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Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh postponed

Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh, due to start next week, has been postponed on the advice of the Bangladesh government. Officials are hopeful that the tour will be held soon and are working on a revised security plan in consultation with the ICC.

The postponement comes two days after Pakistan’s home series against Sri Lanka was abandoned, following an attack on the visiting team bus that left eight dead and several cricketers and officials injured.

Bangladesh Cricket Board officials think the tour could take place as early as end-March. “We had been making all necessary preparations for the tour when we were advised by the home ministry to postpone it for the time being,” Jalal Yunus, chairman of the board’s media and communications committee, said. “We are now working with the PCB and our government agencies to chalk out a new schedule.”

Yunus said the ICC had asked the Bangladesh board to make some changes in the security plan for the series. The board is currently working on this.

It is not clear if the decision to postpone the tour is connected to the Lahore attack or to the recent violence in Bangladesh. A mutiny last month by Bangladesh Rifles border guards over pay and the command structure resulted in widespread violence that killed at least 80 people, including more than 50 officers.

Saleem Altaf, a Pakistan board official, said the reason behind the decision was not yet known. “Bangladesh have conveyed their decision to us without giving any reason,” he told AFP. “We are told they are revising the tour itinerary and the series will be held after some delay.

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, told reporters he expected a revised itinerary from the Bangladesh board soon. “Every country discusses the security situation with its government. We did ask for clearance for the tour from our government. The International Cricket Council (ICC) have asked them to implement a plan so they needed time.

“Bangladesh will come back to us and we (will) hopefully get a revised itinerary later Thursday.”

Pakistan were scheduled to play two Twenty20s and five ODIs between March 10 and March 22. Pakistan and Bangladesh are co-hosts, along with India and Sri Lanka, of the 2011 World Cup.

Morgan admits ‘level of security was not as expected’

	David Morgan: ‘We were satisfied as were the Sri Lankan board. Sadly, it would seem it was not as expected’ © Getty Images

ICC president David Morgan has said that “it would seem the level of security was not as expected” at the time of the terrorist attack in Lahore on Tuesday.

Speaking to the BBC, Morgan said that ahead of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka series the usual checks had been undertaken. “Our people were in touch with the Pakistan board and had assurances of presidental level security. We were satisfied as were the Sri Lankan board. Sadly, it would seem it was not as expected.”

Asked about comments made by Pakistan board chairman Ijaz Butt in which he claimed the security was adequete  Morgan was non committal. “I have spoken with Ijaz Butt and I think his views are well known,” Morgan said. “I also spoke with Mahela Jayawardene [Sri Lanka's captain] and I had his account of security, and also Chris Broad, and I think it would be wrong for me to comment on widely-differing accounts.”

He said that a full report would be ready by the time the ICC executive next met in Dubai on April 17. “I am included to have representatives of the two teams to give first-hand accounts to us when we meet,” he added.

Morgan dismissed suggestions that the ICC should take responsibility for all security. “I doubt that could be put into effect … for bilateral tours the duty of care lies with the employer and it’s the home board that employs the players. The ICC only becomes involved when host and visitor disagree about security.”

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Kill cricket, create terrorists, warns Younis

	Younis Khan has warned that, without cricket, extremism in Pakistan will grow © AFP

Younis Khan has appealed to cricket’s administrators to save the game in Pakistan, or risk pushing future generations into the clutches of terrorists. The Pakistan captain fears that an extended boycott by touring teams could lead to a dramatic decline in interest and participation in cricket among the nation’s youth. That, in turn, could invite corrupting influences to fill the void that might otherwise have been occupied by sport, Younis argued.

“Our future as a nation is in our youngsters’ hands,” Younis told Cricinfo. “Sport helps to make good human beings. If the sport is not there, the children can do silly things. We have to be very careful about that. Nobody wants to see children going down a bad path and finding themselves involved with bombs and things like that. We all must do something to stop that happening.

“Maybe in the future we will be alone [as a cricketing nation] and that would be very sad, especially for the youngsters. When I was a boy, I loved watching Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram playing against great teams from overseas. It is because of them - seeing them play - that I also played the game. But what if no one comes to Pakistan? How will the youngsters know about the game? What will they do?

“I appeal for all the bosses and the ICC not let cricket die here. They must think about all the factors, including what will become of the youngsters of Pakistan. It would be very easy right now for the ICC and the bosses to say there will be no cricket in Pakistan. But the future will not be good if cricket is taken away from my country.”

Butt accuses Broad of lies over lax security

	Ijaz Butt: ‘All his [Broad's] statements are false. He has now made obnoxious comments’ © AFP

Ijaz butt, the PCB chairman, has accused Chris Broad  of lying in claiming that security was lax for the visiting team and officials in Lahore.

Broad said on Wednesday that players and officials arriving for the Test were not provided sufficient protection despite assurances given by the PCB.

Butt, though, disputed Broad’s account. “It is a big lie that there were no policemen. A commando jumped over Broad and saved his life. The commando was hurt so if there was no policeman, how come Broad was saved?

“All his [Broad's] statements are false. He has now made obnoxious comments. That a gentleman of his stature is saying this is unfortunate,” he told reporters in Lahore. “He says there was no policemen there [but] I think there could be no bigger lie than this because six policemen died and ten are injured.

“Our people have also been injured. We lost six policemen who were trying to protect the cricketers and the match officials. So if some one is complaining about just a scratch, then it is very sad.”

The PCB, he said, would lodge a formal protest with the ICC against Broad, who was the ICC’s match referee for the Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the city.

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Australia ready to host World Cup matches

	Australia are one of the standby hosts of the 2011 World Cup © Getty Images

Australia has offered to host 2011 World Cup matches if Pakistan loses its games due to security fears, James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, has said. However, Sutherland said he would prefer the tournament to be hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Australia and New Zealand are the stand-by hosts of the tournament. Tuesday’s terror strikes in Lahore - which injured five Sri Lankan cricketers - reopened the issue of players being afraid to tour the subcontinent over security fears.

“Officially, we are the standby hosts for the 2011 World Cup,” Sutherland told AAP. “Our strong preference is for the event to go ahead in Asia, hosted by the countries that the ICC sees fit.

“We’re the hosts for 2015 (World Cup) and we’re confident we can put on a fantastic event, but we want the appropriate lead time into that event because of all the planning considerations necessary for it.”

The ICC however played down sugestion that the matches will be moved away from Pakistan. President David Morgan said the matter would not be discussed before the next ICC executive meeting in Abu Dhabi in April, but “teams should not be expected to go there in the immediate future”

IPL likely to move to March in 2010

Polls force tweaks to 2009 IPL schedule The IPL tournament committee has said it will reschedule matches that coincide with the general elections in India which start next month. Kolkata Knight Riders’ home match against Bangalore Royal Challengers on May 13 falls on the same day the city goes to polls. “There’s no other way out. We have to reschedule the matches that are clashing with the Lok Sabha polls,” IPL tournament director Dhiraj Malhotra told PTI. “Not just in Kolkata, there are few more matches that are clashing with the poll dates. I’m now in the process of sorting them out. We will make an announcement in a day or two.”

The BCCI is working with various national boards to create an unofficial window for the IPL in March 2010 that would enable almost all Test-playing countries to release their top players for the Twenty20 tournament. The tweak in the IPL calendar — instead of the current April-May schedule - will also ensure that the tournament doesn’t clash with the World Twenty20 in the West Indies from April 23-May 9.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, told Cricinfo that all the national boards are working together for a clear window next March. “The dates are still not firm, but we are working on this,” he said. Modi said that next year’s IPL is likely to be held almost immediately after India’s tour of South Africa in February, 2010.

Apart from India’s tour, almost all the other Test-playing countries are scheduled to be engaged in various series during February-March according to the ICC’s FTP - Pakistan v England, Australia v New Zealand and West Indies v Zimbabwe. But many of these engagements are now expected to wind up by early March to give the IPL an open run.

The upcoming IPL season, which kicks off from April 10, has been hit by a scheduling clash that leaves most Australian players available only for the last two weeks of the tournament. England stars like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, who are expected to make their IPL debut next month, are also free only for the first three weeks. Among the national boards that are keen to see the IPL take the March slot is the ECB, which can then let its players take part in the tournament for a longer period as the English county season usually starts in mid-April.

“I believe we are close to a settlement,” Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, told the Guardian. “We are pleased with where things are going and would like to see the IPL have a clear season [free of a clash with international fixtures].” The ECB have already committed to letting their Test players take part in the next IPL for three weeks.

Pakistan aim to spoil Jayawardene’s farewell

Match facts

Sunday, March 1 - Thursday March 5
Start time 10.00am (05:00GMT)

	Mahela Jayawardene is aiming for his last series win as captain. Younis Khan is searching for his first © AFP

Big Picture

The two-Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been reduced to a one-Test play-off after the draw in Karachi. The contest over the next five days at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is of utmost importance for both teams and their captains. For Younis Khan, it offers an opportunity to begin his tenure as Pakistan captain with a series win and speed up the transition process after the removal of his predecessor Shoaib Malik. Another motivating force will be the fact that Pakistan have not won a home series for more than two years. Their last success was against Westindies in November 2006.

For Sri Lanka, it is an opportunity to give their captain Mahela Jayawardene a successful farewell. Jayawardene had announced his decision to step down from captaincy at the end of the series and he has never led Sri Lanka to a Test-series win against Pakistan. It’s also a chance to score a rare series win in Pakistan - Sri Lanka’s last victory here was in 2000.

However, in order for both teams to achieve their objectives, the pitch at the Gaddafi Stadium will have to be far more bowler-friendly than the one in Karachi. A total of 1553 was scored in the first Test for the loss of only 18 wickets, six of which fell on the final day. The series, and cricket in Pakistan, cannot afford another sleep-inducing draw.

Form guide (most recent first)

PakistanDDDLD
Sri Lanka DWWWL

Watch out for …

Mahela Jayawardene: He was in poor form in the ODIs against India before coming to Pakistan but cashed in on the flat pitch in Karachi to score his fifth 200-plus score. Jayawardene will be keen to end his term as Sri Lanka captain with a substantial contribution. He averages nearly 68 as captain.

Mohammad Talha: He’s 20 years old and is highly regarded by Wasim Akram. Talha didn’t play the first Test but is tipped to make his debut in Lahore. A thin fast bowler, he generates skiddy pace and has taken 34 wickets in six Quaid-e-Azam matches this season.

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New Zealand v India, 2nd Twenty20, Wellington

Calm McCullum sets up series victory

New Zealand 150 for 5 (McCullum 69*) beat India 149 for 6 (Yuvraj 50, O’Brien 2-30) by five wickets

	Brendon McCullum unbeaten 69 fetched him his second consecutive Man-of-the-Match award in the series © Getty Images

Brendon McCulum ave yet another masterclass in Twenty20 batting, keeping his nerve to shepherd New Zealand to a last-ball win. The match followed a similar script to the Christchurch game for 37 overs, with New Zealand completely in control, before Irfan Pathan’s double-strike in the 18th over of the chase sparked India to life.

From a requirement of 28 off the last three overs with eight wickets in hand, it came down to nine runs off three balls. A calm Brendon McCullum slapped a couple of powerful boundaries, before a top-edge off the final delivery sailed agonisingly beyond the grasp of Rohit Sharma at mid-off to seal the victory.

The home side looked as if they would coast to a win when the openers, McCullum and Jesse Ryder, waded into India’s new-ball pair. Ryder clubbed the first ball into the crowd beyond long-on to launch a rollicking opening stand that raised 52 off 4.3 overs.

All the talk before India embarked on the tour was of swinging pitches and their potent fast bowlers, but it was the spinners who brought India back into contention today. Harbhajan Singh, making intelligent use of his doosra, and Ravindra Jadeja, firing the ball in, brought down New Zealand’s run-rate from 10 to around seven. During that phase McCullum, who had got off to a blazing start, was content to pick the singles.

Zaheer Khan was brought back into the attack after the spinners were through; he bowled a few unplayable snorters but they were interspersed with loose deliveries that were easily put away. With New Zealand coasting, India fought back from an unlikely quarter - Irfan Pathan. His place had been under scrutiny and he had leaked 25 from his two overs with the new ball. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni tossed Irfan the ball with three overs to go even though Ishant Sharma had two overs left.

A swinging yorker removed Ross Taylor’s offstump second ball and Jacob Oram went for a golden duck, edging a short, wide delivery to the keeper. Only five came from that over, but Yuvraj conceded 11 off the next leaving the home side needing 12 from the last six balls. The tension ratcheted up as Irfan kept it full, conceding only three singles from the first three balls before a nerveless McCullum showed why he’s such a feared opponent, ensuring that New Zealand maintained their 100% Twenty20 record against India - played three, won three.

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Australia and Pakistan to play five ODIs in UAE

Australia will play five ODIs and a Twenty20 against Pakistan in the UAE between April 22 and May 7. The first two ODIs will be played in Dubai and the rest in Abu Dhabi, with the teams returning to Dubai for the Twenty20 game, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday.

The Australians, currently in South Africa, will fly directly Dubai after the fifth ODI of the tour, in Johannesburg on April 17, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman said.

Australia had cancelled their tour of Pakistan in the wake of the heightened violence in March 2008, and were expected to visit the country separately for the ODI and Test series this year. Venues in England, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai had been considered as alternatives in a discussion with Cricket Australia officials on the sidelines of an ICC executive board meeting late last month.

The PCB had turned down the offer to stage the matches at a neutral venue when CA initially expressed their reluctance to tour last year. Butt had said there was a possibility of hosting the Test series against Australia at neutral venues as well. “If Australia do not play the Tests in Pakistan there is a possibility of playing the Test series in England,” he said.

Australia have not played in Pakistan since 1998. In 2002, due to security concerns, a three Test series between the two sides in Pakistan was shifted to Colombo and Sharjah.

Schedule:
April 22: First ODI at Dubai
April 24: Second ODI at Dubai
April 27: Third ODI at Abu Dhabi
May 1: Fourth ODI at Abu Dhabi
May 3: Fifth ODI at Abu Dhabi
May 7: Twenty20 at Dubai

Triple-ton propels Younis to No. 1 spot

YOUNIS KHAN has jumped up six places to the No. 1 spot in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen following his 313 against Sri Lanka in the first Test at the National Stadium in Karachi. Younis scored a triple-century in the run-fest - the match also included two double-hundreds and a 150-plus score - and the new Pakistan captain’s effort in their first Test in 14 months was enough to topple West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Younis’ 313 helped Pakistan amass 765 for 6 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 644 for 7. His was the third triple-century by a Pakistan batsman following Hanif Mohammad’s 337 against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1958 and Inzamam-ul-Haq’s 329 against New Zealand in Lahore being the others.

It marked a positive start with the bat for Pakistan’s new leader; this was Younis’ first game in charge since he took over from Shoaib Malik last month. Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, remained in fourth spot, despite his 248 in Karachi, with Kumar Sangakkara in third. With only a one-point lead, Younis will however find it tough to retain his position.

In the bowlers’ rankings, Muttiah Muralitharan’s lead at the top was reduced to 17 points after he took just the one wicket in 65 overs in Karachi, while Chaminda Vaas dropped two places to No. 10.

ICC Player Rankings