Shoaib eligible to play final one-dayer v Sout

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will be eligible to play in the fifth and final one-day international against South Africa on Oct. 29, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday.The board's disciplinary committee on Thursday imposed a 13-match ban and 3.4 million rupees ($56,000) fine on Shoaib for four misconduct charges, including hitting team mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, clarified that the ban period had started the day after the incident on Sept. 7 when team manager Talat Ali sent Shoaib home."Since his ban period started immediately it covers seven matches of the Twenty20 World Cup and also the two tests against South Africa," Naghmi told Reuters."This means he will have completed his 13-match ban by the fourth one-dayer and will be eligible for selection for the final game in Karachi," he said.Shoaib has played 43 tests and 133 one-dayers but has not taken part in any competitive cricket since he limped out of the second test against South Africa in January with a hamstring injury.The 32-year-old has played just one test and four one-dayers since February 2006 due to fitness and other problems.He was suspended for two years in 2006 after testing positive for the banned substance nandrolone but was later cleared of doping offences.

Pakistan's Butt fined for umpiring outburst

Pakistan's vice captain Salman Butt has been fined 50 percent of his match fee for his outburst against some of the umpiring decisions in the test series against South Africa.International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Alan Hurst said Butt had been fined after being found guilty of public criticism and inappropriate comment on a match-related incident or match official.Butt criticised some umpiring decisions on Thursday during the second test, saying they had gone against Pakistan.

Symonds racially abused in India say Australian cricket officials Sayz:

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds was racially abused with monkey chants during his side's one-day win over India in Vadodara, Cricket Australia said Friday.Cricket Australia said the national side's only black player complained about the noises made by some sections of the crowd as he fielded near the boundary during Thursday's victory.A Cricket Australia spokesman said the organisation would not be seeking further action over the incident."The matter will be left in the hands of the local authorities," he told AFP.The abuse was widely reported in Australian newspapers, with the Sydney Morning Herald saying the monkey chants were similar to those that have plagued European football for years.Sydney's Daily Telegraph said thousands of spectators were involved in the abuse, prompting ground authorities to flash the International Cricket Council's anti-racism code on the replay screen.The Australian newspaper quoted Baroda Cricket Association chief executive Makarand Waingankar as saying he was disappointed with the Vadodara crowd's behaviour."Like any cricket centre we cannot tolerate this sort of behaviour; racism should not exist in India," Waingankar said.Symonds has been involved in a running feud with Indian paceman Shantha Sreesanth during the tour of the subcontinent.The Indian series has been clouded by ill temper, stemming in part from discontent within the Australian camp at the way India's players celebrated their semi-final win over Australia in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

Cricket-Butt unhappy with decisions, bowling and fielding

Pakistan vice captain Salman Butt said poor umpiring decisions along with fielding lapses and lax bowling had led to his team's poor performance in the test series against South Africa.Pakistan are 305 runs behind after the third day and, batting last, face a tough task to save the second test after losing the first in Karachi by 160 runs."There have been some decisions where we have been unlucky like, I think, myself in the second innings of the Karachi test,' Butt told reporters on Wednesday."The third umpire gave me out when it was a bounce catch and Mohammad Yousuf yesterday I don't think he was out. When you lose your premier batsman like that, one decision can make a lot of difference to the team," he said.Yousuf, making a comeback to the Pakistan team, was given out leg before to Dale Steyn after scoring 25 runs and television replays showed the ball had hit him high on his knee roll.Butt also felt the spinners had not bowled well."The wickets were prepared for the spinners but they didn't get the South African batsmen out for low scores. We also had some fielding lapses. We have made mistakes and we accept that and we have to improve."Butt, who was made vice-captain after the World Cup, gave some credit to the visiting batsmen for playing spin well. "I don't want to take anything away from them. But our bowlers didn't bowl to their potential."The opener who scored 40 in Pakistan's total of 206 blamed the transition from one-day and Twenty20 cricket for the team's struggle."It's been a long layoff for us from test cricket and we have not played well."

Pakistan Cricket Board delaying decision of Shoaib case?

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) disciplinary committee last week completed hearing of Shoaib Akhtar’s misconduct case but is yet to announce its findings and the matter is prolonged unnecessarily creating speculations.The team manager Talat Ali banned him for five matches after his preliminary enquiry in South Africa ahead of the recently-concluded ICC World Twenty20 Cup which seemed that he had served his ban for not playing Twenty20 matches and had not been selected for two Test matches which is equal to four ODIs as per the ICC playing conditions.The lawyers of Shoaib Akhtar have been claiming the same that he has served the punishment and they have demanded that Shoaib should be included in the national squad or give an explanation that why he is not included in the team but they are yet to receive any response from the PCB. The PCB disciplinary committee comprising COO Shafqat Naghmi, DCO Zakir Khan and Director HR Nadeem Akram continued their mutual discussions to review Shoaib’s case but could not reach a conclusion. They are supposed to announce their decision today (Thursday).They seemed to have been facing a problem of any code at the domestic level to deal with such issues.

The ICC playing conditions do have a code of conduct to deal with the breaches of different levels but the incident is the internal affair of the PCB so they can’t implement the ICC code and have to stick with their own code as they have done earlier while dealing with the doping case involving Shoaib Akhtar and M Asif. Besides Shoaib-Asif spat, the committee is considering some other breaches by Shoaib Akhtar including media briefing without prior permission from the PCB. It is very likely that Shoaib could face some fine or ban under any other charges. But the cricket lovers are of the view that Shoaib should be included in the national team for the ODI series to strengthen the fast bowling department of the team. Meanwhile, Shoaib Akhtar has vowed to give his best to help Pakistan beat South Africa in the ODI series if given a chance. The committee should dispose of the issue as soon as possible to end the rumours.

Shoaib wants PCB to take action against Afridi

Acrimony between suspended Shoaib Akhtar and “fasting” Shahid Afridi took another ugly turn when the controversial pacer demanded Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take stern action against his charismatic team-mate for breaching code of conduct.Shoaib is under indefinite “suspension” following his physical assault on his newball partner Mohammad Asif in South Africa and verbal spat with Shahid Afridi. He also threatened to take the matter to courts in case PCB failed to take disciplinary action against Afridi for speaking while the matter was under scrutiny.The derailed “Rawalpindi Express” appeared before a three-member PCB along with Shahid Afridi on October 6 where he reportedly alleged that the incident in South Africa was blown out of proportion and blamed Afridi for leaking the news to the media.The allegation was vehemently denied by Afridi and he received support from Asif who in his testimony claimed that it was Afridi that rescued him from further injuries.“I do not want to enter into any argument with Shoaib on the issue. I have informed the enquiry committee the actual facts of the incident. Now it is up to the committee to announce the decision,” Afridi told Khaleej Times.Afridi also said that he forgiven Shoaib about his verbal outburst against him in the Holy month of Ramadhan and “I still have no ill-feelings against a team-mate of mine”.A final decision on Shoaib's future is likely to be decided soon after the return of PCB ad hoc chairman, Dr. Naseem Ashraf, currently in England to appear in the on-going legal battle launched by disgraced Australian umpire, Darrell Hair. The PCB chief is expected to return tomorrow.
Meanwhile, all indication points out that Shoaib is expected to be left out of Indian trip due to his poor disciplinary record and his inability to complete full overseas tour.

CRICKET: Pakistan falters after solid start to South Africa's 357

LAHORE, Pakistan - South Africa made a stunning comeback Tuesday to pin down Pakistan's explosive reply on the second day of the second test.The home team, trailing 1-0 in the two-match series, was 140-4 at stumps after South African tailenders hung in earlier in the day to post a respectable first innings score of 357.Inzamam-ul-Haq (10), playing in his farewell test, and Misbah-ul-Haq (10) were at the crease when bad light stopped play eight overs before scheduled close.Inzamam - who opted out of the first test that Pakistan lost by 160 runs last week - had an emotional arrival at the wicket. All 11 South African players lined up close to the wicket to applaud the 37-year-old former Pakistan captain."I think the boys had talked about this (guard of honour) in the dressing room, but when Inzy came out it was more like a spontaneous reaction from them," coach Mickey Arthur said."I am proud of the boys the way they welcomed Inzy," he added.Openers Kamran Akmal (52 off 64 balls) and Salman Butt (40 off 68 balls) made a spirited start of 90 runs off 124 balls before Pakistan lost three wickets in the space of nine runs.Butt top-edged lanky left-arm spinner Paul Harris and Smith took his second catch when he dived forward and hung onto Akmal's uppish drive in the covers.Andre Nel knocked back Younis Khan's (3) off-stump and Mohammad Yousuf (25), who missed the first test on fitness grounds, played across and was adjudged lbw, giving paceman Dale Steyn his 50th test wicket."We attacked a bit more with the new ball, but after that I think we have done the right things," Arthur said.Earlier, Mark Boucher made a resilient 54 and Harris scored a career test best of 46 to spoil Pakistan's attempt at restricting the visitors.The pair put together a crucial 88-run eighth wicket partnership and defied Pakistan bowlers for two hours and forty minutes on either side of the first two sessions.Paceman Umar Gul (3-103) got a much-needed breakthrough when Harris played a loose drive after lunch and spooned a catch to captain Shoaib Malik in the covers. Harris hit six boundaries in his 132-ball knock.Danish Kaneria (4-114) then clean bowled Steyn without scoring before Boucher completed his 26th test half century with a pulled six off of Gul.Boucher, who completed his patient half century in 3-1/2 hours, was the last man to go when he attempted a big shot off Kaneria and Abdul Rehman took a head high catch at the long on boundary.Boucher received solid support from No. 9 batsman Harris, who braved a bouncer from paceman Mohammad Asif that struck him on the ear.South Africa lost Nel in Gul's first over of the day before adding a run to its overnight score of 259-6. Gul bowled a short delivery and Nel gloved a simple catch to Misbah-ul-Haq close to the wicket.However, Boucher and Harris then took charge and defied not only Pakistan pacemen but also kept the two spinners - Kaneria and Rehman - at bay as South Africa progressed to 322-7 in the first session.

Cricket: Fleming will give Vettori space

Former New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming says he will give Daniel Vettori space to develop his leadership - but won't hesitate to tell the new skipper when he thinks the left-arm spinner should bowl.Fleming, who yesterday joined the New Zealand squad preparing in Christchurch for a test series in South Africa, said Vettori's biggest dilemma as a specialist bowler may arise early on when making the call to bring himself in or out of the attack."It's up to Brendon McCullum and myself to give him the confidence or suggest maybe that a change is required," Fleming told The Press."That's probably the only time I would look to influence his captaincy, otherwise I would give him his space and let him work his magic."Fleming said a target now was to lift his test average into the mid-40s from an unsatisfactory high 30s."My test average should be up higher than 40 and that's something I want to achieve but I've never been a great goalsetter.

Shoaib keen on Twenty20

Shoaib Akhtar has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to let him play in the new Twenty20 Indian Premier League.The 32-year-old fast bowler was at a disciplinary hearing into his clash with Mohammad Asif that saw him sent home from the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in South Africa last month.Shoaib, who should learn his fate next week, said: "I have got a written offer and I am keen to take part."