Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan

Nasim Ashraf, will not be in the country for the ICC task force’s visit scheduled to visit Pakistan between August 10 and 12, to check out the security situation in the three venues hosting the Champions Trophy in September.

The PCB said that Nasim Ashraf had to extend his stay for a few more days because of some minor surgery and hence will miss the ICC team entirely. What surprises me is the timing of his sudden absense – could it have anything to do with his buddy [Pervaiz Musharraf] who is facing the impeachment gallows within the same specified dates. I think it could be safe to notch one more up for a Nasim Ashraf Blooper

Cricinfo

Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of PCB Cricket has issued a gag order on all PCB player to not discuss Shoaib Ahktar and his assault on Mohd Asif.

“Shoaib was sent home and handed an indefinite ban following a dressing-room scuffle, during which he hit Asif on the thigh with a bat. On arrival in Pakistan, Shoaib blamed Afridi for provoking him, saying that he made offensive comments about his family. Afridi later denied instigating the spat and said he couldn’t understand why Shoaib targeted him.” – Cricinfo

While Nasim Ashraf feeling the heat yet again before the start of another tournament blurted out to Reuters by saying quote “Shoaib and the others should keep their mouth shut on this issue”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has yet again started to embroil itself in petty issues specially in the few weeks with its obsession with countering statements of ex-cricketers stepping across the border to India to maybe make a buck or two from those weary legs.

In a statement today to The News PCB has brushed aside the possible repercussions of some of their cricketers joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL), saying that they have enough talent among the reserves to fill the gaps where some of the senior players – including Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq – had received offers to sign up for the ICL.

The PCB’s director of operations, Zakir Khan said “Our policy is our clear. If any of our players appears in the ICL, he would not play for Pakistan again”

Despite a strong Pakistani patriotic spirit crushed into me to the bone, I do not feel any hatred and animosity when a few of our top cricketers who have given their prime years for Pakistan, can later find a source of income hoping to make final use of their aging bodies to play a little more cricket.

After over three months of investigation the Jamaican Police announced the closure of Bob Woolmer’s death as having died of natural causes. For Pakistanis it was a definite relief, the Pakistan team were definitely suspects in the investigation and it comes as a relief to one and all that none of our players had any hand in this mishap.

What needs to be addressed is the circus created by the Jamaican police in the world media, the first autopsy report claimed that the hypoid bone was fractured (March 23) which is a good indication that he was strangled to death, based on this report I feel the lead investigator, Mark Shields was correct in starting a murder investigation. With the ongoing But on later autopsies there was no evidence of Hyoid Bone fracture at all. This is without doubt a grave error on the part of any medico legal doctor to make such a strong statement without even have x-rayed the specific bone showing his evidence of fracture.

The Daring Doping roller coaster being run by the PCB Entertainment took another blow today when the ICC spokesman categorically mentioned that the random testing can and might be directed to certain players at the discretion of the ICC drug testing body.

ICC is likely to carry out testing in 16 matches with four tests (two per team) in each of the matches. It adds that while the tests are intended to be random and will not be announced in advance, the ICC will reserve the right to target test players.

So if Nasim Ashraf was hoping to play the odds and maybe sneak his two super star bowlers past the laboratory doors, he just took a big crap dump in his pants. I think we should mark this down in the ever growing list of Nasim Ashraf’s bloopers since he took over the reigns of PCB.

The Darrell Hair saga continues, with the recent announcement by Darrell Hair to take ICC and the PCB to court for “for alleged racial discrimination”. A truly brilliant argument and typical of a lawyer to twist the argument to ones own favor.

Since the Oval incident last year where Darrell Hair accuse Pakistan of ball tampering, I have been repeatedly blogged about the controversial topic and have pleaded with PCB to take Darrell Hair to court. Even Imran Khan made a very open statement suggesting the same and I quote “Unless Darrell Hair can supply concrete proof of ball-tampering, then I think the Pakistan management should seriously consider suing him”

With Hair filing the suit it puts PCB on a defensive back foot as it now has to defend its position contrary to what could have been had if PCB filed the suit according to its own stance on the issue. To prove racial discrimination is a tough task which generally is taken if a number of witnesses testify convincingly that there was a strong discrimination. As far as Hair is concerned he started the entire mess which consequentially lead him down this path, ICC in its hearing did not find credible evidence to support his ball tampering claim so hence he was definitely wrong to even suggest a side to have cheated.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has questioned the life-ban imposed by Pakistan Cricket Board on Saleem Malik back in 2000. The court has for now delayed the hearing for a week upon the request of the PCB lawyer as he would need a little time to provide sufficient proof as to why Saleem Malik had been banned, if failing to satisfy the court Saleem Malik can potentially claim for damages.

Back in November I had previously discussed this issue when Malik had approached the Cricketing Council after he may have seen a ray of hope when Ata-ur-Rehman was relieved of his sentence. It was my opinion then and it remains so now, that it would generally not help Malik in any significant way, hes 43 years old and definitely would not be planning to put on some pads but the only quirk could be that he may be eyeing for a job as coach in the post-Woolmer era immediately after the world cup.