Inzy as Afghanistan coach
karachi: Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was on Friday appointed temporary Afghanistan cricket coach for their upcoming Zimbabwe tour, saying he was thrilled to be taking on a team whose rise has been the game’s Cinderella story. Inzamam accepted a 25-day role to coach Afghanistan on their tour of Zimbabwe, where they play five one-day internationals and two Twenty20s starting from October 16. “I have accepted the role of Afghanistan team coach only for the tour of Zimbabwe,” Inzamam told AFP. “It will be exciting and I would love to put their enormous passion on the right track.” Most of the Afghan players learned the game in refugee camps on the Pakistan border after Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
Aus now focus on Kiwis tour
sydney: Australia’s new cricket captain Steve Smith on Friday switched focus to New Zealand’s upcoming tour as he voiced regret that a two-Test series in Bangladesh had to be called off over terrorism fears. “The safety and the security of the players is the biggest concern. It’s not safe enough for us to travel at this time,” Smith told reporters. He noted that the Bangladesh tour would have been his first as full-time captain following Michael Clarke’s recent retirement. “It was a great opportunity for us. It’s a new team and new players and we were all really looking forward to getting over there and playing.” Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said late Thursday that an independent security assessment confirmed the “risk of terrorism in Bangladesh targeting Australian nationals”.
Kane looking to play with pink ball
christchurch: New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson says they are looking forward to the challenge of playing in the first ever day-night cricket Test. The Black Caps will be part of the first ever day-night Test match at the Adelaide Oval from November 27, the first to be played under lights and the first with a pink Kookaburra ball. “I think it’s going to be different, it’s something that hasn’t been tried before,” Williamson was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au on Friday.
‘No management in WIndies cricket’
port of spain: Recently elected Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Keith Rowley believes West Indies cricket is being badly hampered by a lack of management, and says there was no adequate system in place to ensure the region produced a successful cricketing product. Taking aim at the West Indies Cricket Board, Rowley said Windies players were often not sufficiently equipped by regional authorities to compete against the best on the international scene, reports CMC. “The problem is that we have the board which had a certain colonial arrangement … the history of Alexander, Worrell and that era,” Rowley said on Thursday. “What is missing from West Indies cricket in 2015 is management, the people who occupy the positions of ownership don’t understand they are managing a product, it is as simple as that.” “If we had a proper management system in place, recognising that the product is in the market place and this is an international market place where we are supplying people to perform, this wouldn’t go on. But I get the impression that they don’t think so.” he concluded and signed off. Rowley was speaking against the backdrop of the latest controversy which saw West Indies head coach Phil Simmons suspended by the WICB for comments critical of the selection process, in regards to the one-day team for the upcoming tour of Sri lanka. Pointing to the constant controversies, Rowley said it was taking West Indies cricket longer than was normal, to return to a position of prominence within world of cricket.