Zaka Ashraf finally takes the charge as PCB Chairman

The ex-president of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), Zaka Ashraf, has finally taken the charge as Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) Chairman on October 29, 2011, after being appointed by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, replacing Ijaz Butt.
There were two main reasons behind the delay in Zaka taking charge, firstly he had to resign as president of ZTBL, and the other was the death of Nusrat Bhutto, the mother in law of President Zardari.
Yesterday Zaka was warmly recieved at Gaddafi Stadium; however, Subhan Ahmad, the PCB’s Chief Operating Officer, asked critics and fans to give the new chairman some time before hoping drastic changes in the PCB.
 “Today is my first day and I need about two to three months to settle down during which I will study the system before making any decisions,” Ashraf told reporters in Lahore. “My target is to revive the lost glory of the Pakistan cricket on domestic and International level. I will work on bringing International cricket back to Pakistan by meeting all the security concerns.”
The main issue on his agenda will be the comeback of Pakistan star all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi, who recently proclaimed his return to International cricket. The 31-year-old all-rounder had announced his conditional retirement a few months ago..
“In my opinion, Afridi is a great one-day player. However, I will have a discussion with the experts about him and my thoughts can be changed. Afridi has contacted me and I will meet him soon.”
Though critics are cynical regarding improvement in Pakistan cricket, Ashraf intends revitalization, and hopes to bring much needed change in the running of the board.
Zaka said that apart from Afridi, Pakistan is a fertile soil when it comes to cricketing talent, and he will be working for developing the same, ensuring that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) does more in this regard as well.
He also shared that he will be meeting former greats for advice on improving the domestic structure of the country.
The Chairman PCB further revealed that he aims to promote talent, for which committees will be established across the country.

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Imran Khan asks ICC to adopt new ways to curb match-fixing

Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan has asked International Cricket Council (ICC) to find innovative ways to curb the evil of match-fixing, as it is extremely hard to detect and prove the offense.
Khan commented on the match-fixing a few days after former Sri Lankan captain Hashan Tillakaratne blew the whistle on corruption in cricket and alleged that Sri Lankan team has been involved in match-fixing since 1992.
The genie of match-fixing came out of the bottle, when the former Lankan skipper claimed to have crucial evidences and threatened to disclose some big names in the near future.
Pakistan’s former captain Rashid Latif also endorsed Tillakaratne’s claim and said that the fixing is a severe issue which needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Latif explained that he was sure that Tillakaratne had evidence to back his claims.
"I have no doubt he has evidence but it all depends on how things go no. If strikes a deal with Sri Lankan authorities than the matter will be brushed under the carpet as in other instances in the past," Latif said.
Analysing the situation, Imran Khan stated that he had no idea about the source of fixing and it was always tough to identify such cases.
"I have no clue whether it happens or not. People can only point it out but it`s very difficult to prove. Special measures are required to deal with the menace,” Khan said.
Khan added, "The ICC should find new ways to control it. There should be a sort of check.”
Meanwhile, Khan made it clear that when the allegations had come up for the first time in Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should have taken serious step to control the menace.
ICC has already announced its zero-tolerance policy regarding the corruption in the game. Cricket in Pakistan has already suffered a lot due to fixing issues. Three top Pakistani cricketers, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were charged with lengthy bans after proven guilty earlier this year.
Khan further predicted that if necessary actions are not taken, the situation could get worse with every passing day.

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FLAWED BATTING ORDER COST PAKISTAN SEMI FINAL GAME AGAINST INDIA IMRAN KHAN

Pakistan's former World Cup winning captain, Imran Khan, blamed the national team to have a flawed batting order for its 29-run defeat against arch-rivals India in the semi-final of the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011.

"I kept on saying that you need to send your best batsmen at the top so that they can save wickets”, said Khan while talking to the media on the sidelines of a function arranged to honour Elite panel umpire, Aleem Dar. Dar was one of the officials in the high-pressure World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka.

“When you preserve your wickets, the pressure transfers to the fielding side and if you have couple of hard hitters in the team, you can always score quick runs in the final overs", he further added.

The cricketer-turned-politician said that the same strategy was followed by the team in the knockout matches during 1987 and 1992 editions of the World Cup.

The former cricket star of Pakistan admitted that losing to the Men in Blue, led by Dhoni, in the semis still hurts and it is hard to accept the loss. Imran reckoned that Afridi and his men crumbled under pressure.

Imran Khan said that the Cornered Tigers were outstanding throughout the mega event prior to collapsing under the pressure of the semi-final. The former Pakistani cricket captain said that he was not expecting that the team would come under pressure.

"What disappoints me is that this team overall performed very well and reached the semi-finals when no one expected it to go this far”, said the 58-year-old. "But once they had got into the semi-final and knew it was going to be a high pressure match against India, the players should have been ready for the situation. Unfortunately they buckled under the pressure", he further added.

The former all-rounder ace is frustrated that the co-hosts were under immense pressure of playing in front of home crowd as well as their title favourites tag. He said that the whole batting line-up of India, except forVirender Sehwag, was under pressure and this led to quite a number of soft dismissals as well.

He said that pressure on the Indian team could be better judged from the fact that a world class performer like Sachin Tendulkar offered at least four chances to the opposition to send him back to the pavilion.

Khan further commented that the under pressure Men in Blue seemed to be all set for a defeat but Pakistani batsmen failed to absorb the pressure on themselves and collapsed. Imran said that once wickets started falling, the pressure started to mount on incoming batsmen and it became difficult for them to perform. The legendary all-rounder noted tactical mistakes in the game as well.

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