My omission from Pakistan team was unfair, says Ahmed Shehzad

Out of favour Pakistani opening batsman, Ahmed Shehzad, has dismissed claims that he is an ill-disciplined cricketer and vowed to make a comeback to the national team by performing in the domestic cricket of Pakistan.
Shehzad was dropped from the national team after Pakistan’s tour of West Indies earlier this year because of disciplinary reasons.
The right-handed batsman came through the ranks of junior cricket in the country, and since the beginning of his career, has faced criticism over his behaviour and attitude.
Shehzad has been fined a number of times by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as well. However, PCB lost patience earlier this year and dropped him from the national team.
The former manager of Pakistan team, Intikhab Alam, stated that Shehzad is a talented cricketer but he hails from a disturbed family background, which is the reason why he is not able to cope with the work ethics of professional cricket.
However, the young cricketer from Lahore does not agree with the criticism and claims that he has never gone against the code of conduct stipulated by the PCB.
Shehzad admitted that he has faced some torrid times after being dropped from Pakistan team but said that a number of people have supported him during this time and he is really thankful to them. He further claimed that he has learnt from his mistakes and now is looking for a bright future ahead.
Shehzad said, “I don’t agree with the image that some are attempting to portray of me. A lot of people have supported me through these difficult times and I’m very grateful to them. In life you have good and bad times and in my opinion it’s all about learning from the bad times for the future.”
The opening batsman is very confident about his ability to deliver the goods at the International level and he looks to build on the impressive start.
“I made two international centuries at such a young age within the space of a couple of months and then came back to the Twenty20 side where I did well. I have a lot of faith in my ability,” he added.

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ICC T20I rankings: Pakistan ranks seventh as five players make the lists

Pakistan ranked in seventh two behind India in the inaugural International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 International country and player rankings. All-rounders Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Abdul Razzak, batsmen Umar Akmal and bowler Saeed Ajmal made the list of released on Monday in Dubai.

In the all-rounders list, Shahid Afridi came in second behind Australian Shane Watson. Hafeez was ranked fourth and Abdul Razzaq ranked 10^th. Spin bowler Saeed Ajmal ranked in third on the bowlers list, while batsman Umar Akmal ranked in eighth in the batsmen’s list.

England’s Eoin Morgan, and Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis topped the batsman, and bowler, respectively.

In 18 T20Is, Morgan has scored 569 runs at an average of 47.41 and only Matthew Hayden (308 runs at 51.33) and Andrew Symonds (337 runs at 48.14) have better averages than the left-hander.

While Morgan is the only batsman to boast a rating of over 800 points on the day of the launch, New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum and Kevin Pietersen of England are both within striking range.

Second-ranked McCullum is on 799 ratings points while third-ranked Pietersen is sitting on 793 ratings points.

The top 20 list includes four batsmen each from Australia and South Africa and three each from Sri Lanka and India.

Ajantha Mendis, who won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in Dubai in 2008, leads the field in the bowlers’ category.

The 26-year-old from Moratuwa is the fourth leading wicket-taker behind Pakistan trio – Shahid Afridi (53), Umar Gul (47) and Saeed Ajmal (45) – with 39 wickets in 20 matches. His bowling figures of six for 16 against Australia in Pallekele on 8 August 2011 stands as the best bowling figures in T20Is to date.

The salient feature of the bowlers’ ranking is that seven spinners figure inside the top 10.

Shane Watson leads the all-rounders’ category that also includes three Pakistanis in second-ranked Afridi, fourth-ranked Mohammad Hafeez and 10th-ranked Abdul Razzaq inside the top 10.

David Hussey is in third position as the top 10 also includes two South Africans in Jacques Kallis and Albie Morkel.

A surprise in the country ranknings was the inclusion of non test playing nation Afghanistan in the top 10 with 75 points. Zimbabwe brought up the rear with 54 points.

The full rankings, with points are listed below.

Countries: England (127), Sri Lanka (126), New Zealand (117), South Africa (113), India (112), Australia (111), Pakistan (97), West Indies (89), Afghanistan (75), Zimbabwe (54)

Batsmen: E.J.G. Morgan (832), England; B.B. McCullum (799), New Zealand; K.P. Pietersen (793), England; D.P.M.D. Jayawardena     (784), Sri Lanka; S. Raina (742), India; T.M. Dilshan (733), Sri Lanka; K.C. Sangakkara (732),Sri Lanka; Umar Akmal (714), Pakistan; S.R. Watson (701), Australia; G.C. Smith (700), South Africa.

Bowlers: B.A.W. Mendis (748), Sri Lanka; G.P. Swann (727), England; Saeed Ajmal (721), Pakistan; N.L. McCullum (711), New Zealand; J. Botha (703), South Africa; Shahid Afridi (689), Pakistan; S.W. Tait (682), Australia; D.J.G. Sammy (671), West Indies; Harbhajan Singh (653), India; S.L. Malinga (652), Sri Lanka.

All rounders: S.R. Watson (385), Australia; Shahid Afridi (339), Pakistan; D.J. Hussey (316), Australia; Mohammad Hafeez (246), Pakistan;  C.H. Gayle (194), West Indies; Yuvraj Singh (182), India; J.H. Kallis (179), South Africa;  T.M. Dilshan (169), Sri Lanka; J.A. Morkel (164), South Africa; Abdul Razzaq (163), Pakistan.

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Fielding let us down, says Mohsin Khan

The Interim coach of the Pakistan cricket team, Mohsin Hasan Khan, has blamed his team’s fielding for not being able to produce a result in the first Test of the series against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi and said that his team would have taken a 1-0 lead in the series had the fielders held on to their chances.

Pakistan was in a commanding position till the first three days of the first Test after they bowled out the visitors for a mere 197 runs on the opening day of the match. The Green Shirts bowled pretty well in the second innings as well on a very flat track; however, their fielders never responded and dropped some very straight-forward catches to give the Islanders a hope of drawing the match, which they eventually did.

A number of cricket analysts in the world have slammed the management of Pakistan cricket team for playing defensive cricket because they batted a touch slowly in their first innings and decided not to go for a reachable target in the second innings.

However, Mohsin is not ready to accept that the strategy was negative and said that it is only because of poor fielding that the Green Shirts failed to make a match of it.

“Our fielding let us down in the end. Catches are not dropped on purpose but we dropped some crucial catches at crucial times in the match and we suffered in the end due to those dropped catches,” the interim coach feels.

The former opening batsman is satisfied with his team’s performance in batting and bowling and just like many cricket fans from Pakistan, Mohsin is disappointed with the outcome of this match.

Mohsin said, “We played some good cricket and it’s disappointing not to be coming away from the first test match in Abu Dhabi with a victory under our belts. We were particularly good with both bat and ball in the first three days of the match.”

The second match of the three-match series is going to start from October 26, 2011, in Dubai. Let us hope that the pitch there is more supportive for the bowlers.

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Performing at the domestic level is the key, feels Fawad Alam

Discarded Pakistani middle-order batsman, Fawad Alam, is geared up to perform heavily in the on-going domestic cricket season in the country and believes that it is the only way he can catch the eyes of the national selectors.
The left-handed batsman made his debut for Pakistan back in 2007 but so far he has failed to cement his place in the national team, even though he has performed well at times.
A number of cricket analysts rate him as a player who can perform exceptionally well at the domestic level but cannot convert that form against the best bowlers of the world.
Fawad is currently representing the National Bank of Pakistan in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2011-12 Division One, and has started off quite well this season.
Even though the left-hander has been out of the Pakistan team since the last one year, he is very much confident of his skills and vows to make a comeback to the national team.
The left-hander said, “I have full faith in my ability and I am a resilient character who can bounce back as a better international cricketer in future.”
Fawad understands that performing in the domestic cricket of the country is the only way to catch the eyes of the selectors and the on-going Quaid-e-Azam Trophy presents him with an ideal opportunity.
"If I don't perform in domestic cricket then I won't receive a recall and that is why I have my heart set on scoring plenty of runs in the Quaid E Azam Trophy,” Fawad feels.
The 26-year-old batsman has a fantastic record at the first-class level as he is averaging 57.52 runs per innings after 69 matches, which includes 13 hundreds and 32 half-centuries. Fawad is keen to carry on with the same momentum in future as well.
He added, “I scored heavily in last season's Pentangular Trophy and I want to continue that form in this season's domestic cricket competitions also. I need to catch the eye of the selectors and hopefully be given another chance."
It is about time for Fawad to remove the tag of a player who can only perform at the domestic level.

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Ajmal and Hafeez will be the key for Pakistan :Basit Ali

Former Pakistani Test cricketer and middle-order batsman, Basit Ali, has expressed his opinion that off-spinner, Saeed Ajmal and all-rounder, Mohammad Hafeez are going to be key players for Pakistan in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.
The series between the two countries is going to start from October 18, 2011, with the first Test at Abu Dhabi.
The Sri Lankan team is going through a rebuilding phase at the moment as they no longer have the services of legendary bowlers, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas or Lasith Malinga, who has confined himself to limited overs cricket.
All these bowlers have played a big role for Sri Lanka’s Test victories in the last decade and it is surely going to be a huge challenge for the inexperienced Sri Lankan bowling attack to take 20 wickets in a match against a quality opposition like Pakistan.
On the other side of the coin, the former middle-order batsman believes that Saeed Ajmal is at the peak of his career at the moment and he is going to be a huge force in the future assignments. He also praised the performances of Mohammad Hafeez in the recent past and hopes that he is going to carry on with the same momentum.
He said, “For Pakistan, the key is Saeed Ajmal in bowling and Hafeez is in good form with bat and ball. These two players can play an important role in upcoming series.”
While talking about the new ruling of the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding two new balls at both ends in One Day International cricket, Basit said that this rule is going to favour the bowlers on green tracks and will be ideal for batsmen on flat pitches.
“It will be difficult to handle for batsman in seaming and bouncy condition but will help batsman in Asia. It would be very difficult for bowlers to bowl in Asia, which provides another advantage for batsman. The harder the ball the faster it will go and it will be easy pickings for batsman in batting friendly condition like we have in Asia,” Basit added.

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PCB TURNS DOWN AFGHANISTAN CRICKET'S REQUEST TO HOST AN ODI SERIES

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday, turned down Afghanistan Cricket’s request to host a One Day International (ODI) series between the two national teams in summer this year. The reason given by the PCB was Pakistan cricket team's busy schedule.

The Pakistan board, however, has agreed to host a one-day series featuring A team of Pakistan and national side of Afghanistan.

"We explained to the Afghanistan officials that it was not possible for our national team to play the ODI series this year due to its international schedule and domestic season requirements," said a PCB official while talking to the media reporters.

"But we told them we are ready to help them out improve their cricket standards and structure by playing series involving the Pakistan A team," he added.

Earlier, a delegation of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) met with Ijaz Butt, the Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, to discuss the cricketing relations between the neighboring countries. The delegation also requested the PCB Chief to consider hosting a one-day series.

The emerging Afghanistan team is keen to visit Pakistan for an ODI series and have ensured that they do not have any issues with the uncertain law and order situation in Pakistan.

The PCB official said that the one-day series between Afghanistan and Pakistan A team will be organized sometime in June and July this year.

PCB have been facilitating Afghanistan cricket in the past as well by allowing former Pakistan players to go and train Afghanistan players. Afghanistan players were also allowed to train at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Few Afghan players were also permitted to play in Pakistan’s domestic cricket.

Pakistan has not hosted an international side since militant attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009, but the Chief Executive of Afghanistan Cricket Board, Mr. Naseemullah said that they have no issues playing in Pakistan.

"We will be sending our national team to Pakistan without any fear and our players are also keen to get exposure against stronger sides," said the ACB chief.

Currently, ACB is hosting its domestic tournament in Peshawar, the capital of militant-hit Pakistan province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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ZULQARNAIN HAIDER SATISFIED WITH PAKISTAN’S FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

The runaway Pakistan wicket-keeper, Zulqarnain Haider, who has recently returned home after spending months in self-exile, has expressed satisfaction over Pakistan Cricket Board’s ongoing fight against corruption and hoped it would bear positive results.

The former wicket-keeper hoped the Pakistan Government, the national cricket board and the International Cricket Council would root out the menace of match and spot-fixing from the sport of gentlemen. He opined that he is ready to support the fight against corruption even though it damaged his cricketing career.

"I am satisfied that the ongoing fight against corruption in cricket will bear positive results," said Haider in a telephone interview on Thursday. "I put my career on line and still don't bother if it continues to suffer," he added further.

The 25-year-old Pakistan cricketer fled Dubai for London in November last year in the midst of his team’s neutral venue series against South Africa citing death threats from some unknown match-fixers. He later sought political asylum in Britain, a plea that was neither supported by the Pakistan government nor the Pakistan Cricket Board.

After spending almost six months of self-exile in London, the escapee returned home on Monday.

After his return home, Pakistan police started an investigation of the calls Zulqarnain received from the anonymous bookmakers. The police arrested eight people in the city of Sialkot and they admitted threatening the former wicket-keeper.

Zulqarnain, who has not yet been given a security clearance to go back to his home in the capital city ofPunjab, Lahore said that the detentions have given him more confidence.

"The kind of confidence given to me by the government has brought me back and I am happy that they are taking serious steps," Haider said.

"The image of Pakistan cricket has been badly hurt by match-fixing and this continues to haunt it after every few months, but now I hope that with the serious steps and actions a time will come when our cricket becomes clean," he added further.

Haider, who had earlier announced retirement from international cricket following death threats, is eager to make a come-back in the national side and said that he will soon meet the Pakistan Cricket Board to clear his position.

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PAKISTAN CHIEF SELECTOR MOHSIN KHAN CLAIMS TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO RECOGNISE YOUNG TALENT

The Pakistan Cricket Board selection committee chief, Mohsin Khan on Thursday claimed to be the first-ever chief selector to give opportunities to young talent and select a new-look national team.

The former Pakistan batsman said that the former PCB selectors made claims about injecting fresh blood in the side but failed to do so properly.

“I think the present selection committee is the first one to properly work on a plan to blood new players and build a new team,” said Mohsin while talking to media reporters. “We have already taken this bold step of resting some senior players and sending some new players to the West Indies with the consultation of the captain and coach.”

The 56-year-old former batsman expressed satisfaction over the performance of youngsters in the ongoing tour of West Indies. He however, urged the players to learn how to build innings after getting starts stressing that 30s and 40s are not enough to keep a batsman going.

“I have played Test cricket and I know that if one wants to play cricket for a long time, 30s and 40s are not enough to keep you going. These new players need to learn to convert good starts into big scores,” insisted the former Test opener.

He asked the youngsters to get inspiration from legendary Pakistan batsmen like Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and learn how they used to convert good starts into big scores.

The selection committee chairman also dismissed the perception that he is a yes man to the PCB. He said that Pakistan were not the only country to have the system of paid selectors. He refused to believe that the selection decisions were not taken on merit. Mohsin further explained that all the teams had to be approved by the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Mohsin said he himself had struggled hard to earn a place in the national team and as a selection committee chief, he would never think of ignoring merit. He said that he always tried to reward the potential performers.

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Pakistan aim to seal series win against West Indies in 3rd One Day International at Barbados

Pakistan would be hoping for a third consecutive win against the West Indies as the One Day International (ODI) series moves to Kensington Oval in Barbados. The tourists have been in top form and won the first two matches with comfort and ease, through a combined effort by both batsmen and bowlers.

After losing the one-off T20 match at St. Lucia, Shahid Afridi’s men bounced back to thrash the hosts in the 50 overs format.

Thus far in the series the Pakistani spinners have reigned supreme, the trio of Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, and, Mohammad Hafeez, has taken wickets and squeezed the batsmen for runs and would once again be the mainstays for their team.

However, the West Indian would breathe a sigh of relief, as the wicket for the match is expected to suit faster bowlers, which means that the spinners’ threat would be considerably reduced.

The West Indian captain, Darren Sammy, stated after the defeat in the second ODI that his team had fought all the way despite having a poor total to defend, he gave credit to his bowlers and fielders, who hung in till the very end of the match and hopes that they would be able to score a win and finish the job at Barbados.

"We weren't rolled over. We kept ourselves in the matches right to the finish. There were moments when things could have gone either way, but we didn't make it happen", Sammy stated.

The West Indians are expected to retain the same eleven that played in the last match, the new recruit spinner, Anthony Martin, was impressive and contained the Pakistani batsmen with his faster ones and short of length deliveries that were hurrying onto the batsmen.

The rest of the bowling attack has a big job to do, as other than leg spinner, Devendra Bishoo, none of the bowlers has succeeded in dismissing a batsman.

In the last three games between the two teams the West Indians have snared a mere 5 wickets and the tally includes one run out, the remaining four wickets have been taken by Bishoo.

Pakistan won the World Cup quarter final at Mirpur by 10 wickets, while in St.Lucia the Men in Green won by 8 wickets and 7 wickets. The batsmen have feasted on the bowling with the out of sorts, Ahmed Shehzad, also returning to form with a patient hundred in the second match of the series, the Lahore based opener was elated with his innings and gave credit to his captain for persisting with him despite his recent wretched run of form.

"I would like to thank my team management for the way they have supported me. Shahid is the man to follow. He is giving confidence to every single individual - I think it is amazing", Ahmed stated.

The following elevens are expected to take the field today at Barbados.

West Indies (possible): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kirk Edwards, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Anthony Martin

Pakistan played the same XI in both games, and with the results they've had, there is no need to change it as they push for a series win.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi (capt), 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Saeed Ajmal

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Darren Sammy disappointed with West Indies in St. Lucia, Shahid Afridi aims to seal series in Barbados

The West Indian and Pakistani captains were obviously in different moods after the second match of the five-match One Day International (ODI) series between the two teams.

The match played at Gros Islet in St.Lucia was won comfortably by the visitors, who have now taken a 2-0 lead in the series, the West Indians were ordinary with the bat and insipid with the ball, as the Men in Green cantered home to a 7-wicket win on a good batting track.

Sammy, who has been under fire from cricketing pundits in the region, stated that his team needs to improve their performance by leaps and bounds if they are to compete and make a comeback in the series. He thinks that the batsmen have let the team down in the first two games, as they failed to make good use of batting conditions scoring 221 and 220 runs only in the two innings.

He also felt that the bowlers failed to tighten their grip around the batsmen despite a low score on the board. He added that a major blip in the performance is needed if the West Indians are to fight back and make things tough for the Pakistan team.

"We could have tried to squeeze their batsmen more and when we batted we got a good start, but did not capitalize on it", Sammy said. "We weren't rolled over today. We kept ourselves in the match right to the finish. There were moments when things could have gone either way, but we didn't make it happen. We have to find a way to win those tight situations. We have to win in Barbados to stay alive in the series, so we have to grab our chances".

On the other hand, the Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi is happy with the performance of his team in the first two games. He praised the "discipline" shown by his side and added that his team has a specific plan for the second match and fortunately they succeeded in sticking to it and reaped the rewards with a comfortable win.

Afridi feels that it was a complete team effort that helped his side and if the boys continued to play with the same purpose and commitment they were set to pocket the series in the third ODI that is to be played in Barbados.

"We made a plan at our team meeting and our guys stuck to it and that was good", Afridi said. "I think our bowlers are doing a great job, and the fielding has improved because it is a very important area for us. Our batting has shown responsibility and we hope to maintain this discipline right throughout the series".

The man known as BOOM BOOM for his big hitting ability added that the team has reaped rewards of the hard work that they put in the World Cup and during the training camp set prior to the tour of West Indies.

Another encouraging thing for Afridi is the performance of his opening batsmen, Ahmed Shehzad, who posted his second century of the year and his career to take the team through to the victory target.

Shehzad was under intense pressure after an ordinary World Cup but repaid the faith shown in him by the selection panel and Afridi himself, who requested the selectors to include him in the team for the tour, as he had faith in his abilities with the bat.

The third ODI would be played on 27th April in Kensington Oval, Barbados.

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Chris Gayle concentrating on the Indian Premier League after West Indies snub

Former West Indies captain, Chris Gayle, has stated that he was keen on representing his nation and that is what he had hoped for at the start of the season. However, circumstances have forced him to fly out to India and take part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he is representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Gayle was dropped from the Windies team that was announced for the first part of the limited overs series against the touring Pakistanis. The series started off well for the hosts who won the one-off Twenty20 game, but it has all gone pear shaped since then and the home side has received a drubbing in each of the first two One Day Internationals at St. Lucia.

Gayle told media in India that in an ideal world he would have been representing the West Indies at the moment and making an effort to tackle the Pakistan spinners, who have tightened the screws around his batsmen. He added that he had no intentions of playing in the IPL this season.

"It was to be international cricket for me. Had I been picked, that would have been what I would have done," Gayle said. "I didn't have any thoughts about IPL4. I had written off IPL4, rather I was looking forward to its next year. I should have been there (in the West Indies) playing with the national team, but I am here. It is unfortunate but that is how it is."

Gayle added that he was not expecting a call from IPL franchises either and it only happened after a party late in the night in Jamaica.

The flamboyant left hander made a real impact in his very first outing for his new team as he played a mesmerizing unbeaten century that set up Bangalore's win against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Gayle’s knock was a typically belligerent 102 in 55 balls against his former IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders. At the end of the match he brushed aside concerns about an injury which was the official explanation for his axing by the West Indian Cricket Board.

"An opportunity presented itself, so I am here now to actually do what I can. I have got a good welcome from each and everyone, the players, the owners, and management staff. When asked about his abdominal strain, Gayle replied to the question with another one, "What did it look like during the match? That's what it is like now."

Meanwhile Gayle reiterated that he had little interest in the league after he was left unsold at the auction for players held last year, he stated that he was surprised that none of the franchises bid for him in the auction but was told later that the reason for the snub was that the West Indies international commitments against Pakistan during the major part of the IPL season.

On the other hand the cricket fans in the West Indies region are crying for the inclusion of the big hitter after the consistent failures of the batting line-up against the formidable Pakistan bowling attack.

The spin trio of Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez seem to have cast a spell on the Calypso batsmen who are struggling to keep stock of their sharp spinning and bouncing deliveries.

Gayle has the ability to turn a match on its head and given the sheer talent and boundary hitting capabilities at his disposal, the West Indian selectors should consider bringing him back in the national fold, however for that to happen immediately, Gayle would have to sever his IPL contract which looks a distinct possibility at the moment.

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Pakistan v West Indies - Pakistan’s convincing triumph at St. Lucia

Pakistan and West Indies camps were in contrasting moods after the first match of the five match series, which was won by the visitors by a convincing margin of 8 wickets.

Batting first the hosts limped to a total of 221 runs that too was only made possible by a late blip when it appeared that they would post a score of 200 runs at most, in reply the Pakistani batsmen made good use of a batting strip to coast home.

Three out of the four batsmen, who went out to bat scored half centuries, with Misbah Ul Haq top scoring with an unbeaten 73 run knock.

Youngster, Asad Shafiq, made another positive impression on his critics, making an unbeaten 61 studded with 7 fours.

On the other hand, man of the match, Mohammad Hafeez, scored an impressive 54 to lay the foundations of a canter of a run chase, which ended with more than 8 overs to spare.

West Indian captain, Darren Sammy, who hit some useful boundaries at the end of his team’s innings, thinks that his team was at least 50 runs short. He added that the batsmen dug a hole for themselves, as they allowed Pakistani spinners to dominate them.

Hafeez bowled an impressive spell of 10 overs, 2 maidens, 36 runs, for 1 wicket, while Afridi gave away only 40 runs in his quota. Saeed Ajmal was also equally impressive in his bowling spell.

Sammy thinks that the batsmen should have been more adventurous against the trio.

"We put ourselves in a hole when we were batting, and the spinners were bowling, so we really have to come better in the next game", he said. "We may need to show more intent in our approach. We have a new batting coach, and he has been doing some good work, but we can't lose sight of us reaching 221 coming from our position”.

On the other hand, the Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, was elated with the performance of his team. He said that the decision by Sammy to field first after winning the toss was a bonus, as he thought that the wicket was a tricky one at the start of the innings with moisture underneath the surface a sure shot problem for the openers.

 "I was very happy when West Indies won the toss and chose to bat because I thought the pitch would help our spinners", Afridi said. "I think our spinners have been doing a great job for us in the last few months, and they again set things up for us".

For the hosts the match was a disappointment, only one, amongst the recognized batsman, made an impression.

The upcoming left hander, Darren Bravo, anchored the innings with 67 before he was run out in the 45th over. His demise came at a crucial stage of the innings when the hosts had looked set for a bigger score especially if he would have batted out the quota.

The second match of the series would be played at the same venue on April 25, 2011.

Pakistan would be aiming to take a 2-0 lead in the competition and have a strong chance of making it happen. Their bowling attack has had the West Indies on the back foot ever since the ICC World Cup 2011 quarter final at Mirpur.

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Lendl Simmons keen on making a mark in series against Pakistan

Upcoming West Indian batsman, Lendl Simmons, who has earned a recall in the national team for the series against Pakistan, is hopeful of making a real impact in the series and stamping his class on the international scene.

The youngster, who is the nephew of former West Indian batsman and occasional medium pacer, Phil Simmons, stated that he has become “mentally stronger" cricketer from the one, who last played for West Indies in 2010.

He added that the series provides an ideal opportunity for him to showcase his talents and cement a spot in the young batting line-up that is entering the series without the much vaunted trio of Chris Gayle, Shiv Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Simmons was hailed as a real prospect, who could serve the team for many years yet he has not been able to perform with any degree of consistency at the highest level especially when the situation became tough.

Now he feels that he has matured a great deal and knew what the requirements at the big level were.

"I see myself as a more mature player and I'm putting a lot more thought into my preparation for games and when I go onto the field of play as well”.

Simmons was first selected for the West Indies in 2006 making his One Day International (ODI) debut, from there onwards he was the star performer for his country in the World Twenty20 in England in 2009.

In that event he ended up with a tally of 150 runs at 30.00 and taking six wickets, the West Indians made it to the semi-finals where they were drubbed by Sri Lanka.

However, Simmons’s graph dipped badly from there. He had a barren run in an ODI series in Australia in February 2010 where he managed just 50 runs in five One-Dayers. His highest score was 29 and the selectors had little faith left in him.

As a result of the barren run he was axed from the team and spent time on the side-lines aiming to regain his touch and make a comeback for the West Indian team.  

Besides Simmons the West Indian selection panel has inducted many youngsters for the first three matches of the Pakistan series. The contest gets underway with a one-off T-20 match on the April 21, 2011. After that the two teams would be locked in a five match ODI series, thus far, the squad has been announced for the first two games.

Simmons would be expected to take the brunt of the batting along with Devon Smith, Darren Bravo and Kirk Edwards.

Simmons told the West Indian media that he was desperate to make an impression and wanted to make full use of his talent and the maturity that he has acquired over the years by regularly playing first class cricket.

"It feels really great to be back in the West Indies team set-up and among the players again as we look forward to facing Pakistan. I was away for a year and in that period I had a lot of time to reflect and analyze my game. I am happy to be back and I believe I am mentally stronger".

On the other hand, the Pakistanis have also inducted many youngsters in the team. The changes have been made with an eye on the next World Cup set to be played in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

As such the series is set to provide enthralling cricket between the two evenly matched teams.

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Pakistan PM boosts team morale

 

Pakistani prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday feted the national cricket team which reached the semifinals of the World Cup, honouring them with cash awards and praise. Pakistan lost to arch-rivals and co-hosts India in the semifinal at Mohali last month, but Gilani said the team had won many hearts and were able to help efforts to normalise relations between the South Asian nuclear rivals.
"I praise the team's manners, and although Pakistan lost the semifinal they won hearts," Gilani said in his speech.
"Because of this match, both the countries have been able to start the process of bringing our relationship onto the right track."
Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh watched the match together in the stands, in a display of "cricket diplomacy" that was the first time a Pakistani leader has visited India since 2001.
Gilani announced cash awards of one million rupees (approximately R78 000) for each playing member and half a million rupees for management staff.
"Despite a lot of problems faced by the team I think they performed very well and have made us proud. I hope they will keep doing that in future," he said.

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