Londom Olympic visa scandal: 13 arrested on Tuesday by FIA

LAHORE: FIA continued to make arrests on Tuesday in the Olympic visa and fake passport scandal.

FIA officials conducted a raid at NADRA’s Baghban office and arrested six individuals including five women. The arrested women were later released on bail. Prior to this, two NADRA employees and four travel agents were arrested.

The interior ministry suspended five employees of the passport office in Garden Town including the Deputy Director and later arrested them.

Meanwhile the central character of the scandal, Abid Chaudhry has gone into hiding. His family told Geo News that Abid feared for his life but he would appear before the court if summoned.

India: Shiv Sena vows to oppose Pak cricket tour

Mumbai, July 16: Shiv Sena today announced it would strongly oppose the year-end tour of India by the Pakistani cricket team.
Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam said here that the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks are yet to be punished. “So long as Pakistan does not change its attitude towards terrorism, there was no point in playing cricket with the neighbouring country”, he added. Maharashtra state congress chief Manikrao Thakre indirectly opposed the series, saying  there was still anger among the Indian people over Pakistan’s stand on terror and the BCCI should take cognizance of popular feelings.
Samajwadi Party state president Abu Azmi also opposed the Pakistani cricket team’s tour of India saying there was no point in playing cricket with the neighbouring country so long as it does not curb terror against India.

Tennis Star Aisam-ul-Haq Divorces his wife Faha Akmal

The Pakistani Tennis Star, Aisam-ul-Haq, who recently got married to a Britain girl, Faha Akmal seven months ago, has now signed and couriered the divorce papers to Faha, who is currently living in London with her parents. The couple couldn’t develop good understanding, hence decided to part ways.
Though it is sad for Aisam and Faha but our media have completed lost it. A TV Channel contacted Aisam’s cook to know why the marriage didn’t work out. They are insensitively running songs on separation. Their separation is a personal matter and our media need to show some respect and practice its ethics.

Australian Fast Bowler Brett Lee retires from international cricket

Brett Lee was sent home from the ODI series in England with a calf injury

Brett Lee has confirmed his retirement from international cricket, but he has declared his intention to play on in the Big Bash League and the IPL. Lee, 35, had originally planned to retire after the ICC World Twenty20 in September, but after flying home early from the ODI series in England due to a calf injury, he decided the time was right to make way for Australia's young fast bowlers.

He will depart the game as the equal leading wicket taker for Australia in one-day internationals, having moved level with Glenn McGrath on 380 victims, although McGrath also took one wicket for the ICC World XI, taking his career tally to 381. Lee retired from Test cricket in February 2010, but remained a valuable player in the shorter formats, for his country and his various domestic teams around the world.

Lee's final appearance for Australia came in Durham last week, when he hurt his calf while bowling the third over of his 221st one-day international. Lee said he wondered as he was clapped off whether it would be the end of his international career, and he made his decision on Friday morning before making the retirement official with an announcement at the SCG.

"I guess you ask yourself a lot of questions when you've been injured or been through a tough time," Lee said. "It's been the last two or three nights I have thought about it a lot. I woke up this morning and I knew this was the right day to do it.

"In a team environment you have to be committed 100%, both mentally and physically. Looking at the next two months I just didn't have that desire any more. It wouldn't be fair on me or the rest of the team if I was to go over there with that attitude - not lack of commitment, but you just get to a point in your life when you decide enough is enough.

"The great run must end. It was going to be post-World Cup [Twenty20]. We had spoken about that with the selectors and that was the time I was going to walk away from the game. But I woke up this morning and just felt like I was ready. It was time to go."

Lee made his debut for Australia in the 1999 Boxing Day Test against India and he will retire as international cricket's tenth leading wicket taker of all time, with 718 victims across all three formats. He has been involved in a World Cup triumph in 2003 and three successful Ashes campaigns, and although he will leave on the low of a 4-0 one-day loss to England, Lee said he was confident Australia were heading in the right direction.

"What I can say about the Australian cricket team right now is that we are guided by a terrific guy in Michael Clarke," Lee said. "I think he's been a terrific captain. He's got a great cricket brain. We've just got to back the guys we've got around us and realise that we don't make superstars overnight.

"We can't expect guys to go out there and get five-for in their first match, or a hundred. The guys need to take time to get used to their spot. There's a lot of unfair pressure coming from all angles on the players these days. Pick a group and try to stick with them I reckon is the best advice."

One of those young men who will play a key role in Australia's fortunes over the next decade is Pat Cummins, the 19-year-old fast bowler. Cummins has already been struck down by a number of injuries and has taken advice from Lee, who said he was excited to see what Cummins could deliver over the next few years.

"He's got so much talent. If I had half his talent that he's got at 19, you'd take a million Test wickets," Lee said. "He's a wonderful guy, he's a guy that listens, he's got a great body to bowl fast. The thing I told him the other day is that you are going to get injured, unfortunately. If you put yourself and your body on the line every single time you bowl a ball, the chances are you will get injured.

"You've got to learn how to deal with that, learn how to deal with the media saying you're injury prone, how to deal with people saying you've got to bowl 150ks every single ball. It's tough, it's challenging. I know that he can do it."

Lee was in and out of Australia's side so often due to injury in his career that he said he'd had "more sequels or comebacks than Rambo". He missed the 2007 World Cup due to a serious ankle injury and also suffered back, abdomen, side, elbow and foot problems throughout his 13-year international career, but he said he had no regrets about the toll his style had taken on his body.

"It may be a little bit crazy to be a fast bowler, to put your body on the line every single time," Lee said. "I've always said that if you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much space. That's the way I've always played my cricket. If I've done something I've done it pretty well [injuries]. This calf tear is the first proper torn muscle I've had in 20 years of cricket, so I can't really ask my body for much more than that.

"There's still the Big Bash, there's the IPL. I'm not totally losing my cricket thrill or the chance to play cricket. Hopefully I will get the opportunity to play here [the SCG] again. Obviously it won't be for the Australian cricket team, which will be sad. But I know I've made that right call."

Sri Lankan cricketers run the risk of a two-year ban if they do not sign contracts with national sports bodies

12-Jun-2012 This policy aims to bind players to stricter administration of contracts such as being in the country at least two weeks prior to a tour as well as the new clause the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) intends on introducing that prevents non-contracted players from using any of SLC facilities, including SLC-owned gyms and nets.

Mr Aluthgamage told Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times newspaper that fast bowler Lasith Malinga’s contract refusal spurred the new policy.

“This is a trend that we must nip in the bud. I find fault with the administrators for not getting tough on the players,” the minister added.

But Malinga, who played as a non-contracted player from March 2011 to February 2012, without opposition from the sports ministry or SLC officials last year, said in an interview that contracts have not been offered to any player yet.

The SLC cannot present new contracts to players this year, as they have been unable to honour contract payments from the previous contract period.

Mr Aluthgamage is yet to initiate any investigation into the conduct of government-appointed cricket board officials who left SLC in nearly US$ 70 million in debt after co-hosting the World Cup last year.

The PCB has hired a psychologist to help banned fast bowler Mohammad Amir with his rehabilitation.

"PCB has been planning for his educational programme and is starting with the psychologist to support him after the fallout of the spot-fixing scam"

 Date: 10-06-2012

The PCB has hired a psychologist to help banned fast bowler Mohammad Amir with his rehabilitation. Amir was released from jail in February after serving half of his six-month sentence for his role in the spot-fixing scam and was banned from cricket till 2015 by an ICC tribunal.

The PCB is keen to welcome Amir back to top-flight cricket once he has served his ICC ban. The PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf has been insisting that Amir would be given financial support while undergoing rehabilitation.

"A psychologist, namely (Maqbool) Babri, has been hired for Amir," PCB director education Wasim Bari told ESPNcricinfo. "PCB has been planning for his educational programme and is starting with the psychologist to support him after the fallout of the spot-fixing scam.

"He will have sessions as a part of his psychological rehabilitation and later will decide his further educational programme," Bari said. "The influence of the incident obviously added some ill feelings and memories with Amir that need to be sorted out to give him a fresh state of mind." He didn't reveal the duration of the programme or when it starts.

Soon after Amir's release from jail, he decided not to appeal against the ICC's ban before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The ICC advised him to undergo a rehabilitation programme, and recently he appeared in an educational video on behalf of the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.

The PCB arranged a rehab programme starting with Babri, who will be a familiar face for Amir. Babri, a psychotherapist and a certified clinical hypnotherapist, had earlier been hired during Pakistan's conditional camp in 2009 before their victorious World Twenty20 campaign.

"It's a challenge for me but I will do my best to counsel Amir so that he can find his way back to international cricket," Babri told AFP. "Amir is an exceptional talent and we must help him regain his place."

PCB hired a psychologist to help in the rehabilitation of paceman Mohammad Amir

KARACHI (9-Jun-2012): Pakistan has hired a psychologist to help in the rehabilitation of paceman Mohammad Amir who was convicted and banned in a spot-fixing scandal, an official said Saturday.

Amir, 20, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were sent to prison for their parts in a spot-fixing scandal and banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a minimum of five years.

“We have hired Maqsood Babri to counsel Amir as part of his rehabilitation,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told AFP.

“The sessions of counselling will start soon and in this regard we are in touch with the ICC also.”

While banning the trio, the ICC anti-corruption tribunal led by Michael Beloff had advised the ICC and PCB to rehabilitate the three players.

Amir recently appeared in a ICC anti-corruption educational video warning the future players of the pitfalls of spot-fixing. He was also debriefed twice by the PCB last month.

Babri said he will do his best to help Amir.

“It’s a challenge for me but I will do my best to counsel Amir so that he can find his way back to international cricket,” he said.

“Amir is an exceptional talent and we must help him regain his place.”

The trio along with their agent Mazhar Majeed were charged with accepting corrupt payments in return for bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord’s Test against England in August 2010.

Amir was released in February this year after serving half of his six month sentence, while Asif was released two months later.

Butt and Majeed were still completing their sentences of 30 and 32 months.

Amir rose to fame in 2009 and was regarded as the hottest property at international level before he was embroiled in the scandal. The ICC had to withdraw his name from the nomination for the year’s best young player award because of the scandal.

2nd ODI among Pakistan and Srilanka Started ..Sami is replaced by debutant Rahat Ali, a left-arm swing bowler

PALLEKELE: Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has won the toss and elected to bat first in the second one day international against Pakistan at Pallekele International Stadium on Saturday.    

Sri Lanka, which lost the first ODI by six wickets, is unchanged.

Pakistan is without Mohammad Sami, who was ruled out with injury.

Sami is replaced by debutant Rahat Ali, a left-arm swing bowler.

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (Captain), Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Rahat Ali, Azhar Ali, and Sohail Tanvir.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), T.M. Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Upul Tharanga.

Karachi’s Bruce Lee

30 may 2012

t is quite obvious when you look at him that Gul is no dandelion. His steely gaze and soldiered body speak of years of toil, pursuing something that does not come naturally to Pakistanis, let alone considered a serious career or lifestyle option in this part of the world.

Gul was born and raised in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and his family moved to Karachi “around the same time when Bhutto was executed” after struggling to make ends meet. Karachi, to his father, not only offered the prospect of a better future but a chance to reconnect with family members who had migrated years ago. It also meant a higher cost of living for this family of nine.

“We had to hit the ground running when we moved. The presence of extended family in the city provided comfort but, understandably, no financial assistance. For my parents, it was a daily struggle to feed their seven children, four sons and three daughters, and save enough to pay the rent each month. Being the eldest of the sons, I started work early, often juggling two to three different jobs in a day,” Gul recalls.

He landed his first “real” job at the age of 15, working as a lighting technician in 1983 for Video Spot, a famous Karachi video-production house of the early 1980s. But even he was not quite ready for what followed.

“There were two guys, Aurangzeb and Lala, who used to come to work dressed in all black. At first, I thought it was because of Moharram but then one day they came to work with nunchakus. Needless to say, I was curious. I followed them after work to where the Benazir Park now is and started accompanying them regularly in the weeks to follow when I saw them flying around and doing splits. It was stuff that I had only seen in movies and had not imagined possible for Pakistanis to even attempt. I soon discovered what they were doing was Bando style karate.”

IPL 5: Kolkata beat Chennai to win IPL title

27 May 2012,Chennai: There were magnificent individual performances but it was Manvinder Bisla's 89 and Jacques Kallis' 69 that took Kolkata Knight Riders past Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets and to the Indian Premier League podium for the first time ever, on Sunday.
Chasing a mammoth 191, powered by Suresh Raina's ferocious 73 off 38, Kolkata's start was disastrous. Skipper Gautam Gambhir fell in the opening over.

It was Manvinder Bisla who took reveresed Chennai's success and struck boundaries at will to blunt the attack from the hosts. Partnered by Jacques Kallis, Bisla slammed a quick fifty and continued with his onslaught till the 15th over. He was eventually removed by Albie Morkel.

Kallis continued at the other end but cramps eventually forced his stellar innings to be cut short in the 19th over.
Shakib al Hasan chose to rise to the ocassion and overpowered a tense situation to script a memorable win.

World Cup 2011 Kenyan player under ICC investigation for spot-fixing

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is investigating a Kenyan player for alleged spot-fixing during the 2011 World Cup in a match against Pakistan at Hambantota.
Kenya, who did not win a single match at the World Cup, bowled 37 wides in the match which Pakistan won by 205 runs.

Speaking by telephone, Cricket Kenya’s chief executive Tom Sears said the player, who is not part of Kenya’s current squad, was also suspected of “tampering” with another international involving two other countries. He did not give any details of that game.

“There are a couple of instances (under suspicion),” Sears said, “one involving a match in which a player played and one where he didn’t.

“If you look at what we can afford to pay our players compared to full members (of the ICC), maybe we’re more susceptible (to fixing). But there’s no excuse. We’ll do all we can to work with the ICC.”

Cricket Kenya was contacted by the ICC late last year over the fixing suspicions, Sears said, although the ICC did not confirm any investigation.

‘(The) ICC does not and never has commented on the activities of the ACSU (Anti-Corruption and Security Unit),” the world body said in a written reply.

Kenya lost all its games at the 2011 World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, also falling to heavy defeats to New Zealand by 10 wickets, Sri Lanka by nine wickets and Australia by 60 runs. It even lost to minnows Canada, by five wickets, and Zimbabwe, by 161 runs.

Indian company shows interest in PPL

LAHORE: Indian broadcasting giant Nimbus has reportedly expressed an interest in organizing the proposed Pakistan Premier League.
Quoting official sources, a media report suggested on Saturday that a representative for Nimbus sports gave a presentation to the PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf and other senior officials last week on the so-called PPL.
“Basically Nimbus is interested in just organising the PPL for a fee but has not shown interest in procuring rights for the event,” one source said.
“But the fact that an Indian company has shown interest in the PPL has come as a encouraging sign for the PCB,” the source said.
He said another renowned international sports management company and broadcaster which also has big stakes in India had also shown interest in giving a presentation on the PPL.
“The other presentations came from local companies but the fact is that this is just the initial stage and most of the presentations were based on ideas,” another source said.
Independent sources confided that the PCN was keen to organise the PPL in a befitting manner with the franchises concept on the lines of the IPL and BPL.
“But at the presentations most of those people who gave presentations made it clear that finances needed to be generated from the Indian and other markets to sustain such a major league including the franchises,” the source said.
“The PCB at present is looking at a sale out price of around 4 to 4.5 million dollars for a franchise.”
After being snubbed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the PCB hierarchy is now keen to focus on launching the PPL this year. “Basically they also see October as the ideal time to launch the PPL as the ICC has kept a window open for the Champions League tournament as well and foreign players could be available as well,” the source said.

Do not link Pak tour with ICC vice-presidency: BCB chief

“My sincerity should not be doubted”Bangladesh Cricket board chief said.


Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Mustafa Kamal has rejected the statements that he had committed for the Pakistan tour in return of the nod from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the vice-presidency of the International Cricket Council (ICC).


Talking to media Mustafa Kamal said that he can’t get the Vice-presidency by Pakistan’s support only.


“I need endorsements from at least 7 of 10 full members of the ICC to acquire the important office,” he said.


Bangladesh were scheduled to play one One Day International and one Twenty20 match in Lahore at the end of April. However, the tour was postponed after Dhaka High Court issued a stay order due to which the BCB postponed the trip.


On the High Court’s intervention, the BCB president declined to comment however said that they would file a reply within the given time frame.


“We are waiting for the court order as yet and since the matter is subjudice, therefore I will not be able to comment on it. Our legal division is working and we will file the reply accordingly”, said Mustafa Kamal.


“PCB and BCB are striving hard for the betterment of cricket in the region, and I hope the bilateral cooperation will continue,” he added.

Malik sad Sialkot team can't play CL

Rawalpindi: Pakistan`s former captain Shoaib Malik, who led his hometown Sialkot to their seventh national Twenty20 title, is disappointed over his team not being given a chance to represent Pakistan in the Champions League.

"It is disappointing and sad that Sialkot which is a terrific Twenty20 outfit has never got an opportunity to represent Pakistan in the Champions League and prove its worth against the domestic Twenty20 champions of other countries,"

Malik said after the final win against Karachi Dolphins.

He said except for the first edition of the Champions League when Sialkot were due to play in the event they had been constantly ignored by the organisers of the Champions League.

"We have proven ourselves to be the best T20 side in Pakistan domestic cricket and I think the players deserve a chance to play against the best and prove themselves," Malik added.

He said the financial incentives on offer in the Champions League were encouraging for any team.

"I hope this year the Pakistan Cricket Board also follows this up with the organisers and efforts are made to give Sialkot Stallions a chance to represent their country in the Champions League," he said. Eight top teams qualify from the National Twenty20 Championship for the lucrative super eights competition which ended on Sunday.

Sialkot Stallions, which have been captained by Malik since T20 cricket started in Pakistan`s domestic cricket, now hold both the national T20 and super eights titles. Malik pointed out that the last Champions League had thrown up new talent for other teams and the same could be true for Pakistan.

"We have some exciting young players in our team and they deserve a chance to play in the Champions League and prove themselves," he stated.

PCB to see presentation on possibility of Pakistan Premier League

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board will be shown presentations next week on the feasibility and possibility of launching a Pakistan Premier League T20 competition this year.

The board had postponed a two-day moot on the feasibility of having the PPL last month due to the busy schedule of the board chairman, Zaka Ashraf.

"But now these meetings will be held sometime next week. They are some parties who will make presentations to the board on how the PPL can be organized in Pakistan," a senior official said.

Sources say besides a Dubai and Karachi based sports management group, a company with direct links to a well known international television broadcasting and sports management company will make presentations at the PCB meeting.

"We are dead serious about having our own PPL. But the reality is that we have to first study the modalities and feasibility of having such an event which would not be possible without input and expertise from a established company," the official said.

The PCB has been toying with the idea of launching its own T20 league with the involvement of foreign players for sometime now but has never got down to practically implementing the event.

"The situation is different now we need to showcase an event in Pakistan with foreign participation and the PPL appears to be the best bet for us," he said.

The official said that the board was looking at a PPL model similar to the ones adopted by the Indian Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League.

He said the board had also become positive after a statement from the Lashings club chairman that he was ready to send his team to Pakistan and also from support assured by some former test players with links to foreign players abroad.

"It can be done but obviously it requires lot of groundwork and hardwork."

The official admitted that the PPL will also allow Pakistani domestic players like their counterparts in India and Bangladesh to earn some good money.

"There is no doubt that the IPL and BPL have gone a long way in improving the status of domestic players in both countries," he added.

While large number of Pakistani players took part in the recent BPL in Bangladesh for the fourth year running, no Pakistani player has been signed on by any franchise in the IPL that begins from April 4.

British Universities cricket team visit Pakistan

31march2012,Saturday

London: A combined British Universities cricket team will play two one-day games in Pakistan next month, a tour welcomed by the hosts on Thursday as a chance to repair the country’s image abroad.

“The British team’s tour will help us create a soft image of Pakistan as all the players in the team are foreigners and will be well taken care of,” said Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s director of international cricket.

International cricket teams have refused to tour Pakistan since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009.

The attack killed eight people and wounded seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach. Pakistan later lost its World Cup co-hosting rights.

The British Universities team will arrive in Lahore on April 2 and play two one-day games against a Pakistan Cricket Board Under-19 team at Gaddafi Stadium on April 4 and 6.

India may slip to fourth position in ICC Test C'ship table

Whitewashed in two consecutive Test series, India are all set to lose a spot and slip to number fourth position in the ICC Test Championship table.

With Australia eyeing a series win against the West Indies during the three Tests, starting in Bridgetown on April 7, India's current position is under threat.

While a series win will put Australia ahead of India in third position, a 3-0 series win will put Australia on equal points with England on 113 ratings points (if England lose 2-0 to Sri Lanka).

And when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point, then Australia will be placed above England in second position as it will have a rating of 113.10 against England's rating of 113.045.

England, meanwhile, find themselves in a must-win situation in the Colombo Test if they have to retain the number one position.

England's victory will keep them ahead of South Africa by a fraction of a point but their failure to win the Test will make South Africa as the new ranked side.

No Pakistani players for BPL

28feb2012
According to the sources, Pakistan’s cricket chiefs are extremely unhappy over Bangladesh Cricket Board’s reluctance to send its team to Pakistan for a limited-overs series that is expected to the pave the path for the return of international cricket in the country.

“Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will block its players’ participation in the second edition of BPL in case the Bangladeshis decide against sending there team to Pakistan,” said a source.

Pakistani cricket stars including their former captain Shahid Afridi were the single biggest reason why the inaugural edition of BPL which concluded on February 29 turned out to be a highly successful event.Over 20 Pakistani cricketers featured in the BPL, a Twenty20 league that was Bangladesh’s version of the lucrative Indian Premier League.

While top Pakistani cricketers like Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal just played in the final games of the event because of their series against England in the UAE, many of their other compatriots including fast bowler Mohammad Sami and opener Nasir Jamshed finished among BPL’s biggest success stories.

BPL teams have roped in Pakistani cricketers for long-term stints but PCB can bar them from playing in the league.“PCB believes that it has done everything possible for the smooth hosting of a home series against Bangladesh which is why it won’t take any decision against the visit lightly,” said the source.

“A negative call on the issue by Bangladesh is bound to strain cricketing relations between the two countries and the biggest loser could be the BPL,” he added. Pakistan are desperate to host Bangladesh for a limited-overs series in Lahore and Karachi next month in its bid to revive international cricket in the country. Pakistan have not hosted international teams since March 2009 when Sri Lankan cricketers were ambushed by terrorists in Lahore killing six policeman and a van driver. Several Sri Lankan players and one of their coaches were injured in the attack.

A Bangladeshi delegation visited Pakistan earlier this month to review security arrangements for the proposed series. Mustafa Kamal — president of Bangladesh Cricket Board — who led the delegation, told senior PCB officials that he was satisfied with the security arrangements. However, BCB has said that a final decision on the tour hinges on its government clearance.

caption

Mohammad Sami...was among the several Pakistani cricketers who sizzled at the inaugural BPL

Pak players, Zaka witness sports gala

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman along with Pakistan national team players Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Asad Shafiq, Hammad Azam and Nasir Jamshed visited Pakistan Sports Complex to watch sports gala of Pakistan Sweet Homes orphans on the special invitation of Chairman Pakistan Bait ul Maal Zammurud Khan on Monday.
Zaka Ashraf lauded Pakistan Sweet Home management and Zammurud Khan's efforts for organizing such a wonderful event for orphans. Kids enjoyed every bit of spending time with national superstars. While talking to the journalists Zaka praised the leadership qualities of Misbah and described him as the best person that lifted the morale of the players and performed well on different occasions.
Replying top a question regarding change in captaincy Zaka said: “Misbah is doing a good job and if the selectors want to replace him with some other person it’s up to them”.
He added that the board is in search of bowling, batting and fielding coaches for domestic format and Sarfraz Nawaz will assist PCB in finding and grooming the bowlers in camps which would be set up in different cities shortly.
When this correspondent asked Zaka Ashraf on the prospects of Bangladesh cricket team’s visit to Pakistan, he said: “It’s now up to the government of Bangladesh whether they permit team visit or not.
He further added: “We are seriously considering hosting Australia in Sri Lanka this year, mainly because of two reasons, firstly the next World Twenty20 Cup will be held in Sri Lanka that series would help us and secondly Ramazan falls in September so we can’t host Australia at UAE.  

Asia Cup,Bangladesh Cricket Board has challenged Pakistan's victory

24th March 2012, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has challenged Pakistan's victory

Bangladesh said it will ask the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to review an incident in the final over of the Asia Cup final against Pakistan on Thursday which they believe cost them the game.

Pakistan won by two runs after Bangladesh could score six runs only from the final over bowled by Aizaz Cheema.

Enayet Hossain Siraj, chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) cricket operations committee, told reporters on Saturday that Cheema had deliberately blocked batsman Mahmudullah in the final over