Pakistan players seek participation in IPL

LAHORE: The organizers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) continue to snub Pakistani cricketers and are unlikely to consider them for any future events.Pakistani cricketers refused to play in the league when it was based in India as a result of a call from their government as the relationship between the neighbours soured. Although the IPL will now take place in South Africa, the organisers have not invited the Pakistani cricketers to reconsider their stance.The IPL franchises had signed some of the leading Pakistan cricketers, including skipper Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar and Salman Butt.It is understood that the IPL organisers were upset by the refusal of the Pakistan government to release the players. They have now refused to take them back. While some of the Pakistani players have written e-mails to the IPL organisers and to their respective teams, they have not received any replies. The IPL feels that it is only required to pay non-participating players if they are injured. The Pakistani players, however, argue that they cannot be blamed for a decision made by their government. They have also demanded that they be included in the tournament now that it is being held in South Africa, or failing that receive the money they were promised by the franchises.Some of the Pakistani players who have signed with sports management companies said they hope to fight their case against the IPL. In a recent TV interview, Khan threatened to seek legal redress.

New Zealand squad named for World Twenty20

WELLINGTON: New Zealand's selectors have gambled on injury-prone all-rounder Jacob Oram being fit for the ICC World Twenty20 in June, naming him in a 15-man squad announced Tuesday. The 30-year-old Oram, ranked the fifth-best all-rounder in the world in one-day internationals, has been plagued by injuries over the past four years, which have seen him in and out of the national side.He did not play in the just-concluded three-Test series against India because of an Achilles strain.But he has been included in the squad for the World Cup in England on the assumption that he is fully fit, Glenn Turner, the head of the selection panel, said.The squad also includes Brendon Diamanti, who has yet to play an international Twenty20, and four other players absent from the side that won the two Twenty20s against India last month.The recalled players are Peter McGlashan, who last played against Sri Lanka in 2006, James Franklin, who played against Australia in February, and Scott Styris and Kyle Mills, who turned out against the West Indies in December.Turner said the fickle English climate had presented a challenge in selecting the side."We're really not sure what conditions will prevail in early June," he said."But being able to take 15 players means we have hopefully been able to cover all angles."In selecting the side we have been particularly conscious of selecting players in the middle and lower order who are boundary hitters."Notable omissions from the squad are one-day specialists Grant Elliott and Tim Southee, who are both on the list of replacement or cover players. The World Twenty20 opens on June 5. New Zealand's group matches are against Scotland on June 6 at the Oval and South Africa on June 9 at Lords. New Zealand squad: Daniel Vettori (captain), Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Brendon Diamanti, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor.

Australian squad to play Pakistan

MELBOURNE: Australia's 14-man squad named Wednesday to play Pakistan in a one-day series in the United Arab Emirates beginning this month.Australia: Michael Clarke (captain), Brad Haddin (vice captain), Nathan Bracken, Callum Ferguson, Brett Geeves, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, David Hussey, Ben Laughlin, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson

Spectators interest in IPL continues despite shifting to SA

CAPE TOWN: The interest of spectators in the Indian Premier League (IPL) continues despite its shifting to South Africa.Chairman IPL Lalit Modi has claimed that the tickets of the initial matches were sold out in just two hours.Talking with media here on Wednesday, Moddi said that he assures the spectators that they would get the opportunity to watch the best cricket in the IPL matches. He said that like the first edition of the IPL, great entertainment is being provided this time, too. Lalit Modi said that thousands of tickets were arranged for the IPL’s initial matches and all were sold out in just two hours which reflects how much enthusiasm of the spectators found in the IPL.Meanwhile, co-owner of Kings XI Punjab and renowned film actress Preity Zinta said that the same players who play against each other would play together and would remain together. Spectators would get much entertainment and she believes the IPL this time would be more interesting than earlier.

Yousuf agrees to end deal with ICL

KARACHI: Star batsman Mohammad Yousuf has agreed once again to end an agreement he signed with Indian Cricket League (ICL).

According to sources, he could represent the Pakistani side in One-Day series against Australia once the agreement is terminated. Sources also said some more players may follow suit if given an opportunity to represent the country.

IPL second edition schedule released

CAPE TOWN: The opening match and final of the second edition of IPL, shifted overseas to South Africa, are to be held at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town and the Wanderers in Johannesburg respectively on April 18 and May 24.The semi finals are to be held on May 22 and 23 in Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively, as per the full schedule of the Twenty20 League available.In a double header on the first day, last year's winners Rajasthan Royals would take on Royal Challengers, Bangalore, while Mumbai Indians would clash with first edition's runners-up Chennai Super Kings at Cape Town.In all, the 59 matches will be held in eight cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, East London, Kimberly, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.Kingsmead in Durban, which has a large number of South Asians, has been allotted the lion's share of 16 matches while the Centurion Park in Pretoria would host 12 ties.The Wanderers in Johannesburg and Newlands in Cape Town come next best with eight matches each, with the latter playing host to four of these on the first two days of the cash-rich, high-profile competition.Seven matches are to be held in St George's Park in Port Elizabeth while Buffalo Park in East London has been allotted four matches.Two matches each have been handed over to Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and De Beers Oval in Kimberley.There are a total of ten double headers (two matches back to back at the same venue) with Durban hosting half of these.

Pakistan drops Shoaib Akhtar for BD tour

LAHORE: Pakistan Wednesday omitted yet-to-be fully fit Shoaib Akhtar from a 16-man squad for this month's tour of Bangladesh where they play two Twenty20 and five one-day internationals.The team departs on March 7 and play the first of two Twenty20 matches on March 10. The other Twenty20 and the first three one-day matches are scheduled for Dhaka. The last two one-day matches will be played in Chittagong.Squad: Younus Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Fawad Alam, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanver, Mohammad Aamir, Yasir Arafat, Yasir Shah, Rao Iftikhar, Sarfraz Ahmed. Fixtures: March 7 - Departure from Karachi, March 10 - Ist Twenty20 in Dhaka, March 12 - Second Twenty20 in Dhaka, March 13 - Ist one-day international in Dhaka, March 15 - Second one-day international in Dhaka, March 17 - Third one-day international in Dhaka , March 20 - Fourth one-day international in Chittagong and March 22 - Fifth one-day international in Chittagong.

NZealand set to call off Pakistan tour after attack

WELLINGTON: New Zealand indicated on Wednesday they would call off their tour of Pakistan after the deadly attack against the Sri Lankan team, fuelling doubts over the future of international cricket there.The tour in November-December looks increasingly unlikely to go ahead amid huge question marks over security in volatile Pakistan, which is in danger of losing its co-host status for the 2011 cricket World Cup."We're not going, and I think that's pretty clear," New Zealand Cricket's chief executive Justin Vaughan told Radio New Zealand, adding: "I don't think any international team will be going to Pakistan in the foreseeable future. "Now we've seen that cricket can be a target... I think it creates a whole new set of issues and raises the security issue to a whole new level."However, Vaughan later backtracked from saying the tour was off, issuing a statement stressing that no final decision had been made even if it appeared "very unlikely" to happen. "We will discuss the security issue with the Pakistan Cricket Board at the next ICC (International Cricket Council) meeting, and we are likely to look at options such as the use of neutral venues," Vaughan said.

Sri Lanka charters plane to evacuate team from Pakistan

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka chartered a plane to evacuate the national cricket team from Lahore on Tuesday following an attack that wounded eight members of the touring party, Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge said.

NZ cricket chief says attack "frightening"

WELLINGTON: The attack by gunmen on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Pakistan on Tuesday was a "frightening" development in sport, New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said. "It's very frightening that for the first time a cricket team are what appears to be the specific target of terrorist action," he told the media. "That's never happened before. Previously all the incidents have been about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. "This is a very different proposition and I think just a very frightening one for world cricket."

ICC meeting being held to decide WC 2011 hosting

DUBAI: An important meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the hosting of the World Cup 2011, following the Lahore attacks on touring Sri Lanka team, is being held here today.President ICC Haroon Lorgat told that the decision of hosting the World Cup 2011 is expected within the next 48 hours.The ICC has called the meeting after the attacks on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore and an important decision will be taken regarding the hosting of the next World Cup.This may be recalled that the World Cup 2011 will be hosted jointly by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Top flight cricket in Pakistan may now stop: Arthur

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said the attack by gunmen on Sri Lanka's team bus in Pakistan on Tuesday could signal the end of top-flight cricket in Pakistan for some time. "Any loss of life is tragic but when it involves sport it just seems so senseless," Arthur told foreign news agency."The Sri Lankans are a fantastic bunch of guys who did not deserve to be subjected to something like this."Thank God none of them were killed. As far as Pakistan is concerned I'm afraid this could mean the end of international cricket in that country for the foreseeable future."

Team bus driver averts major mishap

LAHORE: Bus driver of the Sri Lankan cricket team Mehar Khalil said that the attacker threw a hand grenade towards his bus but it could not be exploded.Talking with journalists, bus driver Khalil said that while taking a turn through Liberty Chowk the bus was sprayed with bullets by unknown persons. However, the bus was in the gear and he accelerated the speed to take the bus out of their range.Driver Khalil said that meanwhile an attacker threw a hand-grenade but it was slipped from his hand and could not be exploded due to which the bus and its passengers did not get any major harm.He told that two players present in the bus received bullets and they were shifted to hospital after taken out from the bus.

No Cricket World Cup games in Pakistan unless dramatic change: ICC chief

DUBAI: Chief of International Cricket Council said no world cup games in Pakistan unless dramatic change

Bus was attacked from all corners: Nadeem Ghauri

LAHORE: Field umpire Nadeem Ghauri said that his bus was strayed by bullets from all corners.Nadeem Gahuri was supervising the second Test match which was going on between the teams of Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Lahore.Talking with media here today, Nadeem Ghauri said that our bus was strayed by bullets from all corners on which we took shelter behind the seats.He said that in result of this firing, the bus driver was killed while fourth umpire Ahsan Raza was injured.

Australia union sees lasting damage from Pakistan attack

SYDNEY: The attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore will have a lasting and damaging impact on planned tours to Pakistan, the Australian Cricketers' Association said Tuesday. The players' union chief executive Paul Marsh said the attack would have huge ramifications for Pakistan cricket. "It is one of those things, you know the risk is pretty large in that part of the world, in Pakistan, but there has always been a belief that sports people will not be targeted and I am just stunned," Marsh said. "It is very sad that it has come to this for all the cricketers and Pakistan cricket in particular. "This is not their doing but I am sure the fallout from this is going to have a lasting impact on Pakistan cricket and the future of the game in Pakistan." Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson said the attack was a massive blow for international cricket in Pakistan. "The prospects were not great for Pakistan cricket before this, they're absolutely horrendous now," he said.

Pakistan cricket went far behind after Lahore attacks: Inzamam-ul-Haq

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said that after the attacks on the Sri Lankan team Pakistan cricket further went backTalking with Geo News, Inzamam-ul-Haq said that it was very sad and the Pakistan cricket went far back after this incident.He said that even before no team wantted to play in Pakistan and now no team would come to the country

Bangladesh saddened by attack

DHAKA: Bangladesh cricket authorities expressed sadness over the deadly attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore on Tuesday but hoped Pakistan would still go ahead with their limited overs tour of the country. "We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate events and express solidarity with the players, match officials and victims of the attack," the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said in a statement. "We are observing the whole situation. We will watch how the incident and the aftermath unfold and respond accordingly," said Ahmed Sazzadul Alam, organising committee chairman for the Pakistan series. However, our preparation is almost complete and we are ready to go ahead with the series," he added. Dhaka is scheduled to stage the Twenty20 games on March 10and 12 as well as the first three one-dayers on March 13, 15and 17. Chittagong is due to stage the last two ODIs on March20 and 22. The series is a reciprocal trip as Bangladesh went on a tour last year to fill in after Australia cancelled their trip at the eleventh hour on security ground.

Pak team escapes attack by five minutes

LAHORE: Pakistan's cricket team escaped Tuesday's attack because they left their hotel five minutes late, coach Intikhab Alam said. "We usually leave the hotel early on the first day because of the toss and on the second and third day we leave the hotel a bit late, so captain Younus Khan decided to leave at 8:35 but the Sri Lankan team left five minutes before us," Alam told foreign news agency. Alam said when he and his players arrived near the scene security officials stopped them and advised them to return. "There were firing at the roundabout and we had to take a U-turn and we returned back to hotel. It is shocking and awful," said Alam, a former national captain.

Younis lauds bravery of security force personnel

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team captain Younis Khan has expressed his sadness over attack on Sri Lankan team in Lahore on Tuesday.Addressing a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium here, Younis Khan said Sri Lankan team was visiting Pakistan to show solidarity with Pakistan cricket and the people. The Pakistani skipper expressed his satisfaction that no Sri Lankan player was hurt in shooting incident.Younis said Sri Lankan team also termed the incident ‘unfortunate’ and thanked the Pakistani people for extending great hospitality. He said Sri Lankan players thanked bus driver Meher Khalil at the airport and great off-spinner Muthaiya Murlidharan presented him with his shirt. Younis said only Pakistan and Sri Lanka were two teams playing cricket globally in bad security environment. He said Pakistani team toured Sri Lanka despite deteriorating security situation.