Afridi best to lead Pak in WC: Malik
Karachi: Pakistan’s senior batsman and former captain Shoaib Malik has said maverick all-rounder Shahid Afridi is the best person to replace Misbah-ul-Haq as skipper for next year’s World Cup. Malik, 32, said that if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wanted to change the captain of the national one-day team it should do it immediately. “I don’t know what the board has in mind but if they are thinking about changing the captaincy they should do it now because there is little time left before the World Cup,” Malik said. Malik, who had a successful run in the recent Caribbean Premier league, also felt that if there was to be a change in captaincy than Shahid Afridi was the best person to replace Misbah-ul-Haq at the moment. “Afridi is a senior player and aggressive by nature and I think if the board decides to replace Misbah than Afridi is the best person to lead the side in the World Cup. He is strong willed and can lead by example in the mega event.”
PCB struggling to sell TV rights
Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is facing problems in selling the television rights of its forthcoming ‘home’ series against Australia and New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates for a reasonable amount. A reliable source in the board, aware of the developments, said that while the PCB had kept a reserve base price between $7.5 to 8 million for both series, it had not received a single bid even close to the reserve price “The PCB until now has got just one broadcaster interested in buying television rights of both series but he has offered just around $5.5 million which is well below the reserve price set by the board,” the source said. “The PCB is presently negotiating with the broadcaster based in Dubai but is also trying to encourage other broadcasters to also submit their bids for the twin series,” he said.
Kohli, Root, Smith, Kane ‘Fab 4’ of Tests
Wellington: Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has said Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steven Smith and Kane Williamson are the new “fabulous four” of Test Cricket but will go through “teething problems” before shooting for the stars. Calling them “leading young bucks in Test cricket today”, Crowe said - Williamson from New Zealand, Kohli from India, Root from England, and Smith from Australia “are seriously earmarked as future captains of their countries.” “Prior to hitting peak period for a Test batsman, between age 24 and 32, the young player will go through teething problems, highs and lows, swings of fortune, before shooting for the stars. If he is destined, he will learn quickly and climb the ladder to become the best of his time,” he said in his column on the ESPNcricinfo website.
Rohit set to miss ClT20
New Delhi: Star batsman Rohit Sharma’s finger fracture is not only a blow to the Indian team but a big setback for Mumbai Indians as well, who will be playing in the qualifiers of the Champions league T20 starting September 13, in Raipur. With Rohit sustaining a fractured middle finger during the second ODI against England at Cardiff, it is unlikely that he will play any part during MI’s qualifying round matches in Raipur, which kicks off with a match against lahore lions. As of now, dashing West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard looks a likely candidate to lead the popular T20 franchise. “While Pollard is an automatic choice in the MI set-up, his success as the captain having led the Barbados Tridents to title triumph in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier league (CPl) will go in his favour. But Harbhajan should also be sounded out,” a source in the know of things said on Friday.
ODI captaincy is ‘poisoned chalice’
london: Insisting that he is not conducting a witch-hunt against the England skipper, Graeme Swann today said one-day captaincy is a “poisoned chalice” for Alastair Cook. The war of words between Cook and his former team-mate Swann escalated with the ex-England off-spinner saying “Real mates are honest with each other. Being the one-day captain is a poisoned chalice for him. He just doesn’t need the job.” “We’re happy to tootle along in a two-litre diesel in a Formula 1 race,” Swann told The Sun. Swann, who took 104 wickets in 79 one-day internationals for England and retired in December, has claimed that Cook “should not bother” with the one-day game. On the other hand Cook had described Swann as a “so-called friend” after the comments.
I’ll oppose if AGM is delayed: Verma
New Delhi: The face of the anti N Srinivasan camp Aditya Verma on Friday said that he will “oppose” any kind of move from either BCCI or their president-in-exile N Srinivasan to try and delay the Annual General Meeting of the cricket board which is slated to be held by September 30. “Being a petitioner in this case, I will oppose any move from the BCCI or N Srinivasan regarding the extension of BCCI’s AGM. In the history of 86 years of BCCI, there is not a single instance of postponement of AGM,” Verma was quoted as saying in a press release. Verma also appealed to the Supreme Court about a pending application which states that BCCI’s interim president Shivlal Yadav and secrtary Sanjay Patel have violated the ruling and court order by nominating Srinivasan as their candidate for the post of ICC chairman.