Rana to play Sussex
Sussex have signed Pakistan all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan as their overseas player for the opening few weeks of the season.
Talking to media at National Cricket Academy, Rana, who also filed an appeal against the one year bar and fine imposed on him by the PCB, said that he would represent Sussex in UK. With compatriot Yasir Arafat having been included in his country’s squad for the World Twenty20 in the West Indies, Rana has been recruited by the Sharks in the interim.
Rana previously played a key role as Sussex won the 2005 and 2006 County Championship titles, with the 32-year-old taking 139 first-class wickets at an average of 22.41.
Rana is free to play for the Sharks after he was suspended by Pakistan in the wake of their dreadful tour of Australia – with the PCB issuing a ‘no-objection certificate’ to the move.
Rana to play Sussex was first posted on April 8, 2010 at 2:35 pm.
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Umar Gul And Yasir Arafat Ruled Out Of Twenty20 World Cup
Experienced Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul and all-rounder Yasir Arafat have been ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup squad due to fitness problems.
However Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials informed that they have not taken the permission of the chairman over inclusion of Muhammad Iran and Muhammad Sami.
“We have recommended the names of fast bowler Mohammad Sami and another young pace bowler Mohammad Irfan to the board Chairman for final approval as replacements for the World Cup,” chief selector Mohsin Khan told reporters.
. The coach Ijaz Ahmad and Waqar Younis have said that they are satisfied with the performance of the team and ruled out any favorites for the upcoming tournament.
“They are very good at this form of the sport and proven performers but we have to manage with the players we have,” coach Waqar Younis said.
Umar Gul And Yasir Arafat Ruled Out Of Twenty20 World Cup was first posted on April 19, 2010 at 11:22 am.
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Perplexed PCB Confirms Sami & Rehman In Pakistan T20 Squad
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt exercised his powers and said that the opinion of the skipper, coach and chief selector have no value. He said that he has undone the decisions previously taken.
According to PCB sources, injured fast bowler Umar Gul and all-rounder Yasir Arafat would be replaced with pacer Mohammad Sami and spinner Abdul Rehman in the Pakistan squad for the ICC World Twenty20 starting later this month.
On Sunday Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, coach Waqar Younis and chief selector Mohsin Khan had told reporters that fast bowlers Sami and Mohammad Irfan would be the replacements. They said that Sami and Irfan had been approved by the PCB chief. But after half an hour the board issued a press release, saying Ijaz was yet to give his assent.
The PCB said the selectors did not follow the procedure for replacements. This confusion between the administration and the selectors made Pakistan cricket a laughing stock.
Perplexed PCB Confirms Sami & Rehman In Pakistan T20 Squad was first posted on April 20, 2010 at 12:25 pm.
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Sami, Rehman to replace Gul, Arafat
LAHORE: Pacer Muhammad Sami and spinner Abdul Rehman will replace fast bowler Umar Gul and all-rounder Yasir Arafat, who have been ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup due to injuries.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt approved the replacements.
Speaking to media on Sunday, Skipper Shahid Afridi and Coach Waqar Younis had named Muhammad Sami and Muhammad Irfan as replacements.
However, Pakistan cricket boss Butt immediately contracted the announcement of replacements, citing lack of communication between team management and the board.
Meanwhile, the cricket board formally announced that Sami and Rehman would join the team.
No compromise on discipline, fitness, performance: Mohsin
LAHORE: Chairman national selection committee Mohsin Khan said that no compromise would be made on discipline, fitness and performance and this is why it has been decided to include Moahammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan into the team as Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat were not one hundred per cent fit.
While talking with media here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, Mohsin Khan said that Umar Gul would be missed in the T20 World Cup and this is disappointing that he is not the part of the team.
The chief selector said that Mohammad Irfan has been included in the team after the captain and the coach recommended him.
He said both changes in the team have been made unanimously.
Mohsisn Khan said that Mohammad Asif is an experienced player and this is hoped that he would be disciplined. The selection committee did not get any objection from the board.
Aussie cricket bosses to monitor Indian security
SYDNEY: Cricket Australia said Sunday it would monitor the security situation in India after bomb blasts at an Indian Premier League match but said it was too soon to draw conclusions about the World Cup.
At least eight people were injured Saturday when two bombs exploded at a stadium in the Indian city of Bangalore, sparking panic among fans and stoking fears ahead of October”s New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
The blasts, which occurred as spectators were streaming into the stadium, came amid heightened fears about security at sporting events in India, set to co-host next year”s cricket World Cup.
Cricket Australia (CA) spokesman Peter Young said the security situation in India would be closely monitored.
“We”re keen to talk to IPL organisers, and that will possibly happen some time in the next 12 hours or so, just to get an understanding of what”s going on,” he told reporters.
“The World Cup is too far away to comment about.”
Young said Australians playing in the IPL were participating in India independent of CA.
“In a formal sense we are not connected,” Young said. “But we are always concerned about our players and personnel.
“We are relieved however that there have been no injuries to any of the Australian personnel who are in India to play.”
Young said CA expected to receive an update from the IPL, but he was not aware of any players expressing concerns to the Australian Cricketers” Association or to their respective Australian state associations.
Security had already been heightened for sporting and other events in India after a restaurant bombing in the western city of Pune in February that killed at least 16 people — the first big militant strike since the 2008 Islamist attacks on Mumbai, which killed 166.
The cricket World Cup takes place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February to April next year.
Gul, Arafat replaced by Sami, Irfan for T20 World Cup
LAHORE: Two changes have been made in Pakistan team for the Twenty20 World Cup as fast bowlers Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat are unfit. They have been replaced by fst bowlers Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan.
Captain Shahid Afridi and coach Waqar Younis said it is disappointing that Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat could not recover from their injuries.
The coach and the captain of the national team told at a news conference that Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat failed to recover from their injuries and have therefore been dropped from the squad.
Both players, reeling from injuries for the last two weeks, have been replaced by fast bowlers Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan.
Waqar said Sami and Irfan would be included in the 15-man squad before their departure for the West Indies next week.
Gul suffered a shoulder injury and Arafat a knee injury during the training camp for the tournament.
The coach said that no prediction can be made regarding T20 cricket but he is hopes that his team would display good performance in the tournament.
Captain Shahid Afridi said that Umar Gul would greatly be missed in the championship. However, he said that Mohammad Irfan’s talent has impressed him very much.
The captain said that he has a big responsibility as captain and of course there is immense pressure on him but he is very hopeful for the team’s good performance.
The training camp continued for three weeks at the Gaddafi Stadium during which areas of fielding, physical fitness, running between the wicket and avoiding extras were focused.
The selectors deeply reviewed the bowling of Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat on the last day of the camp but both bowlers could not pass the fitness test.
The Pakistan team will leave for the West Indies via London on April 24 to participate in the World T20 Cup, commencing on April 30.
Australia and Bangladesh are also included in the pool of Pakistan, who are defending champions.
Umar Gul recoverig fast, may join T20 squad
LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team fast bowler Umar Gul is recovering fast and chances have been enhanced for his joining the national squad for the Twenty20 World Cup.
Busy at training camp in Lahore, Umar Gul has been suffering from shoulder injury.
He under went an MRI scan the report of which was not encouraging but now there is a good news that he is recovering fast.
As per team management, he has started light bowling at nets due to which he did not feel any pain.
The management has expressed hope that Umar would soon begin bowling with full rhythm and would clear the fitness test to be held on April 19 and 20.
However, management’s fears regarding Yasir Arafat’s injury have not yet been removed and he is not likely to keep his place in the team.
Fitness tests of Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat on Saturday
LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board constituted a medical panel to decide if pacer Umar Gul and all-rounder Yasir Arafat are fit to play in the Twenty20 World Cup.
The 25-year-old Gul sustained a shoulder injury while fielding at a training camp in the eastern city of Lahore last week, but managed to bowl with a short run-up on Tuesday.
All-rounder Yasir Arafat, 28, also injured his calf muscle and is awaiting a fitness test before the team departs on April 24.
Team manager Yawar Saeed said Gul felt no pain and is on the path to recovery.
“We had MRI scans on both Gul and Arafat and a radiologist also examined them. Gul bowled three overs in the nets with a short run-up and felt no pain, so we are hopeful and will take fitness test on Saturday,” Saeed said.
Gul was also confident he will recover in time for the team’s departure.
“I bowled three overs in the camp off a short run,” he said.
He said that there was no tear in his shoulder muscles and ligaments which meant it was not a serious injury.
“It’s not a serious injury and the pain has subsided in the last two days. I felt no pain today, so God willing I will start bowling with full run-up before Saturday.”
Gul is the most successful bowler in Twenty20 history with 43 wickets in 26 matches and also recorded best-ever figures in a Twenty20 match when he took 5-6 against New Zealand in the World Twenty20 in England last year.
He told cricket website Pakpassion.net that the injury came during fielding drills.
“I dived for the ball and landed awkwardly and jarred my shoulder. It was one of those things that can happen at the blink of an eye. It’s been painful and sore, but I’m thankful that the injury has improved greatly”.
Arafat has played just seven T20 matches, taking six wickets. He was replaced mid-way through last year’s World Twenty20 in England after sustaining an injury.
Saeed said there will be no compromise on fitness.
“We have already said no half-fit players will go for an important event like the World Twenty20, so we will examine both players extensively before taking a final decision,” he said.
PCB announced that the medical board would examine the two players and also review their MRI scan reports to decide if they can be available for the World Cup.
“The medical board basically will give us a clear picture of whether the two players can be fit for the World Cup. Although their injuries are of grade-one category (not serious) we don’t want to take any chance with the fitness of any player for such a major event,” sources quoted a board official as saying.
He said the team management and national selectors were firm that any player even if he was 90 per cent fit would not be going to the World Cup.
“That is why the medical board will give us a clear picture of whether these two players can go to the World Cup as their initial MRI scan reports were not very clear,” he said.
The four-man medical panel includes Dr Zia Farooqi, Dr Waqar Farooqi, Dr Sohail Saleem and team physiotherapist, Faisal Hayat.
PCB Names 18 Contracted Players
LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board has awarded contracts to 18 players, including three cricketers last week heavily fined for indiscipline.
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All-rounder Shahid Afridi, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and his brother Umar Akmal were fined by the PCB for indiscipline during the series against Australia, but were included in top two tiers of centrally contracted players announced by the PCB on Friday.
The board has refused to award central contracts to four senior players including Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammed Yousuf and Younus Khan.
The contracts would be effective for one year starting from January 1, 2010. In addition to the usual A, B and C categories a special stipend category is introduced which has been offered to top performers of domestic season and budding under-19 and other players.
A Category: Umar Gul, Salman Butt, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal.
B Category:Umar Akmal, Mohammad Aamir, Saeed Ajmal, Faisal Iqbal, Misbahul Haq, Imran Farhat.
C Category: Fawad Alam, Yasir Arafat, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Rehman
The one-year contracts run from Jan.1-Dec.31, 2010, the PCB said.
Nineteen players who performed well in domestic cricket and at the Under-19 World Cup will also be offered payments.
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PCB Names 18 Contracted Players was first posted on March 19, 2010 at 5:49 pm.
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