Defeated England ‘quarrels with Ajmal’s action’

 

In keeping with the tradition of faulting foreign players after English defeat, the British media twisted a quote from the Pakistani spinners interview in which he referred to his earlier clearance by the ICC.

 

Saeed Ajmal, rhe 34-year-old off-spinner who took 24 wickets in the 3-0 Test series whitewash of England, was quoted by the British and other western media as that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has allowed him extra leniency, up to 23.5 degrees to bend his arm.

 

“I don t know about my bowling action, but somebody was telling me your action is bad. ICC has allowed me 23.5 because my arm is not good because of an accident, that is why a problem,” BBC television showed Ajmal as saying on Monday after being declared man-of-the-series.

 

“Otherwise no problem, straightaway cleared by ICC.”

 

Pakistan won the third and final Test here by 71 runs.

 

His bowling action, reported by match officials during a one-day series against Australia in 2009 before it was cleared after remedial work by experts, once again came under suspicions following his career-best 7-55 in the first Test, also played in Dubai.

 

Former England paceman Bob Willis raised suspicions over his  doosra  (second one) — a ball which turns the other way than a normal off-break — while England coach Andy Flower said he has his own opinion and left the matter to the ICC.

 

But after Ajmal s claim on relaxation, Flower on Tuesday showed surprise.

 

“If that s the degree, then there s a problem, said Flower when asked about Ajmal s claim of special dispensation. “That s ridiculous.”

 

“That is an ICC issue, though. They are there to police the game, and make sure that it is played within the rules, so they ve got to scrutinise his action.

 

“We ve all got our own views, but our job is to combat whoever is put against us, and part of it is also to play the game in the right spirit.”

 

Pakistan cricket team management said Ajmal was cleared by the ICC within the permissible limits and they will issue a further clarification shortly.

 

An ICC spokesman said that the game s governing body was looking into Ajmal s comments and that no player has been given permission to allow bending arms beyond 15 degrees. 

 

A Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman meanwhile said that Ajmal is not a native English speaker, and his comments could have taken in the wrong context.   
 

SC grants 2-month extension to Memo Commission

 

The larger bench of the Supreme Court has granted two months extension to the memo commission that is probing into memo issue. 

The bench has also allowed former Pakistani ambassador to US Husain Haqqani to travel abroad. The bench ordered that Haqqani can travel but this travel will be subjected to providing details to the Registrar Office and will comeback on a four-day notice. Counsel for Husain Haqqani, Asma Jahangir, pleaded before the court to allow her client to travel abroad.

The nine-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, took up this application alongside an application of Akram Sheikh, counsel for Mansoor Ijaz, who has been seeking from the court to direct the commission to record the statement of Mansoor Ijaz outside Pakistan due to security threats to him.

 

Moreover, the CJ rejected the plea of Akram Sheikh to record the statement of his client in London and suggested that application can be forwarded in the memo commission in this regard.
 

SC had constituted a commission comprising 3 senior most judges to ascertain facts in memogate case and directed it to present its report within 4 weeks.

 

Important witness Mansoor Ejaz in memogate scandal was summoned on previous hearing to record his statement but he failed to appear before the commission due to security reasons.

 

The memo Commission said in its order that there was no such reason that it should move to foreign country to record Mansoor Ejaz statement. Commission approached SC for extension of period.

 

 

PIC issue: Young Doctors Association calls off strike

 

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) had announced to observe strike today in support of senior doctors who have been suspended by Punjab the Government after deaths from reaction of PIC drugs.

 

The YDA has announced that Out Patient Departments (OPDs) of all hospitals of Lahore will remain closed against transfer and suspension of senior doctors.

 

The association said that purchase and supply of medicine is responsibility of Punjab government and suspended doctors are not guilty.

 

The YDA had also demanded of the Punjab CM to resign by taking responsibility of the tragedy.
 

Badin: Police official killed in road accident

 

According to police, the van was carrying policemen from Karachi to Badin. It collided with a truck when it reached near Mir Wah Mori due to over speeding, killing one policeman and injuring 11 others.

 

The dead policeman man was identified as Pervaiz Bangash. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. Five of the injured were referred to Hyderabad after their condition deteriorated.
 

School bans fuzzy boots used to hide cell phones

 

Singer Nancy Sinatra may have had boots made for walking, but she never attended Pottstown Middle School. Starting Monday the Philadelphia suburban district is banning the wearing of fuzzy open-top boots, including the popular Ugg brand, to middle school classes because students have been stashing cell phones in the loose footwear, according to district director of community relations John Armato.
 

Pakistan beat us fair and square: Flower

 

England coach Andy Flower said Sunday Pakistan s series-clinching Test win would be a huge boost to the country, but called on his team to show their mettle on subsequent matches in the subcontinent.

 

Pakistan thumped England by 72 runs in the second Test here on Saturday, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. They won the first Test by ten wickets in Dubai.

 

The third and final Test begins in Dubai from February 3.

 

Under Flower England had been unbeaten in their last nine Test series, which saw them rise to number one in rankings last year.

 

But after being set a tricky 145-run target to win on Saturday, England were dismissed for a paltry 72 runs as Pakistan s spin bowlers came to the fore.

 

“We realise that we haven t been very skillful in dealing with that type of cricket. In saying that, it s also right to praise the Pakistan team for what they have done. They beat us fair and square,” said Flower.

 

“They have beaten us properly in two matches. They have fought hard and worked hard at their game and in a way I m very happy for them. It s good for their cricket and it s good for their country.”

 

Flower, a former Zimbabwean batsman, said defeats were a  wake-up  call for England.

 

“It was a wake-up call no one wanted to get. Not to that degree. But, yes it is,” said Flower.

 

“Saturday was very poor. The three days preceding that were pretty good. We put ourselves in a good position where we could have won the Test but then performed very badly with the bat to lose it.

 

“We didn t put any pressure on their bowlers in the second innings. We allowed them to bowl and create pressure. In saying that, the conditions to play against quality spinners were difficult and we weren t good enough.”

 

Pakistan spin duo Abdul Rehman, who recorded career-best figures of 6-25, and Saeed Ajmal (3-22) led the fightback after they had conceded a first-innings lead of 70 runs.

 

Flower said dropping a few catches in the first innings was crucial.

 

“Maybe we dropped a couple of important catches, but other than that the bowlers and fielders were outstanding and Monty Panesar was great. But obviously our batting against spin let us down.”

 

England dropped Misbah-ul Haq on 30, who went on to make 84. Panesar, playing his first Test since the Cardiff Test in 2009 Ashes, took 6-62 to bowl Pakistan out for 214 in the second innings.

 

Flower admitted that not playing well in the subcontinent was a big challenge to overcome.

 

“This is a great challenge for all of us. The issues are not going to disappear. We ve got another Test. We ve got a one-day and T20 series, and then we ve also got Sri Lanka and India before the year is out.

 

“So these issues will not disappear and we ve got to face them with skill and a bit of courage. We ve got to be a lot better than we were yesterday. Each individual will have to work very hard in working out his method of scoring.”

 

When asked if batsmen repeating mistakes was frustrating, Flower said: “I think that is fair comment, yes. We expect to learn quickly and that is a big part of our job, and my job.”
 

Nicole Richie, Will She Say “I do” This Weekend?

Nicole Richie was alleged to be marrying her fiance, Joel Madden, in his Hollywood estate following exclusive sightings of his staff dropping off big trucks rolling outside his place. Lionel, the mother of Nicole, fed up the reports.

The star was reportedly getting ready to be tied up with the lead vocalist of the pop punk band’s Good Charlotte this weekend. With the intensified activity in the lead singer’s house, this may imply that the rumour is true. In addition, there were a number of bodyguards spotted watching the area for the advanced security of the alleged upcoming event.

Samantha Ronson is expected to be the bridesmaid of the wedding since it is yet uncertain if Nicole’s close friend, Christina Aguilera, will be coming since she is currently busy for her new movie, Burlesque.

The lovers were already dating for more than 4 years and gave birth to two kids, Harlow and Sparrow. A source alleged that their daughter, Harlow, will be the flower girl of the said event.

England bowlers skip warmup to head for Brisbane early

HOBART: England signalled the probable makeup of their first Ashes test bowling attack on Monday with the decision to send four players to Brisbane early rather than playing a warmup match in Tasmania.

Pacemen Stuart Broad, Steve Finn and James Anderson, and offspinner Graeme Swann would leave Hobart on Wednesday, after the first day of England’s four-day match against Australia A, to begin preparations for the Nov. 25 test, coach Andy Flower said.

“The conditions in Hobart are very different in Brisbane and the ones we will be facing in the first test,” Flower told reporters in a wet and chilly Hobart.

“We want to give that group of bowlers a little head start in those conditions so they’re going three days earlier than the rest of us.”

Flower added while they had signalled their likely bowling attack for the first test there was still a possibility

Mahesh Bhatt’s son to be launched in Jism 2?

Mahesh Bhatt’s shy son Rahul Bhatt is shy no more. Lately he has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. If all had gone well, Mahesh Bhatt would’ve launched his boy in Suicide Bomber which the former Bhatt protégé Anurag Basu promised to direct as Rahul’s launch pad.

A promise that the Bhatts are still waiting for Basu to fulfil. But now, the impatient Bhatt scion seems to have lost the will to wait. His decision to go into the Bigg Boss house at this stage of his life has apparently caused Mahesh great concern.

Mahesh was planning to finally launch Sunny-boy in the sequel to Jism. But Rahul is now on a rebellious trip. He turned down his dad’s offer for a belated launch in Jism 2 instead of Suicide Bomber and chose to go into Bigg Boss which many of well-wishers of the Bhatts feel is more suicidal than the Suicide Bomber.

Now we suddenly hear Rahul making abrasive remarks like, “Mahesh Bhatt and Headley are the two monkeys on my back” and… “Shweta Tiwari is line-maroing on me (inside Bigg Boss House).And I don’t like it.”

Mahesh Bhatt stands by his son’s comment. “Rahul is being brutally honest. He has the guts to see and say things as they are.”

Mahesh admits Rahul is up for Jism 2. “But Rahul has made his choice. He has chosen Bigg Boss.”

The concerned but non-interfering father still feels Suicide Bomber would be the best launch for Rahul. “Our doors are open for Anurag Basu to come and pick up the threads from where he left off. But now Suicide Bomber will have a global perspective. Three years ago, Rahul said no to Kalyug when I offered it to him. Now he has opted for Bigg Boss instead of Jism 2. When I asked him why he said, ‘Let me stand or fall on my own feet.’ He didn’t want to put his life on hold for a film launch.’

Then Mahesh drops his bomb. “Get this straight. It is not in human power to make a bud blossom. A touch of life makes the flower bloom and spread its wings. Sometimes it’s best to let a flower go wild. Life is the best gardener.”

Hidden in the rhetoric’s is a message for Rahul’s son.

Come back from Bigg Boss. And Jism 2 is waiting

China marks national day on Tiananmen Square

Senior leaders and over one thousand representatives from Chinese society and the military marked the 61st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China with a wreath laying ceremony in Tiananmen Square on Friday.
Tiananmen Square, which is the world’s biggest public space, was covered in a sea of flowers in preparation for the ceremony, which started at around 10 a.m. local time (0200gmt), state-run China Central Television (CCTV) showed.
Jia Qinglin (pron: jiah ching-lin), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), announced the opening of the ceremony.
Let the flower laying ceremony at the Monument to the People’s Heroes begin, he said.
President Hu Jintao and the other eight members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo joined the crowd in singing the Chinese national anthem before a moment of silence in commemoration of China’s communist heroes and martyrs.
Under hazy skies, eighteen honorary guards solemnly carried forward nine flower wreaths and laid them on the north-side of the Monument to the People’s Heroes in the centre of the square, facing the Forbidden City and the portrait of former chairman Mao Zedong that hangs on its gate.
Hu walked forwards to adjust the ribbons hanging on the wreaths before he, Premier Wen Jiabao and other Standing Committee members paid their respect by walking past the wreaths.
They were then followed by all the other people present at the ceremony, who included representatives from the People’s Liberation Army and many segments of Chinese society, but also people representing China’s 56 ethnicity wearing traditional costumes.
October 1 marks the 61st anniversary of the day Mao proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China from Tiananmen Square rostrum on October 1, 1949.

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