Salman expects Yousuf to play in remaining tests

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan captain Salman Butt has revealed he expects Mohammad Yousuf to return to the side for the remaining two Tests against England.

Yousuf, recalled to the squad ahead of the second Test at Edgbaston, played no part in the nine-wicket defeat in Birmingham after only arriving in the country 18 hours earlier.

The 35-year-old had spent the days leading up to the second Test practising in Pakistan”s national academy in Lahore.

Butt said it would have been unfair to expose him to England”s in-form bowling attack under such rushed circumstances.

“The last 15 days there has been very heavy rain fall in Lahore and he didn”t have a chance to practice,” Butt told reporters.

“It would have been difficult to put him in and expect a lot from him.”

Yousuf has scored 7,431 runs at an average of 53.07 in his 88 Test matches to date and his experience in the Pakistan upper-order is much-needed ahead of the third Test at The Oval.

On his last tour of England in 2006, Yousuf posted scores of 202 (Lord”s), 192 (Headingley) and 128 (The Oval) as he tormented the home bowlers.

“We hope he gets runs for the side,” Butt added ahead of the third Test, which starts on August 18. “We hope his experience proves invaluable for the team and I hope the youngsters can learn from him.”

Butt also paid tribute to wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who marked his debut with 88 and shared an eighth-wicket stand of 115 with Saeed Ajmal to add respectability to the Edgbaston reverse.

“The way the boys played was really good and heartening and it didn”t feel like both were playing their first games (Tests of the tour).”

Butt, who was the first wicket to fall as Pakistan were bowled out for 72 in the first-innings at Edgbaston, insisted he had no regrets about batting first in Birmingham.

The total was the tourists” lowest-ever against England, however Butt said his decision was influenced by his side”s dire fielding display in the first Test at Trent Bridge.

“Fielding is something we need to work on,” Butt said. “Maybe, we need to double the work we have done so far.”

Yousuf may play in remaining matches: Salman Butt

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan captain Salman Butt indicated Mohammad Yousuf would be called upon during the remainder of their series against England after a heavy second Test defeat here at Edgbaston.

England won by nine wickets on the fourth day here on Monday to go an unbeatable 2-0 up in this four-match series.

This victory, which followed hot on the heels of their 354-run series-opening win at Trent Bridge, was all but assured after Pakistan were bowled out for just 72 — their lowest total against England — on Friday”s first day.

Once again their novice top order failed to cope with the swinging ball in helpful, overcast conditions as James Anderson, who took a Test match-best 11 for 71 at Trent Bridge, returned figures of four for 20.

Former skipper Yousuf, third in Pakistan”s list of all-time Test run-scorers, was called into the squad following the Trent Bridge defeat having been handed an indefinite ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board after captaining the side on their winless tour of Australia concluded earlier this year.

Yousuf arrived in England less than a day before the second Test started and Butt said it would have been unfair to play him so soon afterwards.

“The last 15 days there has been very heavy rain fall in Lahore and he didn”t have a chance to practise,” opening batsman Butt told reporters.

“It would have been difficult to put him in and expect a lot from him.”

Yousuf has scored 7,431 runs at 53.07 including 12 hundreds in 88 Tests and against England has an average of 70.

“We hope he gets runs for the side,” Butt added ahead of the third Test at The Oval which starts on August 18. “We hope his experience proves invaluable for the team and I hope the youngsters can learn from him.”

Pakistan A team camp begins for Sri Lanka tour

LAHORE: Training camp of the Pakistan A cricket team began here on Monday for preparation of the tour of Sri Lanka.

Due to rain on the first day, the players underwent batting practice at indoor school of the National Cricket Academy and did various exercises at gymnasium.

Coach Mohatasim Rasheed told that the seven-day camp would also have target matches.

The team will leave for Sri Lanka on August 20 to participate in a triangular series and later two four-day matches against Sri Lanka.

The third team of the triangular series will be South Africa besides Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Flash floods affect one mln people in Punjab

ISLAMABAD: The recent flash floods have affected 10,89,871 people in Punjab along the Indus river, said Executive Coordinator of Doaba Foundation Liaqat Ali here on Monday.

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Flash floods affect one mln people in Punjab

Eight killed in Nowshera suicide blast

NOWSHERA: Eight people including three policemen were killed and 22 others wounded in a suicide blast outside house of Mian Iftikhar Hussain here on Monday.

Two relatives of Mian Ifitkhar also included among the wounded. Police sources said a suicide bomber tried to force into the house; on the occasion following the burial of Mian Rashid Sunday, heavy contingents of police were deployed to fend off any potential threat to law and order.

On being intercepted by a police personnel, the bomber blew him up killing eight on the spot and injuring 22 others. The injured were transported to Pabbi and Peshawar hospitals.

Meanwhile, CCPO Peshawar Liaquat Ali said search operation has begun in Pabbi after receiving reports of presence of two more suicide bombers near the house of Mian Iftikhar. He appealed the local residents to remain stay at their homes so that policemen conduct search operation smoothly.

People want independent judiciary: CJP

ISLAMABAD: The Objectives Resolution is a compulsory part of the constitution, remarked Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry during the hearing of petitions challenging various clauses of the 18th constitutional amendment here on Monday.

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People want independent judiciary: CJP

Brightest star explosion seen blinds satellite

WASHINGTON: The brightest explosion of a star ever seen temporarily blinded a satellite set up to watch such events, astronomers here said.

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Brightest star explosion seen blinds satellite

Inception leads box office

LOS ANGELES: So what if Inception is incomprehensible?The costly sci-fi thriller opened at No.

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Inception leads box office

Chairman HEC meets PM over fake degrees

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Higher Education Commission Javed Leghari met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at Prime Minister’s Secretariat here on Monday and briefed him about confirmation of the degrees of the parliamentarians in detail.

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Holland and Uruguay level 1-1 at half-time

CAPE TOWN: A pair of wonder strikes from Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Diego Forlan left the World Cup semi-final between the Netherlands and Uruguay finely poised at 1-1 at half-time on Tuesday.

Veteran Dutch defender van Bronckhorst got the breakthrough on 18 minutes with a stunning 35-yard strike before Forlan did exactly the same on 40 minutes against the run of play.

At stake for both teams is football”s biggest prize, with either Germany or Spain awaiting them in the Johannesburg final on July 11.

Both teams were forced to make changes with players suspended and in chilly conditions at Cape Town”s Green Point Stadium it was the Dutch who adapted the best.

They had a decent chance as early as the third minute when Arjen Robben whipped in a teasing cross which Fernando Muslera punched straight to Dirk Kuyt on the edge of the box, but the Liverpool winger skied his shot.

The dangerous pair created another opportunity soon after when Kuyt sent in a cross that the Bayern Munich star headed at the keeper.

Uruguay”s defence was looking shaky and Wesley Sneijder launched a snap-shot from 20 yards, but it hit teammate Robin van Persie as the South Americans escaped again.

With the pressure on, it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken and it was their hugely-experienced captain who did it with a contender for goal of the tournament.

The 35-year-old picked up the ball some 35-yards out and let rip with a stunning drive that tore into the top corner of the net past the outstretched fingertips of Muslera.

It should have been 2-0 on the half-hour when Arsenal”s Robin Van Persie made an excellent turn to pick out Robben on the edge of the box, but Martin Caceres made a potentially goal-saving intervention.

Uruguay were struggling to create openings before Forlan drew then level against the run of play with a left-foot drive that swerved past Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

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