raina being seen in the company of a woman linked to an associate of an illegal bookmaker, a media report said in London.

Making it clear that Raina was not suspected of any wrongdoing, 'The Sunday Times', quoting a senior ICC source, said the incident related to India's tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year.

With the heightened security concerns following the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Pakistan, the Sri Lankans deputed a former general to look after the Indian team.

CCTV Cameras installed at the Indian team hotel showed that on more than one night Raina was in the company of a woman known to be an associate of a man allegedly linked to a bookmaker.

A report, including the CCTV footage, was submitted by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board to their Indian counterparts.

BCCI keeping quiet on Suresh Raina accompanying a woman allegedly linked to bookies during the Sri Lankan tour as "baseless", saying that she was the agent of the Indian batsman.

Bookies contacted me to select a player: Zia

 KARACHI: During his time at the helm of Pakistan cricket Tauqir Zia was approached by a front man of bookies to select a player who allegedly rigged games, Geo News reported Sunday.

Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Tauqir Zia made these claims in an interview with an Australian radio channel.

"I was a serving army officer and there's a gentleman who rings me up and said "so and so should be included in the team because he fixes matches and we get money.

"So I said you are threatening a man in uniform...you go to hell and that man is not going to be put in the team. And he never was included in the side."

Zia said the PCB was told before the team played against Australia and England in England in July and August that the International Cricket Council had noticed irregularities in the SMS accounts of six or seven players.

PCB draws up new player rules after ICC warning

LAHORE: Pakistan's cricket board said Monday it had drawn up a new players' code of conduct outlining stricter rules on corruption following sharp criticism from the sport's governing body. Pakistani cricket has been rocked by allegations of spot-fixing during the national team's recent tour of England. The team's tour of Australia in March was also marred by disciplinary problems and match-fixing allegations. The International Cricket Council (ICC) last Wednesday told the PCB it must "uphold a zero tolerance attitude to corruption in sport" and ensure players' integrity. It said Pakistan must prove progress is being made within 30 days, or risk sanctions. Team manager Intikhab Alam said the new code of conduct was a first step towards fulfilling the ICC's recommendations. He said the new code would help the board in dealing with disciplinary and corruption problems. Spot-fixing allegations by a British newspaper tabloid in London this summer resulted in two separate inquiries. The ICC ruled there was no evidence of spot-fixing in the third one-day international between Pakistan and England last month but another inquiry, relating to the Lord's Test against England in August, is pending. Three players, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, were provisionally suspended by the ICC after it was alleged they took money from a book-maker to deliberately bowl no-balls in the Test. The trio appealed against the suspension and face an ICC hearing in Doha, Qatar on October 30 and 31. Intikhab Alam, who was replaced as coach after the team's problem-hit tour of Australia in March, took over as manager earlier this month. He revealed few details of the new code, but said it involved stricter rules of behaviour and that players would be barred from addressing media directly. Intikhab said players had also been briefed about their responsibilities in a 90-minute lecture at a training camp in Lahore.. The PCB will also implement strict rules in domestic matches by which players will not be allowed to use mobile phones and unauthorised people will be barred from players' dressing rooms, said Alam. He added the new code would be given to players in the next couple of days. "The players are required to sign the document before we leave to play against South Africa," said Alam of the series against South Africa starting in the United Arab Emirates from October 26. Pakistan play two Twenty20, five One-day Internationals and two Tests on the tour.

PCB forms anti-corruption committee on ICC's guidelines

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has constituted a seven-member committee to remove corruption from the game, in line with instructions given by the International Cricket Council (ICC). PCB chief Ijaz Butt will head the committee which will have authority to take immediate action against any player or official found to be involved in corruption. The seven person committee also includes PCB’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Wasim Bari and GM Cricket Operations Zakir Khan. ICC, earlier this month, issued a strict warning to PCB to improve its governance and implement a series of measures within 30 days and get a nod of approval from the Pakistan Task Force, or face sanctions

Pakistan's Irfan suspended for three matches

NEWDEHLI: Pakistan defender Muhammad Irfan was Tuesday suspended for three matches for violent play during a classification game against South Africa in the Commonwealth Games field hockey.

He was suspended for bringing down South African forward Marvin Harper in an ill-tempered clash at the Major Dhyan Chand stadium.

Irfan was charged under a level 2 offence of FIH's code of conduct which deals with physical assault without causing serious injury. He was also red-carded by the on-field umpires for the rough tackle.

Pakistan have no more matches left at the Games, having finished sixth after losing to South Africa 3-2 via a golden goal.AGENCIES

Pakistan bags two golds at the C'Wealth Games

NEW DELHI: Two Pakistani wrestlers, Azhar Hussain and Mohammad Inaam, won gold medals in different categories at the Commonwealth Games Sunday. Azhar Hussain defeated Nigerian Wilson in the 55 kilogram category and won the first gold medal for Pakistan, while Mohammad Inaam won the second gold medal when he defeated Indian wrestler Anoj Kumar.

ICC to update cricketers on anti-corruption before Cup

BANGALORE: Players and support staff will be updated on anti-corruption methods before next year's World Cup in the Indian sub-continent, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday. "It is absolutely vital for our flagship event and the future prosperity of cricket that we maintain public confidence in the integrity of the game," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement after a meeting of the 2011 World Cup Central Organising Committee (COC). "Repeating the education and awareness to players and support staff will leave no room for doubt. We are committed to a zero-tolerance approach to corruption." Cricket is battling a spot-fixing controversy which led to the provisional suspension of three Pakistani players and shed light on the huge illegal betting industry in the Indian sub-continent. ICC President Sharad Pawar, who chaired the meeting, promised top class facilities and assured stadiums would be ready by the end of this year. "We have confirmed our deadline date for the completion of all stadia construction work to be 30 November 2010 and all playing facilities to be match-ready by 31 December 2010." Lorgat said ICC had been assured that proper safety and security measures would be put in place for the event. The COC also announced that the Indian company which organised the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony will do the same for the World Cup which India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will jointly host from Feb. 19 to April 2. AGENCIES

Pakistan thrash Scotland by 3-0 in opening match

NEWDEHLI: Pakistan made a winning start to their campaign in the Commonwealth Games, thrashing Scotland 3-0 in their opening Pool A match here on Tuesday. Shakeel Abbasi opened the scoring for Pakistan in the 20th minute before ace forward Rehann Butt slammed a goal from the top of the circle 10 minutes from half-time at a near-empty Major Dhyan Chand stadium. Muhammad Imran made it 3-0 when he converted the first of the four penalty corners that Pakistan earned in the match in the 43rd minute. Pakistan, who finished last at the same venue in the World Cup earlier this year, seemed to have left memories of that botched campaign firmly behind them as they took control of the proceedings right from the first whistle. The defeated finalists of the 2006 Melbourne Games, Pakistan next face Malaysia before taking on hot favourites Australia and arch-rivals India. Butt said his side was relieved to have crossed the first hurdle with ease. "We are really pleased that we could start off with a victory," the 30-year-old said. "We have some tough matches coming up against Australia and India and the win today will boost our confidence." Butt was disappointed with the poor attendance at the stadium Tuesday but hoped more people would turn up for Pakistan's match against the home team. "A player always gives his best when there is a good crowd to cheer the good moves. May be the early timings and the heat kept the crowd away. But I am sure there will be many who will come to watch us play India." In a Pool B match played earlier, New Zealand men spanked Trinidad and Tobago 7-1 with Andrew Hayward and Blair Hilton slamming in two goals each. Hugo Inglis, Hayden Shaw and Nick Haig were the other scorers for the Black Sticks while Wayne Legerton netted the lone goal for Trinidad and Tobago.AGENCIES

Salman Butt submits suspension review plea to ICC

London: A spokesman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that Salman Butt’s appeal to review his suspension has been received by the world cricket body.

While talking to SAMAA, ICC spokesman Sami-ul-Hassan said that Salman Butt’s appeal against temporary suspension was received on Wednesday.

He added that earlier Salman Butt submitted a plea through his counsel, but now his personal appeal in an individual capacity has reached the ICC. The spokesman added further that individual appeals of Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir have not yet been received.

After the notorious spot fixing scandal exposed by a UK tabloid weekly, ICC had suspended Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir temporarily

Banned players can still appeal to courts

LONDON: Any player banned for life under the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption code can still attempt to have the sanction overturned by a civil court, according to a leading British sports lawyer. Pakistan test captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been suspended by the ICC following an investigation into corruption allegations. The charges carry a maximum sanction of a life ban if upheld by an independent tribunal. Adam Morallee, a partner in the London law firm Mishcon de Reya, said there were still several options open to any player faced with an ICC ban. In a telephone interview with a British news agency, Morallee said the first non-ICC avenue of appeal for any cricketer charged with an anti-corruption offence was the independent Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). He could also attempt to appeal to a court in the country in which the alleged offence was committed, or to a court in his home country. "These governing bodies are subject to the laws of the various countries. They are just the same as any company or organisation, subject to the same rules and regulations as everyone else," Morallee said. "Other entities try their best to close their world in and tell everyone only we can make decisions about us. That's just not the case." In 1997 the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was forced to cut its four-year doping ban for first offenders in half after a series of costly legal battles in European courts which took the view that the longer ban constituted restraint of trade. Two German track and field athletes successfully applied for reinstatement halfway through four-year bans. The ICC's anti-corruption code stipulates that players must submit to the authority of the world governing body, its judicial commission and to CAS. Furthermore, it says players cannot initiate proceedings "in any court or other forum that are inconsistent with the foregoing submissions to the jurisdiction of the anti-corruption Tribunal and the CAS". However, Morallee said that in practice players could appeal to whomever they liked. "The ICC will have some very good defences in proceedings if a player tries to challenge their decision in the courts. They will say a player has effectively signed away his life to this tribunal, and therefore is barred from bringing proceedings in another court. In effect, he has lost and he can't do anything about it," he said. "But a national court could theoretically grant jurisdiction and then, if the punishment was grave, rule that a life ban was an unjustifiable restraint of trade, the punishment was far too harsh and, therefore, disproportionate." Under this scenario, Morallee said, any national cricket board would be "between a rock and a hard place". "The ICC will say he is banned from international cricket and a court will say he should be allowed to play," he said. "It will not be easy for a national association to reconcile those differences.

GEOiNEWS: PPP is ‘one man show’: Naheed Khan

GEOiNEWS: PPP is ‘one man show’: Naheed Khan: "..."

Shoaib Akhtar tampered with ball in final ODI

LONDON: A British newspaper claims Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar tampered with the ball in the final one-day international against England on Tuesday.

The pictures shows Akhtar running his left thumb along the ball's seam before dropping the ball on the ground and standing on it with his spiked right boot.

The pictures were taken in the 41st over of England's innings in Southampton as Shoaib prepared to bowl to Paul Collingwood.

It is not the first time Shoaib, 35, has come under the spotlight at the Rose Bowl.

Four years ago, he was filmed by Sky cameras flicking at the ball with his thumb during a one-day international here against England.

On that occasion Shoaib was cleared but was warned about his behaviour after being accused of tampering with the ball during a Test match in Zimbabwe in late 2002.

The following year he was banned for two ODIs and fined 75 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of the same crime against New Zealand in Sri Lanka. Monitoring Desk

ECB demand PCB full apology for fixing allegations

SOUTHAMPTON: The England and Wales Cricket Board demanded on Thursday a ‘full and unreserved apology’ from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt for his allegations that England players had engaged in match-fixing. "Mr Butt has been advised that if a satisfactory response is not received, legal proceedings will be commenced against him without further notice," an ECB statement said. The threat follows an interview given by Butt to a private television channel after England lost the third one-day international against Pakistan at the Oval last Friday. Butt said there had been “loud and clear talk in bookies' circles that some English players were paid enormous amounts of money to lose (Friday's) match". In a BBC radio interview before Monday's fourth match at Lord's, Butt said he had been merely repeating information he had received from bookmakers. His comments came after the International Cricket Council said it was launching an inquiry into Pakistan's scoring pattern at the Oval after receiving information from a British newspaper. Thursday's ECB statement said a letter from the board and the Professional Cricketers' Association had been sent to Butt. "The letter seeks a full and unreserved apology," the statement said. Pakistan's acrimonious tour of England and Wales concluded on Wednesday when England clinched the five-match 50 overs series at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Pakistan test captain Salman Butt and his team mates Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif had been suspended after an investigation into a newspaper report that they had arranged for no-balls to be deliberately delivered in the fourth test at Lord's.

Chennai sneak into semi-finals

Dhoni clears the ropes on Wednesday.

Chennai Super Kings set up an all-Indian Premier League semi-final against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Champions League Twenty20 after a tense 10-run victory over the Warriors.
The Warriors, the South African Pro20 champions, also qualified for the final four but will be disappointed not to have won a low-scoring encounter in Port Elizabeth.
After losing the toss and being sent in to field, the Warriors managed to restrict the visitors to 136 for six, thanks largely to Justin Kreusch (three for 19). Michael Hussey (50) top-scored for Chennai.
But the Warriors failed to close out the victory on a sluggish pitch where captain Davey Jacobs top-scored in a losing cause.
Batting first, the IPL champions made a promising start with Murali Vijay and Hussey putting on 63 for the first wicket inside nine overs.
The breakthrough came when Kreusch went straight through the defences of the India opener for 35.
Another promising Indian batsman, the in-form Suresh Raina (six), seemed to be struggling and Colin Ingram put him out of his misery with a spectacular forward diving catch on the boundary.
Two more quick wickets then fell, including that of Hussey shortly after he brought up his 50 from 38 balls, as the Super Kings stuttered to 99 for four with five overs remaining.
Thanks largely to the batting of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (31 not out), Chennai went on to set a victory target of 137.
Ashwell Prince (nine) fell early in the Warriors' run chase thanks to Justin Kemp's good reflexes at slip.
Jacobs and Ingram kept the hosts in the hunt until the skipper went for 32, while Ingram (17) quickly followed as the Warriors slipped to 63 for three.
Kreusch and Mark Boucher ensured the Warriors would safely pass the 109-run mark that guaranteed qualification for the semi-final by putting on a 44-run stand.
They each fell on 25 in the 18th over bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin (three for 24) as the hosts came up short, but did at least claim the consolation of a clash with South Australia in the next stage.

England v Pakistan 5th ODI Commentary

England v Pakistan 5th ODI Commentary
Over 29 Bresnan 1-0-0-0-0-1: 106-6 - Every dot ball sends the required rate rocketing, and there are far too many of those coming now for Pakistan's liking. Bresnan's managed to drag his figures back quite well here after that expensive start. He's back down to five an over now.

live score pakistan vs england

104/6 after 28 - Pakistan
Toss: England won the toss and elected to bat first
Venue: Southampton - Rose Bowl
Fifth and final ODI

Pakistan - 1st Innings
Batting
Batsman	How Out	Runs	Balls
Kamran Akmal	lbw Wright	41	53
Mohammad Hafeez	c Collingwood b Broad	29	42
Asad Shafiq	c Davies b Broad	0	1
Mohammad Yousuf	b Swann	20	43
Fawad Alam	b Swann	1	5
Umar Akmal	not out	9	22
Shahid Afridi	b Swann	0	1
Abdul Razzaq	not out	0	1
Extras		2lb 2wd
Total	(28 overs)	104/6

England
Bowling	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts
Tim Bresnan	5	0	27	0
James Anderson	6	1	26	0
Stuart Broad	6	1	21	2
Luke Wright	6	0	16	1
Graeme Swann	5	0	12	3

  FOW: 63/1 (Hafeez), 63/2 (Shafiq), 80/3 (K Akmal), 83/4 (Alam), 104/5 (Yousuf), 104/6 (Afridi)

England - 1st Innings
Batting
Batsman	How Out	Runs	Balls
Andrew Strauss	c K Akmal b Akhtar	25	35
Steven Davies	st K Akmal b Hafeez	17	19
Jonathan Trott	b Akhtar	3	6
Ian Bell	b Afridi	28	52
Paul Collingwood	b Gul	46	71
Eoin Morgan	not out	107	101
Luke Wright	b Akhtar	1	4
Tim Bresnan	not out	18	12
Extras		5wd 5lb
Total	(50 overs)	256/6

Pakistan
Bowling	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts
Shoaib Akhtar	10	0	40	3
Abdul Razzaq	3	0	26	0
Mohammad Hafeez	9	1	40	1
Umar Gul	10	1	54	1
Saeed Ajmal	8	0	50	0
Shahid Afridi	10	0	40	1

  FOW: 31/1 (Davies), 46/2 (Trott), 47/3 (Strauss), 106/4 (Bell), 199/5 (Collingwood), 202/6 (Wright)