Shoaib Akhtar is Back. July 4, 2008

The troubled fast bowlers 18th month ban has been suspended by the Lahore High Court and is now free t play cricket. Shoaib launched an appeal against the ban which will now be heard in September.”The court has allowed Shoaib Akhtar to play cricket and the petition will be heard after the summer vacation,” said Judge Zahid Hussain.

Shoaib must still pay the £57,000 fine imposed on him in April.

“Shoaib is temporarily allowed to play until the petition is heard, but he will have to give the fine,” said Pakistan Cricket Board lawyer Taffazul Rizvi.

Shoaib has now set his sights on playing in the Champions Trophy in September – and warming up for that tournament by playing English county cricket.

“I am keeping fit and I’m going to England and try to play some county or league matches there and get in shape for the Champions Trophy,” he said.

“I owe my name and fame to Pakistan, so I will never defame my country. I want to win the Champions Trophy for my country and for that I need everyone’s support.”

Shoaib will have to fight for his place in the team as Pakistani camp is already overflowing with talented fast bowlers. Lets see for how long can both Muhammed Asif and Shoaib Akhtar can keep away from trouble.

Pakistan cricket team aur Bharam ………… July 3, 2008

Pakistan and cricket go hand and hand, for the longest time cricket has been the nations first love but slowly and gradually people have started loosing interest.  One cannnot associate the same kind of passion and determination that was once associated with the fans of Pakistani cricket . Most of them aren’t willing to go the extra mile to support there team anymore. The fact that a Pakistan India match did not fill up till the second innings speaks volumes.

Kids these  days dont imitate Salman butt or Muhammed Yusuf they idealise Matt Hayden or Yuvraj, Gul has been around for a while now, still he has not managed to get a decent fan following, while on the other hand Shaun Tait and Ajanta Mendis managed to create quite a stir in a short period of time.

Although form and fitness is important but they are merely a means to success. What Pakistan really lacks is the right attitude. Shoaib Malik most of the time out on the field looks scared, he hardly ever takes any risks, he just waits for the opposition to make mistakes rather then committing them into one. Inzi was accused of being lazy and Malik is a scared cow. The attitude reflects in his batting and his reluctance to bowl. The innings against SriLanka is a proof of this, he took 70 odd balls to get to his 50, where Pakistan was chasing more then 300 runs and then threw his wicket away. The attitude reflects in the rest of the team, they seem very humble, we miss the passion and attitude that batsman like Aamir Sohail and Ijaz Ahmed use to display after thrashing the bowlers through the covers. The reason why the likes of Viv Richards, Hayden and Sehwag have been so successful is because bowlers are scares of them, a mean stare after a punching drive is as important as smashing a spinner out of the ground. You have to show the bowler that you are on top and sadly most off our batsmen aren’t being dominant enough .

The exception is Younis Khan who displays and posses that kind of confidence and it shows. In both the recent victories against India, he has been the cornerstone and the batsman around him have adopted the attitude. Even in the game against Sri Lanka the team was in with a chance until he was on the crease. The onus of responsibility in the bowling department lies with Sohail tanvir, he displays a lot of of positive attitude but he is still learning he goes into a shell when the likes of Jayasuria and Sehwags manage to get on top of him.

Pakistani Crickets need to start believing in themselves, they need to learn to back there abilities. Afridi is going through a lean patch, someone needs to sit down with him and express confidence in him . Allow the batsman to play there natural game and ask the openers to adapt a more aggressive approach. The players need to shrug off the humbleness and look to scare the opposition, they need to start playing like tigers and stop acting like lazy cats.

Kaptan ki nai Muhabaat June 27, 2008

Atleast cricket is still good for picking up girls

India vs Pakistan, Group B, 3rd Match, Asia Cup Free Live Cricket Streaming June 26, 2008

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India vs Pakistan, Kitply Final, Live Cricket Streaming June 14, 2008

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Watch Sarkar Raj Online Free

Gulbudeen Naib leads the charge against Bahamas May 26, 2008

Eighteen-year-old Gulbudeen Naib was the hero for Afghanistan as he took 5 for 7, including a hat-trick to close the innings, as Bahamas managed just 46 all out. And although they too suffered a batting collapse, Afghanistan secured victory by five wickets after 6.3 overs as they attempted to score quick runs to improve their run-rate, with Mario Ford claiming 3 for 5.

“I was very happy to receive my Man-of-the-Match award for Afghanistan and I would like to pay tribute to my captain, team and coach who have helped me achieve this,” said Naib. “It was the first ever hat-trick for Afghanistan so I am very happy,” he added. “I am sure my friends and family back at home will be very proud.”

Afghanistan secure victory in there first match May 24, 2008

At the Victoria College, Afghanistan suffered a sensational middle-order collapse against Japan when they were bowled out for 179 in 35.4 overs after being 137 for 3. Takuro Hagihara was the pick of Japan bowlers with 5 for 25 while for Afghanistan opener Karim Khan Sedeq top scored with 47. In turn, Japan were bowled out for 80 in 40.2 overs with Hasti Gul Abed bagging 3 for 22.

Taj Malik, Afghanistan’s coach, was pleased with his side’s performance and said he never thought his team was in trouble despite posting a small total. “We discussed with the players during the innings break that the pitch was assisting the fast bowlers and if Japan could get us for 180 runs then we should be able to bowl them out for less than 100 runs.”

An exclusive interview with Taj Malik- Afghan Cricket May 22, 2008

Afghanistan cricket (c) Getty Images

From Kabul to Quennevais

By Daniel Corden

The Afghanistan team will be one of 12 taking part in the ICC World Division 5 tournament in Jersey.

Friday, 23 May sees the start of the ICC World Cricket Division 5 tournament here in Jersey.

There are 12 teams competing for a place in the next rounds, and then hopefully the World Cup.

While we may worry about rain delays, or the odd stray cow running onto the field, one of the countries that is coming to play is war ravaged Afghanistan.

For some of their team it will be the first time they have left Afghanistan, or even seen the sea.

Cricket is a fast growing sport in Afghanistan, with over 12,000 players, but unfortunately Afghanistan is more known for the War on Terror and bombs.

Taj Malik is the Afghanistan national team coach and BBC Jersey’s Daniel Corden spoke to him over a rather noisy international mobile.

You can read the interview in full below:

BBC: Are the players very excited about coming to Jersey?

Taj: We are very keen to come there.

BBC: The people of Jersey only see what’s on television, the war and things like that. Is that what it’s like in Kabul at the moment?

Taj: In Kabul at the moment there is no problem. We are practising.

BBC: It was only in the 1980s when the Russians left that cricket became big in Afghanistan.

Taj: When the Russians came to Afghanistan many thousands and millions of people moved to Pakistan and other parts of the world and got interested in the game and playing also.

Now the number of players increased during the past five or six years and we’ve established our national cricket team which is a very good rising star team.

I’m sure when we’re playing the Jersey tournament the people of Jersey will like their playing style and cricketing skill.

BBC: Do the team know they’re ranked favourites in the competition?

Taj: Yeah the team know that. The team have been on very good form over the last four months after the Twenty20 Asian cricket tournament.

They’re in full confidence and very keen to get first position in Jersey.

There are strong opposition over there like Nepal, America and Norway looks like a good side.

This is a very good opportunity for my players to show their cricket standards and their ability in this ICT tournament.

BBC: You mentioned America. What do the players think of the possibility of playing the USA team?

Taj: They’re very excited. America is a very popular country in the world, a superpower.

To be able to beat them would be very exciting for everybody because America is an economic power with lots of sports facility and in the Olympic games they’re on top.

This is a very good chance and in cricket we could beat them. Our pleasure if we win the match, I’m sure many people here would be keen to see the Afghanistan team beat America on the international stage.

BBC: How important is cricket in Afghanistan?

Taj: Four months ago we won the Twenty20 cup in Kuwait and that was a major achievement in Afghanistan history.

Now they’re really looking forward and are all behind the team. There’s a lot of media interest as well and everybody is supporting Afghanistan to see Afghanistan become champions once again.

BBC: In Jersey we have six different fields we’ll be playing on with lush green grass. I’m sure that’s very different to the grounds you play on in Afghanistan.

Taj: I hope so yeah. My fast bowlers are very keen to bowl there. I have a very balanced team of fast bowling attack and leg-breaking left bowlers.

Everything is looking very nice for us and we are very keen to come to Jersey.

He is my Young Brother ,Harbhajan Says after Mohali Row April 26, 2008

Sreesanth alleges Harbhajan hit him April 26, 2008

The Indian Premier League faced its first on-field controversy with allegations that Harbhajan Singh hit Sreesanth, his India team-mate and IPL rival, after Friday’s match between the Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians in Mohali. While Yuvraj Singh, Sreesanth’s captain, said Harbhajan had apologised after the incident, it remains to be seen how the IPL will handle it as a disciplinary issue.

Sreesanth, who took two wickets for Punjab, was spotted in tears after the match – which his side won – and later confirmed the incident to Cricinfo. He declined, however, to comment on it.

Sources close to him said that after the match a smiling Sreesanth walked up to Harbhajan – the captain of the losing Mumbai Indians – and said “Hard Luck”. “That was enough for Harbhajan to lose his cool and hit Sreesanth under the eye,” said sources close to the fast bowler.

Harbhajan refused to answer questions on the incident at the post-match press conference. “Can we have questions on just cricket,” he said in response to questions relating to the incident. His opposing captain, however, was clear in his view. “This is really an ugly incident,” Yuvraj said, “this is totally unacceptable.” He added, though, that Harbhajan had visited the dressing-room after the match and apologised to Sreesanth.

“At the end of the day, players shake hands. But today saw more that from Harbhajan and Sreesanth,” said Tom Moody, the Punjab coach. “The positive thing is that Harbhajan had a long chat with Sreesanth. But I am not sure what ramifications this incident will have.” Cricinfo has learnt that Sreesanth complained about the incident to officials of the Mohali franchise, including co-owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia.

However, IS Bindra, the president of the Punjab Cricket Association, denied an official complaint has been lodged. “Some media people have asked me about this incident. No official complaint has reached me yet. I believe what happens on the field should be sorted out by the players on the field itself,” Bindra told Cricinfo.

On-field relations between Harbhajan and Sreesanth appeared strained during the India-South Africa Test series as well. Sreesanth had dropped Hashim Amla off Harbhajan during the Chennai Test to which Harbhajan reacted with displeasure after which he was seen motioning towards Sreesanth after making a diving save at point.

This is the second time in the last six months that Harbhajan has been at the centre of controversy. Earlier this year the Australians accused him of racially abusing Andrew Symonds during the Test series Down Under.