"No Problem with Malik Missing the Pentangular Cup" : PCB

As the Pakistani cricketers prepare for their opening World Cup warm up match against Kenya in Sri Lanka, a player who many believe should have been included in the 15 man squad, Shoaib Malik will be watching the action from the television studio.

Former captain Malik was not available to the selectors and is being employed by an Indian television channel to commentate on the action during the World Cup.

The Pakistan Cricket Board Integrity Committee were not satisfied with Malik's explanations at sessions held prior to the selection of the 30 man provisional World Cup squad. The Integrity Committee were happy with Kamran Akmal's explanations and confirmed his availability to the selectors, however the Committee decided that Malik and Danish Kaneria's meetings were not "to their satisfaction" and neither player were allowed to be selected by Mohsin Khan and his selection committee.

Malik's form was excellent during the Quaid E Azam Trophy scoring 799 runs at an average of 88.77, but it was all in vain as he wasn't given the opportunity to become a double World Cup winner, having been part of the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup squad.

Speaking to PakPassion.net ; a PCB Media Spokesperson confirmed that the PCB had no problems at all with Malik missing the Pentangular Cup and he had asked for prior approval from the PCB.

"Malik had asked the PCB for permission in advance of the Pentangular Cup. He had informed us that he wanted to do some media work in India during the World Cup and a NOC was accordingly provided to him. We had no problem with him missing the Pentangular Cup."

Malik has had a turbulent time of late having been dropped from both the one day and test sides. His last test was in August of last year in England and his last one day appearance was in Sri Lanka against India in June last year.

Malik has been criticised in some quarters for turning down the captaincy of Punjab in the Pentangular Cup and instead opting for media work, but the PCB Spokesperson brushed aside the criticism and clarified that Malik had been an almost everpresent in the domestic season prior to the Pentangular Cup.

"He wasn't included in the World Cup squad of course and he asked the PCB well in advance of the Pentangular Cup and we had no objections in his going to India and doing the media work." 

Worldcup 1992.Rain dance and colourful Cricket

Format

This was the World Cup that thought it was a league. All played all in a qualifying round that went on forever. It was fair but about as exciting as the Nullarbor Plain. The good news was that South Africa joined in for the first time, following the end of apartheid.

Innovations

Four big ones. The players wore coloured clothing, with names on the back. There were floodlights for most of the 36 games. The white ball - in fact two of them, one at each end (so they didn't get too grubby), which meant they swung prodigiously. The fielding-circle rules were refined, allowing only two men outside the ring in the first 15 overs; after the first 15 it was as before: a minimum of four inside the circle. Result: the birth of the pinch-hitter. Ian Botham did the job for England, and Mark Greatbatch was deployed by New Zealand.

Early running

Australia, the holders and hosts, were such hot favourites that the pressure got to them. They lost the opening game, in New Zealand (Martin Crowe 100 not out), and then faced England in Sydney. Botham sniffed the chance to trample Australia into the dirt for one last time and took 4 for 31 and then made 53 not out as England won by eight wickets. Pakistan started dreadfully, losing to West Indies by 10 wickets, and would have gone out if rain had not saved them in Adelaide after England bowled them out for 74. England and New Zealand were the best teams for a long time, but both had peaked too soon. Imran Khan famously told his team: "Listen, just be as if you were a cornered tiger," and they moved into top gear.

The semis

What's Afrikaans for "We wuz robbed"? South Africa, playing England, needed 22 off 13 balls when it rained in Sydney. By the time it stopped, they needed 21 off one ball. New Zealand's brave run came to an end as Pakistan successfully chased 263, with the unknown Inzamam-ul-Haq thumping 60 off 37 balls.

The final

Pakistan were on fire at the MCG, and England were not. Derek Pringle (3 for 22) removed the openers, but Imran Khan and Javed Miandad made 72 and 58 as Pakistan recovered to 249 for 6. England were soon 69 for 4 (Botham 0), and when Neil Fairbrother (62) and Allan Lamb (31) launched a recovery, Wasim Akram snuffed it out, bowling Lamb and Chris Lewis with consecutive beauties. Pakistan won by 22 runs.

Controversies

There was only one of note: the rain rule, drawn up by a panel of experts, including Richie Benaud, for matches affected by bad weather. The idea behind the rule was to avoid the old system - work out the runs-per-over of the first innings and then deduct that for each over lost by the side batting second - which heavily disadvantaged the side batting first. Under the rain rule, the reduction in the target was to be proportionate to the lowest scoring overs of the side batting first, a method that took into account the benefits of chasing, as opposed to setting, a target. The rule raised eyebrows during the washout between England and Pakistan in Adelaide and was utterly discredited when South Africa's chances of qualifying for the final were shattered by 12 minutes of rain, which changed an achievable equation to an impossible one.

WorldCup Matches Cannot be Played in PAKISTAN -But World "CUP" Could Be ...

Malik ignores domestic event to play in BD league

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has neglected the current premier domestic one-day competition in favour of a lucrative league cricket in Bangladesh.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shown double standards as it first did not give Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) to Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik to appear in the same league.

Malik, alongside wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal, earlier applied to play in the Bangladeshi league but the duo were denied permission with the PCB reminding them that centrally-contracted players cannot travel abroad to play tournaments while the domestic season is on.

“When the PCB has chalked out a policy that players should focus on domestic season when it is underway then Malik’s representation in Bangladesh is unacceptable,” he said. “The board is itself showing double standard,” he added.

Malik did take part in the first-ever day-night Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final representing Pakistan International Airline (PIA), but now has overlooked the one-day tournament which is underway in Punjab. 

Malik, along with leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, were overlooked from the World Cup squad due to their alleged links with bookies.

Reacting to the story published in ‘The News’, PCB’s integrity committee demanded Malik to provide details of a transaction of 90,000 pounds in his British bank account but he failed to do so.

Later, Ishtiaq Ahmed, a Pakistani lawyer filed a petition seeking local court’s direction to the police to register a criminal case against Malik for allegedly making millions of rupees through match-fixing. He alleged that Malik not only made millions of rupees through match-fixing but also damaged the country’s image. He asked the court to freeze Malik’s assets in Pakistan and abroad. The Additional District and Sessions Court adjourned the case late until January 24.

Yousuf, Malik not given central contracts

Pakistan’s national selection committee has omitted the names of senior players Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Danish Kaneria and Rana Naved from the proposed list of 30 players, who will be awarded fresh central contracts this year. According to sources close to the selectors, the list has been submitted to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which has in turn sent it to the integrity committee for clearance.

“The reason the selectors didn’t recommend the names of Yousuf, Malik, Kaneria and Naved is varied. While Malik and Kaneria can’t be considered for central contracts until they are cleared by the integrity committee to play for the national team, there are question marks over whether Yousuf and Naved will be regular and indispensable members of the national team in the future,” one source was quoted as saying on Saturday.

The integrity committee will vet the list and then give its recommendations to the chairman of the board, Ijaz Butt, who has to give final approval to the list of players who will be given central contracts. The source said as far as Malik and Kaneria were concerned, they could be given central contracts later on when they are allowed to play for Pakistan. “For the moment, the integrity committee has not given them clearance until the two submit relevant papers asked by the committee pertaining to sources of income, bank accounts etc,” the source added.

He said that the selectors have included at least three to four new players in the recommended list of 30 players for their outstanding performances in domestic cricket. “The names have been recommended strictly on the basis of a four-point policy employed by the selection committee that takes into consideration including player’s future prospects, fitness, performance and discipline. The committee, headed by chief selector Mohsin Khan, wants to ensure that they pick the best young talent from the domestic circuit.”

Shoaib hits ton again as giants return to winning ways

Former Pakistani skipper Shoaib Malik scored his second consecutive hundred to steer defending champions Mohammedan Sporting Club to a six-wicket win over Biman Bangladesh in the Ispahani Premier Division Cricket League on Wednesday.

In the other matches of the day Abahani defeated Old DOHS by 39 runs and CCS handed Gazi Tank a shocking defeat of 1 run.

Mohammedan – Biman (Biman 222/8, Mohammedan 224/4; Mohammedan won by 6 wickets)

Batting first, Biman scored 222 for 8 wickets riding on Avishek Mitra’s110. The target set by Biman appeared an easy one for Mohammedan as the defending champions cruised to victory losing just four wickets in 41.1 overs.


Shoaib Malik blasted 107 in 120 balls, hitting 13 fours and one six while Foysal Hossain made 51 from 66 balls. Niaz picked three wickets for Biman.

Abahani – Old DOHS (Abahani 216/9, Old DOHS 177/9; Abahani won by 39 runs)

Reshmi Ranjan Paridha’s 69 and Sahagir Hossain’s 39 helped Abahani score 216 for nine.

Chasing 217, Old DOHS managed to score only 177 for 9 in the stipulated 50 overs as Saqlain Sajib took three wickets for 29 runs and Tapash Baishya and Aussie Lee Carseldine grabbed two wickets each.

Tanvir Haydar’s 42 and Aftab Ahmed’s 36 were other notable scores for the losers.

Gazi Tank – Cricket Coaching School

(CCS 278/10, Gazi 277/10; CCS won by 1 run)

Batting first, Shuvagoto Hom’s 89 and Atiqur Rahman’s 62 helped CCS post a fighting score of 278.

Sabbir Rahman grabbed three wickets for Gazi while Ali Azmat took two.

However, it was so near yet so far for Gazi Tank who stacked 277 and lost by only one run.

Mithun scored 73 and Alok Kapali made 87 from 69 balls but all of their efforts went in vain.

Bishawnath Haldar and Taposh Ghosh both grabbed three wickets for CCS.

Malik named Punjab captain for Pentagular tournament

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Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain who was left out of the World Cup squad, has been named captain of Punjab's team for the upcoming Pentangular first-class tournament in Pakistan. Federal Areas, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are the other four teams that will participate in a tournament that pits the top 75 players of the country against one another as provincial, rather than city-based or departmental sides.

Malik was in prime form through the domestic season, scoring 799 runs at an average of 88.77 for Pakistan International Airlines in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He has been appointed captain ahead of Kamran Sajid, under whom he played in the PIA side. Sajid is also in the Punjab squad.

Punjab have surprisingly left out Lahore Shalimar batsman Usman Salahuddin, the leading run-getter in Division Two of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy during the 2010-11 season, as well as his team-mate, offspinner Saad Nasim, who was the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded One Day National Cup Division Two. The two have been named in Punjab's reserves.

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf, and Imran Farhat, who hit a century for Habib Bank Limited in their Faysal Bank One Day National Cup Division One match on Friday, are also in a strong Punjab side.