My career is certainly not over: Shoaib Malik

Former Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik, who has been ignored for the 2011 World Cup preliminary squad, has made it clear that his career is far from over and promised to soon make a comeback to international cricket. 

"It is hugely disappointing not to be selected in the World Cup squad and what is more strange is that neither the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) nor the national selectors have given any reason for ignoring me," Malik said. 

The selectors on Tuesday did not pick the experienced all-rounder in the 30-member preliminary squad and the board just stated that Malik was not cleared for selection. 

"I was mentally prepared to be selected as I am in good form and am performing well in the domestic cricket. But I don't know why they didn't pick me. 

"Missing the World Cup is a big setback for me but my career is certainly not over and I can still continue to play for another five to six years, so I know that I can make a comeback," he added. 

However, Pakistani newspaper 'Dawn' on Wednesday carried a story that said that Malik was not picked because he could not explain the presence of 90,000 pounds in his bank account in the UK to the integrity committee of the board. 

"Malik was unable to explain from where the money came from, its source and how it was in his account. That was the reason why he was not cleared for selection," the report said. 

The PCB integrity committee had inquired into the assets, bank accounts and sources of income of Malik, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria and Rana Naved in the lead up to the World Cup selection. It also sought advice of International Cricket Council (ICC) till the last moment before considering Kamran and Rana for selection, while ignoring Malik and Kaneria.

 

Malik, who led Pakistan between 2007 and 2009 also clarified that he had no dispute or differences with any player in the national team and was ready to play under anyone's captaincy. 

"I am ready to play under any captain and offer him full support. The impression that I am an intriguer is not right." 

Malik said he would continue to play domestic cricket and wait for his time to make a comeback. 

Meanwhile, the former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail said that if the board had functioned properly in the past, there would never have been any need for an integrity committee to keep a check on the players. 

"But anyway the good thing is that the selectors have picked the right mix of experience and youth in the World Cup preliminary squad, because in such a big tournament you need seniors to lead the way," Sohail added. 

He, however, criticised the selection of Yasir Arafat in the World Cup preliminary squad, pointing out that he had already been given lot of chances in the past and had failed to capitalise on them. 

Shoaib Malik left out of World Cup probables

Pakistan have left out experienced allrounder and former captain Shoaib Malik from the list of 30 probables for the 2011 World Cup. Malik had been under the scanner of the PCB's integrity committee and ultimately appears to have failed to gain clearance for selection. Wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, over whom there has been as much speculation, has, however, been selected. 

The pair, alongside legspinner Danish Kaneria, have been frozen out of recent Pakistan squads. The trio have not participated for Pakistan in any format since the summer tour to England; Kaneria was part of the Test squad for the South Africa series in the UAE but was prevented from travelling by the board at the very last minute. Though not an ODI regular, he also doesn't find a place in the 30.

The PCB hasn't said so publicly but the trio have been under suspicion in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked Pakistan's cricket. Akmal was the subject of an ACSU notice earlier this year but has since asked for and received a written clearance from the ICC. Kaneria's name featured in a separate spot-fixing scandal at Essex county. Malik has not been linked with any specific incident though he features regularly in the fevered speculation and gossip of Pakistan's cricket structure. 

As a result, over the last few weeks the players have appeared three times before the PCB's integrity committee and handed in various financial documents and statements. They last appeared before the committee last Thursday. The lack of clarity over Akmal and Malik in particular had forced the PCB to ask the ICC for more time in naming their probables. The world body extended the deadline for Pakistan from December 19 to January 5. 

Elsewhere there is little genuine surprise. Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, provisionally suspended for their alleged role in the Lord's spot-fixing scandal, were never in the running for the squad. Mohammad Yousuf, the veteran batsman recently discarded from Pakistan's Test side, is in the running for a middle-order spot. There will be quibbling over the axing of Fawad Alam, who averages nearly 38 in the limited opportunities he gets, but at least one member of the selection committee has been against his inclusion as a matter of policy. Nasir Jamshed, the left-handed opener, is also included, in place of Imran Farhat. 

"We are satisfied that we have selected the best squad from amongst the available players," chief selector Mohsin Khan said. "There is a lot of speculation in the media regarding clearance or otherwise of players by integrity committee of PCB. The integrity committee has given its views on some players to the selection committee which has taken into consideration that input and has selected the 30 players for the World Cup."

The ODI squad for the series against New Zealand will be announced next week.

Squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Taufiq Umar, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Naveed Yasin, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Asad Ali

Pakistan trio's careers on the line

The hearings into the spot-fixing scandal involving three players from Pakistan will begin from Thursday in the unlikely setting of Doha, Qatar. At stake during the hearings is the playing future of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif  and  Mohammad Amir as well as the reputation of the ICC as a governing body able to deal with a problem that strikes at the very heart of the game.

Michael Beloff QC, the head of the independent tribunal and chairman of the ICC's code of conduct commission, addressed the media at the Qatar Financial Centre Civil and Commercial Court, where the hearing will also take place. The briefing was a formal one, merely outlining the procedure the hearing will follow.

Beloff outlined the history of the charges against the trio, stemming from a News of the World investigation into the Lord's Test between Pakistan and England in August last year, as well giving brief profiles of the other members of the tribunal, Justice Albie Sachs from South Africa and Sharad Rao from Kenya. 

The hearing will be held behind closed doors, with only the tribunal, the ICC's lawyers Jonathon Taylor and Ian Higgins, the players and their lawyers and witnesses present. The process, Beloff said, will begin with an opening statement from the ICC presenting its case against each of the three players. The players will each then be entitled to respond.

"Thereafter, the ICC will present all of the evidence that it has prepared in support of the charges it has brought," Beloff said. "That will take various forms and will include hearing from witnesses 'in person' and over the telephone." 

Witnesses from the ICC are set to include representatives from NOTW as well as teleconferences with Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan limited overs captain, and Waqar Younis, the team coach.

The players will then be expected to present their defence, and will be open to cross-examination by the ICC's lawyers and the tribunal, before closing statements are made. Though January 11 is the last working date of the hearing, a decision could conceivably be arrived at before that. Alternatively the judgment could also be reserved till after the final date.

The players arrived in Doha on Tuesday and as they have done all along, again protested their innocence. Butt, who was captain at the time of the Test and will be represented by London-based barrister Yasin Patel, told AFP, "I have always played the game for the love of it and have never been involved in any wrongdoing.

"I am confident that I will soon be playing for my country. I have been practising all through this difficult phase of my life so that whenever I am cleared I am able to play."

Amir, who along with Asif is alleged to have bowled the deliberate, pre-planned no-balls, said, "This is the toughest phase of my life. My elders tell me that such phases come in the life of a professional, so I am bravely facing this situation and will hopefully come out of it to play for Pakistan."

Shahid Karim, Amir's lawyer, said the incident had affected Amir emotionally. "One of the mitigating factors is age and the other mitigating factor is Amir's previously unblemished record," he told AFP.

"Emotionally he is drained, he's been affected badly by it, but he's coping as best he can and above all he is very confident that he will come out of this clean."

The hearing is taking place in Doha because the third player, Asif, is not allowed to enter the UAE after he was deported from Dubai in 2008 because of a drug-related offence.

The three were provisionally suspended by the ICC soon after the scandal emerged and though Butt and Amir contested that decision, their appeals were rejected. If found guilty, they could be banned for anywhere from five years to life.

This is the first time such a case is taking place with the ICC effectively the prosecutors. Past offenders, such as Salim Malik and Hansie Cronje, were punished by their own boards.

Suspended trio head to Qatar for hearings

Suspended Pakistan trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have flown out to Qatar to attend a hearing of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Tribunal. The three-member tribunal headed by Michael Beloff QC will hold a six-day long session starting Thursday before delivering its verdict on the three players.

The players were suspended by the ICC in September following spot-fixing allegations against them during the Lord's Test against England a month earlier. The allegations were raised after a sting operation by Britain's News of the World tabloid claiming that several Pakistani players took money from a bookmaker to bowl deliberate no-balls.

"My lawyer has prepared the case extensively and I hope that I will be cleared," Amir told reporters at Lahore airport. "This is the toughest period of my life but I am confident that it will be over and I will be playing for Pakistan soon."

Salman is being represented by British-based lawyer Yasin Patel, Asif by Allan Cameron, brother of British Prime Minister David Cameron, while Aamer's lawyer is Shahid Karim from Pakistan.

The ICC's three-man tribunal includes Beloff, Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa and Sharad Rao of Kenya. Beloff, the ICC's code of conduct commissioner, had chaired the hearings into the appeals of Amir and Butt against their suspensions in Dubai, and had upheldthe ICC's decision.

Pakistan better suited for ODI cricket - Afridi

Pakistan's one-day captain Shahid Afridi has said Pakistan will be a surprise package in the World Cup later this year, despite the problems plaguing the team's recent campaigns, due to them being better suited to the 50-over format.

"No matter what people say and believe, I'm confident that Pakistan will do really well in the World Cup," Afridi told the News after returning from New Zealand following the three-match Twenty20 series there which his side lost 1-2. "I won't make any predictions but would make it clear that Pakistan will take their best shot for the World Cup title."

With under 50 days left for the event, Pakistan are yet to finalise their 30-man preliminary squad. Three of their key players -- Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir -- have been provisionally suspended following the spot-fixing controversy and their fates will be decided in Doha, later this week. There are doubts over the futures of two other players - Shoiab Malik and Kamran Akmal - who will appear before the board's integrity committee prior to the announcement of the preliminary list.

"It's certainly not an ideal situation," Afridi said of the side's controversy-ridden build-up to the World Cup. "But it's our history that we give our best under pressure."

Pakistan have performed reasonably well in their recent one-day campaigns, taking five-match series against England and South Africa to the final games. Afridi said Pakistan's one-day side was more likely to succeed than their outfits for the other formats.

"I would agree that a lot of work has to be done before we start doing well in Tests consistently," he said. "Even our Twenty20 team needs a world of improvement. But when it comes to one-day cricket, we are close to achieving an ideal combination. Most of the players in our Twenty20 team are better suited to the one-day format."

Afridi hinted he had given up on the option of opening the innings following his failures at the top in the New Zealand Twenty20s. "The idea behind my decision to open was to help give the team some fast and useful starts," he said. "But it didn't work out. Now I've decided to stick to No.6 spot both for Twenty20s and ODIs in the future."

'I'm cooperating with PCB for clearance' - Kaneria

Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, has said he is confident of returning to the national side pending clearance by the Pakistan board. Kaneria was speaking after a meeting on Wednesday with the board's integrity committee, which he described as "fruitful and positive." 

"I am providing the board with whatever details they have asked for," Kaneria said. "Now it is just a case of waiting for their decision. I am cooperating in every way. Obviously I am keen to have this stigma off my name and play for Pakistan again."

He said the board had asked him to submit details of his bank accounts and other assets and he had already provided them with some at Wednesday's meeting.

Kaneria was the subject of a criminal investigation in August by Essex police over allegations that he was involved in spot-fixing during a county game. He wasreleased without charge in September.

Despite his clearance in that case, the PCB stopped Kaneria at the last minute from going to the UAE to play the Test series against South Africa. He had been named in the original squad and attended the team's training camp, but he was informed just before he was about to leave for the airport that he would not be on the tour. He was then left out of the squad for the Test series in New Zealand, along withKamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik, who have also not been cleared by the PCB. The board did not give any reason for Kaneria's exclusion.

Kaneria has taken 35 wickets in five matches at 18.02 in this season's Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He said he was glad the board had not place any restriction on him playing domestic cricket. "Playing in domestic cricket means I am fit and in form and ready to play for Pakistan anytime." Kaneria has taken 261 wickets in his 61 Tests.

Kamran and Shoaib had both expressed disappointment with the PCB's decision to not clear them for the New Zealand tour. Kamran had received clearance from the ICC, after he wrote to them asking if he was under investigation, but was still not named in Pakistan's squad. Pakistan have delayed their announcement of the squad for the ODI series in New Zealand as well as the 30 probables for the World Cup and have said they want to further consider the clearances of some of their players. So, Kaneria could still be included in those two squads if he receives clearance in time.

PCB bars players from using Facebook and Twitter

The PCB has barred its contracted players from using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter during series in the aftermath of the Zulqarnain Haider controversy. The Pakistan wicketkeeper fled the UAE, where his team was involved in a series against South Africa, to seek asylum in the UK last month and, though largely untraceable, kept the public informed of his news through updates on his Facebook page.

"The measure is for the players' safety. They are prone to danger if the wrong person gets access to their information, whereabouts and so on," team manager Intikhab Alam was quoted as saying by Pakistan's Express Tribune. "Therefore, the PCB has finalised the policy and banned the use of all social networking websites during ongoing series, while also advising them to keep their activity minimum when they are not playing."

The PCB said the measure had been incorporated in its revised code of conduct for players. "There is a clause in their contracts which states clearly that they can't use these social network sites or discuss cricket issues while under contract. It is for their own good, so that they don't get entangled into controversies."

The board also threatened legal action against those putting up fake accounts of players on social networking websites. "There are many accounts that are not operated by the players," the PCB's legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said. "Fake ones operated by other people are a hazard. These people are liable to face charges of cyber crime and fraud. So my advice to them is to be careful, otherwise they can be prosecuted."

Concern over the use of such websites by players has not been confined to the PCB. Kevin Pietersen's outburst on Twitter over his exclusion from the limited-overs side in August resulted in the ECB introducing specific regulations for micro-blogging. And Allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas was banned by the ECB for two weeks following his foul-mouthed messages against national selector Geoff Miller.