moin asked to return home
karachi: Pakistan cricket was rocked by yet another controversy on Tuesday after its chief selector Moin Khan was ordered to return home from Australia immediately for visiting a Casino in Christchurch during the team's World Cup campaign. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Shaharyar Khan told reporters in lahore that the Board after investigating the matter had decided to call Moin back. “We asked him for an explanation and he said he had gone to have dinner at the Casino. But we feel his action was inappropriate at a time when the Pakistan team is struggling in the World Cup,” Khan said. “We don't want to be judgmental but being a chief selector and senior member of the touring squad he should have been careful and we don't think his returning home will have any effect on the team's performances,” he said. Media reports had said that Moin, a former test captain, had visited a casino on the night of the match against the West Indies in which Pakistan was hammered by 150 runs, their worst ever defeat in a World Cup. Manager Naveed Akram Cheema will take over as chief selector of the tour selection committee, including coach Waqar Younis and captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
just let players relax: akram
Karachi: Pakistan's former captain Wasim Akram has advised the national team management to not involve the players in long meetings/discussions or training sessions ahead of their crucial World Cup match against Zimbabwe. “All these long meetings and discussions and hard training will do no good. The best thing now is to allow the players to relax for the next few days and let them come back fresh for their next match,” Akram said on Geo News.
trophy at stake for aus-nz
Melbourne: The much-awaited World Cup clash between co-hosts Australia and New Zealand will be about more than just the race for quarter-final places with the cricket borads of both countries on Tuesday confirming that the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy will be at stake. The trophy, named after two of Australia and New Zealand's greatest cricketing families, currently resides with Australia, who retained it after a seven-wicket win against the Black Caps in Nagpur during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. But now it is up for grabs again at Auckland's Eden Park as both sides seek to defend their unbeaten starts to the 2015 tournament they are hosting jointly.
kohli better than rest: barry
Perth: legendary South African batsman Barry Richards feels Virat Kohli is a few notches above his contemporaries in the Indian team but still has some way to go before one can compare him with the iconic Sachin Tendulkar. “Virat Kohli undoubtedly is the best batsman in this current Indian team by a distance. He is really talented and is someone, whom you will like to pay to watch his batting. Along with AB de Villiers, he is amongst the top batsmen in world cricket today,” he said in an interaction. When asked how did he rate Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan compared to Kohli, Richards brushed it off. “No way (he shrugged). They are not even close to Kohli. He is in a league of his own. You like the way he builds an innings. The hallmark of a good batsman is to control the pace of his innings and Kohli does it with ease. He will definitely get better.” However, the batting artist of yesteryears feels that Kohli still needs a bit more finesse in his execution before he can be compared with Tendulkar.
philander out of windies clash
Sydney: South Africa seamer Vernon Philander has been ruled out of Friday's World Cup clash against the West Indies after failing to recover from a hamstring injury. Philander hobbled off the field after bowling just four overs in Sunday's 130-run loss to India. When he batted, he was dismissed for nought. “Vernon sustained a Grade 1 hamstring strain which was confirmed by the scans done in Sydney on Monday afternoon,” Proteas team manager Mohammed Moosajee said. He is also unclear for Ireland game after that.