Karachi, July 08: Pakistan are still waiting an official invitation to attend a meeting of the 2011 World Cup Central Organizing Committee in India on July
14.
"We are still waiting and watching. But obviously if we are still a host partner of the World Cup we expected to be invited to the logo unveiling ceremony and the meeting," one source said.
The International cricket Council has moved Pakistan`s share of 14 matches to the other host countries -- India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh -- due to security conditions in the country.
The ICC has also rejected a proposal by Pakistan to host its share of matches at neutral venues and Pakistan has now asked the ICC Code of Conduct Commission to appoint a Disputes Resolution Tribunal to look into their plea.
The Pakistan board has also filed a legal suit in a civil court in Lahore against the shifting of the World Cup secretariat from Lahore to Mumbai and the court on Tuesday extended a stay order until July 30.
One source said that PCB chairman Ejaz Butt might get a late invitation to attend the meeting as Pakistan remains one of the 2011 World Cup hosts.
"Even if an invite comes, the former president of the ICC who is advising the PCB on the World Cup issue has suggested that Butt only go to India after taking clearance from the lawyers so that Pakistan`s legal position is not compromised," the source added.
Bureau Report
Former ICL rebel Mohammad Yousuf has returned to international cricket with a big bang by achieving the number-one position in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen for the first time in his career.
Yousuf has toppled his captain Younus Khan to give Pakistan a 1-2 in the latest batting table for the first time since the player rankings were introduced in June 1987.
Yousuf, who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy as the 2007 Cricketer of the Year at the LG ICC Awards in Johannesburg, was second when he was removed from the rankings table early in 2009 as Pakistan had not played a Test match since before the qualification date for the rankings.
He is the only Pakistan batsman to have reached the 900-point mark after scoring 112 and 12 as Pakistan made a mess of things on the fourth morning when they lost eight wickets for 46 runs to lose the first Test against Sri Lanka by 50 runs while chasing a modest 168-run target.
Younus, who entered the Test 20 points short of becoming the second Pakistan batsmen and 25th overall to reach the 900-point mark, paid the price for his failures in both the innings of the Galle Test by not only dropping to second position in the rankings but by also conceding 30 valuable points.
Younus scored 25 and three and will now have to come back with strong performances if he has to regain his number-one spot and stay in hunt for the 900-point mark, which in ranking terms marks out a player as truly great.
Injury-prone paceman Shoaib Akhtar wants to return to international cricket in the one-day series against Sri Lanka after missing out on Pakistan's World Twenty20 triumph.
The 33-year-old was withdrawn a week before the start of the World Twenty20 last month -- which Pakistan won by beating Sri Lanka - after a doctor said the player was suffering from genital viral warts.
"It was a heartbreak missing out on Pakistan's World T20 success, but that's in the past now and I want to play the one-day series against Sri Lanka," Akhtar told AFP.
"I have attained full fitness and have been gaining rhythm in bowling. I hope to stage a comeback in the one-day series against Sri Lanka, if I am selected," he added.
Pakistan lost the first of three Tests against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
The Test series will be followed by five one-dayers and one Twenty20 match. The first limited over international will be held at the holiday resort of Dambulla on July 30.
Akhtar managed to play just four Twenty20 matches last year, and the controversial fast bowler's 12-year career has been plagued by injuries and disciplinary problems.
After serving a ban for publicly criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the board allowed Akhtar to play at
international level and included him in the three-match one-day series against the West Indies last November.
But he was again sidelined with a hamstring injury and only returned for two one-day internationals against Sri Lanka earlier this year, before being dropped because of poor performance.
He played in four of the five one-day internationals against Australia in April-May, where he again under-performed.
Pakistan's interim chief selector Wasim Bari said the team for the one-day series against Sri Lanka will be announced next week.
"I will tour Sri Lanka to consult captain Younus Khan and coach Intikhab Alam who will give their feedback on the players," Bari told AFP.
"Akhtar's return will be based on his fitness, which we will assess, provided he is wanted by the team management."
Bari said Akhtar and fellow paceman Mohammad Asif will also be considered for the preliminary squad for September-October Champions Trophy in South Africa.
"Asif's ban will expire on September 22, two days before the Trophy starts, so he will be considered for the squad, and Akhtar will also be considered once he proves his fitness," said Bari.
Asif, like Akhtar, has also been plagued by on and off-field problems. He is currently serving a one-year ban imposed after he failed a dope test during the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League last year.
Kevin Pietersen's moment of madness handed Australia the initiative on the opening day of the 2009 Ashes in Cardiff.
Pietersen struck 69 but perished in the evening session when a pre-meditated sweep led to the softest of dismissals.
Setting himself for the shot, Pietersen scooped a wide delivery from Nathan Hauritz into the hands of Simon Katich at short-leg.
His departure followed that of fourth-wicket partner Paul Collingwood for 64 as England progressed to 241 for five after winning the toss in the npower series opener.
Collingwood was well held by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, diving to his right, to hand Ben Hilfenhaus a second success and halt a 138-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Pietersen, who experienced discomfort in his right calf, survived scares either side of that partnership-breaking moment.
Umpire Billy Doctrove turned down vociferous appeals for leg before wicket from a fine delivery from Hilfenhaus which tailed in to the right hander and would have gone on to hit middle-stump - perhaps believing some bat was in the equation.
Pietersen was on 61 at the time and he had added only five when Michael Clarke failed to cling on to a low chance at cover, after being lured into a drive outside the off-stump off Hilfenhaus once again.
England were forced into a rebuilding job after three morning wickets provided Australia with the early advantage.
England were forced into a rebuilding job after three morning wickets provided Australia with the early initiative on the opening day of the 2009 Ashes.
Experienced duo Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood came together before lunch after left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson bagged two wickets in quick succession.
Having won the toss, Andrew Strauss' England were forced into a new evaluation of their aspirations by the loss of wickets in the opening session.
They took the hosts to 141 for three midway through the first afternoon in Cardiff.
It was cat-and-mouse cricket after lunch as Australia captain Ricky Ponting introduced spinner Nathan Hauritz and the batsmen milked runs in singles and twos.
Pietersen began the middle session with two glorious cover drives for four off Ben Hilfenhaus while Collingwood found the midwicket rope with an aerial pull off Peter Siddle.
Australia had the better of the morning thanks to Johnson's double strike in the latter stages.
A tremendous over from Johnson accounted for England captain Strauss.
Slower balls outfoxed both Strauss and Ravi Bopara before the former was tucked up by a straight bouncer and looped into the slips off the glove.
Another drop in pace then accounted for Bopara on Johnson's switch of ends as a checked drive ballooned to Phillip Hughes at point.
Earlier, Alastair Cook became the first victim of the npower series in the eighth over when a forcing stroke away from his body was superbly clung to by a diving Michael Hussey in the gully off the bowling of Hilfenhaus.
The breakthrough came from nowhere, after the hosts won the toss, and put a spring in the step of a young Australia attack.
It brought Essex's Bopara to the crease on the back of three hundreds in his last three Test innings and he immediately felt the heat despite the slowness of the pitch.
Short deliveries from Siddle caused his discomfort, particularly when one got so big on him he had no option but to take a blow in the throat.
Another ball reared into his inner thigh off the inside edge and Bopara's nervous start also included an inside edge for four to get off the mark.
Hilfenhaus justified his selection with the initial success and by swinging the new ball at pace.
Both he and Hauritz were included in the tourists' line-up, which meant a surprise omission for seamer Stuart Clark.
With Brett Lee already ruled out through injury, Clark was Australia's senior bowler and the final place was expected to be between those two.
KARACHI: Former cricketers say that Pakistan missed a great opportunity in the first Test to have an upper hand over Sri Lankans and will now have to work very hard to make a comeback in the three-match series.
Pakistan needed only 97 runs with eight wickets in hand to beat Sri Lanka on the fourth day of the first Test match. However, Sri Lanka bounced back to record a stunning 50-run win to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Pakistan’s legendary batsman Hanif Mohammad said that he felt sorry for Pakistan as they lost the first Test after coming within striking distance of winning it. “A target of 97 runs with eight wickets in hands on the fourth day, should have been achieved by Pakistan. However, Sri Lankan bowlers bowled exceptionally well and making most of the home advantage — they won the match,” Hanif told PPI.
Hanif said that Pakistan shouldn’t have let Sri Lanka score 292 runs in the first inning as the pitch was helpful to the seamers. “Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq played exceptionally well to give a lead to Pakistan over Sri Lankans on a difficult wicket,” he added.
Another Pakistani cricketer Tauseef Ahmed said Pakistan will now face a tough task in the series. “Now they have to work very hard to make a comeback in the series,” said Tauseef.
“However, Pakistan always start their campaigns as underdogs and later make remarkable comebacks as we have seen it in the World T20 Championship. So I hope Pakistan will make a comeback,” the former spinner said.
Pakistan ex-Test spinner Iqbal Qasim said that Pakistani batsmen batted irresponsibly on the fourth day when they were almost in sight of the victory.
“Their shot selection was poor. Salman Butt after settling down should have played with more responsibility,” Iqbal said.
GALLE, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Pressure got to Pakistan's young team as they slumped to a 50-run defeat by Sri Lanka in the first test on Tuesday, said captain Younis Khan.
"It's all about pressure," he noted after Pakistan crumbled from 71-2 to 117 all out in just 44.3 overs.
"Before this series I was saying that both teams had youngsters and the team that takes pressure well will win the game," Younis added.
"(Kumar) Sangakkara's captaincy (of Sri Lanka) was fantastic this morning -- if somebody else had captained they'd have come straight with a fast bowler and I was surprised when he opened with (Rangana) Herath."
"Our batsmen tried to play across the line and that is why they got into trouble," said Younis.
He was also unhappy that Pakistan had only secured a 50-run first innings lead despite at one stage being 294-5 in reply to Sri Lanka's 292.
NOT SUFFICIENT
"Our lead of 50 was not sufficient. We had (Mohammad) Yousuf and (Kamran) Akmal batting and we should have got a lead of 100 to 150," said Younis.
"It was the turning point that let them back into the game and gave Sri Lanka a chance."
However, despite his obvious disappointment, Khan backed his fledgling team to learn from the experience.
"The main thing is that we have a young team and it is not right to give them stick right away," he said.
"Because of the inexperience our team has not handled the pressure well, but we will pick up in the next two games."
He urged people not to burden exciting prospect Mohammad Aamer with high expectations after the 17-year-old's impressive debut with the ball. He took six for 112 in the match.
"Aamer is a young guy, but please don't compare him to Wasim Akram," Younis said.
"This is the problem in our country where whenever someone bowls well he is compared to Akram and then it becomes hard for me and for the player.
"Give him two to three years and after that we will talk about him," he added.
Report by : Nadeeem khan (crazycricinfo research works)
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New Zealand will play three cricket Tests against Pakistan at home later this year after their tour to the troubled country was called off because of security concerns.
The Black Caps had been scheduled to visit Pakistan for three Tests, four one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches.
But with tours to Pakistan on hold since gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March, a compromise arrangement has been agreed upon which will see the Tests played in New Zealand in December and the one-dayers and Twenty20 game take place in the United Arab Emirates in October.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said that, while tour details had not yet been finalised, the prospect of hosting the Test series in New Zealand was exciting.
"All the way through our discussions, our preferred option has been to play the one-day matches at a neutral venue and the Test series in New Zealand," he said.
Vaughan revealed NZC would not suffer a financial loss on the series because Pakistan would cover the costs associated with New Zealand hosting it.
Venues for the Tests have yet to be finalised.
"We need to be mindful of the weather, but the tests won't be starting that early (in the New Zealand summer)," Vaughan told Radio Sport.
"First-class cricket would have been going for a little while so we're not talking about a ridiculously early start for the series.
"But the weather here in December can be fickle so we probably need to be mindful of that."
New Zealand are also hosting tours by Bangladesh and Australia early next year.