Bangladesh tour will ease security concerns - Ashraf

PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf: "We have to demonstrate that security arrangements are of the highest standards."© Associated Press Enlarge

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has said security for Bangladesh's scheduled tour of Pakistan in April 2012 will have to be of "the highest standards" as all eyes will be on Pakistan. Ashraf said that Bangladesh's proposed visit was a chance to change external perceptions over security concerns which have prevented international cricket in Pakistan since the Sri Lanka team was attacked in March 2009.

"A successful tour by Bangladesh to Pakistan would mean a new beginning for international cricket in Pakistan," Ashraf said in Lahore. "Obviously, this would be watched closely by other member countries and we have to demonstrate that security arrangements are of the highest standards. I think it is of paramount importance that we present foolproof security plans to the visiting Bangladesh security team and implement them." The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will conduct a security inspection of Pakistan next month as a precursor to the tour.

According to Ashraf, the PCB had not finalised an itinerary for the tour but the goal was to make other teams consider visiting Pakistan. "We were in talks for the last one-and-a-half months with Bangladesh and finally we have been able to convince a team to visit us. We haven't proposed any itinerary but the aim is to host them for two or three matches to ease the security concerns that would help us to change the world's perception.

"The agreement with Bangladesh is a major breakthrough. It's like breaking the ice. Let them visit us and it will increase the scope of inviting more teams."

The PCB will now start making preparations for briefing the BCB's security team regarding arrangements that will be put in place and will also request the Pakistan government to present security plans to the team. "We have to show them the security plans and if they still have any concerns then we will settle them with their input to give them the required comfort to ensure that the tour goes ahead."

"We enjoy cordial relations with our brotherly nation Bangladesh and I thank the BCB again for their support to Pakistan."

Pakistan Vs England Schedule

- Day and Night- Covered by Cricinfo Date and Time	Match	Weather
Tue Jan 17 - Sat Jan 21 06:00 GMT | 10:00 local 11:00 PKT	1st Test - Pakistan v England Dubai International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Wed Jan 25 - Sun Jan 29 06:00 GMT | 10:00 local 11:00 PKT	2nd Test - Pakistan v England Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi	N/A
Fri Feb 3 - Tue Feb 7 06:00 GMT | 10:00 local 11:00 PKT	3rd Test - Pakistan v England Dubai International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Fri Feb 10           11:00 GMT | 15:00 local 16:00 PKT	Only ODI - Pakistan v Afghanistan Sharjah Cricket Stadium	N/A
Mon Feb 13           11:00 GMT | 15:00 local 16:00 PKT	1st ODI - Pakistan v England Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi	N/A
Wed Feb 15           11:00 GMT | 15:00 local 16:00 PKT	2nd ODI - Pakistan v England Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi	N/A
Sat Feb 18           11:00 GMT | 15:00 local 16:00 PKT	3rd ODI - Pakistan v England Dubai International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Tue Feb 21           11:00 GMT | 15:00 local 16:00 PKT	4th ODI - Pakistan v England Dubai International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Thu Feb 23 16:00 GMT | 20:00 local 21:00 PKT	1st T20I - Pakistan v England Dubai International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Sat Feb 25 16:00 GMT | 20:00 local 21:00 PKT	2nd T20I - Pakistan v England Dubai International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Mon Feb 27 16:00 GMT | 20:00 local 21:00 PKT	3rd T20I - Pakistan v England Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi	N/A
Mon Mar 12           08:30 GMT | 14:30 local 13:30 PKT	Asia Cup Bangladesh v Pakistan Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Thu Mar 15           08:30 GMT | 14:30 local 13:30 PKT	Asia Cup Pakistan v Sri Lanka Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sun Mar 18           08:30 GMT | 14:30 local 13:30 PKT	Asia Cup India v Pakistan Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	N/A
Sun Sep 23           10:00 GMT | 15:30 local 15:00 PKT	ICC World Twenty20 9th Match, Group D - New Zealand v Pakistan Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A
Tue Sep 25           14:00 GMT | 19:30 local 19:00 PKT	ICC World Twenty20 12th Match, Group D - Bangladesh v Pakistan Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	N/A

PCB to meet with Whatmore in January

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited Dav Whatmore to Pakistan to discuss the terms of becoming their next head coach, a board official has said. Whatmore, along with Julian Fountain, who is tipped to be the new fielding coach, will arrive in Pakistan in the second week of January next year

	Dav Whatmore could be the next head coach of Pakistan© Getty Images Enlarge
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited Dav Whatmore to Pakistan to discuss the terms of becoming their next head coach, a board official has said. Whatmore, along with Julian Fountain, who is tipped to be the new fielding coach, will arrive in Pakistan in the second week of January next year.

We are in discussions with [Dev] Whatmore," Subhan Ahmed, the PCB's chief operating officer told ESPNcricinfo. "In fact, we have called him next month to negotiate and hope to reach a final agreement with him."

Whatmore is the current head coach of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, and is a former coach of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He has been in talks with the PCB's search committee for a few months but both sides have failed to reach an agreement so far. The committee is believed to favour hiring home-grown batting and bowling coaches, given Pakistan's traditional strength in these disciplines, but is keen on having Whatmore and Fountain be the head coach and fielding coach respectively.

One sticking point with Whatmore is that his contract with Knight Riders runs until December 2012, and his desire to wait until after IPL 2012 ends in May is the main reason the PCB has delayed appointing a full-time coaching staff. Earlier this month, Mohsin Khan was named interim coach for the England series.

Fountain has worked with the PCB before in 2001 and 2006 under former Pakistan coaches Richard Pybus and Bob Woolmer. He was the specialist fielding coach for Bangladesh from August 2010 until the end of the 2011 World Cup and has previously worked with the England and West Indies teams as well. If he signs a deal with the board, Fountain could join the squad for the England series.

Pakistan's Most Memorable T20 Matches

It came, it flourished and it conquered. With all the criticism and skepticism, T-20 is here to stay. Pakistan immediately fell in love with this blistering format but never forgot to carry their “unpredictable” tag along with them. Not many would be aware that the T-20 match Pakistan played against Bangladesh on 29th November at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium was their 50th outing – most by any international outfit – in this shortened layout. It has been a topsy turvy love affair between the Green Shirts and their fans, as the Green Shirts have gifted them both delights and heartbreaks. Here is a look at some of Pakistan’s exceptional games that remain stuck in one’s memory for one reason or another. Kingsmead Durban, India Vs Pakistan, the bowl-out thriller… 21 years after Miandad hit Chetan Sharma out on Sharjah highway, Pakistan and India played a thrilling tie at the inaugural T-20 World cup. The McGrath like Asif skittled the Indian batting giants with his classic mastery of the seam, reducing them to 36 for 4. In stepped Robin Uthappa shouldering the innings with a diligently crafted 50 but still India were restricted to 141. Pakistan’s story was no different when it came to their batting. Seemingly shaky at 47 for 4, once Afridi departed, they were in a hopeless situation needing 39 from 15 balls. This was however the time for a new star to be noticed. Misbah-ul-Haq emerged as the unlikely hero holding the fort when all was crumbling. A six and a four off Harbhajan Singh in the 18th over left the Indian crowds silent and gave Pakistan a fragile hope of winning. The last over required 13, Misbah did everything right till the last ball where Yuvraj refused to let him bat his crease. It was a tie and the result would come through a bowl-out. India prevailed with Sehwag, Harbhajan and Uthappa hitting the stumps with deadly accuracy while Yasir Arafat, Gul and Afridi forgot their target. As Captains, it was Shoaib Malik’s first heart-break and Dhoni’s first international win. 2007 World Cup final India Vs Pakistan, mission accomplished, almost… Just 10 days after the delirious scenes at Kingsmead, the Sub-continent giants locked arms in perhaps the best fought final in cricket history. India batted first and thanks to an inspirational 75 from Gautam Gambhir, managed a merely defendable 157. Malik’s men were merciless in the field with Gul denting the Indians thrice. With one hand on the cup, Pakistan fans relished themselves champions when Imran Nazir smacked two sixes and two fours from Sreesanth’s opening over. But wickets kept tumbling and at 77 for 6, Pakistan appeared out of contention needing a massive 54 from 24 balls. Misbah was still there and so were the hopes and when he smashed Harbhajan for three sixes in the 17th over, the improbable seemed possible. Once again Pakistan needed 13 off the last over and ice-cool Misbah was on strike. After lofting Joginder Sharma for six on long-off, Misbah did the unthinkable, moving across the stumps and handing Sreesanth at fine leg his most important catch ever. Indian fans went ecstatic while Pakistanis lost their pulse. Indian media slammed Misbah with the undesirable tag, “Mr. Almost”. 2009 World Cup Semi-Final, Pakistan vs South Africa, Boom Boom Blossoms… Trend Bridge turned out to be for Afridi what Eden Park served for Inzimam in the 92 World Cup. Pakistan had disastrous outings in both tournaments and barely made it to the last four, and once there they needed individual heroics to sail ashore. The unbeaten proteas were the favorites for the match and did everything to stand by their clinical approach; little did they know that heavens were finally ready to give Afridi his overdue recognition. Moved up in the order, Afridi made a clinical 51 off 34 balls. Even defying his own swashbuckling approach, and yes the famous flying kiss that left Kallis fuming his nostrils. South Africa fought hard to restrict Pakistan to 149. Kallis (64) gave the proteas a solid start and threatened to take the match away. Afridi once again blocked their way with his wrist magic shaking the stumps twice sending Gibbs and De Villiers packing, it was time to think about the final once again. 2009 World Cup Final, Pakistan vs Sri-Lanka, A Lord at the Lords.. 21st June 2009 was a time that was critical for both the team and the nation. A young team needed a win to establish its credentials while a nation needed it to come together. It happened for both. On the other side was Sangakara who had to fight 11 spirited souls, with Afridi once again waiting to be the knight in shining armor. The Islanders never actually stood up in the match. The moment Aamir removed Dilshan in the opening over; bugles were already blowing in streets back home. Restricted to 138, Sri-Lanka needed heaps of luck to stop the Pakistani juggernaut. Shahzaib and Kamran gave Pakistan the ideal start and Afridi with years of experience on his shoulders made sure he took the trophy home with a career best 54. The moment the winning run arrived, Afridi raised arms high in his trade mark style and a crowd of mostly Pakistani fans erupted fanatically, showing how much this victory meant to them, Lords had a new Lord. 2010 World Cup Semi-Final, Pakistan Vs Australia, Smiles for Hussey, tears for Ajmal.. This was a match that was supposed to be fought between two great teams, but in the final overs, it turned out to be about between two great players, the one with stronger nerves came out victorious. Pakistan started brilliantly with two dazzling 50’s from the Akmal brothers, Umar in particular showed the range of his talent by smacking Mitchell Johnson for three sixes. Pakistan posted a mountainous 191 for Clarke’s men to climb. In response, Aamir rocked the Aussie top order with sufficient support from Abdur Rehman. With six wickets down and 48 required off 18 balls, it was left to Mr. Dependable Michael Hussey to pull it off, and what a miraculous act he displayed. Afridi gambled the last over with Ajmal and Hussey with three thunderous sixes made the ground look small, reminding the crowds that T-20 is not always a young man’s game. Pakistani fans were deserted and people apart from his mother saw Ajmal break down in tears. Dubai 2010, Pakistan Vs England, Razzaq you beauty…. Having lost the earlier match to England, Pakistan was desperate to level the series. Their bowlers did a decent job by restricting England to 148 on a flat track with Yasir Arafat bagging three wickets. However, fellow batsmen made a mess of their efforts by slumping to 78 for 5, thanks to a brilliant spell from Graeme Swann. But Abdul Razzaq at the other end shifted games plans and showed his team mates that aggression was the best way to victory. Razzaq, nick-named Popeye for his love of spinach slammed five sixes to re-establish his role as a sheet anchor and give Pakistan their first victory in 11 international outings.

Pakistan Cricket Team - The one man army?

Shahid Afridi starred with bat and ball as Pakistan survived a small collapse to defeat Bangladesh by five wickets in the first one-day international in Dhaka.The leg-spinner ripped through the Bangladesh line-up as the hosts were bundled out for 91 after electing to bat at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium -- with seven batsmen failing to reach double figures.

After bowling the hosts out for just 91, Pakistan looked on course for a crushing win but the Tigers showed some fight in the field to reduce their opponents to 63 for five. As the runs dried up on the turning wicket, Afridi broke free with three successive fours off Shakib and then cut the same bowler for another boundary to win the game.Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq made 16 not out, sharing a match-winning stand of 30 with Afridi. It was Pakistan's 26th win in 27 one-dayers against Bangladesh, the lone defeat having come during the 1999 World Cup in England.
Afridi, who was the obvious choice for the man of the match, said he wanted to do well every time he took the field.

It was an impressive bowling display by the visitors, everyone involved picking up at least a wicket, while number seven Nasir Hossain top-scored for Bangladesh with 21.The hosts gave themselves hope with the wickets of Imran Farhat (12), Mohammad Hafeez (22), Younus Khan (two), Sarfraz Ahmed (two) and Umar Akmal (seven).
But Afridi and Misbah (16no) steadied the ship before steering their side to victory.

Pakistan vs England - A keenly awaited series

Pakistan had a dream run in 2011 winning almost everything that came in their way. While England after handing white-wash to India, got the favors returned when they Toured India for 5 ODIs. It’s a series that can be easily described as battle of bowlers even though the flat tracks of UAE offer little assistance to the bowlers yet it’s a keenly awaited clash between Ajmal & Swaan both are at the moment on top of their game and they will have to be at their very best to out-class each other to take the reign of World’s best off-spinner tag.


Pakistan may have lost bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif , & Mohammad Aamer but still has plenty of fire power in the tank to compete against the best in business and its revitalizing contest , Pakistan fast bowling department will be headed by Umar Gul whose sparks of brilliance can turn the game at any moment. On the other side, England will be having James Anderson who will be leading the pack. England has extreme pace of Tall & lanky Steven Finn while Pakistan will miss its speedster Wahab Riaz in these conditions. Wahab Riaz name is under the scanner for a long time now but I would like to see him playing against England for one simple reason PACE VS PACE. 
Latest additions of Pakistan have impressed but you can say they were untested against the likes of Srilanka, Bangladesh & Zimbabwe Junaid khan & Aizaz Cheema have made strong vibes in their brief international career but they will be up against experience of Stuart broad & Batista Aka Bresnan. Batsman from both the sides has their work cut out as Bowlers from both the sides are top quality. One thing can be assured that there will be no easy runs for the batsman.
In Spin department , Pakistan have an upper hand , Courtesy Shahid Afridi the charismatic Bowler along with the guile of Saeed Ajmal and uncanny off-spinner M.Hafeez as for England they have Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar.


Pace department, much will depend on how Umar Gul responds to the responsibility. He is not consistent which will be the biggest worry for Pakistan, And England have upper hand in Fast bowling department.

Bangladesh to tour Pakistan in April 2012

Mustafa Kamal is the PCB's nomination for the ICC presidency© Getty Images Enlarge

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will conduct a security inspection of Pakistan in January 2012 as a precursor to Bangladesh's tour of Pakistan in April the same year, Mustafa Kamal, the president of the BCB has said. His statements came after PCB officials, including new chairman Zaka Ashraf, met with BCB members in Dhaka.

Following the meeting, Ashraf announced that the PCB had endorsed Kamal as its choice for president of the ICC from 2014. Under the ICC's rotation policy, it is PCB's and BCB's turn to jointly nominate a candidate. If approved, the nominee will assume office as the ICC's vice-president at the end of its annual conference in 2012 and thereafter ascend to the presidency in 2014.

However, Kamal's nomination is not a formality yet. He needs to be approved by a majority of BCB directors, and ESPNcricinfo understands he is not an automatic selection. The final nomination will then be handed over to the ICC by December 31, 2011.

The two boards had been discussing the prospect of Bangladesh touring Pakistan as the by-product of a deal between them over choosing the next vice-president. The PCB had formed a security plan to present to its Bangladesh counterpart to convince it to send the national team to Pakistan.

"My board today agreed to form a security committee to visit Pakistan in January 2012 to review their security measures so as to ensure proper security arrangements are in place prior to arrival of Bangladesh team in Pakistan," Kamal said in a statement. "My board further agreed that Bangladesh cricket team will visit Pakistan in April 2012 as per ICC's Future Tours Programme. I hope this way, slowly and gradually, international cricket will come back to Pakistan."

At the press conference following the meeting, Ashraf said that the situation in Pakistan was back to normal now. "All those things that you must have seen, they are over now. That's why we want to reorganise cricket, bring back cricket to Pakistan. Fans are also being deprived of this game."

The purpose of the meeting was to find ways of strengthening the bonds between the two boards, and a number of other collaborations were also announced. Among them were reciprocal tours between "A", Academy and Under-19 teams, as well as between the women's team of both countries. Pakistan would also provide assistance in training the Bangladesh academy players. In addition, the two countries will partner together to "organising international cricket events in collaboration with other cricket boards".

"I am also encouraged with the steps that we agreed to today, which will help in developing and making Bangladesh cricket more stronger," Kamal said. He also expressed his gratitude to the PCB for nominating him for the presidency of the ICC.

"It is a matter of pride and a privilege to receive the PCB's support on my nomination. I will try to live up to the expectations of not only the people of Bangladesh but for Pakistan as well, and also the entire cricketing fraternity. The support that the PCB has given me demonstrates the close relations that our two boards enjoy, and it is not the first time that the PCB has come forward to support us.

"Who could forget that it was Pakistan that proposed Bangladesh's entry into Test cricket? We are indebted to them. Pakistani players have played in Bangladesh and have helped our cricketers a lot. We will also try to support Pakistan in any way we can."

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