Change of gears as Pakistan take on Guyana today

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Pakistan continue their sojourn through the Caribbean with a two-day match against host nation Guyana, starting on Sunday at the Bourda Oval.

The Pakistanis will look to transition from the limited-overs mode of the game, as they prepare to face West Indies in the first Test of two, starting on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.

The visitors won the preceding one-day international series 3-2, but they sputtered in the last two matches, when West Indies were able to fight back to finish on a high note.

Misbah-ul-Haq will take over the reins of captaincy of the Test side from Shahid Afridi, and the visitors will welcome two pairs of fresh legs into the squad, with the arrival of former captain Younis Khan and key fast bowler Umar Gul.

Both Younis and Gul were rested following a challenging tour of New Zealand, which preceded a gruelling World Cup in Asia.

They will be the only two players that would need to get acclimatised to conditions in the Caribbean, since the rest of the squad has spent the last few weeks in the Caribbean.

Pakistan will be eager to get themselves ready, since the series is widely regarded as their best chance to win their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean.

Guyana are likely to be weakened, after batting heroes Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan were named in a West Indies 15-member training squad, which will take part in a two-day match practice match of its own at the neighbouring Demerara Cricket Club.

The side however, does include left-hander Narsingh Deonarine, who has a chance to remind the West Indies selectors about his ability, after losing his place over the last six months.

Squads:

Guyana (from): Shemroy Barrington, Ronsford Beaton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Derwin Christian, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fuddadin, Trevon Griffith, Leon Johnson, Keon Joseph, Amir Khan, Zaheer Mohammed, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Gajanand Singh

Pakistan (from): Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Abdur Rehman, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam , Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman, Saeed Ajmal, Tanvir Ahmed, Taufiq Umar, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan

Umpires: Nigel Duguid, Clyde Duncan

Match refree: Colin Stuart

Reserve umpire: Shannon Crawford

Out-of-favour Chanderpaul recalled to training squad for Tests

ST. JOHN’S: Reports of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s demise appear to have been exaggerated after he was named Saturday in a 15-strong West Indies squad to prepare for first Test against Pakistan.

The durable left-handed batsman has been engaged in a war of words with the West Indies Cricket Board over the last two weeks following his omission from the preceding five-match One-day International series.

Chanderpaul claimed his non-selection for the ODIs followed his refusal to retire from the international limited-overs formats of the game, after he had been asked to do so by West Indies officials.

He also claimed that the current West Indies management interfered with his batting during matches, and subjected him to intense questioning about his approach, as he defended himself against allegations of a lack of discipline.

Chanderpaul, a veteran of 129 Tests, 268 ODIs, and 22 Twenty20 International, will add greater substance to a batting line-up that struggled during the ODI series, which Pakistan won 3-2.

Three other players that did not feature in the ODIs have been shipped into the squad for the first Test, which starts Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.

They are fast bowler Fidel Edwards, left-handed batsman Brendan Nash, and uncapped teenaged opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite.

Edwards is fit again following a year out of the game with back troubles, and has been recalled to boost a fast bowling attack which also includes his compatriot Kemar Roach and rookie Andre Russell.

He has not played for West Indies in two years and returned to serious competitive action during the last WICB Regional first-class championship earlier this year, taking 22 wickets in seven matches.

Australia-born Nash has been pigeon-holed as a batsman for the longer versions of the game, and was elevated to the position of vice-captain in West Indies’ previous Test series in Sri Lanka.

Brathwaite was captain of the Young West Indies side that completed a successful trip to Dubai two weeks ago, topping Young Australia in three Youth ODIs and a three-day Youth Test.

The prolific 18-year-old, a more classical, right-handed version of Chanderpaul, has impressed most knowledgeable observers with his temperament, if not his array of strokes, and has amazingly scored almost 50 hundreds combined in all forms of the game, and various levels.

West Indies will play a two-day practice match on Sunday and Monday at the Demerara Cricket Club in the Guyana capital of Georgetown, following which the squad will be whittled down to 13.

West Indies squad: Darren Sammy, Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Brendan Nash, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith.

Tillakaratne seeks police protection

 COLOMBO: Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Hashan Tillakaratne on Friday demanded police protection before he shares information on alleged match-fixing with authorities.

“As an eyewitness to match-fixing, I will reveal the names of those involved if my security is guaranteed,” Tillakaratne told reporters after the Criminal Investigations Department grilled him for the second time this week.

His wife Apsari said the family feared for their lives, as they have received several death threats warning against identifying those involved.

Now an opposition politician, Tillakaratne claimed last week that Sri Lanka players had been fixing matches since 1992 and told reporters on Tuesday that he would name names to the International Cricket Council.

“I made the statements (about match-fixing) neither to get political mileage nor to put anyone in an awkward position,” he said on Tuesday.

“I made the comments in good faith and I will share the information with the ICC. The exercise was meant to protect the game and the players we all love so much.”

Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 one-dayers during a 15-year career, said he had kept quiet for so many years as he feared for his life.

Tillakaratne’s allegations have raised a storm, with former skipper Kumar Sangakkara challenging him to prove his claims.

“It’s interesting to see what he has to say and if he has anything more than allegations,” said Sangakkara, who quit as captain after Sri Lanka’s defeat to India in the World Cup final.

“It’s dangerous to throw names around.”

Rain and Simmons end WIndies losing run

BRIDGETOWN: Mohammad Hafeez’ second career hundred was upstaged by rain and a blistering 76 from Lendl Simmons that condemned Pakistan to a one-run defeat under the Duckworth-Lewis Method in the fourth One-day International on Monday.

Pakistan were left to nurse their wounds, when the inclement weather that has dogged this island over the last week interrupted, as West Indies were chasing a revised target of 223 from 39 overs.

For the West Indies it ended a run of eight straight defeats in this format of the game by Pakistan and a recent run of six successive defeats against all opposition.

A short ball from Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was swung high over mid-wicket for six by Dwayne Bravo to formally carry West Indies to 154 for four – the exact total they required – from 29.5 overs under the D/L Method to claim their first victory of the series.

Pakistan lead the five-match series 3-1 with the final ODI to be played on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.

Pakistan had stumbled, after Hafeez struck seven fours and three sixes in the top score of 121 from 138 deliveries, and shared a century second-wicket stand with Asad Shafiq to lead the visitors to 248 for nine from their allocation of 50 overs.

After the Pakistanis were sent into bat on a hard, true Kensington Oval pitch under overcast skies, Hafeez anchored the batting, and reached his milestone from 128 balls with a flick through mid-wicket for a single off Ravi Rampaul in the 42nd over.

He added 153 for the second wicket with Shafiq, whose 71 from 102 balls contained four boundaries, before leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo continued to bowl impressively, taking three for 37 from his allotment of 10 overs to trigger a batting collapse.

The visitors lost their way in the last 10 overs, losing seven wickets for 66 runs, to slide from a comfortable 182 for two, with Dwayne Bravo taking two for 60 from his 10 overs, Kemar Roach two for 67 from 10 overs, and two run outs helping to undermine them.

Junaid Khan set West Indies back early, when he had makeshift opener Kirk Edwards caught behind for a first-ball duck in the second over.

But Pakistan were put on their heels, when Darren Bravo joined compatriot Simmons, and they put on 56 for the second wicket with a volley of strokes.

Tanvir Ahmed was the target for some special treatment from Bravo and Simmons, when they smote three fours and one six from his fourth over.

Khan made the breakthrough, when Bravo was caught at third man for 21, but Ramnaresh Sarwan, making a return to the side for the first time since losing his place following the World Cup, kept the momentum going with 28 in a stand of 75 with Simmons.

Hafeez showed his all-round ability, when he had Sarwan caught at long-off for 28 in the 25th over before Tanvir gained his revenge on Simmons, when the West Indies opener was caught on the cover boundary in the next over to leave the home team 135 for four.

Pakistan’s bowlers tried to tie down the West Indies pair of the elder Bravo and Marlon Samuels, but they failed, and West Indies could celebrate a victory at long last.

Salman ‘keeps his place as Test squad named

KARACHI: Three uncapped players have been included in Pakistan’s squad for the Test series against West Indies, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) statement said on Monday.

PCB’s selection committee, headed by former batsman Mohsin Hasan Khan, announced the 15-man squad for the two-match Test series in the Caribbean.

The uncapped players include wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman, batsman Usman Salauddin and all-rounder Hammad Azam, all of whom made their one-day international (ODI) debuts during the on-going ODI series against the West Indies.

Salman, who replaced Kamran Akmal in the ODI side, will replace Kamran’s younger brother Adnan Akmal in the Test side. Adnan was Pakistan’s wicketkeeper during last year’s Test series against South Africa and the tour of New Zealand.

Meanwhile, experienced players like Younis Khan and Umar Gul will make their return to the national side after being rested for the ODI series.

The squad, which will be led by Misbah-ul-Haq, also includes opener Taufeeq Umar and top-order batsman Azhar Ali, who has become a mainstay in the Test side after a series of impressive performances since making his debut in Pakistan’s tour of England last summer.

The First Test will be played between 12-16 May 2011 at Providence Stadium, Guyana and Second Test will start from 20th May, 2011 at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts.

Pakistan Test squad: Misbah Ul Haq (captain), Younis Khan, Taufeeq Umer, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Salman (wicketkeeper), Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam

Match-fixing claims should not bother current players: Sangakkara

NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka’s World Cup captain Kumar Sangakkara has challenged former skipper Hashan Tillakaratne to prove his recent allegations of rampant match-fixing, a report said Monday.

“Hashan has played the game for years and he’s captained Sri Lanka as well. So it’s interesting to see what he has to say and if he has anything more than allegations,” Sangakkara was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.

Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 one-dayers during a 15-year career, claimed last week that Sri Lankan players had been involved in match-fixing since 1992 and added that he was prepared to name some of them.

Sangakkara, captain of the Deccan Chargers franchise in the Indian Premier League, said Tillakaratne should work with the International Cricket Council if there was any basis to his allegations.

“It’s dangerous to throw names around,” said Sangakkara, who quit as captain after Sri Lanka’s defeat to India in the World Cup final last month.

“He should work very closely with the ACSU (Anti-corruption and Security Unit) of the ICC and the home authorities to ensure that something’s done about it if there is any foundation to those claims.

“But beyond that I don’t think it makes any big sense to the players playing now.”

Tillakaratne’s comments came as the sport tries to emerge from last year’s spot-fixing scandal involving some of the top Pakistan players.

He had stopped short of suggesting the World Cup final was rigged although he expressed reservations about the selection of the Sri Lankan team.

Latif backs Tillakaratne’s match-fixing claims

KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif has backed ex-Sri Lanka skipper Hashan Tillakaratne’s claims that match-fixing was deeply rooted in the subcontinent and that Sri Lanka were involved in it for almost two decades.

Tillakaratne’s bombshell triggered a scathing response from his teammates and cricket authorities in Sri Lanka but Latif, a whistleblower himself, has said the claims were extremely plausible.

“I know him personally, he told me about this (match-fixing) in the 1993-94 as well. Nobody knows the subcontinent players better than him and if he reveals the facts then a lot of former cricketers from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be exposed,” said Latif.

“As far as I know Hashan would honour his commitment and it would be extremely damaging for some ex-players of the subcontinent, but everything will be settled down if a deal struck,” stressed Latif, a former Test wicketkeeper.

He also urged the Sri Lankan not to buckle under any pressure and speak his heart out.

In an interview last week, Tillakaratne admitted that Sri Lanka had been fixing games since 1992.

The left-handed batsman, who played 83 Tests and 200 one-dayers for Sri Lanka during his 15-year career, said he was prepared to back up his allegations by naming some of those involved.

“Match fixing is something which has been in this country over a period of time. This has spread like a cancer today,” Tillakaratne was quoted as saying by Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror newspaper.

“According to my knowledge, it happened since 1992,” he had said. -PPI

PCB rules out Kaneria’s return to team

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has ruled out an immediate comeback for Danish Kaneria in the national team, insisting that the leg-spinner first had to satisfy PCB’s integrity committee before he can be cleared for selection.

“We have been asking Danish to provide us with the statement he gave to the Essex police when he was under investigation in the spot-fixing scandal in county cricket last year. But so far he has not provided us with the statement,” a PCB official said.

Kaneria has not played for Pakistan since the scandal-hit England tour in summer 2010 as he has failed to provide evidence which satisfies the integrity committee. The series led to three players being banned for a minimum of five years by the International Cricket Council (ICC). However, Kaneria rejected claims that he had played any role in the spot-fixing.—Agencies