Cricket

[ejaz007]

Cricket ‘invented in Belgium’

New academic research claims cricket is not an English invention after all - but was imported from Belgium.

A poem thought to have been written in 1533 has been uncovered, which suggests the game originates from Flanders.

Attributed to John Skelton, it describes Flemish weavers as “kings of crekettes” and also mentions “wickettes”, reports the BBC.

Paul Campbell, of the Australian National University, says the discovery proves the game is anything but English. The long established theory is that cricket evolved from English children’s games. The first definitive references to the game appeared in England in the 1600s, when fines were handed out for those missing church to play. Mr Campbell’s research was based on earlier investigations by Heiner Gillmeister, a linguist from the University of Bonn.

He is certain cricket cannot have started in England: “There is no way to relate the term to any existing English word,” he told the BBC. “I was brought up with Flemish children and I know the language well. I immediately thought of the Flemish phrase ‘met de krik ketsen’ which means to ‘chase a ball with a curved stick’.”Cricket historian David Frith said: “It is hard to deny that this is a breakthrough. This discovery points to an addition to the great history of cricket. It’s exciting we haven’t yet written the final word on it. “It does make you wonder why Belgium isn’t playing Test cricket though, doesn’t it?”. ananova

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Al-zakir]

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh announced
Updated at: 1535 PST, Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh announced LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 16-member team for the tour of Bangladesh here on Wednesday but Shoaib Akhtar is not included in the team.

Chief selector Abdul Qadir announced the Pakistan squad for playing a series of five One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals in Bangladesh.

The team is as follows:

Squad: Younus Khan (captain), Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Fawad Alam, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanveer, Mohammad Aamir, Yasir Arafat, Yasir Shah, Rao Iftikhar, Sarfraz Ahmed.

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh announced - GEO.tv

 

[Super Falcon]

unfortunatley tour will be postponed for 2 weeks

 

[Super Falcon]

Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh, due to start next week, has been postponed on the advice of the Bangladesh government. Officials are hopeful that the tour will be held soon and are working on a revised security plan in consultation with the ICC.
A year of scrapped series

March 2008 - Australia postpone tour of Pakistan, slated for end-March, over security concerns following Benazir Bhutto's assasination
August 2008 - Five of eight ICC members choose not to send teams to Pakistan for September's Champions Trophy. The tournament is postponed till October 2009.
October 2008 - West Indies call off a proposed tour of Pakistan scheduled for November, a week after their women's team cancelled the Pakistan leg of their Asian tour.
November 2008 - England cut short seven-match ODI series in India after Mumbai terrorist strikes. They return for the two-Test series in December.
December 2008 - BCCI calls off India's scheduled tour of Pakistan in 2009.
February 2009 - ICC decides not to stage the 2009 Champions Trophy in Pakistan after some of the members expressed reservations about touring the country.




The postponement comes two days after Pakistan's home series against Sri Lanka was abandoned, following an attack on the visiting team bus that left eight dead and several cricketers and officials injured.

Bangladesh Cricket Board officials think the tour could take place as early as end-March. "We had been making all necessary preparations for the tour when we were advised by the home ministry to postpone it for the time being," Jalal Yunus, chairman of the board's media and communications committee, said. "We are now working with the PCB and our government agencies to chalk out a new schedule."

Yunus said the ICC had asked the Bangladesh board to make some changes in the security plan for the series. The board is currently working on this.

It is not clear if the decision to postpone the tour is connected to the Lahore attack or to the recent violence in Bangladesh. A mutiny last month by Bangladesh Rifles border guards over pay and the command structure resulted in widespread violence that killed at least 80 people, including more than 50 officers.

Saleem Altaf, a Pakistan board official, said the reason behind the decision was not yet known. "Bangladesh have conveyed their decision to us without giving any reason," he told AFP. "We are told they are revising the tour itinerary and the series will be held after some delay."

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, told reporters he expected a revised itinerary from the Bangladesh board soon. "Every country discusses the security situation with its government. We did ask for clearance for the tour from our government. The International Cricket Council (ICC) have asked them to implement a plan so they needed time.

"Bangladesh will come back to us and we (will) hopefully get a revised itinerary later Thursday."

Pakistan were scheduled to play two Twenty20s and five ODIs between March 10 and March 22. Pakistan and Bangladesh are co-hosts, along with India and Sri Lanka, of the 2011 World Cup

 

[fatman17]

Fallout of the Lahore attack

Neutral venues a trap for Pakistan - Bindra

Ajay S Shankar

March 5, 2009

IS Bindra feels opting for neutral venues may lead to reluctance on the part of players to tour Pakistan © Getty Images




IS Bindra, the ICC's principal adviser, has said the idea of playing cricket in neutral venues on security grounds is a dangerous trap. Bindra said he has already warned Pakistan - which may be forced into such a scenario by the internal security situation - against any such move as it would affect the long-term future of its cricket.

"I am totally against Pakistan agreeing to play in the neutral venues because then you are ruling out for quite some time an option of playing within the country," Bindra told Cricinfo. "That's what I advised Ijaz Butt (the PCB chairman) in the last meeting of the ICC board in Perth (on January 31). I said, 'Don't agree to play Tests in neutral venues like England because then there will be reluctance on part of the players to come and play in Pakistan'. This is a very dangerous precedent and we shouldn't fall into the trap of playing in neutral venues on the grounds of security."

Bindra's warning follows reports that Pakistan and Australia are considering a proposal to hold their 2010 Test series in England after the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Gerry Sutcliffe, the British sports minister, has said he would back any move by the PCB to stage home matches in England. Pakistan and Australia are scheduled to play a one-day series and a Twenty20 game in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from April 22-May 7.

The Lahore attack would impact cricket in Pakistan in the immediate future, Bindra said, but hoped that the country could still co-host the 2011 World Cup. "We shouldn't rule out cricket in Pakistan in the long-term future yet," he said. "I hope normalcy will come back quickly and we will have cricket there quickly, before the 2011 World Cup and we are looking forward to that."

Bindra, who is also a member of the IPL governing council, said cricket in India would not be impacted by the Lahore attack. "So far as India is concerned, I don't see any impact whatsoever," he said. "We could have the Tests in Mohali and Chennai 10 days after [the terror attacks] Mumbai and I don't see why Lahore should be any obstacle to organising cricket in India."

The IPL is currently in discussions with India's security officials to resolve a clash in dates with the general elections amid growing security-related worries among the league's foreign players. But Bindra said he was confident that the IPL would go ahead as scheduled from April 10 to May 24. He felt foreign players would not stay away from the IPL given the rewards. "The IPL is in the interests of the players more than anyone else," he said. "The foreign players are benefiting more than the Indian players... So I don't think it impacts the decision of any of the players and I don't see any reason why we should have this fear (of players skipping the IPL) in our mind."

Ajay Shankar is deputy editor of Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

 

[Super Falcon]

better option than england i think sharjah is better than england

 

[Al-zakir]

Bangladesh boosts salaries after exodus to rebel league
Thu, Mar 19th, 2009 3:49 pm BdST
DHAKA, March 19 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have bumped up salaries by 30 percent amid concerns more players could ditch their contracts to join the more lucrative rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

The BCB have extended the increase to local staff of the national team's management as well as contracted national cricketers, a senior board official said on Thursday.

"We have decided not only to increase their remuneration, but their winning bonus, performance bonus, match fees and other allowances will also be increased proportionately," said Enayet Hossain, chairman of BCB's cricket operations committee.

The BCB had been under pressure to raise pay after seven cricketers unilaterally terminated their contracts and joined seven others to play in the renegade ICL.

Poor pay was one of the reasons cited by the players, which promoted the BCB to review its salary structure.

The BCB has 13 contracted cricketers, but Enayet said they would soon increase that number and bring 'A team' players under contract too.

bdnews24.com/aar/1550 hrs

Bangladesh boosts salaries after exodus to rebel league :: Sport :: bdnews24.com ::

 

[Super Falcon]

what bangladeshi gov did with pakistan cancelling the tour we should tell them we dont need to tour bangladesh never ever when we r sufeering from cricket they make us more suffer

 

[Al-zakir]

what bangladeshi gov did with pakistan cancelling the tour we should tell them we dont need to tour bangladesh never ever when we r sufeering from cricket they make us more suffer

I feel your anger. I don't like that either bro. Bangladesh should have back up Pakistan in this suffering time after all Pakistan always has been their for Bangladesh.

 

[Super Falcon]

most of the bangaldeshi people in government BCB are anti pakistan thats i feel some times i hope im wrong

 

[Super Falcon]

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has said it is ready to host the second season of the IPL in April-May after the BCCI officially approached it with a request on Sunday morning.

"South Africa were officially approached today by the IPL officials, asking us whether we can host the event," Gerald Majola, CSA's chief executive, told Cricinfo. "We are looking at their requirements to see whether we can fulfill them. As I understand, we are one of the parties that they have approached, but for now we can say that we are ready to host the IPL. However, we expect to meet the Indian officials soon to understand the situation better."

Majola said that he expected to have "positive discussions" with the Indian board in this regard. "It is a huge compliment to CSA's organisational skills, facilities and infrastructure that we are being asked to host another major international event," he stated in a press release issued later.

An ECB spokesman told Cricinfo that the board was aware of the situation, and that it would be making a statement in due course. David Collier, the chief executive, is currently in Guyana ahead of the second ODI against West Indies.

Diverging views emerged from officials of the franchise owners as the news of the impending relocation broke.

Some franchises favour South Africa as it is cheaper option compared to England, the other serious alternative. "If we are looking at an April start, the climate in England would be a factor," a franchise official said. "Even the TV timings, we feel, will work better for us if the matches are held in South Africa."

Meanwhile PTI quoted another franchise official calling England the most logical venue because of the timings of the matches. "There's a big chunk of Indian expatriates there to take care of the franchisees' revenue factor," he said. England is also to host the ICC World Twenty20 Cup in June.

Senior officials from India and South Africa had earlier denied reports that the IPL was being relocated to South Africa. The tournament's future came under a cloud after the Indian government expressed its reluctance to approve the dates, given its clash with the country's general elections.

South Africa is also expected to host the Champions Trophy from September 24-October 5 this year after the ICC board endorsed a recommendation by its Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) to hold the tournament there.

 

[Super Falcon]

England and South Africa have emerged as the front-runners to host the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the BCCI decided to shift the tournament out of India. The decision followed days of inconclusive negotiations with the Indian home ministry and various state governments over the security arrangements for the 45-day tournament which clashed with the forthcoming general elections in India.

Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said the tournament had been relocated "because of the extraordinary situation existing this year."

While Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa's chief executive, said South Africa were ready to host the tournament if needed, an ECB spokesman told Cricinfo that the board was aware of the situation, and that it would be making a statement in due course. David Collier, the ECB chief executive, is currently in Guyana ahead of the second ODI against West Indies.

Discussions between the BCCI and the respective boards will get underway and a decision is likely in two to three days.

N Srinivasan, the BCCI general secretary, said that the BCCI was not in a position to either play a truncated IPL or to cancel the second edition of the IPL. "It is a matter of great regret that, in the prevailing atmosphere, where the government is expressing concern for providing security to the IPL matches, the BCCI is left with no other option but to conduct the Indian Premier League in another country," he said.

Manohar said the board considered all aspects of the matter at an emergency meeting. "We are aware that the people of India love this event and have given us great support last year and are eager for this year's event," he said. "We made our best efforts to see that the event takes place in India. However, because of the government's attitude that they cannot provide security, particularly by the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, we were forced to take a decision to move the event out of India.

"We are in discussion with other boards who have show their willingness to hold the event in their respective countries.

"My apologies to the people of India for not being able to hold the event in India."

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, who was present at the working committee meeting said there will be no changes made to the tournament's format or the schedule. "Dates and timings of the matches will remain the same. The Indian audiences can watch the matches at 4 pm and 8 pm IST as they did in the inaugural season," he said.

He assured that that the IPL would not cut any corners despite hosting the event outside the country. However, he refused to dwell on the revenue sharing agreement with the prospective foreign boards and pointed out that the tournament's focus was to provide the best possible entertainment for the Indian fan.

"We are not bothered about the cost factor but the issue is the integrity of the tournament. The issue is holding all 59 matches as scheduled," Modi said.

Manohar also said the BCCI officials would be having a discussion with the eight franchise owners and believed they would not have any objection. "We will hold discussions with the owners. I don't think the franchises would oppose us," he said.

"We are happy the IPL is happening", Nita Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians said. Vijay Mallya, who owns the Bangalore Royal Challengers, said he was happy the tournament was on. "We have been assured the rights and interests of all franchises will be protected," Mallya said.

Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers' Association, also welcomed the prospect of the tournament carrying on. "Our members want the IPL to proceed provided the safety of the teams is not compromised," he said. "Given the current situation in India, the decision to move this year's event is a sensible one and will likely maximise player participation

 

[Super Falcon]

England woke up on Sunday morning to find their women crowned world champions for the third time following a final in which they had the edge throughout against New Zealand in Sydney on Sunday. As Jonny Wilkinson had kicked his rugby side to glory in 2003 in the same city, so England's Nicky Shaw sealed success for her team to see them home, having taken a career-best 4 for 34.

This match was not quite as nail-biting as the rugby final but certainly had its moments. Though at one stage England were coasting in their chase of 167, they eventually made it home by four wickets.

And while Shaw earned the player of the match - unlike Wilkinson - she wasn't even supposed to play. Although vice-captain, it was only an injury to premier allrounder Jenny Gunn that meant her last-minute inclusion. It proved a stroke of fortune for England.

The final had promised to be a much tight affair with the best two sides in the competition contesting the ultimate honours, but Shaw's wicket burst helped keep New Zealand to a modest total and then England's big batting guns had just too much firepower when it counted.

Their all-round game was a credit, the bowlers taking wickets when it mattered, the fielders the catches and then their batsmen took advantage of bowling that was both too short and too full at times. And the most important thing was that, even though they went on to lose a few wickets, they held their nerve at the crucial point.

The key passage of the game came in the New Zealand innings, kickstarted by Shaw who removed the dangerous Suzie Bates, then Amy Satterthwaite off successive balls. New Zealand went on to lose 6 for 92, Shaw dismissing form batsman Haidee Tiffen and Nicola Browne, becoming the first woman to take four wickets in a World Cup final.

The wicket of Browne was an important one - she had offered New Zealand some hope, along with Lucy Doolan in an eighth-wicket stand of 62. Together they boosted their side from 7 for 101. Partnerships were badly lacking for New Zealand, in initial contrast to England who found themselves on 1 for 74 in their reply.

The hard-working Caroline Atkins and Sarah Taylor seized the advantage quickly and entertained with some pure cricket shots. Having pleased the crowd with her typically strong shots, Taylor then perished to a soft one, such has been her wont this tournament.

No matter, it simply brought the world's No. 1 batsman to the crease. Claire Taylor had arrived in the final averaging 75.75 for the tournament. She began by sparing no mercy on the New Zealand attack before Aimee Mason bowled her on 21, giving her opposition some hope (2 for 109).

Atkins departed soon afterwards for 40, brilliantly caught by the tumbling Sophie Devine in gully off Doolan and New Zealand had a hint of a chance. Their determined bowlers continued to try their best but with Doolan again striking, with Edwards adjudged caught behind when she hadn't touched it.



Nicky Shaw took a career-best 4 for 34 and scored 17 nerveless runs to seal the third world title for England © Getty Images




Lydia Greenway then fell top-edging to midwicket, before Beth Morgan ran herself out failing to push back into her crease. With 15 runs required and four wickets in hand, Tiffen then dropped a hard chance off Holly Colvin, but Shaw stood defiant, with some classy drives that belied the pressure of the final.

Both sides had started nervously - the usually solid Tiffen consistently poking away from her body under Katherine Brunt's pace and swing, while the bowler and her fellow opener Isa Guha delivered some wides. But it was all about who held their nerve and, while England's bowlers struck golden rhythm and crucial wickets, New Zealand's batsmen were prone to losing their heads.

It could have been the same story for England at one point, but with a vast bank of experience from which to draw, they stood firm.

England played the more complete cricket and deserved the trophy. They will now enjoy the benefit of the world No. 1 ranking for the foreseeable future - perhaps even until the World Cup in 2013. And with the World Twenty20 coming up, England are already looking a fair bet. For now, though, they will enjoy their first World Cup title since 1993

 

[leonblack08]

what bangladeshi gov did with pakistan cancelling the tour we should tell them we dont need to tour bangladesh never ever when we r sufeering from cricket they make us more suffer

Considering the situation here in Bangladesh,it is probably better that Pakistan don't tour Bangladesh now.But touring later always a option.
Don't forget we toured Pakistan to fill in for other country,probably New zealand who withdrew for security measures.

 

[Super Falcon]

yes thanx but situation never gonna improve in south asia so why stop playing cricket