Pakistan team announced for World Squash C’ship

Three players in the final squad are from KPK and one from Punjab. The championship is starting in Germany on August 21. Amir Atlas, Waqar Mehboob and Nasir Iqbal are from Peshawar while Yasir Butt from Lahore.

Amir Atlas, Pakistan’s No. 1, says he is attaching great importance to the championship. Yasir is ranked number 3, Waqar number 4 and Nasir is ranked number 7 in Pakistan. All the squad is hopeful of producing good results at the contest. Pakistan last played the championship in 1993.

Pakistani team will leave for Germany on August 18. The players say they all eye the trophy and would love to send home a good news for the nation.

Ireland Announced 22 Men WC Preliminary Squad

All team are directed to announce 30 men WC preliminary squad by ICC and most of the teams had announced their squads. Ireland has also announced their squad. There are 22 players who are named in preliminary squad.

The squad announce by Irish team includes William Porterfield , Niall O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Regan West, Gary Wilson, Andrew White, Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Phil Eaglestone, Allan Eastwood, James Hall, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, Rory McCann, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien and Craig Young.

In 2007 world cup Irish team performed well and they went in to super 8 rounds. The players of Irish team were not expecting such king of display from them. They beat Pakistan team and went into next round. Irish Government and people of Ireland appreciated their efforts.

Coach Phil Simmons said that the team announce has enough experience and there are some youngster also included in the squad and it is expected hat Ireland will do well in their matches. He also added that training secession went good in India and it was fruitful for WC preparations.

India, Bangladesh, England, Netherlands, South Africa and West Indies are other teams in the group of Ireland and it will play its first match on 25th February against Bangladesh. They will also play two warm up matches against New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

PCB Integrity Committee Require Players Replies For Clearance

Pakistan Cricket Board was not able to meet the dead line of ICC for announcement of preliminary squad for the world cup. ICC after reviewing the application of PCB had extended the dead line for announcement of preliminary squad. Now PCB has dead line of 5th December to announce the squad for the world cup.

The reason for the delay was that the players were not getting clearance from PCB. Now PCB has asked players to submit their replies to the integrity committee of PCB. Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Danish Kaneria were three players who didn’t get clearance from PCB. Now these players will submit their replies to committee.

PCB didn’t select these three players for the NZ tour and also not announce any reason for this. According to estimates their might be some instruction from ICC for not including the players in the squad. PCB didn’t announce the ODI team for the tour and it is expected that after clearance all three players will get their place in the squad.

Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik were not happy after the decision of not including them in the team. They demanded that PCB should tell them the reason for not selecting them even after they performed well in the Domestic.

Kamran,Shoaib And Kaneria Will Be Missing From World Cup Squad

According to media reporting in Pakistan three Pakistani players Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Danish Kaneria will not be a part of Pakistani squad for the world cup. These players are not selected for the tour of New Zealand and according to reports they will not be in World Cup 2011 squad.

ICC has not given clearance to these three players and it was reported earlier that ICC will send Pakistan a clearance list of players and then Pakistan will send 30 men list to ICC. It is reported today that three players did not get ICC clearance.

In the domestic cricket of Pakistan Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik performed well but still not picked by Pakistani selectors. The training camp for preparation of NZ tour has stated today and player reported and participated in the training secession.

Pakistan’s team manager Intakhab Alam said that there is a lot of potential in Pakistani players and they are lot better then New Zealand team. He also said that better cricket is expected in New Zealand’s tour.

It is also announce that world cup squad will be announce in New Zealand. The chance of coming back in team for Kamran Akmal, Shoadb Malik and Denish Kaneria is very few.

Australia stumped over first Ashes test squad

SYDNEY: Australia announce their squad for the first Ashes test at a gala event on Sydney harbour on Monday but England may not be closer to knowing the exact team they are going to face at the Gabba even after the bunting is packed away.

Announcing the squad 10 days before the Brisbane test may have been originally thought of as a display of confidence but after a long run of losses, a string of injuries and form slumps for key players, it could end up looking more like hubris.

The four-strong panel of selectors are expected to hedge their bets by naming a squad of up to 14 players before reducing the pool after England’s final warm-up match against Australia A and another round of Sheffield Shield action this week.

With a lively wicket expected at the Gabba for the first test, Australia were always likely to pick at least three pacemen along with a spinner

Butt unhappy over team’s performance

LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijazz Butt, admitting the worst ever performance of national cricket team on England tour, has said players failed to perform up to the mark.

He was talking to newsmen at Lahore airport. Initially, upon finding meidamen at airport, Butt looked worried and also tried to escape questions, but upon insist of reporters, he showed agreement to answer to some questions.

Subsequently, to a question, he said Mohammed Yusuf was called into the squad but he has yet to regain confidence therefore he cannot play until he finds good form.

To another question, he was of the view that every body sees himself as a selector while team’s performance will be discussed tomorrow.

Yousuf summoned to join Pak team in England

NOTTINGHAM: Pakistan responded to their mammoth 354 run first Test defeat by England at Trent Bridge on Sunday by summoning former captain and experienced batsman Mohammad Yousuf to the squad.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also announced leg-spinner Danish Kaneria had been released back to English county side Essex.

A brief statement issued by the PCB in Lahore said: “Danish Kaneria is relieved from the national team and he is now available to play for his county Essex. His services will be available for national squad if required.

“Mohammad Yousuf and Raza Hasan (a left-arm spinner) are added to the national squad with immediate effect.”

The second Test of a four-match series starts at Edgbaston on Friday.

Jackson dad sues doctor over singers death

LOS ANGELES: The father of Michael Jackson filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Friday against Dr.

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Jackson dad sues doctor over singers death

Afridi for extra effort on England tour

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi Saturday asked his players for extra effort on the tour of England as the squad left for London from Sri Lanka.

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Afridi for extra effort on England tour

Collingwood hails England belief after T20 triumph

BRIDGETOWN: England captain Paul Collingwood cited his team”s self-belief as a key factor in their Twenty20 final victory against arch-rivals Australia at the Kensington Oval here on Sunday.

Collingwood”s men reduced an Australia side previously unbeaten at the tournament to eight for three and then held them to a total of 147 for six.

England won in convincing fashion, by seven wickets with three overs to spare, after a commanding second-wicket stand of 111 between man-of-the-match Craig Kieswetter (63) and man-of-the-tournament Kevin Pietersen (47).

It was all a far cry from last year”s World Twenty20 where Collingwood was the captain of an England side that humiliatingly lost its opening match to minnows the Netherlands at Lord”s.

England”s team on Sunday featured five survivors from that Dutch debacle – Collingwood, Luke Wright, Eoin Morgan, Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom.

But it also contained Kieswetter and fellow opener Michael Lumb, neither of whom had played an international Twenty20 before this tournament but who provided a platform England have so often lacked in limited overs cricket.

Meanwhile Pietersen, fit and back in form after last year”s Achilles problems, was in superb form.

England started this tournament with an unlucky Duckworth/Lewis loss to the West Indies in Guyana.

However, from the Super Eights on they reeled off several impressive wins.

Collingwood, asked what had changed nearly a year on from a now infamous loss at Lord”s, told reporters: “I think belief has been the key.

“As soon as we got the squad together, seeing how much power we have in the squad, I know that is all on paper but we could tell that we had a lot of potential,” he added.

“I think belief has been a huge thing – you can see from the way the guys have gone out from first ball, believing in themselves and taking it to the opposition and playing a brand of cricket that is unlike England in the past.

“I think a lot of credit goes to every single player in the dressing room to have the confidence to go out there and really give it their best shots and have no regrets.

“I think we have done that throughout the tournament and it has certainly paid off.”

England had never previously won a major one-day tournament, having lost in the 1979, 1987 and 1992 World Cup finals as well as falling in the climax of the 2004 Champions Trophy.

“This is right up there, with the best,” added all-rounder Collingwood, twice an Ashes winner.

“To be the first (English) team to win a ”World Cup” is very special.

“We knew it was a monkey on our back.

“The bowlers have done a fantastic job,” added Collingwood after a victory where left-arm quick Ryan Sidebottom took two early wickets and off-spinner Graeme Swann one for just 17 from his four overs.

“No team has really got hold of us throughout the tournament. A lot of credit goes to them for their thought processes, and the execution of plans have been absolutely spot on.”

However, Collingwood said he hoped this victory would now mark the start of a run of limited-overs success for England rather than the end of a chapter.

“We”re not going to get carried away — well, we are for the next couple of days; we”re going to savour the moment and enjoy it, because we deserve to.

“But good teams kick on, and that”s exactly what we”ll get drilled into the guys. We”ve got a lot more potential as well — that”s the scary part about it.

We can go even further.”

Meanwhile Australia captain Michael Clarke refused to be riled by suggestions his team had lost to an England side whose two star batsmen – Pietersen and Kieswetter – were born in South Africa, as was Lumb, and so ought to be playing for the Proteas.

“At the end of the day they play for England,” Clarke said.

“I would imagine they are very proud to play for England and they played wonderfully well today.”

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