Shahid Afridi to retire from One Day International cricket

‘Boom Boom’ Afridi has finally decided to call it a day as far as One Day International Cricket is concerned. He was disheartened by the decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board, when he was removed from ODI Captaincy last week.

Pakistan will play two ODI matches against Ireland later this month and the Captaincy was handed over toMisbah-Ul-Haq. Misbah is also leading the Pakistan side in the ongoing two-match Test series in West Indies.

According to sources, Afridi was disappointed with the decision of the PCB, which came even after he led the team from the front in the past few months.

Pakistan was able to win the series against New Zealand 3-2, gave a real fight in the World Cup, registering themselves in the best four teams of the tournament and finally bagged a series win by 3-2, over the West Indies.

Afridi was the leading wicket taker in the World Cup by grabbing 21 wickets at an excellent average of 12.85 and best figures of 5/16.

Earlier, quite a few ex-cricketers, including Salahuddin Ahmed, Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim and formerChairman PCB Tauqir Zia, lashed out at the current PCB chief, Ijaz Butt, on his decision.

They were all convinced that Afridi is the best choice to lead the team in the shorter versions of the game and has proven it in the recent past.

Ijaz Butt further disgraced Afridi by stating that his place in the team was uncertain and will be subject to his performance.

The former Pakistani skipper had differences with the team coach, Waqar Younis, and brought that news in media, annoying the PCB.

Afridi has represented Pakistan in 325 ODI matches and has scored 6695 runs at an average of 23.49 runs.

He has grabbed 315 wickets at an average of 34.22 runs per wicket with the best of 6 for 38 runs.

Afridi is a dashing all rounder and still holds the record of the fastest century in an ODI, which he scored in just 37 balls, against Sri Lanka at Nairobi.

It will be a sad moment for cricket lovers all around the world and especially in Pakistan if he quits from cricket due to mishandling by the PCB.

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Ross Taylor accepts challenging role in the face of expectations

Ross Taylor was picked up by Rajasthan Royals this season amidst great expectations. He was inducted as a 'finisher' who can lift any innings to a higher level or salvage one on the verge of collapse.

He came into the limelight during the match against a strong Pakistan side who had recently beaten the Kiwis at their home.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 game was staged at Kandy, Sri Lanka on 8 March, 2011. The Kiwis’ had lost two wickets at 55 runs when Taylor entered the arena. Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar had been utterly dominating the Black Caps.

Taylor was lucky to be dropped a couple of times early in his inning by the Pakistan wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.

Pouncing on the opportunity, Taylor changed the complexion of the game by thrashing Pakistani bowlers to death. He remained unbeaten in the match with 131 runs off 124 balls aided with seven towering sixes and eight powerful fours.

New Zealand was able to post 302 runs in the 50 overs and bowled out Pakistan for 192 runs. Taylor had singlehandedly devastated the Green Caps, leading his side to victory.

After that stellar innings, Taylor has a lot to live up to, especially in the Twenty20 format prevailing in the Indian Premier League.

"It is probably something that has been put upon me over the last three or four years," Taylor told ESPNcricinfo.

"It is different. It is not a role I do for my team back home in New Zealand, or for New Zealand at international level but it is something I do enjoy,” he added.

Taylor takes the expectations as a challenge but the shorter version of the game requires a change of tactics.

"There are not many batsmen who can come out and smack the ball from ball one and do it consistently. So you still have to give yourself a chance. It depends on many runs you have to get and how many balls you have to go. Then you can decide how many balls you have to get in."

Rajasthan Royals have won four games so far in the ongoing Indian Premier league. Taylor has not yet had to prove himself or save a collapsing side.

However, the Rajasthan Royals are looking forward to book their place in the Semi-finals. They have been winning the home matches so far and will be looking to bag the rest as well. Taylor’s presence is a definite advantage for his side, it’s not just his batting talent that is of value, but his experience being the Vice Captain of his national side also comes in to play.

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RUDOLPH AMBITIOUS TO REPRESENT SOUTH AFRICA AGAIN

The famous South African batsman, Jacques Andries Rudolph, is anxious to represent his country again in International cricket. Jacques was born on 4^th May, 1981, in Springs, Transvaal, South Africa. A left handed batsman and an occasional leg break googly bowler, Rudolph is a good player to have in the South African squad.

Jacques first appeared for the Proteas against India in a One Day International (ODI) match on 13^th April, 2003, in Dhaka and made his Test debut against Bangladesh on 24^th April, 2003, in Chittagong. He appeared in the only T20 against Australia on 9^th January, 2006, in Brisbane.

He has played 35 Test matches, scored 2028 runs at a healthy average of 36.21 runs and his best innings is an unbeaten 222 runs. He has five centuries and eight fifties to his name in his Test career.

Rudolph has an impressive ODI record as well. He has taken part in 45 ODIs’, scored 1174 runs at an average of 35.57 runs and he scored 81 runs in his best innings. He has seven fifties to his name in his ODI career.

Rudolph has recently finished the first domestic season in South Africa on a high note after taking part in the County Cricket in England.

He achieved the distinction of the highest scorer in the Super Sport Series and held the second spot of scoring the highest runs for the Titans in the MTN40. He also led the franchise with his leadership qualities, being praised all over the cricket fraternity, and he seemed to be a changed person.

"Looking back over the last nine or 10 years, I've learnt a lot", Rudolph told ESPNcricinfo. "There were a lot of character building things that happened in my career and I'm in a good space at the moment".

He played his last ODI against Australia in February 2006 and last Test against Sri Lanka in August 2006 for the Proteas. Thereafter, his career diminished and he looked like giving up International cricket when he joined Yorkshire for four years and then opted out of the South African national cricket team.

He matured his game by inducting himself in County cricket which gave him a boost and capacious confidence, thus, encouraging him to join the National side again that currently seems to be depleted after being thrown out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in the quarterfinal against New Zealand on 25^th March, 2011. The team was labeled as “Chokers” once again in light of their disastrous World Cup campaign.

Rudolph reacted by commenting, “We do carry this tag of chokers", when assessing what went wrong at the ICC event. "Some people think it's fair, others think it's unfair. I think, to a degree, that it's unfair. But, in pressure situations, we just haven't been able to go through".

Rudolph anticipates being back in the South African side soon and will enable them to come out of the pressure with positive results in prestigious games with his ability to lead them from the front in future, provided they have faith in his leadership qualities.

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South Africa batsman Jacques Rudolph eyeing a comeback to international cricket

South African batsman Jacques Rudolph has claimed to be ready for an International comeback, after showing some strong performances in the domestic season. He last played for the national-side back in 2006, but has been unable to impress the selectors since then. The stylish left-hander has represented his team in 35 Test matches, 45 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and just one T20 game.
The 29-year-old stated, “Looking back over the last nine or 10 years, I've learnt a lot. There were a lot of character building things that happened in my career and I'm in a good space at the moment. My first priority is to try and get back into the team and to establish myself in all three forms of the game.”
Rudolph doesn’t have good memories of the last matches he played for his team in any format of the game. The last international game he played for his country was a Test match against Sri Lanka, in August 2006. However, he was unable to make an impression back then, scoring a total of 28 runs in both his innings. The Proteas lost that match by just one wicket in the end.
South Africa were also on the losing side in the last ODI and T20, which featured Rudolph. The promising left-hander would want to change this history and contribute to his team’s success in the future, especially in difficult circumstances. He performed well under pressure situations in the domestic events, both as a player and a leader of the Titans.
Commenting on his team’s inability to perform in pressure situations, Rudolph stated, “We do carry this tag of chokers. Some people think it's fair, others think it's unfair. I think, to a degree, that it's unfair. But, in pressure situations, we just haven't been able to go through.”
Like many other South Africans, Rudolph was also disappointed over his team’s failure to live up to the expectations in the ICC World Cup 2011. The Proteas had a very strong start to the tournament, ending up at the top of their pool. However, they were unable to go through the knockout stages, losing their quarter-final match against a weaker New Zealand side.

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Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming satisfied with bowling and fielding displays

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming accredited his team’s 25-run win over Pune Warriors India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai to the bowlers and fielders of the side.

He urged the players to emulate the standard of fielding in the upcoming matches of the ongoing Indian Premier League.

“We would look to replicate this standard of fielding in our coming matches,” said the former New Zealand skipper while talking to the reporters at the post-match media conference. “Today, we were desperate to win. This kind of fielding helps the bowler to be a bit more confident and gives the skipper much more confidence to dictate the game.”

Fleming confessed that their fielding was below par in the previous games and they were desperate to make the difference. He insisted that the side still needs to work hard in this department.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men were quite unimpressive with the bat as the side managed to score 142 for 6 in 20 overs- thanks to the heroics of Michael Hussey who scored 61 off 48 balls hitting 4 boundaries and a six. In reply, the Warriors were 117 for 9 at the end of their allotted 20 overs.

The 38-year-old New Zealander admitted that Chennai were 15 odd runs short of a competitive score. Even then, he was happy with his bowlers and fielders were successful in putting the opposition under pressure in the second half of the game.

“We knew it was a below par score. Since our best players were struggling on that track, we felt it would be a tough score to attain,” said Fleming.

“We knew we had to bowl and field well. We increased the pressure on the rival batsmen as the match progressed. When they were scoring at six runs an over, we knew we had a good chance to win the match,” he added further.

The Chennai coach termed Jesse Ryder’s wicket as the turning point in the game. Fleming said that had the hard-hitting Kiwi batsman gone for some big hits, it would have been quite difficult for them to defend their total.

The defending champions are currently placed on number four on the tournament points table with a tally of 6 points from 3 victories in 5 games.

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NEW ZEALAND URGES THE ICC TO RESTRICT THE WORLD CUP 2015 TO THE TOP-TEN TEAMS

Co-hosts of the International Cricket Council World Cup 2015, New Zealand, have urged the ICC to continue with the decision of trimming the next World Cup to ten full-members, saying that this format becomes easy to organise for the hosts.

New Zealand Cricket Boss, Justin Vaughan said, “A 12-team competition would necessitate the introduction of a Super Sixes stage in between two pools of six and an elimination round.”

Vaughan said that the Super Six Stage creates problems due to the uncertainty of the teams playing, along with the venues. He added that it becomes exceedingly difficult to organise international visitors, as there is no assurance to which team will play where.

The ICC’s second thoughts of reconsidering the decision have raised many speculations. First, it is expected that the tournament will be expanded to a 14-team tournament like 2011, or it may be a 12-team competition.

On the other hand, there is also a possibility that the ICC may introduce a qualifying tournament between the two best performing associate nations, as well as two low performing full-members.

Vaughan also revealed that they are in the process of appointing a Chief Executive Officer for the 2015 edition of the World Cup, a move which cannot take place until they get the final list of the participant teams.

The ICC, two days after the World Cup 2011, had announced to restrict the next mega event to ten heavy weight teams only. Following this decision, the world’s cricket governing body had to face a serious reaction from the Associate nations.

Ireland, along with the 94 other associate and affiliate members decided to legally challenge the ICC’s decision. As a result of the reaction, the President of ICC Executive Board, Sharad Pawar, requested the governing body to reconsider their decision at their annual conference, to be held in the end of June.

The minnows, especially Ireland have now pinned high hopes from the annual conference. Ireland has been one of the most active team among the minnows, after the side enjoyed sizzling wins in their group stage matches in the World Cup.

The Irish put up a spirited performance in the tournament, after the team beat England in a huge upset. Chasing a big-target of 328 runs, Kevin O’ Brien hit the fastest century in the World Cup history, to lift his side to a massive win.

Vaughan added, "Look, I am sympathetic to Ireland, in particular, and the way they have performed at world events."

The New Zealand boss said that the ICC, while reviewing the decision should come up with a quick decision about the playing nations for the 2015 edition of the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Australia.

In addition, co-host Australia have also supported the ICC’s first idea of excluding the minnows, from the next edition of the tournament.

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Stephen Fleming not decisive of pursuing a coaching career

Former skipper of the New Zealand cricket team, Stephen Fleming, whose name has been in the news for the next coach of the Indian national squad, has said that he has not yet decided to take coaching as a full-time job.
Dwelling upon the topic, Fleming, who is currently coaching the Chennai Super Kings said, “I’m enjoying coaching Chennai Super Kings. I got my hands full at CSK. It is good experience. I haven’t thought a lot about my coaching career. It is something that I’ll consider as time goes on.”
Talking about his current job, the Kiwi said that it was a great challenge for him to take on the opportunity, as he is trying to develop his coaching philosophies in these two months.
While addressing the post-match conference after the Chennai side lost to the Mumbai Indians by eight runs, Fleming said that the narrow defeat at the Wankhede stadium was mainly contributed by the loss of quick wickets.
Commenting upon his team’s performance in the match, the former skipper said, “We are not quite getting across the victory line. We let another game slip away. We did OK in the field to restrict a powerful batting line up like theirs to 160 on a wicket that was getting better and better. We just lost key wickets at key moments.”
He was of the view that the match changed its’ position after the loss of Mike Hussey and MS Dhoni’s wickets. Fleming also praised the impressive fielding displayed by the Mumbai Indians and said that it proved to be a decisive factor between the two sides.
The left-handed opener was of the view that though the fielding in the Indian Premier League had met new standards, the Mumbai Indians had particularly displayed a terrific performance on the field, saving about 15 to 20 runs in the match.
Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma took a splendid catch to get rid of the Chennai Super Kings skipper Dhoni, in their previous encounter. The catch was the turning point of the match, as Dhoni certainly has the capability to take the game away from the opposition.
Fleming said that though his boys could not display an equal standard of fielding, they would certainly try to do better on the ground next time. The CSK coach added that though his team was competing well in the IPL tournament, they will have to focus on winning games to ensure that they do not fall behind in the competition.
The former Kiwi skipper said that they were striving for devising a success formula for their team. Fleming added that his side have already laid the foundation and are now putting in their efforts to get better, as the tournament lingers on.

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STEPHEN FLEMING NOT DECISIVE OF PURSUING A COACHING CAREER

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Former skipper of the New Zealand cricket team, Stephen Fleming, whose name has been in the news for the next coach of the Indian national squad, has said that he has not yet decided to take coaching as a full-time job.

Dwelling upon the topic, Fleming, who is currently coaching the Chennai Super Kings said, “I’m enjoying coaching Chennai Super Kings. I got my hands full at CSK. It is good experience. I haven’t thought a lot about my coaching career. It is something that I’ll consider as time goes on.”

Talking about his current job, the Kiwi said that it was a great challenge for him to take on the opportunity, as he is trying to develop his coaching philosophies in these two months.

While addressing the post-match conference after the Chennai side lost to the Mumbai Indians by eight runs, Fleming said that the narrow defeat at the Wankhede stadium was mainly contributed by the loss of quick wickets.

Commenting upon his team’s performance in the match, the former skipper said, “We are not quite getting across the victory line. We let another game slip away. We did OK in the field to restrict a powerful batting line up like theirs to 160 on a wicket that was getting better and better. We just lost key wickets at key moments.”

He was of the view that the match changed its’ position after the loss of Mike Hussey and MS Dhoni’s wickets. Fleming also praised the impressive fielding displayed by the Mumbai Indians and said that it proved to be a decisive factor between the two sides.

The left-handed opener was of the view that though the fielding in the Indian Premier League had met new standards, the Mumbai Indians had particularly displayed a terrific performance on the field, saving about 15 to 20 runs in the match.

Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma took a splendid catch to get rid of the Chennai Super Kings skipper Dhoni, in their previous encounter. The catch was the turning point of the match, as Dhoni certainly has the capability to take the game away from the opposition.

Fleming said that though his boys could not display an equal standard of fielding, they would certainly try to do better on the ground next time. The CSK coach added that though his team was competing well in the IPL tournament, they will have to focus on winning games to ensure that they do not fall behind in the competition.

The former Kiwi skipper said that they were striving for devising a success formula for their team. Fleming added that his side have already laid the foundation and are now putting in their efforts to get better, as the tournament lingers on.

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Kamran Akmal wishes to join the Pakistan team as a specialist batsman

Kamran Akmal, Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batsman, who has been under much criticism for displaying a dismal performance in the ICC World Cup 2011, has expressed his resolve to make a come-back to the national team, albeit this time in capacity of a specialist batsman.
The wicket-keeper had been ignored for the One Day International series against the West Indies and had been replaced by the emerging player Mohammad Salman for the tour.
Kamran has been into troubled water since the Sydney Test played in January 2010. The selectors have been overlooking him for Test and ODI matches but he has always managed to make a come-back to the national squad.
Speaking in context of his recent omission from the team and expressing his desire to join the team again, even in a different role, he said, “If Pakistan can find a better wicketkeeper than me then I will try to make a comeback as a specialist batsman because batting is something I enjoy a lot and I can bat at any position.”
Having had played 53 Test and 137 ODI matches, Kamran has managed to put six Test and five ODI centuries on the board so far. For seeing an altogether different role for himself in the team, the right-handed batsman said that he was striving to polish his batting skills further as he was desperate to join the national team again. He was of the view that he wanted to serve his country, and was ready to play whatever role the selectors may see for him in the side.
After being constantly overlooked for the encounters against South Africa and New Zealand, Kamran was called to join the team for the World Cup after he got clearance from the integrity committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board. After being neglected for the ODI series against West Indies, there is news that he may not be able to make an appearance into the Test squad either.
Commenting upon the news and the attitude he was being meted out by the selection committee, the wicket-keeper said, “It is true I have had some bad matches in recent months but my performances should be viewed on overall basis. Overall my performance as a wicket-keeper has been fine and I’ve one of the highest dismissals among all the wicket-keepers who have played for Pakistan.”
He said that so far he was the only Pakistani wicket-keeper who has had over 400 dismissals in all formats of cricket. However, he also admitted that his performance against New Zealand in the World Cup Group match was unsatisfactory and the two crucial catches that he dropped haunted him even now.
Kamran also lamented the fact that people were not allowing him to forget the incident and to move on. Referring to that very day of his career, he said that it seemed cursed and people were just criticising him for not putting up against the Kiwis. The people were not acknowledging the performance he displayed against the Australian cricket team.
Kamran also added that as there are not many domestic tournaments being played in the country, he will continue playing club cricket and will look forward to feature in the Sri Lanka T20 League this year.

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FAF DU PLESSIS AND JAMES FRANKLIN

Faf du Plessis and James Franklin are two dynamic all rounders that are making their mark in the current Indian Premier League tournament. Both players have an intense competitive spirit and tremendous skills to single-handedly guide their respective teams to victory. As the event builds momentum, the players will be looking to put in a good performance with both the bat and the ball.

High-lights of the two young all rounders, Faf du Plessis of Chennai Super Kings and James Franklin who is representing Mumbai Indians are as follows:

Faf du Plessis was born on July 13, 1984 at Pretoria. He is a right-hand batsman and right-arm leg break bowler.

He has played for South Africa, Titans, Lancashire, South Africa Under-19, Northerns and Chennai Super Kings.

Faf du Plessis is A Young and energetic batsman who has the ability to command the innings in the middle-order. He started performing well at the school level, groomed himself on the domestic level and matured his cricket representing Lancashire County. He gave a rousing performance for his county while batting, bowling and fielding which caught the eyes of the national selectors.

He was included in the South African Under-19 side and had successful trips with them. Du Plessis grabbed the top position in the MTN40 competition by scoring 567 runs in the ten matches he played, which paved the way for his selection in the National side against India just before the ICC World Cup 2011. He made an impression in his inaugural One Day International by scoring 60 runs off 78 balls at Cape Town on January 18, 2011. He is a useful leg break bowler who can give positive results once inducted into the attack.

Du Plessis made his debut in T20 cricket appearing for the Titans against the Eagles on February 25, 2007 at the Centurian, where his team won by four wickets as he took a wicket and scored 33 runs.

He has played 43 T20 matches, scored 692 runs at an average of 20.35 runs, the best of unbeaten 78 runs with three fifties. He has taken 34 wickets at an average of 18.41 runs per wicket with the best of three for 18 runs.

Du Plessis will be a player to watch during the exciting tournament.

James Franklin was born on November 7, 1980 at Wellington, New Zealand. He is a left-hand batsman and left-arm medium fast bowler.

He has played for New Zealand, Wellington, Gloucestershire, Glamorgan and Mumbai Indians.

Franklin is a competent bowler who has the quality for swinging the ball both ways and his reverse swings are lethal for the batsman facing them. He appeared for Lancashire in county cricket for quite a while before he was called to represent his country in the absence of injured Shane Bond. Franklin picked up six wickets in the Test against England at Trent Bridge and gave a brilliant performance in the ODI series and earned the ‘Man of the Match’ award at Chester-le-Street on June 29, 2004 for claiming five wickets for 42 runs in 10 overs.

He has developed himself as a solid batsman who has all the strokes and has played quite a few match-winning innings for the teams that he has played for.

Franklin made his debut in T20 cricket appearing for Gloucestershire against Glamorgan on July 14, 2004.

He has played 67 matches, scored 1430 runs at an average of 31.08 runs with the best of 90 runs including six fifties. He has pocketed 38 wickets at an average of 37.47 runs per wicket with the best of three for 23 runs.

Franklin has been a consistent performer for the Mumbai Indians and they will anticipate a match winning contribution from him both with the bat and ball throughout the IPL.

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Abdul Razzaq: Time to Ponder his future in Pakistan Cricket

Pakistan’s ever reliable all-rounder Abdul Razzaq is perhaps at the twilight of his career and it appears as if the time has come for him to seriously start pondering over his future in Pakistan cricket after he was dropped from the Pakistan squad for the West Indies series.

After the ICC World Cup 2011, which concluded on April 2, the selection committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to exclude the all-rounder, who lacked the will to win matches for the home side throughout the mega event.

Razzaq’s lacklustre performance in the ICC world Cup 2011 is being blamed for his exclusion from the squad. However, the defiant all-rounder refuses to admit that he did not perform up to the mark and has shown disappointment after not being considered for the West Indies tour.

According to him, he was sent way down the batting order when he wanted to bat at number three. He argued that the team management had not taken full advantage of his talent. Nonetheless, the fact remains that it was not just his batting that lacked fire, his bowling was equally disappointing.

Razzaq has always been regarded as a match winning player for his home side but for the last few series he has been a mediocre player, which leads one to think that perhaps the time has come for the PCB to start looking for another all-rounder as his replacement.

No one can deny the fact that in November, 2010, Razzaq played a gem of an innings when he single handedly won Pakistan a match against the mighty South Africans in a One-Day series played in the United Arab Emirates.

“The soldier” as he his nicknamed in Pakistan, completely snatched a victory out of the grasps of Graeme Smith’s men. The five-match One-Day series was kept alive because of Razzaq’s match winning performance with the bat. Nonetheless, the series was taken by the Proteas 3-2.

After this, it was off to New Zealand, where Pakistan had a commendable tournament. After losing the three-match Twenty20 series 2-1, the Men in Green bounced back by taking the six-match one-day series 3-2 and then went on to win the two-match Test series 1-0. Razzaq did not play a big role in the tour but because of his killer instinct, he was included in the World Cup squad.

Now, it seems as if the PCB has had enough and wants him replaced. The intentions of the board became clear when in April the chairman of the PCB, Ijaz Butt, hit hard on Razzaq and discarded wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal by saying that the players should either impress the selectors by their performance or retire from the sport.

The retirement call from the chairman of the board should be alarming for Razzaq and he seriously needs to weigh all his options. The 31-year old Razzaq believes that he can still perform for the national side for another two to three years but for that he needs to prove his will and fitness. Otherwise, with so many young players coming up, it is going to be increasingly difficult for the veteran all-rounder to make his place in the side.

Winds of change are definitely blowing in Pakistan cricket as skipper Shahid Afridi has also favoured the inclusion of young players in the national squad, especially in the shorter versions of the game. In a situation like this, if Razzaq manages to pull off one or two winning performances, he will surely get his place back in the national team because there is no doubt in his abilities. Until the cricket management finds a younger version of Razzaq, he will always have a chance to climb back into the ranks of the national team.

Razzaq deserves to go out with a bang just like former great Imran Khan and the ICC T20 Championship 2012 will be the best opportunity for the all-rounder to shine. If Razzaq finally decides to bounce back to his best, he is certain to make life for his opponents miserable.

The PCB should not discard him and make sure that he is given a fair chance to make a comeback in the national squad. While on the other hand, Razzaq should not think with emotions and instead look at the situation at hand practically and realise that he needs to make an extra effort to prove his willingness to play for Pakistan.

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Anjum Chopra raises demand for women’s IPL

Former captain of the Indian women cricket team, Anjum Chopra reckons that an Indian Premier League should be launched for the women’s side also, considering the promising potential they possess.

She suggested that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should look into the matter in order to further promote and recognize women’s contribution to the sport.

"There should be an IPL for the women's team also because we have the potential and BCCI should think about it. They have taken lots of effort in promoting women's cricket across the globe, so this step can add value to women's cricket," she said.

Anjum celebrated the fact that the female are quickly catching up with their male counterparts in the world of cricket, especially with the advent of women’s World Cup and Twenty20 tournaments.

"Women's cricket has witnessed improvement with the World Cup, especially T20 tournaments, taking place at the same ground. So I feel that women's cricket is improving by leaps and bounds," Ms. Chopra maintained.

Regarding the launch of her book last month, Chopra said the piece of writing was her way of promoting women’s cricket. She has used the print medium to describe the journey of the Indian women’s squad, and has adopted a subjective narration style, while including the historic perspective in her writings. This work is the first of its kind in India to document the progress of women’s cricket.

Her documentary film ‘Poor cousins of million dollar babies’ was the only Indian entry that was nominated for the Arnold Sports Film Festival in Canada. All the movies in the competition were chosen by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The idea behind the conception of the 30-minute flick was to show that Indian women cricket is flourishing in the face of social disparities and inconsistencies.

Chopra has also done a television curtain raiser for Indian women’s cricket.

Anjum Chopra made her One Day Internationals debut on February 12, 1995 when her team contested New Zealand at Christchurch. She played her first Test Cricket match the same year on November 17, 1995 against England at Eden Gardens, in Kolkata. She has performed in 12 test matches and 121 One Day Internationals to date.

Former captain of the Indian women cricket team, Anjum Chopra reckons that an Indian Premier League should be launched for the women’s side also, considering the promising potential they possess.

She suggested that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should look into the matter in order to further promote and recognize women’s contribution to the sport.

"There should be an IPL for the women's team also because we have the potential and BCCI should think about it. They have taken lots of effort in promoting women's cricket across the globe, so this step can add value to women's cricket," she said.

Anjum celebrated the fact that the female are quickly catching up with their male counterparts in the world of cricket, especially with the advent of women’s World Cup and Twenty20 tournaments.

"Women's cricket has witnessed improvement with the World Cup, especially T20 tournaments, taking place at the same ground. So I feel that women's cricket is improving by leaps and bounds," Ms. Chopra maintained.

Regarding the launch of her book last month, Chopra said the piece of writing was her way of promoting women’s cricket. She has used the print medium to describe the journey of the Indian women’s squad, and has adopted a subjective narration style, while including the historic perspective in her writings. This work is the first of its kind in India to document the progress of women’s cricket.

Her documentary film ‘Poor cousins of million dollar babies’ was the only Indian entry that was nominated for the Arnold Sports Film Festival in Canada. All the movies in the competition were chosen by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The idea behind the conception of the 30-minute flick was to show that Indian women cricket is flourishing in the face of social disparities and inconsistencies.

Chopra has also done a television curtain raiser for Indian women’s cricket.

Anjum Chopra made her One Day Internationals debut on February 12, 1995 when her team contested New Zealand at Christchurch. She played her first Test Cricket match the same year on November 17, 1995 against England at Eden Gardens, in Kolkata. She has performed in 12 test matches and 121 One Day Internationals to date.

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