Off-field events dominate build-up

Big Picture

Just as two exciting Test series conclude on two different continents, New Zealand and Pakistan begin one of their own in Hamilton. But unlike the Ashes or the South Africa-India Tests which had massive build-ups, drew large audiences and captivated fans, this one is destined to be a sideshow. And that's because the eyes and ears of the cricketing world would be transfixed on an event in Doha, where the three players suspected of being involved in the spot-fixing controversy will know their fate.

As the ICC's three-man tribunal examines the charges against Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, who won Pakistan a Test on their previous tour here, the former team-mates of the tainted trio will do well to retain their focus on the action at the ground. Instability, indiscipline and allegations of corruption have done enough in recent months to deflect attention from the efforts of a Pakistan team trying to rebuild.

Under a new captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, and with a set of youngsters who've made an encouraging transition to international cricket, Pakistan punched above their weight when they held South Africa to a 0-0 draw, albeit in placid conditions, in the UAE in November. Conditions in New Zealand, traditionally favouring more swing and less palatable for batsmen, present Pakistan with a fresh challenge and an incentive, despite starting underdogs, to motivate themselves and repair some of the reputation sullied by events off the field. 

New Zealand, too, come in to the series on the back of a better-than-expected performance in their Test series in India, where they were beaten 0-1 in a three-match series. Though their woeful ODI form has prompted changes at the top, with John Wright replacing Mark Greatbatch as coach, their past performance in Tests, with Brendon McCullum's success at the top of the order, the emergence of Kane Williamson and the reliability of Chris Martin, would give them plenty of hope in home conditions.

Form guide

(Most recent first)

Pakistan: DDLWL

New Zealand: LDDLL

Watch out for…

Brendon McCullum's promotion to the opening slot yielded a double-century against India and he warmed up for this series in ideal fashion, smashing Pakistan around in the tour game to make 206. Pakistan don't have the services of Asif and Amir but Umar Gul, with his pace and ability to swing the ball, can be just as aggressive as McCullum. Who will win the battle?

Misbah-ul-Haq took over the reins of the Test side in a time of turmoil but led by example in the series against South Africa in the UAE, scoring three half-centuries in four innings to save both Tests. He led the way again with an unbeaten century in the tour match. Much will depend on him and Younis Khan, the senior members in the side, to preserve the focus on the performance on the field. They did that well in the UAE, they'll need to do it again.

Pitch and conditions

There is rain forecast for Friday, though the past few days in Hamilton have been quite warm. The possibility of overcast conditions on the opening day does provide the temptation of fielding first, but Hamilton, traditionally, has been among the better tracks for batting in the country.

"I'd like to have a little bit in it but also in the back of my mind is that if it gets really humid, the ball can swing a lot, and it has been really humid here," Karl Johnson, the curator at Seddon Park, was quoted as saying toNZPA. "I don't want the wicket to swing and have a lot of zip and movement off the track, but obviously the bowlers would like that,"

Team news

Saeed Ajmal, the offspinner, had to return home to attend his father's funeral and is likely to miss the first Test. That leaves Abdur Rehman, the left-arm spinner, as the only slow-bowling option. Sohail Tanvir, the left-arm seamer who was a late addition to the squad and picked up four wickets in the tour game, could share the new ball with Gul.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Sohail Tanvir, 11 Wahab Riaz.

Andy McKay, the left-arm seamer, is out due to a side strain and Daryl Tuffey has been called in to the 13-man squad. Wicketkeeper Reece Young, picked in place of Gareth Hopkins, will make his Test debut. Jesse Ryder, who didn't feature in the warm-up match, is expected to return.

New Zealand (possible): 1 Tim McIntosh, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jesse Ryder, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Reece Young (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Brent Arnel/ Daryl Tuffey, 11 Chris Martin.

Stats and trivia

New Zealand's batting average over the last two years of 31.47 is much higher than Pakistan's 26.40, but their bowling average of 44.34 is only marginally better than that of West Indies and Bangladesh.

Quotes

"I think with Tim we've either done really well or we've not done well at all, so we've got to try and gain some more consistency between us."

McCullum on his opening partnership with Tim McIntosh.

"We are not thinking about what has happened in the last 12 months, we are just thinking about today and tomorrow and what is coming next. We are ready for that. We just have to forget everything else and focus on what is coming now."

Misbah-ul-Haq insists his team his focused.

Amir optimistic ahead of hearing

As the Doha hearing into the spot-fixing case against three Pakistani players finally got underway on Thursday, Mohammad Amir, the youngest, most potent symbol of the trio expressed cautious optimism about the outcome of a hearing that could effectively end his career.

Along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, Amir was charged by the ICC for allegedly bowling pre-planned deliberate no-balls in the Lord's Test against England in August last year. The charges were the result of a sting operation by the English tabloid News of the World and the ICC acted immediately, suspending the three from international cricket.

As time has passed, much attention has fallen on Amir, who until then had swiftly taken his place among the brightest, most charismatic young talents in the game; until the scandal emerged, Amir was favourite to win the ICC's emerging player of the year award having just become the youngest bowler to complete 50 Test wickets.

The last few months, including a failed appeal to lift his provisional suspension, have been difficult, however. His future, as he admitted, is now on the line. "Those early days were good for me and these last few months have been tough," Amir told ESPNcricinfo before leaving for the hearing.

"This is a question of my career and I've been through some tough days. I've overcome them and I will hopefully overcome more in the future. We've prepared well for the case and put in our effort."

Both Amir and his lawyer Shahid Karim remain confident that their preparations are complete. Much has been made of Amir's youth and the ensuing leeway in any sanctions he may receive if found guilty because of that. Indications suggest that the defence may play on his unblemished disciplinary track record and his 18 years.

"If you look at the ICC code there could be some advantage with that," Karim said. "He is very important to the future of Pakistan and the response we have gotten from people so far, I am very hopeful. You can call our case strong or whatever but I am hopeful."

The players are staying in separate hotels with their lawyers and speculation has grown in recent weeks over the potential interplay between the three as the hearings begin. A leaked report of the testimony of Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, recently suggested that Amir's no-ball was bowled at the behest of Butt, who was captain at the time. The suggestion that he acted under duress might gain importance in Amir's defence, though it is understood that so far, the issue has not cropped up. Karim was understandably unwilling to expand.

"I cannot say much about this right now but we will see in the case how we use that. There are many perspectives which we feel are our in our favour and we will use that to our advantage."

Amir was the first to arrive at the Qatar Financial Centre civil and commercial courts, well before the scheduled 9.30am start. He was followed by Asif and his lawyer Alex Cameron though in keeping with Asif's approach throughout, they didn't speak to the media.

Apart from a couple of media appearances unrelated to the case, Asif has maintained a steady silence, possibly at the behest of advice from his British-based defence. He was the only one of the three who didn't appeal against the provisional suspension. Butt was the last to arrive with his legal team and though he has been the most voluble in his defence over the last few months, he also refused to speak. 

The members of the independent tribunal, headed by Michael Beloff QC, were the first to arrive. "I cannot comment very much on it because we haven't even started the hearings," Sharad Rao, one of the members, said. Asked about the impact of the hearing on the future of the game, he said, "The future of cricket is good because that is what the whole exercise is about, so that it should be very clean game that we can rely on the results."

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."