ISLAMABAD: British High Commission Islamabad is not issuing visa to Pakistan’s World Champion Pakistan Blind Cricket team, scheduled to start tour England from 9th to 18th August 2009 for a cricket series of 3 One-day Internationals and 1 T/20, the Blind association has said. Blind Cricket England & Wales (BCEW), has invited the World Champion Pakistan.

Pakistan Blind Cricket team applied for the U.K visas through Gerry’s Visa Application Center Islamabad on 8th July 2009. “We requested British High Commission Islamabad and British Embassy Abu Dhabi several times to issue visas to Pakistan Blind Cricket Team, PBCC also provided them the Funds approval from Pakistan Cricket Board and N.O.C from the Government of Pakistan for the said tour but visas are still held in abeyance,” the association said.

As per the original schedule the Pakistan Blind Cricket team has to depart on Sunday but still the players are waiting for the visas.“If British High Commission may not issue visas until Monday then the tour will be called off,” a statement said.

The cancellation of the tour on one hand will cause huge financial loss to both PBCC and Blind Cricket England & Wales and on the other hand will create disappointment in the Blind Cricket players. We “are forced to think that, we, the visually challenged are the underprivileged part of the society whose fundamental rights of even playing cricket are being denied”. PBCC requested the Government of Pakistan to play their part and help us in getting our due right. NNI

Last Saturday, during the qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, one of the freakiest Formula 1 accidents of recent years occurred to none other than Ferrari’s Felipe Massa. It was so scary that I sprang up from my bed and shivers ran down my spine.

Massa’s life was spared by his F1 helmet. The Schuberth manufactured RF1.7 helmet was impacted by a spring which had come off the back of Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn suspension and while the Ferrari driver suffered skull injury from the projectile that hit him just above the left eye, the helmet’s ability to withstand such an impact at more than 275 kph was not down to luck but due to its impressive design.

According to the doctors, Massa is recovering well and could walk out of the Budapest hospital, AEK, within 10 days.

Head trauma is the commonest cause of life threatening injury to F1 drivers so the FIA has spent a lot of effort in developing technology to reduce this danger.

The overall head protection system had two key elements that helped Massa get out of the crash alive – firstly the now obligatory HANS (Head And Neck Support) device, which rests on the driver’s shoulders and hooks onto the rear of the helmet to reduce the forward head movement during the frontal impact, and secondly the 8860 helmet regulation standard, by which all helmets in F1, and many other series, must now be measured. The design standard – FIA 8860-2004 – became mandatory just over five years ago and to ensure all helmets in F1 meet this standard, there are a variety of tests. The basic impact properties of the outer shell are assessed by hitting it into a variety of different shaped anvils (flat, hemispherical, edge and roll bar) with an impact energy of 225J and peak accelerations up to 300 times the force of gravity.

But Massa’s instance was more a concern for penetration from the spring, and to guard against this kind of issue the FIA uses a test in which a pointed striker, with a 60-degree angle and a weight of 4kg, is dropped from three metres on to the top of the helmet. The surface of the shell is also subjected to a Barcol hardness test which measures the resistance to penetration of a sharp steel point. Carbon fibre is one of the hardest materials, registering a ‘hardness’ of 60-70 out of 100 compared to normal plastic at 30-40 and glass fibre at 40-60. The RF1.7 helmet has multiple layers of carbon fibre and despite its low 1.35kg weight is strong enough to support a 55 tonne Chieftain tank.

Progress has been made, however, with much stronger visors as well as the hardness improvements mentioned above, but it seems this area still presents a significant challenge and it is one that will, no doubt, now be a refocusing of thought for helmet designers.

Before signing off, like all well wishers, I earnestly pray for one of the most competitive and passionate F1 drivers to recover and get back into the cockpit of Ferrari.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued a legal notice to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and by the look of things the chances of an out of court settlement are remote at the moment. The notice was issued to the ICC President, David Morgan, through Mark Gay of DLA Piper, London, an experienced hand in the field of sports legal issues, having previously represented PCB as well.

In the legal notice the ICC has been asked to rescind the decision of the Executive Board being ultra vires and void. The PCB has also informed the ICC that they would be shortly referring the matter for determination by an arbitrary tribunal appointed in accordance with the Rules of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland under the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee.

The PCB officials feel hard done by the ICC decision taken by its Executive Board on April 17. The PCB has contended that the views of the Sri Lankan captain, Mahela Jayawerdene, and ICC match referee, Chris Broad, were presented but the interview CD of the bus driver of Sri Lanka team that PCB had sent to ICC was never presented at the meeting and its transcript was circulated by e-mail to members after the meeting instead.

The PCB functionaries have complained that they were not provided with an opportunity to explain their position and in a slip shod manner, a decision was passed by at the Executive Board meeting whereby PCB was stripped off its right to co-host the 2011 World Cup with the safety and security concerns being the basis of this decision.

“It’s very surprising that this decision was passed in a meeting which was not even authorized to do so. As per procedure, it is the IDI Board and not the Executive Board that is only authorized to make recommendation to the Meeting of Members of ICC which is the Annual Conference and which is alone authorized to take decision on it. The ICC Executive Board in which this decision was made on April 17, has purposed to exercise a power which vests only in IDI,” the PCB Chairman claimed.

“The PCB has not yet received the minutes of the said meeting of Executive Board, therefore the exact tenure of the decision is not known. But in reality, the decision of ICC is actually being acted upon. We can see that the Central Organizing Committee (which originally comprised of representatives of all four co-hosts) convened its meeting in Mumbai wherein PCB was not invited,” he added.

The PCB chief did not mince words in stating that the ICC Executive Board, while taking this decision, completely failed to take into account that the law and order situation in the entire sub-continent is not exemplary;

He pointed out that Bangladesh recently faced mutiny by its armed forces and refused to host Pakistan on accounts of security concerns which resulted in cancellation of Pakistan Series in Bangladesh in March 2009.

“Sri Lanka is embroiled in a long standing civil war. India due to law and order situation had to relocate IPL Series to South Africa although the official reason given is IPL schedule clash with the national elections. Recently Australia refused to send its Tennis Team to India for Davis Cup which was due to be held in Chennai, India. If security and safety was the only reason, no security assessment of the other three co-hosts has been done,” he added.

Ijaz Butt reckoned that under the host agreement, prior to taking any decision on relocation of matches, the PCB should first have been given an option to remedy the situation which was never done.
Courtesy: SKM Sports

LAHORE: The final match of 8th Men’s Asia Cup between Pakistan and South Korea will be televised live on Pakistan Television Home Channel on Saturday. This match will be played at Kuantan, Malaysia at 1730 (PST). President Pakistan Hockey Federation Qasim Zia called Federal Minister for Information Qamar Uzaman Qaira in China and requested for the live coverage of the match.

Federal Minister ordered Managing Director PTV Arshad Khan to make arrangements for the live coverage. The management of PTV signed the contract with Malaysian local TV channel for purchasing the rights of the final match. NNI

LAHORE: Pakistan cruised in to the final of 8th Men’s Asia Cup after beating hosts Malaysia by 4-2 in the second semi final at Kuantan, Malaysia on Thursday. Earlier, Korea beat China by 5-1 in the first semi final. The final match between Pakistan and Korea will be played on 16th May.

According to the information received from Malaysia, the match between Pakistan and Malaysia was played on very high pitch. Pakistan outplayed Malaysia in all fields. The match was tied by 1-1 at the end of the first half. Abu Ismail of Malaysia scored the first goal in 3rd minute. Rehan Butt leveled the goal in 18th minute. Akhtar Ali scored the second goal from Pakistan in 46th minute. Rehan Butt scored the third goal in 63rd minute, while Abdul Haseem Khan scored the fourth goal in 67th minute. Malaysia got its fourth penalty corner in the last 70th minute of the match. Angkoo Malek scored the second goal on that penalty corner.

India and Japan will play the match for 5th and 6th position on Friday. Final match between Pakistan and Korea will be played on 16th May at 1730 (PST), while bronze medal match will be played between China and Malaysia at 1500 (PST) on Saturday. NNI

Pakistan, who ruled the world of hockey for a long time, start their campaign in the Asia Cup with a game against the super fit China, having improved in leaps and bounds in the recent past.

History, however, is on Pakistan’s side, having annexed the trophy in the first three editions of the continental competition in 1982, 1985 and 1989. They are being billed as one of the favourites again even though they have had a rough ride in the hockey arena during the last few years.

The enigmatic Pakistan side had plunged into their lowest ebb by failing to win any medal in the last edition of the Asia Cup held in Chennai in 2007 where hosts India, South Korea and Malaysia had shared glories.

This tournament provides an opportunity to revive the country’s hockey fortunes as Pakistan would be spared of appearing in the qualifying event for the next year’s World Cup if they win the title here.

Pakistan will be relying heavily on its veteran quartet of custodian Salman Akbar, full back Sohail Abbas, half back Waseem Ahmed and forward Rehan Butt who are staging a comeback in the team after enjoying rich experience in Dutch league.

With the return of the vastly experienced players and in the presence of talented forwards Tariq Aziz, Akhtar, Waqas Sharif and Waqas Akbar, Pakistan look the most formidable side to have entered the eight-nation tournament.

Pakistan, having struggled in the recent past as they finished a disappointing eighth in the Beijing Olympics last August, would be needed to get into their grooves to regain their lost glories in the field of hockey.

Pakistan, who finished a poor fourth in the five-nation contest in Ipoh last month, must come up with improved performance here to build the momentum for the major events ahead. The return of the seasoned campaigners boosts their chances and they are expected to rise to the occasion for the revival of national sport in the country.

Pakistan have been drawn in the tough Pool B with arch-rivals and defending champions India, China and Bangladesh while the Pool A contains South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka and hosts Malaysia.

Pakistan must win at least a couple of league matches in their bid to advance in semifinal knock-out stage that indeed is their first target. Then they would be just two more wins away from the title.

On the other hand, the eight-time Olympic champions India, who failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games staged in Beijing, would also be aspiring to make amends by retaining the Asia Cup they won at home a couple of years ago.

The Indians, however, are on a high of late after having finished runners-up in four-nation Punjab Gold Cup and then the title win in the Azlan Shah after a lapse of 13 years.

Besides Pakistan and India, South Korea and Malaysia can also fancy their chances of clinching the trophy with China being the dark horses. Unlike the past an Indo-Pak final, however, could not be guaranteed in the prevailing circumstances with the other teams also possessing the credentials go the distance.-SKM Sports

Once the superpowers in the field of hockey, the Indians have endured a very lean over patch over the past few decades and the eight-time champions were not even able to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games staged in Beijing, China.

The country, having pocketed the Olympic gold in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964 and 1980, rather stunningly couldn’t force its way in the line-up of 2008. The hockey authorities in India had their work cut out since then and by the look of things they have been successful in regrouping.

India are high on confidence after their Azlan Shah triumph and they are realistically aiming for the gold medal in the Asia Cup, starting in the Malaysian town of Kuantan on May 9. They are the defending champions in the Asia Cup, having annexed the title at home in 2007 after overpowering South Korea in the final.

The Indians are on a comeback trail after having finished runners-up in four-nation Punjab Gold Cup and then the title win in the Azlan Shah after a lapse of 13 years. Their officials reckon that winning the gold in Asia Cup will complete the first phase of their revival plans for Indian hockey.

“We are successfully working towards our plan to revive Indian hockey. Asia Cup victory is crucial to that plan. We are the defending champions and we will be satisfied with nothing less than the gold. The team has worked very hard in past couple of months and the boys are upbeat about their performance,” the Indian coach Harendra Singh was quoted as saying.

“Everything has gone according to the plan of reaching among the top six nations by the end of this year. Asia Cup gold will complete the first phase of our revival plan. The competition will be tough. We have to be consistent throughout the tournament. We will take one match at a time,” he added.

“We focussed on our weaknesses during the practice and we are confident that we will eradicate them in Asia Cup. If we win the Asia Cup, we will get a push in the world ranking and that will be our motivation. There will be a long break after the Asia Cup, so we want to give our best and return with the trophy,” Harendra Singh said.

The Indian coach agreed that Asia Cup will be a bigger test for the team because the field in Azlan Shah was not so strong with top European nations staying away.

Although he emphasized that the team had worked hard in their camp training in Bhopal but it remains to be seen if they show improvement in blocking goals in the closing stages of the match. It has been the weakness of the past Indian teams too, conceding late goals to undo their own good work.
India have placed in the tougher of two groups alongside Pakistan, China and Bangladesh and they could be tested in accomplishing their task of qualifying for the semifinals. The other group comprises of South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

Many people watching the fifth and final One-day International between Pakistan and Australia at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on May 3 were reminded of Sharjah that had become famous for producing the most unexpected of results.

Australia, with the series in their bag, posted the highest score of five games but failed to defend it successfully. The Aussies had appeared on the verge of a 4-1 victory when Pakistan crashed to 56 for three before the record partnership between Kamran Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq turned the tide decisively.

Some of the events of the game were as strange as they used to be in Sharjah where the strongest of teams used to be blown away on a given day. The most amazing part was the reluctance of the Australian batsmen to go after the bowling in the death overs. How often would you see a team add only 64 runs to its total in the last 10 overs of the innings in a limited overs game and that too without having lost a single wicket during the period?

The platform was set for a final onslaught. Having reached a total of 186 for four at the end of 40 overs Australia were ideally placed to extract something around 80 to 90 from the final 10 overs that would have taken their total in the vicinity of 275.

Shane Watson and Callum Ferguson had the credentials to tear apart the bowling on a pitch that was as flat as one would have imagined. But what they did in the final phase of the innings amounted to making a mockery of the game.

Their dead-batting in the 48th and 49th overs must have caught everyone by surprise. They were only helped by some wayward bowling and pathetic fielding that earned 10 runs in the final over to raise the total to 250.

Watson and Ferguson didn’t make serious efforts to hit boundaries. That’s what one would have expected from the two well-set batsmen in the closing stages of the innings. They were keen only in rotating the strike when even the tail-enders attempt to hit out to the best of their abilities. They made a mess of the batting powerplay overs as well. By limiting themselves to 250, Australia kept the game open. By the look of things they didn’t desire the match to become one-sided that could have been the case had they got to somewhere around 275.

That Pakistan would make heavy weather of target of 251 is another matter. The early wickets pegged them back and there was a feeling that the Aussies will seal the fate of the match.

Enter Kamran Akmal and the complexion of the game changed. The wicketkeeper-batsman needed just 115 balls to register his fifth ODI century and Pakistan, against all odds, were successful in chasing down the big target. Misbah-ul-Haq kept his company till the end and their unbroken stand of 198 was a new record for the fourth wicket against Australia.

The acting Australian captain Michael Clarke led by example and his brilliant unbeaten century powered his team to an emphatic eight-wicket win in the fourth One-day International against Pakistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The victory in the fourth ODI also enabled the Aussies to clinch the series with a game to spare. They should be a relieved side now, after having been shaken in the first outing. They have taken their time to acclimatize and by the look of things they have done it much better than their opponents.

The Australians have lifted their game after the debacle in the opening fixture where a horrible batting collapse cost them the match. They were not all that convincing though in the following games but one could sense their key players taking the responsibilities.

Clarke, who has been entrusted with the task of leading the team in the absence of Ricky Ponting, has done a fantastic job. He couldn’t get going in the first game but he has applied himself and led by example.

It’s always very important for the captain to deliver. It’s more so when you are leading a young side. Clarke had to rise to the occasion to motivate his boys, the majority of whom lacked international experience.

Australia were in dire straits even while chasing a modest target of 198 when Shoaib Akhtar removed Brad Haddin and Marcus North very early to make them three for two. The skipper walked in to join Shane Watson with his team under pressure once more. While Watson struggled to get on top of the bowling it was Clarke who made a statement by going hard at the loose balls. Their unbroken 197-run partnership for the third wicket closed all escape routes for Pakistan.

Clarke completed his well deserved century with an imperious drive off Shoaib Akhtar who looked ordinary in his last few overs. It was the best knock of the Australian skipper in the series in which he has delivered consistently. He looked in complete control while playing the aggressive shots and even Watson grew in confidence in the company of his captain.

Watson, although finished unbeaten on 85 off 140 balls, needs to improve his technique against the slow bowlers if he has to retain his place in the side for a long time. He will have to find a way out to tackle the spinners.

England’s women cricketers are on a high. Having won the World Cup in Australia earlier this year they are now eyeing the ICC World Twenty20 having retained their top guns for the showpiece event to be held in their own backyard this summer.

Charlotte Edwards, who led England to title victory in the World Cup, appears in a very positive frame of mind and she reckons that keeping the nucleus of the World Cup-winning squad intact will boost the chances of the hosts winning the World Twenty20.

England have made only three changes to the 15-man squad that carried the World Cup home from Australia, Georgia Elwiss, a fast bowler from Staffordshire, and two off-spinners, Danielle Hazell of Yorkshire and Sussex’s Rosalie Birch.

“We have tried to keep the nucleus of the World Cup squad together. We have got a good, sound squad there. We have prided ourselves on keeping consistency in selection. People are very clear on their roles, and I think it’s been one of the biggest factors in our success,” the Kent all-rounder remarked in a recent interview.

England may have swept all before them in women’s cricket’s flagship event, but the their skipper feels that this summer’s World Twenty20, with a combined men’s and women’s finals day, will propel the women’s game higher into the public consciousness than ever before.

“This is the biggest occasion for women’s cricket so far. I know the team is looking forward to it, having the momentum from Australia. I enjoy Twenty20 – I average over 50 – no fear of failure comes into Twenty20,” Edwards said.

“A few days after the World Cup myself and coach Mark Lane had forgotten about it and were preparing for the T20. We can’t rest on our laurels because this could potentially be the biggest yet for England’s cricket team,” she added.

Meanwhile Taunton has been picked to host the women’s group matches at the ICC World Twenty20 in June 2009. The semi-finals of the women’s ICC World Twenty20 will be held at the same ground, on the same day and same ticket as the men’s semi finals, at the Brit Oval and Trent Bridge, and the women’s final will be a precursor for the men’s final to be held at Lord’s on June 21, 2009.

Taunton is a special ground for the England women’s team and has also impressed so many of the touring sides that have played here.

“Hosting such a major event is a great coup for Taunton and Somerset. Women’s cricket is now a major player in global sport and we look forward to welcoming the world’s best teams in 2009, particularly as by then we will have completed the first tranche of our redevelopment and will be able to provide a world-class cricketing arena to go along with our world-class pitches,” Somerset’s Chief Executive Richard Gould stated.

The warm-up games of the women’s event will be held on June 8 and while the league matches will be organized from June 11 to 16. The semifinals will be taking place on June 18 and 19 with the final and the presentation ceremony scheduled to be held on June 21.

Charlotte Edwards, who led England to title victory in the World Cup, appears in a very positive frame of mind and she reckons that keeping the nucleus of the World Cup-winning squad intact will boost the chances of the hosts winning the World Twenty20.

England have made only three changes to the 15-man squad that carried the World Cup home from Australia, Georgia Elwiss, a fast bowler from Staffordshire, and two off-spinners, Danielle Hazell of Yorkshire and Sussex’s Rosalie Birch.

“We have tried to keep the nucleus of the World Cup squad together. We have got a good, sound squad there. We have prided ourselves on keeping consistency in selection. People are very clear on their roles, and I think it’s been one of the biggest factors in our success,” the Kent all-rounder remarked in a recent interview.

England may have swept all before them in women’s cricket’s flagship event, but the their skipper feels that this summer’s World Twenty20, with a combined men’s and women’s finals day, will propel the women’s game higher into the public consciousness than ever before.

“This is the biggest occasion for women’s cricket so far. I know the team is looking forward to it, having the momentum from Australia. I enjoy Twenty20 – I average over 50 – no fear of failure comes into Twenty20,” Edwards said.

“A few days after the World Cup myself and coach Mark Lane had forgotten about it and were preparing for the T20. We can’t rest on our laurels because this could potentially be the biggest yet for England’s cricket team,” she added.

Meanwhile Taunton has been picked to host the women’s group matches at the ICC World Twenty20 in June 2009. The semi-finals of the women’s ICC World Twenty20 will be held at the same ground, on the same day and same ticket as the men’s semi finals, at the Brit Oval and Trent Bridge, and the women’s final will be a precursor for the men’s final to be held at Lord’s on June 21, 2009.

Taunton is a special ground for the England women’s team and has also impressed so many of the touring sides that have played here.

“Hosting such a major event is a great coup for Taunton and Somerset. Women’s cricket is now a major player in global sport and we look forward to welcoming the world’s best teams in 2009, particularly as by then we will have completed the first tranche of our redevelopment and will be able to provide a world-class cricketing arena to go along with our world-class pitches,” Somerset’s Chief Executive Richard Gould stated.

The warm-up games of the women’s event will be held on June 8 and while the league matches will be organized from June 11 to 16. The semifinals will be taking place on June 18 and 19 with the final and the presentation ceremony scheduled to be held on June 21.
Courtesy : SKM Sports